Kate Spade sale on NOW

Hear ye, hear ye – Kate Spade is having a sale now. I found out when I was at Takashimaya yesterday.

Not on new arrivals (like Tutti Fruitti and Gold Coast), of course, but some of the offerings are pretty good. For example, the Boerum Hill Brennan I was eyeing was originally well over S$500 (I think it was S$560); it’s now abour S$390 (I have to resort to approximations because I have a mind like a sieve). Unfortunately, the colour I wanted (Dijon, in case anyone’s interested) was already at the last-piece-and-it’s-on-display stage, and it was pretty beat-up. If anyone’s going to beat up my bag, it’s gonna be me.

Other pieces I saw on sale included the Islington series, the Lincoln Road series and the Roland Park Kirks.

I am unspeakably glad that I have managed to refrain from ordering the Brennan online for now. I think that I will head to the Raffles City outlet on my Wednesday half-day to see if it’s meant to be mine. Mwahahaha. 

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12/5 1710

I got home from shopping and was definitely ready for a smoke. I went to two grocery stores and returned cans at walmart today. Every store was packed. That’s not to mention that I did my monthly stock up as well as Sir’s. The car was packed, trunk and every open seat. Matt did ok, but it was a lot for him. I managed to keep him in decent spirits and pretty good behavior, but by the time we were done and dropped off the groceries at Sir’s I could tell he needed some time to be goofy. I am beat. I could go to bed right now. Ah well, in a few hours maybe.

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Wow!

I was chatting with a friend I haven’t seen in a long time!  It was good to be able to talk to him again…and he is still so funny!

He sent me a link of this video and it amazed me!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I’m happy that I did not need to come in to work today!  I love my part-time job, but there are just some days where I don’t want to work.  I’m lazy!  T_T  Even though it’s only a seasonal job I hope to apply year-round with my friend and I hope they accept us!

My dad and I put up our Christmas tree last night!!!  I am so happy!  It’s not as perfect as tree we had last year-which, by the way, was my favorite tree (i forget what type it was; noble fir?)-but I love it despite its flaws.  It somehow makes it seem cute…if that’s possible…haha!  I can’t wait to decorate it!!!  I really want a new tree-topper because the ones we have are older and either tacky or scary…O_o  But if we can’t get a new tree-topper this year, there’s always the next year!  I am so excited for the holidays!

Now I just need to study for my finals, and then it will be Winter Break!  Yay!  Now I have to think of gifts to buy…I’m going shopping tomorrow so Yay!

Well, that’s all I wanted to say for now!  Bye bye!

lots of love!

ash<3

P.S. Happy Birthday, Daddy!  I love you!

[Via http://0ash0.wordpress.com]

Bravo week.

2 December was wonderful! My little niece finally came to this world and said Hello to all of us!

Went out with HannahTHEkukuFRIEND to Expo (yes Expo again) to collect our Race packs for Standard Chartered Run tomorrow. Yes tomorrow. Someone just kill me. I don’t know what was wrong with me to actually go sign up for this. I must have been mad. Yes.

Oh, Jun Yan was with Hannah when i met her so we took photos too! HAHAHA.

Had busy times nannying my nephews with my sister! We brought them to catch Astroboy on screen and surprisingly, the show is rather nice you know! Not bad, worth the money because its quite touching too!

FUTURE AIR STEWARDESS. HAHA.

THIS IS SUPER CUTE.

Had Graduation Night yesterday in school. Rush hour to get some last minute shopping with Charmaine,theahnehfriend. Cabbed down to Sembawang to pick Carla and went to school together. We decided to be quite late because I was very busy with my outfit and makeup and hair when I got home. And so, we WERE late.

Friends made since the Germany trip 2008!

With Adeline Oh, my China trip talking-nonsense friend!

With Carla!

My dearestest Denise wifeyy!

Ultrafake drunken exboyfriend FAIROZ!

Bollywood star Saraniya! WHOOPS.

With JunYan. HAHA.

With Civics Tutor Miss Jane Lim.

DRAGON, Yilong!

With David Fongggggggg.

The Cheese&Macho team!

With Nurul, oh my dear SPAMWITHLJSCHEESE girl.

With Charmaine Lim!

With Janice!

With Farhan.

Dearest Shamini, oh~ my darling, mini~

Someone slap me pls, I don’t know how to spell her name!

With Janelle! The bangleftsidebreast friend. LOL.

With Janice and Huiyu. OK I super love this photo!

With Adeline Tan! One of my queens.

With Gracelyn! HAHA.

Finally its today. Was supposed to get up early and get myself to Hort Park at Alexandra to go for this Youth Olympic Games volunteer training thing. Well. I slept too late last night (this morning) so I was late. Reached Hort Park about like 10 minutes later than the orignial time, not even a single soul I saw. You must be thinking why I didn’t bother to call anyone to ask about it. The thing is that, I had no one to ask. I didn’t know anyone who was supposed to be going for this training thing. In the end, I embarked on my nature trip, exploring the park.

Ok I’mvery lazy to upload all the photos alr. HAHA. shall edit it someday, I think? Goodnight all. Late already. Have to go sleep or later cannot run. ): & OH OH, I’ll be going to Bangkok with Mummy&Daddy and my cousin! Oh my goodness I love it man. BKK, HERE I COME.

[Via http://onghuiyi.wordpress.com]

Japanese Snacks

Obviously if you live in Japan it’s a lot easier for you to get some Japanese snacks, but I live in the states and out here if you’re lucky enough you might have an Asian grocery store in your area that might carry all sorts of goodies, but not everyone has that, and even if they do sometimes they don’t carry a whole lot. That’s where one of my favorite sites comes in, Asian Food Grocer, I just got a package from them today…

They sell a lot more than just snacks, but so far that is all I have ever bought from them. I found their site sometime in 2007 (possibly 2006) and was just thrilled with them. At the time the only Japanese snack I had been able to find at local places, like the mall or Walmart, was pocky. When I first started to search online for places that sold Japanese snacks I kept coming up with sites that only offered items in bulk, I had no desire or reason to buy in bulk, and the very few places that I didn’t have to buy in bulk charged outrageous amounts of money for shipping…Because of this I almost thought AFG was too good to be true.

Alright, so I mentioned the mall; if you haven’t noticed you can find a few different kinds of Japanese snacks at FYE in your local mall. Which I think is great, glad to see others carrying some stuff now, but they are not my preferred choice to buy from, I would just end up spending more money with FYE.

If you were wondering, below are the price differences between AsianFoodGrocers.com and FYE…

Almond Crush Pocky AFG: $4.49 – FYE: $7
Ramune Soda AFG: $1.78 – FYE: $3-4
Glico Strawberry Pocky AFG: $.99 – FYE: $2
Kasugai Gummy AFG: $2.89 – FYE: $5-6

I know what you’re thinking; Shipping costs probably make it equal to what they charge at FYE. It can, if you are only buying a couple of items. But I don’t, I buy enough (doesn’t need to be a lot) from AFG so that in the end I am paying less. Also, they just have more things to choose from, so it’s worth it even if I end up paying equal to what I would at FYE. And a lot of times you will find that AFG will be offering discounts on some items, or even 10% off your whole order. As a matter of fact I got very lucky recently and not only got 10% off my order, but also free shipping. I think I slipped in before they could take the Thanksgiving coupon code down (%10 off), the free shipping was for Black Friday, so that is what led to my recent order with them. That, and I also needed stocking stuffers, which is why there are a lot of strawberry flavored things in that photo (Amanda loves strawberry flavored snacks and drinks).

To summon up: If you are only buying a couple of things, like a bottle of Ramune soda and a box of Almond Crush Pocky then go to FYE, or if the only thing you want is some basic strawberry or chocolate pocky, I suggest you head to Walmart, they sell them for just over $1 a box, located in their Asian food section. But for more of a variety (including various other products, not just snacks) and good deals do your shopping online with AsianFoodGrocers.com. The only thing I would suggest to AFG is that they start to carry a variety of bento boxes, that would be great!

And because I know you were curious …My recent orders (seen in photo at top of page) from AFG consisted of:
Melon Bread
Hello Kitty Lottepie
Chocolate Fruit Gummy 4-pack (gummy flavors are: strawberry, orange, apple and grape)
Almond Crush Pocky
Strawberry Pocky
Strawberry Ramune soda
Strawberry filled Biscuits
Strawberry Chocolate
Not pictured:
Mango Ramune Soda
Strawberry Hi-Chew

[Via http://spritey72.wordpress.com]

Busy Bazaar

I went down to the bazaar at the Fremantle Arts Center first thing today and was surprised how many people had the same idea. I guess we all wanted to be there in the cooler morning hours, though it wasn’t cool at 9am either. Thankful for the shade of the old trees I wandered around marveling at the beautiful things on sale and enjoying the colourful and arty surrounding. I did end up getting nearly all of my presents, which made my visit not only pleasurable, but also convenient – I much rather do my shopping in the gardens of the Arts Centre than in crowded city malls.

Christmas Shopping at the Fremantle Arts Centre Bazaar

When down there, you should also check out the galleries, where you can escape the heat and admire some amazing pieces. My favourite of the current artists on show is Andrew Nicholls. His delicate drawings are just stunning.

Get Andrew Nicholls' book at the Arts Centre shop

Fremantle Arts Centre
1 Finnerty Street
Fremantle

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How to Scheme#2: You vs. The Supermarket

The supermarket is one of the biggest and best schemers around. Remember the last time you were hungry during one of your shopping trips? Think of how much crap ended up in your shopping cart as you went down each aisle with one hand extended just plowing all the processed goodies into your cart. Aisle cappers? Candy display at the checkout counter? Pure genius…well played supermarket…well played.

Here are some tips on how to win:

1) Take inventory. Before you head out, check your fridge and cupboard to see what you have already vs. what you need. This prevents over buying and keeps your stomach from making all the decisions once you get to the market.

2) Make a list, or just a bring a list of better food choices with you. I have a pdf saved on my phone for “good” vs “bad” proteins, carbs, and fat. It makes decisions much easier and quicker. Plan to buy enough to make your meals for the week.

3) Stay on the perimeter of the supermarket. This is where you’ll find most of the fresh produce/meats and generally higher quality food items. As you get nearer and nearer to the interior aisles, you’ll find the more processed carby foods (aka crap) that inherently have super long shelf lives that will do nothing but harm your system.

4) Don’t shop on an empty stomach. You’re gonna buy up the whole store numb nuts. Don’t set yourself up for a K.O.

5) Don’t fall for labels. “No trans fats”, “whole wheat”, serving size multipliers, anything that has the word “healthy” in it, etc…it’s all scheming. If it’s coming pre-packaged in a box, be aware, it’s usually loaded with sugar and or sodium. No trans fats means that some chemist has filled it with some other kind of engineered crap that’s gonna mess with your system. Whole wheat just means it has a certain percentage of fiber (if you have to, it’s better than white bread, I guess). Check the serving size, is it one serving or 4 that you’re drinking when you finish that bottle?

Make your dollars count. By buying food you can prepare yourself, you’re setting yourself up to know exactly what’s going into your body and at what proportion. Also, you’ll be paying more for processed foods since you’re paying for all that extra packaging and marketing.

Take the Scheming Back

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