Woot! Woot! Winter is here! Well, not here where I currently reside, but certainly here on some parts of the world...I hope? Yeah, I know what I said the last time I experienced this gloomy season but now I really, really miss snow. Of course, it's so easy to miss when you disregard the cloudy and grey days altogether. But, seriously, the idea of getting snuggled up in an incredibly chunky scarf and throwing snow to your playmates. Or snow angels! Oh, snow angels~ So yeah, obviously I know that we don't get winters here in the tropics. But I really love looking back to these past outfit posts. I love how all the outfits seem to work so well with the snowy background - though most of the items I picked were more summery items. This just proves that you don't have to put away your breezy items in the colder months. (Click the photos to go to the posts)
For all of my adolescent years, I despised jeans. Seeing as I was overweight and jeans had always had the impression of being rather figure hugging, I strayed away from them and picked up cargo pants instead. For years and years, I don't own a pair of good ol' jeans. Even after losing my weight a little bit, I didn't purchase a pair of jeans straight away because I thought they could be quite restrictive as well as hard to breathe in - and yes, my leg hair needs to breathe. It wasn't until I found these pants two years ago - I've washed them several times since then - that I started donning jeans all over again. If you noticed them around the blog before, you'd know that they used to be quite baggy around the calves and ankles so, even after finding them, I wasn't all that thrilled to be wearing them. But, after taking them to the tailor a couple weeks ago, they now fit perfectly. And I haven't been willing to take them off since. I really love the embroidery on the back pockets! They really accentuate my curves, in a good way.
Cotton On shirt (Sis's) // Bare Denim jeans // Koola Stuffa tote bag // MKS ankle boots
If you subscribe to my Youtube channel, you might already know of my most recent video, in which I talked about my tote bag collection. This one from Koola Stuffa just happens to be my absolute favourite! I'd always bought tote bags out of necessity's sake from supermarkets and other stores, which means they are usually not of the best quality. But this one is absolutely perfect and legit enough to pass as a shoulder bag. If I was going to college, I think I'd like to carry my books and stationery around in this bag. Also, the design looks aesthetically immaculate! I love how original the design is and how the colours play well with one another. By the way, can you tell that I'm still smitten with these ankle boots? They are the best! Incredibly comfortable and visually pleasing. My Dad seems to think they don't go well with these jeans. Let me know what you guys think ;)
P.S: Do you notice how brown my hair's turned? I promise you, it's all natural.
Hi, guys! This month there will be a theme going around on the blog. December is cooking month! So from now on, every week, I'm going to introduce a recipe to all of you. As you know, I'm not much of a cook so this is something totally new to me. Some of the recipes might be quite traditional and some of them are just cooking-hacks as opposed to recipes. Either way, I hope you enjoy them!
Although I don't celebrate Christmas, today's recipe reminds me so much of it. It has the classic Christmas colours: red and green. Though I'm not sure if it would be a go-to dish for Christians in the country on said holiday, the colours and the fact that it's warm alone are rather befitting for this time of the year. Some of the main ingredients are very South-East Asia central but I'm sure it could be found in Asian markets all over the world. So let's get started!
Ingredients
200 gr tapioca sticks
coconut milk from 1/2 coconut
1,25 L water
2 strands of pandan leaves
2 tbsp. tapioca flour (diluted in water)
7 tbsp. sugar
a pinch of salt
For the porridge:
Boil 1 litre water in a pot until it bubbles up
Tie one pandan leaf into a knot and throw it into the pot
Once the water boils, pour the tapioca sticks in and let it sit on the stove until the sticks are all soft and turn translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent the sticks from sticking to the pot.
Add the sugar into the concoction then stir some more
Dilute the tapioca flour in water and pour it little by little into the concoction. Make sure you watch the consistency and only add the flour when it's not thick enough.
Spread a pinch of salt to balance the taste
Serve the porridge
For the sauce:
Mix the coconut milk with the 250 ml water in a pot and let it boil
Tie the other pandan leaf into a knot and throw it in
Stir occasionally to prevent the milk from cracking unevenly
Once the milk boils, remove from the stove
When you want to eat the porridge, pour the sauce on top of it and dig in!
Tips: Do not mix the sauce and the porridge, except for eating. The coconut milk will only last for 3 days in the fridge so if you mix them together, the porridge cannot be kept for too long. Do not add all the tapioca flour at once, the concoction will thicken in clumps. The pandan leaves are tied in knot so they won't fray and the tapioca sticks won't stick to them. You can add mung beans, red beans or bananas, if you want to shake it up a bit. I ate mine with red beans and it was perfection! Lass euch schmecken!
Have you ever had those moments when you just get fed up by the internet? As much as the internet is a useful and groundbreaking innovation, sometimes it's just so much noise, even when you're not currently listening or watching anything. You know, when you have the internet in the palm of your hands, a flood of unfiltered contents wash over you - the promise of so many curated websites notwithstanding. And, yeah, the first few minutes you might be excited to discover some new things but, give it time, and you'll be so sick of the amount of crap you don't care about, burying things which might actually intrigue you. Not to mention, it's just where all the haters seem to reside. They are real people but they seem to be more vocal in the cyber world somehow. I guess, when you don't see them, it's so easy to "hate" and be mean to people because you can't see the way your words and actions affect them. Just like Louis C.K. said on Conan, when you have these distant interactions, you fail to develop sympathy and the ability to reflect on yourself. Which is why sometimes the internet could be so sad.
Whew, sorry to put a damper on things before but, on a cheerier note, I am completely in love with these ankle boots! I first saw MKS Shoes at Pasar Seni ITB 2014 and I instantly fell in love with their brocade boots. Soon afterwards, I looked them up and found out that they were sold at The Goods Dept. so I went to one of their branches and found the black ankle boots ones. It turned out that their sizes ran incredibly small - I'm normally a size 38 but I had to wear the size 40 to fit my feet comfortably in there. The particular branch I went to didn't have that size anymore but another branch did and they reserved a pair for me. The next day, on my father's way to work, we both went to the other branch to pick up the shoes. The other branch had so many more varieties, including these grey ones. Long story short - or longer story still long -, I got these ones instead. They're super comfy and what a wonderful cut. Yep, that's something you didn't need to know.
What do you think about when you think about kimonos? No, not talking about the hyped up version. The traditional, authentic from Japan kind of kimono. For the most part, they're really thick in culture and traditions. Not only do they use materials which have been used for hundreds of years, the patterns are really true to nature and ethnically appropriate. However, these ones by Double Maison - under the direction of Omori Yuuko - are quite up-to-date, following current trends and using western patterns, such as gingham, novelty prints, and lace - and mixing it up with traditional symbols. At the same time, keeping it simple and not over the top. Not only the kimonos, the accessories are also designed in a way that matches the kimono, using matching materials and colours. I feel like this way kimono will speak to younger generations, making it possible for them to incorporate them in everyday life. It's amazing how well these patterns look on the cut of traditional kimonos. How cool! I guess, my dream of having batik-patterned kimono is moving one step closer to coming true.
