DANCING SHOES

REFRESHING

Here are some photo sets I'm truly proud to post.

After exams, I contacted a blogger I had the huge pleasure of meeting at a London meet-up with YouTube newbie sensations, The Line Up. At that time, we had not only graced each others' lives with our presence, but also irrevocably sparked a friendship that would take us to our next meeting point and beyond - this very breezy photo session.

To me, Dhawa was a breath of fresh air! I don't know about you, but if you are acquainted with the blogging/social-media scene, it is not difficult to admit that we spend an awful amount of time browsing the platforms dominated by a very select few, all undeniably winning in the game of genetics and leading lifestyles only heiresses could boast before the digital age. To the outside world, they have made it - brand deals, champagne soirees, front-row seats, jet-setting cosmopolitan lifestyles. Social media is selective. Unless you happen to stumble on a newbie in the microscopic corners of the Internet, more often than not, attention is mediated on the big guns. It's rare to see them arduously forging their path of recognition. They appear in their final stages, already waving the wand of experience, and leaving us wondering how they managed to get from obscurity to Inter-web fame. And everyone wants a piece of that cake.

Dhawa and I had been talking for a few weeks after first meeting, where I expressed to her my interest in collaborating. I would shoot her for my own personal photography portfolio and for her to use on her blog, A Little Late. It was refreshing to talk to someone who is not blindly racing for super-stardom, but just entirely focused on taking it one-step-at-a-time. No shortcuts, no pretensions of an unrealistically glamorous life social-media allows you to create. 

She is in one word - real.

There is only motivation, passion, creative integrity, and like most of us, pure hard work and tenacity in whatever we choose to do.

Where to find Dhawa:

 http://alittle-late.blogspot.com

https://www.youtube.com/stylezeal

LEVI'S CUTOFF SHORTS AND KNIT JUMPER

Hi all,

I have finally hopped onto the Levi's Cutoff Shorts bandwagon - hurrah! And boy, am I glad I did! You might have been able to tell from my other posts that I have a very big place in heart for vintage pieces. If you ask me what I'm wearing on a particular day, I can surely say that at least one of the pieces of my outfit is either from my mum's wardrobe or a thrift store. There is something about wearing an item of clothing that has had some lovin' before my time; the fit, wash, draping, degree of "destroyedness", means that no matter what, it will sit on your body like it has always been there. And most of my thrifted pieces are from the men's section believe it or not.

This is what my pair of Levi's 501 cutoff shorts are like. I bought it from an Ebay seller who I am pretty impressed with as they measure the sizes of each individual pair regardless of the size stated on the shorts since the jeans shrink over numerous washings and are usually different to the original sizes.  It means you're getting something pretty true to size.

I'm going to jump the gun and say these are probably going to be my go-to shorts for summer. Of course it would be unwise to wear a turtleneck knit sweater during that time, but from little crop tops to oversized men's t-shirts, I think I'll have a solid relationship with these shorts over the next season or two.

Vintage Levi's 501Cutoff Shorts // Easy to make with a pair of vintage Levi's jeans or similar, but Ebay Seller is: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-LEVIS-501-Denim-Shorts-High-Waisted-Hotpants-6-8-10-12-14-16-18-Grade-A-/171315678736?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item27e335ce10

Forever 21 Knit Sweater

SUEDE CULOTTES : ANKLES, HOT OR COLD?

A short post here.

Last week, my friend, Zoey, and I jumped at an opportunity to do a mini photo shoot when the weather in London turned for the better. This was following a rather windy rain storm so although the sun was beaming down on us, there was still a chill that seemed to cut through every bit of clothing we put on.

So, what better way for your legs, that have been hibernating all winter, to take in the sunnier weather but be shielded from the wind than a pair of culottes - suede ones! I just love how Zoey has played with texture and layers here: the suede bottoms, the knitted vest, and the luxurious, longline polyester blazer. These were a much needed attention to detail since all the pieces have such a relaxed fit and would have skewed too close to being lounge wear. Especially since we were headed to a friend's barbecue that same day, we wanted to be casual, yet attain a certain amount of decorum you could say.

Well, these were the photos we ended up with. A lot of them captured candidly which turned out to be my favourites.

H&M Suede Culottes

ANTICS OF A UNIVERSITY (COLLEGE) STUDENT

                                       

Hi, hello, salutations.

It seems like I'm having to reintroduce myself after the inexcusable, year-long *sqiurm* period of absence. A lot of things have changed since my last post which may or may not explain the blinding gap of nothingness between then and now. One of them has been starting an educational institution more widely known as university.

University and living in halls (or dorms) has no doubt been an experience. So far, its been everything I expected and everything I did not at the same time. Despite what people say on TheStudentRoom, I have not been eating beans on toast for every meal, nor has living with no ensuite bathroom in squalid hall conditions been as frightening as I’d thought. Yes, we’ve more than occasionally been denied cold - I repeat - cold water in the kitchen. We’ve also had lack of hot water in showers at certain times, which let me tell you is not fun after a night out and having crawled out of bed for that one lecture nobody seems to attend. And whilst we’ve even had no water full stop, I dare to say how surprised I was not to freak out and go packing (just want to add that I do consider myself a generally very clean human). The experience has indeed bought everyone living in my halls closer together.

In all seriousness, living away from home couldn’t have been more timely. Not that I dislike staying with family and of course having food cooked for me, but nothing beats the feeling of finally stretching out new inexperienced feet, falling over a few times, but finding success at the end of the tunnel when you feel like you don’t need anyone to constantly pick you up and brush you down - I do that all by myself now. Of course, living in London has played a huge role in all of this. The urban, gritty, vibes just plucks at every adventurous tendon in my body. I feel like a right Londoner when I know which tubes to avoid during rush hour.

I guess most of all, I didn’t realise how sheltered I was before university. The feeling of freedom and empowerment from having to survive on your own and being able to make your decisions that only you can make for yourself is what hits home for me. This may be the “growing up and finding yourself” part that has been uttered to me uncountable times before uni. And with great power comes great responsibility. Or something like that…

TK MAXX Neoprene Contrast Sweater

Urban Outfitters Military Skirt

&OtherStories Loafers

Umbro Socks

IN THE TROPICS

                                                   

                       

               13 hours stuck in a metal flying tin-can - #Igotofftheplanelikethis

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Singapore; temperature currently 34 degrees Celsius and humidity truly suffocating.

Despite this, I am very glad to be back in Singapore visiting family and having the occasional shopping spree for things you can only find in the Far-East. I’m very glad to be able to gorge the foods I have missed which you can see from the couple of kgs I've put on in one week. I’m glad to see the spotless, chewing gum-free streets, the hordes of taxis of which are impossible to hail when you need one most, the never ending stream of grandiose shopping centres/malls lining Orchard Road, the ‘aunties’ ’ indistinguishable haggling at markets, the around-the-clock building work…the list goes on. The West and the East are completely different from each other in appearance and culture, both great in their own right, but something I truly appreciate as it allows me to escape from one world to another.

To go along with the tropical climate scene, palm leaves must of course make an appearance. I can't help but feel the black accented strips over the deep cobalt blue top add a retro vibe to a modern cut which makes me feel like I should be wondering on a street in Palm Springs. This is the silkiest item I've ever worn, and the loose fit that beckons for a no-bras day (hurrah) is definitely perfect for the 34 degrees, perspiration-inducing climate. One of my faves this summer.

On the other hand, when did it ever become a good idea to wear a pleather skirt in this heat? I shall try to justify! With wearing prints, there are two ways:

1) Mix prints - one of the prints larger and bolder, and the other less dominating will work well together, as well as having similar colour palettes.

2) Texture - keep the other piece plain but use an interesting texture

I went with the latter as I wanted to highlight the black from the top so not to make the intense cobalt blue too overwhelming if matched with other prints.

That's all for today - off to be a self-proclaimed food critic.

Let me know what you think, x

Zara Leaf Print Silk Top

Zara Pleather Skirt

H & M Necklace

POST EXAM SYNDROME

Well, that's two years of studying wrapped up in the most important fourteen hours of my life.

There are no words to describe the feeling when the invigilator demands “pens down” for the very last time than sheer, utter relief. The last walk out of the exam hall is always the time for silent celebrations – or helpless cries depending on which end of the ‘how much of the paper did you understand’ scale you were on. Now the only thing left to do is wait for our dreaded results’, the day when all the tension building up to that moment is released, but then realising how much more significant you actually made it.

   Despite the last step to getting into university done and dusted with, I can’t help but feel a sense of too much freedom, I mean, what do I do with my life now? No more all-nighters, no more stressed phone calls to friends about a maths problem, no more study timetables, no more knowing exactly what I should be doing at exactly what time in the day. During those two years, you can’t help but be stuck in monotonous way of life, and once broken I end up not being able to start anything new and productive, even after waiting and anticipating for the end of that schedule. When no more deadlines are given, my motivation levels shut down drastically. So much for, “I will start this when I am free…” Every moment I am sucked into watching another TV episode, I feel like I’m wasting precious time.

And so, here is what I say to get back motivation:

1. Get a haircut  - I tend to get a drastic chop after leaving it to grow for a while in its untamed state. Definitely leaves a refreshing feeling on the shoulders.

2. Try out new things - e.g. walk a different route than usual

3. Rediscover old passions - the flare of excitement is critical to battle the energy slump

I have come to the conclusion that YouTube and all other video hosting websites are evil full-stop.

Forever 21 Knit Jumper // H & M Floral Shorts