2009 November | the groovini

Etsy Finds

November 25th, 2009

It’s nearly Christmas! (especially since it was brought forward for APEC) If you’re trying to buy someone something unique, that isn’t also for sale in the next mall over, made in a factory in China, have a look at etsy.com

I’ve mentioned etsy before. Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade, crafted pieces – from jewellery, art, bags, purses, clothes to a section called ‘geekery’.

A lot of the stuff sold on etsy are one-offs; handmade by craftspeople all over the world, who host online ’shops’ under the etsy umbrella. Some are hobbyists, some are artists looking for an outlet. On the whole, it is relatively inexpensive. The downside is you don’t get to see and touch what you’re buying, but that’s online shopping for you.

Most ship around the world. It’s usually by mail, so not terribly expensive if you’re buying small things like jewellery. I’ve bought various things and have never had a shipping problem.

There’s so much stuff on here, I thought I’d show you a selection of necklaces (and a really small selection out of thousands of listings of just necklaces). Being an accessory nut, this is happy hunting ground for me!

Click on the pictures to find out more. Be warned though, things sell out really fast, so if you like something, don’t take too long in making up your mind.

Chainmaille necklace US$88	Three’s A Crowd necklace US$25
Om Teardrop necklace US$28	A Thousand Things Opal Necklace US$45
Set Free Double Strand Necklace US$38	Burgundy Rose Layered Necklace US$135
Fortune Cookie Pendant Necklace US$21	Darth Vader Cufflinks US$19.95
Tiny Footprints Locket Brag US$28	Wizard of Oz Double Necklace US$26.50

Posted in Retail-Therapy | 2 Comments »

Matthew Carver

November 25th, 2009

I came across artist Matthew Carver at the Taksu Gallery (Chip Bee) and fell in love with his art. He paints impressions of citiyscapes as if you were taking a picture with an unsteady hand…or with a Lomo camera.

The one on display at Taksu, of a Hong Kong street scene, was wonderfully vibrant, colourful and energetic. It’s huge – 2m x 3m. Matthew was resident artist at Taksu and is now based in Berlin. Watch the slideshow of his work on his website. It’s not quite like standing in front of the works themselves, as you really lose yourself in the scale of his work, but it gives you a taste.

Kowloon Siren No3 by Matthew Carver

Posted in Literati-Glitterati, Visual | No Comments »

The tummy tuck that wasn’t, well sort of…

November 25th, 2009

By Beauticia

Beauticia goes for a new procedure… while I‘m still chanting ‘ imperfection over pain ‘. Reading this freaked me out!

I was booked in and ready to go. Goodbye mummy-tummy! The ravages of two pregnancies and accompanying weight gain had given my stomach the aspect of a shar- pei’s face. Baggy, saggy and wiggly.

Nervous as I am about all things medical, it was something I’d wanted to do for a couple of years – and if for nothing else, to throw away the Spanx I had to wear while running , jumping and doing anything vigorously physical.

After asking around for recommendations for surgeons, and doing a couple of consults, I settled on cosmetic surgeon Dr Martin Huang. He was the surgeon other doctors seemed to recommend, and being of a squeamish disposition, I was prepared to pay for his Rolls Royce service rather than having regrets later.

A rather substantial down-payment had been made towards a lipectomy (removal of loose abdominal skin) and vaser liposuction (to remove excess fat, something most surgeons seem to prefer to do simultaneous with a tummy tuck for best possible results).

Then four days before the big op, I was put forward as a candidate for a new procedure called Bodytite.

Dr Huang recently brought this new technology to Singapore and assured me that it would give me the skin tightening results I desperately wanted, without the large surgical scar (usually hip to hip) that accompanies a lipectomy. All this, with less downtime.

Click here to read more »

Posted in Beauticia, Fashion-Beauty | No Comments »

Footsteps for Good

November 25th, 2009

I love this story, I love the cause. Fundraiser Matthew Rickard was motivated to help by the tsunami in 2007. He’s continued his efforts to help the kids in the region by creating Footsteps for Good.

It’s a 4-day trek through Northern Thailand, and in order to join it, you raise funds by sponsorship (or donate yourself, at least $1,000). A physical challenge, a contribution from the heart – what a combination!

This year’s efforts will go to Room To Read, to build a school in Sri Lanka. They’re aiming to raise $40,000, and any little bit helps. You can read about it and donate here.

The trek is on 2 December, so it’s too late to join it this year. Matthew will be updating us after the trek with photos, so look out for it.

Posted in Good-Karma | No Comments »

My Quick, Easy and Delicious Linguine

November 25th, 2009

This is an incredibly simple and tasty dish, 15 minutes to whip it up, and it’s wonderful combination of pasta, garlic, creamy comfort and a hint of chili heat.

yummy comfort food

Don’t you love that we have both a tummy tuck story and a recipe for a pasta dish in the same place? Ah, it all balances out beautifully!

When you’ve made it once, you can adjust it the next time to suit your taste – more garlic/cream, whatever…

You’ll need

(serves 2)

5 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped onion
½ teaspoon chopped chilli padi
6 large prawns, skinned, cut into 2 or 3
2 tablespoons fresh single cream
½ cup stock (I use a vegetable stock, but you can use chicken too)
½ cup green peas
2-3 tablespoons white wine (or none – at your taste level. Vodka also good!)
1 pack fresh linguine
Salt
Black pepper

Ready?

Heat the olive oil in a pan, when the oil is hot, turn down the flame and just maintain the heat
Drop in the garlic and onion and cook on the medium flame till soft
Add the chili
After a minute, add the prawns. As soon as they start turning pink, add the stock, wine and frozen peas
Add salt and black pepper to your taste
Simmer for a minute or so over the low flame
Drop the pasta into a pot of boiling water. It only takes a minute, be careful not to overcook!
Drain the pasta and run cold water over it to stop it cooking
Switch off the flame on the sauce
Add the cream to the sauce
Mix in the pasta

Eat immediately!

Posted in Eats, Recipes | 2 Comments »

Hello!

November 11th, 2009

iMac It’s been an eventful couple of weeks. Drake’s been away, my computer crashed for the fourth time this year; I’ve started doing a bit of paid work. What’s it all mean? Well for starters, I have finally discovered Macs.

And oh, how have I waited this long? Other than a few things that will take getting used to, it’s so incredibly simple, user-friendly and downright gorgeous. To all of you who for years have nagged me to switch – YES, YOU WERE RIGHT!

And the magic mouse – wow!! At first I really missed having a trackball. Duh. Till I discovered that the whole surface of the beautiful mouse is actually a touchpad. So you just let your fingers do the talking baby! Genius. Form and function.

And now I’m used to it, 27” doesn’t seem too big after all!

So now I’m a little bit busy The Weekly will prove too challenging I fear…I hope to be able to get something out to you every fortnight. As it may be a little haphazard till I figure this out, please make sure you sign up and subscribe so I can alert you when there are new updates.

Posted in Blog, Reflections | No Comments »

Mochi and Buns

November 11th, 2009

I figured it’s now safe to go to Ion. Post-new-euphoria, and pre-Christmas mayhem. So, ok, it’s er, nice, but – it’s just a mall people!! (with nice bathrooms)

I have found a couple of yum-yums that are unique to it, so I’ll be back there just for that. And both are ‘healthy treats’ – low(er) in fat than the usual treats.

Head to Azukian (B4, opposite Patchi/Guardian) for handmade, fresh mochi balls. There are four on a stick, and you choose the topping.

Treats from Japan at ION Goma (black sesame) paste, mango, red bean, sweet/salty sauce and chocolate. They’ve also just introduced a new line – mochi balls dipped in powder (matcha, goma) My favourite is the goma paste. It’s all about contrasts. The sesame paste is a little rough, slightly salty, very black; perched on top of the smooth, white, almost sweet mochi balls. Gluten free, low in fat, high in flavour and texture. YUM!

Mochi The mochi guys from Japan are really sweet, and they really care about their mochi – so you know my theory, the added flavour of love takes this from good to yum!

Just around the corner is Mushiya Steamers. They do steamed cakes, from Hokkaido. They’re kind of like the steamed cakes we know, except with interesting/yummy/curious fillings. They are relatively healthy ‘no oy, no butter, no ek’ but still taste like big treats.

Hot from Mushiya Steamers Chocolate chip/caramel/azuki/matcha/mango/mango curry/pumpkin… I like the coffee steamed cake with chocolate chip – the coffee flavour isn’t overwhelming but the slight bitterness offsets the chocolate chips. I haven’t been able to get hold of the mango curry one, but I wish one of you would, and report back!

Half a steamed cake (they’re huge) with a cup of coffee is a lovely way to start the day.

The Mushiya Steamers

Posted in Eats, Recommendations | No Comments »

Books I Have Loved

November 11th, 2009

I thought I’d share with you books that I’ve read and fallen in love with, and have left an imprint on me over time.

They’re not necessarily award-winning, or literary greats. But there will have been something about them that resonated and made it ‘great’ enough to have made this list. Of course you know this list is not totally exhaustive. There are many other books on this list… and some may have slipped my memory net. Forgive this old brain. There’s a lot of info stored in this hard disk now, and there’s not an expansion programme readily available. I’ll share another list soon. (and if you want to add to this, please DO, use the comment button)

The Life of Pi

Life of Pi

So this did win an award…it actually won the Man Booker Prize in 2002. How I love this book. A wonderful imagination, unexpected story, and the writing…I could get lost in a sea of blue…and I want to meet Richard Parker. A unique book about a boy stuck on a boat out at sea with a tiger, an orang utan, zebra and hyena… It’s magical, lyrical, and an absolute wonder of imagination and beautiful writing. It’s a must-read.

Click here to read more »

Posted in Books, Literati-Glitterati | No Comments »

Sale SALE SALE!!!

November 11th, 2009

By Fashion Jeannie

I consider myself a reformed shopaholic (I think). I have managed to stop myself from going into shops too often, but when I’m at home in front of my computer, surfing, like the proverbial bee drawn to honey, I inevitably find myself trawling through shopping sites.

Here’s the other thing – I absolutely don’t get Vpost. I’ve tried signing up for it twice – unsuccessful both times. Something about a token being mailed to me, and I had to log in with this token within 7 days or it would be invalid, mailing or faxing in something to confirm address etc etc. Anyway, all too complicated for my poor addled brain. So I’ve found sites that will deliver to Singapore.

Most online stores in the US and UK never used to deliver to Asia, but with the recession, they seem to be realising that we may be a source of income for them. While some online stores put a premium on overseas delivery, many of my favourite online stores have, in the last few months, offer FREE delivery, or a relatively low postage cost.

And what’s more, a lot of them are on sale sale SALE! Oh how I love the sound of that heart-fluttering word.

Revolve Clothing

One of my favourite finds, Revolve Clothing stocks a HUGE array of US-based designer brands. Based in LA, this massive online store stocks everything from Gwen Stefani’s LAMB label to a mind boggling collection of name-brand jeans from True Religion to Hudson, 7 for all Mankind … which incidentally are quite a bit cheaper than the same ones sold in stores in Singapore.

revolveclothing.com At the sale going on at the moment, there are slashes of up to 70% on many many MANY items.

Silk Dress from Black Halo

I am currently eyeing this cute silk dress from Black Halo, who incidentally, makes beautifully structured, wearable clothes. They were US$325, now US$163. The website offers free shipping if you spend over US$100 with them.

I’m currently in love with this Leather Bright Band Cuff Shoe by their house brand. Originally £55, now £16.

Click here to read more »

Posted in Fashion-Beauty, Fashion-Jeannie | No Comments »

The Life of Pi

Revolve Clothing

Yoohoo!

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