Lavendaz

2008-03-23T04:52:00.000-07:00

Clearance Sale!

We would be clearing all our stock at an attractive price!

All our Lavendaz shoes would be selling at $29.90; except for the leather range which would be reduced to $42.90.

These are some of our collections!

All the above selling at $29.90! More to be found at Lavendaz.

Below are the leather range which are going at $42.90.

Drop us an email if you are interested in any pairs!

* Do note that for sales items, postage would be incurred by customers.

2007-06-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

no books
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The new job is brain-consuming and draining me dry. Ironically I do love the role, well, that’s could be it’s STILL something new and I usually like things when they are spanking-ly different.
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I am missing my reading though and that's an important source of joy for me!!!
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Seriously haven't got to touch my books much lately...unless you are counting the times that I read to Vera, her alphabet books - "C for Camels, Camels have humps"...

I need the library. period.
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I wonder if any of you run into the same habit like me....We owned and kept buying new books, but never get to complete or even start on them and yet we still keep buying or continue to visit the library for more books. My mum commented that it is strange that I kept borrowing books when I didn't even get work on those that I owned.

I presume I just enjoy the fact that I was given a deadline to complete two or three books else I would be fined!

I have a childhood dream of owning a library like this (above). It's really a fantasy thing. All I wanted are the walls filled with books all right up to the ceiling and owned a ladder that brings me to the top. I would categorize the books by types, subjects, authors...etc. Yeah, definitely a reading chair in the middle! That really doesn't make much of a sense in Sg...since my apartment is tiny, plus really the ceiling is not that high!
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Well...anyway, if you have a good book to recommend, drop me a comment!

2007-06-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

Furniture for sale!

I have a good friend releasing some furniture at a great price. These furniture have not been used before (new!!!) and were custom made with good carpentry work!

TV Console $600

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Dining Set $1500

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King Size Bed Frame $1000

Sofa & Coffee Table $1500

Agree with me...She has good taste...for furnitures...especially for friends. ha!

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Tell your friends...especially those we are getting a new place, if they are able to purchase the whole set, she might be able to release at a good price!
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Anyway...if you have any questions or wanna arrange to view them, email Magdalene at onecafelatte@yahoo.com

2007-06-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

Birthday again!

The guys did a good job serving us ladies on Sat evening. Colin whipped up a good dinner, with the help of Mik and Josh.

That's our head chef slicing the lamb...it melts in the mouth!

He even brought along his 'kitchen gadgets' to Cheryl's place! That's the super pepper mill that I got him for his birthday last year. It's battery-powered and has a built-in LED lights at the seasoning area that light up when it is grinding. Cool!

Look at the food! I enjoyed the roasted vege most of all...the pumpkin...the best!

And....we end the night by surprising Josh with his birthday cake!

Love this T-shirt...."Our Faith Shall Last".....Amen!

More cakes!

Josh had another round of cakes on Sunday afternoon. Our church friends were so sweet. Hup arranged for the little surprise to celebrate Josh's birthday. Since they couldn't decide what's his favourite...they bought all that's available. ha!

Seriously a dessert time!

2007-05-29T02:56:00.001-07:00

The girls...

Haven't seen much of them since i started my new job. Oh yeah, I left Polytechnic!

Eve sent me these to quench my thirst... they went to the bird park!

Vera seems to look grumble that day. humm... Anyway, I would be visiting the girls this Thursday...yeah! It's public hols! I would be singing, toying and drawing with Vera... :)

I like Evie with this short skirt. So sexy...ha!

Finally found a smiling her on photo!

2007-05-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

May parties!

It has been a busy time of birthday parties...and celebration!

Another successful surprise party held at my place for Jessica. Photos are exactly as we held the party beside the pool.

Middle of the month was another birthday surprise for Jeffrey. It's always nice meeting old friends...

The again, we were too busy catching up with one another that the birthday boy has to light up the candles himself. :P

2nd Wedding Anniversary

Time just flies. 21st May 2007, I have been married for two years! Josh made arrangement at Inagiku. I heard about their excellent Japanese cuisine, indeed they deserve to receive top mark for its freshness in ingredients...this is an awesome treat for sashimi lovers like me, err...rather us. ha!

Recently, I am in a season crave for sukuyaki and they served fab ones there! Thumbs up especially for the slices of beef served. yumm....

There are so much more that I would like to try...the tempura and teppanyaki dishes. In addition to sake, I heard there is also a good selection of wines...then again, Josh and I are not wine lovers, hence you might wanna check them out. :)

On the downside, the subtle decor might be a little disappointing...but won't fast long as soon as the food arrive!

My all time favourite - Sashimi.

The server is preparing the Sukiyaki in front of us.

Love the beef...

Looking forward to many good years ahead! :)

2007-05-27T03:18:00.000-07:00

Sale!

Good news! We are clearing our last season collections! It has been quite a challenge clearing this range as we have really limited sizes available for this range, hence often have to disappoint customer.

So....Eve and I decided to let go of this collection at an attractive price and we would indicate the available size. We probably only left one or two pairs of the size available...so grab it if you are keen!

Drop us at email at lavendaz.

Emma - Size 8

Fall head over heels in love with the Lavendaz Emma. This slingback's suede and sexy ankle strap will dazzle you. 3” heel.

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Juliet - Size 7, 8 and 9

Fall head over heels in love with the Lavendaz Juliet. This slingback's suede and sexy ankle strap will dazzle you. 3 ” heel.

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Felicia - Size 6, 7, 8, and 9

The Lavendaz Felicia will captivate your date with its simple design. With an adjustable ankle strap and cross strap across the vamp, is perfect for the feminine you! Thai silk. 3 1/2" heel.

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Spring - Size 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9

Flee with your girlfriends with the lavendaz spring heels. With an adjustable ankle strap and cross strap across the vamp, is perfect for any merry days! Thai silk. 3 1/2" heel.

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Vetti - Size 8 and 9

Enhance your evening with Vetti. Four straps meet at the center of the vamp with a wide, undulating strap, giving dramatic flair. Slide into high fashion with the goldish insole. Velvet. 3" heel with plenty of toe exposure.

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Tricia - Size 7, 8 and 9

Slip into fresh style with Lavendaz Tricia. The 4 straps meet in a seductive loop across the vamp and attach to the back sole for dainty look. Velvet. 3" heel with plenty of toe exposure.

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We would be releasing each pair at $29.90, usual cost $45 online.

Drop us an email if you are interested in any pair!

* Do note that for sales item, posting fees would be incurred by customer.

2007-05-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things you don't know about Lavendaz

1. We started selling imported shoes....but when we brought in our in-house collections and they sold really well, hence we decided to focus on our labels.

How do you tell whether the collection is in-house or imported?

Click Celeste Did you see the words "Women's shoes. Imported" under the description?

Click Valerie In-house collections - read "A Lavendaz original." under the description.

2. My very first pair of shoes from Lavendaz is Pine, while Eve had Juliet.

Pine from Lavendaz

Juliet from Lavendaz

3. Evelyn handles all the finance and accounts for Lavendaz (well, I am bad with numbers). She is really good...especially at counting dollars. :P

4. www.lavendaz.com was designed by myself and it has been great FUN!

5. We came up with the name Lavendaz, after Lavender. We believes that all ladies wouldn't deny the colour "lavender" - while purple portrays royalty, pink brings a touch of youthfulness; Lavendaz radiates femininity into the little girl in us!

6. We started catering shoe sizing for 4 to 9 and now, 3 to 8. There are really lots of small feeters around!

7. We manufacture Gina and Tina out of the blue (or green ha!) because Evelyn suggested a causal pair of thongs for roadshows!

8. Our first media coverage was with Teens and Motherhood magazine. Yeah...both on the same month! It was fun seeing our shoes on the magazine; with that exposure, follow closely, we participated at Takashimaya 13th anniversary fashion show and were one of the sponsors for New Face 2006 finals event. Moving forward, it was due to the initial contact at Teens, we were linked up with other magazines.

9. Mandy was a mistake. It was supposed to be manufactured without the slingback strap. Interestingly, she appears to have audiences of her own. Some customers claimed that they prefer to have the back strap to eliminate the 'clogging' sound when they breezed through their offices.

In any case, Eve specially ordered for herself Mandy, without back strap. That's really one of a pair.

10. Our shoes come along with a pretty white draw-string shoe bag, with a lavender ribbon. Eve made them herself! Incredibly, we received request to purchase them in bulk from us!

11. I re-ordered Ling for myself (last month) after it was stolen, but mistakenly sold it off to a customer!!!

12. Josh handles most, if not all of the photography shoots for us. Well, if he travels, then I would stand in.

13. I brought in Hazz with the intention to wear it for a friend's wedding last July. She held an ethnic theme. Well, it's disappointing as I couldnt even fit into the largest size!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

2007-05-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

The black JAN

Any ladies that love shoes would know that it's a MUST HAVE this season. I seen similar selling at major departmental stores...and obviously I will try them on (for comparison sake). :P

The good news is I have not wore a similar pair that feels MORE comfortable than Jan. Hopefully I don't sound too bias. The incentive point is, some manufacturers produce the vamp of the shoes too angled that it literally hurts even if you are plainly trying.

As a shoe fetish, I do agree that sharp vamp makes our feet appears slimmer and in fashion sense, chic. Then again, comfort should always be our primary concern. This is why I always re-emphasized and encourage my customers to expand their shoes (vamp/front) with us during their purchase. Bringing them comfort is our main objective.

Well, anyway, this is Jan that I am talking about. I am only left with my very LAST pair of size 4. Let's make it fun! I will give a direct 10% discount on this pair if you indicate that you read our blog. Email to indulge@lavendaz.com

Oh, btw...we carry them in Red.

2007-05-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

A labouring day

We planned and cooked....and picnic-ed on labour day @ sentosa. As usual, everyone brought or bought a dish.

We feasted. period.

I think Kim was photo-taking an ANT!

Oh, the initially plan was just a picnic by the beach...but Keat and Jessica took us to this ulu place and it rocks! Overseeing the sea (well, sort of sea view) and it is deserted (just US).

Yeah. We stayed for hoursss...

Ended the night chilling at Cafe del Mar.

MEOWww

Look what I found at my carpark lobby????? The tiny kittens!

They are indeed adorable...so cute that Josh was convincing me to bring them home. Well, nice try.

2007-04-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

Catching the moments

For some reasons, Eve and I have been running roadshows almost everyday for these two weeks and MORE next week. Vera has been the santa little helper but she can be really selective on want she wants to do. If she likes the customer, she would greet them with her sweetest smile and wave her hands....if she doesn't like, she would snatch the shoes from her customer's hands! ho ho

She is such a charmer...especially on camera. She stand by and SMILE broadly for me whenever I am taking photos of her.

Thats Eve...with Mandy. We manufacture this pair exclusively JUST FOR EVE, accomodating her preference - without the back-strap. :)

Well, that's my Jan (below). Pretty much sold out, only left with size 4.

Leaf through our online shoe boutique...for the sole indulging ones...

2007-04-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about What's in My bag!

I rambled on this site and find out about Thursday Thirteen. What an interesting ideal! I got hook and here I am trying to get myself in the TT loop! For starters, allow me to steal Violet's ideal of listing 13 items in my bag.

1. Book. I love to read and never leave home without bringing a book along, then again, I don't necessary have time for them when I am out. It's for the just in case moment, while waiting for a friend, lunching alone (and not wanting to stare into space) or rushing to finish the book before the due date. Yeah, I used to buy books, recently I started to make full use of the national library and it's awesome!!!

2. Wallet. I bought this bulking-looking thing in Japan early last year. I love it, though it is not very practical; itself, its already pretty thick, not to mention after holding all the cards and coins.

3. Make-up pounch. Well you see, what you see is pretty much what I have. I don't own much cosmetic myself and never really good with them. So...it's pretty much a foundation fm Estee, Blusher from Nuskin, Nuskin nu colour lip gloss, Clinque lipstick, Stila lip polish given by Jessica. mac concealer and eye liner. The fishy-looking pounch is given by Colin and Loret last July when they went Japan for their honeymoon. Isn't it cute?

4. Car key. Obviously I don't leave home without them. Josh and I named the car "Löwe" in Germany for the silliest reason. We love the keychain and since we know none that is even close to call "Löwe". We decided to name the car after the keychain. I know it is silly. :P

5. Keys. Like everyone, I own a bunch of keys - two for the house, two for church, one for the letterbox than I have never use before and the last is for mum's place.

6. Inhaler. The only challenging part of owning one is having to constantly check if it expires!

7. Namecard holder. I used to own those typical silver metal ones, then Colin claims that they don't look good so he gave me this.

8. Tissues. I never leave home without at least two packets of tissues. I love to offer them to friends and it becomes a habit to bring ENOUGH for me and the ones I am with. :P

9. Comb and hair accessories. My comb that comes free along with hotel stay. The hair clip (is that what you call it?) is from Evelyn. Eve and I love all these, it is so easy to use.

10. Clutch bag. This is a FANnn-tastic buy! Eve owns the green one (did I mention she loves green?) and I bought the beige piece. I know it sounds a little silly that I am putting this clutch in my bag. Well, I have the habit of stuffing the bare minimum stuff in this clutch and leave the rest of the stuff in the car. This clutch is my best buy manz - i vaguely remember it only cost $16.90!!!

11. Ipod. It appears that ALMOST everyone owns one of these (even if it is not from Apple)...and it is always a gift from a love one. :) Mine too, from Josh a few years ago when I started taking LONG hours ride on train to work. I don't bring this along nowadays (unless I am not driving), but most of the time I still keep it in the car. It has been one of my most reliable companion.

12. Sun Shades. I bought this like five years ago...and it has been serving me faithfully through sunny (as shades) and windy days (as hair band). ha! Like the ipod, I usually keep them in the car.

13. Mobile. I don't know how much you rely on them, but I guessed like many of us, I am one who keeps my life in my mobile. Contacts, appointments, photos and important dates... I love this mobile, it takes great pictures of 3.2 mega pix. I am not a big fan of Ericsson mobiles (rather aside from Nokia, I love nothing else), I went for this phone mainly due to Josh's persuation and I never regret. It's as good as bringing along a good camera with me anywhere I go. It has been such a helpful tool for blogging. :)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. http://www.violetlim.com/

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

2007-04-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

Something Extra by Patty Rice

I grabbed this book from the library. On the cover, it looks typically like any other novel, except I noticed that Patty Rice is a Christian Writer. I wanted to read through the book and see if there is any difference from the typical ones.

I wouldn’t go overly ra-ra over “Something Extra”, but I like how real the story can be related to anyone around us. Genie, a young and attractive girl, on the cover seems to have everything under control. In her ways, she keeps her life in control, dates only exclusive married man to avoid the hassles of love and commitment. Novelist Patty Rice writes in an easy and straightforward style, brings out Genie like her own voice. I like the way she describes Genie’s struggles and psychological underpinnings of her heart.

Due her Genie’s bad childhood experiences – her father fooled around and her mum literally destroyed herself and tons of unrevealed secrets; Genie grew up to believe that men are not to be trusted. She owns her rules not to be emotionally attached to them and never to ‘own’ one…till she met David Lewis, old enough to be her dad.

David is a former newspaper editor, just accepted a new job as professor in the school that Genie works at. Genie came to discover that not all man are jerk and from a friendship, their relationship blossoms. The tricky part was David is married with two grown sons. While David is a good Christian man, he struggles with his beliefs, principles and his own desires. The months of affair bring joy into David’s midlife crisis and a failing marriage.

I enjoy reading the last few chapters, how Genie was encouraged by her sister to reconcile with her past and not letting it haunts her down. I love the ending. Indeed human fails, but we learn and grew; setting our priorities straight and take charge of our life. It’s all about reckoning with our past and move into our future.

I am one of those that believes in the phrase – “Past does affect us”. It can comes faintly or jumps at you when you least expect it. We live and we learn – in good and bad ways subjecting to what we experience. It could be things beyond our control, we bring along memories that were significant in our life with us. The reality is we can’t expect to live baggage-free-life; however, we should always learn to acknowledge our past and how it has shaped who we are (today), be aware of them and not letting them rule our present or future.

Perhaps because I am a Christian or due to my optimistic nature, I am often challenge to look up (and see Him) and not look down (at our feet). I would choose to trust God than trust man, any day.

2007-04-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

Jap-fab-nite!

We held a Japanese theme dinner thingy on sat at Andrew's office. It is a 'tradition' that we would spring up such theme now and then. The last theme was Christmas food in December. This round, I reckon is the most successful one...everyone stick to the theme and along with the Japanese food, we were watching Death note 2 and afternote was Wii again!

That's how serious we were...we held a sushi counter at the side!

Death Note. I love this movie, Josh and I are still following closely to the animation version. It's pretty impressive on how the story twisted along the way. The story is creative and deep, with well-crafted characters carrying unique personalities.

The animation definitely well presented the various abilities of the Death Note, the movie itself brought on modifications and simplified matters. In any case, the Death Note is definitely a page turner with plenty of unexpected twists and surprises that catches enough attention to establish its fandom. Must watch!

Oh.. yes...another late round of Wii...

2007-04-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Discovering more of Rome

Rome has always been a place I most wanted to visit. Being there is a mixed feeling, I might have too high expectations of it and perhaps the lack of personal touch in Milan has left me a little disappointed. Moreover, the lack of proper food (when I say proper means no pasta, pizzas and bread) does affect my mood.

Josh on the contradictory, was really enjoying his moments. He has always wanted to be an archeologist since young (but it didn’t happen la…). He loves visiting museums (for longggg hours) and historical places, and by studying subjects like history, science and foreign languages. I enjoy traveling to historical sites with him, for he could usually explain to me the background of the broken rocks and destroyed stones (which meant a lot to him more than me of course!). Rome is literally his wonderland!

Discovering more of Rome....

Colosseum

The Colosseum…located at the center of the city of Rome. Was said to be able to hold a capacity of approximately fifty thousands spectators. We all know that it is used greatly for gladiatorial contests and public event (which include wild beasts hunts/battles and even executions).

During the medieval era, Colosseum was ceased for such ‘entertainment’. At a later date, it was reused for a better reason, such as housing, quarry, workshops etc. It is currently in a pretty bad shaped due to much damage caused by earthquakes and stone-robbers (yeah!).

The arena itself was huge, estimated slightly less than a ninety metres by fifty metres. With the arena badly ruined, the hypogeum (underground) is clearly visible. overing an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground"). I could clearly see the network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where supposingly, the animals and gladiators would be stationed before the match. The underground leads through a tunnel to a Gladiator school known as Ludus Magnus to allow easy access for the gladiators.

Lighter note

Did I mentioned that one of the biggest treat in Italy is we have been indulging in Gelato? I think all of us know that it is an Italian ice cream, pural as Gelati. So we have been faithfully getting our daily consumption of it....and they were even available in the Mcdonalds! Yeah!

Supermarkets are not as commonly found in Italy for a good reason; they have such markets as good subsitute!

More of Rome....and church visiting!

Scala Santa (English, Holy Staircase)

I read about this place before I even come close to it. Being a Christian, I can’t say I am not fascinated by what I read, thus I have been so wanting to visit…Perhaps, it is the closest (physically) that I can at this point find myself closest to Christ.

It was said that the 28 marble stairs were preserved in this building are traditionally the steps walked up by Christ on his way to trial in Jerusalem. St. Helena (mother of the Emperor Constantine) was a collector of relics, and the staircase is among her finds and was brought to Rome in c.326 AD.

There are three flights of stairs in Scala Santa and I saw quite a few people climbing up the middle stairs (Holy stairs) upon their knees, praying. The stairs are now protected by wood, mainly to preserve the original marble. Of course, the visitors are also well come to walk up the alternative staircases (on the left and right).

This is the only place, aside from 16th Chapel, that photography is not allowed. Once again, I found myself standing on Holy ground.

That's a quick shot (below) right outside the Scala Santa.

More random pictures...

That concludes my three weeks in Europe with a smile... :)

2007-04-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

E-V-I-E 's Party!

Saturday was Evie's 1st year old birthday party! It was a pretty mad day for me. I was settling things for church (Easter event) in the morning and rushed down to church in the afternoon to setup the halls (while Evelyn is also setting up evie's party place! :P).

She told me to reach the party place by 7.30pm...and I did it thou' I rushed like siao. ha! Was a little worried I wouldn't make it on time cos' it can be quite difficult to get out of my church carpark after service hours. Anyway, when I was there, her parents are not there yet! ha! *phew*

Josh was snapping photos for the party....the buffet spread was good! Eve and I love neo garden.

To make things more interesting, she roped in a fondue fountain! I realised that serving fondue is not as ideal in such buffet setting. It is difficult to keep the fruits chilled. There was supposed to be a satay-man, but for some weird reason, he didn't turn up. :)

The birthday cake is the recent 'in' thing. We searched a couple of places for such cup cakes and eventually Eve decided on this. It's actually pretty interesting. The cup cakes are a little too sweet for me, but the kids love them! The top-layer cake is surprisingly good!

The magician cum balloonist! Vera had him two years ago as well...and this year, aside from just doing balloon sculpture, he did magic tricks! Pretty entertaining.

I love this!...Instead of assorted coloured balloons which Vera had it on her 1st, Evie has hers themed - yellow and white.

That's Vera!

Get ready to sing the birthday song....*happy birthday to you....*

and when everyone started singing and clapping, Evie cried...and incidentally, it happened last year to Vera as well, or maybe almost all toddlers doesn't appreciate that sort of ra-ra.

Vera helped with the candle-blowing. Charming...

2007-04-09T01:11:00.000-07:00

My Good Friday

Good Friday is a significant day to the Christians and those that believed in the Lord. The day that Jesus was crucified, Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

Perhaps a little more significant for me, as it was the day I made up my mind to 'go-back-to-church' in 1999.

I was just telling a girlfriend of mine over dinner (2 days before Gd Fri) that I re-dedicated my life to Christ in 1999 after attending a Gd Fri service which Gurmit Singh gave his testimony. Yup. That's him la - our local PCK. He attends the same church (Grace Assembly of God) as me. How time flies...

I started attending Hope of God then and move to Richmond Assembly of God (in Melbourne)...and then Grace Assembly of God when I returned to Singapore (which is my current church). I haven't looked back since. In case you are interested, pop by to Tanglin Road. That's where my church site.

Josh and I attended Good Friday morning service with our close friends, Andrew and Xiuqing. I am kinda shocked. ha! The church was a little too overwhelm... :P I did something silly, I took snapped two shots! Apparently, I wasn't the only one. ha!

The church was so overcrowded that the ushers were refilling rows and rows of chairs, nearer and nearer to the stage.

Wooo...exciting. God is good. :)

Wii-ing in the air

After running a few errands with my two friends and too much of driving, we found ourselves back to my place discovering a new toy - Nintendo's Wii. I read about Wii before and seen it but yet to experience it myself. I am not totally bought in by the magic motion-sensitive wand until 'that' Friday.

I thought it would be relatively interesting to see how Nintendo compete with Xbox and playstation. Josh and I are supporter of Sony product, well, him actually. He bought the ps1 and 2, psp and we are getting the ps3 as well. I was just asking myself how different can Wii be?

Well. It is different. It literally did separates video game players from everybody else. Wii is an engaging tool, I totally agree with what Nintendo claims - it will put people more in touch with their games and each other.

Even for someone like me. Aside for Sims, I do not lay my hands volunteerly on any games.

It was really amusing when I first saw Josh and Andrew getting started with the Wii sports games. They were playing tennis!..then bowling and moved on to boxing. With a fair bit of push, Xiuqing and I get started, oh manz, it is so fun! The boxing game was the one that killed me with laughters. It feels so ridiculous and silly, yet entertaining to the max!

The unique and girlish part of Wii is it allows you to personalised your portfolio. You get to create how you look in Wii! That really market to the ladies. ha!

That's me (below) at the bowling arcade! I know...I know...doesn't look like me at all. Come on, I can crave to look sweeter and cuter in Wii.

And that's Josh, creating his profile.

More Wii-ingggg!

So, we spent the afternoon and evening Wii-ing...and poor Colin has to bring dinner for us since no one wanna get out of the house! Colin and Loret got hock on Wii as well. Loret was the champion of boxing...beat all of us (including the guys) flat. ha!

2007-04-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

Too much to handle

It was a too-eventful-long-weekend. I hardly have time to breathe through the past three days...yet everyday was fulfilling and joyous that I wouldn't wanna trade for anything less. :)

I would talk about that later.

Now. Wow. Shoes.

Eve and I love suede. We simply can't get enough of it. So, there goes another two new collections of suede.

I had a few customers that asked the same - how do you take care of suede? Frankly, suede isn't the easiest materials around to handle. The darker colours ones are fine. The lighter colours would need a little care-taking. Just note that when it is wet, air it before you keep them into your shoe-rack. If it is dirty, clean it with a damp cloth. That's it.

I am not the most practical chap around that goes for easy-to-maintain shoes. I need it to be comfortable as priority and secondly, charming looking. Suede fits the bill perfectly!

There are suede brushes available at watsons and malls...which was said to be able to remove the dust trapped on suede. But oh well, I seriously don't think that it is necessary. Such brushes are technically more applicable for huge suede boots which folks wear them to dirty grounds.

We, demure ladies stay away from such grounds. :)

That's the graceful gracia. Same colours as the beloved cera. :) I am quite certain this would sell as well as cera. It's my personal favourite. This round, eve and I decided that we would grab our pairs before they are sold.

Leaf through the new collections!

2007-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Karaoke

'Sing song' session last sunday. Most of us are not very up-to-date with our song list and blessed with Jessica, she was busy recommending and explaining (the mtv and meaning of the song) to us.

It is always fun to go karaoke with Jessica. She is very patient with us and extended her hospitable-nature, which means, she would offer to key in the songs for us. :P

The guys are definitely having fun!

The lovely ones...

There is more!

The spread....

We sure did had a fannnn-tastic time laughing.

Yeah... charming. :P

2007-03-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Getting ready

New collections are arriving soon. Indulge yourself with a nice pedicure and get ready for our pretty shoes! While waiting for them, leaf us through at www.lavendaz.com

We have been very occupied with roadshows and getting excellent responses from teachers especially. Eve and I are having serious thoughts of extend special discount to educators....

2007-03-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

The party is near!

Yes. She is turning one! The big celebration is this coming Sat. There will be magician, balloonist, fondue fountain and satay man. Definitely will be a wow-ing time for many.

That's Evie and Vera.

2007-03-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

My love

My Melbourne friends shared a common passion towards games - boardgames, card games...strategy games. It is a crazzee that we all shared. Recently, Josh ordered some games from the state and needless to say, we went 'siao' playing till past midnight, usually ending with a round of supper....and dragging out feet out of bed to church early next morning.

The loving men

Introducing the three closest men in my life (aside from my family la...). We have Andrew on the left - Tao-Kay of Moomedia, the creative one. Moving on to the one in the middle, Joshua, the FLYer since he is always on the move and in the air. Then, there comes Colin, my closest brother...he's one charming man. They have one thing in common - they make me laugh.

How gross-ly-cute is this!

2007-03-30T03:17:00.000-07:00

Rome - Vatican...uncovering the unknown

That's us strolling to Vatican City...20min walk from our apartment!

Our first stop (after dumping the luggage at the apartment) was to visit the Vatican City, St. Peter's Square. Paid a visit to St Peter's Basilica and yes, it was much bigger than I imagined it to be, oh yeah…definitely bigger than The Duomo. It was said to be possibly the largest Church in Christianity and not kidding, it holds up to a capacity of over sixty thousands people. Awww…

That's the high altar!

In case you do not know, St Peter is one of the twelve disciples that Jesus has chosen during his ministry years. Traditionally, it was understood that he was sentenced to death by crucifixion, head down by Roman authorities. While traditions has located the remains of St Peter, it was also impressive that they have built St Peter's Basilica at a later date, with his burial place directly beneath the present high altar of the Church.

That explains why there are over hundred of tombs located within the church and these include mainly the late popes and also the most recent and respectable, Pope John Paul II. I was a little caught my surprised that many were still crowding around his tomb today, paying their respect.

We returned to Vatican the very next day again to visit the Sistine Chapel. We were pre-warned that there might be a queue (as per norm) and also the last entry is at 3pm. Josh and I took another long walk to Vatican the next morning with no regrets manz!

Seizing the blue sky, and took a few pictures of the exterior. That's the Vatican City!

I would definitely encourage anyone to visit Sistine Chapel, even if you don’t appreciate Art. It is just beyond your imagination how man is capable of such creation. The pictures on the ceilings is breathtaking…it’s awe-inspiring and mind blowing. It is!

Seriously, these are ceilings I am talking about! More Awww-ing..

I was contemplating if I really want to post this here. At the sistine chapel, I saw mummy. It's an interesting thing to discover. This Egyptian mummy is kept in the Vatican Museums.

Traditions have left Egyptian culture to believe the body was home in the afterlife to a person, which without it would be condemned to eternal wandering. Therefore, they try all ways to prefect the skill of preserving the dead. In Egypt, the bodies' abdomens were opened and all organs (except for the heart) were removed and preserved in Canopic jars which is shown below...and following is the Egyptian mummy (no kidding!).

More Arts!

It’s a pity that photography are not allowed in the chapel itself. As you roam in the chapel, you would hear the guards loudly enforcing this rule, as well as constantly repeating “Shhh…Silence please!”…It became such a habit that I find it comical when everyone starts doing “Shhh…” whenever someone makes a little noise. Inside is amazing, Michelangelo painted over three hundreds over figures on the ceiling, and there were paintings just everywhere, any and every corner.

Josh and I just sat there for thirty minutes relating (and trying hard) to the figures. Many were abstractions of the various events in the bible – ‘The garden of Eden’, ‘Creation of Day and Night’, ‘Jesus was tempted’, ‘Jesus crucified’, 'Life of Moses" and there are many others that I can't identify!

Savouring every moment...

2007-03-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Lake Como

Lake Como was discovered over 2,000 years ago by the Romans, who elected these surroundings as their favoured retreat. It's a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. Having an area of 146 km², it is the third largest lake in Italy. We took a 40min train from Milan that bring us right to Lake Como...and stayed a night here. :)

Private boats and ferries travel up and down the lake! Josh and I took the public ferries (like above) that bring us around Lake Como, offering views of the most important villas, such as Villa d'Este and Villa del Balbianello, Villa Pizzo etc...

Check out the natural beauty of northern Italy's lakeland....

Moving around the streets at Lake Como...It's just filled with charming little towns and fabulous century-old villas!

We took a little train service up the hill...and I find myself standing at the hilltop admiring the breathtakingly beautiful view of Lake Como. Woo...

I really enjoyed my stay at Lake Como, aside from all the spectacular views, elegant Italian architecture and all; I met quite a couple of warm and hospitable people!

I actually find this place more magical than Milan city! Why am I not surprised that this place was said to be one of the most romantic getaways in Italy...

2007-03-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Milan...world fashion capital

The 2nd largest city in Italy - that's our next stop (finally parting Germany)! We took a flight from Germany, Lubeck to Milan on Friday night and touch the Milan ground slightly after mid-night. It's definitely not a pleasant experience to move around Milan’s Central Station in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

I have read and heard...and been leery of the area outside the station. The area outside the station is now the target of big crime clean-up plans by the city of Milan...and why am I not surprised that there are ALWAYS police-cars right patroling and stationed outside the Central Station.

This is the Milan Central Station. Looking really good in the day! Caught the blue vehicle at the left? That's a police car!

It's said that one have not been to Milan if you have not visited Duomo. Duomo di Milano is one of the world's largest churches. It is the second largest Gothic church in the world. It's hard to imagine how much bigger can a church be! It's just so grand, so solemn...so graceful! The exterior, with its complex designs, they are carved out of the marble.

The history of Duomo is complicated. Beginning in the 5th century...The result of today's Duomo was the effort of numerous renowned designers. The recent renovation as of 2006 (just!)... that explain the canvas-covered scaffolding obscures most of the facade as seen in the picture above. :(

The grand interior...

Sforza Castle is a castle in Milan, Italy (below). It's about 10min walk Duomo church. This castle is now open to public (free admission!) and houses an art gallery (which includes Michelangelo's last sculpture!) Original construction began in the 14th century but the castle was reconstructed and further modified by later generations.

I love the castle, not just for its majestic building...I love the green! There is a huge park in the castle, open to public for social activities. There's a beautiful lake with plenty of mandarin ducks hungrily, perhaps greedily waiting to be fed!

Enjoy the greeeennn...

The pigeons are countless....

More pictures Milan city!

This is a wonderland for fashion fans (below)! You would find all the big branding at this spot...The Duomo plaza!

Oh...and through the trip, I learnt that the German name for the city is Mailand... =)

2007-03-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Finally Home

Kinda beyond words how much I just missed home...although it's only barely three weeks away. Strangely, I been staying aboard for years before and never felt like this. Perhaps there were so many outstanding tasks awaiting for me to settle back home....and a big reason is I am sick and tired of pizzas, pasta and sandwiches. I need proper FOOD. ha!

There are so much more photos to post....

Anyway, there are MORE exciting stuff ahead. My darling Evie is turning one! Not Mine exactly..erhhemm...(obviously she belongs to Eve) but I would love to claim her for myself, at least for this minute. :P

Well, we have been discussing on the party plans, food, cake and invitation card...so exciting!

I can't wait. I bought her a cutie denim dress from Europe and made Eve promised that she will dress Evie in that on the 'big' day.

2007-03-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

Sold out

Eve and I love shoes. Enough said.

As we move into the eight month of our business, we are 'feeling' it better on where it is heading. In time to come, we would be moving to focus on corporate shoes, mainly covered shoes (including mules). I am proud of our covered shoes actually. We received plenty of feedback that they are really comfortable...and most of our regulars are coming back to us primarily for covered shoes.

I guessed most of us know that it is not easy to find a pair of comfortable covered shoes, especially for folks like me that have really sensitive skin. You never catch me in covered shoes. never. period. Well, except boots, which I only wear when I am on holiday.

My feet are very sensitive; it blisters upon little friction and well, we all know, an uncomfortable pair of shoes can KILL the day.

My first pair of favourite covered shoes - Ling

I simply adore this pair, Ling. Made of suede, soft as it is! I have soft spot for peep-toes and let's say it is tough to find a pair of attractive black shoes that doesn't speak boring. I wear it all the time, to work, to church and to malls...it's black and versatile.

I would have grab Cera for myself as well, if not that it is totally wipe out months ago. Well, that was one good reason why we manufactured Ling; it was a logically move. Cere sells, so Ling sells as well. Both sold out.

Which is why I am so upset...

My Ling was stolen two weeks ago. I left it outside the house...which is a usual practice for most, if not all of my neighbours! Moreover, I left it in between my main door and the gate, which would mean, the thief would have to stretch her (assuming its a lady!) hands through the gate and slip the shoes through. That's a fair bit of effort, isn't it?

I am trying to get over it still. Can't wait for the next collections to be ready, most probably in end March.

For many that have called/emailed to ask about Cera, we are really out of them. We apologised to have disappoint you (I regret not keeping a pair for myself as well!).

I would really love to manufacture more Ling/Cera in other colours though. Any suggestions?

2007-03-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

Travemunde..More than just beach, sand and seaside resort

It was said that Travemude was more than just beach, sand and a seaside resort. Find your cozy place in the beach chair and enjoy the splendid view of ships and the sea.

Sunday afternoon, Josh and I took a train down to Trave and strolled around the beach. It was a windy and cold afternoon and logically beach-ing would not be an ideal thing to do; the beach was just filled with people, kids and dogs!

For every ten steps I take, I can literally see another dog. It's like every other people own a dog here....the pets were allowed in the malls, restaurant, in anywhere that matters.

This (above) is the best hotel in Trave, overlooking the Baltic sea...

End the afternoon with some typical European food - Pasta, Pizzas.

2007-03-05T02:15:00.000-08:00

Visiting Hamburg

Josh was finally off work during the weekend…and we took a trip down to Hamburg. It’s pretty accessible, just an hour train ride down from Lubeck.

Hamburg being the second largest city in Germany; it holds the principal port which is also the second largest port city in Europe. Hamburg is geographically centred between Continental Europe and Scandinavia; between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Hamburg is an international trade city and one of the commercial and cultural centres of Northern Germany.

It was said that a visit in one of the world's largest harbours would be incomplete without having taken one of the harbour and/or canal boat tours…but seriously, it was too cold for any boat ride. I am struggling just taking the shots!

The Speicherstadt, an ancient brick-built warehouse.

I wouldn’t miss visiting churches definitely.

St Nicholas’s church. One of which that really hit me. The Church was destroyed in Great fire of 1842. It was rebuilt in 1845-1874; however destroyed in 1943 to 1944, leaving just the tower and outer walls. It’s sad to see its ruin state. It was maintained as a monument against war.

This is so interesting! They have an air-balloon in the malls for the children!

I love this....Burger King house. It's classic!

Look what I found....the closest I feel to home: Raffles hotel..and Doc Cheng.

Discover the town centre….where the government and parliament have their common seat in the City Hall.

Getting closer...

The backyard...

The interior...

I love this site...

and Josh loves this more!

2007-03-05T01:53:00.000-08:00

Guild of the Blue Water Captains

Josh brought me for a nice dinner on Friday evening. Supposingly nice; but not necessary for me. I was seriously trying to spree through the dinner a.s.a.p.

It was supposingly a pretty cool restaurant and pretty much a tourist attraction – Schiffergesellschaft, in English - Guild of the Blue Water Captains.

It was situated at one of the most beautiful and prominent medieval buildings within the city of Luebeck. The brotherhood of Captains, founded in December 1401. The concept was unique, I would admit…mimic the atmosphere of a gilded ship during those times.

Even the so called banquet tables and benches are still the original ones. It was said that during those days, the skippers used to sit, divided into groups, around these tables, assigned according to the various harbours to which they used to sail, and to different commercial corporations in which they served.

They did a good job with the restaurant, indeed a unique and remarkable decoration; looking into each and every details.

Since 1868 this unique building is used as a public restaurant. The kitchen mainly offers regional and international food.

The place was kind of dark, well, it’s meant to be the ambience…so I didn’t exactly catch many nice shots. Also, filled with cigar smell…and the seats are uncomfortable, well, they are made of solid oak planks. It’s seriously a been-there-done-that experience, just experiencing the seafaring tradition.

2007-03-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

Lubeck - St Mary's Church

I have been looking really forward to visit the St Mary’s church which is located in the merchant's borough; near the market and town hall. It is the main church of the local council and the people of Lubeck; erected near the market and town hall.

It was constructed over a 100 years, between 1250 and 1350. During those days, No one had ever built a church complete with a vault this high before. In total the church has nine large chapels and ten smaller ones.

Known as the Germany's third largest church and remains the tallest building of the old part of Lubeck. Along with Lubeck, the church has been listed by UNESCO as of cultural significance.

Today the Letter Chapel serves the community as a church during winter, with services from January to March – was said that the main church area is far too cold to be used at that time of year. Yes! They still hold regular services here!

I tour around the church and from the exterior, the brick stones have lost the glamour of the old times…but it’s not difficult to imagine how majestic it must have been during its time. It would most probably been more well preserved if not for the burnt out during an Allied bombing raid in March 1942.

As I stepped through this huge wooden door (actually I wouldn’t have the courage to do it, if not that I caught someone coming out of it!), it’s beyond words and imagination. Awesome. Holy ground. My Father's church.

I will let pictures do the talking.

It's majestic. Enchanting. Be mesmerize by its beauty.

It was sad to know that many works of art in the church has been destroyed in the fire. The bells of the church which fell down during the blaze still lay on the ground in the position they fell to this day, where they remain as a warning memorial.

The church was protected by an emergency temporary roof for the rest of the war. Reconstruction began in 1947 and 12 years later the majority of this was complete.

That’s a quaint little creature sitting on the stone, just right outside the church.

It was said that when the first stones of St Mary were laid on the ground, the devil believed that this building would be a wine bar. He liked that idea, because many souls have already found their way to him after frequently visiting such a place. So he mixed with the crowd and started to help the workers. It was believed that of such reason, the building grew amazing fast and high.

However, one day, the devil come to realise this building is meant to be a church. Full of anger, he grabbed a huge boulder to smash the walls that were already standing. He was just flying near through the air when a bold fellow shouted as him to stop and offered to build a wine bar just here in the neighbourhood for him. The devil was very pleased with the idea and dropped the boulder beside the wall, where it is lying until this day.

It was said that one can still see the devil’s claws on the stone and true enough, just opposite the church, the workers built the wine cellar of the Town Hall, still standing today. So…just in case you still didn’t get it. The quaint little creature is the devil. Ha!

That’s my adventure for the day.

2007-03-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Lubeck - pirates on the board!

Took a slow and long walk along the riverside…just capturing amazing shots time to time. It’s not an everyday experience that I am standing so near to the ships.

I find it interesting or rather strange why there are plenty of ships along the coast, a couple of them were pirates ships. Did a breeze read up on Lubeck history and realised that it was founded in 1143 as the first German city on the Baltic Sea. Due to the promising site, sailors were free to put off to the Baltic sea from its shore. The city's ruler (then) sent his men to recruit merchants from the neighboring places, in order to help the newly-founded town blossom and flourish. Thus Lubeck rose to head the Hanseatic League as the leader of the economic power in mediaeval times. However, during those days, there wasn’t any navy of its own, no soldiers.

It’s not difficult to imagine how those merchants climbed aboard these large trading vessels, braving wind, waves and pirates to bring their goods to their destination. Woo…

These are the mandarin ducks which I mentioned in the previous blog.

2007-02-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

Germany...

After a long 13hrs plus 1 hr (connecting flight), we reached Germany, Hamburg Airport. Nothing fancy...what can be better than our Singapore Airport anyway? But I caught something familar... Spot 'Marche' in the photo? The tiny little green sign board.

With ANOTHER 1 hour ride, we reached our new home for the next two weeks, Radisson Hotel at Lubeck, Germany.

I snapped this picture in the lift and look how they build the glass panel as the ground on the top floor. It's a wise ideal to bring in the sunlight, then again, it doesnt appear too convenient with ladies walking around...

That's the view from my hotel room. The room offers a serene riverside atmosphere. It's just SO DIFFERENT from where I come from!

That's the Hotel, along the river. (Found the photo on the net) The other day, I peep through the window and literally saw mandarin ducks in the river. That's so unreal! Instantly, my world seems to have slow down, at least half the pace that it used to be.

As Josh is on business, I was all on my own to explore the little town, Lubeck. Strolling along the streets, the town offers a dazzling array of Gothic brick churches and buildings; building seems to be a 'too big' word to use, let's say there are just rows and rows of merchant houses.

Lubeck, the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany. It was being known as the ocean made of brick stone. That's not overstating at all. Because of its Brick gothic architectural heritage, it's on UNESCO's list of "World Heritage Sites".

I took a walk in the central of the city, around the pedestrian zone of "Breite Straße" and behind the town hall on the market square "Kohlmarkt". It was a gloomy day (plus I am bad with camera), the photo doesnt do it justice...

I read that huge christmas markets are found in this area during Christmas period. Interestingly, they offers children, the famous "Fairytale Wood" where they can see sleeping Hansel & Gretel and many other fairytale heroes (during the Christmas season).

This is what I found on the internet. It's exactly the place I mentioned! Isn't it awesome looking? I wish...I wish...I wish it's Christmas now! I would go crazy running after the fairytale characters...

Just as I have said, its the ocean made of brick stone. I need to walk more, further...to the other side of the river and snap more photos. I seen gorgous pictures, with the hotel by the river in the evening. It's so pretty.

I have yet to visit the churchessss and museumsss. The art and cultural history of this place is too much to bear. St Mary's, the church of the Council of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the third-largest church building in Germany. I read that it serves as a model for countless Gothic-style brick churches. Must see Must see...

Oh...and the ships along the coast...!! That can't be missed too!

I took this (above) while I was strolling around the town...and it reminded me so much of my old good days in Melbourne. This feels exactly it used to be. The stretch of road leading to my church (then), how I used to walk along Bridge Road, Richmond...where many of the shopping outlets were found.

2007-02-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

More food...

Seriously, I love this photo (above). The lighting appears perfect..just goes so well with the cosy mood that evening. What else were we up to but another huge round of feasting? I thought I said earlier and CNY mood has ended?

It's steamboat and lo hei again!!!

I saw something new today. This is cute....a little strange looking actually. I supposed its panada-looking fishcake. humm...the ears are pink....

I am going through steamboat withdrawal syndrome. enough is enough

2007-02-22T23:23:00.000-08:00

Sherine and Mia!

Our latest collection….and something different.

We just released our very first pair of formal dressy heels. We were trying to explore creativity in this pair. We created this pair in a way that allows flexibility in the ankle wrap. We encourage customers to buy different types of ribbons, diamond straps or pearl straps and linger them around the ankle to bring on different look! There’s a wide range of selection at Spotlight (Plaza Sing).

Mia, our champagne satin heels

I always felt that ankle cuff would says "sexy" in finishes look with a ribbon around the cuff...but different types of ribbons would make a different as well. I search high and low (finally found) a suitable velvet ribbons to give the heels a softer look…just a little experimenting!

Sherine, The slim vamp shimmers in silver

Some customers would even try putting up small crystals brooch or fabric roses at the back of the cuff. Depending on your outfit, you can play details on the shoes!

2007-02-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

I love this book. It’s a great work of historical friction.

Have you ever wondered about the way of life in Bible times? This is my very first Christian friction book. It’s a series which includes five novellas about Women that changed eternity. The (Friction) stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary, the mother of Jesus were beautifully described.

I loved how Francine Rivers illustrate the lives of five women who lived during the Biblical times. It’s interesting how Rivers was able to give the readers a good glimpse of how the traditions and beliefs of the olden times were and gave a good account of the lives (of the five women) based on her interpretation of biblical facts, incorporating her knowledge of the customs of that time.

We are not told, in the Bible, many things about these five ladies and their lives. The author was able to give a probable account of their circumstances and how they must have felt and lived.

I love the book. I can’t wait to complete the book and move on to her other collections! Seriously. Not only did the story gave a great insight into the five main character – shown their struggles, sacrifices, devotions and victory; the book moved me to read into the account of the oppression of women at that time in history, how belittle they were and how little say they have on their lives. It’s sad to even know that such practices still lives in some countries today.

As you read through the book, if you are a woman of the 21st century, you would be very disturbed at the description of the laws and pagan customs that governed the people then.

It’s unquestionable. The five, god chosen women. They had courage. They took risks and did the expected.

Buy. Borrow. Steal. Ha! Start reading it!

2007-02-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

Fuss-free gathering

The group of us held our usual CNY gathering at Mok’s place this year. It was as stated – fuss free. We forsake the usual cooking activities and just decided to order just pizzas and kfc.

Obviously, we need to do our usual Lo hei!

And yes, this is Andrew Mok…the stylo one.

We end the night with a round of cheers at New Asia bar.

That comes to the end of CNY....well, at least for us.

2007-02-22T21:52:00.000-08:00

The 8am Jog

They went crazy and woke up at 8am on Saturday….headed towards east coast for jogging session!

Getting ready for the jog!

Josh took the easier path – roller blades.

Mik and I took the easiest path – We headed off to the Mcdonalds with my book and his mac book…and read all the way till they returned for breakfast.

2007-02-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

I’m assuming that everyone is experiencing the after effect of Chinese New Year. It’s the raving of too much prawns, abalones and steamboats.

After two rounds of reunion dinner on the eve of eve and eve…and a huge lunch and dinner on the 1st day of CNY….I was craving for the most simplest of food – Mcdonalds. Ha!

I felt the cosy joy of the reunion dinner at my parent’s place this year, instead of just mum and I cooking, dad and josh were trying to contribute in ways that they can. Mum was just convincing us how she will keep the dinner simple, apparently, the table was just filled with dishes by dinner time. How simple was that?

Reunion dinner on the eve was just as bad, slightly better I guessed. We had steamboat, my all-time favourite…and there were lots of mushrooms! I have a soft spot for them, especially golden mushrooms. These two plates were practically prepared FOR me.

I made myself useful after dinner by tying the red ribbons on the pussy willows. Ha! This is pretty interesting to me. My parents are less traditional as compared to my in laws, I never had such distinctive lunar new year mood in the house… That was fun!

2007-02-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin

I read about raving comments on the author Emily Giffin. More alarming to know that magnificent review from Lauren Weisberger (author of “The Devil Wears Prada”) penned "Here's a heroine you'll root for and a book you won't want to put down". Emily must be something.

As I mentioned in my earlier blog that I read her second book, “Something Blue”…and was determined to track down her first “Something borrowed.”

“Something borrowed”

The story surrounds mitigating circumstances…introducing Rachel, a successful attorney in New York who always find herself insecure as comparing with her best friend, Darcy. Darcy is one shallow and overconfident girl that has no shame in flaunting her beauty especially around Rachel. Her competitive attitude often puts Rachel down and it isn’t difficult to understand why Rachel appears to belittle herself through the book.

In “Something borrowed”, I found the more complete story between Rachel and Dexter. Rachel saw Detex first, but held back due to her insecure nature. Darcy on the other hand, has a long history of stealing the men that Rachel likes, and that includes Dexter who Darcy is engaged to. Although there were moments that Rachel and Dexter shared (when they were young) which could turn into something significant, however, she breaks off ‘the Moment’ and calls it a night.

At Rachel’s 30th Birthday party, after a long heart-to-heart talk with Dexter, it progressed to flirtation and they spent the night together. Now that the deed is done, Rachel is racked with guilt, or rather guilty for not feeling that guilty. She vows to put this behind as a ‘one-night-stand’ and never to revisit again. But Dexter is seriously obsessed with her and Rachel struggles to keep him away – and failed. Dexter on the other hand, was caught in a difficult predicament. He has the courage to keep Rachel but couldn’t end the engagement he’s not sure he wants anymore.

The situation was complex and a little wishy-washy in my opinion. I like the author and her attention to detail and love for her central female characters. I admired her creativity in writing this book, in Rachel’s perceptive and entering “Something blue” told from Darcy's point of view.

My criticism comes as even when Rachel is faced with inner struggles, her conscious seems to be thin. Rachel was in a dilemma – she wants to be happy, but would be destroying at least one relationship - Dexter and Darcy, Darcy and herself and not to mentioned the complications between her and Darcy’s common friends. Despite how the book proclaims on the unlikable character of Darcy and perhaps she deserves all the betrayal after all she has taken Dexter and Rachel for granted over the years, I find myself pitying her.

I can’t deny that I read how Rachel stumbles through these thorny moral questions to find some difficult answers, but I find myself despising Rachel to a certain extend. I read how she was finding un-justifying reason for her actions. She is unable to decide what she wants to do; she can’t leave Dexter, yet couldn’t put her foot down and face to consequences. Pages after pages, she was whining.

As much as Emily tries to show the kindness and big-hearted Rachel that still talks to an obviously self-centered and spiteful Darcy, I found it hypocritical or even more deceitful as how Rachel is capable of sleeping with Dexter and yet at the same time helping Darcy to prepare the wedding pretending that she is still a friend.

My question despite how Emily tries to bring forth that there is two sides of the story and despite the book includes positive note on character development and a so-call ‘happy ending’. I can’t help to feel that all three characters, Dexter, Darcy and Rachel would end up single.

After all shouldn’t cheating be discouraged?

2007-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s…with the sea breeze

This was the night of surprise!

The setup...

Josh scored well that evening. He planned a great bbq dinner at east coast on valentine’s night. I am impressed at how he managed to smuggle all the champagne glasses, plates, cutleries, ice box…and even chairs from home without me knowing!

I didn’t exactly know that he was up to something big till I called his office that afternoon and found out that he is on half day leave. Ha!

Pop!

He conspired with Mikhail, who is at the background busy with the food. Ho…

The sparkling champagne...

Cheryl and I were being well-pampered that evening. She was literally just posing by the pit.

I find it unbelievable that how much energy Josh has. He often comes up with unexpected ideas will needs real hard work. He always says that he will make every occasion a different experience. On the contrary, I am a fuss-free and practical person. Opposite attract, I guess.

Indeed, it’s a very different experience.

2007-02-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

Busy Busy...

Recently Eve and I have been just busy with roadshows after roadshows. Actually not just the two of us, we brought along Vera, Eve’s first born.

She has been following us around. It’s actually a pretty good marketing strategy, since she’s the centre of attraction and well, ladies would usually go gu gu ga ga over her. I wouldn’t blame them. We are manipulating her to charm the customers and work on her words “buy shoes, buy shoes”…but failed terribly. Ha! But it’s so cute how she was say “niceeee” when some of the ladies pick up a design. She’s really entertaining.

We been visiting a couple of schools, hanging around their staff lounges…and times HAVE changed! Look what I found!

The management is seriously thoughtful and spurge on an i-squeeze for the staffs!

Eve, in her Gina.

We carry this Thong sandals in turquoise blue as well…Presenting Tina!

If you are interested in our roadshow concept, you could suggest to your HR/Welfare committee to have us over. Just email us a indulge@lavendaz.com

2007-02-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

Steamboat

I love steamboat….I just adore the idea that a group of close friend gathering around the hot pot. It’s such a cosy feel.

We had a good celebration of steamboat last Sunday evening. A friend of ours, Ee hui came to Singapore for a couple of days and ALL of us hang over at Wai Hoe & Claire’s place. Seriously the focus was just the steamboat. Well…Colin and I had the most that night manz. I am seriously bought over by the soup based prepared by Claire.

Andrew – tao-kay of Moomedia, our diamond-bachelor. He’s not that awful looking!

That’s him! Proven!

Colin working hard that evening…

Every time as I spoke about this group of friends, I can’t thank God enough for them. Things would be never be the same without them.

2007-02-06T23:51:00.000-08:00

My colleagues!

While I always have friends that whine over their awful, horrifying, atrocious, selfish, dreadful colleagues, I was never able to comprehend. I am thankful. I have never really experience bad colleagues before. Either it’s my super high threshold, or I am seriously one blessed girl!

My most recent new colleagues at Polytechnic are another bunch of fun-loving folks, that’s not all. They are charming, sweet, humorous, gorgeous and lovely people. (This is for their benefit, just in case they are reading. Ha!)

Seriously, they are so fun and easy to get along with that I always feel that I am missing out lots of fun during the School holidays!

Yesterday we had a small birthday blash for Siewheng. She is my closest colleague (ex) from Sony. God is good, brought her back into my working-life once again.

That’s the foosball men!

That’s our staff lounge. Isn’t it impressive? High-ceiling, cosy environment, TV, sofas, bar-counters…It’s just a great place to work!

2007-01-31T04:37:00.000-08:00

My finally-found book

I finished a few books recent (nothing fancy to recommend) and for my very 3rd search in the library, I finally found the book which I mentioned earlier in my blog.

Something borrowed by Emily Giffin. I am still three-quarter through the book and can’t wait to complete it!

Open Arms

Anyway, I am recently listening (and really into) to this old song, Open Arms. I know plenty of singers have sung that. I owned the version of Mariah Carey. Heard that Colin Raye sang them before...Anyway, my question is who is the original singer? I remembered that I heard another version which was really nice (male singer) and I have been asking around and looks like no one is really sure. Has it been that long? Please drop me a msg if you know!

2007-01-31T02:46:00.000-08:00

Getting into Asiadolly

Just a little new venturing for us lately, we would be available at Asiadolly.com. View us here! Jenny, the lady boss of Asiadolly initiated the move awhile back and it was roll-out lately.

I have a good look at their sites and realized that they have quite a few pretty and chic dangling earrings. I am a pretty subtle dresser myself but I think tons of girls would love them. I noticed that there are a wide range of colours for selection and it’s surprisingly affordable!

Look what I found! This is really cute! It’s an ice-cream cone & a little present wrapped in red ribbons! I bet some of my students would be very interested in these.

Found a little skirt that’s a steal! It’s only 15 bucks!

You can visit them at Asiadolly.com. It’s quite a different concept. I would see them as pretty much a small online departmental store. You can even find face masks on their store!

2007-01-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

My sole-mate :)

Since we ventured into the SOLE industry, I have always been reading up on anything related to shoe; be it sole care, shoes fashion, foot reflexology and even exercise for the feet.

Being a lady shoe seller, I understand that the latest footwear usually doesn’t blend in with the word ‘comfort’. Unless it is like the cool brand of Birkenstock, most of us usually find ourselves jamming our toes into tight and narrow vamp or high HIGH heels. A girlfriend ever mentioned, discomfort doesn’t matter; blisters, she doesn’t care, the objective is to stand tall and look sexy.

It’s not surprising that our mistreat of feet causes many of us to suffer from foot problems, such as arch pain, corns, calluses, bunions and blisters; straining our muscles and ligaments.

Then again, we do not need to wear ugly, buffalo-looking shoes to be kinder to our feet. We just need to learn how to choose when to wear certain footwear and be more feet-friendly to ourselves. After all, stylish young women have always been willing to put up with a little discomfort for fashion's sake. Here are the few common sole problems that we, ladies faced and some tips on how to pick some feet-friendly wear for yourself.

Sole problem 1: Arch Pain
This is due to excessive pulling and stretching of the fibrous bands that support the arch of the foot. For most obvious reason, high heel does not comfort the situation with the extra height from the heels stresses the toe joints and over-stretching the plantar fascia.

To reduce and treat arch pain, beside regular simple stretching exercise, shoe inserts are often helpful as well. There are plenty of off-the-shelf arch supports. Consider some gel inserts which provide padding directly over the area of most pain. It does help by slightly elevating your foot and reduce the pressure.

Mary Janes and Pumps are good! Look for shoes that have extra padding at the arch for better support, ideally, it is better if you can get shoes which are deep enough to hide insole insert which you can buy. That would naturally fits you better!

Beside arch support, go for shoes which provide are appropriately secured. Go for features such as buckle, strap, elastic, buttons or velcro.

I come across customers that choose to bring their shoes to cobbler to add extra padding or half soles. This is perhaps another option which you can consider!

Shoes like Vera could be your consideration. With a deep insole, it is suitable to hide any in-sole inserts. The adjustable ankle-strap provides additional support.

Sole problem 2: Corns & Calluses
Corns and callus are the most common conditions on the skin of the foot. They can occur anywhere in the feet but usually located over bony prominences which have constant friction with our footwear. Callus developed when accumulation of dead skin cells that harden and thicken over an area of the foot. Avoid Wearing shoes that are too tight or hard (especially insole).

Shoes with cushioned interior are recommended. Otherwise, consider additional padding or inserts.

Shoes with back support and buckles will keep feet in place thus reducing movement. Minimise such frictions will prevent new calluses or existing ones from growing.

Look for footwear such as Pamela or Patty. These are shoes that come with padded footbed. These shoes grip firmly at the heel, keeping the foot well in place inside the shoe.

Sole problem 3: Heel pain
Heel pain is one of the most common complaints for modern ladies. Just imagine, for every mile we walk puts 60 tons of stress on each foot. Our feet can handle a heavy load, but too much stress pushes them over their limits. Tight footwear can cause heel pain as well. High heels tend to over-stretch the tendon that runs along the arch of our foot (plantar fascia), causing it to pull on the heels.

Low-heeled shoes are obviously more comfortable, safer, and less damaging than high-heeled shoes. Wear your flats regularly to give your plantar fascia a break! Just like eating chocolates, wearing high heels are okay but we should do it moderately…in frequency and in height!

For everyday wear, I would recommend not to put on shoes with heels that go higher than 2”. Shoes like Chloe and Valerie are suitable for daily wear.

Save your stilettos and very high heels for evening functions and when you know you won’t be standing or wearing them for long.

Sole problem 4: Bunions
If the joint that connects your big toe to your foot has a swollen, sore bump, you may have a bunion. Bunions can occur for a number of reasons, but the most common cause is wearing shoes that fit too tightly.

To minimize your chances of developing a bunion, never force your foot into a shoe that doesn't fit. Choose shoes that conform to the shape of your feet. Go for shoes with wide insteps, broad toes and soft soles. Avoid shoes that are narrow, tight or sharply pointed.

Shoes with plenty of ‘air’ would be perfect! Consider thong sandals like Gina or go for shoes with upper part made of a soft and comfortable material (eg. Suede) just like our classic Emma.

Years of wear and tear can be hard on our feet. I am sure all of us have various experiences with our past foot-wearing experience.

Ironically, I realized that at times, we need to go through such bad decision to learn to make the right one. Well, at least for me. From an impulsive purchase, I brought home a 4” heel…which is so unlike me. I am one of those that goes for 2” shoes (for work) usually and flats for the weekend. (The only pair of 3” heels I owned (then) was my wedding shoes!)

Anyway, the 4” pair was history in a matter of 3hours. I couldn’t function properly without a comforting ground. It’s a lesson learnt. I couldn’t handle height. ha

Have you bought a pair of shoe that causes soreness, blister and gave much discomfort? Share with me your experience.

2007-01-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

Creating your own Bridesmaid shoes

Since we were on the topic of weddings (in the last blog), are you aware that Lavendaz provides bridesmaid shoes service?

Why for the bridesmaid? They are most probably your closest girlfriends, cousins or sisters. They are probably there for you since the beginning (not just the wedding, but the relationship). They deserve a bridesmaid gifts and this would be an alternative to thank your bridesmaid in the most exclusive ways.

From our current in-house designs, you would be able to customize the colours, heel-height or materials to suit your themed weddings. It’s really a personal gift to express your thanks for their enduring friendship.

We designed the shoes to be wearable not just during but after wedding, and it is the perfect personal alternative to the shoes found in shops.

There is a minimum order of five pairs and prices ranges from S$49.90. Oh, you may also make use of this service to order identical shoes for some corporate events.

Price would be reduced with increasing orders. For enquiry on details, email to indulge@lavendaz.com.

2007-01-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

‘Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue’

The other day, a few of us were at Wally & Ami’s office…Jessica was flipping the bridal magazine (since they are in the bridal-videography business)…and raise a good question of what has wedding got to do with ‘Something blue…’ which she quoted from the magazine.

Ami and I was mentioned that it has something to do with the British tradition…and I recalled watching this scene on Friends, where Monica was trying to steal a blue sweater from a gift shop as her Something borrowed, Something blue. ha!

The complete phrase for this actually this:

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

A sixpence is a just coin (made of silver) that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It worth six pennies. The four items in the full poem represents a lucky-token for the bride. She has to bring all of them on her wedding to symbolizes a happy marriage.

Something old. It is usually an ‘old’ item that is something you are leaving behind or something that is being passed down to you. It signifies continuity with the bride's family and the past.

Something new. It’s usually something you are adopting through your marriage or something that is unique to your new union. The ‘new’ item would symbolizes optimism, confidence and hope for the bride's new life ahead.

Something borrowed. The ‘borrowed’ item should be symbolic of something you respect or admire about someone or something. It is usually an item from a happily married close friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

Something blue. Blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. I read that in ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Virgin Mary is dressed in blue so purity is probably associated with the color.

It’s pretty direct that the silver coin in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. Interestingly, it was believed that the sixpence should be in the left shoe. Humm…

Talk about this wedding tradition, it connects to this book which I read recently ‘Something Blue’.

I can’t tell you how much I love this book.

It was said that if you are a Sex and the City fan, you will love this sassy novel. It’s about Darcy, the main character who appears to be one of the shallowest person you ever know. This Manhattan Queen used to live a ideal life but a series of unfortunate events and encounters she eventually finds herself pregnant and alone. A broken engagement to her fiance and the betrayal of her ex-best friend Rachel, who stole Dex's affections left her 'being down and out'. However, she doesn’t do much to endear herself to the reader. Darcy’s pregnancy was due to her pre-nuptial fling.

The story kicks in when Darcy moved to London to visit an old high school friend. Preparing for motherhood and settling in the new city, she began to reflect on herself and develops into an all-round more loveable person. Her story is one of sadness that ultimately becomes hope.

A love story with a difference. All in all, I found this a delightful read that I couldn’t bear to put down. They were good enough to keep me reading until I finished the final pages in the wee hours! This explains why Josh calls me a bookworm lately.

Considering this is only Emily Giffin’s second book, her writing style is attractive and witty, and she managed to build interesting and complex characters. It’s a serious credit to Emily Giffin's writing. It is not often that I read a novel whose central character is thoroughly unappealing (at least 80% of the book).

Interestingly, I found out that her first book “Something borrowed” was written in perspective of Rachel who is Darcy’s best friend – the girl that betrayed her and stole her fiancé.

It’s really remarkable. As “something borrowed” has helped Rachel gained much sympathy from the readers and branded Darcy as a superficial and self-indulgent girl, Emily has chosen to write “Something blue” in defend for Darcy. I love how Emily expresses that there are always two sides to every story and no relation is a total black and white.

I am craving for her very first book “Something borrowed”, meanwhile, readers…get started on “Something blue”. They are available in the libraries!

2007-01-15T01:20:00.000-08:00

Springing all the way!

It’s been really good news lately at Lavendaz. Aside for the sales, we have little surprises of invitation to offices for roadshows. The blessed point is, it fits into both Eve and mine schedule. How often does such good thing happen?

With all the recent happenings, we decided to extend a special promotion or privilege, whatever you call it.

With ANY purchase of our designs, you would be able to purchase Spring or Felicia at $29.90! If you have not been following my Lavendaz site, these pairs are usually selling at 45bucks. This has never happen before! Eve and I took quite awhile to finalized on this. It’s seriously not a profitable move, but we sincerely do want to extend something special for our regulars.

Spring from Lavendaz.com

Felicia from Lavendaz.com

For the high-heel lovers, they are 3.5” with covered heels. Eve prefers Spring, for obvious reasons, she loves anything with green. Felicia caught my first attention, however I think I was eventually influenced by Eve.

Spring, Spring, Springing away…

2007-01-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

I received a late birthday gift last week. A very treasure-able one.

“Devotions for teachers”

Often when I was asked what I am doing, I always replied that I am an educator. Teacher sounds like a too big word to use, and in any case, in tertiary, we are not officially known as ‘Teacher’ as well.

Put that aside, I can’t deny that I do not want literally term as a teacher.

Educator is a term which fits me better, rather I feel that I find it easier to comprehend and accept. It just presents one who educates and trained to pass on knowledge. It’s a lighter load to carry. Period.

Teacher appears to have a much bigger role and responsibilities. It was widely known to be an honorable or even life-changing profession. This book is intentionally written for teachers, by a teacher (the author), with much sharing of her experiences and addressing the trials that face in the today’s educators.

The book indicates that Teaching is a noble calling. It is indeed. Perhaps it’s too noble of a calling that I am not even sure I am called.

There is this short phrase in the book that states:

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

Unmistakably, ‘HE’ is referring to teachers and the sheep are ‘His’ students. It is scary to think that we (as educators) are leading the students. Can we lead them well? Lead them where?

Can I do it?

The truth is be it an educator or teacher. The role will only be fulfilled when we are making a difference. There is no line of judgment to our performances. I believe that educating a class does not limit to academic knowledge. It’s beyond the textbooks and worksheets; beyond labs and projects. Moral values? Shaping their character? Aren’t the non-curricular teaching more important?

Have we shown sufficient attention to them? Shown them love? Gave them encouragement? Are we even able to serve them with enthusiasm and excellence? And build a bond with them?

I often asked myself.

The book challenges us to think what is the motivation to become an educator. Putting aside my job in Polytechnic, I have been a Sunday School teacher for the past two years.

It was a calling. Unquestionably. For such reason, I started serving in Children Ministry every Sunday. Clearly, it was more than dispense information. Although (a better word is 'BECAUSE') the children are young, we hold a (greater) responsibility to impart godly values in their life. The results are not always immediately noticeable, but I believe we have planted the seeds.

I do seek that I would experience and own the similar sense of ownership to my day job as a Polytechnic educator. It was not of sufficient or noble reason that I joined the School. Educating the youth was not the foremost reason (shouldn’t I be ashamed?) It was just a supporting factor.

Reading this book brings me to another level of understanding of educating. It did point me back, rather remind me to focus on the joy of my profession – where while there could be disappointing and trials moments, there are desirable and heartwarming ones.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

I love how they interpret or rather relate educating and ‘Salt’ together. Salt is such a simple substances, but brings a distinct flavor in our food. It also a preservative substances; which most people are probably aware of. Aside from these, salt also have healing properties! I am taught to gargled warm saltwater for sore throat.

As educators, we hold the responsibilities to be salt for the students. We need to be distinctive – be a role model, preserving - preserving peace and help to bring students together to a common ground and even healing agents – listen, encourage, and up-lifting their spirits.

Indeed a noble calling. If you are an educator, be in a teacher in school, training centre or a volunteer in church or community…do be challenged in this brand new year to rekindle your passion to teach.

2007-01-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

Reflection on 2006

How is this year for you? It’s the time of the year that everyone starts reflection on 2006. What have you accomplished? What was new? What happened? What has changed?

It had been an exciting one for me. Exciting is not the most appropriate word. Venturing. Perhaps. It’s a year for new experiences, take on and possibly risk.

For the start, I quit and left a prospective position in a US MNC in January 06. It was a decision that surprises many. Initially, I had intention to join another firm initially, having uncertainties, I rejected the offer and opt for a break. :)

Seizing the opportunity, Josh and I finally found time to go HOLIDAY…to Hokkaido, Japan in February! Woo hoo!

Freezing at -0.6 degree (evidently shown) in Otaru City, Hokkaido

The winter in Japan, migrant swan visiting is one of the charming sights. They flew all the way from Siberia; it was said that the beautiful swans will stay on and then fly back to Siberia in mid-March!

Up-close and personal with the Siberia swans.

The huge and famous Hokkaido crab. ha!

I have been to Japan a couple of times and with no doubt, this is the best trip ever.

I am a do-er by nature and my hyper-active personalities need to be kept busy. I was pondering between moving on to another IT firm, or start up something. With much considerations (and support), I decide to do what I always wanted (but lack of courage to do) – start my own business. This plan was shelved for years (since I graduated) as I was (then) busy climbing the corporate ladder.

After months of preparation which includes sourcing of suppliers from local, all the way to overseas….

I had an exhausting, yet fulfilling trip in Taiwan during May. We managed to track down some pretty ideal suppliers for Lavendaz. (Check on my imported collections)

Got to know a really nice friend, Candy in Taiwan and she was really helpful during the sourcing trip.

The breezy view...

Did I mentioned that I am a mushroom lover? These are really yummy huge grilled mushroom!

Spending agonizing hours on our official website http://www.lavendaz.com/; Lavendaz was (finally) officially launched in July 06.

Beside Lavendaz, I did something which I always wanted. I accepted an offer at a local Polytechnic and became an educator. I always wanted to take a few years to teach in the School of IT. I wanted to revisit all that I have learned in during university and share my experiences with the younger generations. Aside from the normal working hours, a big (and self-centered) reason was I want to pick up new IT skills along the way – what’s better than being paid and going to school at the same time?

Mid of the Year, I stepped into my 2nd year of marriage. Praise the Lord. We passed through our first year. The first year of marriage was often told that is can be so painful that divorce seems like the only escape. That's why studies have shown that more people divorce in the first year of marriage than any other year. But the first year can also be a couples' best year of marriage. From my perspective, that is also a tragedy because it means the remaining years are not as good. ha!

I read book about how a couple weathers their first two years together can make or break their marriage. That probably explains why I continue to read even more books to prepare myself into this brand new chapter of my life.

This is one of the best I have read – “The Four Seasons of Marriage”.

I am a fan of Chapman. I love how he could illustrates the various emotions that people go through in a marriage and emphasized how we should see them as part of the seasons. It’s pretty insightful. I would assume it can be found in Borders. Mine was brought back from Melbourne when a good friend of mine came back for holiday in 2005.

Anyway….Matrimonial success is a life-long journey…. :)

Aside from these, things have been going really well in church. We started a new cell group towards the end of 2005 and last year been a great year of bonding. It’s amazing to see how God has brought all of us together and I am finding more blessed friendships! Aside from the usual Friday meetings at my place, we spend a lot of activities time together. This year would be really exciting as one of my cell mates is expecting a twin! Way to go, Anna!

Part of the cell group...

I took up a planning role in Children Ministry around middle of 2006. It’s exciting just hearing the up and coming plans in the ministry and how it would have impact the young ones.

It has been a rewarding and BUSY year!!!

Before the year end, I bought this book. It’s a silly book but good for leisure reading. Years ago, I stopped reading novels and kept to Christian authors. The other day I was waiting for Eve at MPH and I just got stuck into this.

It’s pretty comical. Not as in ha ha humor, but just find Lynn’s way of expressing really light and amusing. You can get this from MPH (at City link) definitely!

That’s my 2006. What have you accomplish in yours?

2007-01-04T04:17:00.000-08:00

New surprises

We just launched a range of patent shoes, along with some wedges and thongs. Pop into Lavendaz.com

In the four season countries, Patent shoes are considered more of a spring or summer footwear choice - luckily, in our all-round-year-summer times, those of us who like a little extra polish, are free to pull on patent mules or pumps whenever the mood strikes us to glam out!

Along with the patent mood, we paired up pretty spring colours in this new range...blue, green, pink and...how can we miss RED for the upcoming Chinese NY!

And this is Chloe in stunning red. It comes in patent black too!

Have you considered a wedge lately?

Wedges…add height but are found to be easier to walk in (obviously as compared to heels/ stilettos). I guessed this is why it is a very popular choice among us ladies.

Ling from Lavendaz. I love suede shoes! They're always soft, comfortable and looking worldly and sophisticated. It's in the all time favourite versatile black. ha!

Amanda from Lavendaz. Looking shiny and stunning. *wink*

Patent shoes tend to carry a very cosmopolitan look in them and not to mention add definition and shape to heavy ankles, which make them appears thinner! I personally find wedge heels are by nature a fashionable choice and it looks great with skirts/dresses and adds an interesting factor to our dress down days!

Drop me a line...how many wedges do you own? :)

2006-12-28T21:01:00.000-08:00

New Collections

Baring your feet and looking for shoes?

We would be expecting new designs at Lavendaz in a few days time - In-house collection.

At Lavendaz, we believe in exclusiveness, where each collection is a limited edition.

Sound a little too advertising…ha!

But, I am sure, we girls have been there. How often have you clashed with someone with the same watch, blouses, bags and I feel offensive when it comes to shoes (especially). It’s a personal ownership to my feet… and they deserve a unique identity. I hold on firmly to my principles, company policy - Keeping each collection to minimum quantity with no repeats. Hopefully I am not coming on a little too strong, well, that’s primarily the reason why we started Lavendaz.

I love shoes.

match them. dance them. parade them through.

While waiting for the new collections, leaf us through at http://www.lavendaz.com/

2006-12-28T05:49:00.000-08:00

The Cat

Recently when we were doing our shopping in takashimaya, Josh was captivated by the cat figurine on display, more popularly known as “Welcoming cat” or “Fortune cat”, however they are traditionally known as Maneki Neko.

It’s the one which sits and has it's front paw raised as if it is calling for someone – that’s "Maneki neko". Most commonly, they sit in the house or in the store. I did a little read up and realized that there is actually a different between one raises its left and right paw. Humm…

The most common belief is that a raised left paw brings in customers, while a right paw brings wealth and good luck. However, it appears that the origin of this legend was not clear. Also, it is commonly believed the higher the raised paw, the greater the luck. (whatever…)

Anyway, we are fuss-free about this neko (“cat” in Japanese). Josh has simple intention to bring one of these porcelain sculptures in as it compliments our furnishing. ha! I did mentioned that we have personal-liking to Japan, isn’t it? The cat breed represented in the sculpture is generally a Japanese Bobtail and some of the well made ones are actually pretty adorable.

Conclusively, our mission is to get one of them (when we find the time to).

And this Christmas…we received this from one of our close friends, Conrad and Jessica. Some friends just seems to know you best, isn't it?

And it comes with dogs! Oh…

Therefore, that promotes us to the next mission - to find a place to house them. :)

2006-12-28T03:49:00.000-08:00

My Neighbor Totoro

Josh and I had a Christmas pact years ago. While Christmas IS a season of giving, we promised to develop a tradition to exchange a significant gift (not in terms of monetary value!) annually. It has to be a thoughtful and meaningful gift, something that impresses, that speaks or touches the heart. Well, easier said than….

I guess I never got around to getting them done. For the past few years, as I did mention before, I am such a last-min-shopper and evidently, his Christmas gifts are always robbed of the shopping malls at the very last day…usually it’s a shirt. Ok. It has always been shirts.

This year, I approached Christmas confidently…as I know he will be thrilled with what’s under the tree.

Da…tahh…..

Well, you need to be a fan to seriously appreciate what this means.

These figurines are from the animation ‘My Neighbor Totoro” 1988 film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.

Miyazaki is the creator of many popular anime feature films. Perhaps you would be more familiar if I have mentioned “Spirited Away”, which is more well-known across our nation. How about Princess Mononoke? Howl's Moving Castle?

Seen any of his films?

A grey, friendly forest spirit, at least three meters tall. Why is this creature known as ‘Totoro’?

In the film, Mei (younger girl in the show) refers to Totoro as which is a childish mispronunciation of the Japanese version of troll (tororu).

Anyway. Josh is a big fan of Miyazaki’s production. He owns the full collections of his films and bought this set of dollies from Japan years ago and he intentionally bought a cabinet to house them well in our lounge.

It was a little difficult to comprehend his liking (initially)…till I was influenced. Miyazaki's films are often out of the ordinary – "remarkable" is the word. He presents humanity's relationship to nature and technology, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic. The “heros” or rather protagonists of his movies are often strong, independent girls or young women (much to my delight!) while the "villains" are often ambiguous characters with redeeming qualities. His films are made with a personal touch that outstands himself among the rest.

Well, thanks a lot to my lovely dovey sister, Fion! She helped me to import these six-figurines collectables from Japan through her magical means (just before Christmas!). Josh was glowing as he un-wrapped the gift. They did made up for the many years of guilty as charged – insincere gifts.

2006-12-25T22:58:00.000-08:00

I’m dreaming of a dry Christmas…

Rain, Rain go away…

As usual, we spent Christmas lunch with my Melbourne friends. They are always my closest one…and it is indeed a privilege to have a group of close friends to share, dream and create significant moments together.

It’s our annual practice to hold a potluck party at my humble house every Christmas lunch. In fact, we kept our old traditions (after so-many-years) to celebrate Chinese New year, Easter day, National day (strangely) and Christmas! Although over the years, some might have ‘disappeared’ or drifted away…the group of us stayed close and bonded stronger than ever…and of course, along the way, we ‘recruited’ new ones through so and so’s boyfriend/girlfriend and eventually life-partners.

A cosy afternoon with buddies

Yummy Yummy Yummy...generously sponsored by Cornelius

The loving couple…and what caught their attention?

The snuggling pair...

It’s men-talk!

Aside from a dish, each was supposed to bring along a gift for exchange. Instead of the usual numbered-drawing method, we played a game. Everyone had a number with them and in sequence, we were allowed to unwrapped a gift OR take any gift from anyone before us (who has selected and unwrapped the gifts). We went crazy going after a blender, cafetier, toaster…etc. It was a roaring time!

Drawing number lots…

Colin unwillingly giving up his toaster to Jessica…..ha!

Colin targeting someone else gift…

Keat received the i-tunes vounchers!

Jessica scheming after Mok’s cafetier…

Finally….let me introduce Jodie! She is the first dolly among us…officially owned by Cornelius and Lishan. She does the little high-five, kissing, waving, clapping and peek-a-boo…so reactive, the centre of attraction that afternoon! Not for long, we would be expecting (targeting to) “new arrivals” by next Christmas….!

2006-12-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

My Merry Christmas Eve...

X’mas has ALWAYS been a very busy day for us….especially now that we are serving at Children ministry. The mornings/afternoons are usually packed with kids programs and all. This year on X’mas eve, we have arranged for the Sunday school children to perform on the stage during the 2nd service and manz, no matter how many times we have rehearsed; it seriously doesn’t imply anything at all. Once they are lined up on the stage, they are out of hand! Ha!

Some were snatching the microphones, others were making funny faces. The outspoken ones shouted “Hi! Hey! Woo!” on the stage. The performance was chaos….yet really entertaining. Not to mention that the audiences were really spontaneous…all the oohing and aahing over the children and they were singing and clapping along with them. That's the spirit of Christmas!

Evidently, it was not about performance at all, as innocent as they are, they sang for the Lord. That’s the heart of worship.

Followed closely after the performance, we brought them back to our hall and played a little game to keep them busy. It was a competition between the 4 teams to wrap a Christmas gift and draw a Christmas card.

They were really participative. It is amazing how much the children are capable of…always beyond our expectations.

Look at what they have drawn! The girls were mumbling among themselves, “How to you spell Christmas?…Jesus?”. They have clearly written “We love you, Jesus!” without any of our help!

The night…

We had a bbq party with a group of church friends in the night and even though it was drizzling, we still pull through. Ha! The guys were holding huge golf umbrellas around the pit, we girls were just fellowshipping among ourselves under the shelter.

Josh and I took our X’mas photo under our tree just before 12am. Our tree is overflowing with gifts….!!! Can’t wait to give them away tomorrow!

My Tree

It’s a new Christmas resolution this year. For the past years, I would still be struggling with gift wrapping at 4am on Christmas day morning...and NONE would even receive a card from me. This Christmas, I well-organised all my Christmas shopping (including Josh's), gifts-wrapping, cards-writing early. This year, I approached Christmas proudly with my beaming tree filled with gifts underneath.

I am the tree decorator, while my hubby sacrificing took the role of the tree-set-up-ER (if we permit such a word).

Of all my years at my parents’ place, I always wanted my very own Christmas tree. Last year, celebrating my very first Christmas at my own home. We generously spent on the tree. Ha! It’s not to say that I would spent thousands of dollars on the tree, however, we painstakingly took much effort to do our research and identify what we really wanted on the tree. As an aspect of my personality, I need the tree to be themed, organized and hopingly brings a little wow factor in the lounge.

For both years (last and this), we have themed them red and gold. It kinds of work out really well as it matches perfectly among my zen-ish Japanese theme furnishing and the red curtains along the platforms.

I found my Christmas resolution for 2007, I would bring on a different colour scheme and different ornaments and theme for my next Christmas. Inspired by the recent purple Christmas painting in town (takashimaya, robinson and even Metro are on full craved for purple!)….I am purplish-moved…and if the desires hold long enough, I would be going for a purplish tree in 2007!

2006-12-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Birthday Bash!

Had a proper dinner and did x’mas shopping with dad and mum on my birthday eve. We even cut a cake together this year.

My cool dad and bro seems less interested in the photo-taking. ha!

I had intention to keep the actual day quiet….just wanna continue with my x’mas shopping (still struggling) and have a simple dinner with my three close friends in the night.

Had a good morning, had breakfast with my childhood friend, Peggy. Afterwhich, I hopped on to Evelyn’s place to do some work….we are trying to work on the press release kit.

I steal some private moments with Evie (Eve’s 2nd born). She is a cool babe!...when I said cool means, its hard to catch her smile usually…but today, she seems to be in exceptional good mood. I managed to catch her giggling a couple of times.

Trying to catch her on camera and I can’t get her to laugh again! Anyway, this is the cool babe…Evie!

Met Peggy again and as according to my plans, we did x’mas shopping. Manz…while my pocket feels lighter :( my hands feel heavier. Ha!

As planned, I had dinner with a few close friends (Fion, Delphine and Chris) at marina square. It was just what I wanted…nice and quiet.

By 10pm, Josh and I got back home and look what happen!

I love this photo. While people pay him thousands to shoot for events, I got it for FREE. Taken by Andrew Mok of moomedia.

That’s Mok mimicking his nose-digging…

Finally a proper photo….but we are missing Loretta that came later!

These are my Melbourne friends. Shared many incredible moments together…and most treasured ones too. Thanks for the really lovely and successful surprise party!

Had a second look at the birthday balloons this morning.

Colin claimed that he did most of the blowing tasks…..and while I was looking at them again this morning, I just need to take another photo to remember them. They are tastefully done by my tasteful friends.

It’s such a blessing from God to have all of you in my life!

2006-12-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

The Evening @ Doc Cheng's

We were at Doc Cheng's (located in the Raffles Hotel ) last Saturday celebrating my birthday. It’s a Euro-Asian Restaurant, serving Fusion food. The fusion concept was clearing shown thru’ the ancient and contemporary interior designs and the place indeed reflect the blending of West and East synergy.

On the menu, I could see that they have clearly used the ‘traditional’ Oriental cooking methods on European ingredients…..exotic cuisine indeed! There’s two dining areas which allow you to dine alfresco under the veranda or in cool air-conditioning inside. :)

I love the atmosphere of the place. It’s detailed with oriental wood carvings and filled with pictures which tell an old story of the history of Singapore!

The dreamy looking ambience…

We went for the 6-course set meals….Let me bring you through!
(Note: In bold are exact description quoted from the menu)

1st course: Oyster dun
This is seriously interesting. They are the two oysters served in very different way, the left is the typical fresh oyster, the right is deep fried one. Josh and I are not fan of oysters but these taste really fab!

2nd course: Tempura nori tuna, nashi pear salad and green olive tapenade
This has to be Josh’s fav. He loves maguro tuna. The pear salad is refreshingly sweet.

3rd course: Peking duck pancake, Chinese rock sugar dressing and Russian blini
This is interesting isn’t it? Oriental peking duck wrapped in pancake skin, this does resembles our asian ‘bo pian’ (spring rolls)...

4th course: Salt and pepper soft shell crab, spicy papaya salad and vine-ripened tomato
This is a more Japanese inspired dish. Josh loves this, but I kind of find it a little too peppish for me…..I am a great fan of thai salad, not surprising that I enjoyed the spicy papaya salad that comes along with it.

For the 5th course, there is a selection between tandoori ocean trout and Szechuan rack of lamb.

5th course: Tandoori ocean trout wild rice ricotto and smoked tomato coulis
Josh had the ocean trout, the wild rice was fragranced with fusion spices.

5th course: Szechuan rack of lamb truffled potato and celeriac gateau
I am not a great fan of meal actually, but honestly, I enjoyed the lamb.

6th course: Jasmine valrhona chocolate Bavarian exotic coconut pearl and kaffir citrus sorbet

This was the surprise of the night. The serving crew (including the head chef!) came on to us towards the end of the night with the dessert and sang a birthday song. ha! Josh mentioned that he initially wanted to arrange a cake to be brought in, however the restaurant has strict policy on ‘no other food allowed’ and the captain suggested to put a candle on the dessert instead. The birthday cake that Josh has bought is now sitting in our fridge. ho ho!

I love how Doc Cheng's captures the little details in the restaurant.

Look at the coaster!

The witty looking menu!

Indian naan was served as the appetizer. They had a variety of favors to select from. The naan were served hot with warm butter and salad dressing for dipping.

The tea-cup was fun. Look at how they separate the milk and tea mug.

I love this picture, captivating character of the oldie-looking Singapore.

If you are considering a fine dining restaurant, I would recommend Doc Cheng's.

DOC CHENG’S @ Raffles Hotel Singapore - Tel: +65 64316156
Lunch: Monday to Friday - 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm
Dinner: Daily - 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Cocktails: Monday to Friday - 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm

Aside that all that I have mentioned, their service touches me. :) The serving crew was one of the best I encountered. The restaurant captain was exceptionally sweet. It’s her delightful gesture that does makes me feel really welcome!

In my humble opinion, I would feel that Doc Cheng's is a better experience even as compared to Jaan at Equinox. Although Jaan does come along with the awe-inspiring scene….humm…

Hey Josh, thanks for the lovely evening.

2006-12-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Platform Heels

Rambled on this gorgeous pair of heels… It literally reminds me of the myth of Cinderella a pair of captivating elegant sexy shoes with a crystal tip. She is probably a more ‘trendy’ Cinderella that goes for transparent platform heel with chic looking silver buckles around the ankle. *wink*

Ever since we brought in a couple of platform shoes, I discovered that people loves platform shoes for very practical reasons. Platform sandals make you look and feel so much taller, while you do not feel that much discomfort with the little help from the platform on the ramp; it does reduces the strain on the heel.

Beside, most platform heels come along with fun and chunky heels which naturally give more stability and support to our feet. Platform sandals great fun!

Pic: Carra from Lavendaz.com

Two interlocking straps form the stunning vamp of this fabric heel. The petite bow adds fun to this Carra platform. Depending on your personal style, these would match fantastic with jeans, denim skirt, and basically most casual wear.

Pic: Seanna from Lavendaz.com

A retro-looking pair of platform peep toes. This full leather Seanna features a crisscrossed vamp forming an open toe. They're so versatile and easy to match with clothes. I think it looks best with corporate wear.

Pic: Meg and Brige from Lavendaz.com

These platform pumps make you feel so much taller and are fun too wear. Surely it’s eye catching with the overlapping bucket band of alternating around the vamp. It comes in both colours, brown (Meg) and beige (Brige).

While reading up on platform shoes, I come across some platform shoes that are wow! Read on…

The above unbelievable pair belongs to the 1970s. Platform shoes are back in a big way this year, but the look is more modern than the classic 1970s style. It was said that during those years, it was the experimentation period with fashion and it naturally broke all kinds of rules. By 1970s, it was considered the most exciting year in shoe design, the platform shoe experienced it's most playful and colorful look.

Are these shoes made for walking? 7" Stiletto Heels! Beautiful? Yes. Practical? Hardly.

In truth, we've been standing tall in shoes for centuries. In the early century, women wore incredibly high heels which are unbearable. Most of them had to be supported by servants and hovered each step on the edge of misfortune. Some of those shoes are nearly 20" high! :O

It's seriously a fashion statement.

2006-12-07T05:02:00.000-08:00

This post is directed to Evelyn....

Surprise! Look what I have found?? :P

It's one of the complimentary appetizer dish at ikoi Japanese Restaurant (Hotel Miramar). They stuffed blended ice in the glass, among the carrot and celery sticks. An enhancement idea for your consideration huh.....

This is a personal joke between us.

Anyway, talk about ikoi, I don't quite understand what is the fuss about this place. It's seriously small and the spread is not that fantastic. I don't find the sashimi as fresh as compared to some other places we frequent. Josh and I are Japanese fanatic. Love the culture, animation, country and...most of all, food.

If you know if any nice Japanese restaurant, do drop me a comment! I would really appreciate that.

2006-12-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

Patent Fashion

Patent Leather is experiencing a comeback, and I for one am stoked about it. I am a pretty subtle when it comes to dressing, perhaps it's the little girl in me, I still do desire the little attention…on my feet.

Patent, or perhaps shiny shoes are eye-catching tools. It’s a girl thing perhaps, we never really got past being attracted to shiny shoes - or anything shiny, for that matter.

Woo...gorgeous patent pair! Love the heels especially....but not very practical for everyday wear. I bet we all know that wooden insole aren't there was comfort reason.

What is Patent exactly? Patent leather is basically a leather that has been coated with a high gloss finish, so that it has exceptional shine.

Customer always asked the most tradition question, “How to take care of patent shoes?” . Patent leather shoes are relatively easy to care for, but be certain to use products actually made for this type of material. For causal Cleaning, it is easily done with a mild soap and a wet cloth. Avoid using Vaseline. Sure it shines for a few minutes but then, as dust starts sticking to it, it starts looking kind of cloudy.

Mandy joined my collections awhile back. Wearing a pearl-white patent, I love how it glows on my feet! Paired in with a fancy patent belt and bag, you can easily give a totally retro-mod look! Compliments further on the 2” height, it’s comfortable enough to wear all day.

While some might conclude that patent leather lends to be for dressy events, I feel otherwise. I would say it’s not the best match for black tie events or dressy/formal occasions. The shine of shoes might make the shoe appears too heavy or bulky for elegant dress. In my opinion, Casual shoes come in patent rock best in denim jeans!

Isn’t the above gorgeous? We would be having something very similar in versatile black and stunning red next month. Keep visiting us at Lavendaz.com for new collections.

Look what I have found? Can’t miss on these cool patent baby-shoes!! Aren’t they fun and funky? I do wonder if they are suitable for toddlers thou. Patent leather is not the most comfortable leather and its hard finish varnish is not very breathable. Seriously, Eye-catching though.

Chic, elegant, classy and sexy are words that can fit many type of leathers but, when you are craving for attention, patent leather shines!

2006-12-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread!

Recently the topic of gingerbread has been circling around our office. :) One of my close colleague, Kim is baking gingerbread for sale during xmas season...yum yum. Not only they taste good, seriously, they are really lovely!

I have never been a great fan of any dairy product, mainly cos' I really don't like the dairy smeeelll... *yuck* That would means, I am not a fan of cakes, pastries, cookies (especially butter cookies)...

Well, but this cutie-looking gingerbread man is an exceptional.

Aren't they lovely? I ordered two little ones for Josh to bring along with him when he flys again tonight. :) Kim was really thoughful. She puts on two red M&M as the buttons for the girl and blue for the boy.

I always wonder why are this little creature known as gingerbread. Did a little read up and found out that gingerbread can be in the form of cake or cookie, and usually it is covered with a variety of candies and icing. In MY case, I have both the icing and M&Ms!

Interestingly, I discovered that the word ‘gingerbread’ orginated from Latin ‘Zingiber’, which means to preserved ginger.

If you would like to have a taste on Kim’s delicious gingerbread man, you can contact at the details below. She is selling them at $2 per piece. Above 25 pieces, she would be delivering to your doorstep! You can contact Kimberly at 96321966 or email her at kymwee@gmail.com.

“Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!”

2006-11-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

Our VeraS....

This is our only pair of flats, but a very sellable pair. It has the highest enquiry rate and we received most compliment on its endearing pastal yellow colour. Usually when I posted our shoes collections up on the web, I would try to give them a meaningful name which I could relate to. I named this pair Vera after Vera. :)

This is the latter Vera I was referring to. She's Eve's 2 year old first born. She is really adorable and delightful....You got to see for yourself. *wink*

Isn't she lovely?

2006-11-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Zouk...flea and easy!

Not many people are aware that zouk holds bazaar events on Sunday periodically. Interestingly, it runs by balloting system and since there are limited stalls, we aren't pinning much hope that we will be selected. Unexpectedly, last month end, we were informed that we are on the list!

Since eve is away on holiday, it would be a fresh experience to share this excitment with Josh. Seriously, I didn't know what to expect; never been to one, I am not even sure where would it be held exactly.

Found out from the in-charge via the phone a few days before that we would be taking the member's BAR COUNTER. I was literally huh??? ha! Factually, its at the bar counter. *wink*

Pic: The stall at the bar!

Most of the crowd were zouk members and clubbing clique, that would easily explain on the smoky environment. :( I invited my good friend, Jacinth to share half of the counter and half of the fun! Her 7year old daughter was roaming in and out of the bar counter. haha!

Pic: The crowd

Event started at 2pm and ended at 7pm. I am dreadfully tired.....but Josh experienced worst, he needs to fly off in a few hours time for biz trip.

Hyatt Bazaar

This might be an interesting news to some folks out there. There are regular fairs held at five stars hotels; usually they are scheduled during the weekdays (most probably Thursday and Friday). The organiser did a very stringent job in selecting every vendors, hence you will be able to find very exquisite and tasteful things there.

The targeting crowd is obviously modern tai-tais and expatriates' wives. If you are looking for chic and modish stuff, do visit!

We participated at one of such fairs last month and it was really a great experience. Eve and I took turns to explore the ballroom, stalls by stalls. There was this stall run by an Australian lady, she was selling children wear. Oh manz, her collections impressed me! There's a distinctive touch to every little outfit. They are soooo lovely. Irresistible, I bought a little pink dress for my friend's 1 month old baby. keke...

Pic: Our little stall at Hyatt ballroom

The upcoming one will be on 30th Nov and 1st Dec, held at Grand Hyatt, Level 3 from 10am to 7pm (Thurs) and 10am to 5pm (Fri). Hop over to have a look if you are free. :)

2006-11-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

Peep toes!

Peeping toes are my latest favourite. :)

We imported two peep toes designs - Yanni & Lorraine among our pioneer batch when we first started Lavendaz....and they sold like hot cakes!

Pic: Yanni & Lorraine

Last month, we ventured into the leather range and included 3 peep toes designs....Wow, these babies sell themselves. Eve and I had the intention to keep some for ourselves but they were easily robbed off during our recent events and online purchases.

Lelia and Celeste are denim peep toes. They come stylishly with stacked heels and denim fabric with leather back. I personally feel that they look pretty cool! I mentioned in my previous posting that Lelia are my personal favourite; however Celeste appears to be more popular among my customers. :) I am only left with two pieces now!

Pic: Lelia & Celeste

Seanna is another which came along with the denim twins. She’s kinda retro-looking and the decorative stud adds subtle sophistication on this pump.

Pic: The 'retro' Seanna...

I am pretty excited to present you with our latest peep toes, Cera. ..it's in-house design, by Eve and myself. It's one of those pair which I am really pleased with the result. I am really impressed with how comfortable it feels. Well, suede are always elegant-looking and comfy, though on the downside, they are a little challenging to take care; then again, who cares so long as they look gorgeous on my feet! ha! I guessed that's the differences between men and women. I enjoy the attention when I received the compliments... :P

Pic: My recent favourite....Cera

The lazy-and-lack-of-time me only posted this pair on the website yesterday afternoon, however quite a couple are already wiped off by some of our regulars, while few were sold during our recent events.

2006-10-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

New Exploration!

We did a tea-party yesterday again! This time round, we invited all my neighbours! Josh and I, with the help of Cheryl; we posted leaflets at every unit of my apartment. That’s easily five hundred over units! It’s pretty good exercise for someone like me. Hee…

It’s really a good opportunity for us to get to know our neighbours. I have been staying here since last year June, I seriously doesn’t know any of my neighbours.

A few families popped over this afternoon and it’s fun to see who are the ones that stay above us, beside us and below us. :)

I prepared this cutie floral marshmallow for the party. I found this sweetie incidentally when I went gift-shopping with a girl friend last month. It’s sold at this toy boutique in marina square. I though it’s a really lovable. It’s appealing to the ladies and kids!

Pic: Floral marshmallow on palm!

Best seller today: It’s our gorgeous ankle-wrap wedge, Dazz. We carry these in orange as well (Hazz).

Pic: Hazz on left; Dazz on right

A couple of our shoes are featured in the magazine recently; Dazz and Hazz are one of them.

This is a new venture for Lavendaz. Browse through the November edition of Teens and Motherhood. Hazz and Camy are featured in the fashion spread “The ethnic edge’ of Motherhood, while Dazz, Catalyn and Emma are featured in Teens.

Pic: November edition of Teens and Motherhood

Pic: One of our featuring on Teens Nov (Dazz)

Pic: Hazz appearance on “The ethnic edge’ of Motherhood

Pic: Taking a close look!

Isn't it exciting........?

2006-10-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

Lavendaz on Takashimaya runway...

Last weekend was pretty happening for Lavendaz. On Friday night was the grand finals for NEW FACE (The newpaper) event. We were invited as one of the sponsors for the gorgeous 20 ladies.

Saturday and Sunday was the celebration for 13th birthday of Takashimaya, again, we would be involved….our heels were parading on the runway!

Friday event was held at Takashimaya square that evening. It was such a huge crowd. Although there were limited seats distributed to the invited guests, it surely didn't stop many supporters and curious-ers surrounding the square that night. For a moment, it does feel like attending one of the typical idols-concerts. Banners were shoving everywhere and names screaming were heard.

Eve and I had 4 tickets; obviously, we turned up with our other halves. :)

Picture: Eve and her other half, and me

Before the shoe runs, we caught Joe Augustine as well.....I didn't expect him to be that huge. =]

Picture: That's Joe Augustine

And the ever-stunning Jamie Yeo.

Picture: That's Jamie Yeo, who is currently stationed under ESPN, was the host of the event.

At the start, the ladies did an unexpected entrance by marching in through the aisle.

Picture: The entrance...

Picture: The cool babes!

Through the night, our focus was not the gorgeous babes, but our SHOES! Josh was busy trying to snap picture with our basic camera, evidently the shots aren't exactly clear. Well, it was really fun though. The four of us were just getting excited on identifying our heels on the stage and these are some that I would like to share!

Picture: Carra...our 1/2" platform, 4" heel (extreme left)

Have a better view of Carra. We brought in this pair 2 months ago. Although both Eve and myself are not into HIGH heels, we knew that there is a market for this. Two interlocking straps form the stunning vamp of this pink fabric heel. One of the most unexpected customers for this pair was a principle of a renowned secondary school!

Picture: Nearly missed our Spring...in-house design, 3 1/2 " heel (Bottom left)

Spring, as it was named. Simple and merry heels. For the purple fetish, you might prefer Spring in purple...that's our Felicia. Eve likes Spring...rather, she likes anything that is green. hee...

Picture: That's a good captured of Whitty!

Our dressy Whitty comes with a fabric flower detail highlighted with rhinestones. It's perfectly made to match with a sun dress. I sold this recently to a nice customer. She bought it specially to go with her pink-purplish dress to attend her colleague's wedding. It's always nice to be filled with little stories of where and what my shoes will bring to my customers.

Picture: More fashion show!

I like this range of summer wear. It's really cheery, painted the stage full of colours! Look at the striking bright pumps! Not from Lavendaz thou. :P

Picture: Final round!

This is the last entrance from the ladies. These are sponsored by Daniel Yam. I bet anyone can recognised the gowns. My personal favourite, Peggy won the 2nd runner-up and Miss Shape Body Beautiful . I am one of her blog readers actually. She is one damn farnie gal!

Picture: Vocaluptous!!!

One of the biggest surprise for me that night was...Vocaluptous was invited to perform in the special event! What a surprise! Josh and I are great fans of this acapella group. Although only 5 of them were there, it was really a pleasant treat to once again get to hear them on-live.

2006-10-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Karaoke Adventure

Interestingly, my Melbourne gang went on a karaoke adventure on a week night. Last Wednesday, the usual us went to K-box at Marina square for a longggg session of singing.

It was a distress session of most of us, except the two that just came back from Korea trip cum Batam resort.

Picture: The obsession...

Did you notice the food spread? The captivating point of K-box is there is actually this buffet-with a drink-and-karaoke session at less than S$24 per pax. The spread was reasonable. I would say it’s pretty worth the deal; after all, I would pay the same for a couple of singing-hours with no gimmicks.

Picture: There’s desserts too! The mango and herbal pudding….

Picture: Colin and his screammmmming…

The night ended past midnight...but was great fun! :) It's so fortunate to have friends that you feel really connected to. Perhaps we went through the independent-days in Melbourne, sharing the same faith, our bonding is naturally stronger. While friends are friends forever, friends will only be true friends when we stand together in good and bad times. Thanks buddies!

2006-10-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

VERA's birthday!!!

I robbed these photos from Eve…cos they are irresistible! Eve’s elder daughter, Vera just turned 2! She’s really endearing and lovely.

She has this little obsession with elmo..and does the cutiest 'elmo..elmo' words.

Picture: The elmo with nappies

Picture: Birthday smilesssss

Vera has shown much of her arty instinct at a young age of 2. See how she explores the drum….and …..

Picture: Drumming away...

and see how she draws!!!

Picture: Spot the smiling star!

2006-10-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

New Collections!

We brought in a new collection of shoes last week....exploring into leather range this round. Click to view them.

Lelia is my personal favourite! It doesn't look as fantastic when I first saw it...but Eve likes them. Once I fit it on, its gorgeous. I love the edgy look, denim peep toes with the mulit-layered leather bow. Two-textured fashion is a hit this season. Blue denim, too causal? You might prefer the brown range.

Picture: Styling....Lelia!

Eve and I have designed a new range of shoes recently, and we just can't wait to see them! There will be peep toes and mules. We are probably expecting them around end of October.

2006-10-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

Wore my emma on Saturday to flutes at the fort .It seems odd that they were supposingly known as Australian cuisine. I couldn't recognise that connection and didnt exactly identify anything really Aussie about the place. Anyhow, I enjoyed my evening and their service is superb.

Picture: My favourite Emma....

2006-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Exciting news...

September is a pretty stirring month for Lavendaz. Eve and I started this month, targetting to FOCUS on marketing. We wrote in some emails to some advertising spots and did a fair bit of research on the pricing; obviously, they are not cheap at all. *grin*

Fortunately, through some connection, we would be featuring (very soon) at a local magazine (if all things work out well). That's an awesome news for us and we are really excited pondering the thought of our monthsss of hardwork appearing on a magazine.

Beside, we were introduced on http://fashion-palace.blogspot.com/. This is a remarkable site which you ladies might be interested. The owner (Qiqi) is a local model, she created this site as a platform to connect interesting online boutiques. Its a fab idea!

During the mid of Sept, Eve and I participated for a breakfast club event. We met some really nice customers and they made us feel really welcome.

Picture: Shoes event at breakfast club!

Beside, we did a causal push-cart event at Republic Polytechnic. It's a fresh new idea for Lavendaz so seriously, we don't exactly know what to expect! We are doing it together with a close gf of mine, Jacinth. She brought in some accessories for sale and was fun just spending the day together.

Picture: Our push cart...

2006-09-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Party time!

The Shoe party runs really well on Saturday! It was such a personal experience for the guests and myself! I really did enjoy myself and I am thrill to receive a lot of positive feedback from the guests. I am so grateful to my few helpers that came in early to help. It’s just so impossible for Eve and myself to manage all without them!

I adore this concept of take-your-time-shopping. With glowing tea-candles and warm lights, it was a cosy atmosphere that afternoon. Well displayed our 18 designs, my ladies guests took time to mingle and try (and re-try...) the shoes, while I seized those moments to understand their individual preferences....and I made friends too! It's such a hazard to be a girl...It's most often hard to decide, we seems to want everything.....and everything looks good! *wink*

My resourceful helpers laid out the shoes nicely at the lounge

We invited a manicurist in to thrill up the ambiance. Grace did a great job! Most of my guests end up doing nail-art as well. Grace is really skillful on this. Just give her a picture, she can easily paint it on the nails! Eve did our Lavendaz logo on her nails… hee…

Picture: The pretty nails….

Picture: The ladies selecting the colours!

Picture: Unbelievable! Even the guys can’t resist!

While the ladies were busy with the shoe-viewing…the guys were mingling around the food. The ‘hot’ topic that afternoon was our brownies. The walnut brownies were really yummy. I am not a sweet-tooth lover, yet I enjoyed it as well! Well, sugar will give us the energy to strive on! I was telling Eve that perhaps in the next event, we can include some board games to keep the guys occupied.

My most popular pair on that day….Pine again!! Beside size 39, I am out of size 37 and 38 as well. Unexpectedly, Madeline was really well-liked by the ladies. This pair comes in white as well. The flora insole surely attracts alot of attention! Contact us if you are interested!

I had so much fun! Can't wait for the new collections to be ready...so that we can do this shoe rendevous again!

2006-09-01T03:31:00.000-07:00

The Planning

Holding our first tea-party on 2nd Sept! We planned to keep it small, as we wanted it to be personal and of course, we wanted to be in-control of the event.

Eve and I really want to spurge a little on our guests and make it a fun and girly event! We managed to rope in a good manicurist in for our guests. Subsidized a little and she promised to offer attractive rates for our guests!

Eve and I spent the past few days packing our shoes, stock-taking, labeling and following up with all the assorted tasks etc.

Picture: Many many boxes of shoes!

I would be expecting some male guests…which I am still at lost how to keep them busy. Ha!

2006-08-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Preference?

Was just sharing with Eve that it is hard to predict customer’s preference. Just as I assumed that Pine isn’t that popular, I stole a pair of Pine (size 39) for myself awhile ago…and recent weeks, Pine started selling pretty well and now, I am out of size 39.

My poor photography skill doesn’t do Pine justice. Have a look at here.

August: My Best selling pair….