Okay, so you must have seen me on Twitter going on and on about #ABBW2011. What was it? The first ever Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and it was a total joyride!

I started off my journey on the SkyBus, where I promptly bumped into Molly, who was booked on the same flight as Val, Tine (my roomie!), Mel and I. The flight was an absolute nightmare - I had such bad motion sickness I was sure I would throw up in the aisle (I didn't, thank goodness!) and my hands cramped up so badly they honestly looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

The time we spent in Sydney was, I am glad to report, nothing at all like the in-flight nightmare. We attended event after event put together by the amazing organizers Jacie and Kimmi, and the amazingly generous sponsors who took part in the ABBW.


Among the highlights of my weekend were the Maxted Thomas Beauty Blogger Gala, and the Face of Australia Masterclass.

The Maxted Thomas event was amazing! They had a bunch of booths set up for the various brands that they represented, and we worked our way through all of them. They even had a photobooth set up, much to the delight of all the bloggers in attendance!



At the Face of Australia Masterclass, they set up rows and rows of tables chock-full of goodies and the model and makeup artist projected onto a huge screen so we could watch the magic happen, and try it on ourselves!


There were a few other events I really enjoyed as well, and a whole lot of products I am extremely excited to try and share with you all.

Many thanks and kisses go to Jacie and Kimmi for putting this event together for us bloggers. Without them, we really would never have had this wonderful opportunity to network and learn so much and just have fun.

I'll end this little post with a picture of my favourite girls - the #MBBE. That weekend was also a chance for me to get to know them all better, and I am missing being able to hang out and chat with them! p.s. Mel and Molly, I totally wish my Photoshop skills were rockin' enough to be able to edit you guys in, but I suck :(


All images except the photobooth picture taken by Liz Giacco for The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend, and are not to be reproduced, republished or reused without inclusion of this credit. Images remain the property of The Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend.

The boyfriend went out for soccer this morning, so I decided to take a solo (yes, solo!) shopping trip to Melbourne Central to check out the NYX stock at Groove accessories (the lower ground level of Melbourne Central).

I ended up getting more than just NYX, and I wanted to share my purchases so you Melburnians out there can run out and grab an awesome bargain :)

My first stop was Groove, where I got a NYX Round lipstick in Fusion. I also wanted to add that the sales assistants are so sweet and nice, so I will definitely be going back there again!



Also in the picture is the Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer that I got in the mail yesterday. I've been hearing rave reviews, so I thought I'd check it out.

After that, I went over to Coco Latte, a clothing store on the same floor as Groove, near Strandbags. They had such awesome offers, I couldn't resist! I got 3 (count them, ladies - THREE) skirts for only AUD 10. And the best part is, they're so beautifully made! I got two of the same style in different colours - they're ruched, so they really show off your (please excuse my French) bum beautifully.


After that, on my way home, I decided to go to the Spencer Street Mall since it was so nearby the apartment. There, I found Lovisa's outlet store.

There were so many gorgeous accessories, and at such awesome prices!! I was holding myself back because I am not meant to be spending so much, so I only got two things. My favourite is this gorgeous black multi-layered bracelet with pink gems. So rock-chic. The price tag said AUD 7, so I was pretty psyched when the cashier mentioned that it was only AUD 5 when I was paying (score, lol).


I also got the boyfriend a pair of board shorts from Jay Jays - they have such an awesome selection of stuff there!

Now the only thing missing is a pair of denim shorts. I can't bring myself to buy a pair, they're always selling for no less than AUD 20 (that's 60 Malaysian ringgit, ugh!).

I hope everyone else is having an amazing weekend!

Rue Bee and Winston are long gone, and I'm missing them like crazy!

I loved exploring Melbourne with them. Even though I've lived in Melbourne for the past 3 and a half years, I (sadly) haven't had very many chances to explore the surrounding regions.

One of the places we visited together was Phillip Island. The four of us, Jace and I, and Rue Bee and Winston, got a discounted tour package. The tour took us to four locations on Phillip Island - Panny's Chocolate Factory, Churchill Island, the Nobbies Centre, and the Penguin Parade.


My favourite place, I have to admit, was Panny's Chocolate Factory (the Penguin Parade came in a close second, though!). They had so many chocolate-related displays! They had a few games, that you could play in order to win chocolate. There was a large chocolate block hooked up to a weighing scale, and you had to try and guess its weight by standing on the corresponding scale to try and balance out the weight.

There was also a chocolate squiggle machine, that allows you to draw your own squiggle of chocolate.



My absolute favourite chocolate at Panny's was their Signature White Truffle. They gave us a sample as we walked through the door, and I loved it! I went looking for it after the tour, at the chocolate shop. I finally found it, but I found it kind of pricey, so I decided not to get it in the end.


But the boyfriend bought it for me and surprised me on the bus! He disappeared for a while, and then when he reappeared, he dug out the bag with a sneaky little smile. It was so sweet, and the chocolates are sooo good!

I tried an online search, and I found out that Panny's has only very few select locations where its chocolate is sold, so I guess that means it's the only packet of Panny's chocolate I'll be having in quite a while. But oh, how I will dream of it!

Winston and Jace's friends, Wilson and Jien Ann, were kind enough to take us up to Mount Dandenong the other day. The four of us, Jace and I, and Rue Bee and Winston, rented a car, and followed their car up to check out the sights.


We ate at Miss Marples (the scones were SO disappointing!) and Pie in the Sky (pretty good pies). I love going in search for food when we go on trips!



We also took in the sights at Sky High, walking through the gardens and taking a few pictures on the balconies.


It wasn't too hot, though the sun was shining down in full force. I loved that we got to explore and satisfy my food hunting urges. I want to go on an all out food outing soon. Maybe here, maybe in Malaysia. Either way, I will document it and post it here! :)

On one of their first days here, we took Winston and Rue Bee to Misty's Diner to try out the food there. It was all of our first times there, too.

When we first got there, I was a little bit disappointed looking in from the outside. It is a small, unassuming little place, and I didn't really think much of it. But my impression of it changed as soon as we walked in. There were colours everywhere, and it was so lively and bright. The music was great, the waitresses were friendly and smiling, and the food was pretty good!



We had the Carb Coma Platter - it had cheese sticks, chilli fries, fried mushrooms, veggie bites and potato mashies.


The cheese sticks were AMAZING! The chilli cheese fries were just okay for me, but I loved their gravy and potato mashies. Poor Jace had a soccer game and couldn't eat, so we're thinking of going there again soon so he can try the food there. He loves American diner-type food.


We ordered the brownie for dessert. It was pretty good, but nothing really special.

What's great about Misty's Diner is that they have this counter up the front, which sells all the snack food I was talking about in my American snack food post. I finally tried a Twinkie!
But it was disappointing. Nothing about it was good. Twiggies taste better   :(

Twinkie rant aside, I think this is a really great place. Everyone should try it at least once. Make sure to go early or book a table, because it gets pretty packed, even on a Monday night!

You can check out their website at MistysDiner.com.au.

We went out clubbing two nights in a row - yesterday night, and the night before that.

So we went to Unlucky Thursdays at Seven nightclub (not an Asian night), and Velvet Fridays (Asian night).

What a tremendous difference!

I like white people, I think you guys are great, but my gosh I don't like your clubbing music! I didn't feel like dancing, the songs were giving me a headache, and no matter how buzzed we got, it just wasn't cutting it. We left right before 11PM.

On Friday, we went again, because I wanted to show Rue Bee and Winston the difference. Friday night was fun.

The music was terrific, we had an awesome time jumping around and screaming our favourite songs out loud, and the beats were perfect!



And now I still have a little bit of alcohol in my system, my voice sounds a little funny, and everyone's still really sleepy. Ah, what it is to be young! :)

Dragging them to Vic Market soon. Hoping they'll still love me when I'm shaking them awake!

Rue Bee and Winston are finally here! After years of waiting, months of planning, and countless hours talking about it, they're finally here in Melbourne with us  :)

They arrived yesterday morning at 11am. We picked them up at Southern Cross station, excitedly chatting about our plans and their journey here.

We spent yesterday wandering around Melbourne Central and Bourke street, and then had some chocolate at Max Brenner. I don't have any pictures from that, because they're in the other camera.

I do have pictures of our dinner on Lygon, which was delicious! I've never tasted a more fresh pizza crust here in Melbourne ever! We also had to stop at Freddos for the must-have Rocher gelato (they had durian-flavoured gelato, too)



Later on at night, we played a few drinking games, and Chloe became our dealer at poker.


Today we're heading out shopping! Will update you guys tomorrow :)

After an eternity of being cooped up at home, studying for exams, I'm finally starting to go out again.

Today, I went out to Vic Market with the boyfriend for a leisurely grocery run. I still have a research paper to hand in, so I'm not quite ready to while the day away doing the things that I do.

What's interesting is that, during lunch, we suddenly had this talk about our future, about what we both want, separately and together. It's a hard thing to do, listening and sharing, especially with people as different as the two of us. We wanted some of the same things, but we also wanted some very different things. We disagreed on how we would get where we wanted to get.

But at the same time, these differences brought to light the fact that we could compromise with one another; give and take without really compromising too much of ourselves. This showed us harmonizing at our best.

I know to most people, this may not be a lot. In fact, it may not be anything at all.

But it showed me, and taught me a lot about our relationship. I'm glad we had the talk, and I'm glad we're able to do the things that we do.


And I got all this from a simple trip to Vic Market   :)

Rue Bee, my cousin, and her boyfriend, Winston, are coming to visit us in Melbourne. They arrive in exactly 11 days, and I am so psyched!

They're going to be here for a good 2 weeks, too, which means that we'll have plenty of time to hang out and do the things we want to do!

Which leads me to the real subject of this blogpost - what should we do?


I was thinking of visiting Mount Dandenong - I heard it's beautiful there. I'm not sure if we'll want to make it just a day trip, or whether we should stay a night or two there.

Then, of course, there are the shopping destinations. I wrote a post about them recently, and I'm really looking forward to visiting those places again. Discounts, discounts!


I also want to go to Sorrento, in the Mornington Peninsula area. We went there with my parents when they came over (you can read about it here), and I think it would be great to go there again when the sun is beating down and it's nice and warm, and the beach waters are cool and inviting!

And then there are the wine regions - which one to visit? If we don't want to go too far away, there's the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula (which means we can go to the beach and do wine at the same time), or the Macedon Ranges.

There are also the typical tourist destinations - the Melbourne Aquarium, Queen Victoria Market, Crown, Federation Square.

So much to do, so little time!! Does anyone have an opinion as to what places are a must-see in Melbourne? I can't decide which places to visit or what activities we should do!

So, I have a little confession to make.

On the day my take home exam (now safely finished and handed in) was due to be distributed, I went out. On lunch date with the boyfriend, and then to do a little shopping for random stuff our apartment needed.


It felt sooooo good! I don't know if we were lucky or unlucky to have gone out on such a glorious, sunny day. I went out in a cardigan, but by the time noon hit, I'd taken it off and the sun was beating down hard on my shoulders. It felt good at first, but then it became soooo hot!!

After that, it was just a matter of time before I was dying to get home. Imagine what summer will be like *gulp*

Rue Bee make sure you bring your coolest, thinnest clothes when you come to visit!

I wore my new cropped waterfall vest that day, and made the mistake of wearing jeggings - in my defence, it was cool out at first!


People have already broken out the gladiator sandals and the short-shorts! Bring on the warmth!

My boyfriend graduated last Thursday.

All of us were so proud of him! His parents were beaming, and I just couldn't help but think how handsome and smart he looked. I felt so proud, watching him walk around in his graduation gown.

We took the train down together (picture on left is him at Flinders street station waiting for our train), all 7 of us (Jace, his parents, sister, aunt, me and Michelle). Everyone was pretty excited about his graduation, actually. After all, he is the only son, and their first child, and the first to graduate in the family.

Anyway, we took the train down, then had some lunch at Meeting Point while he picked up his graduation gown. Walking out of the academic dress pick-up, I asked him for his tickets, just to check. He stopped dead in his tracks - he left them at home! Luckily, we found out from student services that you could get replacement tickets when the gates opened. Otherwise, he would've gone in to graduate by himself, and there would be very well dressed people following me around the library for a couple of hours.


The graduation ceremony itself was quick enough - he was in and out in less than 1 1/2 hours. We took so many pictures near the 'lake'. They even took jumping shots. You can see them all in my Facebook album here.


We had a little dinner after, at this place in Chinatown called Ling Nam. The food there was OK, but one big gripe I have about the place was that they didn't tell us the price of the fish that we ordered! I think with something as pricey as $78 per kilo, you should warn your customer of the price before putting in the order! We are definitely not going there again - such poor service.

After dinner, we dropped by the house to feed Chloe, then went down to Crown. Not to gamble, but to go to Galactic Circus, the arcade! Everyone had a lot of fun. I am not the video game kind of person, but I had a lot of fun collecting tickets from the games, and thinking up what to redeem with the tickets after. I ended up getting a bow and arrow (Jace's idea), a pair of oversized glasses (Michelle's idea), and a Simpsons sour candy for each of us.

Of course, the glasses were a big hit.

Congratulations again on your graduation, Jace. I'm so proud!  :)

Jason's parents were actually supposed to head out with their friends today, but since they weren't doing anything interesting, everyone decided to go to the Royal Melbourne Show to check it out.

I'd actually been wanting to go since my first year here, but never found the time, people, or energy to go until now. I was quite excited about the food, the games, and the general atmosphere. I love carnivals.

So we all trooped over to Southern Cross station to get tickets.

The thing that annoyed me about the ticket booth at Southern Cross was the fact that normal tertiary student cards were not accepted for concession tickets. They only accepted Victorian student concession cards. We had to go all the way to the showgrounds and wait in line to buy the tickets. In the end, they didn't even check the student cards.


Anyway, the carnival was everything I expected it to be - big, loud, happy, and with plenty of things to do....

...if only I weren't so cheap.

Everything had an extra charge! The rides were at least $7 each, the games were ridiculously overpriced, and you couldn't do anything without paying extra money. I didn't feel like spending that much money trying to get a huge bear I'd lug home to collect dust in the corner, so none of us tried any of the games or sat on any of the rides.


The highlight of my day was the cotton candy, followed by the animal section of the carnival. The dogs, rabbits, cats, and snakes on display were so fun to pet and look at. They even had ponies, herding dogs, and pigs! I know, I sound like such a kid, but that was the best part of my day! The dogs were so cute, and there were some breeds I'd never even heard of before this!

We left pretty early, because everything was pretty pricey, and we'd walked past almost everything by then. My only regret was that I didn't eat enough :(

In all my years here, the number of times I've been out shopping combined only narrowly surpasses the number of times I have been out shopping since Jason's parents got here!

I've been to Chadstone, Bourke Street, Collins Street, Chapel Street, and Smith Street, all within this week alone.


I thought I'd share a few of my favourite Melbourne shopping spots, just so everyone can enjoy:

On Chapel Street, there is this store called Studio Girl. It sells beautiful, extremely affordable clothes. I love that it's so cheap! There are so many options to choose from, too!

I don't have much to say about Collins street, because the stores there are very pricey. If you're looking for the high-end, expensive stuff, Collins street is your best bet.

Smith street is great for factory outlet stores. The most famous are the Nike and Adidas outlet stores. There are also a lot of vintage and opp shops along Smith street, so you should definitely go there if you are bargain hunting. Another store I really liked was the Tony Bianco outlet store. It was amazing! There were shoes (normally priced at AUD 140) priced down all the way to AUD20!

Bourke street is always good for shopping. The Bourke street mall is where Myer and David Jones are, as well as stores like Supre, Forever New, and so many, many more. Also, look out for entrances into Melbourne's famous arcade malls - little mini-malls with cute (and some very old) stores selling jewellery, vintage clothes, chocolates, games. They start at Bourke street, and lead down all the way to Flinders.

Chadstone is one of the largest shopping centres in the Southern Hemisphere. It's also the farthest away from the city - you have to take a train and then a bus to get there. It is huuuuge, though! They have everything there, even Tiffany & Co.  :)

Bridge Road is a shopping stop I absolutely adore! It is home to the clearance outlets of brands like Cotton On, Sass & Bide, JeansWest, The Body Shop, and so, so many more! There are shoes, clothes, and many cute cafes lining the road. We went a little shopping-happy when we were there, and I even went back for more a few days later!


We've also had such an awesome time hanging out with Jason's family - I almost don't want them to leave. Chloe's been having a ball as well, and I am sure she'll be very sad to see them go.

Jason's graduation is in 2 days. I will update with pictures!

Michelle's club, the International Engineering Students' Society, organised a cocktail night yesterday. They held it at an awesome place (Chi Lounge, on Little Bourke), and Jason's parents and friends wanted a place to hang out and drink.

So I called Michelle up, she moved a couple of things around, and we got a karaoke room for them to hang out in. They weren't too happy about at first (I mean, free karaoke room, really?! Who does that to people?! Note the sarcasm), but they started warming up to it after the first couple of drinks. Soon, everyone was dancing and singing along to the music, and hogging the mic - just the way it should be.


They ordered a total of 5 bottles of whiskey, and our drinks were continually (and quite magically, really) topped up the entire night. Needless to say, by the end of it, everyone was very happy. Very, very happy.


It was a great chance to get to know our guests, since they were a little more chatty than usual. It was also kind of funny to have the kids take care of the adults, for a change.

They went off to Phillip Island today, but the boyfriend was a little bit tired from yesterday's shenanigans, so we decided to stay back with Mich and his sister. We're baking a cake later for his Mom's birthday, so wish us luck!


Also, Happy Birthday, Aunty Irene. Just sending the thought out there :)

We rented out a car and took a little trip to the Healesville Sanctuary in Seville yesterday.

Jason's Dad's friends were already there - they stayed the night in a gorgeous house just outside the Seville Hill Winery, owned and operated by its owners. We joined them at the house for lunch, and I got a chance to look around. It was so beautiful! It had a gorgeous pinewood decor, a cute little fireplace, and a beautiful, blossoming backyard.

We reached the Healesville Sanctuary at about 2pm, which was a little bit of a waste, because they have all these really cool "Meet the Keeper" shows that start at around 12pm. We got to see one show that started at 2.30 - "Birds of Prey". It was all about these gorgeous falcons, and it was so interesting! We saw (among others) a bird that used a stone to break open a replica emu egg, and a really large eagle that swooped just inches above the entire crowd.


It took us about 2 hours, and we didn't even finish looking at all the animals. It's actually much more worth the visit compared to the Melbourne Zoo.

We went back to the house for dinner and drinks before heading home. Dinner was wonderful - I made grilled salmon with herbs and this really cool sauce that my Mom came up with. We had wine after (Jace had beer - eww), and then curled up by the fireplace with some chocolate. The warmth of the fire on my back was heavenly. I wish we had a fireplace at home!


We only started the trip back at about 12am. The poor boyfriend was tired out by then, but he was such a sport about driving us all back. He didn't complain one bit, and even woke up early the next morning to return the car.


I really want to go to Seville again! I want to stay in that house, and go wine tasting, and see the countryside. Then, I want to sip wine by the fire and laugh about old times with my family and friends. I can't wait for the holidays!

It was my birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday to me), and I went out with Mich and Jason's family last night to celebrate.

We thought of going to an Italian/Modern Australian restaurant, but I decided against the whole pretentious hoity-toity thing, so we went to Oriental Spoon, on LaTrobe, instead.


The boyfriend tried to save me from the embarrassment of a birthday cake and song, but his mom got the better of him, and I got a huge slice of tiramisu cake with a big fat candle on top.


We also tried this Korean soju (read: alcohol), which Koreans drink warm in the winter. It was actually very effective against the cold - a few sips and I was feeling very warm despite the cold draft blowing in through the open doorway. It had a really sweet, pear taste, with a wine-like aftertaste.


It was a good night, all in all. I also got so many birthday wishes, calls and texts throughout the day. Thanks everyone! It feels good to be remembered, and I'm so grateful that I have so many awesome friends and family members.

I just wish I had everyone I love here with me :)