Double Take

Hurray! Birthday party at Trattoria, The East, Mega Kuningan. It's a nice place, not just some casual hangout place at the mall, so I want to have a "proper" evening look. However, I still want to add something edgy to the whole effect, so I'm wearing two strands of beaded necklace in different colors: grey and lavender. It looks swell, isn't it! I could easily wear this look for evening mass at the Church then dashed off to the birthday dinner.

I always wear a color-coordinated tank top underneath rather low-cut tops and dresses, because I don't want to have an "oops" moment when bending down. I almost never wear tank top by itself (except on the beach, maybe) for modesty reason, though I do wear sleeveless from time to time.

Kid's Stuff: The Power of A Necklace

Rise and shine! Actually I'm not so excited for today's activities. It's facial day, and after a long two-month no-show, I know it's going to be ouch when the facialist extracts all those dirts from my clogged pores. Perhaps that's why I decided to throw on this whimsical ultra-colorful, cheerful, and totally happy fleece necklace. I bought it in little tweeny store for tween girls, so it's not something that a grown-up is supposed to wear, but hey, I'm not one stick to the rules, so throw out the "not supposed to"! These pictures were taken before the facial. I know that after the session I would be puffy and all red like a plump tomato. Huh.

I prefer to wear something comfortable and with buttons for a facial, so I wear the black shirt I wore to work just yesterday. If you think it's so gross, at least I can justify that my office was on AC, I didn't sweat, and it's going to go sraight to the laundry after salon, so, why not?

Let me tell you something about the power of a necklace, before heading to the salon, I had lunch at Fish & Co. EX and people were staring like "Why is that girl wearing a flower garden on her chest?"

Kid's stuff's soooo cool! It's fun, original, attention grabbing, and it's cheap!

So why don't you try catering your inner-child and throw something from your little sister's closet for a change? Who knows, you might end up liking it...

When in Rome...

Happy Good Friday and (almost) Easter!

For church, the name of the game is neat, sweet & modest.
My personal belief about church clothes is simple:

1. If a girl can primp and fuss for a date, she can also make the same effort for a "date" with the Almighty at chuch!
2. The rule of a "proper" girl: you don't want to show too much skin on a "proper" first date with a "proper" guy. The same rule goes for going to church or any other religious functions. Be polite. Be considerate.

Vice versa, how does a girl know that her clothes are proper for a date? The answer is: if she is comfortable enough to wear them to church.

Example: if a girl doesn't feel comfortable to wear hotpants to church, it means she should not wear them for a dinner date at the mall.

No invite the devil here, Ladies!

Linking up to:

White Wednesday

Batik Charm

Today is Kartini's Day!

That means wearing batik for work. Batik is fashion that is truly, originally, purely Indonesian, so it's something that I'm very proud to wear. I especially looove this lovely seafoam green Pekalongan batik. I'm an Indonesian Chinese, so Pekalongan/Pesisiran batik is just perfect for my skin tone and oriental feature, since it's a mix between Javanese and Chinese patterns and colors. They are not just the traditional brown or dark blue, they come in vibrant and cheerful colors such as sunshine yellow, rose pink, and turquoise blue.

Office Spa

Work can be fun! Office can be fun!
Ngngng... not really, OK, I'm lying, but since I spend 8 hours a day in the office, I decided to make that time period as enjoyable as I can. This book inspires me to do just that. Why, can't you see from the title?

It's light, fun, enjoyable, toungue-in-cheek reading on how to get through the week of:

1. Mellow Monday


2. Tranquil Tuesday


3. Wise Wednesday


4. Thoughtful Thursday


5. Fulfilling Friday

And the book is getting me inspired to:

1. Incorporate the soothing color of aqua/turquoise blue (or is it sea-foam green?) into my office wardrobe. Who knows, it might work wonder to calm my nerves in the office. *cross my fingers*


2. Also, if you have to spend one-third of your 24-hour day in there anyway, why not make the place as pretty as can be? A lil' cubicle/desk decorating lifts the mood and add personality to that otherwise dreary space.

I don't know about you but I'm dashing off to Aksara Bookstore to get some inspiration on how to decorate office space. Ciao!

Emergency Vase

Several friends are coming for lunch at my place today, so I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things including some flowers to brighten up the dining table.
Boy, now come to think of it, I don't have any vase to put the flowers in. So what's a panicky but frugal & creative (ahem) gal to do? Get an emergency vase.

After some digging around in the kitchen cupboard, I finally decide that this free container from Oreo will do.

Fill the container with water, cut the flower stems, put the lovelies in, arrange some colorful books in the book basket (also free, it came as an office Christmas gift basket), and voila!

Come over, honored guests!

Pinky Business

Who says pink looks too soft and girlie for work? Pink screams femininity while black states authority. Combine both and you get a professional look with a feminine edge.

Blazer works wonder to add a professional touch to any office look. However, since I prefer "ladylike yet professional" instead of "manly & professional", I opt for a tailored-fit jacket like what I'm wearing today. Basically I just splurge on this one good item, then mix it with everything I have in my wardrobe. It saves me a lot of time and money, which neither I have in plenty.

In the first picture you can see the ruffle detail that adds a playful touch to a serious business look without going overboard.

Another tip: grey-black stockings add a finished touch to any look. Wear a pair and you'll look like a million bucks. I avoid real-black stockings since they look too severe for my taste.

Don't forget the accessories! Beads. You cannot go wrong with beads. This pink mickey-mouse-bead necklace is a gift from an aunt.

I'm going for dinner with my friends straight after work, and I'm glad that this ensemble look "sweet" enough for a fun time at the mall.

I know, I know, the quality of the pictures suck. But since this is MY blog, I take the liberty to say that I'm allowed to post whatever I please. Nyah nyah nyah...

Ladies Luncheon

I'm at Plaza Indonesia and I see this "artwork" on the wall. Suddenly, I'm getting inspired to:

1. Have a lovely lunch with my girlfriends at a nice cafe, have a nice chat, wearing nice clothes, and eating nice food. Men are wonderful, but girls need to gather together with their own from time to time, doing a bit of girl-time classics: catching up, gossiping, comparing each other clothes & make-up, work & partner, giving & getting beauty tips & tricks, shopping for new shoes, etc.



2. Combining the colors black, white and grey in my wardrobe, spiced up with fire-engine red.



3. Wearing a fedora hat.



4. Hanging artwork on my wall. (Even a simple one does make a difference!)



5. Buying some of those gorgeous champagne flutes and use them at home. Who says I can only use champagne flutes to drink champagne? I plan to use them anytime I want to add a feel of fabulousness and luxury to my daily life. Even drinking iced water from champagne flute would make a girl feel grand. So ladylike. So classy. Even if the girl lives in a tiny rented-room and only eat rice & beans for dinner. So why don't I? I definitely would!

Why don't you?