The Twenty Something of October

The twenty something of October must be some special period. So many so many birthdays on consecutive days these few days.

Besides birthdays, the twenty something of October is also a special period. 2 years ago on the 21st, an angel was added to heaven. That could be considered a birthday too-- the birth of a feisty little angel.

Double S for Simba and Shirasu

Today. 15 October 2013, is Simba's 6th year death anniversary. That's the little urn with her ashes in it. It is palm-sized and really cute. But what was cuter was that the vet had connections with the pet cremation service and thanks to that, we had our Simba still at home in my 2nd sis's room. (My 2nd sis was the one who picked Simba up when she was a stray kitten.)




6 years and I've still not kept a pet cat since. I don't want the heartbreak of losing a pet, especially a really intelligent and loving one like Simba. Simba was cute if you saw her in real life and if you witnessed her many actions. She simply melted the hearts of many. My friends who were afraid of cats would all take a liking to her when they went over my place. And could you believe it? She even turned my mum from a cat-hater to a cat-lover... hmm... probably just a Simba-lover. My mum do not particularly love all cats unless they reminded her of Simba.

Simba would often walked to the door to greet anyone who came home with a soft "meow". Hence, there was once my mum lamented, "I have 3 daughters but none of them would come to the door to greet me. Only Simba is good. She would come to the door to greet me." We took in my mum's words while continuing to munch on snacks and watch TV. My mum raised her hands in exasperation as she carried on heaping praises on Simba and blasting her daughters.

Cute as Simba was. Unfortunately, she wasn't too photogenic so I tend to always feature the same few photos of her. You know how some cats are cute but their eyes just look weird in photos and how 1st generation handphone cameras are so lousy? That's what I mean. This is one of my favourite pictures of her as it showcased her big eyes as well as her black and white paws.




The paw pads for her left black paws on both the front and hind legs were black while the paw pads for her right paws were pink.




This was Simba at the vet on a drip. She died a few days later. She was very strong throughout the stay and she was brought home to recuperate though we were told that she did not have long to live. Up till her last moments, she was still so loving. She waited till she saw all of us in the family before she slowly closed her eyes, never to open them again.



Read my tribute to my beloved Simba on her 1st year death anniversary here.

~

I've got no intention to keep a cat since I'm living with my in-laws. Maybe I would consider keeping one when we have our own home.

My mum-in-law doesn't like cats and I'm hoping that she could become like my mum and slowly begin to like cats. This is highly impossible with my bro-in-law's stupid cat. Yeah, my hubby and I call her "meow meow" or "stupid cat". My mil calls her "mao mi", my fil calls her "meow" but both my bil call her by her name "Gabby". I think "meow meow" or "stupid cat" suit her better though. She is just not as loving and intelligent as Simba and most stray cats. There are stray cats in my parents' neighbourhood which are more loving towards me than this stupid cat so I doubt she would be able to paw her way into my mil's heart. Despite calling her a stupid cat and all, the hubz and I would have a soft spot for her still as after all, she is a pet and a cat to boot.

~

My urge to keep a cat really came a knocking when I chanced upon a cat named Shirasu on Instagram. Shirasu is a Scottish Fold and she made me start to cultivate a liking for "cats with breed". I know that term doesn't make sense for those who know lots about cats. I used to only like the breed of stray cats found in my country-- mainly American Shorthair. I do not like other exotic breeds. I just keep looking at pictures of Shirasu and wonder how on earth could a cat be so cute?


Shirasu looks so cute with her big eyes prowling and hiding.




She looks adorably notti sniffing and biting stuff.




She looks so cute being curious.




She looks so cute doing notti things. I mean if I have a cat that looks so cute, I would beat her after catching her do notti things and just feel bad the whole day for beating her. Yes, I beat Simba when she was notti and I would feel bad too.




Awww... don't you like it when kitty cats expose their tummies? It shows trust.




She looks so cute sleeping too.




My 2 favourite pictures of Shirasu was when she was a kitten.




Awwwwww... Can I just carry you home?




DISCLAIMER: 
Simba is my cat. Shirasu isn't. 
I initially had a line saying  I do hope people would read carefully before commenting with the misconception that both are mine. However, I thought I might sound a bit rude and hence removed it. 
I'm gonna insert this disclaimer again. No offence. =)

River Island Hits the Shore of Singapore Once More

Brit cult label River Island has once again hit the shore of Singapore last month all thanks to Zalora.

Do you remember the River Island dress that I wore for my first wedding anniversary staycation a few years back? I got many compliments when I wore that and people actually stopped me to ask where I got my dress from. A few months back, I had wanted to browse for dresses at River Island and to my horror, I found that there was no more River Island stores in Singapore anymore. I must be the last person on earth to make that discovery!

The unannounced and gradual disappearance of the high street fashion brand from Singapore last year took many people by surprise. It had a number of branches here and a legion of fans. Currently, River Island has not announced plans to open any brick and mortar stores again in Singapore but has gone online with Zalora Singapore since last month.

Zalora's free returns policy means that you can return your purchases should you change your mind or if the fit is not right. You'll also receive your package speedily within just 2 to 3 days without the hefty postage cost, since the website is based in Singapore.

River Island Autumn Winter 2013 collection is available on Zalora too. I really love autumn and winter wear that sometimes I wished we could have the four seasons here just so that I could be togged in these snug and fashionable wears. I know my overseas blogger friends who are complaining about summer going away would simply think that I'm crazy.




A lady could never have one too many little black dresses. I have a couple of LBD in various styles but I do not have one like this. The all-black ensemble is just effortlessly chic and my wardrobe is really in need of a LBD in this style.




When I have more time to surf the Internet, I would browse through their collection to find a dress I like, or maybe the black dress up there. Now I would also need to find a similar pair of knee high boots to complement the whole get up.

Psst... to my Singaporean readers, cry no more. Now you know where to get River Island merchandise.





On a seprate note, I experienced a series of fortunate and unfortunate events just now and my FB status neatly sums up the whole proceeding:

Out of goodwill, I spent 15min helping an aunty.
Unfortunately, the light rain transformed into a thunderstorm.
Fortunately, I brought an umbrella.
Unfortunately, the rain was so heavy that I was completely drenched half body down.
Fortunately, the bench under an HDB flat was empty and I sought refuge there.
Unfortunately, I had a work call to entertain.
Fortunately, the call allowed me to have something to do while waiting out for the rain.
Unfortunately, the flashes of lightning and loud claps of thunder totally rendered me stupid when talking to the person on the other line.
Fortunately, my stupidity was understood by the caller.
Unfortunately, he ended the call and I had no more entertainment.
Fortunately, I occupied myself and helped an old man look for his daughter.
Unfortunately, the rain persisted and I had no choice but to continue walking.
Fortunately, the bus arrived shortly.
Unfortunately, my shoes are soaked, my feet are squishy and my body is chattering in the cold air-conditioned bus and I don't know where I'm heading coz the windows are misted and blurred by the cold and rain.
I'm waiting for the next "fortunately"...

Instagram Snapshots ~*September 2013*~

In the blink of an eye, it is October. Time to wake those Green Day boys!



As for me, September was anything but sleepy. September was nothing but hectic and October would see more busy-ness coming in. On top of my daily tasks at work, I'm managing an event which would be held at the end of this month and as time passed, the scale of the event simply magnified. My SM said that all work has to be put down to manage this event, but that doesn't mean that I'm allowed to put my daily tasks aside and completely ignore them. They still have to be done after tending to the pressing tasks for the event. I'm often leaving the office when the sky is dark and bringing my work laptop home to work on. Adding on to it are my after-work commitments and I really need to start cloning myself soon.

Meanwhile, here is a summary of what happened in September. Well, even my Instagram photos in September have significantly decreased in numbers.





~9 Semptember 2013~
A personalized gift from "undisclosed" (blotted out by the flower bokeh). It's a NETS Flashpay card depicting one of my favorite artists-- Audrey Kawasaki. Thank you "undisclosed". I'm so happy that the picture I've chosen turned out to make the card look wooden. Love the effect!




~12 Semptember 2013~

Throw back Thursday-- I finally confessed to my dad that I had once upon a time secretly took Class 2B riding lessons just so that I could use my bro-in-law's @gnahiy BABY BLUE Vespa to transport myself around to nearby places. My dad didn't even flare up at me and so I told him that I gave up in the end. It was too tiring and difficult to learn on the sly. And of course, the motorbike was a lot heavier than a scooter.




~15 Semptember 2013~
This meet up with @tinsfans finally materialized! Soooooooo happy for everything that's going on in her life now! *hugz*




~15 Semptember 2013~
Hong Kong desserts, nerdy glasses and expired Polaroid film. @tinsfans, finally you've got new Polaroid photo of us to pin beside the it-is-so-four-years-ago one on your workstation board!




~15 Semptember 2013~
Family Brunch at The Line. Whack @gnahiy's free vouchers! Yeah! Father-in-law not in sight as he was the one snapping most of the photos.




~18 Semptember 2013~
Too tired...




~18 Semptember 2013~
Before the clock strikes 12 and before I KO from sheer exhaustion, I just wanna say "Happy birthday to my dear friend who is a dog owner. I hope this puppy dog cheers you up with its soulful eyes and innocent face. *Hugz*




~22 Semptember 2013~
Checking out a relatively new eatery nearby. Left: Ribena Smoothie with Honey Balls. Right: Tiramisu Smoothie with Honey Balls.




~22 Semptember 2013~
Chicken Chop Spaghetti for him. Prawn Aglio Olio for me. Salted Egg Chicken for us. Officially FULL!




~22 Semptember 2013~
Hello grey eyes. How I miss you so!




~22 Semptember 2013~
At Conrad Oscar's to celebrate daddy and @kappo77 sis birthday. The buffet table is right in front of us but we can't eat coz my family is late!




~18 Semptember 2013~
Happy 62nd birthday to Daddy and happy forever 25th (ahem) birthday to @kappo77 sis jiejie! After last year's celebration at Trader's Hotel Cafe Biz which unfortunately stopped serving daddy's favorite oysters, he waited one whole year to suggest oysters for his bday dinner. He was really happy at Oscar's at Conrad with 6 different buckets of oysters from parts of France, New York, Australia etc. It was also a blessing that the place was located in the heart of the F1 buzz and had a big tv screening the F1 Finals which was also daddy's favorite. Whenever he wanted more action, he would step outdoor and imbibe the vrooooooooooom noises from outside.




~25 Semptember 2013~
Somehow, I got tasked to design big boss's birthday card. I'm fast running out of ideas and so I decided to recycle the bird day hot air balloon theme from a card I did a month ago. Modified here and there and this is the final product. Good night!




~26 Semptember 2013~
Throw back Thursday-- First time celebrating Halloween in 2005. We didn't know what we were but since we were 4 gals in black, people said we were Dracula's brides plus 1. [Note: We won't be celebrating Halloween this year as the only thing Halloween about us are our old bones. That said, my Instagram throw back Thursday series would focus on my Halloween looks over the years starting from today.]




~30 Semptember 2013~
I often wonder why I take such good candid shots of others but people always take candid shots of me in the most unglam poses like when I'm opening my mouth, half blinking, having weird expressions etc. Finally, my sis had a great candid shot of me. Well, you might not agree. But if you see the rest of my candid shots, you will.




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