Winner for Jo's 2nd Blog Giveaway

Thank you so much to those who have participated in my 2nd Blog Giveaway!

For transparency, I have provided the list of the final participants and the points awarded for each. Do note that some entries have been void. Please read the disclaimer.


Disclaimer
The minimum requirement to enter is to follow me both on GFC and bloglovin'. However, I allowed anyone to enter as long as you followed me on one and explained why you were not able to follow on the other. I relaxed the rules for this portion as after all, this is all for fun. ;)

I regret to inform that if I was not able to find your username on the mediums that you mentioned you have followed, I would not count those points in. It was also difficult for me to check which requirements you had fulfilled without categorizing your answers in the template provided. =P

Your entry would be rendered void if I did not get any updates from you on totalling up the points yourself. I hope that you would understand that it was very difficult for me to total up the points for each and every one of you since I'm doing this manually.

Only exception to the above are my long-time blog friends and readers. For my long-time blog friends and readers, it was easy for me to know which mediums you have followed me and hence more straightforward for me to tally up your points. This is also to show my appreciation to all of you who have stuck by for years. =)


List of Participants

1. MizzSandyChau – 21 points          (Entry #1 – #21)
2. PAPS – 22                                   (Entry #22 – #43)
3. Shamu Boo – 32                           (Entry #44 – #75)
4. Mira – 17                                      (Entry #76 – #92)
5. Shayne – 17                                  (Entry #93 – #109)
6. Galaxia @ Hopeful Kiss – 37        (Entry #110 – #146)
7. krystal ♥ – 32                               (Entry #147 – #178)
8. Vanessa N – 17                            (Entry #179 – #195)
9. Winda – 37                                   (Entry #196 – #232)
10. The Dainty Dolls House – 27         (Entry #233 – #259)
11. Rowena @ rolala loves – 17          (Entry #260 – #276)
12. Thais Magalhães – 22                    (Entry #277 – #298)
13. inge – 12                                       (Entry #299 – #310)
14. Kim Alston – 27                            (Entry #311 – #337)
15. Grace Hui – 16                              (Entry #338 – #353)
16. Demi Mist – 32                              (Entry #354 – #385)
17. Karina Melias – 37                        (Entry #386 – #422)
18. Bianca Rogoveanu – 31                 (Entry #423 – #453)
19. Melanie Miranda – 37                    (Entry #454 – #490)
20. erma riestiana – 37                         (Entry #491 – #527)
21. Tanya Soyer – 17                           (Entry #528 – #544)
22. milkteayumi – 32                            (Entry #545 – #576)

The WINNER generated by random.org is...




Congratulations, dear Shayne! You haven't provided your email address so please reply to this blog post within 72 hours before another winner is selected.

To all the lovely people who took part, I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. This giveaway wouldn't have been a success without all of you. I enjoyed reading all your comments and especially for those who took the effort to garner more points, to re-enter the giveaway due to Rafflecopter glitch and to categorize your entries neatly in the template provided, a BIG THANK YOU to you too.

Have a good mid week!



PS: For those of you whom I've emailed separately during Valentine's Day, I've yet to send out your little gift. So sorry and do bear with me. =P

Fighting The Z Monster

I'm back from my trip and I've been sleeping A LOT the past few days. The hubz and I spent the entire weekend drifting in and out of sleep, only waking up to run errands and go out for Mother's Day celebrations. We practically led a pig's life.

For those of you who are following me on Instagram, you would have known that I was in Taiwan the past week.

The weather in Taiwan was cold and during our last few days, it was rainy. We continued touring around in the rain and probably caught some bug from the wet shoes, clothes and sometimes hair and scalp. The hubz and I suffered from severe headache and nausea-- He, on the 2nd last day of our trip and I, on the last day.

So I called in sick for work today while the hubz was still on leave and I slept till the sun was almost setting. I had planned to catch up on uploading my photos from the camera and iPhone, my photo editing and blogging over the weekend but it just felt so good to simply sleep the lethargy and bug away. Fortunately, it is the Vesak Day public holiday tomorrow. More sleep!

I would be collating my 2nd blog giveaway points and announcing the winner soon (on top of reading your comments, replying them and visiting your blogs if possible). For now, let me succumb to the Z Monster.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

5 Fashion Trends to Try Out with Mango

So I just heard that Miranda Kerr has been replaced by Canadian model Daria Werbowy as the face of Mango for spring/summer 2014. Ah, shoot. Miranda looked totally gorgeous for Mango. Plus, her personal style is totally in line with the brand's aesthetics.




Check out the video below for more behind-the-scenes of Miranda's first Mango campaign shoot. She's a natural in front of the camera!




Personally, I love her downtime style: classic, clean cut, never flashy or revealing. I mean, look! This outfit is pretty much perfect: black sheer blouse, skinny jeans, and leopard-print shoes for a subtle oomph factor. Plus, she's totally rocking those shades and that top-knot.




She is also my hubby's favourite Victoria's Secrets angel. And it was precisely because of this favourite of his that I first got to know of Miranda Kerr and she soon became my favourite too. Such angelic face and mesmerizing eyes she has. Having a cute little boy with Orlando Bloom and then after that, heading for the Big Split was one of the most unfathomable thing that have left their fans shocked. However, the Australian supermodel was able to prove that she could still foster an amicable relationship with her former husband. That's really sweet.




Anyway, my point is: I'll miss seeing Miranda in those Mango ad campaigns. It is going to take me a little while to warm up to Werbowy, even though she comes with an impressive portfolio too. Werbowy modelled for big names like Diane von Furstenberg, Balenciaga, Valentino, and Dolce and Gabbana.










That said, I will still love the brand regardless of whoever it is modelling for it. After all, there is little that can go wrong with Mango's designs. Casual and chic with their range of basic tees, sleek and understated with a few statement pieces tossed in, and always, always feminine and classy. I'm particularly fond of Mango's basic tees, tank tops and jackets! Oh my, I've a great affinity for jackets and Mango really has such stylish ones just like the one spotted here on Miranda Kerr.




Seeing as it is spring/summer now, I thought I would pick out a few looks which caught my eye.


1. Pretty in Pastels

Pastels are ALL OVER the runways. Valentino, Jason Wu, Rebecca Taylor, Prabal Gurung, and more designers are all over cotton candy hues. Paired with flowy material, these soft tones are an absolute dream.




But it's not all sweet and innocent either. When given structured lines like a pencil skirt or a blazer, pastels can work for the office too. Just look at what Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung, and Rebecca Taylor (in that order) did here at New York Fashion Week Spring 2014.

Dreamy shades of peach, blush, sky blue, coral and mint? Sign me up! And I found this lace draped maxi dress from Mango that totally satisfies my pastel fetish. This dress totally nails the spring goddess look, wouldn't you say? It would go perfectly with side-swept waves and coral blusher.





2. Bird Motifs

There was a period when everyone was all about owls. Owl necklaces, rings, earrings. And then of course the animal prints - leopard, zebra - that just won't go away. Bird motifs are much less in your face. They are whimsical, girlish and totally adorable. Case in point: prints galore at Marc by Marc Jacobs, ZARA, Oasis and Dorothy Perkins! Bird motifs are definitely here to stay for quite a while.




And here, Mango has the answer. Plus, this one's also got a Peter Pan collar, another of my obsessions! This dress is perfect with that skinny red belt. Cute outfit for a date, I would say.





3. Structured Bags

If your Spring Summer outfits are all so muted and whimsy, choose a structured bag for definition. That structure works really well for the office. To keep things interesting, though, I'd pick something in a striking colour. Like this red bowling bag from Mango. It certainly pairs well with the bird motif dress up there. Besides, I think one of my lovely blog friend, Lilli, has this Mango bag (or something similar too) and it would be so cute to have a twin bag with her.





4. White and Gold

See how Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev, Gossip Girls star Blake Lively and supermodel Elle McPherson do it? White and gold are a match made in heaven.


Nina Dobrev in Michael Kors, paired with golden belt and strappy heels.




Blake Lively looked fabulous in a white and gold Missoni dress.




Gold accessories are just so stunning as seen here on Blake Lively.




Elle Macpherson stepped out in style clad in a white and gold combi.




So I intend to replicate this look with this metal cuff from Mango.





5. Houndstooth Anything

The folks at Salvatore Ferragamo, Oscar de la Renta and Fendi are obviously still all about this seemingly conservative print, adding sexy details like a plunging neckline and a high slit. Houndstooth, boring? Never. It's all about how you wear it.




Even Paris Hilton (who has the most unique fashion sense which either makes or breaks) rocked a mod look in a black-and-white houndstooth dress and black booties at the Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet Spring 2014 presentation during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.




With this houndstooth cigar pants from Mango, all I need is a pair of pointy pumps and a blouse for instant chicness.




And then I'd take a leaf out of Miranda Kerr's book and add a red lippie and shades. Works like a charm and gives me a reason to end this post with a picture of the beautiful Miranda Kerr.




[This is a scheduled post.]

Update on My 2nd Blog Giveaway

Here is a quick update of all the participants of my giveaway thus far and the points awarded for each:

1. karin -- Pending
2. MizzSandyChau -- Pending
3. PAPS – 22
4. Shamu Boo – 32
5. aki! – Pending
6. Birdie Liau – Pending
7. Mira – 17
8. Shayne – 17
9. Galaxia @ Hopeful Kiss – 37
10. krystal ♥ – 32
11. Vanessa N – 17
12. Winda – 37
13. The Dainty Dolls House – Pending
14. Rowena @ rolala loves – 17
15. Thais Magalhães – 22
16. Alison Gibb – Pending
17. inge – 12
18. Kim Alston – Pending
19. Grace Hui – Pending
20. Demi Mist – 32
21. Karina Melias – 37
22. Elaine Factor – Pending
23. va – Pending
24. Bianca Rogoveanu – 31 (Pending follow on GFC)
25. Melanie Miranda – 37
26. erma riestiana – 37
27. Tanya Soyer – 17 (Pending like on FB)
28. AboutClaire – Pending all steps stated

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Could the following people please re-enter so that I could total up your points accordingly? Thank you.

1. Karin 
2. MizzSandyChau
3. aki!
4. Birdie Liau
5. The Dainty Dolls House
6. Alison Gibb
7. Kim Alston
8. Grace Hui
9. Elaine Factor
10. va
11. Bianca Rogoveanu
12. Tanya Soyer
13. AboutClaire

1--8:

For those who have entered via Rafflecopter, I'm so sorry that you have to re-enter as I'm not able to retrieve any detail of the entries. To re-enter, please go to the original giveaway blog post and re-enter by commenting under your comment, following the "template" I've included in the same blog post. You could also refer to my individual replies to your comments to know what to do.

9--13:
Please refer to my replies to your comments individually and update with the steps taken in the template.

Thank you.





*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


The giveaway ends on 1 May 2014 midnight Singapore time

BUT...

I would not have the time to process the entries

COZ...

I'm going on a holiday!!!




SO...

Do bear with the wait.


I would be overseas from 1 May onwards. Yeah, it was a slight impromptu decision. Last month, the hubz was looking at his whole year's work schedule and informed me that other than December, he only had this period of May to take leave. Hence, we scrambled to make things work out for a short holiday and we only booked our plane tickets and accommodation just 2 weeks ago. Pretty rushed but the both of us are very happy to take a break from work.

In the meantime, I would try to do some scheduled posts and would probably update Instagram more often. So if you liked to see more of my "adventures", follow me on my Instagram.

Adios!

London Throwback: The Tower of London Part 2

WARNING: IMAGE-HEAVY
"Either open this page, wait for it to load and go do something else before coming back or just click the X button on the top right hand corner of your browser window and don’t come back."


Continuing from The Tower of London Part 1, here's Part 2 where we spent most of our time at the White Tower viewing the exhibits in the Royal Armouries. Equally interesting was the Bloody Tower, along with the exhibits of torture equipment and the write up of The Royal Menagerie.

As mentioned previously, I personally found the tour at Tower of London really enriching since I've always been interested in medieval history. For me, one of the most compelling aspects of being in historical places is trying to imagine what it would have been like at the time and how the people in different eras had lived there of time long past.




If you are interested in viewing my previous London photo stories, click the links below:

Day 1: A Walk in the Park
Day 2: St Paul's Cathedral, Millennium Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe
Day 2: Borough Market, London Bridge and Tower Bridge
Day 3: The Tower of London Part 1





Day 3: Tower of London (20 December)


The Royal Armouries collection consisted of some 70,000 examples of arms, armour and artillery dating from antiquity to the present day. It included royal armours of the Tudor and Stuart kings; arms and armour of the English Civil Wars; British and foreign military weapons from the Board of Ordnance and MOD Pattern Room collections; hunting and sporting weapons, as well as an exceptional collection of oriental arms and armour.




The White Tower was a fortress of enormous proportions, symbolic of William the Conqueror’s fierce suppression of a newly conquered capital. It is the oldest medieval building at the Tower.




We were greeted by a painting of the Princes in the Tower upon entering the White Tower. There are many variants of art depicting the Princes in the Tower but that was the first time I saw this version. This painting looked a little suggestive if you were to ask me. I would elaborate more on the murder of the princes later on when we reach the Bloody Tower.




The Fit for a King exhibition was a stark palette of LED lighting and gloss white walkways which was a striking contrast to the historic stone and oak interiors of the Tower.




When kh excitedly told me to stand near the knight/prince/whatsoever, I knew he was up to no good. He later posted this photo on Facebook with a caption something like this:
"Wifey's knight in shiny armour! If you look closely, I'm inside the armour...lol"
-_-|||




I'm not sure about you but I'm obsessed with standing near to each armour and seeing how I measured in height against each monarch. Some armour were surprisingly diminutive that I could not imagine how someone of such physical attribute could command power and respect.




Oliver Cromwell's sword.




All at a glance.




A pair flintlock pistols of the finest quality was possibly made for King William III.




Moving forward a split second to more contemporary times.




These life-sized wooden models of horses were created by King Charles in the 17th century and recently restored after a 100-year absence from the Tower. They stood with attendant royal suits of armour which are meant to represent the line of kings of England.




The era where guns replaced swords during wars.




Left Column: Armour of King Henry VIII. It was huge compared to the rest. I later found out he was 1.88m tall.
Middle Column: Armour of King Charles I. It was one of the puniest armours and I later found out that he was only 1.63m tall! Just a cm taller than I am!
Right Column Top: King Edward VI who was crowned at the age of 9 which explained the child-sized armour.
Right Column Bottom: Gift armour presented to King James I by Tokugawa Hidetada in 1613. Ah, no wonder it looked Japanese.

I felt like I was in a movie set where some innkeeper with a cloth thrown over his shoulder would pop up any moment.




The Tower in 1547.




The Great Stairs.




A pair of ceremonial bearing swords (only one pictured here) stood out from the rest of the exhibits simply because they exude nothing but simplicity and humility.




My my, what a thick tome.




This jousting lance was really loooooooooooooooong. It stretched from one end of the display cabinet to the other.




Armours tall and short.




A boy’s armour designed for the son of Charles I standing next to The Giant at about 2 metres.




This tallest suit of 2-metre armour made it to the Guinness World Records.




Some treasures sieved from River Thames.




Gifts from all over the world.




Various embellished revolvers were on display.
Red revolver: Decorated with red gold, red enamel and diamonds.
Blue revolver: Decorated with blue enamel panels, white gold and 1517 diamonds.
Brown with gold leaves: A Smith & Wesson revolver decorated by Tiffany and Co.
Black: Looked just like a toy gun I used to have.




Next up, kh was attacked by a ferocious dragon.
As the centrepiece of the Royal Armouries’ exhibition at the White Tower, this dragon sculpture was both artistically grandiose and historically relevant.




Composed of a variety of weapons including muskets, pistols and swords, the dragon was illustrative of the tradition of storing trophies of arms and armour at the Tower of London from the late 17th century.




Kh and I only knew of Isaac Newton as the scientist who discovered gravity. Little did we know that he was the Warden of the Mint.




The Royal Mint.




Nothing educational in this photo. Just a reflection selfie of us.




Types of flintlock.




The Grand Storehouse keys were almost as big as those flintlocks up there.

Board of Ordnance -- The Grand Storehouse.




The Lion's Roar music sounded like a lullaby for the great felines.




Josef Jakobs (30 June 1898 – 15 August 1941) was a German spy who became the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. You could spot the damage to the chair back from the bullets.




Random exhibits such as the executioner’s axe.

Random exhibits




Model of the Tower in 1882. It did felt more contemporary as we proceeded on.






These are for sale??? We found them in the shop and there were label cards mentioning that one should seek assistance for purchase.




A quarter to three and we were done with The Royal Armouries!




Next, we headed for The Bloody Tower.

The tower became known as the Bloody Tower in the mid-16th century because it was believed to be the place where the two Princes in the Tower were murdered by their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Prior to that, The Bloody Tower was actually named the The Garden Tower.




This was Sir Walter Raleigh’s room in the Bloody Tower where he was held prisoner. What a fine prison!




The Bloody Tower was built at the same time as the inner ward's curtain wall, and as a water-gate which provided access to the castle from the River Thames. It was a simple structure, protected by a portcullis and gate.




We were on the hunt to find out what happened to the two princes.




Summary:
The Princes in the Tower were Edward V of England (12 years old) and Richard of Shrewsbury (9 years old), Duke of York. The two brothers were the sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. They were lodged in the Tower of London by the man appointed to look after them, their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester. This was supposed to be in preparation for Edward's coronation as king. However, the duke was crowned King Richard III and the boys were never seen again.

It is generally assumed that the princes were murdered. There were several suspects who had motives for such an action with Richard III and Henry VII being the most possible suspects. Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth. The victor, Henry Tudor, was crowned King Henry VII. He married the princes’ sister, Elizabeth of York, strengthening his claim to the throne. This could have been jeopardised if the boys had survived. So what really happened to the princes?




Also in the Bloody Tower was an exhibition on Torture at the Tower. I have always been fascinated by Medieval torture devices. Those on display were recreations and not the actual equipment.




Replica of the Scavenger's Daughter.




The Scavenger's Daughter consisted of a hoop of iron with a hinge in the middle. The victim was forced to crouch on one half of the hoop while the other half was pivoted and placed over his back. The torturer would use a screw to tighten the hinge, crushing the victim further and further into his involuntary crouch. Eventually, ribs and breastbone would crack and the spine could be dislocated. Sometimes the compression was so great that blood would gush from the face. This tool was used against people accused of high treason during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England




Replica of The Rack.




The rack was used throughout Eu­rope for centuries. The victim would be tied down while some mechanical device, usually a crank or turning wheel, tightened the ropes, stretching the victim's body until the joints were dislocated. Continued pressure could cause the limbs to be torn right off.




Eventually, public disgust led toTthe Rack’s use being restricted and the invention of The Manacles. This was considered to be a lesser form of torture.




An emaciated polar bear.




Many prisoners of the Tudors entered the Tower of London through the Traitors' Gate.




Prisoners were brought by to the Traitors' Gate along the Thames, passing under London Bridge, where the heads of recently executed prisoners were displayed.




Let us take a peek at King Edward I's room.




A recreation of King Edward I’s (1239-1307) bed was displayed in St. Thomas's Tower. The King’s bedchamber was recreated as it might have looked when Edward stayed at the Tower for a week in the winter of 1294, while preparing for war with France. Read more here.




It was essential that the King’s bed was easy to take apart and transport as Edward frequently travelled both in this country and abroad visiting his estates and putting down rebellions. The chains and rails came down, the four posts were pulled out of the dais (raised platform), curtains were thrown into leather sacks and the whole lot transported on carts or horseback.




They seemed to be playing a sort of game.




Around the room.

I don't know what this is but I like the stained glass window at the back actually.




Looking out to a view of contemporary scene seemed almost surreal especially when we seemed to be enslaved in time within the confines of the various towers.




What juxtaposition of modern glass buildings with medieval stones.




Us with The Lost Palace as backdrop.




Although some of the lost towers have largely faded from the public consciousness, London was the location of several other royal palaces in the past, and you can still find fragments of them if you know where to look.




Fragments we saw none, only lawns of green.




Into the Salt Tower we went. The ground floor of this tower would have been used for storage. Archers would also have stationed here if the Tower was under threat.




The Salt Tower had a very ominous presence about it. According to legend, dogs refused to enter the Tower. Another legend has one of the Yeoman Warders being nearly strangled by a unseen presence. No one would go in the area after dark, for fear of the evil presence that haunts the Tower.

I'm getting the shivers typing this.




Ghosts in the frame.




Time to be Legolas.




Good job, archer!




We found this notice at the Constable Tower highly amusing. Would the ghosts of the 14th century please step forward?




Being enthralled by morbid stuff, I stared at this display for a good full minute.




Summary of the display.




The Royal Menagerie was founded during the reign of King John in the early 1200s. Animals lived at the Tower for over 600 years. Exotic animals were given as royal gifts and animals were kept at the Royal Menagerie for the entertainment and curiosity of the court.



















Boys being boys.




After the sun set at close to 4pm, it got really chilly.




When it grew dark, the tower grounds also looked more haunting as exemplified by these pictures.










This grass lawn looked really calming though.




I wondered how long we would spend walking the tower grounds if we weren't there during winter. The short days seemed to give a false impression that night was approaching too soon. We could have easily spent an entire day walking through every room, passageway, and museum. It was truly that fantastic. However, the winter cold got the better of us and what was more inviting than a cup of hot chocolate!




I always crave for soupy dishes when cold but it seemed like there were not many dining options around the vicinity. We were literally cold, tired and hungry and did not want to venture any further for food. £7.99 for TRADITIONAL fish and chips sounded good too! After all, fish and chips originated from England and we wondered about how authentic it would be.




Chi Cats joined us at Tower Hill Diner for dinner looking all tired as usual.




Dinner served! Traditional or not, I did not care. ITADAKIMASU!




That's enough medieval history of London lesson in a post. If you had the time and patience to read up till here, thank you. I hope you had enjoyed reading and learning more about the rich history of the towers (or probably scrolling past all my words with the main objective of leaving me a comment such as "I love your blog. Would you like to follow each other?") =P

I would get busy again and I'm trying to get this post up asap. I reckon there would be awkward expression lots of, unfortunately grammatical and speelling errors, and unforgivable editing. Make do with this version first while I slowly proofread my post some other day. Next London instalment would be a really short post on our night stroll at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.





Ongoing Giveaway





I'm having my 2nd blog giveaway and I invite all of you to check it out. It is opened internationally and ends 1 May 2014 midnight Singapore time. Feel free to participate if you're interested. Boys and men are welcome to participate to try your hand at winning something for your significant other, sister or female friends!

For standardization and to enter this giveaway, please follow the instructions and "template" so as to make the counting of your points easier. Thank you to all those who followed the template for it really made my job of counting your points more easily!

For those who have enetered via Rafflecopter, I'm so sorry that you have to re-enter as I'm not able to retrieve any detail of the entries. Please re-enter by commenting under your comment, following the "template" I've included. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.