Hello from Melbourne! Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I don’t really have to apologise for I did say I was going on a short hiatus in my last entry. The truth is I did have time to blog. I was just stuck. Creatively.

I’ve been afflicted by a severe case of writer’s block the past two weeks and while I am still far from getting over this self-bashing, I was in dire need of expressing myself so I’m attempting to get rid of this block by doing exactly what I don’t want to be doing: writing a blog entry. I’m not sure how long I’ll take to write this but I’m putting away all sharp objects just in case I get vexed by my own writing and start having ideas about reenacting scenes from Sweeney Todd.

This writer’s block just materialized one morning after I had my cup of English breakfast tea and reading The New York Times online. I sat up quickly on my bed, crippled with uncertainty and thought, “My god, I can’t write for shit.”

I think this has been going on for some time now, manifesting like a leech in my head over the last stretch of the summer holidays and with me, its host, caught unaware. Writing is very subjective, as is design. There is more to writing than the careful placement of a verb, a noun, an adjective; a quiet chemistry that happens when you string a bunch of words and punctuation together. And while I am familiar with the rules that govern the standards of ‘good’ design, I am completely inexperienced when tinkling with the alchemy of writing. But I suppose we all have to start somewhere.

tea noir is my baby, it’s only been two years since I decided to show the world how much make-up a person can accumulate but this site has transformed into a quick-change act, emitting enough ambiguity to confuse even my most loyal reader. New friends who want to link me on their blog always ask the same question: “Should I put you under beauty, fashion, photography or simply under Personal Blogs?” I was just as stumped.

I think I’ve figured it out though. tea noir isn’t a beauty/fashion/photography/personal blog, it’s a commitment to an aesthetic: my own set of principles and elements of style that I’ve cultivated through my experiences growing up. It’s up to you to figure out which genre or category tea noir falls under, it’s all blurry at this point but I consider it a strength, a uniqueness that I possess in this wired world. People have asked why I don’t have ads, sought out advertorial opportunities or joined nuffnang. It’s not that I oppose it, I just want free reign on what I put up on my blog (and sry2say I worked too damn hard for my pretty layout to be destroyed by ads created by some idiot who *think* they know design I HAVE PRIDE ALSO K)

LOL so enough ~serious business~, I think the previous paragraphs have been a great warm-up to help get me back on track. If you’ve made it this far, I hope I didn’t bore you lol. I just needed to shake off this hatred I feel towards my writing :/

I’ve been redecorating my room the past week to keep me distracted from my writer’s block and it’s been going, for lack of a better kick-ass word, spiffy! 8D I’m sick of complaining to everyone that my apartment is fug so I decided to be pro-active and make my room a better place for womankind. If you’re expecting the methodical “before” and “after” photos, sorry I’m not going to indulge you with the “before” photos because I refuse to let anyone be subjected to that kind of horror lol.

I keep all my skincare and accessories on the ledge of my window. Because there is not enough space elsewhere for the amount of product I have. Yeah I know, I have a ton. I went thrift-shopping for a couple of days to find one-off pieces for my ledge and scored that super long tray for $3. I got it at a weird party store too lol. I like to close my eyes and pretend it’s from Philippe Starck ROFL.

Floral soap dish, oval container and brush holder were $8? Vintage bone china side dish plate was a lucky find too, isn’t it gorgeous? I love the delicate gold trimming. That polaroid photo was taken the day I left for Australia for the first time in 2010, a reminder of new beginnings and my family’s love.

Monet’s Regatta at Argenteuil, circa 1872 <3 If you ever find yourself living in a ghetto apartment, throw in a Monet painting in a baroque frame and girl, you've got instant CLASS. The almost pastel green glass bottle houses my most adored scent from Parisian perfumer Annick Goutal, Petite Chérie. Incredibly pricey too, I try to use it sparingly.

My bedside table! I found this bone china dish at the same thrift store where I bought its sister and it houses the make-up I use daily e.g. mascara, concealer, fave go-to lipsticks. Anyone notice that tube of Maybelline Full N’ Soft mascara? That was my first mascara ever and it was discontinued in Singapore like 6 years ago or something. SO STOKED TO FIND IT HERE! I always have a cup of tea in my room in the mornings and at night. Also introducing my first film/lomo camera, the Diana Mini in her pristine white reincarnation.

These wooden alphabets were given to me on my birthday last year by my crazy friends! I think it’s an ingenious take on the boring greeting card plus it doubles as a brilliant prop atop my shelves. Please excuse the expletive you see in one of my friend’s written greeting above lol. I was going to blur it out but that would’ve made it seem even more obvious. Plus I’m no innocent, just because I keep my language clean on this blog, doesn’t mean I don’t swear in real life ;p The painting is Van Gogh’s lesser known Starry Night Over The Rhone, 1888 (told you I was an Art History buff!)

Remember in a previous entry I was ranting about the silly tribal flag painting in my room? I covered it up with some high fashion material WERQ IT! Can’t believe I took a year to think of this ._.

MY FAVOURITE THING IN MY ROOM RIGHT NOW: FRICKING FAIRY LANTERN LIGHTS!!!! I don’t care if that makes me a pseudo hipster chick, my room has AMBIENCE. I can serve some tea and let people chill on my bed for $10 per head just to look at my lights, THIS TRUMPS ALL.

Cherry blossoms printed on each paper lantern

My Keep Calm poster! It’s actually longer and has the crown at the top but it got cut off by my camera, I’m using my 50mm – left my zoom lens in Singapore because it was just annoying to carry around.

So that’s the end of my room tour, I hope you guys like what I’ve done to the place! I’m going to change the look of my entire apartment gradually but for now, my room is looking foxy and that is enough ;D

Also, to the man who bought me my first Chanel and who would’ve supported me even if I wanted to be a drag queen, to the man who taught me that there is no sense in being rich if you don’t have humility, a great personality and substance: Happy birthday dad, I love you!

..God I love/hate my writing. I’m going to bed.

It seems a little late for me to do a round-up of 2010 but I’ll do it anyway because I’ll remember 2010 as the year of many changes: I quit my designer job, enrolled into a foreign university and moved out of the country for school. I even grew up a little. Being in a new country by yourself is a constant struggle and while the liberal amounts of freedom I get is admittedly awesome, it can be a double edged sword as well if you’re not cautious and have little self-awareness.

Apart from the challenges of school and the 129472042 pages of theory I have to read each week, the other bane of my life in 2010 was my apartment in Australia. I never got to see the apartment until a couple of days before I was due to move in and it was a rude shock LOL.

I remember calling Aaron at midnight from my hotel room, “DUDE MY APARTMENT IS NOTHING LIKE THE WALDORF-ASTORIA I IMAGINED IT TO BE!”

The light bulbs needed replacing, the mattresses were so thin even a brothel would have thrown them out on the streets and there was a phenomenal layer of dust on EVERYTHING. The depressingly light grey paint on the walls was peeling/cracking and to make things far more ghetto than necessary, there’s a painting of a tribal flag in my room. I would much prefer a replica of a Van Gogh or a Kandinsky.

Seeing my friends’ apartments also made things worse lol, they lived so near the school and instead of the vomit-coloured carpets I had, THEY HAD PARQUET FLOORING OMG I CRY. Now you must be wondering why the heck was I ‘stupid enough’ to pick an ugly-ass apartment with seemingly nothing to offer?

Two reasons:

1) My cousin/roomie is enrolled into a different university and the bus stop in front of the apartment has a direct bus which takes her there in half an hour. If she took the tram from any other location in the city, it would take slightly less than an hour and let me tell you, being in the tram for more than 30 minutes gets uncomfortable.

2) Rent in the main city area is batshit expensive. If you don’t share with anyone, rent can easily set you back over AUD$1000 depending on the location. Did I mention most places are tiny? I could probably pick one of these ‘premier’ student apartments if I wanted to but honestly, I couldn’t do it to my parents. They’re already paying so much for my education so I decided I had to suck it up!

And now that I’ve stayed there for nearly a year, I’m glad I picked it. That apartment has character and its flaws don’t bother me so much anymore. I eventually found out after a couple of months that school was only twenty minutes away by foot and when I get to walk past the Melbourne Museum everyday for school, who’s complaining? I also live 10 minutes away from Fitzroy, an area marked by niche stores and amazing food. I recently discovered an organic bakery and a vegan Mexican restaurant just down the road from the apartment and I’m sure you guys are familiar with Hooked by now ;p

My 2010 round-up:

Best Iphone photo memories

The first photo was taken on my last day in Melbourne. I had my last exam on that day as well so I only had about 2 hours of sleep the previous night. After the exams were done, we were really dazed and just wanted sugar in our system so we had cupcakes and coffee for lunch. Best day ever.

Second photo’s with one of my closest friends in Melbourne, Amy! Amy’s from Malaysia but moved to Vietnam for a couple of years with her family, so cool. I am decked out in red lipstick because we were on our way to an Adam Lambert concert so what better, cost-friendly way to look fierce right? God, I am pale as hale in this photo lol.

Favourite Albums in 2010:

Down the Way by Angus & Julia Stone. SO FORKING BRILLIANT. Songs I recommend: Big Jet Plane, Draw Your Swords, I’m Not Yours and Yellow Brick Road.

Love Songs by Ayumi Hamasaki. I have been an avid fan since I was 14 and her new album is one of the best she’s released in a very long time. Songs I recommend: Love Song, Sending Mail, November and Do It Again.

Lungs by Florence + the Machine. Beautiful, strong vocals with a touch of frailty. Songs I recommend: Cosmic Love, Dog Days Are Over, Drumming and Girl With One Eye.

Fantasies by Metric. This album has the most plays in my entire discography this year lol, I cannot even begin to express how much I love it. Songs I recommend: Help I’m Alive, Gold Gun Girls, Gimme Sympathy, Twilight Galaxy AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

Favourite Books in 2010:

It saddens me that I didn’t have time to read as many fiction books as I would’ve liked. Room by Emma Donoghue is haunting as is Zusak’s The Book Thief. I can’t really give you a summary of the books because I have a tendency to rattle on about the bits noone wants to hear about LOL so check them out on Amazon yes? If you can only afford one book, get The Book Thief. Very evocative, unconventional writing.

Best Fash Collections of 2010:

PRADA F/W 2010 – Need I say more?

LOUIS VUITTON F/W 2010 – Frankly, I hated this collection at first but the dresses grew on me. Did you guys see the ad campaign with Natalia Vodianova, Christy Turlington and Karen Elson? STUNNING.

Alexander McQueen S/S 2011 – Sarah Burton’s first attempt at a full collection after McQueen’s death and she KILLED it. I was very, very impressed.

Hermès S/S 2011 – I hated S/S 2011, it was a horrible season for fashion but Jean Paul Gaultier’s swan song for Hermès saved it. God bless that man and good luck to all your future endeavours, Gaultier!

What I look forward to in 2011:

Writing in my moleskine as per usual. I was thinking of getting a different organizer this year, something more visually-interesting but then I remembered why I’ve always stuck with moleskines: I have the worst luck with my organizers. I get water on them all the time and moleskines are the only organizers which can withstand plenty of watery abuse lol.

More sushi dates with Dejiki before I leave again.

I’m also finally meeting the talented designer of this incredible poster for the first time after 3 years of a strictly net-based friendship. It’s strange how close we are even though we’ve never met but I’m so excited I finally get to meet my bb, Aaron when I head off to Malaysia next week! Aaron was born in Malaysia but has lived in Brunei all his life before heading back to KL for design school. The first time we talked on Skype, I was like WHO IS THIS GUY?! He speaks with an American accent (damn international school brats) and I jokingly tell him from time to time that if design doesn’t work out for him, he should consider going into the media industry 8D Have you checked out his tumblr? He also happens to be an amazing writer.

One last thing: My biggest fear in 2010 was that I would turn into some prissy snob once I moved because I’ve met a couple of my mom’s friends who’ve moved to Melbourne when their kids were in primary school and some of their kids were very cold and unfriendly. This obviously doesn’t apply to all of them but I was emotionally scarred for a couple of months. Will I really turn out like that? I asked Aaron a couple of months ago and now I present to you the best quote I’ve heard in 2010:

Me: bb do you think I’ve changed?
Aaron: nah, you’re still the same except you have a Chanel now.

HAHAHAHAHAHA isn’t it crazy how I’ve never met this guy?? Best friends forever.

p.s: k I know this is a long ass entry, think of it as a catch-up entry for all the days I was MIA for ;D 2010 Beauty Round-Up entry coming up next!

Also, what were your fave music/books in 2010? Let me know

My trip to the Melbourne Museum in April, it’s absurd how overdue these photos are. Anyway, I’M BACK! FOR REAL THIS TIME. Exams are over, essays have been submitted and my kidneys no longer feel pressured from the crazy amounts of coffee I’ve consumed the past month. It’s all good, guys – for the next two months I mean. A new semester begins in late July but let’s not dwell on depressing thoughts lol. I’m still starved of sleep so I’m going to cut this entry short, expect a beauty entry soon! Take care everyone xx

Sorry I’ve been MIA! How’s school you might ask? Well I haven’t cried yet so I guess that’s a sign things are alright? School has made me a hermit because my god it’s intense! The amount of reading I have to do builds up each week and the articles I’ve been given to read aren’t exactly easy breezy beautiful chick lit material because dude, the language used in the articles are so complex I feel like I’m deciphering Latin half the time.

Anyway, I thought I’d just share a couple of photos I took from my first week in Melbourne. Lol I’ve been here for a month and these are the only photos I’ve taken so far, god I lead such a sad life now. I don’t even have time to bring the camera out anywhere now sigh. Ok enough sob stories, on to the photos beech!

Barely half a day in the city and I have officially raped the Lush store in Melbourne. (Pardon the language, I’m high on fizzy lemonade and cherry cupcakes so due to my sugar induced drunken stupor, I’m not responsible for all the crazy disjointed sentences I’m about to type out) I spent an entire hour in the store, touching/groping/spritzing everything I could possibly touch/grope/spritz 8D

I bought a tub of Sweetie Pie shower jelly (purely because it’s got glitter in it LOL and I was itching to spend some money ~_~) It’s supposed to be used with a bath sponge and I didn’t have one at the time so you can imagine how much fun I had attempting to use the shower jelly as a soap in the shower. It’s slippery as hell and needless to say after 10 mins of fumbling around with the jelly, the tiles in my shower were much cleaner than I was ._. Lesson of the day: If the SA tells you to get a bath sponge, get the damn sponge girl.

One of the highlights of my first week in Melbourne was dinner at the Pancake Parlour! They serve arguably the best pancakes and vanilla ice cream in the city all day long *_* We shared a banana split which came with the most decadent hot fudge everrr.

Our pancakes! I had a double stack of pancakes with organic strawberry jam, strawberries and cream – I think I must be the only person in the world who avoids maple syrup when it comes to pancakes. I think maple syrup is cloyingly sweet and overpowers that slight hint of buttermilk you can typically find in good pancakes……I can’t believe I’m actually bitching about maple syrup here, WHAT KIND OF A BLOG DO I RUN LOL?

We were walking on some random street when I saw a store front with nothing but a lift. I peered closer and DIED. ZOMG DIOR! LANVIN! OTHER LABELS I DON’T REALLY CARE FOR BUT HEYYY! I can’t remember how I managed to convince my aunts to get in the lift with me…not that anyone cares but yeah. The store’s called ASSIN which I’m hoping stands for “assassin” and not er “ass in” >_>

I took photos mainly at the men’s section because the 1) photography wasn’t allowed 2) I wanted to make Aaron jealous because they had an amazing collection of Dior and Lanvin sneakers meheh. I love the whole industrial steel minimal look they were going for.

More hot clothes Aaron can’t afford.

AND SOME ACTUAL LANVIN OMG! Lanvin makes some really good suits and I swooned looking at this one, the feel of the fabric *_* I don’t care, my future husband betta start saving because I’m not going to marry him if he wears anything less than a Lanvin on our wedding day HAHAHAH I WISH.

Thank you so much for your comments on my diet entry! I’m happy all of you feel enlightened by it, let me know if you have any questions or w/e. Anyway I am SO sorry I haven’t been reading all your entries – in fact, I haven’t been reading ANYTHING the past 2 weeks. I’ll get down to it eventually when I have the time, school’s a bit chaotic right now with all the reading, cooking and laundry I have to do. I’ll have a beauty entry up next hopefully – meanwhile, take care guys!