This is exactly what happens when I go shopping: I see something I like, I check for colour variations and then I check its price tag, holding my breath since I’ve decided 10 seconds ago that I couldn’t leave the store without buying every colour available. It’s not surprising that I am one of those people who fall prey to bargains. You don’t say no to pretty things when they’re cheap and come in colours that would complement my almost monochromatic wardrobe.

Even if they aren’t exactly cheap, this is the best time to get a sugar rush (can I recommend a small cone of ice-cream?) and let your mind play tricks on you. Don’t worry darling, your bank account has more money than you think. Buying that extra pair of shoes isn’t going to change the numbers drastically. And your mother will never find out as long as you get the credit card bill from the letterbox before she does. Your pulse will quicken once you’ve signed for the shoes and when you carry them with you on the train home, you feel a strange sense of fulfillment. Savour it, it won’t last long.

Since I am no longer earning my own keep and my love life is a barren wasteland, I can’t afford nor bribe a foolish man into buying me expensive shoes. No worries, actually. I’ll just keep finding cheap designer rip-offs. My Forever21 chunky heels are an amazing combination of ugly/beautiful and I’m pretty sure they were inspired by this pair of miu miu platforms. J’adore <3 Of course, the most blatant shoe rip-off in this entry would be my fake Ferragamos lol. They aren't exact copies (I prefer it that way) and I couldn't decide between the black or gray so I bought them both!

I have new rings too, don't they look like cracked speckled eggs? Again, I couldn't choose between the coral or the turquoise so...don't you see the distinct pattern here lol? Currently having a rekindled love affair with my tilkah bracelet, I can’t decide what it reminds me of: reptilian scales or a costume prop from Xena the Warrior Princess. I bought it on my birthday but it’s very heavy so it isn’t the best accessory to wear to school when you’re expected to take down a flurry of notes.

Sadly, my shopping/eating adventures in Singapore are drawing to an end. My heart grows uneasy whenever I am reminded that I only have two weeks left before I am due back in a country I don’t call home. It is natural for people to link studying overseas as something fun, prestigious even and while I would never trade this experience for anything in the world, leaving your family, your things behind is the most bittersweet feeling. Sometimes I feel like a gypsy; always moving around in places never been, forging beautiful memories but never truly belonging. I don’t feel particularly attached to Singapore, to be honest. Sure, I was born and raised here but I find it a little too stifling, too safe. Still, there is an eminent sense of familiarity that draws me back whenever I’m away.

I don’t know if I’m meant to call Singapore home forever but for the moment, this is home and that is good enough.

When I was still working as a web designer, I was using my office as a safehouse for all my shoes but when I quit to serve a 3 year stint at a slave house i.e university, I had to move the shoes back into my house and my mom made me swear not to buy another pair of shoes. Well I tried, mother. I tried hard for 5 months, ignoring shoe sales and got drunk on vanilla coke. Honestly it wasn’t difficult because all the shoes that piqued my interest busted my sad student allowance and everything else that was affordable wasn’t up to my standards – I’m talking about Rubi shoes here.

I HATEEEE RUBI SHOES. Their flats have the most unflattering cut I have ever seen on a $20 pair of shoes and they’re everywhere. I blame it on Rubi’s scheming habit of producing a single design in every color, finish and pattern known to man. It gets a bit blinding when you see a wall filled with flats made in multiple hues so I’m not surprised nobody seems to notice that Rubi flats were clearly inspired by bedroom slippers (I mean how else can you explain the icky cut?) Before anyone labels me a brand whore, I’ll have you know all my flats don’t go beyond the $30 mark (Nadz can attest to that, she goes shoe shopping with me all the time) It’s possible to get a pair of nice flats for under $30 but Rubi is not the place; it’s a haven for money making vultures who have little or no regard for shoe design.

Cold Hard Evidence 1: My new glitter flats from Australian label Zu! I noticed that a lot of flats here are incredibly expensive – a basic pair of flats can set you back $80. That’s just crazy, no way in heck am I going to spend that much on something I’d probably throw out in a year. Finally after a 5 month search for cheap but nice flats, I found these on sale at an outlet store for $30 – they were marked down from $70 (WTF $70!).

Cold Hard Evidence 2: Forest green flats from Zu! $20 and the last pair in my size WHUTTT UPPP! This goes to show you’d eventually find something you like if you go digging around long enough lol.

Tony Bianco is another Australian shoe label known for it’s high street fash shoes. They’re expensive though, a pair of shoes from my man Tony here can cost up to $300. But since I want to be as cheap ass as I can get with pretty shoes, the shoes were a no go for me until I found a Tony Bianco outlet store near my apartment WHOO! +1 for the shoe whores of the world! Can you believe I only discovered this store 5 months after I moved to Melbourne?…I need to get out more.

I got really excited in the store and picked out 3 pairs of heels I liked but I couldn’t make up my mind so I posted all of them on twitter and asked for everyone’s opinion (That was fun guys, I should do that more often lol) So that’s when I scored my fake Ron Ron Louboutins for $60! It’s a bit hard to capture its color in photos but it’s a stunning shimmery deep blue. It’s 4.5 inches tall with a 0.5 inch platform at the front.

I swear I only wanted to get one pair of heels. My mind was focused and my conscience was clear: I was going to get out of the store with ONE pair of shoes and I did. However unbeknownst to me, the shoe whore that lay dormant in me for months was slowly waking; I couldn’t stop thinking about another pair of heels and it was making my head hurt. Aaron came back home from his holiday the next day, checked my tweets and tore me apart on msn for not buying them erk. I consider myself very lucky to have 2 male BFFs who can be brutally honest with me and tell me straight in the face that I screwed up somewhere lol.

So say hello to my pretend JIL SANDERS! Urgh I think I love this slightly more than my fake Louboutins lol. I love the slighty narrowed chunky heel and it’s black which is always classsyyy.

Before I end this entry, allow me to humor you with my photography skillz and share 2 shots I took yesterday. It’s winter now so most of the trees in my area are standing silent and undisturbed in their nakedness. This particular tree I saw yesterday still had some flowers blooming which is a rare sight. I have no idea what tree this is and my momma didn’t send me here to study botany so let’s just call it a blossom tree ;D

Aah, my favourite shot! I took it just before dusk which explains the lovely warm tint you see at the top.

I have exactly 2 weeks left before a new semester starts holy crap. That’s a little unsettling but I can’t wait to get started on my new subjects. The faster this semester goes by, the faster I can fly back home! The holidays have been quite uneventful so far- I made gyozas last night because we had some leftover cabbage wilting slowly in our veggie basket and I was bored. I wanted to take photos but it was too dark to take any decent shots. Gyozas are really easy to make though: chopped up cabbage, minced chicken, prawns, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, a splash of soy and you’re on your way to goodness. I feel like making another batch to freeze just before school starts (yay for quickie lunches!) so I’ll put up the recipe sometime! ;D