Bottled Sky

I’m crazy about breakfast food. I could live on it alone — heck, I practically do, considering that the extent of my cooking skills involves boiling eggs and pouring cereal into a bowl — so any restaurant that serves breakfast all day is all right in my book.

One such restaurant is the newly opened Wild Honey at Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road. I met up there with a few friends on the morning of New Year’s Eve to celebrate the end of 2009 with the Yummiest Brunch in the History of Brunches™.

Fine, it wasn’t the yummiest, but it was still pretty darn good. I have the pictures to prove it:

Every bite I took of this bagel made my eyes roll back into my head in sheer bliss. I tried my best not to make too many obscene noises out of consideration for all the other people trying to eat their own breakfast in peace.

Continue reading Brunch with Bimbos »

The Mojave Desert in the summer? My lips are drier than that, and I had long since given up on finding an inexpensive lip balm that worked for me. Chapstick was the worst of the lot. Neutrogena Lip Moisturizer did better but not by much.

But two months ago I came across Martinsville Lip Balms while browsing through Etsy. When I saw all the rave reviews on the seller’s feedback page, I decided to give the lip balms a try. I ordered a dozen to get a bulk discount and to save on postage. I figured, if I didn’t like them, I could resell them on eBay.

It’s safe to say that I will definitely not be reselling them. (I gave away a few to friends to share the lip balm love, though.) They are seriously the only lip balms I have ever liked. They just glide on, and one application keeps my lips chap-free for hours. I personally think the texture is perfect, but some people might find them too soft. It’s really a matter of preference.

They come in dozens of flavors, ranging from the classic (e.g. Apple, Strawberry) to the offbeat (e.g. Buttered Popcorn, Mojito). In this case, flavor refers to scent only — these lip balms are unsweetened, so you won’t be constantly licking your lips.

I’ve tried two of the flavors so far. I loved Berry Voodoo, but Morning Coffee smelled a smidge too sweet for me. That was to be expected, though, because I take my coffee with little to no sugar.

Well, at least I used to before I had to give up caffeine, but that’s another story

What good is a shoe addict‘s blog without random bouts of shoe worship? I, therefore, present to you my favorite stilettos:

These were a joint gift from Chrissa, Tin and Albert. They asked me what I wanted for my birthday two years ago, and I immediately said shoes. It’s almost an automatic response for me They agreed, so we went to the mall to hunt for the perfect pair.

I love these shoes, because they’re such a unique color—silver-brown with a nice, soft sheen. I’m also quite fond of the ribbon detailing, the peep toe and the little cutouts. They’re sexy without being over the top. And even though they’re stilettos, the heels aren’t so high that I can’t walk in them. I’m not saying they’re uber comfy, but at least they’re tolerable.

I bet you won’t be able to guess the strangest place in which I’ve worn these shoes… I actually wore them in an operating room. I went to the American Eye Center, the same place where I had my laser eye surgery, to have a sty removed. My dad, who drove me to the clinic, questioned my choice of footwear before we left the house:

Dad: That’s what you’re wearing to surgery?!

Me: Why not? If I have to walk around a public place with a bloody bandage over my eye, at least my feet will look good!

I had to wear paper booties over my shoes during the operation. It was a good thing the heels didn’t tear through the paper After the surgery, my dad and I met up with my mom at the supermarket and had dinner at a restaurant. People kept giving me weird looks. (They obviously hadn’t yet realized that stilettos were the perfect accessory to liven up post-surgery bandages.) It was a lot of fun! I love it when I baffle strangers with my eccentricities.

Taking a cue from my traveling book, one of my favorite pairs of pants has left me for Germany. My aunt, who lives there, stayed with us for a couple of weeks in November. She went back home just before the holidays, and my pants were accidentally mixed in with her luggage.

Although I’m a little bummed about losing those pants, I can’t help but be amused that another of my possessions has reached Europe before me. Plus, I can’t really complain, because although I lost a pair of pants, I gained three cocktail dresses that my aunt generously bequeathed to me before she left. Sure, they look like they belong more in the costume department of a bad 80′s movie than in my closet, but at least they’re, um, interesting.

• Dress # 1 is bright purple with a fully-sequined bustier top and a skirt made of shiny, metallic fur (I kid you not). It also comes with a matching shawl made of the same furry fabric.
• Dress # 2 has a black satin bodice and a ruffled, gold-and-peach skirt. I don’t know what that gold fabric is called. I asked my mom, but the only thing she could say was that it looked like crinkled candy wrapper There’s also a wide ruffle that runs around the bust area, which my aunt says is supposed to make the wearer look like a flower.
• Dress # 3 is made of black brocade and adorned with a big bow on the front. It’s actually pretty tame compared to the other two.

All three dresses fall just above the knee. In case you’re having trouble imagining what they look like, here’s a visual aid:

All I need now are 3-foot-high bangs and a costume party to attend. Does anyone want to join me? I’d probably wear the furry, sequined wonder; you can pick from the other two dresses.

My name is Nikki, and I am a shoe addict. I don’t remember exactly how or when my addiction started, but I do know that I’ve been hooked on footwear for at least seven years. I exhibit all the classic signs of shoe addiction. For example,

• “I want to buy new shoes!” is my first thought every time I walk into a mall or whenever I get my hands on some extra cash;
• I buy ridiculously uncomfortable shoes only because they look sexy on my feet;
• I wear aforementioned ridiculously uncomfortable shoes to school, the mall and everywhere else even if they give me blisters the size of small countries;
• I have four times as many pairs of shoes as I do pants;
• I believe that there is no such thing as owning too many pairs of shoes.

Yes, I know all about the horrific things that stilettos can do to a person’s health, and believe me, I’ve tried time and again to control my shoe spending. Unfortunately, I simply cannot resist the lure of pretty footwear and always crack after a few months of resistance.

One wonderful thing has come out of this obsession, though. It led me to make peace with my feet. My feet are a bit on the wide side, and I used to despise them. During my foot-hating years I wore only closed shoes—absolutely nothing with an open toe.

My obsession with shoes changed all that. It made me realize that life was too short for brooding over things I couldn’t change. It helped me come to the conclusion that it was pointless to waste all my time hiding my feet when there were so many beautiful shoes waiting to be worn. Bring on the blisters! I say they’re worth it.