The Silver LiningMalaysia photo diary…aka Food Safari!
Posted on January 7, 2013
So we were recently in Malaysia for a whirlwind trip to finally wind up the month long festivities that was Jinn’s little sister’s wedding! Crazy hey? But between dinners and meet-and-greets (Jinn’s parents both have massive extended families) we managed to fit in a spot of shopping, sight-seeing and as you can see – a whole stack of food! Malaysia is well-known for its culinary delights and boy oh boy I tried my bestest to sample them all!
Top 10 things to eat in Malaysia:
- Char kway teow – flat rice noodles stir-fried with delicious whatnots like Chinese sausage and scrambled egg
- Wonton mee or its East Malaysian sister kolo mee – thin egg noodles that are cooked just al dente served with a delectable soy-based sauce and little pork dumplings
- Roti canai – Indian flat bread that is just oh so fluffy accompanied by curries-of-the-day (Great for breakfast! Really!)
- Teh tarik – another delicious Indian concoction, black tea sweetened with condensed milk
- Laksa – which differs in taste depending which region it comes from – Sarawak, Penang, or curry laksa – they’re all good!
- Chee cheong fan – so simple yet oh so mindbendingly awesome, rolls of thick flat rice noodles served with plum-based and chilli sauces and a sprinkling of sesame seeds
- Ice kacang and ice chendol – icy desserts in a coconutty sauce, perfect for the hot humid weather
- Poh piah – simmered local turnip wrapped with chilli sauce in a thin rice flour skin
- Muah chee – sticky rice dumpling filled with crunchy peanuts mixed with white sugar and sesame seeds, one of my personal faves!
- Nasi lemak – coconut rice, spicy tiny deep fried fish accompanied with a curry
- Satay – self-explanatory and universally worshiped by all
- Bah kut teh – juicy pieces of pork spare rib cooked in a herbal soup and served with a bowl of steaming white rice
- And don’t forget to sample the local tropical fruits – jackfruit, rambutan, longan, mangosteen…and if you’re brave – durian!
Huh? Did I say top 10? Well, there’s just that much amazing food to eat, I’m sure there’s still some that I’ve missed. What are your must-eat foods that you would travel the world for? 
***Street art in Penang by Ernest Zacharevic
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Hello there 2013…and we’re back!
Posted on January 4, 2013
We spent New Year’s Eve partying on down in Penang! (We were there for the continuation of the wedding bonanza extravaganza that was Jinn’s little sister’s wedding!) As usual the weather was hot and humid but that didn’t stop throngs of locals and tourists flocking to Gurney Drive (one of the main shopping/eating streets) to join in the festivities. As the tunes were pumped out, hijinks and crazy dancing ensued as we celebrated what 2012 had been and welcomed in the brand spanking new 2013, full of promise and big dreams.
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The procrastinator’s Christmas gift guide!
Posted on December 19, 2012
If you’re like me, you’ve done it again and left all your Christmas shopping to the very last minute! If you’re from Perth, these products are all either found in stores locally, or at least in Australia with the possibility for delivery prior to Christmas Eve. Eeks, that’s cutting it close…! Take a look – there’s something here for any lovely lady in your life, from stylish homemaker, chic fashionista, arts and craft enthusiast, and even the tech savvy babe!
Wish me luck! Still have to buy presents for my dad and my husband – guys are always the most difficult!
***1. Gorman Night Sky top, 2. Bananagrams from Toys ‘R’ Us, 3. Marimekko teapot from Angelucci 20th Century, 4. Printed tea towel from Kikki-K, 5. Neon bow earrings by The Bunny, 6. Hardwood iPhone 4/4S/5 cover by A Skulk Of Foxes, 7. Alphabet rubber stamps from Remedy
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Burgundy + lace + flower
Posted on December 18, 2012
It was unexpectedly a bit chilly on Friday night for the Illuminites night market so I had to bust out some stuff that I had put into my “Winter” pile. In fact, the weather has been a bit temperamental of late, so much so that it barely feels like Christmas is near! To me, Christmastime is usually verging on swelteringly hot so to have to wear anything other than a floaty little dress is kind of odd.
Talking about Christmas, have we all done our Christmas shopping yet? I know I haven’t…But I’ve always been the kind of person to leave assignments/piano practice/exam study to the last minute – yeah, living on the edge…not…!
P.S. The vintage tooled leather bag was a find from Bluebird Vintage at the Leederville Carnival. To be honest, I was kind of “over” tooled leather bags, but this one caught my eye and I couldn’t let it go. 🙂
***What I’m wearing – ivory lace top by Madewell, burgundy velvet skinny jeans by Anthropologie (similar), tan suede bow flats by Miss Albright (these are uber cute), vintage tooled leather bag from Bluebird Vintage (totally digging this one), dusky pink flower necklace from Pigeonhole (bugger, can’t find anything similar – but hey why don’t I artfully distract you by checking out this loveliness by one of my favourite bloggers, K is for Kani), pearl earrings a gift from Mum
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Suitable carnival attire!
Posted on December 11, 2012
If you read yesterday’s post you would know that I wasn’t exactly feeling at the top of my fashion A-game over the weekend which meant I was looking for something uber-easy and uber-comfortable to wear (read loose-fitting dress, no constant sucking in of abs [what abs?] required, minimal accessories). So out comes the ever-faithful-never-out-of-fashion denim dress. Another thing to know is when I’m tired I tend to lose part of my brain that tells me that things I want to do are a bad idea (like, “no, you don’t actually want to buy that neon green lace polka dotted scallop edged puffer jacket!) – hence the bow tie! I don’t know about you – but I like it! (Lol…loser… :P) To be honest, I love bow ties and this won’t be the last time you see one on me…(I bought an awesome one for Jinn from the Brooklyn Flea but actually it was one of those covert actually-for-me presents…What? You know you do it too!)
***What I’m wearing – vintage denim dress (ooh, I think I like this one…Bahaha, sorry Lanvin but not this one), bow tie by Urban Renewal via Urban Outfitters (try this continental style one), black patent loafers by Steve Madden
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Wedding bonanza extravaganza!
Posted on December 6, 2012
Wedding photos as promised!
Over the weekend, Jinn’s little sister got married! After some oddly cold days preceding, the weather truly delivered on Sunday, showing off the blue blue skies that Perth is so famed for. The day’s festivities began with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony during which the betrothed couple serve tea to their respective new families as a symbol of respect and acceptance. After an exercise in quick change the white wedding finally took place! A lovely heartfelt ceremony (punctuated by appropriately timed loud cheers from the Australia vs South Africa cricket match nearby) saw tears flow from both the bride and groom’s eyes as well as many of the close friends and family gathered.
It was a beautiful day topped off by many a rug being cut on that dance floor late into the night!
***And as always, what I’m wearing – burgundy silk and lace dress by Lover, black suede heels by Robert Robert (kind of like the almost ankle boot feel of these), diamond and semiprecious stone earrings swiped from Mumsy’s stash of bling (mine all mine!)
***Hair by Jane Cooper and Tracey Brown from Toni & Guy Subiaco (these guys did my hair for MY wedding!), makeup by Lisa Chester
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Oppa fifties style! (Hey sexy lady!)
Posted on December 4, 2012
When we were recently in New York we stayed in an apartment along a quiet street in SoHo/NoLIta. We happened to be living right next to the store of a local designer, Lauren Gabrielson. Her vintage-inspired dresses and buttery soft coats (along with a generous helping of lace – my fave!) sucked me in immediately. However, since we still had two weeks in New York, I restrained myself thinking that I’d possibly find something else I liked better during our stay.
It was hard to walk past that store window everyday, the dresses with their gorgeous fifties-styling paired with modern bright pops of colour seemed to bat their lacy eyelashes at me. Then, I did it – on our second last day in New York, the thought of leaving the city without one of those dresses was too much for me to bear. I narrowed the field down to two dresses, one demure and one with a bit more “ka-pow!”. I’ll leave you to decide which one I picked…
P.S. The makeup is a bit heavier than what I’m used to, it was done for the wedding I attended over the weekend. I was torn between liking the “drama” of it all to “woah, who’s the scary eyebrow lady.” 
***What I’m wearing – silk and lace dress by Lauren Gabrielson, red bow belt bought from Artists & Fleas Chelsea Market pop-up store, diamante bow heels by Franco Burrone (check these out!), diamond and semiprecious stone earrings borrowed from Mumsy (read stolen/permanent loan)
***Hair by Jane Cooper and Tracey Brown from Toni & Guy Subiaco, makeup by Lisa Chester
***First image taken from http://www.laurengabrielson.com
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The shoot before the storm…Part #2
Posted on December 3, 2012
As promised, here is the second part to my shoot with Steven plus a bonus costume change! Don’t forget to check out his facebook and tumblr pages for more of his fab work!
The weekend has been a crazy whirl of rehearsing for wedding, showing relatives around Perth who are visiting for the wedding, making cupcakes for the wedding, and ultimately finally attending the wedding!!!! (Did I mention Eu-Jinn’s sister got married last weekend?) There will be plenty of nuptial-related snaps to come this week…but I’m still recovering this morning so you’ll just have to wait…zzz…
Oh, and before I slip back into my dreams, I can reveal that my next project with Steven Chew will be a video! (Pressure’s on now Steven…) Keep posted for that one, it’s going to be a cracker!
***What I’m wearing – cream lace dress by Madewell (similar), colourful beaded necklace from Ruck Rover, pink leather sandals by The Horse
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Bits and bobs + Happy Wedding Weekend!
Posted on November 30, 2012
The week just gone has been hectic! When my shifts don’t match up with Jinn’s, we hardly see each other. Luckily, the last weekend was fantastic.
1. We had a great time catching up with friends on Saturday at a barbeque at South Perth foreshore. Not only was the company excellent, but the view of Perth from over the river is spectacular. (Happy birthday Manal!)
2. Our nephew Nathanael gave Jinn some of his highly treasured Kung Fu Panda sticky plasters as a present for his birthday. And Jinn needed them – heartfelt and practical!
3. Some behind-the-scenes pics from the photoshoot with Steven.
4. Schnooks was intrigued.
5. We had a one month ‘birthday’ party for our new niece Gabrielle. Proud Grandmumsy + bub.
6. Jinn and Nathanael up to the usual guff. They’re roughly the same mental age.
7. The beautiful one month old Gabrielle!
8. Happy Weekend! We have a huge wedding bonanza of a weekend coming up with Jinn’s sister getting hitched. There are almost 30 people descending upon the Teh family home from Malaysia – lots of celebrations, ceremonies, shenanigans and bad dancing in store for us. (Did I just hear you say “Oppa Gangnam style!”?)
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The shoot before the storm…Part #1
Posted on November 29, 2012
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to do a photoshoot with the very talented Mr Steven Chew! Steven is a lifestyle and portrait photographer based in Perth, Western Australia (he also does a mean wedding shoot and dabbles in film, and when I say dabbles I mean rocks it!).
Check out his facebook site here and tumblr here!
The photos were taken out and about our home and we only had about an hour to shoot as a sudden unexpected storm blew up (I hear there were hailstones in some areas!). Despite the approaching dark grey clouds in the horizon, we had a fun day, and the garden enjoyed its bonus watering! (Both from myself and the storm! Better be getting some mega strawberries now…)
I’ll hopefully be collaborating with Steven on something a bit different in the near future (just you wait!), but in the meantime part #2 will be up next week featuring the second “costume change”. Who knew my garden could look so good? Must be a good photographer – that’s mad skillz…But Steven’s way of not only capturing the light but also the heart and story behind the person is what makes his photography stand out. Look out for more work anon!
***What I’m wearing – bird print t-shirt by Design Tshirts Store graniph (I reckon this is pretty cute) via Pigeonhole, Bambi print shorts by Sretsis (check out their amazing cherry print current collection here), cheap-o yellow sandals from the Ladies’ Market in Hong Kong (*sigh* aren’t these nice…), amazing sexy gardening gloves via Bunnings (yeah Bunnings! Seriously almost as bad as Sephora for its deceptive money-sucking abilities)
***What he’s wearing – dark blue V-neck t-shirt by Silent Theory via SqueakyTees, dark brown shorts by St Goliath also via SqueakyTees
The Silver Lining 