Goodbye 2008

Hello 2009!

Here's to a fresh and crunchy year that's filled with more words (for you, bloggers) and loads of pwetty things (everyone)!

Happy New Year!

xxooYY,
the likkle girl who wurves pwetty things

Date Week

This week-off has been great. The boyfriend and I have had all the time in the world to do the fun things that we could never do during a work-week. Going to bed at ungodly hours...sleeping in...spending the day in our pyjamas...cracking open a bottle before noon...eating healthy food at irregular hours...reading...taking nanna naps...listening to all the new CDs that are now "old"...spending more time with the cat that we're looking after...

...enjoying Christmas presents - the shorts with cute patchwork waist and silly buttons that I got him together with the shirt for his favourite "bus conductor" look...






















...going to the movies - Woody Allen is back with his brilliantly sharp caricatures of "types" in Vicky Cristina Barcelona...


...watching DVDs - we've finally filled in the blanks - the episodes that we've missed - of Season One of the laugh-a-minute 30 Rock...

...and filling this space with as much nonsense as I can come up with. Not looking forward to being back at work on Friday. Boo-crap.

Grub & Tucker In Newtown

After reluctantly letting go of our dream chairs yesterday, we went sought comfort in food at the Grub & Tucker Cafe further down the road.

It was another beautiful Summer's day so we sat out in their cute little backyard. The front dining room facing King Street is bright and airy and a great place to sit and watch the cool kids of Newtown walk by but we'll save that for a day of foul weather.





















My happy-hued and refreshing raspberry lemonade.

I love places that do all-day breakfast! Vanilla pancakes at 3pm in the afternoon. Yay! And they were some of the best that I've ever had. The chairs were forgotten for that half-an-hour I took to finish the huge serve.

Didn't think the boyfriend needed more comfort than I did but his plate of cooked-to-perfection medium-rare rib-eye, chips and salad was enormous! I helped him finish his chips, dunked in that rich buttery bearnaise.

My message to the kitchen at the end of the meal, "I Y Pancake".

Grub & Tucker Cafe
191 King Street
Newtown
Phone: (02) 9516 4970

Oooooh...Someone Must Have Hated The Food Here

Along King Street in Newtown

Maybe their char kway teow was not up to scratch.

On a happier note, it's great to see the likkle girl and her pals in a different 'hood.

More Old Things In Newtown

We went back to Newtown again yesterday. Two days in a row! I know. When we've only been twice this year, prior to the recent visits, and both times were to the Enmore Theatre in the evening to see some of our favourite bands (them and them) play.

Now, don't get me wrong. Newton is a great place with a main drag lined with loads of cool shops selling new and pre-loved items and eating places serving food from all over the world. It's just that it's hell to get to. It's only about a 15-minute drive from were we live but we don't have a car (we were lucky to have the boyfriend's company one on Sunday). Via public transport? Forget it! I hate taking the trains in Sydney and there's only one bus service plying the us-to-them route - it's never on time and doesn't run weekends! We caught a cab yesterday...

...just to go back to Envision 54 to see this beautiful piece of furniture that the lovely Annie had her husband, Stan, truck in from their storage space just for us.

We saw a hot Danish pair in their window on Sunday but they were wa...aa...ay beyond our budget so I asked Annie if they had anything more affordable and they did - two of this original 1960s made-in-Australia Parker armchair lovingly restored by Stan! Unfortunately, they were in storage thus the second trip back.

So, we found what we had set out to find. Look at those nice clean lines, that very important low back and the mint-condition original wool upholstery! But they are still too expensive for us - just one of them costs the same as our three-seater sofa. Oh well, I guess we have to keep on truckin'...

Envision 54
473 King Street
Newton

Tweet Tweets!

The posties are back at work today and ours brought me this. I love late Christmas surprises except this was not meant to be one.

I've been expecting a package from the Top Bird over at Wee Birdy because we decided to do a fun girly swap of sweet treats after I did a post on panfortes a while ago. When it didn't arrive weeks after she sent it, we thought the strict Australian Customs had confiscated it because of the edibles but now we know that it was probably stuck in the Christmas postal jam. Phew! I would be really upset if I had missed out on these goodies that Top Bird had so thoughtfully selected.






















A cute birdie and teapot(!) card by illustrator Kate Seaward at I Like Pens.

The simply-too-pretty-to-eat sweeties! My heart skipped a beat and I let out a loud squeal when I saw the sherbet dip on top of the lot in the box! It's been a while since I've had a pack of those. And I Y Love Hearts! And that cute little pink sugar mouse! And...and...and...the assortment of kiddy candies! Then there's the grown-up stuff like the chunk of nougat and the chocolate-coated figs (that's them in the pink, green and red packages tied up with strings).

What's that Tatty Devine jewellery box doing in the corner with all the sweets, you might ask. Well, the cheeky Top Bird snuck in a surprise!

This darling Telephone Ring! Tee hee hee. I guess we're both pretty on par in the cheeky department - I planted a surprise (also a piece of accessory) with the panforte I sent too.

A big big "Thank You", Top Bird! For the box of tweetness. This post was written with the "Ring-ring" ring on my finger and the very delicious chocolate-coated figs in my mouth.

Old Things From Newtown

The boyfriend and I went on a retro furniture trawling trip to Newtown yesterday hoping to find and buy two low-back armchairs of similar style to our 1960s couch. Before we left home, we made a pact to not buy anything but the chairs, if we were lucky enough to find some that were affordable.

Naughty us came home with this lamp/side table/magazine rack.

The boyfriend spotted it in a corner of the first shop that we went into. I thought it was ugly when I first saw it, not my usual pretty-ugly but ugly-ugly. Then it grew on me and we went back after lunch and brought it home.

It is missing a lampshade because the lovely owner of the shop, Marie, had left it at home to dry after giving it a good clean. We were planning to pick the lamp up in the later part of the week when it is complete but she insisted that we left with it yesterday with just a tiny cash deposit and return with the rest of the money when we go back for the shade. How trusting!

And she sent us off with a gift - this toast-shaped toast rack that I was looking at buying to hold my Moleskine diaries and notebooks, inspired by the very clever Mr Wong over at The Sunday Best.

And some sagely advice (to which the boyfriend nodded fervently in agreement), "If you don't stop buying and collecting things, you'll end up like me. My house is filled to the rafters with boxes of things that I've amassed over the last forty-odd years. So much so that I had to set up this shop to sell some of them off instead of retiring." She meant well but there's nothing I would love more than surrounding myself with "souvenirs" from various parts of my life and running The Likkle Girl's Emporium of Curios when I'm her age.

Rosebud Antiques
571 King Street
Newtown

"No Fish? Prawns Will Do."

It's the Singapore equivalent of "Beggars can't be choosers".

The boyfriend and I were in Newtown doing the old furniture shops circuit yesterday when I was hit with a massive craving for char kway teow (fried flat rice noodles). Maybe it was because I knew we were near the Happy Chef Chinese Restaurant where...

...the menu spans two walls.

The food was alright the last time we were there, not memorable, but they serve char kway teow and applying the adage, we walked in.

The plate that didn't satisfy my yearning - it was not "black" enough. The happy chef who made it wasn't generous with the sweet dark soy. It was tasty fried flat rice noodles but not the char kway teow I know and love.

The boyfriend's Emperor's Chicken - deep fried chicken pieces in a chilli, ginger and shallot soy sauce. You can't fail with fried-anything!

I think we'll stick to our friendly neighbourhood Singapura Eating House for our Asian food fix. Their menu might not be as extensive but everything that they make is as good as those at a hawkers' centre back home.

Never Never Land

The Pesky Boys admiring the Lego Christmas tree that they've built

I'm happy to be reminded, by this very late Christmas "card" that popped into my Inbox yesterday, that I'm not the only one amongst my pals who refuses to grow up.

It is from one of them, a forty-something-year-old (straight) man, and the Pesky Boys have travelled with him from Singapore to London to Hartford, back to London where he's been based for the last fifteen years, and various places in between on work trips.

We are not sad cases who are still trying to cling on to whatever little connection we have with our childhood, hoping it will keep us youthful. We just happen to still dig the things that we have been interested in since our formative years, mostly popular culture-related, while holding down proper jobs and tending to responsibilities that come with being adults. I think we've found a good balance (our Never Never Land?) which is way more natural than an appointment with the top cosmetic surgeon in the country. Of course good Asian genes help too.

Two Days Later...

...and this brilliantly-eclectic mix (click on photo to see track listing) of tunes that the boyfriend made me for Christmas is still on heavy rotation on the player. I have a thing for putting music on the "repeat" mode. He's most probably regretting giving it to me now but he should have learnt from previous experience.

I was going to share it here but Mixwit, the cute and easy-to-use music hosting site, sadly, is going dark in a few days' time, on the last day of 2008. Pooh!

It's the perfect soundtrack to be reading Mix Tape - The Art of Cassette Culture by Thurston Moore to. Part of the same Christmas package. A book that I've forgotten I've wanted.

I grew up in that era of lovingly-made mix tapes. So I guess it's kind of come a full-circle, owning a book on the subject by a man whose band's music has soundtracked a huge part of my life, music which I would try to sneak in on compilations for myself, friends and ex-boyfriends. Didn't matter if it didn't befit the theme. Their tastes weren't a hindrance too. I was the one making the tapes.

Thurston Moore summed it up perfectly, "This book can only represent one zillionth of the people out there who have made the coolest tapes for themselves or others. In that respect, it simply exists as a nod to the true love and ego involved in sharing music with friends and lovers. Trying to control sharing through music is like trying to control an affair of the heart - nothing will stop it."

Gifts - Did You Get Want You've Always Wanted?

All the gifts bought and received made me think of a short story an uncle of mine once read me when I was really little.

You know the one about the young and very-much-in-love couple who were too poor to afford Christmas presents for each other? She sold her beautiful head of hair to a wig maker just to buy her husband a new chain for his fob watch not knowing that he had made a similar sacrifice, selling his watch to buy her an exquisite set of combs for her hair.

I never knew the title of the story or who wrote it but thanks to Google, I found it today. You can read the bittersweet tale here.

Images from here and here.

Stuffed Like A Turkey

I think I ate yesterday what I would usually eat in one week.

The healthiest thing I had were these vegetable packages - broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, shiitake mushroom and onions dressed in a fried garlic and eschalot olive oil with a sprinkle of pretty pink Murray River salt flakes and ground white pepper, wrapped in foil - cooked in their own steam on the barbie. Not traditional barbeque or Christmas food but I made them for my grandma who's visiting from Singapore - she's typically Asian and doesn't eat the raw vegetables in salads. And everyone needs some healthy crunchy bites at a meat-filled grill-fest!

Edible things that I don't want to see, smell or consume for at least a year - anything with alcohol-soaked fruits in them! Mince pies, Christmas puddings, stollens...not even chocolate-covered rum balls made from leftover puddings. No!

The Most Festive Bottle Of All

How can it not be with its shiny red sequined slip?!

We only got one out of the few we bought left (no, we didn't drink them all - we gave them away as gifts) and I'll be drinking it with sparkling Ribena and a twist of lemon. Cranberry juice would be good for continuing the festive red theme but I'm way past my cranberry phase.

Hope your day has *hic* been as *hic* sparkly!

An Aussie Christmas

First Christmas gift of the year received today - Huge bouquet of native blooms from the sweet Mr and Mrs Wii via Interflora-type service

Tomorrow, while our pals in the Northern Hemisphere are roasting chestnuts on an open fire and freezing their tits off, we'll be throwing a few prawns on the barbie and sipping refreshing cocktails in the sun, wearing as little clothes as possible. And pals in Singapore have it even better - they can stuff themselves with these craving-worthy delights!

Wherever you are, I hope you'll have yourself a merry little Christmas!

I Am A Lamp + A Dissection Of My Shade

In the handkerchief-skirt-turned-lampshade-top (also a tablecloth cape!) thrifted yesterday. Closer to lovingly-handmade-by-Nanna than the Rosy Angelis by Phillipe Starck but still a lamp.

Now, I'm a novice when it comes to sewing and pattern-interpreting but while putting it on this morning, it dawned on me that whoever made this square with a drawstring circle in the middle is a fucking genius (more points added if they had intended it to be an all-in-one)!

People who are more well-versed in the art might disagree but if you, like me, have a thing for wearing skirts as tops, you might find that they don't fall that well when you wear them in ways that they are not meant to be worn. The side seams are usually the main culprits.

However, with this "convertible" square, it is seamless and when worn, as a skirt, a top or a cape, the fabric falls on the bias and drapes beautifully.

And that hole in the middle! Have you tried sewing a perfect circle?! The curve on this is perfect and the stitches immaculate.

Alright, I should turn myself off now.

The Charm Of Slurry Hills

I knock myself now for not taking a photo of the road sign on which someone pasted "Slurry" (in the right typeface, size, colour and all) over "Surry". It's gone now but it did make sense with the huge concentration of pubs, clubs and licensed restaurants and cafes in the neighbourhood. Of course there's more than watering holes to be found here.






















I don't know if it's the village-y vibe that she liked or if I was a good little guide but Eileen came back again today (in one of her floral purchases from yesterday) for a short visit. We went to Bird Cow Fish, one of my favourite eating places in the 'hood, where she had an iced coffee and I had an iced chocolate and an almond and muscatel delight. Perfect for a hot and humid Summer afternoon.

Or maybe it's the shopping that keeps her coming back.

We walked into the Salvation Army Store on Crown Street on the way to our icy drinks and lucked out with these amazing dioramas depicting scenes of beachside-living. Reduced! From their already-low-low price. For today only!

I bought one for a friend who would so belong in that picture with his love for boats, fishing and the beach. Eileen bought a whole load of them in different shapes and sizes for friends and for her new home. Oh, and I also got a cute Zimmerman chambray ruffles top for AU$6!

I Ymy 'hood!

Two Shopping Girl-Maniacs Let Loose In Surry Hills

Shopping Girl-Maniac #1 - Me

Shopping Girl-Maniac #2 - Eileen from The Shoe Of Salvation. I chanced upon her blog recently and upon reading it discovered that she is another Singaporean girl living in Sydney who also loves to eat and shop...like most Singaporeans do. I got in touch and after a bout of email ping-pong, I found out that she loves to swear in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect, too. That sealed the deal and we finally met up for our first play-date today in my 'hood.

We started the day at Kawa Cafe for fuel for the shopping activities ahead.

Eileen had Eggs Florentine.

I had the fruit salad.

At the end of the day, we could have had a mini car boot sale from the back of Eileen's popcorn-scented car if we had wanted to.






















Her dresses ~ (left to right) From the Puf'n'Stuff sale shop, from Zoo Emporium's bargain basement and another from the Puf'n'Stuff sale shop.

Our handkerchief skirts ~ The red stripey one caught my eye at the Salvation Army Store in Oxford Square and this nifty drawstring number works just as well when worn as a halterneck top or cape. Walking further down the rail of skirts, we found more with the same lace hem. Some crafty person must have made a whole load in different fabric to sell and have donated the excess to the op shop! I grabbed another in cream with floral print while Eileen bought a shiny pink one and the longer navy piece which doubles up as a dress.






















Eileen's mint green polka-dotted dress from U-Turn and my bargain-of-the-day Charles Jourdan kid leather handbag from Grandma Takes A Trip.

I think Eileen liked the quirks of the 'hood (which is quite different from her more "grown-up" one further east), especially this "Missing Pigeon" poster on Riley Street. You can see her photos of it and of some of the places we went to here. She likes to take pretty pictures on her many cameras.

I hope I played shopping guide well today for her to want to come back.

Cat Food

After feeding Kolo his can of yellowfin tuna Fancy Feast, we felt like fish too. We stopped by at one of our locals, The Lord Roberts, for one of their value-for-money seafood platters for two. Only AU$45 for a huge plate of battered fish and chips, calamari rings, prawns and smoked salmon. Plus a free bottle of wine. All of which we scoffed down in a very short time on their cute little rooftop beer garden in the Summer sun. Meow.

Cool Cats

We were on our way to our pals Mr and Mrs Wii's apartment to show their kitty some love while they are back in cold cold England for Christmas when we spotted this super-chill pair just hanging out on the stoop. The one on the lower step has a pink feather collar that I would so wear! (Edit-to-add: Like on this girl. Except not in black, of course.)

And this is Kolo, our charge for the next few weeks, hiding under mommy and daddy's bed. Isn't he a handsome boy? He's a retired top show cat. It was our first day with him so it took quite a bit of cajoling to get him out to give him his daily dose of cuddles.

I'm a dog person but Kolo is alright. He's pretty cool for a cat.

Checkmates

The reluctant boyfriend ~ Shirt - American Apparel, Shorts - Ben Sherman, Shoes - Vans
Me ~ Dress - Fiona, Shoes - Melissa, Calculator Watch - Paul Frank

We are the sort who would laugh at people who "couple-dress" so I can assure you that this is unintentional. It has happened many times before and we would laugh at ourselves before one of us went and got changed. We can't help it if we share a penchant for checks, stripes, blue and white.

We were both too lazy to get changed before we went down the road to cat-sit today. You can laugh now.

"Sunday Morning...Up With The Lark..."

Sunday brunch is the only meal the boyfriend makes in this house. It's not because he's lazy. It's more a case of him living with a kitchen-Nazi who has ways of doing things that she deems more effective and efficient. One of her pet hates is "amateurs" prodding at food in the pan ever so often. Like every half-a-minute. Leave it to cook, people! The prodding is not going to make it cook faster. In fact, it'll slow down the process. Anyway,...

The breakfast chef-of-the-day is still in bed as I write this (maybe he is lazy). Wonder I'll get today.

This - fried eggs (I like my yolks very well done), two rashers of veggie bacon and two slices of Jarlsberg cheese , toasted, between Turkish bread...

Or this - crumpets (store-bought) drizzled with maple syrup (the real stuff) and a scoop of ice cream and seasonal fruits?

It's a predictable menu but things always taste better when I don't have to make them myself. And as long as I don't see how he makes them for I'm sure there will be loads of prodding and pushing involved despite my constant pointers.

Have a beautiful day!

The Weekend Before Christmas

Santa's sack from here

And still looking for that elusive gift? It could be at these markets waiting to be bought:-

Surry Hills Market
Yes, it's not the first Saturday of the month but the organisers have decided to hold one for desperate folks.

When: Saturday 20 December 2008, 9.00am to 4.00pm
Where: Shannon Reserve (corner of Foveaux and Crown Street)
What you'll find: Loads of vintage clothing and bric-a-brac stalls, secondhand pieces by local designers and a small range of new labels


Newtown Designers Market
I've not been so I can't promise if it'll be a fruitful trip or not. You won't know unless you go.

When: Sunday 21 December 2008, 10.00am to 4.00pm
Where: Newtown Neighbourhood Centre (upstairs), Corner of Bedford and Australia Street, Newtown
What you'll find: The organisers say, "The designers featured at the monthly markets hand-make or produce products in small runs. No mass production here! We love everything that is fashion, jewellery, bags, accessories, stationery and arty!"


And girls in Singapore, do not fret. You can go to this:-

Shop My Wardrobe
My stylist pal, Bah-bah, in Singapore sent me the link with this note, "Girlfriends, think some of you will appreciate this. The rest who are not here can just ogle and see what you are missing...". Bitch.

When: Saturday 20 December 2008, 11.30am to 9.30pm
Where: Persimmon, The Link Hotel, 50 Tiong Bahru Road, #01-07
What you'll find: They say, "New and pre-loved Armani, BCBG, Blumarine, Burberry, Cacharel, Calvin Klein, Celine, Comme Des Garcons, Diesel, D&G, DKNY, Dries Van Noten, Fendi, Gaultier, H&M, Issey Miyake, Jaeger, Karen Millen, Kenzo, Lacoste, LouisVuitton, MNG, Marc Jacobs, Margiela, Marni, Max & Co, Miu Miu, Moschino, PleatsPlease, Prada & many more. Also vintage gowns, dresses, bags, belts & shoes." Click for a sneak preview.

Remember, shop for people on your list before you do so for yourself. Have fun!

M Is For More Gifts-To-Self (Also For "Me! Me! Me!")

Welcome back to another shameless installment of The Likkle Girl's Gifts-To-Self Showcase. It took me quite a while to cross out all the names on my list (one left!) but I could have crossed mine out many times over during that time. Christmas shopping is bad. I hope today's plugs will help shorten your list.


Never Mind Your P's And Q's - Here's The Punk Alphabets
by Paul McNeil (pictures) & Barry Divola (words)

It is meant for children. But most of my music-loving pals, with or without offsprings, are still kids themselves so it'd make a great gift for adults who are still stuck in the record-buying Never-Never-Land.

Definitely not for kids whose parents can't tell the difference between Johnny and Joey. I mean, who's going to extol the virtues of the punk movement to them at bedtime?

Like how the orange-haired Godmother of Punk went from dressing an anti-monarchy band to receiving an OBE from the Queen.


M is for Metal - The Loudest Alphabet Book on Earth also by Paul McNeil (pictures) & Barry Divola (words)

The prelude to The Punk Alphabets. The boyfriend and I bought it this time last year and laughed ourselves silly reading it.

"B" made me laugh the hardest. Click on photo to see what Axl is singing.

Again, great for grown-ups. Especially those who are still wearing their old metal band t-shirts (faded from black to a splotchy grey) and sporting a mullet.

Not for kids who doesn't have a dad like Mr Osbourne.

Both books are available here and at good bookstores. Too bad they are not sold as a boxed set. Maybe next year when they release a third volume. New Wave ABCs?