moving

after a year of trying (and failing) to maintain this blog - i've decided to move to a more user friendly host...


http://anjchang.tumblr.com/

see ya! :)

boracay beautify me challenge

i remember close to 2 years ago i won an ipod shuffle for losing the most weight (index vs old weight) among the girls and one of the top 15 in total (obviously our very healthy growing CBD boys took the top spots). fast forward to today and i look like a tub of lard (and feel like it too) and was shocked when i could not fit into any of my manila clothes. que horror!

as i always resolve to do at the beginning of every year, i vow to shift to a healthier lifestyle and go back to my ideal (i.e. bikini worthy) body. good thing my friends in the manila office cooked up this new challenge. we proctoids always looking for a "goal", this is a very good enabler for me.

the challenge: greatest % of weight loss among contenders
prize: a cash pot to be used to fund the April Boracay trip.
rules: none that i know off, just no surgery i think. hehe. :)

i've weighed myself and was SHOCKED at my weight and my measurements. i don't feel comfortable posting the actual figures (yes, it's that bad), but i will post any weight loss (weekly) and any improvements in my measurements (bi-weekly).

so how do i plan on shedding off those pounds?

my typical approach has always been the "shock and awe" style - go on a crash diet, exercise like mad, then viola! instant 10lbs out. given that i need to lose more than 10lbs this round, and since i always always end up ditching the routine after 2-3 weeks, i resolved to go after a slow burn approach this time.

Week 1
Diet: Ditch the complex sugars (goodbye cookies, soda, processed juices). Replace with natural sugars (fruit, fresh shakes). No coffee houses - stick to black coffee with 1 sugar and/or tea if really necessary. Load up on antioxidants (blueberries, strawberries, nuts, broccoli). Limit rice intake to 1/4 cup per meal. Cut back meal portions to 1/3 of usual size, but have 4 healthy meals and 2-3 snacks = approximately 1800 calories per day.
Exercise: 30minutes of brisk walking daily
Vitamins: Take fibre in the morning, calcium and muti-vitamins

Food Diary
Monday: M1: pork rib soup, S1: cherries, M2: Steamed Fish with Soy and Ginger, M3: Salmon Sandwich (Salmon, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese on Wheat), S2: Grapes and Blueberries
Tuesday: M1: Chicken Salad (Chicken, Tomato, Cucumber, Cottage Cheese), M2: Tom Yum Clear Soup and Leftover Steamed Fish with Broccoli, M3: Chicken Teriyaki With Steamed Veggies on Rice, S1: Grapes, Blueberries, S2: 1 pc Chocolate (i couldn't resist!)
Wednesday: M1: Chicken Sandwich on Wheat, M2: Sinigang with 1/4 cup rice, S1: Apple, M3: Codfish Teriyaki with Steamed Veggies, S2: Granola Bar, SIN: 5 pc french fries and 2 bites Mcdo burger (Huhuhuhu).
Thursday: M1: Chicken Mushroom Rice Mix (1/4 cup rice), steamed greens, M2: Homemade burger patty, bamboo shoots, M3: Steamed Egg with Ground Pork, S1: Melon Slices, S2: Blueberries and Frozen Melon.
Friday (planned): M1: Salad of tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and mini-burger (2 coin sized pcs) with cheese, M2: Rice with cucumber and ground meat mix, M3: Fish with steamed greens, S1: granola, S2: apple, S3: grapes.

Wish me luck!

2009, where did you go? will i miss you?

i can't believe it's 2010 already. i feel like i spent a good part of the year sleepwalking - not exactly in deep slumber, but not entirely awake either. so many things happened, most of them incredulously wonderful (or is it wonderfully incredulous?), that i haven't even fully comprehended that they're real. i haven't even had time to pinch myself!

i've always been very good at making resolutions, yet really bad at keeping them. but looking back, i was able to fulfill a good number of them - to be honest, not entirely through a lot of conscious effort on my part. God and fate have just been truly good to me this year.

let's see how 2009 went okay?

1. go to Boracay this Labor Day weekend (3rd time's the charm!)
- Semi-fail. I did not manage to go back to Boracay, but I did travel during this holiday.
2. get my passport stamped in at least 3 countries i've never been to before (lead options remain Spain, Cambodia, Japan, Greece, and Italy).
- WIN! I was able to get Bali/Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo, Sydney, and Seoul out of my list.
3. buy at least one book a month.
- WIN! I bought more than 12 books and definitely read more than 12. hehe.
4. buy AT MOST 2 pairs of shoes a month.
- This was a great WIN! Not only did I manage to buy less than 24 pairs this year, I also started selling off my not fully loved and utilized ones. :)
5. learn how to use Limewire (don't laugh) properly.
- Ok, so people apparently don't even use Limewire anymore. What is prehistoric. But this is still a FAIL.
6. run in at least one 10k event, and train for a 2010 marathon.
- FAIL on the 10K - I had my reasons, but that's no excuse. Still thinking if I should keep the 2010 resolution.
7. buy a condo.
- FAIl. But a deliberate fail on my part since I have decided to re-invest my savings. So I don't feel too bad.
8. take sewing or swimming lessons.
- FAIL. This is the only fail that I really feel bad about.
9. go back to HK - and do the bungee thingo this time!
- Semi-win. Did go back to HK, but didn't do the bungee since Ryan didn't want to. Maybe next year? :)
10. don't drink unless the mixer is DIET soda.
- WIN, i think. I definitely drank less than 20% of what I drank in 2008, hahaha.

so a 50% success rate. not something to brag about, but i guess better than past performance. hehe. :)

so what will i endeavor to do this year? and of course, in classic P&G style, what are the action steps needed to achieve these?

1. Go back to my best in class weight. Eat healthier and have a more active lifestyle!
Action-to-be-taken: Boracay beautify me challenge will be a big enabler for JFM, but I resolve to go back to regular exercise - nothing too strenous, but just enough to stop me from ballooning.
2. Travel to at least 5 more new cities/countries. I know that Hanoi, Osaka, Cambodia are already confirmed, so I just need 2 more to go. My lead options are Greece and Turkey, but Spain wouldn't be too bad. Shoutout to the bf just in case he gets to read this, hehehe.
3. Follow my true passion. Won't elaborate too much so i won't jinx it.
Action-to-be-taken: Continue searching and actively looking. No more waiting for it to drop into my lap. :)
4. Savings target: Index 150 of 2009 savings
5. Learn to sew (Carryover from last year)
6. Go back to running and run a 2010 marathon (Target : Standard Chartered!)

winter wonderland

so i thought i could survive seoul in just my trusty pink jacket. but it was really freezing and i couldn't stay out for more than 2 minutes without my teeth chattering.

so i feel perfectly justified in getting my first set of winter digs. hehe. mind you i looked and looked and did not succumb to my first impulse - a firetruck red capelet number with a beribboned collar (i can just die by cuteness, but that's another story altogether). instead, i canvassed different coat types (leather, wool, scratchy polyyester blends, cashmere, tweed, etc) and both local and international boutiques before settling on this zara naman. it was in trf so cheaper than the average zara, and actually cheaper than the average price of those i've seen so far.

it's so cute and soooooo classic but not granny-boring. i love the collar and this was one of the few where my forearms did not feel nor look like corndogs (gosh korean jackets had the tightest sleeves, it was so depressing).



after patting myself on the back for such a smart purchase......i saw these.



i tried to resist...really.



but i simply couldn't. this is my kryptonite. sob. they actually cost more than the coat. boohoo.
but they're so cute, and so flattering on me...and they have dual zippers (both sides!) - and so getting them on and off is so EASYYYYYYYYYYYYY. i figured that innovation justifies the additional cost? cmon, right?!

but no use crying over spilt, este, spent dollars.

now snow, bring it on. :)

excess baggage.

i am a sale-a-holic.

i guess the tipping point was when i bought these absolutely adorable bejewelled grey slingbacks a couple of weeks ago. nevermind that they were a tad too small - couldn't resist the 50% off.

a mental inventory of my belongings will yield approximately a third of my stuff personally unusable because they don't fit or they don't look good on me, but were "extremely good value" since i didn't buy them full price. wth! i tried adding up everything and i realized my npi (non-performing inventory) could already amount to a full month's salary. double wth!

i've always thought i was a smart shopper. i have a nose for catching wonderfully discounted and/or for unbelievably cheap premium looking stuff. i can barter like a divisoria wholesaling, and i can most definitely spot a steal a mile away. but what i didn't realize is that at some point, my bloodhound's instinct for a good buy had morphed into this manic sale-panic button.

this is unacceptable. a purge is in order. stat. and a sale shopping ban. from now on, i am subscribing to the "if you can't wear it tomorrow, you won't ever be able to wear it, hence put it back in the bin dummy" mantra.

and while i'm at it, might as well sell off all of these fantabulous spanking new stuff so they can find new loving masters who will actually use them.

stay tuned.

like talking to a rock

I can't pinpoint when it started exactly, but I'm really hating it here. Of course yeah a lot of great things happened with my move (and I won't go into detail to spare you guys the mushiness), but taking that out the equation, LIFE HERE JUST PLAIN SUCKS.

I guess I'm getting old prematurely and hence becoming more intolerant, or maybe I'm just realizing how intolerant I really am because I can't escape really infuriating situations in such a confined space.

I miss my friends back home. Yes, I miss them in all their bitchy, judgy, superfluous, superficial, babaw glory.

*Sigh*

so i'm back (from outerspace)

this blog has been dormant (okay, D-E-A-D) for the past 4 months. it was a slow demise, first with blogposts becoming fewer and far between, then ultimately a complete void. it wasn't because nothing was happening to me, actually, things have been more than great, nor was it because i had nothing to say. it was basically, laziness.

i hide behind the excuse of being a complete ignoramus on all things web-related. i wanted the blog to be cute, witty, very who-what-wear-with fashion soundbites (OH MY GAWG) and fabulous pictures. but i just couldn't find the heart to constantly snap photos of my impulse purchases, nor am i secure enough with my body image to model my own outfits. so there, the blog just fizzled.

but i now realize that even though i couldn't fulfill the original intent of this blog to be a fashion spread, there are so many things to write about. like life, for instance. i don't know if anyone else would care to pick the brain of a 25-year old corporate whore, but hey, cyberspace is free.

So here I am, typing up a string of words to form semi-coherent statements. I'm a cheap expat based in SG, grossly dissatisfied with my current career yet too enslaved by the security of my paycheck to quit, i know what i want to do with the rest of my life, happily in love, exasperated with my family, and desperately missing my social circle at home. hmmm, what else - ah yeah, a jack of all frivolous trades, master of a couple totally insensible ones.

charles and keith sale

so it was a typical (crappy) monday. at lunchtime i happened to ride the elevator with my thai officemate who was lugging a big charles and keith plastic bag with 3 pairs of shoes. i even teased her that it was probably such a bad day she had to go shopping by lunchtime. when i was about to go home, my aussie officemate shoes me this pair of c&K pumps that she just bought. i wondered aloud what was it about charles and keith today, to which she said the words that brought my downfall, "they're on sale today". alas, i was possessed by the shopping devil and rushed as if on autopilot to the mall mezzanine (yes, my office is connected to the mall - what is set up for failure) where i proceeded to snap up 5 pairs of shoes and a laptop bag in under 15 minutes (hangs head). well actually, since 1 pair was a replacement for my old favorite wedges (which were on their death throes, hence they had to be left behind when i moved here) then i suppose i really just bought 4 pairs right? YUH-UH.

tin tang chronicles (for P&G folks)

shoe love

my new shoes! :)

My shoe cabinet!

just a short post. the shoe cabinet i labored so hard for!

missing orchard scotts

here are some pictures of my serviced apartment(miss it already!). i don't have pics yet of my new apartment, it's too messy. :)

quick update

june went by like a blur- have been so busy with work(it's the end of our business year so was scrambling to finish everything), non-work (wink), and moving house that it's as if i sleptwalk through most of it and viola! it's already july.

so the highlight of this month has really been moving house. i don't have pictures of the "finished product" yet - we're still cleaning up and setting up furniture etc, but i'll post pictures soon!

i'm in love with ikea - i can spend all day there just looking around and shopping. it was such a liberating feeling to buy home stuff. so far i bought the needed basics for the kitchen (pots, pans, crockery, utensils, etc). nothing fancy until i figure out how i really want to spruce up the kitchen.

i'm currently fighting with my landlord because my apartment has a pest problem. i've seen more ants and roaches here than most of the other Filipinos have combined. krunk. and they don't want to replace my rusty bathroom mirror. but aside from those things, i really love the place. it's just the right size - not too hard to clean, very airy and pretty. it's furnished with the major furniture, and we just have to buy the shelving units etc.

my roommate strangely finds building furniture therapeutic, so instead of having ikea assemble the stuff, we just have them delivered. problem is, some of my stuff I have to assemble by myself (ok, fine, i do have some help teehee), but it's not something i enjoy. give me kitchen duties anyday. so at the end we realized that we really are a mommy/daddy combination. she takes care of all the furniture and generic hardware upkeep (lights etc) while i take over the cleaning and cooking aspects. i think that's a fairly good deal. ewww. i shudder remembering the time spent in assembling my shoe cabinet (separate post on that baby).

shoutout to anama and doce (my only readers) : i miss you girls! :)

thank god for small miracles.

it was a mundane weekday night. i was watching bad reruns and feeling a little homesick so i resorted to an instant pick-me-uppe: CHOCOLATE COOKIES. i'm currently obsessing over anything pepperidge farm - their chocochip cookies are to die for. but in a (futile) bid to cut back on the calories, i tried on these cookies and found them yummmmmmmm with a capital Y.


i've been strictly rationing my intake once i got to the second layer and limited myseld to a biscuit a week. i was sad that day so i had two (TeeheE), fully accepting that i would run out of chococookies for the rest of the week.


imagine what a pleasant surprise it was to find a (hidden) third layer underneath! the chocochip cookies only comes in 2 layers so i wasn't expecting 3 layers (i was never good at spatial assessment anyway hahaha). such a small thing but it made my day. and of course, to celebrate, i had one more cookie before bedtime. burp.

..and SKIRTing the issue

1. Can someone pls teach me how to upload pictures fasteR?!
2. so, these are most of the skirts. i'm too lazy/sleepy to talk about each in detail, so enjoy. most of them are 30-50 sgd each, either A/X, cK, or DKNY so not a bad deal in all. i tried to pick the ones that looked "unique" and not something i could have picked out in gh or wherever. i've never been a brand whore and i don't plan on being one now haha. although in retrospect i've always been a sale whore, so i don't know how's that gonna pan out during this singapore sale.

tiptoe-ing around...

sigh. totally went crazy at this club21 sale. bought 4 shoes, 2 shirts, and a lot of skirts (separate post on this to follow)...



although in my defense, these 4 shoes put together cost only a little more than my zara gladiator flat (that's value reframing!)


exhibit a: armani exchange silver wedge platforms (40 SGD - orig price around 500 SGD)
i saw these from across the room and thought that the straps were white. when the salesperson gave it to me though, they were hoochie silver. i wanted to drop them, but hello they were 40 dollar A/X stuff, i had to at least try them on. wonderburr, they looked great on me, so they got tucked under my arm. teehee.




exhibit b: cK black slingbacks (80 SGD - original price unknown)
they're just so ME, i had to have them.



exhibit c: cK blue patent wedges (80 sgd)
now here's where it gets interesting. i wasn't really interested in these, since i already had the silver A/X wedges, but then i saw a sign stated "cK shoes - 2 for 100". now i had the black slingbacks at 80sgd, so i could effectively just get another pair for 20sgd more. in a time like this, what's a girl to do right?! totally don't regret this. they're actually growing on me and i realized i could have so much fun with these girly shoes.


exhibit d: DKNY black pumps (60sgd)
classy. classic. polished. no explanations needed. and they were the only pair left,sticking out like a sore thumb amid a sea of flip flops (the outrage!) i snapped up the left shoe only to have the right one snatched by another girl a nanosecond later. i sized up her puny 90lb frame, gave her my "don't mess with me i eat anoxeric twerps like you for breakfast" look, and glared her into reluctantly dropping the shoe. see, they were meant for me!



ok so i'm totally going on a shoe detox after june (i can't commit at the moment because who knows what other goodies the singapore sale may bring?). and i'm moving into my new place next week, wish me luck. can't wait to ikea, dropped by earlier today and i was just so overwhelmed with all the choices! goodness! :)

death by humiliation

so sorry for not posting stuff in chronological order. you people know my memory is only a little better than Dory's. and i think i somewhat pushed this to the back of my mind out of sheer embarassment.

background: my beloved cousin brought more than her clothes when she visited me. she also gave a bunch of hair parasites a free plane ride to the lion city.

setting: watson's

characters
old man manning the pharmacy area
anj

anj (Whispering furtively): hello uncle, do you have lice shampoo?
uncle (shouting): WHAT?????????????
anj (an octave higher, gesturing to hair and simulating scratching motions): shampoo to kill lice?
uncle (XX octaves higher): What you say?!
anj (takes out notepad, writes "LICE SHAMPOO" in block letters, draws a pathetic illustration of the yucky insect): to kill lice (DEFENSIVE) for kids - it's my cousin, not me.
uncle (beaming cos he finally got it, nodding enthusiastically): ah ah to kill insects (points to his BALD head) on hair?
anj (relieved to finally be nearing the end of this ordeal) : yes yes yes please, for kids.
uncle (shouts across to the person at the other end of the store) : AIYA, WHERE DO WE KEEP LICE LOTION LAH? XIAO JIE (meaning me) NEEDS.

-DEATH-

the world is FLAT

thanks to excessive camwhoring, i sprained my ankle around a month ago (i know, right?!) and needed to lay the stilettos to rest for a while.

and well, since my shoes are not yet here, OF COURSE i had to go buy decent footwear, right? and in any case, i didn't really have fair share of flats in my collection, and i guess it's about time i stocked up on good ones.

so here are the pairs i've been using to make my feet happy. i'm super happy with all 3 in terms of level of comfort, sturdiness, and of course, the non-negotiable OOMPH.



Exhibit A: Zara Ecru Gladiators.

I've been crushing on this one since April, but couldn't bear to part with 150 SGD (approx Php) for them. So everytime I'd go to Zara (which is like, every week), I'd go try them on, sigh, then vow to snap them up the moment it goes on sale. Shopping devil be damned, one fine week my size was GONE! I felt utter desolation (no exaggeration, I couldn't enjoy my dinner afterwards) that I realized it was not just a little crush, it was shoe LOVE. so I scoured all the Zara stores in this godforsaken retail therapy addicted country (this is no mean feat). I finally found it in Vivo City (the largest and farthest mall from my vantage point in sunny Orchard) and bought it without pausing to think of the dent it made on my wallet. I have not had a moment's regret. It's quirky, fun, YOUNG, and edgy. It instantly adds that oomph to any manang outfit I have on (think what a chanel bag can do, only this is a million times cheaper). I LAVEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! And from a cost per wear standpoint, I actually think it pays out.





Take note the cute tassel detail on the inner leg area. Quirky but subtle eh?


Exhibits B and C [please forgive this lazy poster - I find uploading photos to be quite a pain - any suggestions on an easier way of doing this versus directly posting here? :(?!]



Exhibit B. People of Asia white and gold flats

found these babies on a desperate quest to find suitable office flats. Fell in love with the round thingamajiggos. Was prepared to shell out 75 SGD (2200 PHP) for them, but SURPRISE SURPRISE - they were apparently on sale and got them for only a little over 40 SGD. dontcha just love surprises/savings/unexpected windfalls like this?!

Exhibit C. Cotton On leopard print ballerina flats.

these were a totally unexpected find. i got this pair at Cotton On, which is Singapore's version of Bench I guess. i just dropped by an hour before closing time - there's a branch just below my office. now, i LOVE leopard, but aside from a silk scarf, i don't own a single leopard print anything. now i have one finally, and it's only fitting that it'd be a pair of shoes! and the best part?! they're only 20 SGD and surprisingly sturdy!!!


(THis morning I went crazy at a warehouse sale and bought 4 pairs of shoes - think cK, armani, DKNY for less than 100 SGD a pair. God help me, the Great Singapore Sale is just around the corner! Will post pics soon)