oh...well.

as expected, my previous post pissed a few people off upset a few people. i'm sure you've read the comments. even the slightest thing, like putting inverted comas into a word or two - which was totally harmless and i had not meant to insinuate anything by it, but purely to quote the words the interviewer had used - was picked on. well, i've said it, and i still stand by it. but i must reiterate, it was not meant to offend anyone. it was my truthful opinion. surely, i am entitled to mine, just as others are to theirs.

i had actually drafted a reply in response to the comments left, but i stopped midway because i realised, more (unhappy) comments will surely follow in time to come, and if i were to rebut or explain myself to each and every one, i'd go crazy. so i ain't gonna bother, but just take comfort in the fact i've said what i honestly feel, and if i had offended anyone in the process, then...tough.

moving on!

on the green front, i haven't been a good girl, so i haven't many "going green" posts so far. i'm always in a mad rush in the morning, i usually end up abandoning all "going green" outfit plans i had laid out the night before, and grabbing my denims and the first top i see in the wardrobe - because they always require so much time to layer on, like the shirt, then the skirt, then the leggings, accessories, blah blah blah! and then by lunch time, i am in absolute regret and remorse at not following through with my outfit plans. tsk.

as it is, i have taken a taxi to work every day for the past six weeks. and i have been putting on my make-up in the taxi every morning! i'm gonna be a good girl and quit taking the taxi in the mornings from next week on. i have four more weeks to go, and i can't afford anymore taxi rides! that's $20 a taxi ride a day, and its been 35 days! *gasp*

i'm looking forward to the month-long term holidays beginning end May! and then in the second week of June, we're heading off to Hong Kong with the little one! no prizes for guessing, of course i'm gonna check out the kate spade stores while we're there!

and oh, the mom of one of the kids i teach is probably one of the sweetest one around. last friday, she passed me a $150 kate spade voucher (yes, she knows of my incurable addiction!) that i can use in my birth month on any full-priced handbags! if you're a kate spade VIP card holder, you'll get this voucher when your birth month nears.


i'm awfully touched, she's just the sweetest. though, i don't think i can wait till september, lol! i'm gonna find someone i know whose birth month is May and get their help, heh!

oh! i also wanted to share my asos and modcloth buy that just arrived!




i've ordered a few more stuff (i'm sooooo addicted to asos and modcloth!), and when they arrive,i'll share those too!

kate spade not shipping here...so what?

a reporter from one of the local newspapers here contacted me recently, requesting for my comments on the fact that kate spade no longer ships to singapore, and also no longer allow concierge services to place orders from them. to me, this issue is getting reeeeeeeeally old and tiring. i get annoyed when i hear people whining about it. at first i didn't want to do the interview, because i seriously couldn't be arsed to speak about the issue. but i changed my mind, because i eventually felt that i want my two cents to be heard, nevermind that it may upset a few people. but i trust there will be a bunch (i hope!) that share my sentiments.

i didn't get to read the article that was published in The New Paper on 21 April, so i don't know how much of my answers the reporter quoted. but here are the questions that were asked, and my answers that followed, that i would like to share with all of you.

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Q: I heard that Kate Spade no longer allows online concierges such as comgateway, vpost and borderlinx to ship their items out of the USA. Could I find out more about this from you and get your personal response on how it has affected you?

A: to be honest, i'm not too bummed out by it. yes, these concierge services did allow us to enjoy cheaper prices compared to local store prices, but the wait was unjustifiable. i only engaged in their services because it was made available, and paying lesser than i would in store was a bonus. but the wait always killed me!

now that it's no longer available, i'd say i'd be more motivated to purchase in stores, and if paying extra means i get my purchases immediately, and am also personally served by the store associates, then why not?

i think we should all understand why kate spade is doing this. kate spade needs to ensure their overseas stores have business coming their way! if we are truly "fans" of the label, then we should be more supportive of this effort of theirs. in other words, we should all just stop being cheapskates and grumble about how we can no longer enjoy lower prices now that these concierge services are no longer available.

if we still want to pay the low USD prices, then be more resourceful. there are still other US merchants we can purchase from (like Zappos, Nordstrom, endless - if you are able to print these names in your paper), so i think we need to know our facts, do our homework, before we whine.

Q: How long have you been using the online concierges?

A: i've only used it 5 times so far, and my first time using them was in September last year.

Q: How many kate spade items do you have at home? Do you order other items from other brands as well?

A: i have more than 25 bags and clutches, and more than 10 kate spade accessories and small goods. i also have a kate spade barbie doll!

Q: How long did you have to wait when you used the concierge services to order kate spade items?

A: initially, i have to wait more than two weeks for my online purchases to arrive. so i then decided to opt for next day shipping on katespade.com (which cost USD27) for my subsequent purchases. the items I ordered from then on arrive in about a week.

Q: So will you be going to the local boutiques to buy kate spade items now? The extra cost doesn't bother you?

A: well, as I mentioned before, we need to be more resourceful. we can always try other US merchants that stock kate spade products. if i can find the item i want on these websites, then of course i'll get it from them. but if i can't, then yes, i will definitely get them from the local boutiques. the extra cost is the price i am willing to pay to get my purchases immediately, and being served personally. plus, i get to request for a gift box, which is not an available option on the website.

in fact, my younger sister wanted to purchase a kate spade bag recently, and i encouraged her to buy it from the store at Ngee Ann City. i have the kate spade VIP card that entitles me to 10% off my purchases, so why not, right?

Q: How much do you usually spend on kate spade items each month? Do you save up money to buy the KS items?

i do not hold a credit card, so i pay for all my purchases in cash. i don't usually "save up" to buy my kate spade bags. when i see one i like, i will normally purchase it immediately! but with kate spade, you know the bags will always go on sale pretty soon as the seasons change, so you have to be "smart" and wait for when it does. so times when i can afford to wait, i will. otherwise, if i think the original price is reasonable enough, i'll just get it immediately.

can I just say i purchase an average of five bags a month? i don't want to reveal the actual amount I spend a month, in case my husband reads this and gets a heart attack, because i've always told a white lie or two when he asks me how much a particular bag costs!

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so these were the questions posed to me. the main point i wanted to put across, is that people should just stop whining and grumbling about it. seriously, so what?? there are still other sites we can shop from. we just need to be more resourceful! and i can't stand it when people get angry at kate spade and threaten that they are going to "lose business" from overseas customers because they can no longer purchase online. are you listening to yourself? they already are! they are not getting business from their stores in other countries because people are such cheapskates and perpetual bargain hunters (me included, sometimes, lol!), THAT's why they are employing this policy!

so if we are all truly fans of kate spade, can we just support them in their effort? just purchase from the local stores, lah. if you don't want to fork out that kind of money, then you have two options. be resourceful and hunt for merchants that carry kate spade products at the USD price you insist on paying - like Zappos, endless, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, etc - or switch to another label worthy of your money that, one, is affordable by your standards, and, two, allows online shopping and international shipping. it's as simple as that.

i know i will rub some people off the wrong way or even offend with my comments. hell, i may even lose "fans" on the facebook page, lol! my comments are not, however, in reference to what was said by the interviewees in the TNP article, because as i've mentioned, i've not had a chance to read it. god knows what i said in that article! reporters have a way of twisting what you said to fit the angle of their piece. but anyway, my comments above are in response to what i've observed on the ksny facebook page and some remarks left on my own facebook page by disgruntled singaporean fans.

well...i make no apologies.
but don't i make a fair argument?

multipaisley for my iPhone 4

my husband and i recently both got the iPhone 4 each to replace our existing phones, and today after my morning class i popped by kate spade ngee ann city to get the hardshell case for mine! i couldn't decide between the yellow multistripe and the multipaisley...but in the end i went with the latter because i've always been smitten with the prints. the green rotary one is my favorite, most definitely, but i'll just use the multipaisley till i find it!



the beauty of buying locally - you get a giftbox and giftbag!



one side of the case has the "spade" logo


my kate spade family of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 2G!

going green! (II)

we were headed to a friend's son's first birthday party earlier today, and i decided to put on my muddy green dress i had purchased from a boutique i had recently fallen in love with - mds collections - and i thought my gold tortola kei would go perfect with it, especially since i have my gold aldo flats on!

going green! (I)

yep! all upcoming posts celebrating the color green will be titled "going green"! i'm looking forward to being decked in green! i only have two green bags, though - which is the esti bow and the tamarind cove - but i will make the best of them. the wellie magee will do, too, and green goes beautifully with gold, so i foresee my tortola kei and gold coast elizabeth being put to good use, too! can't wait!

meanwhile, as a start into going green, here is i at the toy store with the little one (who is already going mental and halfway into the store when this picture was taken!) with my esti bow, and my favorite green-and-white-polka-dotted cardi!

on a roll!

this is of course, already old news, but i still just wanted to do a post about it. many of you probably already know by now of kate spade's collaboration with adeline adeline to create a limited edition custom kate spade new york green abici bicycle! in fact, this bicycle was also used in the Spring 2011 campaign, featuring Bryce Dallas Howard.



images courtesy of adeline adeline
kate spade has also designed a special essex scout satchel (USD425) and bay street quinn (USD375) that can be clipped to the handlebars and rear rack of the bicycle.


this limited edition, single speed, two-wheeler has been available from april 7 at kate spade new york shops and at adeline adeline for USD$1,100.

if you ask me, this will be the perfect time to bring back the bicycle picnic basket they had just months ago!

on the hunt for green!

i'm on the hunt for green outfits, and you know what the funny thing is? there are a lot of yellow in stores now! grrrr!!! i do have a few green dresses and tops already...but i'm looking for more bottoms. and i haven't figured out what to call the green "live colorfully" posts yet!

the yellow pages (VII)

sorry for the long silence! it was my son's third birthday and we were away over the weekend for his party! meanwhile, here are some overdue photos of the remaining "yellow pages" while we were still celebrating yellow!



yep! i brought my Quinn! =)
okay, one more yellow post coming later, but i'm moving on to green already!

lemon souffle!

remember i said i recently purchased a yellow bag?

well, it's here!
say hello to my newly acquired lemon souffle wellesley quinn!









i was undecided between the citronella, mustard and lemon souffle. i was, however, leaning towards the mustard, but lemon souffle still seemed interesting. so i asked my friend Sandee, and she said hers was the lemon souffle...just the right shade between the mustard and the citronella. not to pale and not to bright.

so the lemon souffle it was, and i love it!
i like bags with an open top, i can't stand zippers - which is why i don't own any stevies, and i only have a selected few that has the zipper top. i have always loved the quinn - its such a classic! - and have been wanting to get one for the longest time! i'm so pleased i finally have one!

but this will not be my only quinn! as we all know, kate spade will be celebrating green next month, and though i have the fitting green esti bow, it wouldn't hurt to have a green quinn, too, would it? heh!

iPod Touch cover

i bought my son an iPod Touch for Christmas last year, and only recently decided to purchase a kate spade cover for it! but only because i finally found the one i liked best, which is the turquoise one with green stripes!



i hope my son takes care of it well, lol!

i've got news!

the journal newspaper clutch i purchased arrived on tuesday! it's really, really adorable! and tyvek is such an interesting material. honestly though, i won't be able to fit much in it, especially not big and bulky items, as i will need to retain the flat shape of the clutch. but i still love it!






and i can't wait to carry it, to see all the reactions it will bring!

the yellow pages (VI)

my son is turning three on April 13, and we'll be having his birthday party a few days early...this sunday! so last weekend was the final weekend we can get major shopping for party stuff done, with the remaining five weekdays left for us to concentrate on preparing for the big day, thus this means very minimal shopping opportunities.

i was dressed for a lot of walking in the unbearable singapore heat!



i had my other wellie magee, and also my blue galaxy swirl necklace!
i love my top! so much so that i have it in two other colors, turquoise and black! i got them all from robinsons. my navy blue berms were from mango, and my flats, as mentioned previously, were from ralph lauren.

we did get a bulk of the shopping done, and these remaining few days i'm sure i'll be swarmed with party preparations! perhaps i'll post some photos here and also a link to the party photos, too! i'm one excited mommy...my mini man is turning three!

new arrivals + free shipping!

kate spade's just added some new arrivals on their website, and looking at all of them, i am in love with so many!!!!!!

this changes everything. AGAIN! (sorry, apple, i'm borrowing your quote, heh!)

are you ready? are you ready to see the list of things i would pick, if only i could? here we go!


verandah place small coal, usd345


caban stripe raelin, usd295


laurel valley small karen, usd325


victoria falls madeleine, usd525


cherry valley adeline, usd325



mott street fisher, usd345

my favorite is the mott street fisher!

and you know what this means, right??
new arrivals mean a lot of the "older" items will be moved to the sale section, and here are some sale items i think will be worth your while and moolah to grab quick!

the yellow pages (V)

here's a yellow dress i really love, but i haven't had the chance to wear it because it's just too casual for work. so this morning when the husband and i decided to bring the little munchkin to one of the fire stations here for a station visit (there are "open houses" every saturday mornings from 9am to 11am!) it was the perfect opportunity - a casual family day out in the morning sun! and i thought my wellie magee complimented the dress awesomely!



its a cotton halter dress with very pretty floral embroidery at the hem, and i was especially excited to wear it today because i have recently purchased the most perfect sandals to go with!



these were from ralph lauren, and i'm so happy i found them! i think shoes always make an outfit, and now i don't have to rely only on my mustard yellow pumps, yellow strappy wedges or even my gold aldo sandals to finish off my yellow outfits! these will work so fabulously on lazy days when i'm not in the mood for heels!

pause the yellow!

i have several yellow get-ups on standby at the moment, but i'm awaiting the arrival of the yellow bag i've just ordered, three days ago (not telling you guys what yet! lol!) because i think the outfits will look better with it. i hope it arrives in time before kate spade moves on to the next color! yesterday i had actually put together a yellow outfit complete with my new mustard yellow URS Inc pumps, and had survived the get-up with my marigold cornelia street tamara, but alas! i didn't have the camera with me! bummer!

anyway...so until my newly acquired yellow purse arrives, i will pause the yellow and content myself with dressing in any color i please! today i had the Clyde with me (again receiving many wonderful reactions from everyone!) to compliment my somewhat nautical outfit:


at the risk of sounding self-absorbed, i actually loved what i had on: my white martina pink capris, navy blue mango camisole, and striped cotton on cardi. the Clyde worked with the outfit thanks to my red mphosis skinny belt and red monsoon mary janes. i would have put on my Nine West eastbound heels, if not for the fact i had lots of shopping and walking around to do today...can't afford aching feet!

and i can't wait for my yellow bag to arrive...cos this blog is seriously lacking the "yellow pages" posts!