Thursdays are so often a bit ho hum, as was today. I was wandering around the streets of Melbourne city tackling some late errands and getting nowhere, when out of the blue a sound hit me… and a great big grin lit up my face.  As I made a bee line for the source of the sound, dodging trams and craning my neck to see through the throngs of shoppers, I was astounded to see a solitary man. Cowboy hat perched atop his bowed head, harmonica to his lips and a base line that made me want to jump out of my skin, I quickly pulled my phone from my pocket in an attempt to capture what I saw.

I’m told that George is well known for his thumping blues on the streets of Melbourne and I’d love to see what this guy could do on stage. In 2004 he won the Australian Country Music Busking Championship at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, so clearly his reputation proceeds him.

As I stood there mentally counting the cash in my purse, I was torn between not wanting the song to end and dying to get my hands on his latest CD. But I did wait, and I did pick up George’s new album entitled “Sliding Days”.  And in a rather contradictory fashion, I then rushed right through the mall not even hesitating at the sale racks, just so I could get back to the car and immerse myself in what he had to offer.
To listen to more of his tracks check out the George Kamikawa MySpace page

Yes this is a bit special. The story goes like this..

My lovely girlfriend Bernie Dexter, who aside from being a stunning pinup model, is also a cracking designer of vintage inspired fashion. You’ve seen me wear a number of things from her ranges before; including cute 50′s capri pants and retro dungaree jeans. But just before I took off for Thailand, she sent me this STUNNING water lilly dress from her latest range! It is made of a mid weight cotton with a rear zip and a tie up halter neck.  The bust is a gathered inset section and the print is a “water” print, in that it looks like blue ripples on a lake. The skirt of the dress is lovely and full so it is perfectly cool for hot summer days and just delightful in these tropical surrounds.

Anyway, when I knew I was heading to Thailand I promised her I’d take a few special outfits appreciation shots of this fantastic dress. Little did I know that the resort I would be staying at actually had a water lilly pond! Serendipity if you ask me.  So I paired the dress with an inexpensive pink rose clip I found at a roadside stall, and a cute pair of floral print wedges I’d bought for the trip ( super cheap at $29 from Betts). What I adore so much about Bernie’s dresses is that not only is the fit incredibly flattering on a range of figure types, you really don’t need to accessorise at all. Just pop a dress on and you’re good to go.

All of the fabrics she chooses have such interest and movement in the print, that they speak for themselves.  These are not bad mood dresses, they are not high maintenance dresses (I wash mine in a wash bag on delicate in the machine). What they represent to me is the very best of what everyday fashion is relearning from the 1950′s. That a simple cotton dress, well made with femininity in mind, is the one step solution to a glamorous day.

The good news for my Australian readers is that thanks to a little girly pow wow between friends, my lovely sponsor MisKonduct Klothing is now stocking Bernie Dexter‘s range here in Australia!! That means quick  and inexpensive shipping, easy returns and being super swanky is just a local click away.  Size wise I find that if you consult the measurement charts on Bernie’s site you should be good. As they are a cotton and have no stretch, you want to make sure that you get a friend to measure you up so you know your correct size. I always recommend having a (discreet) friend do this for you once and then write it all down for late night shopping indulgences. Make sure to measure everything, including the drop beneath your bust to your natural waist line – you never know when you’ll need the measurements. (Even more so on 50′s styled dresses where you want to be sure they sit on your natural waist and not above) I generally wear an Australian size 8-10, so the small Water Lilly dress fits me perfectly.

If you love it as much as I do and have any questions, please feel free to ask away in the comments section. After all, a gem like this is too good to keep all to one’s self.

I was so thrilled to have the chance to catch up with friends whilst I was in Singapore, and on of the very first people I had the opportunity to was spend the day with was Valerie of Dweam. We had a whole lot of shopping on the agenda, which given our very different fashion styles was cause for a whole lot of fun!

Knowing that the day was going to involve a whole lot of walking, I planned an outfit that was as cute as it was comfortable.  My fabulous new wedges seen in this outfit post are from Novo.  The skirt I bought specifically for the trip from Forever New just before I left, knowing that it would go with about 10 different tops I own. This little red and white top with the petal bust, is one of my new favourites from Miss Hussy here in Melbourne.  A little red angora cropped sweater from Friends of Couture over the top, kept the chill of the air conditioning at bay. And yes, my camera bag ( from photo jojo) does match the rest of my outfit!

We started out shopping odyssey at ION Orchard as it was just opposite where I was staying in Singapore. Valerie took me to New Look, which over the two floors it occupies, had such a range of outfits and accessories that we both found a whole lot of pieces we loved. In fact, I actually found the cutest 1940′s styled shoes that were so incredible I was doing a little happy dance and went and bought three pairs! (Yes, you’ll see them in another post of shopping haul highlights). Both Valerie and I are mad for accessories, confessing to each other just the extent of our collections as we continued to add to them that morning.

I loved these sparkly bracelets. They came in the most beautiful colours, but sadly I couldn’t get any of them on even though my hands are pretty small, so I left it to Valerie to indulge here.

Given that we are both beauty addicts we’d planned to spend quite a bit of time in Sephora looking at all the cool things you simply can’t get here in Australia. I know it isn’t very sophisticated but I had to know what the Hello Kitty perfumes were all like. This range just won “Best Baby Perfume”… babies wear perfume? I didn’t know that!

Although I’m not a big fan of the fragrance, the new flocked bottles in Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B perfumes were too cute!

I’m always torn between spending my money on things that are just cute for cutes sake, even if I know I won’t use them.

I love the way here in Singapore, blogging is just so common that no-one raises an eyebrow at camera antics in store. I do always check with staff if I’m allowed to take photographs though as there is a lot of concern over V.M concepts (and other ideas) being stolen which is far enough. But no matter where we went, if we weren’t the ones taking the photographs, there would be plenty of staff ready with their camera phones and a smile wanting to pose it up.

I was like a kid in a candy store in Sephora, filling my little basket with sparkly treasures. It is total…

Yup – that’s that one!

After I’d given my credit card the speed wobbles in Sephora, Valeria took me over to Bobbi Brown to play with a bunch of new products.  The staff there were simply delightful and we all had a ball playing around in store with different looks, swapping tips and beauty secrets.

All of this shopping and laughing did make us a bit late however, for the next event. We headed out to the Nuffnang Singapore Glitterati Plus event that was being held to mark the new year and a fun way for lots of local bloggers to get together.

Dr Leslie Tay of I Eat I Shoot I Post, was there to speak and share many of his blogging tips as well as his new book. So although we weren’t there in time for the games and guests speakers, we did get a chance to catch up with other local bloggers and a number of fans for yet another photo opportunity. We bloggers are curious creatures and we love an opportunity to get together and discuss our “craft”, as unlike so many other professions, you don’t have colleagues to chat to every day. Many popular bloggers also have full time day jobs, (Dr. Leslie is a family GP) but for me whose other work also tends to be locations based ( as you know I’m a model and hair and makeup artist as well as all the writing) I treasure the chance to catch up with others who do what I do.

After all these adventures I’d promised Valerie we’d get together and I’d show her the ticks of the trade to create my hair and makeup look.  So we set up in my hotel bathroom for a bit of a session, and with Mr SKM holding the camera, set to the business of filming our shenanigans. It is lucky I’ve got a steady hand because we were laughing so much it could have been a disaster!

Here is how the lovely Valerie turned out after a quick 30minute hair and makeup session together.

After finishing off her lovely 50′s styled face, Valerie challenged me to see what I could do with her hair in two minutes. So even with super straight hair, a couple of bobby pins and a few deft moves later, she was ready to head out for dinner.

If you’d like to see and hear all the craziness we got up to, you can see Valerie’s post and video tutorial of the event here.

What a HUGE day! I can’t thank my Singapore friends enough for being so wonderful and hospitable. I always love finding new stores and making new discoveries, but new friends are the best thing of all!

Before I begin, a warning.

This post will make you hungry, very hungry. It will also make you very thirsty. And it will make you hate being just about anywhere else in the world but here. I’m sorry.

So the very first day I’m in Thailand and already I can’t wait for Happy Hour to begin.  Given that Phuket is four hours behind Melbourne, I figured it was fair game to break out my first Mai Tai at 9.30 am… that and I’d been up with the children since dark o’clock.

Deciding to brave the tourist trap that is Patong Beach, we headed to the beachfront restaurant which was recommended by our cab driver as having incredible seafood.  Although the seafood was good, I think it may have been the kick back he was no doubt receiving from the restaurant that was incredible.  The drinks on the other hand, seemed to be more their specialty. I wonder if this is because the typical customer is a sun soaked, beer drenched punter stumbling in like a lobster from the sand….? Either way, when I received my blended coconut drink it was pure heaven. Blended coconut, that is coconut milk, meat and ice blended together like a slushy; and it is an OMG moment.

I cannot remember what Mr SKM was drinking. I only know that it came in a glass with boobies and a big butt. So classy.

Evenings weren’t all waterside dining, as after taking small children on big adventures, we were lucky to make it to room service.  Prawn skewers, Pad Thai noodles and a cold Asahi beer are the perfect end to a perfect day.

Breakfast buffets and I have a love hate relationship.  I always adore the selection of food, but feel guilty if I don’t try everything. I always began the day with a small bowl of congee (rice porridge) which is one of my favourite foods, so that I didn’t feel disloyal. Then I’d move onto sampling something from the breakfast menu of each continent.  This is another thing I love about breakfast buffets in hotels; the way they cater to such a variety of nationalities and their breakfast habits.  It means I get to try things I usually wouldn’t and generally end up expanding my breakfast repetior when I get home too. Hence, I began this particular morning with a very American breakfast of waffles, pancakes and berries all covered in maple syrup and chocolate sauce.  Can I hear you say “Diet Death”! Woo!

Eventually,we had the opportunity for one child free dinner and went somewhere just for grown ups. The Andaman Grill at JW Marriot on Turtle Beach. I’m telling you where this is as, if there is any chance you ever get to Phuket, you MUST go! Not only is the aspect totally gorgeous, the food was unbelievable!

To start with, we were greeted with a sample selection of the seafood on offer.  My Australian readers will be all too familiar with prawns, given that they are a staple of all entertainers at special events. But even for we Antipodeans who are used to really large prawns (‘Shrimps’ for the Americans), these babies were altogether another alien creature.  Check out how big these are next to Mr SKM’s hands!!

The first course was a mixed seafood tasting platter, quite delicious. But what came next was almost embarrassingly delicious.

This (not perfect iPhone picture of) my Swordfish Steak, was the most INCREDIBLE steak I have EVER eaten.  It is possible that there was a little moan emitted from our table at the moment I took the first bite of this.  This moan may have been followed up by sighs of rapture, closed eyes and effusive compliments to the chef.  I do recall at some point saying, ” You could feed this to a Texan and they wouldn’t know it was fish!”.

So yes, I liked the fish.

After all that, I’ve realised that I have a veritable slew of food photos and stories, so I’m going to break this up into two posts. Next up Singapore; but before I go one more drink.

Coconut juice with a tequila shot sinker! Tee hee…

Happy Lunar New Year! It’s Year of the Rabbit this year and Singapore is in full Chinese New Year swing!  We’ve been feasting it up, shopping for new year clothes and wallets, enjoying all sorts of customary activities and getting appropriately fat!

Given that this is one of the few days of the year that nearly all the stores are closed, we decided to save today for a family visit to the zoo. Of course there are SO many photos of that I’ll be saving that for a super sized up coming post, but for today here’s some new years wishes from me, my family and my cute bunny friends!!

Xx

If you’re wondering, today’s outfit comes courtesy of my 14 year old self.  That is… it is a dress my mother made for me when I was 14 and I’ve kept! Worn with pewter ballet flats for all the walking, a red stretch elastic belt and red roses in my hair from Bexterity.  Miss 3 and Miss 6 found their outfits at Tesco’s in Phuket as they prepared for the festivities ahead.  I don’t think we’ve ever been stopped for so many photos in our lives!! If we could have charged per picture we would have paid for the whole holiday! LOL.

And yes, that is a cuddly white rabbit in my hands. His name is ‘Carrots” and I just had to take him home with his crazy cute eyes. ^-^

HAPPY NEW YEAR!