The End

So where to begin.

This summer.

I know you all (whoever you may be) have vastly missed my experience and I am entirely at fault. You see, I really caught myself between the desire to write, the lack of time to do so, being sick for 3+ weeks and not really having that creative fuel, traveling for the last 3 weekends, and all while trying to stay afloat with the thought of leaving what I had found as a pretty lovely home. Now although my living conditions were subpar and the whole ant debacle turned into full-on nuclear war by the end (they may have come in direct contact with bug spray…and I may have hovered at the hole in the wall where I found their source of entry..), I truly loved Singapore. And in a much different way than I loved France when I studied there. It really is difficult to put into words and almost cheapens it in a way because the words amazing, wonderful, and phenomenal even just don't have the oomph I need. It was perfect. 

Coworkers and I on my last day!

Jocelyn (the other intern with me/great friend) at our farewell breakfast for dinner :)

                                                 

In the beginning I questioned if the internship I had acquired was precisely attuned to my skills. Mostly focusing on beauty, I thought I might be lost and have a little less than the experience I wanted. But what I found by the end of the summer of writing beauty articles, making how-to videos, logging products, and making beauty tip Facebook and Twitter updates, I discovered something fantastic. It might sound silly, trivial, or anticlimactic, but I learned how directly the fashion industry hinges on the beauty industry. Now you may have already realized this, but it really got me thinking. Some days I thought, I'm not sure I really care about the newest hand lotion, as long as I have something fabulous on my fingers (ya know, preferably an emerald - green is currently more than an obsession). But when you begin to observe fashion and dissect the art within the stylishness or the madness even, you begin to see that the creative doesn't end with the clothes or shoes or accessories, it extends onto a person's face, hair, health. Part of being fashionable is being confident that what you are wearing is a reflection of something beautiful to think about or to create awareness or change. It is not simply a dress. It is a piece that will reflect who you are without having to say. It can be a guise for some thing or person you might want to step into that day. We all need our wild moments without straying too far off from our true character. Halloween for example: why do we find it so thrilling to dress up as something fun or something we always admired or wanted to be? It's just nice, to put it as simply and truly as possible. But Halloween 365 days of the year is most certainly a different story..and a little scary. Pun intended. (But keep doing your thang, Lady Gaga)

I think many people follow trends and many people scorn others for doing so. "Be yourself!" they may say. I wholeheartedly condone this statement in every sense, but trends are not placed randomly and just to churn the $$$ out of a designer's eyes and into his/her pockets. They are more often than not, truly wonderful reflections of the time we are living in, including the place, the values, religion, music, art, and human needs. Our world is certainly not perfect and still has much controversy and not that it is all bad to "agree to disagree," but much of it is problematic. We need ways to express the beauty in the chaos. And that is exactly the solace I find in fashion. When I put on a good outfit…and I mean it's like one of those superb days where you feel like Coco Chanel herself just stitched you in one of her creations, I find myself in this instantly marvelous day. Anything that goes wrong, I just laugh at. I see that I am running late and I say oh well, no need to worry, they will understand I am not perfect. I see someone disgruntled and I smile at them. I see someone playing the harmonica in the train station underpass on the way home from work and their face is impassioned by the sounds they are creating and it makes me happy that they feel so much for something in their life. 

I'm not saying we don't all need a sacred sweatpants day where we humble ourselves with the thought that we are not really a fashionista rockstar extraordinaire (haha!...or are we?) and that looks are not the only way we can feel confident or important. It's nice to not lather yourself in foundation somedays and not worry that your red lipstick is going to smear all over your face when you're attempting (note, attempting) to eat an ice cream cone. But I can't help but testify to feeling totally not guilty for my love for fashion. It is completely pure. I think there are way too many materialistic people in the world. There are some who dote on expensive things because they are expensive and designer labels stamped on everything they own so they can see their own importance each day and shout it to the world. But I am not one of them. I admire designers for their skill, taste, and vision. I do not always like what they have or think it is for me, but I can respect what they do. I believe the best way to respect it is to treat it as it is: a work of art designed to give you those feelings of a marvelous day as soon as you slip it on. Not to ensure that your Prada bag has the gold plate of its label facing forward at all times. Respect these things not for their price, status, or the level of envy those around you will have. Respect them for their power to inspire you. If I slip on a great dress and I am positive and radiate this positivity around me, how exactly is that bad or does that make me materialistic? I think it's my avenue of creativity and an outlet that makes me very, very happy. I don't do it for compliments or admiration - I think sometimes it intimidates people how I dress and they think I judge them for not expending as much energy into their look as I did. Quite the contrary. I very simply enjoying doing it for my Me. First impressions are important, something everyone has to face in life. And I would like to think my first impression says I am a confident person who is not afraid to be different or an individual or exactly who I am. I don't like to hide my weird. I like to display it as a strength and hope that a little of this attitude rubs off on everyone around me. Because normal should not even be in the dictionary. Normal is a figment of our imagination.

I believe…no I know, I have really come into myself as a person this summer. The idea of graduating from college, something that at the age of 9 seemed about as close as my retirement, I really never expected the day to come. And here I am, three months after and as sure and unsure of myself as ever. I can't tell you what the heck I want to do with my life, but I know that what I spoke of above is something I really care about. I have thoroughly enjoyed keeping this blog this summer (even though I fell behind) because I love writing and taking the time to search for the words to express how the fashion makes me feel. And how Singapore helped me find the words. Traveling and experiencing what others do, finding a home in their home, and reaching an understanding of their being, embracing differences as beauty and inspiration, is where you find your voice. Studying in France ignited it, Singapore kindled it, and I think Milan in the fall might just be fireworks....!

P.S. Stay tuned for the conclusion of my wardrobe in Singapore: I still have FOUR fabulous weeks to share with you all and THREE incredible trips around Asia to recount. I vow here and now to complete this before I'm off to Milano for grad school in T minus 2.5 weeks (the last commandment).

Week 3: A Little Late...Don't Hate

**Disclaimer: I have failed you all, I apologize. This was written (except for the last two outfits) a week and a half ago. I just didn't have any more writing energy and then I got super busy being touristy and it just didn't happen! I'm SORRY! So when I say I'm going to Bali, I actually went this past weekend. And no worries, I will tell you all about it, just take a sec (2-4 days) to let this one soak in and then I'll post last weeks finds in the wardrobe.**


SO (this calls for caps lock) I, Laurel Peterson, am going to BALI next weekend. BALIII BALIIIII BALLLLIIIIIIIIII. Kinda makes you wanna dance when you say it like that right? Well I just want to dance because I'm going! And I'm currently doing something Carlton Banks-esque because it really is that thrilling where dancing like a rich nerd on a '90s TV show is entirely warranted. Oh and not to make you even more jivey in front of your computer screen, but I'm going to Siem Reap, Cambodia too. TO SEE ANGKOR WAT. This has been my dream since Mr. Nelson's 6th grade social studies class where I somehow got cut out of the cool group who got Ireland and I was like s*** (I said this as a 6th grader of course), but then I was like OH YEAA this place is way cooler once I did a little googling. Or whatever you used to do research back in the good 'ol days. Probably in the Ask Jeeves era. But the key here is for you not to freak out. I tried to distract you from the safety level with my middle school days bit, but I'm not sure I was entirely successful. So to ease your mind, I will confirm to you all that I am going to be an über careful child because I am not the type who will do well when kidnapped and be forced to wear the same pitiful outfit day after day (or even worse, they give me a burlap sack or something....my mind is running wild here). I would probably go psychotic before they could figure out international calling for my ransom money.  I hope you're laughing because I am.

Ok so enough of my fabulous life, let's get to....oh yea, more about my fabulous life! (you can't slap me through cyberspace muahaha) Here is this week's wardrobe in my usual, very long nutshell.

Monday: the belt says it all. I love waist belts. And I love this one in particular. Mostly because it really is unlike anything you've ever seen before. I found it at a favorite vintage shop in Lexington and it just caught my eye. "That is so weird," I pondered, "I think I shall buy it." And I have worn that belt at least 25 times in the past year, which is a pretty good ratio of wears/days of the year if you ask me. As I like to say often: it's love.


As I'm sure you can note to the right here, it's pretty fantastically off kilter from normal. It has ribbon folds and white sequins and pearls and somehow manages to find itself similar to a Monet. At first you're thinking, "Right, yea...talented guy this Monet. Look at all these, er, splotches and dots and...stuff." But then you back away and you're thinking, "GENIUS! My eyes are getting lost in the genius." My precise thoughts upon viewing this belt.

As an added bonus to my belt bliss on Monday, I also got the chance to wear my new shoes. What perfect little green stones they have. And please guess how much these magnificent ballet flats cost. Nooo, silly, not $595 at Neiman Marcus, S$10 (that's sing dollars - I'm trying to ease you all into the culture). YEAH. So we're talking like pennies in America! (Prices are subject to change as my delusions become more and more realistic - check google for up-to-date price information) I'm not exactly expecting them to see my 23rd birthday or anything, but they weren't too shabby for ten bucks.

Tuesday: I'm on a boat. Look at this vision of nautical wonder. I was just preparing Singapore for the sight that was Wednesday's all-out all-american look. Wearing my glasses (get used to it) and a couple key vintage pieces. The shirt I purchased at Salvation Army for $3 and the necklace was a vintage piece I wore to the Derby this year. What I love most is the curious collar on my sailboat blouse. Like tassels in the last post, I adore adore adore adore collars. Love 'em. Changing a collar on a top can change everything about the outfit and it's vibe. And this one is truly unique. I've found that buttoning a collared shirt all the way to the top really ups the ante quite a bit on one's fabulousness. Makes for an exceptionally different look altogether and one that is also exceptionally fun in Singaporean heat (I understand the whole tie thing now, men). I suffer for you all, appreciate me.

AMERICA, AMERICA, land that I love!.......Being abroad really gets you carried away with the tenacity of your patriotism. You absolutely cannot imagine the number of looks I got for this number. So Wednesday: Can I? Amer-I-can! Now this, along with being a favorite quote from the movie Drop Dead Gorgeous, is what willpower I had to use to cultivate this outfit into being. I had the jean dress (I actually bought it here), so that was a given. How much more American does it get than your basic blue jean? I had the glasses (DUH) and the red gingham bow (I bought it in London...blasphemous, I know), but I need a little more WOW. So my own creativity proved expert with this one:

Yup. I braided red, white, and blue skinny belts together and the effect was pretty WOW. Happy Birthday, America. I braided these belts in the name of freedom. Land of the free and home of Laurel: new slogan.

My "Proud to be an American" face.

Gingham: sooo 1776

Thursday: flower child. My coloring is begging to be back in the 1970's, right? Love it. And if anyone were to like Cozycot.com on Facebook, they might be able to see me in this particular outfit showing you people how to do a summer look with your makeup on VIDEO. Yes, I did some video tutorials. I'm not fantastic, but I was surprised at the tiny bit of terminology I have that would make me appear as if I am semi-professional enough for this task. I'm really talented at convincing you all to go watch my 2 minute video instead of like 'charlie the unicorn' or something again, riiiiight? But I will say, I am MUCH better than that malarkey. 



Back to the outfit: look to the left here for an up-close-and-personal with my new bracelet. Kind of looks like a garter, but we are going to strictly prohibit that thinking and go with a ruffle cuff. Isn't that just darling to say? Ruffle cuff!


RUFFLE CUFF.

Friday: colorblock me. Now if you live under a rock, you might think that sounds a bit off. But if you've been shopping this summer, you probably would have noticed, even if you weren't familiar with the term (I'm not here to crucify you), that there's a lot of solid colors being matched together on the same item - this goes for patterns too. I personally enjoy colorblocking immensely because 1, I hate wearing dull colors unless it's just completely fabulous in another way, and 2, it's easy! You obviously need to ensure that your color palette isn't off, so please do ask for some help if disabled in that area, but otherwise you're golden. Here I matched the black peplum top with blue cropped pants (not entirely creative, just wait though) and the emerald green stone necklace, leopard wedges, tangerine lipstick and voila would ya look at that! It's not overwhelming, but still pops at random strangers and says (not screams), "I like color!" I say 'to random strangers' because the people that know me hear the scream, as they see me on a regular basis, usually with sunglasses in hand.











Some shoes just look really good on your foot. And I have got to say....these are IT. And wedges to boot (no pun intended), so they're actually contraptions you can walk in and comfortably I daresay!

The End of Week 2: Glasses and Tassels

Monday: got a case of the mondays. The badass outfit mondays. Purchasing so many perfect items over the weekend has its consequences. You simply cannot choose what to wear....until of course you recall that you found cherry red spectacles that happen to go keenly with that cherry red lipstick you've been matting on your lips every day. Cue the angels and their harps, you're in monday heaven. I was even told I resembled a Barbie by grocery store workers. A valuable source.



I resemble Donatella Versace rolling her eyes at the paparazzi in this one to the right, so disregard the sour expression and note the glasses (of course), new neon necklace, and earrings. Schnazzy, to put this kind of amazing in one word.

Tuesday: not my favorite thus far, I'm not gonna fib with you, all-important audience. I was not in love with this outfit and I'm not even showing you the shoes because it wasn't pretty. I think something could have been coordinated more fully here...or maybe it just didn't have the oomph of Monday (ya don't hear that a lot, eh?). And my farmer's tan is ever so painfully apparent in the picture below. And I obviously need to clean my mirror/hose off my entire sad little sauna.












Still adore my Topshop collar, but this one element just was not pulling the whole look together for me. So on to the next.












Wednesday: a scientific breakthrough in hair. Wednesday was a very good day. I became a little adventurous in my extreme boredom with my golden strands of hair. It's curly, it's frizzy, blah blahhh blahhh where's the crimper?? ANYTHING! So I engineered a new trend. A new frontier in styling. I brushed through my curly locks. And ya know what I got?

I mean, not half bad, right?! It's kind of wavy, still maintaining the inevitable frizz (go team), my bangs were a little out of sorts this day, but I felt like I really discovered something here. I felt like The Beatles or Mark Zuckerberg or George Washington. I'm about to start a revolution. Just go with it.



Along with my ingenious moments of Wednesday morning I found a little brainpower left to incorporate my daisy earrings with my new chain print dress. Chain print is kind of a big deal right now. If you love it as much as I do, hop on that bandwagon! I'l show you how to do your hair on the way.

Paired with my summer tweed suit jacket, above, it was quite the lively ensemble for hump day.

Thursday: tassel chic. I love tassels. I love them. Tassels are one of those details that came out of nowhere, slapped me on the forehead and said, "HELLO I've been on your poor father's loafers for the past 22 years, WHY didn't you notice me before now??" All the signs were there. They instantly add an element of sophistication and class. They're fun and swish around on your purse, your belt, or as in my necklace below. They're just superb substance and I hope they don't go anywhere anytime soon or within my lifetime. Other than my orange studded tassel baubles, I adorned myself with a new purple skinny belt, the still spot on (haha get it) shoes, and another sleek new hair-do (my lucky week in this department obviously!). Don't ask how I did it. With my type of hair (bird's nest), we just tend to start taking bobby pins like knives to the hair - killing all the crazy.

Maybe I should trademark this as "the bird's nest"

   

Would ya look at those toe-tappers!

Le full ensemblé

Friday: I resemble a candy shop owner and that is A-OK with me under the conditions of being able to wear this outfit regularly.


I may appear a bit perturbed, but alas that was only because I broke a commandment, turned off that pesky alarm, woke up 45 minutes late, and was thinking, "if I miss the shuttle bus to the subway station and am faced with the prospect of hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro [there's a steep hill involved] in this sweater, I am cabbing it."

So the glasses obsession I acquired in the U.S. has obviously been reignited by these red darlings and I can't thank them enough. But I think the bubblegum pink cardigan is what really sets off the whole thing. It's a J. Crew one I snagged from my mom (or groveled repeatedly) because every once in awhile, moms do get it right. And J. Crew knows cardigans. I want one in every color. They're a great fit, applicable palette, and comfy material that doesn't stretch out saggy after one wear. Mmmmm. Bon apetit.

Had to upload this one because my dirty mirror finally put itself to good use by making a nice beauty mark miraculously appear on my cheek. Thank youuuuuuuuuuu. Applause for the strategic positioning there, you really outdid yourself with those coordinates. Would you like to sail my facial ship every day?

Two Weeks In and I'm a Sinner

Ya know the scene in Mean Girls where the burn book goes viral throughout the school? Gretchen's of course still yakking about her dad inventing toaster strudel and we're watching it for the 53rd time wondering what went so wrong with Lindsey. Meanwhile the girls in the hallway are going berserk. And then the nerdy teacher walks in the principal's office and says, "The girls....the girls have gone.....wild." That happened in real life today.

Shout out to Kirsten and Haley for the camaraderie on this one because they had some serious Laurel-esque shopping stamina. And by the end of the day they were convincing me to buy things as well as I was convincing them at the beginning of the day. It starts with one swipe of the credit card and before you know it you're saying "oh yea, like 50 sing dollars is only like 35 usd, I'm buying it." By the end of the day we were in such a euphoric haze I think we were just snatching up all the cute in sight, chucking them at the cashier along with our Visa and asking them if they could ring it up while we check out the store next-door.

It was beautiful. I felt like Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette when they play, "I Want Candy," and there's all this decadent pastel fabric being tossed around the room and she's like yea, servant, i'll take that and that and 2 gowns in that, oh and matching shoes for each." Let 'em eat cake, I got more shopping to do.

I mean it was just that good, people. I had a freaking blast. It was one adorable (tiny) shop after another and another and...oh my gosh another! And we only covered like maybe 1.5 levels of this angelic place. 'Twas in a word: bliss.

The center is filled with a thousand little "blog shops." Apparently many young people have become highly entrepreneurial and started blogs selling items they buy in the area of Southeast Asia and then if they become successful enough, the open a retail shop. They're about the size of my walk-in closet at home, but as we all know from that shining example, you can fit a whole lot 'o wonderful in something that size.

The only thing that I was in a love/hate relationship with was the sizing of the clothes. Most (not all) of these shops had a "fits all" size. HA. Yes, because every person reading this blog right now can all wear the same size. Why don't we all just pool together on a wardrobe and share? WHAT have we been doing all these years?? So here's how I define my love/hate thoughts on this interesting system:

1. Love: It prevented me from buying so much and also, highlights that only certain items will look good on certain body types. I have to cringe when I see a dropwaist dress in a very large size. It's just not going to complement a larger body type, plain and simple. Curves deserve to be complemented and a dropwaist just isn't going to emphasize anything at all. So in a way, this one-sized concept (one size usually being pretty small), is simply their way of 1, saving money, and 2, saying, "hey, this doesn't fit for a reason." Although, this certainly wasn't true for a fair amount of pieces I found today, so this is a very loose theory.
2. Hate: OMG THAT DRESS IS SO CUTE, I wonder if it comes in anything bigger than what appears to be a size zero??! Nope, gurl, try again. As previously stated, their expectation for this whole one-size fits all thing is a bit unrealistic in nature. We are all made so differently. And while small, medium, and large don't really do it all the time, it certainly helps to have a distinct variation. It seems a little presumptuous to believe that every person walking into their store will fit in every item. It's not even an issue of someone being overweight or underweight. It's the idea that our bodies are naturally so different. I have broad shoulders from my years of swimming and some people have just the opposite problem. Some have this, some have that. But the question is, at what point do you begin labeling something as the standard and discount these 'irregularities'? You can't please tall people and short people; long torsos and short ones; curvy bods and boyish figures. There has to be a line drawn somewhere. But a one-size fits all? In my opinion, best left to purses, jewelry, and scarves.

Serious time over.

So I mean since you already know, I guess it's time to acknowledge the fact that I broke commandment 5 today (and potentially 6 too, let's be real).....

C'est la vie, carpe diem, whatever, I was suckered in by all the deals! It's not called, "The Great Singapore Sale" for no reason.

Yea, yea, so don't think I'm not facing my penance. I, Rebecca Laurel Peterson, am sitting in my room at 12:09 a.m. on a Saturday night blogging. Because the thought of spending anymore money today is making me sweat. Oops, that's just the hot yoga studio, I call home. 

Do I regret it?

I'm LOL'ing you all, stop it with the silly questions. 

Sinning feels goooooooood.

The End of Week 1: I Love Singapore

So a separate post had to be made for the continuation of this week's clothing report, as I like an ounce of organization in my life. So here goes, the summation of my first full week. Warning: there are a lot of princess references.


Here to the left, you can notice my choice for Tuesday. Maxi dress, (comfortable) wedges, and a peacock bangle to liven up the mood. Note the continued Marilyn skirt action going on with this one - even better than the last in my book and the skirt does this all day, so you feel as if you're constantly on the catwalk or some kind of grecian goddess or something else of a regal nature. 

THE Peacock bangle

I also got a new bag *OH HAPPY DAY* (see right) because I was embarrassingly enough, carrying my laptop to work in my L.L.Bean "Laurel" fuchsia pink backpack from years 5-8 of life. It's the only backpack I own, I don't want to hear any laughs. It was painfully hard to write.

Scarf closeup

I even got a scarf to accent because if you know me, "less is more" just doesn't cut it. And it was such a delightful combination of mint green, lavender, and gold that such feminine souls as myself couldn't be caught drooling any longer and had to purchase.

My pick for Wednesday: a bright and summery poppin' yellow and tangerine number combined with world's most comfortable pants. They may look a little like I'm about to go on a carpet ride with Aladdin (...I wouldn't really mind), but when paired with the right things, people will not recognize the Jasmine-esque qualities of your bottoms and simply think you're super stylin' - until of course Aladdin comes floating along and then you have to look as much like a princess as possible so you can be whisked away. The Aladdin character at Disneyworld was really attractive, take my word for it.

Seashells: a recent obsession

Thursday: kickin' it with Cleopatra. I mean isn't an Egyptian goddess what you imagine when you see this choker necklace on me? Mmm yes, as I thought. Carry on. Had to liven up the tweed skirt with something, didn't I? And my tangerine lipstick naturally, because I have a fetish and no one get in my way.

On to Friday: pastel princess. Mint Green (I think we're beginning to notice a pattern here, doctor) collar, ballerina slipper pink jewels to adorn the neck, and lilac platforms. Although if you think I wore those heels to work, you're off you're rocker. One heels experience a week is sufficient, thanks. But for creativity's sake, go with me here.

Going sans red lipstick for a day to break the addiction

All in all, an entirely splendid first week here at my internship. The people I work with are fantastic and I truly look forward to going into work each day, which I think speaks volumes. I enjoy eating lunch with them each day and learning new things about the industry, the lifestyle, the traditions, the food, and anything else in the definition of culture. Yesterday marked the anniversary (yes, it's getting that serious) of my second week in Singapore and I can honestly say: I'm in love.


Yes, there are imperfections. The heat (a biggie when you're a girl who has despised sweating your entire life, hence why swimming was my kinda sport). The food is sometimes weird. But if a picky eater like myself can get past the differences and learn to try new things, anyone can. There are sometimes tiny ant-like creatures crawling around my room. But lemme tell ya, there's nothing more satisfying than getting a flip flop and going to town on those things. You feel like you just took over Mesopotamia or some kingdom of the sort. If anyone passes by your door all they hear is "HA take that! Oh you think you're gonna get away, THINK AGAIN ANT. BOOOOOM" so they probably believe they live next to a crazed girl with anger problems. Might want to think of ways to improve my PR. But when you get past the imperfections, you begin to notice the satisfaction in creating a positive environment for yourself and conquering the little obstacles that do not have to define your livelihood. Dwelling on these silly things would only drive me bonkers all summer, so I choose to make a party out of killing ants and suck it up and try the Durian (famed smelly fruit of Singapore) and lay naked in my room because clothes are simply NOT an option. Every time I get on Skype, my family is like, "Why won't you turn on your video?! We want to see you!" and I'm all like, "Uhhhh no you don't."And these things have made great material for my blog, let's be real.


So on to conquering more insects, trying new foods, and utilizing my handheld Disney princess fan I purchased (gotta beat the heat somehow, so it might as well be pink and include Cinderella).

Day 3: I Conquered High Heels

I so promise I am like so not here to like inundate y'all with my blogposts everyday, but I'm a little giddy from my outfit today, so sue me (and I'm speaking like Elle Woods, so watch your back if you try - I know what ammonium thioglycolate is).


I'm feeling a little like a 14 year old who got her first camera, taking so many mirror pics. Don't judge, I don't have time in the morning to figure out the self-timer thingy (because yes, I have already broke the commandment about getting thous ass out of bed and laid in my cracker box of a bed for 30 mins this morning). But don't you love the Marilyn Monroe action goin' on with my skirt?? Is there a manhole conveniently located in my residence, you ask? Oh my, no! I am just one of those lucky elite who goes sans air conditioning and in it's primitive place, I am the proud owner of a very powerful ceiling fan that blusters around the hot, tropical air in my spa. I should just fill my room with water and start charging like the Roman Baths or something. Hottest room in the city and there's a view! (7th floor people, call me Sarah Palin vision, but I think I can see China from here!)


Ok so today, I braved HEELS. HIGH HEELS. YA HEARD! I was in such delirium from the heat, I thought it would be a good idea to wear them all the way to work this morning too. Now do not tell me I'm not a genius. Here's a brief timeline of my inner thoughts:


8:28 a.m. F*** it (sorry guys, I'm trying to be candid here), I don't have time to think about other shoes, I'm wearin' these things. They've got a little platform and pretty thick heel. I'll be fine. Oh IPHONE, don't forget the iPhone, otherwise you'll have to find something else to "pretend" to do while randoms stare at your blatant American-ness that is crashing their Asian party. I have to say, it's a good party though.

Check out those bad boys!

8:33 a.m. WHERE is this god forsaken shuttle bus, I've got sweat dripping on the people around me I think. Why are they not sweating??


8:35 a.m. Cool, there are so many people that I get to stand. It's not that bad so far though. I mean I've been wearing them for at least like 20 minutes now and I'm okay. This is promising.


8:50 a.m. This is gonna be a breeeeeeze. I mean I'm going to be sitting all day anyway and I'll probably find a seat on the next train I take too. GOLDEN. Beauty is pain, beauty is schmain.


9:06 a.m. Try to catch me suckaaas, I'm practically out speed walking all you supposed "pros" at city life.


9:15 a.m. Holy hell, get me to the office now! Do I qualify for a special wheelchair or something?? What if I faint and someone steals my new shoes off my poor fainted body? .........Yea, I wouldn't care if they just replaced them with clog Crocs. OMG WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, LAUREL?! TAKE IT BACK NOW.


9:21 a.m. Why oh why do I work on the 26th floor? I guess the shopping heaven was too much to enjoy a nice ground level view as well. What if there's a fire for christ's sake? I'm tossing the shoes FO SHO YO. 


9:22 a.m. I will be glued to this chair for the rest of the day. But damn, my feet look good.


Ok so, funny random story time and I'll let you people go. What am I saying, even I was having one of those hysteric, crying laughs at the Crocs bit. They have a whole store here dedicated to those pitiful things. I saw, I gasped, and I did the sign of the cross and prayed for those poor people inside.


I get sidetracked a lot and don't filter myself, even though there's a backspace button clearly lurking in the same spot it's always been (*essential sentence*). 


FUNNY STORY: yesterday three of us girls were standing near the beach chatting when I got a scare. A woman came plummeting toward us, grasps my upper arm tighter than Rose on Jack in the Atlantic, and asks for "photo" and does the little motion like she's taking my picture. Little did we all know, that's exactly what she wanted. Somewhere in cyberspace right now, there are two photos with two very happy women in a photo with us, their eyes popping out of their heads with excitement, two thumbs WAY up (like higher than Roger & Ebert's without a doubt), and I imagine the caption to be something like, "AMERICA USA STARS AND STRIPES". Or maybe just, "Adele in Singapore!!!" because apparently I am a look alike. I can't wait for someone to ask me to sing. Rumor has it, that I'm pretty good. (See what I did there?)

Day 2: I Discovered Shopping

And here we are at day two. This shirt I found in a bag of clothes I was going to donate to goodwill (two years ago). Funny how you start liking things again and find ways to rejuvenate their look. Moral of the story is to be a hoarder and a procrastinator. It will take you far. I mean, I'm in Singapore for god's sake, how much farther can you get? 


So anyway, on to the juicy stuff: SHOPPING DAY. Okay  so before you get your heart rate up, I didn't go wild or anything and break a commandment within 48 hours of posting. What kind of crazed consumer do you think I am? It's going to take restraint with so much wonderful at every corner (no but, literally) in this city...country...the Planet Earth Heat Coalition...whatever it is. We went to Orchard Road today, which is the area where I work and conveniently the "Fifth Avenue" of Singapore. Thank you, Fate, for placing me right where I should be, in the pit of temptation where the little devil on my shoulder is going from 0 to spastic in 2.5 seconds, as you can see in the image below. Although I'm glad my devil isn't Will Ferrell. I prefer to believe he's a little more of a Ralph Lauren model. But back to the shopping.



Hmmm...how to sum up one's wildest dreams of what heaven would look like? I think angels carried me on their wings through the clouds of shoes, accessories, and all things good and wonderful that I have ever found in this world. There was even a Wendy's, so I got a frosty like the good, red-blooded American tourist that I pretend not to be (I wore my shades, don't worry, they had no clue it was me..). (Cue intense country twang) "I'm tired of this damn asian food. Gimme somethin' real." 


So here's the rundown of stores all clustered in this futuristic looking building I call heaven: Zara, Accessorize, River Island, Bershka, Promod, Warehouse, and wait for it....the holy grail....TOPSHOP, BABY, OH YEAAAA. I was so excited, I took a picture. Wild, I know, for a tourist like myself. Hey, YOLO. Yea, I said it. YOLO. Although it is key to note I didn't use this mentality when shopping. I was a good girl. I bought these delightfully mint green shorts at Zara and a black peplum top. At River Island (slowly becoming my new favorite store) I bought fabulous jelly sandals (they really like their jelly here). Because I needed shower shoes okay. Why not combine functionality and frivolity? YOLO. Okay, I'll stop. Aren't they the cutest shower shoes you've ever seen though?

We've all found it really interesting to observe the magnitude of shopping here. At every MRT stop (subway), there is a mall. Everywhere. All the time. There is shopping. And there are consumers to consume all these high-priced, imported brands from across the globe. I was thrilled to find the Salvatore Ferragamo perfume, Signorina, that I've been dying to have because no where in Kentucky can you purchase it (duh, Laurel, you live in a fantasy). It was S$185. Say whaaaaaat? That translates to about $145. I can purchase it at Nordstrom for $98. No thanks, Singapore. Everything is such, though. You have to be willing to throw down the dollas' here. And they have them. A lot of them. I however, get to suffer two more months without my Signorina. And lemme tell ya, I need it here like I've never needed something to make me smell nice...or just not so strongly like BO. I think it's the official national smell. And the song is, Great Balls of Fire. (Laurel-lame jokes must be interjected at some points, my apologies) Everyone smells like it though, so at least I'm not alone [she shrugs as she imagines she's swimming through a pool of fresh meadows and rain Febreeze..in Antarctica preferably].


I think that's all for now, folks. 


P.S. Aren't you impressed with me?!? Two posts already? Is this the apocalypse? Did you just see the meteorite too? A zombie? (Too soon?) Are we going down like the dinosaurs or were those blasted Mayans right?? Should I tell my friends and family it's been real and don't wait up for me because I'm going to need to make some last minute purchases if I plan on fully enjoying my last days? Might as well be in luxury's lap and die with diamonds, that Miu Miu coat I've been eyeing (it's only like $1,500: chump change when the world is ending), and Topshop around you, right? This whole YOLO thing got a little more real....don't worry, I'll blog about it.