Adventures in Wonderlondon I

Hey guys, sorry for the terrible lack of update. Spring break came and went, and once again, it is crunch time for Hairin and I. I have been so busy with this NYU fashion show (called ACE27) that I almost haven't found time to breathe. Anyways, here's some photos from my London trip. I didn't bring my camera so thanks to my beloved friend, YY, my amazing tour guide/host, who took these photos for me.

Down

the

rabbit

hole

I

gooooo:

Definitely need to check out Fornium & Mason at least once before you leave London

Arguably the best marcaroons: LADURÉE

Sinking my teeth into some amazing rose marcaroon

Gourmet Burger Kitchen at Spitalfields (def need to check out their flea market!)

Pretty darn amazing -fui

Come float with me

I'm a sucker for the beach. Few things make me happier than lying on a beach with clear blue water and white sand. And after an intense, and I mean INTENSE first half of the semester ( taking six classes had basically rendered me a walking zombie), the prospect of spending one week on the beach doing next to nothing was immensely appealing. So early Friday morning after a crazy, coffee-fueled past two weeks, three of my friends and I packed our bags and went off to Costa Rica. We mainly stayed at a condo in Los Suenos and our days were spent lazing by the beach, eating delicious guacamole and chips, hitting the gym, snorkeling, hiking, running, taking leisurely dips in the pool, the sea, the marina, anywhere with blue water, really. I strongly recommend the beach in the Manuel Antonio National Park as well as Lake Tortuguero, both of which were slices of paradise. The weather was gorgeous- hot and sunny, and I returned to New York feeling recharged like you wouldn't even believe it. I felt like I spent a month in Costa Rica instead of a week and I'm still running on a post vacation high. Looking back at these pictures, I can't believe I was there less than a week ago. -Hairin

Above are pictures from Lake Tortuguero and below are those from what turned out to be our favourite strip of the beach in Los Suenos.

an early 21st

hairin and fui are currently on their respective exotic spring break

vacations so i'm standing in as a guest blogger this week.

(me, in sunglasses, wearing a wolf shirt from union square, reminded me of christopher kane. haha)

i recently celebrated my 21st birthday at Capella Hotel and Resort in Sentosa, Singapore. the capella group launched the world's first six star hotel,

and the one located on our humble island didn't disappoint either.

i reserved a 2 bedroom villa with a private plunge pool and invited the boys over to spend the weekend.

the hotel provided chauffeur driven buggies to ferry their guests around, on top of complimentary champagne and snacks .

the hotel was really lush, and it was just perfect to celebrate the end of my army term as well as my 21st birthday.

in the evening, i held my dinner for 19 friends at the hotel's restaurant, The Knolls.

the past few birthdays, i've always worn shirts with loud prints, so i wanted to go in a different direction for my 21st.

(from top left clockwise, yellow polka dot shirt by agnes b, floral print shirt by d&g, blue/white polka dot shirt by paul & joe)

so i turned to Singaporean label Antebellum which makes some of the most artful pieces of clothing. i found this amazing white shirt with an extended bib-esque appendage.

(shirt by antebellum, pants by paul smith, shoes by louboutin)

the highlight of the dinner was the cake, which was whimsical and fun,

sort of like a final nod to youth.

we continued to have champagne in the villa after dinner,

before heading to velvet for more festivities.

velvet was more fun than usual, with an appearance by a special bottle of moet.

i've never made it into a club on any of my previous birthday because i've always been too incapacitated to manage, so i was glad that i was able to maintain my dignity this year.

the next day, the boys and i headed to universal studios singapore to sample the rides and explore the park before the grand opening on the 18th of march (my actual birthday).

i've been dying to go to universal studios ever since it was announced, so it was a nice surprise when the boys informed me that they had gotten tickets in time to celebrate my birthday.

also, because it was a preview ticket, the park was not intensely crowded and wait times for rides were manageable and relatively short.

i have to say, our little version of universal studios did not disappoint. sure, it was significantly smaller and there were less rides, but the rides offered a variety of options for kids and adults that i found pretty damn exciting.

the personnel in the park were professional and helpful, and the shows were creative and quite spectacular.

it was pretty much the perfect end to a wonderful 21st celebration.

- ivan

twitterpated

dedicated to viv.

Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: You're walking along, minding your own business. You're looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you're walking on air. And then you know what? You're knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!

- Owl in Bambi

(from I Love You mag)

Look through all these and into

Dolce wears coat stella mccartney. bag chanel. scarf alexander mcqueen. glasses prism.

Prism glasses are stocked at Opening Ceremony.

Chanel's Temporary Tattoos

my awesome friend, dolce, and the chanel skin art for spring 2010. the swallow tattoo is stunning.