Oh friends! I’m sorry I’ve been so absent with outfit posts.
I am getting up everyday and wearing clothes and going out and about … I promise. 🙂
I just haven’t been very good about photographing. And truth be told, been feeling kinda blue these days and not in the mood to write about clothes, shoes, etc.
Just been feeling ‘meh’.
But enough about that…..here’s my April Springtime in PINK recap:
Follow me on INSTAGRAM … as I often post OOTDs there as they happen 🙂
Pink Lace
I recently hit The Duffrin Mall for a much-needed eyebrow clean up appointment…and somehow this lovely frock followed me home 🙂
I’ve noticed that the styles of Forever21+ online are very different from what they’ve got in the store. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found this one. (PS: Great plus size selection at the Duffrin Mall location by the way ;))
Since it’s been a wintery-like Spring for much of this month, I paired it with a long-sleeved cardi with diamond-like sparkle buttons (Mark’s Work Wearhouse)
Hot Pink Shortie Cardi
Oook! Remember my tailor-made-just-for-me Birdy Dress from Vietnam? Well, I took it to the office by wearing this hot pink shortie cardi overtop (Old Navy) and this bright printed circle scarf (Ardene) to keep the cleavage work appropriate.
And last but not least,
Colour Me Pink with the Fanny Midi Skirt:
I picked up this amazing green Fanny Midi Skirt from Tatyana Boutique last fall during their BOGO event. Happy to note it’s still currently available here.
It is a pricey piece…so I’m thrilled to be able to make it work for springtime too!
I wore it last weekend to a fun Rockabilly Brunch in my hood, with a long-sleeve laced shoulder shirt from Forever21+ that I picked up ages ago, and the striped purse is Kate Spade (click here for more purse).
OH, click here to see how I wore it this past Winter, and where I went.
Hoped you enjoyed this quick and dirty recap of my April Springtime looks.
Got a favourite? Which do you like the best? Tell me in the comments section.
It’s the LAST day of April. And you know what that means: a new recipe idea from PPMeow!
My main mission for 2015 is a simple one: Getting and Staying Happy. In order to achieve this lofty goal I applied aSTART-STOP-CONTINUEapproach. And so I’ve decided to START cooking more – using recipes I’ve never tried before and sharing my culinary mis/adventures on the blog once a month.
I’ve even created a sub-menu on my homepage under REVIEWS on the homepage for you – my readers – to find them easily…and hopefully try a few yourself. 🙂
April’s recipe: Zucchini Medley
With the weather warming up, summer veggies start showing up in my grocery list! I’m trying to incorporate more GREEN veggies into my diet on the regular.
Zucchini is one of my favourites … super tasty, and provides a lot of nutrients for very few calories. Did you know its a type of summer squash?
Here’s an Irene One-Pan-Original…
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups cubed zucchini (about 1 large one)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup of diced onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro **optional**
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice **optional**
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
STEP 1: Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, onions and corn. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. .
I LOVE SPICE! So I added a few shakes of cayenne chilli to the pan’s veggies too. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro and remaining ingredients.
And voila! A fresh, light zucchini medley!
NOW, If you wanted to make it more of a filling meal – you can totally add a protein and carb of your choice.
I had some leftover pork chops …. so I cut them up and threw it in the pan with the other veggies for a bit…
STEP 2: Add a protein of your choice. I went with these leftover pork chops – cut them up into strips and add to veggie pan.STEP 3: Cook pasta as per package directions. And add it to your pan of veggies and meat.
And …TA-DAH!
Dinner’s ready with only one-pan to clean …. plus leftovers for lunch the next day 🙂
This veggie medley is a keeper! 🙂
What do you think of this recipe? Do you think you’d give it a try yourself?
How would you improve or change it for the better? Tell me your thoughts in the comments section below.
Although much of the trip was spent dancing with VLX …. I was able to check out a few sites, ate some amazing meals and even got to visit a tailor to get some custom threads made!!!
A few noteworthy things to mention if you are planning on visiting Vietnam:
There is a VISA requirement for this country. From my earlier post, What to Know Before you Go, many Asian countries issue visas free of charge on arrival at major airports and land-boarders. Vietnam is NOT one of these countries. There are a few online service providers that will help get you started with the Vietnam Visa process, we used: http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/ The application process is simple enough – just go online and apply. But the cost has gone up unfortunately — the online processing fee is $20 (just remember to select Canadian dollars).
Make sure the name you put in is exactly as your passport, that your passport number is correct, and that you put your arrival date correctly. If any of these are incorrect, you might have to pay a heavy fine upon arrival. This takes about 2-3 days to process and they will email you a letter – which you will need to print and bring along with $45 USD in cash exactly, to be paid with CRISP bills – no joke. If your bills are wrinkled or ripped, even slightly, your money will be rejected at the counter and Visa denied.
The Japanese Bridge – Hoi An
In addition to this letter, you will be required to fill out a form at the counter that you will have to frantically fill out before they will take your money. Some online service providers send out this form with the letter. Our service didn’t. FYI.
Oh, you also need passport photos – which you might want to get while you’re overseas travelling – as North American passport photos are usually highly overpriced.
The currency used is the Vietnamese DONG – maybe the best currency ever, by name alone 😉 Everyone is a Millionaire there, as $100CAD translates to $1.7Million Dong! It took me the entire 4-days to get used to the giant bills to pay for anything correctly there.
If you’re not already following me on Instagram … Here are a few snaps from my adventures in Hoi An …
THE FOOD!!!
I’m a huge fan of asian cuisine … but the amounts of delicious foods that were eaten my short time in Hoi An was magical – and sooooo cheap!!!!!
VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE (CAFE SUA DA) – This is oh-so delicious. Made with Vietnamese coffee press + Sweetened condensed milk filling a tall glass filled with ice to its brim!
AND then these BLOSSOMS – Hoi An fried wontons are covered in a salsa-like topping of vegetables and sweet and sour shrimp or pork …. they are crispy, mouth-watering works of art.
VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE (CAFE SUA DA) HOI AN FRIED WONTON BLOSSOMS
OK! The below dish is called Cao lầu – it is a regional Vietnamese dish made with noodles, pork, and local greens, and is onlyfound in the town of Hội An.
Naturally, I ate as much of this as I could while I was there.
Cao lầu and Larue Beer – genuine Hoi An street-must-eats!
WHAT I BOUGHT
In terms of souvenirs I behaved myself. My purchases included: two medium-sized fabric lanterns (for my balcony), coconut bowls, Viet snacks for coworkers AND the most delicious coffee ever + metal coffee distiller!
My biggest excitement …and spending … took place with the custom-made clothes!!! 😀
Everyone who had visited Vietnam before, had told me how great the tailors were out there. I was loosing my mind trying to narrow down my choices of what items I wanted to get made.
The tailor I used — visited them a few times to get the following pieces perfect for moi!
Before leaving for my trip, I picked pieces that I’d been coveting that didn’t come in plus sizes at the vintage/reproduction boutiques I frequent. And found my TOP FOUR items I wanted to get made:
1. Hello, Yellow two-piece midi-crop top set2. Green Gingham3. The bow-tie dress shirt & 4. overall skirt with pockets
Buuuuut there were TONS of cool ideas and dress designs hanging all around me at this little shop. And I’ve got a problem and weakness for pretty frocks.
In the end …. SEVEN new pieces actually came home with me! And when all was said and done, each item cost me approx. $42 CAD.
Which is pretty awesome, considering I selected premium fabrics + lining, got to add my own ‘design’ ideas such as adding POCKETS to everything …. and each piece is unique to fit me perfectly.
Nobody in Toronto is gonna be wearing my outfit. Huge Bonus 🙂
Stay tuned for upcoming blogpost highlighting each of these outfits specifically!!! Thanks for reading! xo
Ban hay khong? [bahn nay khom?] – Would you like to dance?
Hoi An, Vietnam!
Of all the places on my travel agenda for this trip – this destination was for the shortest stay. We flew out just for the weekend from KL, Malaysia to Danang, Vietnam ….a 30min drive from Hoi An, specifically for VLX – Vietnam’s Lindyhop Exchange weekend!
What is a lindy hop exchange you ask?
A lindy exchange is a gathering of lindy hop dancers in one city for several days to do the same dance at other venues, showcase ones own talent to the local community, and to dance with visitors and locals alike.
This was my first time swing dancing outside of Canada!
If you remember from my previous post, there was a pie chart highlighting the various nationalities that would be at this dance exchange – I’m proud to say that me and Dee (my travel mate) added to the 7% Canadian slice who were in attendance 🙂
Where We Stayed
We signed ourselves up for the full weekend – which meant we did’t have to do a thing when it came to booking hotels and transportation to/from airport – VLX took care of us as soon as we landed!
The glorious Hotel Royal Hoi An, MGallery Collection– we had breakfast around this lovely pool every morning!THIS was our fantabulous suite —- These Beds! These Pillows! These amazing fluffy robes!!! This place was divine!!!
The Dances
We were on a tight dance-filled agenda which began with a Welcome dance our first night at theHoi An Historic Hotel ….
The theme that night was “East Meets West” … here’s what I wore:
Dee and I found these lovely batik printed skirts from The Central Market in KL, and went twinsy for the evening complete with flower in hair and vintage bangs.
Batik skirts with fanny prints + tanks + vintage hair flowers + bumper bangs = East Meets WestCaught in the lindyhop act. (Thanks Jason & Sheila)
AND we were caught on camera and made the News in Nam!!! See if you can spot ME in the news clip friends 😉
While other VLXers woke up super early for a bike ride to explore Hoi An (after dancing ’til 3:30am the night before) …
me and a few other deep-sleepers chose to enjoy the day in the pool instead – until the next afternoon dance of course 🙂
Isn’t this a great picture? I borrowed this hat from a VLX Cowboy …and he snapped this photo complete with cartoon Asian sworded companion. 🙂
Beach Afternoon – An Bang Beach, Hoi An
On Sunday afternoon we were shuttled to An Bang Beach’s Soul Kitchen and took over a lovely little section of sun and shade …in between DANCING, of course!!!
Day drinking + relax-o in between barefoot lindy hopping = Paradise!Me among the beauties representing Malaysia at the VLX 🙂
And then the barefoot Lindy Hopping began!
The VLXers of 2015…. such a great group of people!!!
MORE Dancing Nights …
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ve likely already seen a few of these pic and can watch a few vid clips too.
Every evening there was a dinner and a dance planned for us. Here are a few shots of all the fun:
This evening’s dress code was “Extreme Opposites”. I had no idea what that meant … and so I went as Batman!
I’M BATMAN! 😉
Our last night in Hoi An, we had a farewell dinner at Green Mango ….with a dress code of “Modern Vintage”
Dinner our last night there…le sigh.
After dinner our last night of dancing in Hoi An….we took the Lindy Hopping to the streets…
My dress is from the Canadian designer Cherry Velvet Plus, click here for outfit deets.
Dancing in the Streets! Loved it!!!
Of all the places I visited this trip, THIS is the city I wish I had spent more time in….sigh. Guess this just means I’ve gotta make another visit sometime soon ❤
Although much of the trip was spent dancing …. I was able to check out a few sites, ate some amazing meals and even got to visit a tailor to get some custom threads made!!! 7 new pieces came home with me!
Stay tuned for the next blogpost highlighting these things specifically!!! Thanks for reading! xo
In case you’ve missed any… PPMeow’sAsian Adventure includes:
April showers, bring May flowers…. or so they say.
You know what that means? Closet purge and spring cleaning!!! And just look what I found in the back of mine:
Kinda thrilled this dress I picked up a few summers ago from GAP in LA (size XXL) still fits!! What’s more exciting is that 2015’s springtime trend of sheer fabrics!
Seems like sheer fabrics are never going away and thank goodness for that! Not only do they jazz up tops and dresses but they make us feel like we’re wearing nothing at all. Keeping it light and airy…it’s a lovely feeling. 😉
Something NEW … picked these babies up for only $3.99!
In an effort to keep it springtime cute, yet weather appropriate (yes, it’s still pretty chilly in Toronto friends) I paired this cutie-pie green & yellow frock with a simple beige v-neck cropped cardi from Old Navy. And stepped up the dazzle with these new dangly earrings from Forever21, keeping the footwear simple and warm with my suede booties from Reitmans.
But I felt something was missing. So I tried a belt.
For years now, I’ve heard the rumours of how beautiful the beaches of The Philippines are. So Boracay Island was one of the MUST-SEE spots on my travel agenda while I was in South-East Asia last month.
Hello, Kalibo – Philippines!
Now, getting to these beautiful beaches takes a bit of effort which included a 35-min LRT ride to Kuala Lumpur Airport, a 4-hour flight to Kalibo, Philippines.
Then a 2-hour bus ride to the edge of the sea to board a questionable mini-ferry boat for a 15-min ride to Boracay Island.
Followed by a 30-min shuttle bus AND a 10-min walk with luggage to our resort bungalow ….
The white sand beaches of Boracay is split up into three boat stations: Stn 1 known to be the ‘party spot’, Stn 2 and Stn 3. Since accommodations can be pricy we chose to stay at a more modest resort for the first 5-nights.
The jungle-like garden walkway toward the bungalows of The Boracay Island Beach Resort
The beachfront location of Stn 1 & 2 is always busy and bustling with activity.
Our little bungalow was a welcomed and lovely quiet respite from the island’s bustling party scene, but close enough to its heart for two single gals on vacation who wanted the complete Boracay experience. 😉
Our private bungalow in the jungle
Added bonus to staying at this resort: it’s fully WIFI accessible …. even on this little jungle porch! Which was perfect starting off our day with fresh fruit shakes & delicious breakfasts and for our evenings of impromptu name-that-tune challenges and Facebook updates to make family and friends back home jelly 😉
The only downside to staying in these bungalows was the window AC units were very loud. So night-time was kept cool and tropical with just the fan mode. Plus, earplugs make everything better.
Our quaint relaxing porch ….where we were served delicious breakfasts every morning and enjoyed cheapy beers every evening. Sigh… how I miss it so 😦
For our last two-nights we checked out of our sweet little bungalow and stayed at this upscale, splurge-o hotel: Henann Garden Resort
The fancy Henann Garden Resort —- Sadly, the pool was the most noteworthy thing about this hotel.
Sadly, the pool was the most noteworthy thing about this hotel…. which couldn’t be enjoyed as there weren’t any ‘children only areas’. Which meant children were everywhere running amuck, often without parental supervision! Sigh….
The other disappointments of Henann Garden Resort: it cost us nearly DOUBLE what our 5-night stay cost which got us a “deluxe room” ….. which had zero view, no balcony or access to any private outdoor space and no WiFi. In fact, the entire splashy resort only offered WiFi access in their lobby…which was always crowded for this reason.
“Deluxe” …pfft!!!!
Thank goodness the bulk of our stay was at The Boracay Beach Resort ... how I miss it so! *sniff sniff*
WHAT WE DID
Both of our hotels were located along the White Beach between Stn 1 and the island’s newest center, D’Mall. There are tons of shops and restaurants within this area…which we explored daily.
Boracay Island is a water sport enthusiasts mecca!
Sadly, as I’m a non-swimmer (for more facts you didn’t know about moi, click here), I spent my days being a beach-bum working on my tan (ha!), eating, drinking and exploring the beach.
Like the day where we noticed a grouping of rocks off in the distance towards the end of Stn 1.
According to the map this was known as Willy’s Rock. I thought maybe it had something to do with the classic 80s flick GOONIES one-eyed-Willy … but upon closer inspection turns out this point of interest is actual a Christian shrine – notice the statue.
Willy’s Rock …. at Stn1 of Boracay White Sand Beach. My gf/travel mate ventured onto the rock. 🙂
We actually walked to it from shore and you can swim to and around it, as the water was quite shallow around it.
My Outfit: Dress, Tommy Hilfiger; Sunnies, NineWest; Hat, picked up on my travels from a lil’ shop outside of KLCC
We also came across this giant Gorilla after lunch one day … kinda random, right?
Monkeying around on the white sand beach of Boracay
There was a lot of time spend lazing around on the beach and on the hammock of our bungalow’s veranda reading my book: Gone Girl. (Really, really enjoyed it. Sadly, it wasn’t one of the movie offerings on any of my flights back…le sigh.)Watching the sailboats at sunset never got old…
Toward the end of the week, I wandered over to the end of Stn 3 and noticed that the clear blue waters were keeping covered in thick green grossness. Apparently at this time of year this algae seems to take over the shores. It wasn’t THIS bad by where we staying, thankfully. And once you’ve managed to walked past all the greenness, the water was perfect!
The intense algae situation at Stn 3
And People-Watching was always entertaining…
We got pretty chatty with one of the below table of dancers/hireable companions… so much so, that by the end of the evening one asked to touch my boobs 😮
True Story!!!! LOL!!!
This table of ladies were a combination of dancers and um, hireable companions for the night or week.
Nightly entertainment along the beach included live cover bands and fire-dancers. Visit my Instagram for vid clips of these performances 🙂
Fire-Dancers!!!Roof-top cover band performing along the white sand beach
Oh! And I even donned my first bikini ever beachside and poolside! Woot!
My Outfit: Jellyfish Aqua Bikini from the GabiFresh line by Swimsuitsforall.com
WHAT I BOUGHT
Now y’all know I’m a hardcore shopper. But this year I’m really focused on spending money on ‘experiences’ rather than things…. and I have to say that there wasn’t anything particularly fabulous that I needed to purchase from Boracay Island.
I did come across this young artist on the beach, who was making personalized jewellery out of surgical steel wire. Earrings, necklaces and rings.
As you can see, I got myself one …complete with butterfly motif and pink beads…which worked out to be a whopping $6 CAD 🙂
We also found a caricaturist along the beach – THIS was not at all the pose we picked to be drawn.
LOLOL!! I’m pretty sure they thought we were apart of a lesbian commune. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. 😉
Also, seems I’m white in caricature, while my gf is part of the big-titty-committee. LOLOL!!! Too funny!
LOL! Even the crab on the shores of Boracay knows of our love. 🙂
I have to admit, there wasn’t anything AMAZING that I had to bring home with me from Boracay. OH!!! I did discover that full body massages along the beach and (if you preferred, in private air-conditioned lofts) worked out to $10 CAD for an hour!!! Naturally, I had one every day I was there!!! Paradise just got better!
All that returned to the T-dot with me was a bottle of Red Horse Beer that I couldn’t finish the eve of our departure and these chocolate covered mangos I picked up at the airport. Both are delicious!
My only souvenirs from Boracay
So there you have it friends. Hope you enjoyed reliving destination 1 of 3 in my 22-day Asian Adventure with me. Stay tuned for the next instalment. xo
Thinking about travelling to Asia yourself?
In case you’ve missed any… PPMeow’sAsian Adventure includes:
Asia: What to Know Before you Go – click here for blogpost
SPRING IS FINALLY HERE…with weather that matches. Finally!!!!
Now I know florals for spring isn’t a new concept or new fashion trend this year or any other year. 🙂
So, I tried doing the floral trend by mixing it up:
I’ve been trying my hand at mixing patterns more. Taking this floral dress and pairing it with a striped black and white cropped blazer really amped up this look, right?! I’m really digging the contrast.
In an effort to keep this outfit ‘work-wear’, I wore dark stockings along with my black suede booties. This was the outfit I wore to the office for my first day back from my big Asian Adventure (I’m working on those posts friends…stay tuned).
Both these pieces were thrifted finds as last year’s BIGDeal Toronto Sale (and the first time I’m wearing this dress ever). I’m not the biggest fan of floral patterns — but I really liked these colours on this white background of this dress.
Plus, being a peplum skirt it creates hourglass-come-hither style hitting the curves in all the right places …. that always gets a BIG thumbs up from moi!
How I Got The Look: Floral peplum dress & Stripped cropped blazer from Forever21; Black suede booties from NineWest
Dunno what sort of plan y’all might have this long weekend, but this might be a good Easter weekend outfit inspiration, hmm? 😉
What do you think of this look and the pattern mixing? Would love to know your thoughts in the Comments section below.
For other looks with this striped blazer click here and here.
Watching the sailboats at sunset never got old…
PPMeow! 
