January 31, 2014

Year of the Horse

I was actually quite bumped that I didn't do any preparation for Chinese New Year. I didn't have the time to go for pre CNY shopping, no time to hunt for clothes and I was basically working late hours till the eve of CNY >.< I was actually looking forward more to the holidays rather than the celebration itself.

But coming home to the reunion dinner..

gave the New Year's feeling and the gathering of relatives and the chatter and the cookies finally got me the CNY feeling =)


Luckily got this dress from my shopping spree in Thailand last year that I haven't got the chance to wear.
Put it on and got ready for the first day of CNY and started the ang pow collection hehe
That's the best part of CNY!!


Gong Xi Fa Cai and happy holidays <3

January 26, 2014

Play it with Bloop

Thanks to HiShop and Bloop, my nails have been looking good for the festivities.
This time around, they sent me another set of nail stickers.


It's actually for kids but can be used for adults' toe nails.




Very pretty design! Mad love <3
It is quite fragile though. Fragile can be good when you want to file it to fit your nail shape, but bad when it tears easily. So be extra careful when using the stickers.


Ta-dah! Transformed the stickers sideways to fit adult toe nails.
You just have to play around, tweak it and add some creativity to achieve the end results =)








I can now have gorgeous toe nails!
I really love the flower design as it suits my taste.
Get your very own nail wrap from HiShop!


Get your own nail wraps today with 15% discount just for 'Dreamer' readers. Just use the discount code: ESTHERLKE


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January 18, 2014

Critics Choice Awards 2014 red carpet

It was a rather small crowd of A-listers this time. Among the best dressed list of the night include...

Kristen Bell in Pamella Roland.


Jessica Chastain in a Nina Ricci fishtail dress.


Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein. The 30-year-old actress won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her act in '12 Years a Slave'.


Sandra Bullock in a strapless purple Lanvin. She brought home the award for Best Actress in an Action Movie for her work in 'Gravity'.


Robbie Margot in an Elie Saab jumpsuit.


Amy Adams in a pink Roland Mouret dress.


Bradley Cooper looking dapper in a three piece Bottega Veneta suit.


Ian Somerhalder smolders in Dolce&Gabbana.

January 17, 2014

Freshlook Colorblends in Gemstone Green

I'm really liking Freshlook Colorblends and the choice of colours they have. After using True SapphireHoney and Brilliant Blue...this time around I'm trying out Gemstone Green! 

After Lasik, I was advised not to wear cosmetic contacts for at least 3 months. Now that it's 5 months and there's no dryness, I'm able to don as many coloured contacts as I want now. YAY!! Hehe I know, I know, the reason I went for Lasik was so that I don't have to wear contacts/specs, but I really like coloured eyes LOL and even before this, I love trying out different coloured contacts. Anyway this is for fun and I don't wear it on an everyday basis so here's my take on Freshlook Colorblends in Gemstone Green.






Without flash (the colour is actually quite prominent)


With flash (under bright light, it really looks like cat eyes haha)














If you like eyes colour that pop and you want to bring attention to your eyes(because it's your best feature) then I must say, Gemstone Green should be the colour for you. If you like natural colours, perhaps stay away from Gemstone Green otherwise you would be uncomfortable having such green eyes hehe

What can I say? I love attractive eyes and honestly, it is my best feature, so I'm really lovin' this colour! Besides, it's super comfortable to wear which is the main reason why I love Freshlook Colorblends =)
Get your very own Freshlook Colorblends at Mr Lens now!

January 14, 2014

Golden Globes 2014 red carpet

Awards fever is back! Which means more red carpet fashion <3
Golden Globes kick started the awards season with a few red carpet stunner.
This time around, celebs played with colours as there were a variety of coloured gowns on the red carpet. However, mostly, all are safe pieces and nothing really extravagant or much to gawk at...


I'm really liking Amy Adams' Valentino Haute Couture which is flowy and fits her perfectly like how any gown should be. The colour combination was great as well and the added sexiness makes it Hollywood glamour-ish! She won Best Actress for her role in American Hustle.


Jenna Dewan, a few months after giving birth to her firstborn with husband Channing Tatum stuns in her slim body wearing a Roberto Cavalli dress.


Hayden Panettiere proves that sometimes less is more. She's in a Tom Ford's black and white dress.


Mila Kunis in a Gucci Première pale gray silk chiffon halter-neck gown.


Sarah Hyland in a sweet pink Georges Hobeika design. 


Leslie Mann, always a beauty, in a Dolce & Gabbana peplum gown.


Kate Beckinsale in a shimmery Zuhair Murad mermaid gown. 


Emma Roberts looking like an old Hollywood glamour in Lanvin.


Sofia Vergara in a black Zac Posen ball gown.  I like how she mixed this plain coloured gown with a blue Lorraine Schwartz statement necklace.


Taylor Swift looking demure in Carolina Herrera's strapless gown.


Uma Thurman wows in an Atelier Versace Swarovski-embroidered gown. 


Julie Bowen in a two toned Carolina Herrera dress.


Allison Williams keeps it simple in a striped black and white Alexander McQueen piece. 


Amber Heard smolders in her high-slit silk Atelier Versace gown.


Newlywed Kaley Cuoco in a Rani Zakhem gown.


Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Haute Couture. I don't quite like this because it looks like a gown with two rubber bands but she did win Best Supporting Actress for her role in American Hustle so perhaps she gets a pass for her fashion faux pas.

January 13, 2014

Nick Vujicic- Unstoppable

It has been a very loooong week and a challenging one indeed. And to think that the worst is yet to come, looking at my schedule @.@

In fact, it has been a tough 3 months since I starting working(whatt?? 3 months only?? It seems like a year already!) Initially, it was very hard for me to fit in because working is a whole new thing. A whole new atmosphere of taking up responsibilities, be independent, doing work that seems so foreign(although you have been studying for 5 whole years!) and suddenly it seems like college taught you nothing at all. Like seriously, in my first month, I really thought that college was a waste of money because when you start working, you are like learning all over again.

I had periods of gloom, feeling really useless sometimes, feeling very stupid most of the times, not knowing what is the subject matter of your work other times, etc. To be very honest, I even had occasional meltdowns(drama I know!) and felt like a lost soul. Basically, I wasn't myself and the people around me could sense that. Perhaps, it was because I have set a very high expectation of myself and I thought I wasn't living up to it and perhaps I have not gotten use to taking up so much responsibilities and the thought of screwing it all up. Yeah I was going through some normal girls stuff that is in a period of change into adulthood LOL..

But, thank God it got better. I have great colleagues, awesome friends and most importantly, caring loved ones who made this transitional period into the working world so much better =)) I can now say I am coping better and taking it one step at a time. It's a great start to the New Year!

So, yes, speaking of the title of this post..

I'm sure you have heard of this author- Nick Vujicic


I was feeling a bit demotivated in the previous weeks and I thought why not pick up a self-help book to boost my motivation. Boy, was this the right book to land on my hands!

It does talk a lot about Christianity and God so if you are not a believer, perhaps it might not come as a perfect match in my opinion. But it's a very good read and superb to feel hopeful again. Nick Vujicic, the man with no limbs, yet so accomplished in life and recently got married to the love of his life is such a great inspiration to others. 

Of course, Nick like everyone else had his own ups and downs. But how he came out from his dark times and bounced back and made the best out of his life even with his disabilities should be a lesson learnt. 

You and I are here for a purpose and believe that God will never put you in a situation where you can't handle. Never wallow in your misery. Be patient and trust that things will always get better =))

This book definitely put me back into perspective. Sometimes you just need that extra boost in life. 

Thanks Nick. You've been an inspiration!

January 12, 2014

The start of 2014

Hi guys!! How was your first two weeks of 2014?
Hope 2014 started off with a great start!

Been travelling quite a lot in the past few days due to work obligations and it has been TIRING!!! But soo much fun =) Learnt many new things and gained a lot of experiences.


*clouds*
Finally, a different view from the usual computer screen in office hehe


Travelling alone taught me about independence and it's great that I'm fulfilling one of my New Year's resolution, that is, to be more independent hehe

Besides that, it's not enough that I was quite tired from all the travelling, I pushed myself to hike Broga Hill in the weekend. I have always wanted to hike Broga Hill but time did not permit previously, so when one of my friends organised it, I was excited to join.


It's so rare for me to see nature these days.
But it was worth it.


Out of breath and legs feeling like 'tofu', I finally reached the second peak of Broga Hill.


Honestly, my stamina was BAADDD!! I have not been exercising and half way up I was so tired already. But I managed to gather up strength and courage to reach the second peak. So, if I, the one who never exercise, is able to hike up Broga Hill, I'm sure most of you are able to as well =) I wouldn't say it's easy, but not too difficult, though coming down can be quite slippery so be careful. 

Surprisingly, at 6.30am, there were already so many people at the foot of the hill ready to hike up. In fact, some people were already coming down the hill while we were hiking! Talk about fitness freak! But do try to hike up Broga Hill at least once in your life. It's quite fun to see the sunrise and the view was amazing!

It has been a great start to 2014! Here's to many more accomplishments ahead.

Have a great weekend readers!

January 5, 2014

The aftermath of Lasik

Read all my previous posts on Lasik here:
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4

Now, this is actually Part 5 and will be my final post on my Lasik journey. I went for my 5th month checkup at Excelview and now everything has stabilised and all is great!

In fact, my right eye which has a residual power of -0.75 and a bit of astig has improved. Now, it has no astig and a residual power of -0.50. Left eye maintained a 20/20 vision. I have stopped my eye drops 2 months after the surgery and there's no dryness in my eyes after that. I also don't need to be dependent on my eye drops now. Further, both eyes have healed 100%.

I was a bit afraid that my power will regress because ever since I started working, all I ever do is stare at the computer screen for the whole day. But I do practice taking small breaks for the sake of my eyes and luckily instead of deteriorating, my eyes improved.

I mentioned before that I experienced bad glare when in contact with lights especially while driving, but not anymore. Now, the sun and headlights don't seem that glaring.

And I just can't get enough of the fact that I take less time getting ready in the morning because I don't need to put on my contacts and less things to pack when I travel =) That's the best part and of course, waking up being able to see things clearly!


Super thankful that my surgery was a success.