Hmmm.

1. Crocs.
2. Too many accessories.
3. Using a camera or a gadget (Apple Watch) for “fashion”.
4. Old school white underwear.
5. Socks that don’t match shoes.

Part of turning 30 this year is to f-ing look chic. 😛

Here is my summer playlist:

• “Hold My Hand” – Jess Glynne
• “Poison” – Rita Ora
• “Adore” – Ariana Grande
• “Can’t Feel My Face” – The Weeknd
• “Worth It” – Fifth Harmony
• “Back It Up” – Prince Royce
• “Fire Meet Gasoline” – Sia
• “This Summer” – Maroon 5
• “Bettie” – Violet Chachki
• “Pretty Girls” – Britney Spears
• “Deja Vu” – Giorgio Moroder feat. Sia
• “First Love” – Jennifer Lopez
• “Golden Touch” – Amuro
• “Fly Tonight” – RuPaul
• “Not Giving Up” – The Saturdays

• Meiji Melon Milk – my latest addiction
• Bottles of Ice Mountain mineral water – just because
• Florida’s Natural Orange Juice – for the Vitamin C
• IKEA Plastic Containers – with our leftovers
• 100PLUS – on stock to bring to trainings
• Breadtalk Soya Milk – Tasty, at just $1.80!

Telok Ayer.

I love this neighbourhood. It’s behind the more hectic streets of Chinatown and borders the towering buildings of Tanjong Pagar and the rest of the CBD.

I love Telok Ayer for its many shophouses and coffee shops. It has a rustic feel to it (though it’s obviously re-made and cleaned up). Even better, Telok Ayer is just a short walk from my office. I enjoy going to lunch here (Gayatri Indian restaurant, Korean restaurants, Urban Bites Mediterranean food).

My dragon boat teammmate introduced me to My Awesome Cafe which sits right next to his office in Telok Ayer.

I don’t really have a favourite set. If i follow someone’s Instagram it’s because I like the person’s account. Duh!

Here are six accounts I follow:

  
@sixpegs – wonderful photos. she is co-owner of a café we love in jalan besar.

@cliffelvin – an acquaintance in KL. love his shots and his vibe.

@jc_ee – he’s cute.

@alanwang225 – from Taiwan. Love his photos!

@bowenxiong – model from Shanghai. My guilty pleasure oogling at his life behind china’s gay scene.

@lukeidham – aka Layla Onfire. Gorgeous drag queen. And deym that slim body of his. Howwww is that possible?!

Day 6 (July 6) – The 5 6 beauty products you can’t live without.

Made it six instead of five because of the Diptic layout thing.

I feel that beauty products is something I’m just starting to get into as I enter my 30s. I’ll share what products I use recently.

• Rexona Men deodorant – Adventure – I use this after dragon boat trainings
• St. Ives Apricot Scrub – 3x weekly
• Sunsilk co-Creations “Smooth and Manageable” (Pink) – a habit
• Dove moisturising body wash – goodbye bar soaps… sorry ngayon lang.
• Listerine Green Tea – hated this at first, but now it’s the only “flavoured” mouth wash I like
• Gatsby Hair Wax “Moving Rubber” – for years I’ve used Bench Fix, but it’s so hard to wash! Gatsby Hair Wax (the brown one) has the same desired styling effect… but is so much easier to wash. 😛

 

Day 5 (July 5) – Your travel essentials. Post photos!

My travel essentials are pretty much straightforward and normal.

  
Toiletries kit

Contains my bar soap (I’m old school), a travel-sized bottle of shampoo that I regularly refill at the gym, my Rexona deodorant (those buy 2 for 1 promotions you can find at Venus Beauty), toothbrush and toothpaste. I keep these all organized in a toiletries bag I bought at Takashimaya for about SGD 30.00.

Travel documents pouch

Contains my passport, recent airline ticket stubs, some debit cards (only take what I might be using at my destination), 2×2 pictures ready for visa-on-arrival, some smaller bills from recent visits to Southeast Asian countries, and most importantly a nice pen for filling up immigration forms. I also like to keep my earpods in the travel pouch when I am boarding the plane for easy access.

Delsey hard shell hand-carry luggage

I’m currently using a small Delsey hard shell luggage as my hand-carry when I fly back to Manila or when I have a weekend trip to a regional destination. I got it for sale at Takashimaya. There are only two large compartments.

Portable bluetooth speakers

I just bought this today! As an early birthday gift to myself since I love love love listening to music while in the room, in the kitchen, etc. Now I can irritate my flatmates with my pop music.

Smartphone with my favourite maps installed

Of course a smartphone. I believe in some holidays, one should ideally be disconnected from the rest of the world. But when I travel, I love using my favourite map applications like Street Directory or maps.me to help me get around.

Day 4 (July 4) – What I wore this week What I wear frequently these days

Okay, I’m changing this one to what I’ve been wearing recently for dragon boating. (SORRY.) I don’t do OOTD. So perhaps I could share what I’ve been wearing recently related to dragon boating.

  
L to R

• FDS 2015 singlet – exclusive for FDS members
• “No Excuses” (not to paddle) dri-fit yellow tee I picked up in Boracay
• PICE singlet – a complimentary singlet given to me when I was a pacer for PICE during Isang Bangkang Malaya 2015
• FDS Batch 2014 – dri-fit black tee – as part of the 2014 team in the exhibition race at Isang Bangkang Malaya 2015
• Quiksilver rash guard – a rash guard I bought at Orchard Central a few months back.

Day 3 (July 3) – 5 things or people that inspire you.

1. Athletic people. The ones that make time to improve themselves. Like our dragon boat team captain says, “be the best version of yourself.” When I see people lift at the gym to improve themselves (not to show off by taking endless selfies), it’s a delight.
2. Pop music inspires me. How does Britney Spears or Beyonce inspire me? When I listen to their music (the ones that don’t have music videos), I imagine how I would do the music video. It stimulates my imagination. It’s like a kaleidoscope of images, effects, and moods.
3. An efficient Singapore.
4. President Barack Obama.
5. LGBT rights activists.

Day 2 (July 2) – A list of things that make you happy.

In no particular order:

1. When someone gives up their MRT or bus seat for an elderly person or someone who needs it more.
2. French fries.
3. Holding my boyfriend’s hand.
4. A glass of Florida’s Natural Orange Juice.
5. Changi Airport’s automated / computerised immigration lane. “Welcome back to Singapore.”
6. Surviving a 1,000 meter program in dragon boating.
7. An extra cup of rice.
8. Watching one of my trailers on television. Preferably one that I’m proud of.
9. Dining with friends.
10. Whale sharks.