Moving on...

It's been a long time, but me, my new dog and writing have moved to Paris, Undiscovered. See you there :*

Harry Potter Exhibition Sydney

It's been so long, too long since I updated this blog. It's not that I've completely abandoned it (though seems like it), but I've been working on a new site - Paris, undiscovered - chronicling my adoration and exasperation of all things French :)

Last week with my friends, I finally got to catch the Harry Potter Exhibition in Sydney before closing date. It has opened for a while - Matthew David Lewis actually came to the premiere and I missed it! Inside Powerhouse Museum, we were instantly greeted by Ron's infamous hanging flying car.

One of the staffs - thick British accent was apparently an employment criteria - told us that strictly no photography and Cruciatus curse allowed once we're inside the exhibition.

I thought I'd be sneaky and took a couple of pics, but honestly, once we got in, I was more interested to explore and have fun. After all, sometimes tweeting / carrying DSLR and fretting about taking pictures with good angles could distract from fully enjoying the experience...

Though I did take a picture of the Marauder's Map at the gift shop since I was up to no good.

Ageism was definitely at play since only two kids were chosen to be sorted by the Sorting Hat - would have loved to be sorted to Slytherin :) But I got to throw Quaffles into Quidditch hoops - surprisingly felt like playing basketball with one hand, and I suck! at regular basketball, so... - and pulling Mandrakes from their pots and hearing them shrieked was pretty fun.

Hogwarts Express

Seeing various merchandise and paraphernalia from the movie sets up close was quite a highlight. Amongst them: Harry and Ron's tiny single beds, Half Blood Prince's Potion book, Umbridge's cat wall plates and pink room, the six Horcruxes, the wands, Hagrid's Hut and dining table at the Great Hall that seems to come straight out of Willy Wonka's kitchen. Last and definitely not least, Sirius' WANTED poster, which inspires me to go print a small one for my wall.

Notably, the outfits (Hermione's Yule Ball dress) look very costumey and less enchanting in person, although some (Dumbledore's robes, Cho Chang's and Fleur's dress robes) have beautiful and intricate designs. Special mention to Voldermort's robe that looks more like tie-dyed polyester chiffon.

Most of the items from the gift shop are of higher price and lower quality, though I'd love to get my hands on a quill set (works surprisingly well as I wrote 'Steffi Snape' in spidery scrawl) and Timeturner necklace. But since Claudia and I, HP obsessed fangirls that we are, have planned to go on a trip to Orlando next year, I figured it's better to save up now and splurge later.

Sadly, no chocolate frogs in sight. I got the cheapest thing in store, Bertie Bott's every flavour beans, which has let's say... interesting flavors.

The Sweet Life

It's been a wonderfully weird day week month. We've gotten a car, which in retrospect is so not a family car, I was admitted to the Emergency Room, where the doctors were ridiculously gorgeous, then received our very first ticket. To which I just shrugged, Australia.

{ red skater dress - Zara Shanghai, ASOS belt,

Topshop pinspot tights, Charles&Keith pumps }

The book I'm currently reading, David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris, makes me wish I had the courage to pack up my life into suitcases and move to a place far, faraway. It fills me with so much inspiration, which is perfect as I'll be travelling this week. Will post pictures to my instagram :)

High tea at the Victoria Room and NYE outfit

I'm excited to share the pictures I took when my mom and I went to the Victoria Room Tea Salon the last days of 2011. This white picket fenced tea salon is surrounded by a string of luxurious boutiques on level 4, Westfield Sydney, and serves as a fabulous escape for shoppers. Immediately, I fell in love with its ultra cute decoration and general dreaminess.

Please excuse the over-saturated pictures as the lighting of the place didn't mesh well with Trillian

Everything on the menu seemed delish. Since we were too full to have the high tea set (from $38/person), we settled on ice cream, a pot of tea and two scones.

Knickerbocker Glory ($12.95 and totally yummy) and Queen Mary tea ($4.50/pot - very reasonable and I requested extra teacup), which tasted rather bitter. There's something left to be said though about pouring tea from a lovely antique teapot and slowly enjoying every warm sip.

The Rose and Lemon, Pistachio and Currant scones ($6.95/each) were huge and came with raspberry jam and butter.

The Pistachio was very crumbly with interesting mix of flavours, but my favorite was the understated and fragrant rose scone.

All in all, we had a great time relaxing there. I would love to return next time and get the full high tea experience :)

~let's pretend this is a page break~

Aaand here's my New Year's outfit. It's pretty rare that my family is willing to take my picture for me with not-so-awful result. I'm also the better photographer in my family (though that's not saying much) so I'm more often behind camera than in the shots.

|| Forever New striped silky shift dress || ASOS black bow belt || Gucci continental wallet with chain ||

|| Kayser tights || Charles&Keith pumps ||

I decided to wear white on Christmas eve and chose a colorful dress for New Year's Eve. I was in love with this candy colored dress and bought it when it was on sale. At $59, I think it's quite a steal.

How is 2012 treating you all so far?

I believe that when I break good news prematurely, it will jinx them and then they won't happen. So when I suspect a possibility of good things happening, I'd keep it to myself for a little while, or until I'm 100% certain. Ha, I'm weird like that.

Pour exemple: my new iPhone4S - though my dad said he would get it for me, there are hundreds of reasons that could make it not come true. It could be sold out, the white is out of stock, etc. In the end, it might have worked because the phone arrived cute and sound and I'm now a happy owner of iPhone4Stef.

[ Reviews ] Topshop season end sale

I recently placed two orders with Topshop, making use of the sales and free shipping.

my blazer pic via instagram

1. Black Ponte Blazer - £40

I've been searching for a boyfriend blazer twice as long as I have been looking for a boyfriend :) Just ask Clau. I expected it would be overly long on my 5"1 frame, but the regular UK 6 is a perfect fit. As comparison, ASOS blazer in the same size would at least cover the butt.

Ponte here means thick jersey material so I won't be wearing this on a formal occasion. The upside is that it's machine washable. It also has faux pockets on the front and polyester lining. The lapels came asymmetrical but was fixed with a bit of ironing.

I took the plunge to get this blazer because of its 3/4 sleeves length, although I'd prefer a ruched end instead of pulled up sleeves. Or better yet, scallop sleeves? Overall, I'm just psyched to find a boyfriend blazer with a relaxed yet skinny fit *punch air*

2. Collarless Shaggy Faux Fur Coat - £98 down to £30 (!!!)

I saw this on iTouch and thought the color was brown, so I was pleasantly surprised that it's a vibrant plum color. It adds instant glam to ordinary outfit and I'll definitely wear this on night outs often come Winter time. For future reference, Topshop's UK6 is perfect on the arms and shoulders - oversized fit but not drowning. The coat is not too thick, with rooms for layerings.

Polyester lining and is made of synthetic materials, just the way I like it. The faux fur is also super soft and I can't stop touching it :3

Back view and close-up on the sleeves

3. Velvet trim Boucle short - £38 down to £18

I was in love with the boucle jacket, said to be bought by Kate Middleton also. Since the jacket was sold out in my size, these shorts became my second prize. I really like the poppy color and black trims. The boucle fabric in actuality reminds me of a towel. And I have a wide waist, so wearing UK 6 is a reminder for me to go on a healthy diet. Oops.

4. Dilly Navy Plain Short Wellies - £22

Hollywood romcoms like to mislead people into thinking that walking under the rain is very romantic, but getting clothes thoroughly wet with mascara running down my face and nice shoes ruined are not my idea of romance. So I've been shopping for rain boots/ wellies to wear on rainy days. Hunters wellies seem to be the popular choice but being vertically challenged, I wasn't ready to invest so much on something that is potentially too large, so when I saw this on the site and it cost just enough to get the free shipping... #lightbulbmoment

Thankfully, I didn't get full sized wellies because these go up to 3/4 of my calves #shortgirlproblems. They are really nice basic wellies, great color and look durable. A bit bigger (37 fits like 38-39) but is expected.

5. Chiffon Bandeau Dress by Rare - £34 down to £28

I'm learning to shop more wisely but I do expect to make occasional mistakes like this. I had one of those moments where I think that every nice dress would look nice on me.

The dress itself is lovely with the contrast zippers, and the color complements my coloring. But the unstructured skirt and high waist not only makes me look wider, I also manage to look like a 14 yo girl ready for prom. Since the look I was going for is the sophisticated Emily from ABC's show Revenge, it fell short of expectation. That said, this dress would look uber fabulous on a skinny girl, with black tights and lace up wedges combo.

6. Emily Faux Fur Bow Slipper Boots - £18 down to £8

These are the cutest thing for such great value. I bought extra for my best friend who's always facing cold weather in Germany :)

Miscellaneous things I got:

Petite Basic Scoop Vest (soft fabric, great basic) £5

Pinspot Sheer Tights £8.50

Aubergine 120 Denier Tights £8

And some silk lingerie :)

Items sell out fairly quickly and I bought one that was out of stock - lucky for my pocket? I've read complaints about Topshop's long processing time and delivery can reach up to a month. I'm happy to report that in my case, the shipping time is superb. For orders over £75, I got free shipping to Australia with tracking. Keep in mind that signature is required upon delivery.

Order 1: placed on 24/12, dispatched on 31/12, arrived on 3/1

Order 2: placed on 30/12, dispatched on 4/1, arrived on 6/1

All in all, very happy with most things. Will be back once I'm not so broke :3