Rainy Sunday Afternoon @ Haji Lane

After a year of shopping in malls and more malls in Singapore ... I was thinking where exactly can I get an eclectic boutique shopping experience akin to Jalan Telawi in Bangsar Kayel? Similar to browsing the streets of St.Christopher in UK and Flinders in Oz. Here in Singapore,I'm afraid the closest you can get to is Haji Lane. Don't get me wrong, the little shops were all very unique with their own colorful personalities but ... for a shopaholic, the experience runs abit short. Haji Lane is just one (itsy bitsy) short lane tucked between Arab Street and Bali Lane.

To make the experience, probably do a nice lunch at Bugis then walk on over to Haji Lane. Some shops open at 3pm, so be abit wary not to be too early. For me, it's a nice one hour kill (if you take your own sweet time).

Haji Lane is tucked away in between Arab Street and Bali Lane ... right where the pink arrow is ;)

Haji Lane Quaint Little Boutiques

With just one lane, you can't go wrong. To be fair, it's less crossing, zig-zagging compared to Jalan Telawi in Bangsar ... there's Telawi 1, 2, 3 .. 4 .. here is's just one lane, so no sweat really. The experience is quite nice, it's one quirky shop after another. Some are located upstairs (like Telawi). The first boutique you will see is SOON LEE. Although a big rave for locals here, I doubt the prices will fly with Penangites. It's one skirt for SGD 219 but a really nice one sorta Stella McCartney design. Tops are around that price too. So I heaved a sigh ... and walked on.

My favorite store is definitely VAINPOT. A cute little dress around SGD 43/= so I wuz quite happy that some stores here do actually offer this kind of price range. I would definitely spend more time to browse around.

Budget Shopping 101 SYDNEY

SYDNEY!!! Aussie fashion is always right-on-trend, and very sexy. However, I took up the challenge to go budget shopping this trip. Means, get glorious finds without bursting my pockets. Read on, find out how!

So hubby and I took a week-long trip to Sydney via Singapore's latest budget carrier borne out of SIA called SCOOT! with Tagline "Get Me Outta Here!" And out of Singapore indeed we go ... 8 hours flight no-frills ... pay SGD$12 for a blanket, SGD$10 for plate of rice with stew etc. (we got none of those btw). It wuz abit chilly in-flight, we just used the sweaters we packed since Sydney was winter anyways. It was an overnight flight, & we arrived around 12noon.

Upon arrival, opt for the City Rail tickets. Get the 7-day MyMulti Zone 1 at AUD$43 each. This gives you unlimited rides on ferries, trams (also known as Light Rail), buses & ZONE 1 City Rail trains in all of the 7 days. NOTE: It does NOT include the Monorail rides (but it's okay since the trams will cover similar stops). Public transportation is not cheap in Sydney, one-destination return trip will set you back AUD$4-5. So easier to do the 7-day passes for unlimited rides. However, if you decide to include Airport stops ... you need to pay a top-up of AUD$18 (both arrival and return) for airport gatepasses. The gatepass allows you to arrive right at & depart from the Airport terminals (Domestic or International). Otherwise the you will arrive/depart from the station stop located about 15mins walk away from the Airport terminals. So altogether came up to about AUD$60 per person for 7-day pass with airport entries. EXPENSIVE! SO makes sense to do budget shopping right? ;)

Market City & Paddy's Market

FIRST STOP, right after hotel check-in ... we get ourselves to MARKET CITY. Take the Light Rail (otherwise, known as the tram) from Sydney's Central Station (wait outside the station, not inside) and get-off at Paddy's Market stop. Alternately, you can also buy a Monorail ticket at AUD$5/= oneway and stop at Haymarket. Both will get you there.

The ground level of MARKET CITY is called Paddy's Market. It's a pasar malam of sorts and it's only open Weds thru Sundays. Browse through stalls after stalls of stuff like Australian UGG boots, MAde-in-CHina souvenirs of OZ, Batu Ferringghi type t-shirts but browse some more and you will find a few stalls selling really spot-on trends at not-too cheap but not-too expensive prices. No bargains (I tried and failed). Why? Because, I was told the local girls will snap up the pieces because these are really cheap for them compared to the high-street brands here. Dresses sell at AUD$39 and edgy fashion tops at AUD$28. I got a dress for AUD$39 that looks like what Zoe Saldana is wearing below. Since I'm writing this blog 2 weeks after my Sydney trip, I've already unpacked and having abit of a problem locating it somewhere in my wardrobe. Sorry bout this, will load when I've found it.

Take the elevator up to Level 2 and you will get all outlet stores Aussie brands like Supre & Mossman. I wasn't quite impressed with the off-season selection, but these are really bargain prices at less than AUD$10 a pop. Can't go wrong there if you need a pair of ripped tights or a cute sweater.

Birkenhead Point Outlet

Ka-Ching! And THIS, ladies is where you go and shop in Sydney. IT IS A GOLDMINE. Granted it's in the suburbs ... a 25-min bus ride from Circular Quay but you get a lovely view from the bus of the Opera House, Sydney Harbour, cross over two bridges on the way there. How to get there: Take City Rail train to Circular Quay stop. Get to the Information Counter located outside the train station and ask for the bus numbers to the Outlet (there are 3 buses you could take, they will give you a slip of paper with the numbers on). Bus stop is located just opposite the train station.

Birkenhead Point Outlet. Once you alight from the bus, the outlet is within walking distance. Cross the road, walk on straight and turn right. And yes, it's worth going there.

The Outlet is fair size. One thing I normally look for in malls or outlets is whether it's a nice experience to 'lepak' eg. get your coffee, or the occasional snack, good lighting and the layout of the shops. This was certainly very nice. Loads of famous Aussie designer brands, like Alannah Hill at 70% slashed prices. Yes, so the stocks are past season, but for that price I'm wiling to look past trends! In Forever New, the stocks were from summer season (just one season before) and omg. So cheap! One full corset dress at just AUD$25/= !! With lace, floral chiffon and beautiful corset.

So many brands at bargain prices. WITCHERY dress I got for AUD$9.95, Valley girl tights AUD$6.95 and SPORTSGIRL monokini at AUD$25/=. Then I hunted down a maxi knitdress by KSUBI which was slashed 70% off, insane! See Cover PICTURE of KSUBI dress on the above posts. Had a lovely time, spent a tight MYR200 or so but got loads of cool stuff! It is absolutely THE PLACE to shop on a budget. Glad I went there! xoxo

Shopping at Bondi Junction, Sydney

What can I say? I just lurrrrvvvve BONDI JUNCTION! Take the City Rail train from Central Station towards Bondi Junction stop. The stop puts you smack at the mall area.

You will find the delightful Aussie stores ... my favorite, BARDOT, FOREVER NEW and lots more! It's easy breezy walking, with plenty of coffee stops along the way and yummy chow. You have to pay full retail prices (unless there's a sale) ... but overall, I like BONDI JUNCTION for the ambience compared to shopping at CBD.

Bondi Junction Mall layout is easily navigated, it houses 3 anchor department stores - TARGET, MYER & the popular WESTFIELD. I disregarded the first two since i had limited time, and explored WESTFIELD in 2 parts. As usual, one part houses the more luxurious retail brands .. there was a local brand I discovered call ZIMMERMAN -on display a floral chiffon dress to-die-for (see 2 pictures down, floral dress on the right). Let's put it this way, if I was a local resident in OZ I would SO buy this dress already. But as it is, price tag is AUD$695, so ... moving on.

Hands-down best shopping experience for me in Sydney because the ambience is relaxed unlike CBD area. Check out the spot-on trends of flourescent yellow & pink heels. Oh, and TIP: Once done, just walk back to Bondi Junction train station and catch the bus to BONDI BEACH for some fish, chips and beer ! Perfect lazy beach afternoon!

Shopping Review CBD Sydney

There is a reason why I postponed shopping in CBD (central business district) - my budget. Unless there is a sale going on (there wasn't btw) ... it's full retail prices for my favorite Aussie highstreet brands like Bardot, Forever New, Portmans and Sportsgirl. To shop around the CBD Sydney - walk along Pitt Street towards Westfield Mall. This is your START POINT. There are 2 buildings in Westfield - one high street brands & the other, luxury brands. In Westfield, I only checked out 2 stores FOREVER NEW and BARDOT. Next, Mid City Mall ... nice place. Basement check out Supre on-sale and RUBI shoes store. Got my breakfast muffin and cuppa there as well. All shops open at 10AM at CBD area and you can estimate around 6.30PM closing time (depending on which day it is).

Next stop, MYER departmental store - located along the same street as Westfield (actually just walk across from Westfield you will see it). Nice layout, didn't stay long there. Decided to walk down to The Strand shopping gallery ... very nice boutique shops featuring Aussie designers like Lisa Ho. Good place to have a cuppa but not to buy stuff unless you're prepared to fork out the $$$. Once done with Pitt Street, decided to walk back to Park Street where the famous Queen Victoria Building (QVB) is. I love it. Nice place to hangout, check out the shops at the basement, some good bargains there. Cool, trendy sweaters on-sale (got one for AUD $19.90), shoes and dresses if you like, for prices of AUD$40 onwards. I did not get anything else at CBD cept the sweater but it's okay ... Once done, sit down, relax and enjoy their aromatic flat whites for AUD$2.80 small cuppa.

Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) Strathfield

After combing thru the main streets of CBD the day before, I was ready for another round of outlet review. This outlet I picked out is called the Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) and I chose the one at Strathfield - located outside of Sydney CBD in Zone 2 if you travel by City Rail train. There is another DFO Outlet by The Rocks at Circular Quay if you like something nearer. But I thought try something bigger.

Once you alight from the train station, catch bus 525 or 526 and it drops you directly at the entrance of the outlet. Spanning 2 levels, just hit level 2 because level 1 is only Cotton ON and another brand. Upstairs, BARDOT was having an outlet clearance (shutting down sale), go one round for Aussie brands like Seafolly & Portmans. Prices are slashed 50%-70% which is nice, but selection is not that great probably because I've missed the restock cycle.

Overall, I probably won't do this place if I am visiting Sydney again on a short trip. Stocks are not that great. But, Strathfield is also a cozy little Korean town, so if you're bored with the outlet, head on back to the shops outside for some authentic Korean KimChi dinner :D

Well ... all in all, quite a good cover of Sydney retail areas in a few days. Hopefully this gives you some idea where to get the best deals. Ciao!

Relax, Unwind & Dinner at Melia's Sky Lounge

First, check out my sun burn after the Acropolis and Plaka walks. Horrible, and I was wearing 130 SPF the whole time.

After a quick shower, I headed up to the rooftop dining bar at Melia Athens Hotel. I loved the view there, and hope hubby comes with me next time. I looked at the menu and I really think Greece food is priced very fairly, and best of all, it's healthier than most foods I've taken in Penang or Singapore.

I decided to order the appetizer of cod fish with mashed beetroot, potatoes and fresh garlic. This meal is priced at 5 euros (20 MYR). This experience taught me Melia is THE go-to hotel for great food and great ambience. And this is why I think if I come back again, I will book Melia again. It's not drastic, fancy prices. It's really value for money for serious travellers like myself (who will come again, and tell their friends etc.)

Finally, since I'm not tasting the OUZO (Greek's wine) I decided the very least I could get myself was their local beer, MYTHOS. And as the sun begins to set, and the night turns dark ... in the still of the night, against the soft chatter of the dinner guests .. the Acropolis beckons us from afar. I smiled to myself how nice.

At every table, there is a little olive plant. The olive tree, for the Greeks is a symbol of hope and I'm glad Stella explained this to me earlier. I hope the people of Greece continues to have hope and strength to weather the coming challenges.

Yummy dish I ordered. The cod was very good, and so was the mash.

Refreshing Mythos ale.