daiso: "it's a japanese 2 dollar store, but it's not like your normal crap 2 dollar store. it's full of japanese products"

that's right - there is a line to pay

daiso

shop23/313 victoria st 

abbotsford vic 3067

in the same building as aldi, and it's upstairs

www.daiso.com.au

daiso is a massive japanese company which opened it's first store in australia.  they are a 100 YEN shop, which converts into AUD = $2.80.  so everything in the store is $2.80 AUD and they sell everything, from massage tools, cooking utensils, japanese lollies, batteries and washing bags.  i managed to go on my day off after hearing so much about it from my manager and friend who both claimed that daiso is "the best place ever. and they have the most useful things there. it's a 2 dollar store, but not those crap 2 dollar stores - they sell only japanese products." those exact words came out of my friend and manager who do not know each other. with that kind of review, i thought it must be worth checking out.  

daiso is not very big, but certainty has enough there to keep you entertained for hours.  the japanese just comes up with some weird stuff.  i found the store was very useful for finding things that you really need but may not know where to buy them.  and it's at a very low price for $2.80.  for example, my ray-bans were getting really loose so i really wanted some mini-screw drivers that everyone seems to have in hong kong, but i had no idea where i could get them in melbourne. now i know a place, daiso.   i also found daiso very handy for travelling.  they have all these travel friendly products in one place, even a whole wall section on eye masks and blow up neck cushions.  

here is a photo diary of my experience of daiso: 

all items are $2.80 - apparently that's what the AUD is converted from 100 yen

any one need plastic containers?

everyday massage tools for every part of your body - all for the low price of $2.80

this is a food drawing pen - that's just pure awesome

shape puncher for seaweed to put on your food or sushi

horse fat foot cream....

cook your eggs in a shape they came out of

japanese bathtub toys - expandable sponge animals!!!!!

my goodies - 10 items all for $28

from bottom left and going around in a circle: name tags for luggage, luggage belt, black head remover, magnet hooks, back massager, sanitary cup for the bathroom, earphone cord wrappers, mini screw drivers, jewellery stand, 2-tiered shelf

sunday mornings: coffee darling

fresh orange juice with grapefuit granita

our brunch

sweets on the counter

 

coffee darling

2 darling street

south yarra 

i wanted to go to the zimmermann sale in toorak on my birthday and brian was nice enough to come with me.  we parked on darling street and walked past coffee darling.  little did we know, it is the latest installment of the same cafe owners of Postal Hall, Federal Coffee Palace and Cafe Racer. we sat down in the very clean cafe on the most beautiful spring day.  it was too hot for me to order anything related to coffee so we asked the eccentric owner, Faye, what her slurpee look-a-like machine was.  she said it was pink grapefruit granita and suggested we order a fresh orange juice with grapefruit granita. from this moment on, it was one of the best brunch experiences i ever had.

Faye then suggested we get her chicken stew which was slow boiled and a secret family recipe.  so of course we listen to her as her suggestion for the orange juice with grapefruit granita was just awesome.  then we order full poached eggs with avocado on the side.  the food was so simple, but yet coffee darling had perfected the simple.  how can you go wrong with that?  the soup was so delicate yet tasty in all the right way. the slowly boiled chicken was not too dry.  with the avocado side, there was a sprinkle of pepper and sea salt on top which really enhanced the flavour. 

i highly suggest taking a visit to coffee darling.  there weren't people busting out of the cafe  - which is a nice change.  generally i find all the brunch places around town are so popular that it's a fight to get a seat and it's so stressful it just detracts from the easier experience. their hospitality is also something that makes coffee darling special from the rest.  Faye takes a special interest in all her customers - with us, she ripped up her cafe's newspaper so brian and i can take home a 3-page newspaper article about gen-y.

stella choices

as you all know, stella mccartney for target was released on oct 29th in selected target stores all across australia.  surprisingly, the stock did not sell out as fast as anticipated.  i went in on the day after it was released and much of the stock still had every size.  however, when i was looking at the collection i did hear a lot of people say, "wow this is really expensive".  maybe target priced themselves out of the market this time.

 

i fell in love with the above colour combination and the tulip skirt.  it is so nicely shaped and in such a beautiful colour.  the popular lace tee however, didn't meet my expectation.  it is not lined and isn't cut in a very flattering shape.  definitely not worth over $100 AUD. the skirt was $129 AUD.  however, i thought i would be patience and wait for the sale as there is so much stock left and people are bound to return their purchases.

the collection was generally very well made - especially the bottoms and jackets. the blue sequinned dress is not getting released.  i wonder if they had a quality issue with the sequins.  i really liked the suits.  the tailored pants are beautiful and very well cut, but the navy seems really popular as they were the only item which didn't have any sizes.   so that the tulip skirt and a navy suit are on the top of my list when the sale comes. the lace tee is still on the back of my mind but i think i'll only buy it if it goes under $20 AUD.  

i have target which stocks the full collection down the road from me so i will be checking every so often on the prices and update everyone.

iTunes Live: ARIA Awards Concert

the ‘iTunes Live: ARIA Awards Concert Series 2010,’ which runs from Monday November 1 to Friday November 5, will see headline acts including John Butler, Washington, Guy Sebastian, Sia and Angus & Julia Stone, take to the stage for a series of intimate performances at the sydney botanic gardens.  this is such a great initiative by iTunes to hold a series of FREE concerts for music lovers.  the only way to get tickets is to win them from a draw.  don't worry, you win 2 tickets at a time so you won't be going alone.

if you're in sydney, I would try your luck winning tickets for the last two performances here.  on the mtv website, it says the competition is closed but try and fill out the form at the bottom anyway.  you never know what can happen!

 

the schedule of the awesome Australian artist are above.  for those of us who are not lucky enough to be in Sydney, we can what the full performances broadcasted exclusively on MTV (ch 124) and MTV Hits (ch 808) @ 8pm (AEDT) .  

so why am i so excited that iTunes Live has arrived in Australia?  when i was in london last year, i was looking for a few gigs to go watch and i came across this concert series called iTunes Live London.  the iTunes Live concerts took place in a small venue (keeping to the intimate venue theme) called the roundhouse in camden town.  iTunes s Live London have been running for a few years and there are some big names who agree to play.  the concept is the same as the iTunes Live Aria Awards Concerts - so you have to go into a draw to get tickets  we won tickets to see 2 shows: mr hudson & calvin harris.  

i absolutely loved the mr hudson concert.  i admit i didn't really know who mr hudson was previous to the gig but we had read that 1. kanye west was in london 2. mr hudson is kanye's protege 3. kid cudi was also kanye's protege and was also in london.  now mr hudson is best known for being featured in jay-z's 'young forever'.  

there was a lot of buzz about this show as there were rumours that kanye and kid cudi would make special appearances to support their friend.  when my friends and i realised that these rumours were actually true, we could not contain our excitement.  neither could the rest of the crowd.  the venue was electrifying when kid cudi came out and played 'day and night'.  i don't think i can ever forget the buzz when bass just drops in that song. it's giving me goosebumps still one year later on.  as for mr hudson, he had gained a new fan.

mr hudson and kid cudi doing 'day and night' - it went off

mr hudson and kanye west doing 'supernova'

little joys of life

sometimes there are little things in life that just makes you happy. when i found out they were selling roast pork sandwich at a sandwich bar below my workplace, i was really really happy.  this is because:  1. i love crackling  2. i love roast pork sandwiches ever since my experience at earl canteen  3. i work pretty much in a relatively remote area of the city and there aren't many options.  with all those reasons combined, it was like a little piece of paradise came to work.

so here i present the roast port sandwich (i am drooling as i type) with coleslaw, apple sauce, roast pork and pork crackling with avocado spread

can you see the pork crackling... yum

this was probably the best sandwich i have ever had.  now is it purely because of the taste. i have to admit i'm not too sure.  it could be all the above reasons combined and the fact that i was super hungry, but i would rate this roast pork sandwich a good 9/10.

why is this sandwich not a 10/10? i had the same sandwich a second time and it just didn't have the same balance unfortunately. so minus 1 for inconsistency.

however, compared to the earl canteen roast port baguette, this sandwich wins by a mile in my mouth.  i love how the there is so much crackling and the roast pork is so tender.  there are also good proportions of coleslaw and apple sauce to give it that good sweet taste which goes so well with roast pork.   

a how-to that worked

bubzbeauty is one of the most subscribed youtube stars or 'internet sensations'. she would have hundreds of thousands of people watching her video every week. i love how the internet and youtube have expanded how we can connect to each other and share information so openly now.

i know there are a lot of how-to videos out there, but personally i haven't found many that have been particularly helpful. the above clip is an instructional video on how to curl your hair for formal occassions.

i have always had little success with my curler and always blamed the fact i didn't have a ghd, but i discovered this video last week and this technique makes so much difference. so enjoy! i think i'm going to stick with my 8 year old curler thanks.

how stella got her groove back

generally i get very jealous of usa as i constantly read on the blogging-sphere that they have yet another amazing designers for target collaboration. for example, rodarte for target (i couldn't help mysef but buy 2 dresses from ebay), jean paul gaultier and mcq alexander mcqueen.

i know australia has been very lucky as well. we've gotten some amazing designers for target campaigns: stella mccartney, yeojin bae, josh goot and zac posen. however, i have never fell in love with an australian designer for target collection until now.

stella mccartney for target round 2 lookbook: check out the their full website and photos here.


i saw these photos last night and i am so excited. it is a vast improvement from stella mccartney round 1 and i believe the clothes reflect the stella mccartney brand much better. what a great mix there is on offer here: from corporate to casual to formal. if i had to choose one collection to be my whole wardrobe, i reckon i could live with this.

from my simple calculations, the average price of this collection (including accessories) is: $100. i originally thought it was a bit expensive. in addition, i have found all designers for target collaborations are ridiculously reduced and have managed to pick up all my pieces at a heavily reduced price. but as my fashion BFF told me "well i'm never going to afford the real thing and it's similar prices to the first collection." both points are very valid and from that point on i started picking out what i needed (or in another words, what i wanted to buy).

my favourites at the moment:


fitted double breasted jacket $179AUD
lace tee felicia $129AUD
tapered tailored trousers $99AUD


collarless jacket ivory $199AUD
lace tee black $129AUD
tight lace insert trousers black $99AUD


lace tee ivory $129AUD
tulip skirt $119AUD
fabric belt $39AUD

as you can probably tell, i really like the lace tee shirt. it's looks so versatile and reminds me of the stella mccartney lace jumpsuit which was very popular amongst celebrities earlier in the year.


stella mccartney for target australia 2010 is in stores friday 29th October 2010.
how exciting! i cannot wait!

2:59 minutes in the water

brooke fraser - something in the water
this is possibly the best 2:59 i've heard in a while.

brooke fraser is a new zealand pop/folk artist, who's most famous song would be lifeline (i distinctly remember this song being played on home & away). she has been getting a lot of radio airplay over this song and i managed to catch a radio interview with brooke while i was driving.

she said how she had become very addicted to twitter during the writing and recording process of her new album, flags. instead of being m.i.a. for 2 years while recording (which generally happens to every commercial artist), she felt like twitter had allowed her fans to join her on a journey as she wrote each song. unlike before, she is not marketing a foreign product, but she is promoting an album with songs that people felt like they owned. i thought it was a very interesting perspective on twitter.

follow brooke fraser on twitter: @brookefraser

free photo booth

there is a free photo booth inside sportsgirl at bourke street mall (melbourne cbd). it takes b&w or colour photos and you get 6 photos. this is such an awesome initiative. i love these photos. i think it's because i had a little obsession with sticker photos as a teenage asian girl but all my photos got stolen, so now i take every opportunity to get them back.

when i saw the booth, i had to practically drag brian (who was next door in adidas talking to the shop assistant about soccer) into sportgirl.

hurry because i have no idea how long it will be there for! bring your friends, your boyfriend even your mother!

westfield insider: antipodium's cup of ambition

spring is here and there is nothing more classic than a denim dress. jak & jil's tommy ton has snapped many candid photos of the denim look outside fashion week this year.

at westfield shoppingtown, searching for the perfect spring day look, i found the cup of ambition dress by australian designer, ANTIPODIUM reduced to $49.95 at David Jones! i was utterly in shock to see the price.

this is dress is so comfortable and i love the pearl buttons. i can't wait to wear this out!

westfield insider: protect your gold armour

i love wearing dramatic jewellery. unfortunately, they aren't always made out of the best quality metal. after a full day of wearing a ring, i generally get a massive black ring mark on my finger. hence, most of my jewellery (silver and gold) have discoloured into a weird orange colour after a year of wear.

i'm excited to report: this no longer has to be the case! my fashion BFF gave me a great tip on saturday which i have to share with everyone.

to avoid any more discolouring on your favourite jewellery, paint it with invisible nail polish.

i'm using invisible Sally Hansen x-treme wear ($6.95AUD from priceline)

i was hesitant that it would be really gluggy or you could see areas which had the invisible nail polish. however, i was surprised you could not tell there was any difference. on top of this, nail polish drys very fast so it can even be done before you head out. I painted any areas which would be exposed to my skin (pretty much the whole ring inside and out except for the front).

i'm going to be painting all my jewellery from now on.

westfield insider: head over heels

Wittner is one of my favourite shoe stores.

it's on-trend, has great styles and within any girl's budget.
because of this, i love walking into Wittner to check out what stock they have and is my first stop for shoes.

on saturday, i was shopping with my fashion BFF for the westfield insider at doncaster westfield shoppingtown. Wittner was having one of their amazing sales and i came across these heels.


delicate $49.95AUD

if we were having a conversation face to face, i would have made you guess the price of the heels first and then told you i bought them from Wittner and how amazing the shop is. but since this is an online platform, i can only hope that you are as excited as i am right now.

what i love about wittner's delicate heels are:
- the price!!!
- the simplicity and versatility - this is the perfect heel for any occasion, timeless yet it is still a little bit edgy
- it will match any outfit - black matches any colour and never think you can have too much black
- the platform - not only does it make the heels itself more comfortable, it has some sort of resemblance to these lust-worthy nicholas kirkwood heels

now you might be thinking, "oh this is only a once off bargain..."
this is not true. Wittner has been the most consistent fashion store in the past few years. i can think of many examples of the above.

tomorrow i will share about my experience with these shoes and Wittner.


find a Wittner store near you at your closest westfield shoppingtown.

couch potato: heston's feasts

i have a new favourite tv show: heston's feasts

Heston Blumenthal is the chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-starred Michelin restaurant in the UK. he is a self-taught chef famous for his innovative-scientific style of cooking and his play with food on our human senses. australians may know him better as a celebrity chef in Masterchef season 2.

i watched my first episode a few weeks ago. After watching him create the entree for his guests, my jaw dropped and remained there for the whole hour as my mind was blown away by his thought process and desire for each dish.

highly recommend any 'foodie' to watch this show.

watch it: series 2 is on thursday nights @ 8.30pm on SBSONE.

i will bring my camera i will bring my camera i will bring my camera i will bring my camera i will bring my camera i will bring my camera

my family recently bought a new camera: sony nex 5
in a nut shell - it's has more capabilities than a point-and-shoot, but it is not a dslr.

what is great about the sony nex 5:
- it is compact and yet produces dslr-like shots
- very easy to use eg. can produce shots that defocuses the background and focuses on your object without changing any settings
- hd video recording
- i was particularly impressed with its hand-held low light shots.


what i have realised after using the sony nex 5:
- i am having a little trouble focusing on people, especially when it is in low light. however, i am sure that once i get more time to figure it out, it should be fine.
- i am not particularly happy with the colour of the photos. i find them too sharp. however, like above, i'm sure i can achieve the colour i would like with more play-around time.

this camera is around the same price as an entry-level dslr, so there is a lot to consider. however, if you want a camera which you can use once you take it out of the box, never have to read the manual and yet produces sharp photos, i highly recommend the sony nex 5.

now all i have to do is bring around my camera with me to capture "sony" moments.