Hello, gorgeous.
And of course i was talking to the phone. Singtel x Ogilvy recently very generously engaged me to try out the new 4G network on some of their new devices, so I’m on the HTC One right now and it is the most beautiful phone… in the history of ever. Seriously, I’ve never been this tempted to make the switch to an Android until now- it honestly makes all other phones I’ve ever used seem kind of lame. Except the blackberry. Because the blackberry has buttons and also is my first love and also is amazing and has buttons so it is in a class of its own.
I’m not much of a techie- im terrible at all the terms – and while statistically i know that 4g means nationwide stable speeds of up to 150Mbps, practically i have no idea what that means. What I do know, though, is that as a general rule, any up on a G (short for generation) means a much faster speed on the same carrier. Love it- I hate standing somewhere waiting for my instagram photos to upload for a million years and then getting upload failed. I think the reason why i feel the difference so much is because im actually using more than one phone at the moment- and of them all the HTC One on 4G is by far the fastest, most efficient, and shiniest. This is so frivolous and slightly embarrassing to admit, but it is just so shiny. The resolution and camera on this baby is amazing. I can’t stop shoving it into everyone’s face and shouting LOOK LOOK LOOK
Bit big for a phone, but it makes for amazing video streaming and watching, esp with the faster speeds. Basically anything that requires a lot of data at a go gets a huge boost from 4g- video streaming, mobile to laptop hotspotting, and so on. The only thing you’ve got to watch out for is the data consumption because it’s easy to overlook that bit. Singtel has this My Singtel app that tracks the data usage for you against your monthly allowance, but if you dont have the MySingtel app you can just dial *3282 and you’ll get an sms with your data consumption so far for the month.
Anyway it’s been incredibly useful the past couple of days at the Audi Fashion Festival because the entire place is basically swamped with people all trying to instagram their outfits and pictures of the models nonstop, which means hello there network congestion. You switch to a different lane (for want of a better word) on 4G so you dont have to fight with all the rest of the users- so I basically live tweeted the event without having to worry about it not going through. So incredibly useful. I don’t know, i just get really frustrated when the network is slow so I think it makes a lot of sense for someone like me. Adjust accordingly depending on your idiosyncrasies.
I’ll be on 4G and reviewing a few other devices over the next couple of months, so more on that to come! In other mobile news, I attended the media launch of Mobilecover Singapore last Wednesday at The China Club Singapore, which is something else that’s going to be pretty relevant (i think) to you guys, so read on. It’s not part of singtel and is completely unrelated to the bits on 4G and the HTC One i’ve been going on about above, but what it is is really a whole lesson on safety.
Mobilecover SG is something that should have hit us way before now, i dont know why noone has thought of this before. In one line, it’s insurance for your mobile devices. This includes your smart phones and tablets, they’ll replace it with a new one within 24 hours if it’s lost or stolen. Screen cracked? They’ll pay for it to be fixed. Got pickpocketed on holiday? They’ll send you a new one… wherever your destination is. Dropped your iphone in the toilet bowl? That’s kind of dumb, but it’s okay. Liquid damage is covered too. In fact, here’s a more comprehensive list of what is covered:
The bits im really interested in- the liquid damage part, because it really sucks when rainwater gets in your phones and ruins them, and the worldwide coverage bit. They will freaking send a new phone to you if you’re holidaying in, say, Arizona, and you drop your phone into the Grand Canyon because you obviously walked too close to the edge or something. Within 24 hours. It costs close to a thousand bucks to replace any of the newer smartphones without a recontracting plan, which means it really, really sucks if you lose or spoil your phone before your contract is up. On the other hand, insurance costs about ten bucks a month. I’m an arts student and i dont like numbers, but even i can do the math on that.
I dont know about you guys, but i’d much rather lose my wallet than my phone, so this is a no brainer for me. Mobile Cover was nice enough to give Mart and I one year of complimentary coverage, and apparently if you change your phone during your insurance year you can just go online and update your information so your new device is insured too. In any case, this is something i’d definitely recommend, (and not just because they plied me with me a lot of champagne, though that bit was nice too) so you can check it out and sign up for it here.
Thank you so much for the invitation, Mobilecover SG and Brand Cellar!
Next up, another photo diary from this year’s Audi Fashion Festival.. you know, soon enough. Whenever the heat lets up enough for me to sit in one place and start post processing the photos.
(I got my hair done again, can you tell?)
Heat wave is some kind of insane, so keep safe and hydrate yourselves you guys!
x
♥jem
More pictures, less words. Do people read text chunks anymore or are the blurbs just necessary accessories? I don’t know, but either way. Drea and I attended the showcase of Zardoze’s latest collection at the Audi Fashion Festival 2013 tonight, so many good looking people under one (tent). It’s so biologically inconvenient that we (i) perspire because the weather today was seven kinds of ridiculous, I was so glad for the airconditioning indoors. Shout out to Willis Haviland Carrier, inventor of the air conditioning system. But I’m digressing, this is supposed to be a post about high fashion, not household electronics. Here’s my gorgeous date for the night:
And you can stalk her online here and here and here, where she will undoubtedly be posting more close up shots of her OOTD and beautiful face. If you like our hair- we both got it done earlier in the day at Urbanhair Tangs, and if you’ve been keeping up with our latest episode they’re also offering a 25% discount of all hair services to our viewers, so get glamorous. It’s fashion week after all. So much love for the team at Urbanhair! Other nice things include bumping into familiar faces pre-show and at the reception:
Full lookbook here.
I didn’t manage to get that many clear shots of the runway show itself because the lighting, while gorgeous in real life, was generally confusing on camera, and also because I don’t have a five thousand dollar DSLR so i’ll just wait for the press release pictures like everyone else. The entire night was a vague blur of fabric, fluff, skin, and non-specific fabulousness, but I remember being very impressed with the Zardoze Panthea collection especially, pieces after pieces with feathers piled on (didnt manage to get a shot of those.) Other things i remember: wrestling with the concept of straws, teeth, and lipstick, wondering if I could actually hop in one of them audis for a photo (the answer is no), flirting with the AFF boys (ok, kidding, just our friend Emmanuel), trying to deal with my general starstruckness and trying to chase Fann Wong down for a photo… and failing miserably. I’m not even kidding, i nearly expired when she arrived because hello, the return of the condor heroes anybody? I watched that show like the drama addict i was from my tender kindergarten years and devoured the original Louis Cha comic books. When I first saw Fann in her Xiao Long Nu get-up I thought i’d been hit by one of those visions. Of an angel. But for all that yabbering I didn’t manage to get a photo with her… and I will regret that to my dying day.
Alright, enough with the melodrama. Lovely, lovely night, thank you so much Zardoze Singapore and Estelle for the invitation, Drea and I had a great time! Zardoze is available at Robinsons level 2, Raffles city, for anyone interested 
Another round tomorrow, so hit us up anyone if you’re going to be at tomorrow’s Audi Fashion Fest. In the meanwhile, what it is is time to sleep.
GOODNIGHT AND HAVE DAZZLING DREAMS EVERYONE.
x
♥jem
photo credits: lewis PR &blackberry singapore
My love affair with the blackberry started way back when I was nearing the end of my first year in junior college. Something like a clap bang christmas morning mad rush and camping in a singtel hello shop, love at first sight and all that. Before and since then I’ve been on nearly all the different mobile platforms- iOS, Android, and Windows, and I still find myself inexplicably drawn back to the Blackberry despite all the jazzy new kids on the block. Maybe it’s something about the stability and security it radiates, and did i just insinuate the husband-material label on a blackberry? Maybe. I need to stop applying personalities on to inanimate devices, it’s starting to get really weird.
The new Q10 is everything I’ve dreamed of and more. Of course, I havent actually had the chance to use it extensively, but I did play around with the pre-launch sets a bit and nearly made off with one.. except they were all affixed firmly to the table. Pre-emptive measures no doubt. The keyboard is a joy to use as always, they’ve revamped it to be more delightful than ever, and they’ve got a bunch of new features like the Instant Action that lets you kickstart any program by just typing out it’s name from your homescreen, and the ability to swipe between personal and work mode on the phone. For a device that’s so highly anticipated, it sure doesn’t disappoint- and yeah sure this is getting odder and odder but I just feel so proud of the blackberry, as if I’ve watched it grow up. Which is kind of true. No. It isn’t. Shut up. But what is true is that it is a gorgeous, gorgeous device, and I can’t wait to get my paws on a set.
Other things I’ve done since the commencement of summer: meet up with friends old and new, get started on a few projects personal and work related, and had a few meetings with various companies and brands. Suffice to say summer2013 is shaping up to look pretty promising. The first thing I did, though, was to take some proper steps towards looking more like a decent human being after the wreckage of exam week- got my nails, hair, and lashes done, so frivolous this life but i love it!! Oh yes- and I’ve also finally gotten down to falling into non academic related literature:
and you know what? Between that and all the sleep i’ve been catching up on, life is in all honesty pretty damn good right now.
Hope summer break is working out good for you guys too.
x
♥jem
Beauty base zero is a phrase I picked up from my Hunger Games phase awhile back, referring to going back to as natural a state you can get your face in and then building it up from there. It’s honestly so fantastic that the exams are finally over because I can slowly get back to picking up the pieces of my cramming-ravaged skin and face and trying to get it back to a decent state. Long days and longer nights spent studying also meant a horridly pale face, dark eyes, and stringy hair for the longest time. Thank God that’s all over and done with. I’ve honestly never been great with the whole skincare/haircare routine thing, and if it’s got more than three steps you can pretty much forget it (are you supposed to blow or comb your hair first?), but there are a few basics I really can’t live without.
Pardon the stupidly sleepy face, yes, I’m laughing at myself too. To get as close to the real thing as possible I actually dragged myself (and my sister, behind the camera) out of bed at the unholy hour of 8am to get these shots. I’ve got no make up on save for my eyelash extensions which are the most convenient thing on earth (trust me, get them) – and the first step right off waking up or out the shower is patting on some moisturizer. I’ve personally got normal to slightly dry skin, and here I’m using the Hada Lano Arbutin Whitening Lotion, which is a traditional Japanese favorite. It does non-sticky wonders to brightening and basically baptizing your face, and I personally always use moisturizer before putting on any sort of make up because I find it helps keep make up on longer and is better for your skin.
They’re also giving away free 20ml travel size bottle of Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion & Cleansing Oil samples at Hada Labo(sg) Facebook page, so if you’re interested do go check it out.
My hair is also crazy bleached, so if there’s one thing I really can’t afford to skip it’s all the hair products to keep it fluffy. I alternate between a whole line of products because I’ve got this innate paranoia that if you keep using the same product, your hair gets used to it and it stops being effective. A lot of them are specifically for bleached hair (like the AVEDA line of organic hair volumizers and this australian brand O&M’s detangling spray) but recently Asience sent me their latest line of leave on hair treatments that are (also) non-sticky/greasy, and keep your locks smooth and manageable. What an advertising line isn’t it- smooth and manageable- but it’s pretty spot on: my hair is relatively soft given all the crap and chemicals I pile on it. The new Asience line is available in three formats:
ASIENCE Leave-On Treatment Water : For Tangled and Untamed Hair
ASIENCE Leave-On Treatment Milk: For dry and frizzy hair
ASIENCE Leave-On Treatment Oil: For Severely Dry and Damaged Hair
and they start retailing at $14.90, which is super affordable especially if you dont need specialized damage care products like I do.
Also, can you tell!!!! I went to Urbanhair yesterday and got my hair done- they cut a lot of it off this time, it’s so much shorter than I’m used to, but I love it, it’s got so much more movement now!!! Seth commented that it’s so fluffy it looks like cotton candy now to which i went mmmmmm and contemplated biting into it. Or not. Doesnt matter. More shots of it here. The bottom is also now done up in a blueish ash which I adore, except it’s probably going to fade off in a couple of weeks back to the sparkly blonde I’m so associated with now. So much love for Urbanhair for keeping my mane under control hehe xx
This is another product I love, the Not Your Mother’s beach babe spray. It adds a lot of texture to your hair immediately and smells GREAT, I think I’ve mentioned it here before but no harm talking about it again. It smells something like the sea salt spray from the beach in the best way possible, and I bought this off the Urban Outfitters website.
I’m not much of a lip gloss/balm person myself because I find that it inconveniently makes flyaway hair strands stick to your lips…. but years of cracked and chaffed lips have forced me recently into succumbing to the world of balms out there. My go to lip balm has always been Smith’s Rosebud Salve, but Mentholatum has also sent me their new Deep Moist lip balm to try out and it works just as well. It’s packed in a sleek blue casing that hugs the curve of your lips deliciously, and slips right into your purse without much hassle. Also, it’s from Japan (one of their bestsellers!!!) which should really tell you all you need to know.
Here, the model does a much better job of puckering than I do.
See what I mean. Also, in the line of morning preparations and getting ready routines, it’s probably perfect timing that our latest episode of That F Word was released today- an ep where we learn how to put a twist on the classic ponytail and bun.
I’m not even kidding, the bobby-pin-hairtie trick really works wonders, I swear by it now and refuse to tie my hair any other way. So much easier to put up and take down without dragging a million other strands with it! No idea what I’m talking about? Watch it and you’ll know. Urbanhair is also very, very generously offering a 25% discount of all hair services, so just quote clicknetwork at the counter and you’ll be able to get your ‘do done at the discounted price. Everyone should totally utilize this discount because 1. Urbanhair TANGS is beautiful and honestly one of the most luxurious hairexperiences i’ve ever had 2. i’d trust them with my hair anyday and 3. LOOK AT MY FACE HANGING IN THE SALON
Sorry for the gritty camera quality but it was snapped straight from my phone. Cheap thrills but this got me so excited! One of the best post exam surprises yet.
Alright, that’s about it. I’m falling asleep as I type (no idea why I’m still so damn tired, must be the backlogged ennui) so here’s a shout out to EK Media, Asience, Mentholatum, Hada Lono SG and as always, my beloved Urbanhair, for sponsoring everything you see here (Except the beach babe spray, that’s my own lol). Thanks so much you guys, and thank you continually as I go on spritzing my face and hair and face and hair with all the stuff you keep sending me x
x
♥jem
A couple of days before my last paper, Ern screamed Sophomore? more like Soph NO MORE at the computer screen and I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time because it was funny and also i had my worst paper pending. Four days later and all I want to do is laugh and sleep it off. I completed my last paper and concluded sophomore year on Thursday evening this week, and all I can say is 1. didnt we just start university? and 2. I AM SO GLAD THIS SEMESTER IS OVER. This term proved particularly trying, what with the mods I took- Screenwriting, Fiction Writing, Non Fiction, Discourse of Love, Postmodernism, Virgins and Vixens, and East Asian Literature. It’s all very exciting except instead of asking you to think about subject matter, they ask you why you’re thinking of it, and also, r u sure you really exist r u sure this is really happening right now?? Postmodernism for you ladies and gentlemen. I enjoyed it very much, but never again. (I say this every semester.)
Countless nights of moaning I dont want to do this anymore and sulking at my notes and finally the semester is over and done with. After our last paper, Shane and I attended the media preview party for the Blackberry Q10 which is the most beautiful blackberry to date, I cant wait to get my paws on it for real.
Will blog about it proper once I get the official photos from the event photographer, but in the meanwhile, CHECK OUT the incredibly cute BBM emoticon cushion they gave us. I brought it home and my sisters went mad. Other things that have happened in the short window of post-finals time i’ve had include iron man 3, attempting to move out of hall, and falling horribly sick. Not going to go into visual gory details but seriously, this body. Falling sick right as the finals end. It’s either incredibly good or disgustingly tragic timing, i dont know.
Well now. All I want to do is fall into frivolity and aimless sleep. So yes, sorry for the slightly slipshod update, but hey, I’m back.
Cheers to the frickin weekend y’all.
x
♥jem
Last night I finally got a moment with Candice in between rushing books and papers. I’ve been reading your tweets, she informs me, and you really have no life. C’est la vie. Even as I type this I’m sitting by the window of a cafe in school, drinking coffee out of a checkered cup and trying to make sense of Plato’s concept of love. (For future reference, if anyone ever tells you they love you platonically..punch them. Because platonic love is confusing.) Sometime last week I found myself awake at 7am and queueing outside the study room before opening hours in an attempt to get a decent table and I realized i had hit an all time low. This is my life now. It is what it is.
In any case, I’m freshly done with my third paper today and all the better for it too- I honestly can’t wait to just finish up this semester and head back to the office. So ironic but there you are! Someone recently requested a list of my favorite reads but that’ll take awhile, so here are some texts i’ve read recently because I (obviously) had to do them for my examinations:
“You who read me, are You sure of understanding my language?”
The Library of Babel/ Borges. Postmodernist. Short story. Read it here.
“There is no sense in loving someone you can never wake up to except by chance.”
/
“You play, you win, you play, you lose. You play. It’s the playing that’s irresistible. Dicing from one year to the next with the things you love, what you risk reveals what you value.”
/
“I say I’m in love with her. What does that mean?It means I review my future and my past in the light of this feeling. It is as though I wrote in a foreign language that I am suddenly able to read. Wordlessly, she explains me to myself. Like genius she is ignorant of what she does.”
The Passion/ Winterson. Contemporary (?). Very, very good. Novella. Goodreads Profile.
“Violets and cowshit, my life has been ever thus.”
Birchwood/ Banville. Postmodernist. Novel. Written beautifully. Goodreads Profile.
“What you think is the point is not the point at all but only the beginning of the sharpness.”
The Third Policeman/ Flann O’brien. Postmodernist. Hilarious. Goodreads profile.
The thing about literature is, it’s immersive. So many great texts I’ve done this semester but by virtue of the fact that im cramming them all in at once, I consistently feel as though I’m being tossed from identity to identity. It’s disconcerting. It reminds me a bit of Samuel Beckett’s First Love; re: “my thoughts are all of her” – in which the protagonist longs to be with her, so that he is free to think of something other than her. Feels a bit as if all my thoughts are crammed and not my own, feels a bit like i’ve been slowly decanted into the imagination of others with not much left over for myself. If im starting to lose coherence now, that’s alright. It’ll pass. It does that.
One more paper and then- freefalling into frivolity and uselessness. But that’s okay too, I welcome it with open arms. I can’t wait to be sleeping in a bed again instead of slumped over some table, somewhere, waking up to ink marks all over my cheek.
All the best to those of you still being ravaged by the finals!
x
♥jem
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