Mild meets wild

Finally found new spots in the apartment to prop the camera up :) I think I like the lighting here better.

Also finally busted out the booties I got in Barcelona. They're from Zara but it was 24 euros cheaper in Spain than it is in Germany. Thank differences in purchasing power parity...or something. (There goes the MBA geek talk. Excuse me while I annotate that for proper sources.)

The leopard print shirt was a hand-me-down from a friend / classmate who's now doing her exchange term in India. Every time I wear it, I think of her. (I also have a couple more here that I may hand further downwards to my sis...so she would think of her even if she doesn't know my friend personally :) Ah, the legacy of clothing.)

I'm digging the animal print trend, but I don't really know how to wear them. My friend suggested pairing it with something plain and more serious to downplay the "wild" print. I took inspiration from this cute lady, but switching it around as I obviously cannot wear the shirt as a skirt. Teehee.

More spots in the apartment! (No pun intended.)

blazer - Mango; leopard shirt - Forever 21;

jeans and shoes - Zara

In the middle of a hazy week

Wednesday Night. Had sisig pizza at Cerchio. It's actually quite good. Salty sweet flavorful pieces of sisig on pizza crust. At first bite, my friend A (my food soulmate) and I looked at each other with matching expressions of delight and approval. We were hungry though, thus easier to please.

I bought this skirt right around graduation but rarely wore it. It was too low waist so the hem hits an awkward length. Plus I didn't have the right top for it. I actually planned to make it shorter but hesitated since I didn't want to lose any of the print. Thank goodness I didn't. A loose tank and belt was all it needed.

skirt - Bayo ; gray tank - Topshop ; random white tank ; belt - F21

Brewing ideas

Monday blues are best remedied with a date with the girls. And after having an in-depth discussion on girly issues, I think our friendship just crossed over to a new level, haha. Wore pants for work and switched to shorts by night.

blazer - Promod ; random black tank ; shorts - Greenhills tiangge ;

bag - Jellybean ; flats - Shoebox ; necklace - Mphosis

Furry friend

I wore this once whilst at a friend's house for some MBA groupwork. (I had a brunch date prior to the groupwork, and thus the fancier get-up :))

My friend has a cat named after the gummy bear brand Haribo. But he could very well might have been called Terminator, Sabretooth, or the Hulk. He eyes every guest suspiciously and prowls about them like a hunter stalks a prey. (More so if it's an Asian guest, I kid you not.)

And an Asian guest wrapped in a fur vest that looks like a scratching post? Well, sign me up for the witness protection program.

vest - Promod; beige shirt underneath - Greenhills tiangge

jeans - Zara; snowflake necklace - stolen from my mom :)

Oriental Venice

Wu Zhen is a small town 2 hours away from Shanghai. It’s really something else. The canals, the narrow alleys, the stone paved streets, the traditional houses – viewed under the late afternoon light - made it seem so quaint and rustic.

At first I was wary the place is just a pseudo old town filled with souvenir shops when I saw the number of parked tourist buses. (I myself came out of a tourist bus, I know). Happy to say it still retained its old China feel plus its a living village to boot.

Sadly due to time constraints we only had 30 minutes there. A real shame. We could have easily spent a whole day exploring and taking pictures. That half hour is probably my favorite part of the week long trip. And we had 3 days at the Expo. Toink.

top & skirt – Zara ; belt – F21 ; bag – Jellybean

Flea market finds

Just as I imposed a minimal shopping rule on myself, a couple of friends rang me up last weekend and whispered the two most intoxicating words to a girl: "flea market". (Right up there are "clearance sale" or "chocolate chip".)

Technically, flea market is not really shopping, right? It's more like...exploring for hidden treasures. And...should I happen to pick up anything from it, it'll still be counted as "minimal", right? Right?

So off we went to Westpaket, which is the alternative part of Leipzig city. Rundown buildings, indie theaters, warehouse converted into offices--you name it. Westpaket only holds its flea markets quarterly, so its relative rarity is a must-go event. I don't think it measures up to the flea markets in the US, but it's a place where students sell stuff at low, low prices, so why not check it out?

Well. We did more than "check it out". We dug, we bargained, we conquered :)

Seen here is a little knitted cover-up/bolero that has Japanese tags. I snagged this for 2 euros! Its mustard hue is a welcome pop of color for my rainy day outfit.

black top - Promod; plum turtleneck - Zara; mustard knit - thrifted;

black skinnies - Zara; striped leg warmers - no brand; black boots - German shoe store

I'm still not too sure of outfit number two, which consisted of a 2-euro ochre silky top and a 4-euro mullet wool skirt. I thought it could be office wear for my upcoming internship. But sometimes I'm afraid people might mistaken me interning at a prairie. Not that there's anything wrong interning at a prairie, but you know, I want my outfit to be appropriate for each occasion. I still have until January to think about it, so maybe it might end up back in the flea market pile or I might just go ahead and wear it, who knows? Keep, donate or pitch?

West Lake

At Hang Zhou West Lake. A beautiful serene place perfect for photo-ops. You won't believe the number of fully garbed bride and grooms scattered across the huge park. I think we sighted 7 or 8 pairs with photogs in tow.

Also this cover up is what I ordered online. I love the print and color. And it's versatile too. I can wear it over pants, skirts, shorts, or button it up, or maybe belt it. Can't wait to experiment.

romper - Jellybean ; cover up - Museum ; bag - Egg