World War Z, 3D premiere and Booroos

I've been pretty blessed to win several items recently. :) Including a pair of tickets to watch World War Z, 3D on the premiere day, 19th June (Wednesday)!! :D Although I have to say that I was quite panicked on that day because I won a pair of tickets and this being my first time to a premier, I had no idea that it was so hard to buy tickets to a premiere!! -.- Wanted to go with my mum and bro, but that means I had to buy 1 extra ticket right? I went to the Cathay website to see if I can and they were only selling tickets from the 20th (Thursday) onwards! :( So on Wednesday itself, I was panicking and sending out various smses and whatsapps to my friends to see if they could come! Haha. Luckily one of them could! Yay! :D

Anyway, I won this lucky pair of tickets from Material World! :) Thank you MW for letting me win a pair of tickets to watch my 1st ever premiere movie at The Cathay! :) It was such a awesome movie, to be honest! Haha. Although it can be quite scary at parts; after all, it's a zombie apocalypse movie! What do you expect!? And some parts were predictable! like... *spoiler* (zombies are attracted to sound...so obviously be as quiet as possible! But no, some parts were so noisy that you can wake up the dead! And so the undead were naturally attracted.) Sigh. But I think the movie was quite good and the female protagonist (Daniella Kertesz), aside from Brad Pitt, was really quite good. I liked her spunky haircut and the way she acted was really quite convincing! Overall, I would rate the movie 3.8/5.

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And what better dress to wear to my first premiere than the dress which I won from a Booroos and Dressabelle Giveaway! :) I've never actually heard of Booroos before until I chanced upon this giveaway on Dressabelle Facebook page! And I must admit, the concept of this website is so amazing that I wonder why it was not created sooner! Most of my friends don't really like to buy from online because they don't know if the blogshops/websites are trustworthy and most of them get to know the blogshops that are trustworthy or sell prettier clothes mostly from word-of-mouth (aka me or their friends). Haha. But... this is one website where you can tell whether this website/blogshop is good or not!!

As the tagline says 'Your friend in online shopping'. ;) How?? From other peoples' reviews of course! :D Booroos is basically a online review shopping site that allows customers to post up their reviews (good/bad) online and this in turn helps the retailers to monitor these reviews and then make some suggestions based on those reviews! Essentially feedback in the most efficient way! Hehe. Heard about a blogshop before but don't know if it will meet your expectations? Go to Booroos and have a look-see if that etailer (online retailer) is there. There are more websites and etailers on Booroos than reviews! So if you have bought from a particular etailer that you've noticed is present on Booroos, go and write up a review and help other shoppers like yourself have a better shopping experience! :)

I have posted up several reviews myself, but I did notice that many blogshops (or etailers) that I frequent is not listed up on Booroos. So I had limited reviews...but I'm quite encouraged because I find that most people are more willing to post up negative reviews so that other people will not have that same unfortunate experience. Booroos actually reminds me of eBay (or other similar online sites), where you get to rate the seller good/bad and that dictates how reliable the seller is! But I like this concept more than eBay, eBay is just too confusing and I remember how I quit shopping at eBay because I had many bad shopping experiences. :(

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Enough about my introducing what Booroos is. Let me share with you my experience with Booroos and show you the dress I won from the joint giveaway! :) 

Sneak-peek! :P

When I first received this dress in the mail, one thing that struck me was the quality of this dress! I really like it!! And I'm not just saying it because I won it or because it's free. But just look at the dress! It looks like something of a boutique quality!! And it's from a blogshop (or etailer) at a fraction of the price!! :D Such a steal! :) Another two things (because one is not enough) I like about this dress is the metal-neckline and the pleats at the waist that gives it a peplum feel. The metal-neckline actually saves me from accessorizing as it looks like I am wearing a necklace anyway, well sort of. :P Haha. I actually  didn't dramatize my accessories because this dress looked very glam and posh on it's own already. And I'm not wearing it to a gala of some sorts, so I just paired this number with black heels (which unfortunately is not featured). ;) Simple and still nice! :) 

I actually had a very enjoyable experience liaising with the spokesperson of Booroos, Min, who is also the founder! From her emails alone, the emails exuded warmth and joy, and I can just feel that she really loves what she does. Which is not rare, but it's something that I don't see often in Singapore. Often, we get too caught up in the rat race to be something better such that we take for granted what we already have. =/ I think I will have such a hard time adapting to Singapore when I graduate. =/ 

Hand-written notes! :)

Anyway, I love Min's thoughtfulness in the package itself! I received two handwritten notes from her! How rare is that! :) And she/her team even labelled the envelope so that I will know, immediately, that it's from Booroos! :) 

Another two more pictures to show you a bit more about this dress! Also, this dress is of suitable length, it's not too short (just above my knee) and I think it's quite suitable for work too as it's not very revealing! The halter-neck cut is also very good to emphasize those collarbones and shoulders! :) Sexy without being too obvious! I don't have a picture of the back, but it's a zip-up dress! So it's very easy to get in and get out of it! ;) 

The metal-plate neckline! So pretty! :) 

Thank you Dressabelle and Booroos for this awesome dress! ♥ 

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Want to win something from Booroos as well? Now, you can!! Booroos is having monthly giveaways with a different etailer every month! :) For the month of June, it's with Rainbow Sandals! I think it's a very attractive prize!! Not sure if I can win consecutively, but I sure won't mind winning a pair of quality ladies' sandals! I think footwear is really important and we often neglect the comfort of our feet for pretty-looking-shoes that looks more comfortable than it actually is! But Rainbow Sandals actually boasts of looks, comfort and quality! It also boasts of a price tag that I can't afford on a student budget! =/ But I'm going to take a look at the retailer outlet and see for myself how good they are! :) 

Write a review on Booroos to win a pair of ladies'/men's sandals! :) Good luck!! :D

Online Shopping

Oh hi! ♥

I know I'm guilty because I haven't been blogging regularly. Oh dear. :( But I've been busy with school as I'm on placement (attachment) now... it's my last 3 weeks! Busy, busy, busy! My report's due soon and I'm behind deadlines because it's actually harder than what I expected. -.-" I don't know if it's because I underestimated the workload or I overestimated my ability. How I can promise my supervisor that I can hand in a draft of the report within 1 week baffles me to no end! :( In the end, I could only fulfil half of that promise. Fail max. :( 

I'm going back to Singapore next weekend for a much-needed holiday and recharge before school starts in the 2nd semester. I'm kinda looking forward to returning because I haven't been back for a year... but not as well because I'm not returning as a graduate yet. :( It's been 5 years since and I'm not done with my degree. Fail (x3). I have to keep reminding myself that this is all in God's plan and though it's not what I want to happen (all the waiting is driving me crazy), but He is good and His plans are good too. It's indeed very hard to have faith during such times but that's what 'faith' is all about isn't it? :/ Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance in what we do not see." Going to continue to have faith in His plans and thankful that He's by my side all the time. :) Thank You Jesus! :) 

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Recently, I've been pretty blessed to win a couple of items in giveaways! And this has opened my eyes to how many blogshops there are in Singapore! :O I ♥ online shopping a lot, and being a girl and loving pretty things and such, so I'm going to share a few favourites of mine! :D 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's just a honest sharing, in my opinion. :) 

In no particular order...

1) Hollyhoque (http://www.hollyhoque.com/‎)

I've been a fan of their clothes since June 2008 and their clothes have blossomed from imported to manufactured to branching out to accessories and shoes! Mm...and at pretty affordable prices, their items are quite a steal! :) Although now they are steering towards the basic, simple look, which I don't really fancy, since the designs in Australia are as such. But I do look forward to seeing their new collections because it always hold a element of surprise. :) I adore their shoes, maxi skirts and accessories though! :) 

  

Some stuff that I've bought from HH personally are as below: 

 

Maxi Skirt

2) Swivelle (http://swv.com.sg/) 

I only knew about this lovely blogshop from Facebook. Haha. But I do love their clothes! They are SO my style!! Florals, lace, peplums... even their classics look so good that I'm very tempted to click on all the items and bring them home!! :/ I'm such a shopaholic, I tell you, it's bad. :( I love their very colorful candy colours that they have for their clothes! Don't know about you but seeing happy colours puts me into a happy mood instantly! :) 

Below are a few of my favourite items on their website. Some are available still! :)  

  

 

Their clothes go out really quickly! Especially the really colourful and pretty items! :( When I get back, I'm going to feast my eyes on their clothes more! XD 

3) Fairebelle (www.fairebelle.com/‎)

Another blogshop that I come to know of through Facebook. Really, I think Facebook is such a useful platform for me to get to know blogshops. Convenient and easy and it works both ways. :) Their clothes are feminine, fairy, floaty and floral-ly! The first thing that I think of that comes to my mind in describing their clothes is 'princess'. Really. Yet again, their bestsellers go off really quickly too. :( 

   

4) Earl Grey Party (http://www.earlgreyparty.com)

When I think of EGP (in short), pop colours and retro comes to mind. Their clothes are in shades of neon splashed throughout their dresses/tops/bottoms and in such retro colours like neon. It's definitely a unique mix of fun and eclectic! 

 

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Color Run 5K. :)

I took part in Color Run (Adelaide) this year! It was heaps fun! :) The Color Run™ 5K is a 5km marathon that is less about speed and time and more about experiencing being colorful with  your family/friends. It happened on 19th May 2013 at Victoria Park Race Course. 


There were a couple of Race Rules that we had to abide by before the race and they were: 
Rule #1 All participants are welcome… fast, slow, runner, walker, old, and young.
Rule #2 White shirt dress code at the official start line and ready to roll!
Rule #3 Get completely covered in crazy coloured goodness at the finish festival.

Haha. Not really rules, except for #2. Anyway, I took part with a group of friends and our team name was #YOLO. You Only Live Once. :) If you participate in a team of >4 people, it costs $50 pp. The price was initially a put-off for me, but I understood on the days leading up to the race that a portion of the proceeds was actually going to charity as well! They were supporting Make-A-Wish® Australia. So I'm contributing to a worthy cause, getting some exercise and having fun with friends and the rest of Adelaide too! :P 

The white t-shirt as per Rule #2. :)

19th May 
I had to wake up fairly early for the run because it starts at 9am and getting there on a Sunday morning in Adelaide was pretty hard since buses only starts at 8.50am and it comes every hour. -.-" I had to take a bus that wasn't near my place, but thankfully my home-stay mum offered to send me to the bus stop, if not I have to walk 20 minutes! :O 

Prior to this run, I was supposed to practice beforehand because I've never run a full 5km before without stopping. But I didn't manage to get any practice as the week before, it was a very rainy week. :( So I was actually planning to walk the entire distance since 5km doesn't seem that bad! Haha. Compared to a 12km marathon that I did. :/ 

So, I took the bus down to the venue and I met with my friends! Put my belongings in the car and off we went to the running area! 

The area! Looking quite good! :) 

Approaching the start point! Woohoo! :D 

Let me explain a little bit more on how this color run works and how we will all end up being coloriffic-colourful! :) At every 1km, there is a colour zone, of which volunteers/staff will blitz a certain colour at the runners. Not to worry because the colours are a special recipe of magical colour dust (aka coloured cornflour) and 100% natural, safe and food-grade quality. :) 

Team #YOLO with our white tee-shirt as per Rule #2. :P

All of us started off this race in pretty good spirits. :D As I initially decide to walk so I was separate from the rest but we all caught up in the end. Lol. :) We started at an estimated time of 9.30am. :) 

The 1st Colour Zone: Orange!

The 2nd Colour Zone: Blue! :) 

No pictures of the 3rd Colour Zone which was Yellow, because my phone was running low on battery and I was afraid it would end before I ran the race finish! :(

Reaching the last station...and it's Pink! XD

The 4th Color Zone: Pink! :D

Look at all the colourful people! :) Oh and do you see the END? 

The final 200m or so. :) 

YAY! Team #YOLO has conquered 5km! :D

At the finishing line, we are each given a color packet each (there were blue, red, pink, yellow and purple colours) and my team then gathered into a circle and threw the different coloured powders onto each other! Hahaha. End result was a much colourful state than the above picture.

Absolutely colorful!! :P

And the aftermath of it all, as evidenced by my hair, shoes, socks and my entire outfit! And I RAN most of the way too! Surprise, surprise! :P I walked a fair bit too, but I actually did run! And I have aching and (VERY) sore muscles, for the next few days to prove it. Haha. And worst still, as it was a Sunday so I was out the whole day!! I only went back home at night! :/ I even went to church looking like a pretty artwork! Haha. Luckily I managed to wash most of the colour off my face, just that my hair and outfit was still pretty colourful. Lol.

 

Can you see the purple colour on my forehead? And the very colourful streak that's my hair parting? Lol. This was at night when I finally came home and before I took a shower! :) And that's my experience of running "the happiest 5km on planet"! :)

Live Below The Line. ♥

Hiiiii! ♥

I've just joined this pledge to sustain myself for under $2 a day and this is for 5 days! :O That comes up to $10 a week for 15 meals! Which roughly comes up to 0.60 per meal! :( It's a HUGE thing to me because I'm actually on a personal mission to gain weight!! And by eating meals that costs below $2 is pretty scary and seems quite impossible, especially that the average meal cost in Australia is $7-$10!! So in order to do this, I have to actually go on a diet cook my meals and buy cheap ingredients and stuff myself mostly on carbs and vegetables! Protein is quite expensive...so expensive foods like...

 

...Steak (beef) and lamb are food products that I can't afford to have during that week! And it actually got me thinking on how fortunate and blessed I am for living in a developed country, for being raised in a middle-income family, for having parents who spoiled me endlessly when I was young and I never had to worry about money at all! :) But after seeing my house mate and classmate join this pledge to raise funds for the 1.3 billion people in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea (PNG), it actually started me thinking and being curious about what this whole thing is about! I didn't even want to try it at first because my first thought was that it's too daunting and troublesome. $5 is still a feasible amount a day, I think. But  $2!?!? 

And it's not $2 a meal! It's $2 A DAY! And it's winter now! It's freezing cold and I'm, most of the time, eating/snacking because winter makes me hungry! :( But after looking through the website and feeling so blessed about my circumstances, I've decided to do this to not only change my perspective but also to help raise funds for these people! :) Sorry about my ranting...the main point is that it seems quite impossible to achieve, but yet I (and many others) are all willing to give this a go! Why? Because we are hoping to raise some funds from this that will help to provide education to the people living in Cambodia and PNG! Education is one of the best ways to help them break out of this poverty cycle as most families rather sacrifice their children's education and use them to work in the fields or send them out to work to earn income, and their children grow up to be like their parents, and this is a repeated cycle! Almost all of these families do not have money to send their children to schools to pay the teachers' fees. Most students will even have to walk to their schools barefoot even though it's like 12356781256 km, but they are too poor to buy shoes or a bike! Help them to break this cycle! 

There are TWO ways that you can help! ;) 

1) Join me in this 1-week pledge to help raise funds for these people who don't have a choice but to live the way that they are living now. 

Go to Live Below the Line to join and select the country that you live in! This pledge is only available for those living in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. So if that's not you...

2) DONATE $$ to support this cause! :) 

$50 can be quite a lot of money to donate, especially since it's in AUD and I know the currency exchange may not be favourable to you! But you can donate any amount of money, really! Even $10 could mean a lot to these people! :) 

- If you wish to support me in this pledge, you can go to my profile page to do so! https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/adelynkhoo. :) 

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Thank you! :) I will remember to keep posting on my progress on this pledge! Haha. I've somewhat created a meal timetable for this 1-week, starting May 6th - May 10th! It's 5 days! :O I'm feeling quite scared but I know that even if I feel hungry during that period, I have God sustaining me spiritually. And that's enough. ♥ 

Closure

Just watched a video on youtube about remembering Huang Wenyong. Though I have heard of his passing two weeks ago, but I haven't watched a video about it yet. I don't really like to watch videos that remind me of people passing away because it strums a chord in my heart. I feel for his wife, daughter and son because it's so similar to mine. It has been 2 years+ but not a day goes by without me remembering about that time when I experienced their sadness and grief.

When my dad first died, I was bitter on how a lot of my friends still have their dads with them and I'm their age! So why was it so unfair that mine passed on so early yet there are many others who have their dads giving them away at their wedding. I'll never have such a experience. Not that I'm going to be married within the next 1 year. But still. It seemed very unfair to me at that time. Only then, did I realize that actually I'm not the only one having to go through such an ordeal. There are many others, just that I didn't realize at that time. And I should be thankful that at least I got to spend 23-odd years with my dad, 23 memorable years. And my childhood was perfect, because I have my mum and dad with me. And that's good enough.

Please pray for Huang Wenyong's family and other families who may be experiencing the loss of a parent.