For the Liverpool FC fans

Perfect for us Liverpool FC family, no?

Click HERE to buy.

Disclaimer:  I'm not the one selling it.  But I am thinking of buying it for my son(s)!

I finally have a winning bid on eBay!

Boy, am I a newbie or what.  LOL  

I've just managed to win a bid on a baby sleeping bag on eBay!  

Number Two will be using most of Connor's old baby things but what we lack is baby things for the cold weather when Number Two is around 6 months old.  Unlike Connor who spent his babyhood in the tropics, Number Two will need lightweight sleep bags for summer and heavier ones for winter.

As the cold snap is usually over by March, I didn't see the point of buying everything brand new as I know from experience how quickly babies can grow in a few months.  And I also know from experience that used baby gear can be perfectly fine. 

So for Number Two's cold weather gear, I've been stalking various pieces on eBay, without much success I must say as I'm new to this bidding thing and didn't even realise there's such a thing as automatic bidding until yesterday.  Duh.

But today I was there at the right time and at the right place and managed to score a 2.5 tog sleep bag for the princely sum of £5.  A brand new sleep bag costs about twice the price.  The branded stuff like Grobag can cost up to £20+ per bag so that's quite a bit of saving considering I have to buy a few of those sleep bags for winter, not just one.

Back to eBay... wish me luck!

Mummy 101: Why you should never shop for clothes with your son

I usually do my clothes shopping alone but since Connor was on school holidays, he tagged along.

I picked the clothes I wanted to try and my almost 4yo son trotted obediently with me into the fitting rooms.

As I pulled off my t-shirt, my son giggled and exclaimed, "Oh Mummy!  Look at your fat tummy!"

Look who's talking, eh.  You wanna know how I lost my gorgeous abs, kiddo?  I had YOU!

The worst thing about a talking child is that they tend to talk loudly.  This isn't their fault, children have no idea what volume is appropriate for the situation.  Clearly I've yet to teach Connor that speaking at the TOP OF YOUR VOICE is not appropriate while in fitting rooms.

He asked, "Can I blow on your tummy?"  This is a game we play at home and it always makes him laugh.  Desperate to get him to shut up, I agreed.

So he did.  But as everyone knows, a good tummy blow sounds like a good fart.

My son dissolved into laughter.  "Eeeee... Mummy farted!!!!! Mummy's fat tummy farted!"

So funny hor.   I wonder how many other customers in the fitting rooms were giggling along with him.

This is why you should never shop with your child.  Boy-child at least... girls seems to grasp the concept of shopping and trying on clothes from birth.

Connor says: Drive straight

Connor has been very trying these days.

As a result of all the crime that's going on in Kuala Lumpur, I've been hesitant to take my little boy shopping.   Connor loves shopping.  No, actually Connor loves toy shopping.  His favourite shops are the various Toys R Us outlets around town and Choo Choo Train in Bangsar Shopping Centre.  He's not so happy when Mummy tries to take him into Zara and The Kitchen Shop.

He'll ask "Go shopping, Mummy?" every day after school and I usually refuse.  Last week, he kept repeating his request in the car as I drove home.  In an effort to distract him, I sang out, "Look at how Mummy's driving!  First to the left!  Then to the right!  Then left again!"

"MUMMY!"  he wailed.  "Drive straight!  And then we go shopping!"

Connor's wish list

I made the mistake of leaving four of Connor's precious little die-cast toy vehicles in Liverpool.  He's not really been asking for them as he's been busy playing with his current set of toys.  As he'd not seen them for a month, it's almost like they're all new to him again.

Lately though, he'd been asking for his toy vehicles.  He's mad about the SIKU range of toys.  The cheapest toy starts at RM14.90 so that's not a big deal if I get him one of those every month.  They're well made (German engineering!), the wheels and side mirrors don't fall off ever and they're damn near indestructible.  They're stocked in all the toys shops we go to as well as Mothercare stores and Connor never fails to go up to the display and gaze longingly at all on offer.

We saw a bendy bus in downtown Liverpool on our holiday so I caved in to maternal guilt on our most recent trip and bought him one.  Cost me RM25.90.  It bends and all but to Connor's disappointment, the doors don't open.

The other day, he asked for a yellow school bus from SIKU.  I said no as I'd just bought the bendy bus a few days earlier.

Yesterday, he came up to me with his toy wish list.  As he'd learnt that Mummy generally says no to buying more than one toy at a time, he'd cleverly distributed the toy buying among the family.

"Mummy buy Connor a yellow school bus, Daddy buy tram, Jiu-jiu buy blue car transporter and Da Jiu buy red racing car... and... and.... Gong-gong buy helicopter... and.... and... um... and... Por-por buy clock tower!  Tomorrow we go shopping at toy shop!"

And he beamed triumphantly at his own cleverness.

I can't bloody believe it.

And the best part?

This morning on the way to school, he reminded me again of his toy wish list and adding more family members to it.

And Dear Hubby thought I was bad with my handbag wish list... at least I just wish for ONE Chanel a year!

My new shoes

These are Jimmy Choo's Loila shoes.  Retail price on the website says 645 euros.  I can't even begin to convert that into ringgit.  All I know is that it must be PLENTY ringgit.  

This one falls into the "Woman, are you mad?" category.  As spoken by my husband when he found out how much they cost.  Because men don't understand women's shoes.  My husband splurged a few thousand ringgit on his 2 pairs of leather shoes from UK but that was 5 years ago and he's going to be wearing them for the next fifteen years without anyone remarking, "Wah... so *last season* hor?" to him.  So he cannot understand why I have to keep buying new ones now and then.

So now what?

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....Nasib ada itu Clarks of UK....

Sandals

Not quite Jimmy Choo's but same idea.  And cost me all of 39.90 pounds in the Clarks sale (Usual price was 89 quid I think) and more importantly, look nothing like Clarks have ever designed.  I happened to pop into the Liverpool One store and there was one pair left.  In my size.  I hemmed and hawed for a while before I left.  I told myself that if the shoes were still there the next day, it was a sign from the Shoe Gods to buy them.

They were.

So I bought them.

Just as Dear Hubby (we'd been shopping separately) walked into the Clarks store to find out what I was doing with the 100 pounds he'd given me for the day.

"AHA!  Just as I suspected! You're buying more SHOES!  I bloody knew it!"

What did he expect?  I was in a shoe store.

I love you too, husband.

Hair Salons in Kuala Lumpur: Grace Salon, Bangsar Village

Why is it that every time I find a stylist I like, he/she runs away to some Great Unknown Hair Salon?

The last time I was at Grace Salon, I had Steve who did a good job.  I don't ask for much.  I never bring in a picture of Jennifer Aniston and declare, "Give me the Rachel!"  Just make me look presentable.  And make my hair child-proof, housework-proof, easy to manage because I haven't got much time to do my hair before the school run in the morning.  Steve did that the last time.  So imagine my horror when I called up this week to book an appointment with him only to discover he'd run away.  ARGH.

They suggested I try another stylist called Calvin.  Okay lor....   Calvin has a stylo-mylo hairstyle - shaved close at the sides but long and floppy on top.  I could never get away with hair like that, I would look SO weird.  I do like it when a stylist has very fashion forward hair.  After all, you're in the business right?  I wouldn't want you to have Donald Trump combover style.

He looked critically at my long unruly mane (hadn't had a cut for 2 months) and suggested he trimmed it to shoulder length.  After a few more tsk-tsk moments, he suggested a fringe.  Fringe?  You mean hair that flops into my eyes each time I'm cooking dinner for my kid and husband? The type that blinds me when I'm doing the dishes?  He said soothingly, "It will give you volume."  Volume?  Ah, the Magic Word.  Okay, we're on!

An hour later, having had my mane cut, blown dry and dressed with L'oreal serum, I thought I looked ab fab, dah-leeng. Like, totally.  I wanted to blow air kisses to my reflection but thought the other customers might think it a bit too much.  I paid up and walked out feeling so gorgeous I would have signed up for a Miss Universe pageant if they had been looking for candidates outside Grace Salon.

I was very pleased with the cut and with Calvin.  Of course now I still look absolutely perfect as the blow-dry is still intact.  Wait a couple of days later when I've had to do my own blow-dry and I'll be able to assess the cut better.  But for now... how happy was I with the cut?  Well, let's say I was hoping all day to bump into ALL my ex-boyfriends so that I could flick my gorgeous hair about and make them bloody regret they'd ever let me go.  Look at what a stunning trophy wife you could have had.  HAH.

Staff is friendly and the girl who washes your hair never ever scratches your head.  I hate it when they do... hello?  Want me to bleed all over or what?  What I really like about them is that they do not push services or products.  It's such a turn-off when a stylist keeps trying to get you to do this treatment and that treatment.  The last time I had one with them, it was because I asked for it and they recommended me a few treatments at different price points and explained the difference but did not push for me to go for the most expensive one.  Yesterday's cut cost RM105.  Okay, that was pricey.  But I have problematic tresses.  Honest.


Grace Salon,
20 & 21, First Floor,
Bangsar Village 2,
Jalan Telawi Satu.
03-2287 6323/8323

If you're asking for Calvin, please note that his off day is Tuesday. (Er... I dunno if it's spelt Kelvin, I just automatically thought it would be spelt the way I've written it)

Hurray! Christmas in UK!

I'd been asking and asking to spend Christmas in UK with my in-laws ever since Connor was born and we're finally doing it this year. I come from a Buddhist family so Christmas is pretty much a non-event for us.  So I've always wanted our son to spend Christmas with his paternal grandparents.  I think it will make for lovely memories for everyone.

We're headed back in Dec and everyone (except the blissfully ignorant Connor) is very excited about the trip.  The first thing I did when we booked our tickets was to rush out and get him a coat and some fleece clothing.  I didn't want to spend too much on his winter clothing as he'll probably be too big for them the next time we go back so I shopped at FOS in The Curve.  They had a great deal on fleece, Buy One Get TWO Free!  Worked out cheaper than anything I could get in the UK.

Am hoping for LOTS of snow so that my little boy can make a snowman in the back garden and we can have a snowball fight in the driveway.

Soooooo excited, can't wait!

Kids Stuff: Racing car beds in Kuala Lumpur

Connor trying out his new bed when it arrived

Okay, the wording on the car was kinda dodgy (Armani??? WTF???)   but what can I do... these were the only designs in the shop

Connor had outgrown his cot a long time ago but we put off buying a big boy bed because we were doing some work in our apartment.

When everything was finally completed, we went out and bought Connor his big boy bed.  I was all for buying a simple bed with bed guard rails but I'd made the mistake of showing Dear Hubby a racing car bed that was available in Harvey Norman.  It was the little boy in Dear Hubby that insisted on buying a racing car bed for our little boy.

But when we got to Harvey Norman, they had just sold the last of the beds and weren't sure when the next batch would be coming in.  I don't know who was more disappointed - Dear Hubby or Connor.

Fortunately, friends pointed me in the direction of Little World Furniture.  We went to the branch that's located just off Old Klang Road.  It's pretty easy to find if you follow the map on their website.

They had a whole range of kids' bedroom furniture.  They had a few designs for racing car beds and one lovely fire engine bunk bed.   If we had two kids, I'd probably go for that.    They also had girls' designs and some gender-neutral designs like a music-themed bed, animals-themed etc.  You can even get matching cupboards, desks and chairs with some designs!  Some of their bunk beds were quite cleverly designed to incorporate lots of storage.  I saw one where the steps for climbing up to the top bunk were actually drawers.  Good if space is tight in a shared room.

We picked this one, the price includes a synthetic rubber foam mattress.  WIth Harvey Norman, you have to pay separately for a mattress.  The raised sides of the bed keep Connor from falling out so we didn't have to worry about him sleeping alone.  The bed takes a standard size 6'x 3' mattress.

You know what's really cool?

The wheels work!  If you push the bed along the floor, it runs on the wheels.

We were there on the weekend and the bed was delivered on the Monday and they helped set it up.  If you want to buy this bed, I suggest you let the bed air out first as there is a paint smell when it's fresh and new.

Until next time, sweet dreams... vroom, vroom!!!!!!

How to wear sky high heels all night long

I think I've finally cracked it.  I've figured out a way to wear sky high heels all night long without screaming in pain.

First you have to buy a pair of extremely uncomfortable heels.  They have to be so high they give you nose bleeds when you wear them.  They also have to pinch your feet in every place possible and make you sigh longingly when someone talks about how the Chinese used to bind women's feet to stop them from growing.  It's best if they are a half a size smaller and you can barely squeeze your feet into them.

Then you wear these heels for a full day.  It doesn't matter what you do - gardening ke, watching tv ke, cooking ke, lounging in bed with your laptop ke, walking your dog ke... whatever it is, you wear those damn heels and keep them on come what may.

Then you buy the heels you actually want to wear for that super-duper party you're going to attend.

And you put them on.

And guess what?

Those heels will feel like the softest cushiony-est pillows you have ever put on your feet after one day of Torture Heels.

Try it.  It really works.

Till next time, this is Bad Fashion Advice from a stay-at-home mum... good night!

Christmas Gifts Wish List: Leather pants

It's Christmas and it's time for presents!

Buy this here at the US Burberry site

This is one item on my wish list that doesn't make any sense.  Why?  Because I'm a good ol' pear shaped woman and the skinny pants trend is one that doesn't look good on me.  Try putting cling wrap on a pear.  Does it look good?

No.

But I want it anyway.

I hope the hubby is reading this.

Teeheehee.....

From the Telegraph.co.uk: Meet the most elite assistants in retail

From the Telegraph:

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8870347/Meet-the-most-elite-assistants-in-retail.html

The Hubby once bought me an Armani jacket and matching pants set.  They were gorgeous (and in a SALE!) and we saw them as once-in-a-lifetime pieces, something you buy once and wear over and over again because they are timeless.  Something to hand down to a daughter or granddaughter.  Something you don't buy twice because you just can't bloody afford it unless you take out a bank loan.

Anyway, this article reminded me of the lady who was assisting us when we bought those pieces.  We just saw her yesterday actually, we went by the Armani store in KLCC to see if she was there, she was and it was amazing that she remembered us.  I know she wasn't pretending because after she'd greeted us, she asked "And how's the jacket?"

I remembered her because of the service that she delivered.  She didn't just sell me a jacket and pants.  She sold me hopes and dreams.  For the jacket, she sold me a dream of looking classically elegant wherever we were.  Okay, actually classically elegant only in somewhere cold because if I were to wear that jacket to an event in KL, I would be dripping in sweat and that's not very elegant is it?

For the pants, she knew what my greatest fashion fear was - my pear-shaped lower half.  Yes, Nature made me into an awesome child-bearing machine with these hips but it also sent me to sartorial doomsland.  She sold me a dream of being slender and tall when she sold us those pants.

This is really what selling is all about, isn't it?  You don't sell the customer toothpaste, you sell him the idea of pristine straight white teeth and a smile so great you'd dazzle all the ladies.  You don't sell him a tv, you sell him bragging rights over his buddies as to who has the largest flat screen in Kepong.  You're not really selling an iPad, you're selling coolness and style.

Isn't this why we pay through our nose for some stuff?  It's because we're not buying STUFF.  We're buying hopes and dreams and there is no price too high for that.  There are some points made by  the retail assistants in the interview that remind me of what I used to encounter in my days when I used to sell something for a living.

I'll remember that the next time I get ker-plonk! back into doing sales.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight...

What do you do when your son starts to look like a little lion with a great mane of hair when he's asleep?

You haul him off to Kwik Cut in Ikano for a hair cut.  We've been there before for his cuts and are very pleased with the quality of the cut and the professionalism of the poor hairstylist who's had to put up with Connor's screams and tears each time.  Not to mention their fabulous price of RM13 for a cut!

This time, Connor still screamed and cried but a LOT less than the last time.  It helped that another little boy was getting his hair cut before our turn and he didn't cry.  Connor was watching intently and I think he felt that it couldn't be that bad if the boy didn't cry.  I also figured out that Connor is freaked out by the hair landing on his arms so I dressed him in a long-sleeved shirt (the Thomas tee he's wearing in that sleeping pic actually!) and it helped a LOT.  I thought we were in for another disastrous time because Connor clearly remembered the last time we were there.  How did I know that?  Well, when he saw we were approaching the shop, he started whimpering and tried to drag me away from it.  LOL 

We promised him McDonald's as a treat later and when I asked him if he wanted to eat some chips, he nodded and said in between sobs "I want eat Coke and chips please."  So kesian!  A friend of mine joked that he was very well brought up because he could still say "please" even though he was crying.  LOL

He was hugged and cuddled and coddled all day long after that and we made a big fuss about how handsome he looked in his new hairdo.   

Think he looks so much better with less hair.  Here's hoping our next trip will be a lot better. 

The result!  This is Connor at the Mid Autumn event at Solaris Dutamas with his new boyish hairdo.

Something cute I saw

Sigh. I just saw the most adorable thing in the world.

It's a Chanel-esque tweed bag (think it was tweed-y). Not for me. But for a little girl. It looked just like the Chanel classic flap bag in the right size for a little girl. It was so cute I couldn't help squealing when I saw it in the shop window at Mezzo Piano in Bangsar Shopping Centre.

I think if Connor had been Connie, I would have bought it on the spot. What a cute pair we would have made - Mummy with her Chanel tweed bag and little daughter with the same, sashaying away.

Heheheheee...

Holiday Shopping: Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Shopping Center, UK

I'm married to a Liverpudlian and so we make annual trips back to Liverpool to see the in-laws.

You can imagine how annoyed I was to discover this year that Cheshire Oaks designer shopping outlet existed all along just 20 mins away from where the in-laws live and MY HUSBAND NEVER TOLD ME. The rat. He just wanted to save his bank balance from disappearing into a black hole. I can't believe we've been going to Liverpool since 2006 and he never said anything! Not once! Not even when we visited his aunt who lives a mere 10 min away!

The designer outlet is in Cheshire Oaks, South Wirral. For all you Liverpool FC fans out there, I think it's where the Benitez family live. No, I didn't bump into Rafa when we were shopping. Would have been a bit odd seeing him in the Karen Millen store.

The place is designed with the car park in the middle and the outlets all arranged in a circular fashion around it. There are plenty of food places for you to stop and grab a bite. It is also wheelchair- and stroller-friendly.

So who's there? From Burberry, Armani, Fred Perry, Mulberry, Ralph Lauren... down to Ted Baker, Karen Millen, Gap, French Connection, Oasis, Next... you name it, they're there.

It's not just about fashion, there's also Le Creuset (damn! Wish we had more baggage allowance!), Thornton's chocolates where we bought 1 quid bags of factory reject chocs and they were DELICIOUS, home and decor stores, cards and stationery... the whole lot!

We actually didn't buy much in the end. Mostly because we knew we had limited luggage space so we came mainly to browse. We did get what we came for though - Clarks shoes for Connor, costing about 10 pounds each (approx RM50). They cost twice that in a normal store.

I saw a Burberry trench for a mere RM1,500 but I couldn't justify buying one since we live in KL and not UK. Karen Millen had a lot of lovely clothes at good prices (all in three digit RM compared to RM1,000++ per dress in retail) but not in my size. Ditto with Coast, some lovely dresses going for only 50 quid but in size 18. Ecco had a pair of shoes in my size that I liked so we got that, I love Ecco shoes. There were plenty of shoes in my size in the shoes outlet but alas, I had to pass them up because of space. I'm sure I shall regret not buying those lovely fuchsia heels from Kurt Geiger (45 quid, down from 90 quid).

This is an outlet place so don't expect to find all the latest designs and every size and every colour. It's great for bargain hunting and I thought it was wonderful for the Clarks shoes, we spend a fortune on Connor's shoes as little feet grow quickly. Come early, eat a good breakfast, wear comfy shoes and take your time to browse. Don't expect cheap-cheap unless you're buying from the high street brands. For the designer brands, your wallet will still take a hit but it will be much cheaper if you'd bought the same item at retail price. Don't go with a man unless it's your gay best friend because men are useless at browsing, they just want to go in and buy it and get out. Sigh. Next time I'll get Dear Hubby to drop me off in the morning and get me in the evening.

Boy. I can't wait for our next trip back to Liverpool!

The results from Kwik Cut, Ikano

Connor post-haircut in our bedroom of our KL apartment, Mar 2011.

Was that RM13 well spent or what. Look at how cute they made Connor look!

I think the stylist did a great job considering Connor was screaming and fighting it all the way. I'll try and trim it constantly now so that he won't need a hair cut quite so soon. I can't figure out why Connor's hair grows like lalang, it just grows and grows.

I forgot to mention that Kwik Cut actually has one of those ride-on cars (you plonk in RM1 worth of coins for one ride) so that kids can find the haircut experience more pleasant. It didn't work for our Connor but it's nice to know that they took the trouble to have that option.

Just for comparison's sake, A Cut Above charges RM25 for kids' cut, another salon I saw in Hartamas Shopping Centre charges RM30. I've tried A Cut Above before and they didn't do a good a job as Kwik Cut because the stylist was so reluctant to keep going even though I said to go on. Result was his hair was all choppy and uneven.

I think Connor's a little traumatised by the whole incident though. We were back in Ikano a weekend ago and Connor started whining and holding me tighter when Kwik Cut came into sight. My poor baby... but isn't he cute in the new hair style!

Well done, Kwik Cut.

Budget Haircuts: Kwik Cut, Ikano-Curve Underpass

When Connor out-Biebered Justin Bieber in the hairdo stakes, we knew it was time Connor got a trim. I kept putting it off because taking Connor for a haircut is like taking him into a torture dungeon. He screams the place down all through the cut and at the end of it, Mummy and Connor are a hot sticky mess of snot, sweat and hair.

This is Connor before the cut.

We took him to Kwik Cut. It's located in the IKEA-Curve underpass. They charge a flat rate of RM13 for each haircut. If you're looking to replicate The Rachel, please go elsewhere. But if you just want your bangs trimmed or your toddler's hair chopped off, this isn't a bad choice. This is our 2nd time there getting Connor's hair cut.

Mummy was well-prepared for the Battle of the Hair. I wore a satiny finish sort of top so that the hair would all slide off. Don't wear a fabric top because all the hair will just stick to it. And don't pick a white top for god's sake. I picked a printed top so that you can't see the hairs clinging to it. I also packed M&Ms to distract him, the iPad, lots of wipes and a Thomas the Tank Engine tee for him to change into apres-cut.

So did the procedure go smoothly?

NO.

He screamed so loudly all the way through that concerned passers-by were coming into the shop just to see if we were kidnapping the child. Honest! My bro-in-law was standing outside the shop, watching our stroller and he said people were asking each other if some kid was being abused in the shop.

It took Dear Hubby AND me to restrain him before the stylist could do her job. The M&Ms didn't help either. He would pop one into his mouth tearfully, glance at all the hair stuck to his arms, freak out, scream... and yes, the M&M would fall right out of his mouth.

At the end of what seemed an eternity, we were done. Behind us were a line of customers, all staring in shock and sympathy. I wiped off the snot, sweat and tears and dusted down a sobbing Connor with baby powder and produced the Thomas tee with a grand flourish. We gave him big hugs and took him to McDs for a sundae treat.

This is Connor right after the cut. He looks completely different!

And this is Mummy shortly after we got home, all tired out from the Battle. Yes I was really asleep in that pic and had no idea Dear Hubby thought it would be "...so funny!" to snap a pic. One moment I was helping Connor build a tower of blocks to knock down. The next, I'm the one who's knocked down. Zzzzzzzz.....

Baby Gear: Spare tyre tubes for your Phil & Ted's Vibe

We had a puncture in our Phil & Ted's recently and Dear Hubby took the tyre to a bike shop in Desa Sri Hartamas. The shop told him that no one in Malaysia carries the correctly sized inner tube required for the tyre. All they could do was patch it up and that would have to do till we got the correct inner tubes from either UK or NZ.

We both thought it was a bit silly that no bike shop in this whole country had inner tubes that size. Enquiries at local baby shops and Mothercare turned up nothing, they don't carry spares for the tubes.

Luckily there is a bike shop in Bangsar that carries them. They cost RM16 each (approximately 3++ quid) from the shop. I got our tyre fixed and bought a spare tube to keep at home. I forgot the name of the bike shop but they are on Jalan Telawi in Bangsar and they are sandwiched in between the party supplies shop at the corner of the block and the pet shop. If you are coming from Bangsar Village 2, just exit at the Guess exit, cross the road and walk down the back alley till you come to the row of shops facing the row of houses on Jalan Telawi.

Shopping in Kuala Lumpur: Pre-loved designer bags at Luxury Vintage

About 2 weeks ago, Connor started trial classes at a local kindy in Bangsar. The trial classes were only an hour each time and I was encouraged to leave him there alone so that he could learn to adjust.

Mummy immediately grabbed the chance to visit Luxury Vintage which was just round the corner from the kindy. No, I *swear* it was not the reason why I picked this kindy for Connor! I'd known about them for quite some time only never had the opportunity to investigate them.

They are located in a bungalow along Jalan Maarof, not too far from the traffic lights to Bangsar Shopping Centre. They carry a LOT of pre-loved designer bags AND clothes AND shoes AND accessories. They also carry brand new items. You could get a pre-loved Chanel bag for RM900+++ but it wasn't in very good condition. On the other hand, an exotic skin Hermes Birkin was also available... at RM100,000+++. I would have to trade in my car to get that bag. Siao...

I spent a very happy 45 minutes browsing the place and walked out about RM500 poorer. They have a good selection of Hermes and Chanel, more LV bags than you could shake a stick at and a pair of Manolos I tried on in the hopes that my big feet would magically shrink to fit the shoes. Sigh.

The staff is friendly and very obliging. If you are not icky about wearing pre-loved clothing, this is quite a good place to shop. The staff are very discreet about the socialites and fashionistas who bring in their clothing/shoes for sale but were happy to tell me that most of the clothing have been worn a few times only. Some were bought on the spur of the moment or gifts and they were selling them to make space in their wardrobes. I tried on a DvF wrap dress but it was one size too big. I wanted to try on the Chanel tweed jacket they had for sale but since I wasn't going to cough up RM9000 big ones for it, I thought I wouldn't make them take it out of the wrapper.

They have a website and a Facebook page but both are not well maintained. The Facebook page has very haphazardly labelled and badly organised photo albums. It's very hard to tell what exactly is in the album and I was put off trying to search for stuff. I'd mentioned that to the staff but I don't think my message was understood. However their store more than makes up for it. I'd reco you just ignore their online presence and go right to the real thing.

Happy shopping!


========================================================

Luxury Vintage is located at No. 152 Jalan Maarof. Tel: 03-2095 6266. They are open from 1030am - 9pm daily except for Sundays.

They have a new, smaller outlet in Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang. That's on the ground floor next to Island Shop. Tel: 03-4251 0013. Open daily from 10am - 9pm.

We found our Christmas tree!

All these years with Dear Hubby and we've never bothered with a Christmas tree. We didn't get one last year because we had flown back to KL from Jakarta and were spending it at my bro-in-law's place. He had one so we didn't buy one for our place in Jakarta.

But this year is different. This is our first Christmas together as a family in our own place. So I insisted on getting our very own tree. We spent all week hunting for one, never finding anything we liked. Out of sheer frustration, I texted an old friend for help. "Woi. Where did you get your tree from?"

Her answer amused me. "Chinatown." Well of course. It makes PERFECT sense to get your Christmas tree from Chinatown.

Off we went to Chinatown and yes we did find a tree we liked. It cost us about RM500 for the tree and all the various baubles. They even sold a Christmas light in the shape of a train (RM15 only!) that we bought for Connor's room. Our tree's scheduled to arrive this weekend and I'm so excited. I can't wait to take pics of Connor on Christmas Day sitting by the tree, opening all his presents.

If you would like to check out the shop, it's near Kota Raya. Turn left at the traffic lights just after Nando's and go straight along. The shop is towards your left. They sell Chinese New Year decorations as well so I'll probably be back next year to get some decor again.