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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Chi chi on a budget


The contractors started work on our apartment today and so I thought I'd mark this momentous occasion with a little update.

I have to say, it feels great to be able to go shopping and then say, "I'm buying stuff for the apartment." Haha!

But seriously, candles and scents are subtle but so essential for setting the mood of a place. So, when the annual Luxasia warehouse sale rolled around last week, I made sure I was there to snap up scented candles made by some very desirable cult perfumeries.

I was mighty chuffed to score all three candles in Diptyque's 2012 Christmas collection, although the large candle for one of them had run out by the time I got there. That Miller Harris candle was made exclusively for Jane Birkin (yes, that same woman who inspired what is arguably the world's most coveted handbag) and includes notes of oak moss, vanilla, amber and musk. Tres sexy.

Then there's the Annick Goutal Petite Cherie candle which I bought two of. I actually wear Petite Cherie and think of it as my weekend scent because of its really light, airy notes. There is also a pretty sweet pear note, which some people may not like, but for some reason, this is one of the few sweet perfumes that I love, maybe because it reminds me of baby powder. Don't ask me what kind of powder my mum used on me when I was a baby, I have no idea!

Anyways, I have great plans for these candles. I've always thought it would be wonderful to practice yoga with a gorgeous candle gently flickering in the background, at a safe distance of course. Hopefully these candles, together with the fact that we are converting one of the rooms into a yoga/exercise studio complete with mirrors, will inspire me to more self practice.

And as a treat for future students who come by for lessons, I'm thinking that I will light these candles during the cool-down section of their practice for an extra-special sensorial experience :)


And now, presenting my version of a chandelier! While real chandeliers are stunning in their own right, the idea of dealing with fussy crystal lighting and such just doesn't appeal to me.

Instead, we got a few of these industrial-looking lightbulb pendants, from a shop my sister recommended in Melbourne, and then lovingly carried to Singapore for us via her apartment-mate. Thanks girls for helping us put our place together bit by little bit!

I really like the shape of these pendants cos they remind me so much of miners' lamps. Admittedly, I was a little thrown by the rusty finish but after thinking about it for a bit, I'm going to leave it as it is instead of trying to repaint it. I think it's nice that not everything in the apartment is going to be shiny and new and these pendants will look great swinging from the ceiling with some really funky bulbs in them.

Up next, we're gonna go shopping for bathroom fittings. I am certainly going to try to get some photographs of Alex trying out toilet bowls in the shop (but don't tell him that or it will foil my plan!)

And if any of you have any tips on how to choose toilet fittings, please leave a comment or contact me privately. I have zero clue what to look out for and what to expect!!

Thanks in advance and adios till the next post :)

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