Photography, Fashion, Food

Although we are quite slow on the updates, we went to 'Shoot the Chef', one of the events held by the Crave Sydney Food Festival, which went for the whole month of October. How? Alvina won tickets! :D It was held in Chifley Plaza, and for the one night, most of the stores had special deals and promotions to accompany the music, food, and art, so it was definitely something to get excited about.

Can’t be a festive night without a bit of bubbles, there was free champagne and unfortunately we did not get drunk enough to get into foolish situations to make this blog more interesting hehe.

 

Live music is a million times better, the classical string quartet was quite appropriate to enjoy with the echoey spacious halls.

This was one of my favourites, but sadly I didn't quite capture the details as well as I should have. Those badges and emblems on "The General" are actually all kinds of food, as are the small things on the map. I thought it was quite a clever idea!

This was my other favourite. What can I say, just looking at it was pure enjoyment.

The lower floor was filled with people anticipating a pleasant night. If i must comment as a social spectator, it was actually quite a bourgeois affair (aka people trying to be all hosh posh). Why did this image come into mind? As the gentle piano caressed the wide marble floored halls, the brows of narcissistic women were raised and there was gliding of sombre foot steps. I actually didn’t mind this tranquil yet facade like atmosphere but just thought it was hilarious when the crowd transformed from swans to a swarm of hungry elephants when the canapés were served. We eyed a delicate looking breadstick wrapped in proscuitto, and the waiter even saved one for us stating “Do leave that one for the girls”, however the malicious old ladies had no mercy and took every last bread stick…

My favourite pick, i like the expression on his face because it makes me wonder what he is staring at. The rawness of the photo attracts my attention and the lifesaver’s hat definitely adds an extra touch to the colour palette.

The man here is the photographer of the photo behind, which was one of the winning ones.

All eyes of prey leered at these little babies for the whole night.. Tuscan canapés were being served. We found most of them a little too salty yet flavoursome. Which i do prefer rather than blandness.

Sorry for the blurriness, I think something was happening at the time and I couldn't give my full attention to the photo. However you can still see how stunning Pia Anderson looks...so it was a lovely surprise to see her around.

The lovely Pia Anderson, she was a model in one of the finalist’s portrait. She definitely added a vibrance and sweetness to the photograph.

Finished the night off with a bit of sweetness! Overall we had a fun night, admiring the photos, eating several canapes, shopping, talking, drinking, and enjoying each others company.

Sunshine

Alvina wears:

Lucia floral blouse
Teenie Weenie polo shirt
Vintage cardigan
MNG shorts

MNG belt
Vanghad heels
Oggi Domani satchel
MUSE bow band
Vintage ring 

Anna wears:

Marcs shirt
Alannah Hill cardigan
French Connection skirt
Louboutin heels
Vintage Oroton bag
Diva ring

The weather was dam fine that day, again i must state how much of a poo fly i must of been in my past life. Lately i’ve been attracted to a mash up of bright colours & hearty prints or patterns. Most likely because the evil winter has fled (finally!) and my body must rejoice in vivd styles =)

I LOVE the contasting navy collar on this shirt! The only downside would probably be the sheerness, as i’m not a huge fan of see-through clothing. But then the gold buttons were just too pretty to pass on, so I caved haha.

The sun beams even into our pictures..It was the ideal day to go on a romantic date with my bf (best friend lol..). The trees swished and talked to us in a secret language whilst the birds tweeted twiddly dee! (said in joyous tone indeed lol). 

This park is such a nice place to take photos. Or even just to sit and talk. The scenery is beautiful, and the atmosphere is so peaceful.

Alvina's purchases # 10, 11, 12

So it’s that time of the month where i update on our challenge of only buying 25 items in a year. Wow, i am up to only my 12th purchase excluding accessories! From impulsive and obsessive i have truly learned to purchase things that make me go oOOOoOOooOOooOooo =). 

Vintage floral sheer shirt

Loving the sheerness with the mysterious blue colour. The little gold buttons add an extra touch but this photo is bad quality so you can’t see it. But can’t wait to pair it with little black dresses/over swimsuits/fine cut cropped tops & skirts ~ 

Metallicus woven top

I loved the texture and large pockets of this garment when i laid my eyes on it. I’m gonna pair this with cropped tight red jackets and stiff white blouses for preppy looks. This can be worn as a top or a (very) short dress so, black leather pants would really suit with this too.

Forever New high waist shorts

I was actually on the search for perfect suede tan shorts. This quest went on for one whole year and a half, so i gave up and settled for these polyester ones. Although it wasn’t suede i have not regretted it one bit because it goes with every top i have. Also loving the hippy look these shorts can bring with floral blouses. 

Train ride home

The other day we randomly bumped into each other in the city, so decided to take a few outfit shots. It's always a nice surprise to see your best friend randomly :)

Anna wears:

Miss Shop floral dress
Alannah Hill cardigan
Zu bow flats
Marc Jacobs bag
Diva ring 

Alvina wears:

Paper Scissors tee
TEMT cardigan
Handmade collar cape
Wrangler jeans
Hunter gumboots
Pinet hand bag 

I love seeing bold primary colours together.

I think I wear this dress to death. I’ve probably had it for a few years now, but it’s just one of those things that I keep finding myself going back to every now and then. It’s just so comfortable, and I can pretty much wear it on its own in summer and not really worry about what to pair it with.

It’s been rainy season so i’ve been wearing my gumboots quite a lot! I’ve been lovin silky textures and gentle colours to complement each other with a hint of brightness. Outfits that reflect peace really strike me because of a quote i heard recently which i LOVE: “Peace is not a trouble-free life; it is a sense of calm in the midst of life’s storm”.

@phosam

Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken & Vegetables $12

Something about this dish makes me feel so  warm inside afterwards, it doesn’t overwhelm you with flavour but slurping on the juicy sauce with the fat soft noodles..with the crunch of veggies really makes me love it!

The sauce was very tasty for this dish, and because I love noodles in general, the two made a perfect match. Although it doesn't look too big, both dishes were quite generous in size, and we found it difficult to finish them. Definitely a bargain, considering the price and all!

Salt and Pepper Pork Chop $12.80

mMMmm my FAVE dish from this place, the pork is juicy with a crunchy coating filled with spice and zest. It just crumbles in your mouth then melts as you bite in. Extra flakes for the added texture, i do wish to find out what it is (some kind of spice i’m guessing).

This was tasty but I wasn't really a fan. I'm quite lazy when it comes to eating, so don't really like dishes where there are bones I have to be aware of, skins I have to peel, shells I have to crack open, etc., so the fact that there was a chance to bite into a bone in each of these pieces (which I did a couple of times), made me opt for the soft noodles more.

Pho Sam
14 Oxford St, Epping
NSW 2121
Phone: (02) 9869 0499

Trading hours
Open 7 days
11am-9:30pm

@hanabi

Side dishes

In Korean restaurants it is custom that they give small side dishes free of charge! Goodie, so you are allowed to have an unlimited refill so some people abuse this system when they are financially incapable, by ordering cheap dishes and making a meal out of the small dishes =D.

These usually come out first, so if you're really hungry, they become the first targets before the mains come out. As you can see, we were all quite hungry and dove right into them, with our orders joining us soon after. Sometimes I go back to a restaurant because their sides were memorable, even more than their mains. That's how important their role is!

Saeng Makkoli; Korean traditional rice wine made with Champagne fermentation process 750ml $12

This is Korean rice wine pronounced “Makgoli”. People tend to mix it with lemonade which results in a sweet rice champagne like taste. It accompanies heavy dishes because it has that feeling of assistance with digestion. I guess it has been just tradition and more authentic to drink it out of a bowl rather than a cup.

Not a huge fan of alcohol in general, but this I can tolerate. Definitely need to add a looooot of lemonade though! Considering we were both avid "milkshake" drinkers (Baileys with 3/4's of the glass filled with milk lol), we've come a long way.

Marinated beef ribs in a whole sweet pumpkin bowl (nornal/spicy) $40

My favourite dish from HANABI, this pork is so soft that it just lubricates your mouth (apologies to the people disturbed by this description lol!). We ordered the spicy version which unfortunately clashed with the other spicy dish so if you plan to order this make sure the other dishes are not spicy…It is perfection on it’s own with a fine balance of sweetness and spice. The accompanying pumpkin encasing the meat adds a gentle luscious texture and taste. Despite the accumulating hotness it was heaven~

One word to describe this: DELICIOUS! I actually went and had this again because it was that good, but ordered the normal one second time around. Have to say what makes the dish as great as it is, is the spicyness. Definitely opt for the spicy one because that is what captures all the flavours and produces this fantastic dish of tasty goodness! That is if you can take a bit of spice, as I thought I was pretty good with chilli food, but by the end of this, I was drinking countless cups of water lol.

Traditional Korean Pot Stew with fermented kimchi, whole potato and pork back bones $40

This soup is perfect for complementing drinking alcohol which is heavily embedded in the Korean culture. The meat was tenderly absorbed in the tangy flavours of the soup. We were too impatient with the potato and did not leave it long enough to cook, as they say patience is a virtue! It also includes rice cake which was kidnapped by everyone pretty early on which offers something to chew on.

This was my favourite dish when I went to Korea, I think they really do make the food best there, but this particular one was nice too. For a lot of people meat + potato make a pretty good combo, so adding a delicious soup and vegetables on the side, only give extra brownie points to an already tasty dish.

Hanabi

122-124 Liverpool St

Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: (02) 9262 7288

Colour match

Alvina wears

Voice of voices blazer
Friend’s tee
Lulu & rose denim shorts
Kasui sandals
Nine West bag 

Anna wears

Kookai jade dress
Kookai leather jacket
Diva rings
Marc Jacobs bag
Urge flats

I stayed over at my friend’s place the night before so i borrowed her tee. I quite like it because lately i’ve been pairing blue with tan, maybe i’m craving to go to the beach? Personally, sometimes I believe we are influenced by our desires when we dress. Whether it be popular culture, the environment or just aspirations.

Even though it is officially well into spring, the nights are still cold, so I thought my leather jacket would do the trick. Even bare legs were pushing it, but we were inside most of the time so it wasn’t too bad.

Slanted shoes are so comfy! I like how it can be formal or casual depending on the rest of my outfit. I have worn these babies out like crazy, they undertook hours of dancing in clubs, trekked me around uni, random streets & beaches.

I just realised that we were both wearing jade this day (albeit different shades). We both developed a strong love for this colour at one stage. For me, it was laying eyes on these Miu Miu suede pumps in the gorgeous, striking colour, that got me just a little obsessed.

Award

We received this award a couple of weeks ago (we are a bit on the slow side) from A Single Girl's Musings and we are very flattered as it is our first award! So thank you! :) Definitely check out her blog, it's great and she blogs about a wide range of topics, including fashion, beauty, food, and K-pop idols (we are both Korean so these posts make for a very interesting read)!

Rules are:

Thank and link the person who awarded you

Write 7 random things about yourself

Spread the love to 15 other bloggers

You guys probably don't know much about us as we mostly just talk about our outfits or the food we eat, so here goes..

1. I enjoy receiving chinese burns. This probably sounds bizarre since it's almost a form of torture, but to me it's very relaxing and calming.

2. My favourite all time dish has to be veal funghi. I sort of go crazy for that stuff.

3. I played the sport fencing in high school, even going to the nationals in year 9 (14 y.o.)!

4. One of the things on my bucket list is to watch a movie by myself at the cinemas. Adventurous one I am.

5. We've known each other for 9 years, been friends for 7, and best friends for 6. It's hard to believe all this happened almost 10 years ago!

6. We both have a slight interest (haha to put it lightly that is) in Gossip Girl, but mainly because of the fashion. However, through this show we have opened our eyes to none other than Chuck Bass, i.e. Ed Westwick, and have completely fallen for his charm.

7. We somehow end up having a lot of funny experiences in public restrooms. This probably has something to do with the fact that we go there together...often. One memorable situation was when we lingered in the mens bathroom for a good 20 mins (not on purpose of course!), and after wondering for a bit as to why there were urinals in the ladies bathroom, concluded that Australia must be catching up to the high tech society of Japan by installing them. You can find out what we were doing there, here.

Hope that gave a little bit more insight into who we are and what we get up to! :)

Most of you here would probably already have this award, but here are the 15 people we would like to award it to, in no particular order:

Rosamond writes

The Cat Hag

Teacup Grunge

Anetes domas

FASHION IS PASSION

Le Blog de Sushi

Make your own fashion show

LOVE JOICE

Pretty clothes and ugly rants

Fashion Herbal Soup

Kayleigh Jean

Hoses & Chewlips.

La petite blonde

un eternite

Suitcase full of Dreams

Thank you to everyone who follows/comments/reads our blog!

Anna & Alvina

Chic in the City

Anna wears:

Levi grey tee
Motel Rocks skirt
Bardot blazer
YSL ring
Witchery silver bracelet
Miu Miu black bracelet
Vintage Oroton bag
Oroton nude patent flats

Alvina wears:

SHIEKE dress
SES cardigan
Burberry handbag
Simona Ricci sandals
Bow ring
Vintage watch 

Possibly the safest way to style the skirt. You can't really go wrong with neutrals. I think I might try and be a bit more daring next time... to make it more interesting.

Gentle skies have fired my love for pastel tones… 

I've been mixing gold and silver accessories a lot lately. Although it was originally due to my lack of jewellery as a whole, sometimes it doesn't look too bad. And the other times no one really notices.

Okay so i have been dressing quite mature lately, i think it’s just the Burberry bag that adds another ten years to my look. I just took that bag out on the whim but i guess it could add that chic touch. So there are people who say we should enjoy our youth and not dress older than we look, but I say that is more the reason. While we are young we should try many different things as possible, if there was no change, life would be boring =). (wow that sounded like hsc english text for those in AUS).

Anna's purchases 16 & 17

Sorry to bore you with another purchases post, but our next one will definitely be of our outfits, which is hopefully a bit more interesting :) Before we uploaded it though, we thought we should post what we bought asap, as we're quite quick to wear our new things out and they already feature in the next post! Anyway I may not be as good as Alvina in terms of sticking to this challenge in the best way possible (to not buy a lot), but I still feel i'm somewhat on track. I'm just going to have to really limit myself for the next 3 months!



Motel rocks skirt



 The skirt's a little crinkled because I stuffed it in my bag, but you can see the basic picture. It's such a statement skirt that I was at first a bit hesitant to get it, but the colours won me over. First saw it on Modcloth and just thought "ooh i'll save this for later", then came across it at Glue, which was so much more convenient for me, as I could try before I buy :D It was $20 cheaper online, but with the 20% off the entire store promo Glue were having, plus no shipping fee, it worked out to be easier and cheaper to get it in store. Lucky I came across it in Australia before I made an order on Modcloth!

Mimco heels

These are a bit of an impulse buy. I've actually been after black strappy sandals for a while now, and I saw these go on sale and sorta just caved (even though I knew I could probably find a better option elsewhere). I was getting a bit desperate and thought these were close enough. I do like them though, of course! They definitely work with all the outfits I had in mind :)