X'mas Retail Therapy

www.lexilyla.com

I ♥ this series of shots because it was quite impromptu at the resort over Zoukout weekend (I hurriedly jumbled up my hair in a few seconds, and tada!) but thank God, everything came together so effortlessly for a really nice result. Really quick too! No photoshop was needed except for a bit of exposure adjustment :)

I'm wearing / LUXE Angel Origami Satin Diamante Dress /

Here's another dress. 

/ LUXE Snow White Sheer Lace Maxi Dress /

It's a long or short dress, depending how you look at it! Part of the long lace skirt is sheer with a slit to show off those legs. Perfect when you want something a little formal and elegant but not still fashion-forward and chic.

Want more style ideas for the festive season?

Here are my recommendations:

Count down in dazzling style. Shine under the party disco lights in glamorous embellishments and shiny stones.




Attending a dinner soiree? You can play up your girly, feminine side with luxurious, soft textures and flowing silhouettes.




Or of course, send some yuletide cheer to your Christmas gatherings in bright and bold festive colours!

SHOP at www.lexilyla.com

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Merry Christmas all, I can't wait to celebrate with my loved ones! Bless you & your family too x

♥ Dawn

Retail Therapy

All the chic and beautiful clothes a girl needs to look her best during December celebrations.

And, some of you were asking about this dress in an earlier post about my Citizen L watch....

It's now launched and available in store!

SHOP

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Interview & Recipe in Taste eMagazine 

I'm wearing Riveria Crochet Lace Bandeau Dress from www.lexilyla.com 

I chat to Taste eMagazine about Christmas, food.... and I teach you how to bake my favorite ultimate sinful dessert - Millionaire's Shortbread! 

Read it here  http://issuu.com/purplesage/docs/december_winter_desserts

Online gourmet magazine Taste is by Purple Sage, a leading boutique caterer in Singapore that has won "Outstanding Caterer of the Year" for the World Gourmet Summit in both 2009 and 2010.

For their December promotion, they're giving away 5 boxes (4 cakes each) of FLOR patisserie’s cakes! Perfect for your Christmas parties :)

FLOR patisserie is by Japanese Chef Yamashita, and their cakes are absolutely delightful and delicious! Take it from me, I've ordered them for my loved ones birthdays before.


Here's how to win:

Step 1: Tell us what Dawn Yang is looking forward to most this December  (hint: you gotta read the magazine!)

Step 2: Click ‘like’ on Purple Sage fan page here (www.facebook.com/purplesagegroup)

Step 3: SUBSCRIBE to Taste eMagazine by emailing “SUBSCRIBE” to marketing@purplesage.com.sg along with the answer from Step 1) and your Facebook display name.

The contest ends 14^th December 6pm. 

♥  Dawn

"Oppa Gangnam Style" PSY in Singapore

Last Saturday, I attended an exclusive press conference with K-pop sensation PSY at the Art Science Museum in Marina Bay Sands, and got to enjoy his showcase at the Event Plaza after :)

Park Jae Sang, 34, better known as PSY, entered the room to the deafening sound of a hundred cameras flashing away. I thought it rather cute that he stood there like a self-aware monkey in the zoo,  with a sheepish, almost awkward smile, giving us a glimpse of the little boy within who seemed to still be grappling with a mixture of excitement and unbelief at his meteoric rise to international fame.




Here's what we learnt about PSY during a short Q&A:

He is proud to have achieved success despite his chubby physique. "Usually K-pop is known for boy and girl bands and most of them are skinny. But I am not skinny."

What does PSY mean? Psy is short for "psycho".  (yes that music video was a little insane!)

Is he sick of his horse-riding dance?  “Sometimes, honestly, yes I get tired or I get sick of it because I got so many requests to teach them, you know, like average let me say 50 requests per city, per country,” he continued, “I already taught the dance to so many people, so many times but still the dance makes me here, to make a press conference in Singapore, so of course sometimes I’m tired about it, but I got to do it, it’s my job." 

He adds, “I really like the dance still." Truly the professional artiste.

About his chances of topping the “People’s Choice” category of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year 2012” contest, Psy has this to say - “I feel really strange and weird why I’m there. It’s not going to happen, I think, and I don’t deserve that much. I just did my job.”

Psy has been nominated together with other newsmakers such as US President Barack Obama, China’s Communist Party head Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, which is already a pretty big achievement. Congrats Psy!

Psy says bye and leaves to prepare for his performance

Students from Marina Bay Sands designated charity, O School, a performing arts centre for youth, participated as the opening act in the free public showcase at the Event Plaza. It was part of a special Marina Bay Sands initiative "Give Back to Singapore".

Psy with the students from O School

  

Waiting in the special section and wondering whether I should practice my horse-riding dance in public.

With the backdrop of the Singapore skyline, thousands of fans danced in rhythm with global sensation PSY, as he rocked the stage.

The most in-demand artiste in the world right now – he talked about his 12 year long career and performed two of his previous songs- Champion, and Right Now. To my ears, they weren't as catchy as the hit finale which everyone was waiting for.... Gangnam Style.

“Gangnam Style” is the most watched item ever posted on YouTube with over 861 million views to date. It's so popular it's even spawned a sensational DIY Christmas light display by a home-owner in Perth, Australia!

I view it as an amazing and a proud moment for us Asians, that an Asian artiste has achieved skyrocketing success on the global stage. Thanks to the internet, talent and creativity in all forms can be appreciated from all around the world. 

The fascinating thing is Psy never set out to conquer the US market, much less go international, unlike many other artistes before him who tried so hard but failed. It's perhaps testament to the power of "letting go and let God"; that the unorchestrated and spontaneous things in life can sometimes be the most brilliant.

Do you think Psy is a one-hit wonder or no? Will he ever be able to top this?

♥ Dawn

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore

Ever since 2011, I'm no longer content with just a dress up costume party during Halloween... I gotta get my fix of freaky at Universal Studios.

For 5 hours, you get to run amok with all the scary creatures of the night.
  

My first encounter with halloween "theme park style", was in California's Knott's Berry Farm back in 2005. I thought it was a super cool concept, so there was reason to rejoice when Universal Studios Singapore started their own too!

For their second run this year, I almost didn't make it, but fortunately managed to go with a friend on the last night of 28th (even though my energy was rather sapped from the night before, running around Gotham City as my alter ego Catwoman)

 "Hello? You don't belong here. You need to get, at least 10 times fairer first"

"No madam, no I'm not about to steal your baby. Your baby's very cute but... he's not exactly my type..."


My friend exclaimed, " This one really reminds me of that blogger!"



 
Photo op: Be a dead doll with the evil Puppet Master

Turning right after that, I entered into the next scare zone, Total Lockdown. This is apocalyptic New York City, ravaged by an unknown biohazard killer disease. It's all doomsday blood, chaos and anarchy. The military fiercely order you around; crash and burn vehicles all around; disfigured, infected, injured creeps are everywhere ready to pounce on you. It was also here whereby I encountered what was probably the most terrifying thing that night - a bunch of young girls shrieking and screaming piercingly every five seconds along the way. Seriously, they were more shocking than the actors, Universal Studios would do good to hire them next year.

The virus is somehow turning me into the Incredible Hulk

The final scare zone was Bizarre Bazaar. Here I found myself in a nightmarish ancient civilization of macabre tribal rituals, torture, strange evil animals and *gasp* cannibalism?

Entrance to "Revenge of the Mummy" ride  in the Bizarre Bazaar zone.
 

One of the additional perks of Halloween Horror Nights is all frightees get to go on the rides!

  
Battle Star Galatica. The best rollercoaster in the park.
A different kind of hair-raising experience at night.
 

Recognize the sign behind me...?



Transformers - the most incredible 3D experience.

It's very realistic, and super exciting. Plus how awesome is it to see Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee before your eyes! You feel like you're Shia / Megan in the action-packed movie :) Most definitely a must-try at Universal Studios Singapore.

These few rides are my favorites. The rest are more mellow, kiddy types, which the faint-hearted might prefer.
 

The major attractions at Halloween Horror Nights Universal Studios are the haunted houses. This year, there were 3, each with a different theme - Death Alley, Dungeon of Damnation, and Insanitarium.





 

If you're tired and your bones are rattled from all the scares and shocks, take a break and catch a musical.

Sort of like the Rocky Horror show!



This ghoulish store assistant stood at the glass entrance the whole time, just creepily waving... and smiling, and waving.. and smiling... reminds me of those Japanese fortune cats don't you think? Hilarious :)

Vengeful female Chinese ghosts often appear in red... :)

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore is a frightfully fun time! The production value, props and actors are first-rate; the amount of effort put into it is applaudable. I highly recommend you to go  especially if you haven't yet already!

TIPS:
1) Wear flats. There's going to be a lot of walking around and there's a high chance you'll trip over yourself when that zombie comes up from behind and goes "boo!"

2) Spend the extra money to get an express pass, so you can skip the long lines. Unless you have strong legs and tons of time to kill standing around, it will be worth it.

3) Bring cash for the F&B carts, and a small umbrella in case it rains.


That leads me to the question.... why do we pay to scare ourselves?

I suppose experiencing horror, yet knowing you will make it out safe in the end, is a form of catharsis, a release. Fear, thrill, repulsion, fascination... all these are the intense emotions during such encounters, and when you get through it all, there is a sense of gratification, of mastery over a challenge... and the heart-pumping feeling that you are more alive than ever.

Be ready to face your demons next year! x