Shopping With Soul Doctor

With Tanglin Mall flea market being closed for last weekend, I concentrated on having a good time just, being in Singapore...but afraid not, I ended up with two very successful sprees at the China Town market and again, the Sungei Road flea market. China Town main market sell new goods with some fringe of secondhand stores near the
area.

The main China Town market, pics by Justin Tan














































































Further down there's some secondhand collectibles..



























In the evening just before we took a taxi to cross over to Johore, I did my last minute rounding at the Sungei Road flea market, this week bigger and better, crowede as hell, sizzling with buzz and lots of India food stalls!









































































Results:
Single earring from Sg Road, SD 1, jade bracelet & earrings (both the diamante & the black ones) from China Town, Sd 12, SD 5 & SD 8












Slippers from a Pakistani shop, SD 10 for two pairs












Beade belts (I would use them as necklaces too) at SD 10 each, from the same shop as the slippers












Two skirts from Sg Road, the light green one at SD 2 and the darker shade at SD 6











Bought this wire basket to house my earrings...the basket is from China Town, SD 5























...and some of the stuff bought from the weekend before..

From Tanglin Mall flea market, SD 7















Tanglin Mall flea market, SD 2












Tanglin Mall flea market, SD 5












From Golden Landmark, SD 20












From Sg Road flea market, SD 2

Labels: reports

Siapa cepat dia dapat....

Susie's sister is moving overseas in two weeks and has the following items up for sale (all under 3 years old except stove/cooker).

1. 1984 Volvo 740: RM 5,000. Old beater keeps going and going. Very reliable if loved and cared for.

2. Elton water heater RM300. Attach to washing machine or use for kitchen/bathroom.

3. Bionaire heavy-duty air circulating fan RM300 (powerful fan, more eco-friendly alternative to air-conditioning; create a tornado in your living room)

4. Upright Apollo piano with stool RM 2500

5. Single bed RM 200

6. Diamond outdoor water filter RM500

7. IKEA butcher block wooden kitchen sideboard RM500. Good storage.

8. Electric drill RM 200

9. Elba white gas cooker/stove with electric oven RM 500 (original price RM 1,299)

10. Sony 21'' Wega flat screen TV RM400 (original price RM 800)

If you are interested in anything please contact Susie Kukathas before 28 July by email or on 012 659 1960.

Labels: Notice

Just came in, from ArtisProactiv e-group:

from Rey Buono

I'm moving to Thailand in about two weeks and have a number of items I'd
like to sell. Prices can be negotiated. Cash and carry.

Among them:

Two antique wooden Rajistani tables, octagonal, about 70 cm diameter. RM
1600 for the pair. Four complimentary wrought iron chairs Free with
tables.

One cotton two-seater sofa, very comfortable RM 650.

Two very substantial cane chairs from Philippines RM 600 each.

One elegant cane bed: RM 600

One wood sideboard RM 400.

Panasonic TV (25 in) about 12 years old RM 400.

Assorted appliances and housewears: (fans, electic oven, vacuum cleaner)
negotiable price.

Lexmark laser printer RM 300.00

Ikea shelves RM 30-50 depending on condition.

To view or buy, please contact

Rey Buono
012 305 2991
rey.buono@gmail.com

Labels: Notice

A flea market princess on Orchard Road

Walking aimlessly on Orchard Road, drenched in perspiration and feet sore from the walking, I found solace in my SD 4.90 Haagan Daz brandied cherry ice cream.

I had my big shopping bag with me from morning on Sunday, the bag was a little redundant since I was told that the Clarke Quay flea market is no more....and I failed to locate the China Town market on foot.

With my distant memory of the merry Orchard Road (and my merry purchases) from 2004, I hopped on the Raffles Place MRT to Orchard Road, a heart filled with hope of shopping.

J and I got to Wisma Atria at first, then Ngee Ann City which house Takashimaya...malls after malls, I saw Mango again and again, Guess!, Giordano again and again....GUCCI, Prada....

I dropped J off at the Specialist Shopping Centre where he launched into work on his laptop at Starbucks. I continued my half hearted walk up and down the mighty Orchard Road.

Ok fine, Orchard Road is confirmed boring for me. My game plan for this coming weekend trip will be an `off-Orchard' schedule.

Anyway, off with the mishap of Orchard Road. Let me story you with my fabulous Saturday adventures of..

Sailing through Tanglin Mall flea market
(every 1st and 3rd Saturday, 5pm - 11pm)

Guess which one I ended up buying? Holding up two gorgeous bags from Peggy and Shuey Fan's store. Answer: I bought the purple one!

My mistake -- got there an hour late. With my Esplanade appointment at 8pm at across town, I had an hour and a few minutes to comb through over 40 odds store with wide array of goods on sale.

It was quite a fun fair with some of the enthusiastic vendors singing loudly...

"All must go! All must go! Two dollars!!!"
"Nice bags!! A lot of bags!!"
"Come have a look! Nice N CHEAP!!"
I would say most of the stuff on sale were indeed, cheap. You can get a decent tank top easily, for SD 2. If you have two hours at hand, I suggest you go through the piles carefully for the more unique finds. You'll find the mass labels in all the piles, MNG, Weekender, Sixty Girl, Rest & Relax, Gap, British India, etc.

Some stores will have more interesting items than others, once you spotted one or two less common pieces in the store, spend more time checking thro the wares at the store. Another way is to discreetly examine the vendor, you can roughly tell from her style whether or not you will find good stuff from her store.

Oh and do remember to dress for the humid Singapore weather, it's outdoor and there's a lot of people. I recommend little cloth, ie tank top and shorts, and don't forget to bring your own shopping bag to save on plastic bags.

Most vendors are friendly, you may try your luck at bargaining if you are buying a few items.

Veronica showing off the halter top I bought from her
















Results
Brown Lycra ankle length dress SD 6
cotton halter with embroidery SD 2
Rest & Relax floral mini skirt SD 3
jersey cheongsam dress SD 4
Myra lycra pants SD 2
E-Base low black blouse SD 3
Ladies shorts, 4 pairs SD 6
Esprit leather woven belt SD 6
wooden platform heels SD 5
fuchsia purple hangbag with diamante SD 7
white mesh bag SD 2

Also managed to find the...

Sungei Road flea market

This market was literally two block away from my hotel Golden Landmark Hotel Most vendors are middle aged and elderly people and yes, there were most junk that were on sale but I managed to find myself this beautiful vintage crochet blouse

















Some of the vendors looked like they have problem getting up from their chairs, I ended up buying a bag I don't need from a s old lady, for simply, she looked so old and frail.

The market






















The slightly quirky fashion












Results

red color suede handbag SD 2
vintage crochet blouse SD 3
umbrella SD 5 (brand new and good for shopping outdoor)

This coming weekend I will be down again to catch Cabaret. Since the Tanglin flea market won't be on, I will have to find other markets...

On the list

China town
Holland Village market
Little India

Will probably go to Sungei Road again, am fascinated with the community...

Labels: reports

This is what I do before my two weekend trips to Singapore, where I have carefully planned a few flea market outings --- I inspect my existing wardrobe for what no less than an inventory check and pick out `idle items'.

My RM10 gorgeous 70s psychedelic color wrap skirt in size L has been sitting in a corner since I got it from a jumble sale some weeks ago. It is a real waste of color and material. I brainstormed with the skirt in front of a mirror for about 10 seconds, ha, got it, it's going to be an overcoat of a kind...a generous portion of a cardi, a tied jacket, a shrug of a kind...best with jeans and something casual chic.

Here's my sketch of how a long wrap-round skirt as overcoat can look with a flirty skirt, secret to this look is a skimpy top with low cut neckline...trust me as I have tried out a few options and it looks best with my silk low cut lingerie, you wanna try with your impulsive buy of a sexy top -- now with a modest and funky `overcoat' in a form of a wrap skirt.

















Next in line is the min skirt my sister got for me, it's cotton, pink with floral print and a marine style waist band. It's a little high school for me 29-year-old, my mom screamed "Too short!" when I put it on in front of her. However I felt like it needs to go out with me, somehow but without having me looking like a 29-year-old freshman. Like with most skirts when they don't work as a skirt, I pull the mini up to my chest and voila, I got a tube top -- it's quite the perfect fit to be worn as a top, it actually looks my age sitting on my chest rather than on my hips.

Before I go, here's a page from this month's Australian Vogue on what great things big handbags are...



















Oh yes, about my flea market outings in the lion this weekend the next. Here's my shopping itinerary.

Saturday, 5-7pm, Tanglin Mall flea market (great for fashion hunting) on Tanglin road. Market opens from 5 - 11pm. I will catch Figaro at the Esplanade at 8pm.

Sunday morning I will stroll the markets down at the Arab street and Little India before I check out. Then it's off to Clarke Quay flea market on River Alley road. Market opens till 6pm. I plan to do a quick run down to the main Orchard road, to Far East Shopping Centre.

Next weekend's program, Cabaret in Esplanade on Saturday.
Sunday - Sungei Road flea market, near Sim Lim Tower; Singapore zoo, and more Orchard Road...

pic by Sheila Rock



the search within....

i was trying on what i thought was the perfect white dress. i had been searching for a perfect white dress, a classy and yet sexy white sun dress for those occasions when you just need to strike out in a white dress....

anyway, the dress was on sale, the sale price was RM 310, original price over RM 600, it's not even a designer label, it's a street label from abroad, hence the price tag. I put on an XXS size, the straps were still too long so my bras hung outside the dress...I can see how this is a dress where you show off your underwear. The rest of the dress sat perfectly on me, too perfect....the perfect material, the perfect cut, the perfect skirt volume....of silk, cotton and godknowswhat this dress was made off...

I stared at the reflection in the mirror and sighed, nice stuff. For the best thing in any selection in life, you pay the price for it, it's a sacrifice, an opportunity cost.

But another thought came into my head, for the price I will pay for this dress, how many times will I wear this beautiful dress? For over 300 bucks, how many happy moments will it bring me?

The higher the price you pay for a piece of clothing, the more fancy the garment is, the less likely you will be wearing it day on day out....when you do wear it, you will be more self-conscious because you pay a lot to be in it and you expect to have more fun (true or not? you tell me) while you are in it. Now what's the fun of dressed in best when you are aware that it took you that high price to be where you are now -- wearing the very best and expecting to be happy.

pic by Robert Hiendel


So I put the dress back, thinking no perfect dress can buy my peace of mind...the peace of knowing I didn't spend 300 bucks on a sun dress.

But if you are interested, the dress is in MNG, KL Plaza branch. Not many left...size XXs, XS, and maybe one or two in bigger sizes.

For me, always, I shall have to remind myself more now, that my best fashion comes in the cheapest price...

My gorgeous India skirt that cost 0.30 cents and is a gown length....my first Beatrice Looi gown was at RM120, a sale price...my more recent Beatrice Looi gown for concerts is RM 80, a rich deep purple satin...

My latest handbag is Miu Miu, at RM 10, from Amcorp.

But coming back to the fancy dressing....I realised nowadays with my dress-down mode, having not working in an office, the joy of dressing come not from how fancy or expensive I end up looking, but from how much fun I will have wearing what I wear.

I will continue to buy cheap white fitting tees and more flea market dresses….hopefully one day that perfect white dress will be in a pile at jumble sale.

pic by Richard Avedon

Labels: features

Shopping report

Lazy Sunday with SM and J at Amcorp Mall, got these goodies after my delicious porridge on ground floor's Ka Fei Dian (simply, cofee shop)...

a Jeremy Monteiro, Young & Holt in concert CD, at the Montreux Jass Festival, RM 3

Food For Thought, The Vegetarian Philosophy paperpack, by Avadhuntika, Anandamitra & Acarya, RM 3

one leather evening clutch (excellent condition and totally Evita glam) & two leather handbags (for mom) from PJCC, RM 20

a pair of earrings, RM 5

a HUGE mug for J's new coffee machine in his office, RM 5

SM gave PJCC stores a huge garbage bag of plastic bags for reclcying, she bought two vintage Kebaya tops among other stuff.

That's for first Sunday in July...will be going down to Singapore twice this month, wil be scouting out the flea markets!! so...

Look out for more updates and notices in this space!!!

Labels: reports