Cakes from Flor

Once upon a time, I only eat chocolate cakes. Once upon upon a time, I only eat chocolate ice-cream too.

That changed when I met my first boyfriend and further changes ensued when I met my 2nd boyfriend, aka the Husband.

Gradually, the more I travel around the world, the more receptive I am towards the different flavours of ice-cream & cakes.

Cheescake, Mont Blanc, strawberry shortcake, carrot cake, tiramisu, fruit cake and durian cake are now widely accepted by my taste palette. Chocolate cake, however, is always my first love (and the first cake I grab at any buffet).

Thank goodness I have opened up my constricted mind because Japanese cakes are really one of the best!

When the Husband first went to check out Flor for TFL's photoshoot, he came back with a very pretty blue box. What a unique shade of blue!

You know it's a cake shop that is also patronised by the Japanese, when the bakery bothers printing Japanese words.

Kinda interesting how the Japanese wording is much longer than the English version. Hey, look! The box comes with a candle!

That's because I didn't get any birthday cake in my birthday month, so this was the Husband's feeble attempt at trying to give me a surprise. Feeble because if he did not go to Flor at my request, there would be no birthday cakes or candle. -__-

When I opened up the box, I was pleasantly surprised to see 2 ice packs & a cardboard ring packed in it to keep the cakes cool & prevent toppling. First time ever I see such packaging! So typical of Japanese to go the extra mile in their product packaging. 

The cakes were bought at about 330pm and brought home at around 9pm. The ice packs really helped! No sign of the cream melting at all.

So cuteeee! All of them are now hibernating in my freezer. This looks like something that can be bought from Daiso. I'm guessing that Flor must be spending quite a lot on these ice babies every month. The ratio is like 1 pack per takeaway cake slice. 

Very rare that I can hold my camera stable enough to take such sharp pics.

The Husband knows my taste in cakes, so I get 2 chocolate cakes! From left to right: Cacao Royal, Classic Chocolate, Napoleon.

I wasn't expecting much of the chocolate cakes, knowing that they are from a Japanese bakery. Didn't have a good experience with Japanese chocolate like those from Meiji. Sweet & not bitter like what I expect from noir chocolate. But I was pleasantly surprised when my first bite into Cacao Royal sent a bitter chocolate taste to my tastebud. Ooooh, niceeee!

Cacao Royal, S$6.20

The fruits are really fresh!

Classic Chocolate, S$6.20

I ate this cake on day 2. This wasn't the first chocolate cake I devoured because of the thick dollop of cream on top. I started jabbing my fork at the sides of the cake, to avoid the cream. When I inevitably got some cream on the cake I picked at, I was totally surprised at how light & airy the cream tasted. Not like those oily & mushy cream at all! I think it's whipped cream. Sheer brillance! The crispy chocolate pearls were great bites when eaten with the cake. The 58% dense chocolate in this cake is such loveeee!

Napoleon, S$6.50

On day 3, I finally got down to eating Napoleon. I wasn't quite smitten by its looks, as it looked just like another strawberry cake. Not quite a fan of fruit cakes as I do not like the sourish taste that comes with such cakes. When I pushed my fork into the cake, things started getting messy. Okay, alright, I admit a lady-like eater, I'm not. That got me slightly annoyed, especially when the puff pastry collaspes and I couldn't use my fork to poke through it. How on earth to stab through a crispy aka hard puff pastry with a fooooork?

I like my cake slice to stand upright when I'm eating it & not slouch and crumble. >:(

Took me some time to have the puff pastry, Japanese sponge cake & a strawberry bit all poked in my fork. Aaah, sense of achievement! When it's a combination of flavours, I fancy tasting them all in one bite than separate bites. How to imagine how they taste together if in separate morsels?

The moment I tasted it, I totally regretted not having it on the first day. It was heavenly to me and to think it had survived 3 days before I demolished it! So much like the apple strudel that I used to hand-carried in boxes back from Perth! Light pastry cream, fresh, juicy strawberries, not too sweet, wonderful combination of textures (crushed pie bits at side!) and left me hankering for more! OMG OMG OMG!

And I find it absolutely necessary to blow up 2 more pictures of the Napoleon to tempt you further. =DD

The photos might portray the cake as rich & dense, but it's not at all! It's light, moist, fluffy & just a delicious explosion of tastes!

Aah, how I miss you now!

If you are planning a visit to Flor, do go early & not near the evening! Cakes get sold out very fast and you might not be able to get your hands on any.

Here's an interesting nugget of information extracted from cakeflor.com.sg:

"We do not use baking powder, artificial rising/softening agent, stabiliser, or preservative in our products. The soft yet moist quality of our cakes is achieved from the natural aeration of eggs being whipped to their full peak."

So cool! I can't wait to try the rest of their cakes!!

Flor Patisserie
2 Duxton Hill #01-01 Singapore 089588
Tel: +65 6223 8628
Mon – Sat: 11am – 7pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

1-liners

 Read these 2 one-liners recently and set me thinking much for the rest of the day.

"Man is always yearning for greener pastures，forgetting that he can fertilize & grow his own."

"人年齡大了，擁有物增加，煩惱也增加了，唯有壽命一直都在減少。"

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

欠扁問答題

I always enjoy those silly questions that come with even more ridiculous answers, aptly known as 欠扁問答題.

Recently, the hot weather has incited me to get hooked on sugarcane drink. Big cups of it, with no ice! I don't like ice in my drinks. It dilutes the drinks and makes the taste bland. The drink will be too cold for my heart to take it. Past 1-2 weeks, the Husband has been driving out to Chomp Chomp to buy sugarcane juice for me. The stalls there close around 1245AM daily!

If I happen to be at Hougang Mall to post parcels, I will hop on to the fruit juice stall, 百果香 Fruit Box, just behind QiJi (at the back of Hougang Mall) & get a cup of sugarcane juice.

Fruit juices are slightly cheaper than buying from food courts. I got Orange+Starfruit juice from Kopitiam at S$3.60 but over here, I only pay about S$2.80, albeit slightly smaller cup. No ice! They also do fruit juices with Yakult Original. I wonder if that is nice (or rather, diarrhoea-inducing).

The cups will come sealed with those bubble-tea like top wrappers, with such quirky questions.

Or when I buy soya-bean drink from Rochor Beancurd at Sims Avenue, there will be such questions printed on the sealed wrappers of the cups too!

Love reading them for laughs! I can NEVER guess the answer.

Here's some of my favourites amassed from various sources:

1. 火箭為什麽射不到星星？

    因爲星星會閃。

2. 為什麽香腸和雞蛋在冰箱内不說活？

    因爲它們不熟。

3. 豆沙包小姐和饅頭先生去看一部悲情的電影。為什麽只有豆沙包哭，而饅頭沒哭？

    因爲饅頭沒有filling (feeling)。

4. 一個人被倒了一桶的金漆，猜一句成語。

    一鳴驚人  (一名金人)。

5. 哪個漫畫人物最熱心？

    小叮噹，因爲它每次都會伸出援（圓）手。

Love Chinese for being so funny! Hahaha! =DD


Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

添芬藍 TFL Series 44 - Multi-Pocket Carrier

I had this image stored in my laptop for at least 2-3 months

Credits: katespade.com

I know don't know think it would be a hit among my customers because it bears a slight resemblance to one of TFL's bestsellers.

TFL 3404 Madison Boston

I'm one of those who lugs a lot of random stuff when I go out and when you open up my bag, everything is in a mess. So anything with many pockets is my first choice! The only problem is sometimes I will forget which pocket has what & I will end up unzipping all the pockets, just to find my lipgloss hidden underneath the stash in the main compartment. Still, multi pockets any time! I am so 'kiasu' that I even include a back zip pocket in this design! The only qualm is that the more pockets there are, the higher the cost price, just like branded bags.

There are probably 100+ designs in my hard disk that I downloaded at random and I don't know when they will see the light of day. I do have a lot of self doubts when it comes to design selection. Can sell, great! Can't sell, money is stuck in the goods, cash flow issues & stocks piling high up at home, not funny.

When I wasn't so sure about this Kate Spade bag, I kept it aside and during my monthly design submission, I was out of inspiration (that happens when I'm too bogged down by work), saw the photo and thought: "Aiya, just whack & see how the sample looks!"

Turned out that the sample really looked good. So it was green lights for this bag!

The sample is of a structured shape, that means, the bag is able to stand on its own, even with no contents. But when I chose another fabric (the sample's fabric is very dated), the end product comes with a slouchy feel and is of a softer shape. It's supposed to be the same as the sample! =( Oh well, not the first time screw-ups with the factory happen. Don't get me wrong, the bag still looks gorgeous & I truly love the new colours that I have brought in!

I have been wanting to do an outdoor shoot since last year, being inspired by the photos from my Taiwan supplier.

TFL L01 Balenc. Bag

But outdoor shoots are more expensive, tiring & require more planning. Not easy for me, doing everything on my own. Okay, to be more honest, I couldn't afford an outdoor shoot then. =(

Last Wed night, my supplier informed me that the Multi-Pocket Carrier would be coming in on Friday. That same night, I was browsing Ladyironchef's blog, looking for nice dining places and stumbled onto Flor Patisserie by Chef Yamashita. A Japanese cake shop opened since 2010? How come I never heard of it when it's so near the Husband's work place?

I 'googled' for more information on Flor and a rainbow of inspiration hit me as I scoured through all the blogs/websites that reviewed Flor. The quaint rustic bakery has the PERFECT setting for TFL's photoshoots!

Excitement kicked in. The model that would look great in this setting, the photographer that could bring out the beautiful colours in this place, the storyline for this shoot, the clothes to go with the 4 different bag colours, the exact photo spots I identified from the online photos - all these just kept replaying in my mind for the next few days leading up to the shoot.

Things get fervently stressful when planning a shoot. Must see if photographer Ind is free, if model Mel is available, if the bakery allows us to invade their place for 2 hours and if my shoot coordinator, Jo, can take time off work etc.

Hiccups were aplenty. Flor was receptive with our request but preferred shoots to be at 11am-1pm. Ind said best timing for outdoor shoots were 730-9am or 430-6pm. Mel could only make it at 430pm. If I didn't do the shoot on Monday, I would have to wait till Friday. Too long!

I thought maybe no model or I should get another place. So I went online to scout for more places and found aplenty! But Monday, the chosen day for the shoot, was a popular closing day for many cafes! 天啊！

Finally on Sunday afternoon, 4 days after a shoot was initiated, all relevant parties agreed to a timing. It was a miracle! Prayers helped!  Next up was getting the clothes together. For someone who had been relying on supplier's photos & the piggies' shoots, this is the first time the whole shoot is commissioned by me. The piggies showed me some photos of their new stocks in their Iphones but I wasn't satisfied. So in the wee hours of Monday morning (I'm talking about 2-3am), I combed through the piggies' website to see their previous collections of clothing, planned on what shoes/accessories to match the clothes and nailed everything down in notes penned down by Jo. Jo was already quite stressed out by now. He was well aware of me pinning all my hopes on him. Haha!

It was Jo's first time coordinating outdoor shoots, though he had plenty of experience helping out with indoor shoots. I had went through all small details with him, down to my expected compositions of the shots and the expressions on the model. Still, I was mentally prepared that some mishaps would happen.

On the day of the shoot, photographer & Jo did some test shots of the place when they reached.

 

Presenting the superstars & divas of Flor!

The Napoleon cake is so too-die-for! It's almost like the Apple Strudel I used to buy from Perth! And their chocolate cakes! Rich chocolate taste with a light-as-air cream & crunchy chocolate bits, heavenly! I'm going to get my husband buy one different flavour back, everytime he's in that area! Did you know they even put reusable ice packs in their takeaway boxes? So Japanese, so thoughtful!

 This really made me laugh!

Disclaimer: speech bubbles are purely imaginary =D

And I always thought 招財貓 is a male.

Cakes & drinks for everyone before shoot commenced.

My photographer is a Malay, my model is a Chinese, Flor is opened by Japanese and Jo is half a Malaysian, and probably all have different religions. When I look at the above photo, it strikes me how fabulous it is when talented & capable people are able to work together & produce great work, "regardless of race, language or religion". Reminds me of Google. =D

Ready, action, shoot!

It was not easy getting the shoot done in 1.5 hours. The shoot started during Flor's peak period and there was a constant stream of customers, many regulars, coming in to place orders or collect cakes. Jo was telling me how some regulars placed an advance cake order, without even asking the price! I told him that cake must be for a company event, so it's on company expense. =D

Space inside the bakery was limited. Progress of the shoot was slow as the team tried not to get in the way of the customers. As soon as the people left or a table was available, the model & photographer hopped in for shots. In the photos, it looks like we had the whole bakery cafe to ourselves. It's an illusion, I assure you!

We actually had a changing tent prepared for this shoot. But the bakery was very kind to offer their restroom (which would definitely be more comfortable) for Mel's outfit changes. As the kitchen was on full swing then, Mel had to go by the back door. On a sidenote, I wonder if their restroom is as quaint as their bakery.

One thing I totally love about this bag is the satin polka dot lining!

 

It is the same lining for all 4 colours of the bag. So mad gorgeous! For the front & side pockets, one inner side is also lined with this polka dot lining! <3 <3 <3

Here's 2 edited photos my photographer sent me for review yesterday! She was asking me if I prefer the normal or vintage style.

Coming in Mustard,

Nude,

and there's Black & Sunburnt Orange too, with sling strap for all!

Sorry I couldn't put up more pictures of the bags, as the lighting in the raw photos are very inconsistent due to some taken indoors and some outdoors. Edited photos will only be reaching me on Thursday morning. I didn't want to upload the raw photos, least it spoils the beauty of the bags.

And honestly, isn't Photoshop amazing? The edited photos look so polished & drenched with colours! Love my photographer! Deep inside, both Jo & I were worried that this outdoor shoot, if not done well, would send sales plummeting, but so far, all those who have seen the edited photos have nothing but praises!

The Husband was asking me if I was concerned about selling a bag inspired from Kate Spade, with the recent hooha over a female politican posing with a Kate Spade gift box. I told him that one universal language of most, if not all, women would be shopping and I think my customers are above all that nonsense. Honestly, which normal woman wouldn't be happy when your husband buys you a Kate Spade bag, complete with such a pretty box? If only mine gives me one! To which, my Husband promptly kept quiet. =P Also, TFL inspired version is really pretty. I couldn't stop swinging it on my arms!

The first manufactured bag with Tian Fen Lan's signature embossed in it! Technology is so cool!

Big thank you to Ind, Mel & Jo for getting this shoot done, despite the hiccups! And bravo to Flor, for accomodating to the TFL team! We love your cakes & your 'kawaii' little shop!

Flor Patisserie
2 Duxton Hill #01-01 Singapore 089588
Tel: +65 6223 8628
Mon – Sat: 11am – 7pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm

And all the lovely clothing you see on Melissa are begged stolen from PolkaDotPigs! =)

I think I know why Flor & Tian Fen Lan 有緣, because Flor's signature colour is blue, just like 添芬藍！


Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

真的有懺悔的心嗎？

For consecutive 4 years, I've been participating Kong Meng San (光明山) 1.5km 3-step 1-bow ceremony, traditionally held on Vesak Day's Eve. But since my heart condition deteriorated, I reluctantly stop participating or I would be rolling down the hill like Jack & Jill, should my heart gives way.

I first knew more of this meaningful event through Vincent, my friend from NUS Buddhist Society. We were in the same ECA.

Here's the significance of doing 3-step1-bow, translated from kmspks.org:

Every prostration is the paying of respects to the Buddha (or countless Buddhas & Bodhisattvas). This helps to purify the mind, humble the ego and lessen obstacles along the spiritual path as one repents past misdeeds and aspires towards spiritual development. With mindfulness of one’s body, speech and mind during the ceremony, it enables us to achieve concentration & inner peace. The lengthiness of the ceremony reminds us of the arduous journey to Buddhahood but also encourages us that with determination, all can be overcome. As the ceremony draws to an end nearing dawn, the light of the morning sun breaking out in the distant signifies the light of wisdom chasing away the darkness of ignorance.

Within that few years, my Husband, my nieces, my inlaws & my sister-in-law have all joined me in the ceremony. Usually we will go there around 1am, when the queues are much shorter. Spiritual reasons aside, going to Kong Meng San on Vesak Day's eve has always been a fun family event. The monastery would be dressed up with Buddhist flags and there are huge lighted lotuses in the pond, throngs of people, stalls selling Buddhist books, beads and related products and free Buddhist distribution books for all to take. In the background, the melodious chant of “南無本師釋迦摩尼佛” would be playing non-stop. The whole temple is enshrouded with an infectious festive joy & a carnival spirit, with free vegetarian food for all.

It takes me about 2-2.5 hours to circumambulate the rocky perimeter of the temple. I do not deliberately take big steps just to be faster. Bigger steps = Less steps = less bows = less tiring. That would be akin to cheating, wouldn't it?

Credits: Singaporeshots.com

 

The real test of my perseverance comes about 1 hour into the ceremony. I can feel my head getting a bit giddy from the bowing, my arms aching from pushing myself up repeatedly, my legs turning into cotton wool and perspiration going into my eyes. When going downhill, all the blood rush to my head when bowing and it feels like I'm going to tumble down. When on stony paths, my hands & legs hurt from resting on the pebbles. I continuously fight off the temptation to skip the bows.

Credits：http://blog.omy.sg/walters

Times like these, only 1 thought crosses my mind : 造業容易，消業難，人真的不要造業，做錯了，你不一定有機會和時間來徹底地懺悔，業就來攻了。

To continue doing prostrations till the end, it is no longer about having a great physique but sheer determination. Well, alternatively it helps that there is an old lady, seemingly in her 60s, besides me who can do relentless prostrations without panting.

When I could no longer participate in this ceremony, I told my Buddhist teacher about my disappointment and he said this: “三步一拜固然是一個佛教徒可行的法門，但就猶如母親節，我們難道一年只感恩母親一次嗎？那是不對的。懺悔不是一年只做一次，而是每天修法時都該做的。每天都要有懺悔的心，每天都要降服我慢，修行才能進步。不能參加三步一拜的儀式，你還是能在那一天好好地修一壇懺悔法。沒有每天做修行的功課，習氣未除，持戒不足，去到佛面前時，你如何向佛陀說去年去三步一拜的你和今年的你有何區別呢？ ”

果真一言驚醒夢中人。My teacher's words woke me up from a deep slumber.

This year at Kong Meng San, the DVD of the animated film of Shakyamuni Buddha is available for sale. I wonder after Vesak Day, if the DVD is still available.

Credits: kmspks.org

The trailer for this animated film looks very promising. The way the animation is drawn reminds me of Disney's Mulan. It is a beautiful thing that an increasingly number of people is coming out to propagate the Dharma in one way or another. The workload at TFL is never ending. I hope one day I can resume my volunteer job of doing translation for Dharma material/talks. Or maybe I should close down TFL one day, if I want to dedicate more time to such work. I realise it's impossible to strike a balance between these 2 loves in my life. Tian Fen Lan gives me some kind of purpose in life (hey, I really love pretty bags & they don't have to be of real leather! Too cruel!) but doing Buddhist work gives me an immense satisfaction & inner peace that Tian Fen Lan cannot. Then again, there is the bread-and-butter issue to consider.

"The Buddha" English Subtitle from KMSPKSMEDIA on Vimeo

“Depicted faithfully according to the Tipitaka and Pali Canon, I sincerely hope that this animated film will be of remarkable use and help to those who are eager to know or learn about the Buddha’s life and his teaching.”

- Krismant Whattananarong, film director of The Buddha

A great happening on earth takes place in the sixth century before the Common Era – The Birth of Lord Buddha – one of the greatest blessings to mankind. Born into a royal family, the infant is given the name “Siddhartha”. The prediction reveals; either he will become the Great King or the Buddha. Twenty nine years later, the prince leaves the luxuries of the palace and his royal household in quest of cures to the suffering of life. Thus, he decides to abdicate his very throne and finally leaves for ordination.

About the Director

Krismant Whattananarong is an associate professor at King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand. He has been teaching in the field of media for technical education. His animation experience includes teaching animation and simulation techniques. The Buddha is his first commercial film as a director. He is currently working on a TV series related to this film.

 ~ extracted from kmspks.org

The Ganges River (恆河), longest river in India, is often mentioned by Buddha in the sutras as a metaphor. When He wished to illustrate how incalculable something was, He would say it was as much as the amount of sand grains in the Ganges e.g. in 《地藏經》，“恆河沙劫說難盡”.

Ending off this post with a beautiful song about Ganges River, sung by a very pretty Malaysia singer, 黃杏怡.  Aah, if only I can sing like her. This video currently has 36K+ views on Youtube. Hope you like it too!

 感恩南無本師釋迦摩尼佛當年留在世間說了無數的法，利樂有情，讓吾等今生能有幸聼聞佛法，皈依佛門。祝佛誕快樂！


Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

It's the day

Today is the day of the photoshoot.

1st time at a outdoor location. Model & photographer have relatively some experience.

But it's 1st time for my shoot coordinator.

Was going over the shoot up till 3am with him. He looks calm on the exterior & flustered on the interior.

I'm a wreck of nerves here too. If anything screws up, I'm going to bang my head on the wall.

Sigh.

Oh, and I love light fluffy cakes. Don't you?


Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

Behind the scenes

I have gotten very used to referring Polka Dot Pigs as the piggies. It's shorter to type. Haha!

For those in the know, the piggies and Tian Fen Lan have a close working relationship. We are family. =) You see their new collection banner at the bottom of TFL's site and we share photoshoots + models, mainly due to TFL not selling clothing.

The piggies started their blogshop half a year earlier than TFL in 2008 (hey, that makes them 3 years old now!) and to be where they are now, they went through a lot of rough patches - finding suitable models, getting the choice of clothes right, disastrous experiment with photography & studios, not able to launch regularly to keep the crowds coming, having a slump in business when the whole equation was messed up, balancing full-time jobs with PDP's work, creativity block in doing up the site/photo templates...and the list goes on.

Now, not only are the piggies able to launch weekly, they also have a prospering rack space at KissJane Boutique at Bugis Junction, #03-13A!

The very first template for the clothes photos

 Pretty Sister, the very first model & graphic designer for the piggies.
If Sister had become a blogshop model, I dare say she would be a popular one. =D

By the way, if you like the dress in the above photo, right now, it's on the piggies' Flea section! At only S$9.50 with postage!

In the true style of how blogshops started in the past, photos were taken at home against this long cream wall in the living room. 2 Ikea standing lights were shoned at Sister for lighting effect. A tripod was borrowed from Sister's then-boyfriend-now-husband and guess what, the camera used was mine, a wedding present from the Husband! 

Credits: infoborder.com

The Husband bought the camera for me to use during my travelling. I never did, and my camera ended up being the piggies' helper. Those were the days when photoshoots started at 11pm and ended at 1am.

The boys would be in their PJs, laying out the accessories on the long dining table, all bleary-eyed, while Sister shuttles in & out of her room, changing outfits as fast as she can.

At that time, we thought the photos were pretty good, until the trend shifted towards studio photoshoots and blogshop owners getting DSLRs. My camera began to look really small.

When Sister left for greener pastures, I was already doing TFL and had picked up some artwork skills along the way. That means I've contributed to some of the ugly photo templates that you see on the piggies' site. *smile*

But hey, isn't the current one pretty? I like that best! =))

So from that, the piggies now produce photos of this quality.

Credits: www.polkadotpigs.com

They have really come a long way.

I honestly do think they have one of the best photos around. =)

And that's my 學妹, Melissa!

No, I don't know Mel personally, but we are from the same uni course. =)

Somewhere in March, I first approached Melissa to help TFL out with a shoot. Interacting with her online was pleasant, which really made things easy. After being in this industry for a while, both the piggies & I have our fair share of 'horror' stories about the models we have dealt with.

It was a very tight schedule that I had then. She was the first model who emailed me her entire week's schedule, just so that it would be faster for me to arrange a shoot with the studio, cutting away the to-and-fro. Such initiative, how rare.

The boys were trying to get a shot of Mel looking at TFL's website on a laptop and these were the photos that ensued.

Me: "Eh, how come photographer never switch on light ah? Why is the photo so dark?"

The boys explained some technicality issues that they faced, which I forgot. Hehe.

Hmm, not any better.

Okay, now we can see Mel, the beautiful solid wood table & the DIY Africian daisies bouquet, but TFL's site?

Apparently, the boys had to move several lighting equipment just to get this shot.

Think it must have been tough for Mel. The boys were saying she just sat there smiling at the screen for at least half an hour and not exactly knowing what else she can do.

Well, at least, now we can see TFL's site!

The boys enlarged the laptop's screen image, so that TFL's logo is visible in the photo.

But I didn't like the lighting in this photo.
It seems like Mel is secretly shopping online in the middle of the night, not wanting her mum to find out. 

Haha!

After 16 tries, I think I eventually chose this photo. =)

Oh dear, it's already quite late. I wanted to blog about the themed shoot that the piggies did with Mel in March.

Never mind, I'll be back to blog about it soon!

p.s. by the way, I've having so much excitement & heart attacks from planning the photoshoot for the new manufactured bag just in on Fri! I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure it will be gorgeous!

Hope everything goes according to plan & no screw-ups pleasssse! 

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

I need you

and you,

and you.

And Mummy is the best.

Summer is here. In full blast, no less.

So hard to sleep at night with only the fan on, and my hair in an entangled sweaty mess. Urks.




Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

I oppose

I always wonder why opposition parties are known as, well, opposition parties.

Because their core purpose is to oppose to the government, regardless of whatever?

Will there be anything that both parties can agree on? Or will it just drag into long & deary decision-making processes, slowing progress down?

And why the assumption that they will for sure speak up for Singaporeans.

What if they don't? What if their tactics are not better than PAP?

And what if one day they become the governing party? Then PAP will be known as opposition?

Will the votes then sway towards PAP because people wants 'opposition'?

For speaking up against the government, you know, be there to oppose.

 If PAP becomes the opposition, what's the new mandate going to be? Maybe like what the opposition always say, "We are here to speak up for the people."

Somehow, it just sounds ironic to me. 政治真的是人間的一場遊戲。

 

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

Coming up at Tian Fen Lan!

Bags are not like clothes, whereby you can don it on in a fitting room and make a decision to get it or not.

After selling bags for a couple of years and getting more & more customers' forthcoming feedback, I realised the thought process behind buying a bag, especially online, is actually much lengthier.

Even more so if you are me, the one conjuring designs to sustain this bag shop's livelihood.

It takes at least 1-2 hours for me to examine each bag sample, pick at its flaws - front, back, left, right, top, bottom, inside, hand-carry/sling/shoulder-carry the bag & walk around the house, poured through the rainbow colour charts & then cracked my head over the 200 colours in the lining chart.

Knowing that my choices can make or break (& end up with piling stocks at home) a potential bestseller doesn't allow me room for quick decisions.

Decisions...

and more decisions...

During January, an avalanche of bag & shoe samples arrived for my scrutiny. But as Chinese New Year was much earlier this year, January was a crazy month, shuttling between emails, parcel packing & posting. Thank goodness I don't have to handle photoshoots.

So I foolishly set the samples aside, thinking I can handle them later.

Orders, especially those that require next day courier delivery, were pouring in, as CNY inched closer. My supplier was diligently checking back with me, to see if I want to submit my orders before the factories closed for CNY.

I never made it.

And that, ladies & gentlemen, explains the 2-month (& counting) wait for TFL's launches of manufactured products after CNY.

Sigh.

On a happier note, many of the designs that you see here have slightly modified features for TFL's version (not seen in the photos) & already been approved for manufacturing. Shipment, if I'm lucky, should be reaching in mid-May to June. The factories are not quite reliable in shipment arrival sometimes. Thank goodness I always place backorders way ahead, instead of doing it after I close the BO on TFL's site. I'm still waiting for an order that I placed in 1st week, March.

I sure hope everything arrive soon!

Credits: katespade.com

Coming in Black, Mustard, Dusty Orange & Nude, & with sling strap
So many pockets of all sizes, I like! Hide & seek! Now I just need to remember what is where and where is what.

Credits: Net-a-porter.com

Coming in Dusty Olive, Light Peach, Light Yellow & Chestnut Oak
Fits A4.
Bohemian, elegant chic, smart casual or rock chick, this big-sized hobo will have no problem going with your style.
This kind of so-big-that-I-can-put-my-puppy-in bag is one of my most favourite styles.
Slightly slouchy, they just look so effortlessly stylish.
Put on any plain outfit, bring on the bag and viola, you've got style sense!
I refuse to let the Husband to carry my bag because I always tell him that my bag is my accessory - without it, my outfit is not complete!
And see the way the front belt buckle is! How not to loveeee?!

Credits: Bebe.com

Coming in Black, Chocolate & Nude

Fits A4.

TFL's version does not have the inter-woven faux leather, just metal chain.

Cool enough for school. And if you want to look a bit edgy without dressing that way, 

this tote has just that right feel!

2 inches (easy to wear!) kitten heels, to be slightly more pointy than photo, coming in Black, Nude Pink & Mustard

The colour seen in this photo is not in the line-up. The back bow ribbon is so charming!

Very sweet & gorgeous in real life! <3

Coming in Black, Nude, Cobalt Blue & Dark Lilac

Without the wavy sides & no colour block for TFL's version. Fits A4.

I used the sample for about a month, stuffed it with at least 2kg contents and it's really durable!

 Coming in Nude Pink, Moss Green, Lilac Grey & Dirty Pink
Inspiration - the Naraya bags from Thailand. I like the big ribbons on their bags very very much!
This is a photo of the sample that I have been using for a week, to test its durability.
Looks petite but it can fit A4. Surprise!

For all the samples coming in, I make it a point to use the bag for a while, at least 2-3 times and stuff it with contents (my books especially), so that I am more able to judge the possible flaws & beef up the areas of improvement.

The only problem is that sometimes my outfit does not match the colour of the bag at all, like in the above photo, but no choice, just have to be thick-skinned and carry it out. If others look at me, feeling that my styling is a bit off, I just have to be too self-obsessed to notice it. Haha!

There are actually more designs but I have no photos to flaunt them here. I hope you like what you have seen so far & if you have any queries or suggestions, you can email me at TFL's email! =DD

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu