Era of Individuality

It is the era of " i "

It is the era where consumers want to brand themselves based on their personal taste and individuality instead of conforming to the social norms around them. We see it all around us - the penchant for finding and buying from more niche, non-mainstream brands, the eating at hard-to-access cafes as opposed to diners in accessible shopping malls. It's all about being different, unique. It's all about standing out from the crowd and creating and branding yourself as an individual.

Even the entrepreneurial streak we've been seeing in the past few years is somewhat a manifestation and a showcase of individuality - breaking away from the traditional conventions of being a paid employee and trading it for a more independent lifestyle of being your own boss, with less restrictions on expressing and executing one's ideas and inclinations.

Check out this article from BrandChannel

“The shift is largely about adapting to a moment in high-end fashion when personal taste and individuality—not conformity—are the ultimate badges of cool,” ~ Washington Post, June 2015

My thoughts aren't exactly in line with the entire post - it's merely a train of thought that spun into a story in my head when I read this quote in the article. Though the post suggests that this may be a reaction to growing income disparities, I feel otherwise - the rich do not bow down to societal pressure. I feel that the rich are motivated to be different, to stand out among the masses which are finding means by which to land their hands on these pieces of luxury. With such widespread use of branded goods by the middle class, luxury goods start to lose their "exclusivity factor". As such, the rich desire branded goods that are either less well-known to the layman, or pick up models that do not showcase the brand so as to not be associated with middle-class consumers who carry the brand.

And I can't help but to think about the viciousness of this cycle - how society is in a constant chase to attain the next level of social status through imitating the actions of the wealthy - first, the chase after luxury, and now, the chase for novelty.

Society seems to be advocating a change towards individuality, a shift in acceptance towards showcasing oneself, but in actual fact, this is merely a manifestation of a trend that is perpetuating in the upper class of society - a trend that middle class consumers are once again, blindly following.

Forest Green

Pic credits to Si Jia who offered to help me take this picture outside the NAFA campus xD

Rather impromptu outing with Si Jia (arranged only 12 hours in advance hurhur). What was initially supposed to be an outing to try the newest yoghurt in town (Nookie Yoghurt) turned out to be an almost 6-hour long outing...during which we surprisingly took no pictures of the food we ate...I guess we were too busy talking hahaha.

So our day went a little like this:

Nam Nam > Nookie Yoghurt > Cineleisure > Sephora > Bag shopping LOL

I ended up buying a retractable make-up brush from Sephora ($19) as well as a Pusheen plushie ($20)... On my way to becoming broke at this rate hahaha


Anyway, the outfit consisted mainly of a simple skater dress I bought from Forever 21 ($35) when I went out with Eunice the other day! I was initially attracted to it because it was Wei Ling's favourite colour but after trying it on, I realised I liked the colour too so I decided to bring it home with me (Cue the weeping of my wallet/bank account).

It's a simple dress, really - but I feel that the texture of the grainy knit sweater really added dimension to and pulled the whole outfit together :)

I can definitely foresee this being a go-to dress for me on lazy days haha!

Jocelyn xx

Some people fall in love with just the touch of a hand

" And I'm thinking about how people fall in love in mysterious ways, maybe just the touch of a hand. Oh me I fall in love with you every day... "

It's been months since I first met him. I never thought we would even become close, let alone...

I guess this player has found her match. But then again, maybe I'm no match, because I'm fighting a losing battle. The one who loves more will always lose because they will continue to let the other play with their sorry heart. And they can't do anything about it.

Cafes @ Tiong Bahru

1) The Orange Thimble

Pic Credits: Trip Advisor (link)

Today, my friend Sam and I had lunch at The Orange Thimble, a place my Photojournalism teacher brought the class to on one of our assignments.

We both ordered the Cream of Mushroom Soup Lunch Set but chose different side dishes - Pasta for him and Baguette for me.

Cream of Mushroom Soup with Baguette ($7.90)

2) Tiong Bahru Bakery

Pic Credit: G Nine Three (link)

After lunch, we went to the nearby Tiong Bahru Bakery - Sam ordered a handmade orange juice while I ordered a Pineapple & Coconut Tart.

Orange Juice ($5.50) and Pineapple & Coconut Tart ($6.50)

I can't comment on the orange juice since I didn't try it. As for the tart, I think it's definitely one-of-a-kind - it's not every day you see a donut-shaped tart topped with white chocolate, no? Before going into the taste, one thing I'd like to comment on is the ease of cutting the tart (and the chocolate). In many places, the tart/chocolate is often too hard/soft, which results in the pastry getting destroyed in some form or another - not for this tart though - it was as the fairytale Goldilocks would put it - "just right".

As for the taste, I enjoyed most of the tart - a tasteful blend of the two tropical fruits complemented by the perfect biscuit, which was slightly on the sweet side. On the down side however, I do feel that the white chocolate wast too sweet for my liking.

Close-up shot of the Pineapple & Coconut Tart

3) Plain Vanilla Bakery

Pic Credits: Pinky Piggu (link)

13.11.2014 // Came here with Greg and Terina and we tried the Lemon Creme Tart, which although delicious, was too sweet for my liking - I also found the generous amount of creme an overkill - it would probably have been better if the tart was slightly smaller

Summer Fruits Tea ($5)

26.02.2015 // Tried the Summer Fruits Iced Tea and found it to be rather bland (but perhaps that is just how most teas are) - the taste became a little more pronounced after "squashing" one of my berries using a straw, but that brought on a whole new disaster - seeds floating within the drink LOL

Field of Daisies

Sweater: Forever 21, Skirt: Montifs, Necklace: Bangkok,

Hairtye: Elitrend, Shoes: Rubi

Here's the outfit I wore yesterday for my spend-time with Wei Ching at Serangoon Gardens! Paired my sister's mint green Forever 21 sweater with this white skirt I bought from Montifs a while back! So stoked that I finally managed to do this combi after so long. Saw a similar combi on Chloe T. many months back but I had neither a mint sweater nor a white skirt back then :(

Here's a close-up shot of the necklace and the sweater! I'm wearing a black camisole underneath since the material is slightly sheer! I think wearing a black camisole as opposed to a white one is a great way to make the mint colour "pop" and stand out more!

Shall post my CNY outfits up (maybe, maybe not) if I find some time within the next few days. Until then, ciao!

Love, Jocelyn

Serangoon Gardens

1) Cedele

Pic Credits: Yina Goh (blog)

23.02.15 // Spendtime with Wei Ching at Cedele

I had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich as well as the Vanilla Hazelnut Mulkshake. Not very sure about the accuracy of the dish names, but something to that effect!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

There were many different types of bread to choose from - and being unaware of which to choose, I just went ahead with one that was supposed to be "plain". The bread was nice and crispy but I didn't think too much of the rest of the burger since I don't like "veggies". The chicken was also a bit too grilled and hard for my liking. 

The milkshake on the other hand, was the bomb. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a picture of it, but I very much enjoyed both its its taste and texture. It was neither too rich nor bland and I do believe that this is one of the best milkshakes I've had thus far :) I do wish the portion was bigger though - I was craving for another within an hour.

Cherry Blossom

Peplum Top: Supergurl, Skirt: G2000

My apologies for the very obviously "super-imposed" photo hahaha but the existing background was just too messy...

Here's my outfit for reunion dinner at Raffles Town Country Club - a rather simple outfit that also consisted of (not pictured) my trusty Vinci bag I bought in Malaysia as well as my minimalist heels from MIYOC Concept Store.