Greetings from Ulaan baatar!

Hi everyone! Missed me? After a loooong journey that started in Beijing, here I am on my first night in Ulaan Baatar. Just a quick post before bed time. Just wanted to share this really delish "special" cake our newfound Mongolian friend gave us.

 

It's super good! Will ask her more about this tomorrow. Speaking of, I have a dentist's appointment in the morning. So unlucky to be having tooth problems while on a trip. Wish me luck!

Boot-ilicious

I'll be going to Ulaan Baatar a few days from now and in preparation for that I bought a pair of boots.

My intention was to buy a pair that I could wear as I go traversing the desert and do all kinds of natgeo stuff. But for some reason, I fell in love with these heeled booties from Charles and Keith and my intent to wear something "rugged" and more outback was forgotten. HAHA. Good luck to me.

I wanted to take it out for a "test run" before I leave so wear it out I did.

I super love the faux fur detail and the thin laces.

They are actually very comforable and light so I'm thinking maybe they would do. I'm just scared it would be hard if I'd have to climb up a camel or something. Gaaah. Really, my preference for heels gets me in trouble sometimes.

For those of you having trouble with geography, Ulaan Bataar is in Mongolia. I'll be traveling via transiberian train route from Beijing. I'll try to blog as much as I can in Ulaan Baatar but if internet is a problem, then I guess it'll just be "see you in a few weeks!"

Wish me luck on these boots. HAHA

Zebra t-shirt - Revenge Fork
Denim shorts - Crissa jeans
Lace up boots - Charles & Keith

Gourmet Lollipop

It's no secret. I have a sweet tooth. So when my godmother handed me these, I almost finished the entire box in one sitting!

Gourmet. Hmm.. it's lollipop! How do you make it gourmet? Well, apparently See's has got it all figured out. I didn't expect much considering it's lollipop but just one lick on it and immediately I understood how it could be "gourmet".

In Cafe Latte flavor

It's really delicious! You could taste how authentic the ingredients are and you could really tell the difference from a regular lollipop. I feel like it's from a 60's candy store where candies are home made. I imagine the "bakers" (do you call them bakers?) pouring pure milk chocolate or butterscotch into square molds and waiting for it to harden. So vintage-y!

My assorted box comes in chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch and cafe latte flavors. I LOVE the butterscotch. I don't often come across butterscotch-flavored candy. My only recollection of having tasted such is eating butter balls as a child (remember those?). Of course those butter balls are no match to these ones from See's!

My lollipops came all the way from New York but I hear there are branches in Hong Kong and Macau so I suggest you drop by if you're ever in the area! (Or may want to ask your relatives in the US to bring these home as pasalubong :P) The lollipops are one of their bestsellers but you want to check out their other sweet offerings as well.

For more info and to check out other products See's offers, check out their website here

A star in the dark horizon

Life is a battlefield. If you really think about it, living, in itself, is scary. But there are things that make it less scary for us-- like the thought that we have family; that there are certain "paths" that we could follow (i.e. predetermined educational life); and the reality that all of us, are facing the same ordeal and really, we are never truly alone.

I was mulling over life while staring out my window last night and Regina Spektor's "The Call" just came to me. It was featured in Narnia's Prince Caspian and the song was meant as background as the Prince went into "war". Pick a star in the dark horizon and follow the light

Pick a star. Follow the light.
Easier said than done.

I was looking out my window and there was nothing there. Total darkness. No star to follow; no light to guide the way. At that moment, I felt scared. If you think of it like life, it's that realization that our future is uncertain. That we just keep moving forward believing we're on the right path when in truth, all we see is darkness ahead. Scary thought.

But angels came to my rescue and after a few seconds of fear and panic, I realized, that where I was, where I was standing was filled with light. So who cares if outside is scary? I am engulfed in light! I, in my meager capacity, hold the light. So it doesn't matter if I walk aimlessly ahead, I have light with me and wherever I may go, I am assured that I will not be lost in the dark.

Different people view life differently. Often, when we're in a dark place, people's advice enter our ears and come out the other. We can't seem to comprehend-- but it's understandable. We have to find the answers on our own and as cliche as it may sound, we are the only ones capable of helping ourselves.

No need to follow the light.
On our own, we are stars.

--

Dress - Tomato
Brown strappy heels - Parisian

What's new at SB

Dropped by Starbucks this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see this:

Oh yeah, the half-price Fraps are baaaaack!

And while I was at the cafe, I also found these new cuties which immediately piqued my interest:

Aren't they the cutest?? If only I was a fan of chocolate, I would have purchased these cuties in a flash!


So that does it! Just a brief update on what's new at my favorite coffee shop! This has been your SB correspond Ninin, saying adieu and happy coffee-drinking! :)