♥ Dino Darlings: Valentine's Day ♥

We knew Friday was going to be super busy for us, so my boyfriend and I decided to have a day date on Wednesday. It was the most imperfect perfect day. I had this ugly cut on the back of my foot so I couldn't wear my cute new heels that would have been magnificent with this outfit. My hair was falling out halfway because of mega winds, and my camera battery died on me (these are all shot with my phone). But tiny things!  We had so much fun going into the city and seeing the Dinosaurs: Dawn to Extinction exhibit at the ArtScience Museum in Marina Bay Sands. 

Marina Bay is very quickly becoming my favorite area in Singapore. The skyline is stunning, it has the Gardens by the Bay on one side, the ferris wheel off in the distant, the parliament building in front of you, the architecture of the ArtScience Museum and huge bridges that allow you to take the whole scene in, and of course, the bay.  It's exciting to only be an hour and $1.50 subway ride away from it all. We had lunch outside by the museum to take in the view. 

The dinosaur exhibit was also pretty stellar. I'm not super huge on dinosaurs but Stephen loves science. His curiosity and excitement was infectious. And the exhibit itself was well done; it was more like an experience than just looking at old bones. They had a soundtrack of mosquitos and wind and rawrs playing in the background and mist coming down from the ceiling - created this creepy feel in the jungle. Fantastic stuff! 

And let's talk about this dress, shall we? How perfect is it for a Valentine's date?! I had been eyeing it from Modcloth for a while and eventually I just had to have it. And no regrets whatsoever. It fits like a dream and then to be able to wear it with my red cat eye sunglasses, my strawberry necklace and style my hair in a pompadour; I honestly had too much fun! 

But the best part of the day was being to spend time with my Valentine. We've been so busy trying to settle into our new lives and he has to do graduate work on top of that so we don't get to spend a lot of quality time. It truly was the perfect day. 

What's your plans for Valentine's? Hope you have a cherry-cheery one! 

Dress: Modcloth | Sunglasses: Modcloth | Cat Watch: Eunhang Underground | Bangle: Vintage | Purse: Goodwill | Necklace: Gift  

Take me to the Bus Stop

Ya know when you see something and you just gotta have it? That's what happened with this dress. Outside my new job are a bunch of little vendors that sell cheap clothing, shoes and bags. I always walk by there practically breaking my neck perusing. While I see a lot of things I like, nothing has compelled me to pull out my wallet. Until this dress. It's pretty near perfect and is something I've been wanting for a while. Last week, I saw a girl on the street wearing a white and red striped dress and I instantly fell in love. The dress looked so fresh and polished but yet casual. When I was walking past the vendors on Sunday, I saw this and instantly bought it (for $15!) 

Another reason why this dress is so perfect is the functionality. Dressing in Singapore (my new home by the way!) presents some new challenges: 

1) finding work-appropriate-wear that's not skimpy but still keeps you cool. 

This dress is sleeveless but still covers my bra, isn't too low in the front, and covers all my back. Check! 

2) finding work-appropriate-wear that is acceptable to sit the floor with kids.

It's just past my knees making it very comfortable to sit and play. Check! 

3) finding work-appropriate-wear that I would love even if I didn't wear it to work! 

I absolutely love the retro-nautical feel to this dress. I'd wear it with heels, to the beach... Yes, check! 

In Korea, I was a university professor; I could dress up pretty snazzy and because I was standing lecturing in the front of a classroom, I wasn't as limited in clothing choices. But now I teach little children and I'm running around all day. For the first few weeks, I was just wearing whatever worked. My thinking was, "Why am I going to get dressed up for 6-year-olds?" But then I realized I started not liking how I looked, I'd get this blah attitude. Then it occurred to me, I just need to do me for my own sake. Dressing up and feeling polished makes me feel better. And it worked! But man, wearing the jewelry, the make-up and the outfit really threw some of my little ones for a loop. One little boy stared at me for a while and kept pointing to his ears, lips, cheeks and hair saying, "Teacher... what... why? What... is... that...?" Like he couldn't decide what issue to address first. Finally he got out the question, "What is that on your ears?" Lol. Too cute. 

How does the way you dress change your attitude at work? Or does it?

Dress: Outside vendor, J-Cube | Tote Bag: Chinatown | Belt: Charlotte Russe (old) | Shoes: Goodwill | Scarf: Clothing Swap | Hat: Daiso | Earrings: Naughty Cat | Sunglasses: Modcloth.com (red no longer available)