Santorini, Greece: Boat Trip

Sailing Away 
While in Greece, I wanted to take a small, intimate boat - perhaps a yacht - to spend the day exploring the neighboring islands.  Well, the cheeky Greek man working at the travel agency kindly reminded me that I wasn't Gary Pepper Girl or Barefoot Blonde. Hmmmph. (Okay, he didn't exaaactly same that but it was the same idea.)

So Kristen and I ended up going on a very very large boat with many people for 20 euros. And ya know what? It wasn't that bad! I do get sea sick though which I think is completely unfair given just how much I absolutely LOVE the ocean and being on the water. Has anyone tried the seasickness bracelets? Do those work?

The highlight of the trip was to go to a volcano where you had the option of hiking to the summit. Ha! No, thank you. However we did walk up the half way mark to take in the view and we were not disappointed. Across the deep blue water we could see the cluster of white buildings of Oia. We felt like we were aliens in a weird land with only rocky hills stretching out of view.

FYI, there are many mixed reviews on Tripadvisor about this type of day trip but we really enjoyed it. But honestly, I think Kristen and I could have enjoyed exploring a paper bag (I'm glad we got to see more than that though!) Funny story: when we were climbing up a suspiciously high and precarious edge of the volcano, Kristen stops to take a picture and then says, "Wait! I'm out of memory!" and I thought she proceeded to delete photos ON THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN-VOLCANO. After we safely arrived back on level terra firma we then tried to think of all the most ridiculous examples when a tourist would make people stop and say, "Wait! I need to delete my repeats!" (Can you think of any?) Just trust me. It. was. funny. We are available for re-enactments, if necessary. Have your people contact our people.

BTW, if you haven't already, be sure to check out my post about our first day in Santorini! 

The Outfit

The best part about being on the boat was the laissez-faire everyone had about clothing. I've become accustom to the general Asian mentality of boat trips: hide from the sun by any means necessary and unless you are a size 0, cover yourself. But the Europeans have a very different take that is very refreshing: they go for it. Every age and size was in varied states of dress. Some were in full bikinis sunbathing on desk, others in see-through cover-ups and then others were wearing non-beachwear. It made for a very comfortable holiday atmosphere! 

I only wore my long-sleeve button-up because I was afraid of being burnt to a crisp (not a good look, trust me). Underneath I wore my custom-made-to-fit high waisted swim suit from Surania which if you know anything about me, you know I'm absolutely obsessed about this suit; proof from this post and my instagram. You can see a better image of the suit here. 

What are your favorite pieces for beachy-travel & exploration? Got any go-to cover-ups? 

Shirt, Shorts & Hat: H&M | Shoes: Rack Room | Earrings & Bracelets: Lovisa
Sunglasses: Cotton On

Photos by Kristen

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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) 

Living in a Life Magazine: Swimsuit for the Curvy Vintage Lover

 

I have been obsessed with vintage 50's/60's swimsuits for as long as I can remember. I never felt comfortable in a tiny bikini no matter what size I was - bottoms just never covered my bottom! So when the high-waisted bottoms became a trend - a more accessible one than just buying an actual vintage swimsuit, I had had HAD to find one. Which was not as easy as you might think. 

But I ended up lucking out sooo very well. I got this entire suit at Target! The bottoms are made by ASSETS which honestly, I thought looked like it was marketed towards plus-size matronly ladies. I wanted the bottoms to be high-waisted but not dumpy-looking. And I am about one size under plus-size, which as far as adorable swimsuits are concerned, is kind of a bummer because there are a lot of adorable ones I've found online that are exactly what I was looking for! So I tried on these bottoms but I figured they'd be a little too big in size or a little too big in granny-coverage. Well, hot dog if they weren't exactly what I was looking for! I'm a size 8 and I ended up getting the XL. My only complaint about the suit bottoms is that the material is a little strange for putting on sunscreen - the white shows up on it. So I recommend putting sun screen on before you put on the suit. They still have the bottoms up on Target's website (and they're in spa blue as well, I see!) 

The top is from Mossimo, which I'm sorry to say is no longer on the Target website. I wanted to get a suit top that had underwire and push-up padding. Yup, I wanted bigger bazookas. Not because I wanted a more sexy swim suit (although that might be an added perk) but because I wanted to balance out my larger lower half and enhance my little upper-half. I was tired of those little triangle clothes that did nothing to help me out. I love how the black and white stripes adds to the vintage feel, almost giving it a nautical vibe. However, I'm not sure if I would ever get a black and white bathing suit ever again. The chlorine turns the white yellow and it's a chore to try and keep the white fresh when you swim as much as I do. This top will probably have to go soon, but the good news is my bottoms can stay - they match everything!! 

oh and p.s. - the entire swim suit was $50!

This is probably the first swim suit I've ever owned where I feel 100% comfortable in my body and I feel like I look great. I've tried the tankini thing but while I am comfortable in it, I feel like I look slumpy and boring - not my style at all. But with this, I feel like everything I want covered is, I don't have to worry about alway sucking in my stomach, having my lil belly hang out unflatteringly or mooning someone - the swimsuit just makes sure it's right where it needs to be at all times. I don't think I will ever go back to regular bottoms - it's too much fun feeling like you're in a Life magazine! 

I think every girl deserves a swim suit where she says to herself, Heck yeeeeah, I look goooood! I hope you find one that works for you! Would you ever wear high-waisted swim suit bottoms?

Swimsuit Bottoms: Target | Swimsuit Top: Target (similar) | Sunhat: Gift | Sunglasses: H&M