PicMonkey

Have you heard of PicMonkey? It's a photo editing website and it is the successor of Picnik.

Here's an article on PicMonkey that you can read: Article 

I really like the features available on PicMonkey. I think it is easier to use than Picnik and there is no need to register to use the features. All you need to do is to upload the photo, edit it and then save it back to your local drive. Your photos are never publicly available and you retain the copyright to your image. All in all, I feel pretty safe using this website. 

I've done a couple experiments on PicMonkey and here are the results:

My adorable niece in "Cross Process"

Pastry in "Polaroid"

Old Bank Arcade (Wellington city) in 'Tranquil'

Grandpa in "Lomo"

Matryoshka dolls in "Urbane"

Chinese cake in "Urbane"

Ice cream in "intrepid"

I really love the results. It's one of the ways I can take advantage of the special effects for photos without needing to buy a smartphone and downloading Instagram. After all, I only have a Sony Ericsson brick phone!

Origami crane bouquet

Do you love origami? Check out Fossil's how-to origami crane bouquet!

Crane bouquet

It's so pretty :)

Moore Pastries!

You may have figured out by now that I have a weakness for sweet things and anything baked. Wellington is like bakery central. There are specialised bakeries such as Simply Paris (as mentioned in the previous post) and there are supermarkets with bakery departments that dish out fresh baked goods everyday. Some are good and some are not. I'm learning which are the best!

When I get tired from work, I like to cheer myself up by buying something for dessert :D. Bad, I know :(.

But they taste so goooood.

Here are some eye candy:

Apple cinnamon doughnut with cream from New World Metro.
This was quite disappointing as it was a little chewy.

Chocolate danish from a Cuba St bakery.
It was pretty good, even after I left it a little too long in the oven. Whoops.

Bacon and cheese ciabatta from New World Metro.
I wanted to take the chance to try the savouries even though the doughnut was not that great. The ciabatta was definitely better than the doughnut, but I will probably not get it again.

Mixed Berrry Danish from Moore Wilson's.
This was reallllyyyy good. I've always been a little apprehensive of ordering desserts with berries as they can be quite sour. But this was great as there was also custard which was just the right level of sweetness. 

So yummy that another photo is justified ;)

To market, to market

One of the disadvantages of living in the city is that groceries are expensive. But the great thing about Wellington is that there are great markets right in the city. Last Sunday, I visited a market at Waitangi Park where there were many vendors selling cheap groceries. Everything looked really fresh, and I am looking forward to visiting it every weekend to stock up on veggies and fruits.

Another smaller market at Chaffers Dock Building was filled with vendors selling gourmet and specialty food. One vendor attracted my attention - Simply Paris! I have a great weakness for pastries and anything that is baked, so their wonderful array of ciabatta, french loaves, danishes left me drooling. 

So my lunch for that day was almond pain au chocolat, toast & avocado and juice:

Almond pain au chocolat, NZD 4.50

The lady behind the table was also very nice. She gave me one of the bigger pastries as well ;).

Small spaces

I live in a studio apartment in Wellington. 

Here is a picture of it:

It is all brand new and clean, and there is an added bonus of big windows that allow the morning sunlight to stream in. I am not fussed with the size (which is really small), and I know that small spaces can look great too. However, it is really important to make sure that the place does not look cluttered and messy. I brought quite a lot of things here, and I have been making the effort to downsize. This includes selling off some of my craft materials, fabric and books :(. It is also taking a lot of effort to refrain from buying more clothes!

Here are some examples of small and cute houses on Pinterest:

Source: Uploaded by user via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Tiny and rugged :).

Source: bellamumma.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Cute loft

Source: 36ohk6dgmcd1n.yom.mail.yahoo.net via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Love the wooden partition

Source: tumblr.com via Su Lyn on Pinterrest

Wellington: Parliament

Hey everyone :). 

I'm currently blogging from Wellington, the capital of New Zealand! I moved down here a week ago for work, and I began a new phase of life last Monday. My colleagues have been really friendly, and I am settling in well.

I really love the city here. Wellington is very different from Auckland Central. The latter is smaller and is mainly focussed on Queen Street and Britomart Place. Meanwhile, Wellington Central is a combination of Auckland Central, Newmarket, Ponsonby, Parnell and much more! I am planning to do something different every weekend, and today, I visited the Parliament buildings complex.

The Parliament buildings are on an amazing lush green complex and I spent more than one hour photographing the buildings and exploring the greens. 

The Beehive: The Beehive is also known as the Executive Wing, where the Prime Minister office is and where the Cabinet meets. It was built in 1969, and in my opinion, is one of the most iconic buildings in the city. There is even a swimming pool for the ministers to use!

The Beehive

The Beehive

Parliament House: The Parliament House is where the Debating Chamber, Speaker's Office and committee rooms are. I love how solid it looks.

Parliament House

Parliamentary Library: The Parliamentary Library is my favourite. The building was designed by Thomas Turnbull in 1883. It is still used as a working library for Parliamentary members and staff. There are flowers grown right in front of the building, and the building has lovely windows, ironwork and domes. 

Parliamentary Library (right next to the Parliament House)

Roses and camellia growing in front of the Parliamentary Library

And my fun fact of the day: New Zealand was the first country in the world to allow women to vote in the Parliamentary elections in 1893. Those whom contributed to this milestone development are commemorated in the complex by the planting of white camellias which symbolises support for women's suffrage. 

I can't wait to share more pictures of Wellington as I explore more of the city!