I woke up early today feeling more energized than usual. It could be my body realizing that after two days, it could run without coffee… Or, it was just its way of greeting me a happy birthday!

First things first–I finally unboxed my Diptyque Roseros candles! Since being introduced to Diptyque’s first collaboration with design duo Kuntzel+Deygas, my love for this candlemaker/perfumer has grown more and more. I bought this pair for myself during my recent Hong Kong trip, and you can imagine my excitement when the two scents (similarly and yet distinctly rosy), finally unleashed, danced in my room. (Photos of the unboxing here!)

In the middle of taking photos, I realized I didn’t have to light the candles for the scent to spread (yup, that’s how small my room is). So I left the two on my table for a bit before packing them back into the boxes. I want to use them for extra-special occasions!

A few minutes later, I received the new shoes I ordered from online seller Five By Five! Unwrapping these pairs was such a joy. I literally exclaimed “fabulous!” to myself when I unwrapped the second pair… Bet you can’t argue with that! I’m already imagining all the different outfits that’ll go with them.

Tonight will be dinner with B and my family, then I’ll be working on a set of looming deadlines till perhaps the wee hours (no exceptions for this girl!). All in all, I couldn’t ask for a better day–it’s been a happy one spent in the comfort of home and loved ones.

Let me leave you with the official video for Diptyque’s Roseros. I dub this my birthday song for the year… And my gift for everyone who remembered and greeted me today! Be inspired and enjoy!

I’ve broken the silence of my too-generic-looking office desk by sprucing it up with my personal style. It’s a mini-project I began a couple of weeks back…

Since getting my feet wet in fashion, design and interiors, I’ve gravitated towards three styles: romantic/glam rock, vintage kitsch, and modern minimalism. I wanted to give my cube a look that had pretty much all three (also inspired by the quirky, rock-chic home of Meg Mathews, which we ran in this month’s issue of Real Living). And so, the anchor piece–a plastic, white neo-Baroque picture frame I bought at a discount at Dimensione (not the exact one up there), holding a lovely illustration by Tanya Ling for LV (cruise 2009); a few of my Taschen Icons series books (loving them for the pops of color they give!); and a cheeky orange splash coaster from the local Me&U shop.

Not pictured–a white capital “A” (sans serif, to be sure!) decorative wooden letter, snapped up at Cubao X’s Vintage Pop right before they shut down. Sniff.

Possible additions to the group: a blank, white, vinyl Munny figure which I currently share with B. Still contemplating whether or not to put this into the mix–for all its simplicity, it ain’t cheap. Wouldn’t want this stolen! And another thing I want safely nestled here–a Diptyque candle in Feuille de Lavande, which has been, sad to say, only gathering dust at home. Perfect for those extra-stressful overtime nights! Speaking of, I’ve never actually seen anyone burning scented candles in the office… Hmmm.