One of the places with the most aesthetic and hipsterish cafe interiors. There's something about their dangling lights against unembellished grey walls that I really love, and their window seat has this marble tiling that helped to make our photos a little more artsy?
Atlas Coffeehouse is doing their interior design right.

We got their Salmon Soba Noodles, Atlas Butterscotch Banana Pancake, Truffle Fries and iced Latte! The soba noodles was definitely refreshing on the palette since well, you don't really get soba in cafes.




Their pancake was really fluffy too!! I think we might have killed our tastebuds with an overdosage of maple syrup (since we emptied all that was given to us for photo's sake... LOL) but nevertheless, it's still pretty decent.

Pretty pleased with their food and thank you Jolaine for the treat and dating me :')


Now that the weekends are here, I'm left with my wandering mind, and quite a number of things to think about.

It's inevitable when someone feels upset about a negative or hurtful remark about themselves, more so if it's said by the people they love. Because no matter how strong or nonchalant someone may seem on the outside, they are only human, and they will still be affected by even the smallest insensitive comment. Some are just better at hiding it.

Irregardless, there is always a line you shouldn't cross. And if you choose to step on their toes and cross that line, don't blame it on them for snapping at you when you pushed their backs far against a wall and wore their tolerance thin.

Sometimes, I don't know where I should draw that line. How far am I supposed to bend myself over backwards before I break?

I've been meaning to blog at least twice/thrice a week since my return from Laos but... That clearly isn't going to well. These couple of weeks have been packed, both with work and other events that I just haven't had much time to just sit, chill and let the words spill. I appreciate this busyness, but I should be reminding myself to write, so that I'll still remember how I spent my days instead of letting them just pass me by.

Anyway, a summary of pictures to show what I've been up to:




1. Hyping over Milk & Honey (again) // 2. Office situation: producing flatlays // 3. Atlas Coffeehouse with Jolaine // 4. Yongxiang's 21st // 5. BBQ with the childhood crew // 6. Outdoor shoot with Ohvola

I actually went to Atlas Coffeehouse about a week ago with Jolaine, but I'll blog about it over the weekends when I have more time on my hands. Right now, I'm piled with hundreds of photos to edit (for freelance and Ohvola), which I too will share on this space sometime soon!!

I've also hit the big two (argh fak I sound so old) just a couple of days ago (13th April), and this year's celebrations were way different from what I had from the previous two. But thank you to all my dear friends for your well wishes, and to the besties that took time off your busy work schedules to treat me to a good meal :')
I've been telling myself to always 1. always see the good in people 2. be nice to people until they give you a reason not to and 3. leave behind the ones who don't have good intentions with you. They're my reminders to self, sort of like a resolution and they've been going well thus far.

On a side note, I think I'm accumulating some sort of sleep debt because I'm always staying up late into the night for irrelevant shit (like dota) when I have work or a shoot the next day. Why?? I need to set my priorities straight... And grow up LOL.
Okay I should probably go to bed. Someone's got another job (possibly) coming her way hehe. It seems like I'm giving my workaholic tendencies the reins to my life this year.

So here's finally the last part of my travel to Laos, after a good one month has passed since the time I returned from my trip. I guess travel posts are time-consuming to compose, because I've been meaning to finish up this bit since days ago but the photo editing and research was a little too much for the busy week I had.

Anyway, here's how we spent our last two free and easy days at Laos - crossing the Nam Khan and Mekong River, to explore various villages and possible tracks.
During these two days, we travelled mostly on our bikes so I didn't get to use my camera as much as I'd like to, despite the photogenic livelihood of the villagers around me. I was too busy hanging onto my dear life while I cycled (I only learnt how to cycle just last year lol) through busy streets and uneven slopes.




So the above pictures are shots of the Nam Khan River. There wasn't much on the other side of the bamboo bridge that we crossed, but there were quite a number of children who gathered at the river to swim.
Seeing that sight, the juniors that I went exploring the river with actually wanted to swim too... LOL. I wasn't too keen on getting myself soaked just before dinner so I simply took care of their belongings while they played at the riverbank with the other local kids.

The night before Day 7, we spent a lot of time trying to decide on what we could do since we've already explored most of whatever Luang Prabang and its city has to offer. Initially, we had plans to travel to another part of Laos that was about a four-hour van ride away, but school trips has its restrictions and rules...
Limitations really frustrates me but let's just say that we somehow managed to find another alternative (after hours of Google searches) that wasn't too bad.




We decided to cross the Mekong river to explore the village and do a trek that was about 25km (last time we checked) in distance, with us ending at the far bank of the Mekong River and a waterfall known as Tad Hoykhua.

To cross the Mekong river, we bought ourselves our lunch before we departed on the smaller boats to the other side where the village of Xiang Men greeted us. It was relatively quiet and disparate from the bustle in Luang Prabang's city where we stayed in. It was not really a place frequented by tourists and there was nothing translated in English to help foreigners around but, we did had a lot of fun playing with some of the children while taking their portraits. I think there were a couple of weddings going on while we were there too since everyone was gathered at someone's home with loads of pottery and food prepared for the festive occasion. This village just screams traditionally rural Lao.

It also seems like the trek that we intended to do was not a common route taken by most. Many locals were giving us odd looks as we asked for directions (in broken Lao), and some even told us that it was too far a distance for us to travel by foot.

But well, we did have a whole day so that's what we did LOL. There were nine of us in the group as we travelled, so even though we had no maps or phone signals whatsoever, we were kinda motivated by each other's company despite the arduous and uncharted path we have ahead of us.
I always liked adventures like these because it makes you feel so alive and liberated, while having to be completely self-reliant. Or in my case, supportive and faithful of the group mates I was traveling with.





The long trek wasn't very inviting because it was just a dirt track made of dust and sand that got into our eyes and noses each time a vehicle passes us by. By the end of our journey, we were literally caked in brown sand. I was cleaning my face with wet wipes and I didn't know if the brown on the wipe was the sandy dirt or my face concealer... LOL.

So even though it was a dirt track and there wasn't much to see, we did come across herds of water buffalos or cows that crossed paths with us. We started chasing the farm animals to get more shots of them up close because, what are the chances of us being able to follow a wild herd? Maybe we're just being typical Singaporeans since we got so excited by the sight of farm animals lel.

The scorching sun was really such a bane during a journey, and the bottled water that we had with us was already running low. Thankfully, we managed to come across a couple of unnamed villagers, so we could still stock up a little on our snacks and drinks that kept us going on the road. I bought this traditionally made rice cracker that only costs me 20cents (omg I should have bought back more to sg) and a bottle of tea that I realised was far past its expiry date only after I've consumed the entire beverage lol.
Sadly though, our spoken Lao wasn't actually comprehensive enough for us to find out what the names of the villages that we made stops at were, so I'll leave them nameless. But during our short breaks there, we got to see quite a number of interesting traditions! Like there were a couple of locals using traditional machinery (that we've never seen before) to make like cotton buds and other basic necessities. It was so cool and I was glad I agreed to take this unbeaten path with the rest of the team.







When we were about more than halfway through our journey, we were getting really tired and restless from the heat so I suggested getting a hitch hike from the next lorry or truck that we see. I guess it's sort of a convenient trick that I've picked up from my solo trip to NZ, although I was having my doubts about hitch hiking in SEA.
But we were pretty lucky! We got a ride from our first hitch, and on a super huge lorry that could fit all of us comfortably in the back, together with a few of the locals. Feeling the dirt-carrying wind on my face while I was on board a burning hot lorry with friendly strangers while we laughed and journeyed through bumpy roads was... A good and priceless experience. It was quite a highlight of my Laos trip.

When we finally reached the waterfall, we realised that it was not open to public yet because there were still some construction going on?? Not sure if we felt disappointed, especially since we just went through such a tiresome trek, but I was still pretty content and satisfied with everything that I got to experience while I was on the road.
We had our super late lunch before we took a ferry back to the city of Luang Prabang. The ride was about an hour plus long and I dozed off to the rhythmic rocking of the boat. I didn't know how worn out I was until I sat down, but I felt pretty accomplished.



That was pretty much my last day of Laos, after some of us spent our last night at the night market and at Utopia (the only bar in Luang Prabang that closes at midnight). I was glad I got to travel with some like-minded individuals, even though I signed up for the trip not knowing any of my juniors hahaha.

So here's me finishing my final edition of my Laos travel log, and ticking Luang Prabang off my travel list!

Check out my other posts on Laos:

▶ Lost in Laos (Part 1) - Luang Prabang
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 2) - Hill Tribe Villages
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 3) - Kuang Si Waterfalls & Butterfly Park
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 4) - Lao Living Farm
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 5) - Xiang Men Village, Nam Khan & Mekong River

Photographer: Mirabelle Koh
Model: Che Shijia
Styling: Lucinda Zhou + Mirabelle Koh
Wardrobe: Ohvola

Just a couple of my favourite shots from a recent shoot I did for Ohvola on Tuesday, for the upcoming collection that is launching online this coming Sunday! You can check out the preview up on their Facebook for more sneaks of the items (or my photos hehe).
I'll post more pictures from the shoot if they decide to have a lookbook album up. It was a lot of perspiration under the hot sun and spending hours on Lightroom/Photoshop till the light from my MacBook screen burned into my corneas lol. But seeing the results, I'd say the hard work is paying off! :)

It's hasn't been long since I started work, but nothing feels better than getting back into the groove of creating creative content. It makes me so proud to see my own works published to the public, and I go to work everyday feeling so stoked to know it's going to be yet another productive day.
During the time I spent a month doing nothing (since internship ended and I was waiting for work to start), I was bored out of my wits. I knew the chill life was never really for me because I always felt the need to be on the go, or have something on my plate. So getting back to the work grind is a relief for my stagnant soul, somehow.

I've also been doing some other freelance photo editing works and it's amazing how more job opportunities are coming my way!! The only thing I should probably watch out for is not to overwork myself. I always had a tendency to do that, and right now I'm already juggling three jobs? LOL. Thinking if I should take up the fourth and fifth one...
Anyway, I'm super thankful for all the exposure and chances given to me, and I'm definitely putting my best foot forward to make this an achieving year as I take a break from my studies.
That's right, I won't be applying for uni this year because I feel like I could use a breather from my academics this year, while I work to boost my portfolio (since the courses I'm interested in are more portfolio dependent) and earn some of my school fees for the coming years. Taking a gap year is not the most orthodox path to take, but I've been considering this for a while now and I know that this is what I really want, and need. In fact, a few of my friends seem to be doing the same too so that's great hahaha.


I guess this is how it feels like when Winter ends and Spring arrives. The greys in the sky has cleared, and the bad days and moods have passed. The painful memories of the past will slowly fade, and that's when you know you're ready. Good things start to come your way, and beautiful people find you.

You're already on the road to heal, you just need to admit that.

Work has been taking quite a bit of my time this week since I started, so I haven't exactly found the time or the energy to continue with my Laos blogposts. Indeed, weekends are so precious.

For our fifth day in Laos, we had to wake up pretty early for the farm activities that the guides have planned for us. We got to experience a little of what it's like to be a farmer, as they taught us the process of how they care for their paddy fields that produce the sticky rice that they supply to some parts of Luang Prabang.

We had a go at planting sprouts - something I have absolutely no talent in because I either can't make the roots stay in the soil or have the sprouts drown in mud. I guess I can't even make a living out of farming lol. And then there was ploughing their muddy fields with their water buffalo to keep the soil fertile.














I thought it was pretty cool how their buffalo is actually pink instead of the usual black?? Haha.

We harvested the rice, and it was such a tedious process it's no wonder why farmers don't need a gym LOL. We then got to choosing the good grains amongst the whole sack and got to try some of the local snacks they made from their rice.

They also made sugarcane juice using their super huge roller mills to crush the cane, in which its mechanism in run mainly on manpower. Not a bad experience, donning straw hats and stumbling through muddy fields.











Similarly to day four, I would have hoped for more activities to be planned for the remaining of the day but we just had free time to ourselves after that. I wanted to go around exploring more of the treks that Laos has to offer but it was too late for that.

For the last two days in Laos, we rented bicycles and were free to explore any part of Luang Prabang at our own time and pace. I appreciated the free and easy time, but I honestly felt like seven days in Luang Prabang was a little too much? Because the five days we had is almost enough to cover most of what this city has to offer, and I thought that it would have been better if we were allowed to explore other cities in Laos instead.
If you're planning to visit Laos, it would be optimal to visit a couple of cities at a go since the differing cities have so much to offer! I would have chosen to go to Vientiane, Vang Vieng or Nong Khiaw. Nong Khiaw seems to have really good treks and scenery.


I shall blog about my bike and trekking ventures for the last two days soon, if I manage to peel myself away from the novels that I've gotten myself recently. It's been a while since I got back to this reading hobby.
But that's gonna take a while cause I haven't edited the photoset... Oops hahaha. Ever since I took up some freelance photo editor works on top of my current job, I've been more focused on my work images that I'm neglecting my personal ones. Well, I'll work on them soon!

It's amazing how time flies. It's already the fourth month of 2016.

Check out my other posts on Laos:

▶ Lost in Laos (Part 1) - Luang Prabang
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 2) - Hill Tribe Villages
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 3) - Kuang Si Waterfalls & Butterfly Park
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 4) - Lao Living Farm
▶ Lost in Laos (Part 5) - Xiang Men Village, Nam Khan & Mekong River