New Obsession for Nail Polish!

Lately since I have been hanging out with few girls from my pole dance studio, I have been into nail polish.

These new girlfriends of mine always take a good care of their nails-hands and feet. Every few weeks they will have a new nail art applied, and though it amazes me how they are willing to spend time and money to beautify their nails, I enjoy marvelling and complementing their nail art of the week.

And so then I told myself maybe I should try express manicure service, and I did, twice, before then I thought to myself I better get my own nail polish set.

I went online a bought base + top coat, nail polish remover, a set of mini OPIs Take Ten and an Ate Berries at the Canaries of Espana OPI. Woohoo!

I spent 80 dollars for all of those. Sigh... But I can say that at the end of the day, it's definitely cheaper than going to nail salon, though since I'm still newbie, I can't exactly paint my nails as neat and pretty as the manicurist.

The other day I just did my 2nd nail color, and I think I'm getting better, or at least I hope so. Hee~

Here is OPI's Tickle Me France-y, my new fave nude color of OPI.

Photos: Botanical Garden, Christchurch

 Botanical Garden in Christchurch is another garden beauty. It's a nice place to just stroll around and enjoy the day.

When I went there, the day was just perfect.
Beautiful and clear blue sky. The leaves were just starting to turn its color (it was in mid April). Flowers were blooming so colorful. Though it was a little bit colder than I preferred, I wasn't mind walking along the garden paths.

If you have the spare time in Christchurch, this botanical garden is a very good option to visit :)
In the meantime, please enjoy the photos below!

Review and Photos: Arona Wildlife Park, Christchurch

Arona Wildlife Park is a small yet well maintained zoo a little bit at the outskirt of Christchurch.
I spent one whole afternoon there while waiting for my evening flight.

The ticket price is a little bit on pricey side, NZD 28. Then they also have an additional Lion Encounter ticket for NZD 30 (now it's NZD 35 - I've just checked their new website).

Though the zoo itself is on the smaller size, the animals looked happy and healthy.
They have small encounters or shows at some of the animal open ranges where the children can feed the giraffe and farm animals, or watch the tiger being fed by the keepers. So for animal lovers like I am, I truly enjoyed my time there.
Especially that when I was having lunch, a mallard duck accompanied me by sitting next to my foot!

Giraffes encounter

kiwi indoor range

rhinos

alpacas

sleepy sheep

tigers

cute duck accompanying my lunch

At the Lion Encounter, the guests are placed in a cage at the back of pick-up truck, then brought to lions range.The keepers then feed the lions through the grilles while the guests gasp in fear and excitement!

Review and Photos: Miner's Arms - Christchurch, New Zealand

When I was planning my trip to New Zealand, I decided that I must stay in a farm for a day or two.
I have always loved animals for as long as I can remember - especially the furry ones - and I looked forward to pet farm animals!

So then I found this place a little bit outside Christchurch which has good reviews in TripAdvisor, and without much doubt, I booked the place for a night.
Since I had no means of transport and Miner's Arms is a little bit outside the city with no public transport stop nearby, Lorna, one of the owners of Miner's Arms, offered to pick me up from Grange Motel and B&B (and also airport transfer the next day) for a small charge.

Miner's Arms is actually a farmette owned by Lorna and her husband, retired teachers. There's a small orchard, and also farm animals, such as alpacas, sheep, chicken, along with a black Labrador, George, and 2 Great Pyrenees, Sky and Alfred.

cute kiddy alpaca!

more cute alpacas!

George, the black Lab

Sky and Alfred

The room itself is actually the whole second floor of the main house!
It consists of two bedrooms, one bathroom and a living room, and since I was the only guest, I basically owned the floor all for myself :)
The living room is equipped with a small refrigerator, microwave and a television set along with few DVDs to watch.

first bedroom

second bedroom

living room

bathroom

bathroom

For breakfast, Lorna gave me the options for breakfast the night before to choose from and the breakfast was just nice!

I will surely stay in this farm again if I come back to Christchurch :)

 

Review and Photos: Grange Motel And B&B - Christchurch, New Zealand

I spent 2 nights at Grange Motel and B&B during my trip to Christchurch.
Actually 3 nights in Christchurch, I stayed in 3 different rooms and 2 different B&B/Motel!

Grange Motel and B&B is both located at the same address. The house above is the B&B while the motel is the new building right behind it.

I was welcome warmly by Des who right away helped me with my luggage and lead me to the motel building.


The motel has more moderns studio room, equipped with a kitchenette and decorated minimalist style. The room is clean and spacious enough. I feel comfortable right away! ;)

The next day I moved to the front building and spent the next night in a beautiful room of the B&B.
The B&B is actually a beautiful old and well maintained house, however I can see the lounge was decorated in somewhat more modern style, with a lot of black and white color.

The room was another surprise, it was on 2nd floor and so beautiful :)

One thing that I like about the bathroom was that the towel hanger was electrically heated so that the towels were always warm, love it!

PS: The breakfast was included in the room price.