This is the gloomy London we've all been (stereotypically) warned about. Couple hours ago, it was all sunny and jolly but wtf! omg! The sky is even greyer than Steve's mysterious grey hair which pop up every full moon. Just when you thought - Greatness, since the bf's not working today and we could spend some time chilling at home, the wonders of nature starts taking over.
My beloved neighbour has been going at his drums for the past 6 hours since 10am this morning. As much as I love Travis Barker on his drums, the dude next door is slightly cuckoo. What is he doing? Training for a Drums Endurance Race? And imagine this, the only beats he's gladly offering you are - BA RA BA RA BOP BOP BOP (Sorry - those seem to be the only non-existing words I can associate the beats with). And he's still going at it.......
And my opposite neighbour's kids are out in the backyard screaming on the top of their lungs. Yes, how I miss those childhood moments where the only thing matters in your life is 'who stole your lollipop?'. Did I mention, my opposite neightbour enjoys kicking out their Jack Russell puppy out to the backyard and let it bask under the sun or take a wind bath for a good 2/3 hours? Yes, I was pathetic enough to keep track of the time, only on one fine day. Poor but smart pup, it was bouncing up and down, up and down by the door, hoping to flick the handle. It used to bark to get the attention but it was yelled at once and decided not to use that method. I might just break a gap on my backyard's wooden fence and lure the pup over considering I miss my own pups from home oh so much!
and my latest obsession late is....
...baking muffins :) Keeps my boredom at bay. If you're wondering, the rest of the muffins ended up in Steve's and my tummy hence the horizontal expansion. Let's not question further, shall we?
Following up, always a pleasure to see Yan and her dude. They've got some great chemistry going on there. I completely love their impromptu suggestions - karaoke! Back home in KL, I used to love impromptu plans, that's probably because everyone else was always up for anything, anytime. Since being in London, I don't know why but it's all about making plans. Plans for the weekend, next weekend, next month. What happen to living life on the edge? (Correct answer would be - try sleeping on a cliff and indeed life will be on the edge for both you and me :p)
Caught in the act! Anyway, cheers guys for the fabulous evening - the Korean dinner in Assa was LEGENDARY! Next stop - Alton Towers!
Parveen & Pam. Met these 2 very the cool (Malaysian) ladies a while back when I was out working in Black Hole campus in London. Glad we all managed to escape the Black Hole for good.
When people ask me,' What are you doing right now?' I say,' Well, I'm in between jobs.'
The outcome of my newly permed do is not exactly what Mimi would call, 'grand brilliance'. As I count all my nightmarish experience in a new salon, thankfully this is not the worst. At least I didn't run home crying (not that I've ever). It really wasn't that bad but predictably, it wasn't what I had in mind. Here I am, departed with my stick straight hair (byebye!) and in with some curls that obviously DON'T BEHAVE early in the morning. Like a mother with a newborn child, right after (and before) the perm session was done, I dashed out to the nearest Boots and picked up godknowshowmany hair products for the curls. As Steve would say, "I've only one product for my hair, why in the world would you need 5 different products for your hair? and how many times do you need to look into the mirror??"
Ack!!!! I'm deducting his brownie points.
5 different hair products for 5 different occasions. 1. Beach effect for the tousled do.. 2. for Bouncy curls and super Strong hold says the bottle 3. Wavy effect which is almost the 'wake up in the morning' do minus the frizz and kinks 4. John Frieda serum - we all need and love JF, do we not Mimi? Lifesaver for winter 5. Mousse just cause everyone with curly hair uses them
A word of advice, don't bother understanding a woman's relationship with her hair unless you're one. It will lead you to a road of frustration - seriously. And the mirror......let's not go there.
Pictures for your amusement, Mimi....
everyone needs at least a poser pic with the shades on indoors, right? right?!??!?!
Please excuse the blurriness. Obviously the camera didn't quite agree with the curls.
Being the smart arse in our relationship, I suggested to Steve that we should perhaps, maybe perhaps pick up each other's Vday pressie from Hamleys. Just for laughs! Not wanting to splurge too much, we fixed a budget. We split up for 30mins in the store and for some reason, kept on bumping into each other. I have a sneaky suspicion that he was following me all the while, just so he could ensure I don't pick the wrong gift for him. Somehow I can't find the kid in me. Nothing in the store even tickled my fancy at all. I was clueless to what I should get him, constantly weighing out the practicality of each item (Will he trash it in the corner once he's bored with it? It is too silly of a gift?). Although we had a mutual agreement that the gift need not be practical - it's the thought and a good laugh over it that counts, right?
And I thought, why not I get him his very own personal astronaut?
love you long time.
or perhaps, something which would come in HIGHLY handy whenever he's off to a football match. A construction hat with tubes to satisfy his thirst and also shield his head from being Knocked Out by footballs.
guzzle guzzle.
a whole new meaning to footie head.
What about a Gryffindor sword? Not that he's a HarryPotter junkie. I am - say what??
it really is quite a neat looking sword.
or Marauder's Map? just for 'fargs' as AnnAnn would say.
Then it suddenly striked me. What about men and animal instints?
Perhaps an entire collection of jungle animals figurines will bring out the animal in him or...
..he's already in touch with those instincts.
Maternal instincts :p Holding on for dear life, orang utan.
Unfortunately, none of the above were purchased. Steve wanted would like a pS3 but soon realised that we were on something called a budget. It also came to our senses that bubble guns and pink puppy stuff toy does not exactly reflect the best in us. The feeling of walking out a store empty handed......
Q: What does a lady do when she fails to find something she fancies in a toystore? A:Pop in to the nearest Godiva store and pick up a box full of truffles on the expense of the other half of course :) *burp*
It's always a highlight whenever AnnAnn has a stopover in London. She makes me feel like home whenever I see her which is - of course, a great thing to start with. Darling AnnAnn and I have a ritual whenever we get together, whether its in London or back home in Malaysia. There are a couple must dos that I'm sure most ladies will agree with.
1. Caffeine fix at good ol' Starbucks
2. Shopping shopping shopping
Can't say no to some retail therapy now, can we?
2. Yum char in Chinatown What's missing now is some dim the sum on the table.
It's amazing how my conversations with AnnAnn seem to have mature these days. I'm not sure if it's just her (or me) but we seem to fall back on talking about families, building families (*ahem*), financial bips and bops. Surely can't deny that we've all grown quite abit throughout the years - vertically orand horizontally :) 10 years back, we used to see each other during weekends - talk about trivial stuff, plotting ideas on how to sneak her out of the house at nights.... Glad it's all behind us now. I hate to be sneaking her out to anywhere she's not allowed to these days. It's not her parents that will come after me, it's her boyfriend.
On a more sentimental note, I miss my girlfriends so much. Ladies, I know we're all on constant diets but hey, have a Godiva :)
it's been 6 months since my last a&w curly fries | 11:24
I've been in London for 6 months now. 6 solid months. At this point, surprisingly, I still find it extremely tough when people ask me, "Do you enjoy living in London?". Truth is, I really don't know. Don't get me wrong, I love London, it's a beautiful place with much to explore but home is still home and it's irreplaceable. I'm out of my comfort zone and I'm still in the middle of establishing my own life here (career + friends). It hasn't been a bed of roses that's for sure.
My family, my friends and my lil doggies are what makes Malaysia feels home and I miss them all so much. Thankfully there's Steve, who constantly puts up with my endless sulking and whining; who keeps me sane and drives me insane at the very same time. Love, that's what they call it. I told Steve last night, "Ask me the very same question in 6 months time." He assured me that it'll be a much positive answer. I hope so, only time will tell. On a brighter note, here's some of what makes me ♥ London. 1. Krispy Kreme ... more more more! 2. The weather - the rain really isn't as often or as bad as you think. For once, my makeup does not melt when I'm out walking and walking for hours. 3. The markets - not your pasar malam or pasar pagi equivalent. The English markets are absolutely brilliant - the food, the clothes, the art & crafts, the second-hand 'junk to most, treasure to the very few'. 4. Cider...beer has never worked for me hence the discovery of cider has opened up a whole new world of English pubs and bars to me. 5. Dimsum - I'm not kidding. HongKong Dimsum in London is the authentic stuff. I hate to say this but it tops what I've had so far back home.
A typical Malaysian will never stray away from talking about food i.e yours truly. True said.
This was how I felt when I first arrived in London. "Show me the rain!!"
This was how I felt when I gobbled up one whole box of 6 pieces Krispy Kreme (Notice Steve's face is filled with digust)
Cheers to the dude in my life who's always there to tolerate my crap with no questions asked.
Will an extra day do you any good this year? | 10:53
This is a leap year, in case you didn't already know by now. That's right, we're getting an extra day in the calender. I suppose this goes out to all of you who are constantly ranting "Time flies by when you're having fun. How I wish there's an extra day to savour all these." Your wish just came true but bear in mind, it only happens every 4 years. Speaking of which, what if your birthday falls on the February 29th? Imagine this, the next time you blow off the candles, you're 4 years older. Holy cow! That brings a whole new meaning to time flies, doesn't it?
A Malaysian working holiday maker who promises not to speak with a Brit accent after just 16 months (and counting!) living in London. Out of her comfort zone and in with new surroundings from the land of Goodness Gracious Me.
** Best read with a cuppa nice hot Milo or English tea. Drop me an email at absolutbliss@gmail.com if you share my love for Milo :)
