of Milo panas and English tea

London is not made for snow.

2009-02-02T16:34:00.006Z

Life's been put to a halt for most Londoners. It's been snowing for at least 24hrs now and it doesn't seem like it'll stop anytime soon. Most public transportation have been suspended. Looks like London isn't made for such extreme weather.

Right in front of my doorstep.

It's one big white blanket wherever I look, through the window. I'm not complaining :) I've no appointments, no deadlines, only one too many episodes of HK dramas to complete. Poor Stevie on the other hand has a truckload of work to do - at least he's working at the comfort of home.

Snowfight, anyone?

I love snow. I love the smell, the sight and the touch of snow. Despite experiencing (heavy) snow for the third time, it never fails to make me giggle like a schoolgirl. There's nothing like real snow! I have a strong urge to plop on the snow blanket and start making snow angels and squirm around on those soft fluffy snow. What freedom! Then again, conscience keeps on telling me that there might be a pile or two dog poo lying around discreetly or passerby's might think I'm a little cuckoo for acting all 'jakun' over snow. (Hey! Give the girl a break, she's from 'where snow has not gone' Malaysia!)

Stevie's lame attempt at a miniature snowman and having a 'dip' in snow.

More weather report coming your way.

♥,
Lent, who's braved -15 degrees in wintry Prague.

packing a handful of Madrid into one tiny cuppa

2008-04-17T08:59:00.036+01:00

I haven't been away incase you're wondering. Apart from the Madrid trip during Easter, I've been back in London since, soaking up the fickle minded April weather. Couple weeks back, it was snowing here and mind you, it's not light snow but it was heavy pouring 'stand under the sky and you will become a snowman' sort of snow. It settled on ground, on cars, on trees, on trash bins. It also marks yours truly's very first encounter with thick white snow. Just as I whipped out the camera, it decided to go haywire on me. For some very peculiar reason, the pictures decided to turn purple all over. Following up is good ol' hail storm last weekend which lasted for 10 whole minutes and I can never forget the amount of people that could fit under a bus stop shelter.

Madrid, oh Madrid.. all about the Campo Cruz, the Sangrias and Chor Dai Dee.

I had the most amazing time especially at the Metro stations :) It's one fine way to trick everyone that I was at each of those areas but in reality, I could have just stopped at every stations on that particular line just for a snapshot.

More Madrid highlights ahead...

Sol is the heart of Madrid. If you ask me, its also where the tourists aim to go the very moment they step foot in Madrid (tourists = Steve & I). It's a happening place whereby everything food, shopping, performances and large public areas for loittering are largely available for your disposal :p This place is filled with energy and you can feel it the moment you step out of the Metro station. Despite the touristy appeal, I think Sol defines Madrid and makes it unique.

The first night we were out in Sol, the main streets were jam packed with people. We had no idea what was going on but being the hero and heroine that we were, we decided to 'monkey see monkey do' just so we wouldn't miss out on any good stuff. After waiting for 2 whole hours and still not willing to give up, finally there was dead silence for a couple of seconds and the bells in the nearby church started ringing. It was a religious procession on Good Friday. All I can say that the Spaniards are definitely keeping the faith alive. It also helps if you live smack in one of the flats on the main streets and should there be any parades or such, you just have to fix yourself a nice glass of Sangria, step out to your (super tiny) balcony and look down/up/left/right.

The pointy hats and robes reminds me of a certain clan although there's definitely no relation at all. I wonder which sanction of Christianity does this particular practice belongs to.

The highlight of the procession was them carrying out the huge cross and holy statues out from the church. Although it was all done in a rather s-l-o-w manner.
*Note Steve's expression after hours and hours of waiting. Facial spasm, some may say.

Plaza Mayor may be 'just another' public area in Madrid but I absolutely love this place. It's smack in the heart of Sol and this is where it all comes alive. Street performances, restaurants, cafes and most importantly, the architecture.... Breath taking. I've probably not mentioned this but what amazes me most is the architecture in Madrid. The placement of the buildings and its silhouette creates such picturesque view. Every corner you turn to, especially during sunset, open your eyes to a mind blowing sight.

Street performances are abundance in Sol but all of them exudes such quality. I mean I've seen quite a few in Covent Garden but to be honest, nothing to rave about. When I saw wind blown man, I couldn't help but broke into laughter for a good 10 minutes. He didn't even have to do anything but pose as it is. Quality indeed!

Retiro Park where fairytales and myths come to live in your wishful mind. What made it more even more beautiful than it already is, is the sun. The sun was out and nothing better than a sunny breezy day

Palacio Real, the Royal Palace where we got reprimanded for taking pictures indoor. Ahh... so many secrets to hide. Grand and avant garde are words to describe the palace, both in and out. As my dad would say, 'it's the looting that made the Spanish empire rich'. Well, no doubt in that since they were many grand halls in the palace decorated with one too many Chinese urns. I wonder if there's any remains in the urns.

Tapas is the Spanish word for food to me. What do you eat in Spain? Tapas, tapas and more tapas. Tortilla espanol, chorizo, champignon..... anytime anywhere only in Spain. Unfortunately, we have one too many dishes of chorizo and other cured ham, on day 4, I decided to put a stop to the overflowing oil content in my vein. For all you 'lap cheong' lovers out there, do try as much of the cured sausages and ham in Madrid.

*Note the paella menu & signboard, just beware of any establishments displaying these. We ordered one of the squid ink paella and was so disappointed to a point of no return. Imagine frozen paella - taste almost like that. Just be careful.

*On a more positive note, if you do go to Madrid, do make a trip to La Camocha which is in La Latina, I think - serving the best Fabada Asturia and roast chicken Spanish style :)

Art in Madrid is like english tea in England. Refined and so cultural lah! The art museums and gallery in the Golden Triangle are the popular ones - Padro , Sofia Reina and I forgot (cause we didn't manage to make a trip there). As much as I love art although mostly pop art and renaissance, two hours of Picasso left me mind boggled. I don't know above Steve but it is rather difficult to understand the likes of Picasso whereby the eyes are the ears and the mouth is the nose etc.
Abstract me no more, por favor!

Real Madrid stadium. For Steve, enough said.

Flamenco almost gave me heart attack. I always thought it was a soft dance but how wrong I was. I think its more of a strong dance displaying strong characters. At the speed that they were dancing, I swore they must have burnt a couple thousand of calories in one show alone.

Plaza de Toros on a Sunday is historical. I think it was mostly because bull fights were held mostly on Sundays hence the crowd. It was a pity we couldn't attend the bull fight cause we were to catch out flight back to London on Sunday evening. Although we didn't get to go into the ring, you can almost feel the energy from outside.

In a nutshell, Madrid was one heck of a cultural trip. It would even more cultural if I spoke Spanish. Next mission, to take up Spanish and learn to speak more than just 'Tengo mucho hambre' (I am very hungry!).

We're off to the 02 arena in Greenwich tonight for the Cirque du Soliel - Delirium performance.

Much love to all!

Someone's caught red handed!

♥,
Lent

the leprechaun stole my milo panas

2008-03-19T10:28:00.010Z

The past couple of weeks have been insane. Frustrations on top of frustrations running amok in my head but all is fine now. At least I've sent them off on holiday so they won't be back till the next 'time of the month'. On a different note, I've been ~~bumming~~ in between jobs for almost 2months now and still can't seem to find a job that stretches on for 1month and over. Thankfully, I've been temping here and there - for a few days, a few weeks. I suppose it's all better than nothing while being patient for a better one to come along. Then again, being patient is one thing; I was on the verge of ripping ~~Steve's~~ my hair off cause I was on the brink of giving up. It is frustrating, why is it not?

It's come to a point that my housemates expect and assume that I am home 24/7 just coz I don't have a perm job unlike them. Bull dung! On Monday, housemate A and housemate B was locked out of the house, reason being - one assumes the other has the key but truth is, neither does. I'm sure they did all they can to 'wake up' whoever was in the house, assuming it could be me but unfortunately, yours truly was temping/at work both Monday and Tuesday hence housemate A and B was locked out nontheless. Steve got a call from one of them (they don't have my no. for some reason) and same story, asked Steve if I was home - Steve broke into a great laughter cause assumptions bit them in their own arses. How's bout that?

The morale of the story is - assumption has got some mighty fangs waiting to chomp on you.

On the other hand, Steve and I went to the St Patrick's Day celebration down/up in Trafalgar Sq last Sunday. We missed the grand parade fortunately as it was pissing rain in the morning. Oh yes - this is 'spring' for you and me here in London. It was not so much of a celebration to be honest - unless you're Irish or drink Guinness. I'm neither therefore it was not as 'wa wa wee wa' as I thought it would be. Although I must say, the pool of green all around Trafalgar Sq was quite a sight. Moss pit, anyone?

It never seems to put a damp in anyone's mood when it comes to celebrations despite the fugged up weather in London.

Irish Elvis-es & Irish Pope-iah, anyone? The Elvis-es are apparently the regulars at the celebration each year. They still have the moves, thats for sure - can't help but snigger when they did the bump-n-grind Elvis style :)

The Guinness sausage was a big YUM YUM!

Easter break is literally just around the corner and Steve being the sweetheart that he is, has planned us a trip to Madrid this week. Some bullfighting and flamenco actions we're getting ourselves into. I'm very excited cause this will be my first trip away from England after 6months.

We're flying off tomorrow so till then Lent & Steve says........

...... ADIOS to all and OLA to Madrid!!!

I apologize sincerely for Steve's lack of table manners with the presence of a camera during dinner. Mucho sorry!

♥,
Lent

sanity out the window

2008-03-06T17:44:00.012Z

With Maxine in town, all hell broke loose. Max, the queen of all camwhores (be proud, Max), not a single moment was not captured on film. With her around, for some peculiar reason, I don't feel weird being a complete tourist, taking picture of everything, everywhere. Probably cause she's a big time nutter hence she brought out the nutter in me.

Strawberries and mirrors - godsent to women.

When she spotted me on Bond St., she yelled 'BEETCHH!!' so damn loud, I wasn't sure if I should look away or run towards and give her a chest bump and say 'Sup, Beetch?!'. Of all the things my friends do to embarrass me, I swear this is one little trick that will always work. Endearments, that's what they call them.

Who needs enemies when you've got friends like these.

Making full use of the situation, I dragged Maxine's ass out for a night of clubbing in Fabric. Great music, crazy crowd - to start off with, i got 'cha' by some pighead. When I turned and stare, he had the guts to snigger. God forbid him from celebrating Father's Day should he decide to take advantage of more women. Twat!

The tube and bus, always the perfect venue for some camwhoring - with the presence of Max, of course. I had no clue to why she decided to stick her tongue out and point it to my cheeks. Maybe it was too supple for her to resist, that she wanted to *slurp* :p

Enough yet?

Lesson 101 to Facial Expressions.

The main room was rammed as hell. Music was brilliant though - dark beats. It was a waste I wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy.

Met up with Yinyi and a couple of random Singaporean dudes. Nice bunch, at least better than the pighead who cha me.

I have to say that it was a great weekend until my feet started to hurt from the damn heels. Sorry if any of you had to endure my girly tantrums at any point - it was the pain talking, not me.

♥,
Lent

Grey is the new blue

2008-02-28T16:37:00.006Z

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.'

Such a BUM!!

♥,
Lent

daily dose of curls for MIMI

2008-02-21T11:12:00.001Z

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.

♥,
Lent

just when you thought you're still a kid

2008-02-20T16:08:00.000Z

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*

Sugar high.

♥,
Lent

look who's in town this time around

2008-02-18T19:31:00.000Z

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 or and 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

2008-02-15T11:24:00.001Z

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.

♥,
Lent

Will an extra day do you any good this year?

2008-02-15T10:53:00.000Z

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?

Think about it.

♥,
Lent