About bloody time…

Okay…my lapse in posting is really lamentable and not even that excusable. But a lot has been happening. I’m in a better frame of mind than last post but am still suffering from a severe bout of homesickness and uncertainty. But before I launch into a self-pitying rant, I’ll recap the lovely holiday we had in Netherlands!
 
We left on Saturday, August 12 in the middle of the day on a flight to Dusseldor-Weeze (across the border in Germany, but only a half hour drive from Tom’s family home). Tom’s Mum and sis met us at the airport and it was so nice to see them again! It’s so cool to have familiar faces waiting at the airport! We then went back to the house in Mariaheide and because the weather was lovely, we sat outside for some coffee and cake and a nice chat. That evening we went for “wapas” or “world tapas” at a restaurant in Uden. It’s such an interesting concept - you get tapas from all over the world (not just Spanish). So we had a little Caesar salad, some mushrooms, some brushetta, some lamb cutlets, etc. We also had some nice red wine and it was really nice to be out with Tom’s mum and his sister. Afterwards we went to D’Brouwer! Which is the coolest pub in Brabant (also the only local bar in Mariaheide). A lot of Tom’s friends were there so it was really nice to see them again (a lot have visited us in London) and to also meet some new faces. I also had a bit too much rose so was quite cheerful! Joris is one of Tom’s friends and his family run the bar. They are so friendly, especially Joris’ dad! They look very much alike (and I must have told them both so, at least a dozen times - ugh, I can be a little repetitive after a few drinks).
 
On Sunday, we had a bit of a sleep in after the late night at D’Brouwer. I wasn’t feeling so good so Tom went to his sister’s new place in Den Bosch while I slept a bit. That afternoon we went to a “surprise” BBQ at Dennis’s house (it was a surprise until a friendly unsuspectingly let the proverbial cat out of the bag at the bar the night before). He is building a massive warehouse on his land which is looking great and has been a successful project for him. About 30 people came along to the BBQ so it was quite a task to get around and talk to everyone. But of course, everybody was very friendly and chatted to me so I felt very welcome. Dutch BBQs are great! They have lovely salads and a whole load of meat which you just pick and pop on the BBQ yourself, as and when required! Also satay sauce is served with every BBQ and it is delicious! The BBQ went until quite late but had a really fun time!
 
Monday, we made a trip to the Deltawerken in Zeeland (this is the massive network of dykes the protects the Dutch coastline from flooding). Quite impressive to see, but we didn’t pay to go into the visitor centre as it was quite late when we got there and entrance fee was a bit steep. But we stayed for a wander around and took some photos (the weather looks a bit bleak in them!). Before arriving at the Deltawerken or Neeltje Jan the area is also known, we stopped off in Middelburg which is a really pretty old town. We had coffee and apple cake for refreshments. Must say that Dutch applecake is definitely a must sample if you go there!! The streets in Middelburg were all cobblestone and the shops were so quaint looking - plus the shopping looked fantastic! Better than London even! (I’m a bit over all the high street shops here).
On the way home, we stopped off in Breda which I think was my favourite place to stop on this visit! It has this massive cathedral in the centre with a big square surrounded by lots of nice restaurants and cafes. We had dinner at Gaucho Grill there and sat on the square watching the day give way to evening. At one point some hot air balloons sailed over the square. So pretty! Definitely want to go up in one of them at least once in my life. We made our way home and finished off the day with a nice chat with Jan and Tom’s mum in the living room over a glass of rose.
On Tuesday, we planned to go to Amsterdam, but slept in way too late. So we ended up going to Nijmegen which is a Roman settlement town on a river. Tom was once going to live there with some friends, but it never happened. I can understand why he wanted to live there! We had a coffee on the river and wandered around. We ended up doing some shopping there too. I got a black top/dress, a purple cardigan and a lovely cornflower blue wrap/scarf (Tom spotted it and I really adore it!). Tom got some trousers and we visited the “HEMA” which Tom told me all about. Basically a Big W type store - Dutch-style. We had some frite met mayo and a kroket (Dutch snacks!). That evening, we had some of Tom’s friends over for a “wine night” - well a wine and beer night. It ended up going until 3am!!! But was cool. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a burden there because I don’t speak the language so they either have to translate for me, or hold a conversation in English which isn’t too natural for them. But no one ever makes me feel uncomfortable and it’s just my own self consciousness I suppose!
Wednesday was a reaaaallly slow day with a long sleep in and we watched The Godfather II (we watched the first one a couple of weeks beforehand so were keen to see the second one). I can see why it tops many best film lists. We watched The Godfather III on Thursday (so all I could think about was the Corleone family for about 5 days afterward). Wednesday night we went for a BBQ at Ronnie’s place which was really nice. There were about 10 guys there (I was the only girl) but they all made me feel really comfortable. Unfortunately, Wednesday was the day for horrible news. I got a message from my Mum asking whether it was OK to call. I messaged her back knowing it must of been serious if she didn’t tell me in a text. Turned out my uncle had collapsed and was in hospital in a coma. I was completely shocked and so upset. All I could think about were my uncle, aunty and cousins and how they must be feeling. Times like these make me all too aware of how far it is from here to home. Just not being there to lend support made me feel so isolated and quite upset. (Since then Uncle Paul has recovered remarkably and is now at home again - though I’m sure it’s still quite a stressful time for my aunt and cousins - I think about them often!)

Thursday, as I said, another low key day but we went out for dinner in Den Bosch which was noice. We had Greek and then headed to Dennis’ new house to check it out. We stayed and chatted with him til about 12pm and then headed home.

Friday was Amsterdam day! We headed off at around 10:30am and parked the car at the Biljmer stadium which is on the outskirts of town. Only €6 to park and that  includes public transport transfers into the center! So not bad! We had a wander around and some coffee. We then went to the Rijksmuseum which was totally awesome. One of my favourite art periods is the Dutch Golden Age so this was a great showcase of that. Even Tom quite enjoyed it and we bought some postcards and an art book to bring home to London. We had gorgeous Italian for dinner after a stroll through Vondelpark and a couple of wines at a Irish pub by the river in the late afternoon. We contemplated staying for the night and even enquired into a couple of hotels. All were booked up. Some of them looked really dodgy too - maybe i was being a bit of a princess about it, but I didn’t fancy staying in a dive (with mould and such) - especially when it was so comfortable at Tom’s mum’s place! We did head back though and were home by 11pm. It was quite nice though as Tom’s mum sister was there too and we stayed up chatting with them for awhile watching Lowlands festival footage on TV.

Saturday - we slept in a bit and then did some visiting. We even bicycled which is one thing I just love about The Netherlands! It’s just such a nice way to travel! In the afternoon we went to Piet’s house to see the newborn baby to him and his partner Heidi. SOOO gorgeous. I even got to hold the little one which I really loved. Even to see the little fingernails and eyelashes was such a treasure! Heidi actually went into labour on Sunday on the way to the BBQ given for Tom. So little Lynn was only 6 days old when I held her! Wendy and Mark, another couple, were also visiting at the same time. Wendy was really nice and she was also due any day with her first baby.

Speaking of babies, Nat and Jay, two very dear friends of mine just announced they were having a baby next year! So exciting! And unbelievable. It makes me feel quite grown up to hear so many people around me expecting! (And also engaged, etc). Life really moves fast.

Saturday night in NL consisted of a lovely BBQ at Jan’s place by the lake. It’s such a peaceful and picturesque setting, especially with the fire they put on later and the laterns. Four of Jan’s grandkids were there too and his two daughters who were really lovely. There was even a lunar eclipse that evening which was particularly awesome to see!

Sunday was our last day in NL. Very upsetting. It was also Tom’s Dad’s birthday (he passed away 4 years ago). So Tom’s Oma came to visit to mark the day. She is an amazing woman. She had 14 kids but is still sharp as ever at 93! I really wish I could speak in Dutch with her. All I can do is smile dumbly and give her a hug. After Oma left, Tom had some friends over in the afternoon. I was not feeling so good so I had to go to bed for a bit. As we left for the airport, I still felt really ill and did not relish the thought of the flight ahead. But it all went smoothly. And alas, to the sounds of sirens and screeching rubber, we emerged from the Tube station and back into London!

Hmm…this has been quite a long post…and a very badly written one at that (I blame my haste). But I do have some mulling to do about life in London and future plans and will do so in the next couple of posts. Promise it won’t be as long.

xoxox

Really irritated at the moment. It’s sticky and humid. Nothing like the sticky and humid we get at home. But enough to provoke me into the most irritable grump I’ve been in for a very long while. The timing of the month probably doesn’t help either. But sometimes hormones can impair your world view, claw at your positivity and make you less than pleasant to be around.

I do hope this blog doesn’t make me come across as a whingey so-and-so but it is a good place to vent about a couple of things. I just feel I am stagnating at the moment. I guess you could say I am feeling really disillusioned with life and disappointed in myself. Rationally, I should probably not feel this way. But sometimes you can’t fight chemistry.

It comes down to this…at primary school, I always got top marks and excellent reports…people said I would do really well in high school. High school came…I got the As, I topped the classes and nabbed an elusive OP1…people said I would do really well at university and be a success. I got into the course I “wanted”…got the 7s and 6s, made the Deans List every semester with relatively little effort….people said I would succeed in my career and my future was ever so bright. So I went to London and got a job. A job sitting at a desk, staring mindlessly at a screen, aligning text boxes, recolouring text and processing credit card statements. I am the lowest position you can be within the organisation I work for. Basically…your high school and university mean squat in the real world…and so my fragile but inflated ego has taken a battering. From numero uno to less than zero.

I thought I would be MORE than a desk monkey! I thought I would be more than an employee number. I thought I would be more than the 8am commute, soggy sandwiches dripping in my cheap, imitation leather handbag; the woman who takes great care to defrost the mince in the sink every morning before trudging off to work in unfashionable shoes.

Jeepers, post-reread suggests to me that I am ungrateful, naive and saddled with a most misguided sense of entitlement. I am so lucky just to be here in London in the first place for gosh sakes, let alone having a well paying job that pays me to go on training courses and is training me in desktop publishing and graphic design - which are areas that are very interesting! But I suppose the crux of the matter is I’m just not so sure if they are me. I don’t feel like I fit in. I don’t think this is where I am meant to be. Why expend energy on something that doesn’t touch near your passion?

Am I just another Generation Y-er who expects the moon on a stick before even proving themself as worthy of holding it? I know you need to work hard early on in your career; I have no illusions that you can just swan yourself into a dream role. But equally, I think it is folly to stick at something you just know isn’t you when there are other opportunities out there to strive for.

So I have imposed a time limit for how long I am going to stick it out - I will evaluate position in November. There are issues with a co-worker which is probably not wise to go into on here, but let’s just say, it makes what would be an otherwise perfectly fine day into an annoyance beyond comprehension. Words cannot describe this person.

Since London has so many opportunities, I would be a fool to be settling for something that I am only in half heartedly. I don’t want to be the person that says “What if?” - rather, how much more fabulous is ”What next?”. Does not fortune favour the bold? My brother wrote an excellent blog post drawing similarities between life and the game of poker. Although it could be viewed as slightly deterministic…I think he hits the nail on the head. You can’t help the hand you are born with, but you sure as hell need to play your hand the best you can. No one is going to play your cards for you.

In other news, went to Oxford on the weekend. Was such a lovely place. My dream of dreams would be to study politics, economics and philosophy there. But not so sure if it is practical - sure isn’t financially viable right now! Unfortunately, the place was overrun with tour groups that trundle in on loaded coaches. It made me grumpy that the crowds were worse there than in London! But in very quiet side streets, with those ancient buildings around, you could almost imagine being there when it was a hotbed of intellectual pursuit and discussion. Otherwise, it has a carbon copy high street, the same as all the other high streets. I would love to go back…maybe in the middle of the uni term when there are less tourists around.

Also am off to The Netherlands on Saturday to visit Tom’s family and friends. Will be there for week or so. REALLY looking forward to the time off work and the chance to see some more of NL.

Anyway…I think that’s about it for this one.

*sigh* I’ll be more cheerful and less woe-betide-me next time, promise! xx

Lovebox pics, hair, random stuff

Okay Flickr pics of Lovebox are up! They aren’t too impressive…a lot of Tom and I doing the whole hold camera in front thing. So probably not too interesting for anyone else bar a couple of family and friends!

Got my hair done this afternoon. Am very blonde again. While I am still paying over £100 for my hair, this time is was markedly less than what I was paying at the Aveda salon in Westbourne Park. The quality isn’t quite on par, but then I can’t REALLY be affording £200 a pop every 5 weeks for fresh hair can I? Much rather it be spent on travel!

Here is a pic of it, excuse the quality:

In less than exciting news, I had my first alcohol, Diet Coke and coffee free day! Slight withdrawral headache but nothing major! Have also kept to 21 points for WW but haven’t fit in any exercise as I was at work early this morning and hairdresser this evening. But will remedy that tomorrow night!

Okay yet another self indulgent and pedestrian post…I will aim loftier next time!

xxx

Lovebox…what a weekend

Had a really fantastic weekend! We went to the Lovebox festival on Saturday - held in Victoria Park near Bow in London’s East End. I’ll bullet point the day so there isn’t a huge swathe of text to wade through.

• Slept in a bit, had breakfast, got ready for the day by listening to some music. Upon leaving the house I said to Tom “You’ve got the tickets right….I didn’t even think about it them, lucky you did” and Tom was like “Yes, lucky we’ve go them!”
• Caught the Hammersmith and City line to Mile End station. It wasn’t too busy on the Tube on the way there and it took around 1 hour.
• After getting off the Tube we saw the huge mass of festival goers on their way to the Park. Had a lovely bunch of young Brits walking in front of us, swigging Rose from a bottle and spitting on the footpath evey five minutes - charming!
• Was about a 20 minute walk to the actual location. Standing out front of the gate I say to Tom: “Okay, so you have the tickets” and he says ”No, you have them” “Uhhhh, no I don’t…you have them in your pocket right”….”No they were on the table under the umbrella and camera”…”Tom I don’t have them!!”….okay, so a few swear words and mild panic later, we realised since they were electronic tickets, we could just find an internet cafe and print them off again. There was one about 15 mins away…so we just missed out on around half an hour of the festival…lucky we didn’t ahve to go all the way back again…to waste a whole 2 hours!
• So first things first…in we went. First stop was the art exhibition which was quite cool…some young emerging artists had done pieces specifically for the festival. But it wasn’t too extensive.
• NExt we stopped at the Pimms double decker bus for a glass of the delish beverage whilst we wandered around and go our bearings.
• Next top was the Bacardi Mojito bar we I got a yummy blackberry mojito and Tom got a classic. We then wandered into the “Enchanted Woodland Cosmic Party” which had some great beats and real party atmosphere with people dancing and laughing around in this forest set up.
• After that, we walked into the New York city movieset. It was basically a stage built within a set from 1970s/80s New York…and had a nightclub like Studio 54. It was so much fun…you paid £2 to get in and got a classic biker’s moustache as your entry “stamp”. Inside was Filthy Luka who was presenting a drag cabaret show which was a lot of fun to watch…not to mention the cheesy 80s disco music like Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” which is such a classic and definitely worth a boogie.
• After we had enough of NYC circa 1970…we headed to the Borough Market and sussed out the food situation. We grabbed some Margaritas and headed to another sound stage to catch Kwaak and Smaak, a Dutch dance group. It was a lot of fun to see them and we spent some time dancing there.
• We had worked up a bit of an appetite this time so decided to sample some dishes. First was a Thai Green chicken curry from the Thai Kitchen. I wasn’t too keen on it, so Tom finished most of it. Next we sampled a DELICIOUS Swiss cheese raclette baguette with fresh spinach, tomato, onion and melted Swiss cheese. It was delectable. We then got a portobello msuhroom burger with haloumi, tomato, rocket. To finish off our food samplings, we got a fudge brownie and raisin pastry from the onsite bakery. Both were exquisite!
• By then then, we were definitely satisfied. We grabbed another Mojito and went to watch The Human League…most know for the song…Don’t You Want Me Baby, as well as a few other hits from the late 80s. Was a really good set and very dance worthy!
• Next up was Groove Armada…highlights were Song for Mutya, My Friend and Superstylin’. Basically the guys from GA host the entire music festival and boy they put on such a good show!
• Last of all was Manu Chao and Radio Bemba. I am not too familiar with a lot of his material except for Me Gustas Tu which is basically one of Tom and my “songs”. Definitely You Tube it! But the final set was awesome - such wonderful music. Manu Chao sings in a mixture of French, English, Spanish with a whole heap of other languages scattered in too. Not to mention the musical influences…punk, latin, accoustic guitar (and well, my knowledge of music styles is severely limited…but let’s just say his sound is a really pleasurable hodge podge!).
• so the night drew to a close and we made our way back to Hammersmith on the District Line. There weren’t many hassles getting home at all and all in all, I had a fantastic time and will definitely be going again next year.

So I have to make mention of Lulu, who said that I inspired her with my last post of writing about being more proactive instead of planning and list making (we both share a love of these I think!). Well she has completely inspired me to track everything I eat this week via Weight Watchers and to incorporate a lot of walking.

As an update, I can cross another item off my list and that was to go to another Spin class. I did so last Friday and while it was completely painful for the class duration, I felt fantastic afterwards. So here are my exercise goals for this week:

• Go to Spin on Friday lunchtime
• Take a morning Pilates class on Thursday (so I can cross this off my list)
• Go for an evening walk on Tuesday and Thursday night
• Do a jog next Saturday on the Thames Path Circuit

Food goals this week are:

• I am having a Diet Coke free, alcohol free and coffee free week starting from today.
• Must stay under 21 Weight Watchers points every day
• No dessert except for strawberries or mango slices
• No snacking on nuts or dried fruit at work (most of all keep away from the peanut butter!)

Okay so that’s all for now. Will do an update about these goals on Saturday at some point, if I don’t blog before then! Also posting some pics on Flickr but my Internet is really slow tonight! Doh! Will add later if not now!

xx

A couple of things…

In trying to up the frequency of my posts, I thought I’d do a quick slightly-after-mid-week update.  Not too much to report, mind you. So I’ll just dot a few things down:

• My old Flickr doesn’t seem to be working so I’ve made a new account - OK, it’s not that my old Flickr is “broken”, I’m just an idiot who cannot find my login details anywhere! So here is the new link.
• On Saturday, Tom and I are going to Lovebox, a music festival held in Victoria Park in London - here is the website. Really am looking forward to it, despite the forecasted (is this a word?) rain! Some acts I am really looking forward to are Groove Armada, Manu Chao and The Human League.
• Work has been quite busy lately which I’m really enjoying - I feel a lot more useful now that I have Creative Suite on my computer! I just hope to expand my DTP and Graphic Design skills a lot more - it’s kind of something I’ve fallen into and would love to learn a lot more about.
• That being said, I am still exploring what further study options I could do over here. Couldn’t really commit to a long term part-time uni course because of the cost and time factors. But definitely need to explore a few different fields while I am in London.
• My weight-loss is still not budging as I haven’t fully committed myself to eating a lot less. But today was a good day and just have to carry it on through the weekend!
• Haven’t made the gym at all this week - boo to me! I just can’t drag myself out of bed in the mornings as I stay up so late.  Can you believe it was easier in miserable, cold winter to get up for the gym? Nevertheless, I am going to Spin Class tomorrow - there is a beginner one and I NEED to get back into it.
• Have thought that perhaps instead of making so many to-do lists and planning, I should actually just take action and practice what I preach. It is often said that the traits we dislike in others, are precisely the traits within ourselves we dislike. So as someone who dislikes people who are all talk, no action - I can definitely see where this stems from.
• Currently am working on a couple of things off my 101 Things List:

1. Next week I am going to do an alcohol-free, Diet Coke-free and coffee-free week.
2. I will go to a Pilates class on Thursday morning
3. I am going to apply for a high interest savings account (EDIT: Just got one - it was so easy to do online!!! So another one off - DONE!)
4. Buy a boardgame for our house - or a chessboard!

So that’s all for now. xxx

To market, to market…

What we got from the market!

On the way to the museum

 

So had the most lovely weekend. It was really low key since we’ve had visitors for the past three or so. So it was good just to catch up some things and have a bit of a relax.

Friday night, Tom was out having final drinks at his work in Reading so I most boringly stayed home and chatted to some family back home on the phone. But it was nice all the same!

Saturday morning we slept in, had fresh eggs on the balcony and then walked to North End Road markets in Fulham. It was FANTASTIC! The food in the supermarkets here is terrible - by that I mean fresh food. It just isn’t the same quality as at home and you just know it’s travelled a lot of air miles and endured a lot of chemical spraying to keep it ‘fresh’. But the markets were such a goldmine!! We got all that stuff plus some fantastic meat for about £20 less than what we pay at Tesco!

Okay, I can’t believe I am raving on about the price of food…I think I am turning into my mother. But it was a good find for me as I really am trying to incorporate fresh and ethical ingredients into day to day cooking!

North End Road is a really cool part of London. It hasn’t been totally gentrified yet and is really multicultural. It’s a bit grimy with its share of Price Cutter stores and pawn shops, but it’s interesting and unique and has a real buzz. We bought the veges you see in the pic, a baguette and loaf of granary bread, a leg of lamb, three rib eye fillets, two chicken drumsticks, two chicken breasts, fresh beef mince, a big block of cheddar all for less than £60. Such a great price considering our weekly shopping is usually £80 and the quality is just not there. In today’s environmentally-concerned climate, it’s a good idea to focus more on quality rather than quantity - in clothing, in food, etc. We really need to get past the mentality of our throw-away society with fast fashion, fast food and fast entertainment.

But I digress. Saturday afternoon was a bit indulgent with a nap, a walk and some nice chilling out at home. Sunday we had a bit of a sleep in. Breakfast outside again. And then we were off on a long walk to South Kensington to visit the V&A for a Structural Engineering exhibit they have on at the moment for the London Festival of Architecture. It was great and so interesting. It had exhibits on the Milau Viaduct (that massive bridge that spans two plateaus in France) and also the Burj tower in Dubai - it is already the tallest building in the world (by a very long shot) and it hasn’t been completed yet. Absolutely fascinating.

Sunday afternoon I made a massive roast leg of lamb and veges which we enjoyed at home. Also got a Sunday Time which I really love and spent the evening sprawled on the floor with that! Okay, so you can see how low key it was, but a really enjoyable couple of days!

Tom started his new job today and already he is enjoying it immensely. He left after me this morning and was home before me - the lucky thing. He only has a 35 minute cycle there which is so convenient. Much better than contending with that damn Tube that I am so fond of!

So that’s about it really. A bit of a pedestrian post I know.  But the sun will rise again tomorrow.

xx

A post from last week…

I meant to post this last Thursday, but our Internet had problems…so here it is now.

(Not that exciting)

Ooooh, two posts in as many days. A first? Quite possibly!
 
First, as requested by Laura, here is my recipe for Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni:
 
Filling:
Frozen chopped spinach, thawed in microwave (1 packet)
3 garlic gloves
1 egg
1 tub of ricotta cheese
1 chopped onion
seasoning
Half a cup of cheddar cheese
 
Pasta
Cannelloni tubes
 
Sauce:
Any of the bottled pasta sauces such as lasagne, or pasta bake - tomato based
 
Cheese sauce:
2 tablespoons of plain flour
1 cup of milk
Cheddar cheese
 
1) Turn on your oven to a moderate to high heat - maybe around 180C. Get out an oven bank dish, ready to fill with your delicious creation.
 
2) Mix together the thawed spinach with the egg, crushed garlic, ricotta and onion. In terms of consistency, you want it be quite thick and not too runny. I usually have enough spinach to fill a quarter of a large mixing bowl. Sorry if that is quite vague but I don’t have definite quantities while making this!
 
2) Spoon the mixture into the cannelloni tubes. This is a bit fidgety and you might be best to enlist the help of a friend/boyfriend/sister/husband/wife/daughter/family pet.
 
3) One you have filled all your tubes, cover evenly with your bottled tomato sauce.
 
4) For the cheese sauce, place your milk and flour together in a saucepan on low heat. Whisk steadily, ensuring it doesn’t boil. After a couple of minutes of your persistence, it should thicken markedly. Add your cheddar cheese in batches, ensuring each batch is melted before adding the next. By the end you should have a big pan of gooey, creamy, cheesey sauce! After a few generous spoonfuls for yourself, ladle it over stuffed tubes.
 
5) Go on, be a bit naughty and sprinkle some Parmesan on top!
 
For a much more healthy version, omit the cheese sauce and be very sparing with the Parmesan for the topping. Use a low fat tomato sauce, ricotta cheese and cheddar cheese. Only have two cannelloni tubes for your serving.
 
So there it is. Not strictly Weight Watchers - will find out a Points value for this. But is a relatively healthy dinner option if served with a green salad! I also think it tastes even better the next day after being reheated!
 
In other news, I should do a 101 Things in 1001 Days Update -  not going so well me thinks - better ramp it up!
 
1) Lose 5kgs by June - FAIL. I didn’t make it. :o( My willpower is shocking. But I will revise this goal to 10kgs by September 26. It is going to take extreme discipline, but I am the only one in charge of my actions.
 
5) Run on the treadmill for 30 minutes straight - nearly there! I’ve made it up to 18 minutes and hope to reach 30 minutes in around 2 weeks.
 
14) Save £1000 while living in London - DONE. Thanks in part to my bonus! I just need to find a high interest savings account and begin to contribute 10% of my income monthly.
 
18) Complete Interior Design short course - DONE. Am on the prowl for my next course now.
 
30) Reading List update - Completed Atlas Shrugged, Lolita, Heart of Darkness,Atonement, Nineteen Minutes, The Four Agreements, a few pages to go in Emma. Next up is On Libery by J.S Mill (6/100)
 
31) Movie List update - Seen Shawshank Redemtion, Cidade de Deus, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Der Untergang, Million Dollar Baby (5/250) - am debating whether to include movies I have seen already off this list, or to watch them again? Hmmmm.
 
32) Take a wine tasting course - DONE. Thanks to Tom and his lovely anniversary present to Vinopolis!
 
35) See a West End show - DONE. As per a previous post, was fortunate to see We Will Rock You when Tom’s mum and partner were over last month.
 
40) Buy basic art supplies - DONE. Have coloured pens, pencils, paints, brushes and palette and am mocking up my first canvas.
 
62) Go to Seville and have tapas - DONE. On our daytrip while in Portugal. Was lurvely! Didn’t make it to Lisboa though! :o(
 
81) Visit Camden Lock market - DONE. Love this place and will definitely be returning for some vintage finds.
 
89) Find another apartment in London in similar area - DONE. You’ve heard me blah on about my new pad too many times now. But we did it! And it’s cheaper!
 
 
So can cross a few things off - but SO many more experiences to do! Will do another update soon!
 
Other than that, it’s so rainy and chilly here. Makes me a little depressed that THIS is summer. I can deal with a summer afternoon storm. But it’s damn-near wintry outside! But oh well, the sun is due to shine again soon on the weekend. I am expecting it’s visit and I DON’T want to be disappointed!
 
That’s all for now, folks!
xoxoxox

Random bullets…dodge? Dodgy.

Okay more than a month since my last post and I realise that is seriously slack. Not slightly, not kind of but seriously. I could make up many excuses, rah on about how time flies over here and such, but I won’t bore or insult you with such transparent excuses. I’ll launch into a bullet by bullet catch-up of what’s been going on. Guns loaded.

• Had a couple of visitors the last two weekends: Bram and Marjan, two of Tom’s friends were over the weekend before last and Janine, Tom’s lovely sister was over the weekend just gone. Our current place is so much better for having visitors and it was really great to have our guests! Have posted some pics from both visits on Flickr.
• On the weekend that Bram and Marjan was over, we did some sightseeing on the Saturday and Sunday (which included a massive walk through Fulham and Chelsea), went to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, had drinks at Sloane Square and then Thai one night and Morroccan on the Sunday before watching the Euro Final. Spain won, which was fantastic!! The celebrations in Trafalgar Square were really cool to see and the Spainards certainly painted the town yellow and red!
• Janine was here for Friday, Sat, Sun and left early Monday morning. This was a much more low key weekend - and it was great just to hang out and take it easy. We went for Indian on Friday night, Saturday we slept in, had brunch on the balcony, went for a walk along the river and into Putney. Spent the afternoon at an awesome pub called The Spotted Horse and just had a great time chatting and having some drinks. I knew I would like Janine a lot considering her and Tom are brother and sister and it really was a great time. We went for Spanish tapas in Fulham that night, but we were all kind of tired so we walked home and had some drinks afterwards there. We would have gone out in Fulham but were all feeling quite tired and didn’t much care for putting up with drunken Antipodeans! Sunday was spent with another sleep in. Unfortunately the rain meant we couldn’t visit the Chiswick Farmers’ Market as planned, so we went to Sainsbury’s to pick up some items for our at home feast! I made pumpkin soup, spinach and ricotta cannelloni with a big salad. Janine was going to make pannekoeken (oh my Dutch spelling is terrible!) but we were so stuffed after all the food, we didn’t end up bothering about dessert. An exciting Wimbledon final entertained us for the afternoon and Janine and Tom went for a cheeky dram at the pub that evening while I faffed about getting ready for the week and did some chores! Janine left early Monday morning and I look forward to seeing her again when we go to NL for August (fingers crossed)!
• I also completed two days of InDesign training in Highbury on Thursday and Friday. It’s a really nice part of London (in Islington) - very leafy with lots of parks - and I had a fantastic time. I enjoy learning anything new and while I’ve used InDesign before, it was great for a refresh! The tutor was really interesting - she worked part time at the school as a freelance tutor and then worked as a freelance graphic artist for the rest of the week (from home). This is definitely my ideal work situation and one I will be working towards over the coming years (industry to be confirmed).
• In other fantastic news, Mum and Dad have booked tickets to come over for October 6th! YAY! And my aunt and cousin will be here from the 9th as well! It’s going to be crazy to have some relatives over here but I am SOOOO looking forward to showing them our new place, taking them to our favourite places in London and really just spending time with them again. I worry about my parents sometimes and it will be over a year since I’ve seen them. Such a long time! I know I will blub at the airport when I see them again. It was great to see Elisa earlier in the year but it will be wonderful to see her again in October along with Aunty KJ. We’ll both be having our birthdays then so must plan a nice birthday event!
• Tom starts his new job next Monday. It’s in London and will only be a 40 min cycle for him. A rather stark contrast to the Reading commute. But no worry…he only has three more days of it. The drawback is that he will have to work weekends throughout the month (between 2 and 3 a month). Which kinda sux as we won’t have our weekend time together! But also means he will get some days in the week off for him to pursue study which is really great. I hope he will enjoy the work at the new company and that he has the opportunity to study on the side.
• On the topic of study, I am currently trying to decide what course to take next. I don’t know whether to pursue the interior design option (either through a higher level course or through some drawing options), writing, economics, law or even a language or cookery course. There are just not enough hours in the week! I would be ever so happy to be able to work between 7/8am until 1pm/2pm and then have the afternoon to indulge in other interests! If it is languages, it will either be Dutch or Spanish. And if it is cookery, it will be Thai or Italian. City Lit has just released their new courses for 2008/2009 and some look really promising. As a caveat, I don’t wish to appear like Kath from Kath and Kim doing her myriad of courses as much as my brother might protest otherwise. Yes, a Certificate II in Floral Arrangement (the most penultimate course in the country) is definitely the next one up my alley. Or perhaps a Private Detectoring course? (Private Hectoring more like it) Hmmmmm.
• In some current affairs news, there have been a recent spate of stabbings in London. I think the figure is up to 17 in London alone this year. The victims are mainly male and in their teens. Of course it is a big topic in the media here and prompts so many of us to ask “Why????”. What is the reason for this?? I struggle to understand? Some people blame our ‘moral-less’, capitalist, individualised society which excludes certain members of society, robs them of hope, only offers McJobs, isolates them from the community and gives them no reason to conform to common humanity. Others will cry that it’s the denigration of family life, the destruction of the family nucleus, the rise of divorce, the ebb of discipline and the fault of the uber-PC left wishywashys that is to blame. Obviously there is no easy answer but that should not deter us from fully examining this complex issue from all angles and then to take the right course of action. It really makes me quite scared to live in London sometimes. But am I simply the victim of a moral panic instigated by the media in whose interest it is to have us scared, frightened and ready to buy-to-protect?
• All I know is that people who have self belief, who see that they have options, who have a sense of control in their lives do not resort to violence or hopeless thuggery. People who believe their efforts will be rewarded justly, people who can see they have real choices, people who take responsibility for these choices and people who are not ruled by the mantra of gimme gimme without giving something in return are not the people who commit such terrible crimes. Unfortunately there seems to be a surfeit of people who believe just the opposite in and around London. It’s a problem that can be viewed through many paradigms, but I know the one which I’d choose.
• On a lighter note, have signed up for Tesco Home DVD and have already watched Million Dollar Baby (such an inspirational but awfully sad movie) and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (eeriely weird in a cool way). Not sure what the next DVD will be but have quite a cool list I am waiting on. Will keep you posted!
• Am currently reading “Emma” by Jane Austen. Am thoroughly enjoying the escape to bygone pastoral England. I do wish ever so much people these days would talk as they do in the novel: “I implore thee, kind sir, to take leave and remove oneself from thy presence as I am dreadfully mortified by your mere suggestion as to the waning moral rectitude of Mr Knightley’s fine character - I’ve never seen such a man comport himself so sweetly, you impudent coxcomb!!” - of course I made half that up hence the nonsense but isn’t it fun!

Hmmm, okay I’ve had my rave. I best be off to have something to rave about next entry which I promise will not be so delayed as thus.

Beautiful weekend

So it’s Monday…again. And yet another weekend of British spring has scampered by. Well, it was a fabulous one. Started with a very fun night of football watching at Sirocco near Picadilly. We were planning to go to De Hems to watch the Dutchies take on the Frenchies, but as we soon ascertained from the wandering orange figures about town that the pub was brimmingly full, it was clear we would have to find somewhere else. So Dave, Tom and I went to Sirocco, a sports bar/club that was full of both Dutch and French supporters. What a brilliant game! France was no pushover but Holland won 4-1 and the last goal by Sneijder was a brill one! Next match is tomorrow night - Holland vs. Romania. The Dutch are through to the next stage already but the outcome of the game could determine who goes through out of Italy and France - the Group dubbed the Group of Death really should be renamed the Group of Dutch Domination!
 
Saturday I was up early for a nice chat with my family back home (having the usual Saturday BBQ, however in my absence I don’t see how ANY Saturday BBQ could be seen as usual!!). Thank God for 2p per minute phone lines! Then I was awfully boring and got the house in order with washing and cleaning and stuff. Only took 2 hours or so. Then we headed to Distillers to meet up with Dave and his Scottish girlfriend Lainey. Because the weather was lovely, we drank Pimms (though if the weather was awful, I still would have drunk it - such a delicious drink! Don’t think they have it back in Aus, well not on the scale as they do here).
 
After an afternoon at the boozer (British slang for pub, not that I got ‘boozed’), we went home and got ready to go out with Kaylie, the sister of a uni friend Krystie, from back home. K is awesome and we had a fantastic dinner at Ping Pong in Westbourne Grove. Do you like your cocktails to be made with fresh ingredients? Yes. Do you like your dim sum to be tasty little morsels that leave you crying “More! More! More!”? Yes. Do you like a swish interior with friendly staff? Yes. Well Ping Pong is a place that ticks those boxes. While it is part of a chain, it still is a very enjoyable experience! And Westbourne Grove is a really cool place, definitely a lot of places to check out around there
 
Sunday was Tom’s and my 1 year anniversay. And what a beautiful day! Tom was up and about early as he had to go get “a couple of bits and pieces”. He came back with a bouquet of roses and the makings of a beautiful picnic breakfast and The Sunday Times. So we headed out into that bright and warm Sunday morning to a perfect little spot on the Thames near Hammersmith Bridge. We lazed over the paper and croissants with cheese and salami, juice, fruit and yoghurt (I love Continental breakfasts!). After the breeze picked up a little too much we headed home to finish off the paper. And Tom announced that the next bit of the anniversary was to take place! So he led us to the Tube where we caught the Picadilly line to Green Park and Jubilee Line to London Bridge. The surprise was a gorgeous afternoon of wine tasting at Vinopolis on the River! We learnt how to properly ‘taste’ wine through all the senses (which was very interesting) and then we could try 5 wines of our choice. I had a lovely 2005 Chianti from Italy, a sprightly Pinot Grigio from California, a Cab Sav/Merlot (and some other variety) from New Zealand that had the flavours of chocolate, vanilla, coconut and rich berry and a Pinot Noir from France which was delicious! We then had a Bombay Sapphire cocktail. After that we tried a Czech absinthe (which was REALLY nice, not like those burning shots they serve in the nightclubs in Brisbane) and a French absinthe (which wasn’t so nice). We then tried two beers (well, ales). One was light and really fruity, while the other was darker and more stronger. Finally we finished with two whisky tastings. One was a fruity concotion from lower Scotland while the other was a VERY smoky variety from the Highlands. Overall, it was such a fun experience and there were loads of exhibits about wine and all the different regions. I definitely prefer the more subtle tastes of Old World wine than the New World producers, though I am partial to an Argentinean Malbec or Sauv Blanc from NZ.
 
After Vinopolis, Tom and I were feeling a little peckish. So we had dinner at The Real Greek on the Thames. Scrumptious! We had kalamari, saganaki, souvalaki and lamb kefte with a salad and chips as a side. (Hmmm, on review maybe there are a few clues in this post why I have stacked on the weight since coming over here! Even when you exercise like a mad thing, if the diet isn’t there, the weight will be!). We also had a glass of bubbly to celebrate. It truly was a lovely day to celebrate 12 wonderful months and such a delight to be spoilt by Tom!!! I got him a shirt which I think really matches his colouring and he wore it on Sunday and looked smashing!
 
So, not too much else to update. I really have to try harder to be better in my diet. I NEED to look good before the end of the year and I never knew how your apperance can have such a bad impact on your self esteem! Plus the fact I look like Moby Dick who’s had a run in with the Goodyear blimp in every photo I’ve taken as of late is a real motivator. I used to moan about my weight back home, but I’d give anything to be back to my pre-London weight. Well, I’ll stop moaning and start doing!! Cos after all…words don’t get you anywhere, but steps do. Back on the pedaller for me! More corpse, less corpulent!
 
 
Alright…off to do something productive! Tra la la! xx

 

STOP PRESS!!! As of today, dear Tom has a job in London. Hooray!!!! It is a great opportunity with a vibrant and growing company within cycling distance of home and a huge salary raise! I am so happy as it’s been a bit of a stressful things sometimes - that job with the awful commute, but things are on the up!!

A wee bit ‘o an update

Hello! It’s been quite a busy few days here in London. Tom’s mum and her partner Jan were over for last weekend and it was really great. The weather was beautiful - bright, sunny and warm and it was really lovely to see them both again. They arrived last Friday and I greeted them at Liverpool Street for a coffee at Costa and chat while I gave them our house keys and an A-Z.

That evening we met up at the Pavillion, a really cool bar close to my work that is like a shed on the edge of a lawn bowls field. But everyone spills outside into the surrounding park, especially when it is sunny. After a glass of vino, we headed to Tottenham Court Road and the Pavillion Theatre to see ‘We Will Rock You’. I’ve always liked Queen’s music but I didn’t realise just how MANY songs they have that are instantly recognisable: “Somebody to Love”, “I Want It All”, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “Radio Ga-ga”, “Can’t Stop Me Now”, not to mention ‘We are the Champions’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and of course the title track. It was a great performance and my first West End musical. Definitely one for the Queen fans! Or anyone who likes a good time!

On Saturday we did a massive walk through Holland Park, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, St James’ Park and up into Westminster. We had lunch then went to Trafalgar Square before catching the Tube back to Hammersmith.We then had some drinks before heading to our favourite local Thai restaurant Jasmine (well, it’s been awhile!).

Sunday consisted of waking VERY late, having a small snack before doing a nice meander around the Thames before lunching at The Dove. We then had to say goodbye to Will and Jan and they headed back to the Netherlands while Tom and I were horribly domestic and did the grocery shopping and had an otherwise relaxing (but slothful) afternoon.

Nothing too interesting has happened this week. Work has been busy. Holland won their opening Euro match 3-0 which was cause for much celebration in the household.We are watching the second match at De Hems, the Dutch pub in Piccadilly, tomorrow night, so that should be fun! Go Oranje!!!

Today, I bought my first MAC make up products and I have to say, I am already excited! I got the Select Foundation in NW20, the Select Concealer in NW20 and a gorgeous foundation brush (the 190). Will see how it goes, but I’ve had such issues finding a good foundation lately. I do NOT recommend Maybelline Wonderfinish - it’s so dry and just pools in my pores. If there is anything you don’t want from a foundation, it’s pore poolage. I am already lemming several other MAC products, but I will use it as a reward for my first 5kgs weight loss! I think it would be a new MAC mascara or perhaps a primer.

The gym routine this week has been patchy. I made it on Monday for a good run. But I’ve been getting awful shin splints so I think my shoes are way too old (err, I’ve had them since I was 14) - soo possible contributory factor there! But missed Tuesday and today (I was shopping - not just for MAC but for an important anniversary present but I can’t say too much on here cos a certain someone will be reading!). So back tomorrow for a run and some weights. Food is patchy. I still eat too much when I’m cooking. So solution is to brush my teeth first and suck on a mint!

I finished Atlas Shrugged this week - all 1,168 pages of it. Brilliant. A symphony for the soul. Now I’m onto Lolita and it is extremely interesting. The narrative style is fantastic…Humbert Humbert is an unreliable narrator who is reflexive and weaves in so much startling but resonant intertextuality that makes me titter so on the Tube! I also finished Nineteen Minutes and Atonement over the holidays both of which were very gripping. I haven’t seen the Atonement film yet but would like to now. I don’t know if it can quite capture the beauty evoked by McEwan’s prose but the previews looked promising. Not a huge fan of the pouty Keira Knightly though. Her hyprocrisy annoys me. She is the first to lament the invasive nature of the press, but has no qualms about getting her breasts out to promote a new perfume, etc. That wistful, raised eyebrow, parted mouth, wistful faraway look she pulls out for practically every press call grates on my fragile nerves- but then maybe I am just jealous of the lucky whippet! 

So the weekend is not far…we have football tomorrow night…heading to Westbourne Park for dinner and drinks on Sat night with Kaylie and then it’s Tom and my 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY on Sunday!!!!!! I can’t believe how fast our time together has gone. I still wake up with a smile on my face every day and I still quicken my step down our street because I know he will be home when I open our blue door! Hah! 1 Year ago the last thing I would have though was that I’d meet a man like him. And 1 year ago, I never thought I was that lucky a person! Sorry to get schmaltzy but the occasion called for it! I’ve never been a gushy person, but a girl’s gotta gush sometimes, so forgive me a little gush and I’ll gush a little less.

On that note, I better stop this self indulgent and therefore boring entry before it breaks down in a flood of emotion and sentimentality.

Love xxx