Saint-Etienne, France - Day 5

Bonjour from Saint-Etienne!

I don't expect blog posts will be all that common this holiday but I thought I should post some updates before I get too swamped later this month.

Yes, I am taking a well deserved (?) holiday in the quaint town of Saint-Etienne. So far I've gone to some people's houses; had a picnic in the park, complete with games and lots of giggling, and watched France play Uruguay to a disappointing draw in the World Cup; among other things.

I've met the CILEC friends, well those of which are still in Saint-Etienne. A lovely bunch, and thankfully, some peak English! They all speak French to one another which I first found quite unnerving. But it adds to the fun of trying to guess where people are from.

There have been drinks to say farewell to a number of people as well as the weekly Wednesday CILEC soiree.

The Boy hasn't played football this week which means Kingdoms of Camelot on facebook, or as I like to call it, KoC. For those of you who don't know what this game is, be thankful. It's not a bad game, by all means its really complicated and very addictive. Its the addictive part at which I cringe at. But as with Football Manager and other such games in the future, I smile and nod and take a nap or a stroll or something - in the hope that it'll pass, and for a brief moment in time, I'll get the Boy to myself again. For now, its KoC 24/7. Yay...

Its day 5 and Sunday, so tomorrow is the Boy's first day back in CILEC doing his summer French course. He got his B2! The next level up is C1 but he says that that'll take at least another year so the summer classes are so he can brush up on his french before starting Uni in September. Note to the Boy: Email the Unis again!

Well, the Boy is reading over my shoulder now, so it's au revoir for now.

* * *

2 outta 5 so far. I'm aiming for at least 50%! lol. We'll see...

Update: 3 out of 5! Turns out writing the truth really works! No, I'm not really keeping score. This will be funny in like 5 years time... hehe (?)

Ray of sunshine

My lovely (albeit sometimes stinky) house mate just popped in for a word.

It's his house that I was going to stay in over summer.

He went to speak to his letting agent today about the housing issue.

Turns out, the agency was sympathetic and said "We can't hand your friends the keys. It says so in your contract."

But they can hand the keys to a tenant, who then hands the keys to whoever they want.

But, 5 of the 6 tenants are international students. They'll be out of the country by then. The 6th one will be in Portsmouth.

But, the 6th guy said: Ok, I'll pick up the keys for your friends. Bless him!

(Portsmouth is a 4 hour train journey to Cardiff. Gag.)

So...

I have a place to live over summer! Yay!

*mentally jumping for joy*

*physically too tired and worried about Child Care tomorrow at 9am*

Wish me luck!

Paris in 3 days - Getting there

So Easter break is soo frigging short. I didn't get to see the Boy over Christmas cos of passport problems so we met up in Paris for the first time in what seemed like ages (6 months to be exact).

Here's my trip in pictures:

Took the Eurostar from London to Paris. I got a single seat!


View of the French countryside. You can tell the difference between the UK and the continent, France is a lot flatter...

Paris Day 1

Day 1 - Sunday

Went to the Luxembourg Gardens to catch a puppet show in the Theatre du Luxembourg. So much fun! It was all in French but since it was for kids, I could follow along with my very rusty French and my personal translator sitting beside me haha.

The best bit was the kids in front getting so excited!


The view from where we sat. 2 big heads in front but it was still a good view. Only 4E50 per person! French kids are so lucky...

Near the gardens, we walked to the Pantheon. It looks so majestic!

Couldn't go in because the Boy didn't bring his passport. Oh well, next time then :)

To the left of the Pantheon was the Universite de Paris area a.k.a the Sorbonne! Which got the Boy so excited - he might be applying there for next year - so we took a stroll the check it out. Very very impressive. It what you imagine a proper university should look like.

Well it was only a street after all and we didn't have anything else planned that day - seeing as it was drizzling with miserable rain. Ended up outside a Medieval looking wall. Turns out to the be the Paris Musee d'Moyen Age (The Museum of the Middle Ages). French tapestries and that. A lot of tapestries mind you.


One of the more impressive ones. There were loads. There was also some singing going on. I don't know how to describe it but it suited the location, that's all I can say.

Headed out after a while. The Boy bought a book on "The History of France" which he was absolutely obsessed with the next day. It was eventually banned on day 3 and 4 hehe.

Strolled around and ended up outside Notre Dame Cathedral. We didn't go in because it was crazy packed and there was a massive line. More pictures of the cathedral on another sunny day.
Near that was the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I haven't heard of them personally, but the Boy and his brother do so we headed over. Unforch the side of it was covered in scaffolding but it still looked... cool.

Hint to English teachers: How to make Shakespeare cool? Name a bookstore after him and feature it in a movie.

The Boy bought a postcard for his brother and a cloth bookbag. Both I really like but it means more to the Boy for sentimental reasons. Also we got free cash! Which I reluctantly accepted was based on our luck and that we wouldn't be cursed. It was basically change from the cashier and she made a mistake. I didn't say anything at the time. The guilt! Ah well..

We walked around the Latin Quarter and around Rue de St-Michael and ended up at the Notre Dame cathedral again. Palm Sunday Procession! I had forgotten what day it was. Yay chocolate!

We wanted to head to the Louvre. I generally trust the Boy's sense of direction. However, on the way to the hotel on the first night we went the wrong way, saved only by asking for directions. So understandably I didn't want to walk in circles unnecessarily in Paris at night.

Hence when I needed to take a pee in one of the handy public toilet dotted around Paris, I also snapped a shot of the map next to it. Ah Paris, you understand us tourists so well...



We made it to the Louvre but it was nearing 10pm and we didn't know what time the Paris Metro stopped running (it was a Sunday, we panicked!) so we left without taking any proper pics.

Dinner on the way back to the hotel was Chinese! Cheap and cheerful and proper filling.

Then back to the Hotel. End Day 1!

Paris Day 2

Day 2 - Monday

Sunny day! So it was up to the Sacre Coeur which was near our hotel in Montmarte. Uphill all the way.


And given my horrendous sense of direction, it was reassuring to have this sign pointing straight to it.

And yes, we did make it eventually. The place is truly impressive! And the view from the top of the hill was gorgeous - if not for the masses of tourists crowding round. Sigh.

Around the corner from the Sacre Coeur was the Artists' Market. There were painters and sketch artists flogging their wares in the market square. And as it was a sunny day, the tourists were out in force too. I was tempted to get a sketch done, but i cringed at the price. Plus, how would I get it home undamaged?


I think we were finding our way down the hill when I spotted this nifty little graffiti deer. Cute ain't it?

We had a spot of lunch then walked towards the Eiffel Tower!

Looks grand doesn't it?

We sat in the park and had some wine and some words.

Then waited in the longest line ever. Okay, so maybe not as long as in the summer time, but still too long for my liking. Plus I needed to pee - wine goes straight thru me.

We eventually did get a ticket and went all the way up! You have to stop on the 2nd floor

My fave view from the 2nd floor. Going UP!

And we did finally make it to the top! Paris is huge!

The third floor actually has an inside and an outside. The Inside looks like this:

And it's pretty small. Compared to the other floor of course, but when filled with people its tiny! Imagine summer - stuffy and hot. Yikes!

And only then did the Boy tell me he was afraid of heights. Bless.

We managed to Scramble our way down the Tower, no help from a group of teenage Irish school kids on a history trip. Noisy little fkers.

Walked up to Trocadero. Then to the Arc de Triomphe!

Taken from around about the Champs Elysée.

There are loads of names neatly inscribed on the inside of the Arc. All Napoleon's fallen methinks. I'm not sure.

Onwards down the Champs Elysée.

The Boy stopped off at the local McD for a toilet break when I spotted these:

Macarons!

In McDonalds! I was giggling my little arse off. And I bought a box of 6. It was like eating solid icing sugar. Very very sweet. But the caramel macaron was yum.

We headed back after that. Long day!

Paris Day 3

Day 3 - Tuesday - Last Day!

Decided not to do much today.

Went to visit Tom, one of the Boy's friend's from his year out in Brazil. Tom's Australian and lives in Paris with his French girlfriend on his ERASMUS year in uni.

And yes, I do feel a slight twinge of envy.

Anyway, Tom's place in Paris is awesome. It's small but cosy. I'll just say you can tell that a girl lives there. We brought some wine so we had salad, a baguette and cheese and the wine. The Boy and Tom were catching up on good times. Tom had to go pick up and babysit a little girl from school at 4pm so they had to cut their time short.

We walked around the Latin Quarter again bu it was raining so we ducked into Notre Dame Cathedral to escape the wetness. No queues this time.

When we got out, it was sunny!



But still a bit chilly. The Boy was wearing just a hoody over a t-shirt so he was a bit wet and therefore cold.

Had a spot of lunch at a nearby traiteur (caterer) d'Asique (Asian) - basically Asian buffet. The boy got nice and warm while we scoffed into some good filling food.

Headed down to Pont Neuf (Bridge Nine) to go on our pre-paid boat ride!

Turns out the Boy had already been before. Pooh.

Saw some amazing sights as well as learned some interesting things about Paris' history via the monuments and statutes.

Alexandra III bridge - the most beautiful bridge in Paris. Built to commemorate the friendship between France and Russia!

Last night, we had to go to the Louvre. It's just got some magic about it at night.

Ok, so I wanted to go to the Louvre. The weather wasn't too cooperative and the Boy was cold but it's an awesome place to be.

We'll always have Paris.

Vanilla Chocolate day

It's been a day of upturns and down spirals. Its difficult to balance both, mainly because they not only happen to me, but to people I know and care about. Here's the break down.

1. Worked until 7.30am. Slept for 1 hour. Woke up at 8.45am for a 9am class. Result: serious sleep deprivation.
2. Presented work in PLR class. Got most of the answers right. Fave tutor teaching. Good start to the day.
3. Checked Summative assessment results. 2 VCs and 1C. I'm more than happy with that.
4. Finished drafting prep in the library while people talked about results. Some were pleased, some were elated. Some were disappointed.
5. Drafting small group with GG. Had to present again because (due to lack of sleep) I didn't want to sit in that class for longer than I had to. Work was ripped to shreds by GG. Got a little sad.
6. Classmates rallied to my defence - or rather on the offensive to GG. So it's not just me then.
7. Had a long chat with Su-Ann. Her Boy has gone off to Turkey travelling for 3 months so she's feeling the void. Thought I would try and cheer her up. I think I helped. I think.
8. Met Tash to accompany her to file a police report. Her passport and debit card was in a clutch bag in a house party and it was stolen. Tres upset and I was trying to help her do what she needs doing. Glad I could help a little.
9. Walked to town to deal with her debit card. Remember: 1 hour sleep. So very very sleepy.
10. Went to Oceana to see if her coat was found (Was lost on Sunday when she went out and was put behind the bar by a friend). Couldn't find it.
11. Went home. 6pm. Slept till 8.45pm.
12. Had food. Housemates are cheerier now even after sad things have happened. Tash is back to smiling again and Jun has returned to using me as an agony aunt. All is well in 72B.
13. Chatted to The Boy. Good news and bad. Tickets to Paris bought! But LLM results were not as expected. If he's sad I'm sad.

Tried to cheer him up. Don't know if it worked. Am aware overly optimistic point of view can be annoying but its how you deal with it personally that really matters. I try and cheer him up and look on the bright side. I do understand but I don't think dwelling on the past and what might have been is helpful. Especially when it comes to results. Exams are meant to be final and the culmination of months of learning. If you put in your all, who can tell you to do anything better? The Boy went quiet and went to bed. Granted it is late where he is. Hope he can see what I'm saying and am only trying to help. Hope he believes what I say is true and not just fluff to make him feel better. It is in part but I wouldn't be saying it if I didn't mean it. I would say the same to myself. Hope he feels better and can still look forward to Paris :)

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Always look on the bright side of life.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Be grateful for what you've got, thankful for what you have.

Always remember to feel blessed and never take anything for granted.

Christmas Eve 2009

Things to do:

1. Get out of bed
2. Brush teeth
3. Change clothes
4. Contact lenses
5. Go to Tesco Metro and buy floor cleaner and chocolate chips
6. Go to Melody's house at 5.30 with a sieve
7. Go to Bin Hau's for steamboat

I should start getting on that.

* * *

I've also been in heat for the past 2 weeks. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Severe lack of Boy around I guess.

Period is also late. Not too troubling except the anxious waiting game. Red, no red? Maybe TMI. But hey, that's life.

Merry Christmas Blogosphere!

New Record!

I have period PAIN.

And it hurts like a mother.

It feels like my uterus is so heavy and just wants to drop out. I quite feel like I wouldn’t mind having it outside for a while – at least I won’t feel so bloated and at the same time, I could just get rid of all that vascular lining that is just itching to be disposed of.

I hate it when Aunt Flo springs up on me so unexpected. It was somewhat expected but not to this extent. Hit me right in the middle of advocacy preparations. My opponent tomorrow better watch out.

I’ve been eating well lately. Maybe too well. Actually it’s been alternative – good and bad. Pizza and noodles. No lunch but big dinner. Or visa versa.

47 days. I think that’s a new record, even for me. It must be the combination of 1 week of practice assessments and then placements. Stress does not agree with my female anatomy.

* * *

Had a good gossip session just now after dinner with Su-Ann and Cassandra. It was fun at the time but thinking back on it, it kinda feels a little evil. And I feel a little guilty. I’ve really got no beef with any of the people we were talking about. Nice to actually talk to someone about something other than law tho.

* * *

I may be in for the best Christmas present ever! But it’s dependant on:

1. the parents giving the go-ahead
2. getting my passport back before January!

Fingers and toes crossed! If you have any spare prayers, I could sure use some now. Thank you!

Oh the vanity!

I love my hair. Whatever I have left of it, I love it.

It's quite long now - about down to my shoulder blades. I went to Vidal Sassoon the other day to make an appointment, armed with my Term 1 timetable, but they didn't havent any student cuts available for 2 months! So I think I'll take it as a challenge and see how long I can keep my hair long till i get fed up with it and chop it off.

Which leads me to my search for hair straighteners. Why hair straighteners? I hear you ask to your computer screen, you mad person. Well since your computer cannot respond appropriately, allow me to answer.

I am well aware that I have relatively straight hair, save for the unavoidable flick at the end where it's a bit dry and unruly. I don't want the straighteners to straighten my hair, I want to use them to curl my hair.

But why not just get curling irons then? Because I don't like the way they operate. They are hot all over and rely on the user to have eyes in the back of their head. I'm not that coordinated when I can't see what's going on, and will and have burned myself before (nothing serious, don't worry). If you read a few months back to about May when I posted pictures of me playing with my hair inbetween studying, all the curls were done using a straightener. I like the method - it's safe and easy for me. Less chance of me melting my ears off with straighteners.

I've found some promising buys on ebay but I don't know if I should take the plunge and buy them yet. If I buy it now, I'm more likely to use them while my hair is very long and "curlable". If I wait longer, I might get fed up with my hair and chop it off, or at least trim it and then the curls won't hang loose anymore.

All in all I don't have the money to spend I don't think. I can't be sure anymore cos my parents dropped a whole lump sum into my savings account and I don't know how much I should spend and save for a month. I haven't done my yearly budget yet. tsk tsk

Flicker of hope

I wasn't going to write anything cos nothing fabulous has happened but it has been a marked improvement on the day before.

Heck any improvement would be a marked improvement from yesterday.

The bank has lowered the overdraft fee to £15 so at least there's some possibility of him paying it on time. Whoo!

The other account holder has paid in about half of what he owes or is going to owe so at least the account is no longer in Debt. No more big D next to the account balance! Whooo!

The BVC bunch were supposed to head out to Oceana tonight but I don't think I'll be going since I have to rely on Jules cos I don't have my passport with me and I have no phone credit. Ah well. A peaceful night in.

I also took a 2 hour nap this afternoon. 5pm to 7.30. Totally Awesome. It makes up for the one and a half hours of sleep that I missed cos the time on my phone was off. I have to get to bed before 12am these days. I'm starting to worry that my panda eyes are permanent.

* * *

I've been part of a contact lens trial for about a month now. They are rigid gas permeable lenses and they are quite good, except when you get something in your eye - then it hurts like a glowing hot poker. It takes some getting used to but I haven't worn them in a while cos of the wind and it's tendency to whick little bits of dirt and aim them straight into my eye. Too bad - cos they are actually better and more hygenic than the soft lenses. And you can keep the same pair for up to a year! Very nice indeed.

Supposed to be reading...

At the moment my favourite hobby is thinking up romantic, poetic things to send thru sms to The Boy in France. Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms. To list a few:

• a WH Auden poetry quote
• A Savage Garden song

I'm trying to keep them few and far between so as to keep them special and rare if you like. It's tempting to spend the whole day just coming up with some really handkerchief-soaking gems but I've set a 2-a-day limit which serves the above purpose as well as making sure I don't get too carried away and distracted from what work I have to do for class. Tomorrow! Gasps!

Suggestions are more than welcome tho my personal tastes are non-cheesy yet romantically inclined. The whole "Roses are red, violets are blue..." is tres cliche unless it's got a cute kick at the end.

* * *

I've always claimed to be a soft ol' romantic at heart and I like that I can stretch those poetry-loving heart-strings of mine. Bravo to France!

* * *

It was The Boy's birthday yesterday! I called him a couple of times as is appropriate for The Girl to do when it is The Boy's birthday and they are not in the same country but both do not have Skype. Unfortunately, Tottenham were playing United at White Hart Lane yesterday too so against my life-long loyalties and as a sign of affection, I traded loyalties for a few days as a present. Granted, United won 3-1 (of course) but I must say that Spurs are looking well on form and could possibly break into the top 4 this year, if not at least finish in the top 6.

The Boy mentioned that I was the only one to call him that day. Of course. I'm the only one that has his number. Silly. His fb wall was littered with loads of well-wishers but I always consider fb birthday wishes to be a little superficial. The fb wall is a bit whoreish - it takes whatever it can get and it doesn't care how many. I hope I don't sound jealous or envious. I should mention that I take the same attitude to birthday greetings on my own page.

I posted The Boy's present a few days ago but he didn't get it on time. Boo! I hope it at least arrives by tomorrow. I hope it at least gets to him. I don't want to think about if it got lost in the mail (!). I may well cry. So since he hasn't gotten it yet, I can't reveal what it is but I do hope he likes it.

Summer’s here!

But so far no parties. I went for Hui Teng’s (Hui Ann’s sister) birthday dinner courtesy of an invitation from Dominic. Went to Cosmo in Cardiff Bay, a Chinese, Asian, Oriental Buffet thing which turned out just as I thought it might – huge variety of food but a little pricy at 12 pounds a head. Saved a bit on transport cos a couple of the group had cars so we all drove down. Xiu Mei got a little food drunk and we were singing away walking back from Cosmo to the car. Funny times.

Anyway, there’s not much left for me to busy myself with these days. There’s the occasional trip down to Keylet to remind them that the flat is not going to fix itself. There are the odd trips to Tesco and grocery stores that ensure that I don’t starve from laziness. Other than that, now that I’ve got internet (yay! Since the 7th Aug) the vast quantities of rubbish on the web can entertain me to the point where I don’t know what else is going on outside and don’t really care to find out.

I have to force myself to stick to the rule that I instilled way back in Swansea: Must go outside at least once a day. Doesn’t matter where to or what I’m doing, there’s no substitute for fresh air. And once I’m outside, I find that I might as well walk around. I managed to walk down to Cardiff Bay from the City Centre with Julie last week. First time ever that I’ve led the way and it feels goooooood hehe.

Today however, I went down to the City Centre via Keylet for the above mentioned reason. My flat is 80% fixed up and clean but there are things like broken and non-existent blinds and missing desk chairs that I want sorted out. Walked down Salisbury Road past The Boy’s favourite hairdresser; contemplated whether I should take a picture of his “fave” hair style and send it to him but thought better of it. He can cut his hair where and when he wants however he wants.

Headed down to HSBC first to ask about the parents opening a UK joint bank account. I don’t know why but I’ve got the time, why not. I’ve got no complaints about HSBC, their customer service is very good and staff are very friendly BUT, it takes FOREVER to actually speak to someone who knows anything. Good thing I had time to kill and my new phone cum mp3 player with me or blood would have been shed (More on the new phone later).

With HSBC questions asked and answered, I hopped next door to Scope which has a special place in my heart. It’s a charity shop which benefits those with cerebral palsy. Chern and I discovered it together and it’s always got some long lost treasured gems at the back. I was feeling lovely and warm (cos of the sun) so I bought a book for my dad as a bday present and a top from River Island for £3.50.

With book and top in hand I decided to head over to the Cardiff International Arena to check out the ticket prices for Russell Howard who is going to perform in Cardiff on the 12th December. I’ve seen him on Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo and I love him to bits! He’s adorable, cute, funny and well fit! Haha! He’s seriously funny tho, he’s got the very British self-depreciating humour combined with a mildly cross-eyed puppy dog look that just draws you in. Ariff Azlan might be joining be to watch it so Yay for company!

On my way out of the box office (no tickets, I didn’t have enough cash, and besides there’s no rush) I saw above the construction boards that bordered the demolition of the NCP Carpark that used to face the Cineworld/Gala Casino/Venue Club building and I stopped to watch. What I saw was really amazing. Not to say that it was anything glamorous but the three massive deconstruction machines were mesmerising to look at. In the middle of the bordered area was a large pile of grey rubble – lots of dust so I’m guessing it was crushed concrete – and with any concrete structure, it was reinforced with steel rebars. As with everything in the UK, they try and recycle as much of it as possible, not only because it’s good to save resources but also because it’ll save them money in the long run. But I’ll get to that part.

There were three huge machines. One ripped apart the original building – floor by floor, pillar by pillar – until it was only big chunks of reinforced concrete. Another machine scooped and pushed the rubble made by the first machine into the centre pile. I have to point out that when the first machine ‘dismantles’ the original building, it does so in big hulking chunks, many of the chunks still have whole steel rebars in them, and you can’t recycle reinforced chunks. The third machine was the one I really admire the most. It had a beak-like mechanism in the front which it used to pick up big chunks of concrete and crush in-between its jaws, freeing the steel rebar. It would then manoeuvre the steel rebars into a pile and pick it up and drop it into a separate pile for the rebars. What really fascinated me about the last machine was the delicacy in which the driver manipulated the machine to separate and pick up the steel rebars and sheet metal from the rubble. Imagine a small dog nosing thru its food for its favourite bit and picking it up in its teeth and you’ll have some semblance of what the mechanical creature was like. It “nosed” the metal into position, it shook side to side to loosen the metal from its jaws, it even dropped and re-grabbed small piles of metal if it “felt” it didn’t have a good enough grip.

If anything, watching the deconstruction site has given me a new appreciation into demolition. Anyone can tear down a building, but to do it with style is a whole new art form.

* * *

New Phone!

Nokia 6600 Slide! I like it! It’s black! It’s got 3G!

And I want to get an Invisible Shield for it.

* * *

Oh yes, Last post was so optimistic. What I didn’t count on was the flat being left like a tip by the previous tenants. I returned to Swansea the same day and spent a couple of day fuming about the injustice etc etc. The flat is nice and clean and liveable now and I don’t want to relive the horror and disgust that I first experienced when I stepped in. Thank god for Aziah and her Mum and the wonders of disinfectant.

* * *

Julie bought me a little sunflower in a pot which I have named Maximillian (Max for short). He's not doing too well at the moment but when he's feeling better and looking perkier I'll take some pictures to share.

Good News!

1. I GRADUATED!! Fk yeah!
2. I'm moving into my new flat TOMORROW! Fk Yeah!
3. I'm in Swansea and the weather is good! Fk Yeah!

Ok, so the last one isn't that great but it's still good.

I got a Second Class honours Lower division. I'm quite pleased with it tho. A Second Class is still a second class. Onwards to the BVC!

The New Flat will be awesome! I am SUPER looking forward to staying in a flat with less than 12 other people and having a comfortable double bed and my own shower! No internet tho as far as I can tell unforch, so no updates for a while I reckon. Enjoy yourselves cyber people! I know I will be!

Wasted waist?

I'm not obsessed with hair or food or clothes or my looks by my own admission. There is one thing i will admit being slightly obsessed with tho. And that's my waist. Mainly because I'm short and I was quite round at one point and I want that curvy cut-in waist but can never manage to get. That hip-to-waist ratio becomes uber important when you're only 5-foot-nothing.

So cue this morning (or rather "afternoon") when I got up and was feeling rather trim and lean. I lost my measuring tape a while back when I lost my sewing kit so I've resorted to using the AV cable from my Canon camera to measure round. Held the length and folded it in half and measured against the length of an A4 peice of paper which i know from Microsoft Word is 11.89 inches.

Saturday, 12.30pm Waist measurement: 24 inches

Score!

I was really pleased. The last times I measured round (not that often, only when I remember to) It's been 25 inches after I wake up.

I measured round a few times to check that I got it right (Yeah, it was right :)

Remeasured at night as well. 25 inches!

It sounds damn vain to be so happy about this but I'm glad to have a waist. It's amazing how easy it disappears when you're short and it takes all the will power in the world to try not to care when I want to binge out on briyani or something. I'm always going to have a thick waist, it's in the genes and I'm just not built to be skinny. Curvy is the best that I can aim for so that's the goal.

Now I need to hit the gym a bit more to tone up. I'd like to get some of that old gymnastic ab definition back. I used to have a six pack you know - back when I was six tho...

Productive procrastination?

My maternal granddad turned 80 over the weekend so

HAPPY 80th Gong Gong!

Yellow for added ong-ness.

* * *

I'm supposed to be writing down notes for Med Eths Exam but instead I found myself craving a dress that I saw on the internet while I was looking for a red dress for graduation. My mum asked me to at least think about what I was gonna wear so the train of thought is not entirely my own. However, I was going thru several online uk retailers (Topshop, Asos, Next etc) and I found this gorgeous 2-in-1 dress top/skirt combo which I really wanna get:

It's 20 pounds but I think it's abso fab cos its a tank top AND a skirt all in one! You may be thinking, but you could do that with a tank top and a skirt. WITHOUT actually buying that. One problem I have with skirts and tops are that the tops have to go down quite low on me cos I have rather a short torso (grrrr) so the skirts usually have to go down quite low too, to the point where they would practially slip off. I have my fair share of skirts but they all have to sit quite low on my hips, and they move upwards (as skirts do) when I walk. Oh, and there's a grey one too!

I couldn't buy either of them because they don't have my size in stock! Gutted!!

I have a little crush on dresses and I'm glad that recently, there are more casual dresses availiable so that it doesnt take a special occasion to pull a dress on and walk out of the house with it. The only casual dress that I have is a brown linen one - the brown is honestly the colour of mud. It's a nice dress but super super boring looking. Maybe over the summer I'll "Gok" it up with some beads or something. Gok's Fashion Fix ftw*!

*people keep asking me what does "ftw" mean? It means For The Win! Deriving from the slang terms that sports pundits use when asked who they think would win the match/race/etc.
e.g. "It's Manchester United for the win!"

* * *

Which is a nice segway to mentioning that Manchester United are the Barclays Premier League Champions 2008-2009! Awesome!

I am very pleased about that and I was watching the United-Arsenal match on justin.tv and I was looking forward to seeing them pick up the trophy and celebrate and all that but the stream that I was watching swiched over to the other Sky Sports Channel so I missed the celebrating! Gutted!!

So I've been trying to find a clear video of the trophy lifting bit in Old Trafford but no luck yet.

* * *

The Boy is nose deep in exams so boa sorte meu amor.

Lea is done with her exams *jealous* hehe Well done Miss Tan!

Manchester Trip

Yeah, went to Manc last-last Thursday to catch the Jason Mraz concert in Manchester Academy. Here are the pics because I'm too lazy to write a proper post.

The Ticket!

One of the dishes for Thursday dinner. Yes, those are CHILLI SEEDS.


Egg tarts and juice for Friday Breakfast! So yum. Seriously.


Friday - A Visit to Old Trafford!


The Concert. Short but SUPERB.
The only downside of the concert was that we were stuck behind three really tall Chinese blokes, a couple of them with their girlfriends. I was so annoyed. My camera got better views than I did. Fortunately, sound has no height limit so it was alright in the end.

* * *

I really want to go to Athens this Summer! I told myself that if I got into the Cardiff BVC, I would take a holiday to Greece. If I didn't get in I would work for a year. But according to parents, I have to wait cos money is tight right now, pending some big things in the works. Sigh. I suppose they are right, but that's not stopping me from planning! Once I get the A-OK, I'm off!

See updated wishlist on the right! --->

Cardiff European Games 2009 (28th March)

We got GOLD for netball! We are the Champions!

And gold for other things too.

And I bought a really nice netball for 7 pounds. Score!

Shopping BINGE

I just bought:

Raspberry express cabin suitcase from Tripp.co.uk


Pilot BLSG15 Gel Ink Refill Pack of 12

And now I want:

A Lamy Safari Fountain Pen

Just one...

Thank God

The water's back on.

My kidneys are saved!

Picture courtesy of lunalil :)
Not the Aberdare Hall toilet but close enough

* * *

On another note, I'm in the midst of doing a lot of things:

1. Meeting up with Annie, the Phoenix Garden manager, to sort out things for CNY 2009
2. Going to letting agencies and looking at houses with Tasha
3. Working on my Jurisprudence assignment
4. Getting my hair cut, which means 2 appointments with Vidal Sassoon

Number 3 is VERY IMPORTANT. Have to really get stuck in soon. Yipes.

* * *

Easter hols will be FANTASTIC. I know this.

Because I'm going to see JASON MRAZ.
In Manchester.
In April.
With Yi Lynn.
With accommodation sorted.

I love my life.
Too bad The Boy isn't coming along but I don't think he'd enjoy me swooning all over the place anyway.

Ah, Monsieur Mraz. How I adore thee.

Yeah, yeah. I adore The Boy better, but everyone's allowed a celebrity crush.

* * *

And I've discovered that I actually have a regular period notwithstanding stress [which makes it longer]. Good to know. At least something about me is regular.
Haha.