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& The Lover                                                                                                                                   & Grief                                       of Justice            of Fire         



Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Yummy
I was buying food in one of the city food courts yesterday and this is something I have been noticing - a lot of healthy food restaurants have been sprouting up and they attract a LOT of office workers. I can understand this as when you've been sitting and working all day, you want something quick and something healthy and yummy too, not just a MacDonalds burger that's going to add flab to your thighs or a cold limp salad. Most of these places serve baguettes, salads and wraps. Anyway, I've tried a number of them and so far, Sumo Salad serves the best salads, in my opinion. And they let you have as many different combinations as you can cram into your small, regular or large container. That's a pretty good deal, compared with most places that only let you have one or two choices in the combinations. Today I had a mix of their Malaysian beef salad, baby potatoes in basil mayo and pesto pasta. It was really so good I wished I had gotten more. And it made me feel good and refreshed, the way I do after eating a good salad. When I have Aroma's pasta salad, I don't get that kind of feeling. I wish I could get more different combinations for meals for the next few days but I have been spending money on eating out a lot so I am cooking for the next few days. I've already made a slice of roast chicken breast in lemon juice, coriander and thyme with some steamed vegies for tomorrow, which is yummy.

Oh, speaking of great food, we went to Little Creatures on Sunday and I had the harissa(I think it is called the harissa) spiced lamb and feta pizza and it was sooo good and so great with their famous pale ale. The others had steak and potatoes or fish and potatoes and we all ordered fries with dips. We were completely stuffed at the end of it.

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I got a really nice pair of black leggings the other day. They are footless and made of this really nice material which is super-comfy and bound to last long, and they have little white dash-lines running up each outer side of the legs and around the waistband to look like belt loops and a waist lining for pants. It is really cool and is also my first ever pair of leggings - I keep refraining from buying leggings because I didn't really like the look until recently, and then I thought leggings might be over soon so I didn't want to waste money on a trend that was going out. But leggings don't seem to be going out anytime soon and these leggings were of really good material and only cost $14.95 from Valley Girl Fashions so I thought what the heck, I'll buy it! I've only worn them once but they felt really good and comfortable and were really easy to move around. They made me feel full of energy and really flexible, like the girl in the Vogue Get Happy! Fashion spread photographed by David Sims with her ponytail flying one way and her arms and legs in constant motion.

I am wearing them currently with dresses but I really don't see how everyone can wear leggings with little minidresses in winter when it is so cold. I need to figure out the right accessories and winter clothes to wear with these leggings.

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A bowl of stones or a bowl of feathers or even a bowl filled with both feathers and stones is a great way to decorate your home. It's also kind of zen so you can add that with some pretty scented candles to make a little stress-relief corner. I have candles and a couple of pretty candle-holders (that I think need some dusting now arranged on a pretty red bamboo mat in one corner of my room. I want to get said bowl of stones and some feathers and some aromatherapy stuff as well, and also put my meditation kit next to it, but my room is really small now so I can't crowd any more stuff in that corner. Lighting candles isn't too practical either in such a small room especially now that it is winter and I have to keep the windows closed most of the time except when I want some fresh air, so I will wait to get new candles when I have a bigger room.

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Friday, July 27, 2007

The other day, while I was monitoring the news, there was this thing about a police sting operation to catch 'graffiti vandals'. And they were going on and on about graffiti vandalism and how it's not art, and I was like, "excuse me, but I beg to differ!" Some graffiti artists are really talented and it's so much prettier to see their work on a building wall rather than plain old gray or peeling white. Of course, we're talking about like really pretty works rather than just random scrawlings. And sometimes, their work actually sends messages out.

I had a scout around to see what kind of graffiti is being painted around the world and here are some pics:







Some graffiti links:
FabioAcme107 is Italian graffiti and it is where I got the second picture above from.
Iran Graffiti and Urban Art Report.
Graffiti TV where you get to see streamed live videos of graffiti artists creating their art.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Shine Shine

I got two new lip glosses from Supre - their mega shine lipgloss in strawberry and toffee. They're really cheap - four bucks each. As you can see, the colour looks good in the tube but it really is all shine and no colour. You get plenty of gloss but it takes ages and lots of application to get just a subtle shade of colour but by that time, your lips are so slick you just want to wipe it off and the colour disappears in seconds. So it's not really that worth it - you might as well just get lip balm or something. It's a shame I didn't know about the lack of colour as they don't have any samples in the stores. I think next time I'll buy Revlon's Super Lustrous Lip Gloss as I tried those the other day and the colour, texture and gloss were all quite good.

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Saturday, July 21, 2007

I just looked at my blog and realized that I wrote an awful lot about moisturizer.

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These are some of the songs I can't get enough of lately:

Kelly Rowland - Bump Like this

Great party song. But does anyone notice how Kelly kind of looks like Oprah Winfrey with her hair and golden top in her final look towards the end of the video?



Sean Paul - Never Gonna be the Same Again
Listening to this song reminds me of all the good times of the old days ... the Saturday Night Crew, the Flat 11 times, the Flat 28 times, and the Flat 17 crazy days and nights, times at the "Bentley Palace"... and it's true, it's all never going to be the same again, most of us have scattered now to different parts of the world and it'll be hard to all be together again in the same time and place, and even then things might not be the same. Miss those times!

Also, watching the video made me realize the sadder meaning of this song and made me think of my grandmother and grandfather, whom i know are together again and have sent me a sign that they are watching over me



On a happier note, I love listening to Sunshine Reggae by Laidback in the sun on the way to work.



And on the way home from work at night, Armin Van Buuren's Shivers



The other two songs I can't get enough of are Aerosmith's Crazy and Amy Winehouse's In My Bed, you can find the two videos in a recent post below.

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Friday, July 20, 2007

Beauty Products

It's been a busy week so I haven't had time to blog. Most days, I just come home tired from work since it's my second week and my first week of real work on the new job. It's crazy, I just type like mad and listen on my headphones (I swear, I'm going to have an ear infection or go deaf one day) and try to make out what the news anchors are saying because half the time the bloody people mispronounce their words. Not to mention the fact that I have just noticed half the things on TV News are misspelt. It's so bad I keep having to go back on Google and check to make sure it's not just me mispelling. Oh, in case you're wondering, I'm working with a media monitoring company, monitoring the news.) But it's been really fun and I like it, everyone is so friendly and nice.

Anyway, when I get home, I usually chill out for an hour or two and then fall asleep - not such a bad thing as I work the evening shift. Then I'm busy in the mornings, doing laundry, cooking, working out or shopping before headng off to work. So it's been a pretty busy week, but a pretty awesome week at the same time.

But let's talk about beauty products.

I ran out of moisturizer the other day - both day and night moisturizer - and had to go looking for a new moisturizer. But it was so hard to find a really good one! I'm really addicted to moisturizing these days, especially since I use both a day and a night moisturizer, and if I go one or two days without moisturizing, like if I'm really busy or if I'm sleeping over at someone's house, I could actually feel the difference.

I used to use L'Oreal White Perfect Deep Whitening Moisturizing Cream and the night version of it as well. And no, I'm not using the whitening cream to whiten my skin, I think I pretty much cancelled that out because I stay in the sun whenever I can, I love the sun so much, I even make sure I sit in the sun when I'm on the bus, but because the cream has melano to block out brown spots, helps lighten my freckles a little and gives me clear coverage so it's really good that way. It's also great because it has SPF 15 and has these little light reflectors. I really love this moisturizer and I can use it without having to put on foundation or make up base so that's a real plus. The bad thing is that I don't think you can get this outside of Asia - none of the stores stock it and I couldn't find it on Strawberry.net either but I think my sister could get it for me online if I asked her - only I hadn't time because my moisturizers were well and truly over and I needed a new one ASAP!

So I had to find a new one in the pharmacies and honestly, how hard is it to find a good moisturizer with at least an SPF15 from your ordinary chemist? Pretty hard, it seems. I checked out L'Oreal since that was what I used and they had these ranges for different ages and the only thing they had for people in their 20s was their Happyderm range and I tell you, they must think young people don't care what goes in their moisturizer. All it says is "it's for happy skin!" All well and good that my skin is happy but I'd like a little more information to decide if the product is worth buying. It doesn't even tell you if it contains at least an SPF15. Garnier skincare products are also mostly products for women in their 50s, etc., and the products for girls my age didn't look that promising. Their hair products are really awesome, though, especially the frizz-control serum (SweetRhapsody used to own Garnier's frizz-control serum and it smelt really nice) and their conditioners and shampoos are really good as well and have lovely scents. But I think they're a little lacking in the skincare section, though I've always meant to try their cleansing wipes. I think this is because Garnier started out as a haircare range (I think). Dove had some nice tinted moisturizers but I didn't want those.

Speaking of tinted moisturizers, I thought of giving that a try so I went to check out the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer because when I did my research online, everyone seems to swear by this one. And it has an SPF of 20!!! The saleswoman sat me down and slapped on some of the Moisturizer, using the Sand shade. It looked all right in the mirrors under the lights of the department store - then I went into the bathroom and saw that I looked kind of orange. I thought the whole point of Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer being so great was that it was because it was NOT supposed to give you an orange look! I checked it out in sunlight and under the lights of two different public bathrooms in two different department stores - NOT good. I washed it off at once and it's left me with a red pimple on my nose where I have never gotten red pimples since I was in high school. I am not pleased. No tinted moisturizer for me. Anyway, apparently, you're supposed to use your usual moisturizer under your tinted moisturizer as well. There's no point having a tinted moisturizer unless you're really dying for a tan on your face and I advise you to try as many different brand samples as you can first - you can get samples or a saleswoman to help you with trying it out at department stores and you can try the testers in pharmacies - and check it all out under all sorts of different lighting, especially under sunlight, to make sure you have the shade that really suits you.

But for those interested in trying tinted moisturizers, I think Laura Mercier and Clinique have gotten the best votes in tinted moisturizers. You probably should not go with my distaste of Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer since I seem to be the only one who hates it - everyone else seems to love it and it's been voted as In Style's number one beauty buy. My advice is just to try it before you buy it - and don't buy it until a day later, so you can have a whole day to admire or hate your look and see if you are willing to shell out big bucks for it. For those who want a cheaper bargain, I hear Dove's Tinted Moisturizers are pretty good.

Anyway, back to the moisturizer search. I was running out of time before I had to catch the train to work so I just decided to go with Oil of Olay Complete All Day Moisture Cream with SPF15. As you can guess, the SPF bit is essential, since I'm always out in the sun and can't be bothered putting on sunblock all the time. It's not too bad, it feels a little heavy and it hasn't got those wonderful light reflectors of L'Oreal's ... sigh ... I guess I will have to just wait until I get to Malaysia again when my sister gets married and bulk buy then!

Oh, and while I was at the pharmacy, I checked out Red Earth's newest range. I particuarly liked their bronzing potions. I really like the shades they have but I'll probably used it more as blusher or cheek stain than as a proper bronzer so I don't know if I will get that. I might get a cream blush soon because I've never had one and I'm dying to try it. Or maybe a cheek illuminator. Which is better, do you think, cream blush or cheek illuminator? My cheeks get naturally flushed most of the time anyway, but I'd like something for days when I just feel kind of pale and dowdy or when I haven't had enough sleep, because that's when my face gets really pale. I don't want something that makes me look like a clown either, something that's natural yet makes a difference at the same time. I'll check out some ranges and let you know soon!

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Saturday, July 14, 2007

Rest and Relax

This is the end of my first week on the new job! So far so good :)
Went out for dinner and drinks at the Moon with Justine after work to celebrate - my first week at the new job and Justine, who has just gotten a new job and is set to start work next week! I had salmon spaghetti and she had carbonara pasta. I also discovered I don't like gin martinis. I have never had one before but now I think I'm sticking to gin and tonics, cosmos and bloody mary(s). That's probably the only cocktail that I met that I didn't like, except for creamy cocktails and cocktails with baileys and kahlua. Everyone else seems to like baileys though.

Anyway, sitting in a computer, typing as fast as I could while straining to listen through my headphones can often strain my back and I haven't gotten the hang of fixing my chair to suit my posture either so I am well in need of a back rub. I promised the Gutter Philosopher I'd give him a back massage this weekend since he's been out on construction sites all week, hammering nails into planks and pouring bitumen over who-knows-what and so on but he'd better give me one too! I've scoured the Net once or twice in the past to find good how-to massage courses and I've been thinking of going for a massage course one day. I found some good sites recently so I've just put them down here so everyone can take a look and find what's good and also so I can remember where these sites are!

So take some baby or scented oil, light a few scented candles or incense sticks, turn down the lights or close the shutters just that bit so the sunlight falls in muted shades across the room, and turn on some soothing music. (Tunes I recommend include Gabriel by Lamb, The River, Say Hello and Fragile Wind by Nitin Sawhney, Lovers Rock by Sade, Silence by Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan and The Sweetest by Nightmares on Wax).



Then take your pick of the following:
Massage 1 (comes with pictures)
Massage 2 (Comes with a video and other links to articles like How to Massage a Headache Away)
Massage 3

Happy Kneading!

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

I thought I'd share some WTF? tidbits of news around the world this week.

1) A boy was refused enrollment in a Catholic school in Australia because his last name was Hell.

His father said it was an Austrian name.

Hmmm.

2) A 51-yr-old Parish Councillor from Cheshire is marrying Osama bin Laden's 27-yr-old son!

The only word I have for this? Awwwwww.

3) And best of all ... forget crazed US and Al-Qaeda soldiers tossing bombs and machine-gunning one another to death. You know what Iraq's problem is? Giant badgers! Yes, rumours are floating around Basra that giant badgers have been seen roaming the streets at night. It is suspected they are none other than a weapon of the British forces.

Give a hand to Brown. Less than a month in charge of England and he's already releasing the UK's deadliest forces - those pesky giant badgers.

I swear, this is a true story, heard on a news report on the radio. Yes. An actual news report.

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YES! I've managed to solve that pesky sidebar problem, thanks to the aid of CircleySquare and Stevo. Thanks to you guys, I can sleep well tonight knowing that my blog sidebar is beautiful again. ;)

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

I'm a little peeved because I have finally found where my tagboard vanished to - all the way to the bottom of the page. I hate it when the sidebar acts up like this. I think it's because the tagboard may be larger than the sidebar, although I have not had this problem in a long time, but when I changed the size of the tagboard, it didn't really help matters. Does anyone have any suggestions? Help!

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Monday, July 09, 2007

Book Review



Another book I got out of the library was The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke. I couldn't believe my luck when I found it in the shelves. Obviously, the library just got it in and it just so happened to be in a rare moment between loans when I discovered it. Naturally I grabbed it at once.

Now I'm wondering if I can steal it from the library without getting my membership revoked. I must say, I love, love, love the cover. It is so soft and lovely and has these beautiful pink foxglove flowers on a gray background and the prettiest lavender-grey ribbon to keep your place in the book. And the stories themselves are all great. My only complaint is that there weren't enough stories. It was over too quickly.

These stories are all based on the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Clarke's bestselling debut novel about an England where magic and fairies are part of the world's past and present. For those of you who haven't read it, I absolutely recommend it. Read it before reading The Ladies of Grace Adieu. The Ladies of Grace Adieu, in particular, brings me back to the days of good old-fashion English fairytales, told in the style of Enid Blyton and all her English-ness, but without the racial and gender prejudices of Blyton's day, and with a zesty adult tang to the stories.

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But here I am talking about my first day of the week and I hadn't even talked about the weekend! Saturday had been really bright and sunny and a barbeque was planned which did not take off until the sun was almost gone, but still it was great. We also watched Stranger than Fiction, which is just like Prime, that movie starring Uma Thurman - promises lots of funny scenes in the trailer but is actually more of a sad, thoughtful movie than a comedy. Now, I like sad, thoughtful movies just as much as anyone but not when I was hoping for a comedy. When you're in a comedy mood, you just can't get into a sad, thoughtful movie kind of mood.

Oooh and Sunday was also another first for me as I began my first day of volunteer work at the art gallery. Like I said, it was mainly work as a glorified coat and bag check girl but it was still fun, because I got to hang out behind the main desk, watch them set up the Egyptian exhibition and hear about the sorts of nutters they get in the gallery.

And then it was raining and I went to the Gutter Philosopher's friend's apartment and watch said friend's wife gut a huge red snapper. It was actually kind of horrifying to see her go to work on it with a knife and the poor thing with its glassy eyes plus the smell of the raw fish filling up the apartment and me on my second glass of red wine, let's just say I had to step out to the small balcony for a breath of fresh air before I passed out.

But it was delicious fish, though, once it had been seasoned with, um, well I forgot what it was seasoned with but there was cumin. And then grilled and served with rice and mango chutney (which was hell awesome). Then the Gutter Philosopher and his friend got drunk and decided to sing Charlotte the Harlot at the top of their voices in a booming neighborhood serenade.

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It's the start of a new week and the start of my first day on my new job!

It wasn't too bad, as first days go. Everytime I start something new I think about all those stories and movies about people who have extremely bad first days - they get splashed with rainwater and mud before they even make it to the office, realize their supervisor is the very same grouch they had a run-in with the day before and had cursed most eloquently and then proceed to wreck the printer, trip over in front of a board meeting full of sophisticated disdainful aloof co-workers who don't bother to help them up, spill coffee over rain-water-stained clothes, ruin a few important projects and finally humiliate themselves in front of the hot guy at work.

But, luckily and happily, my first days have never been like that before! In fact, today was pretty good. My training buddy, who's supposed to show me the ins and outs of the workplace, turned out to be an ex-uni-classmate. Never mind that I didn't recognize him at first and that we barely spoke a word to one another the whole time we were at uni, it was nice to have a friendly, slightly familiar face (hey, people can look very different with a new hairstyle). And the boss and everyone else seems pretty nice too.

And it wasn't really hectic or anything for a first day; mainly they just kept throwing introductory welcome-to-the-team info at me, which kind of went into overload and left me dazed for the rest of the day. Things like occupational safety and health and company values, that sort of thing. Basic stuff.

So, the first day is over and we are on to the second day tomorrow! Wish me luck. Ooh, and thanks to everyone who wished me luck on my first day, really appreciated that!

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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Book Review



I got The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus and Emaa McLaughlin out of the library the other day. It's pretty good, it's funny and sad at the same time. You'll get picked up and carried along with Nan's frantic life as she tries to graduate from NYU, get to know the Harvard Hottie from the 1th floor and keep up with her employee's crazy demands all at the same time. Not to mention, pay for rent and sustain a living in expensive New York.

I wonder if it's possible to get anxiety from reading books? Because I do get anxious and feel I should be rushing from place to place too whenever I read books about people running around like this, the same as when I read Everyone Worth Knowing, the second book by Lauren Weisberger, author of the Devil Wears Prada (which I am longing to get my hands on). That, folks, by the way, is also a great book.

I notice there's a trend in books lately concerning employees with crazy, out-of-their-mind, unreasonable bosses that work them like sweat shop slaves. I don't know if it's because of the success that the Devil Wears Prada had, or whether it's because that really is just the way working life is now? Everyone rush rush, everything go go, no excuses as there's cell phones and faxes and the Internet and all that now. And you find yourself having to work all the harder even if you don't have to, even if you've already clocked in all your prerequisite hours because the guy in the next cubicle is overworking himself like mad and you feel like a lazy cur next to him. That is so unfair, I say. I think right now there needs to be a limit to the hours too so that people don't get away with overworking and making their colleagues look bad, even though said colleagues had been perfectly responsible and hardworking as well.

I mean, honestly. I remember this article about CEOs and their daily schedules. Most of them get up at some crazy time in the morning, 4am seems to be the average waking time. They launch themselves into the gym and at their e-mails right away. Then breakfast and getting the kids off to school before heading off to work before coming home to check more e-mails, etc. Oh and they don't have lunch. They work out or do yoga or whatever. Anything but relax and have lunch.

So when do they have time to sleep and relax? I guess they must go to bed pretty damn early. But honestly, now, what kind of a life is this? There's hardworking and motivated and passionate but there's also a boundary too. I've done my fair share of slave labour and overworked hours, at my now-ex-job, i used to work nights and weekends all the time, and the result was that I was always haggard, always tired and always very stressed and snappish at everyone. Of course, that might have to do with the fact that I got paid peanuts for working my ass off. But still. The point is, is that really the kind of life that you will look back on and say, 'ah! i have truly lived in this life.'?

I guess it depends too on the kind of the job you have. Some people have a job they love and it gets them out and about in the kind of world they want to be in, so in that case, maybe that's not so bad because what you do doesn't feel like work at all. But a lot of people are just in the job for the money which isn't a good thing because it's not good for the soul, spending hours doing something you don't actually enjoy just because the pay is good. And some people think they NEED that house in the burbs with the kids going to fancy schools and fancy dinner parties with way too much designer goods and they don't actually want any of those things but even they don't know that. It's just society that told them they want those things.

Hmm. I don't know how I got to this. But to conclude, overworking is stressful and not healthy and I guess I hope the corporate world decides to slow down. France and Australia, it seems, are actually doing a pretty good job of putting up boundaries for work and time-off-to-make-sure-you-get-a-life. But America and a lot of Asian countries are overworking and I hear so many horror stories about that. In the end, it's just not productive.

Anyway, enough! Back to Nanny Diaries. When I was looking for a picture of the book cover, I found out the movie based on the book is coming out soon too. Scarlett Johansson is staring, looking very un-Scarlet with brown hair and dressed in casual everyday clothes. But they glammed her up for the poster, though, in a very nice, Audrey Hepburn-ish classic black dress that I don't think her character ever wore in the book.

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Training Days

Today was induction day for volunteers at the art gallery for the Egyptian exhibition. All this training ... first I had to train the new guy to take my old job, then today's training for my volunteer work, and finally next week I will have five days of training for my new job! I really hope all goes well ...

But today was pretty exciting. There were four of us girls and we were all excited at being able to work at the art gallery. My first day begins this week, actually, on Sunday. I was a bit surprised that I was starting so fast, as the exhibition isn't up yet, but I guess they wanted us all to come in and familiarize ourselves while it's still quiet. Don't expect there to be much happening this week, though, as they haven't got much happening at the gallery at the moment, they're mostly busy with getting ready for the Egyptian exhibition. But that's good too cuz I get the chance to settle in before things start getting crazy. This exhibition looks set to be a big thing and weekends are sure to be really busy.

This here below is going to be part of the exhibition: apparently, they are the Ushabti troupe of Nefer-ib-Ra-em-heb'faience and the photo is by Georges Poncet of the Louvre. It kind of reminds me of the terracotta soldiers of China. I can't wait to be able to see it in real life. And also the mummified cat - yes, there is a mummified cat! But it is mainly the cat's mummified remains wrapped in painted linen and looks more like a stuffed cat toy than anything else, which perhaps is a good thing, because I have seen dead cats on the streets and those are not a pretty sight.


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Thursday, July 05, 2007

I stayed up a little later than I really should have last night and so I had to pay for it today! I'm exhausted. And I could have just slept in this morning instead of coming in for work because all our computers had gone down and we couldn't get them to work until way after noon. So we all had to stay late for work today and we kept getting these irky problems and everyone was tired and not pleased and wanted to go home. Even our IT guy, who came in shortly after five to fix our Outlook, which suddenly decided to shut itself off as well, could be heard sighing and cursing in fustration.

Really, what a way for my last day at this job to end.

But I will be back tomorrow, anyway, to train up the new guy.

And one of my colleagues started handing around these almond and spice flavoured cookies to calm everyone down. They were delicious! The spice made it taste like curry in a cookie. It sounds weird but was really good. Now it's making me crave proper curry though.

Anyway, to chill out before I go to bed, I'm watching some music videos on YouTube. I love this song I just found that was on Amy Winehouse's old album - it's called In My Bed. I love the song, I love the video set in an old hotel, it reminds me of all those stories and shows about the going-ons and people-interactions in a hotel. The music is so chilled too, it makes me think of those warm summer starry nights under the trees and bougainvilleas in full bloom in the backyard of the Gutter Philosopher and Pharrell's old house. Those were the days!



And this is another song which I just can't stop from continuously playing in my head these days. Aerosmith's Crazy! Now this one really brings back old memories. I've made this song my ringtone now.



This is the director's cut, though I actually prefer the original.

As you can see, all music videos were stolen from YouTube.

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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

It's been cold and wet and windy this week. Not great weather for catching the bus.

I was reading the BBC's James Rodgers's Moscow Diary - he was just writing about how shops in Moscow now stay open practically 24-7 and how it stays light until about 11pm everyday. Imagine! In Perth, I have lost all hopes of getting home before it's pitch-black, even if I leave work at 5pm on the dot. That's how fast it gets dark here in winter.

Over the past month, I've been complaining to the Lost Smoker about how boring it is and now everything's just suddenly starting to happen all at once. I'm not complaining, though, I'm loving it. I've gotten an awesome new job (in a great neighborhood!), been busy training someone to take over my old job, just been called in for training for my volunteer work at the egyptian exhibition, not to mention it's my turn to clean the house. Bleh. Which I haven't gotten around to doing because I've just only gotten back from having to cover a not-too-exciting function in east perth. And still have a million things left to do.

:) i like being busy.

Now I have to go download pictures of curtain material which my mother and sister are insisting I check out - I think it's for the house for when my sister gets married. It's actually kind of cool how my sister's wedding is going to be such a big-family-reunion thing, which I actually find myself missing these days. It's a whole production and it's only July now.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. I saw Transformers.

It was so awesome.

The Gutter Philosopher doesn't believe that, as a little girl, I used to like Transformers. "Only boys like it!" he insisted. (And that, we all know, is true, the packed cinema we were in was exploding with Transformers-fueled testosterone). I explained that it used to come on every week after My Little Pony, MoonDreamers and Glo Worms.

Speaking of my childhood, I got really excited when I heard they were making a movie on Nancy Drew. Then I saw the trailer and all my excitement vanished.

I know the movie is aimed at kids but why is Nancy so young? From what I remember, she was in high school in the books, drove a car and Ned was an eighteen-year-old college guy! Plus, it's true that Nancy is all about common sense and blahblah, but I don't remember her being as prim and proper as what she is in the movie. I mean, come on, she modeled in a few of the books and was described as a gorgeous redhead with good taste in clothes and practically every guy she met lusted after her. Sometimes, I found Nancy Drew in the books annoying but that's nothing compared to the Nancy Drew in this upcoming movie! Speaking of which, in the books, I always felt she and George were kind of mean to Bess. Especially George. Sometimes, I just wanted to kick that dyke's ass. :p

But seriously. If they wanted to make a movie on Nancy, I think it'll be better if they kept her the same age, made her stylish but sensible (maybe something like Anne Hathaway in the Devil Wears Prada or Jennifer Garner in Alias) and, to make it suitable for all ages, just keep the movie away from any overly-sexed scenes. The Devil Wears Prada was stylish and hot and an adult movie and practically the only non-family rated bits was when Anne showed her (gorgeous) bra to her (gorgeous) boyfriend and spent one night with another guy, and I'd hardly call those scenes racy. So you can make a stylish hit movie about a bright, beautiful woman that's family-rated.

Now that I've mentioned it, I really think Jennifer Garner in Alias is exactly what Nancy Drew would most likely have been like if she ever grew up and got out of high school and River Heights. *Pause*. Exactly. Sydney Bristow is the new modern-day, all-grown-up-as-an-adult Nancy Drew!

Hollywood, please take note.

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Monday, July 02, 2007

Easy Peasy Sandwich Recipe
This was basically what I ate most of last week before the Gutter Philosopher came home bearing macadamia chocolates and making me his gorgeous gamey steak. But what I made was pretty good too, if I say so myself, and is one of my scrumptious but extremely simple recipes, because you all know I can't really be bothered with cooking.

It's basically, take a baguette/bagel/long bun and slice it in the middle like you would a hot dog bun. Then stuff it with slices of tomatoes and brie cheese, some pre-cooked shrimp, then spread on some pesto and sprinkle some pepper and salt before toasting in an oven until cheese has melted and the bread is nice and toasty and crisp. So easy. I got the inspiration from a recipe in the early archives of StyleBytes. Her recipe was basically the same except she also had butter on hers. I didn't put any butter but I added on the shrimp. :)

Also, like StyleBytes, my picture of the sandwich, as you can see below, doesn't look that great but trust me, it was yummy. The Gutter Philosopher scowled and told me the recipe was weird and looked at the sandwich with obvious distrust but he ate every bite and conceded it was pretty good. If anything gets his vote, it's definitely edible! I vote that this be served with chips (thick fries like those that you get with your club sandwiches, not potato chips or thin french fries) and salad. Mmmm. Also, if you don't like shrimp, you can always substitute with steak pieces or chicken or ham or bacon or if you're a vegetarian, um, well, just do without the shrimp or meat.


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