It's been a while...

Thoughts on the Day...
I have let my blogging slip of late which means I am now left with a wealth of stuff to talk about and will, no doubt, forget to mention something. I went to the Royal Opera House last Tuesday to see the ballet. It was a performance of Romeo & Juliet; the costumes were gorgeous, the music was beautiful, and the surroundings were amazing. There's always such an interesting mix of people at ballet performances and we were surrounded by couples in tuxedos & ballgowns, and tourists in jeans & t-shirts. I came away feeling thoroughly cultured.

 

...Musings

Ladybird Cocktails: I have always been a fan of cocktails, but I have to admit I have never found one that I could drink over again without getting sick of it; they're either too strong on alcohol or too sickly sweet. But that was all until I went to Ladybird Bar for my birthday. We started off the evening with a strawberry & raspberry daiquiri and 'pornstar fluffer' both of which were served in giant martini glasses, and were extremely tasty.

However the highlight for me was the 'Alice in Wonderland', I couldn't even tell you what was in it, except to say that it was delicious. 

Chinatown Morning: I was running around town last Wednesday morning picking up a few bits for my mum's birthday (Happy Birthday mum!) and found myself in a weird place, Chinatown in the morning. Far from the usual gathering of tourists and locals bustling through, the place was empty except for a few shop owners and delivery vans, it was an oddly tranquil moment. The light was nice so I took a quick picture of the pretty lamps strung up to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

The Shard: I have been meaning to talk about this for ages. I am unreasonably excited by this construction project. I think this is mostly because I go through London Bridge every time I go home and so I have been watching the building spring up from literally nowhere. However it has gotten to the point where I make sure I sit on the side of the train that will give me optimum views of the tower. Whatever you feel about it, it will be an impressive structure, the tallest building in London. And most importantly of all it will be South of the river. For more information on the project click here. 

21 Years

Thoughts on the Day...

It was my 21st birthday on Tuesday which I celebrated by having a meal with friends and family at a Japanese restaurant. Inevitably in these situations you get people saying 'Wow, so you're really (insert age here) now' to which there is no other response than 'yes'. Of course the real reason behind this is because nothing makes us feel older than those around you aging. It's bizarre for me to sometimes look at my younger cousins or my niece or even people who were in the years below me at school and realise how much they have grown up. But for now I still don't mind celebrating Birthdays and will try my best never to say 'you're looking so grown up now!'

...Musings

Food & Drink: This week I have consumed enough food to feed a family of four, and enough drink to last a class of 15 year-olds a whole night. Highlights have been pizzas at Fire and Stone, cakes from Patisserie Valerie, beef stew and rice from Spinach & Agushi, and cocktails from Graphic Bar which were served in little paint tins.

Recipe of the Week: This weeks concoction was Coffee and Walnut cake, a favourite of mine. I altered the recipe I found slightly by using espresso rather than dissolved instant coffee, and using cream cheese icing rather than butter icing which I then flavored with more espresso, yum!

Cambridge for the Weekend

Thoughts on the Day...
Well really more thoughts on the weekend. My parents and I went to stay with my brother this weekend in Cambridge. In a few weeks he is moving to Kenya to work for VSO and will be gone for year, so we were helping him pack up the last of his stuff. So excited for him, and to go visit him out there! My mother and I did manage to squeeze in a quick trip into the town centre for some window shopping which led to me picking up a couple of blouses from a charity shop.

 

The picture doesn't really do it justice, but it fits nicely, has a great cut on 

the sleeves, and came with a black neck tie

The pattern close up

 

My mum spotted this one and made me buy it. You can't see it in the picture 

but the sleeves have tiny little pleats in them.

...Musings

2012: No, I'm not going to talk about the end of the world, but the Olympics. We drive past the Olympic site on the way to Cambridge and it is so impressive how far works have progressed already. It is all very exciting. Hopefully I can get my hands on some tickets for Gymnastic and Track events. That would be amazing.

Dear Mr Sandman: Please give me one night of descent sleep. I haven't slept properly for a good few days now which has left me feeling constantly spaced out and grumpy. Maybe tonight...

 

Cinnamon Rolls

Thoughts on the Day...
Spent this morning catching up on 30 Rock, House, and True Blood whilst analysing some Japanese texts. Then this afternoon attempted my 'new recipe for the week' - Cinnamon Rolls. The first batch came out a bit burnt, but if at first you don't succeed and all that...

Once the rolls are cut they are left to rise for a while and then glazed to give them a golden colour

 

The finished product! 

 And I have to say, they taste pretty good.

...Musings

No Connection:  I would have left writing this post until tomorrow so that I can actually get a decent nights sleep but I am going to spend the weekend at my brother's place in Cambridge. For some reason my brother, the IT manager, does not have internet in his home, so this was my only chance.

 

Back to being Lost

Thoughts on the Day...
Urgh, I have a ridiculous hangover, so expect a few mistakes in today's post. The sole of one of my boots decided to fall apart yesterday while I was out shopping and so I decided to pickup a cheap pair of pumps as I was spending the night at my friend's place. Of course I would end up buying the worlds most painful pair of shoes that proceeded to rip open the back of my feet and cover me in blisters. I ended up wearing the broken boots back home today with the sole flapping around each time I took a step. I felt very sorry for myself.

...Musings

It's Back! Yes that's right, I'm a Lost fan, and the first episode of it's sixth and final season aired this week, very good times. I'm sure some of you are now shaking your heads and saying something witty about 'getting off the island'. I was once like you. However last year my boyfriend ignored my complaints and made me watch the program from the beginning, and I saw the light. Quite simply, if you're not watching it then you're missing out. 

Sixty Years On: I was just flicking through The Guardian's G2 supplement today and saw this picture taken in Louisiana in 1950. It's nice to know that sixty years on a man with a black father and white mother is in The White House.

Photo Credits: Just so you know, all the pictures I post on here are taken by me on my trusty iPhone. It's an aim of mine to only upload photos that I have taken in an attempt to feel a bit more creative.

Bad Taste & Bad Manners

Thoughts on the Day...
I went to Edinburgh this weekend for a friend's 21st Birthday. Had lots of fun and got to see, albeit very briefly, Edinburgh which looks like a lovely city. I had never been further North than Manchester before this weekend, and so it was a great opportunity to check out some more of the UK. It was lovely going through cities like Newcastle, with all the neat streets of terraced houses still covered in show along side massive modern structures.

 

Anyway, to the party. The theme was that of bad taste, and when you give me a theme I will deliver. I think those of us that made the trip to Edinburgh put in a little more effort with costumes, but it was a great party and my friend had a fun night (at least the bits she can remember). 

 

...Musings

Use a tissue! I have ranted about this to a few people already but it happened again today and quite frankly I'm sick of it. Why do people insist on picking their noses in public?! My first recent experience happened on the Jubilee Line the other day when the man opposite me decided to have a good old pick deep into his nasal passages and then wipe it off on the seat next to him. The second occurred on a train into Charing Cross when a woman across the aisle thought she would have a dig and then inspect the finds in her hands for a while. And then today on the Bakerloo Line a man picked his nose and wiped it on his trousers, without even trying to hide what he was doing. Use a tissue or save it till you get home!

Fans? One of the nicest things that I found out this weekend was that several of my friends have actually been reading this page. Thank you guys so much, I look set to reach 100 hits tomorrow!