Your I-Have-A-Problem Friend

Hamid came over to help with work.

And this is what we ended up doing the whole night.

I've never really explored mac's PhotoBooth before.

We tried to set the background to sunset, but it was a flop. See that green thing on the left? That's my towel hanging behind the door. Hehe.

Anyway, after so many failures, we were so frustrated that we decided to go to Paris ... !!!

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Haha! Okay, that was lame. I've got mental block now from having too much to think.

Anyway, I just have to say this. He and ainul are the two people in the world who I can never live without. They've been with me through the roller coaster rides, and it's their words that I listen to, even though hamid always fail miserably at relationship advices. Hehe.

And no matter how hard I try to keep secrets from ainul, they always miraculously find their way out through the mouth. Not good, right? Because normally, there's a looooong lecture to follow. Oh wait, it's lectures with an S.

God, you have no idea how it's like to have two best friends who are both very successful and too ambitious. Constant headache, I tell you.

If you know them, I'm sure you'd agree with me when I say that they are amazing and I'm just lucky :)

I know ainul reads this because I haven't talked much to her lately and she can't go to bed without any update from me. She's been stalking me these few days, can u believe it? So, hi stalker, please stop looking at my facebook page every five minutes and revisiting my blog every half an hour. I only write once a day, you know. Haha, I miss you, nonetheless!

And, I also know hamid reads this because I saw my blog in the most-visited-page list. kantoi. *cough, cough* I heard it was payday yesterday.

*Flying kisses to them both*

Your I-have-a-problem friend,

Oohhh Ga Ga

"Some women choose to follow men, some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that you career will never wake up and tell you it doesn't love you anymore"

-Lady Gaga

In the Middle of Nothingness

Ok, the title lies.

I'm actually at the pinnacle of the busiest period and I'm sailing through it like no one's business despite the constant mental fatigue. Give me your one minute and I'm ready to trade my life saving account.

Well, when you work with a handsomely captious person, what else can you do besides being pretentious? It's very challenging, you know. Hehe. You have to be tip-top all the time and no more idling or checking facebook when doing work.

After getting all stressed up, this is how I make myself happy : over indulging in sugar. It was red velvet cake last weekend. heaven.

And I believe I've just committed one of the seven deadly sins, gluttony, die laa like this.. !

Anyway, while I was doing my work in the afternoon, the phone beep-ed. It was an incoming email, which has totally made my day. And I'm sharing it with you guys :)

If you don't understand any of the jokes, just google them. They're all sarcastically funny!!

Dear Noah, 

We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.
Sincerely, Unicorns


Dear Twilight fans,
Please realize that because vampires are dead and have no blood pumping through them, they can never get an erection.
Enjoy fantasizing about that.
Sincerely, Logic


Dear Icebergs,

Sorry to hear about the global warming. Karma's a bitch.

Sincerely, The Titanic


Dear J.K. Rowling,

Your books are entirely unrealistic. I mean, a ginger kid with two friends?
Sincerely, Anonymous


Dear America,
You produced Miley Cyrus. Bieber is your punishment. 

Sincerely, Canada


Dear Yahoo,
I've never heard anyone say, "I don't know, let's Yahoo! it..." just saying...
Sincerely, Google


Dear girls who have been dumped,
There are plenty of fish in the sea... Just kidding! They're all dead.
Sincerely, BP


Dear Justin Bieber,
Ariel would really love her voice back.
Sincerely, King Triton


Dear Windshield Wipers,
Can't touch this.
Sincerely, That Little Triangle


Dear Taylor Swift,
If it is of any interest to you, Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves in the end.
Sincerely, Shakespeare


Dear Saturn,
I liked it, so I put a ring on it.
Sincerely, God


Dear Rubik's Cube,
Done!
Sincerely, Colorblind


Dear Santa,
Please tell me how you managed to stop at three Ho's.
Sincerely, Tiger Woods


Dear Martin Luther King Jr.,
I have a dream within a dream within a dream within another dream... What now?
Sincerely, Leonardo DiCaprio


Dear Sleeping Beauty,
I had to join the army, dress up like a man, defeat the hun army and totally save China for my man.

All you had to do was wake up.
Sincerely, Mulan


Dear Fox News,
So far, no news about foxes.
Sincerely, Unimpressed


Dear Sex Educators,
Abstinence is only 99.99% effective.
Sincerely, The Virgin Mary


Dear Toaster,
Just gonna stand there and watch me burn?
Sincerely, Toast


Dear Prince Charming,
You've got some explaining to do!
Sincerely, Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty

And my favourite :

Dear 2010,
So I hear the best rapper is white and the president is black? WTF happened?!
Sincerely, 1985

Thrift - Market - Antique

Especially with the low exchange rate now, London is a shopping heaven for designer items.

From Sloane Street to Oxford Street, I see Malaysians carrying their designer purchases and I see loaded Chinese queueing to pay at Selfridges. Oh, don't get me started on the wealthy Arabs taking out cash to pay for Chanel bags. Yes, big cold cash. Some even have their own parking space at Harrods. Crazy indeed !!

Sadly but true, we students can't afford to shop at high-street stores, let alone designer boutiques. So where do we go to, then?

Here! Portobello Road.

Source : Londonmarkets.co.uk

It's very famous for its Saturday market which stretches for about two miles from Notting Hill to Westbourne Grove, and filled with numerous stalls selling from fresh fruits and vegetables to antique collectors' items. There's also a small section at the end of the street for second-hand items.

Back in 1999, Portobello Market was made known to the world through a popular romantic film, Notting Hill. I'm sure everyone knows this, right?

It was the place where Hugh Grant accidentally spilled his drink onto Julia Robert's shirt. It was also the very market he strolled along heartbroken, with Ain't No Sunshine music on the background - this one. One of the sweetest movies I've ever watched :) But pride and prejudice would always remain the best.

Most people come to the market to look for the Travel Bookshop and The Blue Door which were both majorly featured in the film. However, from the stories I heard, the blue door has been taken somewhere else and replaced by a door of different colour, whilst the bookshop's never existed.

I certainly can't verify the stories, though. Hehe.

If you're planning to come here one day, the nearest underground station would be Notting Hill Gate on one end where the market starts with antiques. Or, if you prefer to start the long day with second hand items or fish & chip, get off at Ladbroke Grove instead.

It isn't really a long stretch, but on a crowded and busy saturday, it'd take a bit longer of course.

soo colourful ..

Also, we saw this Bentley. Look at the registration number, oh wait, it's a word !! How cool is that? 

Btw, I bet your day won't be complete without a big plate of english breakfast prior to shopping and hunting in the market. 

And that's exactly what we had, at my workplace. And yes again, I work at the famous Portobello Road. Weeheeeee ... 


And just today, two Brazilian men came asking about the bookshop and door. I could see the frustration in their eyes when I explained that both are no longer there. They gave good tips, though. Hehe.

Feminism

I arrived home late yesterday and received a call from a good friend whom I haven't talked to for months. We had a very long catching-up session about each other's lives. After an hour or so, I was ready to say goodbye when he suddenly brought up the topic about current affairs and general awareness.

According to him, women don't need as much general and current affairs knowledge as men do. Or in other words, women just don't care.

I was stunned by that statement and at midnight, he must be seriously trifling with my nerve. So, I asked him to prove that he knows better than me on what's happening in the world currently.

He started : Ok, financially .. the uk .. high inflation rate ... banks .. eurozone crisis .. speculations .. 

I know that. checked.

He then continued : In the States .. Arizona killing .. congresswoman Giffords .. rehab .. mentally ill man ..

hey , I know about that too. checked.

Next he explained : China .. Taiwan .. communism .. army .. the Koreas .. pirates .. 

And I know those too. checked.

He gave a few more on Malaysia and stopped : That's all I think. All the famous stories you should know.

Then I took over : So mister-I-know-everything, tell me what's happening in Tunisia as we speak. *silence*

I asked again : Or Sudan perhaps, since it's more widely covered. *silence*

Him : Haha, fine. You tell me :) yahoooo!!

Ohhh.. here's another Instgram produce. Gosh, am I an addict now? hehe. At this rate, I'm sure all my photos will look oh-so-nostalgic by the end of next week. I keep converting the pictures in my phone using this application.

Anyway, what my dear friend doesn't know is that I get digital copy of The Times every morning in my Kindle. Oh yes, I have one now and I'm loving it to bits!! It's so light I can read while standing in the crowded tube on my way to school. No more digging up for coins to buy newspaper every day and no more black carbon fingerprints.

Feminism, girls? High five!! :)

By the way, I just found out that the guys at work read my blog. So hi guys!! *waving at them*

It's krghepes

Before the exam, I received a text message from a friend.

what do you say to giulia's crepes? she's half french.

me : sounds really good !!

her : ok, six o'clock.

So, after two-and-a-half hour of horror and bad experience in the examination hall (I left my pencil case at home, only left with two blue pens) I was ready to glut myself on food - any food. And then another text came in asking me to bring Nutella.

Perfect. Chocolate was exactly what I needed.

I just found out that it's soo easy to make crepes!! All you need is 500g of flour, 6 eggs, 2 pints of milk and butter - and a jar of marmalade and a pot of nutella to serve six.

Anyway, she was teaching us how to say the name correctly throughout. For someone who speaks french, italian and spanish, of course she has no problem pronouncing it. We had a hard time ohhh !!

So, ladies and gentlemen, the name is kghepe. K-R-PHELGM-E-P. kghrepe.

Well done !! :) Now, give yourself a pat on the back.

By the way, the batter has to be left for about half an hour after mixing to allow the bubbles to settle. Then you can use a flat pan to to cook it, just like pancakes but thinner.

They were really good and delicious! Seriously! We were all busy gorging ourselves that I forgot to take pictures of the ready ones. I don't even remember how they looked like, hehe, but I'm sure it was something like this :

Source : myrecipes.com

Nyummmmy....

I was actually quite surprised that eating crepes alone for dinner could make me full. But I was one satisfied, stuffed, bloated girl when I went back.

dragonflies in my stomach

I have exam today.

It's a business paper with essays, definitely not my cup of tea.

Sigh.. Why do engineers have to be so technical?

*my respect today goes to those who can debate and present arguments immaculately

Why ?

warning : long wordy posts are rare, but this is one of them. don't blame me if at the very final dot, you realise you've just wasted several minutes of your life. I've warned.

So, lately, I received a lot of questions about the part-time job I'm doing. Oh yes, did I not tell you that I'm working at a cafe? Well, now you know it :) 

 Anyway, recently, people have been asking why do I want to work. Unlike most of my friends, I still do have to attend lectures every single day and I have coursework continually given to us one after another and I also have exams to sit for. So why do I choose to work, even when my time is awfully limited hmm ... *blank*

I remember my parents' first response, why didn't you tell us if you needed money? oh no no no guys, you have given me more than enough to pay for the rent, buy lunch and dinner, keep me warm all night and also to pay for the err handbags, hehe. 

Well.. I may not be born with a silver spoon stuck in my little mouth, but I was also not born penniless or famished. It's suffice to say that for more than twenty years, I've been provided with sufficient food, ample clothing to cover myself, endless love from people surrounding me and also an incredible strength spiritually. I, too, have a mother who perpetually reminds me to be thankful to god for his blessings upon the family. And for those reasons, I am so very grateful and contented. 

 So, it's not about the money, you see. 

 I get paid very little, in fact. However, it's never crossed my mind to create a public unrest because money is not the reason I'm willing to serve food for eight hours without rest, or to keep smiling even to the rudest nastiest most inconsiderate customer who comes to buy just a cup of coffee, or to get my hands all dirty cleaning up the place after everyone's left.

I'm not entirely sure how to explain this, either.

On my first day at work, a colleague asked : so why are you here?

And it just came out so suddenly : for all the things I don't get in my engineering classes.

He then walked away from me : right, I bet they don't teach you this *he went straight to a customer standing by the corner, took his order, chatted for about half a minute, made some joke, had a big laugh together and came back with tips, looked at me in the eye with a smile and said, this is home, you know, and they are family*

and, I bet they also don't teach you that *pointing at another colleague who did work so efficiently, moved so swiftly and arranged things so neatly on the counter - like the kind of scene you see in Coyote Ugly*.

or this *he put the menu and the order sheet in my hand, tidied up my apron and pushed me forward towards a lovely elderly couple who just entered the cafe and he whispered with a grin, don't forget to smile* It was my first £!%$/" day!!!

So, I may study at one of the world's top universities that inarguably makes people go wowwww every time I mention the name, but I realise some lessons are just not taught within the lecture theatres and some needs in life are just quenched through different means. And I'm lucky to have seen it sooner.

And because of that, I've always loved a line from Limp Bizkit's song that goes "life is a lesson, you learn it when you're through".

Oh, by the way, that guy on the left dreams of being a model. If you happen to know any modelling agency, please give him a call? I've already told him it's a tough business with lots of men in underwear - just underwear, but he wouldn't listen. Boo! An Italian, 26 and is not interested in women (but has a gf).

On a separate note, I need a camera, please!! Been using my phone all these while.

Colour Me Today

In an attempt to colour coordinate my wardrobe,

I ended up getting this.

Disaster!

And I pat myself on the back for passing the not-so-OCD test.

When It's Over

For me, last winter break has been wonderful.

I remember being in Malaysia one day and London the next day trying to find ONE money changer in this big busy city that actually keeps Moroccan dirham. It's a rare currency my love I'm sorry we don't have it, was all I got. So frustrating, because I only had less than 24 hours to do it. I literrally went into every money changer along bayswater road and oxford street, but to no avail. We may have them the day after tomorrow, was another common answer. I was already in Africa the following day, having so much fun even without money. Hehe.

Anyway, when break's over, you go back to your normal life. Whether you love it previously or not, that doesn't matter cause life continues.

And now...?

I'm back to lectures

back to reading BOOKS @-@

back to studying for exams!!

and back to work

:)

On a separate matter, I just realised that I haven't started shopping yet, haha, although sales are all over the city.

This is the one thing I love about January. Retailers clearing up their stock, cutting down prices, and this happy little girl skips merrily into the shops. Gee.. I better find some time to shop now.

So.. anybody wants anything? Harrods is having extra 10% off this weekend. *big starry eyes*

O0ohh!! Girls, watch this please - the big pony collection. I've been analysing this video with a girlfriend for weeks, wondering how can these guys pull off the short + suit + bermuda + slipper look ?! Hotness ok.

I was at Ralph Lauren today when I heard One Republic's secrets over the speaker. I smiled to myself, thinking about the happy moments in the video. It just made my day.

The 70's Bottom

While he was a young man in his twenties, my father used to be handsome, masculine and fashionable. Why? Because I found a picture of him wearing bell-bottom!! Hip and so in trend oh-kay! Haha. With his big curly hair, old school glasses and a cigarette in one hand, he's got the complete package to woo the layday.

Shessshh.. I bet he was one of those nerdy-yet-naughty type of boy. Hehe.

Bell bottom. Source : Google.com

Nonetheless, my father is still a handsome young man he is today, whom we all love dearly :) But thank god, he doesn't have a son to hand down all the hippie-summer-of-love gene to.

Anyway, looking at the bell-bottom era about thirty years back, I've never really liked this style and has been wondering why is it deemed as the most revolutionary in the fashion industry. To me, the super wide flare is a little bit odd.

But who am I to say such thing and criticise others' interest, right? They might look at today's jeggings like an alien's malfunction wardrobe.

However, a few days ago, I stumbled upon this picture of Yoko Ono, and I have to admit I'm quite impressed with the bell-bottom. She's definitely given a new characteristic to the pants, which I just can't explain what and how. Perhaps it was the john-lennon-peace-protest timing, no?

Source : Google.com

And when I saw bell-bottoms on these celebrities, I became immediately infatuated with the whole super wide downwards pants. I'm totally inspired..... hehe.

Pictures : Google.com

I began hunting high-and-low for this kind of pants. But it was so difficult to find THAT pair of jeans that lengthen my legs, haha!! Cause in my eyes, the wide flare always makes me look shorter, for some reason.

But I finally found this gem by 7 for all mankind, and I'm loving it ! (albeit the huge thigh in the picture)

YAYAYAYY!!!

It still haven't given me the naomi campbell height though (boo!!)

By the way, it's really creative how the celebrities up there pair the jeans with stilettos instead of converse sneakers like it used to be in the 70s. It does make a statement and I'm gonna try it one day (if I have the courage to, hehe). And you will too, right?

Seriously, you guys should all buy one bell-bottom and we can go jalan-jalan together!! :)

The Looong Way Back

Confession : I am never good at writing reviews or giving feedback or ratings for that matter cause I tend to say everything nice, sugarcoat the words, and be ready to give three thumbs up if I have enough.

But anyway, please believe me this time when I say Peter Wier's latest film is epic! It's called The Way Back - trailer, and it's based on a (controversial) true event. The story is about a group of prisoners  who escaped the brutal gulag prison in Siberia and braved 4000 miles from Himalaya to India, on foot. They went through sunshine, rain, snow and dust storm for months, risking getting caught by the soldiers and recognised by the villagers.

The movie is basically about their journey which started with seven people, each with their own function to the group. However only a few made it to India. It's a mixture of giggles, sorrow, pity and smiles altogether in two hours. One minute you'd be laughing and the next you'd find yourself holding back tears. Then the next couple of minutes, you'd find you heart beating quickly.

Current obsession. Adorable, isn't he?

Having been tortured and taught about survival at obs three weeks ago, and going through the desert while in Morocco last week, I believe I could understand a little bit of their hardship and turmoil. Haha.

So, why wait? Drag you friends to the cinema this weekend :)

Oh, another Instagram produce.. It's soo addictive, I tell you.

Maroc In A Week III

Now that we were in Morocco, a trip to the desert was, of course, on top of the priority list. I was excited. We packed our bags and went to bed early.

Day 5 & 6 : Sahara Trip

We were lucky to find a company that offered us good price for our 2D1N excursion to Zagoura, which includes pitstops at Ourzazate and Moroccan ancient fortress known as Kasbah. Ourzazate is a lovely small town located at the beginning of Sahara desert, which is reflected in its name that bears the meaning 'the door of the desert'.

The Kasbah

And we went to Morocco's very own Universal Studio.

Next, the camel ride (that hurt my butt !!). My camel went berserk, going round and round in a circle, while I was on it. Scary! And I was asked to jump down :( haishh..

But first, headgear for Berber women

We spent a night in the desert in a Berber-style tent. There was bonfire at the centre of the campsite, where we all gathered after dinner, watched them playing some traditional instrument and sing along to some berber songs.

In front of the tent

On the way back from Sahara, we stopped by another Kasbah where there are still families residing within the walls. These men were so nice to bring us girls around because the boys were in too much pain after the camel ride.

We went to see one of the men's kitchen, his room, his living room, then they offered us Argan oil massage (which we refused politely hehe) and wanted to exchange facebook emails.

I was so dark after a night in the desert

So yea, if you've been following the last two posts, you'll realise that we've now got two pages of a notebook full of email addresses. Some even left us their phone numbers. Such goody-jolly-boogie-doo these Moroccans are, and now you understand why I love the country so much.

Since it was our final night in Marrakesh, we decided to go to Djemaa El Fna, the most prominent square in the city where you'll find shops selling food, their popular orange juice, story-tellers, snake performances, fortune tellers and street games. The sight and the atmosphere were marvellous.

The next day was our flight back. Before going to the airport, we went to the souk again for the very last time. Boarding the London-bound airplane, we knew deep in our heart that we'd miss Morocco, because of the weather especially and the also people.

We touched down at nine pm, and London was wet and gloomy. It remained dark and depressing for the next 48 hours.. see!! You'll know what I mean if you were here :)

The End