Fluffy Stuff

A holiday in London

2008-06-25T23:08:00.003+01:00

I took this Mon to Wed off just because I felt like a bit of a break. The original plan was to go somewhere beachy like Portugal, but seeing as I had a spent a lot of money on lunch at Fat Duck and am already going to Paris next month, I decided to stay in London. After all, how often does one take a holiday at home?

I had all these grand plans to do lots of things, especially doing more touristy things, like visit the Victor & Rolf dollhouse exhibition or see the Skin+Bones exhibition, but I never got round to them. Instead, I:

Got a much needed haircut by a cute Japanese hairdresser at B:Zar (he made me feel so shy and giggly)
Had a very long and indulgent facial
Went to the gym twice (lots of mums and old ladies during the daytime!)
Walked around Old Bond Street and admired the beautiful clothes in Prada, Louis Vuitton, YSL and Gucci
Got a mini-tour of London in a cab as we rode from Chinatown to Sloane Square...awful traffic!
Had a great night out at a jazz club called 606. A jazz violinist played the night we were there, and he was fantastic
Stayed home riveted by the Ivanovich vs Dechy match

I'm so not ready to go back to work tomorrow.

TopShop 2008 Fall collection

2008-06-18T18:12:00.003+01:00

I've always been slightly puzzled by almost everyone's reaction to TopShop. There are some nice and fashionable items, but I've always felt the quality doesn't justify the price tag. Even now that I've moved to London and have access to the wonderfully huge Oxford St store, I'm still not very convinced by the outpouring of TopShop love (I do admit that the vintage and shoe sections are worth looking through). If I'm spending that kind of money, I'd much rather go to Jigsaw, Massimo Dutti or a little independent boutique.

However, the new release of photos for TopShop's Fall collection as seen on Fashionologie has me almost convinced to brave a trip to the store once it's out.

The wonders of great styling and lighting!

This June, I am into...

2008-06-17T18:34:00.004+01:00

Lamp chops for lunch on Saturday

Wearing: outfits that involve the black studded belt a la Sarah Jessica Parker in SATC, Verbena body lotion from L’Occitane
Eating: at Fat Duck (what.an.experience.), lunch at home on Saturdays
Listening: Jazz – I’ve been introduced to a great shop called Fopp
Watching: Sex & The City, Ouran High School (again, it never fails to make me laugh), Last Scandal
Enjoying: the sunshine, compliments from random strangers, playing dress-up at pupe.jp
Planning: things to do in London on my days off, what to do and eat when in Paris next month

Flowers in our garden

2008-06-17T12:33:00.003+01:00

It's been getting warmer in London, and without even really realising it, I've been wearing less and less layers over the last few weeks.

What this also means is that the flowers in our garden have bloomed. I stepped out into our backyard one day and was greeted to a profusion of all these beautiful flowers and felt I really should take pictures of them before it's too late.

This is just one of the many reasons why I'm so glad I moved here.

Roses

Peony

I think these are pansies

Busy buzzy bee in our bottlebrush tree

By the way, I claim absolutely no credit in the cultivation of these flowers. We have a gardener who comes in and makes everything look pretty. I just step outside and admire.

Notes about Sex...

2008-06-12T10:58:00.002+01:00

...& the City:

Very audible moan from audience when we are treated to first view of Carrie's walk-in closet. Sigh.
Those blue Manolo Blahniks? Yuk, yuk and yuk.
Charlotte's pregnancy clothes? Yawn. The outfit she wore to the fashion show was lovely though.
Carrie's make-up in her Vivienne Westwood wedding gown was way too harsh and made her look a lot older.
Items of the movie? Long string of pearls, black studded belt (I've bought the lookalike from ASOS), extremely fierce towering black gladiator heels
Talk about product placements. I wonder if they can scream the name Louis Vuitton any louder.
Jennifer Hudson's role was pretty much a complete waste of space.
I really want to buy a new dress and a new handbag now.

Capturing the Fat Duck

2008-06-11T15:33:00.002+01:00

I am really looking forward to this Sunday, because we have managed to secure a lunch reservation at Fat Duck. After reading so much about molecular gastronomy and seeing all the 'Best in World' restaurant lists, my mouth is practically salivating in anticipation.

By the way, did you know you have to book exactly 2 months in advance, and that even just getting through the phone is in itself a feat? Just for this, I'm going to make sure I wear nice nice and bring my camera to take lots of pictures.

ShooStories: Everything's peachy

2008-06-04T17:51:00.003+01:00

Can you believe the last time I did this was almost 2 years ago? Apparently I'm not very good at photographing my shoo collection. Incidentally, the last shoo featured has unfortunately died and gone to shoo heaven last April. You will however be glad to know that at least it died in the most glamourous of cities: Paris, where it apparently couldn't take the strain of being walked around in. Luckily, I had bought a new pair of shoos that very same day, and it was a simple case of wearing my new shoos immediately.

#30 *Fresh!*

The Shoo: Lovebirds (I didn't come up with that name, Nine West did)
Circa: end May 2008
Where: Shoe Studio in House of Fraser, Richmond, UK

The Story: Now that I've moved to the UK and don't have a car anymore, I've had to hang up most of my heels and rely on flats instead. This being the case, I am constantly on the lookout for pretty but comfortable flats to wear to work, dinners, shopping and just basically everywhere. I still refuse to wear sneakers, because my feet just don't seem to be built for them.

The office is fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) situated along the high street, which means almost everyday when I walk to M&S or Pret a Manger for lunch, I pass by a whole slew of shops like TopShop, French Connection, Nine West, Gap, Jigsaw and Comptoir des Cotonniers. Most days, I'm good and can resist temptation, but on this particular day when I was walking in the back cobbled lanes of Richmond on my way to buy a birthday present, I spied that House of Fraser was having £20 off certain Nine West shoos. Unable to resist a bargain, I scooped up these babies, rationalising that the colour is a great neutral and will go with so many outfits, doesn't look like anything I own, and on top of that, is flat, which will mean I'll get lots of wear out of it.

Comfort-wise, they aren't too bad, considering Nine West is a bit of a hit and miss with me. No blisters so far, but I've been quite judicious in my wearing. The next thing to do now is devise outfits to go with them.

In Stockholm for Easter: Vasa Museet

2008-06-03T14:29:00.002+01:00

After hearing about a 17th century warship which sank about 15 min after it was launched, and how the entire ship was discovered and re-pieced together almost intact almost 300 years later, I knew I had to visit the Vasa museum.

Imagine how it would have looked back in its day with all the magnificent colours!

In Stockholm for Easter (trois): Saluhall

2008-06-01T15:45:00.006+01:00

I've just realised I never finished uploading photos from my Stockholm trip, and since they're already in Photobucket, I might as well post them.

Being the greedy pig I was and having read about Saluhall, I made sure to plan that into our itinerary. Saluhall is in trendy Ostermalm, in a large and light airy building with lots of stalls selling fresh produce. We wandered around admiring all the food, and finally settled down for lunch at Lisa Elmqvist, where I tried gravlax for the first time.

Ego boost

2008-05-29T16:31:00.002+01:00

This morning, I got onto the bus and 2 seconds after I got into my seat, the black man in the row next to me said, "Excuse me, my friend just wanted to let you know how nice you look."

Aww, thanks.

Movie anticipation

2008-05-15T11:17:00.002+01:00

From style.com.

Get your cosmos ready, the Sex & the City movie is almost here! I'm very much looking forward to ogling dresses, shoes, accessories, and oh ya, enjoying the plotline. The office girls are doing a girly night out next month. Can't wait!

The shopping bug bites

2008-05-11T11:17:00.002+01:00

Ugh, I'm agonising over whether I should get any or all of these 3 dresses I saw while wandering around Regent St yesterday:

Grey strapless sack hippy dress with pockets (hmm the description doesn't make it sound very attractive), £55, Cos
Black empire line dress, £39, Cos
Yellow and black floral print silk dress, £75, Banana Republic

Gaaaah.

This May, I am into...

2008-05-08T16:26:00.003+01:00

Watching: How to Look Good Naked, Gossip Girl, Pushing Daisies, reruns of Sex & the City
Reading: Blood River, Watching the English, Piercing
Wearing: sundresses like this one from French Connection (it's getting warmer!), crazy platform wedges from Nine West, jewelled peeptoe flats from Vincci, Dr Sebagh Breakout Spot-On (I'm not crazy about it though, the Philosophy one is much better), colour-blocking tops/dresses
Eating: far too much chocolate than is good for me
Gym bunnying: at the gym near home. There's an indoor pool too!
Enjoying: sunny weekends...hurrah!

Colours according to Patricia Field

2008-05-08T10:21:00.004+01:00

Styling Sarah Jessica Parker for Sex & the City.

People are afraid to experiment with colour because they feel insecure. I like to clash or vibrate colours together.
- Patricia Field from Eve magazine, June 2008

I love the way she uses the word 'vibrate'. What a wonderful way to describe putting colours together.

Bank holiday weekend in Richmond Park

2008-05-05T21:35:00.003+01:00

Testing out the camera function on my LG Shine. In Isabella plantation, Richmond Park.

I didn't make any plans this bank holiday weekend, mainly because I've been so engrossed with work, the weekend just crept up on me. Before I knew it, the long weekend was here and I had no plans made. I guess sometimes it doesn't matter that you've got no plans. The weather this weekend was wonderful - no rain, lots of sun and comfortable temperatures. I think at one point, it went up to 22 deg. It's practically summer ah!

On Sunday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and made an impromptu trip to Richmond Park for a little walk. We had a light lunch at a really pretty pub called the Dysart Arms, and after that, took a leisurely drive around the park, looking out for deer, admiring the beautiful green open spaces and watching other people having picnics on the grass. We also walked round the Isabella plantation to look at the beautiful azaleas and watch cute little mallard and mandarin ducks frolic on the pond. I love that we are only about 15 min drive from such a large and beautiful park. It's just like being in the countryside. Also, I'm starting to get the hankering to learn how to ride. It would be great to ride around the park on a cute horsie. Hmm...I wonder how much lessons cost.

In Stockholm for Easter (deux)

2008-05-03T20:27:00.003+01:00

View from our hotel breakfast hall

Trying to eat a healthy breakfast every morning, despite the smorgasbord available

I can't remember the hotel that we stayed at, but it was really convenient, right outside the Ringvagen train stop, and walking distance to Sodermalm, a trendy area with lots of restaurants and little shops. Actually, the guidebooks aren't joking when they say the best way to see Stockholm is by walking. If you've got lots of time and comfortable shoes, walking really does allow you to see almost the entire city.

On our second night in Stockholm, we had dinner at Gondolen, which was recommended in my Lonely Planet guide. I really enjoyed sitting at the bar, watching the sun go down while sipping a couple of drinks. The food at the restaurant was pretty good too.

In Stockholm for Easter

2008-04-29T19:40:00.005+01:00

These stone lions are on every street. I haven't figured out what the significance of them are.

Over Easter, K and I decided to do a quick weekend getaway to Stockholm. I have to admit I knew nothing about Sweden, and the only things that jumped to mind were Ikea, meatballs, tall blondes and H&M. Yes, I admit I am an ignoramus. But I guess that's why it's good to travel - to broaden the mind.

Anyhow, I now know that Sweden (or at least Stockholm) is not just about the abovementioned things..for starters, I didn't see that many blondes around, gasp!

The trip was planned pretty quickly, and since both of us were busy at work, we didn't really have time to plan detailed itineraries. Luckily, I had a Lonely Planet guide to help out, and some colleagues' recommendations on places to visit. Here are some photos of the few places we visited:

Gamla Stan
This is the 'old' part of town, and I loved wandering around the little cobbled streets and exploring the alleys. It's a pity the shops were closed because of the public holiday.

More pictures soon!

Satisfying weekend dinners

2008-04-20T23:05:00.005+01:00

After a few weekends of travelling and catching up with friends, this was one of those weekends where I made absolutely no plans and didn't leave the house. Ok not quite, there was a quick run to Waitrose on Sat and a jaunt to Peter Jones today, but apart from that, I was happily ensconced at home like a slug.

I think I should plan to stay home and cook more often, because I really love pottering around our kitchen. There's a large workbench to work on, lots of space to move around in. I guess it also helps to have nice equipment like a Neff induction hob and oven, and of course an appreciative audience to cook for.

Seeing as I had only cooked a rare few times ever since moving to my new place, I decided to make dinner for everyone. My landlady had a Nigel Slater recipe for meatballs which she really wanted to try, and since we had most of the ingredients, I decided to give it a go. To complete the meal, I also decided to do a warm Meditarranean salad.

Meatballs

Pork mince
Handful of parsley, chopped
6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
6 anchovy fillets, chopped ( if you like the taste, I think you can put more)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
White breadcrumbs (I used dried ones)
1 lemon
Flour, for rolling the meatballs in lightly

Sauce:

Butter
Olive oil
Chicken stock (I cheated and used a chicken cube dissolved in boiling water)

1. Mix mince with thyme, parsley and anchovy.
2. Grate the lemon to get the zest, and add that into your mixture. Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice in as well.
3. Add the cheese and breadcrumbs, and mix thoroughly.
4. Season with some salt and black pepper.
5. Roll them into little balls and coat them lightly with flour.
6. Heat up butter and oil, and place meatballs in, cooking them on each side until golden brown (in my case, I left them on one side for a little too long, but that didn't seem to harm them too much)
7. Let them cook through, turn down heat and pour out the fat.
8. Add the chicken stock, and let the meatballs simmer in the stock until it reduces somewhat.
9. Dish up and serve! (Can also make some spaghetti or rice to go with them)

Warm salad

3 capsicums
Mushrooms
1 red onion
Salad leaves (I bought a pre-mix of salad greens)
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Brown sugar
Dried apricots, chopped up into little pieces (optional)

I got this recipe from my cousin, who served it up during one Chinese New Year, and it was absolutely delicious. It's super easy to make too. Just slice up the capsicums, onion and mushrooms and grill in some olive oil. Add balsamic and brown sugar in the middle and let it caramelise over the veggies. Once they're ready, serve on top of salad leaves and scatter the apricots on top.

All it takes...

2008-04-17T15:29:00.002+01:00

Top: from The Sartorialist, Friday April 4, 08; Bottom left: Piksi's flickr, Bottom right: Borderline

...is for me to see a few pictures and start an obsession on ankle length trousers. Uh-oh.

Head case

2008-04-16T18:38:00.005+01:00

What it takes to maintain my hair

Reading Who What Wear Daily's post made me realise how much I spend on my hair. Before, a shampoo and conditioner and a quick blast with a hairdryer was enough, but gradually, I've found my list of "essentials" has grown to: shampoo, leave-in treatment, conditioner, heat protection spray, serum for dry ends, not to mention a special ionic hairdryer and a good brush. Let's not forget the optional extras like hair rollers and straightening cream.

The post also reminded me of an article I read a while back, as I felt it was a good reminder to myself to read the ingredients label on shampoo bootles. Essentially, it’s ok to stinge on buying shampoo. Best to get those that state SLES or TEA Lauryl Sulfate and steer clear of those that contain Ammonium:

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate - very harsh
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate - harsh
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - still harsh
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - mild, great choice
TEA Lauryl Sulfate - gentle, good choice
TEA Laureth Sulfate - gentle, also a good choice

This has made me a very happy camper as now it means I can stop buying Kerastase shampoos and channel the money into other things...like more haircare products.

This April, I am into...

2008-04-15T19:16:00.004+01:00

Wearing: Laura Mercier concealer, Shu Uemura lipgloss (it's not as red as it looks), buys from H&M and COS, black three way coat from Spitalfields market, Aveda Rosemary Mint body lotion, over-the-knee socks, grey gradient scarf from Massimo Dutti
Toting: my new pink LG Shine ...ha!
Watching: Hong Gil Dong, Heroes season 1, Top Gear
Eating: Way too much chocolate, M&S dinners
Travelling: Berlin for work and driving a Trabi
Enjoying: lamp from Bolagret in Sweden, my nicely scented cupboards thanks to Crabtree & Evelyn sachets

Scared

2008-04-01T17:22:00.002+01:00

I just realised my flight to Berlin this Sunday leaves out of Terminal 5. Arrrrgh!! I don't want to lose my bag!

American? Me?

2008-03-27T11:21:00.002Z

Yesterday during lunch, a newcomer said my accent sounded "American".

I got sound American meh?

Bake extravaganza

2008-03-18T18:02:00.001Z

What would I do without these recipes?

One way to really get to know your kitchen is to have a big bake extravanganza. That was the inadvertent result over the weekend when I had to bake a couple of tarts to bring to a Monday work meeting*. The original plan of making a tart turned into a marathon 10 hour fest, where I spent all of Saturday and Sunday ensconced at home poring over my books, deciding on which recipes to make, nipping out for a quick trip to the shops to get supplies, and knuckling down and getting my hands dirty.

Nutella cupcakes
I hadn't done any baking since Aug last year (at least, I think it's been that long), and I had never tackled tart dough before, so I figured I'd start with something easy on saturday, like nutella cupcakes (I used a Martha Stewart yellow cupcake recipe and simply swirled Nutella in). It was also a good way to test out the newly installed oven. They turned out pretty good, so I was confident enough that I hadn't quite lost my baking mojo to start making tart dough on Sunday .

Sweet tart dough
After spending hours flipping through all my books, I eventually settled on Jamie Oliver's Sweet Tart Dough recipe from his Naked Chef book, as it seemed the easiest, and also I hadn't got any almond powder to make Pierre Herme's recipe. Also, this one looked like a no-brainer as it didn't involve any rolling. I'm really such a lazy cook.

All I can say is, now I know why the books tell you the dough can be made in advance and reused at a later time. Because of the refrigerating and freezing of dough before the tarts could be baked, it wasn't until past dinnertime that I was able to make the filling for the tarts.

Pavlovas with lemon curd
In between the waiting, I got really ambitious and decided to make use of the leftover egg whites from the tart dough and make pavlovas. I consulted Marie Claire's Sweet for a recipe on pavlovas with lemon curd, and almost killed my arms whipping up the meringue. My landlady was really sweet and helped, so we took it in turns to beat the eggs into shape. They turned out pretty well, with delicate crisp shells and soft marshmallowy interiors. Can't quite say the same for the lemon curd though.

Either I didn't follow the recipe quite so well, or the recipe itself isn't too great, because I came up with some eggy tasting, lumpy looking curd, which I felt was rather yukky unless eaten directly with the pavlovas. Luckily we had some ripe kiwis in the fridge, so I sliced them up and let the tart sweetness hide some of the egginess.

Nutella tart
I was rather seriously stressing past dinnertime, because it dawned on me that unlike previous baking ventures where I could taste-test my creations before unleashing them on the public, I couldn't taste-test my tarts OR fillings. Furthermore, this was to be presented to a work meeting. Argh! What was I thinking?!

To make matters worse, I accidentally overnuked the butter for the nutella filling and it turned out too oily to swirl in nicely with the melted chocolate. It was getting rather too late to just throw it all away and start a new batch, so I cheated and sort of drained out the butter, spread it over the tart and hoped for the best.

The next day
I had baked another tart shell as a reserve, and being the stress bunny I was, brought the baked Nutella tart and the empty tart shell to work. Once at work, I filled the empty shell with strawberries, blueberries, clotted cream, and sprinkled some sugar over it.

Thankfully, the Nutella tart turned out fine. Jamie Oliver's tart dough really works a treat, and tasted just nice: buttery, slightly sweet with a crumbly texture. The chocolate & Nutella filling, while looking rather unappetising, was actually quite good. I never managed to get a bite of my fruit tart, as all my greedy colleagues polished it off by lunchtime, but I guess 2 empty pans are the best compliment one can get.

So there you go, 4 desserts in one weekend: nutella cupcakes, pavlovas with lemon curd and kiwi, nutella tart and strawberry tart.

* Every month, it's a bit of a tradtion for someone from the team to bring in a homemade pie during our regular Monday morning meetings. I was volunteered for this month's pie session.

Hi 5 Meme

2008-03-07T11:42:00.001Z

It seems only a meme can take me out of a blog drought. Thanks Kierra! :)

5 things found in your bag:
1. iPod
2. Oyster card (sort of like the Ezylink card)
3. Company swipe pass
4. Hot pink Coach wallet
5. Keys to temporary apartment

5 favourite things in your room:
As I'm going to be moving over to my new place next week, I'll reference the things in my new room
1. My shoes
2. New black two-seater sofa
3. My PC with its ah beng-like casing
4. New minimalist desk lamp
5. Moon & stars rug from Blue Moon

5 things you have always wanted to do:
1. Travel Europe (ooh, I'm close to doing it!)
2. Have tea at Laduree
3. Lose 5 kg
4. Visit Seoul and see if the men and women are really as hot as in the dramas
5. Be more assertive

5 things you're currently into:
1. Top Gear
2. Monitoring the weather & tube links very closely everyday
3. Settling in to my new home
4. Finding a good (and hopefully not too expensive) gym
5. Exploring restaurants in London

5 people you want to tag:
Anyone who wants to do this!