Leeds based readers,listen up and listen up good!! In conjunction with the fabulous culture vultures,I will be running a fantastic give away contest this thursday!!! If you’ve ever wanted me to cook for you,well,now’s the chance!
hints: its yummy,its tiny and its all about loving!!! Apologies to those not working/living in Leeds; Its restricted to Leeds only as its a)perishable and b)hand-delivered by ME!!
Having being affected by the norovirus (winter vomiting bug) the week before, you’d think it’ll be some time before I get infected again right? Well, ordinarily for ordinary people yes. As for me, I have seemingly caught a cold!! AARGH! Because I’ve been off two days the week before, it seems crazy for me to be off again, so I’ve been coming into work and not getting enough rest. Not only that, I have been skimping drastically on my excercise routine after having been so good for three months – being continuously sick does that to you, you know.
I have also been furiously planning for my trip down under in 3 weeks and counting! I have had to slash a few good many recommendations from people out, but basically it seemed to have turned into an eating trip rather than regular tourism. Weird. I still need to decide what I want to do in Gold Coast – it will be a trip of Melbourne-Gold Coast- Sydney. Unfortunately Perth proved to be too expensive for me to fly out and in again – with prices reaching about £200 – £300 each way. I would have had to fly into Sydney again, doubling the airtickets and effectively costing nearly as much as it would have if I were to just fly to Perth and back direct!
OH, by the way, do you like my new header? It looks more like a proper picture made for a header rather than my previously half-baked attempts. Thanks to moo who is always helping me sort out blog related stuff 
So I thought I wouldn’t bother him any more than I already am as I start a new blog. WHAT?!? NEW BLOG? YOU HARDLY UPDATE THIS ONE AS IT IS!!
Erm, yes. Sorry. I thought it wouldn’t be fair to you my dear readers to have to put up with my new obsession with producing healthy lunch for myself and bacon. The only reason I blog about it is so I continue to be motivated under the watchful eyes of fellow bento-making crazies. If you think my lunches are crazy, you should REALLY click on some of the links that are on my new blog, not another brown bag lunch . Extremely impressive. For me, I just want to make sure I eat healthily, with a splash of cuteness when time and inspiration permits. I also eat far too much rice for my own good, so this allows me to strictly portion myself to 1 cup of cooked rice at any one time.
Okay, back to work before my boss arrives..shh…don’t tell her I’ve been secretly blogging…
A few weeks ago the lovely people at Prospera Publishing sent me a review copy of Nicky Schmidts’ debut novel – Naked in Knightsbridge. I am not a self-professed chick-lit booklover; but then again, before Twilight, I was never a teen vampire romance lover. I don’t do book reviews very often (if at all) , so forgive me if it doesn’t sound too right!
I wanted the book to be a complete suprise, so I ignored the summary that is so often available on the back jacket of the book. It started off with a letter from the heroine’s bank, demanding repayment for her outstanding business overdraft. In fact, all the chapters start with letters addressed to the heroine, Jools. I actually looked forward to the start of chapters because of the often hilarious letters, especially those where the author seem extremely preplexed at her mostly unreasonable behaviour.
Naked in Knightsbridge is about Jools, a single late-twenties woman that had always taken the easy way out of life. Stumbling into the cleaning business after finishing uni because she couldn’t really be bothered to look for a proper job, she actually achieved some success in it. However, like quite a few people, she spent all her profits- and more. Mostly on unsuitable items of clothings (i.e. 2 sizes too small)….and doughnuts. So when the business starts to go belly-up, she was left penniless and as close to homelessness as you can get, making meals out of hobnobs and expired alcohol.
What will resonate with readers is the reality that Jools live in. The spend now-pay later culture that is so prevalent in modern British society – I am very debt-adverse and am really terrified at the way people spend the money that they do not have. Coupled with references to eBay (everyone loves a bargin, right?) and sham marriages for illegal immigrants to stay in the country, this is definately intelligent chick-lit that makes itself very current and on the pulse. And of course, everyone has the one friend that you are slightly envious about right? So is the loneliness in modern society of having only a handful of friends – with everything falling apart once that small teensy support network collapses. This would not be a chick-lit without the knight in shining armour – and I do love the character development of the knight in this book. Trying not to give too much away, I must say that the eventual knight is most definately my favourite character in the book…I shall leave you to guess which one of them is the eventual saviour .
Bridget Jones meets credit crunch, I would say. Available here with FREE worldwide shipping, definately a must-have on your Christmas list for the chick-lit lover who appreciates a good laugh as well.
Firstly, I would like to apologize for not blogging even after I promised solemly to! I have an excuse though…after a super jam packed weekend, I have been laid in bed all this week with a nasty flu and cough…yeah, those that produces yucky green mucus/catarrh/phlegm. Uck.
Feeling slightly better today, I rushed out to purchase my New Moon tickets at last. OMG OMG OMG OMG. So excited like 14 year old girl. C’mon, chant with me…Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight….
I mean New Moon, New Moon, New Moon….
Fair enough, this book was probably my least favourite from the Twilight Saga, but seriously, who cares, I’ve been looking forward to November 20th since May! Yes, I am cool enough to not feel ashamed about my Twilight Obsession…..:D. I was even considering flying into Italy when they were filming the Voulturi scene…..yes I know. Me & dreybee spent many a month discussing every aspect of the 4 books…seriously, you’d think that since we already know the story inside out we wouldn’t be so looking forward to it right? Hah…SO WRONG. As you could tell by what dreybee bought me for my birthday…
So to compensate her, this is coming in her birthday package…I know it’s free and all, but it is serious bragging rights having an UNIQUE (in Malaysia anyway) New Moon calender…she’s already plotting the best angle to hang it up at work…
Droolz…..
And look who’s Mr. January….loads of people thinks that R. Pattz. is not that hot. And they are right. He’s not hot, he’s smokin’!
The rest of the calender
Do you now understand why for the first time in my life I bought tickets a week in advance of the actual movie? No? Well, you need to borrow my copy of Twilight. Better still, get your copy of Twilight here
Sorry for the dissapearing act – I’ve been completely tired out from travelling for work and also changing my work times – I now start work at 7.15 would you believe it?? I can hardly believe it myself. I want to leave the office before twilight, and this allows me to leave at 4…I usually get home by 5ish, do my stupid excercises on the wii and my day really finishes by 6. Not to mention lately I have gone back on my lunch-making craze, so am spending an hour at night making lunch for the next day. That is if I’m not off travelling the country from top to bottom…which seriously takes it out of me. Sigh. What exciting life I lead.
I promise more blogs this week – I know, I know…I can see cobwebs growing at the corners of the blog. In the meantime, more pictures from Amsterdam to keep you entertained
Windmill taken from my moving bus
We can’t forget that my favourite beer was born in Amsterdam
Heehee….oh-so-cheesy….
I love love love their mini cars – it’s so small and slow it even uses the zebra crossing..lols. They also park themselves at the bicycle racks.
Flemish chips rock my world. Eaten with sausfrites; i.e. spiced mayo. It’s been nearly 10 years since I had this when I lived in Bruxelles. Ah, having Godiva for breakfast, belgium fries for lunch and belgium waffles for tea. Loved it.
I do love the double-cooked fries/chips. And the mayo is so sinful it ought to be outlawed.
Hmm. I thought it was made out of chocolate. I went to the Sex Museum. How cultural (it charged the cheapest entrance fee..hehe). Thought it would be something different…the last time bacon went to Amsterdam with his ‘other’ half, they apparently spent all the time away from Heineken, Coffeeshops, and FEBO bars…concentrating their time at the proper cultural museums i.e. Anne Frank.
Also from the sex museum. I thought it was very adorably cute.
A hot-dog…hehe…geddit? Made out of chocolate. Adorable.
Running out of names to call cheeses. Heh.
