Yet another wet, wet Wednesday...

It's yet another wet Wednesday.

And I'm in the office. Typing away, looking very much like the busy and occupied worker.

But in reality, I'm thinking of what I'd rather be doing right this instant, as I look out at the grey landscape outside my window, splockled with raindrops...

1. Sleep.

Curtains drawn, curled up in bed, reading light on, while I finish the last few delicious chapters of my all-time favourite book "The Egg & I";

2. Eat.

If calories didn't matter, I'd be having scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, creme brulee washed down with some cheese, crackers and white wine.

3. Bake.

Days like these my head's filled with recipes! The latest one that's been zinging in there's a big bad dark chocolate cake with bananas and hokey pokey honeycomb drowned in caramel sauce....

4. Draw.

It's been a while. But a friend showed me his debut collection of pastels and I must say, I am inspired.

5. Yoga.

There's just something about the soothing music they play and it's just you and your body. No machines, no gadgets. Over the rain, the traffic's silenced and everything's very zen..... (okay, it helps that the instructor's so cute it's almost illegal!).

But it's a couple of hours yet till my time becomes my own. For now, I'll just sit back, sip on green tea and dream a little.....

Ahhh....

.

Holiday dresses

After the month that was May, I need a holiday.

Nut, if you're reading this..... I NEED A HOLIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok then, back to normal stuff.

Just spent a bomb (think Hiroshima) on clothes. From France. Which got shipped to UK, and will be coming home to me next week! Yeayyy!

Dresses that are made for women with boobs! Holiday-y summer-y ones! Yeayyy! And I got pants too! Which are long enough!!! And... IN MY SIZE!!!!!! *twirly dance of joy*.

Seriously, I love Malaysia and everything, but this country makes and sells women's clothes for tiny petite little things. Anything "free size" would most definitely, 100% guaranteed not fit, and those "proudly Malaysian" labels... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... I don't even bother.

To be honest, the only thing that kinda fits are stuff made for (sadly) plus sized <-- no problems with that cause some of these pieces are rather pretty, but I'm curvy (aka fat - I'm not delusional... let's call a spade a spade) all around, and not just at my tummy or butt, and these plus sized clothes hang at the wrong places on me.

And for those of you who are gym buffs, (who are thinking I really shouldn't be whining but sweating my butt off on them machines) honey, I'm on the wrong side of 30, and ALL dreams of losing weight and looking like Angelina Jolie has flown out the window, died a thousand deaths and been buried.

I've come to accept that I look the way I do.

I will never be skinny, svelte or waif-like, no matter HOW many laps I swim, or how much I try getting into that (*&%#$&#^$) yoga position.

I am curvy. I am wobbly.

And I'll NEVER be able to wear skinny jeans.

But you know what? I actually LIKE me this way!!!!!

Quite a lot :D

Giant feet and all (but that's another blog, for another boring Wednesday).

Ok... Nut, the holiday, and yes, it is for the sole purpose of me having reason to wear them pretty dresses!

What better reason to go for a holiday rite?

:D:D:D

.

I'm back!

Went to visit my sister in London for a couple of weeks.

It was a pretty last minute decision, based on MAS suddenly lowering their airfares for the Easter season. So barely 10 days before the flight, I booked my tickets, and with narry a plan, I was off!

Arriving in London smack at the start of their Easter break with NOTHING planned was FUN but stupid. FUN cause it meant that my sister and London based friends had time to spare and took me around and fed me. STUPID cause everything was fully booked!

So hung around London a lot this trip, which I am not complaining about. I love the museums and galleries there..... It still astounds me that the original works by michaelangelo, raphael and leonardo (no, not the ninja turtles) are there, on display at their museums, and I get to oggle at these masterpieces for as long as i want... for FREE!

Made several really really enjoyable day trips to Brighton, Windsor, Kent and an unbelievable day trip to Paris too.

Oh, and a long and lazy weekend in Scotland! That was lovely :D


Extended my stay a bit cause I HAD to. Icelandic volcanic ash over the airways closed all UK airports for 6 days, and my flight home was at the very days of airport closure. Flight got cancelled twice. But that simply means more musuems, more days in the park, and more musicals :D

So, museums, musicals, pub food, puddings and many kgs added on later, I am home.

And as much as I loved my trip to London, I must say, it's good to be home :D




.

Oh Nigella!

So I had some leftover egg yolks from the cranberry-orange and almond cake I made recently.

And mucking about the fridge, I found a zested orange sitting forlornly in one sad corner. Also found a couple of lemons I'd forgotten about lurking in the crisper of said fridge.

So what do I do?

LEMON-ORANGE CURD!!!!

Yummy!

Did my bestest Nigella Lawson impersonation this morning, complete with British accent (in my head) and her signature - finger dipping in the luscious, lemony curd and licking my fingers, smacking my lips after, while making eyes at..... my kitchen wall.

Oh well..... waste not, want not! :D



.

Me bake?

I've always enjoyed baking.

Whether others enjoyed my baking.... now, that's another story.

I remember when I was younger, whenever I wanted to bake, my Mom would say "Please don't, don't waste flour". Sigh.

And when I DID bake, it always turned out as unrisen, hard doughey things. Which would sit on the kitchen table till it smelled funny, and ultimately end up in the bin. (even the dogs wouldn't have a go at them).

But lately, I've picked up baking again.

And this time, I bought MY OWN FLOUR!

And boy have I been baking!

I've done several! Red velvet, pink velvet, velvet baileys, key lime coconut, banana butterscotch walnut, pandan chiffon, passion fruit meringue, lemon meringue, pavlova (which didn't turn out so well) and strawberry shortcake!

I enjoy scouring the internet for recipes and tweaking them to suit whatever's in my baking stash. No heavy cream? No problems, I've got baileys.... what? They're both creamy-ish....

No lemon essence? No issues, absolut citron/bacardi limon should do the trick ;)

No orange flower water (whatever that is!!!) ? Hello cointreau! :D

Stick with things you know I say. And thank the heavens, them cakes have turned out.... passable.

So far no one's hurled either the cake, obscenities, rotten eggs, tomatoes or fruit, or simply hurled at me whenever I give them cake, so I take it as a good, and promising sign.

Well, it's no where close to them professional bakery cakes, but I'm having a great time baking! For one MUST sample the ingredients that go in (which reminds me, I'm running low on Bailey's and rum (for all them rum soaked raisins.... ahh....yummmm) and one must also sample the finished product (damn my jeans are super tight now... I wonder why....).

.

He's four....

He’s four. And he was having a tummy ache.

Complaining to his mummy, he asked why his tummy ached so.

His mummy replied that it happens because it’s his body’s way of communicating.

His tummy makes a phone call to his brain, and his brain will tell him to ask mummy for some medicine.

Placated, the little one took his medicine and settled down.

An hour later, when he felt better, he looked at his mummy square in the face and asked “So what’s my brain’s phone number?”

He’s four. Stunners like that can only come from someone who’s four.

.

Close call....

Thank goodness for Phi.

I was driving. Phi sat in the front passager seat, CP behind us.

We came to a junction. To my right, waiting to cross the road, a mother in BRIGHT RED was with her two little girls, holding on to their hands in each of her own.

The mother saw me, and stopped.

I stopped, acknowledged her, and looked to the the left to check for oncoming traffic.

The road was clear.

I started to move.

"JOYCE! JOYCE! JOYCE! Stop!!!!!!!"

I saw nothing. Only Phi's cries asking me to stop registered. Unquestioningly I stopped. And thank goodness I did.

One of the little girls had let go of her mother's hand, and had started to cross the road, barely inches from my bonnet. She was so tiny, I did NOT see her.

If Phi had not called out, I would have run her over for sure.

And that thought still shakes me up.

Thank goodness for Phi.





.