of cabbages and kings...

new year's resolutions.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:24:00 +0000

Just gotta have em'! It took me a while to think about what exactly my resolutions should be for 2010.

Sammie, Malcolm and I were out for dinner 2 nights ago and i asked them what theirs were and they just started ticking 5 resolutions off their fingers without a moments' hesitation! And when it came to my turn, I look at them in utter amazament and stammered, 'err rr..... ...... ...... ok number 1, to find a job..... ...... ...... number 2, ..... aw man this sucks. I also want 5 resolutions=S' *kiasu*

After much thought, here's 5 of mine.. HAH!=))

1. Find a job that enables me to practice all I've studied
2. Serve in a ministry for church
3. Practice horse-riding as often as I can if and when Michael is free
4. Jog/do pilates regularly again
5. Be as good as I can possibly be at who I was created to be; A daughter, sister, partner and friend.

Got number 6 summore ok? don't play play.

6. To learn more recipes from Mummy and the Chins to cook in London

That's it for 2010! Please keep me in check okay peeps? If you find me slacking, pinch me or something. But not too hard please. Painful=(

as the clock struck 12.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:22:00 +0000

the city was ablazed with light! It was an amazing sight... enjoy!=)

and it begins, 2010!

fire right out of the wheel

all the different colours

raining stars

and for the grand finale: rainbow lights!

and 5 minutes after the fireworks display ended, it started to snow. It was magical. The perfect start to a new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! It's going to be amazing. Just you watch!=)))

new year's eve.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:44:00 +0000

So here I am with S and his best friend M all ready for one of the world's greatest fireworks display on Waterloo Bridge. We have the perfect view of the London Eye. I am pretty sure part of the reason why we have such a perfect view is because we are just over 2 hours early...

That's right! it is now 9.45! And the temperature? Oh just about 2 degrees.

Is it worth it? Well, will let you know later.=p

that's sammie and malcolm being macho in the cold

the london eye

one of our views from the waterloo bridge. not sure what it is though=p

view of the river thames

full moon!=)

guess who caved in to the cold first?=p

and closely followed by...

oh i do not deny i was freezing all along=S

a minute to go now!

shoe trasher.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Sigh, I've always been known as a shoe trasher.

shoe trasher
. noun [mass noun] a person who misuses shoes, does not care for the wellbeing of his/her own shoes, drags feet on ground, has not bought any type of shoe polish in his/her life.
- origin: Nadia

want to see prove?

how about a closer look?

S always cringes when he sees me trudging around in those shoes and so for Christmas, he bought me my very first pair of ferragamo's.

I have a feeling my shoe trashing days are over because I haven't the heart to wear them out=( I'd rather go barefoot. Either way like I said, my shoe trashing days are over.

i love them! thank you very much=)

on christmas eve.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Sleigh bells ring are you listenin',
In the lane the snow is glistenin',
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight,
Walkin' in a Winter Wonderlandddddd (Hyde Park style)=p.

That's all for now folks! Presents awaiting. I spied 3 glorious presents with MY NAME ON IT woohoooooo! And is that.... a Tiffany paper bag?? hmmmm=p

really, i am speechless.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:54:00 +0000

because Mr. Samuel Chin has called Grey's Anatomy, GREG'S ATANOMY for the second week in a row now.

For the past 2 weeks, THIS is what he has been saying:

S: Ooh! You're watching Greg's Atanomy again!

S: Is that Greg's Atanomy?

S: What's Greg's Atanomy about?

S: Which one is Greg?

IT'S GREY'S ANATOMY

GREY'S ANATOMY darn it!!

iSpeechless.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:19:00 +0000

It has been 6 months since S first asked me if I wanted an iPhone. I know many of you techos (my description of tech-savvy people) out there will think I'm crazy but I've never ever wanted nor thought about having one. Why?

Because;

1. I am NOT tech-savvy therefore the iPhone and I cannot possibly be friends
2. I am clumsy with my fingers
3. I am not good with touch screen phones because of my clumsy fingers
4. Because of points 2 & 3, I always end up with a million spelling errors resulting in completely unintelligable sms-es. (oh my poor sms recipients!)

And last but not least;

5. It's just a mobile. How great can it be?

Now S.... is a Persistent One and a true supporter of the iPhone. So last week when I got lost in the city for the 6th time, he nonchalantly said, 'You know, that would never happen again if you have an iPhone you know. The new 3Gs has a compass function and you will never get lost again.' *wink*

I think he took my hesitant, 'Really?....' *with eyebrows raised* as 'OMG I LOVE IPHONE FOREVERRR!!!!!' because I came home today speechless to a brand new iPhone with love from S. Compass function and all!

Thank you for never wanting me to get lost, for always wanting the best for me and for being so much more that I could ever hope for.
Please remember that you're my favourite person in the world=)!

first snow.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:08:00 +0000

It started snowing this morning (thank you sammie and sophia who called to notify me=)!) Being someone who has never seen real snow before, I stared out the window with my mouth opened for a full 5 minutes.

It is everything I have ever imagined and more! The world seemed to hold still for a while as if nature herself wanted it to stop just so everyone can savour the magic of first snow. And that's exactly what I did...=)

But no sir it simply wasn't enough! So I put on my boots and coat, grabbed my umbrella and took a walk to the park just so I can experience it and remember it for all time.

A very wise architect I know from Melbourne once said to me; 'Religion aside, when you look at the trees and mountains and the sea, and breathtaking sights such as these, one can't help but believe and know that God exists because these can only be works of a very remarkable designer.'

Isn't our God awesome or what?!=)

first steps into queen's park

in the quiet garden

the world holds still

seemingly out-of-place tropical plant

queen's park

fir trees

had to take one of myself to prove that i really was here=S

my favourite shot of the day

doesn't it look quiet and still?

ok quite shy. but had to take another pic of myself because i want to show you my pretty umbrella. First time using ok? and fyi, it works like a charm!=) i will never have to worry about my umbrella being blown inside out because of strong wind ever again!!!

of grey's anatomy and mine.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I last wrote and I do apologize. You see, I just found out that I have 3 complete seasons of Grey's Anatomy in my hard drive that I totally forgot about! (thanks Ann and We-Ki who let me pinch this as a parting gift from Melbourne=p)

I know many of you have already watched it and all but please bear with me. I am always a little behind with the times. *a very fitting example: Facebook - just joined 2 months ago*

Well the past couple of days I have been utterly consumed by the world of Meredith Grey, McDreamy & McSteamy. Very Addictive.

On my life outside Grey's Anatomy, Christmas is around the corner and look what we've got already=)))

from Mick, Freddie and Sophia

It is a very Merry Christmas Indeed

Oh Bliss!=)

winter days and winter nights in london.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:56:00 +0000

i swear by earmuffs. they really work. If they had muffs for noses i would buy them too.

walking on Regent Street that has been closed to traffic for the day (think Bourke St. Melbourne)=)

Regent Street

off Bond Street

Regent Street

us!=)

it's snowing!!

I wish=( it's artificial snow

natalie and me!

and us again with the infamous finger pose

notting hill

not sure what tree this is but it's real pretty

reading rocks.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:46:00 +0000

I have just completed reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and my mind is swimming with thoughts! Nothing makes me feel more 'enlightened' than after reading a good book.

I do acknowledge that every book has its flaws and every so often at the end of a book, you (and me too) might raise an eyebrow and think, 'Right,... now that did Not make Any sense. What a lousy book and a complete waste of time'.

But through time, I have learned to stop my critical and skeptical thoughts and truly enjoy a book for what it is. There are countless books I loved that did not get good reviews and many bestsellers which I did not enjoy reading. Perhaps just perhaps... it is not really the book that counts but more the process of reading it?

And so I have concluded that reading is a skill! A self-proclaimed skill that I humbly possess; A skill of opening your mind to the themes and possibilities being presented to you and put a halt on our ever-present-and-ready-to-pounce Criticism, Skepticism and Doubt.

I am now re-realizing how blessed I am to love to read. I love it all Hallelujah!
(Okay maybe not all... Whatever reading skills I have does not apply to biographies. )

Here's a very short list of my favourite authors! Hope you like them too=):

- Sophie Kinsella, Plum Sykes and Marian Keyes for Chick Lits
- David Eddings, Joanne Kathleen Rowling (whose birthday and Harry Potter's I happen to share *bangga*), and C.S. Lewis for Fantasy
- Frances Hodgson Burnett, Shakespeare (but of course), Lucy Maud Montgomery and Jane Austen for Classics
- Nicholas Sparks for Romance
- Stephanie Meyer and Dan Brown for recent reads
- and ENID BLYTON for EVER!=)

Paging Mr. Fred Woollams: have you read it yet? if you have, we can discuss it over dinner on Friday!!=)

surprise surprise.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:35:00 +0000

For all of you who know me and my family, our level and frequency of surprising each other will be of no surprise to you=). Our surprises range from the hidden prepaid mobile top-up card and picking me up early from school to go to the movies, to buying the impulsive plane ticket to fly home for Christmas.

About two weeks ago, S and I were talking about our families and the topic of surprises came up. Being a tease I said, 'Sigh, it would be nice to get the occasional surprise once in a while...(cheeky hint)'.=p

From that moment forward, I got the feeling S wanted in on our elite surprise crew but to my great dismay, I thought him the biggest failure of a supriser if there ever was one;
The very next day S came up to me and said, 'Okay I have it all figured out and have documented it on Excel spreadsheets. Your surprise will occur every 30th of the month!' *I-am-so-pleased-with-myself grin*

'Why, that's wonderful dearest... But might I suggest that you look up the DEFINITION OF A SURPRISE??!'

As it slowly dawned upon him, his stricken face and his one word said it all...: 'crap'.

Understandably, I have written off the Every-30th-of-the-Month surprise. However, every now and then I can't resist giving him the occasional jibe about his wonderful excel sheets.=p

Well today, the mailman delivered an umbrella to the house. My Fulton Birdcage Umbrella that I've been looking for! And it doesn't end there... In the evening, S presented me the 250th Birthday Hamley's teddy bear and said, 'In case you haven't noticed, it's the 30th of November=)'.

Surprise, surprise, who would've thought that S knew how to surprise!

hehe=p

Hamley's teddy next to a gift for the boy next door who just turned 2

A surprise delivery

My very own Fulton Birdcage Umbrella!

christmas is near!.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:23:00 +0000

I've got my hands full with making the house Christmas-worthy and boy I've gotta tell you, it's more challenging than I thought.

For one, picking out the nicest but most reasonable items alone requires brain-power worthy of Sherlock Holmes's very thorough deductions. Putting them up I can assure you, is no easy feat either.

I've always prided myself for being reasonably tall-ish. Sigh, today I discovered that I'm not quite tall enough to reach the ceiling even after standing on the table on tippy toes (oh shock and horror!).. Not even after borrowing my neighbour's ladder and standing on the highest rung=( Well desperate times call for desperate measures and I was truly desperate to reach the ceiling to replace my abysmal lamp shade with the spiffy new one I bought from Ikea.

And so, I stacked up all my Vogues and recipe books, placed them on the highest rung and finally... MANAGED TO REACH THE CEILING!!

YAYY!! pictures of the lamp shade for everyone!!=))

what's Christmas without some mistletoe?

my new lamp-shade!
(you DON'T want to see the old one, trust me... not unless you like cobwebs, dust and rusty chains...)

some sparklies over the fireplace

And finally, PURELY for your viewing pleasure and COMPLETELY out of topic;

Gelane and Memnoch
(s's and my alter ego in cyberworld!)

wishing on a star.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:11:00 +0000

Finally, the day I've been waiting for all week has arrived. S and I planned to pay Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park a visit tonight!

Or so we thought...=(

We headed out to the city for dinner and it was pouring with rain. We were still hopeful though.

Oh how naive we were... Sigh, the rain didn't let up even after coffee and dessert. And so with heavy hearts, we trudged our way around the city. We will have to save Winter Wonderland for another day=(.

To make matters even worse, we forgot to bring umbrellas. Well I've always wanted to buy one of those dome umbrellas because I think they are super cool and keeps you the dryest among all other umbrellas. But after 2 hours of hunting, we wished upon a star with our fingers crossed and popped into Topshop for a last ditch try to find my elusive dome brolly.

Alas, they did not have my umbrella but what they did have was a star. A Superstar, that is... Beyonce Knowles was shopping in Topshop!=))!

Well, not really what I expected but.... I ACCEPT!=) I mean this is the woman that has one of the best video of all time. THE BEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME!

*but still boo to kanye west. BOOOOOOOOOO

very odd indeed.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:16:00 +0000

This morning I woke up, turned the computer on and logged into MSN to have my usual daily chat with my dear mom whom I usually catch online when I wake up at 9 a.m. (equivalent to 5 p.m. Malaysian time)

She's always right there waiting for me as it's still business hours in Malaysia=) This morning however, her name was not on my 'online' list.

'Hmmm, that's strange', I thought to myself. I looked through my list again and did a double-take because I found a 'nadia' on my list. I never had another nadia on my list before!

Lo and behold... it was my Dear Mom.

'Hey mummy, can you please tell me why you are using my name as your nickname on MSN? it is called IMPOSTING you know?

To which she replied, 'Aiyoh yalaa.. I don't know what I press in office now it become your name and I don't know how to change it back to my name. Nevermindlah it's ok'.

hehehe=p. oh mummy, you are darn funny. love you very much. please don't cheat my friends and pretend to be me. Imposting is AGAINST THE LAW!.

that's us on graduation day!=)

the cutest little thing in the world!.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0000

The temperature's a-droppin' in London and it's time to work the heaters! Call it my student instincts kicking in but I still can't bring myself to turn on the central heating. (having studied in Melbourne, we students have handy little tips of keeping warm without costing us exorbitant electricity bills)

For example;

1. boiling hot water to emit steam to heat up the apartment
2. placing a hot water bottle in bed 10 minutes before bedtime to ensure warm snuggly sheets

Now in London, though I do not have those heating restrictions any longer, old habits die hard. And just as well really...=) It's always good to save that extra dollar, is it not?

And so on extra cold days such as these, I turn on the portable electric heater strategically placed in a corner to warm up as much coverage area as possible. It usually warms the place up in 15 minutes=p

Well today, 15 minutes passed and I still felt cold. So I glanced towards the heater and guess what i found?

LITTLE CUDDLES STEALING ALL MY WARM AIR!!!

The Culprit caught red-handed

uh-oh...

but she's cheating! Because NO ONE can get angry at that face.
*krys admit it... not even you=p

Isn't she just the cutest thing in the world?? Look at her all fluffy and clean=)

being a christian.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:08:00 +0000

I stumbled across this poem on a blog today and nothing resounds more strongly in my ears/eyes. For those of you whom I have had conversations with about Christianity, you would have noticed that I get very impassioned when I talk about Christian portrayal in the world.

The poem you're about to read hits home about what being a Christian really is. We are neither perfect nor better than anyone else. Quite the contrary... but we made a Choice to follow Christ. The road is not any easier but at least now we have direction and we know where it goes=)!

And let's face it, every little bit helps in this mysterious journey we're all on called Life.=)

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'.
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say ..."I am a Christian,"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble,
And need Christ to be my guide.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak,
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed,
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible,
But God believes I am worth it.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches,
So I call upon His name.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not holier than thou.
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace somehow.

-Maya Angelou

what should i do now.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:42:00 +0000

I have already done grocery shopping, the laundry, baked peanut butter and chocolate cookies, marinated the lamb shoulder to roast tomorrow for dinner and roasted the chicken to make chicken with chilli-lime mayo wrap for dinner tonight. Darn, it's only 1.30pm=(

Sigh...

Maybe I'll make Christmas cards!=)

favourites.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:14:00 +0000

here are 2 of my favourite shots from the night out in the city! I photoshopped them for a more dramatic effect though (and also to cover up unsightly blemishes). Just refreshing my photoshop skills before they disappear altogether=(

i believe i can fly.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Woo guess what guess what? I am over the moon with my new flying mount peeps!=) I am now UBER KOOL! Who would've thought that 'banana-skin-slipping', 'tripping-over-shoelaces', 'coffee-spilling', 'asking poor-stranded-man-to-follow-me-to-the-atm-so-i-can-draw-out-money-for-him' ol' me would possess a steed of such splendour and glory?

Ahh wonders will never cease...=)

S and his guildies helped me get it last night. I've been whining and whinging about my mount o' bones for long enough! And the helmeted pigeon? Don't even go there=S... So Sam the GM got a group together to get me my Flying Bronze Drake.

What is a GM you ask? Well I can assure you it's not General Manager, Grand Master, Glorious Man or Great Missionary.... It is in fact, a GUILD MASTER.

On a very serious note, I am very surprised with myself that I enjoy playing WoW as much as I do.

Will link S's website soon. The new one is under construction because they just got a new sponsorship from the Ministry of Sound UK! Exciting times=)

Stay tuned!

*HL, this is for you=p

christmas is all around us!.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Time to pack up those frilly summer dresses and bring them beanies out from storage!

S and I took a stroll down London city this fine Friday night to get a good view of the Christmas lights. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!=)

to my dear family, the chins and my dear dear friends in kl and melbourne:
wish you were here.

being silly

what else is new?

the spirit of Christmas

another spirit of Christmas

and above all these is Love

s and i shivering in our shoes. (phew! luckily it doesn't show on camera)

reindeer balloon on carnaby street

s and i

christmas is all about love!

regent street

s and i again

regent street

looking towards oxford street

mmm... either regent or oxford street

definitely regent street

not so fun but must be done.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:21:00 +0000

yup that's right! I'm talking about household chores. Blessed I am that I actually like a few of these despicable things. Washing the dishes for example. =) I don't know why but there's a sense of wonderful achievement when I see dirty surfaces restored to its original sparkly self! This theory applies to mirrors, dusty surfaces, mopped floors and yes, even WCs. (eeek!)

Laundry is alright. Nothing much to it at all. I mean seriously, how difficult is it to dump your clothes into the washing machine? =)

Now ironing... is one of my favourites!! I get awashed by the aforementioned sense of achievement everytime I iron out those wrinkles. And since it's almost winter now in London, standing that close to a warm iron is a bonus.

What I DON'T like is vacuuming because no matter how many hundred times you lug that big noisy lump of a machine around your house, you are forever doomed to miss a spot.

Well you win some you lose some! But I do feel credit is due to S for recently purchasing a Dyson. Vacuuming is now a little less painful.=)

new found love.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:48:00 +0000

I have recently discovered the wonders of ROASTING. It really thrills me that only a morsel to no oil is required. I'll admit, I'm not the healthiest eater but I do try to be when I can. And 'no oil' sounds like quite a good way to go.

So due to my new found love;

Set dinner menu last Sunday

Rare roast beef joint with mustard (recipe credits goes to Samantha Tan)
Steamed brocolli, cauliflower and carrots
Creamy black pepper gravy
Coke

Set dinner menu for Monday

Rare roast beef joint with mustard
Steamed brocolli, cauliflower and carrrots
Creamy black pepper gravy
Orange Juice
Mango for dessert

Set dinner menu for Tuesday

Roast chicken with chives and stuffing
Blanched brocolli and carrot sticks
Sweet chilli mayo sauce
Breakfast juice
Roasted chestnuts for nibbles

Set dinner menu for Wednesday

Hmmm.... roast?=p

Mr. S is such a western foodie. I love western food too but being a Malaysian, I do need my asian food fix every now and then. So when a week or two passes by and when I cannot tolerate my cravings any longer, I will drag S to any asian restaurant and eat my fill.=)

missing the sun.

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:39:00 +0000

sigh, it's going to be a while till we're able to go out jacket-less...

for me?=).

noreply@blogger.com (nads) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:46:00 +0000

I got a present last night from Uncle Fred. It really made my day so I had to share it with you=)

A joke book in contrast with a ghost book to neutralize my heebie jeebies. very thoughtful!=)

Bedfordshire is near their place (where I sometimes stay during the weekends). Ooh my weekend nights just got a whole lot more interesting.=p