a little bit awol

this week has been exhausting at work, with guys over from overseas for a 'program planning' workshop. early starts (in the office at 6.30am! *eeeeks*), obligatory work dinners (free food though, can't complain) and lots of thinking. We don't like too much thinking. So it's now Thursday night and I am pooped.

BUT! In 2 sleeps, or rather 1 and a half because we have to get up in the wee hours of Saturday morning, we are off to NYC! New York, NEW YORK! I am beside myself with excitement, but lacking the energy to convey in text.

SO... I'll be a little awol online, but follow me on twitter, I will be twittering from the big apple!

on trend... finally!

so i'm what's known as a fashion laggard. a new trend comes in, i usually think it's hideous, i can't believe people are wearing skinny jeans/boho-schick/huge handbags! And then two seasons later, suddenly I don't seem to think that <insert trend> are actually so terrible. In fact, I go buy one.. and finally, as the trend fades out, i'm in.

BUT! I picked up this week's edition of Grazia yesterday and guess what's in? Be-jewelled flats! Perfect for sprucing up your day time outfit and cruising straight onto the evening. Funky, classy, comfortable ~ the perfect shoe!

and guess what's even better? I bought mine in July ~ Ninewest, AUD$60, baby! Finally, I'm on-trend!

glutton heaven

i have been living in glutton heaven for the past four days. check it out...

Sunday

Sunday started with lunch at a girlfriend's house... five tiny little chicks and all this food?





























and after stuffing ourselves to the brink, we met up with Panu's cousins from Helsinki and went to Kiasu, where I always always eat too much, and as though that wasn't enough, we had movenpick ice cream for dessert, and ying I thought of you as I devoured my maple walnut sundae *mmmm*

Monday

...which I thought would be a relatively glutton free day... my manager got back from three weeks away and because she missed me oh so much she bought me not one but two large pistachio macaroons from Paul on the way in to work. It would have been a career limiting move to say no?

Tuesday

Fire & Stone with Dave & Isabella, funkiest pizza place in Covent Garden... bruschetta, a whole Lombok pizza (garlic marinated prawns, Chinese Hoi Sin sauce, fire-roasted red peppers, sliced spring onions & mozzarella, drizzled with chilli oil) and chocolate brownie later... I basically rolled on home. No pics! Sorry!

Tonight!

Took my favourite Luxemburger (that is an official nationality, how cute is it?) slash Aussie chick Kylie to Inamo. Indulged.




















so this is why my mum says I'm fat!

me & my Jo

where do i start? Jo and i met one year long long ago, at a work 'Easter Carvinal Day'. Amidst the stench of farmyard animals, we connected, and happily nurtured our budding friendship at Circular Quay with a cocktail or two or ten. our relationship developed pretty quickly, and before I knew it I was visiting Level 5, wiling away my work hours sitting on Jo's desk, and Jo would brave the impenetrable Level 6 snobbiness and visit me at mine. It was love, platonic, but love.

and then she told me she was moving to London. i felt like my heart was ripped from my chest, an emptiness in my throat. and it was all so sudden... we never did have the farewell lunch at Lindt Cafe that we had planned. Or Max Brenner. Whatever, it involved chocolate.

we stayed in touch intermittently via msn and facebook (God bless) and who knew, but a year and a half later, here i followed Jo to London and we rekindled our much treasured relationship. And now? she is leaving me again, back to the sunny shores of Sydney. DON'T GO JO! You will make London that much more miserable... and I will be empty once again.

*sigh*

Jo never ceases to amaze me. I constantly pinch myself to remind me that she's five years younger than me... her wisdom and maturity far outweighs mine, and she always always makes my day. I have no idea how our strong friendship was built.. I mean, we even share an ex (and how funny was it the night we found out!) and being females, shouldn't we be clawing at each others throats or stealthily deflating each other's wonderbra? Hardly.

I'll miss you Ms Nicholson... and I know you suck at emailing... so here I put all my faith in Faceboook.

shoot me now

now, i have always objected to crocs. i mean, seriously, people wear these things out?? Panu had a pair of crocs, and i almost didn't go out with him because of them. I made him banish them to the balcony, and then to the bin because really, are they not the most un-sexiest things ever??

then two days ago, Quyen, Ying and Tiff (Queenslanders, need I say more? *wink*), were on facebook endorsing the crocs' supposedly ridiculous comfort factor, in fact, according to Quyen, way more comfortable than Uggs. No Fucking Way. I love my Uggs.. and not just any uggs, i have the superhero of all Uggs, an indestructable heavy-duty outdoor Ugg. and I am loyal.

Until I jumped on the croc website, because, I don't know why, I was seized by a moment of terrifying insanity? I checked out the 'clogs' and thank God, i still think they are hideous, but then..... then I saw the Nadia (kids size, khaki) and oh my god, SHOOT ME. I thought they were cute!

... and they were cheap!

... and i couldn't help myself...

... i ordered a pair.... *sigh*

... so now will you shoot me? Please?

here's hoping...

halloween!

Friday night was Amanda's farewell from Londontown (sad!) and hey it was also Halloween, so we all got dressed up and headed down to Verve Bar for a few drinkies and some dancin'! Truth be told, not much dancin' actually took place because it was frickin' crowded but there sure were a lot of photos being taken. Witches, monsters, bloody nurses and naughty pussy cats.. just to name a few costumes.. and me? I was meant to be Alex de Large from A Clockwork Orange but I don't think anyone actually realised that!!













More photos here.

In other weekend news, Friday night also saw my Sony Cybershot die a miserable death *sob* the image stabiliser had been on its way out for a while now, not focusing and simply whirring itself into near histeria. This time it carked it for good, so today i am once again a Canon-ite, purchasing the IXUS 870 IS. Canon does feel like home.

Oh, and what good would a post be without some foodie contribution? Yesterday I met Jo for lunch, and the grey, bleak wetness propelled us towards the warmth of Strada for some hot tea. But then, what is hot tea without dessert? So I ordered the scrumptious Panettone Al Forno (bread & butter pudding), while Jo revelled in her Fondante Al Cacao (warm chocolate pudding)... yum...










Gluttony continued well into the evening as Mel C kindly invites us over for some food, which turned out to be a feast-extravaganza!