What Raj Wants

I Want Matte Nails . . .

2012-01-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

A while back I came across this picture from tumblr and ever since I've been obsessed with matte black nails. I managed to squeeze in a sneaky bit of sale hunting and, naturally, found myself drifting towards the only place that didn't have a sale, Chanel. It was there that after months and months I finally found what I was searching for.

Meet beauté des ongles, the beautiful mat top coat from my dreams.

Craving matte black nails as I was, I decided to pair it with my tried and tested Chanel black satin nail colour. All you have to do is paint it over your nails as you would a top coat and voila. Please excuse my horrifically rush job nails, I was too excited to hold a brush still, but honestly I'm in love with how easy this is to apply and how dramatic the effect is. Although I warn you, the matte effect may fool you into believing that your nails are dry when they're not, I'd wait an extra few minutes before you start doing anything.

Shiny:

Matte:

Although you can get individual matte shades, I really like the idea of a top coat because really there are endless possibilities of what you can do with this little baby. What do you think, are glossy nails too glamorous to deny or are you ready for a matte attack?

I Want To Wish You A Happy New Year . . .

2012-01-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

Brand new year; same old me

2012

Fear is not an option

I Want To Wish You A Merry Christmas . . .

2011-12-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

I hope each and every one of you use this day wisely to eat, drink and be merry, and may all your Christmas wishes come true
Especially those you're too afraid to wish for out loud . . .

I Want Christmas Treats . . .

2011-12-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas is fast approaching! To me, that means lots of food, drink, merriment and lots of good company. It's a well established Christmas tradition in our household that my mum and I spend a day together belting out festive tunes and baking delicious home made treats, which not only fill our tummies with lots of Christmas cheer, but fill our kitchen with the warming aroma of Christmas spirit. Allow me to share with you all our tried and tested recipes that signal the arrival of Christmas every year.

Mince Pies

400g plain flour

200g butter

Tbsp sugar

Pinch of cinnamon

1/2 cup of water

Mincemeat

1 beaten egg

Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Add the cinnamon and sugar to the flour, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly mix, adding in enough water to combine the pastry into a ball and knead gently. Leave this to rest in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour. Roll out the pastry and use a cutter to cut out your pastry cases, placing them into a greased baking tin. Fill these with a rough teaspoon of mincemeat, depending on the size of your cases. Then cut lids from the pastry and place these on top. Once coating with an egg wash place in the oven for 20 minutes until the mincemeat is bubbling and pastry is golden.

Before

After

Jam Tarts

400g plain flour

200g butter

Tbsp sugar

Pinch of cinnamon

1/2 cup of water

Jam

Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Prepare the pastry in the same way as with the mince pies. Once the cases are cut fill them with 1/2 a tea spoon of jam and place a lid on top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until jam is bubbling and pastry is golden.

Before

After

Mincemeat loaf

300g plan flour

2tsp baking powder

150g butter

150g soft brown sugar

2 eggs

340g mincemeat

Flaked almonds

Preheat oven to gas mark 4. Cream together the butter and sugar, and add flour and baking powder. Beat the eggs together and mix with the mincemeat. Combine wet to dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Place in a greased and lined baking tin and sprinkle with almonds. Cook in the oven for 50 minutes until loafs are a deep brown.

Before

After

Cupcakes

200g butter

200g sugar

200g self raising flour

4 eggs

Vanilla extract

Cocoa powder

Preheat oven to gas mark 5. Cream together the butter and sugar and mix with the flour. Add eggs one at a time. Separate into two and add a teaspoon of cocoa powder to one half and a small drop of vanilla extract to the other. Divide equally in cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until a pierced knife comes out clean.

Before

After

I'm glad we're fully stocked up on delicious treats over the holiday season, and I personally believe there's nothing like a home made mince pie. I hope you are all enjoying the indulgence the festive season allows and are looking forward to Christmas... only 5 more sleeps to go!

I Want To Snuggle . . .

2011-10-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

It's coming to the end of October now, and for us in England that means freezing cold temperatures and a slight drizzle constantly blurring our vision, as we soldier on.

For me, that means pairing this amazing cardigan with everything. I literally don't want to wear anything else anymore.

cardigan, top, leggings

And at time of posting, approx 9.12am on a dazzlingly grey day, I really just want to stay at home, curl up in it in front of the heater and watch Gossip Girl.
But shedloads of uni work with a hardcore hippie tutor (whom I do love, but isn't really helpful at all), attempting to find a job anywhere and a scrounge at the last remaining pieces of my shattered social life have kept me busy and seriously lagging behind on my nosing into all your adventures, and those of Manhattan's elite.

I have been meaning to show you all something which I'm very excited about though ... my new piercings! Excuse my horrible half asleep face and this horrifically awkward angle, but I got three new piercings going along the inside rim of my ear. They were all done with a needle, which I'm very proud about and props go to Sarah for managing to still giving me the best most needed moral support whilst having to watch that.

What do you guys think???

I Want To Be Young . . .

2011-10-17T00:28:00.001-07:00

I'm 20 today!
And I'm sorry teen years, but I've a feeling the best is yet to come

I Want To Go Back . . .

2011-10-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Egypt!
I've been lucky enough to have travelled a lot in my time, but I can honestly say this was one of the most wonderful holidays/counties/cultures I have ever experienced.

Egypt is a country that is famed for it's history, steeped in traditions and drenched in a colourful past, the world would undoubtedly not be as it is now without the influence of the Egyptians. As a tourist, it's clear to see that they've built an industry out of what the country has bought to the world, the beautiful thoughts and wonderful visions of the Egyptians are something that continue to thrive today, and will outlive us all. It's amazing to witness structures built thousands of ago still standing, to walk in places countless footsteps have trod before and to witness the thoughts of another that existed lifetimes ago put into action. It honestly leaves you breathless to experience the remains of such an infamous civilisation.

However, just as exciting is Egypt at its present! It's literally one of the most interesting places in the world at the moment. 11th February 2011, I remember being in my living room, watching the celebrations in Tahir Square as the news was announced that the citizens of Egypt had won, had stood up for what they believed in, stood side by side with their neighbours and were victorious in the Revolution for their country. I never imagined that this same year would I get to visit those same sights, speak to these very people, hear their story and see them swell with pride as they declared themselves Egyptian. It was astounding.

I stayed in Sharm El Sheik, which is on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, on the Middle East side of Egypt, but we also travelled across to the African part of Egypt, and capital city; Cairo. I got to experienced so many things that fill up travel guides everywhere, and even discover some new treasures of Egypt on my own, some of my favourite things included;
- seeing the pyramids
- the camels I was too chicken to ride one though
- swimming in the Red Sea
- going in a submarine yes, it was yellow!
- Egyptian Bazaars
- driving across the dessert
- going to an ice bar in the middle of the dessert
- dinner on the River Nile
- live fire
- henna tattoos
- the people

I could ramble all day about what a fantastic time I had, but really I don't ever think my words could do the experience of visiting this grand country any justice at all. If you get a chance to go to Egypt, go!!

I shall now give you a little sneak into my holiday photo album, although be warned, I look nothing short of hideous!

A classic pyramid pose

The pyramids by day

By night

Iced Pharaoh

Bedouin

Submarine-ing

Beach times

Some of the awesome towel art we got

Yours truly in classic tourist mode :D

I want to dedicate this post to Yasmin, because she gave me a well needed and most awesome kick up the bumbum. I'm glad to be back and can't wait to catch up on all I've missed on your blogs.

I Want To See The Pyramids . . .

2011-09-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

Quick post to let all of you know I'm off to Egypt.
If anybody fancies coming with, there's still room in my suitcase :)
Otherwise, I'll catch all you beautiful people on the flip side.

I Want To Apologise . . .

2011-08-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm really sorry that I haven't been blogging as much as usual. Everything's been a bit messed up and I haven't had time to gather my thoughts let alone take a moment to try and put them into a somewhat comprehensible form. I know its a shoddy excuse and although I use tumblr a lot more often now (shameless self promotion) it doesn't compare to the intimacy and loyalty I feel to this blog, and nothing will change that. Anyway, for the most part, I'm back to annoy you all once again :)

I thought I'd let you all know that I passedddd my first year of uni. Woop woop!
I am absolutely dumbfounded as to why/how/if this is even possible, but at this point I'm choosing to just accept it and not question it :)
I want to thank all of you guys for your support and kind wishes throughout the whole of this year, especially at those times when I really thought I was doomed for to die cold and alone in a deep deep ditch of failure. I guess it just goes to show, that if somebody like me can jump head first into a subject that is so rich, encompasses more than I could imagine and that I knew absolutely nothing about but felt such a strong passion and pull towards then you guys, who are amazing in each and every way, have no excuses but to go out there and chase your dream!

I guess I just wanted to let you know that there are some really exciting new things coming to this blog and also a ton of back posts about my summer adventures, which I can't wait to share. Thank you all for sticking around. Until next time; have my face.

I Want To Know Me . . .

2011-08-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

So, those of you have followed me for a while know that I just can't tear myself away from a good quiz. It's not that I need to be defined by the outcomes, I'm just genuinely interested in what goes on in my head. I just feel that by knowing more you can understand more, and even I don't understand myself sometimes so anything that can help can't be a good thing. Not only that, I find it absolutely amazing how just by answering a bunch of questions somebody/thing can know you inside out, because it seems that when I do these things my personality is laid bare right there for all to see.
Psych Central is the home of the most recent one I've tried, and I was blown away by the results.

This is me.

I Want People To Know . . .

2011-08-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

I will always love London.
I will always be proud to call myself a Londoner.
I will always defend the city that I call home.

Yes, the people on the streets are fucking pathetic lunatics.

But all of us, barricaded in our homes, petrified watching the news, with worried bbm broadcasts flashing, warning tweets flying in, reading posts of care from all over, texts racing through one borough to the next, getting phone calls "just to check", liking proud Facebook status' of unmentioned local heroes, with concerned neighbours knocking down the street... That is the true spirit of London.

I know the riots are spreading across England now, and I hope each and every one of you are staying safe and being careful.

I Want A Summer Worth Remembering . . .

2011-07-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guyssss, my deadlines are overr :)
My year is over, I'm pretty sure I failed but I'm not going to worry about that now.
I can't wait to get this summer started already, I'm finally ready to spend long languid days outside getting more tan eating nothing but ice popsicles and doing nothing more than not taking life seriously and fresh summer nights wandering about drinking nothing but tea and doing nothing more than spending time with the people I've missed all year long.

As you can see, I've way too much time on my hands now.

Usually around this time I have a list of what I want to do this summer, but this year I'm determined to get to know more of you guys while I have all this free time.

So
Tweet me?
Tumblr?
Formspring?
Email?
Comment?
Just talk to meeeeeee

You are amazing and I genuinely just want to spend time talking to each and every one of you about everything and anything. Sometimes it feels to me like nobody gives a fuck, nobody is there to care, we spend hours having meaningless conversations about things that don't matter, tiptoeing around what really has to be said, or flying by people asking if they're alright but not quite catching their answer. Nobody has time. But you are not alone, I have all the time in the world and I am here to listen. Don't be shy :)

I Want To Find Treasure . . .

2011-06-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

So I was rummaging through my wardrobe this morning, wondering what to wear, ie pulling out everything I could get my hands on, trying it on and crying with exhasperation as it just wasn't right when I came across something that made me smile.

Please excuse random awkward poses, I was trying to show you guys the detail!

It was this cute little blue kind of waterfall cardigan with the most beautiful detailing I have ever known. I had come across it in a tiny back street boutique somewhere in New York's artistic Soho and I remember seeing it for the first time and falling in love with it from across the store. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to buy it, and as soon as I found it in the back of my wardrobe I knew I had to wear it. Perfect for our indecisive weather and ideal for running around Oxford Street getting my brothers prom outfit sorted. I felt really bad that I had forgotten about something so pretty but also secretly happy that I had because it kind of made it more special that I found it and bought back lots of good New York type memories. From crappy to happy in 60 seconds; honestly, it was better than finding a crumpled £20 in the back pocket of my jeans.
Don't you just love finding forgotten gems?

I Want To Learn French . .

2011-06-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Braiding that is. And the language to?

1, 2, 3, 4

So I know I'm late to jump on the band wagon but I'm incredibly obsessed with all that is french braiding at the moment. Anything that looks sooo pretty and gets my hair out of the face in this heat is a win to me.
Now all I need is somebody to teach me how this wonder works???

I Want You Back . . .

2011-06-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Image

This man continues to inspire every single day.
Rest in peace MJ. You are all that is beautiful in human nature.

I Want The Moves Like Jagger . . .

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

"Just shoot for the stars"

I Want To Be Alone . . .

2011-06-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

So a few days ago it was my brother's 18th birthday and to celebrate we threw him like a big family party where everybody came and ate and he was showered with gifts and affection (sounds like a normal day to me O.o)

After all this the dancing began. There's this really amazing cheesy song that goes like this..

For those of those of you who were previously virgins to the delightful tones of Mr Malkit Singh he's honestly quite legendary. This song basically goes through various family members and says some kind of stupid thing about them, the tradition is that everybody gets in a circle and dances and when your bit comes up you dance in the middle of the circle, eg/ if you were the host's Mother's brother, when he starts talking about his Mother's brother you get in the middle of the circle and shake your thang. It's generally just meant to get everybody up and involved, nothing to be taken too seriously.
Classic Sikh embarrassment gold, if you ask me.

So as the story goes, it was my brother's birthday and the extended version of this song mentions the sister and as his only sister I had to get in the circle and dance all by myself :( Waaaaaaah

So anyway, there I was acting like an absolute fool surrounded by tons of people and still completely by myself. The moderately humiliating experience got me thinking about how much I'm actually alone. Now don't get me wrong, I love people and I mostly just end up getting freaked out if left to my own devices for to long, but the truth is everybody needs some time alone. While I'm by myself a lot, I'm never actually left alone. On an average day to day basis I can't think of a time when I am just me, by myself not surrounded by anybody.

Now I've started thinking about it I've started to crave some time alone. I just want to see what I'd do. Who knows, I may surprise myself. In reality, I'd probably just end up sleeping.
Are you scared to be entirely alone? What would you do / do you do if given the chance?

I Want Cookies . . .

2011-06-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Guysss. I'm hurty :(
My family are going to Egypt in the summer - YAY, SO excited! - and for the trip we had to have certain vaccinations. I'm not the biggest fan of injections in any form, but I thought I'd man up and have them taken, considering I wouldn't be able to go if I didn't. So I went along to the nurse and she told me that I'd have to have two, one in each arm!
It was horrible guys.

But anyway, to make myself feel better I thought I'd make cookies... and what better kind than chocolate chip?? I found the recipe in a really really old recipe book that my mum and I found, there's something about old fashioned recipe books that just fascinates me. So here it is...

Chocolate chip cookies

110g butter

75g soft light brown sugar

75g caster sugar

1 egg (which I didn't put in!)

a few drops of vanilla essence

175g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

110g chocolate drops

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, add the vanilla essence and egg, then the rest of the ingredients gradually until it creates a firm dough.

Spoon teaspoons of the dough onto baking sheets.

Cook for 12 minutes of gas mark 5 and voila.

The tastiest cookies evereverevereverevereverever!!

Once I made these I was in the mood to bake, so I decided in for a penny in for a pound and made a Victoria sponge cake too.

Victoria sponge cake

200g butter

200g sugar

200g flour

4 eggs

Vanilla extract

Basically cream together the sugar and butter and mix in the other ingredients slowly. Cook until golden brown, and a pierced knife comes out clean.

I filled mine with Nutella and fresh whipped cream and it was stupendously yummy!

It was only after I had creamed and whisked and mixed and baked that I realized that it probably wasn't the best idea to bake... I'm now sitting here with dead arms... help me!

Now And Forever . . .

2011-06-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

What comes to your mind when you think Richard Marx?

Yeah, me too.

Or at least it did until he came, for one night only, to London's Royal Albert Hall
My Mother is somewhat of a fan and she really wanted to go as he's written two of her favourite songs of all time, and me being the lovely daughter I am decided to jump along for the ride.

The Royal Albert Hall brings back happy memories for me, I've sang there twice before and it's one of my most favourite buildings in London, any architect will tell you that the acoustics in the auditorium are near on perfection, not only that, it holds such prestige as a venue to any musician. It's a building that to me demands drama and entertainment and Mr Richard Marx had absolutely every single person in the audience mesmerized.

He was absolutely fantastic, I've seen a lot of musicians live before but he's the first one that really blew me away with just his sheer talent, I felt honoured to be listening to such an incredible musician. The man himself was such a gentleman, really funny and open and he told great anecdotes about all the songs he played, he really made this huge event seem so intimate and personal and to me that makes such a difference. His career bloomed a little before my time but he's written for artists now that I'm familiar with, but I was surprised at how many of his own songs I did know and I think the fact that his songs are still played around the world now speaks volumes for how fantastic a recording artist he is. As for the ones I didn't, well, let's just say I do now. Despite the fact that near on 89% of the audience were middle aged women, I had such a great night and really feel so very privileged to have been witness to who I believe to be one of the most talented, honest, captivating musicians and songwriters pretty much ever.

Just to prove it to you, I managed to take a video of the man himself stunning the entire audience by singing a song in the Royal Albert Hall completely and utterly unplugged. I promise to you everybody was completely transfixed by this wonderful man, his beautiful voice and that guitar. Absolute legend.
Sorry about the atrocious quality; it was on my phone.

For the sake of saying, I wore this tunic from Topshop which I'm absolutely beyond obsessed with right noww

Who have you guys been to see live?
Anybody that's surprised you?
I honestly wasn't expecting to be so blown away, it just goes to show talent is timeless.

Quite Interesting Rainy Days . . .

2011-06-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

A very soothing huge dark grey cloud has descended over London town, making me one happy lady!
For the first time in a long time I was able to reach for black in the morning :) What can I say... the architect in me loves a bit of black!

Dress

Ages and ages and ages ago the mother and I ordered QI tickets never actually expecting to hear back, but low and behold we actually got them! So after a long day at uni off we trotted to go and be serenaded by the likes of Steven Fry and his guest panel.

For those of you who don't know, QI; Quite Interesting is a BBC comedy panel game television show mostly featuring the most insanely obscure and quite wonderfully ridiculous questions that you could not believe there are even answers for, and Stephen Fry being the absolute charming genius that he is plucks all this information from the air around us and fills our heads with it for half an hour.
It's a captivating show and great entertainment, unfortunately in real life its a bit... awkward.
Firstly we had to stand in the a queue outside for about two hours just to confirm our seats, then once we got in it was just squishy and uncomfortably close to everything. When the show started that was alright but its absolutely unedited and three hours of listening in on their conversation to me just felt quite strange. Although it was really interesting and in some cases funny, I spend the whole time just fidgeting and feeling quite unwanted, to be honest. However I'm glad I got to come into close proximity with legend that is Stephen Fry, and for that it's been one of my favourite days ever so far.
Unfortunately we weren't allowed cameras or anything inside but I have outfit pics to make up for it.

Stephen Fry

Do any of you watch QI?

Have you to see any live TV shows?

I've been to some before and I don't know QI just felt different. Maybe it's an age thing.

It was very grown up, I guess I'm just not ready to grow up yet?

Sun Is Shining ... Weather Is Sweet

2011-06-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'll be honest
I'm far from the biggest fan of the "great" weather we've been having over the past couple days
I'm not a summer person, but I'm all for the great mood it's been putting everybody in
So I figured; if you can't beat them, join them!

Which has lead to me being a busy little girl lately, it's definitely been an interesting week
But that just means I've lots of exciting posts coming up!

As yesterday was so lovely, some friends and I planned a beautiful picnic in the park, just sitting there in the sun, enjoying each others company and eating some calorific treats was just wonderful, a great way to get over the stress of the past couple weeks. I know it's the middle of exam periods everywhere and I know pretty soon I'll be back in the studio 24 hours a day, but as the saying goes; work hard, play harder!
So I say, enjoy the lovely weather while we can my dears, have a great weekend!

Priscilla, Queen Of The Dessert . . .

2011-05-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

I have wonderful wonderful news for all your West End theatre buffs out there... The popular ticket website lastminute.com are doing a fantastic deal where you can get theatre tickets for just £10!

I saw the deal and jumped at the chance, bringing Sarah, Kelsey and Yasmin with me. They have a range of shows available and a choice of seats, the tickets we got were ordinarily worth £34 but before booking I logged onto Theatre Monkey to check where the seats were and the type of viewing they offered, which I'd definitely recommend, but to me it was just a great offer I couldn't refuse.

London had decided to become absolutely engulfed by a raincloud that day, the overground trains were completely and utterly screwed and we had about to seconds to literally swallow down subway, but it was one of the best nights I've had in a long while.
The show we chose is Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert, a fantastically unashamedly camp comedy about of two drag queens and a transexual's journey across the desert of Australia, all the adventures they come across, the mayhem they cause and the glitter they leave behind.The play was fantastic, such a fit of giggles and bursts of songs throughout and the company, as ever, was fabulous. I'd definitely recommend it, a great night out with the ladies.

Fancy Being Back . . .

2011-05-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hello my lovelies!

Back, bad and nationwide once again. Thank you for bareing with me and for all your supportive comments during the truck load of work that was dumped upon us :) Doing my best to forget about all that happened during the endless sleepless nights and through the roof stress levels, so best just move on.

It was lovely to come back to my very first blog award, woop woop!

Thank you so much to the delightful Harija from My Lyfe ; My Story who nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award, I'm pretty much obsessed with her blog so it really is such a fantastic compliment.

Rules are as follows;

1. Thank the person who gave you this award and link back to them in your post

2. Tell us 10 things about yourself

3. Nominate 10 bloggers

4. Contact these bloggers and let them know they have received the award

So I guess I should crack on with 10 things about me! I've never really done this kind of post before so I shall start with the very basics

1. I'm afraid of cats, yet have a cat. His name is Humbug.

2. I'm an avid supporter of Arsenal FC. Always. Forever.

3. I study Architecture, pretty much makes me a building geek.

4. I play piano. Badly.

5. I feel naked without nail varnish.

6. Miss Dior Cherie is the scent of my life.

7. I turn most conversations into sayings, quotes and song lyrics.

8. I wear too much jewellry.

9. I could happily live off red ribena and rainbow drops.

10. I vow to never grow up.

My nominees are;

Jus' 'Cus

All Monsters And Dust

The Waffle Factory

The Girl At First Avenue

My Favourite Fashion

Thrive On Novelty

The Girl In The Red Corset

Then She'll Carelessly Cut You

Look Ugly In A Photograph

Serenity & Style

Can't wait to catch up on each and every one of your blogs and find out about all your adventures!

Fancy All Nighter . . .

2011-04-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

The start of a long long all nighter in the studio

My tutor put the deadline forward by two days and the whole of Architecture is literally panicking

I'm doing work... honest

Tweet me?

Fancy Nails . . .

2011-04-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

As much as I do admire big chain brands and the excitement that comes with chasing after the "must have" product of the week, I have come to appreciate that often it is the quality of labels that appeals to many. However I find that there is something unquestionably satisfying about coming across a product/company that is not so well known, it's almost like it's a little secret treasure that you've just found.
My mother went shopping and picked some nail varnishes for me all of the make Gabrini, which I've never heard of before but seems to be Turkish brand. After trying them out I absolute adore the products, for me it's a must have that they're strongly pigmented and these definitely are and also so very easy to apply. I love all of the shades she got, the fact that the brand is off the radar also means that most likely they'll be unique colours which to me is just an added bonus.
Excuse the dreadful state my nails, but these are the shades;

What do you think?
Is it all about already established labels, or would you give unknown brands a try?

Fancy Friends . . .

2011-04-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Apologies for being the worst blogger in the world.
It seems that sunshine has taken a liking to London town recently, and lazy days in the park, eating ice cream twelve times a day and catching up with old friends just has been the most incredible way to spend the holidays so far.
Allow me to introduce "The RolfGang" aka the reason I sometimes decide that the real world is not such a bad place to be
I honestly recommend that you check each and every one of them out, because, if they're that good at real life imagine how awesome they are at cyber world!? :P

Although, I'm not the biggest fan of the sunny weather, I love how it has this way of putting everybody else in the best mood. However, I'm a little bit sick of it, sticky hot and humid can go away now, I want the April showers that were promised to me :(
That and the untouched mountain of work piled up in the back of my mind lets me know that this Easter is not going to be a smooth one

Hope you all enjoy the long weekend!
Relax and eat chocolate

Fancy A Round Up . . .

2011-04-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

So it's 8am on a monday morning and guess where I am!?

In bed, curled up with a nice trashy chic lit eating a breakfast that consists of porridge, coffee and cake :)
Mmmm

I love the holidays

Just an apology for lack of frequent posting lately, I'm such a blog fail somtimes
I will be back at it now especially as it's the holidays
Also, in the process of changing things up a bit, expect new and improved!
Wish you all a happy happy Monday

Fancy Wellies . . .

2011-04-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

After last year I'm pretty convinced that Havaianas are the only sandals to rock on the beach, ultimate perfection in flip floppy form, insanely comfortable and in an unbelievable range of styles including a "make your own" option, and who doesn't love a bit of customizing.

Now the brand have launched some new beauties catering to our other summer time need - WELLIES!

Ideal for any festival or just to splash in the puddles of a traditional British Summer, the collection features eight colors and patterns, in Havaiana's distinguishable vibrant styles; ideal to satisfy all your color blocking needs. The wellies will be first launched in Selfridges over Easter.

Want want want, so bad!

Fancy Cardboard Love . . .

2011-04-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

I love how people can make such pretty things using every day materials.
Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary is one of the most beautiful things in life, in my opinion.
These sweet little sentiments are just adorable.

Cardboard love
"cardboard love in a digital world"

Fancy Love . . .

2011-03-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

You're the best
You're a pure person, you always tell me the truth
You have no idea how hard it is to find somebody like that
I longed for it
I wanted to put my guard down and trust
It's hard to have to worry about everybody's honesty all the time
I miss not being with you
I want to hold you and feel all the emotion you have
Your strong strong emotions towards me
Which you keep telling me are stronger than I think they are
We've talked and talked about them, I want to feel them
They're very very special
And I feel they're very very sincere
I feel that whenever I hold you
And we lean over each other
And just forget the evil world outside
There's no evil between us
Just sincere big big hugs
And satisfaction
And honesty
And lots of happiness
Which I think we both more than deserve
After we waited for it for so long
It's our right to be happy together
You're worth a lot more than you think little baby
- S.O

Yerp. How could you not fall in love all over again hearing that.
Long distance sucks

Fancy An English . . .

2011-03-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

I met up with Sarah from Jus' 'Cos for a lovely day out in Covent Garden

As if anybody could have forgotten, it was launch day for Apple's most anticipated iPad 2, and the two of us were lucky enough to go along to the opening and have a play around with everybody's new favourite toy.

We decided to make a day of it and first went for a lovely traditional English meal at a gorgeous little restaurant called Porters, which if you're ever around you should definitely check out. Infamous for it's classic good ol' English food and it's monumental pies, how could we resist?!

Meanwhile...

The queues were building

The excitement was tangible, everybody in the crowds were eager to get a hand on the streamline new design, with added Adobe Flash and the feature of a front and back camera, iPad 2 is installed with built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and a respectable 10 hours of battery life.

Sarah and I we were very fortunate to be able to pass through the crowds let straight in to check out the goods, which if possible made us even more excited to take a look at the magic.

The new iPad2 pricing starts from £399 and goes up according to what spec you want, the new design is a whooping 80 grams lighter than the original iPad and the iPhone 4, at only 680 grams it ironically weighs the same as an apple. The new curved edge makes it easier to grasp in your hands and the "plastic feel" metal helps you to have a better hold on it. In short, the iPad2 is perfect for anybody on the go, it's sleek, stylish, easily mobile and with 60,000 apps and counting can keep you occupied for hours upon hours. *sigh* I'm sold.

A massive thank you to Sarah for being the perfect date, and all the guys and girls at Apple who were lots of fun and very helpful, and; to the person who went on the iPad after us, we hope you enjoyed our faces on every single wallpaper imaginable :)

Fancy A Mac . . .

2011-03-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

So, for however long I can remember I've been in search of the ultimate spring cover up; the mac.

Although they're out year and year again in abundance, I've been really fussy and haven't actually taken the plunge yet, basically because I never really wore coats or jackets before I bought one this winter, and didn't know where to start.
But, I think I've finally done it guysss
The mac for me..

Mac

What do you think??
Should I?

Fancy A Tint . . .

2011-03-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sticking with the berry theme of my last post I recently discovered the gorgeous lip and cheek tint from Topshop in the shade "bitten berry" and am completely infatuated with it.
I've a terribly annoying issue with lip products, as I tend to have dry lips generally (see "before" pics) and find most products just dry them out even more, so I usually just stick to my bog standard Vaseline, but I came across this and I thought I'd try it out.

I'm surprisingly a big fan of Topshop's cosmetics range, I find the majority to be well priced and highly pigmented, which is a must for me. This tint is basically more of a stain that just adds a touch of colour to wherever you apply it without that horrible heavy caked on feeling. It's a little tricky to apply, basically tainting everything it touches, and I'm not sure if it really suits me, but it definitely gives the face and lips a lovely warm glow, perfect for those who want a fresh face in an instant.
So far I really really like it.

Warning: Crazy faces aheaddd

I'm a little weary of products that do too many things at once, what do you think?
Does it kill two birds with one pretty little stone?

Tint

Fancy Berry . . .

2011-03-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

Saw this in the ASOS newsletter earlier in the week and absolutely fell in love with all these berry flavored hues, with summer coming up I'm aching to find some summer buys in delicious tones, want want want!

Tried my own take on the numnums with this pretty little dress from Zara, however I had to team it with black as it's crits today and the rule is that you can't be an architect if you don't wear black!
I'm so nervous! Fingers crossed I don't burn...eek!
Wish me luck?

Dress Bracelets

Fancy Pancakes . . .

2011-03-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

Any day that is named after a food, even only colloquially, is a win with me! :)

I had the day off today, and with the stress of all the work I have to do it was absolute perfect, if not the most practical thing, to just get up and spend a lazy morning making pancakes and drinking coffee. Mmmm!

So here, is my dirty little secret...

Banana and nutella is the way to my pancake heart... numnum
So the big question is,
How do you eat yours??

Fancy Curly Wurly's . . .

2011-03-06T05:05:00.000-08:00

My mum and I treated ourselves to the ultimate ~~splurge~~ investment

We indulged ourselves in buying the Bellezza curling irons... eek!

I naturally have really thick long curly hair and as a self confessed follower of the God that is the GHD, these curling irons made me nervous but the fact is that they're fantasticly easy to use and are a lot healthier for my hair.

They use an infared heating system instead of ceramic which is apparently a lot safer, all you have to do is roll your hair around the tong, keep it in place for six seconds and voila, perfect little curls.

We also got a free styling card, which lasts for a year, so we can go back whenever we want and get the professionals to do it for us, which is what I did yesterday.

What do you think???

Fancy A Tune . . .

2011-03-05T01:36:00.000-08:00

"You need more
Than a big blank cheque to be your lover
Or a gulf stream jet to fly you door to door
Somewhere chic on another shore
You need more...
You need love"

I'm unashamedly the biggest pet shop boys fan

Fancy Cupcakes . . .

2011-03-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

The answer to most of my questions is "Cupcakes"
And this one is no exception.

Question. What to do when you have a couple hours break from uni?
Answer. Cupcakes!

On a break, a friend of mine and myself decided we deserved a treat, and off we went to Selfridges on a hunt for London's finest Lola's cupcakes
If ever any of you guys happen to go past a Lola's, I urge you to stop by and treat yourself to a cupcake, there is no way you'll regret it!
We both got the heavenly biggg red velvet cupcake with the most glorious cream cheese icing.
What a way to escape for a few bites of delicious cupcake goodness, right?!

And then comes my crash back to reality

Fancy Pinterest . . .

2011-02-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

A massive thank you to the wonderful Mary-Nevin from Serenity & Style was kind enough to invite me to Pinterest... eeeek! I'm seriously so excited.
For those of you who don't know Pinterest is an incredible website which allows you to bookmark images from anywhere on the interwebs and create virtual pinboards with them. You can create collections and follow other people and basically be inspired by the awesome things people find and pin.
So, as it goes, I now also have some invites to hand out, and who better to share them with than you guys!?

So if anybody fancies it, just leave a comment on this post letting me know you'd like an invite and we can become pin buddies :)

Or, if you already have pinterest, let me know!

Fancy Footwear . . .

2011-02-27T04:34:00.000-08:00

I finally finally finally managed to go shopping :)
It had been far too long and I couldn't even remember the last time I stepped into a shop that wasn't to buy books or equiptment for school (yep, my life is really that exciting)
So anyway, although everything else I bought was just disastrous and is packed to be returned next week, I saw these sandals from Aldo and fell in love with them.

Aldo are now offering a 15% deal for all of those who sign up for their email newsletter, which is pretty awesome!

Literally, the only thing I'm looking forward to in the summer is wearing these beauts.

Fancy Excuses . . .

2011-02-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Gahh, it's been far too long.

I've taken some time off life recently

Because sometimes you just need the day

And sometimes just a day won't do.

Mostly I've been snuggling, watching old cheesy movies and contemplating

But the real world waits for no woman

Back to things as usual?

Fancy Love . . .

2011-02-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

My love, hugs and kisses for each and every one of you who take the time to look at my blog and share with me your thoughts at my trying to make sense of the world.

I really appreciate it, you guys make me so happy :)

Fancy A Tune . . .

2011-02-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Oldie goldies always make me better
This seemed appropriate with Valentines day around the corner
Sing along, I dare you not to :)

Fancy Stravaganza; City Of Ships . . .

2011-02-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman is honestly one of the most underrated series of books I've come across in all my life. As an avid children-adventure-ish-type book reader, I'd say the whole series is on par with the likes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Harry Potter in this category, and surpasses by miles millions of other books I've tried of the same genre. The series (crudely put) is about time travel between modern day London and 16th Century "Talia", a parallel to our world's Italy.

This particular book is 5th in the series and was an absolute pleasure to read, I literally read this in a day and, as ever with a Hoffman work, was so thirsty for more once I'd finished. The story is about a new time traveller "Stravaganti", a young girl named Isabel who travels this time to the city of Classe and gets caught up and intertwined with the ongoing captivating chaos of Talia and the parallel chaos in London. I find myself being sucked into the world of Talia the minute I turn the first page of the stories, I'm transported to a world of time travel, romance, crime, adventure, murder, science, assassination and am blown over each time by my wishes to be part of the tales, whisked away by the drama and magic of these stories.

I absolutely love the series and have nothing but praise for Hoffman's style of writing and this wondrous world she has created.

I strongly urge each and every one of you to try and read these books if you can, I assure you you will not regret it!

Fancy Fortunes . . .

2011-02-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Sheer sleeves. Dangling jewelry. Scarves. His voice. Lucozade. Laddered Tights. Wonky Eyeliner. Curling tongs. Family. Drawings. Vogue. Broken nails. Maps. Stress. Lists. Looking for work. Work. Cat fights in the morning.
Excuses for not being a bad blogster.
My Chinese New Year fortune for all of you wonderful people . . .

Gung hay fat choy!

Fancy Love . . .

2011-02-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Stumbled by this wooden piece of love from a craft store near me and I couldn't resist it

I desperately want to do something with it, decorate it in some way, but have absolutely no idea what to do

Suggestions anybody?

Fancy Colorgenics Testing . . .

2011-01-31T12:14:00.000-08:00

Personality quizzes bring out the teenage girl in me
Did this colourgenics quiz online and was amazed by the accuracy

My results;

You are feeling exhausted, worn out, drained. You feel that far too much is being asked of you but you still want to overcome these difficulties and establish yourself despite the effect such an effort seems to have on you. You are a proud person, assertive most of the time, but at this particular moment you are acting as if you have become resigned to the situation. What you need is some tender loving care - a gentle pat on the head (or maybe a 'kick-up-the backside') and then you'll be raring to go.

You are looking for excitement and stimulation and you are ready to try anything - but be careful not to take too many risks.

You know what you want and you are very dogmatic and demanding - especially in your emotional demands. You have specific ideas and beliefs and if these beliefs are not realised you can become extremely frustrated. You may not be that perfect but you are looking for perfection with the perfect partner.

You are being unduly influenced by the situation that is all around you. You do not like the feeling of loneliness and whatever it is that seems to separate you from others. You know that life can be wonderful and you are anxious to experience life in all its aspects, to live it to the full. You therefore resent any restriction or limitations that are being imposed on you and you insist on going it alone.

You are trying to build up your own position and you resist all external influences. You insist that you are your own person and you will not tolerate any outside interference. Decisive and proud, you are true managerial material.

Try it out for yourself!

Fancy Mamma Mia . . .

2011-01-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

Went to see Mamma Mia! Last night, with the dear Mother, I now have the very strange urge to wear huge flares and huger platforms and go singing with the girlies. The musical follows the same plot as the film, I think the film came after actually, so I'm sure you're all familiar with the plot and know how capturing and romantic the story line is, and what a great mood all the classic Abba hits can put you in.

It's absolutely infectuous, and when the audience are singing their hearts out and dancing with the actors on stage it makes you remember that this is how stories were intended to be told.

One I'd definitely recommend.

On that note, I'm definitely more than ready to run away to a Greek Island and forget the rest of the world.

Fancy London Art Fair . . .

2011-01-25T03:50:00.000-08:00

So, as I recently posted I managed to get tickets to London's Art Fair, which was held at the Business Design Centre and I dragged my friend Sarah (from Jus' 'Cus) along to see what it was all about.

I was absolutely blown away by the scale and how high a calibre of art work there was being exhibited. A total of 124 galleries took part, showcasing great works from both established and emerging artists of the 20th Century. It was so wonderfully varied; from 15 foot textile pieces to intricate still life oil paintings to contemporary sculpture, it was "Wonderland-like", walking through a maze and not quite knowing what might jump out at you next. For me it was great to be back into the art world, which I managed to slip away from recently but found myself fitting back into quite easily, and being captured by some fantastic pieces.

Sarah made a great companion, as somebody who can be harshly described as a modern art skeptic we found ourselves arguing the meaning and technique behind most of the pieces, and even pondering the ultimate question; what is art? For me, if art is so emotive that it makes you feel anything, that you can speak passionately about it and questions what you know then it's pretty much doing it's job.

Here are some pictures we managed to take of just a few of my favourite pieces, if you wish to find out more there's a ton of information on their website; London Art Fair.

Henri Matisse

Roy Lichtenstein

Chuck Close

Alicia Dubnyckyj

(I'm completely obsessed with this piece, it's my life ambition to own it someday!)

Sarah and I, chilling with a giraffe :)

Fancy Love . . .

2011-01-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

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Fancy Florals . . .

2011-01-19T03:59:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year, everything is fresh and crisp and new
One thing I do miss though is flowers!
So I've gone a bit floral crazy this week
(Apologies for crappy macbook pics)

Dress, Scarf, Purse

Fancy A Tune . . .

2011-01-19T03:17:00.000-08:00

This song is everything I love about him

Fancy Arty Farty . . .

2011-01-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

Private view invitations to the London Art Fair
I'm ridiculously happy right now :D

Fancy Asking Questions . . .

2011-01-13T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hey beautiful people!
In a state of boredom/wanting to be alone/not wanting to be along I got Formspring
Ask me a question?

Fancy Feeling Lost . . .

2011-01-12T04:48:00.000-08:00

My best friend in the entire world, is leaving forever.
I'd never tell him not to, because I just wouldn't, I'm not that selfish, I love him more than anything and it's exactly the right thing for him to do but I still can't help but feel this heart wrenching emptiness inside of me, that only comes when you realise that you've had everything you ever needed and that you'll never be able to find that again.
So basically this is just an apology in advance for starting to sound like just another heart broken girl.
I'll leave it to Dory to put into words what I can't say.

Fancy A Tie . . .

2011-01-12T04:27:00.000-08:00

Walking through the rush hour traffic of everyday, you see crowds of people and they inevitably all start to look the same. The average man's attire consists of a sharp cut suit, shiny shoes and a raincoat/umbrella (we are talking London here!) but there's no individuality of visual clues to the man behind the suit.
That is, until you see the tie.
I have been looking around at the ties at Swagger & Swoon and have come to the belief that ties are the final compliment to any man's suit. With there being such a range of designs, sizes and shapes I've noticed that there are ties for all types of occasions and the perfect finishing touch. A man's tie acts as a tease, a glimmer of personality to take note of, setting him apart from every other man wearing a sharp cut suit, shiny shoes and a raincoat/umbrella.

Fancy A Lantern . . .

2011-01-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Traditionally Paper Lanterns are let off on the last of the 15 days of Chinese New Year, in a festival known as the "Lantern Festival".
This year, we lit Chinese style Paper Lanterns to bring us good wishes with the New Year.
The whole process is fairly easy, the lanterns come with a wick and you light it and hold them until you can feel it kind of building up with all this gas and then you let go and it flies!! Minus a few hiccups of nearly getting caught in trees/other people's gardens etc the lanterns were so much fun.

My wish looked so beautiful floating in the sky like a shiny glittering beacon of hope.

Fancy Light . . .

2011-01-04T12:29:00.001-08:00

Got some awesome butterfly lights for Christmas and decided to trail them around my bed.
Butterflies, chase away the nightmares.

Fancy Reading That . . .

2011-01-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

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Just finished this book and I found it wonderfully inspiring.
The beginning to me felt tedious an hard to get into, though this was due to my stop/start approach, but after finishing it I can see what all the fuss is about. A magnificent tale of how a woman's journey into the deepest parts of herself, takes her all over the world and leads her to fantastic discoveries. A story of pain, pleasure, sacrifice, honesty, happiness and above all independence, this is a book that should be passed on from woman to woman.

"Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend."

- Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)

Fancy Resolutions . . .

2010-12-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

Can you believe another year has passed so fast already?!
To me, it kind of makes sense to treat every day as New Years,
because essentially it is.
(In my twisted mind that actually makes sense)
However, as is tradition I have scrutinized myself to death over my endless amount of flaws over the year and have compiled a list of resolutions in order to make myself coolzen in 2011

1. Learn how to do henna

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Though I've already mentioned this, I've fallen in love with henna again after my recent experience and was inspired to learn how to do the designs myself. The custom of applying henna as body art is something I find very beautiful, it also plays a part in a lot of the traditions of my Asian background and there never is anybody around who knows how to apply it properly. So, next year, the person who is in the know will be me :)

2. Become better at time management

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Okay, just this once I will admit it... I'm a procrastinator!
I can't help it, it's just what I do. Sometimes I find things get too much for me, and it's only because I leave everything until the last possible minute and don't have time to do it all properly. I've learnt the hard way though and decided enough is enough. 2011 will be the year when I finally learn how to do everything in time, on time. Time will be my friend.

3. Spend more time with the people I love

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It's taken me all of nineteen years to find people I love. Love is hard, it doesn't come easily, you have to work for it all the time and I think if you find people who not only deserve the effort of being loved but also give just as much love back to you, it shouldn't be taken for granted. This year has been difficult with lots of comings and goings, but there really isn't any excuse for spending as little time with people I care about as I have. This will change.

4. Improve my lifestyle drastically

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Endless quest to be healthy starts again now. Hello vegetables :)

5. Meet more amazing people

By "amazing people" I mean people like you.
You guys are incredible, thank you for being so good to me, it humbles me to think people actually take the time to pay any notice to my pointless ramblings and it is truly appreciated.

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Happy New Year!
I wish each and every one of you every happiness in 2011

2010-12-30T01:51:00.000-08:00

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Couldn't sleep a wink last night
My mind is a tangled mess of things I have to do, things I want to do, things I need to do, things I'll never get to do
Word of the day. Doing.

Fancy The Memories . . .

2010-12-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you have watched, or at least heard of, Danny Boyle's 2008 smash Slumdog Millionaire.
An incredible film, with an insightful and wonderfully gripping tale about a young boy growing up and learning life from experiences he has in the slums of Mumbai, hurled into the hot seat of the show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Watching Slumdog Millionaire with my Grandmother was an interesting experience.
Similar to how Jamal (Dev Patel's character) tells anecdotes to how he knows the answers of the questions on the show, my grandmother was revealing tales of her childhood growing up in India during the war. Not only did she really get into the movie and the story being told, she said that it reminded her of things even she had forgotten about what her life was like back in India and how different not only is she now, but how more developed India has become since she left.

On a personal note this was exciting to me, as I found out more about the background of my family and also more of the story of my grandmother's life, but as a film buff I think this speaks volumes of what an accurate depiction of life in India that the film provides. Either way, it's such a fantastic film and now will always remind me that the experiences that enrich you on your journey from where you are now to where you want to be, are just as important as getting there.

"What the hell can a slumdog possibly know?"
"The answers"
- Slumdog Millionaire

Fancy A Shake . . .

2010-12-27T04:16:00.000-08:00

I'm unsure why, but looking through my last couple of posts my blog makes me out to be some sort of hand obsessed lunatic. I'm not, it just so happens that over the past couple of weeks the cookie has been crumbling into my hands.
To continue, and probably conclude, with the hand obsessed lunatic series
Thought I'd show you all how I managed to pamper my hands after the dreadful deadline day

In celebration of my mother's 40th birthday which is fast approaching, we went to get traditional henna tattoos.
I went to an Asian beauty shop and they charged £5 per hand, which isn't bad at all.
However, (sneak preview) I've already made it my new years resolution to learn how to do an unlimited amount of designs and as my beautiful faithful followers, you all can have them free of charge!
Here's how both my hands turned out;

I also got my nails painted, a la manicure francais, ohh laa laa indeed

A big wave goodbye from the hand obsessed lunatic now

Fancy Being Festive . . .

2010-12-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's Christmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!

I hope you all have a lovely day
Eat, drink and be happy
Merry Christmas everybody!

Fancy Nails . . .

2010-12-16T01:32:00.000-08:00

For some reason when I'm stressed out the first place to feel the effects is my hands.
And seriously, look at how gross they look.
Personally, I prefer to wear nail polish than to go without, but am happy to go without if my nails are in a good condition, what is a crime to me however is for my nails to be ever allowed to get to this state of chipping, and for my nails to be so uneven and rough. Not just that, my hands feel like sandpaper and are currently covered in a million cuts and bruises. All this the effects of having six deadlines for today. Day of hand in and I'm still working, probably will not stop to exactly 5.59pm, 6pm being the closing point.

So, 6.01 would be manicure time yes?

Fancy Festive Finals . . .

2010-12-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before finals, And all through the college,
The students were praying For last minute knowledge.
Most were quite sleepy, But none touched their beds,
While visions of essays danced in their heads.

Out in the taverns, A few were still drinking,
And hoping that liquor would loosen up their thinking.
In my own apartment, I had been pacing,
And dreading exams I soon would be facing.

My roommate was speechless, His nose in his books,
And my comments to him Drew unfriendly looks.
I drained all the coffee, And brewed a new pot,
No longer caring That my nerves were shot.

I stared at my notes, But my thoughts were muddy,
My eyes went ablur, I just couldn’t study.
“Some pizza might help,” I said with a shiver,
But each place I called Refused to deliver.

I’d nearly concluded That life was too cruel,
With futures depending on grades had in school.
When all of a sudden, Our door opened wide,
And Patron Saint Put It Off Ambled inside.

Her spirit was careless,
Her manner was mellow,
She started to bellow:
“What kind of student Would make such a fuss,
To toss back at teachers What they tossed at us?”

“On Cliff Notes! On Crib Notes! On Last Year’s Exams!
On Wingit and Slingit, And Last Minute Crams!”
Her message delivered, She vanished from sight,
But we heard her laughing Outside in the night.
“Your teachers have pegged you, So just do your best.
Happy Finals to All, And to All, a good test.”

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Honestly, so so true!

Fancy Positive Thinking . . .

2010-12-08T01:44:00.000-08:00

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Fancy Frost Fingers . . .

2010-12-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

I didn't either
So, I bought mittens!!

Real leather (I don't like that smell)
And probably about four inches bigger than they need to be
But, I love them!
They're the warmest most snuggly things my hands have ever ever known

I want to go around giving everybody free Hi5's!

River Island

Fancy Being Half Way Through The End Of An Era . . .

2010-12-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

Saw Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows (Part 1)

I don't even know what to say
The film was so good
They really made this one darker and more serious, which is the tone of the book
Some parts were portrayed so well by the actors, it's a good mix of magic, adventure and suspense with a bit of humor thrown in for good measure and some heart wrenching moments of grave sadness too
For me, there's a lot of personal values attached to the whole series, I'm proud to still admit that I was that geek who was laughed at because I liked Harry Potter before it was cool. In a way I'm glad they kind of split the last one, although I know their intentions for doing so were mainly for monetary gain, it helps it drags on a bit and softens the blow slightly. I'll feel like I'll have lost a friend when the last film does come out... but until then!
Seriously, go watch it guys.

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Fancy Baking . . .

2010-12-03T04:12:00.000-08:00

My mother and I have somehow developed a tradition of doing some major baking over the Christmas period.
As I was stuck at home, with the snow, we decided to start off with the festivities by making some apple pie.
Here is the finished product...

(Don't be too harsh, it's meant to look rustic!)
I can guarantee it tastes of crunchy sweet tangy apple cinnamon heavenly goodness
Numnum

Fancy A Tune . . .

2010-12-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

"I got Aretha in the morning
High on my headphones and walking to school
I got the blues in springtime

Cuz I know that I’ll never have the right shoes"

Fancy Looking Back . . .

2010-11-28T13:38:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday.
My bags are packed, my work is printed, the hair is washed and I'm sat thinking.
It's the day before my first critique at uni, I'm scared as hell.
We always have hand ins and tutorials where we show our work and stuff, but this just seems different.
I've come to notice that nothing I do turns out quite right.
And see, thinking that way makes it so.
I've got myself in quite a rut, where I believe so fiercely that it won't come out as perfect as I'd like it too, and put it off so much that by the time I get round to do it (whatever this ambiguous "it" is) I'm forced to rush and, to be frank, it's physically impossible for anything to do anything right pacing around floors with my fingers shaking and my head making list upon list of what I still have left to do.

This, my dear, is what we'll call the cycle of deprivation.

Less formally known as; my life.

Fancy Being Taller . . .

2010-11-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

This actually made me laugh.
I do love Danny Devito, he was the shortest famous person I that was on the list that I knew..
And still, I come out the shorter one
I suppose I shouldn't wonder why people describe me as "that little girl"
How tall are you?

Fancy Another Tube Strike . . .

2010-11-26T05:02:00.000-08:00

Not really.
No thanks.

The first was on the day of my first hand in and drawing tutorial.
The second was on my portfolio hand in.
Which also happened to be during my cousins wedding.
The third is now scheduled to happen on the day of my first crit.
And on top of all that it'll probably snow too.

Seriously.
How is this even possible?!

What I honestly fancy more than anything right now is a fucking break.

Thanks TFL
For, once again, ruining my -non existent and now not looking likely at all- career.

Fancy A Crit . . .

2010-11-26T03:49:00.000-08:00

I have my first ever university crit on monday!!
Eek.
It seems completely and utterly insane that even though we've only been there three months, I've already done so much work! It's completely flown by in a frenzy of tracing paper, pen, pencil shavings, rubber stuff, printing, Adobe programs, foam board, nerves, panic, confusion and some buildings thrown in between all of that!
I kind of understand now why architects always look as though they need a good meal and a decent night's sleep... it's because they do!
We've already had a portfolio hand in, and that literally almost killed me.

I'm really really nervous
I've a ton of work to do, seriously every second from Friday until 2.20pm on Monday afternoon is timetabled to precision of the work I should be doing.
I say should, it'd really be nice to be motivated!
Please my wonderful dear followers, motivate me!

Fancy A Mug . . .

2010-11-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

With the cold weather creeping into my bones all I really want to do of a night time is curl up in a thick duvet with a nice hot mug of some beverage or another and forget about the wind and rain outside. I really have a bit of a thing for mugs, whether they've got clever little slogans or cute pictures I appreciate the craft and workmanship that's makes my cup of tea that little bit prettier. Here are some of my favourites from the collection I've managed to build up over the years :)

"Older, wiser... slower" And yes I do love turtles!

"I <3 my computer." More true than I'd like to admit

Beauty and the Beast. My favourite fairytale ever.

Painted with traditional Japanese art. This one has a cool lid too!

"Follies and nonsense whims and inconsistencies do divert me I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can" Jane Austen quote.

"Please Sir, I want some more" Oliver the Musical quote, from when I went to see it in theatre

Cesc Fabregas! Given to me by a very good friend, nothing can describe the pleasure of holding two very hot things in my hand

What does your drink wear?

Fancy Inspiration . . .

2010-11-22T05:36:00.000-08:00

That spark that jolts through your body
That moment when an idea hits you
That weight that lifts off of your chest

That instance when you see everything you've been looking

This is the feeling I've been waiting for
This is what I've been longing to find

Fancy A Feeling . . .

2010-11-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

An indescribable helpless feeling.
I don't know where to turn to for help.
I wish I could just float away.

Images

Fancy A Beautiful Sky . . .

2010-11-18T01:46:00.000-08:00

There's something about walking and being surrounded by this that can fool us into thinking everything will be okay

Fancy A Royal Wedding . . .

2010-11-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

So I'm pretty sure everybody's heard by now that Prince William is getting married, and when I say "heard" I mean seen that ring on her finger!

Image
Whilst I wish them both every happiness in their married life together, there is one other royal couple that will always demand more of my attention. That is the relationship of none other than our very own lovely Queen Elizabeth II and her consort, Prince Philip. I am a very very very big fan of the Queen herself, and find there is something so elegant and charming about her relationship with the Duke of Edinburgh that has spanned for over 58 years.
I found the most adorable picture that I'd saved on my computer, (I can't for the life of me quite remember where it was from, though I think it's WeHeartIt.) This picture just seems to demonstrate perfectly to me the companionship, love and support that they each offer to one another, which is so obvious to us even from the tiny snippets we manage to stumble across that reveals their most guarded relationship, and every single time I look at it I "aww' far too much. In short, this image does what it would take me a thousand words to do, and describes what I think it'd be so very nice to have.

Fancy A First . . .

2010-11-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

It is exactly 22:57, November 17th 2010
And I have my first cold of winter

It was a strange one, I didn't see it coming
Though my already quite bruised immune system obviously had something to say about waiting out in the below freezing weather for, what must collectively amount to, at least an hour every single day.
Thank you, once again, London transport services.

It hurts to keep my eyes open, my back aches, my fingers are tingly, my nose hasn't got the strength to sniff anymore, my throat is sore and I'm pretty sure that last earth shatteringly loud sneeze just told my taste buds to have a holiday.

Really, what more can I do but lay in bed and finally make a start on my ever increasing reading list, "Eat, Pray, Love" suits my mood nicely right now :)

Image

Fancy A Lion And A Lamb . . .

2010-11-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.

What a stupid lamb.

What a sick, masochistic lion."

- Twilight

Whilst she's away at uni, my friend Sarah and I communicate through all the genius technologies available to us. As we are "Twihards" and both have a tendency to fall in love with Edward Cullen, for her birthday this year I gave her, amongst other things, a little toy lamb and she gave to me a little toy lion, related to the above quote from Twilight. They met for the first time via Skype the other day, it was a real heartwarming moment!

Though she isn't here, my room is adorned with memories of her, through gifts she has gotten me, souvenirs of our adventures together or photographs of us being dorks. I love how, when I'm feeling like a lost lonely lamb, I can look at the trinkets that surrounded me, and be reminded of my friends who I miss so very dearly. It's wonderfully reassuring thing for an object to be able to retain the warmth of those you love, even though they themselves can't be there. Not unlike unearthed paw prints, leading to a safe place, a forgotten memory.

Fancy Feeling This Way . . .

2010-11-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

Tumblr

Fancy A Good Burger . . .

2010-11-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

"Welcome to the Good Burger

Home of the Good Burger

Can I take your order?"

Fancy A New Day . . .

2010-11-10T01:34:00.000-08:00

Today I will search for the ordinary, and that alone will make it extraordinary

Fancy A Decent Conversation . . .

2010-11-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

What's up with awkward conversations?!
I hate them!
I hate when just the other day you found you could so easily talk to somebody for hours on end and then all of a sudden there's nothing to say. I've grown apart from friends before it's a horrible thing to grow apart from somebody, to realize the same person who just passed you by in the street was the person you once ran to when you needed a friend, but it happens, it's a part of life, of growing up.
I've never really felt before that I didn't want to grow apart from somebody, it happened without my noticing or caring because I never really felt like I needed anybody before, and for the first time ever I do. Can't it be possible for people to grow together?

It feels like there's a glass wall between us that wasn't there before. It's beautiful, pristine, strong I can see you and hear you but I just can't feel you like I did before. I'm trying so hard to find a crack, I doubt you've noticed it's there.

I miss when you knew what to say to me. I miss your warmth. I miss talking to you about nothing and it meaning everything.
Somebody please tell me this is just a phase.

"How can you be so far away

Lying by my side"

Fancy A Good Day . . .

2010-11-04T02:52:00.000-07:00

*yawn*
I needed that!
I fell asleep yesterday at approximately 4pm, woke up at 11 spent about an hour online and then slept again til 8.30
I don't think I've ever slept that much in my life, let alone all in one day
I needed it though, I feel refreshed, recuperated and ready to take on the world

Waking up to a nice little chit chat with the man of my dreams and the most adorable little heart shaped biscuits and tea, before the excitement of getting ready for the wedding, I feel for the first time in a long time that today might actually be a good day yet.

Ignore my face

Fancy Finding The Time . . .

2010-11-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Before we realized you could actually see us

After we realized

A true friend will worry this much if you're pixalised

I'm sorry it wasn't long, but taking the time to talk to you really brightens up my day.

I miss you.

Fancy Dress . . .

2010-11-01T02:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Day After Halloween

I didn't even have time to watch Hocus Pocus orrr Practical Magic this year
I'm rescheduling Halloween for myself for tomorrow, join me :)

Fancy Models . . .

2010-11-01T02:48:00.000-07:00

This foam board stuff rocks

Fancy A Break . . .

2010-10-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

Seriously. A holiday would be sooo good right now.
We've got our first hand in on Wednesday, and I've been so crazily snowed under with work that nothing else has entered my mind since. Which is really bad because it's also my cousins wedding. (Anybody who's ever attended an Indian wedding will know that they last for like weeks on end!)
I've got a plan, section and elevation as well as some sketches to make of an idea for a chair as well as a plan, section, elevation and atmospheric drawing of these voids we have to make and I have to photograph the voids.
After this I have to assemble the portfolio to hand in, seriously cannot wait for this because it'll mean I have done all the work!
I'm going to try hand it in for Tuesday, as wedding stuff takes up the rest of my week.
Honestly going to let my hair down and just have the best time after the relief of getting everything handed in on time.
Thus my explanation for being all MIA.

I so envy my friends who have like an essay to do before Christmas and that's it.
It's not even been 6 weeks and we've already got a hand in.
This shit is crazy.
But I love it.

Fancy A Beast . . .

2010-10-22T03:52:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?

Fancy Friday . . .

2010-10-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait til Friday ... So I wore this tshirt on Wednesday instead
I'm seriously in love with itt

Ignore my pathetic cheesetastic poses, I was procrastinating doing a technical drawing of a chair
As for the face; just turned 19 and wrinkles already
And they say time flies

Fancy It Not Being My Day

2010-10-20T04:22:00.001-07:00

Seriously.
You know that feeling when you're late and you're running to the bus stop and the bus is there, you can see it, and you quicken your pace, you're almost there and then ...
PIt passes you by.
Well, that literally happened to me twice today, TWICE! And I rushed to finish my work, so I'm not happy with one of them. And I couldn't find anywhere to print it. And I didn't want to walk in the lecture late. And I've got a redraft of a drawing to do. And I'm really just making excuses for being lazy, and procrastinating.
I'm turning a new leaf, there I said it, now it has to be done.
No more doing it later, putting it off, leaving it out. I'm going to follow Nike and "Just Do It" :)
For now, I'm sitting outside Pret, eating my prawn baguette and freezing a little and watching the people go by whilst planning how I'm going to be a better person and testing blogging from the phoneeee

Fancy A Tune . . .

2010-10-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

"One thing I know for sure
It's really, really, real
I never felt before
The way you make me feel"

Fancy Turning 19 . . .

2010-10-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

But.
I don't want to grow up

This is a virtual cake is for all your beautiful people
Enjoyy

Fancy The Feelings . . .

2010-10-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

I feel like banging my head against a brick wall.
I have so much work to do, but I feel so out of sync.
I learnt a long time ago that if I'm not passionate about doing something it will show.
But I am passionate about doing the work, I find it fascinating.
Maybe it's nerves, maybe it's fear of making mistakes.
For whatever reason I can't bring myself to do it
When I do it feels forced and as a result it isn't coming out the way I want it too.

I just want to zone myself out, be in a place with just me and my work, just have some place quiet to think and feel what I'm doing, to become consumed with it, because that's the only way I work.

I wish I had a pensieve, so like Dumbledore I could extract the many memories in my head that belong to some other place and time.
I crave to have a mind free of clutter, just somewhere in my head that's entirely my own.

Fancy Work . . .

2010-10-13T04:17:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd show you some of the work we've been doing at uni
For "computer skills" we had to basically edit a picture of ourselves into the backdrop of a film
Now, I am certainly not no expert with photoshop, so this was really good for me as I got to fiddle about with it
I can see how people become addicted to it, it really is great what you can do with all the gadgets.
I've plans to just spend a day playing around with it, with help from YouTube.

Anyway, the film I chose is 500 Days of Summer
Here's the first of my two

It's not perfect but I'm proud of it
What do y'all think?

Fancy Today . . .

2010-10-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

Fancy Friends . . .

2010-10-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ignore the face
Look at my new little friend!
He's going every where with me from now on.