Ooh la la!

Where to start? With the flight delay, tons of angry people waiting to start their long weekend, the 2 gate changes (3 for J&D), or Ryanair's craptacularly traumatic landing?

Or the visit to my future home and gardens? :)

I can definitely recommend a visit to Chateau Chenonceau, it's soo pretty.

Bordeaux is a great city. The city's people have invested tons of money into restoring its beauty and making it a place you'll enjoy staying in. Funnily enough, I came home with 2 bottles of Sauternes instead of any Bordeaux reds. Mmmm... sweet dessert wine... Despite the never ending fat raindrops which seemed determined to ruin our long weekend, we saw quite a bit of the region, drank, ate and slept a lot. Well, the passengers slept a lot *grin* My advise is to never get your driver's licence in order to avoid ever being the designated driver on road trips :P We spent Sunday walking around Bordeaux and St Emillion.

Napoleon commissioned the bridge, but I don't think he lived to see it completed...

I guess the best part for me was the cognac tasting in Cognac :) I'm definitely not a connoisseur, but somehow I was convinced by D to splash out on tasting X.O, the Paradis and the Richard Hennessy cognacs. D makes a great salesman :) But I'm glad I did taste all three. It's not often I get to say I drank something that was 200 years old *grin* It was definitely wasted on me though :P The only thing I could discern was that each tasted smoother than the previous. Did I like the taste? Err, not particularly... it burns. Sorry!

Random cognac factoids:
- Although Hennessy cognac has been around for a very long time, not many Frenchies drink it. Err, mainly because it's not French. Hennessy is Irish :)
- In 1971, Hennessy merged with Moet et Chandon. In 1987, the group then merged with Louis Vuitton, to create the largest luxury goods business: LVMH.
- Cognac is made from a blend of various eau-de-vie (colourless brandy). 12 kgs of grapes makes one 1 litre bottle of eau-de-vie.
- VS stands for Very Special, and requires the youngest brandy to be aged for at least 2 years.
- VSOP stands for Very Special Old Pale, and requires the youngest brandy to be aged for at least 4 years.
- X.O stands for Extra Old, and requires the youngest brandy to be aged for at least 6 years.
- Richard Hennessy is named after the founder of Hennessy Cognac. The blends are aged between 45 and 200 years old. A 700ml bottle will set you back EU$1281.25.
- The ultimate job at Hennessy, has to be the Cellar Master. It's his duty to take inventory of all the blends in Hennessy's 45 cognac houses. He has to TASTE every different blend, and decide if the brandies need a new barrel, or if it needs to be mixed with other blends, or if the blends are ready. He has a team of six Tasters, but The Man, has the final say.

Lastly, there's the Ellipse. This one's not for plebs. At a price of EU$3000+, it's made from 7 different blends chosen by 7 generations of Cellar Masters. Each Cellar Master picked his favourite eau-de-vie for this special cognac. Only 100 bottles were made, and even the bottle itself is a work of art. Although, you can't really tell from my crap picture *grin*

Size matters?

Vigeland sculpture park. I expected lots of sculptures in a park. However, I didn't expect to be greeted by a 14 metre tall phallic symbol. Can you spot it?

How about now?

My, my, my. It's _soo_ massive *grin* A man gets an entire park to showcase his work, and he makes the centrepiece a grand... you know. So typical :P

I miss Rondon

It sounds like a silly thing to say. But part of the reason I haven't had much to blog about lately, is cause I haven't really spent any decent time in Rondon! Every weekend, since I've been back from Sydnery, I've "gone gallivanting" (to use my Mother's words). First it was Amsterdam for Queen's Day. Then it was Tallinn and Helsinki with the household crew for the first long weekend in May. After that it was back to Delft for U&W's Dutch wedding celebration. And I just spent last weekend in Oslo. This coming weekend is in Bordeaux. And the weekend after that is Ibiza!!

It all seemed like a great idea at the time I was planning these trips. Errr... maybe I was a little overzealous in my planning. Now, I just want one weekend in Rondon to chill out... To go to Borough Markets for some chorizo. To go to Camden to eat a Hache burger. To buy some groceries for the week. To go to Bar Italia or Flat White for a weekend caffeine hit. To stroll around familiar ground. To do my laundry!

I've done 9 cities in 5 months this year... I'm looking forward to a restful weekend that doesn't involve a 3am wake up call to catch the airport bus.

Do I sound spoilt? ;)

Making girls cry

Remember that speech I blogged for Ula & Wilco? I had a chance to say it last weekend at their Dutch wedding party :) I made Ula teary *grin* YES! Mission accomplished! Although, poor Wilco, he had already read my speech here and it was all old news to him. So I've tweaked the speech I blogged to match most of what I said that night, if you want to read it again.

I was even invited to speak at someone else's wedding that night! *lol*

And once again, I went home with a girl after the wedding. Hrm. At least this time it was separate beds ;)

Tom

Tom's the guy that sells the Big Issue at Marylebone station. Well, I think his name's Tom, I hope I heard right. For the past few weeks, he's been standing there, every morning, as grumpy Rondoners walk past him without a glance. "BIG ISSUE! No? Have a good day Maam/Sir!" and Tom means it.

Lately, I get up every morning, and lie in bed thinking, "I really don't want to go to work today". I hide under my duvet (C, are you proud I didn't say "doona"? :) ) until the very last moment. When it's 8.05am, I know I have to get my butt into gear. I sit at my desk and I count down the hours. When it hits 4:30pm, I'm counting down the minutes till 5pm. When I get home, I'm reluctant to talk about work because it's been sh*tty. You'll notice I don't usually blog about work either.

Tom sees people get off the trains every morning. He says they look grumpy, some of them hate their jobs, hate coming into Rondon, and hate their incomes. Basically, he sees people like me. I stand in the bus lines when it's too cold/wet to walk to work, earphones plugged in, with a frown for the long day ahead. So Tom's trying to bring a smile to people's faces every morning. Strangely, it works :) I watch Tom at work, and he's got soo much enthusiasm for selling the Big Issue, that it made me smile. Heck, I bought one and I haven't read it yet.

This morning, I got Tom a latte, and had a chat. Here's a guy, down on his luck, making a living out of selling the Big Issue. He's homeless, and he wants to save up for his own place. Considering he only gets 80p out of every £1.50 magazine he sells, it's going to take him awhile.

Yet, he's the most optimistic person I've met in a long time. There's no lesson here. I just hope I don't have to lose it all in order to have Tom's optimism in life. I've seen a lot of things in life. I've moved to Rondon. I've had opportunities my parents and other kids in my extended family didn't. What exactly does it take for me to be happy or content?

Marriage?

I thought I was off the hook. I'm the youngest of three kids. My eldest brother is married. He and his wife recently had a baby girl. So when I called my Mum for a chat on Monday, I never expected to have this conversation with her:

Mum: "You're getting close to 30, my dear."
Me: "I know. So what?"
Mum: "It's time you got married."
Me: "WHAT?!?"
Mum: "Do you want me to matchmake for you?"
Me: "WHAT?!?!? Who have you been talking to??"
Mum: "If you have a husband, you won't have time to go gallivanting."
Me: "MUM! You already have one grandkid to play with!"

So, I'm closer to 30. That apparently means I have to get married. Mygawd, the thought of my Mother picking someone for me... *shudder* It's weird actually. Last year, it was all about weddings. The majority of my friends got hitched. This year, it's beginning to be all about babies. Friends are starting to talk about getting the right healthcare with obstetrician cover. In the meantime, I've been spending my money on holidays, tattoos, clubs, and err, teeth whitening (*dazzle* *dazzle*). Weddings, mortgages, babies... Last thing on my mind. I'm a little selfish at the moment. Not ready to settle. Love my freedom. Rah rah rah.

In order to get my Mother's mind off marrying me to a random stranger, I'm switching the focus to my bachelor brother :P Anyone out there looking for a very eligible 32 year old bachelor? Has good looks (well, he's got the same genes as me). Loves to cook Italian. Go on, make my Mother happy :)

Missy Wan, don't think you're going to win the bet so easily :P

IIITCHYYY

This is seriously an endurance test. Gawd... I don't know what's worse, the pain for 4.5 hours, or the itchiness that's been going on for the past 48 hours. Can't scratch or the ink comes off. The skin's starting to scab and peel. It's interesting to see the colour beneath the peel. I'm feeling reptilian. I'm also getting extremely paranoid. I keep staring at my butt, and for the first time in a loooong time, I've noticed something -

OMG. Look at all that CELLULITE O_o

It's been that long since I looked closely at my buttocks...

So, here's what I know about tattoo care (which, to be honest, isn't much):
- Tattoos apparently like warm water. So shower with extremely warm water.
- Don't aim the water directly at the tattoo. Don't soak in hot tubs or baths. Showers only. Water will lift the scab.
- Use a mild soap.
- I moisturise twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. Use a lotion with no fragrance. My tattooist recommended Vaseline Intensive Care. I've also used Nivea before, on my dragon, and that turned out well.

See how it goes, eh?

PS to Joh: I never knew you had a tattoo!!! I didn't get around to asking you about it last night! You've been hiding it!

Queen's Day!!!

It's a nice sunny day in Amsterdam, and everyone was out to party! In boats! The canals were endlessly filled with party boats. Anyone want to organise a theme boat for next year's Queen's Day? :)

The day was topped off at Leiden with a free gig by Armin van Buuren (ranked #2). It would've been a lot better without the crazy puberscent kids around. I'm starting to sound like an old fart :( Think from now on, I'll stick to over 18 events.

Happy Birthday Trini!

Hope you had a good time last Friday *lol* At least you didn't throw up! I'm glad you've finally made it to Rondon :) Bring on Summer, and bring on the parties!

The first Beeniksteraztri (*phew*) household outing:

Moy! Moy!

With all things in life, there's always such a massive difference when you deal with professionals - People who know how to do their job, and to do it really well. When I got my first tattoo, I walked into a tattoo shop in Newtown, showed my ID and had it done pretty dang quickly. I walked out with a not-so-good blue rose.

When I got my second tattoo, I didn't do any research either. I picked something I liked and had it done by a random guy. He did a good job, but it was just inking in a big dragon. Not much detail involved. Plus, there were people walking in and out of the tattoo room while I was there sitting in my bra.
Random guy: "What's that?"
Tattooist: "Tribal dragon" (d’uh)
Random guy: "Cooool maaan..."

Not the most confidence inspiring experience.

This time round, I did my research. I wanted someone good, and I wanted it done in a style which suited me. So I started looking up A LOT of tattooists. I looked through Needled. I tried looking through BME (NSFW), that was too hard. Finally, I looked through the London Tattoo Convention website. That's where I found Rob Admiraal :) Unfortunately, Rob's a busy man, and even though I tried back in January to get an appointment, he was already booked out till 2008! I met Rob on the weekend, and he's hilarious :) He's the Karaoke tattooist who bursts out into song while tattooing! I saw Rob at work, and his work, is seriously beautiful. Lekker! Lekker!

So Rob recommended Lina as the tattooist for me since he couldn't do it. Lina is Rob's "right hand" girl, as in, I think Lina did the tattoos on his right arm *grin* I'm glad he recommended Lina, because her style was exactly what I wanted :)

What did I want? A koi!

I met with Lina on Saturday to discuss size, position and colours. She talked me through my options and made me feel a lot more confident about it. We were ready to go. On Sunday, I arrived half an hour early for the appointment, and had time to contemplate what I was about to do. I felt like throwing up into the idyllic Dutch canal. I knew I wanted it. I also knew that it was going to hurt.

When Lina arrived, she prepped infront of me. It was comforting to see her prep. Everything was cleaned down and wrapped, from the lamp, to the squeeze bottles. She brought her inks out, inspected her equipment. I knew things were clean. She transferred the design onto my skin and had a discussion with Rob about... well, the discussion was in Dutch *grin* It was apparently about the placement of water. I trusted them.

I think I said it with the dragon, but this time I mean it - this is the absolute last tattoo for me. I can see how tattooing is addictive, such a large amount of space to fill! But, the pain, holy fcking cow, the pain.

Yes, it hurt. A lot. Worse than what I remember with the dragon. The first hour was the hardest. Lina placed me in different positions throughout the experience, and it was only appropriate that the first position was the foetal position. I felt like I needed my Mum! (Hrm, which reminds me, how on earth am I going to tell my Mum?!?) The pain's a funny thing. It's not consistent, and it's not something I got used to. Sometimes, I barely felt a ticklish tingle. Sometimes, it felt like someone was stabbing me through my back and carving a chunk of me out. Sometimes, I could feel the vibrations from the tattoo gun all the way down my left leg, and I had to clench and unclench my toes to make the pain bearable. When Lina started tattooing, I could literally feel my skin shrinking away from the needle as it got closer. I had to remind myself to keep breathing. It took a lot of energy for me to stay still at times.

After ONE hour, the outline is complete. Long way to go yet:

So, have I talked you out of having a tattoo yet? :) If you want to test your pain threshold, tattoos are a good way to start. By the way, the pain has nothing to do with Lina's skill. She was awesome and honestly, there were times I could've fallen asleep. The pain has to do with my body's reaction to needles stabbing certain parts of me :P Certain parts of everyone's body are just extremely sensitive. Nothing you can do about it.

The shading in, was surprisingly more bearable than the outlining. I was okay for most of it. In the remaining 3.5 hours, I had one more break, then we ploughed on. Lina started tattooing at 12PM, and finally stopped at 4:30PM. By that time, I was about ready to cry out, "STOP! I'll come back tomorrow!". I think my flesh was beyond sore at that point. The last half hour, I was wincing, making fists and muffling some whimpers. But it was over! :D And here is my koi:

So here's my plug for Lina - the BEST tattooist I've ever had :) I trusted Lina as a talented tattoo artist who knew what she was doing, and she made me feel good about getting the tattoo. I LOVE my happy koi. Moy! Moy! I saw some of Lina's tattoo photos, and she's done some amazing sleeves. If you want a tattoo you're never going to regret, make an appointment with Lina Stigsson at Admiraal Studio. Or see Lina in Rondon at this year's tattoo convention in October :)

Lina working on my tattoo:

Lina's website: www.myspace.com/linastigsson
Rob Admiraal Tattoo Studio
http://www.admiraaltattoo.com
Marnixstraat 151
1015 VM Amsterdam
The Netherlands
phone: +31 (0)20 622 32 18
email: info@admiraaltattoo.com

Rob Admiraal, the talented Singing Tattooist!

Commitment

If you want commitment, get a tattoo. There's no rollback once the needle sinks into skin.

Having a really big dragon on my back makes random strangers (mainly wasters in clubs) think they can reach out to touch it. It's irritating. I value my personal space and hate being touched by randoms. *Uggh* get your germy paws off me.

Having a really big dragon on my back also gets me some inevitable questions from people *sigh* Here's the FAQ based on my own experience.
1. Did it hurt?
Errrr, you don't have to know much about tattooing to realise a needle is used to permanently embed ink into your skin. Think about it, why _wouldn't_ it be painful? Of course it hurts!

According to How Stuff Works, tattoo artists use "an electrically powered tattoo machine that resembles (and sounds like) a dental drill. The machine moves a solid needle up and down to puncture the skin between 50 and 3,000 times per minute. The needle penetrates the skin by about a millimeter and deposits a drop of insoluble ink into the skin with each puncture."

Approx 3,000 times a minute... It's truly a masochistic experience.

2. Am I born in the Year of the Dragon?
No. Fair enough assumption to make, I guess. Since I'm oriental. But come on, I've grown out of cliches :)

3. Does it mean anything?
It's an ancient Chinese symbol carved into my back and blessed by monks (the kickass kung-fu type) when I was just 3 years old. When I cry out, "PIKACHU, I CHOOSE YOU!",the dragon materialises into life and eats my enemy. Inflicts Damage -201. Wah!

To me, it's a great piece of art. To my father it's a great piece of self-mutilation. When I was 22, I walked into a tattoo shop in Ybor City, fell in love with the design and got it. Of course, at the time, I was with some very concerned friends, who stopped me from getting it straight away. You know who you are, gals :P So I actually had to sneak out of the apartment, and do a stealth mission one night. To be honest, the dragon looked a lot smaller on the wall *lol*

4. What's going to happen when I grow old, or stop liking it?
This question REALLY annoys me. Fickle people. I'm not like you :P Don't do things that you're going to regret just because of age. When I grow old, the tattoo will still be there. Regardless of how it looks, I'll still love it because it's part of my history. If I don't love it, heck it's on my back and I can't see it :P

So why all this talk about tattoos? Cause... I have a confession to make. When I was 19, I got a really REALLY corny tattoo of a *whisper* blue rose on the back of my left hip *cringe*

My excuse is, I was 19! And like I said in Point #2, I've grown out of cliches ;) As an aside, if your kids ever want a tattoo, tell them they have to get past their teenage years first.

Why a blue rose? Oh you know, cause roses don't come in blue naturally, and it's therefore unique. Well, it _was_ unique until one of my best buddies who was with me, decided to get the same tattoo!!!! *lol* Ah well, it's touching that we have the same tattoo. Buddies forever.

That is, buddies until this weekend *grin* DM, you know I love ya (and I also know you don't read my blog, so hopefully you won't find out!) ;) I'll be honest, I don't regret getting the tattoo, but I've always thought it could've been done better. The tattoo doesn't even look much like a blue rose. My brother once commented that it looked like a weed :( So this weekend, I'm getting it fixed in Amsterdam! It's getting replaced by something else. That's assuming my Dutch tattooist remembers my appointment... He's a little slack on the email communication front :P

Excited? Yes, I am. How do I feel about the pain? Not good. Although the area is fattier above my hip than on my back, it still HURTS.

YAAA-TAAA!

9 people, stuffed with KFC, and now huddled around the Xbox and small TV - for the 19th episode of Heroes *sigh* Freaks :) Me, I'm hiding out in my room.

Peeking into the living room:

Aesthetics

Every now and then I check out the stats on my flickr stream. If I had to pick my favourite shot, I'd pick this one:

However, this pic has only been viewed 33 times.

There really is no accounting for tastes. This is the current winner for popularity with 98 views:

Followed by this shot of Richie with "Australia" branded across his cheeks, with 84 views:

More worryingly, I've been invited to submit the portrait of KY licking someone's buttocks to a group called "Random Body Parts"! What is this world's obsession with male buttocks?

Run away! Run away!

I'm officially in the Guiness Book of records for participating in the biggest coconut orchestra in the world! 4382 people showed up at Trafalgar Square to join in singing to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" with coconuts *grin*

Do you _realise_ how long I've wanted a pair of clip-cloppety coconuts just like the ones from Monty Python and the Holy Grail? No? Well, ever since I saw the movie a few years ago, and even visited the Holy Grail castle in Scotland! So today, I left work at 5pm on the dot, and rushed over to Trafalgar Square to register and get my free pair of coconuts! :D

Even Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones made an appearance!

I do have a video of the event, but it's not uploading properly, and to be honest, it really wasn't that exciting *grin*

Huzzah! I have Monty Python coconuts! Run away! Run away!

Dutch people

... think they're soo funny. Wicky took this picture of me standing inbetween the grooms man and the best man. There's got to be some serious growth hormones in the water to make a nation grow that tall.

Looking "American"

While I was in Sydnery, Abercrombie & Fitch opened its Rondon flagship store on Saville Row. Saville Row! Wah. That's where the sugar daddies go to get their tailored suits. I'm talking, this is where you go to buy suits that start at a minimum of 2000 squids! Anyways, I visited the A&F store with T&D on Saturday. I was met at the entrance by a very buff, very topless, "clean-cut American" looking guy. Cue old lady next to me saying to her friend, "OH, I just found you your birthday present!"

*Bleargh*

Beside the very buff beefcake, stood a very skinny, blonde young thing. It didn't take me long to notice that most of the service girls in the store are very skinny, blonde young things. Well, it didn't take me long to notice once my eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the barely lit store. This store would make a great club. Personally, I found it frustrating that I could barely see the clothes. Once I started browsing, I noticed that clothes started at size 00. Size 00? I can see where this is going... So I tried on a size Medium singlet top, and lo-and-behold - I looked and felt like a heifer in it. Aaah, I guess I'm just not supermodel enough to wear these clothes. Well, it's a good thing, cause I can't afford these clothes anyway. It's 50 squids for a pair of cotton short shorts! This doesn't stop people from forming a massive line at change rooms or the cash counter. Believe me, A&F are easily making their rent on Saville Row. I sat outside the store and people watched for awhile. I saw husbands/bfs/fathers in BMWs/Mercs dropping off their wives/gfs/daughters outside the entrance. Oriental tourists have also jumped on the A&F brand wagon.

The thing that astonished me the most is how A&F are promoting their all-American-wholesome-look. I really do wish I had my camera on me. I'd never seen so many good looking sales people in one store before. Hrm, make that good looking and white sales people. According to this article, the sales team earns a miserly GBP$6.50 per hour. Wow, for that rate, I think I'll stick with non-glam IT job and my cheapie Threadless tshirts.

(I ripped this picture from the article mentioned above)

U&W wedding pix

... are up :) Clicky here.

Yummo

So, curious to know how many places on my Sydnery "Must Eat" list I managed to cross off? :)

Degustation @ Becasse with C (we scored free dessert! w00t!)
Ring Burner @ Burgerfuel with A&P
Vincisgrassi @ Buzo with Dave
Abalone @ Golden Century with my parents
Unagi Zara @ Ichiban with da gals and Shuai
Thai @ Sumalee with Yin*
Degustation @ Yoshii with C

Not bad. Also managed to fit in:
Pasta @ Alfredo's with da gals
Hotpot @ Masuya with KC
Brunch @ random cafe with KY
Laksa @ Malay Chinese Takeaway with Yin*

Best Meal: Yoshii degustation. Japanese Somen with Black Truffle - G.A.W.D. My eyeballs rolled back into my head. And the Steamed Kurobuta Pork Belly... to die for. Seriously the best pork dish I've eaten in a looong time. In fact, I can't remember a better tasting pork dish. Yoshii has definitely up'ed the standards when it comes to food. This was the meal that reminded me how happy good food could make me feel. Thanks C :)

I'd forgotten how huge Burgerfuel burgers are:

And I finished it all!!! Couldn't let the Altiris-now-Symantec boyz show me up *grin* Doofers are like the best invention ever.

Fruitiness

I was in fruity heaven in Sydnery. Screw those mini punnets of English berries! Give me kilos of fresh fruit variety!! The Brits really don't know what they're missing out on when it comes to produce. Giant rock melons, sweet plums, fuji fruit, longans... MMmmm...

Last post from Sydnery

I landed in Rondon exactly one year ago today. It was chilly, I caught a minicab and B met me at Daz's door. It was the start of my new life.

What a distant memory.

Coming back to my old life has been strange. Whilst it's been great catching up with mates over lunches, dinners, coffees and cocktails, Sydnery, no longer feels like home. Ruh roh. I'm not saying Rondon's where I belong, but it's a bit disconcerting having no ties to anywhere. My parents will always be here for me, but I'm definitely not ready to move back yet. Good thing my visa was extended :P

A part of me wants to move on from Rondon, another part of me thinks I haven't given it a decent chance yet. Let's see how the Summer goes and I'll do a review at the end of it. Ibiza here I come! :)

To all my Sydnery friends, thanks for being there :) It's meant a lot to me that you've made time to see me. And to feed me *grin*

To Craig S & Daniel G - sorry I didn't get to meet up with you guys. But there was never any confirmation on your part!! Hopefully see you in Rondon instead.

Guess who's?

And no, last Sunday wasn't a shotgun wedding *lol*

Congratulations to the happy parents :) I knew it!!!

Troo Wuuuuv

In hindsight, I should've warned Ula and Wilco about my last bridesmaid experience. My first time, I went to Malaysia to be bridesmaid for a cousin. I got the wrong colour dress to begin with (the bride wanted me in pastel and I just thought, "I'll get this dark lilac silvery dress instead cause I look good in it"). Then there was the drama of me getting my heel caught in the bride's skirt in the car and literally tumbling out of the car and onto the floor infront of her in-laws. Classy entrance. I did learn my lesson though, and made sure my heels didn't get caught in Ula's skirt this time round ;)

I must be the clutziest bridesmaid EVER. I thought I was doing well on Sunday... until I fell down the stairs at Ula and Wilco's apartment. I blame the heels, but to be honest, it was probably just me being uncoordinated and trying to carry too much - a garment bag, my overnight bag, Ula's overnight bag, Ula's bag with shoes, my own bag with shoes and my handbag. I'm freaking lucky that I didn't break my neck. Although the rubber ends of both my heels did go flying off. I managed to find them and whack them back into my shoes. Not the most elegant bridesmaid thing to do. However, I lost one of them again, and ended up clacking down the pavement at the ceremony.

Mental note, the most important things to have in your wedding emergency kit are safety pins (*someone* stepped on the bride's hoop and broke some tulle), and a hammer.

In hindsight, I also realise why I wasn't asked to do a speech at the wedding *grin* Maybe because the last time I did a speech for Ula, I got really drunk to gain the courage, and ended up groping Philo's (great) ass, Uma's (great) boobies, and kissing Ula's (great) lips.

So, to save myself from any lesbianish embarrassment this time round, I'll blog my speech to Ula and Wilco.

Ula, I've known you for at least 16 years, and I've even lived with you for a year. For that one year that I lived with you, I woke up every morning to the phone ringing at 7am, when Wilco called, and to your footsteps running down the hallway and past my door, to answer the phone. In those 16 years I've known you, I've never seen you happier than when you are by Wilco's side. I knew you found the right man when I saw you and Wilco together. Wilco is the one who will make you smile when you're down. The one who will be there for you when it counts. The one who will take care of you and put you first before himself. And the one who will love you for an eternity :) When Wilco said, "I DO", at the wedding, he said it loud and proud, and I'm sure the whole of Sydney could hear him.

Wilco, I've only known you for about 5 years, and although we've spent probably about a month together in total in the same city, you've become my Dutch big brother :) Ula was a bit stressed out in the bridal car about getting there in time to marry you *grin* I had to keep telling the driver, "Mate you have to drive faster!! The bride says we have to get there soon!" Ula wanted everything to be perfect, not just for herself, but for you too. Ula is the one who will always want everything to be perfect for the both of you. When Ula made the big move to the Netherlands to be with you and Krelis, even though she was allergic to cats, I knew that this was it, and that you were really special to Ula. I know in my heart, that Ula is your perfect match.

So this is what you've both proven to me, that true love really does exist. That true love doesn't let anything get in the way, and that true love overcomes all trials. Here is my toast, to Ula and Wilco, and to true love.

*clink virtual champagne glass*

PS: As the drunken bridesmaid, I ended up in bed with another girl ;) *lol*

Vanity

One year on, and my beautician is still filled with angst and outspoken comments ("I've had a terrible year. You look different, you've lost some weight"). Why do I keep going back to her? Because she still does the best eyebrows in Sydnery. Although I was a little worried that she kept ranting as she was plucking. I'd never experienced such energetic plucking before. Almost to the point where I was worried I wouldn't have any eyebrows left. I had to ask Yin* for confirmation that my eyebrows looked alright at lunch. A little bit too much on the archy side this time, I think. I look a bit like the Joker :P A lot of gals baulk at the amount of money I spend on my eyebrows. But trust me, people look funny when eyebrows are done wrongly. It's just like having a really bad haircut. Only, with eyebrows, you can't wear a cap to hide it :P

I'm getting vain with age. Well, maybe it's a good thing I'm putting more effort into skincare. I was almost refused service at Opera Bar on the weekend because I couldn't prove my age.
Me: "Vodka, cranberry, pineapple please"
Bar guy: "Do you have ID on you?"
Me: "Errrr... I have a big tattoo on my back, does that count?"
Bar guy: "I need to see your ID before I can serve you."
Me: "This is my second drink. And I'm 28!"
... and on and on...
Bar guy: "I'll take your word for it this time, but you need to bring ID with you."
Lady next to me: "What do you do to look so young?"
Me: "Vodka, cranberry and pineapple..."
From then on, Eleri made Ed buy my drinks for me *grin* Thanks guys! Love yous! *MUAH*

I really do wonder how old I'll be when I actually look 18...

Girls just wanna have...

...Fuh-un :)

Never again will I ever don a lycra catsuit...

Not mine

As you can probably tell from my awkward baby hold, this one, ain't mine *grin* I've never had a hungry baby suck at my neck before. Or spew milk down my back. Somehow, it's just cuter when the baby's blood related. Normally, I'd be like, "YAAARGH!", now it's all, "AWWWWWW...."

Nope, I'm still not feeling clucky. If anything, I'm panicking everytime little Sagey cries.
Me: "What's wrong? Do you want Mummy? Or Daddy? Are you hungry? Are you pooping? Am I holding you wrong? DON'T CRY!!!" *frantic helpless look at my brother and sis-in-law*

Aussify'ing meself

If there's one thing I really love about Sydnery, it's the cafe culture. Every cafe is unique, and Starbucks doesn't even feature on the list of options for "where to go". How was my day today? I started off with a mocha from Toby's Estate cafe, went to the gym for a run (I ran!!), and had brunch at a trendy Surry Hills cafe with my fave Muffin:

All before 12pm! Gawd, I love being able to sit outdoors in a cafe... My day's not over yet. I was dropped off at Coogee beach to catch some rays. I need a tan before the wedding! I didn't stay long though. It was a bit too windy to lie around in a bikini all day. But mate, look at this, it's SAND at a BEACH. Not pebbles!

The hardest thing for me so far, is the commuting between Blacktown and the City. I spend a shiteload of time and money on public transport here. As much as I love my parents and Chubbs:

...I can't imagine living in Blacktown again. This is one skanky neighbourhood. And oh, what's Australia without a few scary household spiders??

Mum found this fella in our living room. I can almost hear B scream :)

"Take care of my p*nis!"

The things that come out of Ula's mouth sometimes! Ula doesn't look it here, but she _is_ quite drunk... Drunk enough to wear a giant p3nis mask anyway. I'm sifting through my pictures, and some are even a little tooo risque for my blog *grin* I can't wait to see pix from the glamour photoshoot! To all the bridesmaids out there, I definitely recommend it as a Hens event. Thanks Di for the great idea!

First day back

What's it like? Well, it's... different. Not exactly good, but not exactly bad either. Just different.

For the first time in a year, I caught the train from Blacktown to the City. It was an express train and even then it took about 45 mins. 45 mins is a long time to wait when I'm used to 5 mins on the tube to get to Central Rondon. Looking out windows at suburbia and greenery, that's something else I haven't seen for a year.

Walking around Sydnery, the pace is a lot slower, there's a lot less people, and the thing I noticed is that people just aren't as fashion conscious *grin* Sorry. In Rondon you get all types, in Sydnery, everyone blends into the background.

Even jay-walking confuses me here. I'm so used to lights turning first red, then orange and finally green in Rondon. Orange means I have about 3 seconds to run across the road before cars start moving. Here, I forgot that I have to pay attention to lights facing traffic travelling in the perpendicular direction if I want to cross the road. It was just safer for me to wait for the green man in the end.

Good things? I met up with my brother for a DECENT cucumberless curry laksa lunch :) I had *GREAT* coffee TWICE today, from NON-CHAIN cafes :) And even though it was raining, it was freaking warm enough for me to walk around in a singlet top all day *aaaah* Seriously, 20 degrees feels like Summer to me.

Hrm, my Mum's calling me out to the kitchen for more food. Gotta go, peidaan and pickled ginger await me.

My Mum's amazing

So I land. I get home to Blacktown. My Mum has ready for me, my favourite dish of homemade Assam Laksa, marinated oven dried pork, and longans. There's still a tub of jam tarts waiting for me. Golly gosh. I'm never going to fit into Ula's bridesmaid's dress! Time to look up some gym classes *sigh*

Carb City

My hard work over the past month to eat in moderation and eat healthily was pretty much ruined by 3 days in Florence. Ahhh well. I'm sorry, but there's no way in hell I can refuse pasta or gelato in Italy.

I seriously have no idea how the Italians manage to fit in about 4 courses in one meal, but I dang well had a good time trying to keep up. Needless to say, I spent most of my money in Florence on food.

When not eating, I managed to fit in the Uffizi Gallery. Home to Botticelli's Birth of Venus. Errr, you know what? Keep in mind that the painting's approximately 600+ years old, and you won't be disappointed by how faded it is. The funny thing with Florence, it's filled with art, history and culture. Yet, the seedier side of human nature will always find a way to defile a masterpiece to make a buck. I hated the sight of all the boxer shorts for sale, with Michelangelo's David's penis printed on the front.

This trip, I tried to play around with camera angles. Not sure how successful I was. It's not as simple as turning the camera diagonally and clicking, as you can see from above *grin* I do like this shot of Ponte Vecchio though:

Packing

Ever since BA left my luggage in Scotland whilst I travelled back to Rondon, and then failed to deliver my luggage (D had to drive me to BA's warehouse to pick it up before my flight), I've had an inherent distrust of airlines. Do I trust checking in my 10 pairs of undies? NO. Having been stranded for days without a fresh pair of undies before, my Bonds babies are coming with me in my handluggage. All 10 pairs of em. So are any gifts that I've bought for my family. And my new stripey singlet top that I haven't had a chance to wear yet.

Okay, so 10 pairs is probably too many to take with me. But I never want to be stuck without undies again. Laugh at me now, but just wait... till it happens... to YOU.

Hrm, I should leave some at home.

Soft shell crab

It's been so long, that I can't remember the last time I've eaten it. I had it today at Cocoon. It was, SO. GOOD. Rondoners, if you have time in the next few days for lunch in Picadilly, take this voucher:

and get moving to Cocoon. 20 squids for 2 people! Bargain! Here's my chicken yakitori bento box, that came with soft shell crab salad, beef and foie gras (!) gyoza, duck spring roll, tuna and salmon sashimi:

10 things

With 5 days left till I get on a plane home, it's time to contemplate the past 11 months. It's really easy for me to pick 10 things I hate about Rondon (yeah, I've become a whinging Pom :) ). But what about 10 things I <3 about Rondon? In no particular order:
1. When the tube works, and there isn't a heatwave, and it's not peak hour, I think the tube is awesome. It's fast, and there's always one arriving in 2 minutes. Unless of course you're on the Circle or Northern line, but let's not go there.
2. The Oyster Card r0x0rz. Tap in, tap out. Simple and efficient.
3. Variety!!! Rondon is the first City I've been to where I can walk into 5 different shoe shops and not see the same shoes! There's just soo much variety when it comes to clothes.
4. The squids. Earning squids is nice. I don't make tons, but I make enough to live comfortably and travel on weekends.
5. The travel to Europe is sooo easy. 19 cities in 11 months. 20 if you count Florence this coming weekend :)
6. There is always people around. It's 3am, you're in the city, and it's alive.
7. I absolutely loooove walking around Rondon. I don't mind walking to work. I don't mind walking home from Oxford Circus. I don't mind walking all day. Rondon is such an interesting city to explore.
8. The best roast duck I've ever eaten is here. Four Seasons in Bayswater... But err, yeah, after last weekend, I'm a little ducked out.
9. People watching is so much fun here. Wherever I am, in a tube, in a cafe, on a bus... I start to wonder where these people are from, how they live their lives, why are they in a cafe midweek during the day? At least I'm usually unemployed when that happens :) Everyone always looks different.
10. The cheap-as-chips quality DJs! I think I paid 15 squids to see PvD. But he's been topped by Above & Beyond as my fave DJs :)

Hrm, that was easier than I thought. Maybe Rondon isn't so bad after all...

My new employers

Guess who I work for? I even get their mail ;)

48 hours

Well, we know it's possible to do Milan in 24 hours. So what can I get up to in Rondon in the space of 48 hours?

How about:
- 3 DJs
- 2 gym classes
- 1 Duck Challenge
- 2 hours of shopping (new stripey singlet top! yay!)
- 1 freebie event at the BFI

#18: Marco V
#71: Mauro Picotto
Not even in the top 100 list but free entry: Seb Fontaine
Overall impression: Meh. Marco V was alright. Better than Mauro Picotto. However, by 330am, I was bored and ready to go home. Definitely not DJs I would travel just to see. But for 10 quid to see both Marco V and Mauro Picotto, it was a deal I couldn't resist. Can't say I liked Seb Fontaine much either. Very samey throughout the night.

More interesting to talk about pick-up efforts on the night :) I find it odd that in a crowded doof doof club, a guy comes up to me and asks, "Do you want to dance?". I'm like, "Eh? No". Who dances with someone at a doof doof club? I know this sounds weird, but most of the time, people face the DJ rather than each other when dancing. Truth be told, I think he only asked me cause I had a good spot, and he wanted me to move to the dancefloor so he could take it :P

It's usually hard to distinguish the genuinely happy people, from the genuinely drunk people, from the genuinely wasted people at clubs. Friday night was a breeze. Those hyper orientals with the glowstix posing for photos - happy. That topless guy with the viking hat - drunk. The girl doing the sexy dancing and hair flicking with an inanimate object for ages - wasted.

Moving on.

So, what is the Duck Challenge? After a year of wondering if Four Seasons really has the best roast duck, we decided to confirm it by pitting it against ducks from three other other restaurants. Challengers were Gold Mine, Magic Wok and Tai Ka Lok.

D, the Duck Master:

Being the only person in the household that doesn't care anything about duck besides eating it, D was designated the Duck Master - the One Who Knows Which Duck Is Which. D was responsible for creating 20 bite sized morsels of each duck and keeping each duck anonymous.

9 of us judged the ducks in two categories.
- Best duck flavour:
1. Magic Wok
2. Four Seasons
3. Gold Mine
4. Tai Ka Lok

- Best duck with sauce:
1. Four Seasons
2. Magic Wok
3. Gold Mine
4. Tai Ka Lok

Before and After:

Results are a bit skewed though. Something about Magic Wok's duck being pre-sauced. There were also a few convinced that Gold Mine had the best sauceless duck. So there you go, Rondoners. The secret's to get the duck from Magic Wok, and the sauce from Four Seasons!

A note on Tai Ka Lok's duck. It's the crappiest duck I've ever tasted in Rondon. The only reason it was in the competition, is because the restaurant has a sign outside saying it had hired a barbeque roast master from China called Mr Tham, and had the best duck in Rondon. HAH. I should've known never to trust anyone called anything other than Sifu to be master... "Mr" Tham. HAH.

It's begun

I've started to calorie count :( I find myself staring at nutritional info on packaging and trying to work out how many calories I'm going to eat. I've even started avoiding carbs in the evening. Almost everynight is chicken soup night. Do you know how depressing that is for someone who loves food so much? After seeing this tonight, I craaaave french fries. After reading this, I craaaave chicken nuggets. It's also not easy when the entire household eats profiteroles for dessert and I have to resist! It's TORTURE when your flatmate forgets you're not eating sweet stuff, and walks into your room to offer you a plump, creamy leftover profiterole! Are you INSANE, B?!? Speaking of plump and creamy... Beard Papa... Mmmm...

Truth is, I'm not sure if all this exercise and careful eating has made a difference. I'm just worried about fitting into the bridesmaid dress :P The only thing I've noticed, is that my b00bies are shrinking :( Dang it.

You know what I dread hearing at the gym? The instructor shouting, "DOUBLE TIME!" and "HOLD IT IN! ABS ABS ABS!" Stupid pot belly. Just go away and I'd be happy.

Before I forget

Happy Steak & BJ Day, Boyz :P

Dinner conversation

There's a certain theme that runs through my conversations with new acquaintances these days:
- Living in Rondon
- Travelling
- Relationships
- Sex
Bare in mind, the "new acquaintances" I'm meeting, are mostly Aussies. At a recent dinner party of 15 people, I met 12 Aussies, and 2 Kiwis. What's the point eh?

The conversation always starts off with:
- How long have you been in Rondon?
- How long do you plan to stay?
- Where have you travelled to?

Same 'ole, same 'ole. So to spice up the conversation, I initiate relationship and sex topics:
- How did you meet So-and-so?
- How long have you two been together?
- What's the kinkiest partner you've ever had?
- Golden shower? Really?!? Tell me more!

Yes, I have met a guy who's done the tinkle. Unsurprisingly, he found it really hard to tinkle *grin* I find a lot of people have a lot to say. And they're willing to share. It's just a matter of asking the right questions.

Ohgawd, the entire household is crying, "OMG!"... They're watching episode 18 of Heroes.

Guild Wars

The Beenikster household recently acquired a new house bitch. His name is Warren. This is what he looks like:

L0L!!!!11!!!1! It's Waz's character in Guild Wars. I have to admit, when I saw his character, I questioned Waz's sexuality. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being gay. In fact, if there's a morality issue, I'd be saying spending the majority of your time ignoring your hot gf for Guild Wars is wrong!

Waz, the only raisin you'd be kicking my ass in Guild Wars, is cause I'd be dying of laughter when I saw you *grin* I don't care if this guy only looks like this cause he's got "special armour" on :) Am I suppose to take Man Titties seriously??

Giving up

I have given up my morning M&S Madagascan Vanilla Lakemead yoghurt. It's 270 calories. And B keeps reminding me it's not actually yoghurt, but something more sinister called "whipping cream".

I have given up chocolate. Well, I have today anyway. And mochas are an exception to the rule. Thank gawd the Tim Tams are no longer around.

I have given up candy. That starts today too. I must resist those packets of evil gummies that T has brought back from Frankfurt.

I have become a gym class junkie. That's partially Jen's fault. Having a gym buddy makes it a little less painful. The rest of the blame goes to Ula and Wilco. I must get rid of my pot belly before their wedding! My after work social activities are now sadly Legs Bum Tums, Body Conditioning, Body Pump and Step classes. Ula, Wilco, you might have to sponsor my liposuction if the pot belly is still around when I get back to Sydney *grin* 22 more days...

If you're visiting us, please stop buying candy or chocolate as a gift. It's not helping my pot belly banishment regime...

24

In 24 hours, Jack Bauer "stops bombs, viruses, assassination attempts, and usually saves someone he cares about at the same time".

In 24 hours, B and I flew to Milan; ate pasta; shopped at Prada, D&G, Armani, LV, Gucci, *insert designer name here*; ate more pasta and flew back to Rondon. In fact, we did it all in 23 hours. Take that Jack Bauer.

Milan is Designer City. This is the city where Armani isn't just a shop, it's a department store! It has a Nobu bar/restaurant. It has a homeware floor (I can afford a small bowl). It has multiple levels. This is the city where I can walk into Prada and D&G and *touch* leather bags with no price tags, and not get dirty glares from shop assistants. Wooo, I also tried on every different type of GIANT SUNNIES I could find :) That's as much as I could afford to do. Others though, walked out of shops with giant designer shopping bags. Where on earth do these people get the money to buy these things?!? And why, if they have the money, are they buying clothing items that cost as much as feeding a family for a month?!? And why why why, don't I have friends who have this sort of money? :)

Here's what EU$4000 shoes look like:

Here's the scary gnome shop:

I really should've taken more photos of designer shops, but... it's just not me.