Sheffield

Our final day in the north was spent making our way back to London, along with the rest of the UK.  The roads were jam packed and naughty drivers were *tsk tsk* speeding in the emergency lane.

We stopped through Sheffield for lunch and had a bit of a looksie around. 

 I don't get the whole big ferris wheel in cities thing.  London Eye probably being one of the better ones, I still don't think it's anything special! 

 Hedge man with a bucket?

After having a walk around town, Smee and I decided that Sheffield wasn't errr that great and headed back to London! Hahahaha

York

The charming little city of York was the agenda for today and I was sure looking forward to it.  Not just because of it's cobbled streets, medieval walls and ruins but also ...... I was going to ride the Hogwarts Express! 

While browsing for 'things to do' in York I stumbled across the National Railway Museum (pretty cool in itself) and saw that they housed one of the trains used in the HP movies.   At £1 for (an adult) ride, I safely stashed away some pocket money just for this special day :P

Here I am ready to board the Hogwarts Express!  Amongst the 4 and 5 year olds, I was the biggest kid in the queue.

Did I mention that this was the Hogwarts Express?

Good-bye Muggles!  I'm off to learn magic with Hermione, Harry and Ron for the term!

I'll buy a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, thanks.

The ride lasted a whole... I dunno ... 60 seconds?  The train went forwards and backwards on the same railway track.  Biggest rort ever!  (Or if you are a HP fan, money well spent.) Unfortunately we didn't have much time to explore the rest of the museum which displays include the Japanese Bullet Train, Thomas the Tank Engine shop and other train-y stuff. 

We made our to the centre of York and drove in circles searching for a car park.  We knew we were in the depths of Ye Olden Days when we passed the below store:

Ye Mediaeval Adult Shop!  Yes, even those living the Middle Ages needed certain services.

We checked out the town and admired some ruins. 

Here I am, admiring away at the remnants of ... most likely a church.

Looking for shambolic action, we headed down Shambles.  Read the wiki entry for the interesting nerd details about the origin of the name.

The buildings looked like they were going to collapse on themselves and into each other.  If only all these tourists weren't around me, I would've thought I had gone back in time!

The gothic cathedral York Minster.  Kinda like Westminster Abbey in London I guess.

Clifford's Tower... a tower in the middle of the city.  Cool.

Afterwards, Smee and I decided to walk along the city walls.

All Smee needs is his chain mail and he'd be set to defend York from all those invaders.

Me and my (very fake) arrow. 

Another one of the entrances to the city walls.

York was quite the sweet, little city and if we had time I would've liked to have some afternoon tea and munched on some cakey at Betty's Tea Room.  They had elderflower cake available - yum! Oh well.  I'll just have to cake up elsewhere!

Harrogate

Smee and I have lived in London for nearly three years and in that time, we have shamefully done very little in terms of exploring beyond the limits of the tube.  Cut me some slack - there's heaps to do on the Continent, alright?!

For this Bank Holiday we decided on a driving trip up north to explore Leeds, York and the smaller towns/cities.   The drive is actually slower than taking a train (3.5 hours compared to just 2) but we wanted the convenience of being able to drive between towns rather than rely on public transport.  We based ourselves in Leeds not for any particular reason apart from the hotel being decent and central.  After checking in, we drove to the nearby spa town of Harrogate.  The weather wasn't on our side (this is the height of Summer, dammit!) but admidst the drizzle you could see that it quite a quaint little town.  The UK is pretty cool like that, with neighbouring towns usually only a 30 minute drive from each other.  The British really don't have a concept of 'far'!

We found the Royal Baths and had pack inappropriately so didn't have a session, but we were surprised to find that a major section of it was a Chinese restarant!

It seemed to be market day and of all things, we encountered several German sausage stalls (complete with real Germans!)

Whatever sausage you want, however you want it, they got it here.

In the sea of red sausages stands a German in a red polo.

Unfortunately the rain really did begin to pelt down so we headed back to Leeds for an early night in. 

I ♥ my hair!

So yeah, I did feel somewhat more masculine after going from the glamazon to the chop. But now, after looking at my mop in the mirror while washing my hands post pee-pee, I realised...... I LOVE MY HAIRCUT!

Maybe it's just the way it's sitting right now. Considering that I didn't blow dry it last night, I just woke up with it the way it is and didn't bother to run a comb through it.... it's still sitting 'just right' today.  The cut has settled in to it's new home (my head) and is the right amount of 'short' which is manageable yet feminine.  My fringe isn't too short and it looks like it has even a bit of volume in it.  The longer layers flick out at the bottom (usually one flicks in and one flicks out uuugggh) and the shorter layers are flicking in.  Yay! 

Wow... what a vacuous blog post. Sometimes a girl just needs to indulge in these kinds of revelations.

Baoey's Baby Shower

Well our dear Baoey has finally fulfilled her long life dream of being an incubator for human life. Yep, she's preggers.  Of course all this means to us non-pregnant folk is 'Baby Shower!'.  Hats off to Lil Miss J for organising everything and providing all the goodies for the day.  She and I did immensely enjoy watching watching America's Best Dance Crew while cutting out silhouettes of dummies, bibs, nappies and bottles.

Lunch was planned at Cafe Cibo in Mamas and Papas, seriously one of the nicest maternity and baby stores I've been in.  They have the coolest, most fashionable yummy mummy maternity clothes! The baby wear and toys aren't bad either.

We set up our table with all the goodies ready for the fellow potential incubators to enjoy.  The Cafe Cibo staff were thoughtful enough to also decorate our table with star confetti :D

The baby shower gifts, all ready for unwrapping.  Our shower goodies including cuticle softener, moisturisers and jelly lollies in a baby bottle of course!

Our session at the cafe included an afternoon tea complete with fruit skewers, mini cakes and other tidbits.

Mmmm... yummy.  I didn't have lunch but after eating all of this heavy food, I was pretty damn full. 

We also had some baby shower games planned, the first being 'Guess the size of Bao's bump'.  We each used a piece of string and estimated the circumference of the bump in question.  Then each had to perform a baby-related charade.  Fun!  Good that hardly anyone else was in the cafe too.

The next bit of fun involved 'the bump'..... yes a fake baby bump.  It is especially helpful for women buying maternity clothes but who aren't showing yet.  Wow, this store thinks of everything!

Unfortunately for me, the constraints of my dress didn't allow for the fake baby bump to advance very far up my abdomen and as result, the bump sat squarely on my crotch.  I only realised that now ummm and ummm I must apologise to J for wearing the bump after me!  The 'baby' looked much more like an out-of-control tumour on me.

Leesh and J doing a much better job with the bump.  Leesh with the horizontal stripes - good job!

More games ensued, one involving identifying the contents of 'dirty' nappies *thumbs up* and sampling baby food.  They do come up with the weirdest concoctions for food - vegetable lasagna?!

A fun afternoon out with all the girlies!  All the best to Baoey for the new bebe!

So much for giving up Pirates...

A week on from getting frustrated at how Pirates has taken over my life mmmmm.... I am still playing Pirates...mmmmm.

I had vowed to Moo that I would stop!  But no, I haven't.  I figure this game is self-limiting given that any advancement involves increasing my crew size.... and I'm not quite ready to add people willy-nilly just to do that.  I shall play until I can advance no more!

Sad.  So sad.

The Time Traveler's Wife - Movie

Aaah so yes, I managed to finish the book in time for the release date of The Time Traveler's Wife movie.  I had no idea that a movie was being made so when I saw the poster with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana I immediately wanted to watch it.  Not that I am huge fans of either actors (Poida!) but I give 'em respect. 

Given that I have read the book, I'm not in a position to say whether the movie was confusing or not.  Lil Miss J and I watched the movie anticipating certain events whereas Mr. L ... well, we weren't sure if Mr. L found it confusing.  He told us afterwards that he didn't find it confusing but then again, he is quite the smart cookie. 

I'm one of those people who hates it when movies based on a books completely alter the plot or destroy what made the book a success in the first place.  Although that being said, some books just don't translate well to the big screen - by which, Hollywood should just leave it alone! 

I'm not a fan of mushy, stupid chick flicks either.  Sometimes I want the guy to just dump that dumbass biatch and move on!  But this movie was well, it was always going to be different as I can't recall any other similar story.  Anyway, I was quite content with the movie interpretation and it stayed quite faithful to the book.  Of course there were some omissions and differences but I didn't feel that it affected the story enough to bother me. Lil Miss J had some mixed feelings but I don't think she hated it.  (Lil Miss J, feel free to clarify).

Of the notable omissions was the sexual tension that had plagued Gomez and Clare after their dalliance in uni.  Actually it was more unrequited love from Gomez's end.  Admittedly I was quite glad that particular saga wasn't included because I thought it was somewhat unnecessary.

The other major omission was Mrs. Kim.  She doesn't exist in the movie!!  Where is my Azn Reprezentations?! [*side rant* Ugh, I hate that horrible, fake ghetto, azn pryde slang.  What's with putting a 'y' in to spell 'pride'?  Most of you guys live in affluent areas!]  But I guess when it comes down it to, Mrs. Kim wasn't essential to the central plot.

Of the differences between the movie and book, I felt that Clare's hair wasn't red enough - it was more a dark, rusty brown in the movie.  It's a personal opinion, but on a side matter I think Rachel McAdams looks better as a blonde while as a brunette looks washed out and anaemic.  Henry and Clare's daughter Alba is blonde when instead she should have Henry's pigmented features.  Where does the blonde come from?  I'll put it down to their recessive genes. 

How Alba was conceived changed from Clare having intercourse with a younger Henry while the 'current' Henry slept beside her to just plain 'doing it' in the car with a younger Henry.  I was waiting for that scene - Cool! Fornicating with your partner while another version of your partner lies next to you!  It's like a safe version of being slutty! - but it didn't turn out as the book described.  Not a terrible disappointment but I think it would've made for some light laughs.

Finally, the ending of the movie closes with Henry and Clare still fairly young and not with Clare as an aged woman who had waited for Henry since his passing in mid-life.  Lil Miss J had waited and waited for that ending (she "loved that Clare was an old lady") but I actually didn't quite mind how the movie played it out.  It was kinda bittersweet. 

I could watch this again, (not over and over again, just 'again') but only because I did quite like reading the book. In a way, I'm glad I don't LOVE the book or else my fixed ideals would have ruined my enjoyment of the movie.  For anyone who hasn't read the book, they might think the movie dragged a bit.  Despite the not so rave reviews from the movie critics, I thought it to be a good effort!

Chocolate

I forgot to post up photos of these LURRRVELY chocolates we bought in Krakow.  Ok, so one of them is actually Belgian but hey, Smee and I bought them in Krakow orrite? 

This is just blatant promotion which the chocolatiers should thank me for.  To the right there I've posted a pic of the Dolphin Dark Chocolate with Earl Grey tea leaves.  It might sound odd but it was actually very, very, VERY smooth and fragrant.  I wonder where I can buy this in London?  I haven't found it in Waitrose.  Might have to try Selfridges or Harrods but I'm too lazy.



Here is Krakow's own Kredens brand. Bison Grass milk chocolate!  I'm a big fan of Bison Grass (I ♥ Zubrowka) so of course I grabbed this off the shelf and shuffled off to the counter.  The verdict?  It probably helps that the chocolate itself was smooth *sigh* (Europeans do chocolate properly) and the grass just added that extra lovely aroma.  It was like eating a chocolate infused Tatanka aka Frisky Bison.  Yum!!

Killing the Pirate

I'm going to frigging stop playing Pirates!!! Argh!

It is just killing too much of my time and is seriously affecting my work. Having to worry about your treasure and energy refills when I should be working... it's not good.  Secretly logging in during work hours... not good either.

Stupid, Addictive Pirate Game!

So Female Lymbo sends me a link to join her pirate crew on FB. I hate these kinds of requests because they're usually just useless, annoying applications. Mafia Wars, online Poker - go away!  Pirates is really no different.  I accepted anyway because 1. she needed to expand her crew, 2. she was bored and 3. she wouldn't normally send these types of requests so it must be something worthwhile.

I started 'playing' this game not knowing wtf I was doing.  I was clicking a few buttons here, doing a few pirate missions I guess, feeding my pirate pet whom I christened Harpie Ol' Baton (a seal pup with a wooden fin!  Kyoot!)  Two days on, I still didn't know wtf I was doing.  There aren't any moving graphics!!!  I was moving up in levels so I was doing something right.  It finally dawned on me that all this logging in and out of FB just to 'figure out' Pirates meant that I was addicted.  It sucked me in without me being aware!!  F*&^**%^*%^*

The worst part is that I'm now sneakily logging in while I'm at work so I can fight more pirates, bury my gold, feed my seal pup, acquire more property and build stuff on my island.  I don't have enough time as it is and it's eating into all the spare time that I have!

Admittedly, I do also find myself thinking in *pirate talk* when playing and have even let slip some pirate mutterings under my breath.  *Arrgh, thar she goes!  Burying me treasures arrr arrr*  Sad.  I need to stop this.

Book Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife has been on my to-read list for a some time now.  Knitting, blogging and not having 'dead time' meant that it's been a while since I've committed myself to a good read.  The catalyst for me to begin the book was seeing the movie promotion poster on a bus and the release date.  I decided "Dammit!! I have to read the book before I can watch the movie!" 

From the first page in, I understood why the book was a bestseller.  Audrey Niffenegger writes fluidly and the style makes for addictive reading.  The short-ish segments makes it easy for readers who are constantly interrupted by things or people (Hi Smee!) or who can only devote thin slices of their day to reading.

It is essentially a love story with a twist, centred around Henry and Clare.  Each has their turn in first person recalling the ins and outs of the events.   Henry suffers from a genetic disorder which allows him to travel through time albeit uncontrollably.   As the summary goes: - Clare first meets Henry as a 6 year old girl.  Their timelines intersect when Henry (in his own chronological timeline) first meets Clare as a 28 year old man.  The story continues through their adulthood with the typical milestones of marriage, buying a house, conceiving a child and of course, death.  The book could have turned out to be a literary mess but Niffenegger copes with well to ensure the audience remains on track.
 
I was a bit worried that this would be light, fluffy chick lit (ugh) and that it would disgust me (hello Maggie Alderson) but it proved to be quite the page turner.  It is most definitely not a literary breakthrough but rather just an easy read with enough emotional depth to stop it from being airy-fairy.

I couldn't help but read this book without critiquing it.  My main gripe is that it is 'too tragic'.  It was tragic for the sake of being tragic.  Not just your everyday 'tragedy' either.  I mean, Clare's mother HAD to have bipolar disorder.  Henry's mother HAD to die in a car accident.  Not just any old car accident, she HAD to be decapitated in the accident.  Henry didn't just have frostbite on one foot, he HAD to lose both feet.  But I guess, if it wasn't tragic, then there would be no story to tell.  He time travels and they live happily ever after?  Pffffffttttt.... please - the book would have never been published!

The other thing that bothered me slightly was the subliminal pretentiousness, artsy fartsy-ness in the  lead and supporting characters.  It's hard for me to elucidate but there was some kind of 'air' about some of them. It probably didn't help that I read the bio about the author who 'dyed her hair Clare-red to say goodbye to the novel'.  I'm sorry, I dunno why but that quote made my eyes roll.  But hey, again, it's a book, they can be as artsy-fartsy they want, have jobs which in real life pay peanuts (Henry - librarian, Clare - artist) and yep, they'll still be successful.  Oh wait, Henry bought their house by winning the lottery after obtaining the correctly drawn numbers. 

I can see why some people would just hate this book if you can't get past the affected characters and I can agree with parts of the negative reviews.  However, I still stand by that she writes well and that it is engaging.  It's not strenuous on the brain but not fluffy like a marshmallow either.  Some of the negative reviews mention that it is difficult to follow.  Errrr... I (along with the majority) didn't find it confusing at all and I actually think that kind of comment reflects more about the reader (you dumbass) than the author.

Most importantly - yay! - I've finished in time to see the movie! 

Quality of Content: 3.5 - 4
Readability: 4
Would I recommend this book: Yes
To who: Mainly women, especially those who don't enjoy chick lit but prefer something with a bit more depth but not too 'heavy'.

Shopping stuff...

After the haircut I thought I'd make the most of being in Covent Garden and headed to one of my favourite London stores, Cath Kidston. Her designs are not everyone's cup of tea but her kitschy, bordering on daggy, grandma-esque prints just win me over.  Well I also had to fulfil Spuey's request to buy a Tube Map beach towel but hey, Cath Kidston was only a slight detour.

The point of this blog is just to show off the BARGAIN I got.  A bucket bag for £26 - cheap!  When I first saw the price tag, I thought it was a mistake.  These bags usually retail for £40.  It had no 'sale' tag on it and I couldn't see anything defective with the bag so of course I took it to the counter to pay my dues to Ms. Kidston.  Hmm I think I might use it a few times and then give to Mummy. Hehehe...

The Big Chop

I've been so, so, SO sick of my hair for the past few months.  It's length was annoying me and I'm leaving a hair trail everywhere I go.  Also, I walk to work everyday and it's not particularly pleasant to arrive with wind-knotted hair.  Smee's been pretty good at pulling apart the knots which form on a seemingly daily basis.  With no events coming up requiring me to keep my hair long (bridesmaid duties over) I decided I was due for a big chop.  

I booked an appointment with Ticro, the only hairdressers I've been to in London.  Some people don't like how the stylists have a tendency to cut a lot of layers into your hair but I've never had a bad haircut from them.  I requested Yuki who has cut my hair on two previous occasions.  Her English isn't too bad, she understands what you ask for and she's quite sweet.  Her own haircut with the extreme short fringe is a bit suspect. 

I searched around on the net and found Beauty Box, a super-useful Japanese hair cut website.  After awhile all the photographs start looking a bit similar and more or less a variation of the basic fringe and layers.  I settled on this haircut and with the notes in Japanese, I figured it would be a win-win situation because Yuki would actually understand it.

There is nothing special about this cut.  The more I looked at it the more I realised this was the same cut I had in 1998 and again in 2004.  My hair is very fine and I know it would never look like the above unless I blow-dry the shit out of it.  But I think I was drawn to the cut because the model is pretty hehehe.  (Although Moo thinks she looks vacant.)  Too bad face transplants are not included in the salon service.

So here are the before and after shots:

Gone is the glamazon hair!  I have to admit I did feel less 'girly' (maybe more pathetically so, 'less pretty') after walking out of the salon.  I think I look older, but I've been told I look younger.  But the sure thing is, it does look just like me circa 2004 and circa 1998.  Sure, I don't look anything like the photo (who seriously expects to look anything like the hair model?) but I could tell that Yuki did her job well and cut the style I requested.  I'm far from loving the less-girly feeling I'm experiencing (I'm sure that is a just a passing phase) but I do love the light-weightedness of  losing the scraggly locks. 

Out of curiosity, I used Google Translate to interpret the Japanese instructions and this is what I got:

Air Perm 
Are the latest permanent longing for the kindness that everyone have a nice texture

Length - Medium

Cut - Transformed into a nice dry cutting heavy 

Colour - Soft color memorandum Me

Perm - The larger bristles to get permanent curls bouncing in the natural body like a soft one Carl Deru 

Set - BIG easy Doraihandodora roughly nuances of wax they finish the natural curl

Point - A-line silhouette

Ok, so a lot of the above is just gibbly-dook but the one thing I gleamed from above was AIR PERM.  (Here is someone's experience in English.)  I think it's just the same thing as a digital perm, though not terribly sure.  Well of course my hair will never look like the model's unless I get a perm!  I re-analysed the picture of the model and concluded that yep, her hair does look kinda fine, much like my own!  Well, I cbb getting a perm (for now) so I'll just leave my tresses as they are.