Snow

The weather lately is very much like the weather when the seasons change from winter to spring. Last week it snowed and I thought I'd share these photos taken from our balcony before it turned to sludge and the kids were still asleep.



Pretty stuff, isn't it? xxw

January

Its been a while since I've last written a post beause in truth I'm struggling seeing this month through as it is. Everyone knows that January is the longest month in the year and quite frankly I've had enough of it. The weather is erratic, the work load three-folds, you and everyone else is desperately trying to shift that holiday weight you've all gained so the gym where you used to go to work off the steam from sitting at your desk is crammed and you can't help but think you're breathing in all the mince pies and gravy in the air that everyone's over-consumed and you can't stand going shopping as the whole of the high street and beyond looks like a bad car boot sale with even respectible shops flagging their lime green knobbly jumpers at slashed prices.

I generally don't like starting things in January but this time I made an exception and applied for a job. I'm only there two days a week and so far nothing major has happened and I'm very much the newbie. Still, the girls are very welcoming and there is no cattyness despite the workplace being made up of entirely women staff. In my experience, and not saying that its all that much experience but my own nonetheless, I've found women in the workplace to get along better than their male co-wokers. Perhaps its the profession but in many cases, the men come along with disproportionately large egos and so the eternal jostle for the alpha-male role begins.
Still, my time there is still at the beginning stages and I'm hoping to settle quickly. It helps a lot that most of the ladies are originally from the West Indies or have family there, and that the parallells between our cultures are astonishing. From that blue stuff you used to add to your school whites to keep them bright to being voodoo-ed or vexed at weddings.

Ah well, just a few more days to go. February, you can't come soon enough. xxw

Go Go Disco!

image: American Apparel

Looks like we might be going to the Rollerdisco this weekend! might just be able to recycle that hideous dress then? Orrrrr.. make Madonnaesque leaps and bounds towards American Apparel. yum! xxw

Floral Frocks, Bling and SWAN*

Classy Shoes!

(*SWAN-Sunnies Worn At Night)

Okay, I'm no beacon of good taste, but I like to think that I can figure out whats generally of 'good taste' and whats not. Turning up to party dressed as Hitler - bad taste. Kicking kittens at RSPCA meeting - bad taste. Coming to a wedding dressed in white - bad taste. Its not so hard. Finding perfectly bad outfit for party. Tricky.

Ensemble:
1. Fake Versace tortoise-shell glasses with gold lion heads
2. Hoop earrings complete with gold chain-link necklace
3. One shoulder shimmery silver tiger print with batwing sleeve mini dress.
4. Fishnets
5. Lace up black PVC strappy heels
6. Bra stap showing
7. Tags still on above items

So after huge detour enroute to the party we finally got there either fashionably late or just late - in which case would be totally inkeeping with the theme for the party. Anyhow, I shall let the pictures do the talking:

Kyle and Ashleigh. Both pretending to look miserable in their bad outfits but secretly loving it!

Ash, Mary and Me looking like we had just stepped out of bad holiday camp. Note Mary's dress was fab - backless and pinned at the bottom.

Kyle, Mary and Me with the scarey eyes.

Oh the carnage. Elaria there on the right with the red trainers and dress works for LK Bennet which made her outfit just that little bit funnier - esp when she told us that the dress was the new uniform for them.

The scarey thing is? I'm growing attached to these sunnies. xxw

Hair horror and just how much of home we bring away.

10.00am came online to check my emails before heading off and found this missus online! And she's back in owr wee toon. Excitedly I gush to her that I'm on the way to get my hair cut. And I've treated myself to an appointment at Essensuals in Camden. Found the last place I tried in Camden a little odd to say the least and thought, hey, they're having some january offer, why not?

11.34am on the phone to Kyle on the verge of tears as goth hairdresser hacked at magic hair to produce Ugly Betty lookalikey. Should have remembered from last experience at Toni&Guy in Nottingham and vowed (for a second time) never to set foot in the place again. Bloody overpriced scissor toting maniacs.

My task for the moment is damage control. *click* google *search* hair growing pills. no? *newsearch* ebay - wigs.

Then again, I'm not really one to be lucky with hair cuts.. Every now and again I find a brilliant hair dresser, only to move city and wish I could have taken them with me. I suppose its one of those things. Move into new house, find closest corner shop/supermarket/indian takeaway/bus to indian takeaway/hairdresser. Nottingham was a toughie, especially with the good indian takeaway a 10 minute drive out of the city, and only finding a hairdresser with curly hair himself in my last year.

If I could change one thing in this world today it would be: to have compulsory modules in hairdressing schools on how to cut and finish curly hair.

I know, big goals for this one.

Oh and I have to say brilliant, brilliant post by Emma on 2006's Movers and Shakers! Wish I was there for the photo shoot. Emma writes:

Even when we're abroad, permanently or temporarily living there because of life, work or school, we are Bruneians at heart.

So, I look around the room and see our newly acquired gold framed mirror (that, I'm not afraid to say I love), ethnic paraphernalia, rattan furniture (ack, its not exactly rattan, its paper, but it has the same aesthetic, see?) and my prized little mini tudong dulang. Even at Kyle's mum's house are little Brunei-isms that have, grown since I've been around. Like the silver fruit - is it a Mangosteen(sp?)? Why yes! Just a few more years, I'm sure they will be off to buy a rice cooker as I have proven useless armed with a regular pot. A regular pot, to cook rice? Good gracious. How absurd. hahaha.. It is when you find yourself up to the elbows trying to scrape off the last of the burnt rice from the bottom before the grown-ups get home!



Ahh, its all about the little give and take. He takes his shoes off at the door, I put the milk in without sugar. xxw

Bad Taste Party

Oh what a week ahead. Its Sunday night and I'm still writing but the end is neigh as our hand-ins are on Friday. Patience child. All in due course. Patience shmatience.

So, as Ashleigh flies home from NYC and K and I are free for a couple days since before the break we're taking her out on Friday as a belated Xmas/New Years do along with a couple of friends who couldn't come out on New Years. We didn't know the words to Auld Lang Syme on the night, and we're still not going to know them so que the na-na-nas please!

To add to my weekend of extravagence is Mary's party. Going out, two nights on a weekend! I know! Such behaviour. Oh well, savour the moments I say, or, rather the time to savour the moments because it will all come right back on Monday to bite our little hienies back into full gear. SO! Mary's is a 'bad taste' party and I'm trying to get some ideas. These were my thoughts so far..

Image from www.bbc.co.uk/

Do a Vicky Pollard? Oh if only I had those blue Kappa tracksuit bottoms from 1998...

imageshack.us

Or A Coleen?

imageshack.us

WAG attire: que strappy heels, hair extensions, orangu-tan, hideous dress and mega shades! Easy peasy.

Or shall we take it up a notch?

http://www.rocawear.com

I'd have to find something much worse than this of course. Some fake gucci print would be brilliant! I'm thinking fuscia with some crushed velvet track bottoms. Oh Chav/WAG-tastic!

Saw some fluro (80s fluro, baby) leggings in Camden the other day.. We're not talking those regular leggings off the high street, we're talking giraffe-print/moschino circa love peace and happiness print. Sounds a little too easy, if a little borderline cool.. so might scrap that idea.

For Kyle I'm thinking the bright blue shell suit will do nicely. Complete with socks over trouser bottoms. Perhaps we should go as what Victoria and David would have been if neither of them were famous to begin with? xxw p.s I'm not going as a brussel sprout.

Three Changes (live) - The Good The Bad And The Queen

Just caught this on telly during my tea break and thought to myself. Good God woman, there is no way you are not posting this! Damon Albarn looks decidedly older with a matching, more mature band. What brilliance one man can bring. Look for the other vids from the band if only for their hat wearing antics. xxw

2007

A brand spanking whole new year. Brilliant! Whatever will they think of next?

Christmas was as usual with plenty of food and telly and to my horror found it just a little difficult to get into the dress I had bought pre-xmas gorgefest for new years. Therefore, I shall not be including photos of the night which we celebrated with a couple of friends round our house with a spot-on firework show from the neighbours seen from our balcony. Well, I might do later on.. I shall have to sift through the photos and find a couple good ones. But for now, I'm off to catch up on work!

Christas pressie from Kyle's dad

'Happy Holidays !!'

New Years round ours. xxw