Heels? Flip Flops? Try...Life in Fluffy Socks and Fluffy Slippers!

The hottest feet in London these days...

I am so unsexy right now. Trudging around the house in sweats and layers of clothing, despite the heater being on because guess who's back? Fiery Fever! Woot woot! What a way to roll out of 2010, eh? And fluffy socks are part of any sick diva's armoury - I have them in pink, purple, black with sparklies, yellow. But who can match when you just want to lie in bed under the blankie all day?

But who can lie under the blankie all day when one has to read what has the most boring load of roasting hot turd ever conceptualised by idle homosapiens? Oh my God. Who cares about questionnaires and multivariate methods and sampling? It is so tedious. I think it is exacerbating my illness quite frankly!!!

I am not getting better it seems. I felt better yesterday but woke up this morning and  today I felt 100 times worse and I am now contemplating going to a GP but I am too scared to leave the house and go out into the cold. lol.

Looking forward to this...

Home, sweet home

You know I went to Tesco and saw Carib beer priced at £1.62 - and after doing the math quickly in my head, yuh know I left that right there, especially since the exported Carib is watered down for foreign palates and tastes like mess. But boy, was it a joy to behold nonetheless. Now if I saw me some Crix...well, that is another matter altogether!

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The Great London Thaw

Well, first let me show off my award. I love awards.

Thank you, Facing50WithHumour. I enjoy reading your blog because it is hilarious, real and full of fun. I need that every day. As for bestowing the award, that's always a bit harder because mostly my non-blogging friends read this blog and not too many other bloggers. :-( But if I can give it back to you, in thanks for being a regular, and one I adore, then I will.

Secondly, today was, surprisingly...

...despite the closure of the District Line, which meant I had to take a series of buses and trains instead to get to Dagenham. But I got there without any major disruption which takes me to my next point.

Thirdly, I now have clipped ends and spunk back in my locks. Money well spent from the unemployed student's coffers. Another week could not have gone by with my hair in such a state. My motto in life is, you may be poor, but you can still be fabulous, and hell...hell, if I was going to look like some heathen in December of all months. If I have to eat Sainsbury's crackers for the rest of the month to make up for it, I will but I don't have to be nervous if the wind blows my hat off anymore. Yaaay.

But...as soon as I walked out of the salon, it began raining. Really, England? Really???

Getting back to my part of London, I went to Sainsbury's, got a heap of vegetables, some pasta for the pasta drawer (of course!), some garlic bread, some apple doughnuts (for the sweet tooth), some pork chops (for my inner Nigella), some chicken breasts and a bottle of wine (for my inner lush), and yet I came home and felt an intense craving for corned beef. Corned beef. Something I rarely eat but when I crave it, I enjoy it immensely. Luckily, my cousin always buys stuff, never uses any of it, and I am the expiration date stalker. And there was a tin of far from expiration date corned beef in the cupboard, and I added some onions, corn, tomatoes and sweet peppers to it and put some garlic bread in the oven to get warm, golden brown and crispy. Queen Elizabeth never had a better lunch/dinner!!!

There were a lot of *drip drip* sounds across London as the snow and ice melted and a lot of *thud thud* as cakes of ice fell off windscreens and windowsills. God answered my prayer and gave me excellent Saturday weather and I shudder just typing that because this is by no means excellent by tropical standards, but trains were running, buses were not skating off the roads, and salons were open, so yes...it was EXCELLENT weather today. So next up, Friday and Saturday climate excellence. I will not be greedy and ask for the entire week but I have places to be on both days and I would appreciate if it were not snowing or raining. I never thought I would say this but I can tolerate the cold. I cannot tolerate, however, precipitation of any kind so please...

And in winter fashion updates, female hamsters really amaze me. Here it is, I am dying to get me a pair of sexy high heeled boots but with my rational mind I know these would not work for long walks on the icy pavements, not to mention walking in London in general. I have felt my boot on the edge of many a skid in the past week, witnessed many a fall yesterday, including one gentleman who just sat on the ice and started laughing hysterically - and all in flat, practical snow boots. Why on earth then are the female hamsters in boots that look like these?

I am really beginning to question the character of some of these women. I love looking good but at the expense of my limbs? At the expense of my safety? At the expense of my pride? I say a silent prayer with every foot fall on the ice on my walk home and pray to God I don't go flying down the pavement with a thud. Yet these hamsters are clippity clipping  and treading carefully in non-skid-proof platform and stiletto-heeled boots and shoes. I am really concerned. But then maybe they are more skilled in navigating the ice than I am.

Maybe. I pray that none of them fall in my presence because I am not sure I would be able to stifle the laughter.

Finally, I really hate the garbage bag jackets. You know...the shiny jackets that look like an inflated garbage bag. And worse, they're quilted. The ones like these...

The really scary part is when larger women wear them. I am not a matchstick myself and I will NEVER wear a jacket like this. But ladies, in general, this jacket should be worn in maybe a brown or white, but not garbage bag black or blue, and certainly, if you're over a certain size, you really should avoid these jackets because then you look a bit like...well...like this.

The Michelin Man

I am seeing more and more of this jacket around London and I am not sure if they are trendy, expensive or just on sale, but God...please let the madness stop.

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London Paralysed Again

Photo courtesy BBC -
Rail line between London and Brighton under snow.

I had decided yesterday after freezing my booty off on the platform waiting for my train, that the 9am class today was not worth the trouble and though I don't like missing the 1pm class, I was not going all that way, and through all the trouble of readjusting my journey plans to get a train that actually is running for one class either. Thus I had written off Thursday December 2, 2010 as a home-day. So when I saw the email from school that campus was closed, I felt vindicated. I was also a tad bit alarmed because what if I had decided to put the "S" on my chest and to actually go today? The email came at 7.44am by which time I would have been out in the Tundra already, maybe on my way to campus. I would have been so pissed. But intuition won and the school was spared a torching and I am a bright YELLOW today. The public transportation system has been under serious pressure and God, I can only imagine the chaos today.

It's really cold outside though and I envy noone out there today. I am working on assignments today, though I am more inclined to get back under my blanket and sleep. It's really a challenge to study and be productive when the view from the front door looks like this...

The view from my window is pretty cool, but snow is only beautiful when you're not outside in it.

My main concern now is not the snow and the hundreds and thousands of people stranded somewhere out there, but will this damn snow mess with my salon appointment on Saturday? That's the real crisis! I hope the weather gets better. Dear God, I just want 8 days of okay weather starting on Saturday, so I can get my hair done, get my birthday on and just be a happy bunny. Is that too much to ask? I think it might be, so let's just work on Saturday morning and I can be content with that. I have a great week ahead and great week and great mood has to start with great hair...even if it is under a hat all day.

I am happy I am home to watch the World Cup bid announcement live as well. I am rooting for the Brits on this one. I wonder if all the people out there at the stations are even thinking about it. So sad.

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Winter Fashion Update

So I have created a public transport mood chart since I do not want to harp on the crappy London transportation every day since it is clearly going to be an issue for the rest of the winter. Today had the potential to be a RED alert but I took the bus this evening and it was the first time in living history that I enjoyed the bus ride from the train station to home. I had a seat at the back, near the engine so I was toasty, and I had an Evening Standard with Becks all over it, looking as sexy as ever (he is getting better with age I tell ya). Bliss. So after the horrible morning, where I waited almost an hour for my first train following cancellation after cancellation, and where the day at that point was hot red, it ended on a more subdued orange. The other colours are red, as previously discussed; blue for days when I am just either indifferent or just plain depressed, and yellow for the smurfy, happy days when they get it right. Something to aim for, London transport peeps. I imagine the people who had to sleep on the train to Kent or wherever it was last night, were a boiling red.

Anyway, I manage to surprise myself every time I face the stove. With the chill gripping my bones every evening after school, I decided to make myself another soup this morning before class. And after Sainsbury's not having my pre-cooked chicken breasts last evening, I was left with the task of making a veggie soup instead. I did find some scraps of ham and some mushrooms and I got some potatoes, onions, garlic, scallions, pumpkin, cauliflower, carrots and broccoli. What a wondrous concoction this was. I just had some with some crusty bread and it was pretty damn awesome. Add some orange juice and rum and it was a really warm experience.

And in winter fashion news, I am secretly stalking my neighbour's dog. Not having a dog of my own and missing having one, I listen out for him when he goes out into the backyard to chase foxes. He is a little thing, a Westie, but he is quite fierce in his own mind. Anyway, this weekend, in the deep chill, I saw my lover run out in the cutest little red coat and I actually found a spitting image of what he looked like.

Cute. I really love the doggie winter fashion. I love seeing the dogs in their coats and love that their owners love them enough to keep them nice and warm in this awful weather. And they are really stylin'. I mean, these dogs look better than some people!!

And it's not just the little dogs either. Brutus gets cold too.

It's so fun and sweet and can really put a smile on the face of someone stuck on a train platform for what seems like zonks.

And good luck to England tomorrow in Zurich. It's funny that the Brits are depending on a Trini (FIFA Vice President, Jack Warner - key to the 3 CONCACAF votes) to win their 2018 World Cup bid. Can I then demand perks tomorrow?

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Desperately Craving...

This past week was a really horrendous week.I had a group assignment to complete and it was no fun experience. The assignment is now done (fingers crossed that some bright person does not decide to make more changes at this 11th hour...again) and I am about to get some sleep. I have not slept more than 4 hours a night in about 2 weeks and I do not see the trend changing during this upcoming week, so better get the worm while it's still wriggling.

The weather is also now, in my frame of reference, officially dismal and I may need to start visiting the school pyschologist. There is a heavy mist over the street and my window is all frosty and the heater went on earlier than usual today. I sat and wondered how people could live like this...and more specifically...how do SINGLE people live like this? This phenomenon is intriguing and now directly impacts me since this kinda cold breeze and not even Muffy to come home to is a daunting and terrifying thought. There must be a Rent-a-Man-for-Winter service somewhere and if not, someone needs to start one. Soon.

Coming from an island, the cold temps take some getting...well...used to, because what am I used to? Blue skies and flip flops, and where the coldest it can get is what....a beastly 23 degrees Celsisus? It is most likely 1 degree outside. Am I going to run out and confirm that for you? No.

After spending my entire Saturday sitting in a Starbucks that did not smell like coffee but like your grandma's dusty coat, I somehow managed to keep my dinner date with the girls, despite not feeling well and admitedly, looking worse. The plan was not to spend all my waking hours behind a laptop in a coffee house with this group, but that's what happened so instead of going home to change out of my university hoodie, fat jeans and sneakers into something a bit more appealling, I had to sit in the restaurant like something the cat dragged in from the rain. Needless to say, I did not care because hunger outweighed vanity and I look back now on just how much I ate and shudder. But always nice to be out, no matter what one's physical condition. We went to the new Wahaca - the one in Soho, where I finally...finally...after a week of wanting one so badly I could cry...had...my...burrito.

Just to say though, after a week of craving a carnitas burrito, it was more than salvation to sit and order and then eat this fantastically simple, yet delicious thing last night after a shitty week and an even shittier day. If only I could get some other things that I am craving, the frosty window would not be so depressing.

The point of this pointless entry is that I am tired, burnt out, a bit hungry (lol) and starting to feel myself going into that place - where dark coldness starts to obliterate happy thoughts and where I need a hug and other things of various rating levels, from PG to R. Plus I have not skyped with my mother in about a week and that is never a positive mood builder. My nephew's christening was yesterday and I cannot wait to see the photos. I am missing it all and it's so sad. I am hoping to talk to her soon so I can get on with the whole business of living. If you don't talk to your mother regularly, then you're a terrible person. Mothers are the best!!!

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Luxurious Living

lux·u·ry  [luhk-shuh-ree, luhg-zhuh-]
noun, plural -ries, adjective

–noun

1. a material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity: Gold cufflinks were a luxury not allowed for in his budget.


2. free or habitual indulgence in or enjoyment of comforts and pleasures in addition to those necessary for a reasonable standard of well-being:
 
Luxury. Being able to come home early - no library, no assignment - sit in the recliner, laptop on social networking sites, and not on academic studyspace; tv on Law and Order, for the first time in weeks; dinner on the mind, and a glass of wine on the desk, without any fear of getting too sleepy to work until the wee hours of the morning.
 
Luxury.
 
This will not last. I have assignments around each and every corner for the next couple months, but I am taking two days official down time. I cannot function at a non-stop pace. It is not normal. One needs to take little breaks and enjoy little pleasures like Law and Order, triple chocolate muffins, a couple glasses of pinot grigio, and being able to sleep in past 8 in the morning.
 
Luxury.
 
It's also being able to finally keep your date, which has been postponed every Saturday for the past 3 weeks. Tomorrow, we go out for Indian food. I do not have such a good track record with British curry but he insists this is great stuff and to be fair, British Airways curry cannot be on any "Must Have" UK tourism list. I am excited to actually go out and have a life tomorrow. This is insane.
 
Oh, and the Rum Festival yesterday was a lot of fun. Somewhat disappointing that the rum reps were all British, except for a couple Trinis at the Angostura booth (thank God...my peeps!!) but the rum drinkers were Caribbean though (shocker!) and  it was great fun, not to mention great rum. I sampled a lot of great rums, most of which I had had before, but note to everyone out there - don't do cachaça shots. Cachaça is best when in caipirinhas. I was a bit tipsy at the end of the night but happier - essay was done, life was nice.
 
Not feeling so well today so the luxury is well needed. A bit tired, a bit achey, a bit cold...no...a lot cold. The weather is really doing its worst now. Got a snuggly soft nightdress for the cold evenings, to go with my fluffy slippers and socks. Gonna put some pasta on the stove and enjoy a night of total nothingness. Total bliss.

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Cuppa Coffee, Anyone?

It's been a really long time since I have had to do anything other than watch tv and sleep on a Sunday. I sat down with the best intentions of reading this global marketing text and after the second page I was nodding off. I am probably too old for this school thing or the text books are probably more and more tedious. Also the worst thing one can possibly do is look at just how much you need to read in total. It is a sure way to go crazy. I decided to take a break, make a cup of coffee and waste time online until I felt re-energised.

Ummm...yeah.

The coffee worked a bit, but I really miss my oversized coffee mug and my next purchase outside of fluffier socks and thermal underwear will probably be a cute coffee/soup mug for winter days and nights. I really am in love with the Blue Celtic Ceramic Mug below. It's so me. Feel free to buy it for me as an early birthday/Christmas present.

















I also miss having a warm body in my bed. Out of the gutter, kids. I meant a dog. The neighbour's dog has been barking up a storm since yesterday and is currently out in the backyard looking as cute as a button. I love how his mum calls him in for breakfast every day. Precious. I also ran into him yesterday during his walk and he is so affable and loving and cute. I really miss having a dog and though it definitely will not happen here, with my dog-hating cousin in the house, I want to have a dog again soon. Until then...the warmest thing around here is my laptop, which I should get off if I am to finish reading these 6 chapters.

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Booting Up

It's starting to get a bit nippy in good ole Blighty. My girlfriend and I, during our girlie adventures today, ventured onto Oxford Street as she tried to find a pair of cute boots for the impending winter months. I am a bit worried myself about the winter because though I love shoes, I also hate them at the same time. I am most comfortable in a pair of flip flops or open toed shoes, and in my regular life, I own 2 pairs of closed toe shoes. Now being here, my feet feel imprisoned all the time. I actually walk with a pair of FFs in my bag for some release between train stops because my feet really love being free. Dreadful I tell you. But I do love seeing a nice leg in a nice boot. My classmate has won me over with her assortment of wellies, Uggs and other such bootie fashion. I am officially jealous.














I also miss having a salary to buy such cute accessories like boots and pom pom hats. Sigh.

But I really had a lovely day out today. The hilarious thing about English weather is even with the sun shining, blue skies and fluffy clouds, you still would not dare walk out the door without a scarf, and a coat. It was cold no tail today. The eye candy display was better today than in recent days, and as we snarfed down some Mexican food at Wahaca, I spotted some really fantastic specimens of 2-legged cuteness. I came home to a barbecue - the last for a while - and good friends and a boy, who is enjoying my unique brand of silent treatment. I just don't have the energy right now. I also talked to my dad, and I think I am now satisfied enough and well prepped to spend the rest of the weekend with the books.

And for those who were so amused by yesterday's entry, I think he realised that his attempt at playing games with me backfired, so imagine my mix of disgust and amusement this morning to see a text from Mr Bright and Incredible asking if I was free this evening. What a sad person.

I have not taken a single photo of my new surroundings since I have been here. I aim to do better this week. Gotta smell the roses right? Especially before they freeze and die.

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