Tuesday 30 June 2009

Event Aftermath: Farewell/Welcome Lunch: London 13th June

It's taken alot longer than I expected for me to put this up, but my excuse is that (a) I've been lazy, (b) I've been pigging out, (c) I've been playing Sims 3, and (d) internet at home sucks. Take your pick. Or maybe you'd prefer (e) all of the above, which is pretty much the truth :P

So! My bunch of kimono friends and I decided to have a little outing to say bye, since it would be the last time in at least 6 months that I'd see them again, and to welcome a new member into our fray: Lyuba! :D We set it on Saturday, 13th June 2009, and planned to meet at Piccadilly Circus at 12pm.

Hong and Isla came over to my flat a few hours beforehand to dress. Sadly, we didn't take any pictures then, because we felt like we were running late. But Hong and I did take photos of what we were wearing when we did get back to the flat! :) That's why we look really tired and our kitsuke is a little mussed up in these photos haha:

(Please do excuse the bad kitsuke in these pics, but it was after the outing, it was really hot, I was really tired, and I couldn't be arsed about how I looked.)

Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09


I wore this lovely blue ro kimono that Hong gave me as a birthday present last year ^_^ She absolutely hated the colour, but I think it's pretty cute, if somewhat annoying if not accessorized properly. I paired it with my summer mesh blue hakata nagoya obi, and wore it with pink and white accessories. My zori were made of hemp, and were blue, while my bag is a really adorable remake of old kimono that I'd bought from Singapore (Shop name is Kokon Tozai. There's an outlet in the airport around the check-in counters. I can't remember where the other two outlets are, but I'll tell you when I get back from Singapore later this summer).

I was a little worried that it may turn out to be a bit cold that day (not that it did) so I had brought along my black lace haori, just in case. I tried it on to see how it'd look:
Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09


Hong wore her chidori ro komon, with my bright red hakata obi, and pale green accessories. I think it looked really refreshing!
Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09

She also brought along a haori, just in case, because the green of the haori matched the accessories perfectly while the red of the cranes on the haori matched the obi! :D Too bad it was an awase haori, and thus completely inappropriate... Maybe she should use the same combi, but change the kimono and juban, and switch the obiage to a non-ro one! :D

Anyway, going onward.... We met at Piccadilly Circus at varying times, but we did managed to make the 12.30pm reservation :D

This is just four of us at Piccadilly Circus, because the others hadn't arrived yet at this point in time :P
Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09


And when we all got to the restaurant..
Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09


I had this deliciously gorgeous set, the name of which I can't remember now ^^;;; It was one of the DeLuxe sets, though!!
Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09


After lunch, we headed towards Minamoto Kitchoan for some wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets), stopped by Japan Center to have a look-see, then headed to Haagen Dazs for a fun dessert-and-chat time.
Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09


I had this incredibly delicious dessert, which is four mini-scoops of ice creams in individual pots. The flavours are: (left to right) mango, raspberry, cherries 'n cream (new flavour!!) and strawberries and cream. I loved it soooo much! It's perfect for me, because they're all fruity flavours, there's one scoop of everything, and none of the ice creams touch each other, so there's no mixing of flavours! :D It's my new favourite! (replacing banana caramel crepe hehehe)
Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09

Farewell Luncheon 13/6/09

The girl in bright yellow is the new member of their set, Lyuba! :) She was on the forums when she lived in Florida, but now she's moved to the UK. I'd been wanting to meet her since she has some really nice outfits, and goes out in kimono alot. It's really nice to finally have met her ^_^ Too bad it's only when I was saying goodbye...

And sadly, soon after Haagen Dazs, we all decided to split up and leave. I was rather upset to say goodbye to my first kimono friends, but well, that's how life goes, I guess. Still! I'm going back to London in either December or January for my graduation ceremony, and hopefully we'll be able to arrange another outing between us all :D

On a minor note, it's only been a week since I've been home, and I think I've already put on weight. But I wouldn't wonder why - I had nasi lemak in at least one meal a day for several days in a row. *shudders* And we just had chilli crabs for dinner just now (review and pics to come on my sister's blog sometime. Don't expect it to be too soon, cos she's going to Bali on Thursday!) x___x I sooooo need to go on a diet!

Okay, if internet is good, and I don't get all hung up over Sims 3 again (OMG it is sooooo addictive and sooooo fun to play!!) I'll post about no. 2 on my to-blog-about list tomorrow :D Goodnight!


Saturday 27 June 2009

^_^ (Can't think of a title :P)

So it's been three days since I've been home. Quarantine is boring, but we haven't really been following it :P Yesterday, my parents brought us out to eat steamboat (I think it's called "hotpot" in Western countries?) which was really delicious :D

This afternoon, we went to Mid Valley and Gardens (two interconnected malls) for lunch at Madam Kwan's (mmmm nasi bojari! Pictures and description to follow once I eat at that place again :P) and to head to the hair salon. I got a scalp treatment, and I only wanted to shape my hair and cut maybe an inch off, but the ends of my hair were apparently in such bad shape that Florence (our family's regular hairstylist) ended up chopping 3 inches off. My hair now feels awfully short and odd, but it looks far healthier now, so I don't mind it at all! :D

For dinner, we went to Ri Yakitori, which my sister has been raving about lately. It's really delicious!! Click here to see my sister's review of the place a few weeks ago. It's a little pricey, but really worth it! The sake dispenser was sooooo cooooool~ XD

Tonight, my sister and I also baked sweet buns and blueberry muffins. Yummm it's been ages since I had such good sweet buns!

I've been digging up some kimono and yukata magazines I completely forgot I had. I'll have to remember to write up reviews of some of them! I'm getting loads of coordination ideas from them XD Hopefully, I'll be able to put together something nice and new, and wear the outfit this Sunday! (Just for the heck of wearing it :P)

I'm also going through a number of bags in my room that look like they'd go with kimono. I'm taking pictures of some of them. When I'm done taking those pics, I'll share them with you guys :D

Okay, I'm gonna go now. My brother bought Sims 3 today, and he's been playing it all day! It looks like an amazing amount of fun. I still haven't installed it yet, but I can't wait to play it! XD Toodles!


Thursday 25 June 2009

Closet Feature: "Milky Way" obi


"Milky Way" obi, originally uploaded by shira.C.

I was feeling guilty again about not having posted pics in ages, so I dug up this old pic. I don't think I've posted it yet, but please do tell me if I have already!

I believe this obi is a hemp obi, judging from its texture and comparing it to April's hemp obi. The seller had called the motif "milky way" and it took me forever to realise that it referred to an old Japanese legend about the deity Orihime and her lover the cow herder. It's quite a nice story, and is the basis of the Tanabata (Star) festival on the 7th of July. You can read the whole story on Wikipedia :D

In this picture (I had quite a messy kitsuke in the front, so I didn't post the whole thing :P) I'm wearing it with a shiozawa-style synthetic kimono. I've also paired it with black obiage and obijime for accessories, although I think a red or yellow obiage would be nice too.



Home!

I am HOME! Yaaaaaay :D

Internet is sucky, but the food is so great! Yesterday, we went to a "new" place (new as in my brother and I have never eaten there before) because the crab shop was closed. I really really loved it! We had fried fish, butter-fried squid (mmm crispy!), some herbal chicken soup, another traditional soup that's my dad's (and my) favourite, fresh french beans and bittergourd with salted egg.

I'm not the biggest fan of bittergourd, but OMG it was sooooo delicious! It was deepfried and very crispy, and not bitter at all. Best part about it is that one big plateful of it only cost RM12 - that's like, what? £2? :D

The whole meal itself was RM122 for 7 people - £20 for 7 people = about £3 per person :D I love home.

Actually, we weren't supposed to go out for dinner. The Health Minister recommended that those who have just returned from overseas should impose a quarantine on themselves for 7 days. So yeah. My brother and I were supposed to go to Sage (one of my favourite restaurants) for lunch, but my mum cancelled our reservations because of the quarantine.

I've spent most of the day sleeping, mainly cos I couldn't sleep on the flight - I had such a runny nose that I spent half the flight with bits of tissue stuck up my nose. The flight attendant had problems not-laughing the first time she saw me :P But at least I feel better after sleeping!

Coz of the quaratine, I'm spending my time sorting out all the junk I brought back in my luggage, and clearing out just about everything in my room. All my mum's stuff is going to have to be shovelled out of my cupboards and drawers to make room for my stuff that's being shipped over. But at least unpacking is far less tiresome than packing is! :D

Okay, I'm gonna go spend time with my dad now. Do remind me to post about (1) the hello/farewell kimono lunch, (2) the day my friends came over to bake, (3) Sister Act the Musical, and (4) my last day in London (and how hectic it was). Bye!


Tuesday 23 June 2009

One Day More~

(For those of you who've never watched LesMis, the title of this post is the name of one of the songs in Les Miserables the Musical :D)

Well! In just over 6 hours, I'll be stepping out of this flat for good.

In just over 10 hours, I will be sitting on a plane, getting ready to take off and head home.

In around 24 hours, I expect I will be already at home, screaming with my sister, getting ready to go out to eat chilli crabs (mmmmmm) and sweating in the heat.

I can't wait! :D


Saturday 20 June 2009

Nyuu :3

Patrick came down to London yesterday. I got into trouble with my mum because I was talking to my sister on the phone, and my brother couldn't contact me when he was in Paddington Station, where I was supposed to pick him up XP In the end, he just took a cab straight to my place. I feel so guilty D:

On the other hand, I took him to Borough Market this morning and we pigged out. I am SO stuffed right now that if you poked me in the right place, I'd explode. It was all worth it of course! :P

We had our usuals, but scaled down a little - apple and strawberry juice, scallops, one single chorizo sandwich (shared), and our new regular: Thai green curry with chicken and seafood on jasmine rice from the fishmonger's stall. Yummmmmm.

The wine shop next to Utobeer was selling this amazing drink of lemonade, French Rose wine, and some other exotic wine (that's what they said on the signboard) that tasted very refreshing and a little like Sangria, but far less fruity. It was £3 for one small bottle of the drink, but I think it's sooo worth it! I wish they started selling it earlier - and that we bought another bottle of it :P

After having a taste of this incredible grilled cheese sandwich the last time I was there with Mel (Ling, this is the same place where we have those raclettes - the potato with melted cheese thing), I just HAD to let Patrick try some. He loved it so much! We shared one. He finished his half and moaned that he was so full. I still had half of my piece left and said I wasn't going to eat it. He finished it for me :P Testimony on just how much he liked it! :D

We also tried something new today - Portuguese egg tarts!! I got one from the place I usually get my eclairs from. I was standing around, staring at the egg tarts for ages before we finally bought one. One measly egg tart cost a bomb at £1.80 each, but OH MY GOD it was so good! We used to eat them when we were kids, but they were never as good as these ones were!! Rather than overly flaky or overly powdery tart casings (both of which I HATE with a passion!) that are so common in Chinese egg tarts, this one had a nice slightly flaky, and very crunchy casing. The filling itself is very sweet (big plus for me) and so creamy and soft. One of the best egg tarts I've ever had! If it were less expensive and a little less sweet, it would be absolutely perfect :D

I'm sorry but we didn't take any pictures - we were too busy chomping away :P Later tonight, we're going to see Sister Act the Musical. I've heard both good and bad reviews about it. I can't wait! :D

Okay, we're leaving soon to stop by the Apple store before heading to the theatre. If we leave even earlier, maybe we could stop by Minamoto Kitchoan and have a couple of jellies in the theatre :D Yay!

I'll update later or tomorrow about the play. Bye!


Thursday 18 June 2009

Done!

Finally, all my boxes have been packed, and everything's been moved out. As a matter of fact, the boxes were just sent out less than an hour ago.

Of course, I just had to have the bad luck of having my pick-up time set at 9am. So I didn't sleep last night to make sure everything, and I really mean EVERYTHING, is packed and all my documents are filled out and everything. Yeah, I know it makes no sense to not sleep, but to be honest, I had to have my boxes all out at the pick-up point by the time the driver got here, and I just knew that if I slept, I wouldn't wake up on time. Prolly wouldn't even have realised the driver was calling :(

Either way, congratulate me. I carried 450kg worth of boxes all by myself after 30 hours without sleep, and running on one bowl of rice and half a head of broccoli for the past 36 hours. Healthy life, I know you not. Of course, my arms are all shaky and everything now :P

On a side note, I'm mildly horrified to realise that after having sorted out the things I really cannot live without at home, I am still left with a pile of clothing on my floor, three pairs of shoes and a large handbag that I just know won't fit into my big suitcase. *sighs* I guess this is why I deliberately kept my handcarry completely empty except for some files.

I also forgot to pack my dragon statue and the dragon mirror that Mel and Michelle gave me for my birthday last year :( I suppose I'll have to leave it here, and have Mel pick it up for me or something - maybe she can keep it till I come to London for my graduation. At least I got most of the really important stuff, like my altar stuff and my cute plates and bowls!

*grumbles* Now all's left to do is for them to check my documentation and send me an invoice. I think I'll pay using my debit card.... After all, they say that only UK debit/credit cards won't incur a 3% processing fee.

Okay, I'm all sweaty and icky from having had an eventful morning. I'm going to go shower now. I'll have to remember to post about my kimono outing/farewell last Saturday, and some baking and yukata fun I had on Monday when a couple of friends from uni came over. :D Bye!


Friday 12 June 2009

Outfit Snap: Mofuku Remake Set Kitsuke

Okay, it's a little later than I had expected to post it, but it's here! :D

Mofuku Remake set 1


I bought this mofuku remake set for many reasons: I wanted a mofuku remake to see how others did it, I wanted an "Alice in Wonderland" themed obi, I wanted a keyboard obi (it's the other side of this homemade tsuke obi), etc etc. There was a really cute han-eri that came with this set, but at that time, I wasn't very good at sewing on han-eri quickly, so I didn't do it.

Look at how wonderfully wide the obi is! The otaiko looks huge and makes me look and feel smaller :D
Mofuku Remake set 3


Then, because the set was so plain, I decided to use it as a nice template to try on some of my then-new haori and michiyuki which had arrived unexpectedly as a part of a cheap lot of kimono stuff I'd bought.

Here's a lovely blue-gray one. If I'm not mistaken, I'm selling it in my shop now.
Mofuku Remake set + Blue-Gray Haori


My very first michiyuki!!! This is the michiyuki that made me fall in love with the look of michiyuki :D It's also the one where I found a pocket in the folds, and realised that all my michiyuki had pockets. It's such a gorgeous shade of pink and the material is luscious!
Mofuku Remake set + Pink Michiyuki


You don't see it here, but this michiyuki is actually all-shibori. The base of the cloth is mustard yellow, as you can see, with the normal white shibori ring. However, in the center of the ring, there is a dot of this lovely shade of eggplant purple. It's so pretty I couldn't help but keep the michiyuki! :D
Mofuku Remake set + Yellow Shibori Michiyuki


The set with a lovely purple haori. It's probably my favourite haori out of the lot, but the material is very fragile at the back, so I daren't wear it out :/ Still, it looks so good in photos, doesn't it? :D
Mofuku Remake set + Purple Haori


There you have it, my one-day-in-January's kitsuke! :D

On a smaller note, I finally had a flat-viewing today, but it was for someone else who had responded to my ad today (not the one I've been talking about). Sadly, the person only wanted a short lease, and it was too much trouble for such a short period of time, so I still don't have someone to take over :/ I also had another person respond to the ad, but they were also asking for a 2 month lease. I'm still waiting for that first person to finally come over for the flat-viewing.

That said, my packing is going well! I managed to pack 6 more boxes today. I honestly would've been able to do more, but I started chatting with an old friend online and kinda lost track of time :P I also got distracted by this TV program about viruses and bioterrorism. OH and Yan's boxes finally went away today! She left behind her mattress and her clothes rack... I'm considering taking home the clothes rack. It'd be nice to have one in my room :D

*coughs* Anywaaaaay... I've packed just about all my clothes, including all my kimono (except for yukata and what I'm wearing this Saturday). I've set aside the few clothes I'm bringing home on the plane with me, but I haven't actually tried putting them in my suitcase yet, so I don't know if it'll all fit. I've also sorted out the stuff I'm going to sell or give to Oxfam.

I did pack my shoes today - I'm absolutely horrified! I know I had alot of shoes, looking at that shoe rack of mine, but honestly! One whole boxful??? :/ Add that to the shoes I already have at home..... What a nightmare!

I still have yet to pack my brother's clothes and all the small stuff. I think I'll do it tomorrow and on Sunday once I'm done buying my shampoo and my mum's lipstick. On Monday night and Tuesday, I'll just pack the kitchen stuff that's left and the stuff I haven't sold. I'll also go through all drawers in the kitchen, bathroom, living room and my own room to make sure nothing's left behind.. And maybe I'll be able to get the movers to take all my boxes on Wednesday instead of Thursday! :D

Speaking of movers, I still don't know if I ought to take insurance :/ I don't think I will, though, because it'll cost 5% of whatever I value my stuff at, and it's gonna be expensive. I'm also thinking of paying using my debit card, simply because paying by any non-UK card would incur a 3% processing fee. Yes yes, I'm a scrooge when it comes to certain things!

Blegh I'm tired. I've been moving around heavy boxes the whole day. I'm gonna go to bed now. G'night! :D


Thursday 11 June 2009

Packing, Day 2

So today, I went to school again, probably for the last time: I had to return some library books, and print out plane tickets and theatre tickets (we're going to watch Sister Act the Musical!!) for my brother and I.

Since Argos was just down the road from the branch I went to, I stopped by to have a look at their weighing scales. My sister told me not to buy one and use James's instead, but I ended up buying a really cheap one anyway - I figured it'd be a heck load more convenient for me, and it really was! I'll be keeping those weighing scales.

Anyway! Being able to weigh my boxes properly, I finally managed to get down to sealing those boxes I packed yesterday and packing even more. Thankfully, those boxes I packed yesterday came up to only 27kg at most, and that was the one with the most magazines in them, so I didn't have to repack anything.

I managed to finish sorting through and packing all books and papers but my textbooks - there is still a whole bookshelf full of them. I'm thinking that if I don't manage to use the 20 boxes I first estimated needing, I'll just put them in a box and have them shipped home anyway. I also got started on packing my soft toys and clothes. I've packed half my soft toys, but am still deciding on which soft toy to bring on the plane with me. Blizzard (my white tiger) is my usual, but Mokona is sooooo huggable....

I've also cleared out the juban I won't be needing, some kimono accessories, and alot of my season-neutral, and currently-in-season kimono and obi. I've left behind the ro kimono and the yukata: those, I will sort out and pack at a later date, after I've had my kimono outing on Saturday, and kimono-dressing session with Carol on Monday. I've cleared out my "bottoms" and "pyjamas" sections too. Sad thing is, I've already filled two large boxes with clothes, and my closet doesn't look much emptier!

Tomorrow, I'll be packing bags and not-in-season kimono, including those in tatoushi. I'll also have to pack the luggage I'm bringing home, so that I can see what needs to be packed into the boxes.

Ooooh, good news! Yan got a mover to come over tomorrow, so her stuff will all finally be gone! Yaaay! Also, the person who is interested in renting my room will be coming for a flat-viewing tomorrow or on Friday. She was meant to come today, but she had a bit of an emergency at work, so she called me to tell me she wasn't coming. She said she'll give me a call on whether or not she's coming tomorrow or on Friday, and that means that I have to stay in on both days, but frankly, I don't care. I'll still be staying home on both days anyway to pack!

Okay, I've talked enough now. I've been feeling guilty about just rambling on and on for these last few posts, so here's a little picture!
Mofuku Remake set 1


It's the mofuku remake set I bought a year ago :D I'd worn this in January, but for some reason had never blogged about it. This picture is a sneak preview into the next post, so you guys will get more kimono pictures and stories soon enough! :D

Ta, people! ;)


Wednesday 10 June 2009

Packing~

My boxes arrived yesterday, so today I began packing!

I didn't actually start packing all of my stuff right away - I first had to arrange for Yan to pick up her boxes, then seal up the boxes I opened, and get them all out from under the stairs so it's easier for the movers to take them.

I'm glad she's finally taking all those boxes away!!! They've been here for nearly 2 years when she promised they'd only be here for a month or so. I've tried contacting her again and again to take her boxes away, but she never responded. She finally did to my threat of throwing them all out if they weren't gone by this Friday. Apparently, a time limit was what she needed.

Anyway! I started packing up my books. Unfortunately, I don't have an electronic weighing scale with me, so I don't know how heavy they are. (I have a 30kg per box weight limit) That's why I haven't sealed them off yet. Tomorrow, I'm going out to do a bunch of chores, and I'll be buying a cheap one along the way.

Hopefully, I'll be able to resume fully packing tomorrow! I also hope I've ordered enough boxes. I ordered 10 book boxes and 20 tea chests (bigger boxes), and they should be enough..... Right? I've already filled 3 book boxes with books, magazines and DVDs, but I still have 3 more large shelves packed with books and papers. I don't even want to imagine packing all my clothes!!

Oh, speaking of books, I'm wondering what to do with my textbooks. I'm thinking of keeping a couple of the economics ones, maybe a few with computing.... But what about my college textbooks? I'm not sure why I kept my old Maths textbooks, but here they are... So? Recycle them? Sell them? Give them away? Keep them? :/

Also, I don't know how I'm going to evaluate the contents of each box for insurance! Should I even get insurance? :/ It's going to be quite expensive....

On a really random note, my friend from uni Carol is finally coming over to bake a cake on Monday! After she saw Jenny's cake (she was the one who stored the cake overnight for the surprise), she really wanted to make one herself. I can't wait!! :D I'll probably have to go to ASDA early that morning to buy some ingredients and a cake board again, but it's going to be fun! She also wanted to see me in kimono, so I suggested that we have a kimono wearing session while waiting for the cake to cool :D She seems quite excited at the prospect of wearing kimono!

At the rate I'm packing, I'll probably be done packing nearly everything by Sunday, leaving Monday free for baking. My plan is to pack up the baking stuff and anything left hanging around on Tuesday, have the movers come to collect the boxes on Wednesday, and send a pile of clothes to Oxfam on Thursday, before my brother comes to London on Friday. :D I hope I'll be able to stick to my schedule!

Okay, I've got to go shower now. Gotta wake up early tomorrow to do lots of stuff! :D Buhbye!


Monday 8 June 2009

*sighs* :'(

*sighs* I feel depressed :( And lonely.

Mel went home to Singapore for the summer today. I saw her off at the airport. Normally, this wouldn't be a very big thing - except it's the last time we're going to see each other again while I still live in London.

Ours being a very close friendship cultivated over 4 and a half years, where we are always close by for a chat or a scream out the window (no, don't ask), it's going to be a shock to the both of us. We'll keep wanting to ask each other out to dinner or lunch or some sort of outing, and then realise we're far apart now :/ *sighs* That's so depressing.

I do know I have other friends, especially once I move home, but like Liss, my friendship with Mel is kind of different. More special. The term "best friend" really comes into play here.

It's going to be hard being unable to call her for a random chat, or to go out for dinner just because. We won't spend hours sitting in a restaurant, chatting till we get kicked out. We won't spend hours in my flat, having heart-to-hearts, watching House, or just plain chatting till we realise the sun's rising. We won't spend hours laughing over my (many) silly moments.

I'll miss her :(

....... And damn, that sounds like either an eulogy, or a lesbian break up :P

But what's worse is that I'll be leaving London for good soon. Apart from Mel, I'll really miss everything here, like my freedom, my nice big lots of me-time... and my kimono friends. Especially Hong!! ;o;

What am I going to dooooooo when I go home??? No more Hong to call over to come by and gossip... No one to squeal over parcels with... No one to scour through YJA for that one gorgeous kimono set you saw the other day with... No one to sit down and spend hours coordinating kimono outfits with..........

;o; A part of me really really REALLY doesn't want to go home! But then, you know.... It's home. How can I not want to be there? Still, when I was on the train home today, I wondered if I would miss London as much as I miss home. After all, like Hong said, at this point in time, I've spent a whole quarter of my life here. England feels like a part of me now.

So maybe I will miss London badly. And maybe I'll look forward to trips here as much as my sister does :D


Saturday 6 June 2009

Shop Open!

I have officially opened my blogshop! You can access it through THIS LINK.

It is very simple, and maybe a little fussy, but I'm only a not-so-tech-savvy Uni student, so please forgive its clumsiness ;)

Please read the important details of the shop before purchasing :) They are available HERE and on the sidebar of the shop.


Three things I have mentioned in my opening post that I will repeat here:

1) I have yet to find the time to post every single item on the shop. Therefore, if you wish to see more items for sale, please visit my Flickr page HERE. I'm sorry, but items that state "on hold" or "sold" are no longer available.

2) As I am moving to Malaysia soon, and have to pack up all my things including shop stock, I will not be taking any orders past 15th June 2009.

3) Should you wish for more detailed pictures of any item, I will take requests until 12th June 2009.


Once again, the shop is accessible through THIS LINK.

Thanks for visiting! :D


Friday 5 June 2009

Outfit Snap: Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono

I still had the kimono bug today, and was feeling extremely bored and had nothing to do. So I coordinated another outfit and wore it ^_^

Today, the weather is rather rainy and quite cold, so the outfit kind of reflects how I feel, or rather, how I want to feel - warm. This kimono is another wool one from RyuJapan's website, which I'd bought a while ago. There are little horizontal black stripes on it, so for that "warm" effect, I decided to use black as my main colour for all accessories.

Once again, I pulled out my black parrot obi. I made a black han'eri out of some random black cloth lying about my room, and wore black tabi to match. The obiage is dark green to reflect the green stripes, and the obijime is mustard yellow (for the yellow stripes) and pink (for the kimono). There is supposed to be an obidome, coz this obijime is too short, but I can't find my box of obidome... :/ My geta and bag are also mustard yellow.

Btw, the seasonality of everything is just plain weird. I think the outfit looks very autumn-y, but I'm using a ro juban for comfort's sake, and a ro obiage cos it was the only one with the right colour. Let's just ignore those seasonality mistakes for now ^^;;;

Pictures!
Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono


There was supposed to be an obidome in the front, but I couldn't find my obidome box... x_x"""
Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono


This obi is actually too short for me, so I tried using an obi aid. It turned out alright, I guess.
Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono


Because I used an obi aid, I had a different way of tying the obi, so I'm showing a different motif on the front, compared to the last time I wore this obi.
Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono


Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono


A view of the bottom half:
Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono


I wanted to try on my black lace haori:
Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono


I promised someone I'd put on an apron the next time I wore kimono, but forgot yesterday, so today I put one on ^^
Raspberry Striped Wool Kimono

(Sorry for those bad mirror photos, but the lighting is a little weird ^^;;)

Thanks for looking! ^_^


Outfit Snap: Pink & Teal Summer Wool Ensemble

After baking that strawberry cake, I was feeling bored but energetic. I felt I was overdue on a kitsuke session, so that's exactly what I did!

Many months ago, I'd bought this wool kimono from RyuJapan that was rather sheer. I immediately dubbed it my "raspberries and watermelon summer kimono" because the colour scheme really reminded me of raspberries and watermelons! The kimono itself is pale pink, and has a pattern of dark pink lattice, and mint green circles.

Yesterday, I was spending some quality time with my summer kimono, trying to coordinate outfits, when I saw that my teal hakata mesh obi matched that kimono so well. I managed to pair them with some dark pink ro accessories that created an ensemble I thought was nice, albeit very slightly too matchy. I wore that outfit today! I also wore a ro juban and lace tabi to complete that summery look :)

Pictuuures:
Pink and Teal Summer Wool Ensemble


I had a few problems with my obi today >_<"" I completely misjudged the length!

Pink and Teal Summer Wool Ensemble


A close-up of the kimono, so you can see that there are patterns on the kimono that are a sort of greenish colour.
Pink and Teal Summer Wool Ensemble


Oh, you know that little pink bag I'm using? It brings back many memories! =^_^=

I got it as a free gift when I went on a school trip to Japan. My friends and I had bought alot of things from a shop, and we managed to weasel some free gifts out of the salesperson :P Mine was this cute pink bag. I used to use it as a purse everyday in high school. I brought it with me everywhere I went! That's why it's kinda dirty now :P

So! How do you like this outfit? ^_^


Strawberry Buttermilk Cake - 2nd Attempt

I really really wanted Hong to try that strawberry buttermilk cake I baked last time, so when we decided to have a takoyaki party today, I was all set to bake the cake, so that she could have a taste of a nice, fresh cake.

Sadly, she wasn't able to come over as she was feeling unwell :( I'd been getting all excited over having this cake again, that I was absolutely craving for it. So... I baked another one :P Yes, my self-control completely disappears when it comes to food and cooking.

This time, the cake turned out better than the last! In that last cake, the fruit was a little soggy, and the sugar topping got absorbed into the batter. This time, I made it a point to wipe the berries dry after chopping them. It worked so well! The strawberries are still juicy, but no longer soggy, and the sugar topping made it really crunchy :D Meanwhile, the texture of the cake itself is still moist, albeit a little crumbly. Success!!

Lessons learned:
- Measure ingredients properly. You don't want to make the same mistake I did the first time I made this cake!
- Smooth the surface of the cake batter well and evenly with the back of your spoon once it's in the pan. It'll make it prettier.
- Dry your berries with kitchen towels before sprinkling the sugar on.
- Put your cake IMMEDIATELY in the oven once you've sprinkled the sugar. Don't let it sit around and wait for even 5 minutes.

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture, but I was too busy digging in :P James and I have taken a piece each for dessert, and 1/4 of it is gone now XD That sure was quick!

If you want the recipe, click HERE. It's the first recipe in that entry. Let me just emphasize how easy it is to make it - just one hour from starting to measure the ingredients to taking the cake out of the oven. Only 1 and 1/4 hours from starting to measure the ingredients to slicing the cake and digging in. If you have a few people with you, it'll probably be 1 1/2 hours from beginning to completely demolishing the cake :P

One thing I've noticed is that it tastes best on the day it's made. Maybe I'll make it for a party at home someday :D


Thursday 4 June 2009

UnFreedom

I know I'm kind of spamming with the posts today, but just bear with me for the moment. I'm feeling a little lonely today :P

So now that my exams are over, I'm supposed to be free, right? Not really. I still have loads of things to do! First of all, I have to start arranging for someone to take over my room here. Then I have to get Yan to come and pick up her stuff. I'll also have to arrange to ship my own stuff back to Malaysia. Not to mention, I'm going to have to pack alot of things as well....

I'm glad I've already sorted out all my kimono. All I have left is to sort out my Western clothes. I foresee many trips to Oxfam.... Especially since I'll have to give alot of winter coats and clothes away! Especially all those cheap, casual ones. Maybe I should try selling them instead? *shrugs*

I'm already arranging for a friend to take over my antique tea set (which was so cheap, yet so amazing), and Mel may buy my piano. She's definitely taking over all my bedsheets. I'll miss my M&S ones, but honestly, there's no point bringing it home! From the kitchen, I'm only taking certain things, like cookie cutters and my two favourite cake tins. I'm also bringing home all the plates, bowls, cups, etc that are really cute and unfindable in Malaysia and/or have some meaning to me.

Omg, packing my kimono is sooooo not going to be fun. I'll miss them ;_; I'll probably have to pack my luggage at the same time, so I know exactly what I'm going to bring home straightaway. I'll definitely have my Bon Odori outfit with me, as well as my sister's. I'll probably bring home half my kimono undies sets, and some accessories, but the bulk of it will join the boxes. I can probably survive with going home with only a few clothes, undies and my laptop, seeing that's how I usually operate during holidays :P

I've already decided on the shipping company I want. The others I looked at weren't so easily navigated (i.e. less user-friendly) and this one gives you a direct quote straightaway. Geez, I hope it doesn't really cost me £700 for door-to-door shipping....

Okay, I gotta go sleep now. I've planned out a full day of housework for tomorrow! Today, I took pictures of all the kimono I'm selling. Admittedly, not great pictures, and not detailed pictures, but still pictures :D

G'night!


Katsu Curry Rice from Misato, London


I was looking through my Flickr pictures and decided to share this picture, since I'm kinda of craving for it :D

This is one of my favourite dishes at Misato, London. This whole plate is about 9 inches in diameter and the food is piled on!! I can never finish anything from this place - the furthest I've ever gotten is about 2/3rds the way through.

This is their really delicious katsu curry rice, which is deepfried breaded pork cutlets in curry sauce with rice and salad. In the top right corner, you can see a glass of one of my favourite drinks, Calpico :D

All this cost about £8. Yum!!

Restaurant: Misato
Address:
11 Wardour Street,
London,
W1D 6PG
(in Chinatown)
Tel. no: 0871 3327370



Wednesday 3 June 2009

My shop?

Remember how I was talking about how I wanted to open a small online shop using Blogger? I decided to screw what Google thinks and go ahead with the idea anyway :)

So far, I think the set-up has been fine. I've got the layout down, and things like "How to Order", "Payments", "Shipping", "Refunds and Cancellations" and "Terms and Conditions" down. I also set up an "Enquiries" bit. Most of these are accessible through the side-bar :D

Here's a sneak preview:

I'm not 100% sure when I'll officially declare it open. I'm still in the middle of taking pictures of the things I'm about to sell. The pictures aren't very consistent - I'm using some of the professionally taken pictures that I'd saved from the auctions I'd won some items in. >_o I hope that wouldn't make too much of a difference...

Anyway, I'll give you guys a bit of a notice once it's up and fully running ^_^

P/S: On a very random note, I'm getting abit worried about how I seem to be bruising really easily and bleeding alot lately. Just two days ago, I was blowing my nose when suddenly blood came gushing out. It didn't stop for quite a while o_O The blood was actually dripping off my face! Ugh, I haven't had a nosebleed this bad in years. Coupled with the easy bruising, I'm getting kind of worried.... Then again, I may be watching too much of House :P


Event Aftermath: London MCM Expo May 2009

Yaaaay, my exams are over! I finally had my last one today ^_^ It both sucked and didn't. Don't ask. Seriously.

Anywaaaay, I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but just plain got lazy. Here's my post about the London MCM Expo May 2009!

Sorry if it's a little lackluster, but my brain is kinda fried from my exam XP

Hong and I weren't so keen on going again after the one in October (we had fun, but staying there the whole day was abit much) but as the time for this one drew nearer, we thought it'd be fun to go anyway :P

This time, Hong was sadly unable to get time off work, so she could only go in the afternoon. Mel and I made plans so that all three of us could explore the Expo together!

In the morning, Mel came over to put on her make up (she was dressed gothic-loli style) while I put my yukata on. I wore a cornflower blue yukata with lots of tiny blue, white, purple and pink flowers all over it. I bought it on a whim last year, and had been having a love-hate relationship with it because it was kinda hard to match. Then I realised that my cute pink obi from my hanabi yukata pictures actually matched it rather well!

London MCM Expo May 2009

I kinda like how sweet the outfit turned out ^_^ I have a bag that matches the blue and pink perfectly, but I thought it was a little too much, so I matched the wood of the bag to the wood of my modernish geta. Btw, please ignore bad kitsuke. I kinda mussed it all up cos I was in a bit of a hurry lol. And I also tied my obi a little too loose, so it kept sliding down! :P

Later on in the afternoon, we went to Canary Wharf together, where Hong's sister picked us up. (No real reason why - mainly that we were waiting for the bus and they were in the area, so why not? Thanks Hong and sister! :D)

When we got there, Mel went off to buy our tickets, while Hong, her niece and I went to the toilets to change her into her yukata. We wandered around inside the Expo abit before Hong's boyfriend called to say he was coming, and that he had his kimono with him. Sooo we got him dressed.

London MCM Expo May 2009

Aaawwwwww, don't they look cute together?

*coughs* Anyway, after that, we met up with Walter! :) It was really nice meeting up with a fellow blogger with similar interests! The whole group of us wandered around the Expo abit more before we all decided we were hungry and went to the Chinese restaurant nearby for a decent meal :) A little more expensive than I would've paid for what we had, but it was alright.

Sadly, it was getting rather late after that, so we had to go our ways. But we had fun, and it was nice to get out! :)

So yeah, that was this year's May MCM Expo for me. Oh, by the way, did any of you notice the not-so-little black plushie I'm hugging up there?

London MCM Expo May 2009

Its name is Mokona! It's a manga/anime character by CLAMP, which is one of my favourite manga artist groups. I really love their stories Chobits and xxxHolic. Soooo addictive! I can never wait for what's going to happen in xxxHolic! (It's an ongoing manga) :D

Mokona is a really cute dimension-portal-thing character from xxxHolic. There's also a white version that appears in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles (the story is linked to xxxHolic, but I haven't read it yet), but the black version is the one in xxxHolic, so I like it more! :D

I was going to get a cute little Mokona bag, but it was kind of small, and for only £5 more, I got a big plushie! So of course, I got one :D Hehe, Hong also got one for her niece. She's so cute :D

Okay, okay, that's all for now. I hope you liked the few pictures we took!