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This blog has no theme. It is neither a foodie blog like Pim's or CH's, a socio-political commentary like quite a few 20sixers, a beautiful literary journal like mongchacha's, a cool person writing about his/her cool life on a cool blog (sorry K, am going to shove you in this category), a baby blog like cuz's (as obviously do not have baby), nor a God blog like Melvin's or Daniel's. It's a mishmash of everything and nothing, which is a little bit like how I would characterise my life at the moment...
No, I'm not going to write my PhD thesis here.
Today, late start at work (again), had some fun ferreting out new books at the library, then hightailed to B's house for a pre-term club meeting. Jacket potatoes, grated cheese, chilli con carne... mm... I felt like a student (hang on, wait a minute...!). B lives just down the road from me, literally, and she has such a pretty house! All varnished floors, whitewashed walls and cornices, crystal chandeliers, bedevilled mirrors, and a giant giant bathroom (it was half the size of my room!). And they've got one of these:
Sammi the sheep toaster
Must have a word with landlord when he comes back from skiing. Hm.
We prayed out the next term, then chatted a bit. B's really nice, and I'm glad I've "adopted" her to pray for this year. Have been invited over for a Anna of Green Gables night soon! Yay!
First day back at work
It was very very good to be back, despite rather late start. Had tea with J, saw P and S, said hi to A and D, my office managers. Ah, human contact at last! 
Also managed to get tickets for Giselle in April during my lunch break - very excited. The short walk to Covent Garden was cold cold cold, and I'd forgotten to bring my gloves. Where's an Accessorize when you need one????
Darcey Bussell as Giselle
Caught up with a bit of work (Business and Ethics), then hightailed to Whitechapel for dinner with M. Not the nicest of areas, with a big sign outside the tube station that announces "MUGGING HAPPENS IN THIS AREA". But tucked in a little deserted street behind the Royal Free Hospital is Tayyabs, the alleged central London mecca of kahari (pronounced "korai") and sheesh kebab and everything gastronomically Pakistani.
After waiting for M over a mango lassi while he got lost, we settled down to some (understatement of the year so far) dinner and good conversation. We ordered
Four Sheesh Kebabs
Tandoori Chicken
Sag Aloo
Kahari Lamb Chops (dish of the day)
Keema naan
Tandoori roti
The sheesh kebab was bursting with flavours, soft and juicy - by far the best dish. I should have tried it B's way: wrapped in Taandoori roti with some onions and vege and dipped in the mint sauce - but only read his account after dinner. 
The tandoori chicken was tender and smoky and totally yummy. Has anyone every wondered why the sizzle of a hot plate on a cold winter's night sends shivers down one's spine and makes your heart beat faster?
The sag aloo was a bit disappointing, with the spinach a greyish textureless mush and the potato pieces were sliced too big. The kahari lamb chops was OK, but I think I would have preferred a boneless meat. But the spices were really brought out by a riotious base of onions and coriander. Too bad they didn't have kashmiri naan (my favourite), but I've never seen a keema naan so generously sprinkled with coriander - it was almost pretty!
The best part was that the meal cost less than 10 pounds per head - that's a winner for me every time!
Oh, and you must order a mango lassi. It's the best freshest sweetest most yoghurty lassi I've ever tasted.
Unfortunately, we didn't have any gullet space left for dry meat or cardamon kulfi.
Really really hot curry is the only answer to sunless weather below 5 degrees C sometimes.
Summary: For a weekday night, Tayyabs is great if you're stuck in central London, craving kahari and want to shun the nowadays brighter-than-usual lights of Brick Lane. The service is excellent. But for real simmering spicy kahari, one has to go to Alperton, I think (although I'm not sure they have service in some places there).
Oh, and M was great fun too. So we didn't get to see the Nutcracker tonight, but we did have a lot of fun. He's got a very interesting but logical way of seeing things. At one point, we were holding (my) Bible over steaming kahari arguing our respective points, him for transubstantiation and me for I-just-don't-get-how-you-can-believe-in-something-like-this. Another interesting one: on the first day, Genesis records that God created night and day, but He hadn't created the sun yet... neither of us get it. Isn't God interesting?
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New Tayyabs
83-39 Fieldgate Street
London E1 1JU
tel: 020 7247 6400
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New Year's Day
Crossroads between 2005 and 2006:
"Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide— for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably." ~ O. Chambers
New Year's Day. I found myself in an earthly purgatory, perched between heaven and hell, vacillating as humans do between the heart and the mind. No doubt, this has been the hardest year of my life. The pain has dulled into an ache, but it never leaves me. It never leaves me. Everything else goes on though. Choices must be made despite how I feel. So...
2006 resolutions:
1. Living my utmost for His highest.
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me." ~ Philippians 1:20-22
"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord..." ~ Philippians 4:8
2. Keeping God-focused, not self-centred, prayer.
"It is not true that "prayer changes things" as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders to a man's disposition." ~ O. Chambers
3. Seeking God in the ways He has taught me.
Love. "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." ~ 1 John 4:12
The Word. "That is the way God speaks to us; not by visions and dreams, but by words. When a man gets to God, it is by the most simple way— words." ~ O. Chambers
4. Be touched by constant wonder; letting God surprise me.
5. Be more rigorous with my day, and more expansive with my life.
Wake up early; daily quiet time; get to work early; do something interesting for lunch break; get home before 8pm; read more; spend more time with friends; flog my student pass more in London; unearth my sadly buried inner eye.
6. Do one kind deed / make one person happy each day.
... er, can new year resolutions start on the 5th day?
New Year's Eve
People have long memories. I was seated between R's gran and P's sister-in-law for dinner. Although everyone knows the couple are the Kan(4) Nian(3) Bu Kan(4) Ren(2) [see face don't see person] sort, I was surprised how much it still hurt initially that I was a) not seated next to A, b) not seated on the "friends of the couple" table, and c) obviously someone they needed to fit into any available space. Weddings are complicated - you need to please everyone. But it hurt very much. However, it couldn't have been worse than how P's sister-in-law, who was trying to hide her distress at not having been invited to the posh wedding lunch at Claridges, had felt. I didn't mind that - since am not together with A anymore, expect to be treated as any normal friend. In fact, I thought it was very kind of them to extend an invitation to me for the wedding dinner (although confusingly, the invitation was addressed to both A and me - he got to go for lunch... hyak). And I'm still happy I got them a rather special wedding gift. But I must be honest and say also that I would rather not have been invited than to be "snubbed" in this way (solely my perception). Can someone tell me what the Christian response is? What does it mean to be graceful in situations like this?
Anyways, c'est la vie! is what I think. People should be allowed to do whatever makes them happy at their own wedding.
In a quirky twist of fate, God in His grace vindicated me (although He did test me until the very end of dinner!). After the plates had been cleared, I tried to talk to R's gran. Actually, it was because I had accompanied her to the toilet that we started talking. I started asking her about R's aunt, whom I know is a missionary in Aceh, and that got us talking about church and missions and stuff. Apparently I'll meet her at the next missions conference in Derbyshire next (this) year! I enjoyed our conversation very much. It's funny how I always end up talking to the older folk at weddings. Another highlight of the evening was seeing D and C, who are back from New York for a coupla days. I didn't realise how much I had missed them. I think of all of A's friends, D and C, M (and his new girlfriend, T, although I don't claim to know her very well), are the truest. I have a good instinct about people.
Some pics:
hot hot guy I met at the party
the walk home, which was very pleasant
Scouring London's antique markets for pretty things - looking is free!
French Desk Lamp. Lovely piece of 1950s task lighting. (Alfies Antique Market)
A Bulgari 3 carat pear-shaped diamond ring, d-flawless and complete with GIA certificate. (Grays Antique Market)
Eve of New Year's Eve
Just back from a delightful dinner with an old friend I haven't seen in a long time. We ended up talking for 3 hours! We've agreed to meet up more often in the new year, top on the agenda is to catch Giselle at the ROH and the Art of Three Emperors exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art. Am really glad to see he's settled down so well after an eventful year and was able to relate with all my heart. They've changed the lighting at the Chinese Experience... xiaolongbaos over "candlelight"?
The Chinese Experience, 118 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 5EP - I highly recommend this restaurant as the place to go to in central London for excellent chinese cuisine at excellent prices with excellent service. They have the best xiaolongbaos in London (better than Hakkasan, although that's not bad either), dare I say compared to many I've tasted around the world. On a separate note, I promise to put up my various tasting notes for xiaolongbaos in the new year, as well as more foodie pics!
It was a grateful end to what started out as a frustrating day. Frustrating because I set out into the rain rain rain with my eyes firmly on set purposes, and ended up being sidetracked because of L, who called me in transit, caught me at Oxford Circus, and insisted on following me everywhere. But, I got half of my to-do list completed nonetheless, which isn't too bad. Didn't find my bedside lamp, didn't do any make-up shopping, didn't sit in Waterstone's Piccadally to read. But did read more of Silas Marner on the train journey, did buy my lashes, and did find a great Oska asymmetrical top at Liberty's as bonus!
Liberty's is my absolutely favourite place to shop - it's lovely and much quieter than Selfridges and Harvey Nicks, and has quirky labels (in addition to your run-of-the-mill designer brands). I don't shop at Harrods on principle (except in homeware and the food hall)... although I did buy a pair of non-sale YSLs once out of desperation - it's a long story and was purely exceptional. Have been getting a little sniffy lately - I think the sales bring out the worst in me because they bring out the worst in others! On the other hand, it's redeeming to know I have a worst side in me!!
Also decided to get a set of Riedel Vinum burgundy glasses for the wedding couple in the end, which means starving for the next coupla months... But mum says weddings are special occasions which must be greeted with a big heart, and she's a wise woman so I listen to her.
Tomorrow, I will REST. Do some reading at home, potter, get ready for wedding party.
Christmas Sales
Typing in bed. Still in bed. *stttrrretchhhh*
Bedlum at Harvey Nicks and Harrods yesterday. Was helping Tim pick a suit, but all the three button jackets were gone (I think that suits his broad frame better than the two button jacket). Steering way way way clear of the four hour queue outside Gucci and the cat fight in HN lady designer shoes, I trickled into Harrods homeware instead in search of my beloved Le Creuset cocotte. They didn't have the oval 29" in cerise on sale, so may pop into Selfridges today to take a look. Also found my flouncy party skirt, so am very very happy. Unfortunately, I couldn't find wedding gift - all of which means popping down to Selfridges and Piccadally Circus today. Topped off the day with some chocolates from Charbonnel et Walker in Harrods and Silas Marner - thought it was going to be a long journey home. Retired with a headache.
Who queues *four* hours for Gucci, and on a working day? I mean, is it really worth it? What's the value of four hours? Four hours producing something that will last longer than a bag? Four hours with your kids? And for those who were queueing from 5am, four hours of sleep? Are these people mad? My own attitude towards shopping is: if you have, you have; if you don't have, you don't have. Life is more than whatever you wanted to buy. Plus, everyone's gonna know you bought it in a sale anyway. I just don't get the transient pride that comes with carrying a Prada bag. It's so... I don't know, chav (Cheltenham average), plebian, wannabe, whatever.* I don't get the women on the bus carrying bags screaming Fendi and who say "fuck" at everything either. Tell you a secret: homegrown luxury brands are just as expensive and much much classier. Tell you another secret: it takes more than a bag to make a lady.
* Caveat: I once knew this girl who saved up for months to get the gold metallic Fendi baguette. I respect that. She really wanted it and worked for what she wanted. Little different from splashing city money in the rush of the madding crowd. Also, it's a really cute pooch.
Brixton
I ventured into Brixton for the first time today - land of Afro-Caribbean colour, ra-ra Christianity, hoodies and giant panties (you won't believe how!). There's a spontaneously fitted high street, with the usual suspects - Sainsbury, New Look, Body Shop, Carphone Warehouse, Nando's, KFC, Barclays etc - jostling with British pound shops, we-sell-everything-especially-phone-cards shops, and local restaurants. Moreley's, the local shopping centre, is a spitting image of OG in People's Park in Singapore, and there's also an improbably named cinema Ritzy, the Carling Academy (bowling?), and the Brixton Recreation Centre. Veer off the high street into Electric Avenue, and enter into the British version of a wet market - a street of shops selling halal meat, fish (fish!), huge black bananas (who eats those?), yam (I think it was yam), turkish carpets, cheesy lamps, cheap kitchenware and aforesaid giant panties etc. There's even an oriental grocer - I think the vendors were either Vietnamese or Thai judging from their conversation and the type of instant noodles sold. Also spotted an authentic looking Latin American restaurant (La Mazorca) serving yucas and reasonably priced food, as well as the catchily named Speedy Noodles!
Brixton pulsates, and no one speaks softly. You need some confidence walking the streets. Very unconsciously, I found myself slipping into a pretend air of nonchalance and discovered a new jaunt in my walk.Was very grateful to be able to survey my turf in the warmth and sanctuary of car before venturing out. It was a cold cold day, snowed this morning. I'm not sure I liked Brixton the first time, but will definitely go again and explore more and get used to the area.
Going to make some dinner now and wrap my housemates' christmas gifts. I made coconut candy this christmas again!
Blessed Christmas, everyone!
from us...
... and the bird.
Boxing Day is almost over. Am alone at home. Drove back from Amersham late late last night. Caught up with sleep today. Have been very blessed over the weekend with friends, the presence of God amidst, and my housemate V's family. Thinking about my own family far away - you are close in my heart. Why does it take a special occasion to realise how much you love someone?
Are you thinking of me?