just a little bit of me

taking this blog down a gear

2009-06-23T07:53:00.004+01:00

So I've decided to slow this blog right down. And I hope no one's disappointed, but then again who really reads this blog anyway (besides myself) so I should be the only one who's disappointed - and I'm not! Because I'm moving myself full time over to my new blog thecattylife, which is far prettier and more exciting than this one!While thecattylife is just a little bit about food, is it also

too much of nothing is a good thing

2009-06-18T12:23:00.003+01:00

the general question of the week has been "so, what did you do in Tunisia?". The answer has invariably been "nothing". And I don't know why people look so very perplexed when I say this because they look at me like, what do you mean nothing? Did you check out the sights? Did you get some culture? Did you have some local food (me of all people)? The answer is still a resounding no. We spent two

star trek the movie...

2009-06-07T11:07:00.003+01:00

...absolutely blew my socks off. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

books that have changed my life

2009-06-05T16:13:00.003+01:00

Ok, so these books haven't changed my life. I mean, i'm still plodding along on towards the same destination as I would have been had I not read these books, but they've definitely done something. Maybe I should have titled this post: books that have made a dent in my life.(in no particular order)Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume. Aside from the dozens of Choose Your Own Adventure books I read as a child

introducing thecattylife.com

2009-06-01T10:55:00.003+01:00

so last week, i blogged about contemplating a move off blogspot. it's actually a thought that's been incubating for the better part of the last few months, and it's not only been a thought about moving my entire blog, but what would i write about? just the same ol' happenings in my life? or should i focus on something, make it a blog with some real content?i had some ideas in my head, and last

Gaudi with a side of tapas

2009-05-29T15:50:00.009+01:00

Last October, I went to Barcelona for a hens weekend. I was sick the whole time and the most memorable part of my trip was the excruciating pain in my ears as we were landing back into London, and the curse of Heathrow - circling in a holding pattern for over 30 minutes.So this time round I was fighting fit and we managed once again to squeeze soooo many things into the 2 days. I told Panu that

contemplating a move...

2009-05-28T11:10:00.002+01:00

... so i've been blogging for oh my god, almost 5 years now. i started on xanga, whose restrictive nature forced me to find refuge elsewhere, and hence i landed on blogger. after four solid years with blogger, i'm feeling the distinct urge to stretch my blogging legs and get my own domain.i've started shopping for a good web publishing tool - there's always Frontpage, or Dreamweaver, both costing

the man himself, Eric Clapton

2009-05-26T13:56:00.002+01:00

Last Wednesday night, Panu and I headed to the Royal Albert Hall to experience the man himself, Eric Clapton, in concert. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect because I’m usually very easily impressed by big sets, big costumes and tacky pyrotechnics and here I was thinking, what’s this guy gonna do with a guitar?Well, well, well. He put me right back in my box. There is a reason why this

pippy

2009-05-20T17:09:00.003+01:00

Went shopping today to get another pair of converse All Stars©, and came back with a cute pair of Rocketdog Pippy flats instead. Quite cute, not very me, but I hope to grow into them!

2.5 years

2009-05-17T13:29:00.011+01:00

This coming weekend, Panu and I will have been going out 2.5 years. that's 30 months! i know this is barely a toddler of a relationship in some of your worlds, but for me, this is a record. i wouldn't exactly call myself a commitment phobe, but it appears that i have a tendency to freak out in perfectly good and normal relationships just after the two year mark (if i actually get that far) and

hypochondriac?

2009-05-15T08:44:00.003+01:00

this week has been a sniffly one for me. sniffly enough to give me a little pink nose, not quite enough to be declared a cold. and with swine flu fever still out and about courtesy of the media, here I sit at my desk, with my anti-bacterial hand gel (and second tube in my handbag, just in case), my anti-viral kleenex (which cost way too much but i found out too late), my multi-vitamins, my

the shopping man

2009-05-10T19:59:00.005+01:00

ok, seeing as I just posted about panu's new love for cooking, i'm now in deep fear that an alien has abducted my boyfriend and replaced him with every woman's dream man. So really, fear yes, complain no.reason i say this is because yesterday, panu added a significant asset to my current register. he bought me... my very first Burberry Trench Coat. I call this an asset because seriously, in some

the cooking man

2009-05-07T21:26:00.001+01:00

While I was in Oz for five weeks, Panu had an enlightening moment and realised that I did "everything" around the house. I'm guessing what he was really thinking was 'what? clothes/sheets/towels don't wash themselves? Meals need to be cooked? you need to buy the food to cook? and the floors don't clean themselves?? WHAT THE F***.'I think he did the bare minimum laundry, changed the sheets

when in Rome....

2009-05-05T21:45:00.004+01:00

Rome. with its impressively untouched ruins scattered haphazardly throughout the city (because anywhere else, these would have been flattened and turned into shopping malls at least five centuries ago), its beautiful inhabitants and their animated expressions, and its impossibly tasty italiano cuisine, Rome stole my heart within the first day that I was there.i really did love everything about

2 sleeps til Rome...

2009-04-30T15:59:00.004+01:00

... and the world decides to break into swine flu epidemic. so much so that I am even going to go to Boots this afternoon and buy me some hand sanitiser, because god only knows I dont want to be catching no swine flu in Roma.not making light of a serious situation, but rather discovering an innovative way to support it, designer Irina Blok has come up with some great face masks, proceeds from

catty goes to america.. again!

2009-04-29T22:27:00.003+01:00

we've just booked our trip to the west coast of the US of A tonight. i am so excited i'm beyond words cos guess what? guess where we're staying when we go to Vegas? *drum roll*... THE Bellagio....*squeals with excitement!*times like this i thank the universe that hotels in Europe are massively over priced. Cos when you compare The Bellagio to an average 3 or 4 star hotel in Europe? well, let's

much a'fuss about twitter

2009-04-24T16:14:00.001+01:00

So it seems that in the past month, twitter has gone from big-ish to really big, to an application of gargantuan proportions. I’ve been proud a twitterer since 2007, maybe i’m ahead of the curve, maybe i’m a social networking freak, but this my friends is the future of the internet. I mean guys, Oprah signed up last week. If that isn’t a sign of big things to come, I really don’t know what

the lion king

2009-04-23T20:33:00.005+01:00

on sunday afternoon, i took panu to The Lion King musical @ Lyceum Theatre. It was my third time, and you know what, it truly does get better and better every time.Panu was never that interested in the show... I'd ask if he wanted to go and he'd umm and ahh enough that i'd get distracted and forget that i'd asked. anyway, eventually i just bought two tickets, awesome row F, and we went. Brilliant

the host

2009-04-21T14:50:00.004+01:00

Like many other fans of the Twilight series, when i got to the final page of Breaking Dawn, i felt lost, helpless, hopeless... and without a desire to ever read any other series again. Ever. I'd wander through Borders, touching random book covers and reading blurbs of books whose spines had caught my attention. But... nothing. In despair (oh, me the drama queen), i picked up the other Stephenie

eastery weekend

2009-04-19T11:02:00.008+01:00

it's Sunday morning and i've just painted my nails. Painstaking french tips which look all right from afar, but ridiculously amateur close up. so don't look too closely. in an effort to not bodge my creation, i've resigned myself to be infront of the netbook for the next hour, so what better time to blog about the easter weekend than now.Easter fell on the weekend four days after my long sojourn

still here

2009-04-17T16:08:00.005+01:00

apologies for lack of blogging over the last week. it's been a hectic week to say the least. been working a couple of nights to meet a deadline and been in a workshop for most of today. i promise i'll be back to tell you all about our wonderfully relaxing, albeit grey and dreary Easter weekend last week!Ciao.ps. got a replacement phone - life is swoit again!pps. watched Twilight again last night

lost

2009-04-10T21:15:00.000+01:00

on Wednesday, i was massively punished for being lazy.i left work a smidgin early (act of lazy #1) to pick up a wee little birthday 'magic' cake for Panu from Konditor & Cook; it's just up the road from my office.. possibly a 15 minute walk at the most. But being a little bit rushed (and lazy), i jumped on the bus to go up the road three whole stops (act of lazy #2). On the bus, I checked some

got my little hands on...

2009-04-08T12:09:00.000+01:00

this blu ray dvd yesterday...

'ludicrous' doesn't even begin to explain...

2009-04-06T19:10:00.007+01:00

a fellow blogger posted this article about complaints BBC have been receiving against a presenter on one of their kids shows, CBeebies, solely because the presenter was born with one arm. You would think that in this day and age, acceptance of a person's ability to perform a role would go beyond race, gender and certainly physical abilities. Sadly, it appears we are still living in the Middle

time flies

2009-04-03T15:55:00.000+01:00

On the final day of my work stint in Sydney, i have a meeting from 4pm-5pm. i know, that sucks. this trip has completely fried my brain, yes, even this normally workaholic brain and I am itching to head back to London.Five weeks has passed so quickly. it seemed like only yesterday that I was pondering whether my little heart could stand being apart from its mate for so long. but look at this,

absolute gold

2009-04-01T23:02:00.003+01:00

not sure if you've ever had the urge to scroll down to my reads & links section on the left navigation bar, but if you haven't clicked on Lexxus' blog, you really ought to. not for the uber-conservative, but if you have a sense of humour, you will love him.i've been a bit behind in reading his blog, but read this post today and proceeded to wet myself laughing, right here at my desk.

mamak me!

2009-03-30T21:27:00.002+01:00

Mamak opened on Goulburn Street in Sydney just before we left for London. I remember going there and having the roti canai, noting that it was pretty good, but not phenomenal. It was easier for me to go to Kammadhenu in Newtown for roti.well.Mamak sure has up the ante! We went there for dinner last night, queued for over half an hour – it felt more like half a life time as we were hungry and

the hazards of ironing

2009-03-28T11:40:00.000Z

so, a couple of weeks ago, i was happily ironing away here at mel & cam's place. as I finished one garment, i propped the iron up on the board and turned around to get the next item of clothing. unfortunately, my fat ass got in the way and bumped the ironing board. the iron went tumbling face first onto the carpet.instinctively i dived onto the carpet to grab the iron, and burnt a long fat

new shades!

2009-03-25T21:10:00.000Z

still in love

2009-03-23T15:05:00.000Z

did you think i'd forgotten about him already? Hah, not quite!at the brink of finishing Breaking Dawn, and I'm still magically, breathlessly, tragically in love with edward.And now, i've found someone else equally obsessed as me. I won't name her, she'll kill me.. but m'dear how glad I am i can share this with you! Can i come over and watch Twilight with you over and over and over and over again??

leon

2009-03-22T22:43:00.001Z

on possibly the first day of uni, i was in class with this guy who i thought was a bit of a tosser, to be honest. one of those class clown types, and when he leaned too far back in his chair i would wish he'd fall over, and inevitably he would, and I would have a bit of a giggle. I was also cursed because this guy had all the same classes as me, lectures and tutorials alike, and there was nothing

three words

2009-03-17T23:12:00.000Z

home. cooked. food.i had the absolute pleashaaaaa of going home to Brisbane last weekend, and being force fed by my dad ain't such a bad thing when you haven't been home for a while. In my gastronaut heaven, my parents fed me... malaysian curry fish with okras and eggplantsingapore chilli crabs with super fresh crabs that my dad caught crab & sweetcorn soup, also with the delicious fresh crabyum

bubbas. everywhere.

2009-03-12T19:24:00.000Z

as i sit in the airport in Sydney, waaaay too early for my flight to Brisbane, i am confronted with the vicious beast that has been rearing its ugly head at me since i was all but twelve years old. this beast lays dormant most of the time, but occasionally, spurred on by the sweet smell of newborn babies, it surfaces and side swipes me into a blubbering quivering clucky mess of a person.and my

home is where the heart is

2009-03-06T16:15:00.000Z

End of week 1.I landed in Sydney on Sunday evening around 9pm, the perpetual 21 degree air conditioning in the airport disguised what awaited me outside. I flew through immigrations (ah, bless. Caught a flight full of Other passport holders), collected my bag and headed for the door. i dived headfirst into the muggy Sydney evening, and having come from crisp cold London, this was like... I don’t

i'm such a wank

2009-03-02T12:01:00.002Z

I'm sitting here in Metcentre, an old hang out, waiting for my friend Jo to come meet me for lunch. I'm here, with my beloved Netbook, hooked up to the world wide web with my 3 broadband wireless key, and with my mobiles, both my mobiles sitting next to me.i do realise that i look like a complete and utter wank.by the way, i'm now here in Sydney-town, enjoying the unbelievable warmth. It's a

beta blogger is the devil

2009-02-27T10:19:00.004Z

Yesterday afternoon i was tinkering around with my blogger template and reading about beta blogger and its supposed benefits. I was just reading i swear, but i inadvertently clicked on something, perhaps it was the ‘switch to beta blogger’ button and suddenly my blog went ballistic.Its complexion suddenly looked sickly spotty, kind of like measles and i knew, i knew, i had done something stupid.

morning routine

2009-02-26T14:40:00.005Z

this might cause some of you to puke, so beware.every morning, panu gets up before me, and he heads into the kitchen to make himself breakfast (i eat mine at work, squeezing as much sleeping minutes into my morning as humanly possible). then a few, or ten or 30 minutes later, i wiggle myself out of bed, and with my eyes mostly closed, i trudge my way into the kitchen."hey stompy," he always says,

homeward bound

2009-02-24T18:51:00.003Z

so. i am homeward bound in a few days, homeward bound the to warm open arms of Australia, for five whole weeks. shouldn't i be completed elated? i should. i know i should. but somehow, i'm not. And if you think it's because i've sprouted a sudden connection with London, please go take your daily meds, i'm not quite that insane yet.i'm feeling a certain breathless emptiness because... i'm

our new home

2009-02-22T21:25:00.001Z

two weeks ago, panu and i moved into our new place, our second flat in ye olde Londontown. the days leading up to the move were possibly the most infuriating of the days in my little life, and i did vaguely make reference to this. However, like all kinds of pains, time healed the wounds.Having said that, 'twas lucky we are alive to enjoy the healing process. The morning of the move, we were

all tech'd up!

2009-02-20T12:04:00.014Z

Wow it's been 5 days since my last post? This week has passed in tedium, but at least it has flown. I can't believe it's Friday, but surely not unappreciating the fact. It's been one of those weeks where one day blurs into the next effortlessly, which again, is appreciated.I know though that I've spent way more than my allocated weekly allowance this week. My week's shopping list looked a little

happy love day

2009-02-15T21:37:00.000Z

Valentine’s day, a Hallmark day to rival any other. Rather, to stampede on all others. I was once told that florists make more money on Valentine’s day, just this one day, than on every other day of the year combined. I mean, is that just insane? For a completely made up day?While I’m not a frothing-at-the-mouth anti-Vday lunatic, I do believe that the day was created to take advantage of those

mmmm... edward cullen

2009-02-12T16:49:00.000Z

I know he's a freaky vampire and all that. but i love him. edward, you can immortalise me any day....incidentally, Quidam was quite disappointing... Varekai blows it out of the universe.

today...

2009-02-11T15:21:00.002Z

Today is one of those days where I have a billion thoughts running through my head. Arbitrary, disconnected feelings, but all with enough intensity to propel me from of elated highs to muddled lows. Randomly...I finished a brief at work, completed exactly to the tee by the stakeholder’s requirements... and of course once presented, turns out it isn’t what they wanted at all.On the flip side,

hundreds attend global warming protest

2009-02-09T16:49:00.002Z

too cute. I couldn't help myself.

it may be war...

2009-02-07T19:29:00.002Z

we've just moved apartments today... and because it takes up to 10 working days to shift our broadband over, Panu and I are using a wireless dongle in the mean time. One wireless dongle. We have to share the internet.Brace yourselves...

winter wonderland

2009-02-04T11:25:00.002Z

On Sunday night, it started snowing here in London, tiny little snowflakes which, based on my experience of ‘snow’ in London, would melt into muddy puddles on the sidewalk. I wasn’t particularly excited, just a little bit cold.But on Monday morning, we woke up to a rather pleasant surprise. Overnight, the snowfall had been so heavy that by morning, London was covered in snow, 6 inches at least

current favourite girl

2009-02-02T15:50:00.003Z

Rosario Dawson. Amazing. Panu doesn't like her... but really, what's not to like???

25 things about me

2009-02-01T21:37:00.007Z

last week a couple of people tagged me in this facebook app. it's one of those where you write something about yourself and pass it on. normally i dont participate in these things, usually because i can't be bothered thinking about my favourite food, or colour, or the length of floss i use nightly.but this one's a little different. this one simply asks you to list 25 random things about yourself.

venting

2009-01-30T10:44:00.002Z

the incompetence level of the service industry in london is astounding. they should receive a prize, really they should. because how it is that every single facet of the service industry, from utilities to telcos to deliveries, can reduce me to tears of frustration, i dont know. I really dont.my potty mouth is off the scale today. sorry to the people who sit around me.

ribena berries do good.

2009-01-27T15:34:00.004Z

so, a whole bottle of "really light" ribena only has 15 calories. this fact took me by utter surprise today. i mean, i also bought a teeny weeeeny bag of grapes, honestly no more than say 15 grapes, and that had 51 calories!plus it tastes good. plus ribena berries are just so damn cute!i'm drinking ribena forever!

old flames burn bright

2009-01-26T12:58:00.002Z

when i was about ten, my parents would give us a dollar a week in pocket money. This dollar would stretch a long way back in the day. I'd usually hold my dollar close and eagerly await the short walk home after school, past a local corner store which sold unimaginable amounts of heavenly lollies. I'd be able to buy "twenty cents worth of mixed lollies please", and so the dollar would last me a

being of the fairer gender

2009-01-22T11:59:00.000Z

I find that some days i am utterly consumed with adoration for that certain somebody, that I am so engulfed with love that I can barely breathe and the mere thought of him brings a tear to my eye ~ happy tears for the sheer joy of being with him? Or perhaps sad tears for the unthinkable premise of ever being without him. Whatever it is, i sit at work like a giddy sixteen year old, whiling away

can he?

2009-01-21T16:16:00.000Z

can he be the man, the president and the superhero that the world wants (needs) him to be?yes he can!

shit ass host of the year

2009-01-20T15:04:00.003Z

Welcoming us back from our Morocco/Milan trip were three of my most favourite people in the whole world – Mariano, Ita and Andrew. They’d arrived the day before and proceeded to freeze their little tooshes off in London’s subzero ‘big freeze’. I have to say, I win the SAHOTY award hands down. Shit Ass Host Of The Year. Of the frickin' millenium, more like. Not only was I sick the whole time they

an oldie but a goodie

2009-01-16T16:18:00.001Z

some love for a friday afternoon... watch it, to the very end. makes me grin like a fool and want to bawl my eyes out, all at the same time, every time. how cute is it that they drift apart and he reaches out for her again? awwww.. (and yes, I am assuming that it is he who reaches out for her, cos he just bloody well should!)

buon giorno milano

2009-01-15T21:31:00.000Z

i was about to call this post bonjour milano, but i think i am getting my languages mixed up. oops! *grin*anyway, after dusting off the dust (oh yes there was dust) from Morocco, we hit Milan enroute back home to London. By this stage I had well and truly contracted the virus which was to be with me for weeks to come (if i knew this back then, i might well have shot myself to spare me the misery)

my new babies!

2009-01-13T11:35:00.003Z

80, that's right 8-0. 80% off my new Karen Millen heels, from Harrods.*i ♥ sales*

labelling bites

2009-01-12T11:48:00.003Z

so last night i decided that i was going to start labelling my blog posts, for ease of reference for god knows who, cos i probably won't ever use it. anyway, starting was easy, but now i'm through labelling about 200 posts and with about 200 more to go, it's looking less appealing by the minute. the upside was that while i was labelling, i watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Unbelievable

the big fat Morocco post

2009-01-11T19:18:00.002Z

Christmas just gone was spent in probably the most unique way, compared to the other 28 Christmasses that i've had the pleasure of experiencing. Six of us packed our bags (strategically might I add, thanks to the one-bag-per-couple policy we enforced on ourselves) and headed for Morocco, which in my sheltered existence, i imagined to be like something out of Aladdin.And I tell you what, I was not

it's still 2008, right?

2009-01-07T21:53:00.006Z

i have this inate ability to disappear from bloggersphere for random amounts of time, and suddenly return with numerous spurts of brainvomit. i think this is one of those cases because so much has occurred in the last three weeks worthy of bloggersphere-dom and i've barely just had the chance to re-assess and file my thoughts, ready for regurgitation.first and foremost, a happiest new year to all

and that was another year...

2008-12-22T15:49:00.002Z

I thought I’d post this today, nine days shy of the new year, because tomorrow we are off on holidays and will be back just in time to bid 2008 goodbye.It almost goes without saying that this year has been the most adventurous that I have lived, thus far. I’ve probably moved and migrated more than the average person in their 20’s. It started with the first migration from Australia to Malaysia,

my foodie mate

2008-12-21T20:29:00.007Z

i clearly remember the day i officially met Melissa C. she'd moved to London for work and not knowing anyone, a mutual friend who was here on holidays organised for us to meet up for lunch, because she had an inkling that maybe, just maybe, we would hit it off. Even before I met Mel C, i already knew she was a foodie just like me thanks to her blog (which she needs to re-start again!) and booked

junkfood

2008-12-16T15:26:00.006Z

Panu would argue that more often than not, I wear my food. He claims he can't take me out in public because I end up with food on my lap, my chest, my face and my hair. I dont know how, to be honest, because believe me when I say I really wanted that food in my mouth!And so when I stumbled across JunkFood in NYC, I knew it was a match made in heaven!These guys design the funkiest tees, and the

i'm alive!

2008-12-15T14:39:00.004Z

holy crap, i didnt realise it had been over a week since my last post! where did the time go?! i can usually blame a lapse this long on an exciting vacation, however this time, i have been here all along, in this misty little freeze pot we call London.it has been a hectic couple of weeks with beer guzzling visitors from Germany, a familiar face from Newtown, a birthday celebration, a christmas

not quite que sera

2008-12-04T15:09:00.001Z

sometimes the world baffles me. the random acts of terrorism seem so far removed from my life that it's just another piece of news. when the jewish couple were killed in mumbai - again to me, it was another piece of news...... but then when I read about their baby, who was saved by its nanny, who doesn't realise what's happened... and at its parents funeral, it started crying out for its mummy...

Que sera sera

2008-12-02T17:08:00.003Z

the grapevine in perth is absolutely fabulous and terrifyingly evil at the same time. it's not so much a grapevine, but rather one singular grape, hanging on the end of a lonely vine.so today, the said grapevine told me that an ex of mine is engaged. This ex is the one who broke my heart into itty itty bite-sized pieces, and consequently turned me into ice queen bitch for many years. anyway, back

i left my heart in NYC

2008-12-01T22:13:00.004Z

we're back, we arrived to the gloom (I almost wrote "doom and gloom" which isn't too far from the truth!) of London early yesterday morning and I am officially, clinically, depressed. I cannot believe how much I loved NYC, i mean i knew i was going to have an awesome time - everyone does - but that city, its energy, people, life, colours... i just loved it.it's no secret that i've never been a

a little bit awol

2008-11-20T21:36:00.003Z

this week has been exhausting at work, with guys over from overseas for a 'program planning' workshop. early starts (in the office at 6.30am! *eeeeks*), obligatory work dinners (free food though, can't complain) and lots of thinking. We don't like too much thinking. So it's now Thursday night and I am pooped.BUT! In 2 sleeps, or rather 1 and a half because we have to get up in the wee hours of

on trend... finally!

2008-11-16T18:42:00.005Z

so i'm what's known as a fashion laggard. a new trend comes in, i usually think it's hideous, i can't believe people are wearing skinny jeans/boho-schick/huge handbags! And then two seasons later, suddenly I don't seem to think that are actually so terrible. In fact, I go buy one.. and finally, as the trend fades out, i'm in.BUT! I picked up this week's edition of Grazia yesterday

glutton heaven

2008-11-12T22:19:00.009Z

i have been living in glutton heaven for the past four days. check it out...SundaySunday started with lunch at a girlfriend's house... five tiny little chicks and all this food?and after stuffing ourselves to the brink, we met up with Panu's cousins from Helsinki and went to Kiasu, where I always always eat too much, and as though that wasn't enough, we had movenpick ice cream for dessert, and

me & my Jo

2008-11-08T13:32:00.003Z

where do i start? Jo and i met one year long long ago, at a work 'Easter Carvinal Day'. Amidst the stench of farmyard animals, we connected, and happily nurtured our budding friendship at Circular Quay with a cocktail or two or ten. our relationship developed pretty quickly, and before I knew it I was visiting Level 5, wiling away my work hours sitting on Jo's desk, and Jo would brave the

shoot me now

2008-11-06T10:25:00.007Z

now, i have always objected to crocs. i mean, seriously, people wear these things out?? Panu had a pair of crocs, and i almost didn't go out with him because of them. I made him banish them to the balcony, and then to the bin because really, are they not the most un-sexiest things ever??then two days ago, Quyen, Ying and Tiff (Queenslanders, need I say more? *wink*), were on facebook endorsing

here's hoping...

2008-11-04T14:48:00.003Z

halloween!

2008-11-02T21:58:00.001Z

Friday night was Amanda's farewell from Londontown (sad!) and hey it was also Halloween, so we all got dressed up and headed down to Verve Bar for a few drinkies and some dancin'! Truth be told, not much dancin' actually took place because it was frickin' crowded but there sure were a lot of photos being taken. Witches, monsters, bloody nurses and naughty pussy cats.. just to name a few costumes.

the glass castle

2008-10-31T10:09:00.003Z

last week i finished reading The Glass Castle, a memoir by New York journalist Jeanette Walls, telling of her most impoverished childhood to an extent where you just read with your mouth half agape, astonished that this is real, and utterly amazed by the absence of any resentment towards her parents for bringing them up in this way.i'm normally a fiction kind of gal, the not-too-heavy variety...

this is me...

2008-10-28T14:21:00.002Z

late lunch at Ottolenghi

2008-10-26T01:05:00.003+01:00

after a late night partying at Fabric, Mel C, Grace and I had a late lunch at Ottolenghi in Islington... I don't know how Mel finds these gorgeous Mediterranean cafes but I'm sure not complaining!

sucker for punishment

2008-10-23T16:53:00.001+01:00

True, i came out of my first boxing class completely exhilirated and in love with the sport. I even blogged about it that same night! But you should have seen me in the four days hence. d.i.s.a.b.l.e.d.I may as well have been! the pain completely and utterly blind sided me... like seriously, is this agony for real?I run, I do pump class, I'm pretty damn sure I can almost crack a nut with my quads

last weekend...

2008-10-20T22:31:00.002+01:00

... was brilliant. you know those illusive weekends, where you have a big(ish) Friday night... and on Saturday it feels like a Sunday, but it's only Saturday?!?! Yeh, I had one of those. Rare as gold, and definitely more precious!Friday night was the annual C Hoares & Co "supper party", hosted by Panu's employers and held at the lavish Royal Courts of Justice. The venue was so impressive I'd

boxing bunny

2008-10-16T20:42:00.003+01:00

tonight i had my very first private boxing lesson. i've always been interested in boxing, the same way as i've always wanted to play the drums if i could have picked any musical instrument, but the cost, space and the ridiculous out of time thump-thumping simply outweighed my need to drum... which was probably also best for the sanity of every person in a half mile radius of me.i tried joining

hola españa!

2008-10-13T20:39:00.005+01:00

so. the girls trip to barcelona was not the best for me... i'd been feeling mildly ill all week and was dosing up on massive quantities of vitamins in order to get better quick, but seemed nature had far more sinister plans for me. my sore throat started getting worse on Friday, and by the time we touched down in Spain, i was swallowing razorblades.this flu bug got me good.the girls had a huge (

Babs...

2008-10-07T22:21:00.001+01:00

In the early hours of last Thursday morning, Babs gave birth to a little boy... Lachlan Thomas Sutton, weighing in at 3.935kg, who opened his little eyes and looked around the moment he was born.the strangest thing was that on Wednesday I woke up thinking about Babs, and could not get her out of my mind. I'm not talking about just you know, wondering if she's popped... I was incredibly distracted

life in colour

2008-09-30T11:58:00.004+01:00

When I was 21, I had my heart smashed into a million little pieces, the wounds so deep that I didn’t think I would ever recover. I couldn’t believe I had loved someone with such intensity that I would let them hurt me so badly, but even still, I would never wish for the past to be changed. Through my arduous recovery process, I found true friends and more importantly I found myself. I learned to

Parental reading not recommended

2008-09-28T17:07:00.006+01:00

As I write this post, I am acutely aware that parents, uncles and aunts may stumble upon this. I warn you, read at your own risk. This is a highly risqué post so if you want your image of me to stay the same *halo*, stop reading! but hey, I’m not known for hiding much on this blog of mine!So last night was lined up to be a very ordinary night. Panu and I headed to Brick Lane for some curry, after

haggis... love

2008-09-24T21:26:00.008+01:00

haggis. the mere mention of haggis would probably make 95% of anyone you speak to cringe or even retch, but said to me, that sweet word, "haggis", music to my ears... my new love *ahhhh*... look, i've even lost track of what I'm writing because my brain is desperately thinking of where i can get my hands on some soon!this new love took me utterly by surprise. we met 5 days ago, when Panu and I

ciao....

2008-09-16T21:52:00.007+01:00

brian and jackson have both been a staple part of my social diet for a long long time, from perth to sydney to london. so it goes without saying that their departure from london makes me a little sad... but i feel safe in the knowledge that we've all known each other for the better part of a decade (or more!), so a few borders shouldn't keep us apart. in fact i look forward to partying with the

Nobu, Park Lane

2008-09-14T18:33:00.004+01:00

Yesterday, 6 of us splurged a little for lunch and dined at the famous Nobu in London's Park Lane. We all ordered the Chef's Recommendation, which is a 6 course degustation of the tastiest, yummiest stuff on the menu... have a squiz...Salmon tartar with caviar, and Tuna tataki with ponzuBlack cod with miso, and Beef "toban" yaki Mixed sushi & sashimi platter, and chocolate bento box (flourless

29 and 7 days...

2008-09-12T23:29:00.008+01:00

today, i turned 29 years and 7 days old. i had a pretty good night ~ we finally, finally, got around to watching Wall-E, which if you haven't seen it... is just pure pleasure on a big flat screen. how pixar can convey the story with a number of bleeps and buzzes (although Ben Burtt is just something else all together) is just beyond me, but above anything else, little Wall-E and Eve speak the

on tour with me, the glutton

2008-09-03T22:20:00.002+01:00

last weekend, Panu and I took a 4 day trip to his little hometown of Helsinki. I always thought Scandinavia (although, technically Finland is not part of Scandinavia, but you know, it's up there somewhere) was a far away land, somewhere i would never go. but we hopped on a plane and hey presto! 2.5 hours sees me as far north on this little planet of ours as I have ever been. Insane, isn't it?now,

chill'axin weekend

2008-08-31T21:04:00.010+01:00

Following a horrific week at work (don't ask), i was due for a weekend of relaxation... and i sure got one!Saturday was a warm (and humid) day in London... I met May Ching at Southbank in Waterloo for a delicious lunch (thanks!) at Giraffe ~ three-courses of yumminess ~ sambal edamame (sounds weird, tastes superb!), chicken/prawn/mango/walnut salad, finished off with belgian waffles with bananas

my mate boonga

2008-08-28T14:58:00.001+01:00

Today I walked down the road to the Post Office to send boonga is birthday present. For those who don’t know, we share the same birthday, albeit the fact that he has 3 years and exactly 57 wrinkles on me. I know we’ve only celebrated 2 birthdays together, but the first one was so mind-numbing-stupefyingly amazing that it replaced all birthdays preceding (which isn’t hard) and set the par way high

the cutest thing...

2008-08-27T15:17:00.007+01:00

It was about time. after dating for 8 years, these guys finally got hitched on the 8 of the 8 of the 8. How very Chinese!Even before they were hitched, Bec was like a sister to me. one of my earliest memories of her was when we were in Brissie, in her little red car which was struggling so enormously that we may as well have been running (like the Flintstones!) up Stafford Hill.Usually the story

more breakunch..mmmm!

2008-08-26T12:38:00.004+01:00

before we traipsed off to Oz for some sun, Mel C and I realised it had been almost a month since our last breakunch, and we were more than overdue for some foodie goodness. So off we went to Flaneur, an incredibly well hidden jewel, just around the corner from Farringdon Station.Despite the grandios red bleachers depicted on the website, you could walk right past Flaneur if you weren't paying

a slice of heaven

2008-08-20T17:18:00.001+01:00

i know that if i dont get cracking on this therapy session, it will long be forgotten as we're going to Helsinki this weekend... and god knows how many foodie photos I will take there!so. Hamilton Island, especially on the back of a hectic week in Sydney, was more than heaven. it was more like heaven, wrapped in a giant kinder schokobon, delivered to me by a toga wearing (loosely) Aaron Eckhardt.

current crush...

2008-08-17T17:20:00.001+01:00

... aaron eckhardt. i dont care that half his face in burnt off in that movie, just look at that jaw line!

post holiday funk

2008-08-13T15:50:00.001+01:00

ok, i gotta dig myself out of this post holiday funk. they say the best way to deal with anything is to face your demons head on and cleanse. and i think to cleanse, i need to do this holiday blog. it's almost like therapy."Hi my name is Cat and I have a baaad case of the post holiday blues.."i'm sifting through literally hundreds of photos, not really knowing where to begin. Sydney, obviously,

home

2008-08-12T17:36:00.012+01:00

home. we've just arrived home from our holiday yesterday. home right now means London. home sometimes means Sydney, and always means Australia. home is where the heart is, and i've come to realise that home on a granular level to me was, and to an extent still is the Sydney innerwest suburb of Newtown.i know it might seem ridiculous, i only lived there for 12 months, but whenever i think of

shopping & geography

2008-08-02T23:49:00.002+01:00

Mel: "hey, is there FCUK in the UK?"ahhh, i missed you Mel.. *hugz*

royal at the royalton

2008-07-23T21:40:00.017+01:00

a few months ago, my friend Audrey introduced me to priceline.com, a concept which to me sounded a little too good to be true. The idea is that you bid for holiday accomodation, as high or low as you choose and hey presto you win some spang -dangle hotel stay for half the price! I thought this website might have been baloney, I mean they have Denny Crane as the face of priceline! although, I do

i'm bursting

2008-07-20T10:03:00.003+01:00

i cannot believe it's only 6 sleeps til we're heading back to home soil. i don't care that it's only for 2 weeks, i am bursting with excitement and can't imagine how i'm going to get through the week..looking forward to seeing all you sydneysiders & queenslanders!