Asian Parents' Measure of Success

 Scenario 1:
Me: Hey dad check this author out! She was part of xxx literary movement in the 80's and is now an author of xxx number of books and lectures at xxx university. Wish i were smart enough/had more substance in me to start a literary movement/write a book/be a lecturer.

Dad: This kind of thing where got money one! Go join some BIG Corps lah!

Scenario 2:

Me: Hey dad I just met this boy- no idea what he does but makes 100k a month and he's 27.

Dad: WAH! So Succesful!



am not saying that wanting to be rich and young and a corpS  is wrong. but i wish they could see a balance between the two.

A Discourse On (Instant) Hot Chocolate

A certain instant chocolate drink (milo) plays a huge role in malaysian urban culture because it is thought to be nutritious and happens to be mega yummy. Hence, parents allow their kids to have as much of it as they want. We drink Milo as a breakfast drink, for tea, as a midnight before bed drink, when we're sick etc. (I've come to associate it with comfort food). 

Unfortunately for those of us studying overseas.Or maybe it's just U.K.. Or maybe its just for us studying outside of Londy. Malaysian milo is not readily available in oriental marts. Even if they do stock a few tins, it is usually - a product of Kenya (a coarser affair. texture of the milo is closer to that of coffee. and smells funky) or a product of Singapore (very close but still not quite. so not worth buying all the time. this is rarer than the kenyan milo but easier to get than the msian ones). 

Hence, I usually end up drinking instant hot chocolate readily available in all supermarkets/off-licenses. I think it is important here to define what i mean by instant hot chocolate. INSTANT hot chocolate means you just add hot water to the powder (like milo). This kind of hot chocolate is slightly harder to find in the uk. The more common ones are the kind that you stir into hot milk. I find those to be too rich. and its just too troublesome to have to microwave a mug of milk everytime you want a hot choc.

This is a line-up of instant hot chocs that I have bought in a week in search of the perfect one. Sasha has removed the lables of the first two.

From left to right:

Tesco instant hot chocolate: Acceptable. the best so far.

Cadbury instant hot choc: a disappointment. feels very artificial

Cadbury Highlights: Marginally better than the above but falls behind the tesco one.

Galaxy: yuck

Nesquik: ok but not my thing

Note: Tesco+Cadbury highlights  almost taste good.

Unfortunately ALL of them did not satisfy my fussy spoiled-by-msian-milo tastebuds untill.............

i discovered drinking chocolate at Wise Weigh at Coventry Market! 10/10! and cheaper than any of the above. it doesn't come in a bottle (it's from one of those stores where they have huge tubs of stuff and you put whatever you want in a bag and they weigh it for you) but the shop owners make their own stuff. Their muesli, pecan and maple crunch, bran flakes, nut mix are all amazing! (and cheap!) so yeah if you live in cov and need a hot chocolate drink to substitute milo-you know where to go!

Unfortunately I never got to try the waitrose instant hot chocolate so I cannot speak for it.  I will soon! 

Speaking of substitutes this is what you do when you think those Duck egg blue curtain tie-backs are too expensive but the old white ones are just too boring and do not go with your new duck egg blue percale bedsheets

Dandy Lions on the path leading to my house.... such a nice name Dandee Lion. Makes me think of that kids toothpaste......kodomo lion i think?

Tomorrow i shall attempt to make M&S chewy milk chocolate chip cookies!

Pink Trees

are God's reassurance that he loves us. (like rainbows). Because He knows we get jaded by green ones sometimes. haahahahaha

Song of the week:

She's always a woman to me

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child,
But she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her, as long as it's free
Yeah, she steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me

CHORUS:
Oh--she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh--and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

And she'll promise you more
Than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause she's always a woman to me

LOVE the lyrics! You see parts of yourself (if you happen to be a girl)and other girls/women that you have ever known reflected in the song.  Have also been listening to Piano Man but not as much as song above.

Want to buy some Irving Penn prints for my walls. and hopefully catch the exhibit in Londy. *fingers crossed*

If not might ask Khairul to help me get one *hint hint*

UPdate on Enchanted Palace:

I wish I felt what I felt when I saw the event's poster at the tube+flyer. 

The exhibits were beautiful (no pictures allowed but I secretly took some) lots of thought and hard work put into them but I wish they made more of an effort for the THEATRE bit of the theatrical exhibition. All I could gather was-some servants running around and getting into trouble looking for some missing princesses.....

and margaret and diana's exhibits were put into one room instead of a room each like the other princesses. It was as though they were running out of time/ideas and had to come up with something quick because deadline is coming up. But of course Vivienne Westwood never fails to deliver....She did A Dress for a Rebellious Princess. A puffy period westwood dress but made in a material that had a modern floral print. 

 This is a dress in The Room Of The World. It's like a dress shaped lantern? With lots of stuff about the world on it. Methinks it was about a princess who lived at kensington palace who liked to travel and collect curios

This is a wax house in the room of forgotten childhoods. Mainly about the childhoods of royalty. I really liked the details of the house and the silhouette effect. The wax makes it look like something forgotten in the depths of some person's mind. They also used some lace and lots of paper.

and no i did not take a picture of the westwood T.T too busy admiring it and forgot!!!