ice ice baby

today, my usual 40 minute journey to work became 4 hours. the snow was treacherous, people were driving at 5 miles per hour (if that).



its snowing heavily until now.

news forecast say its going to be worse tomorrow. (which means no work for me).








how's the weather at your end?

{photos from the G10 while i was stuck in traffic}

fernando's kitchen

one of the best things i have grown to love in this country is the amount of talent in the streets.

busking is a nationwide phenomenon and everybody accepts it. most of these buskers are talented students of a performance college who are struggling students, or are struggling artists waiting for their big break.

i am easily impressed with good music, but most especially when the music they play are original and just under the radar.

one of the most recent one i encountered were the group called Fernando's Kitchen just recently over the weekend. they're normally a group, but that night, only two played.

that day, we listened to them, and i was transported from the cold and wintery cambridge to somewhere hot and exotic.

i am so into their music.








listen to their music.

video taken from their website...x

i parked for the day

..my life is a busy life. not busy in a corporate way, nor is it celebrity kind of way (hehe) but busy in a therapist-student-wife-sister-friend kind of way.

but today, i stay put. i had enough lieu time to use up, and the only day where its not busy with clients at work, is a Monday. so i opted to use it on a Monday. i literally could not use it on a Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as thats my busiest when it comes to client face-to-face.

anyone who holds a full-time work, to only have your weekends as your rest time would know that an extra day in the week is an added bonus to do some stuff relegated normally for the weekend.


so today, i was productive. i did not only have caught up with lost sleep. i also did a massive laundry turnover for linens for guests in the christmas period and of course, some banking.


its great. tomorrow, its another day of knowing people, listening to their story and be the rational perspective that will get them get over the hump.



**

my bank rang me again, they queried why i transfer X amount of money to a philippine bank on a regular basis. i had to bite my tongue to not be sarcastic and not say:" i assure you, i don't fund radical activities in the philippines." but i didn't. tempting, but i didn't, i feel that there is no privacy anymore.

i'm sure they're just weary of recent money laundering scams and funding of terrorist acts in some asian countries, but please, the meager amount i send, wont even feed an army of ants.


{photo: a red bus toy, at the antique's fayre in portobello market}

cambridge yesterday

adrian did a lecture in cambridge yesterday. as a dutiful wife, i went with him.

all i did yesterday was roam around the town. and did some of my christmas shopping (for presents). i had some coffee breaks, a nice lunch, and met the husband after his talk in an espresso cafe, and went back again to the shops with him. left the place at 6PM and went home, and got some takeaway food, for dinner.

when we got in the house, we put the telly on, and had dinner. what a saturday. just how we love it.

the town was freezing cold. the frost has gone by then. this was around half ten in the morning..

some corners of the town

interesting nooks





its a bicycle town..all ages bike around..and the leaflets and posters so interesting to read, there's always a poetry reading somewhere, or a drama class somewhere.

a very popular publication...where some of the best academic books are published




the market was buzzing. this was by noontime already

i love market scenes..one day, i'm taking a project of compiling market photos all over the world.

this is the arcade where i took shelter from the cold

this photo was taken with Adrian with me. on our way back to the car, we saw the buskers. they are called Fernando's Kitchen. i truly love their music. a hint of latin, african, and jazz fusion. i wish i could afford to hire them for my graduation party,hehe (*dreaming*)

just before we drove home, Adrian requested for tea. i had cappucino. and a tart,haha.

its a lovely fill before our drive home:-)

**

its been my third time to roam around Cambridge on my own for Adrian's lecture day,sometimes, he does the lecture, sometimes,he attends one.

everytime, i am mesmerised how the town changes yet never still maintain's is history despite its modern tweaks..

urban planning in this country is very much entertwined with heritage preservation.

...

i want to write a very long post. one that has so many words, so little spaces, a few pauses and hardly any breaths in between.

i do have a nice story to tell. well,a nice one for me and for my old age (hehe, tough luck on that!). something to re-read to myself. something that i can say i'm proud i've done (theres not much to say of that in my life anyway).

but, my energy is just nowhere to be seen. in fact, i just woke up in the couch, and adrian telling me to transfer to our bed (i fell asleep in the middle of the tv programme we were watching).

but i had a small window of opportunity,where there's silence from the telly mumbling about the news, and adrian tucked nicely in bed.

unfortunately, the energy isnt enough to get the story out there. im still (physically) exhausted, and my energy waning. but here, in my gut, i still have the need, that longing to blog, and i love that. i cant just pass that, can i?

so, in the effort to write something out of nothing, here's the attempt.

id leave the juicy details with me for now.

for the meantime, hug the ones you have in your life right now. they're precious.


***





Burj Khalifa in Dubai. this photo has stories attached too:-)

the V & A kensington museum

this is a long overdue post. apologies to my sister who is so patiently waiting for this.

**

April, 2010


Ana and i went to the the Victoria and Albert museum to see their display of Princess Grace Kelly's dresses during her time.

Sadly,we couldnt take photos inside the exhibition but we could take photos of the other parts of the museum. Strict sila. Its such a bummer especially when you paid for the ticket to see the exhibit but then you cant take photos, boohoo.

some artefacts from the Ming dynasty

artefacts from the Aviso dynasty,hehe (the sis, Ana) and ancient China

statues from Asia

L:the sister who is my idol. she is so loved by me adored by her Ate's and Kuya's. she's very talented too.

R: the expanse of the solarium in V&A

China, the middle kingdom.

Ana, reviewing her photos. She and i love our museum treks. We are museum-fanatics.

L: some beautiful design on the wall. the V& A is world reknowned for their changing and rotational displays.

R: the ceiling when you come in

i am not sure what this was now. but it sure did capture alot of people's attention

the grand foyer

**

afterwards, an ice cream and some mini retail therapy at Fortnum and Mason

afterwards, we rushed for the tube to head to the Photographer's Gallery (another entry)..