How not to: Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter

Tried making cookies and cream peanut butter. Tastes yum on toast or pokey fingers.

Recipe here.

leather bag mit exterior compartments

Add this bag to the list of things I covet. 

A relatively small bag, but I like that you can hang your glasses on the outside of the bag. And my laptop can fit nicely inside. Probably. Glasses cases can be quite bulky. Found here.

In other news, I've recently been getting into The Heavy: a UK rock/soul band.

Here's some of their work:

Bookfriends Bookmark Ballpen

Introducing the Bookfriends Bookmark Ballpen! A relatively recent acquisition.

I've never owned a bookmark (that functions solely as a bookmark) before. I tend to use whatever is conveniently located to me: be it pen, paper, or my public transport card [which I usually forget which book I left it in and desperately look for in the few minutes before the bus comes].

Whenever I use a pen as a bookmark, it looks unsightly when the book is closed. And it will often fall out of place so that I lose the page where I'm up to in the book. No such problem occurs with this bookmark pen.

Ugh it's so cute.

In other news, I've got writers block and the deadline for my essays is in 6 days. The only thing getting me through the rest of semester:

1. Going on a shopping trip to Singapore after exams
2. Going to Japan at the end of next year when I finish my degree 

Hasta Luego!

Shanghai Noon

Feel free to experience Shanghai vicariously through these photos. 

Chinese food in China is hit-and-miss for me. About 20% of the food tastes like heaven, the rest is either mediocre or abysmal. But then again, I'm talking about restaurant food and it's a possibility that the tour guide is just taking us to the crappy restaurants. Street food is awesome though.

Hanging meat: one of the first things I saw in Shanghai.

 I really like this shopping street.

 Toffee fruits on a stick. Looks can be deceiving. I had a toffee apple stick and it was reallllly sour.

The infamous stinky tofu. Not as pungent or diarrhoea-looking as I thought it would be. Looked and smelled quite nice.

My coffee jelly and ice cream sundae from Haagen-Dazs.

Can't wait for the semester to be over. Looking forward to going to Singapore at the end of June (with the mother for a shopping holiday).

Kunming Lake

While in Beijing, the tour guide took us to Kunming Lake which was on the grounds of the Summer Palace Gardens. 

The pavillion overlooking the lake.

"Screw the lake police!"...which is what I'm assuming those people are thinking.

The view of the lake was mystifying. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. But then again, it was really early in the morning and I was freezing my non-existent nuts off. I was probably....can't really think of the appropriate word here...

Apparently the view at Kunming Lake is amazing during spring and autumn. I'd like to see it.

BYE ♡

China's Great Wall

If you're ever in Beijing, be sure to stop by the Great Wall of China. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World after all.

I only managed to climb up to the first tower. While climbing the damn thing I was severely sweating, panting and burning up. Which, now that I think about it, was beneficial in -14°C  weather. Maybe don't climb the Great Wall in Summer.

"Jesus reigns" scrawled on the Great Wall. How Easter appropriate.

For a ridiculously overpriced price, you can have your name and your lover's name inscribed on a lock and affixed to the Great Wall!

Why, you ask? Beats me. But I suppose it's a nice gesture to 'lock' your love together and have it last forever. And it's a public declaration of love.

The view on the way down. One wrong step and it can mean death by tumbling down and a broken neck. Needless to say, the way down was A LOT easier than the way up.


Back in a while, crocodile.

Beijing: Well...sort of

In December/January my family and I went to Vietnam, China, and then Vietnam again. Overall I quite enjoyed the trip to China. It's a beautiful country rich in history and culture.

Since it was a fast paced, 1 week tour of China; it's a shame that I couldn't wander around at my own pace. That and I was freezing my non-existent nuts off. Being used to the mild winters in Perth, the -14°C cold in Beijing was not pleasant. Bearable...but not pleasant. 

The Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square.

Behold the Forbidden City. Feels like I'm watching another historical c-drama.

And finally some taxis that look like a fusion between motorbikes and steel. Ingenious. 

Vietnam

Hey all. As I sit here in front of my laptop, succumbing to the workload of uni, I present to thee various photos from when I was in Vietnam. I've been to Vietnam so many times that I'm desensitised somewhat to its niceness. But the food is cheap and amazeballs.

A woman selling an abundance of animal jerkies. Jerkied animals include cow, deer and pig.

Oh you know, just the usual traffic. There's not a lot of pedestrian crossings in Vietnam and crossing the street takes a bit of skill:

1. Wait for there to be reasonable distance between yourself and the traffic
2. Hold out your arms (signalling to oncoming traffic that you're crossing) 
3. Walk across the road slowly (so the fast-moving motorbikes can predict your movement and steer around you) 
4. Do not panic

Nice timing.

At Vinpearl, an amusement/waterpark in my mother's home town: Nha Trang. As cute as the little monkey show was, I can't help but suspect there's some animal cruelty involved.

The morning horizon.

 Just going to leave this here...

A friendly vendor at An Dong Market. Don't even bother to haggle. You won't win. *hangs head low in defeat*

Around Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi

Just some snaps around the Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi area. I would have liked to take more photos (and overkill my SD card) but it seems that I tend to not take photos when I'm out shopping.

"みんなに笑顔を届けたい– I want to bring a smile to everyone's face." You go Glico Man! Make the world a smilier place! I like that he has such an over-zealous looking face.

Tourists posing with the Glico Man. I should have posed with him like that too...

Dotonbori Canal is lovely at night.

Sneaky sneaky snap of a cute girl. I'm really envious of her hair. Anyways...


Tschüss!