OBERPOLLINGER!!!!

Tha hell?! How is it that for the last 3 years that I've been living in Munich, I don't appear to have ventured above the ground floor of this department store?! I bring this up now because for some reason, I went upstairs...and discovered a whole heap of concessions from brands that I usually go looking at when I'm in London! Labels like Reiss, French Connection, Topshop, Karen Millen, Dune...IT WAS LIKE I WAS BLIND AND CAN NOW SEE!!! If I can defend myself, when I expressed my shock to some friends, a local girl (MUC born and bred) also didn't know this. She also said that Oberpollinger underwent some major renovations in the last few years so it's possible that the brands weren't stocked when/if I ever visited before.

Regardless of the proximity, the products there are still cheaper in London - I saw my Dune boots there and they were more expensive than what I paid in Runds, but something is better than nothing! And this is also a dangerous development - I nearly bought this Ted Baker dress.

The only thing that stopped me was that this size was a bit tight across the chest while the next size up was too loose across the hips. *phew!*

Milka World and Chocolaterie Beluga

I'm part of a chocolate lovers' group and this weekend we paid a trip to Milka World in the Schrannenhalle. For those who don't know, Milka is a Swiss chocolate brand whose symbol is a purple cow.

As demonstrated here, outside of the Schrannenhalle

And here, inside Milka Welt!

So what was it like? To be honest, it's like M&M World in that there's heaps of merchandise that doesn't seem to be feasible and yet...is.

I mean, it's got the usual plush toys based on cows, and other assorted knick-knacks like cups and lunch boxes...

But it also had this bad that was decorated like lederhosen - Longchamp aren't the only ones!

And you can use that bag with your Milka branded tracht! Not pictured are the lovely purple-trimmed lederhosen that could be purchased.

But the most surprising thing about Milka Welt is that the chocolate was actually quite cheap! I wasn't the only one who thought so - come of my German companions expressed the same sentiment that they thought it would quite more expensive due to the presence of more obscure things like instant brownie mixes and mini cupcakes.

After buying Milka to our hearts' delight, we headed off to the nearby Chocolaterie Beluga where I was conflicted as to which flavour of hot chocolate I should have.

Seriously, there were many different flavours to choose from, including alcoholic flavours, but I eventually settled on 'Hot Chili'.

You buy the chocolate, the cafe supplies the hot and frothy milk...

into which you dunk the chocolate!

It was all quite lovely and it did actually have a bit of chili kick. I'm definitely going to have to return to this cafe and work my way through all the possible flavours.

Jubei?

I saw a familiar fluffy white butt the other night!

OMG! It's like Jubei came across the ocean and someone tied him outside of Rossmann!

Movie review - Winter's Tale

I don't want to waste too much time writing this review because in my honest opinion, this supernatural-fantasy movie is rubbish. I will say that I haven't read the novel this is based on, but if online reviews are to be believed, the movie deviates quite a bit from the original source.

When an immigrant couple are denied entrance at Ellis Island, they place their baby into a model ship and set it adrift in the Hudson River, where he eventually grows up to be Peter Lake (Colin Farrell). Peter has been a petty thief and safe-cracker for Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe), but the two have fallen out and Pearly's gang intends to kill Peter...except for the intervention of a magical horse. Throw in a beautiful consumptive girl (Jessica Brown Findlay) and her precocious younger sister, time travel, amnesia, Lucifer, miracles, a fight to the death, a young girl dying of cancer and her journalist mother (Jennifer Connelly), and you have a movie full of tropes which seems to be building to something but ends up being nothing.

No joke - when this movie finished, my companions (all females) started laughing and asked what the hell exactly happened during this movie? How did so many big name people get involved? How is it possible to have a movie throw so many cliches into a 2 hour movie and yet still leave you with a sense of having no idea what happened? Laura actually said she was glad it was just us girls because if one of the boys came along with us, she would have been ashamed to have made him sit through it.

Watch if you're curious otherwise...I'd like my time back please.
2/10

Wine night

Wonderful, amazing Emi held a wine tasting night in his shop, and since it was being held the night before Valentines, the theme of the wines of that night was was love'. And I loved the wines we drank! 

He also managed to get some caramel pralines to go with the sparkling white that kicked off the night. How lovely and sweet.

Everyone lovingly digs in!

I can't remember all of the wines we had but I do remember enjoying them all. From memory, after the sparkling white, we had a another 2 whites, 3 reds, and 3 dessert wines. I had to leave a little early but Emi gave me a bit of the last wine early even though it wasn't quite ready in his opinon. I also had a great deal of lardo di Colonnata that Emi had transported from Italy and thought we'd enjoy with the wine! He thought correctly - and there we truly have a man after my own heart :P

Awesomeness in the gym

Wednesday evening in the gym. As a general rule, I prefer the elliptical trainer and/or rowing machine over all other cardio equipment. Unfortunately, it was so busy that all these machines were occupied and I instead headed to the treadmill. The treadmill isn't good for my bad ankle but I figured a relatively short 15 minute run shouldn't be too bad - I mean, I normally do twice as long on the elliptical. I started off quite slowly, more like a trot, and then after a few minutes, I thought I'd up the speed. By the end of the run, I was sweating and quite happy when the cooldown arrived and I could walk (at speed). Then I picked up  my towel to wipe the sweat off my face when...CRASH! I fell off the treadmill!

Did I scream? Yes, I did.
Did an attendant come and ask me if I was alright while I was lying on the floor? Yes, he did.
Did the guys on the treadmills next to me stop running and help me up? No, they did not! (Chivalry is dead in this country.)

I picked myself off the floor to do some pilates and core work but trying to stretch and balance while my limbs and ass hurt from when I hit the floor/equipment, I decided that it was actually time to slink home and examine my wounds. That bruise on my leg is going to be sweet when it turns purple.

Awesomeness from Fabi!

I got up in the middle of the night to go to the loo and kicked something that had been placed outside my door. Turning it on the light, I saw it was this:

Something wrapped like candy in newspaper. Written on the side 'Happy belated Christmas/Chinese New Year/Whatever present'.

HAHAHAHA

But it was late/early and I left it on the floor and went back to sleep.

In the morning, I unwrapped this mysterious object and found this:

Lady Raincorn...scarf? Throw? Cuddle thingy?

Whatever it is, I'd like to thank my flatmate for giving me a half-unicorn/half-rainbow as a present for the year *thumbs up*

Back to bouldering!

The Spanish friends with whom I tried on that horrendous red wig were going bouldering the next day and they invited me along. Lo and behold their surprise when they saw that I did the easiest colour (blue/black) very easily, and made it all the way through yellow/black polka dots, yellow/black, yellow, and then to green. I 'fessed up that I had previously bouldered in Melbs, but gave it up through a combination of Phud getting in the way and waiting for my hand to heal.

And I did enjoy myself. Since I've left Melbs, I've dropped about 3kg and I felt much more comfortable hanging up there. So comfortable in fact, that I was sometimes hanging there while friends tried to advise me on which hand or foothold to make next. Despite the seeming ease and comfort, the day ended when I did this:

That's pretty much the same damage I did to my hand in this photo!

So here's to hoping it doesn't take me another 5 years to wait until my next visit. 

Just in case you ever wondered what I look like as a redhead...

the answer is 'horrendous'. 

Someone once told me that I'm the most transparent person they know, and my thoughts are totally readable in this photo. 

So proud...

I've been pretty busy this week, what with coming back from holiday and writing another manuscript. All this work meant that I didn't have time to be interesting enough to write a blog (assuming no one wants to read about how I work, and then go home and do more work), or to even go to the gym. Well. I finished writing that manuscript today at work and I decided to reward myself by doing some grocery shopping and then going to the gym! But when I got home, I did something even better - I decided not to make myself pasta for dinner but to instead eat the groceries that I purchased as a reward.

Did I happen to have a dinner of gorgonzola cheese and Sauternes after going to the gym? Yes, I did! And it was totally worth it!

London shopping

Here's the entry most people want to read - what I bought on my trip! I've also ordered it chronologically so you can pretend you're shopping along with me!

Boots from Dune. Even though I bought some boots recently, I also wanted new heeled boots as my previous pair are pointy-toed and therefore a bit passe. I decided to head to New Change because I figured that if I were to buy boots, I didn't want to be lugging them around the Tube with me, and I knew New Change had Office and Dune, and that Jones isn't too far away. I zoned in pretty quickly on these guys even though I hadn't seen them on the website. The shortish heel (okay, it's about 5cm) is so damn comfy and £40 off. SOLD!!! 

Puffa and straight-leg jeans from Uniqlo. I love my Uniqlo puffa. Unfortunately, I made a tactical error when I purchased it because I wear it so much that the formerly dazzling white is now kinda greyish. This time, I have made no error and I purchased a new one in grey! And as usual, I got a new pair of jeans. It's hard to beat the fact that they make it in my waist size but also offer free tailoring to make up for the fact I'm pretty short...

Limited edition patterned thermals from Uniqlo. I really have no idea why this brand isn't in Germany because they make the kind of clothes I think Germans would love. Cheap, multifunctional clothes that work in warm and cold weather. COME TO GERMANY, UNIQLO!!!

Tops from Primmy. Last week, I was frustrated by the fact that most of my going out clothes are dresses meaning that I die when I'm out and it snows. Pooey counselled patience - just wait a few days and go to Primmy and invest in some dressy tops that I can wear with jeans. Primmy delivered like crazy. The one on the right with lace was a bit see-through so I also invested in a seamless camisole.

The white one on the left was also a bit transparent so I invested in a white camisole :D. Normally, I'm a girl who loves red but I've decided that I also really love this cobalt colour. I tried on the same top in hot pink but Pooey and I decided the blue was more versatile. Yes, it's true, while I was trying on the tops, I was sending photos to Pooey to get her opinion. Her opinion was that Primmy had a lot of good stuff this time around.

Costume jewellery, also from Primmy. I normally don't wear (or therefore buy) this kind of stuff, but I was wearing a dress last week and I thought it looked a bit plain. This ought to change it up a bit. 

London Day 4

Alas, it was my last day in Fundon. I still had a number of tasks to complete before heading back to Munich though. Top of the list was going to TCR Primmy to load up on shirts (but that's for another entry). I did manage to swing by Chinatown and get some nianggao so that was another mission accomplished :D

I decided to stroll to Embankment and take the Tube back home rather than walk up Strand/Fleet again. My decision was rewarded by this service information!

A bit of final packing and quiche and salad later (I'll admit to being a bit Asian-fooded out :D), I left to make my way back to Munich.

Bai bai, Run/Fun/Yumdon! See you in a few months!

London Day 3

Smee and I didn't make it to the gym in the morning. It was just too difficult to roll out of bed early enough after that food shellacking. Instead I decided to take the time to walk to Chinatown where I would be meeting up with Amandine. I was going to swing by Temple Church to see the effigy of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, and considered the best knight ever. He's so famous that he featured in my kiddie history books and I had no idea why I'd never visited before given that his resting place is so close to Pooey and Smee's place. Unfortunately my plans were scuppered by the church being closed for services on Sundays. 

Instead I took a nice leisurely stroll down Fleet St. and I'll admit I've never noticed this Art Deco building before. 

My view upon reaching Chinatown. Holy crap, I've never seen it so crowded.

I've never seen so many white people here before either!

Awesome decorations though!

Amandine and I were supposed to meet at the pagoda at Newport/Gerrard Pl. but being a bit early, I quickly figured out that there was no way that we'd be able to see each other if we were both able to get in. Plans quickly changed to meeting at Piccadilly Circus and going to Shoryu for ramen.

The ramen craze has hit London hard and Smee had even told me that Shoryu is the best in Yumdon. I had the piri piri tonkotsu - spicy with the right amount of kick! Amandine had the classic.

We also ordered these buns and they were delicious but it continued the theme of being too full by the end. 

Just so!

We wandered around the shops and saw this pretty light display in Carnaby St. 

Our day together had a time limit though as Smee and I decided that WOULD go to the gym on Sunday evening! And we did! And we spent TWO HOURS in there! I was pretty sore the next day but it was a satisfying session. 

London Day 2

Day 2, banquet 2. After spending the day with Smee driving around the greater London area picking up groceries and eating a hotdog at Costco, we went to Pearl Liang where a suckling pig awaited us.

OH YEAH!!!!

So beautiful...

Even the ass side

So delicious

And these little puffy pillows. 

And all washed down with my first beer in 6 weeks!

Another yee sang!

Lobster noodles! Guess who was annoyed that I got the claw? :D

Crispy fried prawns. To be honest, I could have just eaten the crispy fried bits. 

Oysters. I didn't eat these because I had no antihistamines on hand.

Vegetables wrapped in a sheet of tofu.

Abalone and mushrooms

Fish. I was starting to feel like I was dying at this point...

But then we were served this crispy skinned chicken! Yum! And it was posed to look like a chicken, head and all!

CNY cake. It has been years since I ate this. I think I had about 3 pieces and I swore that I would return to Chinatown and buy one to take back to Germany and eat all by myself!

Despite stretching out my tum the night before and barely eating anything during the day, I nearly cried about how full I was again. Smee felt the same and we promised each other that we'd head to the gym first thing in the morning!