Two Shoes, A Tea and a Belt

The haul. I mentioned two posts ago that we went across the border to an outlet strip mall.

The first thing we did was head towards an English themed restaurant for some afternoon tea as neither of us had had lunch, and I think it was already 330 by the time we got there.

That was one awesome salmon sandwich

I absolutely love scones!

Afternoon tea for 2

The red velvet was SO average, but that chocolate brownie... HOLY CHOPSTICKS! 

It was the richest, fudgiest, most chocolatey thing I had ever eaten!

Burp! Now that our tummies were full, it was time to roam about PROPERLY!

I picked up a pair of clear-upper wedge sandals with a pretty floral print that set me back oh, USD$9.50 or so. 

And um, yeah. That was all I got. Oh, and meds. Supplements, to be precise... but that doesn't really count as part of a haul.

BIKSS on the other hand ... I have been trying to get him to upgrade / update his wardrobe some cos hashtag new job coming up. And he's not one to think about brands or whatever. But sometimes it's necessary to look the part - especially when you've been GIVEN the part, you know?

Clearly I gave him enough valid reasons for him to pick up this pair of oxfords from Timberland... at less than 1/3 of the original price! They had it in the perfect half size too. It was meant to be I tell you.

Then we walked past A|X and I spotted this belt which I thought would up his fashion game a smidge. I like that it's leather, and while it looks like a plain enough belt, upon closer inspection you'll be able to see that it's actually textured. And I quite like it when a fashion brand does that. So it won't look too over the top for everyday wear but still boasts a special "oomph-y" something when you get up close.  This one was got at 1/4 of the original price. 

So it was a really good trip, fashion-buy wise. And I got pretty sandals and a yummy afternoon tea out of it. It's all good :)

Let me know what you think of our haul. Maybe I'll do more "fashion" posts this year. It *IS* my year of reclamation. I'm reclaiming my relax time, my self-pampering, and my vain and girly let's-be-fashionable self. Hopefully I'll have enough spare cash to get more regular massages. I doubt I'll be reclaiming any cash! LOL.

Optical Illusion

I TOTALLY HAD TO SHARE THIS

Have you heard of the Ames window? If you have.. skip this post.

If you haven't, like I hadn't till yesterday, then click this link!

Or see if this youtube video will play in your browser / on your fone :)

Enjoy!

Tuesday Things on Wednesday and Fashion Haul

I'm supposed to be studying.

BUT

I'm procrastinating. And I thought, hey I have random pictures to share for my Tuesday Fun Post - but it's not Tuesday today.

Hmmm would I let that stop me tho? No.

Enjoy :)

1. I know a few people like this - 

2.  I'm glad my name isn't McDonald or they'll be saying this about me

3. I FEEL SORRY FOR THE KID

4. THIS DESCRIBES BIKSS PERFECTLY!

5. AND THIS DESCRIBES ME -- 

6. Thankfully I don't know anyone who would fall into this category - 

ALSO, in an attempt to pamper myself a little bit, I took the opportunity on Monday to walk around the mall a bit, since it was a holiday here for the Lunar New Year and I went out to lunch with mum, my sister and her friend from out of town.

I needed some basics; a Breton shirt, a ribbed black tee (to replace the 20 year old one I chucked), a basic light/neutral tee; and I knew I could get at least 2 of those from H&M so I suggested going there. 

We ended up picking up more than just the few things I needed, including a tacky camo tee (mum and the helper got one each too, just for fun!) and a totally fake snakeskin print tote bag to replace my current leather one which is just way too heavy.

The sister doesn't contribute to mum's expenses in cash, as she doesn't work and she gets her money from her husband. But she CAN put things on the debit card cos he won't ask what she bought... so she insisted on paying for our haul! -> By way of a small contribution to my household/mum expenses. 

SCORE!

Here's a look at my loot!

Clockwise from top left -

Black ribbed tee
Camo mid-length tee
Breton sweater top
Light grey stretchy tee

And this is what the tote looks like -

I think snakeskin is my favourite animal print. I've had multiple pairs of shoes, a few bags, and at least one purse in this print. I didn't realise this till yesterday. Accidental self-discovery is always fun. So I think it's going to be my go-to signature animal print from now on. I'm all about creating / embracing a personal style these days. Blame Shea Whitney. LOL. (Google her... she has a Youtube channel that I follow.)

One other thing I discovered is that I can't wear Converse sneakers. For some reason they don't fit me well and I end up with "squished" toes. These knock-off Vans on the other hand, LOVING THEM. (I could have sworn I'd already shown you this pic... but I'm clicking on my previous (Hanoi) posts and not seeing it anywhere... so here it is.) 

They're under USD$9 so, obviously, 'fake'. But I wouldn't be surprised if they were made from the  same fabric / material as the original Vans, cos guess where Vans are made - uh huh... Vietnam. Now guess where I got these... 

As far as I can tell, the sewn-on label on the underside of the tongue is missing and the eyelets on the originals don't have white ring reinforcements. But otherwise, the overlapping rubber at the back of the heel, the presence of the extra bit of rubber trim between the fabric of the toebox and the foxing (I believe it's called) and the general 'bendability' of the shoe are all hallmarks of original Vans. 

OK maybe that was too much detail. But whatever... it's a pretty shoe and it doesn't make my too-big-for-an-Asian-woman feet look like I'm wearing clown shoes... so it's all good!

And on the topic of spree-ing... remind me to show you what we got yesterday when BIKSS took me to the outlet mall across the border. Surprisingly, he picked up more stuff (and spent more money) than I did! 

I'll put up the pics when he takes some photos!

Last Round of Pics

I finally got round to obscuring my face on this pic. Just to show you what we wore on the night we had my birthday dinner up at the posh restaurant with the hot stones in our claypots. I love the zig zag open front blouse! I really should wear it more often...

Beer Street on a Wednesday night. It was madness. The best part - it's filled with locals, not just tourists!

Marou had a Monopoly set on sale that comes with chocolates and a Hanoi themed playing board. It was pretty pricey tho. 

We went to the Temple of the Jade Mountain on Hoan Kiem Lake, where there were two preserved turtles on display. You can read about the Hoan Kiem turtle here. They're rather huge and intimidating.  

The temple itself is beautiful, if understated. And even tho it's a tourist attraction, it's still a functioning temple with joss sticks kept burning on the altar. 

Here's a fountain and koi pond at the back of the temple that had lots of coins at the bottom, so BIKSS and I made wishes and tossed our coins in with the others.

The bridge that connects Jade Island (where the Temple of the Jade Mountain is located) to shore. The bridge's name is poetically translated as "Perch of the Morning Sunlight". 

It's even more beautiful by night. But then, I had good company. It was kinda romantic, in that by-the-lake-in-the-middle-of-a-city kind of way. We sat on a bench and people-watched while we chatted. Crowded street in front of us, polluted lake behind us; the occasional bad smell wafting up from the sewers. :D Keeping it real, you know? 

We went to the museum of ethnology  (*shrugs*) where we saw a lot of stuff but this bicycle with way too many fish traps was just begging for a picture. In the old days, this was how the fish trap seller sold his wares! He would load everything up on his bike and cycle up and down the coast selling his traps to fishermen. 

We also went up to the 65th level of the Lotte Tower where the skydeck is located. This is the inside of the lift as you're getting up there. They shut off all the lights and play a video on the ceiling. We both laughed cos we found it a little tacky. There are clouds, then you "break through the atmosphere" and hit outer space - planets and all. 

The glass deck is cool tho. Some people left pretty scathing reviews on travel sites... saying it was a waste of money, and there was really nothing to see. But I've never stood 65 floors above the ground on a glass floor before, so I thought it was rather exciting!

MY FAVOURITE THING TO EAT IN HANOI - BUN CHA. Grilled sliced meat and meatballs in a savoury fish(?) soup, with FRIED SPRING ROLLS which you can dip into the soup before shovelling all of it into your gob. Delish!

Then there was a walk to train street. In the past an actual train ran throught this street which has shops and cafes situated dangerously close to the tracks. 

They've since stopped operating along this stretch. But the cafes (and tracks) are still there. 

The resident cafe doggo slutting with my Daddy. 

He was a friendly little bugger.

Imagine how close to the building the train must have come!

READ ABOUT TRAIN STREET HERE.

MOVING ON - more historical stuff - BIKSS enjoys history + I enjoy old buildings = We both enjoyed the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. PLUS - I did say I wanted to visit as many UNESCO sites (in Asia) as I can. 

view from the top of the citadel

Altho I must say, I'm not a fan of steep staircases. Going up was fine. Going down was a little bit unnerving. 

And of course, the best way to end this post - the last bits of food. We went back to the place where we had my birthday dinner cos we wanted a good last-dinner-in Hanoi. (Especially after that Social Club tempeh sandwich fail!) 

Here's a French onion soup with parmesan instead of gratin, served with a medley of croutons (made from white, brown, wholemeal and other types of bread); top left is a tuna salad, and bottom - DEEP FRIED SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS! I did say that I fell in love with the Hanoi fried spring rolls didn't I? 

For our main we had a tuna steak... which both of us expected to come slightly raw, like in a semi-sashimi style, but this was cooked to perfection! (BIKSS knows more about fish than I do so I'll just believe him when he says it was well done!)

After dinner we walked the night market, and just before we headed back to the hotel we stopped by the side of the road and sat in low plastic chairs to have a go at some Chè - a sweet soup dessert. We wanted to try some the day we arrived but didn't see any shops, or else they looked a little suspect.

Now where I live we have dessert bowls similar to this. They go by different names, for example, Ice Jelly, Ice Kachang, Bubor Chacha, Chendol etc. 

This is a screen grab from a local restaurant's menu : each 'dish' has a set combination of ingredients - some feature shaved ice, some have different combos of fruit / beans / jelly bits swimming in coconut milk and/or palm sugar syrup, others have condensed milk or rose flavoured sugar syrup dribbled over the top. I know it may sound a bit much to you, but if you grew up here, you'd know what's what right away. 

But over in Hanoi it's all just called Chè.

Simple innit? 

They set a menu in front of us which had at least 30 different combinations of ingredients. Durian chè. Mango chè. Mango pudding chè. Pomelo chè. Banana chè. Avocado and jelly chè. And then this one. THIS WAS THE ONE. I chose the Mixed chè. 

It had a lot of stuff in it. Water chestnut things, jelly things, sweet potato things, mung bean things, and a whole lot of things I didn't recognise or couldn't name. But it was delicious. And I was glad we only tried it on the last night there or else I would have probably insisted we have it every day! 

That rounds up the fotos from Hanoi! Have a great week ahead everyone :)

So Much for Daily Posts & Asshole Sibling Strikes Again

I swear I was going to upload pictures on a regular / daily basis... so that I could show you guys everything! 

But as usual, the asshat of a brother struck again and made everything a huge mess. 

I shan't go into detail because I've spent the first half of this week dealing with so much crap already and I'm exhausted - but since we've sorted it out and we now have a new plan, I'm just going to forget about that crappy ass sibling and his alien bitch wife. And move on with my life. 

Suffice it to say, they did it again - found fault with my caregiver and started picking on her to the extent of telling her what she could wear and what she couldn't, insisting that the kitchen was still oily when she had already wiped it down 3 times (even mum was annoyed and said to her "She's already cleaned the stove, I saw her do it!). 

Then they said they didn't want my caregiver there (again!) and they would hire their own help - but get this - she'll only help mum around the house but not chaperone her when she goes out or comes over to my place. Then what's the bluddy point? And to do that they want me to give up my application for caregiver. We get a subsidy when the application is made for an elderly person living at the same address so currently I've applied using my address with mum as the named elderly person needing care. They want to use mum's name to apply for THEIR caregiver now, and told mum that I can continue to pay for the one I've hired but without the subsidy. What the bluddy fuck. So you get the subsidy for a caregiver who will not accompany mum whenever she's out of the house? But you end up having a housekeeper in the process?? NO FUCKING WAY. 

Bottom line - I've told mum to come move in with me permanently. Fuck them and their stupid attitudes. And it feels great to be able to curse and swear on this blog! LOL

The move happens after the lunar new year gathering she's having over there tomorrow at lunch. I've told my caregiver that she's excused from going over there tomorrow since the assholes are constantly picking on everything she does. Their house right? They can jolly well assist mum in hosting the relatives when they come for lunch. 

I'm going over to hand out red packets (on mum's behalf cos she gets totally confused with who gets what) and eat. Then I'm out of there. 

And NOW - more pics!

First - Night market. This one was a cloudy ice cream ball - it literally was a ball of air - no cream. With jam dribbled over the balls. And as you chewed on it, smoke would come out of your mouth and nose when you exhaled. This would be more fun I think if I didn't smoke. As it is, it felt the same as exhaling after a drag, just cold. Haha. Still we had loads of fun with it! A great first stop for a little girl on a street market jaunt!

We also saw a lot of these stands selling random bits of fried / processed foods on sticks. I know it's probably not the healthiest of foods, but hey, we're on holiday! I said to BIKSS that I was going to ignore the diet and EAT ALL THE FOOD! Ok obviously we didn't eat ALL of it but we did have more than we normally would. You'd pick out whatever you want, and they would dip it in a wok of hot oil to re-fry (I know, I know....) so it's at least more or less germ-free, and then off you go. We had a mozarella stick and some chicken karaage (deep fried boneless chicken chunks).

There were also quite a number of pushcarts selling meat skewers. Kinda reminds me of Indonesian Satay or Sate, but the flavour was definitely different. It was so so so so good. I wouldn't mind having more right about now. (I'm hungry and waiting for the sister's family to arrive for our lunar new year reunion dinner.)

Speaking of pushcarts - mung beans are really popular in Hanoi, and we had some of this pan fried green bean/ sticky rice thing with sausage on the way out that morning. 

We were headed to grab breakfast and see the cathedral I think, and thought we might just explore and see if we could find a cafe that serves egg coffee along the way. But before we could get to one, this caught my eye. Or nose. It smelled so good I just had to stop and try some.

At the point of ordering we had NO clue what it was. Only that it smelled delicious. And it was. Different from anything we'd ever tasted before, but good nonetheless. 

Eventually we found a quant little place called The Note Coffee. And the reason for the name - every table comes with little square stickers / sticky note paper, that you can write on and stick ANYWHERE in the cafe. I mean, ANYWHERE. 

Here. Look at this - it's literally covered with notes! We left one too!

We had some pork banh mi (they flatten and toast it in Hanoi whereas the ones we had in Ho Chi Minh were just eaten as is : warm-ish (from the fried egg) on the inside, cold (baguette) on the outside.  They sent up a little note to us with our tray that said "Have a beautiful time in Hanoi", and what you see on the left is the egg coffee and on the right is BIKSS' egg chocolate - cos he wanted to compare it with the one he'd had at Marou the day before. 

Marou wins. Tsk. Was there any doubt? 

The egg coffee was delicious. And when things settle down over here (I'm beginning to think they'll never settle down tho...) I'm totally going to look for a youtube video on how to do this at home.

And that other green post it with the white spots? BIKSS was equal parts amused and equal parts appalled at the things that some people write on their notes. He thought he would take a pic and show you. 

They write lots of weird things apparently, cos we saw this electrical box that was decorated with pictures on the front, and said Man Pork on the side. LOL. I'm sure it means something else in Vietnamese but we found it hilarious.

And here's another thing I thought was hilarious. BIKSS decided that he would wear KINGLY ROYAL COLOURED bedroom slippers in the hotel.

I almost died laughing. 

Um, sure, if you're an emperor maybe.... 

Kingly indeed. I kid you not. That's how he describes them.

And on that note I shall end today's post. Optimistically I say, I hope to put up more pictures tomorrow... but as always... don't hold your breath!

For now, Happy Chinese New Year from my shores to yours.

May the year of the rat (that be MY horoscope!) bring you much fortune, love and happiness!