Bagel for Breakfast.

Plain bagel with sugared butter and Gouda cheese.

The best homemade brunch I had since I stepped foot in the UK. I've always been a fan of bagels though they're quite expensive at cafes. They're shaped like doughnuts, but not as fattening as doughnuts; tastes like bread but more scrumptious than bread. I don't like to have like most people do; with creamed cheese. I prefer it to be filled with cheese, egg or bacon.

What inspired me? Sandy Cohen from The O.C.

The bagel slicer in The O.C.

A bagel slicer would make a good housewarming gift for me. Or a blender. Okay, I would prefer a blender to the slicer. With a blender I can create more food for myself. I'm born in a country with diversity. I heart, I love and now I crave diversity. Food diversity I mean.

Rainbow After the Rain.

The positive and vibrant Carly is back alive! I managed to get all my errands done:

1. Sent my acceptance form and deposit to MMU
   
2. Rent a room in Manchester
3. Emailed lecturers for my certificate of character for Middle Temple admission application

And then I still have time to snoop around websites... I got myself tickets to watch concerts. Even have some extra tickets so I can earn some money from reselling. I remember when I first came to UK, Tegan & Sara came to Manchester. The original ticket price was £15 but since it was sold out months before I arrive, the reselling price was £80!!! And now it's my turn to seek REVENGE!

Oh yes, I got my hands on She & Him's ticket as well. I'm still thinking whether or not to go because the show will be 2 weeks before my exams. And I'll be traveling alone down to London to catch the show.

Somehow I've always known that I'll go lots of concerts when I come to UK because of the relatively cheap ticket price and also the variety of concerts available. I just didn't expect to see tickets sold out just a day after they go on sale. Like the Tegan & Sara's tickets that I bought... they're currently sold out. Just after 24 hours.



I went on eBay just now to check the reselling price for She & Him. A whooping £90!!! The moral of the story is... always get your tickets as soon as they go on sale!

As I've mentioned earlier, I got a place to stay in Manchester already! The basic rent is 55 p.p.w (pounds per week), definitely cheaper than my current place. Although the bills and internet are not included in the rent, I believe that those wouldn't be too expensive as the place I'm renting only has 2 bedrooms which means that I'll only have ONE HOUSEMATE! Too bad nobody else will be going to Manchester with me if not I'll have a desirable housemate to stay with!

Gone Cuckoo.

I was having the perfect beginning of my first Easter break in the UK until I received this letter. I became a nervous train wreck straight after reading it. Why now???

Deep down in my heart I was thinking there's never going to be a chance that I'll be qualified for the interview. And then the bomb dropped on me. *sigh*

I had quite an amazing week thanks to my friends in Cardiff and also my ever capricious housemates. Midnight cupcakes-baking sessions, anyone? Cancel dinner cooking session and let's go KFC since we have them coupons, anyone? Yay!

These activities ought to get my mind off from the interview preparation for awhile; though I still acceptance letter to MMU and application to Middle Temple Inn to deal with. There goes £600 from my bank account!

Cardiff.

I just woke up to a cloudy morning in Cardiff. In about 30 minutes I'll be off to an adventure and try to get to the Cardiff European Games with just a map sketched by my friend to rely on.

THE TRIP:

It was a long, horrendously long journey down south to Cardiff. The whole trip took roughly 6 hours 30 minutes! In a bus! My 2-way traveling hours can already take me back to Malaysia! Moreover, the bus was overcrowded with noisy, crybaby children. I couldn't fall asleep for the first hour in the bus. It was simply horrendous.

The bus had many stops while going south. Firstly, it stopped at Manchester. Then, Birmingham. Lastly, Cardiff. I was fast asleep so I think I might have left out a stop or two.

ARRIVAL:

My presence in Cardiff was sort of a surprise planned for a friend. She thought nobody else but my housemate was coming to Cardiff. So we plotted the whole surprise together with other friends. Upon picking us up, they brought us to a small Hongkie cafe to have our *very late* dinner. My friend was waiting at the cafe and was absolutely surprised by my arrival. Good surprise I presume.

I wish to linger longer on this post but I've got to go now. Time to explore and find my way to the games!

Going Up and Down.

It's almost 6am in the morning and I'm still wide awake. My sleeping hours are so completely tilted upside down. That's what I do when I have too much time in my hands and no mood to study. I am the exact epitome of a slacker.

I waste my time mostly on food preparation. I have to use up my cooking ingredients before going off to Cardiff later in the evening. A long and tiring trip down to South Wales. Freaking 5 hours!

I've prepared some Malaysian cuisine and muffins for my friends in Cardiff. That's the best surprise that I can provide. Easter break is officially starting after my Family Law seminar!!! 2pm is the time to start celebrating!

Once again, I'm hooked to a new song by a relatively unknown Indie band called "Vampire Weekend". No, they're not in any ways -EVER, related to the Twilight saga. The band's name was the lead singer's independent movie's title. I don't quite like the official video because... Joe Jonas and Jake Gyllenhaal were in it. Anyhow, enjoy the song!

Download link

I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week

I love Mandy Moore and I love her song in this upbeat, youthful advertisement for Coach shoes and handbags!

The D Word

I didn't get much sleep from last night. As a matter of fact, I didn't sleep at all. A sudden spark of inspiration behind my head to alter my dissertation. And then it just wouldn't go away. I finally suffered from a writer's block at about 6am and went out to the kitchen to make chili con carne. How random of me.

During my brunch, I decided to send my finalized piece to my supervisor. And then I saw the email from the School of Law. My supervisor got her arm broken and she wouldn't be able to meet me personally for the discussion. I couldn't believe it.

I wish her well and I've just decided to delay my work on dissertation again. It has much more room for improvement. I hope I can carve a smile on her face when she reads it.

The Marriage Ref

Recently, I stumbled upon this new TV show called 'The Marriage Ref' and was immediately hooked to it. The show is produced by Jerry Seinfeld and hosted by Tom Papa. I uploaded a part that I found atrocious where Ricky Gervais pretended to walk out after Larry David said some pretty... uncomfortable things:

I have since influenced a housemate of mine to watch... (I know I'm a bad influence right?) but then I just have to share the laughter!!!

Download link

Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce 'Telephone'

Everybody should know now that Lady Gaga has a new music video complementing "Paparazzi's" ending. Oh how I miss Alexander Skarsgard! Anyways, she totally ripped on Kill Bill and also the rumor that she's a hermaphrodite!!!

"I told you she didn't have a dick", says the porn star prison guard.

Love the Jai Rodriguez and Tyrese's cameo. The stop motion on Beyonce to a certain extent; pure comical. Compare Lady Gaga and her for a second, you'll find that the star of the music video is definitely Beyonce.

Now we'll just wait for the next music video for continuity of where the Pussy Wagon has left off...

Definitely, not this:

Love Never Dies.

I've been going crazy about this ever since I found out that the sequel is premiering in London on 9th March 2009. It is the highly anticipated sequel to Phantom of the Opera. When it was announced, Sir Andrew Lloyd was diagnosed with prostate cancer and everyone thought that this would be his final work. Luckily his cancer has gone into remission now. So...

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES

The Phantom continues to haunt Christine in America.

My tickets and voucher for wine delivery
(a rip-off actually).

I am so psyched! The reviews generally mixed ranging from mediocre to "phabulous". For one I think most have expected a horrifying and menacing Phantom rather than the tragic ending (spoiler alert). One thing for sure, everybody couldn't be more pleased with the musical numbers and praised the selection of singers that Sir Andrew chose for the album release.

I cannot wait to catch this play after my exams. I plan on a week long of visit to London theatres for plays and musicals. Let's hope that works out fine for me then!

The End Is Near.

2 days without any lectures and I've turned into a sloth. The worst was having Champions League games to accompany my holidays. I didn't get my seminar work for Evidence Law done. Seriously, I'm slacking off like nobody's business.

I had just checked my exam timetable 2 hours ago and what a way to demoralize me! My exam runs from 18th to 28th May.


The worst combination in a week: Family Law, EU Law and Evidence. These three subjects that are so heavy and difficult. Worst of all, they're core subjects to my Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)!!!

Should I just wave goodbye to my Easter holiday plans? Amsterdam/Toulouse/Paris???

The Treble.

Nicklas Bendtner.

The critics were harsh on him fresh from the weekend's game at home against Burnley. He missed way too many chances that evening. Personally, I don't like him too. He's arrogant and had always preferred to play as striker -only. Not only that, his personal life is considered the worst of all Gunners. p.s, he's dating a COUGAR.

Anyways, he was lucky to be playing with Arshavin in the Champions League second leg. The first leg was horrendous. It was the joke of the month as far as I remembered. Just watch the clip:



Compare it with yesterday's:



Whoever that put down even the slightest £1 for his hat-trick would win a windfall. I don't know the exact betting odds for that but somebody mentioned 2000:1. Sheeesh! I should've put down a bet!

Ornament Additions.

For the past 3 months, the sky would be pitch black at this hour. I'd usually sleep when the birds started chirping and wake up to darkness. No, not this month. The weather has been so good I ought to smack myself silly for not taking the opportunity to go out and enjoy outdoor sports. Instead I'm usually sitting on bed and do my assignments/dissertation with my Compaq.

If I haven't announced, this is my new friend:

My new Compaq Mini 110 overlooking my
DELL Studio 15 at the back.

Before anybody starts to wonder the amount of money left in my piggy bank, I'd like to say I got this really cheap; £150. It's an investment well paid off because I can bring this lightweight gadget anywhere! The battery life is 2 hours 30 minutes which I think is super fine for such a small battery.

Anyways, to my dear friend Stephy who wanted to see my loot:

The White Adidas Tote is something I got for you! Then my blue Coach handbag and another one for my mum.

I got all of them off ebay.co.uk for a low price! Definitely something impossible to do back in Malaysia. What a girl's got to do with all the online sales temptations, right?

To my friend, Darryl: If I have to rant about British politics I'd say: "Don't even start taxing the basic grocery shopping items!"

Here's to Starting Anew

Uncommon. Alien. Distraught.

Those are the words playing in my head when I tried to fix this new layout for my blog. I need a fresh start from my last blog. It was too mood-dampening to continue there. This new blog represents what I need exactly from a blog; an escape route.

TUESDAY.

It's the same song playing on a loop for 30 minutes now. Couldn't seem to find a perfect song to accompany my dissertation. Don't think I'll face those dreaded words anytime soon. And they told me that I was too ambitious in trying to write a political-science based jurisprudential topic. 12000 words seemed so much yet too few for my work. My first chapter had already swallowed 3000 words and though my supervisor adored my 'storytelling' ability; she told me that I really should narrow my scope down. For the first time those words lingered in my ears. All these years I simply had too few to write for my Law essays. Guess it's time for a change. Maybe.

Middle Temple Inn

I want to join this Law Inn. I don't know why but it appeals to me the most. Lately, I seemed to be making a lot of spontaneous, instantaneous lifetime decisions. I don't ponder like I used to or to think twice at all. So far, no decisions have been proved reckless but I don't think I am going to regret after all.

Let me introduce you to my BPTC School:

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)

I am still trying my darndest to get people to join me in this University. Everyone else never really took MMU into serious consideration. They would prefer the BPTC Schools in Leeds, Nottingham, London, Cardiff and even Northumbria. I am going to need someone to stay with me since I'll most likely to rent a three-bedroom house. Anyone interested at all?