I have been utter crap at posting lately. I am going back to Canada in 11 days (woo woo woo) for a whole month! And I can’t freaking wait. Tim and I spent our weekend trying to keep warm, as we are going through a cold snap. I have been doing a bit of shopping, mostly Christmas, but I also had to buy myself a new battery for the laptop. My laptop is about 15 months old, and the battery was completely shot. The health indicator on it has been showing all five lights for a while now (and that means ‘REPLACE ME NOW!’) I also ended up buying a new handbag because my turquoise one decided it didn’t want it’s lining anymore and it’s cheap nylon lining so it’s fraying into a million pieces. So I found a freaking $155 dollar Matt & Nat purse at TK Maxx (UK’s equivalent of Winners/TJ Maxx) for roughtly $80. And I love it. I’m half done my Christmas shopping as well, and the rest of it I am able to do online/in Canada so I am good. I am soooo looking forward to being in Canada for a whole freaking month! :)

The last week has been pretty crazy for me. I got sick almost two weeks ago, which really sucked. For about 4 days, I was totally in limbo.. not quite sick, not quite healthy. Last Friday, it really hit me though, so on Monday my Mom sent some Buckley’s in the mail. Here I am now, almost back to 100% except for some random coughing, and the package has just arrived here today. Figures, eh? :)

I went shopping in Oxford last Saturday, hoping to pick up a few things but it was a bust. I really want a brown or tan or oatmeal coloured sweater dress, and a big belt to pair with it.. but I am having trouble finding anything I actually LIKE. I also wanted more tights, and a few sweaters for winter. I am still intending on planning a shopping excursion to Birmingham with all the girls, so I might find something then.. hopefully!

Sunday, Tim and I went to London to see a Chelsea game with his Dad and his Dad’s wife. It started out as the day from hell, honestly. We got the taxi at 10, to the station for a 10:38 train. Now, let me point out that trains are usually AT LEAST 5 minutes late. So we had MORE than enough time. Of course, we ended up getting the worst taxi driver ever, who was the most passive driver ever.. letting cars in front of him and slowing down for yellow lights. We got to the station at about 10:30, but we had no cash, so I ran in to use the machine. The only cash machine in the station was out of order! So the taxi driver had to drive us to another cash machine. We got back to the station and purchased our tickets at 10:42. If the train would have been late like usual, we would have been fine. But no, it was already gone :( The next express to London was in an hour, but there was a slow train at 11. So we decided to get on that one, even though it was 20 minutes late!!!!!!!!! We were planning to get off at Reading and get a fast train from there to London, and when we were like 10 mins from Reading, the 11:38 express went speeding by us :| We ended up getting to London around 12:40, an hour later than we expected. It was SUCH a pain. We had enough time for a few drinks at Paddington and a Pasty, then get on the tube to Stamford Bridge. We watched the game, which was fun, I never enjoy watching football on the tv but live it’s not bad. After the game, we went back to Didcot and had dinner at an Indian there. Still haven’t found a place that both Tim and I agree on though!

Monday was Tim’s birthday, but we didn’t do much. We got KFC because he wanted it for dinner, although I am trying to eat healthy. I got him two Ben Sherman tshirts, tickets for the Stamford Bridge stadium tour, and a Tefal pan for him to make scrambled eggs in. He wanted it! We’re holding a party tomorrow night, which should be fun. I have some baking to do for that.. so I have been eating salads and Special K in preparation for pigging out!

This week at work has been nuts. I went from having tasks reassigned to me so that I had something to do, to being swamped between tasks and helping my brother (over the phone) set up Fedora on 4 Poweredge 2650s and a 1750. We’re not done, so we’re behind schedule, but what can ya do?

I would love to make this post longer, but my head is a-pounding. More tomorrow hopefully, if not, Sunday!

I used to love when I lived at home, showing off all my new purchases to my Mom :) So I decided, to indulge myself and do it on the internet now instead - hah! So here’s some of my new stuff :)

Lacy bubble top - Primark, £4

The elastic doesn’t look like it’s very stretchy in the picture, but it does indeed fit tightly around my hips, covering all the bad parts in nice jersey fabric that doesn’t touch my chub!

Cable knit cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, £28

Love this cardi, it’s actually a size 10 and it fits good.. I usually wear EUR size 16, but the 16 and 14 were so huge and frumpy.

Bomber jacket - Dorothy Perkins, £40

I have been looking for a cute, casual winter jacket for a while. I have a peacoat that I love from Benetton but I don’t always want to wear it cos it was $300+, so I needed something more “everyday”. It was a bit more than I had originally wanted to spend, but in the end I only paid £37.75 shipped - £5 voucher and £1.25 back through Quidco! Saved the gas money + parking charges if I went to Oxford to get it :)

Flat boots - Dorothy Perkins, £45   Fake Uggs - Primark, £4

My new winter boots! The ones from DP were an impulse buy, but totally worth it as I am in love with them and they will be perfect for any winter activities that involve lots of walking (like, perhaps.. shopping! :D) The fake Uggs from Primark were too cheap to pass up, they’re always good for running to the grocery store or to get takeout or whatever. And I wanted dark brown ones because EVERYONE has tan.

Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion, Clinique £27   Kaleidoscope nail colour - Chanel, £15
Diorshow Blackout mascara, Christian Dior, £18.50

This was my little Selfridges spree, on two different days. I needed new moisturiser, decided I was going to go back to Clinique for skincare. I wanted the new Superdefense moisturiser but they didn’t have it yet so I’m using Dramatically Different again until next time :) I also picked up Diorshow Blackout, which I have been lemming for over a year :D And also, of course, the coveted Kaleidoscope polish :) Not pictured, but ordered and on it’s way: Essie First Base base coat, Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat, China Glaze Blue Island Iced Tea nail polish, China Glaze Midnight Ride nail polish, Misa Candy Girl nail polish.

Bracelet, Christian Dior

My beautiful Christian Dior bracelet, a birthday gift from my wonderful boyfriend! :D :D :D It’s silver with Swarovski crystals all over the Dior logo. You can’t see how much they shine in this picture because I used no flash and it’s inside it’s little box, but it looks gorgeous when it’s on my wrist :D

I decided to write a little reflection on my lovely vacation.. hopefully over the coming months, I can look back on this and not be so depressed about not being in Canada!!

This was my first transatlantic flight with Tim, which was really nice because I am so sick of flying alone. Except that I was coughing the whole time, and the creepy guy next to me insisted on giving me medical advice. Riiiight.

I have always been “Yay Canada, we’ll kick your ass in hockey, we are the best, woo woo”, but since living out of the country, I am that way even more so now. So it’s no surprise that I get sentimental as soon as I get to wait for my luggage and watch CBC Newsworld on the monitor about the baggage carousel.

And there was nothing better than stepping out into 34C weather after living in England for 10 months!

It was so nice being able to drive everywhere myself. I am no good at driving stickshift, and the roads here confuse the crap out of me (plus the fact that all the winding roads totally throw off my sense of direction), so Tim drives all the time. But it was SO NICE to be able to drive, to know exactly where I was going, and how to get there.

I got Tim addicted to Iced Capps from Tim Hortons. Hahahha. Eating their raspberry donuts!!!

Showing up at the theatre and walking around backstage - what a weird feeling. Didn’t like that outsider feeling much though! I need to be dancing in the show! Sitting in the audience with Erin was nice - we had the best seats in the house! Meeting baby Samantha at the party! Falling in love with baby Samantha!

Sahla Thai with Susan, then having to run down St. Paul street in a thunder and lightning storm to go back to her apartment.

Getting up in the morning and picking strawberries from the garden!

Being waist-deep in Lake Ontario with Winnie on a lead, swimming. I wasn’t too sure about letting her off the lead with so many people and other dogs around, and she really wanted to go swimming, so I just went in with all my clothes on! The second time we took her, the beach was empty, so she got to swim to her heart’s content :)

Getting to attend both Erin and Jen’s bridal showers. I am so out of the loop when it comes to dance friends these days.. I’m missing Erin’s wedding next week :(( But, I did get to attend Jen’s wedding, which was amazing!

I dragged Tim to the Pen Centre 3 times in 16 days. I am a champ. Also, the Eaton Centre. And we walked down Queen St. in Toronto.

Tim driving me to Toronto for my doctor’s appointment. Wandering around downtown :) Tim, sitting on “the boyfriend bench” in La Senza. Hating on Elephant & Castle because it’s nothing like a British pub. Introducing Tim to Swiss Chalet (yummmmmmm pierogies). Dinner with 17 awesome people at Mezes. Woll Smoth. Meeting baby Marcus! Snuggling baby Marcus! Passing on the calorie-overloaded Brownie Points at Demetres for a sundae that probably had just as much. Finally getting my sweater back! Driving home from Toronto myself for the first time.

Shopping. I have three new pairs of Silver Jeans (two are Suki’s!!!!), two new La Senza bras, five new pairs of La Senza undies (yay 5 for $25!), a new pair of HOT PINK heels, a new yellow handbag, three new pairs of earrings, a new MAC eyeshadow (yay b2m), new fleece pants to keep me warm around the apartment, and a new tshirt.

Prince Edward Island for five days. The hilarity that ensued when the man sitting next to me on the plane, had the exact same lime green suitcase as me. The suitcase I bought, along with a hot pink one, specifically because “no one will ever have this luggage, so it will be easy to find mine” - Ha! My uncle stopping before the Confederation Bridge to let Tim drive over it - all 12.9km of it! Spending time with my relatives, Tim and I’s late night jaunts to KFC and the beer store.. we’re classy like that. Walking barefoot at Cavendish, even though it was fuckingcold. Stealing red clay from Cavendish!

Playing Rock Band with my brother and Tim.. I love that game!

Getting to attend a Food Friday for the first time in 10 months! Finally benefiting from the free Coke in the fridge! Harassing my brother at his desk, and teaching him some SQL. :) I’m so proud!

Picking Tim up from the sports bar by near my house, and listening to him talk about the Air Canada pilot named George that he was talking to at the sports bar. Realising that said pilot is married to a friend of my Mom’s, and has been a family friend for ages! Small world!

Going for food at all the places I’ve missed - Mick’n'Angelos, Canyon Creek, Swiss Chalet, Quiznos, Mr Sub, Garrisons, Papa Nicks, Boston Pizza. Tim having his first Schooner. Having Winnie on the patio at Port Mansion one day, being told a few days later that no dogs are allowed.

Trying to go back to Jack’s Cantina (where we went the first time I saw Tim in 8 years), and not being able to cos some old people were having a private party - ugh.

Traipsing around Queenston with Ally - seeing a baby skunk! Being rained on. Going to Williams and wondering WTF?

Shoppers Drug Mart - I forgot how much I love Shoppers. Sorry, but Boots just does not compare. Shoppers has Nicole nailpolishes (by OPI) now! I ended up buying two Nic Sticks. I wanted to buy more.

I’m sure theres more memories.. but I am too jetlagged to think anymore. We got up at 3:30 pm yesterday, and 9:30 am today. I thought I was supposed to feel relaxed after having a holiday? :)