Peterpan Collars, Florals & Delicious Cailler Chocolate

Tags

Cailler chocolate, Edinburgh, floral print, H&M, peterpan collar, Primark

Hello from Edinburgh, Scotland!

I decided to take a break from Newcastle and spontaneously booked a train to Edinburgh for the weekend to spend time with the significant other. Well, to be honest I was looking forward more to the delicious Cailler chocolate he had gotten me from his recent trip to Switzerland…

Mmmm…yummm!

The weather today has been gloriously sunny, and it was time to try those new sunglasses that I had just bought. Also, can you believe that that cute peterpan collared floral chiffon top is from the current Primark season at only £8? I love it!

If you’re new to this blog, and wondering why Minty and I don’t show our faces – it’s because we’re really, really shy! Sometimes you’ll be able to catch me in sunnies, but that’s me feeling slightly braver (like today) 😉 Also, there’s the thought of people judging how your face looks like – I feel that it’s so much easier to just view what the person is wearing and leave it at that. However, I’d like to know your thoughts on this issue 😀

• Face on!
• Face off! (in a nice way)
• Anything rocks, really!

Have a great end to the weekend, I’m back to Newcastle tonight!

♥ P E A C H E S

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Hearts & Bows

Tags

Bibi's Bakery Edinburgh, cropped top, cupcakes, Edinburgh, Hearts & Bows, House of Harlow 1960, macaroons, The Cambridge Satchel Company, Urban Outfitters

Cropped top by Hearts & Bows; Knit skirt by Urban Outfitters; Sunburst ring by House of Harlow 1960; Bag by Cambridge Satchel Company

Hearts & Bows is one of my current liked labels (especially during sales) to get clothing from, especially since they’ve got a pretty awesome Aztec range right now and I do love them! I wore this on a movie date…Puss in Boots in 3D is just ultra cute you simply have to watch it! 😀

Was in Edinburgh over the weekend to celebrate the mister’s birthday and I’m NEVER wearing 5-inch platform heels out to party anymore! *groan* 😦 Edinburgh’s cobbled streets meant death to my feet so the mister decided to piggyback me (and run) down the streets and across roads to reach the taxi rank! It was a pretty hilarious sight.

Ever since my brother’s wedding in December, I’ve been rather lenient on my eating habits and have decided to allow myself some sweeties which led me to find a cupcake shop in Edinburgh!

So we found Bibi’s Bakery on 37 Hanover Street, Edinburgh!

The shop looked great and so did the cupcakes but…looks can be deceiving. I’ve tasted better cupcakes and for £1.95 a piece, at least I had a decent amount of cream cheese frosting! 😦 These were a tad too dry for my buds.

What I loved? Their massive macaroons! Approximately the same price as cupcakes, but it was actually pretty delicious (I tried their raspberry one) 😀

Mmm. I’ve still not found a nice cupcake shop in Newcastle, if you do know of any please do share!

Have a great mid-week 😀

♥ P E A C H E S

What To Bring On A Flight

Tags

Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), Borneo, homesick, what to bring on a flight, what's in my bag

This day had to come.

I’ve been dreading it for the past few days, and my mood has really plummeted to a real low. It’s difficult to comprehend what I’m feeling right now, because for the many years previous to this I have never felt this homesick…

…and I’ve not even left Borneo yet. Lame.

I could blame it on the monthly, but I think the problem stems from the fact that I’ll be going back to Bar school after such a good 3-week Christmas break. Not looking forward to a 16-hour flight (excluding transit time) back to the UK and the already impounding stress 😦

At least, I will have some basic necessities to keep me company:

• Eyemask (from the Emirates plane)
• Kindle (to read my books)
• iPod Touch (to listen to my music)
• Facial Blotters (to keep the excess oil at bay)
• Dry Shampoo (to make my hair ‘look’ fresh)
• Disposable Toilet Seat Covers (to avoid bum diseases, really)

Dry shampoo is a must! Get off that 16-hour flight with a clean crown of hair, and be the envy of all the rest of the females on the plane (besides the air stewardess) 😀

The ultra handy palm-sized travel perfume spray to smell great on the plane. Remember, nobody likes sitting next to someone reeking of bad body odour!

This is how you bring along your favourite smells with you by making use of the mini pump at the bottom of the gadget:

Lastly, is this:

Need I say more? No more bum diseases!

I’m still feeling a bit sad to leave home, but at least a fellow Bar school mate will be on the same plane from Dubai. I won’t be too homesick then.

Have a great weekend all, I doubt I will be able to update my portion to this blog as often due to Bar school but I will try my best! 😀

♥ P E A C H E S

Highlands Of Borneo

Tags

Borneo, Highlands of Borneo

I spent the recent Christmas up in the highlands of Borneo as I’ve not been back to the lush green highlands since 2008, where my dad comes from. The story of my parents goes like this: Jungle Boy falls in love with City Girl. Yep. Tarzan and Jane, except that my dad wore bell-bottomed pants and wore his hair long 😉

I actually spent most of my time there reading a LOT as I have not been able to read as much as I’d like to while doing the Bar, and hanging out with the extended family.

The weather there is cool, but it can dip to 10°C at night due to its high altitude. You may think this isn’t cold but when the temperature in the day time is between 28°C – 35°C, the sudden dip can prove a bit too chilly.

My trip was cut short though, so I didn’t manage to do a lot of outdoor things I usually do there (jungle trekking, swimming in the streams and waterfalls, or even hunting, etc.).

Oh, and grandma cried when I left 😦

It’s always quite fulfilling to go back to one’s roots, strengthen one’s command of the language, and build relationships. Just one more sleep to a BRAND NEW YEAR!! Have you made a new years resolution list yet? I really should start on mine…

♥ P E A C H E S

Edinburgh Christmas Market

Tags

Christmas season, Edinburgh Christmas Market, exam woes, ice skating

Of all the cities in the UK, Edinburgh remains as one of the most beautiful and scenic. It also hosts the best Christmas market with plentiful of food, crafts, rides and games.

As it is only a 1.5 hour train ride from Newcastle and trains run almost every half hour, it’s a relatively fast journey in comparison to trains from Manchester.

My other half who is a doctor works in these same parts so all the more reason to travel North 😀

I will be MIA for a few days as I will be having my Bar exams next week (Civil Advocacy on Tuesday and Drafting on Thursday)! I hope to whizz past, like so:

Ice skating yesterday afternoon in Edinburgh’s Christmas Market was so much fun, but it’s back to reality in Newcastle now to prepare for my exams. Sigh 😦

Just a few more days before I fly home to Borneo for my brother’s wedding!

I CAN DO THIS!! *puts game face on*

♥ P E A C H E S

Summer days

Tags

heat stroke, Melbourne, Sun

32 degrees today and I think I’m suffering from a smidgen of a heat stroke, which means I’ve now become one with my couch.

You’re a little unbearable today, Melbourne.

But that doesn’t mean I love you any less.

xo, Minty

PTW: Antiques, Tea & Earmuffs

Tags

13" pink satchel, Anteaques Edinburgh, antiques, Bargain Hunt, Earmuffs, Edinburgh Scotland, Flog It!, Scotland, tea, The Cambridge Satchel Company

This winter will be seeing me in my current winter favourite: earmuffs.

I can’t believe I’ve never used them before! I wore lots of beanies before to cover my ears, but never an earmuff. How strange! I had gotten one as a present, but never really had the courage (if I may say so myself) to wear them out in public.

But I do now. Why? Well…one thing is the bloody strong wind up North here. It’s horrendous. Petite me, all 5′ 1” nearly being swept off my feet (and not by some hot man, mind you) due to those blistering winds. The wind rattles in my ears causing ice grief, which then transfers to my bones and I do a little jiggly dance because I am prone to getting ‘chills down me spine’, then I see stars in my eyes… It’s the bloody cold.

Now that I am wearing soft fluffy things around my ears, none of the above happens. Well, rarely. But, I still hate the cold (unlike Minty).

Seeing that I am currently in Edinburgh, Scotland for the week, I popped by this lovely tea house which is IN an antique shop (how cool!) which is nearby where I am staying. The shop is very unassuming and I’ve walked past it many times in previous years without realising there was something there! So what is this place named? Well:

Did you get it? 😀 Antiques + Tea = Anteaques?

It’s one of my little cosy and warm hideaways, and I’d recommend it to anyone making a visit to Edinburgh. They are currently only open Fridays to Sundays for tea, as other days are for trading antiques! If you are a Bargain Hunt/Flog It! enthusiast like me, you’ll fall in love with this quaint place. Do make a booking before you go though, their books are usually quite full! Visit here.

The interior 

Anteaques has a wide range of teas, and they also happen to be suppliers of tea to a number of cafes in Edinburgh. You can see one of the teaman looking through a cupboard searching for a bag of tea!

Even some of the cutleries used are antiques! Pop a look at the maker’s stamp underneath your saucer, now that’s effective learning from watching Bargain Hunt!

Their glass teapots are fascinating, the loose tea is placed in a separate holder in the teapot and its essence seeps out through holes on its sides so you have clean tea.

Apple and jasmine tart. Mmmm

I’m not a citizen of these parts, but I do enjoy my tea-time.

Like the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do“.

♥ P E A C H E S

Autumn In York

Tags

Autumn, Bettys tea in York, Evil Eye, feeding squirrels, Navy Canvas Classic TOMS, The Cambridge Satchel Company, travels, York, Zara

Feeding squirrels in the park and watching them hide their goodies, delighting in antiques, lining up for tea in Bettys, freshly made brownies from the Farmer’s Market, scoring a big mug of hot chocolate for free from Evil Eye (which Johnny Depp apparently frequented during his filming days of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)… these are some of the things done in a day in York last weekend.

TOMS shoes, Cambridge Satchel Company bag, White cotton shirt with dual length worn here

I had to try Bettys – everyone who’s been to York can’t stop raving about it. I finally got to see what Bettys is all about after 3 years in the UK.

They’re right, their pastries are delicious and they make beautiful hot chocolate (not much of a tea person)! However, I’ve a softer spot for a hidden tea spot I frequent while in Edinburgh which I’ll reveal to you in my next post. It’s in an antique shop!

Their custard fruit tart was delicious! Sorry about the face puzzle – Minty and I are still trying to preserve our anonymity. (Okay, we’re just shy)

My mittens and ear muffs were out for the day – it was simply too cold to take too many pictures! Before I end this post, here’s another photograph of me feeding the cute (and fat) squirrels with peanuts:

The leaves are starting to turn yellow and fall – a sure sign of winter 😦 Better feed the squirrels now before they go off to sleep!

♥ P E A C H E S

Away From Home

Tags

Autumn/Winter, Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), Kate Moss, knee-high boots, Lincoln's Inn, Newcastle, Postgraduate studies, United Kingdom

I’ve not had the chance to write lately because I was preparing for my return to the UK for my Bar studies.

I studied in Manchester for my undergraduate, and I am currently in my postgraduate in Newcastle. Classes officially start next Monday but this weekend I am headed to London for Lincoln’s Inn Introductory weekend. If you are doing the Bar, or did it I’d love to hear from you!

I am excited to be back here, but I know I have a hard year ahead of me!

I’d like to mention that everyone has been mega nice to me and I have to say… maybe it’s true what they say about the Northerners. “The scenery gets better, and so do the people as you travel further north.”

And I’d like to thank Minty for the lovely early birthday present she got for me, a Sereni & Shentel x Anna Coroneo headband! I brought it with me here to the UK and have dubbed it as my ‘magic headband’. It’s a good early incentive for working hard 😀

I have to go out now to get myself a pair of covered shoes. I only have havaianas on me at the moment (my boxes are still in Manchester) so a pair of beautiful boots is definitely a need. Like Kate Moss’:

My mukluks are just not ready for Autumn yet.

♥ P E A C H E S

PTW: Spanish Espadrilles

Tags

Cats Whiskers, chupitos borracha, espadrilles, Las Fallas festival, mini ice ice baby headband, outfit of the day, sereni & shentel, Spain, spanish espadrilles, straw bag, Urban Outfitters, Xativa Valencia

Every shoe has a story. Where we got it, where it’s been, the things it has seen. Lastly, I’m sure that every shoe wants to live a happy, full life – like mine:

Okay no, I didn’t really draw happy faces on them…but wouldn’t they look adorable if I did?! No? :(It looks like espadrilles are back in season this summer…even though it’s summer all year round where I am now. Back to the story…

Today I decided to take my old espadrilles (bought in 2008) out for some fresh air when I saw its frayed laces dangling sadly onto the floor. I had forgotten I brought this white pair home as I had left its twin; in black in the UK where half of my (better) belongings still remain. (Oh no, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.)

When I looked at my espadrilles while tying the laces around my ankles (albeit clumsy), it suddenly brought a smile followed by a laugh to my lips. My mind travelled down memory lane today. So *ahem*, I will attempt to write you a sweet thank you letter dear espadrilles.

Dear White Spanish Espadrilles,

I remember buying you for less than €10 from the shoe shop that was renting the lot from C. I remember her proudly saying you are famous here; “made in Spain”. You looked so spanishly chic that I purchased you and your darker twin.

Thank you for the extra inch (or two) in the height department, thank you for making me fit right in during the Las Fallas festival celebrations with the rest of the fun Spaniards, thank you for guarding my feet when I stumbled from one too many chupitos, and thank you for…you-know-what.

I never really got to say this but…lo siento porque me emborraché that the car got stopped by the Spanish policía and I threw up all over his shoes…and over you too. Please don’t hate me because I chose to wear you that night but thank your pretty esparto that Mami bleached you when we got home after recuperating.

I know you can’t stay angry at me forever…it’s been nearly 4 years. Plus, I could tell you were in a good mood today, with all that Borneoan sun around you. Nothing like the dreary British weather sort eh? And that giggle…you like how I’m writing so much about you! …yes, you’re special.

Amo, Peaches.

No I’ve not gone cuckoo – we should give thanks for everything that has been given to us. It was the beginning of a love affair with Spain. So I’m starting with my vomited-on-and-bleached espadrilles. Hehe.

Accompanying:

Rose motif dress – Cats Whiskers; Straw bag – Urban Outfitters

Ice Ice Baby Mini in Navy Matte headband – Sereni & Shentel

Do you have a bond with any of your shoes? Let me know your stories! 😀

♥ P E A C H E S