It didn’t rain! It (the weather forecast person) said it would but it didn’t.. for that reason alone I was happy.

Coat – ASOS // Circle Scarf – American Apparel // Vintage Leggings // Shoes – c/o Valentino

Do you like how I’ve matched my clothes to my shoes?

Haircut by Pimps & Pinups

These will be perfect for riding my skateboard in the summer!

And yes those are marks on my skin from when I was wearing socks earlier.. haha

It’s been so long since I published an outfit post full of.. myself.. that it almost feels strange.

And here’s me without the coat.

Jumper – Zara

Yellow jumper.. literally..

AN EVERYDAY IN LONDON

I realise that I almost never write about my everyday life in London – the more routine stuff that happens between my travels. So let me tell you about today!

But wait, LAST NIGHT! I had the most awesome dream.. magic! I was riding a motorbike at night with my sister cruising down a curved countryside road and then suddenly.. MARS was visible in the sky. A big, browny-orange ball in the sky. Then lots of other planets started appearing. Before long, I could see what seemed like the whole universe and a million stars above.. It was crazy! 

I have the luxury of waking up naturally i.e. without an alarm. I’m normally awake at about 8.30 or 9.00 in the morning. I LOVE sleeping with all the blinds/curtains open, do you?

After a bit of lazing around, I play a happy song (really, what else do I listen to?) on my iPod and I get up to dance. I continue dancing in the shower. Then I lounge around the flat naked.. To me it’s a huge joy to be able to take my leisurely time feeding myself and getting dressed and ready for the day.

This particular Monday I decided I wouldn’t go to the office. I ran some errands in West London. Made a stop back home in Central. Then back on the tube to East London. Traversing the city using public transport can be really tiring! I switched to walking , did some shopping, ate cookie and ice-cream, and eventually ended up back at home.

I’d had a long day so I relax by watching a couple of TED talks, catching up with Lumosity, and eating a whole bag of Jack Link’s Jalapeño beef jerky that I’d got from a friend. I then have a quick nap, die a little doing some chores, and get some work done on my laptop (as my job is flexible I get to work at my own time). On this particular night I haven’t got any social plans (phew!).

I also replaced my bedding with fresh stuff and added a top sheet (do you use one?), because the current love of my life, Ricardo, will be visiting 🙂

Now you must be like, “Yeah I prefer the travel stories..”

Yep, ME TOO!

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Yeah right! London is so fantastically awesome that almost eight years later, here I still am. It didn’t happen overnight, but after all this time I’ve come to realise that ‘damn, I love this place!’

It seems not everyone is a fan of London.. and yeahhhhh I admit, there was a period when I wasn’t too fond of it either. From the stories I’ve heard from my many fellow immigrants (haha), most start out hating it!

BUT. Here are the three big things I LOVE about the city I now call home. This is the stuff I blab on about – very animatedly and very loudly – whenever I get asked why I live here

London has no nearby sandy beaches, but we have some of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL parks and green spaces! A multitude of them too, despite the city being so dense with concrete.

In the summer, I pretty much live on the grass. Some of my friends in Europe think it’s silly to wear a bikini at the park. But do Londoners care? Nope! We need all the sunshine that we can get and if the sun’s blasting then.. all plans cancelled; we’re having a picnic. And when you find long grass to lay on, your bed (and life) is made.

^I like my picnics colourful. Photo taken in leafy Richmond, where there are plenty of picnic spots by the river.

Being ever-so-fortunately born in the summertime, my birthdays in London are also celebrated with a big picnic at the park.
Photos above taken at Hyde Park in 2013 😉

Speaking of Hyde Park, there is this AMAZING UMBRELLA/WATERFALL TREE that you can climb all the way to the top. I love it and always make a stop whenever I’m there skateboarding as it’s near the Serpentine lake, where a lot of people skate ‘cos it’s flat and wide.

Anyway, the tree. Enter the curtain of leaves and it’s like a maze of old twisted, warty branches going upwards.. like something out of The Enchanted Wood! It’s magic. The view from the top of course is delicious. You can see my friend Luis poking out in this pic:

^And this is what the tree’s like during the cold season..  just.. bare branches. Haha! And squirrels! I LOVE the squirrels of London.. some of them are so bold and have no qualms about walking all over you like a mat and trying to steal your food. I really enjoy that.

Of course, I enjoy other things outdoors as well..

..Like playing with my ukulele on a tree. This was at Regents Park.

Sometimes I sing, too. Or fly a giant kite with friends. Or.. swim in the Thames and get sick subsequently. Do not go swimming in the Thames.

^Playtime with the lovely Emma. Last winter we spent an afternoon at Hampstead Heath. It’s my favourite natural space, after Regents Park/Primrose Hill as they’re my local ones (local bias, right?).

When the leaves fall, the Heath is a feast for all your senses. The ground is thick and the air rich with the smell of fallen leaves. Crispy leaves! Ohhh how I would love to be rolled around on that crunchy bed of autumnness.. like a sausage being tossed around in a pan of sizzling chopped garlic. But without the heat. Or the oil. Sorry I’m so weird.. let me get back on topic..

No doubt maximum park enjoyment is during the summer.. when there are loads of festivals, and other events/pop-ups going on.
For example, Rekorderlig built a Swedish summer house in Victoria Park once, and it was superb:

You could get food and cider served by cute boys dressed in shorts and suspenders 😀

Other than these huge parks, there are also smaller, more intimate places to enjoy some greenery. E.g. the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, nestled between the two Dalston overground stations. In their garden they have soil beds for local residents to plant food! There is a kind of hippie, chilled-out vibe to it. And if I remember correctly there was a quirky old rocking horse at the back, too.

^The wooden pavilion is sometimes used for creative workshops, food markets, or kids’ programmes. I’ve created some rad crayon art there myself..

There’s always stuff to do in London’s bazillion open areas, even during the freezing winter. There are the obvious Christmas markets and fairs. Then there are the less touristy activities too, like climbing up to Parliament Hill (at Hampstead Heath) to set off fireworks on Guy Fawkes’ Night (SO MUCH FUN), or trekking south-west to Syon Park to see the Enchanted Woodland (SO MANY LIGHTS). The low temperatures don’t stop people from swimming in the icy park lakes, either!

As for the summer.. hmm, this could take ages. Let’s skip to Thing #2.

This is the beauty of London.  There is SO MUCH COLOUR in its inhabitants. You’re free to express yourself creatively no matter how ridiculous it may look or sound and I LOVE THAT. The variety of characters you can find here is immense.. The whole world is here! Whatever language you speak, you’re quite sure to find someone else who speaks it. Whatever weird, obscure activity it is that you enjoy doing, you’ll find a club for it. YOU CAN BE WHOEVER YOU WANT. 

Most importantly, freedom of expression yields… crazy people. My favourite kind of people. Why do I love being in a city full of crazy people?
Because..

I can walk into a theatre and meet a bunch of smurfs:

^And get photobombed by a ‘normal‘.

I can wear this hideous, freaky, big-nosed mask that I got from Venice (it’s actually part of a plague doctor’s costume worn in centuries’ past), and prance around Piccadilly Circus at night like a mad tourist:

I even managed to get my caricature drawn!

We also went into a busy McDonald’s to see if we could successfully feed each other fries through the gaps in our beaks. It was not a success.

^The real tourists loved us 🙂

I can get on the tube wearing my fox onesie:

^No one gives a shit!

I can have a picnic with a bag over my head (and walk around the park chasing strangers with it on – I have a video somewhere) and have fruits as my guests, but hey it was my birthday:

I did have human guests too but they weren’t quite as exciting as the fruits.

And then there’s this scary clown putting down his newspaper to have a conversation with a cyclist passing by:

^Oh and me traipsing around Oxford Street with a guitar and balloons tied to my bag.

You can find restaurant menus like this:

^And end up in places where they teach you how to crochet… a sperm.

Now THIS is how you ‘Boris Bike’:

Oh I love that mask. It still sits in my desk drawer now. I do like Boris (for those unaware, he’s our Mayor) – he seems to enjoy getting involved with the community and isn’t afraid of looking silly. I don’t have enough knowledge about politics so I can’t say much more than that..

>>

But YES, being surrounded by so much creative energy, openness, an eccentricity in London has helped shape who I am today. I can be ME! I can be as silly as I like. Strangeness is mostly embraced here. I could start a one-person dance party on my street with no music wearing only my underwear and it’s fine. I could pull out a potato from my handbag and have a dance with it next to a street jazz performer – I have, in fact, done this (video is also somewhere..).

This freedom of expression was particularly instrumental in my personal development. I grew up in Malaysia, where society was a lot less accepting and less.. exposed. I felt rather limited there. Being in London OPENED UP THE WORLD TO ME.. It was like.. the drug of life (does that even make sense?).

Onto Thing #3!

When there are so many wild/crazy/creative people.. there will be special occasions for us all to be crazy together, OBVIOUSLY.

My favourite?  LONDON SANTACON!
When else can you have a Christmas dance party on the streets, dressed as Santa, with thousands of other people also dressed as Santa?

Just look at these weirdos! I love them:

You can read about my first Santacon experience here.

My second favourite? WORLD ZOMBIE DAY!
It’s pretty much the same as Santacon, except you dress up as zombies instead, and the music is less cheerful..

Some of the costumes you see on the day are freakin’ AMAZING. I really need to up my game next year, man..

^What a beautiful bunch of dead mimes!

The kind of things you can see at an East London club on Halloween weekend:

^A super cool bloodied fox. And then there’s me, with two My Little Ponies and.. a box of Pocky. Haha!

There are SO. MANY. EVENTS. There’s a day for you to ride the tube with no pants. Race people while flipping pancakes (next month!). Run 5k in an inflatable sumo suit. Get your dance on at a silent disco festival. Cycle naked. Go to the Science Museum to be a cockroach. You can even smash stuff up for fun. 

And here, play with a insane amount of coloured powder at one of London’s Holi Festivals (there seem to be a few now – Google will disclose details):

^THAT was so much fun..

In Sweden and other Nordic countries, they celebrate the crayfish harvest season by throwing a Crayfish Party. So why not have one in London too, right? I went to a Swedish Crayfish Party last year organised by Ocado and it was hilarious!

Basically, everyone gathers to eat mountains of crayfish together. Along with other stuff, like a delicious selection of herring, salmon, cinnamon buns, and Swedish candy. Washed down with cider. And schnapps. You also have to wear crayfish hats and bibs, and sing some funny Swedish songs!

Life in London to me has been extremely enriching. There is an endless amount of learning and experiences available. So many different cultures and people to EMBRACE! Oh and the diversity of food that that comes with..  we really are spoilt for choice. If I had to narrow down London’s best quality to one word, it would be OPTIONS.

THANK YOU LONDON for being such a fantastic playground and classroom. I have grown so much while living a such a vibrant, full life. So obviously, you’re my favourite city 🙂

The post Three Things I FREAKIN’ LOVE about London appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

I was daydreaming about the sunshine while packing my bag.. at 2am on a rainy night. Sadly it’s not gonna be too warm where I’m going, but I wanna share with you some happy colourful photos from last August when the temperature rose to something like THIRTY degrees (centigrade). It’s almost mid March now and summer is a-cominggggg!

Anyway, my friends and I spent that ENTIRE day eating and lounging about next to the Thames in Richmond (if you know me you’ll recognise immediately that it’s a place close to my heart and about which I always talk).

^With Emma (L) and Zorro (R).. back when my hair was pink.

Yeah don’t die of shock.. it was ACTUALLY warm enough to hang about in a bikini.. 😉

^We had heaps of things to eat.. Will & Aysha came with one of those proper picnic baskets!

Now I’m going to tell you about THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY.

The water level rose SO HIGH that people were wading in the water on what was meant to be the walking path!

After a few seconds of contemplation, we decided that it was a good idea to jump in for a swim.

^I love the pic on the left!! ’twas so funny to catch that boy throwing himself in.. and then there’s Will on the right who tried to dive in backwards..

The water was ICY COLD by the way. But I was so happy that I went in.. loads of people were swimming around and it was a nice escape from the heat. Everyone was so HAPPY in the sunshine.

Later on, I proudly told my friends about my little swim in the river.

“YOU WENT INTO THE DISGUSTING THAMES??”

Horrified by their reaction, I quickly went on Google to find out WHAT was so TERRIBLE about swimming in the Thames.. and ok, fine, my friends were right.. it IS a disgusting river full of disease and germs and dirty things. You should’ve seen my face when I read that article about comedian David Walliams trying to swim the length of the Thames for charity and then got struck down by some sort of parasite that laid eggs in his intestines (giardiasis) O_O.

In fact, they were so right that the following day.. I had a terrible stomach ache in the morning… but let’s not talk about THAT.

^Aussie babes Aysha & Emma.

We had a little contest to see how many cherry tomatoes you could stuff into your mouth.. it was soooo funny. I was a bit ambitious and the tomatoes ended up popping out onto the ground in various places. We scooped them back up and ate them. Well I did anyway. MAYBE this was why I got a stomach ache….

^Aysha, Emma, Me, Zorro

We hung around until it got dark and watched crazy people hurl themselves off the bridge into the river.  It was almost like being the audience in a circus, as everyone was cheering these guys on to jump.

Just a couple more months until summer.. I’m counting downnnnn! Do you have a favourite summer activity? x

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We had a glamourous lunch of Maccas on the sidewalk as a means of sustenance for the rest of the afternoon.

We had initially wanted to Boris Bike it (for non-Londonders, this is the city’s cycle hire scheme) to the park, but we were stupid enough to think that the Boris Bike rails extended into Zone 4… so that was THAT.

In the end, it was the trusty 65 bus that took us to the green green grass just by Nightingale Lane. Well, us minus Alby anyway, who trailed the bus with his trademark blue bike.

It really was a spectacular day.. especially by London’s standards. Haha.

The air was cold though.. about 5 degrees (centigrade).

Whilst the rest were busy setting up and pumping air into the kite frame, I took the liberty of having a go on Alby’s bicycle. His very HIGH bicycle. I don’t know WHAT made me think that my legs were long enough, cos within 10 seconds I had banged my crotch on the bar twice..  I ended up cycling it standing up.

The kite is up!

Also, now I know why I’ll never really get into kitesurfing. Just SETTING UP that thing is SO much work. After pumping up the kite, you still gotta untangle the millions of strings that connect the harness to the kite. Then lay it all out. Have someone hold the kite while you wait in the harness. Make sure you’re facing the right direction in relation to the wind, and time it correctly so that the kite can take flight when it’s released.

At one point, we would be getting everything ready and JUST as we were about to go, the wind direction would CHANGE, as if to spite us. This repeated like a vicious cycle for about 4 – 5 times. It’s good exercise, though.

Jeremy was getting a kite-flying lesson from Alby that day, so he was very excited.

VERY excited ;p

In this photo you can see Jeremy holding the kite, waiting for the right moment to release it, a.k.a. when Alby shouts the order at him.

Controlling the kite is tough work! You really gotta know how each movement of your arms affects the way the kite behaves.

We were lucky it was windy enough that day for the kite to stay in the air for a while.. although I was mostly watching. And being yelled at to get out of the way….. :p

Jeremy, Izan, Me, Alby

Hmmm *refrains from comment*

All photos in this post were taken using my iPhone 5. I took a few hilarious Vine clips as well (find me @smallcrazy) but I haven’t figured out a neat way to share it in a post yet.. boo 🙁

A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET

We stayed till sunset. And it was a magnificent, golden orange sunset.

I couldn’t help but take a two million photos as the group walked ahead of me towards and along the river in a quest for… food.

Jeremy brought along his classic Penny skateboard.. I’ve always wanted to get a skateboard for myself, even though I haven’t actually skateboarded before. But I’m confident I’ll pick it up easily.. and after seeing Jeremy cruise along on it so effortlessly and awesomely, I’m really wanting to buy myself a hot pink Penny! Maybe for the summer…

I love London. Do you? <3

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London really comes ALIVE in the summertime and although it can be a bit depressing in all this darkness now.. we mustn’t forget the special ENERGY that fills the city just a few months ago! I don’t! It’s what keeps me going during those blah moments (winter blues?). I’m already in the midst of plotting out my festival itinerary 2013.

Here are some photos taken at the Southbank last year..

By the way, you Londoners will recognise this star flyer ride that’s rather a new summer installation on the Southbank. Last year, this ride cost £4 a go.. this year it went up to £7. Insane!

Below are pics of a suited street performer who, upon your monetary donation into his collection box, takes you and manoeuvres you into a certain position with himself to create a scene. It was super cool!!

Hmm. It feels weird to be blogging pics from so long ago.. but I’ve got LOTS to catch up on and it’s kinda nice to look back at old photos.

The post Do You Remember.. Summer in London? appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

This great pair of shorts were passed on to me by Joyce. Actually, it was more like I borrowed them and I didn’t want to give them back! I loved the pockets too much. They’re really comfortable and now err tooootally matches my hair.

She had gotten it from AZORIAS, a one-year-old online store based in Malaysia selling mainly Korean fashion items, run by my friend, HuiWen. They ship internationally (£17 standard shipping to GB) and dresses – really pretty ones! – start from about £25 up to £40+.

Totally unglam place to take a photo.

Bag is a super old, overworn, mangy old Topshop item.. I can’t seem to stop using it as I feel it goes with everything! But then again.. I feel a lot of things go with everything..

All photos were taken in South Ealing. It had been over a year since I moved out of that area into Central London, and I wanted to go back to reminisce and be nostalgic. Haha.

It was amazingly nice to be back in the familiar tree-lined suburban, residential streets. Living so close to the city has spoilt me and I had become used to having a dozens of bus/train lines within a five minute walk from my flat. Back in South Ealing, there was only one tube line to use – the Piccadilly Line – and one bus that stopped at the end of the street – the 65.

It was good to spend the day walking more slowly, stopping for longer to admire the plants and snails/cats/etc, and then having the most delicious Sunday roast and cider at the local pub.

Except that.. after walking for a couple of hours, those bloody shoes gave me such a bad blister that I had to swap them for the sandals I so conveniently packed in my bag. Screw you, shoes! You almost ruined my day!! Nah.. just kidding.. I had an awesome day anyway.

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Today, it’s one of my fav outfits (cos it’s so comfy) from the late summer last year.
If digital photos could collect dust, there would be a thick layer on these for sure!

On the afternoon these pics were taken, I had taken a walk to Camden Market.

It was a really HAPPY day because I stumbled into a shop selling lots printed shirts, carpets, and rugs. It was full of colour, but particularly, the music in the shop was just SO HAPPY. I spoke to the owner asking what it was and it turned out to be Kenyan music. Lots of drums and marimbas and upbeat tunes.

Listening to it, my mind was bursting with all sorts of things.. coconuts. beaches. spice bowls. banana trees. dancing barefoot in red earth. hot, hot sunshine. hammocks. hula hoops! Just wanted to DANCE!

Anyway, long story short.. I ended up buying two CDs from the dude and have since been subconsciously planning to throw a tropical rainforest/beach party with the music. One day it will happen!

  

  

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I took a walk around my neighbourhood with my plastic camera around my neck.
I snapped lots of pictures and listened to the snow crunch under my shoes..
My lower face was covered under a thick scarf most of the time.
And tiny snowflakes started to sprinkle themselves all over my clothes as I walked!
I tugged my scarf down under my chin and tried to lick some..

Oh, my digital camera came along too 🙂

The lane behind my block / the lane I normally have pictures of myself taken at

Wooden fence covered in.. WOOLY ICE!

My cat Kooky in his Santa suit!
I haven’t got a good picture of my other cat Crazy in his suit
But there’s one I like in my phone.. which is.. still stuck in my phone.
He keeps wriggling out of it anyway

A meow meow dinner 🙂

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It was really spontaneous and fun.
Only cooked sausages and onions – just the way I like it!

I’m quite happy with my holidays this year – 5 so far. But so many places still left to visit. I want my own plane! It’ll be colourful with swirly patterns and an ice-cream machine inside. And a bouncy castle. And glow in the dark seats.

And a huge square piece of jello like that scene in Mickey & the Beanstalk where Donald and Goofy are going crazy on it!

So here are the pics

My floral sunnies

Cats came out to have a peek at BBQ

Last two sausages on the pit!

When it got dark we went outside again to take more pictures

I’m wearing a bleached denim tunic from Topshop

Looks like I’m stepping in some dumpy area!
Actually that’s my old bath rug that’s been ‘out to dry’ since.. well some time ago.

Watched ‘The Memory Keeper’s Daughter’ movie on TV tonight
Has anyone read the book?
I bought it last year but only went as far as page 3 or something lame like that.
The movie wasn’t too bad though!

The post Fire Escape BBQ Night appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

Yeah a backyard – it’s not one of those cute little gardens with lots of green grass and old wooden fencing around it, but it was still nice! I think it had its own special atmosphere. The back stairs lead all the way down to it from the flat.

The weather was so good (keep in mind: London standards) that my legs got direct contact with OUTSIDE AIR for the first time since..possibly last October or November!

My cat Crazy joined us too!
I placed the cat bed on the landing at the top of the stairs, immersed in sunshine
He had a teeny weeny piece of sausage, cos he was shy

We also blew some bubbles

Me & the R

sausages & skewers made of stolen cup stirrers!

before eat

after eat!

We then had lots of strawberries and the most delicious whipped cream ever (Roro’s great idea)!

tastes good with face too

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