2nd w/e of CNY

Monday morning surprise.....heavy snow in Hatfield...

Spent the past few days at work going through spreadsheets for a data collecting task...TBH, I've never used that much Excel in my life! Tedious as it is, at least I brushed up my Excel skills...

The first week of CNY in London is as dull as work goes. I have to keep reminding myself it's still the CNY cause it just doesn't feel like it. How I wish I am back home celebrating. Life...the way I chose it...is the way I should live it. I should stop complaining. But hey, I just said I wished :P...

Anyway...w/e spent quite productively I'd say. Watched Valentine's day and All's Well End's Well at Prince Charles cinema - as mou liu as expected, Louis Koo is surprisingly good in the movie and it's just the sort of movie I need to watch, just to get away from "reality". Coincidently the CNY parade is held on Sunday as well. Managed to make my way through the crowds in China Town - just not a day you wanna be in town. London crowd is fatal!

Look what I found in Japan Centre! Taiyaki!!! 4 quid for a pack of 2 - not the cheapest thing on earth - but it's London after all...

Valentine's day is a so-so movie...not great, but has its good moments. Personally I think there are too many casts - too many stories - too cramped. And it definitely does not have a fairy tale ending - which is good - at least you don't feel cheated :P. I like the reality in it. There is a scene where Ashton Kutcher tried kissing his best friend Jennifer Garner to see if they have feelings for each other, after both of them broke up with their other half. Coincidently one of my best buddy told me yesterday night that it is something that really works - tried and tested apparently. Well, its a scene you usually see on screens - but I've always thought it only happens in movies - Amy, I'll take your word for it :P. And just realised Eric Dane is equivalent to Heath Ledger + Leonardo Di Carpio - what a discovery! :P...Comparing to 500 days of summer ( which is almost the last romantic drama I watched ), 500 days definitely have more story to it, although a bit sad and a little too realistic.

So many romantic films out since it's the Valentine's month, but there is still nothing that is remotely as good as "10 things I hate about you" and "Love Actually"...oh and "Needing You" too :).

p.s "...Love, I ask, What are you made of, You are too mysterious and most of the time, too complicated for my simple mind to comprehend..."

Pancake Day

It's pancake day and also third day of CNY...

How's your celebrations so far?

Made these impromptu:

Mood on Shrove's Tuesday: Nico suddenly felt so much grown up now, it takes experience and maturity to realise the reality of life and be able to think rationally. Defensive Nico is still very well aware of the existence of the angel and devil who have the same ability to bring a smile to Nico's face. Still remember, pancake day last year, Nico was at a very emotional state. A year today, Nico thinks she is lucky to have survived and learnt from it.

Quote of the day : 'It's been a while since I have this kind of feeling...'

It's a good day, it's the first day of CNY, I know I shouldn't be ranting, but....A Sunday, a Chinese New Year day, a Valentines day - this just shows you can't fit too much in one day! Especially when those components just doesn't tally together! Anyway, hope you lot manage to pull everything together and hope your day goes smoothly.

I must say, a whole lot of strange and unexpected things happened since the past weeks or so and still continuing...I can only comment that sometimes, you just have to believe the power of fate and destiny - never undermine them. I am not complaining, in fact hope more of it is coming...

Anyway, Nico wishes you lot a very Happy Chinese New Year ! May you have a prosperous and eventful year ahead! Hope this is another brilliant and memorable year for you - in a good way. Don't hesitate, don't waste time on the past, move on, just let it go, leave all your worries behind, tomorrow is a bright new start, trust me, everything will be fine! Love the tiger, and it will love you back :).

Nico need to focus now!!!

3 days to CNY and Valentines

Apparently it is very rare that CNY falls on the same day as Valentines. For me it's just another Sunday. Of course, there are very much a reason to celebrate, but I managed to get myself really really, I mean super duper busy these few weeks. Everything from work to life! Is this a good thing? I am sitting here blogging feeling so exhausted - a little bit of regretting why I fit so much stuff in my schedule - talking about being a power woman ! gee!!! Salute to those working mums! That said, I winged when I'm bored, and now I winged when I'm too busy too. Nico's never satisfied! Anyhow, I should be glad that things happen as it is now, I think...

Valentines - There are people whose life evolve just around themselves and their partner. I wonder how they managed to do that. Don't they get bored? I guess not - duh. That makes me ponder...what does my life evolve around? ... At the moment, everything feels such a stranger to me ... I wonder why. Some of my colleagues have just started to think of what to get for their GFs, shouldn't they do it earlier? Hmm. Some are making roses origami - so sweet - I'd prefer its made of money though :P. So, have you got something already for your valentine?

Chinese New Year - I don't really like CNY when I'm back home - maybe because I don't fancy the questions relatives bombard me with and the gossips they make - so much family politics. Now that I'm away, I actually miss having a nice scrumptious CNY dinner with my family - note just my immediate family :). Anyway, life is how it is - so unbelievable I am telling myself this! And I used to buy a lot of new stuff for CNY - family tradition, but I couldn't really be bothered this year as I don't have that much time to shop! Argh...I wanna go shopping!

Ok enough of ranting, I will wish you fellow Nicocism readers a proper CNY and Valentines in 3 days time. For now, ciao! - back to the serious matters I have to do!

01022010

Date: 01 02 2010 - the day and month mirrored the year!!!

It's Feb!!! And what a Monday! Got to work to find a production issue waiting for me to work on and spent literally whole day on it. Suddenly it felt like work has assimilated into my life - not a good thing? Hmm.

Thinking of my travel plans makes me happy bunny again I guess. :).

People say you work to live. At the moment, I work to travel...and to fulfil my shopping habits, and of course to realize my photography dreams.

Daily horoscope says: Continue to work diligently for now. You will soon be able to reap the fruits of your labor.

Next 2 days' horoscope says: Success comes to those who are willing to wait for it.

I shall be positive! I will be patient and 'wait'...

Where Home Is

Serving my last 24 hours of On-Call support, I've been obediently staying at home the whole day even though it is a Saturday. Mum said it's an auspicious day to clean the house before Chinese New Year. And so I did, well my room at least.

Upgraded my gym membership from Flexi-fit to Pay Monthly. This is just to motivate myself to work out more since I've been eating a lot since the Dec holidays. Hate Winter! I just can't stop eating! I blame it on SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Believe me, I really had that for the first couple of weeks since I got back from KL!

The whole week has been a quiet one outside work. At work, a couple of production issues kept me busy for the first part of the week. And then it died down. Friday was pub lunch at the Red Lion for a colleague's leaving due. I'd say they do pretty good Sausage and Mash with red wine and onion sauce! Calories overloaded I know, but just can't resist! And the leaving due continued to drinks at the World's End, Camden after work. This colleague of mine is going back to Italy to help out his family business. I have to say he's a really great colleague to work with, such a nice friendly and grateful guy! I am lost of words to describe him but all I can say is that I'd learn that people will appreciate you more if you appreciate them as they are.

Right, coming back to the main topic...Where Home Is...

On the bus home from the pub, things keep floating around my mind...

I've come six thousand miles from home to live in somewhere so foreign. This September mark the 9th year I've been living in England. Along the way, I meet people, coming to this city full of hope and aspiration. To me, suddenly London's became just like an airport. It's a city with people flocking in for opportunities. But as time goes by, these people leave, back to where they 'belong'. Of course, some stay because they made here home. The question I ask myself - do I belong here...

During lunch, this Italian colleague of mine asked me if I am planning to go 'home' or stay. I know this is a very common question I get every now and then. But coming from him, I wonder, now that he's decided to go 'home', he has the right to ask because he's made a decision. And the fact that everyone else who asked the same question already know what they want and thus has the 'right' to ask? You must be wondering why am I so bothered? Well, that's cause I'm frustrated that I don't know the answer. Some said I think too much and that I'm worried for no reason and that I should just go with the flow. Is that true? I shouldn't be worried? Hmm. I really want to think that I'm thinking too much...full stop

...ok maybe not yet...and then life goes on.

Maze

Lunch at Maze:

We had the 4 course tasting menu each. There were 9 to choose from on the menu, and we literally ordered everything except for the oxtail. 5 savoury and 3 sweets.

Menu as per Maze website :

Savoury

• Onion squash soup, puffed wild rice, ewe’s curd, smoked bacon, braised chicken thighs,chestnut powder
• Marinated beetroot, Slipcote cheese, pine nuts and Cabernet Sauvignon dressing
• Cornish red mullet, tapenade, croutons, aioli, fish soup
• ‘Scotch broth’ roasted halibut, black pudding,Argyle ham, turnip purée
• Citrus spiced oxtail, wild turnips, horseradish and sour apple risotto
• Braised shoulder of aged lamb, faggot, parsnip purée, pear jam, ox-eye daisy, cob-nuts

Sweet

• Devon milk and yoghurt mousse, winter berry sorbet, dried winter fruits and oats,berry syrup
• Winter clémentine mess, powdered brazil nuts, clémentine sorbet, vanilla oil
• Devonshire rice pudding, spiced blackberry jam, clotted cream and blackberry ripple ice cream

The best dish of all would be the lamb - it was heavenly - meat cooked to perfection (as they always say on reality cooking shows :P) - very tender and moist...lol. Beetroot and slipcote cheese is quite an interesting combination of sweet and salty - nice. Soup is nice as well. Both fish were decent, but preferred the halibut and black pudding over the mullet.

All in all it was quite a nice meal. They even gave us some sweet treats after paying - chocolate with some crispy raspberry filling, ginger and vanilla fudge. Plus, the table next to us doesn't have it! Sweet!

That said, I think I still prefer Petrus. But that was a couple of years back, maybe I have higher expectations now? lol...But then again, the Petrus meal was double the price, so can't really compare I guess. And also, as a lil' fan of Jason Atherton, I think I should also put in a little bit of biased comments - Maze is really good! :P

Total damage done: 40 quid (plus wine though)