in the bubble of hearts

New posts!

2011-10-04T00:16:00.004+01:00

A couple new posts up in my new blog if you haven't popped over for a look, do it today!

New posts:

1. Find out a little more about me here

2. A picture that will make you smile & Hello Kitty for Forever 21 here

3. Amy Antoinette's wedding here with a few pictures

See u there x x x

new post

2011-09-25T01:25:00.002+01:00

A new post about fish pedicure/fish spa along with a vid here!

If you don't already know, that is my new page so go follow me there :)

x

Come join me!

2011-09-13T23:34:00.004+01:00

In my last post I mentioned I was working on a new blog ... IT'S FINALLY (near) READY!

It's not 100% and will never be 100% but it'll improve as it goes on! So please please please give it a visit & subscribe/follow on there instead!!!! I'm still following all of youse that I have been following - very sorry if comments have been lacking, but they will be back!! Been busy doing this new one up I dont know why I didn't just change the URL on this account in the first place but mistake has been done! I'll move some of the posts from here to there eventually too.

So here it is www.happytinsoldier.blogspot.com
and will be updated regularly, along with proper efforts!

See u there xoxo
GO NOW!!

Yes, HERE!!

...back

2011-07-05T23:11:00.003+01:00

Wow, hello! It's been umm quite some time since I've been here! Well I'm back from my travels and ready to revive this blog and continue writing as I've missed it heaps! I've also most definitely missed reading all your lovely blogs so Im going to make myself a nice cup of tea and start looking through thousands of entries!

I am setting up a different URL/name but it's less than perfect at the moment so once ive tweaked a few things I'll move there and I hope all of you will move with me! I'll keep you updated! For now though, read on for a few things you might not know about me and hope you'll do the same on your blog so I can get to know you better too!

1. I used to be able to speak 6 languages fluently, unfortunately it's now down to 4 but hopefully I'd be able to pick them up again quite easily when I need to *fingers crossed

2. I love gardening. Please don't unfriend me!! Seeing things grow and eating fresh with 0.1 food miles makes me happy! I am a bit of a granny, cooking programmes are at the top of my favourites list.

3. Im obsessed with hearts! I have a lot of them too - jewellery, luggage labels, soft furnishings, kitchen wares…check back later for more detailed posts about all the hearts I have!

4. Travelling is a big part of my life. I don't mean spending money on booze and then recovering the next day on the beach sun-baking (although nothing wrong with it if its your thing). Travelling for me is really getting to know the people, culture & customs, history, food, language etc. It's about leaving the maps behind, little or no planning and just getting lost in backstreets & little lanes. If it was up to me, I'd spend a couple of months (or years lol) in each place! I have been very lucky to have lived in Japan & Malaysia and spent some time in NZ and OZ as well as mini breaks to various other places. Keep checking my Travel Log for more travel posts!

5. I'm quite a content person - if things aren't going my way you will rarely find me complaining because I tend to just embrace how things decide to turn out. I believe there's always a reason as to why things are the way they are. Life is short so if it's raining, grab your wellies and go jump in the puddles!

6. Umm… I have a dog, his name is Patch and he is one of the most most most important things in my life ever!!! He is a little Jack Russell Terrier, bit grumpy, tries to act bigger than he really is by growling at bigger dogs but inside he's a biiiig softie that loves nothing more than cuddles, kisses, blankets and being cosy! When I was packing for Japan, I turned around and found him getting warm & cosy in my pile of clothes in the luggage lol :p I wished I could have packed him along with me!

7. umm...I'm a crazy sentimental! I keep every little thing like little notes, old tickets, letters, clothes that no longer fit…I find it hard to throw things away!

Now tell me things about yourself & link by commenting x

Christchurch Earthquake Tribute Single Appeal

2011-03-10T19:41:00.004Z

This is really a post in hope that all you love people will donate and help those in desperated need after the tragic earthquake that struck Christchurch 2 weeks ago.

My boyfriend (Jon) has produced a tribute single called 'Dont Give Up' & is hoping to raise at least £50,000 (NZD$100,000) to help those affected. Donating is really easy, all you need to do is donate a minimum of $5 (approx £2.50) to Red Cross through www.dontgiveup.co.nz. Once you've donated, check your emails for the invoice Red Cross send you. Grab the invoice number, fill out the form at www.dontgiveup.co.nz and you'll get the tribute single for free! It will only take you two minutes, but will help so so SO many people out there.

You can also listen to the track here: www.youtube.com/officialinnk

Please help Jon raise as much as possible to help those affected by the earthquake & show your support by spreading the word!

Thank youu :)

p/s I know I've neglected this blog a little but I promise once I've sorted out my life I will be back on track! Bear with me!!
xxx

Christchurch Quake

2011-02-24T00:46:00.005Z

My heart goes out to everyone affected by the recent quake in Christchurch. Current death toll stands at 76 people with hundreds more missing and trapped under rubble. Let's hope and pray that the rescue team get to those who are still holding on soon.
It's incredibly sad what has happened. I feel so helpless at the thought that there are people trapped under twisted metals and crumbled walls just 30 minutes from where I am sat at the moment in safety. I wish there is something I can do to help but it's probably wise to leave it to professionals.

I have to count my blessing that we were delayed in going into the city on Tuesday (I was scheduled to fly back to England hours before the disaster struck) and we only experienced the weak end of the quake. Had everything gone to plan on the day, I'm sure we would have been caught out in this disaster.

For more information and constant updates go to www.tvnz.co.nz. If you'd like to help by donations please visit the Red Cross website for more information.

Here's a picture of the cathedral I managed to capture few months ago:

If you have relatives or friends in Christchurch I hope none of them are affected :)

Hello World...

2011-02-19T07:47:00.002Z

I'm still alive! I know, I miss you too.

An update soooon - just trying to tweak a few things, improve the blog before I start again and share my adventures with you...I have no knowledge of coding whatsoever so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Very very very soon,
xxx

Hello

2010-12-17T23:28:00.003Z

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I hope all your shoppings are done & ready for it! Sorry for lack of posts, I have SO much to tell but getting on the internet is prooving to be difficult and when I get a chance to, I have to book for travels ahead! Well I'm going to make a new blog for my travels, keep an eye out for it. Any blog name suggestions? In the mean time I wonder if anyone out there can help me build the layout? Im crap at stuff like that!! Any little help would be so greatly appreciated!!

The picture above is where I am at the moment - this place is just beautiful! Have a guess where it is in New Zealand!

The biggest Merry Christmas to all of you!!! I can say Christmas is definitely so much better in the cold! Will try to blog again as soon as I can - I've missed reading all your blogs and can't wait to catch up when I find some time!

What have you asked for this year & are you excited??
xxxx

November favourites

2010-12-06T09:00:00.001Z

Can't believe its snowy December already! Where did the year go? Anyway here are some skin care products I loved in November:

1. Body Shop Moringa body butter

This keeps your skin baby soft & smelling fresh and lovely!

2. No.7 Protect and Perfect Eye Cream

I have serious issues with panda eyes & eye bags so have always used eye creams but to be honest I never know if they are effective as I still have them!!! I'm sure eye creams are one of those products you must use, but never really does anything? Anyhoo, this eye cream is light & creamy so a little goes a long way! I do notice that it lightens the dark circle a little!

3. No 7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum

A little pricey but silky, soft and smooth! Helps reduce pores and smooth wrinkles in just 4 weeks, this is a must have for all beauty-junkies!

4. Clinique Total Turnaround Visible Skin Renewer

i.love.this. It lets your skin breathe, leaving it refreshed & rejunevated! Creamy but not greasy, silky and smooth! Also notice it brightens my skin and reduce redness especially in the mornings! l.o.v.e!

Hope you find this post helpful :) Rememeber moisturise moisturise moisturise especially in the harsh winter conditions!

xxx

Message from Patch

2010-12-04T09:00:00.001Z

It is very cold out there (in Europe) so make sure all you lovely people wrap up warm ♥ woof ♥

Aw, I miss my little Patchie. I'm sure it is very pretty across Europe at the moment, but hope the snow goes away soon as I'm sure it has caused plenty of disruptions! xxx

One of the things I've always wanted to do...

2010-12-03T08:44:00.006Z

Swimming with ~~dolphins~~ wild dolphins ♥ Very lucky to have swam with the World's rarest breed: Hector's dolphins! it.was.phenomenal.

Have you ever swam with dolphins? If so, where and did you have fun?

p/s apologies for abandoning the blog but promise to update more often!

Jay
xxx

Kia Ora...

2010-11-24T22:29:00.002Z

from Christchurch, New Zealand!!

Flying into Christchurch

I'll be in this part of the World for just under 4 months - I will try to blog as much and hope you lovely readers come on an adventure with me ♥

I realise I lost my purse when I got on the train to the airport which is rubbish! Luckily it was in the car, but I guess it's a sign - big guy up there didn't want me to have my credit cards with me! I already promised I won't shop too much! Grr and now I dont have anything with me not even driving license makes it really tricky! so I would appreciate all your recommendations to do (free) stuff around NZ!

xxx

Ahh

2010-11-20T16:25:00.004Z

Sorry for the lack of posts - it was my last day at work on Wednesday ... finally!! Felt so good to have a lie in Thursday morning!!

So I'm off on my travels again and I leave tomorrow! Exciting but I havent even packed yet theres 1001 things to do :( I hate packing!!!

Im off to New Zealand / Australia this time for a few months! I really can't wait I really hope I will make the best of my time out there :) Aww I think my little puppy knows he's been wanting attention all the time and now sat on my lap ... cute I'm gonna miss him heaps.

Anyone from / been to NZ - any tips / places i must go??

xxxx

Can you see it ...

2010-11-16T18:30:00.002Z

Following on from this post, thought I'd do another:

Can you see a man walking along with a cap and rucksack?

Isn't it just amazing???????????? Do you think I can make this as a career? mmm ...
photo courtesy of a traveller friend she is a little photographer ♥

Have you any random photos like above to share & do you like making out things from shapes/clouds?

xxx

Country Barn

2010-11-16T00:01:00.005Z

Thought I'd share some pictures of the lovely barn/cottage we stayed at last week!

Entrance/outdoor space

Kitchen

Top landing

So cute

New found hobby (actually won 6/6 games - must be beginners luck haha!)

Amazing main bedroom

Amazing main en-suite with the biggest bath & shower ever! We had fun times in there!

Amazing views all around

Had such an amazing time away from civilisation - long walks, tea, board games, reading, cooking ... it feels odd coming back to reality & seeing other human beings!! I want to stay there forever!! It's also a working dairy farm so I got to milk cows! Was so much fun, also saw baby cows, so cuteeee!

If you'd like to have a country retreat to get away from stress and have some peace & quiet, this really is the best place to be! In the middle of nowhere but yet within reach of fun things to do ie Exmoor, Dartmoor, Coastal Paths ... let me know if you're interested I can forward you details! We only paid £300 for a WHOLE week (sleeps up to 4 people & pets welcomed).

I really miss the fresh air, long walks and just total relaxation, no rush for anything! Ahh take me back there NOW!

Jewellery

2010-11-14T20:43:00.003Z

Hello lovelies ♥ I'm back from the much needed retreat & have had fun spending a long time catching up all your blogs (have missed reading them!) anyway I was browsing and looking at various jewellery & thought these are so cute:

Sweetheart ring

Wing earrings

Also from Zara Taylor/Truebirds:

I love this!

Ah lots of birds & wings lol but they are just so beautiful! Hope you have had a lovely weekend xxx

Current favourite perfume

2010-11-11T18:30:00.000Z

The lovely Rose 4 Reines from L'occitane ♥ With just one spray you can smell it throughout the day! Love the smell! Got this from Bicester Village for only £8!

Also purchased the Limited Edition Wild Cherry Tree - it smells lovely as well. Still in its packaging!

What is your current favourite perfume? Have you ever tried any fragrances from L'occitane?

Jay
xxx

Country retreat

2010-11-09T18:30:00.000Z

If you're reading this, it means scheduled post is working! Yay! This is a sneak peek of the lovely country house we're at ♥ will put more pictures up when I return. Hope all you girlies are well I miss reading all your blogs!

Have a lovely Tuesday

Jay
xxx

Country retreat

2010-11-05T17:12:00.003Z

I'm away for a week in the lovely Devon with some girlies & Patch ... cue lots of tea, reading, biscuits & country walk! I've brought lots of New Zealand guide books with me too so I can start planning! I've scheduled a couple of posts, hope they work!! Hope all of you have a lovely week, giveaway next week!! Promise!

Have a lovely weekend,
Jay
xxx

Secret agent?

2010-11-04T23:06:00.004Z

Socks are turning out to be a great hit this season - although Japan has had this look for like ever! I've always been slightly dubious in trying this look even though I've stocked up enough pairs from tutuanna, the best sock shop EVER in Japan! Few weeks ago when the weather started turning cold, I braved the look and this is the result:

I had a little knit dress with black socks (River Island) and with the coat, I looked a little like a spy or a secret agent especially paired with massive shades ha ha! I did really like the knee high socks but I think it's quite easy to look too sexy /sultry so will have to balance that! I have to say I much prefer over the knees than under the knees socks! I'm quite looking forward to trying them with not just mini dresses but shorts and mini skirts too :)

One more look I've yet to brave is the ankle socks & shoes look especially with peep toes! Have you tried it?

What do you think of knee high socks? Will you be trying it out this season?

Jay
xxx

Halloween

2010-11-02T22:15:00.007Z

Bit late, but I thought I'd share some Halloween pictures from the past! I didn't do anything actually this Halloween - sad as I love Halloween!

Back in 2006 (ohmylife!) as a vampiress with spider in hair

Again in 2006 as a doll with a naked barbie with tangled hair found in a charity shop lol

Close up of Barbie's butt

2007 #1 - yeah it is really me

2007 #2 - bedsheet as outfit

2007 #3 - mohawk to school with our favourite security guy in Japan <3 and yes we went to school like this and had a fun day scaring Japanese students hahah good times!

Personally I'm not one who dress up to look pretty on Halloween - you can dress up to look pretty all the time!! Halloween is one occasion where you can go crazy & wacky & be creative!

Sorry the pictures are all weird & cut up & my poor attempt at paint :( ... however, good news - giveaway will be up soon so keep checking back!!!

Jay
xxx

Christmas shopping

2010-11-01T23:05:00.008Z

Yay Christmas is almost here!! I am so excited about all the fun Christmas gift, even more excited to think they will all be half price in the sales woop woop woop! I rarely go into BHS but they do have some lovely stuff for Xmas ... saw these & l.o.v.e:

Stacking cake tin with cake mix £15

Retro weighing scales £18

Recipe folder £8

Boxed teapot gift set £12 (bargain!)

Afternoon tea treats £10 (cute boxes!)

A question for you lovely people:
How long do you think it would take you to spend say, £10000? (not on big major items like big TV or a car or a house, just perhaps on shopping)

It really wouldn't take me long at all! I'd say...less than 10 minutes. Or maybe less like 5 minutes. But then I'd like to take some time to think ... I find it quite scary how easy it is to spend a lot of money especially online - it literally is just a click away! Last night with one click there goes half my month's wage. BUT it's for exciting times ahead ... I'm going to New Zealand woopwoop! For a few months! Really can't wait ♥

Have you been to New Zealand? Please comment & tell me your favourite shop/cafe/street/park whatever ... I'd love to check them out!

Ah I have so much to blog about - this week I'm going to start a new feature (now that ive said it I have to do it lol :p) Hope you girlies had a lovely halloween - really enjoyed seeing all your photos!

Jay
xxx

*pinch, punch for the first day of the month .... does anyone know how the saying goes next?

p/s one more follower until the number hits 50 & giveaway time! Thank you to all my followers, I hope I do write some interesting stuff?? xxx

Random 50

2010-10-31T17:12:00.005Z

1. It's gone dark already :(
2. My hair is finally longgg again
3. It has taken about 2 years
4. I want it short again
5. But of course I won't cut it again. Love. fashion. wigs
6. I love green tea
7. I worry about life too much
8. I cry really easily
9. Actually I worry about a lot of things a lot of the time
10. Complete relaxation week this Friday in Devon ... can't wait!
11. I'm also REALLY excited because I'm going away to New Zealand for a few months!
12. Oh sugar, I need to look at flights NOW.
13. I love my dog.
14. No, I really really really love my dog.
15. He is my everything.
16. He hurt his shoulder beginning of the week because of me :( kinda ... get well soon baby
17. I've picked my new camera, my first slr :D
18. I really enjoy blogging
19. I love shopping. a lot :(
20. Sometimes being a girl is difficult - you shop for make up, skin care, fashion, and all things cute!
21. umm (struggling) I love sunsets
22. and sunrise
23. Could do with winning the lottery sometime soon.
24. But I don't buy lottery tickets?
25. I like animals. A lot.
26. Whales, horses, seahorses, pandas, dogs, mammoths, elephants...
27. I watched Ghost (the movie with Demi Moore & Patrick Swayze) for the first time last week. Wow, good film!
28. I wish I could get up earlier in the morning.
29. mmmm I like Doraemon.
30. and Ultraman.
31. and Hello Kitty.
32. I don't watch a lot of TV (but I want to!)
33. I love cooking programmes lol geeeeeek
34. I love history
35. I think you should do a random 50 too. or challenge yourself to a random 100
36. There's too much 'I' (see 32-25)
37. (really struggling) Matt Cardle to win X Factor!
38. Want a tattoo (maybe)
39. OMG it's November WTF!
40. Can't wait til Xmas sales!!
41. But I won't be in the country :(
42. Loving the brown/red/orange/yellow trees
43. How safe is laser-eye surgery?
44. Have you ever had any cosmetic surgery?
45. Who's performing in tonight's X Factor?
46. Smile and the World will smile with you
47.
48. Chocolate ice-cream ... always
49. umm Happy Halloween?
50. That's all! If you've reached this far .... well done!! Now go write your random fifty ♥ I'm gonna have a pampering night tonight complete with hot shower, face mask hair mask the lot! Tell me, what do you do on pampering nights?

xxxxx Happy Halloween xxxx

Oh, hi

2010-10-27T22:58:00.002+01:00

I don't get up for less than at least 5 figures darling ...

What is one picture that brought a smile to you today?
p/s Hello to you reading this right now :) Comment & say hi!

xxxxx

One day in pictures

2010-10-26T23:14:00.006+01:00

Seeing as my bf is in NZ and my bff is in BA (Buenos Aires), I thought I'd send them some pics instead of the usual email! Picture heavy of my day yesterday (Monday)

- Woke up. Saw this. Life is not fair. -

- Very dark mornings. Saw this happy panda staring back at a not so happy panda. -

- Scrape scrape scrape -

- Driving in jimjams = best thing ever. Taking it off for work = worst thing ever. -

- Fog ... makes me want to stop & dance in the middle of it -

- Tractors, trucks & slow drivers should not be allowed on the roads before 10am -

- Hat hair -

- Happy chappy in the wall by the toilet sink, always make me smile -

- Home time YAY -

My bf wrote back saying 'did you have an awful day, the only happy picture is the 7 holes in the wall!' ... geez :S I did have a lovely day thanks.

If you've got one day (or many days or every day) in pictures, comment so I can read! Hope all you lovely peeps have had a lovely Monday and Tuesday and everyday!

p/s only ONE. uno. ichi. ein. une. 1. more follower before giveaway time! Thank you all you lovely followers I hope you enjoy reading my random rambles!

xxx

Hello!

2010-10-25T22:25:00.003+01:00

Hello lovely people, last week of October! Have you sorted out your Halloween outfits yet? What are you gonna be this year? I had the most fabulous weekend in London with the most amazing friends that I dont get to see enough!

My dancing outfit + comfy pjs watching ER eating chocolate at 4am ... because the kebab van was shut ha!

Lots of fun posts this week including a 'My day in pictures' tomorrow so stay tuned <3 What did you get upto in the weekend & how have you wrapped up warm in this cold weather?
I drive around in my comfy PJs in the morning to work to keep warm!!

Pretty Ruffle dress

2010-10-22T23:42:00.000+01:00

I walked into River Island to get a pair of over the knee socks for £7 and somehow I ended up walking out with £78 worth of shopping! HOW? grr ... SALES! (so its okay!!) I never find size 8 in the River Island sale so when I saw heaps of size 8 I grabbed it all and headed to the changing room and somehow they found their way IN TO MY WARDROBE! I promise it's not my fault!

I found this pretty ruffle dress and thought ooh interesting - I really would love all you fashionista's honest opinions! I thought it'd look quite cute with cowboy boots (maybe??) or even the pair of booties pictured!

(Click to enlarge)

One of the problems with living at home is that I have to stuff bags of shopping all in one bag so it doesnt look too bad and sneak it upstairs! But I always get caught boo. Does anyone else have the same problem?

Comment and let me know what you think of the dress! Have you also been shopping in the sales lately and where do you usually shop? Follow on the right with Google or bloglovin' as I'll be posting more purchases this coming week!

P/S Thanks for all your fun comments on this fun post - some of you have crazy imagination lol. Mayonnaise?? HOW? I can definitely see baby in blanket, kidney bean and croissant! But the first thought that came into my head when I saw it was a loopy heart (I try to see hearts in everything lol) but it didn't quite work so I saw a bean. As I looked on, I see a pair of shades. I think its my inner self conveying a message to me by making me see a pair of shades - I WANT TO GO ON A HOLIDAY!

Pictures!

2010-10-21T22:55:00.008+01:00

Finally found my camera! Face of Saturday night:

I haven't been out for ages so I was really proud I could still remember night make-up! It's pretty much just black and gold as highlight. I am not that great at make up but am being inspired and learning from various make-up blogs I follow so THANK YOU! Eyelashes are Cheryl Cole ones - really like them as they are different to ones I usually wear! Well I had to peel the lash off the right eye as it was blocking my sight and I had to drive about 2 hours...so glad I didn't get pulled over with one side of lashes off and the other side still attached lol

And YES I have my hands on Leopard Print Coat - ohmylife just found out it's now 20% off - NOT FAIR!!!! Anyway I am slightly obsessed with leopard print this season - will be doing a feature on it soon! You will (hopefully) find changes and new features on this blog soon and hope you'll like it even more!

Thank you for all your fun comments on yesterday's post, I hope you had fun! I'll let you know what I saw in tomorrow's post - it'll be a scheduled post so hope it works!!

What are you into this season and do you love leopard prints too? Blog about your leopard print items, would love to see how you wear them!

xxxx

What do you see?

2010-10-20T21:17:00.005+01:00

What do you see when you look at the picture above (the white string bit) without thinking too much about it???

Now give it some thought, and see what that initial thought develop into.

Be quite interesting to see what you make of it - comment with your reply and I'll tell you what I saw.

Jay

p/s I really won't think your reply would be silly or stupid in fact it will only fascinate me!!! So don't worry <3 also I should hide comments until such time everyone has commented, but it's too high-tech for me hah

Honestly, I will LOVE all your comments on what you see so leave one now! xxx

pp/s only 3 more followers until a 50-followers giveaway, I will be preparing for that this weekend! Giveaway will be open for Google Friend Connect followers & bloglovin' followers - so click 'Follow' on the side-navigation! Much love!

A new unhealthy obsession...

2010-10-19T20:00:00.001+01:00

It's pink. It's great. It's for girls who like nice stuff and it's made in the glamorous USA.

Yep Juicy found her way into my wishlist...I'm surprised at how well I've fended off Juicy up until a visit to Bicester Village with the new Juicy outlet there. The jewellery box itself is enough to make you want to buy something! If you want to see a purchase ... follow this blog on the right and check back this week <3

Are you Juicy & do you have any of their lovely stuff? If so, do share!!

Friendship Bracelets

2010-10-18T22:52:00.005+01:00

Do friendship bracelets still exist and do you have any? If so, I'd love to see them!

I have heaps to write about but realise I left my camera at home boo but will get it on Wednesday hopefully & lots of fashion posts! Only 3 more followers until giveaway time ... hope you all had a lovely weekend too! xxxx

Circle lens

2010-10-15T23:21:00.007+01:00

Did anyone (in the UK) catch last night's amazing program called 'Inside Nature's Giant's' the Giant Squid episode?? I've always always always been fascinated by Giant Squid - the fact that noone has actually ever seen one ever!!

Some interesting facts:

- Squids have three hearts!!
- They actually have teeth on their tentacles so if you are caught by one, it would be a slow & painful death. You'd feel every single bite as they literally shred you to pieces :( so make sure you don't go near one. no, don't go near the little ones either!!
- The female give birth to millions of eggs which is held together in a mass and jiggled around with the mother's tentacles - quite a sight really ... and the mommy dies after all her babies are hatched!

If you're fascinated you can watch here!

On another note, since Lady Gaga's Bad Romance video the black circle lens that makes your iris look larger has been really popular especially with Asian girls. I can see why, as it makes you look cute and quite attractive like:

We now live in a world where bigger means better - breast enhancement, penis enlargement, abs implants and even silicone injection to get J-Lo's bum. How ridiculous! But many don't realise how these contact lens can actually be harmful to your eyes if you wear it for too long & not careful with them. They actually restrict oxygen getting into your eyes causing them to be dry and red. New capillaries form on your retina to try to get as much oxygen from the surface thus causing infection! As someone who's had serious eye infections from wearing contact lens and came close to losing my sight, I really hope that those who wear circle lens (or any lens) know exactly what they are doing and only purchase from the opticians and not over the internet!

Mmm looking at the picture below, it reminds me of something ...

... that's it!

Looks the same hey! Besides, anyone else thinks the black circle lens are slightly scary?? I dont want scary pictures on my blog but you can see another scary one here!!

Do you wear contact lens and have you / would you try Circle Lens so your iris would look bigger?

☆ Twinkle twinkle little stars ☆

2010-10-14T22:53:00.005+01:00

How I wonder what you are...

A few weeks ago I built up the courage and went to a ballet class after almost 10 years of missing in action. As much as I enjoyed it, it also made me feel a little ... depressed! I felt like a little failure having let go and losing sight of all my glittering dreams & passion from when I was younger! It's almost as if I've betrayed the mini-me.

If I could tell little Jay something now, I'd tell her to not worry and just keep spinning in her little pink tutu.

I'd also tell the 12 year old me to not be so arrogant to think that even if I stopped playing piano then I would get back into it easily because the 23 year old self at present is finding it extremely difficult, annoying and frustrating. If a 12 year old can read a piece of music and make her fingers glide ... surely an older version could as well? I'm gonna keep trying, wish me luck.

Have you any hobbies / talents / dreams that you lost sight of?

P/S Thanks everyone for following I hope you've enjoyed reading my rambles ... only 4 more until a 50-followers giveaway! xxxx

Brr...

2010-10-12T22:06:00.004+01:00

The weather has suddenly gone cold (although there has been some signs of the sun lately). This time last year was a lot warmer & no need for tights just yet! Anyone else hates waking up in the dark & cold? I've had to bring out my cosy Laura Ashley bedspread to keep warm!

I know its a clash of florals I usually use this on plain beddings but its been so cold lately and it's just so snuggly and warm (ah I love sleep!) ... I have to literally peeeeel myself off in the morning!! As you can see mr. patch loves a bit of warmth & schnuggles too!

I've recently moved back home so been trying to unpack things and find a place for them (fitting a whole house into a bedroom is just impossible!) so I'll do a bedroom post soon! This week ... mmm ... check back to find out!! With a lot on my mind recently I've been lazy with outfits & make up & hair :(

Is there something you want/need to do but finding it difficult ie lack of motivation? I find that with myself almost DAILY! need more time / less hours at work?? Also show me your bed / bedroom & comment!! Would love to have a nose ;)

Head Heart Head Heart Head? Heart?

2010-10-10T23:28:00.003+01:00

Head says YES.
Heart says NO.

Find out why here.
Sorry I can't disclose much more information, it's work related ...

So...

2010-10-06T18:14:00.007+01:00

today I find myself in a big big HUGE dilemma. Could be life-changing. Could be. Question is ... how do you decide? Actually the above image does not entirely represent the whole truth. Try this:

Excuse the rubbish photoshop job on paint haha

It's gonna be crazy either way so decision should be easy hey but ummm nah.

When you are faced with a big big HUGE dilemma, how do you make the decision?
Draw it out in charts and graphs, pros and cons; or sleep on it? Talk about it to as many people as possible or do you have a conversation with your head instead? I might go and have the longest shower I've ever had in my life now...One thing I know for sure is there is never a wrong decision.

On a lighter note ...

How very true. My boyfriend (who is umm almost 5 years older than me) have no idea how to operate the washing machine. You know its true honey if you're reading this.

My frustration...

2010-10-05T21:21:00.004+01:00

As mentioned in yesterday's post, as much as I loved my new hair colour ... I was slightly annoyed with it!

Remember from this post I mentioned I finally got my hands on Mega Dango (Mega bun) from Japan??? Well the colour matched PERFECTLY...until yesterday! Let me explain further in pictures.

I've wanted big fluffy hair for a while now so I can create big fluffy cute hair buns like this:

and this:

And since it has taken so long for my hair to grow and most Japanese rely on extensions / fake hair to help create the fluffiness anyway, I was really pleased with my purchase. But now the colour does not match...

... I am not a happy bunny.

Comment below and/or show me your cute face you pull when you're not happy to make me smile again!

p/s Let me know if you are interested in Mega Dango and I'll write a review on it! xxx

OOTD & new hair colour!

2010-10-04T22:42:00.005+01:00

Why does the evening always go so quickly and the day so slowly?? Rarr :(
Anyway, outfit of the day:

Can't go wrong with a £3 dress from reduction line in Primark! Love that it's versatile and will go with practically anything!! Also the fact it is slightly vintagey with the A-line skirt bit. It would look great with cute white lace ankle socks & shoes!

New colour which is a couple shades lighter ... love it but is a little bit annoying - I'll explain all tomorrow! This week will have more skin care & outfits post! Keep checking back and if you're reading this and have never commented, leave some ♥ nowww! Remember you can follow me by clicking on 'follow' on the right with google or bloglovin. and do follow as I'll have a little giveaway when the numbers reach 50!

Nighty night! xx

Mini me

2010-10-03T20:47:00.003+01:00

As promised from this post, a little shot of mini me ♥

Why not comment below and put a cute picture of mini you up?? Hope you've all had a great weekend xoxo

Baby soft skin part 2

2010-09-30T00:09:00.000+01:00

Click here for Part 1 on how I keep my skin soft!

As we all know BodyShop's body butter are one of the best moisturising products out there as well as being one of the best smelling ones! Here are some of my favourite body butters from Body Shop:

I love the Shea Body Butter as it works wonders - the creaminess of it just gets rid of any dry skin you might have! It might come across as quite a solid at first but it melts at body temperature leaving your skin silky smooth! As for the Cherry Blossom one - I discovered it in Japan and literally went crazy! Made sure I had enough supply in case UK didn't stock it and was really relieved when I found out they do! I'm also impressed with their latest sweet lemon range - really invigorating and again smells amazing! I also love how your bed sheets smell lovely too!!

Which is your favourite Body Shop Body Butter?
(I'm sure it's pretty difficult to choose!!)

P/S Katie's giveaway have quite a few Body Shop items - has anyone tried the Love Etc range? xxx

OOTD & new Mac!

2010-09-27T22:12:00.004+01:00

More outfit post because it's autumn but feels like winter. its cold. its foggy in the morning. its getting darker earlier. its spitting with rain which is quite annoying. its getting harder to get up in the morning. because its time for winter coats, snuggly knits, wooly tights, cute hats. and because i ♥ my new mac.

Also another new white dress with cute bird? butterfly? mm not sure.

Okay so learning photoshop is on the list to do! This week will have fun posts, I'll put some baby pics up! Also a few beauty posts ♥ Only a few more until I reach 50 followers & giveaway time!!

What colour's your coat this winter??

Keep warm xxx

Gypsy wagon

2010-09-26T22:01:00.011+01:00

Last Friday Yurina (from Japan) & I went on a spontaneous stay at Wriggles Brook, a Gypsy Wagon B&B!! It was an amazing experience - open fire, beautiful nature, hammock for 2, being woken up by birds ... loved it!

our wagon for the night

The inside equipped with blankets, tea, coffee etc...

Ah amazing!! Hammock for two right by the river / stream

Open fire with BBQ - it got colder at night but the fire & toasted marshmallow kept us warm! It was so much fun just talking & talking underneath the starry night!

Our sleepy faces

Breakfast brought to you whenever you like (from dawn to 10 am) ... pancakes & fruits to start and then either meat, vegan or vegetarian breakfast!! They are allll so yummyy!

Best of all they have 3 doggies (sometimes more) to keep you company! We had Buster with us for breakkie & took Hush on a little walkie!

Buster

Hush

Wriggles Brook is in Hoarwithy, one of Britain's most stunning areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There's heaps to do from long walks to canoeing, horse riding to doing absolutely nothing!! It's really romantic too with tea lights everywhere...you and your other half can plan your future together snuggled up by the open fire with toasted marshmallows underneath the beautiful starry night sky!

Have you ever stayed at a gypsy wagon?

OOTD & celeb crush

2010-09-24T23:26:00.003+01:00

mm my new favourite dress ♥ I love it because you can style it in different styles. Grecian with curly hair, vintage with some big studs & bangles, 60s with scarf headband,looks great with boots as well!

Ok so Audrey posted her top 3 celebs on her blog so I thought it'd be quite interesting to write a post on it too! Who's my top 3 male celebs? I have to say I'm struggling to think!

Most people would go for R-Patz, Brad Pitt, George Clooney...I ~~like~~ love the character of Edward but I don't really see R-Patz as attractive. David Beckham is hot but his squeeeky voice just mmm...nah. As hot as all the footballers may be, all their scandals prove that they are not trustworthy! But if I had to pick 3 ...

Adam Brody (Seth Cohen from The OC) his geekiness is cute!

mmm okay I really don't know because I dont ogle over celebrities as I know the chances of me even meeting them is soooo tiny (and also the fact I have a cute boyfriend lol!) There are definitely a lot of good looking celebs out there but looks aren't everything!! ok I think I just got one more...

Just the fact that Ashton Kutcher is a family orientated person lol.

Okay this is hurting my head. I dont really care about the celeb world that much so I give up!!

So who would be your top 3 male celebs?

Have a lovely weekend xoxo

Happy birthday!!

2010-09-24T00:30:00.004+01:00

Happy Birthday to a dairy and gluten intolerant Australian who loves blueberry muffins, you changed my life by making me love avocado & goats cheese. Happy birthday to a wonderful person with an amazing accent (Tonight?). Happy birthday to someone who help prolong my life by making me laugh so freaking much all the time. Happy birthday to someone who lives on the other side of the world, Happy birthday to you, my best friend ♥

Reaching out across the world ... you in your morning sleepy face & me in my night sleepy face. Otanjoubi omedetou xxx

Do you have a very close friend who lives a million miles away from you yet never too far away from your heart? If so, how did you meet and how do you keep in contact?

I need ....

2010-09-21T20:30:00.003+01:00

...CHOCOLATE!!!

When you have one of those days, what do you crave?

Ps - it might seem like this was taken at some sewer place (be assured its not) ... it's just a party where the chocolate cake was the victim :(

Oops!

2010-09-19T21:37:00.004+01:00

Sorry for lack of posts :( Had a busy week but I'm back!! Have quite a few fun posts to write, one is about an adventure on Friday and one is kinda about the past, which I think some of you might relate to!! Stay tuned ♥

In the mean time ....

Where's me cuppa tea & me Sunday papers love???

Autumn

2010-09-13T20:31:00.006+01:00

Walking around the shops in the weekend shows that summer is definitely coming to an end for sure :( but at least we have fun things to look forward to in autumn! Boots & warm coats, beautiful wool tights & hats!!! I never used to like hats, but in recent years I've grown to love them!! Thought I'd share with you some hats pictures!

A purple shark head?

umm maybe a whale? I am a big whale person!!

mmm not sure about this look!

Mushroom head hat?? Ps taken in Shibuya 109 (the best mall EVER in Tokyo) - Anyone reading my blog been there? Let me know if you have and tell me what it was about 109 that you love!!

Minnie hat at Tokyo Disneyland

Panda hat on a good hair day (with extensions)

Shopping for a hat (should have bought them!)

Proudest hat everr :)

And finally, let me leave you with these:

Pandahead ordering some fresh eucalyptus

HAHAHA HOW CUTEEEEEEEE <3333333

I love hats of all sorts! Want to get a sheepskin one next!

Do you love hats & what are you most looking forward to in Autumn/Winter? Comment & write a post about your hats, I'd love to see them!!

Jay xxx

Vanfest

2010-09-12T00:23:00.010+01:00

I l.o.v.e campervans so much especially since we went round England in one of them this summer! Whenever I see one I just stare at it in awe...not good when I'm driving!! I saw heaps of them today ... I can't wait until I get one, hopefully in the next few years!

That is my new Model's Own lipgloss & I love it! Lovely shade of red that stays, great for those who don't really want to go full on with a red lipstick! Sorry for the poor quality of pictures - will get a close up of the colour tomorrow!

I will have a mini giveaway when my followers number hit 50! So keep following!! Instead of the usual comment to enter, you'll kinda have to play a game/answer a question correctly. Probably quite boring, but we'll see if I come up with anything more exciting!! Talking about giveaways, headover to Imperfect Obsession for her 100th post giveaway!

Hope all of you have a fun weekend!!

Were you at Vanfest this year and do you love campervans? Have you tried model's own products before? Let me know!!

Jay xxxx

Baby soft skin

2010-09-09T20:35:00.004+01:00

It can be difficult fitting a proper skincare routine into your day when you have a busy schedule. Most of us only use moisturiser on our skin when it starts to peel or crack. But without proper & regular moisturisation your skin can start to feel dry and uncomfortable, resulting in your skin losing elasticity. I never get lazy when it comes to keepingmy skin soft, moisturised and smelling good. Here are some products I use daily:

1. Baby Oil

Don't worry if you are thinking 'baby oil?!' as a lot of my friends find that odd too. Baby oil actually locks in up to 10 times more moisture on wet skin than lotions and creams designed for use on dry skin. It is also one of the easiest and quickest way to apply and offers glowing and soft moisturised skin. I have been smoothing it on to my still-wet skin after a shower since I was 13 and it is one of the best products out there to help dry skin. Occasionally when I find myself without any products to remove make up , baby oil works a treat getting the meanest make up off! Try it!! It is one product I can't live without!

They now have a lavender one too - try it before bedtime for a better night's sleep!

2. Body Moisturisers / Body Butters

After I get out of the shower I ALWAYS use some sort of moisturiser on my body. It leaves skin soft and smelling lovely! I don't think I've gone a day without using moisturiser lol :p At the moment I'm using Soap & Glory and am very impressed with the silkiness it leaves my skin feeling & the smell is just gorgeous!! I know Soap & Glory has been around for a while now but I never tried it even though I've read really positive reviews. I only started using this last week as I've ran out of moisturisers and found this in my mom's room! Will definitely be buying more!

Recently I went into Lush just to have a good sniff (does anyone else do that? I love going in there as it smells so good!) and ended up buying more than I need! But I did find my newest love (or obsession)...

The Soft Touch from Lush - I am in love with it. It is one of the most amazing body butter I have ever come across! It's just like a soap bar, but smells AMAZING. Some of the ingredients to keep skin soft & moisturised include shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, lavender oil and soya oil. The fresh lemon, fresh mango & vanilla makes the amazing smell! I have to say though I can't smell mango at all! I'm not a fan of sweet-smelling products and always avoid vanilla-scented products but this has the perfect balance! So if you are like me and tend to avoid sweet smelling products, pop in to your nearest Lush this weekend and try it!

Even though it's advertised as a hand butter ... I use it all over my body especially on my legs. It is solid bar, but as soon as you hold it in your hands the body temperature melts it. It does leave your skin shiny & a little oily but it gets completely absorbed within minutes (depending on amount you applied). I always put it on before bed time ... sometimes I get woken up by the lovely vanilla smell in the middle of the night!! At £6.25 a bar might seem a little costly, but it lasts a long time as you don't need that much of it. I've been using mine extensively & still have loads left! This is a definite 5-star product & I will be using it for as long as they make it!

Skin is after all the majority part of your body and therefore should have the most attention! It wouldn't matter if you had the most amazing make up and the beautifullest wardrobe - you still won't look that good with dry & cracked skin! Try the routine before bedtime to help relax yourself and I'm sure you'll start seeing the positive results shortly!

How do you keep your skin soft? Have you tried / Will you be trying any of the products mentioned in this post?

Jay xxxx

(all images from google & weheartit)

mmm...

2010-09-08T23:02:00.009+01:00

So today something pretty embarrassing happened. As I got out of my car this old geezer laughed at my parking. He ACTUALLY said out loud 'haha good parking there' and im like hey?? Quite a few people turned around and laughed and im like what have I done wrong here??? I dont get it!! This nice guy said no it isn't that bad!! and i'm like wait - it isn't 'isn't that bad' ... ITS IN THE BOX!! Just the fact that I was stood in the middle of town feeling a bit ???? saying 'Whats wrong with it???' is a little wtf... Here's how I parked:

Now I know its a little far from the curb, but it IS in the box and at least I havent gone up the pedestrian pathway haha. I know I'm not the best parker ... I'd rather park further and walk than to parallel park and when I do get the car in on rare occasions, I have a mini celebration! Rarr! Personally I think its fine ... but you might think its not lol!

Actually I'm no stranger to embarrassing moments ... here's a mini collection of stories:

1. Last week we had a lovely guy starting his first day. At lunch time, being the kind person that I am(!) I said to him 'Would you like anything from the supermarket as I saw your mom drop you off this morning'

'umm ... that's my girlfriend.'

'...'

'.......'

I was in such shock and went beetroot instantly but luckily I was rescued by a friend waa! Not good!

2. One evening after work I parked up at my front door. It was raining rather heavily ... and I was sat there for a good 2-3 minutes pressing the 'open' button on my car keys pointed towards my front door. Dork.

Ah there's so many stupid stories my boyfriend will probs enjoy telling you more haha but I promise I'm not stupid :)

Have you any funny maybe a little embarrassing story to share? I'd love to hear them!

Jay
xxx

Spoonfed

2010-09-07T23:23:00.007+01:00

There's a fly in the room and it is annoying me!!! It is just too fast grr!

Anyway...when was the last time you cooked something you've never made before? In fact, when was the last time you even cooked?

Since the recession, we have seen so many amazing deals for eating out & restaurants that sometimes it is just so much easier (and perhaps cheaper) to order a takeaway or eat out than to cook ourselves! At least we don't have to worry about what to cook and all the washing up after!!

Well I can't quite help with the washing up ... but I have found this wonderful website that can help with providing inspirations & ideas ... all you need to do is sign up and Spoonfed will send you an email daily with a yummy recipe that has no more than 550 calories and total preparation & cooking time of 30 minutes! On top of that they'll even send you an email at the beginning of the week with your shopping list!! Perfect for those who love food and hate waste, also great for those who lead a busy lifestyle!

Spoonfed Suppers is great as it'll push you out of your boundaries to try different food and different ways of cooking ... and most of all provide the inspiration & ideas you need to lead a healthier lifestyle! Healthy eating does not equal boring salad! You'll also feel so much better eating home-cooked food than take outs!

Give it a go and see the positive changes :)

Spoonfed Suppers

Do you cook a lot at home? If so, what is your speciality dish?? Would you be signing up to this for more recipe ideas?

Jay xx right time to finish off that annoying fly.

Mega Dango / Wigs

2010-09-06T23:11:00.005+01:00

Mmm...my room smells gorgeous at the moment with green tea & lemon oil burning ... I'm addicted!

So I have some good & bad news to share. Bad first - Earthquake in NZ is still bad, doesnt help that Jon is right at the epicentre with frequent tremours and shakes :( He had 3 quite major shakes earlier ... him & his friends have now decided to flee (is that a word? sounds funny) Christchurch and heading towards Auckland where its safe. Hope they are ok!

Good news - I can't wait for my friend Yurina from Japan to arrive next Monday!! (must clean room up grr). I also asked her to buy some stuff for me ... I've been wanting them for agesss! I always used to have long hair until when I was in Japan (2 years ago) I decided a change is needed so I chopped it all off. I loved it short - so much fun and so different! but hated the growing it out stage as it took so long and just so unflattering!

Short bob which I loveee

As I hated the growing out stage, I put in extensions (bonded / Japanese way). I found a specialist place in London ran by Japanese and looked like this:

Actual hair was shoulder length (by necklace on right)

It was real hair extensions and you wouldn't believe how much I paid for that...£2xx.00 .... it was probably 5 times more than how much it would cost if I did it in Japan! UNFAIR. Anyways, the price of vanity & it was also for my graduation.

Finally my hair grew out in recent months and now it looks ... well, scroll down and you can see what it looks like or click here to see my photoshoot from the other weekend!

Sometimes I still miss my short hair ... and if hair didn't take that long to grow I'd definitely cut it short again! But recent craze for wigs provided the perfect solution to my problems!

Pros for wigs:
- change of style / look instantly
- change of hair colour without damaging own hair
- easy to put on
- takes less than a minute (probably)
- probably comfortable...

I said probably on the last point because I haven't actually tried them on, I'll do a review when I get them but until then, I just wanted to share my excitement with you guys what I ordered!

Mega dango

This is just the bun bit ... ah I can't wait! My hair isn't thick enough or long enough to put it up like that so I can't wait to put this on!!

And a cute short wig!!

So now I can change my looks / style more easily!! Check back for reviews!!

Do you prefer long or short hair? Have you ever done something dramatically different to your hair? and would you try wigs?

oh no!

2010-09-04T09:03:00.006+01:00

My boyfriend had barely just arrived in Christchurch (NZ) and was in bed catching up with sleep after only 20 minutes sleep throughout the 29 hours of flying when he was woken up by the strong tremor of a 7.4 earthquake! I didn't realise how bad it was out there until I saw the news this morning ... the epicentre being 4km from where him & his friends were! Thankfully he rang last night saying he's ok - otherwise I'd be worried sick!

(click to enlarge)

This is the seismograph - lots of after-quakes after the main one!! I've only experienced minor quake whilst in Japan, nothing fell off the shelves but it was scary enough shaking from side to side! I can't imagine what this must have been like!! I hope everyone out there is okay <3

Have you ever experienced an earthquake? If so, can you give any advise on how best to deal with the aftereffect?

I really don't get it.

2010-09-03T19:35:00.006+01:00

It's time to get a new passport ... so off I go to one of those photo booth that charges extortionate amount for some pretty normal looking photo (I really detest them for charging £5!!)

Rather happy with the result ... only to find out that the people won't accept my photo because my head is slightly tilted and im smiling.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????? Passports lasts FOREVER so it's not a crime to want to look good especially when you always look rough after travelling. Give the security guys some happiness when they see a smiling photo (and the fact that the rough looking person in front of them with glasses, messy hair & make-up free face CAN actually look good!). So pretty photo rejected, off I go again to take another. Please, be warned.

No, seriously.

Here is my mug shot...

Uhhhh I look like I'm about to kill someone. Doesn't help that my fringe was cut too short looking like Cleopatra (another post on that tomorrow). There goes my £5 & this picture haunting me for like ever.

If I had my own country ... I'd let my lovely citizens pose & take funny pictures for sure! I'll run a competition: Funniest Passport Photo of the Year. Yep.

How do you look on your passport? Feel free to write a similar post with your mugshot and link it by commenting below!

Oh PS, here is my boyfriend's mugshot.

CRIMINAL MUCH????????? Yahaaaa! Boo he's living it up in New Zealand at the moment and im still here waaa Give.Me.My.New.Passport.Like.NAO!!!!

Review & Mini Holiday!

2010-08-27T19:43:00.004+01:00

This Green Tea & Lemon Home Fragrance Oil is absolutely GORGEOUS. I can't stop sniffing it. I've even rubbed it on my nose (pretty sure I'm not meant to do that but it smells TOO GOOD!)! Lemon,green tea, lily of the valley and jasmine helps make this smells this amazing!

Get this from Body Shop now and because I love you guys ... enjoy 30% off with the code AUG30 at checkout! (Ends Monday I think)

Righty ho, I'm off to pack for a mini break in St. Ives - hope you all have a lovely long weekend! Hooray ... but it also marks the end of summer boo :(

xoxo
Jay

A good cuppa

2010-08-26T21:58:00.002+01:00

How do you like your tea? No sugar for me thanks, and a strong strong cuppa. Mmm yum.

How do you like your cuppa? Or are you more of a coffee person?

P.s I cut my bangs again today and goddddddamnit too short. I look like crap. And I'm off to St. Ives for a long weekend. RUBBISH! But I'm still excited about St. Ives! urgh why did the hair have to go wrong!! h.a.t.e.

Boo...

2010-08-25T22:37:00.004+01:00

Couples working & living together = relationship suicide?

I remember being rather nervous about having my bf starting a job where I work ... especially when we're going to work quite closely together. Being someone who appreciates 'me' time and my own space made it even more difficult. On top of that, we've never spent over a week together (we're constantly apart travelling & studying/working abroad). Magazines tell me status & power and constancy being some of the issues couples who work together face resulting in competition at work, boredom, distance and eventually a relationship falling apart.

Today was my bf's last day at work before he heads off to New Zealand.

I'm going to miss working with him. sharing laughter & joy with the rest of the team. shouting at him to hurry up in the morning. wondering where to have lunch. wink at him when others aren't watching. 'accidentally' bump into him in the kitchen. looking at each other and knowing our thoughts without a word spoken. and what im going to miss the most is peering over the computer to see him sat there working away, everyday.

I never thought I would have so much fun working & living with my boyfriend.
and now I have to say goodbye to both at the same time *traumatised

Have you / Would you ever worked with your other half? What do you think about couples who work & live together?

I've never...

2010-08-23T20:51:00.004+01:00

...slept in a bed dressed like this!

Our friend were pretty impressed when we I recreated this in the morning ... noone had to know I took this picture the night before ... teehee!

Panda

2010-08-22T21:17:00.004+01:00

Aww Pandas are just so cute don't you think!! I've always loved pandas (well I love pretty much most of the animals, except for things like vultures and hyenas!). At work on Friday I just randomly blurted out to the whole office 'I'd REALLY love a panda as a pet...I want to prop him on the sofa and cuddle up to him'. It went completely silent whilst I was staring at a cute panda picture with my wild imagination before a burst of laughter hit the office. Sometimes I say stupid things I know but I just really really want one ... I've been thinking about it all weekend! I just need to get rich hey like Michael Jackson, he had a whole zoo in Neverland right?

I'll share some of my panda obsession with you...

Ahaha this is my panda toilet seat in Japan ... I loved waking up in the morning sitting down on the warm fluffy seat rather than cold seat!

This was a cute postcard from Japan ...

... and my loofah from my best friend <3 I wouldnt use it for 2 years cos its so cute and now everytime I use it I kiss its little cute face! (Ok i know im sad I cant stop kissing cute things)

So yah pandas = awesome. I dont care that they might squash me to death but I. WANT. ONE! My bf is trying to crush my dream. Until I have one, Im going to dress my dog up as panda and pretend he's one heeheehee sorry Patch.

So with my love for pandas ... naturally I'd love to get my hands on this fab giveaway here!

The panda speaker pillow is like WOW!!

Do you have an obsession with any particular animal?

Sunset

2010-08-19T21:37:00.004+01:00

One of the best sunset everrrr! Taken when we just pulled into a campsite in Northampton, England.

Amazingness.

Have you an amazing sunset / sunrise picture? If so do a post on it and comment with your link!

My boyfriend...

2010-08-15T14:16:00.000+01:00

... is a little silly. aha.

FML!!

2010-08-13T19:59:00.000+01:00

Ah I hate packing and its raining and I just hate it! If we were moving to somewhere fun thatd be ok but were not (as were both travelling soon) so its basically rubbish! I get so attached to things so I'm literally crying every 5 seconds screaming THE PHOTO FRAME IS MEANT TO BE THERE I REFUSE TO MOVE IT! And my bf saying we have to.

Ah stress!

Hope all of you have a better weekend XX

Outdoor shoot

2010-08-11T21:07:00.008+01:00

I have the copies of a shoot we did on Sunday, here are a couple, but I'm sure I'll blog more in the future:

I love this one!

Artistic shot

And a close up

The photographer is Jon's very talented and wonderful sister-in-law Theresa. You can find more information about her on her website here. Isn't it such a cute website! It was so much fun I want to do it again!!

Ooh and I've always been a bit of a save the World kinda person ... as I'm moving out I have lots of things I don't need anymore but such a waste to chuck things and contribute towards landfill. I found Freegle (Freely given, locally, easily) and listed some of the things I have to offer and loads of people has requested it! I'm giving away my washing machine to a single parent with two kids without a washing machine so hopefully that'll help him, and a double bed & single bed to people who need them! So if you have anything you don't need anymore (could be anything as long as it's free), register and help those in need!

Stressful weekend ahead - I haven't started packing yet ... oh dear!!

xoxo
Jay

Sneakpeek!

2010-08-10T18:22:00.006+01:00

Hey girlies, sorry for the lack of post! Went away last week around England in a campervan - was so much fun!!! Will blog more about that soon! Probably will notice a lack of updates this week as our internet has been cut off boo and we're moving out so lots to do! I HATE PACKING!!!!

In the mean time, I shall leave you with a sneakpeek from an outdoor shoot few days ago.

Location: Witley Court in Worcestershire
Dress: New Look
Sandals: Faith

This picture is taken with a normal digi-cam but hopefully will have the rest soon to share! Ah have to rush am on a public computer and time's running out! Will have lots of exciting posts coming up soon! Love love xxxxxxx

Review!

2010-07-30T22:04:00.007+01:00

Hello girlies it's the weekend yay! and the start of my week off - so so glad! We're picking up our campervan tomorrow, ever so excited! Unfortunately it's not the traditional ones, they are modern versions but will still be fun! I really can't wait. Still have no idea where we're going hahah - where do you recommend? Where in England do you love going?

On a completely unrelated note ... I recently found out that I am rather high maintenance when it comes to my skin (thanks to a routine instilled at age 11 by my then beautician mother). I'm quite surprised to find that some people gets cleansing and moisturising confused and only use wipes to remove their make up! It is really important to ensure that every trace of make up should be removed so your skin can breathe & regenerate itself whilst you sleep. I can totally understand that at the end of a day all you want to do is just curl up in your pjs & fall asleep, but you might end up with oily skin & clogged pores resulting in breakouts & spots! I just love the feeling of my skin being soft after removing all the dirt from my face.

Here are some products I highly recommend:

Boots No. 7 Cleanse & Care Eye Make Up Remover

This is the best eye make up remover product I have ever used. As it is oil-based, it literally remove every trace of make up ... even the thickest water proof mascara!

Remember to not rub your eyes! Leave the cotton pad on your eyes for a few seconds, and slide it downwards gently. You can also massage it in circular motion gently to help lift make up off. The skin (and muscle) around your eyes are a lot more fragile than the rest of your face so great care is needed - that is why we need eye cream to avoid wrinkles & crow's feet!

This is just from 1st attempt - 3 little squirts from the bottle! As you can see it has lifted off a lot of make up!

There we go after 2nd attempt!

I would also recommend Bodyshop's Camomile Gentle Eye Make Up Remover. After that I use a cream cleanser to clean the rest of my face. I'm currently using Pond's one with green tea extract - it smells divine! (I can't find a picture but will upload one tomorrow). Then I finish off with make up wipes to ensure no traces are left behind!

What is your before beddies routine and your favouritest products to remove make up?

xoxo Jay

Wow!

2010-07-28T22:31:00.006+01:00

Ohmywordddd...thank you thank you thank you to Sabrina from A Little Obsessed for choosing me as the winner of her giveaway!!

I can't get over that and am so happy!! Look forward to reviewing the products! Waa so happy!! It's a motivation as well to keep this blog going as I have been slacking a little! Okay im here to bribe you with pictures! I had a lovely weekend deep in the Welsh Valleys away from civilisation at my friend's lovely weekend cottage with about 8 other girls! No TV, no signal .. lots of girly chats, games, open fire, swimming in the river, picnics, wine, books, magazines, chilling out, 5 person hammock!! food, and of course the most important thing ... TEA! mmm love a good cuppa!

One of our walks to the river upper hill (I totally struggled ... need to get fit!)

Amazing views

Found the spot after getting a little lost!

All the girls -1 ♥

River behind the cottage (Cernyw). I think you'll start seeing this on the runway soon lol! Harem pants + wellies + bf hoodie....

I miss the girls - Not sure if you know the story but I'm pretty much the only one who hasn't moved to London after we graduate so I dont get to see them as much now :( sad times. But c'est la vie!

I'll put more pictures of the cottage itself soon so keep checking back! Hope you all had a lovely weekend xxxxxx

Im also happy because my bf & I have finally decided what we'll do next week on our week off work! Instead of getting stressed trying to find holidays (we've left it quite late), deciding between road trip in France or Amsterdam or Portugal etc ... (we're great organisers!!) we have decided to rent a VW Campervan and do a trip around UK! YAY there are so many places I want to go can't wait to go to cute little quaint towns! Best of all I can take Patch (my dog) with me ♥ happy times!

Have you made plans for holidays this year?

Jay
xoxo

New hair

2010-07-21T21:27:00.003+01:00

Yep, new hair! Was quite shocked initially with the drastic change but I love it!! Still need to get used to the hair touching the eyes!

Also coloured it to a lighter shade of brown

In my Tigers shirt

So what do you think? Still a bit odd when I look in the mirror and dont see my eyebrows!

Jay
xoxo

Car Boot

2010-07-20T18:38:00.006+01:00

We did two car boots this weekend - was so much fun...but waking up at 6am on a Sunday is not!!! Amazingly 50p and £1 really does add up!! This charming old man started chatting me up whilst we were trying to set it all up, telling us stories of the war and Japan etc ... I would have loved to hear more but we were so busy! He said 'how much for the lovely lady??' to which I replied ... 'Have you got a Mastercard?' 'Nope, do you take American Express?' 'Sorry no.' haha bless him!!

Also I have new hair!! Might post it later or tomorrow!

Have you sold at car boots? What was your best find??

Jay
xxx

Its Friday!

2010-07-16T22:04:00.007+01:00

So I went with boom boom POWer dress today and very glad I did!

Ah I'm such a geek though. Instead of saying 'Do you take sugar and milk with your coffee' I said 'Do you take coffee....um um do you take *mind went blank* milk and tea? uh um I meant um do you take uh sugar *pause* and *pause* milk? Grr even my boss was laughing at me going 'sh-sh-shushushu shugar???' bahaha. I dont know why it's not like I havent met the important people before!! *rolls eyes*

Oh and when I was bringing in the drinks, my bf opened the door for me (yep we work together) and silly boy was apparently checking me out(!!) and he looked up and one of the guest director caught him!! HOW embarrasing!!

Anyways the meeting went well - power dressing really does boost your confidence!

Okay I promise the special feature (5 days 1 girl) promised last week will be done soon and lots of reviews soon!

Have a fantabulous weekend xoxoxox

Help!!

2010-07-15T19:59:00.006+01:00

Okay so I have a pretty important meeting tomorrow and I can't decide between:

Power Dress ....

or ... keeping it Classic??

Vote by 8am!!!!!!
P.s - Classic has 1 vote so far from the bf!

Power Dress: FCUK

Classic Top: Miss Selfridge (from Ebay)
Classic Skirt: Asos (from Ebay)

Thanks xxxxxx

Books

2010-07-14T22:40:00.003+01:00

One of my favourite past time is burying my head in books - I find all sort of books fascinating. I can happily sit in a bookshop for days! At uni I often find the library a place of distraction rather than somewhere to study. I'd often go there with lots of work to do but find myself flipping through National Geographic magazines or other random books. So here are some of my favourite books/author:

Memoirs of a Geisha

Having written a research paper into History of Geisha and Modern day Geisha, naturally I find all books on that subject very interesting and probably have read every geisha-related book that is published. Some are others that I find interesting:

- Autobiography of a Geisha, Sayo Masuda
- Geisha of Gion, Mineko Iwasaki

If you'd like to know about the intricacy of the flower and willow world, I highly recommend Liza Dalby's books - Kimono and Geisha. I also find Oriental history really fascinating, so these are some of my favourite too:

- Empress Orchid and all books by Anchee Min (I think its fictional but still pretty interesting to read)
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and all books by Lisa See

It's really interesting to find out why the girls from China used to bind their feet ... I remember a great grand someone of mine had their feet bound but I was too young to understand it. I wish I had asked her about it and the history behind it.

Have you read any of the books above and what are your favourite books / authors?

xxxxxxx Jay xxxxxxx

Heaven!!!

2010-07-08T21:38:00.003+01:00

If you're like me and into Japanese magazine/fashion/beauty .... YOU WILL FIND HEAVEN HERE!!! It is FILLED with Japanese magazines available to download! I know it's not the same not being able to flip page by page but I'm happy enough with these scans! Whoohoo! When I found it, I LITERALLY DIED AND CAME BACK ALIVE. Finally I can rejoice with my love for J-mags and J-fashion!

It's such an amazing place finally I can read all my fav mags! That is one of the major thing I miss from Japan ... they are around £3 in Japan but if you were to buy some from Japan Centre in London, it costs like £12! CRAZY MARK UP!!

If you're unsure which one to download and start reading ... keep checking back here I'll blog about some of my favouritest J-mags <3 Please comment if you love J-mag / J-fashion too! Also tomorrow I'll be doing a feature called '5 days 1 girl' ... come back tomorrow to find out what it's all about!! xxxx

Ahh

2010-07-07T22:17:00.002+01:00

What a pretty little dress!! Shame about the price tag though :(

Eclipse

2010-07-06T23:42:00.005+01:00

ECLIPSE WAS AMAZINGGG I LOVE IT!!! We went to the advanced screening in Westfield London, I've never seen a cinema screen that hugeeee I didn't know which corner to look!! The seats were massive too it was amazing!!

Okay I'm not going to give anything away as it screens this weekend in UK ... let me know if you're into Twilight Saga too and we'll talk more when you've watched it!! Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? I just love them both so much!!!

I also spent a litttttle (just a little) bit too much on shopping so will do a post on that shortly! Hope you all had a lovely weekend xxxx

UPDATE:

Check out Sofia's Journal for her giveaway!

Patchicle

2010-06-30T22:21:00.009+01:00

Oh goodness, can't believe I haven't blogged about my dog Patch yet!!!

Here he is - he's a lovely little Jack Russell Terrier ...

...in his cute blanket from Japan

He's about 6 or 7 now making him a little grumpy pooch! He also answers to little nugget, triangle, peach, pooch, piglet and fattie.

In his winter jacket

Yep I'm one of those who dress him up heheh but he loves it!! He has heaps of outfits, including a bumblebee raincoat from Japan (I'll get a photo next time), a pink scarf with hearts all over it and a superdog superman outfit! He gets loads of attention when he goes out dressed up.

cutie

Sleepy head at 6am curled up in my bed

He loves being warm & cosy and loves blankets...everytime I pack to go away on holiday, I'd find him sat on top of all my clothes in the luggage having a snooze lol :p

Went home the other day to find this little piglet running down the stairs with a pink ribbon tied round his neck ... cute or what!

Okay I'll stop now before all of you starts yawning! More next time!

Do you have a dog? If so blog about them!

Have a great weekend, I have a date with a vampire and a werewolf because IM going to the advanced screening of ECLIPSE IM SO EXCITED WAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CANT WAIT.

Jay xxx

Yay!

2010-06-30T22:06:00.005+01:00

Last day of the month = the only day my bank account looks (relatively) healthy!! Only lasts 24 hours though boo :(

So last night my motivation continues and decided to do Davina's 'Bottom Fit' Workout .... A bare 15 minutes later ....

... I ran to the garden and laid on the floor for the cool air. My boyfriend thought I had a bee up my sleeves or something! Davina made me do 200 squats! Impossible!!!Exercise is not my friend.

What is your workout regime? I'd love to hear your ideas <3

Brighton ♥

2010-06-29T19:48:00.010+01:00

I went to Brighton for the first time in the lovely weekend and I LOVE BRIGHTON!!

My bf reckons the sun helped and that I probably wouldnt want to be there in Winter! Nah, I still love all the cute shops & cafes, the beach & candy floss...

Love merry-go-rounds

Think I look pretty good in blonde hair hey

I found £3 on a deckchair so I bought the biggest fairy floss you've ever seen in your life!! yum yum!

Artistic shot from my bf, Jon

♡

Had a great weekend!

Do you live in Brighton or have you been to Brighton?
What did you get up to in the weekend?

xoxo Jay

rarr

2010-06-28T19:06:00.000+01:00

I need to get up and go for that run I've been talking about for 2 weeks now ... but the sofa is just so comfy!!!

mmm cakeeeee ....

2010-06-25T20:36:00.003+01:00

Dorset Apple Cake

Ingredients
225g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
450g Bramley apples
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
225g caster sugar, plus extra for dredging
3 large eggs
225g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
25g ground almonds
1 tbsp demerara sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease a deep 23-24cm springform cake tin and line with baking paper. Peel, core and cut the apples into 1cm pieces, and toss with the lemon juice.
2. Using an electric hand whisk (I just mixed with a wooden spoon), cream together the butter, caster sugar and lemon zest in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, adding a little flour with each addition to keep the mixture smooth.
3. Sift the remaining flour and the baking powder into the bowl and fold in with the ground almonds. Drain the apple pieces well, then stir into the mixture.
4. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, lightly level the top and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until well-risen, brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the cake starts to look a little too brown, cover with a sheet of baking paper after about 45 minutes.
5. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving plate. Dredge heavily with the extra caster sugar. Cut the cake into generous wedges and serve warm with a spoonful of clotted cream, if you like.

It. Is. Really. SO. Good!!! With custard!! mmmmmmm

Hope all of you have a lovely lovely weekend in the lovely sun!

xoxo
Jay

Work outfits

2010-06-23T19:54:00.003+01:00

Okay so this is what I wore last week to work and personally, I think its perfect for work! But I felt soooo naked and conscious rarrr! I am struggling to come up with outfits acceptable for work and still look good because I literally do not own ANYTHING over the knees. Not even REMOTELY close to the knees. I don't wear jeans, trousers ... nope, not even in the winter!

I wish I could wear shorts & cute skirts to work but it would probably be deemed inappropriate boo! If I had my own office, it would be dressing up daily! Need some inspirations (and money) for work wear!

What is your perfect outfit for work?

Jay xxx

Fail!

2010-06-21T23:37:00.005+01:00

My didi courgette fell off the plant whilst I was stroking it feeling happy and excited that something's growing :(

Ballet

2010-06-21T23:16:00.006+01:00

On Saturday we got all glammed up and caught the last showing of Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall. It was out.of.this.world kind of amazing!!!! I literally didn't breathe throughout it was SO amazing. Ahh I love it! We booked the tickets last year and got a box - it did make us feel very special!

Image from google

I used to do ballet when I was younger and got to pointe but have no idea why I didnt progress further!

The Royal Albert Hall is part of the fun! This is my second time there, still feels amazing! First time was in March? seeing Ludovico Einaudi. He's the most amazing classical composer, go check him out!

That's me second from right (the shortest one!).

I found the dress for £48 (originally £60) but when I got to the checkout it was £30! I love it when that happens!

Have you been to a ballet before and what's your favourite ballet? I can't wait to check out other ones now!

On another note, I found something VERY weird yesterday! I saw a rainbow reflection on a car like this:

But when I looked up, I couldn't see it!! And then eventually found it like this:

An upside down rainbow

How odd! I've never seen anything like it!!

Jay xxx

Spread the Hype

2010-06-15T22:39:00.005+01:00

I stumbled across Hype some time ago and have to say I love their clothes!! Hype is a shopping boutique based in Singapore and does International shipping all over the World. Here are some of the items in their current collection that I want!!

Sequin Toga Dress - $31.00 which is about £15 ... Bargain!!

Black Heart cut out LBD - very cute!!

I love this - perfect for work as well!

And this too!

Oops just realised they are all black. rarr need some colour in my wardrobe! Go check them out!

Paris ♡

2010-06-10T21:58:00.013+01:00

Went to Paris last weekend for the first time ever! I've always wanted to go with a boyfriend but my Mexican friend was there and I haven't seen her for two years so I booked tickets and went to see her there! It was great fun, met lots of really nice people & saw my French friend Mya too <3 Have to admit didn't see much of Paris though but being with people I love ... it was worth it.

Stayed at a friend's rooftop apartment near the Arc with Eiffel Tower view which was amazing!

Amazing weather & picnic at Versailles - loved it.

The 'kaka' effect - say kaka before taking a picture and you'll have a perfect laughing picture! Kaka also means shit in Spanish lol!

Grand entrance of the apartment

♥ Paola, Fernanda, Mya & I ♥

Mya & I found a genuine Japanese restaurant tucked away in the middle of Paris. We were so happy we could live our Japanese life once again temporarily ... ahh.

Stayed at another stranger's rooftop apartment with amazinger Eiffel Tower views - this is us climbing out on the roof for breakfast ... it was wow.

Everyone says the French are really rude but I came across the most amazing people ever!! Two Frenchies let us stay at their apartment even though I met them that day...also had 3 muffins FREE from Starbucks!! Starbucks!! Got talking to the captain guy who was serving us and he was so so nice and decided to give us free food lol :p

Have you been to Paris? If so what's your memory of Paris and what's your must see / must do??

Jay xxx

Eucalyptus

2010-06-08T20:55:00.004+01:00

Since having a job sitting at the desk daily and not being active enough, I noticed that bloating occurs to me on a daily basis. I hate hate hate it so I make sure I have a mug of mint tea in me every morning. Mint tea helps with bloating amongst many other benefits such as improving digestion and reduce heartburn.

Recently I had a sample of Twinings Peppermint with Eucalyptus Tea - it was yummy and very refreshing! I see now why Koalas love them lol :p

Twinings Peppermint & Eucalyptus Tea

You can get two free samples from Twinings website here ! The Limited Edition Rose one is really really good too!

Paris post next :D

Weekend

2010-06-01T20:12:00.004+01:00

Don't you wish we have more bank holidays??

Mine was very exciting as I got to see a very good friend of mine who's from Mexico and the last time I saw her was two years ago when we left Japan. 8 of us who were in Japan together met up in Oxford, it was great as it was just like the good old days sat around together and talked for years.

Finally went punting - it was so much fun! (I went to uni in Oxford and never punted!). We then had dinner at Jamie Oliver restaurant - mmm yumyum!! The flash steak was AMAZINGGG. Have you ever dined at Jamie Oliver?

Saturday we went to Llangorse in Wales & it was so so beautiful!

On the way there

Llangorse Lake

Rowing on the lake

After that we rushed to pony trekking - it was so much fun riding! My horse was called India - how cute! Shame we couldn't bring our cameras. I really loved it so might take up some lessons! Hope you all had a lovely weekend, what did you get up to?

Jay xx

1.

2010-05-05T22:18:00.000+01:00

Hate that this is my first post but it is so scary being home alone!! I keep scaring myself thinking whatthehell is that noise and then realising it's just the kettle! Listening to happy happy songs ♡