Hillsong prelude

Hillsong has gotta be the coolest church ever, occupying the Dominion Theatre where they play the musical 'We will rock you' every sunday, they have got the lightings, the sound system, talented musicians and most important of all, the anointed and well loved Pastor Gary Clarke.

Tamas and John


Our Christmas tree ( a lil' sloppy, i know...)


the wine i contributed


tadah, Christmas steamboat


foggy London morning


Hillsong Christmas Eve service


drunken Szabi


enough is enough, this has gotta stop, this binge eating habit of mine...

I know, i know, it's the holidays, so what if you are eating more than usual, it really doesnt count, does it?

well, quite apparently it does...i was staring at my naked body while trying on new outfit yesterday (thus hogging the fitting room for a good 20 minutes or so), and i was rather alarmed...my body has ballooned up considerably since the last time i checked...

and really, i blame it to my much altered lifestyle...first of all, ive been eating a whole lot ever since i came here, my appetite has definitely grown astoundingly...the small portion of food that stuffs me easily back home can no longer satiate my constant hunger, and due to the never-ending food supply at work, and the quality of it (we eat what we serve the client), i have been binging every single time i visit the chefs in the kitchen...and let's not go to the high starch component of the english food.

and i know how they say an average londoner walks more than anyone else in a developed nation, that much is true when we've got warmer days...nowadays, with a travel pass in hand, everyone just jump on any mode of transportation to get from point A to point B, even for a mere 500 meters journey...(im the culprit, hehe)

roomie szabi has been urging me to join him on his daily workout session at the gym which is located conveniently in the next block from our house and so far ive been far too lazy for that, but seeing the urgency at hand, i might just take his offer up for it...

***

Still deliberating whether to celebrate NYE in London or in Paris...

the Drawing room


the vaults


fellow Colleagues


RSA Christmas Luncheon


Hillsong Christmas service

it was completely random, i was just fooling around on the internet, looking up stuff and chatting up people, when i just subconsciously pulled up this airline web page, saw some great deals where the promotion ends in a few hours' time, and without much time to hesitate (i had to go to work in the next hour), i bought myself a ticket to VENICE...

the advertised price was 10 quid, but after adding all that miscellaneous, it came up to 20, which i think is fairly cheap! and so it's official, my next travel will happen on the 4th of feb, after rey's visit and after les mis...

now that's what im talking about, something to look forward to (other than Christmas and NYE) and something to plan on...

the date also coincides with Venice Carnival, so i'll be witnessing the real masquerade party...hip hip hurray!


***

on an unrelated note, i kinda got mugged yesterday, was pretty wasted and somehow recall someone going through my stuff and took my money...40 quid...

well, that's that, i guess...cant do nothing about it...

end result


capsicum and onion


chicken


On such a rare occasion that all of us are at home at the same time due to dayoffs collision, tamas suggested that we make fajitas for dinner...

the very thought of fajitas triggered me down memory lane, i can still remember my first fajitas was at TGIF, mom's favorite chain and she was the one who introduced it to me, telling me the correct pronunciation and what it's made of.

and while i was at it, i thought of all the chains back home that i used to enjoy so much, damn, one thing we dont have here in London, it's all these megamalls with everything under the roof, and damn (again), they are scattered in almost every other corners in the klang valley...how can i not miss the lovely city?

we dont have anything even remotely close here...all the shops are on their own, and to windowshop, you have to fast-walk along the sidewalks with a million others, oh, did i mention, walking in the freezing cold. Don't even attempt to slow down your pace to admire the dazzling jacket on mannequin, you will not only be cursed, but be shoved and on one incident (i read it in paper), be killed. This poor old man was getting in some lowlife's way and ended up getting walloped and died...it's sad but true...

so while the boys were out getting the ingredients for cooking, i cant help browsing through the store directory of Pavilion, i heard it is the latest addition to the shopping scene in kl. and my my my...all that food chains (not so much of fashion's) really turned me right on...

what have we got? Dome, dragon-i, breadtalk, madam kwan's, rain nudle house, tony roma's, la bodega( cant miss that one), ms read, SAKAE!!, thai express, kampachi(is it the same as the jap restaurant in equitorial?), TGIF!!, and of course, all others that i havent the pleasure to visit, yet...

have you guys the slightest idea how spoilt you are being a KL-ite?

ice-skating at somerset house


somerset house


the eye, again...


st paul's cathedral


oxford street

It's here, it's here! the lights and decorations are up, and carols are played in most stores, merry shoppers with a ready smile can be seen up and down Oxford street, doing last minute Christmas shopping and taking advantage of the Christmas sales...

as if that's not enough, the council cordoned off Oxford street and Regent street yesterday for what was known as the VIP day, or Very Important Pedestrian day...it was a complete madness, the entire length of Oxford street was filled with human beings, and trust me, it is a very long street, the length as covered by four tube stations...

and what is more unbelievable, is that i didnt buy anything, well except for some thermals and long johns and scarfs, you know, the essentials, i didnt even so much as glance at other stuffs...

I am waiting for the annual Boxing day sale...now that's the real deal...since when ive become such a money-pinching freak, i really dont know...i guess London can really transform a person without one realizing it...


***

Petra came over from Germany for a weekend getaway, and along with Mustafa (libya) and Tino (Italy), we braved through shitty london weather of freezing cold wind and went bar hopping, started in Camden town and ended in Oxford Circus...

we talked about some winter travel plans and i really like hearing that she has got it all sorted out, we are gonna be going away to some snow-capped mountain somewhere in Austria, and good old Tino has also promised to fix me up with his friends when i do my italian trip next year...

so what if im working really hard right now? it's gonna be all worth it after all...