Arty farty me

Cher and I attended an art class @ Artspace 2 days ago. Coincidentally, I was interested in this introductory art workshop once upon a time many years ago, so when Cher asked, I agreed without much hesitation! Those who know me would know that I'm hopeless at drawing. I still draw stick men and my favourite picture comprises a house sitting on grass with daisies that are too tall, fluffy clouds, some V-shaped birds and a big beaming sun! I know right, so kiddy? And my drawing hasn't improved one bit over the years!

Perhaps inspired by the beautiful art paintings at the Louvre, we signed up for a 2-class course @ $70 per person, all materials inclusive. We had a choice of oil or acrylic painting, and we both picked acrylic. There were 12 people in the class, and surprisingly, the split of oil vs acrylic was quite equal. For our first lesson, we had to paint 3 simple objects in different shapes - a cube, a ball and a banana. We learnt about proportion, how to blend paint to make it opaque, how to use different shades to contrast lighting and some other useful techniques.

It was a 3-hour session but the instructor tried to make it as informative and interactive as possible. I certainly had fun, and am looking forward to the next class. Here's a pic of me with my "masterpiece".

Alas! I think the neighbour did a better job at shading than me!

My Big Break

And here it is! The long awaited post on my 1-month long holiday to Europe. For the sake of posterity, I'm recapping my itinerary here.

Day 1 - Windsor & Eton (Windsor Castle, Eton riverside)
Day 2-5 - Stockholm (Nobel Peace Museum, Skansen, Vasa museum, Gamla Stan, Sodermalm)
Day 6-9 - Reykjavik (Golden Circle tour, Northern lights tour, South Coast tour)
Day 10-26 - London (I did so much here that I don't know where to start/end!)
Day 27-33 - Paris (Chateau de Versailles, La Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Musee du Louvre, Musee de l'Orangerie, Musee d'Orsay, Printemps)

This trip was special to me for 2 main reasons. Firstly, it was my first wintry holiday and secondly, I had a whole week to myself to explore London. I have mixed feelings about travelling in winter, to be honest. I love the absent crowd and how the snow makes everything so white and special. On the flipside, I really detest how slushy and slippery the snow becomes and how I was restricted to wearing that same pink puffy jacket everyday (yes, you'll naturally realise that as you view my pics).

Here are my random thoughts and feelings about each place I visited.

Windsor - So, so quaint. I love Windsor castle and regretted not being able to visit St George's chapel within the castle grounds, as I had a long lunch and returned a tad too late (they close early in winter). I do have a 1-year pass to return FOC to the castle anytime, though I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon.

Stockholm - A cold, gloomy and expensive city. I think we were at the wrong place at the wrong time...had the weather been better, Stockholm would definitely have been more appealing. Having said that, I did enjoy Skansen (an outdoor museum) - we experienced heavy snowfall (very memorable) and saw a real moose here! We stayed at a quirky rented apartment in Sodermalm, which has an antique elevator that I absolutely adore! Oh, and real Swedish meatballs taste exactly like the ones at our local iKea store.

Reykjavik - My favourite leg of the trip. Before the recent volcanic eruption, hardly anyone paid any attention to Iceland, and many friends were surprised to hear that I was going there for a holiday!! But seriously, go there and you will instantly fall in love with Iceland. I always thought Scotland is possibly one of the most scenic places in the world, but now, Iceland takes top spot. The sunrise and sunsets are spectacular, the nature is unspoilt and magical, Icelandic horses are so endearing, and the seafood is extremely FRESH & TASTY. We were there for 4 days and I wished we had more. Would love to go back again in summer to see the cute little puffins, ride the petite horses and visit the magnificent Jokulsarlon lagoon!

London - Ahhh, always a favourite of mine. If you've been following my blog, you'll know that I was in London in mid 2009. This time round, I caught up with everything that I wanted to do but didn't have a chance to before. I went to the Sir John Soane (interesting), Tate Modern ("interesting") and British (boring) museums, I watched Wicked (good), Jersey Boys (too good), Blood Brothers (average), Warhorse and Deathtrap (the former 3 being musicals and the latter 2 plays), I checked out Camden market (didn't like it) and Petticoat Lane market, I visited the Tower of London (which paled in comparison to Windsor castle), I went for a quintessential British afternoon tea at St James Sofitel hotel, I emptied my pockets at Bicester village, I took side trips to Bath and had excellent warm scones at the Cotswold, I revisited my favourite sights - London Eye, Tower Bridge and Big Ben and my favourite markets - Portobello, Upmarket in the east & Borough.

Paris - Je t'aime Paris! I love the language, I love how romance permeates through every being in Paris, I love the many ponts (bridges) across the River Seine, I love Eiffel Tower, I love seeing my favourite Impressionist artists everywhere in museums, I love quaint Montmartre despite how "dangerous" the travel forums make it out to be (it's not lah!), I love the Palace of Versailles (but cannot bring myself to like Kristen Dunst as Marie Antoinette), I love bag-shopping in Champs Elysee and Printemps, and I love going back to our cosy hotel every night at Montparnasse (the location is great, by the way...and did I mention FREE wifi?).

I know I just got back 2 weeks plus ago but I'm already itching for another holiday! Where will my next trip to Europe take me???

Love To Wander Launches on 12 Jan 2011!

Love To Wander is ready to face the world!

Love to Wander, or LTW in short, was conceived by 3 good friends who have known one another for more than a decade.

The idea of a blogshop came about through one of those random chit-chat sessions the gals regularly have over dinner. And the more they talked about it, the more they thought, "hey, why not"? Without further ado, the girls set about transforming their little idea into reality. They traveled to source for goods, set up an e-shop and brainstormed every aspect of the blogshop business. Everything was new to them and nothing came easy. Finally, after months of toil and sweat, their humble website is coming to fruition.

We are pleased to announce that LTW will officially launch on 12 January 2011 (Wednesday) at 2pm. Our blogshop address is at http://lovetowander.net. As we are new and virtually unheard of, we hope that you can support us and show some love! Here are some suggestions how:

1. As soon as you can, visit our website and bookmark our page.
2. Spread the word about LTW and the 12 Jan launch to all your friends, relatives and family.
3. Add us as a friend on Facebook. To do this, just type "Love To Wander" in the search box after your log-in. We are depicted by this logo.
   
   
4. Check out our first collection on 12 Jan and buy something nice for yourself or your loved ones.
5. Keep coming back for more!

Here's a sneak peek of what's in our first collection.

And last but not least, the 3 friends behind LTW.

DIY cleaning products

Came across this useful article from the Malaysian edition of the New Straits Times and I thought I'll type it in here for future reference.

Make your own cleaning products

1. Creamy Soft Scrubber
1/2 of 1 cup baking soda
Natural liquid soap

Slowly mix the two products until frothy. If you're using it all at once you can add some citrus juice. If you're not using it all at once, omit citrus juice and instead, use 5-10 drops of orange or lemon essential oil. Pour the mixture onto a cloth, scrub or sponge and scrub well.

Rinse well or wipe the cleaned surface with a wet cloth. You can use the cleaner on tubs, sinks, counters and more. Store the remaining mixture in a sealed container. Add a teaspoon or two of vegetable gylcerin to keep the cleaner moist.


2. Window Cleaner
1/4 or 1/2 tsp liquid detergent
3 tbsp vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to mix well. Use as you will a commercial brand.

3. Oven Cleaner
1 cup or more baking soda
A squirt or two of liquid detergent
Water

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven and cover the grime with baking soda until the surface is totally white. Sprinkle more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. After cleaning up the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven.

4. All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
1/2 tsp washing soda
Dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

5. Furniture Polish
1/2 tsp oil (olive oil or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft cloth with the solution and use to wipe wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

6. Kettle or Coffee Pot Cleaner
Slices of lemon peel
Water

To remove mineral deposit inside your kettle, fill it with water. Add a handful of lemon peel and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit for an hour. rain and rinse well. For coffee pots, add ice, salt and lemon rind to the empty pot. Swish and swirl for a minute or two, dump and rinse. 

7. Mould Killer
2 tsp tea tree oil
2 cups water

Nothing works for mould and mildew as well as this spray. Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a long way.

8. Refrigerators
Salt
Soda water

A mix of salt and soda water can be used to wipe and deodorise the inside of your refrigerator.

9. Wine Spills
Salt
Cold water

Immediately cover the spilt wine with salt which helps remove stains. Soak the tablecloth in cold water for 30 minutes before washing. Also works on clothing.

10. Clogged Drains
1 cup baking soda
1 cup hot vinegar

Pour baking soda down the drain, following by the hot vinegar. You can heat the vinegar in the microwave oven. Wait five minutes before flushing the drain with hot water. Repeat the process a few times if necessary.