… and it was the highlight of my day.

We were supposed to watch the Uninvited at Cineworld in Dundee, but somebody backed out. I love Cineworld, it makes NPH Cinema in St Andrew’s look like poop. I like getting there early, I like spending 15 minutes deciding whether I want popcorn, or Ben & Jerry’s. I love cinema’s where I can actually see the screen.

The cinema in St Andrews is tiny. And the seats aren’t sloped enough. So when you have a St Andrean fashionista sitting in front of you with a giant beehive of hair – you can’t see anything. Especially when you’re small, like me.

So the movie was canceled, but everyone was already over at mine waiting for someone to make a new plan, so we decided let’s drive for 20 minutes to get some MCDONALDS! I LOVE MCDONALDS. You can get two value meals for so cheap, and then flash your student card and get more freebies (mine was a rolo mcflurry, it was chocolatey and carameley, so good).

Then we drove home and guess who was on the bridge outside our house?

The very cute random cat I mentioned a few months ago!

She must have remembered that we have cat milk at our house, because she ran in front of us all the way to our front door.

Everytime this cat comes over, it makes me miss Mikey (our cat at home) even more. He looks just like her, they would make such a cute couple.

Speaking of cute couples…

I think we have the same smile.

Tonight is morrreee Arabic essay, and the same tomorrow, because tomorrow night my little sister is coming up to stay for a WEEK! We have a big house BBQ on Saturday (not sure how that’s going to work, the weather’s been getting worse and worse!) and I need my essay finished at latest by end of this week.

I could NOT live without this stuff. I first read about it on MUA years ago when I was still living in Brunei, and this stuff was so hard to find all the way out there. I finally tracked it down at a store that imported hair products (Winmark anyone? haha I love that shop), I paid a huge BND$70 for this!!

I finished up two tubes, and stopped using it for a while, but I was in New York over easter break and me and NYBoy were browsing the aisles of CVS, as you do on Sunday afternoon. It was a few days before we were to fly back to Scotland, and I wanted to stock up on toiletries not available here – like Secret Scent Expressions deodorant, who doesn’t want their underarms to smell like vanilla? Anyway, so I found (or rather REfound) this! And it was only USD$14.19… Looks like I got ripped off big time in Brunei.

At the time, I had just redyed my hair using L’Oreal’s 10-minute system and it was cracking. I’m not even talking just split-ends, it was breaking on strands up to halfway up the hair shaft. So I was desperate. And…

I LOVE THIS STUFF.

Before I brought this back with me, I was using a combo of Bumble&Bumble Defrizz and Redken Fresh Curls Curl Refiner on my hair after washing and before blowdrying. I’ve switched the curl refiner for Potion 9, and my hair is so much softer, and I think the condition’s slowly improving.

Would definitely recommend it, I don’t know why I stopped using it in the first place. I’ve heard the new packaging makes it even easier to use.

It figures, I buy it in its old form not knowing it has a new and improved look!

In other news; today is a cranky day. NYBoy finds things in the news funny, WHO FINDS THE NEWS FUNNY?!

I hate having to wait until the punchline to point out that I don’t find it funny, when I know about 2 words in that it’s his kinda funny and not mine. I am in SUCH a bad mood, I feel guilty that he gets it taken out on him all the time haha.

I ❤ NYBoy, I really do.

This is what I look like in the morning before I put my makeup on.

(But I got my eyebrows threaded by the best threader in town last night, PLUS in the comfort of my own room! So worth it)

In general, I have well-behaved skin (apart from when I PMS), but it’s sensitive, and kinda dull and not glowy. I’ve spent the last few days looking up new skincare products; it may replace hair products as my new obsessive spending category. I have tried every single haircare product and have now settled for a very select few that I am 99.9% sure I’ll keep repurchasing! I’m on my 2nd bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and this has never happened before, so I know this brand is a keeper!

Anyway, so this is my face pre-makeup;

And here it is post-makeup;

I LOVE makeup! Even on days when I have nowhere to go, and I plan on studying downstairs in the living room (like today), putting on makeup is the highlight of every morning and a step in getting ready that CANNOT be skipped.

In fact, I think it’s more fun putting on makeup when you have nowhere to go because you can play around with color combinations you wouldn’t usually wear.

On days that I am super adventurous and I mix the green, pink and pearl shimmer eyeshadows, I come down the stairs and Muthu points out that it’s TOO MUCH!!! Brutal honesty. I like bright colors, I think I should have been old enough to wear makeup in the ’80s. Electric blue eyeshadow and side ponytails… LOVE!!!!

If you know me in real life, you will have noticed that I very rarely walk out of my room with my hair in a ponytail. Ponytail + high forehead = the illusion of a receding hairline.

I need a haircut

Arroz con pollo for dinner., originally uploaded by *Hannah.

A little late tonight because I got caught up translating Arabic but
still yummy!

Josh Holloway (or Sawyer from Lost) comes in at around the 3.45 mark. He’s so YOUNG, but he looks exactly the same!

I made this yesterday:

In between my corporate finance tutorial work, and updates for the website. It’s not amazing, but I like it. I got the idea just before I fell asleep the night before last, I think I’m much smarter asleep than awake!

HI FOOD.

MMMMMM…

I used this recipe (a clone Cinnabon recipe!), but didn’t have a breadmaker so used one of the reviewer’s comments as a guideline, and made it by hand!

I’ve never made bread before, I think it turned out pretty good! But I could use a little more practice with the rolling and I wish I had some dental floss to cut the rolls (as recommended in the recipe reviews). The frosting was SO yummy! One of the reviewers recommended doubling it, but I used single recipe quantities and I had more than enough for my 12 rolls! It’s a vanilla cream cheese frosting. SO GOOD!

They only lasted one day because NYBoy & I had one each to accompany our afternoon tea and then I had friends over to sample them, and they proved to be pretty popular.

Will DEFINITELY make these again!

Boyfriend-approved.

- It is NOT a good idea to skimp out on the gym and hire your boyfriend for free as a personal trainer. Especially when he is twice your size and has in the past gone to the gym on a daily basis.

I decided yesterday that even though I am skinny, and I lose weight more often than I gain, that it would be nice to tone up and get into the habit of working out before I hit the middle-aged mark and look down and wonder where my skinny body has gone?!

So I picked out this to do on alternate days, yoga when I feel like it (because one of my housemates apparently can coach me in that area) and possibly either running or swimming for cardio. I can’t decide whether buying trainers is a good investment? Or if I should opt for the long walk to the leisure center pool a couple of times a week instead?

So I get up this morning feeling good to go! How unfit could I possibly be? I’m skinny!

WRONG!!!!

The first move had my legs aching slightly. By the standing bird dog my legs could barely support my weight. All the while, NYBoy was standing beside me with a big stick (rolled up wrapping paper) prodding me to keep moving, and if I messed up and fell over then it wouldn’t count and I’d have to do it over.

My arms gave way mid push-up later on and now I have nasty carpet burn on my FOREHEAD!!! Thank god tomorrow is yoga day, so I have a day off until my next work out hell session. I only did one cycle but the max. reps for each move. I am so much less fit than I thought.

- My eyes do not need to be made to look any bigger.

= I don’t need to put mascara on my bottom lashes because it makes my eyes look freakishly large. And I think mascara on my top lashes looks fine on its own.

Case in point:

On a side note: I’m less achy now then I was half an hour ago… does that mean I should have pushed myself a little harder with the work out? Out for lunch and getting stuff for dinner, home made chili. Mmmm.

I have hardly eaten all day!! I had a caesar chicken sandwich before my slot at the Careers Center, to sort out THE BEST INTERNSHIP EVER! (that I don’t want to talk about, until I have flights and accommodation booked, and am going for sure) And I was sorting through the photos I took in New York, when I found this:

I used Pioneer Woman’s recipe. And I definitely back her claim that it is the best chocolate sheet cake in the world.

I’m practically drooling.

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I love this song!

Pictures from other people’s camera’s because I haven’t bothered to bring my camera to a ball since first year when I used to get really excited about them!

First, extra pictures from the DRA Ball;

My academic husband of one year. We got “married” at the chapel at the DRA ball last year. The theme that night was Vegas, and they had a little white chapel where you could be wed by an Elvis look-alike.

And the New Hall Ball! Which was held at Kinkell, as all balls are! For prospective students to St Andrews, take note: there’s a ball every other month in the bubble. You get the society balls, the opening ball, May ball, and each hall of residence will have its own ball on top of that. So bring a lot of dresses/suits.

I’ve been to the DRA Ball and New Hall Ball every single year since I’ve been here, and have never paid for them haha. Residents get two tickets for free, so as long as you know someone who lives in the hall, you can talk your way into getting a free ticket… or ten. I don’t think any of us paid to go this year.

Good thing too, because the New Hall Ball wasn’t as good as last year (they still had free ice cream though… SCORE!!), we ended up leaving early, I had an Arabic assignment to finish that weekend anyway.

Dress by FCUK and bought from Asos! It’s a UK size 6 but SO big on me, I have safety pins holding it together behind the neck.

RANDOM PICTURE
Me & my housemate and our matching hoodies – NYBoy has one too, it says white chocolate.
(In case you didn’t catch on, we’re different kinds of chocolate because we have different shades of skin… blatant racism)