I'm typing this while half sitting & half lying down in bed with Oli. He too is on his laptop. I feel as if we're an old couple with a nonexistent sex life, married to our work instead. LoL!
London has been kind to me. I'm having a lovely time here. Tonight, I got the biggest birthday surprise from my friends! :)
I was craving for paella & sangria, so Istee made a reservation at a Spanish restaurant. It was a small party - just the dad, Oli, Istee, Yvonne & I - but I couldn't have asked for better company.
Daddy flew all the way from KL to London to celebrate my b'day with me! :)Here's how the decision was made:~
"Sam its up 2 u where u wan 2 celebrate..but dad wud luv very much 2 celebrate wit u..since its ur 21st B'day. Wud u consider comin back 2 KL.."
So sweet right!
I told him,
"But i just checked the flights & coming back to KL is more than double the $ to go to UK. Plus, if i go home i might as well stay a month but i have work. (Then I main manja a bit) Why don't u come here instead! For Fathers Day and my bday. 2 in 1 ;-)"
And he said ok!
So far Oli and Istee have played the part of courteous host and hostess; they've showed me around London and we've done much catching up. But when they go back to work on Monday, I'll be spending most of my time with the dad. I consider this vacation to be an especially special holiday for the both of us, seeing as we have several things to celebrate: a belated Father's Day, my 21st bday, and a father-daughter bonding trip.
Yvonne Tee - my bestie in Form 1. She recognized my voice on the phone immediately, and turned up despite the very last minute notice. Meeting her again made me remember how impossible it is for anyone to not possibly love her. Every time we are reunited, she never fails to recap the story of the first time I cracked her up; I'd said something about our school's scorching hot concrete floor and how one could fry an egg on it. I don't even think it was that funny, but she loved it and I love her for being so easily amused and so absolutely endearing :)
I love everyone in the 12+1, but there are particular few with whom I can really be myself. I go waaay back with Istee & Oli.
I liked Istee the moment I met her. Unfortunately, she was snooty at first. LOL. She thought I was too noisy to be her friend! Then we sat together in Form 2, and we laughed together (or she laughed at me... By forcing me to do impersonations of Arun Chockalingam laughing), fought with one another (she confiscated my liquid paper when she was on prefect duty, but she would borrow it in class. Hypocrite!), shared the same crushes (unknowingly and with disasterous effects... But obviously nothing unreparable. We're way better than that!).
Oli was my best friend for a good period of time around Form 2-3. The both of us were class monitor & assistant class monitor, but we weren't the most exemplary of students. I remember getting us both snapped at by Madam Maha because I kept distracting him and making him giggle. We once made up the awesomest 'Nips chocolate' song to pass the time on a bus trip to Pangkor Island. I'll never forget the time he gave me the cold shoulder for a whole week. This came out of the blue, and I was very upset and confused as I had no idea what I'd done wrong. All our teachers noticed, and they even called me to their desks to kindly ask, "Apa jadi dengan you dan Oliver?" The fact that I didn't even know the answer to this made it worse. All my perplexed feelings came burbling out in the middle of lab period. Oli was sitting next to me, still being weird and all. I was highly distraught, but was trying hard to control my facial expression. Then Mr. Gobi asked me a science question and I had to open my mouth. What poured out was literally, "Boo hoo hoo! Waa waa waa!" Poor Mr. Gobi was so shocked by my sudden fountain of tears that he gave the whole class a time-out. He must have thought his questions were too hard for the class. Oli knew that he the source. He comforted me, and was his normal self after that.
Oli was my best friend for a good period of time around Form 2-3. The both of us were class monitor & assistant class monitor, but we weren't the most exemplary of students. I remember getting us both snapped at by Madam Maha because I kept distracting him and making him giggle. We once made up the awesomest 'Nips chocolate' song to pass the time on a bus trip to Pangkor Island. I'll never forget the time he gave me the cold shoulder for a whole week. This came out of the blue, and I was very upset and confused as I had no idea what I'd done wrong. All our teachers noticed, and they even called me to their desks to kindly ask, "Apa jadi dengan you dan Oliver?" The fact that I didn't even know the answer to this made it worse. All my perplexed feelings came burbling out in the middle of lab period. Oli was sitting next to me, still being weird and all. I was highly distraught, but was trying hard to control my facial expression. Then Mr. Gobi asked me a science question and I had to open my mouth. What poured out was literally, "Boo hoo hoo! Waa waa waa!" Poor Mr. Gobi was so shocked by my sudden fountain of tears that he gave the whole class a time-out. He must have thought his questions were too hard for the class. Oli knew that he the source. He comforted me, and was his normal self after that.
Tapas: Morcilla de Burgos ~ Black pudding (Blood sausage) with migas and a fried egg.
Paella with langoustines, monkfish and mussels.After dinner, daddy went back to his hotel room as he was ready to drop from exhaustion; he'd just touched down at 5am that morning you see. The rest of us wanted to hang out until midnight, except for Istee who returned to her apartment as she too was pretty beat.
We passed by Tesco, and Yvonne wanted to go in to buy a drink. Oli announced rather loudly that he was staying outside.* I said I'd never been to the real British Tesco, not like the ciplak one we have in Malaysia, so I went in as well. Funnily enough, Oli followed suit. Once inside, he suddenly seemed rather keen upon introducing UK snacks to me.
*Now that I think about it, he probably did this so that I would stay outside with him!
Right before the black guard in the background told us that no pictures allowed. Wtf.
The most sexist chocolate advertising I've ever seen! I thought there might be testosterone as one of the ingredients or something.Yvonne paid for her stuff and we all walked to Waterloo Bridge. It was extremely purtey~
London Eye and Big Ben from afar.All of a sudden, Oli covered my eyes with his hands. He does this quit often, so I didn't think much of it. Then Yvonne made me hold out my hands and put something in them. She warned me not to drop it or it would fly out at my face. I got kind of freaked out then. I have no idea why, but for some stupid reason, I thought I was holding a bible. It felt like a book!
See lah my friends so cunning.
So Yvonne's 'sudden thirst', our stop at Tesco, and the introduction to the UK snacks had all been a set up! But in a good way :) We had to borrow a lighter from a passerby and then shield the candles from the wrath of the cold wind while lighting the wicks. My dear friends sang 'Happy Birthday' to me on top of the Waterloo Bridge overlooking the London lights. I almost forgot to make a Wish, but Yvonne squealed a reminder. So i did and then i blew out those little flickering flames and let my Wish be carried out on the night breeze. I was so so happy ^___^
Eating toffee cake on Waterloo bridge.
London Bridge. Still stable.
Continuing our cake-pig-out back at the apartment.Oli just said something unintelligible in his sleep. I looked out the window, and it's dawn already! Selfridges opens at noon. Darn, I'd better get some rest to shop tomorrow! Sales start today :)
