I want to see some pretty dresses!

Saturday turned out to be another major fail in central London. For a couple of weeks now, I have been dying to see the Valentino couture collection at Somerset House. In spite of numerous attempts however, I have not yet seen it. This has either been due to last minute changes in my plans or the horrid weather. Well, yesterday me and Jess headed out in the hope of finally see the collection, only to be turned away and be told that it was fully booked. It was so frustrating! The collection has been on show for a few months, so I did not at all expect it to be fully booked. We met up quite late in the day and since I made plans for the evening, we were quite limited to what where we could go and so stayed in Covent Garden.

I am being taunted by this! 

We walked around the Covent Garden market, popping into Joy - the shop with the nicest vintage-style dresses and accessories! It took every fibre of self-control not to buy everything in the store! I even found some vintage style jars, which I have been in search for, to store my make-up brushes and the rest of my toiletries. They were perfect! I stopped myself from buying them, since I have an expensive couple of months coming up, but it was so hard!

Loved this LBD !

It wasn't so much biscuits that
I wanted to store, but...

Anyway, after visiting some shops, we headed in to the Cupcake Bakehouse, which as the name suggests, sells cupcakes. Amazing ones!!!! I went with a lemon curd cupcake and a latte and Jess had a coffee cupcake and they were both delicious! There was very limited seating inside, so we headed out where there were some iron tables and chairs, only to be attacked by a bunch of pigeons. The experience is never fun, but Jess has a bit of a fear of pigeons (slight understatement) so it was quite a fiasco. We didn't end up sitting there for long.

Cupcake heaven!

After a bit of a walk around, we headed to the Paul cafe on the Strand. I know they are dotted around all over London which is part of the reason why I have continually avoided the place, but I have to say, I was very impressed! I had the most delicious baguette and the atmosphere was lovely inside. It was quiet and had French music in the background. I absolutely love it!

After all of that, we headed home. I had a quick change of clothing and headed out to meet Alex for a little catch up over some drinks and some dancing in Dartford. I have never gone out there before, and it was quite an experience. It was lovely to have the catch up and although the music wasn't at all my style, dancing around was a nice way to relax after a long week.

As for today, I am having a lazy, leisurely Sunday which mainly consists of reading, tv watching and internet research. I have just finished reading "Christmas at Tiffany's" - a cheesy chick lit book which I absolutely adore! The book had reminded me how much I miss New York, want to re-visit Paris and appreciate London and Tiffany & Co. So, I have started to do some holiday research. At this time of year, when it's cold and miserable (and wet) outside, having a little trip to look forward to makes the cold months so much more bearable!

Love!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!


Muah,


Roo xx

Football, anyone?

This Monday saw the big event: my brother Rudy's 14th birthday. I have been very excited about the occasion since I got him the best present which I was dying for him to open! I got my fanatic Arsenal-fan brother tickets to Wednesday night's match at the Emirates Stadium: Arsenal v West Ham.

Now I am not a big football fan. I follow it a little bit, more than anything to maintain my sibling relationship with my little brother. When I was at university, the only conversation Rudy could maintain was one about football, so I took it upon myself to pay more attention to it. Having bought him a ticket, I had to buy one for myself (and my cousin Dontatas and his friend Julius, who decided to come along too) and attend my first ever football match.

The birthday boy

The greenest, nicest stadium and pitch ever 

Trying to stay warm at half time with tea and hot chocolate

Anyway, in spite of the freezing cold, I actually had a really good time. The stadium was incredible, with amazing seats (even though we were sitting at the very back) and with everyone cheering on the home team, it was hard not to get into the football spirit and cheer the team on. And to top it all off, Arsenal ended up winning 5 - 1 which left my brother ecstatic (along with most of the stadium) and thanking me every 10 minutes for the ticket. All in all, a very successful first ever football trip!

Having said that, the rest of the week has been pretty tough - we didn't get back until after midnight on Wednesday and with my alarm going off at 5.40 every morning, to get me to work, I have been feeling incredibly tired. I like my sleep!

Anyway, I am incredibly happy to say that it's Friday! I hope everyone has the most wonderful weekend and I promise to have less football-focused posts :)

I walk past this road every day on my way to work and
every Friday, it brings a smile to my face

Muah,


Roo xx

Birthday Wish List

As I mentioned in my last post, this snowy weather we've been having has given me plenty of time to procrastinate  so I decided to do some research and try and figure out what I'd like to get for my birthday. Some of my choices are more realistic than others, but I thought I'd share them all the same...

Since the chances of me unwrapping this
on my birthday are nil, I thought I'd go for...

...this!

I love Audrey Hepburn. This would
absolutely make for some happy reading

My Paris obsession has resurfaced and since
I can't spend my birthday in Paris...

... I might as well try and get a little bit of Paris sophistication

Season 5 of the Big Bang Theory.
Try and beat that! Bazinga!

I've been dying for an initial necklace.
Going back old-school!

If anyone made me some of these,
I would love them forever!

I would settle for this too!

I will now return to dreaming of Chanel handbags and cupcakes. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Muah,

Roo xx 

Stop the snow, stop the snow, stop the snow

This weekend has been very uneventful and this is all because of the dreaded snow which brings the country to a halt every year. I had hoped to spend the weekend in the city, visiting museums and going to some markets but after spending two hours trying to get home from work on Friday (where the snow wasn't even settling), I decided to stay warm and dry at home for the weekend.

This week has been really stressful so I spent most of the weekend trying to sort my life out, coupling that with a lot of tv watching, plenty of reading and some internet research for my upcoming birthday in February. Not particularly what I had planned for the weekend, but I have managed to stay warm and dry which is a bonus!

Since I don't have a fireplace, candles are the perfect alternative
for a cosy, warm atmosphere

Hope everyone stays warm, dry and safe, whatever the weather may be wherever you are.


Muah,


Roo xx

Ice Ice Baby!

As most Londoners know - or rather, most British inhabitants - the big freeze has enveloped the city and the country. You would think that having been born and raised (until the age of eight, at least) in Lithuania, I would be able to deal with a bit of cold weather. That, however is absolutely not the case. I love the sun and hot weather which I guess makes London the wrong city for me. Nevertheless, I refused to allow the weather to defeat me and decided to face the city head on (albeit with most of my face hidden in a snood).

I met up with Jess in Greenwich park. The park has always been one of my favourite places in the city. Having studied for my A-levels not too far from Greenwich, I was used to making weekly trips to the park and no matter what mood I was in, it could always make me feel happy and content. However, with the Olympic preparations, I steered clear of the place as the park has been completely ruined with all the preparations. So it was lovely to see the place, post-Olympics. We walked around Cutty Sark and grabbed a bite to eat at  Tai Won Mein. Usually, whenever we want to grab some Chinese food, we head to Noodle Time but decided to try someplace new. It didn't quite pay off. The staff were very rude, my spring rolls were very oily with too much pastry and not enough veg and whilst our noodles were nice enough, they were slightly too greasy. After lunch, we decided to walk our huge lunch off and headed to the park. The part of the park which was turned into the arena for all the equestrian and dressage for the Olympics is still a mess, with lots of up-turned soil but the rest of the park was lovely and quiet. The trees were their usual barren self, but it definitely had a calming effect on me and made me very glad I came. After our walk, we headed to a cute little sweet shop which sold old-school sweets (mostly American) and after failing to find some Fizz Wizz (which is my childhood sweet), we decided to try some Willy Wonka taffy which left us with blue tongues and lips. Gotta love regression to childhood!

After our sugar rush, we headed to Canary Wharf where we met up with Donatas and Edita to have a look at the London Ice Sculpting Festival. The weather was ridiculously cold, in spite of which the sculptures were melting ever-so-slightly and since it was evening, it was harder to appreciate the intricate detail of sculptures but they were still so amazing and with the all the lighting and lit up trees, the place looked absolutely lovely!

After our little tour, Edita and Donatas headed home and me and Jess, unable to feel our fingers or toes (or parts of our faces), we headed inside to grab a coffee - Starbucks, of course! I have to say, it was a bit of a mission to find a Starbucks with seating inside Canada Square - a problem which I have never experienced before but in our search, I did come across Sweet Couture Cupcake Boutique and couldn't resist a little cupcake! And honestly, they were amazing! A cupcake, followed by a skinny vanilla latte: the ideal dinner, if you ask me!

All in all, I have had the most wonderful day. And now there is nothing left to do but put on some comfy and warm PJs, pour myself a glass of wine and watch a film or two. A very successful Saturday if you ask me!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Muah,


Roo xx

A good Christmas

I know it took some time, but I finally manged to steal some of Edita's photos from Christmas, so here is a little sum up of my family's Christmas...

Muah,


Roo xx

Post-holiday calm

Following my days of relaxation and then one whole day of work, I decided against staying in for the weekend and ventured out into central London. I have to say, that in the run-up to Christmas, I was seriously questioning my love of London - with all the crowds and the rush, along with the endless queues, my relationship with the city was under serious strain. But, I am very glad to say that once again, I am in love with it, now that the holidays have come to an end. As soon as I entered Trafalgar Square, I remembered why I loved this city so much. It had the perfect amount of tourists, there was not a single drop of rain and the weather was just warm enough, to make it the ideal temperature to walk around. Of course, this calm does not apply to the shopping areas: sales and London have never been a very good combination, but I was happy all the same. I even bought a pair of shoes! And no: I do not have a shoe addiction, but rather a shoe appreciation.

After walking around a few of the shops, I met up with Edita for a little catch-up. We headed to a little cafe in the Quadrant Arcade, just off Regent Street which has really cute cups and decent coffee but not the best food. They had a menu of sandwiches and a soup of the day - I wanted a baguette but was told they only had paninis (why advertise baguettes and sandwiches then?!) so had to settle on that which was ok, as far as sandwiches go. Edita had soup which was rather nice but not quite hot enough. After our little lunch, we just walked around. A lot. We toured St James' Park, headed down to Big Ben, up to Trafalgar Square, and as if I were a piece of metal being drawn to a magnet, we ended up in Covent Garden. I have to say though - without realising it, I haven't as yet seen Covent Garden in its Christmas glory in the night, so it was lovely to see it all lit up, just before it was all dissembled again.

We finished off the evening with some Starbucks and then headed up to Green Park, before heading home.

Nothing beats Starbucks. And we had definitely
earned the caramel calories after all that walking

As for today; it has been a miserable fail. I had intended to head out to Somerset House and have a look at the Valentino Couture collection that they have displayed there and maybe head out to Greenwich Park for a walk - basically have a 'me day'.Well, that didn't happen. I got dressed and got myself to the train station only to find out that due to "engineering works" there were no trains leaving my station today!  Of course, I could have relied on replacement bus services, but that would have dragged my journey time out and turned an intended day of relaxation to a day full of stress. So, I guess I will stick to tv watching, reading and will try and steer clear of internet shopping.

Muah,


Roo xx

Exciting start to 2013

I have some very exciting news for the new year: I have finally completed my application for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in an attempt to pursue my career as a solicitor!

Having worked on the 27th and 28th of December, I had the last couple of days off work which I ,mainly spent being lazy and unproductive. The days largely consisted of a lot of reading, even more of Sex and the City watching, a gym session, making my very own calendar and finally today I have completed my LPC application for BPP law school. My plan has always been to take the year out and begin part-time LPC studies in the summer of 2013 but I have continually put off starting my application. Well today I have started and finished the application and tomorrow I will post it off (yes, that is right - post it: how very old school).

My part-typed, part-hand written application 

The first three months of my calendar. Not
sure how useful it'll be: can't see all of the dates

If all goes well, this will be me, come September

Fingers crossed, if they like me and I can arrange the necessary loan, I will begin the daunting studies in September. Wish me luck!


Muah,

Roo xx