Frivolous Entry Ahead

I've been lying in bed comatose for the past few days due to a very bad sore throat and a dry cough which my mother ominously predicted might cause me to die (the weather's so cold! It could turn into pneumonia or bronchitis and you know I don't want to scare you but it could be fatal), only getting up to drink boiled water and then stagger back into bed like a constipated chicken.

Anyway, it's feeling much better today because I overdosed on cough syrup and lozenges and am drinking so much water that I fear suffering from water-drunkeness - something I've feared suffering from ever since Secondary School biology lessons where we learnt about the effects of drinking too much water. On the upside, though, apparently have lost weight - Selina (my scholarship officer) exclaimed excitedly when she saw me - "Ruthh!! Ni Shou le!" (Ruth! You're thin!) and when I asked Andrew for confirmation he dithered around and then said that he'd noticed that I was thinner a few weeks ago and when I pressed him for details he said that he'd been wondering then why I hadn't put on any weight in halls.

I'm happy now.

I managed to make another coursemate friend today; he's someone from Biology who sat opposite me in practicals on Friday. His friend is the Frodo lookalike, and when I told him that his friend looked like Frodo he exclaimed delightedly, "I like you! What's your name?" and we became friends just like that. He's got the funniest gingery colouring and the most humourous expression and the nicest way of calling groups of females "Girls" - "See you later, Girls" - and the interestingest accent - he's from somewhere between Liverpool and Manchester. No, he's not goodlooking and I'm not interested in him (these two facts not related whatsoever), but it's good, good, good that I know one more person from Biology and so I won't be at a loss when I study and something pops up that I don't understand.

I'm very blessed.

The German market in Millenium Square is selling pretzels and Christmas Candy and toffee apples and German ale and I think I'm going to pop down and buy something for Steve to make up for ruining his shirt - although he told me a week ago that he'd got blackcurrant down my skirt and he can't get it off - and he still has my skirt.

Anyway... my stomach rumbles and I

go

Contentment and Absent Mindedness

Was walking along the little road from Charles Morris Hall to the library today and passed a group of middle-ages men happily shovelling leaves into a big truck. The leaves were dank and musty and the sun was obscured in a foggy sky but they were nattering away happily and evidently enjoying themselves very much. And I thought that even though they might not have known it and they might not think so, they were among the luckiest men in the world. To be able to work out of doors, to enjoy the fresh air and each other's company, would be such a joy. That's more than can be said for most jobs.

I hope that I'll be content teaching... and that I'll have enough patience and endless bubbliness to keep the little peoplings occupied.

Was very very absent minded today:

1. Pushed a door that was meant to be pulled. (at the Grand Arcade)
2. Pulled a door that was meant to be pushed! (at One Stop)
3. Dropped a Soother sweet into my jacket and had to feel myself all around for it until it fell out between one of the buttons
4. Searched for nonexistent beef in a Morrison's bag when I hadn't bought any
5. Walked into a pillar in the Union.

Guess my absent mindedness is a habit I must actively try to overcome :o)

Midnight Clear

I can't believe there are only three more weeks of university left; I'm going to miss everything about it... I'm going to miss running to lectures in the mornings, sitting down with hallmates over breakfast, going out to movies on Tuesday nights, and studying in the library beside the window and looking out at bare trees and misty mornings, chattering squirrels and unseen rainbows.

Went down to the city centre today with Daniel and Andrew and their friends and it was really pretty everwhere. The Christmas lights were shining and it was beautiful. Only carols were missing...

I think it would be even more beautiful, though, were I on a barren, deserted street without any "light pollution", in the stillness of the night, with a big beautiful star outshining the rest above a shabby-looking hut, listening to the cries of a newborn baby.

and i will never tire of knowing him

Rollerskating vs Walking

Today I saw someone rollerskating on campus with a huge pile of books and his knapsack and when he got to the stairs, he just ran up with his skates still on. I used to toy with the idea of getting a pari of blades and blading around campus, but obviously since blades cost money and I am a v. lousy blader, I've not done it.

Anyway for all the progress I'm making walking, I might as well blade because I think the frequency of falls I've taken while walking around campus would be the same as the frequency of falls I'd take blading around campus. I was running from my first lecture to the second just now, and because I was wearing really long jeans (health hazard), I tripped and fell splat on the hard concrete and my books went flying. I lay there for a moment stunned, and a Merry lookalike rushed up to me and I looked up at him in a daze. "Are you ok?" He said and I clambered up and he took my books for me. Was really touched by his concern and that of other people who came up and said "That looked awful. Are you sure you're all right?"

Went unto lecture breathless and surreptitiously rolled up jeans to inspect damage and I had two very pretty red bloody spots on my knees oozing blood in sient protest. :oP

There's a Pippin lookalike living on Floor 6 below me, and there's a Frodo lookalike in my Biology lecture, and I've just met a Merry lookalike. Campus is awash with these little hobbits...

Expectations Exceeded

This weekend far exceeded all my expectations. It was truly truly amazing and I had a wonderful time.

Thank you God.

Expectancy

There's all this excitement in the air; a sense of something about to happen. The sun today is unexpectedly bright and the air is crisp and cold and clear. I wake up in the morning happy and expectant; but of what I do not know. Take ages to get ready and walk to university. There's something different about everything today. The world is waiting, waiting, and so am I - all of us holding our breaths in anticipation.

I think something is going to happen in the next few days - I think my life is going to take a huge turn. This is what I had a sense of on the plane to England; that's why I was so overwhelmed when I came back. Because something momentous is going to happen; let's wait and see.

A few seconds of Snow

Came home really tired today at 1 and promptly lay on the bed in jeans and watched Mercury Risin, which was really excellent but I was really sleepy by then and fell asleep on the bed still in my jeans. Dreamt a horrible dream about me being chased by assassins (assasins?) and among them were a couple of people I used to know in Junior College and one of my friends from church! At 7 p.m. I was half-asleep, half-awake and I fancied I could see assassins in my room! Just then Megan knocked on my door and said, "Ruth?" She knocked further and said, "Can I come in?" and pushed open the door, which woke me up, and I sat up in bed and she went "Oh my God, should I go out now? I'm so sorry!" and I told her about my dream, and we both hugged and I was recovered sufficiently to shower and change and eat a banana and meet them at the library where I am now, blogging, while I should really be doing some serious work.

Apparently I missed a few seconds of snow today while I was sleeping; the weather's been really cold lately and snow is predicted for tomorrow. Soon we'll be having snowfights and drinking hot chocolate and slipping and sliding in the slush on our way to lectures. I can hardly wait!

Will update again soon.

Udders and Bosoms

I'm sorry for the excessive blogging lately, but it's like I've got a bug; I can't stop... my excuse is that I went to the cinema again, which is becoming a usual thing on Tuesday nights (student nights)! We watched Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason, which is definitely a chick flick - I think I saw 2 guys in the cinema altogether; and which was really really funny. And sweet. But very very dumb in parts, like the whole part shot in Thailand, which seemed like a big gimmick! And some gags were terrible. But on the whole, I walked away feeling light and happy and satisfied.

It is just a teensy bit unrealistic though, with Mark Darcy being so perfect. Obviously he's not perfect as a human being, but he's handsome, he's sweet, he doesn't play games, he's faithful, he's so smitten with Bridget that he would do anything for her, and he's intelligent and efficient and obviously smart and well-read. Obviously, he's ficticious!

I have come to a conclusion about guys. There are three things guys can be: they can be

(i) goodlooking,
(ii) nice,
(iii) sweet (i.e. they do the right thing, don't play games, woo persistently)

Most guys are (i) and (ii), or (ii) and (iii), but never (i), (ii) and (iii). But I'm sure that someone like that exists.

In a play.

Egypt and Rather Insane Talk

Is Egypt safe to travel in?

We've already made our bookings and things, but talking to friends recently has made me a little concerned about everything and I guess we'll have to pray hard for our safety... especially since I'm not sure whether any guys are coming along with us.

Studied a little with CC today

(aside - the Kuwait Adrian Brody lookalike just came over and I had a chat with him... and found out that he's been to Egypt! He says it's nice and that I must see the sphinx and the pyramids - duh)

anyway

Studied a little with CC today in the library and he told me about how wasted he'd been on Saturday night (really hope he doesn't read this blog!) and he's starting to use alot more swear words now (good - cos it means he's getting more familiar with me, not good - because it's just not); our conversations are getting a little stranger these days; he was saying about how he was going to sell his body (joking of course!) so that he could earn some money for his course, and so that he could see how much people were willing to pay - an absurd idea! I really don't want to know exactly how much I'm worth; I read somewhere that if you reduced the body to all its chemical components they would only be worth about $5.38, but I know that put together, I'm

miraculous and priceless

Cosmology

Today during the Cosmology lecture I was almost falling asleep when the lecturer started on a tangent about when he was young.

"When I was young," he said musingly, "I had such a great privilege. You lot are really deprived. The streets in my days weren't as well lit as they are now, and as little kids we could look up into the sky and see the Milky Way."

He looked comically rapt for a moment, and continued, "Now there is too much light pollution."

I love him.

Once he came into class telling us about relativity, and how different people moving in different frames of reference with the same speed would see each other's clocks moving faster. He then dug for awhile into his bag and produced two paper clocks and a paper compass, saying, "I never go anywhere without my trusty clocks and compass." With a very droll expression he gave a paper clock to someone in the class and started moving away from her. "Do you see my clock moving faster?" He said, and she, half-giggling, said yes.

I guess the cleverest people are the quirkiest as well.

I wish I could look into the sky and see the Milky Way. Perhaps I will, when I'm older; I'd like to retire in the remotest village, with my handsome, greying husband, and sit - quiet, still - under the stars by night, and strain our ears for the slightest echo of their music. And we'd have little bottles close by, in case we'd see a shooting star; we'd catch it and use its energy to light our cosy nest, and dance together under the glowing starlight.*

*crap

Lip Positions

While practising "For the Beauty of the Earth" for the upteenth time I realised that people from different countries have different lip positions. People from Hong Kong keep their lips closed when they're listening, with a slight upturn at the corners, people from England keep their lips closed but with a more exaggerated upturn at the corners (v expressive), and people from Singapore and Malaysia keep their lips apart even when they're not talking, showing a slight grin and some of their teeth (like puppies!). Perhaps this shows that people from Hong Kong are reserved, English people are expressive, and Singaporean and Malaysian people are just jolly and talkative!

Which is why I run on for so long on this blog.

I went down to town today after spending ages in the libray figuring out my Coding Theory tutorial, which was pretty useful in the end because it yielded this useful party trick: if you would take a book at random and read out the ISBN code, omitting a digit on purpose and saying "blank" instead, I could work out the missing digit in about a minute, impressing all the cute and intelligent guys who just so happen to be in the vicinity.

Went to town today to get a present for a friend's birthday, but besides that I ended up buying a new coat for myself (how do I ever get myself into such things?) and it's beautiful - it's short and warm and a lovely shade of grey that simply brings out my nice ... er ... black... hair and eyes. And the way I see it, I saved £15, but the way my bank account sees it, I'm £40 poorer and so I won't be spending any more money anytime soon.

I was supposed to meet CC to do Coding Theory today, but for some reason I just got into this mood and I didn't feel like seeing him. Cosi fan tutte. So I went upstairs to the 13th floor instead of the usual 12th floor and did the tutorial on my own. I guess women are as changeable as their reputations suggest, because I certainly am... and I can't explain it either!

Will update again soon.

More Little Ramblings

seen through the eyes of infinity i am but a little nothing
but he, as he runs around with six little legs on the table
to him i live a thousand years and i am one he worships
he fears me and to him i am a god with dreadful power.

seen through the eyes of infinity i have six little legs
and i run around on the table with meaningless activity
to you i live a second, and soon am blown away
but my time spent with you lasts an eternity.

seen through the eyes of infinity each moment is inconsequential
yet each inconsequential moment makes an eternity
and someday soon i'd like to be, in those moments of eternity
immortalised, and though in a second gone,
bequeath to you a dreadful power.

More Shirt Updates and The One Thing

Yesterday I tried moisturizer on Steve's shirt, and I left it on for a few hours, and when I washed it off the glue remained there... I was so aggravated! I've been trying a variety of solvents from perfume to soap to shampoo to conditioner and Steve says his shirt smells like bubble bath.

Today I see him and I say, "You know, I still have your shirt... just give me one more week to get the glue off!" and he says, "I still have your dress as well..." and I say, "it's ok, you can return it to me when I return your shirt..." He grins and says, "Well, you know, I might just keep it to wear in my spare time when no one's looking!"

The fact that that shirt has been with me for almost a month has almost hypnotised me into supporting Sunderland.

Today I went to church with Susana from Brazil, was really glad for the chance to get to know her better and to discover that we were similar in some surprising ways. It always gives me a little thrill to discover similarities with people whom I think are really different from me (being from different cultures, usually), and sometimes I let out an odd-sounding squeal simply because I'm so excited (as those of you who know me well can attest to).

Church was really good. The sermon was about the rich young ruler, and about how he was unable to give up that one thing in his life to follow Christ. Weeleon said that when God asks us to give everything up, it's usually only one thing - the one thing that you're most reluctant to give up.

I know what my one thing is, and everyday I pray that I may give it up, but with every new day I struggle afresh with it, and I guess it's just a little cross that I have to carry (not to sound dramatic and matyr-like, of course; it'll probably be a silly little thing to most people!).

Greece and Perry Perry

My cousin sent me an email recently with pictures of her litle son who's probably about 3 months old now. Two parts of her email made me laugh. One was called "Count the sections on Perry's arm" and featured a little picture of Perry with his arm so dimpled it was almost grotesque. The other one was a little picture of Perry in the bath, with "Warning - might be offensive in some cases" and a little black box with a skull and crossbones over the vital part. :0D

Andrew says humour runs in my family...

I had breakfast today for the first time in ages because I've not been able to wake up too early recently, and it was good - bacon and eggs and cereal and hot chocolate and toast. I was in a really good mood after Florence said, "something jolie fille?" which according to her means, "how are you pretty girl?" and after talking to this Greek guy from Athens who was helping this other guy who lives in our hall have his breakfast. I told him about Mykonos and how much I loved the pelicans there, and the Acropolis and the t-shirt I bought which said,

To be is to do - Socrates
To do is to be - Aristotle
Do be do be do - Sinatra

But I didn't tell him about how I'd writen haikus on the ship to Mykonos, how a crazy video of me jumping up and down on the ship because it was cold had been immortalised on Andrew's computer, how the wind and the waves lapping beside the ship had made me feel as though I was the only one in the world, how I'd been talking to a grizzled old fisherman on board, and how I'd thought I could almost feel what John had felt as he was on a ship, solitary, uncertain, not sure of what awaited him as he sailed to Patmos.

There's alot of things I don't tell people, because I don't want them to think I'm weirder than they already do.... but well!

Pub Quiz and Danger Zones

Went for my first pub quiz last night in The Packhorse, where I knew two answers out of 100 (and one of them was, who's missing? - Sleepy, Doc, Grumpy, Happy, ...) and had Snakebite for the first time (a not-too-nice cranberry and beer mix). I really enjoyed myself and was grateful to Katie for persuading me to come, because sitting in a smoky place figuring out answers to general knowledge questions lies well outside my comfort zone and in my risk zone, although not in my danger zone!

The former came from this talk we had by Action, where Claire was talking to us about our comfort zones, risk zones and danger zones. She said it would be good for us to do things which fell outside our comfort zones in our risk zones, but not things in our danger zones (for me, that woule be skydiving, even though I sure hope it would shift into my risk zone soon...)

I don't know whether there's any such thing as a danger zone, because human beings are capable of going through alot and adapting to alot, I think. I've been reading Anne Frank's diary over the last few days, and there isn't extraordinary courage in it - it's just the diary of a teenage girl. She would be so scared during bomb blasts that her mother had to light the candle putting all of them in danger should the light be seen, and she hated to talk of business and war. Yet she went through more then and thereafter than most of us have to go through in our lifetimes.

I always wonder whether I would be capable of going through anything like that, but I think the answer for me and everyone else is yes, yes, yes. I think that when the time comes, you will look within yourself and find the courage, and God will strengthen you. I don't think that there's anything anyone else can do that I can't, should I not have the choice; but some things I would like to avoid if possible!

Under The Weather

I'm not feeling too good today; literally under the weather - the sun sets at 4 these days and the skies are always grey and cold and I'm always sleeping more than I should - well I should really stop complaining.

So yesterday night was funny because my cell group met up for a potluck and I insisted on making spring rolls (which poor Andrew ended up wrapping and I ended up frying).

These spring rolls were invented by a grandsenior of mine many years ago and consist of wrapping grated red leicester cheese and small chilli slices and sliced chives in spring roll pastry and deep frying them to make crispy little spicy parcels which taste of melted cheese.

And yesterday I somehow got the idea into my stubborn head that I wanted to put Marks and Spencers bacon into each spring roll and so we did. But most of it was fat and I ended up eating most of the lean pieces while I wrapped the spring rolls and deep fried them in batches of 10. We made 150 altogether and the chilli and cheese combined nearly killed everyone.

Silas ate so many he nearly exploded and when we both had to go to the toilet we raced each other upstairs where we ended up in a unisex toilet. The cubicles were right beside each other and you could hear (and smell) everything! It was not a good experience (there I go with my italics!) and the worst thing was, Daniel videotaped all my agonized screams and Silas' laughter...ugh!!

Daniel is someone whom I feel is really godly. He's very simple and friendly, and humorous and funny, but seems very innocent as well. I can really see how beautiful a life lived for God can be when I look at him, but of course sometimes it distracts me from that when I remember him teasing me about "having feelings for bacon" and "fellowship in the loo"!

Anyway wil update more sometime, when I'm feeling more cheerful.

And we Hope for What we do not Have

You know the feeling you get when you walk down a flight of steps in total darkness, and you walk forward really gingerly at the landing, because you don't know whether the steps continue down or not, and you put your foot forward expecting a step down but you meet level ground? In that instant your body doesn't really seem to belong to you, and you feel as though it's not you walking, but someone else.

I felt that way in Blackpool. It wasn't I who exclaimed in wonder at the Illuminations, who giggled at the really sleazy tableau showing dancers in bikinis made of lights, where the lights shifted up and down giving the impression that their boobs were jiggling, it wasn't I who ran in the pouring rain arm in arm with Katie under a huge umbrella and getting my green pumps all soaked. It wasn't I who'd eaten fish and chips in a Thai chip shop and looked at the waves breaking cold along Pleasure Beach, it wasn't I who'd laughed at the sign outside a bar saying "Sinless Laptop dancing", it wasn't I who'd tried treacle and rock and parki and barm cake for the first time. It wasn't I who'd squealed with fear when Katie said, "Do you know who we are Ruth?" (a very scary question!) and "We're the lost children." (An even scarier answer!) It wasn't I who'd sat in a car with Katie with a map drawn out by her dad, giving her jumbled instructions to Pleasure Beach; singing along to Keane -

I noticed tonight that the world has been turning
While I've been stuck here dithering around
Well I know I said I'd wait around till you need me
But I have to go, I hate to let you down
But I can't stop now
I've got troubles of my
Cause I'm short on time
I'm lonely
And I'm too tired to talk

I noticed tonight that the world has been turning
While I've been stuck here withering away
Well I know I said I wouldn't leave you behind
But I have to go, it breaks my heart to say

That I can't stop now
I've got troubles of my own
Cause I'm short on time
I'm lonely
And I'm too tired to talk

No one back home
I've got troubles of my own
And I can't slow down
For no one in town
And I can't stop now

And I can't slow down
For no one in town
And I can't stop now
For no one

The motion keeps my heart running

I'm afraid that when I go back to Singapore, my time in England will seem like a dream, and memories so real now will turn out to be figments of my lonely imagination I can't rid myself of on waking.

This morning we drove around Horwich along winding roads through fields dotted with comical sheep and placid horses, and "Somewhere over the Rainbow" - the Israel Kamawaiwo'ole version, fitted the blue skies and autumn trees moving ever so slightly in the breeze and the lake glistening in the sunlight, so well. There's a slight melancholy to it; like you're so happy you're almost sad, or you're so sad you're almost happy. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. And hope, and songs about rainbows, are always slightly sad because if you hope for something, you don't yet have it and perhaps that means you're empty inside...

and a rainbow was curving gently over horwich as we drove back and its colours were fading into the sky sleepily

where trouble melts like lemon drops

Unlinked Frivolous Incidents

The number of people asking to photocopy my notes has reached an all-time high. People I don't know, never speak to, suddenly smile at me after lectures and say, "Could I borrow your...?" I think I must look pretty nerdy in classes because even though I don't understand what's going on, my notes are pretty neat and organised and I always look quite attentive even though I may be miles away (perfected this trick in Junior College).

So the number of people asking for my notes has been significantly large recently. Last week it was this girl in Cosmology and Cute Coursemate (who has a lecture clash). This week it was Chinese Coursemate, Cute Coursemate (again) and another very special coursemate I just chatted with today.

She flashed me a dazzling smile yesterday and asked for my Partial Differential Equations which I promptly agreed to. Passed them to her today and we went to the library so she could copy them and so that I could do some work and photocopy stuff and incidently bump into Cute Coursemate whom I pretended not to see, as usual, until he came over (am a HUGE dork, a dork of the highest degree). Anyway went with CC to photocopy my notes and when I passed him the ISIC card, he touched my hand very briefly which sent me into the highest heaven - now where was I? erm

Ah yes, had a very nice chat with this coursemate I just met today; I'd always thought she was from Spain but it turned out that she was from Iran and I was so interested and surprised and we had such a great talk about things. I hope you don't think I'm wicked, but I was really extremely glad to find out that she, too, couldn't understand our module at all and wanted to find a time to study together. Will meet up with her before the exams; maybe we could help each other. Studying together is just so much better than studying alone I feel, because everytime I study with CC I feel so much better that someone else is as lost as me and that we're both in the process of figuring things out together.

Juan was funny during dinner yesterday. I'd bought the Times with a picture of Bush praying on the cover, and during dinner when Megan was licking off her yogurt spoon he showed the picture to her and said that Bush was praying for her yogurt! Ok, it doesn't sound funny at all here but it was hilarious then; and after that he took my mobile and saved his number in under "Guan-Loo Spain".

Ok, I'll give you a break and stop being frivolous... for now.

Opera, Laundry, The Nerd.

Minced down to Così fan tutte in my green pumps yesterday with Katie and Adam and her housemates, which was shown at the Grand Theatre. It was really really long and my bum was well numb but it was good. The singing was divine and the costumes were fabulous. The story was pretty light, just quite drawn out (over 3 hours!) Just a little artistic detail though that I didn't understand: the characters were all put into what looked like a little camera box. **Perhaps it meant that this was just a little microview of life, caricatured for us to see on stage, not necessarily reflective of reality.

Came back and chatted very briefly with Chris and we did our laundry. The only difference was I think he finished his laundry at 2 a.m. (we started at midnight) but I stayed up til 5 a.m. because I had four loads - lights, darks, woolens, and Steve's Sunderland shirt. I can't get the glue from my beard off it. Anyone knows how to get glue off clothing? Because I am quite sure the shirt cost £35 - £40 and I really don't want to return a defectively gluey shirt to him, and I am considering buying a new one (but not telling him about it, of course, which is rather strange because here I am telling the world about it).

Was watching Billy Elliot as I did my laundry (probably the 5th or 6th time!) because that's what I usually do, watch a film to kill time as I wait for my clothes. Of course, I know I should study but it's just too late at night and I haven't any access to caffeine. Anyway, I've always thought it was a good film, but I never realised just how good it was until last night. The dance bits and the music are awesome, and I love Billy's Durham (?) accent. There was a funny bit where Julie Walters has her hand on Billy's leg, telling him she can give him private ballet lessons, and Billy looks at her for a beat and says, "Miss, you don't fancy us, like?" and she looks at him half-amused and half-sardonic and says, "Noo Billy, foonily enoof, ah dun. Now piss off!" and I thought that was one of the best moments in the film. But there were many many more good moments. The film is so real that you don't even feel the people are acting. The beats, the dialogues, the little twists of expression on people's faces make it so true to life.

I love Billy Elliot.

Anyway because of my crazy laundry night, I missed my first lecture at 10 - woke up at 10 past and nearly went into conniptions when I looked at my clock. I must have turned off my alarm clock in my sleep (a very normal thing for me actually). But it's all good because it's a sunny day and the sun is shining in through the windows of the library (sarcastic laugh) and I've got hold of my coursemate's notes and am going to spend another nerdy day here copying them out and studying. So wish me luck!

**crap

Excessive Retail Therapy

Went to the library yesterday as usual and sat on the 12th floor for a few minutes staring at my partial differential equations, gave up with a sigh, and jaunted (is there such a word? I doubt) down to the city centre where I bought

1. Pale green round-toed pumps with green trimmings and a little bow from New Look(reduced from £25 to £10)
2. A flared blue-y denim miniskirt which ends around the thighs from Miss Selfridge (reduced from £25 to £15) which allowed me to get
3. A brown top with yellow-y cap sleeves and butterflies around the front free (reduced from £22) also from Miss Selfridge
4. A black flared skirt which ends around my knees with pleats around the front from H&M (£19.99)
5. A box of seedless green grapes (£1.06),
6. A huge bottle of conditioner (£3.86),
7. A small bottle of hair treatment (£1.60),
8. A spray of marooon flowers, no idea what kind (£0.99) all from Morrison's.

Came back just in time for dinner. I know I spent a lot, but that's retail therapy for you, and I do not apologise. No sirree.

Dinnertime was quite embarrassing. As usual, greasy mmmdelicious chips featured on the menu and I said, "By the end of the year, I'm going to look pregnant!" Instantly all eyes were on me and they all said, "You're pregnant?" Instead of letting it drop, they all quizzed me, "Who's the father?" and Juan who was sitting beside me said, "Are you going to call him Juan?" which made everyone go "Ohhhhhhhhhh..." and turn mock accusing stares on him. In the end he carried the conversation bravely, spinning a little story about his baby and causing everyone to go into fits of laughter.

Leah called last night and we chatted until midnight, which would actually be one in the morning, really. So I went to bed quite exhausted, but not before I'd adjusted my lights onto the spray of flowers I'd bought (stuck them into a water bottle) and pranced around in my new green pumps. Life is good, and people are amazing, and I am

happy