13 Ways to get bike grease out of clothes
For the record, method number one definitely works.
Jan 01 2009
Morocco on a Camel
In early December I took a holiday with Wilderness Travel to ride camels and camp in the desert. There was actually much more than that… and I took something crazy like 700 photos, so I have uploaded a retrospective of them to my flickr acct. in the event that you would like to see them.
The trip was actually a gift from my ‘rents for finishing my PhD last year. (Yes, still celebrating!)
It was a great trip. Small group. Nice travellers. Well organised. Great country. Awesome Camels!
You should go.
Nov 23 2008
Where Hotpants meet Hijabs.
There is a great article on one of my favourite cities in the world in the Saturday Globe & Mail. Interesting to see how much things have changed in the decade + since I lived there. In my day in KL, my favourite local designers were Edmund Ser , whose 1996 Designed suit I still manage to get away with wearing and Peter Hoe’s silver rings, batik pants, and his Beyond collection, too.
Check it out!
Continue reading “Where Hotpants meet Hijabs.”
Nov 08 2008
What to eat in Brussels
So, I went to Brussels for the frites with mayo and the chocolate… (well, at least that is the part I can blog about… and on a personal level that was definitely what I was doing there)… and they were divine, to say the least. But so, too was some of the other stuff. So, here are some recommendations:
Chocolate: Nevermind the Godiva and the Neuhaus or even the Leonidas (yes, all Belgian brands)… try the Marcolini, the Wittamer and the Corné Port-Royal. You can find most of this stuff in the Place du Grand Sablon, which seems to be *the* place to buy chocolates in Brussels. the one stop chocolate shopping square!
Other Foods: I had dinner one night at the Belga Queen, which was yummy and divine & interestingly laid out in a former bank. The waiters uniforms were a bit odd (hello battleship galactica?!) and the bathroom was co-ed which was a cool novelty, but bizzare, too. Definitely a great place to eat for visitors to Belgium. Even I like some of the Belgian beers (I took a particular shine to the Peche Mort Subite). Oh, and… I had some yummy Italian (homemade noodles) and even Indian food within a few blocks of my hotel (a convenient stones throw away from the EC building but I wouldn’t recommend staying there if you are there for pure tourism).
Nov 05 2008
Duty Free
In the last few years I’ve noticed that Duty Free, esp. in European airports, has gone upscale. Nevermind the duty free part, they want you to buy Gucci. So, I knew going into Heathrow Terminal 3 last week that I was going to lay down some bucks (and I did). But I also learned that Duty Free is also an opportunity to get one hooked on luxury goods you wouldn’t otherwise even glance at.
How? you ask?
Well, just outside the main duty free in Heathrow Terminal 3 (which btw is craftily designed so that you have to walk through it to get to your flight), there is a Jo Malone Shop. Now, I am not up on luxury items like I should be, but I was drawn to this shop. And halfway accross the Atlantic Ocean I decided that I really kind of like the Lime and Cedar perfume I had sprayed on my hand. Subtle yet magical.
So, I look it up online when I land. And the small [read: tiny] bottle costs a whopping C$55. So now i have this dilemma. Fancy perfume? Or Sanity?
May 18 2008
Maputo, Mozambique
The blog hiatus might have tipped you off that I’ve been on the road again. This time I was at a conference in Mozambique. (all shared photos here)
May 13 2008
How much is that doggie in the overhead bin?
On my flight home, a fellow passenger brought her lap dog in one of those dog purses. The stewardesses insisted on putting it in an overhead bin for take off and landing, which resulted the bin above my head yalping a lot. (obviously I was not on Air Canada, which insists on putting all animals in the hold nowadays)
There were also tense scenes when the fellow passenger decided doggie was cold and needed to be taken out of dog purse, wrapped in an airline blanket, and held like a baby. The stewardesses had to remind the fellow passenger of airline rules, the passenger said, “It’s not a dog, it’s a baby!”, the stewardess was reticent and explained the problem with allergies.
My seatmate said that yalping doggies are better than screaming kids, but I dunno. I’d rather have peace and quiet either way.
Apr 21 2008
Folding.
Faced with another second 3/4 round the world return flight, I can think of only one thing…
I need a iphone iPod.
Apr 19 2008
Istanbul in the Spring
I returned from Istanbul the other day. There wasn’t much free time, and I was only there for a few days, but I did make time to see the Blue Mosque and enjoy the last half of an unseasonably hot spring day on my arrival.
I liked the way they have a Tulip Festival, too. Earlier than Ottawa’s by almost 2 months, but really nice nonetheless.
Check out my other photos by clicking here