Month: December 2014

A December Day Out in Oxford

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
It’s another end of the year meet up with Miss Rock! Is it strange that I only meet up with her once a year? Mmmmm nah, I think it’s good for us otherwise we’ll be spending a lot on travelling around the UK and doing loads and loads of walking as we do every year.
This year we ended up going to Oxford after debating whether to go to the British Museum or Greenwich and with weather permitting. We didn’t go on the Saturday as planned as it was cloudy and cold as predicted by the weather peeps (that’s when I ended up watching an emotional ending to The Hobbit T_T) . Sunday 28th was just a perfect sunny day and it lasted throughout the whole day. (^_^)v Both Miss Rock and I have been to Oxford when we were young but I was a baby and Miss Rock was 6 years old and we both don’t have many memories of the area… 
Off we trekked to Paddington Station, bought our train tickets for £24.20 each (the off peak ones), and then continued to catch up with a whole years gossip (not the entire year, but you know what I mean)… Whilst we were waiting, we unfortunately encountered a person having an epileptic fit. I think people didn’t know what to do and started crowding around… the gentleman recovered a bit but wobbled about. 😦

Anyway, back to the trip! As soon as our platform number was announced it was time to rush to the train (more like run) as a lot of people were heading for the same train! OMG!
We spent over an hour on the train and gossiped a bit more and finally we arrived at Oxford Train Station. We asked how to get to the town centre (plus got a free map) and all you have to do is turn right out of the station, cross the road and go straight. Not far. But instead of going to the town centre first we headed for the canals (as I saw the sign ‘canals’ and I love canals). 

The path wasn’t well signed from the station and Miss Rock decided we should follow the bike path and so we did and found more ‘canal’ signs indicating the way.
Finally we saw the Oxford Canal and walked in one direction and back for a good long hour or so. It is a little damp on the pathway so watch out! 

As you walk along the canal you will see a lot of graffiti on the wall (which I didn’t take pictures of)… Hmm maybe street artists should flock here for one day instead. Just saying! ¬_¬” I took a lot of pictures, so please keep scrolling… (๑>ᴗ<๑)

It was a nice walk and we saw a lot of interesting back garden patios… I wonder what happens when the canals become flooded or frozen… Curiosity strikes!
Now it was time to head to the city centre area. It was a tiny walk from the station and finally we used our free maps for bus tour guides and made our way towards Christ Church and the colleges of Oxford. The colleges are pretty much close together, so you won’t miss much if you pass them without knowing…

Oxford is named after an ox

We got to Christ Church and we saw the lovely buildings and surrounding scenery.

We squished our way through the iron bar gates (you really have to be a bit skinny to pass them) and headed around the Botanical Gardens, but of course you need to pay to go and have a look. I think I’ll stick to Kew Gardens or the Eden Project thanks. ¬_¬”

We looked at this school which is near the Botanical Gardens and we thought it looked quite scary for a school and it looked something like a building you would see in Harry Potter.

Then Miss Rock and I headed back to Christ Church and took a long walk around Christ Church Meadow… It was a long walk and the sun was about to set.

We didn’t go into Christ Church College as you had to pay, so the walk was worth it!

We headed back into town and I think I was starving, that serves me right for not getting up early enough to eat breakfast and I only had a Wispa bar before the long walk.

But before we went to eat we stopped by the Covered Market. Most of the shops were closed but fortunately there was a shop that Miss Rock liked and bought a hold all bag from there (for travelling she said). Whilst she was debating whether to buy it or not buy it,  I took some pictures of cakes from the wedding cake shop opposite. Heheh. I love cake!

Finally it was time to eat and so we stopped by at Pizza Hut on High Street… we both had the meal deal (£13.95 each) and somehow I was full after eating two bowls of salad, a small deep pan pizza and a chocolate cake. I didn’t eat after that! So full. Service was strange but we had a good waitress!

We walked back to the station after the food and being extremely full…

Miss Rock said I was power walking… really? That’s how I normally walk when it’s freezing cold. I could hear Miss Rock was out of breath. Anyway we made it in time for the fast train back into London, found Paddington Bear and I was home before 8pm!

Hope to go to another place next year… I’m opting for Cambridge (haven’t been there since I was 10)!

Paddington Bear Hunt

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
I love Paddington Bear but after my Japan trip I was too tired to go out and find them all… However I did find a few (a very small few), some just of the blue and I was just at that point when I didn’t really want to write about them, but I am today since I found the original design at Paddington Station with Miss Rock on our return home from Oxford.
The hunt finishes today on December 30th and I only found 5 out of the 50. I think that’s enough for this blogpost right? (I’m one tired geek here! Cut me some slack!).
Here’s the five I found…
Rainbow in Covent Garden, there was another one Covent Garden but I didn’t go looking for it.
Rainbow
Blush in Leicester Square.
Blush
Paddington Lloyd Webber in China Town
Paddington Lloyd Webber

Wonders of the World at London Bridge Station
Wonders of the World
And finally Paddington in Paddington Station. Didn’t go out of Paddington Station to find the others. It was long day spent in Oxford!
Paddington

Not. So. Fast! I actually did manage to do a power walk yesterday after work (in my work clothes) and found two more. It’s hard finding them at night. I even went into Horse Guards Parade and couldn’t see the one there in the dark. Couldn’t find the one in Pall Mall or Whitehall so I took a bus to Waterloo from Westminster and found one more… *PUFF* Lots of tourists about and so I had to walk pass them all. ¬_¬””
Paddington The Explorer found in Piccadily Circus.
Paddington The Explorer
Fragile in Blackfriars… I seemed to have missed the one by The Globe. 😦
Fragile
7 out of 50 bears may not be a lot but worth the power walk! 

End of Year 3D Origami: Part 3 – Frozen

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Oh dear. I’m not sure how I ended up making the Frozen characters.

I originally started off with Olaf during one of my meetings. It was going to be a long and boring one and so I had to make do with some white scrap paper and do something.

Olaf – I finished Olaf after work one day and thought he was so cute!! This is actually the second version of him, the original one has loads of superglue on its side as I tried to add the feet on.

Elsa – So as soon as I finished Tom and Jerry my colleague really wanted me to start making Elsa (and she also wanted the Olaf above). These are going to be birthday gifts. Material for the drape of the dress was not that hard to find in East Street Market (it was quite cheap too), but I think I might need to make more of her to use up the rest of the material. I bought a meter of material!

Anna – And finally I made Anna. But I think no one likes her. Everyone likes Elsa. ¬,¬”” Strange. I think she’s quite pretty here. 

I was quite busy on Christmas Day. I spent a good 4 to 5 hours of my day creating another Elsa and my third Olaf (another present it seems)! Such a hard working geek working on Christmas Day. Even packaged these in cellophane to save my friend/colleague from having to wrap it all.

Just remembered I actually have lots of models to make next year which I promised to make for some people this year! Sigh. It’s back to work.

End of Year 3D Origami: Part 2 – More Cute Characters & Mourhino

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Fact: Did you know that 3D origami is originally Chinese and is also known as Golden Venture Folding as it was popularized by some illegal Chinese immigrants who were aboard a ship called Golden Venture which was heading to the USA. Think I need to make a swan!
All of the following pieces are all for my colleagues. They just love to give me a really hard challenge. 
Elephant – this was a hard design, I had a look at other people’s designs and just came up with this one. It was my best effort since making the lion! ^_^ I hope Mrs Jewelry likes it!!

Minion – the person who bought the Family Guy set wanted a minion for his partner and so I created this really cute minion. ʘ‿ʘ

This minion is heading for a safari…

José Mourhino – Mrs Jewelry keeps asking for more and she really wanted a sports player. Well she wanted José Mourhino in a Chelsea football suit. Hmmm. It doesn’t look like him though. I tried. ¬,¬”

Pumpkin – Before I went to Japan, I made this pumpkin as it was Halloween. There’s no point taking pictures of the sides and back since it’s all the same colour and no change in patterns. ｡｡(ﾉ´д)ﾉ

Santa Claus – Mrs Hen wanted a big Santa Claus for her living room, so I spent one Friday evening… maybe a good 5 to 6 hours. Such hard work making him!! Even given him an empty brown sack.

Had to make another Batman for Master H as Miss Pinky destroyed the one I made for him a few months ago! Geez Miss Pinky!!!!

One colleague of mine who just came back from maternity leave asked if I could make Tom and Jerry for her son for Christmas and I said I would try… It was hard work making their faces. I cheated on Jerry’s face… They are not my greatest designs…

Tom 

Jerry

Have a few more designs to show, so come back!!

End of Year 3D Origami: Part 1 – Justice League

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
3D origami has been so popular for me this year. It’s just been incredible making all these characters with glue, paper, pipe cleaners, card and bits n bobs from Poundland, Paperchase and other stationary shops. My friends and colleagues just keep coming back for more and I think I’ll be making more new designs next year. Just need to bang my head against the wall first thing on New Year’s Day because I don’t know why I didn’t stop. Damn you friends and colleagues! (⑉･̆⌓･̆⑉)

First bunch here is the rest of the Justice League for Master H (he hasn’t paid me yet and owes me all his pocket money, wahahahahaha)! He loves these characters and I think he told Miss Pinky to make them a long time ago. I’ve already made Batman and Superman and those are in my previous posts.

Captain America – Can’t help calling Captain America in an American deep voice… I think I got it from the film or cartoon.

Captain America’s Shield

Green Lantern – Didn’t have a green ring so I coloured it in on one of the hands. His right hand.

Flash – The theme song of The Flash (Flash a aaaaa… that one) is not the theme song for this character. My brother told me off. ¬_¬””

Martian Manhunter – Never knew this martian was part of the Justice League!

Aquaman – You can’t see his eyes because I used light blue paper and I pictured this with a flash.

Wonder Woman – Here I used strips of black paper, curled it with my scissors and stuck them on the back of her head.

Come back to see more! (^_^)v

Auchan Chocolat – Limited Edition Flavours

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Ah, I didn’t get to Marseille this year in the summer like I wanted to, but that doesn’t matter because I got a present from Mr and Mrs Travels. Chocolate and a turquoise wrap-around scarf!
I received 3 bars of chocolate but I’m only going to blog about 2 of them as these ones are limited editions from the French company Auchan.
Auchan Chocolat
Lait framboise crêpe dentelle means “lacy pancake raspberry milk” basically Raspberry Crepe.
Lait framboise crêpe dentelle

Once opened it has a strong smell of raspberries. 

It’s not very sweet but you can taste the raspberries. It has some crunchiness in it which I assume is the crepe. The chocolate is not overpoweringly sweet and blends in quite well with the rest of the flavours. A very fruity type of chocolate flavour. Practically half way through the bar. But will save some for tomorrow. 🙂

Noir aux pepites saveur violettes means “black violet flavor nuggets” but it just means dark chocolate with violet flavour.
Noir aux pepites saveur violettes

No overpowering sweet violet smell but you can smell it if you sniff it directly. 

t’s dark chocolate. Had to wash my mouth with coffee first before starting on this one. It’s not very sweet but has a violet taste to it with a slight hint of sourness. Some dark chocolates are great but this one is not my favourite.

I might have to share this out with other people…

Out of the two I prefer the raspberry one. Suits my sweet tooth. Thank you Mr and Mrs Travels. 😉

Hutong 胡同 @The Shard – London

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Happy Christmas to everyone and to all of those working today!!
It’s been an almost quiet week at work and I think one deserves to go to a posh dining restaurant to chill, relax and enjoy the view from The Shard.
Yesterday I went out with Miss Posh as a get together before the end of the year. I think I reserved my table in September as there were no tables to book for anytime earlier. Tables sell like hotcakes at The Shard, so make sure you pre-book everything if you’re wanting a nice table by the window.
I got to London Bridge and decided to have a tiny walk around before Miss Posh got there. But anyway I had to go into the restaurant by myself… I practically got lost trying to find the right entrance to Hutong! XD
Guess where the entrance is!
Hutong is on the 33rd Floor in The Shard but you actually get a lift up to the 32nd floor and then there’s a bit of walking up some stairs.

The meaning of Hutong 胡同  is “alley” or a “neighbourhood” and are commonly found in Beijing. I only see them in films and Chinese dramas. ^_^

When I got there I was seated straight away and then given a menu later. Miss Posh was late. Thankfully I went straight from work! I had a browse through the menu and had decided what I wanted… I kept sms-ing Miss Posh, and finally in the end I ordered my food plus a gin and tonic in the meantime. 
My starter came out first. Pork slices and cucumber with some spicy hoisin sauce. Blimey! The hoisin sauce was good. I was starving so I had a few. I was actually choking as I was inhaling the sauce and I still have a cold. But this is definitely good stuff. I could have more of these. 
Thinly-cut pork belly with cucumber slices
Sorry for the darkness… but the dip was good!

Yummy!!!!
Finally Miss Posh arrived. We moved seats to be closer to the window and I managed to break a wine glass with my bag. Oh dear. Thankfully I didn’t need to pay for the glass! Phew. And she ordered some more food.
Here’s the rest of the food we had…
This is Hutong’s Spicy Fried Rice. For Northern Chinese food, this is quite spicy! But I did like it as it tasted like sticky rice, something what my dad would make in Hakka style.
Hutong’s Spicy Fried Rice

Fried noodles with Seasonal Vegetables was unusual. It tasted like udon or thick spaghetti. Tasted like it was cooked in a light tomato sauce but not sure. Wish there a bit more seasonal vegetables in there but nevermind.

Fried noodles with Seasonal Vegetables

Spicy Minced Pork Dumplings were great! I think it didn’t need to be dipped into any sauces and eating it plain was good. I couldn’t taste the spiciness but it was good stuff. I recommend this!

Spicy Minced Pork Dumplings

 Here’s our food…

Our food

In the end we ordered Jasmine tea. Good stuff. It gets quite strong when brewed for too long. Not sure if they are allowed to top this up with hot water.

Having jasmine tea

Jasmine Tea

Total cost came to £75.38 including water and a pineapple juice. I think they forgot to charge for the tea. But that might just be a Christmas gift for us (I hope that was the case!). Expensive but worth it! I’ve heard some people have spent more than this! Well, it does cost around £30 to go to the top of The Shard anyway. 

The bill
Went to the Ladies afterwards, and I was amazed!! I took some pictures of the view as well as the sink area… I love the tap. Looks like they really took great care of the design of the restaurant and toilet area. 
View from the Ladies

Sorry for wasting water

They provide towels to wipe your hands!! Wow
Might not be a posh geek but at least I tried to be. ^_^ LOL!!

My geeky rating: 4.5/5
Good points: 
– Great night view from the window
– Service is polite and good
– Dumplings taste good
– Beautiful Ladies room!! You can get a view from there if you don’t sit by the window
Bad points:
– A bit expensive – but of course this place is for top diners and for those who can afford it!!
– Reserving a table will take forever
– Service charge

Address: Level 33, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RY
Telephone: 020 3011 1257

International Christmas Adverts 2014 – Part 2

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
And the Christmas adverts continue… This is how much I found this December. Not as much as I had hoped for, but it’s good enough for this post. ^_^
Canada – WestJet Christmas Miracle: Spirit of Giving
Firstly, I’m starting off with Canada. WestJet are back with another “giving” ad but this time they’re in the Dominican Republic, in a small village. This time they have a TV screen in the middle of town and throughout the day the villagers and children went to say what they wanted for Christmas. On the next day the WestJet team set out to buy all the Christmas gifts. By the third day they all got their gifts… And what surprised was at towards the end when they brought out the horse for the man who had a horse carriage that needed fixing. Oh, that made me cry. Love WestJet!! 😀 Hope they make another one next year!
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/p-BKX3G0BpQ&source=uds

Spain – Anuncio Lotería Navidad 2014

Ah Spanish Lottery never disappoints. This year we’re shown a man who didn’t buy his numbers but his friend who owned a bar did the buy the numbers and won. The man went to the bar to congratulate his friend and asked for a coffee. He asked how much was the coffee. The friend said €21 (seriously I would not buy a coffee for €21!) but what he meant was €1 for the coffee and €20 for the extra lottery ticket he bought for him. Oooooo. Such a sweet, sweet friend. I wished I had a friend who bought me a lottery ticket and won it. All that money. ^_^ p.s. It does snow in Spain – I’ve been told.
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/ei-_M_3aTyI&source=uds

Hong Kong – 2014聖誕 3D推拿腳肌廣告(3D foot massage muscle)

Another slightly lame Christmas advert from Hong Kong. They always are. If you didn’t know what the ad was about you would think this advert was going to be a very sweet ad about, I don’t know, caring about your grandfather by taking them out to China or sharing chocolates with them… something like that, but it actually ends with a foot muscle massage machine. Seriously. A massage machine for feet. I would’ve gone for a whole body chair massage machine. ¬,¬”
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/l4Ns51dcD-g&source=uds

Czech – Tchibo Vánoční reklama 2014

Ok, you need to guess who Tchibo are. No reading to the end of this paragraph. In this Czech advert a family are out playing in the snow and the boy threw a snowball at a window where an old man was standing. The old man was not impressed. From then on the young boy tried to engage with him but I think he was too afraid to even say a word to him. In the end the young boy made a gingerbread man (I think) in the shape of the old man and went down to his neighbour to give it him. It seemed they got along after that. Now what is Tchibo (can’t remember if I’ve blogged about them before)? They are a German coffee company. Yep that’s right. And they actually sell clothing and household items. I’ve not come actually come across a coffee company to do this sort of thing. Anything goes in Germany!
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1UM3qNkkYGU&source=uds

Czech – Chance – Vánoce (reklama s Petrem Čtvrtníčkem) 

Here’s another Czech advert. Didn’t know what type of company Chance is. It’s a betting shop in the Czech Republic. Hah! ¬,¬” This advert is quite funny when I saw it I had no idea what these bunch of old men were doing. Opening gifts that looked weird, false teeth, football and something that looked naughty but not sure what it is. Then another old man just starts blowing a whistle… and then you kind of guess what it’s about. Betting for football and all sorts.
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/HEE_ZG0AIDY&source=uds

Denmark – Post Danmark – Julekortet 1 – #DetErDetNye (Christmas card 1 – # AreTheNew)

Seriously, what is it with the Danish sense of humour?! I still don’t get it. You show me any Danish advert and I kind of look not amused. 
Here’s a series of adverts from Post Denmark (the post office). They’re trying to encourage the young Danish to send people Christmas cards rather than sending a cheap email. So these three Danish men are set to make ideas for their Christmas cards. It’s a little hilarious when you reach the second advert… Hah!! 
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/PZEDODFGk7Q&source=uds
Post Danmark – Julekortet 2 – #FuckHvorNice (Christmas card 2 – #FuckHowNice) 
Er, the Danish seem to like to swear!! But you will love this advert!! Heheheh. It’s so funny.
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/pxBe2V_WR8I&source=uds
Post Danmark – Julekortet 3 – #SomAtCykleEnSMS (Post Denmark – Christmas card 3 – #SomToCycleASMS)

I have no idea what this one is about but I think it’s about SMSing…

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/YYysnPmTKY8&source=uds
Estonia – EMT ja Elioni Jõulud

I believe EMT and Elioni are a telecoms company in Estonia. This is quite a sweet advert of families coming together during Christmas. You really wouldn’t think this was a telecoms advert until they start using a Samsung phone and notebook. ¬,¬” A pretty advert.
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Pz9xtPfCprE&source=uds
Finland – ITIS JOULU 2014 30ec

We have another shopping mall advert. Finnish style. It’s very simple and it’s just like a classic advert that we have seen in the past. I actually like it. Surprising. The best bit for me is when Santa Claus changes into normal clothes when he passes a pillar. Very classic indeed! 
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/zCEHHAku4rk&source=uds
Iceland – Jólakveðja TM 2014

Please guess who TM are. ¬,¬” I giggled when I found out. TM are an insurance company in Iceland and I never knew they would do this type of advert. The choral singers are really good and it makes you kind of sway and want to join in. They go door-to-door like how an insurance person would when they’re trying to make it big. Heheheh. A nice Christmasy advert but I wouldn’t being buying my insurance with some choral singers unfortunately.
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/xA2mExoO-zI&source=uds
Japan – サッポロファクトリー HAPPINESS SHOT! 　～撮って、シェアする、クリスマス～ (The Sapporo Factory HAPPINESS SHOT! Take ~, to share, Christmas ~)
This Japanese advert is a pretty advert from Sapporo Factory, a shopping complex. It was like watching a short movie in the space of  2 minutes and 18 seconds. Two young girls take a picture together which is then suddenly posted on a big screen. One of the girl’s father takes a picture of her on the big screen and decides that she should go and do some modelling. She does the shoot and one of the pictures makes the cover of a magazine. She is then head hunted by an agency and does some acting. After six months she became famous and won an award! Is that even possible. Yes it is. So go and take a “Happiness Shot” in Sapporo Factory and you could be famous too. 🙂
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/UBt5HR_BlD4&source=uds
Korea – EXO-K_백현편_OPEN YOUR ICE CREAM CAKE_배스킨라빈스_X-MAS CF 
A-ha! Baskin Robbins are back with another ice cream cake for Christmas. I have yet to try out Baskin Robbins as they’ve opened several stores in London. Baskin Robbins seems to be more popular in Korea than in the USA where it originated from. Anyway, here we have some members of EXO-K, a very popular young Korean boy band (similar to Super Junior), who are advertising for ice cream cakes. I wouldn’t mind a bite of each of their cakes right now. Slurp. Yum! 
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/bbcRUgTwkUc&source=uds
Brazil – Natal Avon – Uma Homenagem a Elas (Christmas Avon – A Tribute to They)
This is the first time I’ve seen a foreign Avon advert! This one’s about giving gifts to your loved one. Not just any gift. An Avon gift. That’s right, Avon. Who hasn’t shopped from Avon? I have and Miss Pinky and Mrs Hen just love Avon. We should all just have an Avon Christmas!!
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/jGxBzHPztOo&source=uds
Slovakia – Zakázaná Česká reklama T-Mobile 2014

This T-Mobile advert from Slovakia is quite funny. It tells you the importance of going to a store and not some cheapskate who disappears into thin air after they sell you a dodgy phone. Be careful of scandals and fake phones!!
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QBu6UyzPdHA&source=uds
Turkey – Cardfinans Noel Baba Yılbaşı Hediyesi Reklamı (CardFinans Santa Claus Christmas Present Ad)
And lastly this is an advert from Turkey. Santa Claus seems to be lost and wants to cheer up people and take the gifts away from the people. That seems so wrong. And when he starts talking to a young lady about credit cards, I think what!! Then the kids start GIVING Santa their gifts. What?!! It’s craaaazy. What kind of advert is this?!! So weird. The weirdest out of all the ones I have shown this year!
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/fk4eiyQYxRM&source=uds
The Danish and Japanese adverts are my favourite International Christmas adverts this year. I hope to see more next year. ^___^

Hope you’ve all enjoyed all the Christmas adverts this year. This is the last blogpost of Christmas adverts for 2013! No more Christmas adverts until next year please!!! 

Work Christmas Parties 2014 @The Crooked Well and @Work

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Unfortunately this year my teams didn’t go into great lengths to organise a great venue for me to blog about this year…
So here’s a just a round up of only two parties (mainly the food). One in a pub in Camberwell and one at my work place. Hohoho.
The pub we went into is called The Crooked Well which is hidden in the back streets of Camberwell. I think those who work around the area or know the area so well would be able to find it. The pub is Michelin recommended. I can see why. It is quite posh compared to the rough edges of urban Camberwell.

The Crooked Well

We ended up being upstairs I thought we would be downstairs eating fancy dinners, but that was not the case… we ended up being upstairs eating buffet like food…

Sausage rolls

Fried squid – fancy calamari really (my favourite)

BBQ chicken

Cous cous … I think I like Mrs Travels version

There was double amounts of this

My flash stopped working here… didn’t like the fish cakes

Here I go again with the chandeliers…!

Pub nice. Food ok but fish cakes were a bit sloppy and I didn’t try out the coucous. Need to bring your own phone with music though. And I was a little tipsy afterwards but managed to get home in the light rain. ^_^

My geeky rating: 4/5
Address: 16 Grove Lane, London SE5 8SY
Telephone: 020 7252 7798

Website: http://thecrookedwell.com/

Good points: 
– Local and posh looking
– Ok food

Bad points:
– Sloppy fish cakes
– Bar upstairs needs a bit of looking into… (as in a little more renovation to save the staff coming and down those stairs)

***
My next work party ended up being at work! And it was almost like having an Italian Christmas as we had so much home cooked Italian food. Heheh. It was good stuff and we laughed a lot more than we should have done. ^_^ Never got drunk but was thankfully stuffed with food. (There was actually more food than what I’ve pictured. But none of us could finish it!).

Parmigiana – aubergine lasagne

An Italian pie

Everyone enjoyed this one!

Forgot what this is called but it’s like a giant Scotch Egg

Sorry for my messy plate! My colleague forgot to add potatoes in!

And for dessert, all the cakes and cheesecake came from… Sainsbury’s! ^_^ Loved the blueberry cheesecake. Need to buy one for Christmas Day methinks.

Blueberry cheesecake

Trifle

I enjoyed myself at both parties! 

p.s. Was dragged to my old department’s Christmas party yesterday and I have another one to go! Oh the joys of Christmas at work!

Wing Yip Supermarket Cricklewood, Edgware Road

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
This is not a Christmas post but I’m becoming bored of adverts at the moment, so a change for a small time being before the ads start charging back in.
I’ve been to the Wing Yip in Purley but I think it was about time I went to their other store in another part of London. So I went with MummyGeek going from mid-south to the north. 
Google Maps suggested we take this route from Kennington Station to Waterloo Station then change for the Jubilee Line up to Willesden Green, then finally catch the 266 bus, count 8 stops and get off at Humber Road. That was actually an easy route. It just took about over an hour to get there.
You can’t really miss this place as there’s a big pagoda right at the front of the street.
Wing Yip Cricklewood, Edgware Road
Massive pagoda

So MummyGeek and I went around. Be careful of the traffic as there’s a parking lot outside and one on the side of the supermarket section.

Be careful of the parking lot!

This Wing Yip is probably one of the busiest, busier than the Purley based one! Many people go just to yum cha or stocking up for their restaurants. It’s just busy. 
Santa and his pumpkin (which will turn into reindeer at night – joking!)

Items are definitely cheaper there than in China Town, but I do prefer China Town as it’s more convenient, more restaurants and more choice really.

They sell DURIAN COFFEE!! YEEK!!

An easy way of making loads of bubble tea

If you’re lucky you might be able to try out food. MummyGeek and I were quite lucky to try out some dumplings and we got packets as it was buy 3 bags and get 1 free, all different flavours of course. My brother Mr Stingy went there the next day and he didn’t get to try out any food. Heheheh ^_^.

Food tasting ^_____________^

Within the supermarket there is also a cute store called Fortune Stars 星城工藝, but this one is not as big as the one in Purley Way and it doesn’t have many things that I liked. 

Cute Store – Fortune Stars

Next door there is an electrical store, so for restaurants and those looking for good cookers, it’s a place to look into.

Electrical appliances store – more cookware

I didn’t get to see the bakery – probably hidden away near the restaurants…!

The pagoda area is I believe the businesses like travel agencies etc., but they were closed on the day we went. It was a Sunday we went!
Massive pagoda!!

On returning we went a different route. We took the number 32 bus to Edgware (I didn’t realise it’s so far from Wing Yip!) and then we took the tube back to Kennington. Such a long journey back, but worth it. ^_^

Buses to get to the store

Between both stores, Mr Stingy and I vote for Wing Yip in Purley as the best out of the two. Mr Stingy said people in the Croydon area are friendlier. I vote for the Purley store because their cute store is bigger! ¬,¬”

Address: 395 Edgware Rd, Cricklewood, London NW2 6LN

Nearest Tube stations: Brent Cross, Willesden Green and Edgware
Buses: 32, 266, 632 and N16

Website 1: https://wingyipstore.co.uk/ – for online shopping
Website 2: http://www.wingyip.com/ – for more info