Today, I’m Tardis blue. Found out early this morning that Matt Smith will be hanging up his fez, taking off his bow-tie and bidding us adieu at the end of this year. The last we’ll see of him is in the Christmas special where he’ll regenerate into the 12th doctor. And of course, we’ll also be seeing him in the hotly anticipated Doctor Who 50th anniversary special on 23rd November. Matt Smith has played the role of the eleventh doctor since 2010. He is and will always be my favorite doctor. Matt Smith, you’ll be sorely missed. The twelfth doctor will have some enormous shoes to fill.
Jane Austen in June!
About a month ago, I decided to watch all the film and TV adaptations of all of Jane Austen’s novels. Jane Austen is one of all-time favorite authors and it was a source of great shame to me that I had barely watched any of the dramatizations. So, I got myself both the versions that were made in the mid-nineties and the fairly recent ones. Within the coming weeks, I will write about each adaptation and where there are two, I will try and compare between the two versions. I hope you will like them and I would love to hear which versions you’ve watched and what you thought about it, so feel free to give me your two-cents. :-)
And I splurged on: Daniel Wellington, Classic Oxford Lady
I have been following Sara du Jour on tumblr for quite sometime now. I love her impeccable, feminine style, but emulate it, I cannot. Most of the time, I wistfully look over her purchases and wish I had been blessed with that kind of style sense. But I digress. ;D A few weeks ago she posted about a new purchase, a Classic Oxford Lady by Daniel Wellington, that I just could not look away from. I had been meaning to buy a watch for quite sometime now and I had never heard of Daniel Wellington before then, so I visited their site and oh my, what a wondrous collection of watches! For both men and women. They all had just that right amount of preppy, laid-back elegance that I love. Now, if you have been following me for sometime, you’d know that I acquired an internship with Microsoft back in November, so thankfully had some money saved up that way. And it’s a good thing too. These watches are not cheap. They’re pretty and they cost a pretty penny too. After a lot of deliberating, I plucked up the courage and ordered the same that Sara got, Classic Oxford Lady in rose gold. I have to say she helped me decide which one to get. I am absolutely terrible when it comes to deciding between things. ;-D
The great thing about Daniel Wellington is that they ship worldwide from Sweden, where they are based, so I didn’t have to get it from Amazon (which would have set me back about twice the amount, by the way). And I got a neat discount after I signed up on their site. The watch arrived in exactly 12 weekdays after I made the purchase, just like it says on the website. (I love these guys!)
Snappy case, isn’t it?
And this is what was inside…
Please do excuse the horrendous quality of my pictures.
And lastly,
A beauty, isn’t she? I could have never not bought her.
The thing I love about this watch is the nato strap, instead of your regular leather strap. Interesting tid-bit about the nato strap: During WWII, Royal Navy divers used to wear them over their wet suits to prevent rusting. But of course, being an Anglophile, the absolute best thing about DW watches is how each watch is intimately tied to the British isles.
Yes, the price was an issue but like Sara so rightly put it, a good quality watch is an investment. ;-)
So, if you fancy this watch or would like to take a look at the others in their fab collection, head on over to their site. I absolutely swear by DW now. I shall be buying from them again, perhaps this. But it has to wait a few more months. :-D
Volunteered at the Booksessed Bahrain used books fair today AND came away with an armful of books. Feeling very pleased with myself.
I’m Volunteering Again!
Absolutely jazzed to be volunteering again. My last stint was in June/July last year, where I was teaching kids at summer camp. This time it’s even better. I’ll be helping out with Booksessed Bahrain, a used books sale! And in Bahrain too! Don’t have many of those happening here. I’m so looking forward to this. Books are my one true love. And nothing can be better than to be selling folks books (a la Kathleen Kelly in ‘You’ve Got Mail’. And THAT’S one of my all-time favorite movies!). The fair will be this Friday and Saturday (weekend in Bahrain), at Seef Mall. And it starts at 10 am in the morning and finishes at 9 pm. If you are in Bahrain and would like to come check out some books, you’ll find us between Cafe Italia and Zara.
Date A Girl Who Travels
Date a girl who travels. Date a girl who would rather save up for out of town trips or day trips than buy new shoes or clothes. She may not look like a fashion plate, but behind that tanned and freckled face from all the days out in the sun, lies a mind than can take you places and an open heart that will take your for what you are, not for what you can be.
Date a girl who travels. You’ll recognize her by the backpack she always carries. She won’t be carrying a dainty handbag, where will she put her travel journal, her pens and the LED flashlight that’s always attached to her bag’s zipper? In a small purse, how can she bring the small coil of travel string, the wet tissues, the box of cracker, and the bottle of water she’s always ready with, just in case something happens and she can’t go home yet.
Yes, a girl who travels knows that anytime, anything can happen and she just has to be prepared with it. Nothing takes her by surprise, she takes everything with equanimity, knowing that such things are always a part of life. She’s reliable and dependable, traits that she’s learned while on the road.
You’ll also recognize a girl who travels by the fact that she’s always amazed at the world around her, no matter if she’s in her hometown or in a place that’s totally new. She sees beauty all around her, not just the ones featured in travel guides or shown in postcards. A girl who travels has developed a deeper appreciation for life. She won’t judge you, or pressure you to do things you don’t want to do. She knows too much about the importance of identity and self-efficacy, and she will appreciate all the more if you won’t pretend to be who you’re not.
You can make mistakes with a girl who travels, and you can also be as idiosyncratic as you can be. Trust me, she has seen so much worse in her travels, and knows firsthand the vagaries of human nature.
Date a girl who travels, because when you’re with her, you’ll realize that even though she’s napped at a temple in Angkor Wat, went boating down the Mekong Delta, ran by the streets of Saigon, or went skinny-dipping in the caves in the Philippines, she still retains that humility that is the mark of a real traveler. She knows she’s been to a lot of places, but she’s humbled by the fact that the world is still a big places and she’s only seen a small part of it. Seeing this in her can make you feel all right with yourself too; there’s no need for you to do more, to be more. What you are is enough.
When you meet a girl who travels, ask her where she’s been and what she’s going to do next. She will appreciate your interest, and if you’re lucky, she may even invite you to join her. When she does, do. Nothing bonds people better than travelling. On your tríp, you will both see each other’s best and worst characteristics, and you can then decide whether she’s worth fighting for.
It’s easy enough to date a girl who travels. She won’t want expensive gifts, you can buy her (or both of you) cheap ticket to Thailand for the weekend, and she’ll be more than happy to take you to the longest wooden bridge in the country. You don’t even have to go overseas, you can take her out on day trips, caving or hiking, or treat her to a full body massage.
You can also buy her the little things that she keeps forgeting to buy for herself; that carabiner that will attach her backpack to her seat so that she will feel easier about sleeping on her bus trip, or a backpack cover, a small alarm clock, a money belt, or many another sarong that will replace the one she lost in China.
She won’t mind if you get lost on your way to a date. She knows that often times, the journey is more important than the destination. She will help you see the lighter side of things. She’ll walk along with you, not behind you, pointing out the interesting bits of things you’ll see on the way. Before long, you’ll realize that yes, the journey has been more memorable than the destination that you’ve planned to take her to.
Is a girl who travels worth it? Yes, she is. So when you find her, keep her. Don’t lose her with your insecurities and doubts. Because when she says she loves you, she really does. After all, she’s seen so many things, met so many people, and if she has chosen you, better grab that opportunity and thank the gods that you were lucky enough she’s chosen you and not that bloke she met while watching the sunrise in Angkor Wat, or while whitewater rafting in the Padas Gorge in Sabah.
If she says she loves you, she must have seen something in you, something that can always call her back from her travels, something that can anchor her to the world in the way that she wants to after weeks and months of being on the road.
Date a girl who travels. Make her feel safe, warm and secure. Make her believe that no matter where she goes, and however long she’s gone, you’ll always be there for her, the one that she can call home.
Find a girl who travels. Date her, love her. and marry her, and your world will never be the same again.
