Postcards from Malaysia

I'm home after an incredible two weeks in Malaysia and I still can't quite believe it has happened. It was my first time to Asia and south-east Asia is a region I've wanted to visit since I was 17. I was determined to take a gap year there but it never quite materialised. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't a gap year when I was younger. The older I'm getting the more I thought that I had missed my chance. That the ship had sailed for the chance for me to travel and see the world. But after this trip I realised that that type of travelling wasn't really for me. I feel like now I'm older I appreciate the world so much more than I would have back then. And also I've figured out I can only do sharing bathrooms and sleeping in rooms with no windows for no more than one night!

So Malaysia eh? What an utterly incredible country. It was so unlike anywhere else I have ever been before and I spent the entire 14 days just wandering around in awe, unable to believe just what I was seeing. I feel like it was a great introduction into south-east Asia. It is quite westernised in some parts but yet also quite unfamiliar so it wasn't too much of a culture shock. I'm really glad I decided to come here first before I explore more of the region. I feel like now I'm ready to explore more of the other countries.

We spent the first week doing a road trip with our friends and covered so much ground. Our friend drove over 1200km over six days so I feel like we literally saw the whole of the country. We visited Malacca, Ipoh, Fraser's Hill, Cameron Highlands, Kuala Lumper and spend time in their city of Seramban. It was mayhem but so much fun.

After they went back to school, Connor and I headed north and explored Georgetown and Langkawi. I really did feel we was away for months and I can't quite believe it was only two weeks.

I can't wait to write about it, I've got a lot to say! The food was absolutely insane, in fact I'm still dreaming about the Laksa now and dying to recreate it home in my kitchen. The culture blew my mind. Experiencing Chinese New Year really was one of the best things I've done. It was slightly annoying that everything we wanted to do was shut but it was so cool to experience it that I'd do it all over again. The scenery and architecture was stunning and my camera roll is filled to the brim with images of temples.

If you've ever had the slightly thought of visiting Malaysia then book those flights. It's a country you definitely have to see!

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#52recipes - numbers 1-5

So I mentioned earlier on in the years that my New Years resolution is to try 52 new recipes this year to help make me more adventurous in the kitchen and finally use those hundreds of cookbooks I have collected over the years. I said I would blog about them every time I had achieved five so here we are! I have mostly been cooking from Meera Sodha's Fresh India book and I'm obsessed. We're trying to eat more vegetarian food and for me, I find curries one of the most flavoursome ways to make vegetables taste good and not feel like I'm missing out by cutting meat out. So what have I rustled up in the kitchen so far?

1. BBC Food's Sage and Onion Stuffing Balls
My best friend did us Beef Wellington on New Years Day. I had some left over sausage meat in the fridge from Christmas so decided to attempt stuffing balls for the first time. They were so easy and so tasty! I'll never buy shop bought ones again.

2. Bengali Coconut Dahl from Fresh India
I've recently discovered an Indian/Caribbean mini supermarket in my town and have been obsessed with it. I've never seen so many types of lentils before! As a result I've been making a few dahls because I kinda went overboard with the lentil buying. I really enjoyed the hint of coconut and this made the perfect winter warmer dinner. It tasted even better the next day when we had the leftovers for lunch. Definitely one I'm going to make again.

3. Sally's Baking Addiction Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
I've made these twice now but the second time wasn't as good because I got distracted and left them in the oven so long. They tasted more like biscuits rather than cookies that time! I love Sally's blog, I could read it for hours. I was scrolling one day and realised I had all the ingredients in the house for these cookies so decided to take the plunge and attempt my first recipe. They spread more than I like but they tasted exactly like Millie's Cookies. They're very sweet thanks to the insane amount of sugar. But they're also very addictive!

4. Savoy Cabbage, Black Kale and Potato Subji from Fresh India
We've been after some lunch ideas for work other than a sandwich so I gave this one a whirl. This dry curry makes the perfect packed lunch! I really like potatoes in a curry, although to be fair I really like potatoes in any form. This was delicious to eat cold and warmed up in the microwave. I felt really good eating it thanks to the cabbage and the kale. Definitely felt like I was upping my vegetable intake! I'll make this one again for sure.

5. Aubergine and Pea Curry from Fresh India
Aubergines are one my favourite vegetables but Connor isn't as keen as me so I don't to eat them that often. We struggled to find some aubergines in Aldi so went to the grocers near our house. It turns out there is a shortage of them so we have to pay £7 for four. Not the cheapest curry I've ever made! I was hoping it would be worth the money and it was! We had it with naans for dinner then the leftovers for lunch the next day. I really enjoyed it and it reminded me of a samosa filling which isn't a bad thing!

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Restaurant review: Wing Stop, West End, central London

Give me a bucket of chicken wings and I'm happy as Larry. For something so simple its surprisingly easy to do them very wrong. Connor and I are obsessed with Wing Shack which you should definitely try if you're ever in Essex. A few weeks back the day see The Cursed Child had finally rolled around and we needed somewhere quick to stuff our faces before around the theatre. After a quick browse on Google maps I came across Wing Stop.

Wing Stop is an American fast food chain which started in Texas. They've just opened their first U.K branch in London on Shaftesbury Avenue. If you didn't already guess, the chain specialises in chicken wings and offers a variety of sides. We came hungry after having a small lunch at work so we could sample as much as we could handle!

We opted to try the spicy Korean Q along with the original in the chicken wings. So we could try a few other sauces, we shared some chicken tenders with blue cheese and honey-mustard dips. All finished off with the loaded fries smothered in buffalo and blue cheese sauce. The meat was tender and the fries were addictive. Whilst they wasn't the best chicken wings I've ever had, they hit the spot. They were never going to sensational as this is a fast food restaurant. But Wing stop is a great option if you're in a rush and need a quick bite to eat in the area.

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Five things I want to be better at in my fourth decade

So that's it. I'm 30! I feel like I've been waiting forever to reach it and am really excited to see what the next decade brings. I have a feeling it's going to be a corker! There's a few things I'd like to improve on to make myself a better person and nicer to those around me. Work on a better, improved me I suppose!

1. Educate myself more
I want to read and read and read. I want become better at knowing what is going on in the world around me. I want to learn more about Britain's dark history that we don't for some reason learn about in school. I want to understand politics more. I want to understand my white privilege better. I hope this will make me more compassionate, more understanding and more knowledgeable. I'd like to get out of the very lucky bubble I live in.

2. Make more time for those around me
Over the last year I've been really thinking about friendship, about the type of people I want to surround myself with. Turning 30 has made me feel so incredibly lucky to have such wonderful friends and family who went out of their way to make me feel loved. I want to make more time for them and be just as kind. I'm going to try and say yes to a lot more gatherings, have more evenings full of good wine and food and make more of an effort to keep in touch.

3. Be more present
It's so easy to be caught up in things when you lead a busy life and get distracted. I want to try and reduce my social media presence - although I'll never be able to give up Instagram! I'd like to be more reflective on things that go well in my life rather than dwell on the negative. Life is full of little joys so I'd like to spend more time finding these and appreciating them for what they are. It's not always about the big gestures!

4. Look after my body
I'm fully aware that I will never be as young as this again. It's about time I start looking after my body more. I'm a huge lover of junk food and a very lazy person. A combination which isn't the best! I want to be more mindful of the type of food I put into my body, I want to eat more vegetable and I want to move more. I don't think I'll ever be a slave to the gym but I do need to find something that keeps my heart rate up.

5. Listen more
I suppose this one also ties in with educating myself more. I want to listen to people more and truly understand the way they think, even if it's something that I don't agree with. I have the memory of a sieve which I think is down to me living too busy a life. So I want to take a step back and and really make an effort to engage with friends and family. Be the person who is always there to listen to them.

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30 things to do in my 30th year

Now I totally stole this from my BFF but I thought it was such a good idea! It can be little things you've always wanted to do but never got round to or it can be something big that you finally want to tick off your list. Connor and I both turn 30 in the same year so we decided to put our heads together and come up with a joint list with some things we can also do together. I've cheated on a few things as I have already booked them so I know I'm going to definitely tick them off but they've been on my bucket list for years.

1. Learn how to cook 52 new recipes.
This is my New Years resolution and I'm already three new recipes down so it is going well so far!

2. See the sun rise over the Grand Canyon.
We head out to Vegas in April and have booked an overnight trip at the Grand Canyon, where our lodge is only a ten minute walk away. You can bet I'll be waking everyone up at 4.30am to see the sun rise!

3.  Try Guinness in Ireland
We're heading over to Dublin to celebrate Connor's birthday in the summer. I've had Guinness in Belfast and Derry and much preferred it to drinking it here in England. But I've heard it's even better in Dublin!

4. Go to the cinema at least twice a month
We both have unlimited Cineworld cards but have neglected them recently as we've become a bit lazy. We only need to go twice a month to make them worthwhile. We both really enjoy the cinema but have just fallen out of the habit recently.

5. See the seals in Norfolk
For the last two years I've wanted to head up to Horsey to see the seal pups at Christmas time. But time always runs away with me and we never quite make it. But this year I want to tick it off the list!

6.  Go see a Shakespeare at The Globe theatre
I've been wanting to see a play the the Globe for years. They do £10 ticket deals so I've decided that this is the year I'm finally going to do it.

7. Cook a three course meal for each other
I want to challenge myself in the kitchen this year and my boyfriend rather enjoys cooking too  so I'd love to go all out on two evenings and create a three course meal.

8. Go for a picnic in Epping Forest
We live 10-15 away from Epping Forest, an absolutely huge forest straddling the border between Essex and London. I remember spending a lot of time riding bikes here and wandering as a kid but I very rarely make it back as an adult. I'd love to take more advantage of it as its right on my doorstep.

9. Have a gin cocktail evening
Last year I was lucky enough to be gifted a Sipsmith Sipping Society membership. Every few months I got two exclusive flavoured bottles of gin with information on what to use them in. I haven't used them yet as I wanted to have the right ingredients to enjoy the cocktails. This year I want to finally taste them!

10. Visit a new country together
We're actually heading over to Malaysia in a few weeks to visit friends. We haven't made it to south-east Asia yet so very excited to tick it off our list!

11. Visit more of Essex
We're both Essex born and bred but we have hardly seen anything of the country. Being so close to London we always tend to head into town if we fancy a little adventure, but this year I want to explore someone closer to home.

12. Spend the day at the seaside
I have such a special spot for the British seaside and don't get down to the coast enough. I'd like to do it more this year!

13.  Do a UK road trip
We're always heading off on a plan and kinda forget what is on our doorstep. We have a wedding in the Cotswolds in June so looking forward to a little road trip in England.

14. Climb Monument
Monument is dedicated to the Great Fire of London and it's a landmark I've walked past more times than I can count. But I've never ventured to the top of it. This year I finally want to!

15. Have a trip away just us two
We spend a lot of time visiting friends or going away with friends that we very rarely just have a trip away with us two. It'll be nice just to have a few days enjoying each other's company!

16.  Go camping
We have a massive soft spot for camping and often try to go to Epping Forest. I'd love to get a couple of camping trips squeezed in this year.

17. Host a wine and cheese evening
Need I say more?

18. Read five books
I'd love to read more on my commute but more often than not sleep often takes priority. But this year I really want to start getting into the habit of picking up a book.

19. Have a drink at the top of the Shard
We've yet to make it to the top of the Shard as I really don't want to pay £25 for the privilege. But I would be more than willing to pay for an overpriced drink at the top. Go figure!

20.  Stay in a fancy hotel
Because we enjoy visiting lots of places, we always tend to stay in budget hotels or Airbnb's. I don't mind that at all as how often do you spend in a hotel room anyway? But I'd love to stay somewhere a little fancy this year. Luckily we have a pretty swish hotel planned for when we're in Langkawi.

21. Go to a football match
I love going to football matches and have grown up a West Ham fan. Although my boyfriend is a Man Utd fan, Manchester is a bit far to go for a match. So we're keen to see some football matches a bit closer to home.

22. Try a cuisine we've never tried before
We both love stuffing our faces and really enjoy trying food from all over the world. There's still quite a lot of cuisines we haven't tried yet.

23. Experience a sunset from somewhere new
Nothing quite makes you feel in awe of the world around us than watching the sun go down somewhere beautiful right?

24. Go on a bottomless boozy brunch together
We've been on numerous bottomless brushes but never just one with the two of us.

25. Visit a vineyard
I've never been to a vineyard before and it's been on my list forever. We're lucky to have a few within about a 90 minute drive from us. So I'd love to go for a weekend away and visit one.

26. Binge watch a TV show over a weekend
It's very rare that we have a whole weekend indoors with just ourselves. We either have people round or we have jobs to do. I want to spend one weekend binge watching something in our PJs with pizza!

27. Cook more vegetarian dishes
We love meat but we - or rather I -  want to try and cut down the amount of meat we eat. I would say I would love to help in environment but really I think it's because it will be cheaper. and I find once you take meat out of the equation that it really tests your cooking skills.

28.  See more live music
Back in our youth (ha!) we were obsessed with going to gigs. Throughout out late teens and early twenties we used to spend all our money on gigs and went all over London. When we first starting saving for a house around 3-4 years ago we stopped and have kinda fell out of the habit. This year we want to find that passion again! We've got Catfish and the Bottleman and Gerry Cinnamon booked so far.

29. Explore the different neighbourhoods of London
In my opinion, the best parts of London aren't the sights, although they're pretty special, it's the neighbourhoods that make up the capital. Each one is so different and we'd like to make more of an effort to visit them.

30. Send a postcard from every place I visit overseas
I read this on a travel blog recently and thought it was such a good idea. A fun way to have a souvenir from every place you visit.

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Thoughts on 2018

So that's it. Nearly another year over and I'm sure I'll speak for everyone when I say, didn't it just fly?! 2018 has been a funny old year. Politically it has been utter mayhem. It's made me feel frustrated, helpless, ashamed and angry. It's been heartbreaking to watch my country descend into something I don't quite understand or recognise. I'm more than a little terrified to see what it is going to be like in March. But as the U.K goes up in flames, what has it been like for me personally?

This year I've been given a lifeline and been able to work every other Friday from home. It's no lie to say that it has completely transformed my life. I have a three hour round trip commute everyday and it was starting to get me down. Even just working from home twice a month has meant that I have gotten my work/life balance back. I'm able to do more things with friends from home on Friday nights. I can spend more time getting ready for the weekend as I no longer have to rush home. I switch off around 6pm and am already in my house! I can have friends round for dinner and have time to cook a proper meal rather than getting a takeaway.

I've spent more time than ever in my house. 2018 marks a full year in which we have been paying a mortgage and living together. I've really cut down on going out and if I do, it's very much a local affair rather than trekking into London. We've hosted a whirlwind of BBQs, cheese and wine nights, World Cup parties and impromptu weekend drinks. Its become the home that I've always wanted to live in. It feels full of life and laughter, I love the fact that it's become a place where people feel at home. I secretly love coming home to full house. In fact it makes me feel a bit emotional thinking about all the happy memories we've already created over the past 12 months. I can't wait to create some more.

I've been on some incredible trips away with friends and feel like I've really cemented my friendships this year. A friend once said that friendships are like ATMs. You can keep drawing money out but at some point you have to replenish otherwise you're not going to get anything else out. Wise words! I've tried really hard to try and be a good friend this year. Sometimes I have fallen short and flaked out. But it's so true, the more you put into your friendships, the more you get out of them. They really do go both ways. They should never just be a one-way street. I feel so lucky to have such a great, tight knit group of friends. Especially here at home, where I've been friends with them for 12 years. I'm so excited to see our friendships go from strength to strength. Now they're all buying houses, it means we can pass the entertaining baton around! They just get me, I can totally be my awkward, opinionated, slightly hot-headed self and they just get it. I don't have to try to be someone I'm not.

It's not been a monumental year for achievements (unless you count not having our house reposessed) but it's has been a content year. Nothing extraordinary has happened but I have ended it feeling like it's been a good one. There's a lot to be said about being content with your lot. To not always think about if the grass is greener on the other side. I'm saying goodbye to my twenties in two weeks and I'm happy with how the last year of my 20s has ended. And I'm looking forward to the next decade.

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Restaurant review: Dominique Ansel, Victoria, London

Now I know Christmas is over and maybe I'm a bit behind the times with posting festive content, but Dominique Ansel still does afternoon tea all year round. With Sarah's birthday outing colliding with Elodie's flying visit earlier this month, we decided there wasn't a better way to kickstart December then stuffing our faces with cake. Located just as short walk from Victoria Station, Dominique Ansel is famous for the creation of the Cronut but that isn't all it has to offer. It's a great place to catch up over a fancy cake with the only problem choosing which one to get!

The afternoon tea is located in a gorgeous undercover garden terrace, available from Thursday to Sunday from 12pm-4pm. Like all traditional afternoon teas you'll be given a savoury selection, sweet selection, scones with cream and jam with as much tea as you can drink. But this is where the tradition ended. Instead of sandwiches, we were given cute savoury Christmas trees which were filled with delicious fillings, including salmon, egg salad, turkey and mushroom. Next up was the best tier, the sweet treats! The mince pie snowman was my favourite, in fact I had two! The stars were filled with a delicious cream and jam concoction for the scones.

Service was a little slow but I think that's because of the busy festive season. But they did let us have the table a lot longer than they originally said. We always gossip too much so it was an nice touch to not feel rushed. Priced at £42, it's one of the more expensive afternoon teas in London but it is worth it for something a little different. It was a great way to kickstart Christmas!

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A 2019 cooking challenge: 52 new recipes in 52 weeks

This year I spent a lot more time in the kitchen and realised that it really is my happy place. I love being about to switch off on a Sunday afternoon and lose myself in cooking something delicious. One of my goals this year was to start using my cookbooks enough and I certainly did that. But I mainly rotated around five books which is silly considering I now have around 200 sitting around. I found recipes, especially baking recipes, I loved and did them numerous times. Now there's nothing wrong with that but I want to push myself and stop being afraid of it going wrong.

So this year I am going to try 52 different recipes which works out one a week. A pretty doable challenge if you ask me! They can be from books, blogs or newspapers. Just a recipe that has tickled my fancy. I have literally hundreds bookmarked and have tried maybe one or two. I want to be a lot more adventurous and try and improve my knowledge of the kitchen. Bread is my top choice for something I want to ace next year.

I'll be blogging about it on here to keep me in check. I think I'll be writing a new blog post each time I complete around five which will hopefully equal around one a post a month. As nothing really counts until it's been posted on social media, I'll also be popping each recipe up on my Instagram alongside the hashtag #52recipes so be sure to follow along. 

Wish me luck!

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A Christmas treat with Jet2 Holidays

A email popped into my inbox a week or so ago asking if I fancied a hamper from Jet2 to help celebrate the festive season. Well after a long week at work, it was such a treat to come home too! Using the theme of European Christmas markets, it was full of goodies to help get me in the mood. I can't wait to make that Yule log in time for Christmas Day and have already used those gorgeous milled wine mugs! Those chocolate coins went down faster than you can say Merry Christmas...

Coincidentally when I went to Magaluf back in May I actually used Jet2 Holidays and can't rave about them enough. We ended up delayed because of an awful storm but were kept well informed and given frequent cups of water to keep us hydrated. It doesn't sound too much but it's a lifesaver when you're stuck on the tarmac inside a stuffy plane. Inside the hamper was also a £60 voucher to go towards a trip. I'm hoping to take advantage of their Jet2 holiday city breaks if our funds allow us next year!

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Why you should put satin pyjamas on your Christmas list

I don't know about you but as I get older, it becomes a lot harder to decide what to ask for for Christmas. I've been working properly for quite a few years now and things that I really want, I usually end up buying myself. Then the things that I can't afford to buy myself are far to expensive to ask for as gifts. Quite the palaver eh?

One thing that I would never buy myself but would absolutely love to receive as a gift are silky pyjamas. There's something so luxurious about going to bed in satin pjs. They feel so soft on your skin and make you feel like you've made an extra special effort to get into bed. Everybody absolutely loves receiving a pair of fancy pyjamas don't they? You can't go wrong!

When UK Lingerie got in touch to see if I wanted to pick something from the site I immediately decided that it would be a pair of pjs. After browsing for a while I stumbled across a gorgeous coral floral set with a cute lace trims. I love the unusual waist tie. They came in a pretty box wrapped in tissue paper. It's all about the small details. What a treat they were to receive. I'll definitely won't need to get change into something more fancy on Christmas Day thanks to these!

What's your favourite gift to receive for Christmas that you would very rarely buy yourself?

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Travel plans for 2019

I vowed that 2019 would be the year I slowed down as I was starting to get travel burnout but alas I turn 30 next year and have got slightly carried away with the celebrations. We have a lot happening in the first six months, a little two much if I'm honest! We were a bit too trigger happy with booking flights and have certainly learnt from our mistakes. We won't be booking two long haul trips again in one year! But nevertheless, 2019 is set to be a year to remember and I honestly can't wait.

Image via Winyeemichelle Instagram

Malaysia
Our friends moved to Malaysia around 18 months ago to teach and we promised we'd go visit them. They will have been out there for two years next August and we're worried we would miss our chance if we left it any longer. So we did what any sane person would do... Book flights on a whim! We head out there the day after my 30th birthday party (slight error there I think) in time to celebrate Chinese New Year with them. We have a week exploring Kuala Lumper, Ipoh, Melacca and Cameron Highlands with them before leaving them and heading up north just the two of us to visit Penang and Langkawi. I never had that Gap Yah so this will be first time to South-East Asia, a region that I declared to my parents I would be visiting aged 17. 13 years I'll finally be making that come true. Good things come to those who wait eh?

Image via Conde Nast Traveller via Pinterest

Las Vegas
Way back when we were tiny pups of 21, we made a pact to go to Las Vegas for our 30th birthday year. We saw it as one big last blow out as friends before the responsibility of houses, marriage and babies caught up with us all. Now that time is upon us, I don't really think any of us will be thinking about the responsibilities for a long time yet, especially the marriage and babies. But we still have a pact to keep! There are six of us heading to Vegas and we've got so much planned. I'll finally be ticking off what feels like a lifelong dream of visiting the Grand Canyon. Let's gloss over the fact the motel we've booked for an overnight stay looks like it should be in a horror film...

Derry
We're hoping to head back over to Derry over one of the May Bank Holidays to spend a few days with family. We'll probably just book one weekend that has pretty cheap flights - sadly we can't do any midweek breaks as our holiday allowance is a bit tight!

Image from Hand Luggage Only via Pinterest

The Cotswolds
The first wedding of 2019 is one of my old school friends who I have know since I was nipper. 26 years of friendship - mad eh? She's getting married in an absolutely beautiful venue in the heart of the Cotswolds in June. We're hoping to rent an Airbnb in Cheltenham which is around a 20 minute drive from the venue. We'll be driving down after work on a Friday and spending the weekend there so hopefully won't be too hungover to do a bit of exploring.

Image from Luxury Coloumist via Pinterest

Dublin
My boyfriend turns 30 in July and he's always mentioned Dublin as somewhere on his list of places he'd love to go. It's unusual as he doesn't really have too many things on his bucket list. I wanted to surprise him but then I got overexcited with my great idea so I spilled the beans. So it's no longer a surprise. We've spent a lot of time in Ireland over the past 12 years but never quite made it to Dublin. It's be nice to finally tick it off the list!

Image via Surviving Europe via Pinterest

Rhodes
Finally my last trip of the year will be Rhodes for a work colleague's wedding. I haven't been to Greece since I was about 11 so am very much looking forward to going back as an adult. Give me all the Greek salad and baked feta please! Rhodes is an island I haven't been too and I've heard great things about it.

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