officially autumn

officially the start of autumn and it's already turning cold. something about this season seems to kick off a maelstrom of cravings and i'm stuffing my face with greggs sausage rolls and donuts. well not just donuts but danishes, brownies and all the candy i can get my hands on. waitrose prawn crackers are another firm favourite. so much for being adult and having a healthy relationship with food! 

suppose greed is something most people struggle with and it's something i need to reign in more often than not. but speaking of which, it was refreshing to have A san and her friend visit. i like people who eat well. nothing annoys me like a house guest with dietary restrictions, if you get what i mean. so these two lovely ladies were down for everything. from a massive yumcha lunch, chased by bubbletea and snacking through the afternoon then more flights of beer than we should've had (complete with side of pervy stranger!) before coming home for home cooked goodness. (wo)men after my own heart. usually over order at the yumcha place but was pleasantly surprised that they finished everything, and dinner which is usually for 5-6 was put away in next to no time. C commented that she thought i'd be having leftovers till the end of the week but noooo! 

much as i'm as wary of excess as i am of over-restriction, they look perfectly healthy and are active so no, no binge-ing there either. it's just such a tricky topic, isn't it? with all these trigger warnings you're meant to put up just in case someone with an eating disorder wanders by. joining C and a colleague for dinner tomorrow and have been warned not to mention weight. not that it's on my mind much / something i usually bring up but hm, put on notice to avoid at all costs! pity - as it's always nice to have an open discourse and i'm a girly girl who rather be supportive and part of a strong sisterhood that engenders body confidence. but recognise not everyone wants to talk about it, and fair enough! 

digression aside, weather was mucky but like to think we made the most of it. hit up the museum, traipsed across the bridge, stuck our heads into the concert hall and just soaked in the sights. a little more soaking than i'd have liked with the spitting rain but what's a girl to do. thrilled that A san is the same delightful person she was all those years ago. we'd a good sit and think because ohmyword has it been five years since we first met?! really felt our age. was glad to know she thought i was the same (whew!) and it was as if no time had lapsed. to me, that's the beauty of true friendship and being able to pick up where we left off is a real blessing. and the funny aside with the pervy stranger - not quite worth repeating but constantly reminded how the world is a big bad place and a girl can't be too careful. long story short, we got talking with a lone guy two tables away. perfectly innocent, harmless banter - or so we thought. honestly, hand on heart, nothing untoward at all and i'm usually quite switched on about boundaries and my spidey senses were far from a'tingling. but back at the flat, A san discovered that mr. creepster had added her on fb (he must've overheard us talking about her full name...) and then started messaging and basically asked if she wanted to get it on. in less polite terms, of course. so we had a mini panic and i was glad we hadn't mentioned my address or whereabouts or anything vaguely identifiable other than her name (bad enough!). quick delete and block but A san was visibly shaken :(

didn't get much sleep, as expected, and went straight to a 90min prescribing exam. yay! having my cake (lemon meringue pie?) and eating it is something i'm always all for. even if it meant staying up after everyone went to bed to plough through 42 pages of worked examples. fun times - being a full-time student is the bombdiggity. i think.

and this was breakfast near the station! A san's first taste of porridge (english-style) on C's recommendation. she liked it :) gimme good ol' rice porridge any day, but oats with thick honey and blueberries is admittedly comforting on a blustery autumnal morning.

it's only mid-week and i'm already exhausted. busy weekend ahead. another weekend, another set of friends passing through london. there's E who i've not met in over 5 years. chance meeting at a dinner party and she was so kind as to have her hotelier father host the mister and i on his grad trip in south america. we went from backpacking on a shoestring budget to living in the lap of luxury with comp-ed stays at his arequipa then colca hotels. immensely grateful and still wanting to pay it forward some day. that's the beauty of kindness, isn't it. and there's A who's a swiss lawyer (judicial clerk) turned banker turned big swiss bank biz dev dude who's in town. dialing things up and see them escalating to high octane so bracing myself for a big weekend. there's also 7am spin (gotta make small dents at the autumn feasting) and perhaps a tiny staycation if i'm lucky. so hey, bring it !