petersham and kew

petersham never disappoints, and this was no exception when F and i went a'wandering one sunny summer's day. however, to get out of my creature of habit rut, we walked to kew. there's some history to this - when i was last at petersham i wanted to walk to kew but the folks i was with did not fancy following the river. just as well, as it was a long walk. but F and i didn't have plans and she very graciously blocked out her whole day for me . appreciate how everyone is busy busy and to have F say, 'you've the whole day, we can meet whenver and wherever' was humbling and freeing at the same time. how wonderful to have friends who give of their time. inspired to do the same! so i sorted out something with work, went super early to meet my deliverables and was off!

kew was a bit of a trek but we'd a lovely h2h along the thames and when we did get to kew, lucked out because it was £11 on tuesdays for 'neighbours', of whom F living in a nearby borough was one! we took our time in the gardens, hazarded the greenhouse, lake and treetop walk and then continued our overground adventure home.

degree show

a dear friend had her CSM degree show a few weeks ago and having received minute by minute updates through the throes of project managing, i felt compelled to see the final product. my knowledge (or lack thereof) is very linear, and very specific. i know a little about medicine, a little less about law, and that's it. so you can imagine how i was curious about innovation management (her degree) because the big bad business world fascinates and scares me, a bit like how an adolescent crush on a bad boy would. not that her world is purely business, but there's a definite overlap and the speakers were talking about start ups etc. words that strike fear into my conservative heart. it was short and snappy, with lots of time for Q&A which got a bit heated (ooh, passionate artsy types!) with a graduand and guest from uni*lever almost coming to blows (cue everybody's kungfu fightinggg song). heard how gu got off the ground, and was gifted a little gu pot as a doorgift which i gobbled on the way home then wish i'd been more el cheapo and nicked a couple more ;) the proof of a saleable product was literally in the pudding...

hurlingham

was skiving and along putney high street on morning when i bumped into my aunt who lives nearby. caught up briefly as she was running errands and i was headed off too but tried to fix a date to catch up proper. last went round hers for dinner about two summers ago (bad niece!) and have met with her sons (my changmoh cousins) a couple of times since but kept missing her. she suggested dinner at the hurlingham and i jumped at the chance. having (accidentally) almost trespassed before whilst trying to get to the park before being told in no uncertain terms it was members only! couldn't have picked a better evening and was amazed at how graceful and unassuming the building was. not sure i can say the same about the clientel, host not included ;) the peacock was the first thing i saw and just had to take a photo because i love (and miss!) peacocks. there are families of 'em at the capella (all time favourite hotel, for obvious reasons). it was a sunny summer evening, wimbledon had just started and everyone and their mother was basking in the sunshine. we'd a leisurely walk around the grounds to work up an appetite for dinner (tell a lie, i'm always ready for dinner) before enjoying a spot of al fresco dining. aunt is erudite and was quoting homer and hyperion, which had me in stitches. she's such fun to be around i wonder why we don't hang out more.

the last four weeks

so life slowed down a little recently when i swapped bedside for bench. there's lots of talk about bench to bedside but when i first told visiting friends about my (then) next placement, accidentally said "bench & bar", freudian slip referring to the competition between judges and lawyers. we all had a good laugh (friends used to be bench but are now bar) before i quickly corrected myself. old habits die hard! had the privilege of doing elective at a london lab and it's been an eye-opening experience. grateful to supervisor and poor phD student tasked with babysitting me because i've not been in a lab in ten years and had to be taught everything from scratch. tried to stay out of their way best as i could and be an extra pair of hands when allowed. felt a bit like stumbling onto the big bang theory (art imitates life!) and getting to know all these wonderful science-y types has been broadening. 

the change of pace was the first thing i noticed, because biology cannot be rushed. and if cells need x hours to grow, then they're going to take x hours to grow and no amount of TLC will make it any faster (yesyes, after adding the inducer there's really little more i can do!). was also struck by how the topdawgs were totes unassuming. was introduced to someone on my first day who looked like part of a band. was bantering in a group and having a laugh, all good. a few days later i learnt he was a super senior professor who made a ground-breaking discovery that's since changed the course of medicine. i mean, legend. and there i was talking about how geordie girls use so much fake tan they look like oompa loompas, or something inane to that effect. wanted to dig a hole and die? would've been totes starstruck fangirl had i known before and just thankful i didn't venture anything pseudo-scientific. there would have been nothing more 班门弄斧. not many instances where i can't express myself better in english, but this is one of them!

also lucked out and was allowed to go to the national sychrotron with the team for 12h of beamtime. AHMAGAHDD. which of course was license to release inner nerd. too cool for words and was besides myself with glee, being trusted to drive all this amazing kid. never mind it was an 18h day! sleep is for the weak... i mean the world is such an amazing place and i know so very little, am constantly reminded about how small and insignificant we are, humbled by the wealth of knowledge out there and inspired, really, to keep learning and doing and learning. it's inexhaustible and what we know is the tiniest drop in the ocean. love being in a position to take it all in, to be allowed wide-eyed wonder and coming home with stories and much to process each day. steep learning curve, semi-tempts me down the phD path (HAHA) and just wanting to make the most of it all. 

dinner with the ocean family

last summer, a friend recommended "the ocean at the end of the lane" and i devoured it one train ride, although got slightly spooked in parts and had to stop reading when home alone, only to be reassured that it really wasn't that scary and i was being a big chicken. anyway, since started to refer to the family we wish we had as "ocean family". friend's ocean family were neighbours who included in trips that own family didn't take) and my ocean family i suppose would be our closest family friends who are so warm and inclusive one can't help feel part of their family. siblings and i have grown up with their similarly-aged children (now referred to as 'young adults' haha) and have spent many happy hours together. they were in london briefly when child #3 graduated with a starred first (!!!) and we were only too happy to join the celebration. the omakase at roka is superlative and only got the first and last course but there was much pretty plating in between. it's always a good night with the oceans and there are few people i feel as comfortable with as i do with them. still get twangs of nostalgia every time i pass their london flat and remember how it was a refuge when i first moved to the UK, thanksgiving dinner and other times when i just needed a break. have spent countless hours on that sofa and have seen it through more than a few rounds of housemates and home improvement.

spot of culture

one of my oldest and dearest friends came to stay last week. there are actually photos of us at each other's third birthday parties and beneath the shiny exteriors resort to similar toddler behaviour when together. T is a massive history buff and i knew we'd to visit the cemetery (not morbid) as part of the london tour. it's a place i'm familiar enough with having gone for many slow walks but never with as an observant an eye. when T stopped suddenly and burst out laughing, i tried to see what was so funny about a headstone. and there it was. the photograph speaks for itself but trust T to appreciate the significance of the victoria cross and how the deceased was one of the first few in the royal*naval*air*squadron (hope i got this right!). all that would've been lost on me, not knowing any of the acronyms nor being able to properly place them in time and space.

and when we finally broke free from the cemetery, it was onwards to the natural history museum. didn't have massive amounts of time as T had a train to catch but we made do. picked just the one room (dinos, duh) and were like kids in a candyshop. absolutely enthralled. don't have a personal mantra, but if i were to pick one, never lose the wonder would be in the running. because, really, there's so much to take in and the world is such a big and wonderful place.

touristy sunday

did a two week galapagos holiday with two american families over easter 2013. was a little apprehensive initially because it sounded like such a diverse group on paper (octogenarian, her three grown children and two pre-teen grandchildren, mother and teenage daughter, and us newlyweds). our ever-capable guide had to lead a group ranging from 8-80, no mean feat but one he pulled off with aplomb. in fact, the rest said they felt terrible gatecrashing our honeymoon and were extra nice! but they needn't have been because being in the galapagos was a treat for every one on the trip. the three generational crew was celebrating the matriarch's 80th, the mother-daughter duo were celebrating the daughter's 15th (they'd a lovely family tradition where the date the children were born would be their 'golden year' where they got a super special solo holiday with one parent) and we were finally on honeymoon after tying the knot the previous summer (slow movers...) the group got along swimmingly and we've stayed in touch over email and fb, as you do. so when B reached out to say they were going to be in london on the way to france for a cousin's wedding, we jumped at the chance to catch up. 

such a one trick pony but duck&waffle is a great place to bring friends from out of town. have gotten to a stage where i'm starting to tell people to go without actually taking them there because there's only so much duck&waffle one can stomach. used to complain about the noise level and patchy service but it's gotten better. was last there in january with J & A so six months was a sufficient break. also, spied a new item on the menu (duck porridge!!!) and was craving comfort food. also, not had good duck porridge since my beloved south buona vista boneless duck closed down :( wasn't disappointed and would seriously return just for the porridge :) sort of fusion-y with hazelnuts but throw ginger on anything and i'm one happy camper.

it was great seeing B and family again, the kids have grown so much in the two years we've not seen them. makes me feel like an old woman saying that but it's true! they're great kids, well behaved and well mannered, engaged and engaging. children, like dogs, really need to be socialised and i'm glad my parents threw me into social situations early on. not always something i enjoy but will grin and bear if necessary. our guests were headed to harry potter land after and we'd some time to kill in the spitting rain. the city is an area i'm pathetically unfamiliar with, having no real reason to head that way so there was a little blind leading the blind through the markets and we got some nice photos of them by an old school sweet shop. also made our way to brick lane for a little mosey through the food market which reminded everyone of asia. after depositing them at the station, went back to brick lane for the singapore exhibit which i know i should say was superlatively wonderful but was in fact ho hum.

lavender and wine

the weekend just past, we spontaneously decided to visit the english lavender fields! now i'm all for a good secret, and it seems like it's one of the best kept ones. mention lavender fields and it conjures up images of provence. had the privilege of spending some time in aix with J and her warm family last summer and would linger in their garden at dusk inhaling the wafts of lavender from their hedge. much as i'd love to return to aix, J's based in KL now and the fam's coming to singers next month so it's my turn to show them around. early start to brixton then it was eastwards to kent! there were a couple of hairy moments when someone who remains unnamed insisted on stopping at brixton village for federation coffee and croque monsieurs, which added precious minutes to the journey. there may or may not have been a few frantic phone calls trying to book in onto the noon tour (it's really only an hour drive away, and we did only set off at 11, so much for an early start!) we were told we'd need to be physically present to get onto the tour and had our hopes dashed by horrid traffic and road closure without any work being carried out. i mean, sure, close the lanes but at least work!!! so we were resigned to being sad little tourists mooching around the gift shop with our tails between our legs. but god was (is?) good and the noon tour was over subscribed and the farm created a 1230 tour (the next scheduled tour was for 3pm!) and we were arrived at the farm with time to spare, and promptly scoffed numerous tubs of lavender ice cream while waiting.

the tour was informative and just the right duration for me and my ADHD. also didn't feel like we were being hard sold any of the products but promptly went a little crazy at the shop after. example of effective marketing! the rows and rows of lavender stretched as far as the eye could see and it all smelt amazing.

spot F!

the reason why we wanted to do the lavender farm early was so as not to come across too degenerate and drunk by lunch time. because, you see, there was a vineyard to visit too and i had visions of us getting too inebriated to continue to the lavender had we done the vineyard first. also, some self-control needed to be exerted because liberal as i like to think i am, getting wasted in the early afternoon is a bit much. later in the afternoon, however... we got distracted by the plentiful signs and cherry stalls in the lay bys but eventually made it over. thoroughly enjoyed the wine tastings (they were generous and let us taste up to three each! and proper sized tasting not something out of a pipette!) before choosing a couple of bottles. found a delectable white that was reminiscent of montrachet but lacking the same body (darn, can't have it all!) for a fraction of the price and now regret only buying two (we drank one there, so i only have one in the chiller. boo.) and a very drinkable rose. we had to have rose. also had a field day picking the cheeses. F likes her cheeses 'interesting and with character' which was a wonderful brief to start with. had the yummiest stilton ever (and mind you, i've had a few) and the stinking bishop was good fun. of course, couldn't resist bags of scratching and cheese palmiers (as if there wasn't enough cheese already). 

it was all downhill from there... might've scared some children

and on the way home we'd a total brainwave and thought to finally visit our friend's family restaurant in catersham! we'd been hearing about it for months and drooling over all the insta posts and it was too good a chance to pass up. verdict? best lobster noodles ever. that shallow fry (perfect cross between san mee and braised noodles) was life-changing. don't know how to go back to having to decide between the two :( it was such a dream. we sat down, had a look at the menu then asked john what was off the menu and he took us off piste and got his folks to serve up their specials. o.m.g. felt like royalty. drank more of the freshly procured vineyard wine to round up an already exceptional day.