Belly Dancers from the Past ...

I was looking for videoclips on YouTube for my last post and came across some old videos of belly dancers from the past. Some of the videos made me grin widely, some I couldn't help but laugh and some 'wow-ed' me totally. So enjoy ...

Introducing Ms Ella Lola ....

The next clip is from American Memory site: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1904. "Princess Rajah started as a "cooch" (an early form of belly dance) dancer at Coney Island in the 1890s. In addition to her dance with a chair, she also performed an Oriental dance with snakes. Princess Rajah was a featured act in the "Mysterious Asia" concession on the Pike at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. (Information from the youtube site)

This is a compilation of vintage dancers that somebody put together. Presenting the Vintage Dancers - Buddha Bar, "Tears Inshalla" ...

Belly Dance - The Early Years ....

This is the famous Samia Gamal, an Egyptian bellydancer. Lovely!

Another legend in the world of belly-dancing - Suheir Zaki in her 20s ...

Here is a very energetic Arab dancer in the 30's ...

Kids with talent ...

I was watching Oprah tonight and she had on her show young children who are amazingly talented. From the super young Lilly who can identify 100 countries on the world atlas and she is still in diapers to a talented 16 year old Filipino, Charice Pempengco, who has an amazing voice.

And here's Lilly the World Map Master at 2 year plus. She is so adorable. Listen to the part where she corrected her parents on how they should pronounce Mexico *laughs* She is such a sweetheart!!!!

Go ahead and take a listen to Charice. You can also youtube her and you will be amazed with all the songs and people she has sung with ....

Hope you enjoyed the videos as much as I have. Would be interesting to follow their progress *grins*

Please speak good english hor ... *laughs*

The English Language is not an easy language to master. I remember my days in school when we were drilled about nouns, verbs, adjectives and I never understood why we had to learn all that (now I wished I had paid more attention in class!). And I remember my frustrations when I asked an English teacher something was like that during class, and she would reply 'Just because it's like that'. Eh, alrighty!

Like many other Singaporeans, my command of the English Language is not perfect and I know I slip up and make a zillion mistakes. And I hate it when I get corrected because as long as I am understood, isn't that enough?

And what is even more confusing is that in Singapore, because of our colonial past, we learn British English in school yet if you turn on the television, we are exposed to mainly American English. Is there a difference you ask? Oh yes there is. I remember when I was in Canada for an exchange programme and our group had people from Singapore, Hong Kong and others were from different parts of Europe and a big group from USA and another big group from UK. When the Canadian host made an announcement in English, the American officer would 'translate' it into American English so that his people would understand. And not wanting to be left behind, the English Officer from UK did his 'translation'. And what was so difficult that both groups couldn't understand? Words like soda and cola, pavement and walkway, lift and elevator. Like GIVE ME A BREAK please!!! I think us non-native English speakers were the most adaptable and flexible because we understood all three 'types' of English used. Initially I was amused when I watched what went on, three days on, amusement turned to frustration and eventually I was so annoyed because simple instructions because a long process.

That took place many years ago and most recently, another incident that got me thinking. I was standing in line to pay at Kinokunya and there was an English family infront of me. On display at the counter were books and one was 'English as it is Broken' - a selection and compilation of questions and answers regarding the usage of the English language in Singapore, addressing common errors and areas of confusion and shows how Singlish (Singapore English) deviates from standard English.

Anyways, the little girl was flipping through the book and her Mom took it from her. The little girl asked why they had such a book and the mother's replied 'It's because they cannot speak proper English'. My initial reaction was shock and disgust! Yeah, we're not native speakers so please excuse us for our poor English! I was about to tell her off and I noticed my reaction and remembered the ChoiceMap - I was in the Judger mindset when I judged the lady's response.

Having noticed that, I chose the Learner mindset and looked at the situation from the other side. Yes, we do not speak good English and the main reason is because it is not our native language. Many of us do not come from homes where English is the main spoken language. We learn English at school and though I personally think we're not so bad, compared to some of our friends from around the region, we have a long way to go before as a nation, we are able to speak Good English.

The consolation is this, many native English speakers aren't that great either and they have no excuse. I remember being asked by an American why I keep telling students to tuck in their shirts (part of their uniform) because tuck already implies that it has to be tucked in. And here I thought they would know what they are taking about and for years, I have stopped using tuck in and just tell the kids to tuck their shirts. AND, I was flipping my English As It Is Broken book and on page 9, the explanation goes like this ...

Question: Is it correct to tell students to 'tuck in your shirt'? Someone said that 'to tuck' means 'to put in' so it is a mere repetition to say 'tuck in'.

Answer: 'Tuck' needs to go with a preposition, 'in'. 'Tuck in' is correct as 'tuck' must go with 'in'.

So, any wonders why English is so difficult to master? And to illustrate it further, go ahead and read what I have included below and I bet you'll be agreeing with me that English is not an easy language *grins* for us non-native speakers!

ONLY THE ENGLISH COULD HAVE INVENTED THIS LANGUAGE

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Then shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England.
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends
and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
in which your house can burn up as it burns
down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out,
and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And, in closing, if Father is Pop, Â how come Mother's not Mop?

And if people from Poland are called Poles, then people from Holland should be Holes and the Germans, Germs!

Happy Birthday to me ... a month later *laughs*

It's been a month since I turned 36 and took me a whole month to finally sit down and do this post. I blogged before that I was putting together a little present for myself for my birthday. At 36, you just have to be shameless and get yourself whatever you want *laughs*

I had a lovely massage session - a birthday treat from Mag. It was a great way to prepare myself to head to work after months away :o) Thanks Mag! I met up with Az and she was showing me all the lovely treasures she's putting together for people for Xmas and I was commenting that one of the pieces was nice and she went 'nah, for your birthday!'. That's how generous she is! Thanks Az! And here's how the strawberry quartz gargoyle looks like.

As for myself, I spent some time putting it together because I had to source and hunt on ebay for the right pieces. And what I learnt in the processes is that it pays to be patient. Sometimes I get frustrated when I want an particular charm (yes, it's a charm bracelet and yes, ANOTHER one *laughs*) and I get outbidded at the very last minute. But I am pleased with what I have put together for myself.

I love travelling and I was thinking back to the different places I have visited. I have good memories of all the places I have been to. Some good, others weren't so great but now I can look back and laugh. So what I decided to give myself is a bracelet with charms of all the places I have been to. And I love it! It's heavy and I have not had a chance to use it yet. Also, the bracelet is a combination of a gift from Slawek (the bracelet is from him) and the charms are from me. Let me take your through the bracelet ...

From left to right, there's a hibiscus or bunga raya which is the national flower for Malaysia, then the Merlion for Singapore and yes, though I live here, it is still a country so I had to represent Singapore. The pyramid for Egypt and the Eiffel Tower for Paris, France where I visited very recently. Then next is a cute moose for Sweden, where I saw my first live moose!

From left to right: Turkish slipper for, yeah, Turkey *laughs* no prize for guessing that one. What is awesome about that charm is that it's a vintage piece and there's a bit of cloth lining the slipper. And next to the slipper is the Love Spoon for Wales and I bought two single wooden spoon from my trip there. This double love spoon is usually given to wedding couples for good luck. Next to that is the Lil Mermaid for Copenhagen, Denmark. Memory of that is how shocked I was when I saw how little the Lil Mermaid was. I guess I was expecting a huge stature but was rather disappointed *smiles* There's the red mail box that you can find in England and that charm is the very first one that I bought at the Portobello Market in London - and it started me on this Charm Craze!

From left to right: The cool dude you see there is the Canadian Mounty (The Royal Canadian Mounted Police) for of course Canada and it was a tough choice because immediately what came to mind was the Maple Leaf but that was a lil booooring. And patience paid off here because I stumbled upon this cool Mounty and I did see one when I was in Canada, and he was on his horsie looking important in a park. Nice :o) Next is a turtle and you're probably wondering 'huh?' Well it's my bracelet and my travel memories so let me explain. That's for Bintan (Indonesia) because I was fortunate enough to witness the release of the baby turtles from the beach where I stayed during my visit. How lucky was that huh? So turtles to remind me of my stay in Bintan. Following that is a Tiki for New Zealand and my fascination of the Maori culture. After the Tiki is a gorgeous charm of the Stonehenge. You're probably thinking, 'hey, isn't that twice for England'. Well, I loved the charm and needed an excuse and found one. Since I started my Charm Craze in England, I reckon it's good enough reason to have two charms from there *laughs* My charm bracelet and I get to make the rules!

From left to right: I have been to Thailand several times and initially I found a gorgeous female Siamese dancer with details and all. Unfortunately, the seller made a mistake and sent my charm to another customer. I was sooooo disappointed. After some weeks, I found this male Siamese Dancer to represent Thailand and if I had the female one, both would have made an awesome pair! Next to the dancer is a Gondola from beautiful Venice in Italy. I sat in one and it was wonderful. A must do for anyone visiting Venice. The Pagoda is for China and the base opens. This pagoda reminds me of a similar one I saw when I was in Suzhou. And the last one is a Dunny. I am still contemplating if this will be my final decision for Australia. Let me explain, one of my memories of Australia is a trip out to the bush where I had to use a dunny that wasn't pleasant at all. It was basically a deep hole in the group and my stupid curiousity led me to peek in and it was a BIG mistake. Am still thinking about this and it may change so let's see.

AND, I am proud to say that I finally found a perfect charm for Bali (Indonesia). I couldn't find a suitable one and was settling for a tropical palm tree to represent the tropical island Bali is. Another option was a surfer but I don't surf so that's out. And today, I collected my package and inside was a gorgeous detailed wayang kulit (shadow puppet) and I think that's perfect for Bali. It also represents the other parts of Indonesia that I have been to. Yay!

Help me make sense of this ....

I received a note that the postman was around to send an insured package and five days later, I finally managed to pick up the package from the post office. The box measures about 23cm X 15cm X 4cm and weigh (together with my stuff inside) 106g. And when I opened the box, this is what I saw. Now the reason behind the seller packaging it like this is - to ensure that the item is safe. The item costs me AUD6.00 and shipping and handling (with includes insurance for a AUD6 worth of item which the seller insisted) costs S$21.00. Yes, it's silly for a AUD6 item!

What is this item I got? If you look at the photos below, you will see that it's a sterling silver charm in the shape of a shadow puppet. Don't get me wrong here, I LOVE the charm, I just cannot understand why anyone would package it like this. I have bought many charms and this is the first time I came across packaging like this. Whatever happen to padded envelope? Even the vintage charms that I bought from the other sellers came perfectly intact in padded envelopes.
And yup, the seller padded the charm further. All that packaging, all that waste. It was really painful seeing all that packaging. So the total weight of the box with all the stuff inside was 106g and the actual weight of the 3cm by 1cm charm is ....

.... yes my friends, a mere 2g *sighs* The money that I could have saved on shipping and the amount of waste produced that could have been reduced. I just cannot understand and had to vent a little here on my blog so bear with me.

Lesson for me here, to check with the seller if they will consider alternative packaging and yes, I am willing to take the risk that the charm may break to bits since I choose padded envelopes over this. Now it's whether the seller game to earn less from handling/shipping/packaging for the sake of the environment!

Basket full of yummies ...

I had a pleasant surprise today when I was presented with a basket of yummies from my current boss, a little welcome to the workplace. Very very thoughtful gift and what I do is dip into the basket on my way home and have the snack during the long drive home. Can't see from the picture (taken with my mobile phone so it's not as clear) but there's a cute lil teddy bear to the right that came with the basket.

First day at work ....

It's my first day at work and I was a lil nervous the night before. Planned to head to bed early so that I wouldn't be too sleepy the next day but it was kinda hard to do when I was tossing around :o)

Got to work alright and didn't get lost thanks to the GPS system. Walking around my new workplace, learning more about the organisation - I had a good feel about the place. I knew my learning curve was going to be super steep and there are going to be many moments where I will be wondering if I am cut out for the job. But what I can only do is learn as much as I can, as fast as I can, and do my very best.

Was feeling a little 'lost' at work until the receptionist brought me a bouquet of sunflowers (my favourite kind of flowers) and it was from my previous workplace. I knew my previous boss arranged for this on behalf of the rest of the staff to wish me Good Luck and I really appreciated that and made me miss my previous workplace even more ...

I am hoping that she is not reading this blog cuz I am preparing a little gift for her. It's one of the ceramic pieces I made that's didn't turn out too badly. It's a candlestick holder and I think it's appropiate because the job that my previous boss is doing requires her to have a clear vision to be able to lead the staff in the right way. And she's really good at what she does and I wished I had more time to work with her. Hope she likes it ....

It is I who must begin ...

Today marks the end of a journey that I started six months ago. On this journey I have learnt much from the many people that I met and interacted, from the classes that I attended, from the visits we made locally and overseas as well as discovered more about myself - some things that I am happy with, and other things that I am looking forward to improving about myself.

Tomorrow I will find out what the future holds for me. Where I will be going depends on where my services are needed and I trust and have faith in the system that I will be placed where I can best contribute. It will be an interesting chapter indeed!

A colleague shared a poem with all of us that was on the course and I thought it's really a meaningful poem that I would like to share with everyone. It's a poem by Vaclav Havel. Here you go, enjoy ...

It is I Who Must Begin

It is I who must begin.
Once I begin, once I try –
here and now,
right where I am,
not excusing myself
by saying things
would be easier elsewhere,
without grand speeches and
ostentatious gestures,
but all the more persistently-
to live in harmony
with the “voice of Being” as I
understand it within myself-
as soon as I begin that,
I suddenly discover
to my surprise, that
I am neither the only one,
nor the first,
nor the most important one
to have set out upon that road.

Whether all is really lost
or not depends entirely on
whether or not I am lost.

Change Your Questions Change Your Life

Recently read a book by Marilee Adams titled 'Change Your Questions Change Your Life' and it's an easy reading book that helps you ask the right questions which can lead to great results. You can apply the questions to your worklife, with family and friends too.

It is all illustrated below in the Choice Map where you are either using a Learner Mindset or Judger Mindset. Click on the link above to have a clearer larger version of the Choice Map.

We are constantly faced with choices and sometimes we're not even aware when we're making choices. And when we make choices, we are always choosing between Judger and Learner mindsets. When we choose with a Judger mindset, we eventually end up stuck in the mud and when we choose with Learner mindset, we discover new paths and possibilities.

Though unaware, we are constantly shifting between Learner and Judger paths and we can have control over our choices - by asking the right questions.

I recently had an experience that allowed me to apply this. I received some feedback about myself and my performance and it was a mix of both positive and not so positive feedback. My initial reaction was to defend myself (in my mind of course) why the not so positive feedback were not right. I caught myself at that moment and 'stepped out' for a few seconds to be an Observer and I realised I was in a Judger Mindset. I was asking self-doubting myself, asking if I was really that bad and so forth. I didn't like how I was feeling and physically I felt my body go tense. That's because I was judging myself. As a Judger, you can either be judging yourself (internal) or others (external).

Don't confuse Judger to making good judgement. The former is about being judgemental - a form of attacking either others (get angry, resentful and hostile) or ourselves (feel depressed and diminish our self confidence) wherelse the latter refers to making wise choices based on sound information and intentions.

Then I tried changing the questions to 'What can I learn from these comments?', 'What's valuable from these comments?', 'What can I do to improve in these areas?'. It's hard to ask these questions but I had to 'force' myself and I didn't feel as bad as before because I am not judging or blaming myself (or anyone) but rather, looking at the comments in a positive light, something that I can learn from and better myself.

Using the Learner Mindset is something that takes time and practise and will not happen overnight and I do find myself on the Judger Path at times and that's when you should switch lanes (by asking switching questions) that help you go on the Learner Path. What is more important is that you're aware of which mindset you're using. The Learner mindset can be used when we're going in for meetings, where we asking questions like :

• What are the goals of this meeting?
• How can we all get aligned on the agenda?
• How can I conduct the meeting to get the best from everyone?
• What might be valuable and worth considering from each person?
• Are we all on the same page with the action items we’ve come up with?

Currently, I am trying to use this Learner Mindset for myself and eventually I hope to try it out at work when working in teams to test if these questions work.

If you're interested, here are some questions found in the book to illustrate the difference between Judger and Learner Mindset. See if you can guess which set of questions belong to the Judger and which to the Learner:

Set A:

• What’s wrong?
• Who’s to blame?
• How can I prove I’m right?
• How can I protect my turf?
• How can I be in control?
• How could I lose?
• How could I get hurt?
• Why is that person so clueless and frustrating?
• Why bother?

Set B:

• What works?
• What am I responsible for?
• What are the facts?
• What’s the big picture?
• What are my choices?
• What’s useful about this?
• What can I learn?
• What is the other person feeling, needing, and wanting?What’s possible?

If you're thinking of getting the book, take a look at the Choice Map first. It's a good place to start. Good luck!

The Harrods Experience

It's really impossible to see everything in London and you just have to do your best and go for the things that you really want to see first - yeah, prioritise. The last time I was there, I didn't manage to head to Harrods so it is a must see this time round cuz I have heard about how expensive everything is in Harrods and how if you're not properly dressed, they won't let you in. While, we were in our jeans, cardi and decent top and we were welcomed in :o)

Typical Singapore, we headed to the Food Hall first *laughs* And yes, we were woo-ing as we walked around the hall, pointing to this and that cuz everything looked good.

Being in Harrods was like being a kid in a candy store because there's so many things to see and do. All five senses get piqued in Harrods and you just have to let the child in you out and explore. The sculpture below actually has some fresh seafood as part of the 'deco'. Nice *grins*

Here's a picture to show the whole Food Hall with the chandeliers and all. It's really pretty and I am sure you'll love being there too.

There are different eateries serving different kind of food around the Food Hall so you might want to walk around and recce. They had a kitchen serving Italian food that was pulling in the crowd cuz they had a singing chef there. It was awesome cuz he was really good. What a nice way to have lunch and be seranaded by the chef.

You will be spoilt for choice cuz there are heaps for you to choose from. For instance, this is Harrods Famous Bouillabaisse - pretty much like a stew with seafood. You have a choice of a starter or main course so depends if you're a big eater or not. The starter portion like this will set you back GBP 12.25 (Main costs GBP 22.50). Its got ifferent kind of seafood inside and comes with rouille and garlic croutons.

How can you come to England and not have the traditional Fish and Chips ya? And yes, they have fish and chips at Harrods (at the seafood section) and that little yellow package you see at the side, well that's lemon that has been wrapped up so that when you squeeze it, the seeds won't get into your food. Nice.

If you need to go to the washroom, make sure you head to the Luxury Washroom in Harrods (and the nice surprise is that they have a selection of perfume for you to use) and in the cubicle, they had this sign in case you are not sure how to use the W.C *laughs* I just had to take a picture cuz I thought it was rather hmm ... interesting.

The Egyptian Hall is what you have to see and you will feel like you have been transported to Egypt.

Me really felt like a country bumpkin heading to the city *laughs*. What we did was take the elevator all the way up at the Egyptian Hall just to have the whole experience. Don't forget to look around and yes, look up and see what's at the ceiling! There was also a nice surprise as there was a lady who was singing at one of the balconies (opera music) to add to the atmosphere (and we thought that it was a piped in music till we saw her singing and waving at us).

At the basement, there was a little area devoted to the memory of Diana and Dodi. There was also the ring that Dodi gave to Diana and it was a somber few minutes for me as I remembered how tragically they both died *sighs*

Did I buy anything from Harrods? Well from the main store no cuz everything was just too expensive and we had our LV moment in Paris so that was enough major shopping. But what my friends and I got instead was from the Souvenior Shop where we got a couple of keychains, bags (go for the ones that you cannot find here in Singapore) and a couple of other gifts for people back home.

We went to Harrods twice cuz the first was just to take a look at what they had plus we didn't have as much time to check out everything. We went back the second time to just get some last minute things and we didn't spend as much time there. But we did get some yummy gelato at the food hall *grins* I enjoyed my visit to Harrods but I don't think I will be hopping inside there again cuz it's just not my kind of place to shop. Just can't afford alot of the lovely things there :o)

I also visited the other touristy places in London and if you want, go ahead and take a look at my flickr page for more pictures.

I went home the next day and just a tip, at the airport they are very strict about how much you bring on board. I had to pay for my excess baggage and that was painful. Also, you can only bring ONE bag onboard, no plastic bags or anything like that. One bag means one bag. So you can have a lady's handbag and one another carry on bag.

More Markets in London ...

There are just heaps of markets and a weekend is definitely not enough. Here's a map of all the markets in London. Most of the markets have their own website so google them to get more info but if you need a starting point, this map below is useful.

One last place I went to while in London was Leadenhall Market. Main reason why I wanted to head there was because in 2001, Leadenhall Market was used as Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone! Unfortunately it was closed by the time I got there but I still had a chance to take a look at the architecture. And it was gorgeous!

It's not a 'market' like Borough or Portobello. It's more like a shopping arcade so this place probably opens on weekdays. Am not sure why the guide book actually had it down as markets *shrugs* And actually it worked out fine because they had some nice shops there and I would probably have spent even more pounds there *laughs*

I can just imagine the shooting done here for the movie. It was empty when I was there with a few families walking around like me, admiring the architecture.

I even peeked in a few of the shops to see what they had in there. There were some people inside probably closing up or taking stock of their wares. Just a hint though, getting here was a little tricky and I had to use a proper map of London to find the place. So remember, get yourself a map (one of those free ones are good enough) as well as a map of the subway and you're set!

Borough Market in London

I was able to head to the Camden Market the last time I was in London many years ago. Since I didn't have much time, I had to choose and decided to go to the ones that I have not been to before. So another market that I checked out and consider worth visiting is the Borough Market and yes, it's accessible by the subway. What I suggest is you get a good map from the subway station (one of those small foldable ones). Have the places you want to go and find out which stations are the closest to the market. Only tricky part is sometimes they change the route and you will find out when you head to the subway station itself but it's usually not a problem. And when truly lost, just ask around.

If I had two days, I probably would head to Borough Market early as well and have breakfast and lunch there. By the time I was there, it was after lunch time but there were still things for me to see and do. First thing I came across was a stall selling plants. Love them and I wish I could have carted some home for my Dad. You can also get fresh produce like veggies and fruits, but you have to be there early to get the best buys.

There are different sections to the market so just walk around. The chocolates were attractive with such a variety. Bought some to take home of course. And yes, munched on a few as I was walking around.

You can also get fresh meats and seafood (see later below) and for meats, all sorts of cuts for you. Basically you can get anything here. Also, you can get cooked food and I saw some yummy eateries but since I had lunch, I just had some organic juice, chocolates and some ice-cream as I walked around. Kinda hard to take pictures while I ate but I managed.

At the outer part of the market, you can get lovely combinations of bread like the ones below. I mean, no way I could get such lovely breads here in Singapore *sighs*

And if you want cheese to go for your bread, loads available. Whatever kind you want, you can get. And you could also grab a bottle of wine, buy some strawberries, yeah ... you get the picture ya *winks*

I just had to take this picture of the Stichelton Cheese. May not look as appetising but I am sure cheese connoisseur would appreciate this and the other spreads that they had.

And yes, for those of you with a sweet tooth, you can have ice-cream or some of these yummy pastries below. There were still some left but I could just imagine if I had been here earlier, there would have been heaps more!

Hope you're drooling while you look at the pictures cuz I was drooling when I saw and smelled how wonderful it was all. I guess this is what I miss because we don't have such markets here in Singapore and I do wonder why.

I had to get away from the yummy food before I buy more so headed inside to check out the fresh seafood and see which I recognised and which I did.

Close up of the seafood stall. There were some already cooked seafood like crabs and shrimp. At times like this, I wished I knew how to cook!!

I was curious when I saw this long queue (there was also a long queue for freshly made ice cream). Like I said before, they have everything for everyone, whether you're a vegetarian, or carnivore like me, totally into organic food ... they have it.

After several hours of walking around, I decided to head off and the last shop I saw was this florist and I could smell the flowers even before I reached the shop. It was just awesome and they have the loveliest flowers there for sale.

Portobello Market in London

I was sad to leave Paris but our time was up and we had tickets to head back to London. Unfortunately, when I got to London, I was stuck in my room for a couple of days because I wasn't feeling too well. Managed to hobble to watch the Musical 'Lord of the Rings' but had to pop into a cab cuz my ankle just swelled up even more that evening! Thankfully, I got the doctor in and after a few days, I was feeling much better and I was glad cuz I had plans for the weekend!

When I travel on my own, I usually put the weekend aside to visit the local markets or craft markets because I love seeing what each country has to offer. I have blogged about the markets I love going to when I am in Sydney. For this trip, I did a little homework before hand so that I knew where I wanted to go and had to plan ahead. It's always important to check if they open on both Saturdays and Sundays and the timings that they are open for. With those information and a map at hand, I planned my trip for Saturday.

My first stop was the Portobello Market in London. Be prepared to have an early start because if you head there later, you will have to deal with the throngs of people. I was there about 8 plus and it was nice because I had time to walk around leisurely. Take the tube there and it's just about ten minutes walk. I went on my own so it's really that simple!

Photograph below shows how the crowd started to come in by late morning. And when I saw the crowd, I knew it was time for me to head to my next stop. How long do you need here? I reckon at least half the day and have breakfast and lunch there too. Will suggest below what you should have for lunch.

What can you expect at the Portobello Market? Well there are two parts to this market. The first stretch is where you can find awesome antiques. My greatest regret was not knowing alot more about the different things because I was at a disadvantaged there. If you are looking for a vintage watch, jewelry, camera, maps or anything - do your homework first. But I enjoyed walking around and even bought a few sets of English teacup sets for my Mom.

Don't just walk along the street. Go into each 'shop' because inside each shop, you actually have clusters of small stalls for your to check out their wares. It was like a maze but an exciting what because you just cannot tell what you're going to come across! Very exciting!

There's everything for everyone, with whatever budget that you have. There are also trinkets that you can buy back as souveniors for yourself or your loved ones. It looked pretty safe but one of the guys that I bought a silver bracelet from did remind me to make sure I have my belongings are kept safe.

There are also sections of the market where you can get fresh produce and it's just amazingly so colourful seeing the fruits and veggies. There were lots of people doing their grocery shopping too and I can just imagine that if I lived in London, I would probably make a weekly trip there!

When I was there, my nose led me to this stall that was selling paella and I swear, the smell was just beautiful. It wasn't ready because I was there rather early but on my way back to the train station (about lunch time), the paella was all ready and you can choose between chicken or seafood and my regret was not having that because I had something else instead that I have been craving for weeks (what I had will be revealed later in the post). And the beautiful part is that the paella is HALAL!!! Just be prepared to walk and eat at the same time because there's no seats around and people just plonk themselves by the side of the streets and munch away.

I am just drooling look at the pictures and I can even smell how yummy it was now. Anyone has any idea where I can get good paella here in Singapore? Me want some now *sobs*

My advise is don't bother eating anything before heading to Portobello Market. You can find anything there. There are these freshly baked bread and they have cheese and spreads that you can have with the bread. It's as good as packing a picnic from the different stalls there and just go to a corner and eat as you watch the people go by. And if you're on a diet, good luck to you :o)

And if want something sweet or savoury, no problem. Lots to choose from so really got to pace yourself. I suggest walking around first and to check what's available and then pick the ones that you want. My mistake is to buy immediately and usually end up with lots more than I can eat.

You cannot be in London and not have their jam donuts. MUST HAVE. Write it down and make sure you get yourself some good ones like the ones below. Don't bother with the ones pre-packed from the supermarket. Get the freshly made ones cuz they are the best!

More snapshots of the antiques that are available. I am not sure if these dolls are vintage ones so you really need to ask. Most of the sellers are willing to share what they know.

I was contemplating bringing these two tin vehicles home but I didn't have very much space in my luggage anymore plus I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. They were also a lil rusty and I didn't know anyone who could fix it. But if I had my own place, I think I would have been able to convince myself why I SHOULD get them *laughs*

As you walk away from the antique session, you will come across another section of the market that has knick knacks and more recent or modern buys. What attracted me to take this picture was how the colourful bangles look awesome together.

You can buy anything and you see alot of things that came from Asia. Lots of souveniors so if you have not bought what you need, this could be the place to get them. I walked by pretty quickly but am glad I didn't skip it.

Why? Because I came across an eatery owned by a Malaysian and after weeks of craving, I finally had my nasi padang. Plus they had a clean loo so it worked out great for me.

This was what I had - ayam masak merah (chicken cooked in tomato and chilli gravy), sayur ubi masak lemak (veggies cooked in coconut milk) and sambal terung (brinjal or eggplant fried and coated in chilli). I asked the boys at the counter which were the spicy ones and they pointed to the chicken so I had to get it. Was it good, yes it was but the portions were huge and I couldn't finish it all. Cost wise? Expensive. This cost me GBP6.50.

Now you know why I couldn't have the paella cuz I was too full from the nasi padang. Wished I could but I still had a few more markets to go so didn't want to fill up so quickly.

As I walked to the train station to head to the next market, I came across this pizzeria where they had this cute car as part of their deco. Very cool!

Where did I go next, look out for my next post. It was a great day indeed! :o)