I was looking for some pictures of the seven deadly sins because a friend gave me the idea to make a desktop background of the SDS. So I began looking and came across this picture of an SDS restaurant menu from DeviantArt. It piqued my curiosity and I clicked on it. Absolutely gorgeous. I really liked how it looked, but sadly... it was just a project and not a real restaurant. :(

Click here to see it.

I died a little inside.

So you! Any of you! If you're looking to start a restaurant... Name it The Seven Deadly Sins and I'll be yer regular patron. :P

*nods nods* I promise.


-Lissa-

Apparently I'm still caught in the time zone of London - sleeping two hours later and waking up two hours later. It's a bad thing, but I'll adjust to it soon enough. Classes start on Monday (BOO HOO!) and it's gonna be hell trying to get to work after three weeks of not doing anything. >.<

But anyways, what amuses me is that we're picking up -exactly- where we left of, which is gonna be confusing as hell. LOL. I guess I'll have to start going through the timetable again, which I'm not looking forward to. ~.~

Another thing I'm not looking forward to is updating my travel journal. Yes, sad to say, I'm still stuck in... Romania. LMAO. That was in January. >.< The year is coming to an end, WOMAN! Need to buck up. Perhaps I'll get started today. Hmm... *nods nods* I suppose I shall. And when I'm done, I'll make sure to post some photos of my travel journal in here. I don't know what gave me the ingenious idea, but I'm really glad I have my journal because it lets me relive those special moments during my travels that I would have otherwise forgotten.

Right. Time for brunch-tea. <3


-Lissa-

14th November, 2009
10:17 a.m.

I was surprised that Poo and James were up early today, considering the time they got back last night. Apparently they were piss drunk and tried as hard as possible to not wake me up. LOL. I wish I was awake, though, so I could take a video of them giggling like lunatics while staggering around. LMAO. Now that we're all ready, it's time to meet Cora at Victoria. Yay!


2:57 p.m.

Sean's here! But the girls are nowhere to be seen. Hopefully they're all right. Met Cora at Victoria station in the morning but it was raining so we couldn't go to Highgate Cemetery as planned. :( >.< Ended up going to Namco, when the weather got worse. :| Good thing we cancelled our plans. >.> Either one was a bad idea because at Namco I spent more money. *dies*  We pooled our tickets to get Cora a toy lion and then found that we were just short of 18 tickets to get another. LOL. So yeah, eventually Poo got a lion too. :P I also beat Poo's score at target shooting, so now he owes me dinner! >:)





2:44 a.m.

It's been an interesting night... Siân and Sara arrived and we all sat down to talk. Poo was marvellous in engaging Siân in conversation and I'm really grateful for that. Had something to eat - scampi and chips which was good. Yums! We discovered at half past nine that we were hungry and needed to grab some food but to our dismay, the kitchen had closed and there was nowhere to eat. :( Sean gave Poo some money for crisps and a while after that, he and Cora had to head off. >.< Said goodbye and we went to The Dev. Unfortunately, Sara was underaged so we went to The World's End instead. I didn't realise it was so huge inside.


But yeah, we stayed there till 1, but by then, Siân was drunk from all the vodka and coke she had and we helped her back to our hotel. Made a mess on the way, but nothing too major. Phew!



15th November, 2009
2:38 p.m.

Woke up early to find Siân rummaging around for her phone. Once I'd handed it over to her, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up till after 10. Poo took a shower first, then it was my turn. Siân cleaned her jeans which had some vomitus on it then took a shower as well, then Sara and James turned up just as we were about done packing. Headed over to Starbucks and chatted until Siân had to go. We said goodbye to her then went to McGlynn's next to Wardonia for some Sunday roast.


It was so good! *drools* I finished everything and once again, James and Poo were amazed. LOL. But it's time for me to say goodbye to them as well. :(


6:55 p.m.

In Journey's Kings Cross Hostel right now. It doesn't seem too bad, though I've not tried out the showers. Even so, I guess that it won't matter if they don't work because I'd be heading over to Marcus' hostel in Kiev so I can take a shower there. So anyway, after I said my goodbyes to Sara, Poo and James, I headed over to Temple Church (too late to go to Highgate Cemetery. >.<). Had the same predicament as the last time when I tried to look for it. BUT, this time I asked a cabbie and he gave me specific directions on how to get to Tudor Street and a random person on Temple Avenue told me exactly where Temple Church was. And I found it! WOOT! It's an achievement indeed! Sadly, though, the church was closed to visitors so I could only take pictures from the outside.


When I was done with the place, I walked along the Thames and headed back towards the train station. By then, the sun was setting, so I took a few pictures and rode on the tube to Tower Hill to catch Tower Bridge in all its glory with its night lights. Bought some fish and chips to go then I headed to Tesco to get some last minute stuff (like Worcestershire sauce, molasses, peppermint extract, etc.) Ate my fish and chips and now here I am, in bed, cuddling Jacques.





16th November, 2009
9:21 a.m.

Am finally on board the bus to Luton Airport! The sky looks horribly black as I was leaving - hopefully it won't affect the flight. Slept pretty okay last night, though I must say, four nights at Wardonia has completely spoiled me. :P Nevertheless, they had relatively good beds and hot showers... I'm satisfied. All that for £9.50, I'd say it was worth the money. I can't wait to get home though, now that my trip is at an end.


12:58 p.m.

I'm in the plane... about the depart from my beloved England. :( It's been a great trip. I didn't do much here but then again, I got to see Dope Stars Inc., and we all know how that went. :P So... this trip has been a wonderful life experience: my first club gig, ate my first crêpe and Sunday roast, tasted my first sake, first experience with a drunk friend, bought my first OLD books (for a change!), had my first shooting game (with a first perfect score too), my first celebrity photos, first evacuation for an emergency... It was great. I find it so difficult to tear myself away... I've gone and made a pact to visit England at least once every two years. LOL. I've seen her in winter and autumn... Summer or spring is next. XD But yes, I had an amazing time. Not to mention, I found it ironic that a Brit was thanking a Malaysian for an awesome time in London. LMAO. I'll be back, though, I promise. And it may be sooner than you think. ;) <3


8:23 p.m.

Back in Kiev where everything is dreadfully Soviet again, and horribly expensive. :P I called the hostel and booked a bed for tonight for €10. All set! Took a marshrutka to the train station, and then hailed a cab for 40 UAH from there. Some unscrupulous cabbies were trying to charge 80 UAH. WHAT? Did they think I was stupid? ~.~ Not my first year here, guys... No can do. The taxi I took, though, was horrible because either the driver really didn't know where he was going or he was trying to con me by going round and round and wasting petrol so he could squeeze more money out of me. I'd go with the latter, considering the hostel was RIGHT next to a metro station. *huffs* Fine, so I gave him 50 UAH to get him out of my hair. *mumbles obscenities* Anyways, I'm all checked in and am waiting for Marcus to take us to the doctor's bar soon.



17th November, 2009
11:17 a.m.

My body aches all over, due to the amount of strain I've put it through, carrying the heavy bags. Dinner was okay, I guess. Took a really long time, which made me think that I should've gotten a meal from McDonald's instead. Stayed til about midnight then I left with Lance. Went straight to bed after washing up. LOL. Not sure what to do now, but I guess I could take a shower then go explore the underground shopping mall. :P





2:23 p.m.

Am back at the hostel. Had McDonald's for lunch and then I took a walk inside the Metrograd. It's bigger than I had ever imagined it to be, but then, what can you expect from the biggest underground shopping mall in Kiev? :P


I've not explored the whole place because I got tired and I decided to head back to continue reading my book. Which reminds me. I came across this book called 'I Never Knew That About London' in an English bookstore. It cost 130 UAH and I would've bought it too, had it been in pristine condition. I'll look it up on eBay or something when I get back.


8:22 p.m.

Managed to traverse the whole of Metrograd. The moment I breached the last 'kvartal', it all looked very familiar to me. LOL. I know what it is now! It's huge! So didn't expect it to be connected to the underground mall we always visit when we go to Kiev. LOL. Bought some postcards then returned to the hostel. I read more of Der Fuehrer until I got sleepy and took a nap. Less than two hours before I finally get out of this place. Considering the size of Metrograd, I didn't even have to take the metro to get to Khreshatyk - just walk from end to end! Ah, if I'd known earlier. But it doesn't matter. There are lots of places to visit here. I'll be back in spring or summer and drag Reuby with me. ^.^





18th November, 2009
4:55 a.m.

Well, it's the last leg of my journey and sad to say, it's not one of the best times that I've had (Kiev). But what can you expect from ex-Soviets? *shrugs* Nevertheless, I've learned a couple of lessons the hard way and I definitely won't make the same mistakes again. May I reiterate that DSI was completely and utterly awesome and totally made my trip. :P It seems like only yesterday that I was bopping to their live music. :P I'm guarding my SD card ever so fiercely because it contains 'a lifetime of dreams'. :X I may never have the chance to see them again but eh, at least I have done so this time round. Carpe diem! And now, home beckons...





The London 2009 trip

London-ness Part One


-Lissa-

I be back! *coughs* Yes, I was away on holiday. But I took good care of myself and made sure I had Echinacea tablets with me all the time. Didn't fall sick once, which is a good thing! *dances around*

So.


Went to London with Fatteh, though we parted ways at the airport. Spent a good 5 nights there and made my way back via Kiev. I was kinda unprepared for the weather because I expected London to be warmer - and it was, for the most part - so I was really cold by the time I got to Kiev. >.< I had a blast with Poo and James. We shared a triple and I got the single bed. Yay! Needless to say, I had lots and lots of fun. ^.^

Loads of pictures... Will post some here, but if you wanna see all of em, ya gotta go to Facebook.

Right?

Right.

Let's start.



11th November, 2009
10:02 a.m.

It's so foggy here in Kiev. During landing, I thought we'd actually crash into the ground because I couldn't see where we were going. Anyways, I'm tired out so I'll get some sleep. It's reassuring, at least, that I have Fatteh with me.


8:44 p.m.

I'm in London!! Finally! I can't believe it's only been a year... Seems like ages. I missed this place so much. <3 Bought a return bus ticket and I'm hoping that this trip will be a truly memorable one. Looking forward to seeing Poo and James. :D



12th November, 2009
11:10 a.m.

Woke up later than expected, but all's good. I actually like this hotel and the shower is excellent. Met up with James and Poo last night outside Kings Cross. It was great seeing them again. Walked to Wardonia Hotel, which turned out to be more familiar than I'd expected. LOL. Spent most of the night talking until I fell asleep. :P





5:13 p.m.

Spent the first bit of the day in Camden where Poo wanted to get a new pair of pants for the gig tomorrow and I was hoping to get a couple of Dope Stars Inc. CDs. So we headed over there and yes, our first stop was Resurrection Records. Woo!! The guy there actually told me that they were gonna play tomorrow and I was all, "Yeah, I know... We're gonna go watch it." :D Next stop was Cyberdog and I spotted Giant Microbes in there! Wanted to get anthrax for Reuby but it was kinna expensive, so I changed my mind. >.<


Had lunch there as well, and while I couldn't finish the last bit of my rice, the two guys hadn't even get halfway through their meal. LOL. "I feel so emasculated," Poo said. BAHA. Pwned. So after that we headed over to Oxford Street to see the Christmas decorations and then to Namco, for some reason I don't quite remember anymore. :P





Poo and James actually won me a toy from Namco! It's a basset hound and it looks absolutely adorable. <3 Not exactly sure, what to call it yet but apparently it has no peepee. >.> LMAO. I've written postcards and stuff while they were playing and they seemed rather addicted to the hunting game downstairs. -.-" I hit the jackpot for 247 tickets earlier on, which gave me the shock of my life. LOL. That was amazing. Didn't realise how difficult it actually was. LOL. That was fun. ^.^




10:26 p.m.

We'd been at Namco for the most part of the day, playing games and winning tickets. Had dinner at Ozu which was a couple of steps away from Namco and it was wonderful. I ordered a salmon-don which had salmon sashimi. Mmmm... I love Japanese food. Poo made us try sake, which at first I was unwilling to do, but it didn't seem as bad or strong as I thought it'd be. The rice wine that my Grandma makes is stronger. LOL. I rather liked the last one best - Komekome, it's called. So need to let Reuby try that. :)




Since we had time to kill before meeting James' friend, we went back to Namco. XD I hit the jackpot again for another game but the stupid machine wouldn't get me tickets. >.< Ah well. Then all of a sudden, the lights went out and we were asked to evacuate. O.O Now we're heading back to the hotel to drop our things before going to meet Ally.




2:45 a.m.

We're back in the hotel, albeit without James. Ally is such fun, I really enjoyed being around her. She's practically a female James! LOL. So we met up with her and she took us to The Hobgoblin (also known as The Dev). It was quite fun, the DJ played whatever you requested for (though they didn't have DSI) and the atmosphere was really laidback. Had gin and tonic after two glasses of juice and I liked it. :) Poo stole some of Ally's red wine while she was dancing. >.> Okay, so I dared him to, and he did. <.< LOL.




We got kicked out at about 1 when the pub closed but the bartender pointed us to another bar that was open (in Soho) and Ally took us there. Turned out to be The Crobar and it was crowded! I got tired a little while after that, so Poo and I left. And I've named my little hound Jacques. Because he's French. >.>




13th November, 2009
11:42 a.m.

I woke to the sound of retching in the middle of the night. Poo had his head bent over the side of the bed and was throwing up on the carpet. O.O waited till he had finished then asked him if he was okay. He was, relatively, so he got up to turn on the light and clean up the mess. To my relief, it sounded worse than it actually was because most of it had already been thrown up before he went to bed. I gave him carbon tablets (perks of being a medical student!) and made a note to get an isotonic drink for him later on. All was well after that. So now we're up and Poo has a slight headache. Going out for waffles, WOOT!


6:27 p.m.

Part of me is tired but the other part of me is excited about seeing DSI. Met up with Kat and Sean at Kings Cross. Took the tube to Covent Garden, which was just simply beautiful. We were all hungry so we had crêpes, and those were amazingly delicious. I ordered Wide Load which had Mars bar, fresh strawberries, ginger biscuits and extra-thick double cream. Mmmm... So good. Kat initially told me to get a savoury crêpe first then move on to a sweet one, but I declined because I wasn't sure how much I could eat. I'm so glad I went with my instinct. XD


Later we went to Cybercandy to get sweets and I saw jawbreakers! Bought a big box for me and Reuby and a smaller one for Zi. As we walked, I noticed an old bookstore that sold old books. Jackpot! As I stepped in, I breathed in the familiar scent of musty old books and was instantly in love with the place. <3 I exclaimed to Sean that I could spend the whole day in there, and I could, just poring through the books or smelling them! LOL.


I left with three purchases that were old... decades old - Complete Works of Shakespeare (1947), Ulysses Found (1964), and Der Fuehrer (1944). I thought of getting Reuby a Christmas present as well, and immediately started looking. Most were out of my price range, about £100 or so which made me take a step back. BUT I found it in the third store we entered. Hah! It was expensive, more expensive than I thought but also very pretty. And ancient. The Bible was published in 1901. That makes it over a hundred years old! O.O Amazing, da? I'm sure Reuby would appreciate it. It was the perfect gift, I almost teared up there and then when I turned the pages because it was just so beautiful.





Once we were done, we walked to Leicester Square for some ice cream. I ordered a scoop of white chocolate and it was good... Nummeh. Then Sean and Kat had to go, so we said our goodbyes at the tube station. Sean will be coming again tomorrow, yay! And now, back to the event at hand... DOPE STARS INC.!!! <3


2:24 a.m.

O.M.G. The gig was awesome. Granted, I was there only for DSI, but the other support bands were pretty good. I would definitely look up Night Terrors.





I caught sight of the DSI members a couple of times but was too unnerved to approach them. When it was their turn to play, oh wow. They were incredible. The feeling is indescribable. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and it was definitely worth every penny. Seriously, it's difficult to put into words how I found the whole thing. I remember a funny moment, though, right before I entered:

Security: How old are you?
Me: Err... 24.
Security: Have you got any ID?
Me: Yes... *rummages in bag then stops* ...No.

BAHA. I'd left my purse in the hotel room because I didn't want to bring my valuable things save my phone and camera. Of course, it wasn't until after the gig that I remembered that I still had my passport with me. :P Oh well. Didn't matter anyway. After the performance, I caught a few of them and worked up the nerve to ask for a photo. YAY! I didn't manage to get one with La Nuit though. :( Ash and Darin gave me their autographs as well. ^.^ And Ash kissed me twice on the cheek. *swoons* I could've died and gone to heaven. LOL.




I love DSI. Definitely the best Friday the 13th ever. :P <3


-Lissa-

ARGH. Sorry for the silence. >.> Just got home. *looks shifty*

Will blog tomorrow when/if the Net gets better and I got my pictures sorted out. >.<


-Lissa-

One year ago I received the worst wake-up call ever.

It broke my heart because I knew then that I would no longer see you smile.

As we move on with our lives, your absence is still greatly felt. No more of your cheerful optimism, no more of your admirable independence, no more of your generosity, no more of your loving kindness, no more of your humour, no more... you.

I wish I could have been there, to maybe make things easier for you, to make you understand... to make a difference between life and death.

I wish I was there for you.

But I'm glad we turned back for that final goodbye. That's the only thing that makes this bearable.

I love you.


-Lissa-

I'm beginning to realise that I didn't have a life because I remember all these. o.o

And... I can't find a good original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles intro on YouTube that would let me embed it. >.<

-Lissa-

BAHA!! While I'm on a roll of looking through YouTube for the cartoons I grew up with, here's two more!



I'm tempted to get them all recorded and let my kids watch 'em. They just don't make cartoons like they used to. :(


-Lissa-

Another one of my favourite shows when I was a kid. *sighs* I miss those days. I'd give anything to watch those cartoons again. :P



-Lissa-

I know this is old and it's been circulating around for ages, but hey, each time I read it, it kinna hits home about how the world is.

I found it on a friend's blog and I figured, why not?



My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu .. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country.. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina ).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... Terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it..... No one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.



My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein


-Lissa-