October 2016 - Carrot Tops

30Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy 1 Comment

Boyfriend went to the Google Cloud Conference, and all I got was a “Cardboard Box”

‘What is this? Get it out of my sight’, seeing the rectangular cardboard box on top of the shoe cabinet, this is the first thing that came out of my mouth. ‘Oh, it’s for you. It is the google VR’. I clumsily and suspiciously opened up the box, and unfolded it into the goggle shape. ‘There is nothing here, it doesn’t work…’ Oh dear, sometimes, I do feel sorry for my techie boyfriend who has such a technology retarded girlfriend. I did not know I was suppose to download an app on the smart phone, then insert the phone into the box. Never mind, I quickly lost my interest in this ‘boring’ little item. As having a perpetual habit of throwing things out and tidying things up, I was waiting to…

25Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy 2 Comments

Princess and Pho

Cotton, Eat

Princess I have never been a big fan of cats. In a way, I am a bit afraid of them, but today, a particular little cat melted my heart. Boyfriend and I went to a meetup event at the Innovation Warehouse on top of the Smithfield Market, here we met Princess, also known as the Startup Cat. She roamed around the place like the true boss, and cast her cuteness spell on every passerby. Of course, I was a victim of hers too, started thinking whether she would get on with Cotton. Well, they are about the same size, so maybe... Princess was definitely more confident, posing in all sorts of ways in front of my camera, like a seasoned celebrity. Well, she is, she even has her own twitter page. Pho (Happy…

25Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy No Comments

The Peony Pavilion: love in life and death

Art, Live, London

"It's so beautiful, I am gonna cry." Quoting from my friend, whom I went with to Kunqu opera, the Peony Pavilion. What she said pretty much summed it up. It was simply stunning. This is the second time The Peony Pavilion-Young lover's edition took place in London, this time in the Troxy. It is an adaption of Tanxianzu's (a great Chinese playwright of the 16th century) opera, by the Taiwanese writer Bai Xianyong. 55 scenes distilled into 9 hours, spreading over three nights. It was a modern take of the traditional opera, divided into three books: Love in Dream, Love in Death and Love on Earth. Synopsis: Du Liniang, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Nan'an governor was lured by the beautiful spring, so took a stroll in the garden with her…

17Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy No Comments

Handmade at Kew

Art, Travel

Quoting from Confucius, ‘isn’t it joyful having a friend coming from afar'. It has been such a long time, since I caught up with my high school friend. We used to do so many things together back then as a group of four, now facing the harsh reality, we all reside in different cities. So it was such a pleasure seeing Laura again. We decided to pay Kew gardens a little visit, whilst the craft fair-- Handmade at Kew was taking place. This is the London chapter of a series of craft exhibitions organised by Handmade in Britain. We were impressed by the beautifully crafted items, whilst joking about how the fair is a heaven for 'hipsters', and how we ‘fit right in’. As far as I am concerned, we…

12Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy 5 Comments

I am not fat, I am just furry

Cotton

Still find it hard to believe that we have a pet rabbit! Other people get dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters... We have a rabbit. Nearly 5 months since Cotton has arrived into the household. Meanwhile, she has ripped up duvet covers, chewed through my pineapple plants, and left various teeth marks on our clothes. Just the other day, I found out that on one of my favorite tops, there was a small hole right in the middle, no doubt her masterpiece. I sent many of her photos to friends and family. Whilst majority of comments come as "Aw, so cute" "OMG, I am gonna put her in my bag!" "She is so adorable!" which have made me feel a bit chuffed. Yet, a few ones were these: From my mum: "Oh, she…

08Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy No Comments

Kat Von D: a makeup brand with attitude

Art, Live, London

It would not be overrating to hail her as the Queen of Tattoo. As I write this post now, I hesitate whether to tagline the post as 'embrace your inner Goth', but then decided not to. If I only state Kat Von D as a iconic symbol of Goth, I couldn't be more wrong. She is more than that, her artistic endeavours showed attitude and determination. Katherine Von Drachenberg (Kat Von D) is one of the most famous tattoo artists in America, and left her marks on numerous celebrities such Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Saying that she inked half of Hollywood wouldn't be an exaggeration. Going from tattoo to makeup artistry is an obvious route, as they share so many similarities artistically. After eight years, finally, Kat has launched her line of products in the UK,…

04Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy 2 Comments

Villandry: Christmas preview with wine on tap

Eat, Fine Dining

My friend received an invitation for Villandry's Christmas food sampling, and I was her plus one. I have been to Villandry St Jame's branch with the girls just couple of months ago for brunch and was not overly impressed by the decor or the food. Although slightly weary about this invitation, the Great Portland Street branch certainly redeemed itself. There, we walked through the colourful flowers in the hallway, and entered into the red room which sang to me modern French. We were offered a glass of bubblies as soon as we arrived, then we just happily settled down into the ambiance. What followed were those delicately made canapes, ranging from crispy duck, salmon, mushroom... Perfect assortment of party finger food. Great service and wonderful sense of humours from the…

02Oct 2016 by Cotton's Mummy No Comments

A Shakespearean Handan Dream: when the East meets the West

Art, Travel

This year is rather special for the literature world, as it marks the 400 years of anniversary for the deaths of two great playwrights. One lived in the Elizabethan England as the national poet who shaped our modern English, the other from the far east who was a government official but used his plays to reflect the corrupt and bureaucratic society. They are William Shakespeare of England and Tang Xianzu of China. Where one had the masterpiece Romeo and Juliet known by every household, the other had The Peony Pavillion that would bring anyone to tears. It would have been impossible for them to meet in those days, but who knew their legacy met on stage 400 years after their death in the heart of London: St Paul’s Church Covent…