Happy St. Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentines Day to you all!!!

Okay, I couldn’t really be up for doing the entire post in pink…there’s only so much of this lovey-dovey stuff I can take (OD is always scary, folks).

I do not believe that Valentine’s Day should be a ‘holiday’ (in my head, holiday = Christmas, New Years, Eid, etc.) but then I’m definitely not cynical enough not to celebrate or have fun with it at all.

It’s only been 4 hours and 2 minutes since the beginning of this particular Tuesday over here in Sydney so I still have lots of time left to enjoy this day!

Not-so-fun-fact: I left Bangladesh to come here to study Medicine in UNSW last year, on this exact day.

Well so technically I only arrived here on the 15th, but I think I’ll always relate Valentine’s to the beginning of my new life journey.

So many things have changed, and not to get too sentimental but I definitely do feel like a completely different person from who I used to be back in high school. In both positive and negative ways.

But that’s life and I guess that’s just how we all grow.

Anyway, I thought I’d do a mini-celeblogration with a few photos of “things-I-hearted-this-week”. Yes my name is Asuma and I make up random stuff do to.

The actual colour is slightly darker than in this photo above, but I’d been wanting to try mint green nails forever now! The verdict – I’m in love with it.

Brown rice flour muffin. This one was a gluten-free organic one (if that matters), with apple, raspberry and cinnamon. I usually don’t care that much for organic food, sans specific produce that have relatively high accumulation of toxins like carrots, but I got this one mainly because of the rice flour factor. Firstly, I think that rice flour gives a much more dense and moist texture which I prefer, whereas wheat would make it light and fluffier. And as an added bonus, rice flour does not have the effect of cooling out body unlike refined wheat, so if I were given the choice I would definitely pick rice flour. My poor circulation and cold extremities are my frenemies – sure it means that I don’t sweat as much during summer but come winter I die. A trillion layers and gloves (+fingerless ones while working) and scarves and hats please. Okay I’m getting off the track again….

This new L’oreal Sulfate-Free Hair Masque. So thick and creamy…so moisturing…but what I liked the most was its fragrance! Rosemary and other shea-like scents are pretty common,  but this one was rosemary&mint and oh it was such a delicious smell. Pure indulgence.

Michael Fassbender. Now I intentionally did not put exclamation marks right now, or else I might as well have yelled it out. Especially after watching him in Shame…I need to watch more of his films. Maybe Hunger?

And last but not the least, hanging out with the girls!!! Just chatting away for hours…it’s just so rejuvenating.

So, I guess this is just another beginning of an ordinary Tuesday, but it’s still somewhat uplifting to know that it’s V-day

Shame + Hunky Dory Social Club

I went out to watch Shame at Palace Verona Cinema in Paddington a couple of nights ago with the girls!! It was my first time to meet Kelly, who was on a student exchange program to Korea for the past year (and I only came to Sydney last year, so naturally, yeah). I had heard so much about her from the other girls so it didn’t really feel like I was meeting her for the first time, but she was way cooler than I could have imagined! Can’t wait to get to hang out with her more.

Apart from that, oh yeah, the film. I LOVED it. I don’t know if people have issues with these sort of films, or maybe some would just say it doesn’t make sense. But I feel like I could really relate to the characters in different ways. I wouldn’t want to spoil the movie for any of you so wouldn’t talk much about the plot here, but because we all have issues and different ways of dealing with them, I could just feel the pain, the emotions toward self, others and the world. Oh, and not to forget, the great casting. I loved Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan in it – their expressions, not just from dialogue, but their face to the way they stand and even a single movement of the brow was so true and real. One film I’d definitely want to watch again at home, alone.

After the movie, we went down to Hunky Dory Social Club for a late dinner. Well, I couldn’t really eat (ordered a cocktail though) because of this dietary issue that I’ve been having, and I don’t know if it’s because of that but it makes me nauseous and unable to sleep when I eat late at night.

Guess what this is…it is not a picture book…

Their menu! Pretty cool isn’t it?

The middle cocktail was mine – the Highland Swig! Really refreshing, with honey dew, lemon and lychee.

This was Austvina’s, but it looked to good I hate to show it here! Tiramisu with coffee and biscuits, probably short bread.

Not much lighting, but you can see how there literally weren’t anyone left by the time we left…I think it was about 11:30? We actually stayed longer than this couple who were on a date. It was so much fun chatting with the girls, we completely lost track of time. Oops. I was damn sleepy on the car back home (thanks so much for giving us a lift, Julz!!), probably also because I’m not used to taking alcohol that often. But even the ride was fun! Gee, when do we ever go out of things to talk about? Anyway, it was a great night and I’m so looking forward to getting together with them again soon!