A PHOTO FOR FRIDAY | 18

Something exciting happened this week. I bought my first Christmas present! Well, technically I've already bought a couple online that haven't arrived yet, but this was the first purchase I made on a whim, and sometimes those turn out to be the best.

I was in a bad mood because Oxford Circus was extra busy and I was in desperate need of a parka coat because the weather in London is a bit miserable at the moment, to put it politely. Fed up, I wandered into the florist at the front of Liberty, which you will know if you have been there before, is exceptionally expensive. And then I saw this crown pot and just thought 'that is perfect for my mum' and the relatively inexpensive price tag was such a nice surprise. And then as I was queuing at the till I spotted this jug and I thought 'that is perfect for me', because sometimes you need a little midweek pick-me-up in the form of the flower vase/jug you have always been searching for. Such a serendipitous moment that made my week! Wishing you a wonderful weekend x

Also, thank you so much for all your comments on this post. It's given me lots to think about for the new year and I'm really grateful to everyone for sharing.

READING LIST: a christmas book club (2014 favourites)

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? Are you mad at me for even mentioning it? I'm trying to get everything done early this year so I can just enjoy the few weeks before Christmas, so I thought I'd post this earlier rather than later.

I love giving books because they make such thoughtful presents - they could be your favourites, ones you know they'll love, bestsellers, classics - and it's easy to keep a stash of your favourite tomes for those gifting moments when you're caught unexpectedly unprepared. For my brother's birthday last year, I gave him a 'book subscription' and chose a book that I would post to him at the beginning of each month for the next six months. I liked doing it so much, I thought I would share the 12 books I read this year that I think would make perfect gifts this Christmas.

1. Sharks Fin & Sichua Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop - this still remains one of my very favourite, and most read books of all time. Dunlop has such a knack for describing (sometimes exceedingly odd) Chinese delicacies in a way that is utterly mouth-watering; a wonderful gift for enthusiastic foodies and travellers alike.

2. The Dinner by Herman Koch - I'm a total sucker for novels with a twist, especially when there is a big build up. In the case of this book, the suspense captivates you nearly until the end of the book, hinting at the climax. The whole story unwinds over a single evening meal, which makes for some seriously impressive writing!

3. Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert - this book is a really interesting study into marriage and commitment across the world by the writer of Eat, Pray, Love. I love reading non-fiction, but this still manages to feel like a story and, despite the empirical subject matter, it's far from dry.

4. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - I have to admit, I bought this for my work book club and I still haven't read it! But I included it in this list because it's a huge bestseller and I'm planning to read it over the Christmas break - who wants to discuss?

5. The Art of Eating Well by Hemsley + Hemsley - despite setting myself a cookbook challenge and promising not to buy anymore cookbooks until I'd cooked at least a recipe from each of the ones I already had, there was so much publicity around these sisters, and I've loved their recipes online, that I just had to get this. I love their principal of a healthy diet that doesn't restrict animal proteins and is pretty liberal with the fats (hooray for butter!)

6. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - this is probably one of the biggest books of the year. I've seen it read everywhere from train platforms to Indonesian beaches and I loved it. It's an easy read with a somewhat predictable storyline, but sometimes that's just what you need!

7. Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman - after devouring both seasons back-to-back on Netflix I had to read Piper's real-life memoir. They've changed so much for the tv show so it was interesting to see how the two compared.

8. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson - oh this book! It has completely divided opinion but I LOVED it. The author cleverly weaves together both present and past in a captivating story that encompasses the past 100 years of modern history. It had me constantly googling to see if the main character was actually real!

9. I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes - I only took thrillers on holiday with me this year. I started this before we went away but it was so slow to start with I gave up on it until we were 5000 miles away and I didn't have a choice. I hope they make this into a movie - it's insane! There's espionage, terrorist plots and chemical warfare all bound up into one very complex plot.

10. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - have you read Gone Girl? Of course you have! Well this doesn't quite compare - what can!? - but Flynn just comes up with amazing story lines and after I devoured this in a day, I picked up her other book, Sharp Objects, too.

11. Green Kitchen Travels by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl - I love the blog Green Kitchen Stories so it was only natural that this cookbook would also flout the conditions of my cookbook challenge! I love everything about this book, and I really recommend it for veggies and non-veggies alike.

12. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler - for the past few years I've stopped reading during my commute, just picking up the free paper in the morning instead, but this book has reignited my love of reading on-the-go. I don't want to give too much away, but a big twist comes right at the beginning and the rest of the book tries to explain the story behind it, mixing historical fact with pure, raw emotion. Please go buy this!

What were your favourite books you read this year? Please let me know in the comments so I can start my 2015 Amazon wish list!

LET'S TALK ABOUT: alternatives to the pill

Can we get a little personal over here today? I think it's important to talk about issues that affect women with your girlfriends, so why not here? I've been on the contraceptive pill for a long time now and I think it's time to start thinking about some alternatives. Doctors have told me lots of different things about how long you should be on what we call the combined oral contraceptive pill in the UK before you should take a break - some have advised no more than 6 years, others have told me 10 is fine, and I'm sitting somewhere in the middle.

A PHOTO FOR FRIDAY | 17

Clearly this photo is not mine, unless you could believe I've been in the middle of the desert and not, as luck would have it, at my desk in dreary London. A work colleague of mine quit his job to travel the world before moving back to Canada and his instagram feed is the stuff of travel dreams. Who would have thought you could find a desert palace in China or a towering pagoda in the middle of Taipei?

A word of warning: his instagram will induce wanderlust and I won't be responsible for any rash decisions you might make relating to work or money. Mmm'kay?

BOMBAY OMELETTE

I had an amazing brunch at Dishoom, a "Bombay cafe" in London the other weekend (get the masala chai!) and I ordered their Bombay Omelette, which inspired me to add a bit of spice to my usual breakfast.



Seriously, I think I could eat this every morning. People are often surprised to hear I'll happily scarf down leftover noodles or curry first thing in the morning, yet find eating sausages and bacon perfectly normal (and delicious, obvi). Well, if you prefer your breakfast on the sweet side, don't let me stop you - this recipe makes a lovely (frugal) lunch or dinner too. 

To make one omelette:
2 fresh, free-range eggs
Red onion
Green pepper
Curry powder

To serve:
Cherry tomatoes
Apple cider vinegar
Coriander
Crusty bread



This recipe comes together really quickly, so you want to make sure you have everything on-hand so you can serve it all at once. I like my omelette with a little salsa - finely slice some of the red onion and marinate for a couple of minutes in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt to soften, halve the tomatoes and add to the onion with a few coriander leaves.

Dice as much of the red onion and green pepper as you like, as finely as you like, and set aside. Whisk the eggs with a pinch of curry powder - I think Dishoom's version didn't actually have any Indian spices in it, but I prefer mine this way.

Slice your bread into a big thick slab. You can toast it, but for special occasions (i.e. weekends), I like to rub it with a little olive oil and salt and pop it on a hot, dry griddle pan while my eggs cook.

I like my eggs cooked with butter, but it's up to you if you use olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, etc. Heat a non-stick pan on a high heat with your chosen fat and add the diced peppers and onion. I like to sauté them for less than ten seconds so that they retain their fresh flavour and crunch, but you can cook them longer too. Then pour the eggs into the pan. A proper omelette really shouldn't take long at all (Julia Child says 20 seconds!!). When the bottom starts to brown and it comes away easily from the pan, fold the sides in to create a roll shape and slide it onto a plate. Finish with a generous sprinkling of coriander - after I took these photos, I literally covered mine with the stuff!

p.s. restaurant-style scrambled eggs for the traditionalists.

BUYING USEFUL SOUVENIRS

I'm a big fan of buying souvenirs, but I'm always careful to choose things that 1) go with the look of our apartment and 2) will be used or appreciated almost every day. When I came back from Cambodia, I talked about buying memorable souvenirs, but this time in KL I just wanted to hit up all the shops in Chinatown for cheap and cheerful homewares.



I constantly go between wanting a minimalist home straight off the pages of Kinfolk magazine or having a vibrant haven of textiles and bold pops of colour. Bordering on kitsch, there's something about the traditional crockery and utensils that I love - I find them nostalgic and when I'm eating a big bowl of noodles then I definitely want a pair of authentic chopsticks to slurp them up with!

I picked up more pairs of chopsticks than we could ever need at a restaurant wholesale supplier, as well as a couple of tres useful dishcloths, a sweet tray* and some tea, which was actually from Singapore, but comes in the best packaging.

*in the interest of being practical, this was not a savvy choice. The tray is slightly domed at the centre, making for some hairy tea-carrying moments!

p.s. 5 tips for the reluctant haggler.

KUALA LUMPUR FOREVER

My mum's side of the family live in Kuala Lumpur, and every time I go back I feel more and more fond of it. Not only is it a wonderful hub to visit beautiful, far-off places, but it's like taking an amazing holiday without having to leave home. I don't know about you, but two weeks in a hotel would drive me round the bend! Of course, our first port of call the morning after we arrived was my favourite noodle shop, which I'm sure you're sick of hearing about now!

Actually, this trip was extra exciting, because the whole reason behind us going was an exhibition put on by the national bank of Malaysia, Bank Negara, with my mum as the star! It was really exciting to see her beautiful artworks displayed on such an impressive large scale and I'm so proud of her (not to mention thankful for the tickets to Malaysia to go see it!). The bank's museum is in a beautiful building called Sasana Kijang, a super-modern structure with plenty of glass panelling and a seashell-inspired swirling staircase.

It was also Deepavali, the Indian festival of lights, while we were there. My grandparents' house is close to Little India, and it was fun to drive through and see a riot of colours and beautiful outfits.

It's actually a little embarrassing, but I hadn't really done much touristy stuff in the city before, as we spend a lot of time at home with my granddad, who doesn't like to go out often (though he made an extra-special effort to come to the exhibition, decked out in his best batik shirt!). We spent one (very hot) day out and about, exploring the area around KLCC, the twin towers, and trying lots of street food.

My cousin and her husband came into KL from Singapore for the weekend and they took us out to a few bars - let me tell you, a hangover in 100% humidity is NOT fun.

The best part of the trip for me, though, was just spending time at the home, having lots of crazy family meals and hanging out with the dogs. We're heading back for my granddad's 90th birthday next March and I don't think it can come soon enough!

I've been itching to finish posting all my holiday updates because I have some really exciting Christmas posts planned for the next few weeks! I think I'm going to write a little bit more about travelling next week, but after that I'm warning you - it is going to start feeling very Christmassy around here!

QUNCI VILLAS, LOMBOK

When we first arrived at Qunci Villas from the Gili islands, I have to say we were a little disappointed - I know, right!? But hear me out: we'd just spend six days on an island, with really only a handful of other people, being able to stroll out from our hotel to grab a beer or a snack and slobbing around in our swim stuff, so arriving at this incredibly beautiful, pristine resort was a bit of a shock! I think the crux of the problem is that we're really not fancy people at all, and we sort of felt like impostors, but I have to say we made ourselves at home pretty quickly in the end!

It seems a little crazy, but at first we weren't blown away by the room. Our hotels on the Gili islands were much cheaper, and they all had the simple Indonesian style that we love, but we realised that we really lucked out. We picked an ocean view room, but it was the last bungalow at the edge of the resort, so we could walk straight out onto the deck, grab sun loungers and come and go as we pleased. We had every intention of exploring the surroundings of the hotel, but in the end we didn't even step onto the beach just over the edge of the infinity pool! I never want to be that type of person that doesn't really make an effort to leave the resort, but after six days gallivanting around our little islands, it was lovely to stay put and be pampered!

I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves - we had two nights of gorgeous sunsets and worked our way through the cocktail menu. We'd been advised to steer clear of drinking strong spirits on the Gilis, and to stick to beer, as there have been issues in the past with local, illegally brewed spirits that can be dangerous - though I'd assume mostly in excess quantities like full moon party bucket drinks - so we made very good use of the happy hour. On our last night we ordered lots of small dishes and about half the cocktail menu and relaxed on our terrace, listening to George Ezra and Sam Smith and talking about what we were looking forward to doing when we got back to KL.