...And then there was London!

Yes I know I've been back over two wks now and I really should stop blabbering on about Europe but it's kind of a slow time right now for work so let me relive my fun lol.  I realized recently I never did blog about my time in Beijing and all the amazing pics I had from that trip and I really regret it so I don't want to do that w/ this trip so I know it's not really makeup related but I promise I'll get back to all the makeup talk very very soon lol!

So after my almost wk in Paris it was back to London for the rest of my trip!  I was staying w/ my amazing friend Matt and his wonderful sister Maya (who I just met on this trip but immediately took a real liking too!).  What's crazy about this trip to London is sort of how it all started in the first place.  If you go WAY back in my blog posts (like a yr and a half ago) you may recall I briefly mentioned meeting two British guys while leaving Koh Phangan in Thailand.  Well one of those guys was Matt and afterward we connected through Facebook and developed quite a nice friendship through Skype, Email and FB.  Who knew that witty, ginger boy I met a yr and a half ago for a total of like 3 hrs would become such a good friend that I would stay w/ in London!  Life is so weird and unpredictable sometimes...love it!  He was actually suppose to come to Toronto in the Summer but it never actually happened so when the cheap flight deal presented itself to me I thought this is my chance...I've never been to Europe so why not!

It was crazy when I first arrived in London I met Matt at Victoria Station and it was literally like meeting an old friend that I've known forever...not just 3 hrs once in Thailand lol.  Btw the customs lady coming into the UK was NOT friendly at all and the second I mentioned that I knew Matt from Thailand I thought shit that sounds sketchy lol...I thought she was going to do a body search for drugs or something they way she questioned me up and down lol!

So overall my time in London definitely had a very different feel then my time in Paris.  When I was w/ Steve & Ania we were all sort of tourists and we did lots of really touristy things and it was like we were discovering the city together.  Where w/ Matt it was like a tour of neighbourhoods and areas...not near as touristy feeling.  It was great just to check out different things that I might not have seen if I'd done this on my own...plus we did go see some of usual touristy spots as well. 

We broke our days up into areas and neighbourhoods more then just say tourist spots.  We did the West End one day, South London another (btw this is where I saw Clive Owen!  He passed right by me on the street!) and the up and coming very trendy East London another day (got a great camel colour leather jacket for 10 pounds in a vintage shop there...funny thing is the jacket is from Danier leather and made in CANADA lol).  Plus we took one day to just chill and relax around his sister's neighbourhood...caught a movie and hit up a Primark...which is an AMAZINGLY cheap store that actually has some really cute things!

The food like the days was varied and it seems like every meal was from a different culture or ethnic group which was actually a nice change from all the bread, cheese, pastries and wine that I was eating in Paris!  Who knew eating Thai, tons of Curry, Argentinian and traditional English fare could actually make me feel lighter and healthier (well maybe that's a stretch but you know what I mean lol).

It was also great to meet some of Matt's friends the one night and his sister Maya made a wonderful and delicious English dinner another night where I definitely ate too much and got very tipsy off the wine lol!  Now that I think about it there were a lot of tipsy nights lol!  I even drank Cider for the first time and found out I liked it!  I HATE beer so I wasn't sure what to drink in the pubs b/c it just felt stupid to get mixed drinks or wine sometimes so I tried Cider and I will now say I'm definitely a convert!

So here's a collection of pictures from my time in London...and I promise this will be my last Europe post lol!

Guards at Buckingham Palace of course!

Matt seductively eating his Gelato...best gelato EVER btw!

Musicians at Covent Garden

 Big Ben

 London Eye in the Background

We stopped for lunch at this outside Food Market..yummy yummy Steak sandwich and then a Curry!

You may notice there are a lot of pics of Matt & I eating...we did that a lot lol and apparently it was one of the only times I thought to take pictures!

The Globe Theatre...Ahh Theatre History Memories!

Sunflower Exhibit at the Tate Modern.  Really amazing...these are actually hand painted porcelain sunflower seeds and there were millions upon millions of them on display.  Look it up it's pretty awesome!

 This is actually the only pic Matt & I took together can you believe it lol!  God I look puffy & tired throughout the Europe trip even though I having the time of my life!

 Tower Bridge

We made amazing pancakes one morning...it's like a work of art!  They don't really use Maple Syrup over there so we topped it w/ Honey, Greek Yogurt and diced Dried Apricots & Almonds in the yogurt...Sooo Good!

 Really cool graffiti on the East Side

 Dive Pub...Matt always the classy gent w/ his pinky raised lol!

 Final Dinner we went to this Amazing Argentinian restaurant and we were so lucky to even get a table b/c they were fully booked and it was a Sat. night...can you believe they brought all this meat for TWO PEOPLE!  Can you say lots of leftovers lol!

Ugghhh I miss London....

I Think I'll Miss The Fruit The Most :(

So I'm back in Shanghai now...don't really know how I feel about that lol. It's fine I suppose. I'm excited to get back to the gym as it's been 2 wks and I'm majorly craving it (God I never thought I'd say that lol). Literally, I was back in the city less than an hr and I stepped outside to hit up the grocery store and I see not 1 but 2 men urinating in broad daylight and I thought to myself...aww yes I'm DEFINITELY back in Shanghai lol! Also totally weird. I ran into my model friend Michelle outside my building after grocery shopping. She JUST moved into my building 3 days ago...what a crazy coincidence as she didn't even know that's where I lived!

I really wish I would have actually booked a few extra days in Bangkok as I don't have any shoots booked for the next couple of days but c'est la vie. I definitely want to go back to Thailand at some point in the future though and travel more throughout the country. I really enjoyed it a lot and the ppl there are on a whole so nice and polite...the exact opposite of a lot of the ppl in China actually lol!

I took a ferry/bus/train from the island to Bangkok and on the bus I met these 2 hilarious British lads...ahh got to love the accent. I love British boys and their humor. These guys were a lot of fun and we had some time between the bus and train and grabbed a bite and then both our trains were delayed so we hung out some more. Wish we could have actually got the chance to hang out in Bangkok but they were actually flying back to London straight from the train (and they took a different train then me/I took the Express). Hope they add me to Facebook actually and it totally made my travel time fun for once (travelling alone not really the most exciting thing all the time lol).

My day in Bangkok flew by and was so much fun. I went shopping at MBK and it was amazing! Again I wish I had more time b/c there is this amazing market just out of town on the weekends but I was leaving :( . The shopping is SOOO AMAZING and SOOOO CHEAP!!! I could have bought so much more stuff but I had to stop myself...seriously. If I would have had another day I would have had to buy a second suitcase and I probably would have filled it lol! Even now I'm sitting here going damn I wish I had more time b/c even w/ 5 hrs and MBK I felt rushed (had to meet a friend for dinner).

So yeah I met a fellow detoxer for dinner. We went to this AMAZING raw food restaurant. Seriously, the best meal I've had in a long time. It was so good and so flavourful and filling. Then we went and had some non alcoholic cocktails at this cool rooftop patio called Nest that was really cool.

I think I'm going to miss the fresh juices, coconut water and fresh fruits the most! Man, seriously the best bananas I've ever eaten (and not just cuz I went w/out food for 7 days they were seriously awesome)! I LOVED being able to buy fresh watermelon and pineapple on the street everywhere!

P.S. I'm lame...here's some pics I took of myself making funny faces w/ a coconut lol!

MMmmmm Fresh Young Coconut Juice!
Enjoying my last coconut :(

Btw it's really hard to take a pic of yourself while making and funny face and sucking down coconut water lol!
Yeah I was bored by myself in the restaurant
Now I'm cool...I have my shades on lol!

Leaving the Island :(

So this is it...leaving my little paradise today. This afternoon I'm heading off to Bangkok again for one day where I plan to do some crazy shopping since none of my clothes fit anymore - YEAH! Btw things are doing better in Bangkok for now so don't worry about me.

Did my final weigh-in yesterday and after 7 days on the Cleanse/Detox I'm VERY happy w/ the results. Down another 3 kilos aka 6.6 pds! Yeah! I feel great too! I don't even crave any sugar or pop or any food like that. I was even in a 7-11 today buying some water in the village and I didn't want any of the crap that usually calls my name. For the next few days I'm sticking to purely raw fruits & veggies then cooked vegetarian for a few days and then slowly incorporate meat back into the diet. Tomorrow night I'm even meeting up w/ one of the fellow detoxers in Bangkok and she's taking me to this apparently awesome raw restaurant there...sounds like a great way to end a day of shopping!

Rode the elephant yesterday btw. It was fun I guess but I was alone so it would have definitely been better w/ someone and I found it kind of sad too. I'll write more about it when I post the pics.

Speaking of pics here's just a couple of me enjoying my "first meal" - Watermelon! That's what they give you at the resort and I don't mind at all b/c it just happens to be my favourite fruit!

Excuse the wonky eye in the first one lol!
A bit of crazy eyes in the next one lol!

Btw once I get back to Shanghai only 3 more wks and then I go back to Canada! Can you believe it!! Don't worry I'll still keep blogging about all my shoots and work and all that - I'm addicted ;)

The "Waterfall"

So here are some pics of the "waterfall" that I trekked up and saw. I was not amused after 4 days of not eating to find this was the waterfall...I guess I just expected more. If I wasn't so tired from walking up this hilly mountain I probably would have found it prettier but I just though there would be more you know. Btw on Day 6 now...tomorrow is the last day YEAH!!

Yesterday I had to walk to town and back to print my train ticket. I did it...slowly lol. Overall, not doing too bad but of course I don't have a lot of energy. On my first food day I've booked myself some elephant trekking. I'm super excited about riding an elephant and I'll be sure to post the pics from that!

P.S. It's all safe on the island to those that are worrying. I'm only in Bangkok one night then I head out...hopefully there will be no probs at the airport like awhile ago.

Toshi the Yoga guy Toffler and I went w/ to the "waterfall"

Me...bad lighting the bags under my eyes are HUGE...I don't even have any in real life!

Resort Pics

I'll do The Grand Palace pics another time I don't feel like labelling them right now. So here are just a few pics I took at the "resort" I'm staying at. I'm using the ".." b/c it's pretty rustic here, not fancy at all...truthfully I wouldn't really call it a resort but it's cheap, comfortable enough and good for the Detox. Btw Day 4 today...going pretty well. Felt hungry today but then I had some carrot juice and all was good again. Can't wait for the 2:45 coconut water that's like the highlight of my day lol!

Went to a "waterfall" today and I'll post those pics another time. Not really a waterfall in my opinion and was pretty disappointed when I trekked ALL the way to the top of this rocky mountain w/ no food for 4 days to find a stream and some rocks. I'm going to do some elephant trekking in the next couple of days too...I'm super excited about riding an elephant and I hope it lives up to my expectations and it's not a big a disappointment like the "waterfall". Anyway, here's the pics!

"Bartender" Zoer...makes us our gross shakes and yummy juice

MMMmmm Carrot Juice
Toffler the girl in Shanghai who told me about this place

Natali & Anita fellow Detoxers - Natali is from Montreal
The Pool
A lizard thing I saw

Chugging down the gross shake...ugghh!

More chugging...bikini body not looking too bad if I do say so myself ;)

Day 3 - Going Strong!

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. Huge storm at night and the power went out so I went to sleep at 9 pm lol! So far it's going really well and I feel great...a little hungry but not really and the afternoon juices (carrot and coconut water) cure that right up. I know it sounds weird but I'm actually kind of hoping I feel like crap at least one day that way I know it's really working you know.

Walked to a near by "town" today...not really a town lol but we'll call it that. One of the girls here needed money and I like walking so we went. Seeing the 7-11 was the only time I actually felt a bit hungry and I think honestly that's more of a habit sort of thing...like Pavlov's dog lol. It was totally controlable but it was one of those things were normally I might go in and buy at least a coke zero just because.

Booked my ferry/bus ticket while in town too...which is good cuz I was a bit nervous about it being sold out if I waited till that day. I booked my train back and it's good I did it now b/c I still only got an Upper Berth sleeper. I actually have to stay at the resort a day longer and moved my flight back to Shanghai a day later b/c Thai New Year is the 15th so I couldn't get any trains back to Bangkok on the 15th. Works out better anyway, then I get a full day and a half to break the fast at the resort.

Hope everyone is doing well :)

At the Resort...Let the Detox Begin!

Bangkok was great fun yesterday. Did some sight seeing - Grand Palace and Wat Pho (reclining Buddha). Was going to check out Wat Arun too but a little noon time torrential downpour put a stop to that lol. Decided to do some shopping instead :) . Only bought one really pretty dress and a pair of sandals though as I'm trying to wait until AFTER the cleanse for my REAL shopping day! I'll upload some pics on another entry it's getting late here and I'm tired plus I have a super early start tomorrow.

Arrived at the resort today after a very long train/bus/ferry/cab and got all nice and settled in. I had my first meeting w/ the Director of the spa about my cleanse and I was given a schedule and everything...boy who knew you could be so busy and NOT eat lol! Sounds good though anything to keep my mind off food and keep me occupied sounds great. Plus after Day 2 or 3 I'm allowed to leave the resort and do some sight seeing...they even rent scooters (I've never driven one before would it be crazy to start while not eating lol).

The schedule looks something like this:

7:30 am - Shake (Psyllium and Bentonite)

8:00 am - Massage (Nice way to start the day :) )

9:00 am - Herbs - Fresh Juice

9:15 am - First Colonic Session of the Day

10:30 am - Shake (Psyllium and Bentonite)

12:00 pm - Herbs - Fresh Juice

1:30 pm - Shake (How am I suppose to get hungry w/ all these gross shakes lol)

2:45 pm - Herbs - Coconut Water - Sauna

4:15 pm - Shake (Psyllium and Bentonite)

6:00 pm - Herbs - Broth Soup

6:15 pm - Colonic Session

7:30 pm - Shake (Psyllium and Bentonite)

9:00 pm - Herbs

Before Sleep - Flora Grow

So I've been eating raw for the past several days and the resort actually has this really yummy little restaurant in it for locals and yoga ppl not doing a cleanse. Man I'm kind of jealous that I was limited b/c there were so many yummy things on the menu. But I did have a really good salad and fruit plate as my last meal.

Btw did I mention how much I love in Bangkok that there are tons of ppl selling yummy yummy fruit on the street all cut up. All my favs too - Pineapple, Watermelon, Papaya, Banana...not too hard to just eat raw fruit when that's available everywhere...and cheap :) The bananas in Bangkok are so much better than Shanghai lol!

THAILAND!!!

THAILAND...I'm going to Thailand!!!

I've been in the process of figuring all this out for a few wks now but I hate to mention anything before details are sorted out incase something falls through (I'm the same way w/ relationships too). So I have officially booked my plane ticket and resort for Thailand so I feel confident enough in the details to talk about it now lol.

I need to get out of China for a bit as I'm just going crazy. I LOVE cities but sometimes you just need a break from it all you know. Esp. here - all the shoving and rudeness and public urination (in daylight I might add) and ppl staring at you ALL THE TIME...it just gets to be tiring.

So I'm going to Thailand for almost 2 wks. I leave on the 5th and come back on the 17th of April. Don't worry everywhere I'm going has internet access...I've checked ;) so I'll be hopefully updating!

Upon arrival I'm going to spend one night/day in Bangkok do a tour and sightseeing and then hope on an overnight train headed to my main destination. I'm going to an island called Koh Phangan (wanted to go to Koh Samui but that resort was booked :( ). Anyway, I'm going to be staying at this Yoga Resort and here's the best part...I've always wanted to do one of these but it's WAY too expensive in North America. I'm going to be doing a 7.5 day Detox & Cleanse program. I know it probably sounds like some of your dream vacations lol...jealous lol? 7.5 days no food, but they do give you these cleansing shakes and broth I believe, daily yoga, daily thai massages and steam baths plus twice a day self administered colemas (sorry if that's TMI lol).

I've actually had a series of colonics before and I'm really excited to "clean myself out". Plus while I'm there I plan to do a little sight seeing of the island - for sure I want to ride an elephant and go to a traditonal Thai boxing match...plus you know the beach and all that.

So anyway, after that I take another ferry/train back to Bangkok for one more night there. During my final day in Bangkok I plan to do all my shopping...I'm waiting till after the spa of course cuz I'm going to be thinner lol! Shopping is SOOOO CHEAP in Thailand apparently so I'm going to stock up and I need new clothes b/c I haven't really bought anything since I've lost the weight. Then that night I'm hoping to maybe meet some ppl and have a fun/crazy party night Bangkok style...although I don't think I'll drink cuz that kind of ruins the cleanse but I do LOVE to dance. Then taxi/plane back to reality the next day.

So yeah that's the plans...YEAH!!