My gifts!

Well, here's the pic of the lovely gifts Mark gave to me for Valentine's!

The star on the card is actually a pin, the hearts are M&S champagne truffles (all gone by now!), the CD is Queen's A Night at the Opera (it was in my wish list and I am happy he remembered because I've kinda forgotten about it). And the little compact is a cool, new Chanel eye shadow palette, which I haven't used yet since it looks very pretty in the pan and I am hesitating to mess it up!

I gave him a box of Belgian chocs and a card with a cute cow, a Valentine's cow...

M&S is great although I hate their ads: "This is not just food, this is M&S food", aaaarrrghhh... The voice of the woman is just utterly pathetic in its attempt to sound sexy, and, in the end of the day, yes, it IS just food, for crying out loud. Nice food? Indeed. But just food, really! The ads irritate me a bit as you can see, but I still like buying there because it is nearby, and they also have a wider range of everything you need: fruits like yellow plums, avocados, golden kiwis, nice breads, pomegranate juice and gingerbread men.

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I am quite happy because my friend M - who is in the Osaka University Hospital - has finally been operated and is very well. I know him for over 30 years now, we've been neighbours since then. He is a pilot/captain and during a routine flight from Sydney to Hong Kong last week, he collapsed. To cut it short, the co-pilot diverted to Osaka and where was immediately transferred to the hospital, where a brain tumour has been found. Surgery happened 2 days ago and lasted for 12 hours. I spoke to him right before that and he was in a great mood. My Mother told me today that he's been talking to his parents and is fine, same old guy as ever! So, I am very happy and relieved. We will meet him in Rio, for he will be arriving there more or less at the same time - by the end of February.

As for myself, still going to the gym and still liking it. I just need to try and go more often, however a flu kept me at home (again) most of last week. As usual, flus and colds. I guess it cannot be avoided with me! But I don't really think it's all due to my condition. I think it's the weather that triggers that somehow, since people otherwise quite healthy also complain about it. So, MS is not to be blamed - at least not exclusively.

Apart from that Mark is currently in London and will come back on Friday night. I really miss him! He left yesterday, but at least it is a short trip. Before he arrives, I intend to go into town, maybe get a haircut (I am desperately needing one). But certainly I will drop to Dunne & Crescenzi to eat some panna cotta. I've been craving some since last week but unfortunately they were so full on Saturday that we could not go in! The panna cotta is a bit like crème brulée, which, nowadays is probably one of my favourite desserts (especially the black tea one, yum yum...).

I also intend to go to Fallon & Byrne to get myself some madeleines, rose macaroons and, last but not least, some aniseed pastilles from Flavigny (pictured above). I love the violet ones, although jasmine are quite good too, he he! As for the madeleines, they are quite lovely, however my late Grandma used to make some really gorgeous ones, and whenever there was a birthday or celebration people would beg her to prepare some. I still remember their smell and how she would let them drying in the sunlight for hours in the early morning. It seems sunlight plays an essential role in a madeleine's flavour and delicacy, and it's true that a madeleine that does not "sunbathe" does not taste the same as those that are laid to rest under the Sun!

Anyway... Enough of the food stuff for tonight, it's making me hungry! And now, I still have to take my injection, bleah, and it's getting quite late...

Good night...