Iker likes chocolate milk

I haven't written much about my husband Iker in a while (probably because he's been gallivanting around with that floozy of another woman), but one of the great things about Stalkbook is that you can use it to stalk people.* We are friends on this website (naturally!) and he likes to keep  me updated on what's been going on. 


So imagine my surprise when he demonstrated his love for chocolate milk!

And that he also likes to snack while surfing the net. See? Soulmates :P

*I'm not really stalking him. His photos come up on my wall out of their own volition :P *cough*

This needs to happen...

HARRY POTTER AS AN ANIME!!!!!

My interpretation of who's who, top to bottom, L-R
Tom Riddle/Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, Draco Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Nagini
Regulus Black, Kreacher
Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley
Charlie Weasley, Bill Weasley
Percy Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour
Fred Weasley, George Weasley
Tonks, Prof. McGonagall, Prof. Sprout (? not sure about this one)
Hagrid, Dobby
Aberforth Dumbledore, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood
Professor Snape
Remus Lupin, Sirius Black
Lily Potter, James Potter
Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley
Harry Potter
Prof. Dumbledore.

HOLY SHEET, I'D WATCH IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

I originally saw it here.

To my beloved husband (well, one of them, anyway...)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY :D

with bonus tiger cub love!

Submission

Hola Amigos, como estas? Soy bien! Haff some champagne! I am 'ere because I haff some veeery happy news to tell yoo...Mallymoodle, mi amor, hass handed een 'err thesis. Si si, eet eez a beeg, beeg day. Shee ees resting from all zee 'ard work but weeel bee back soon to work on zee blog.

But for nao, more champagne to celebrate! And eegnore zee christmas tree.

Besos, Iker xoxo

Au revoir, zver muzhik

Today, one of my husbands decided to take a ride (with me) away from the playing field and into the sunset.

(Source)

He played his last professional match, losing 4-6, 7-5, 4-6 to Juan-Martin del Potro, in the Paris Masters. *sigh* Marat and Paris, two of my favourite loves and I'm not there to be with either :'(

But now that he's not constantly on the Tour, we're gonna start making those babies that he wants and that I'm happy to give him.

Pfft, what do you mean, you have plenty of time to find the right woman? I'm right here!!!
Y tebya lyublyu.

Happy birthday, Eurostar!!! I *heart* you!!!

Can you believe it? The Eurostar turns 15 this weekend! :D To celebrate, the powers that be are throwing a birthday party of sorts and it's possible to win tickets to it - just go to this website here. It feels like yesterday that I was watching the two tunnels meet under the channel when the French and British workers shook each others' hands. I also remember when the French kicked up a fuss about it being called *The Chunnel* because they felt it didn't adequately reflect the French bit. Hehehe. Incidentally, the French name is Le tunnel sous la Manche (the tunnel under the Channel). Even as a Francophone, that's not very catchy.

When I was planning my first trip around Euroland, I was adamant that I HAD to travel from Paris to London via The Chunnel. Some people were all *Eh? But you can get a plane ticket from Paris to London for like a pound.* Maybe so. But that doesn't take into consideration the time and ticket costs required to take to get from various budget airports! Why do that when I could get from the centre of each city in less than 3 hours?! In fact, its just over 2 hours now that it's moved from Waterloo to St. Pancras!

Checkin' out Gare du Nord in Dec 04.
Wow, look at all that crap I'm bringing. Wouldn't have been able to take that as hand luggage on a plane!

I remember being all :D when you felt the train kick in and go fastfasterfaster! and then my ears popping as we went under the Channel! WooOOooooOOoo! Seriously, oh so cool. When the Great European Adventure 2007 kicked off in ...er...2007, Lydia, Pooey and I did it all again - centre of London to centre of Paris. It was so sweet, I could barely contain my excitement while I was on the choo-choo!

So excited, I had to hide it from the others...

before showing it to the world!
Pooey didn't understand my excitement at the time.

At the end of 2007, the London terminal moved from Waterloo to a new and sparkly one at Kings Cross/St Pancras. Unforch, I didn't take any pics of the station (dammit) because I was stressed out at how long it was taking me to get a cab from OKR and then worried about the crappy London traffic. So stressed that when I got to the station, I checked in right away. Foolish me. But the ride was worry-free (as usual!) and I revelled in the sing-song bilingual trip.

But I'm not the only one filled with love for the Eurostar! Pooey soon understood my love when she took it to meet me in 2008 and again then she went and infected Fen-Fen with the love when they went to Paris this past October (without me. *sniff*).

You've certainly brightened up our lives, Eurostar. Happy FIFTEENTH birthday!!! xoxo

When Awesomeness met Epilepsy

One of the (few) perks of being a scientist is that these big biotech companies often come to the uni trying to convince us to use their products rather than a similar product from their competitors. Sometimes to convince us that they are awesome, they'll try to bribe us with food and little goodies - usually things like pens, notebooks, stressballs...I once scored two mugs from Corning and a pair of binoculars from Molecular Probes/Invitrogen.

Well Invitrogen came to uni about a fortnight/three weeks ago to promote something. I toddled along for the free cake (mmmm, cake) when I saw they had some cute stressballs. This was around the time I was having those nightmares, so I was pretty stressed. Anyway, I wanted a stressball but to get it, I had to fill in a questionnaire relating to what they were promoting.

I think the questionnaire went something like *Do you do PCR? (No!)* *Do you do protein analysis (No!)*...basically I answered No! to all the questions. I submitted the form, got my stressball, took same cake, was one happy Mally. A few days later, I got an email saying I had won a prize from answering that questionnaire and would I be around to receive it. I wasn't so it was dropped into my pigeon hole. Basically, it's a plastic beer glass that flashes coloured lights when you push a button at the base.

It was so cool, I took it to drinks for people to use!

The view when using it.

As awesome as the cup is, everytime someone tried to drink from it, I think our eyes started flashing and people got headaches. So awesomeness produced epileptic fits in all us science nerds but who cares? Free cup!!!

When Love Hurts

I have a sweet tooth which is almost painful. Seriously, it's a good thing I enjoy exercise otherwise I'd be far more deliciously round than I am now. Although I do love them, it is for the best that Tim Tams are not one of my favourite biscuits, probably due to the overload of chocolate without contrasting flavour. I have previously described Tim Tams to non-Aussie friends as *two chocolate biscuits, separated by a layer of chocolate cream, covered in milk chocolate!

To try and tempt me back to buying them, the evil people in charge of Tim Tams decided to branch out into new flavours like kahlua and white chocolate. I was unconvinced, and they failed to bring back into the fold. They even tried mint crush! I adored them (mmm, mint and chocolate combination!) but the exorbitant price to biscuit ratio stopped me from investing heavily. Time passed and I didn't think much more about it.

Well imagine my horror and delight when I discovered Tim Tams (and a number of other Arnotts biscuits) are currently on sale right now at my local supermarket, and it was much to my delight and horror that I saw flavours I hadn't seen before! Sale or no sale, I decided to be disciplined and limit myself to just one flavour. I chose *Chewy Caramel*.

Oooh yeah!

Even though I counselled myself not to be fooled by the artistic interpretation of what it should be like, I bit into the biscuit, seeking the gooey gooey caramel. I was hurt to not find it!

I was about to feel bitterly, bitterly disappointed until I delved further into the sweetness and found the small reservoir of caramel about halfway in!!

Towards the end, I did find strings of caramel forming where my voracious teeth tore it apart.

So what's the assessment? After having eaten another two in short order, I think I could love these very easily. BUT I also think that if I keep biting into the end that has *less* caramel than the other, I would be hurt over and over again. I figure I have until the end of the packet to decide if I should take a joyous running jump into love or turn my back on the possibility and walk away from potential hurt. Decisions, decisions *sigh*.

Sex Machine

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport.

This sex machine is all yours for a bargain $US 2.1million.

As The Pom said, they better be making two because I'm not sharing.

I think these pictures speak for themselves but if you want someone to (sorta) review it, there's one here (also the picture source). You can almost hear the reviewer salivating. Please play this song while reading the review. It all makes sense.

Happy Birthday, mi esposo!

I'd just like to wish my husband Iker Casillas a happy 28th birthday. To celebrate, please enjoy this picspam.

If only you played for Barca...oh well. Te quiero, mi marido and I'll join you in the BA28 clubhouse soon!

People I allegedly look like.

This post is inspired by the drunk guy who was sitting next to me at the wedding yesterday who said that he thought I looked like....

Michelle Yeoh.

Also I have a friend who for some reason thinks I look like...

Julie Delpy.

For other crazy lookalike, see here and here!

VOTING HAS STARTED!!!!

Voting in the Hottie World Cup has started!

http://hottieworldcup.blogspot.com/

Voting ends on Thursday so hurry up and get your nation of hotties through!

...and more promotional material

http://hottieworldcup.blogspot.com/
Check out the teams from 20th Feb. Voting commences on the 23rd!

Valentines drinking

I forgot to post this over the weekend. Suboo, Ee-lyn and I went out to celebrate Ee's last day in Melb as well as singledom with a bunch of skinny asian girls with too much make up. We ran into some of Suboo's friends who requested that when I post it that I give them specific aliases. Unfortunately I can't remember what they were because I was too drunk. Oh well

Suboo and chum

I try appreciate his effort in celebrating romance

After running into three chicks who were seriously just standing around, pouting and posing, we decided to try and take *Asian girl* photos. This is my attempt. I just want to slap myself.

In other news.....

http://hottieworldcup.blogspot.com/

Check out the teams from 20th Feb. Voting commences on the 23rd!

...this is serious

http://hottieworldcup.blogspot.com/

Yes, this is the real reason I want to move to France.

A few years ago, I was in a heated debate about Brokeback Mountain. To break the tension, another person present asked the question that had apparently been bothering him throughout the movie :

"Do chicks get turned on when two guys kiss? Kinda like how lesbian porn works?"

I swear this was a genuine question. My response at the time was to laugh.

Anyway, today I saw this sequence of pics between Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils, both of France, on the Down The Line! tennis blog.
But yeah, manlove is kinda hot...
*EDIT* in the sequence of pics above which I'm deliberately taking out of context. I'm totally aware that in France, kissing your friend on the cheek as these guys are doing, is totally acceptable.

Good Luck Charms

So given that divorce appears imminent, I decided it was only right that I give my hubby the right of reply.
Naturally, he wasn't happy to hear of my decision and took the information into the match.

Marat contemplates my news...

and takes it out on the ball.

The first set was a bit wobbly as he tried to digest the information before it turned to rage. Poor Guillermo Garcia-Lopez got demolished 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

Match over, the news finally sank in and he had to wipe his face and didn't spend as much time celebrating as he normally would.

As he walked off in triumph,

he turned his face so I couldn't see his tears of misery.

The way in which he took the news greatly distresses me. I know we've had such a tumultuous relationship in the past but post-match we found out that in the next round, Marat would definitely be playing Roger Federer.

Mally, doushenka, why?! If we must part, please I need you in the crowd for when I must meet Raja. You are my good luck charm! Everytime you or Pooey have been there, I have been triumphant! Aus Open 2005, Wimbledon 2008, this year...if you must go, I beg that you give me this one last thing! Я тебя люблю!!!

Oh zver muzhik, how can I resist? Very well, I can't be there for the match vs.Federer, but the divorce is off (for now).
(Photos are either mine or getty's).

But anyway, I think it's great how much Marat is loved here and how he tries to return every year. To finish, here are some random Swedes with the giant stack of Henieken cups that they drank.

Grounds for divorce?

You know, I ask so little of my Russian husband. All I need is that he remain beautiful and play a few tournaments here and there so that I know he's healthy. I don't even ask that we see each other much. Just turn up here so I can watch him play, once a year. Sometimes not even that.

But now he's gone off the rails starting off by dating ugly girls, getting into mysterious fights in Moscow, talking about retiring at the end of the year....*huff*. And now he's gone and pulled out of Kooyong when I've gone and made a special effort to see him. *tsk*. Okay, it's because he's got an injured shoulder - probably as a result of the Moscow fight.

Quite frankly, it's behaviour like this that makes me think we should separate and I should upgrade Lashes Gourcuff. Especially since the young frenchie has decided to go all super-skills and pull off a goal like this one:

Skillz are hot.

But anyway Marat. I'm kinda upset at you right now.Why? I think you know why. But I'm a kind and forgiving wife. Do your best at the Open and we have beautiful children together as soon as I finish the PhD.

Oh, how can I stay mad at you? Especially when you smile like that?

Don't push it that far! Love you too. xoxo