MEME-O-RIES AND WISHES

The fabulous Kayleigh of Fashionably Later tagged me to do this fun meme! I love memes, so here goes ...

1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own.

2. Tag eight other un-tagged people. (I'm going to revise this to: tag whomever!)

What is your current obsession?

Built By Wendy -- the clothes, the look, everything. For all my love of boho clothes, I also love a certain clean, quirky, reto/ladylike style that I think defines the "look" of my generation of women who grew up in the late '70s and '80s. I think Built By Wendy epitomizes that look. Some wonderful pieces from her Spring '09 collection:





You can also find Built By Wendy brand sewing patterns on her website and also at the Simplicity website, as well as at your local Joann fabric and craft stores! This jacket pattern is particularly fabulous, and there are other really cool patterns too:


Good fika place? (That would be coffee to us non-Swedes)

Being Sri Lankan I prefer tea to coffee, but when in Sri Lanka I really love the Nescafe coffee they make there. It's either very hot or ice-cold (and called "ice coffee") and very sweet ... it's the best!

Do you nap a lot?

Very, very rarely and if I do it's because I'm either sick or jetlagged. In Sri Lanka naps after lunch are almost mandatory, but even there I can't do it!

Who was the last person you hugged?

Our friend Joan, after the dinner we gave for her birthday at my mother's place, last weekend. We made Sri Lankan and Thai dishes (as she and her husband spent time in Thailand teaching English to Buddhist monks), and later we were joined by a Mongolian family we all know, who also brought food. It was like an international feast, and we all had a blast! The best part was that Joan really loved it. Yay!

The Mongolian family brought these, traditional dumplings called "Buuz", which were incredibly yummy! I'm looking all over for recipes:



What’s for dinner?

Last night it was an In-and-Out cheeseburger, a few fries (I just can't eat the whole thing) and a chocolate shake ... there's only one time every month I get a craving for and can consume this type of meal, if you know what I mean, so I take advantage of it! ;o)

What was the last thing you bought?

This denim skirt from Macy's, because I've been eyeing it and wanting it since last year and it finally went on clearance:



I was thrilled to discover how well it went with pretty much all my "difficult" tops, i.e. those embroidered, shorter tops I love but have a hard time finding bottoms for. Score!

What are you listening to right now?

The washing machine. I'm doing laundry. Teh joy.

What is your favourite weather?

Tropical weather! With ocean breezes and the scent of flowers like jasmine and frangipani in the air ... Sri Lanka weather, in other words.


(a scene from the drive along the southern coast towards the cities of Galle and Matara; this is probably my favorite drive in all of Sri Lanka)

What’s on your bedside table?

A lamp, the TV remote, and a glass of water with a little dish with one thyroid medicine tablet, which I take whenever I wake up at night. I think this is the best time to take it as my stomach's empty and I can wake up and have breakfast too.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you.

Hi Kayleigh! I really love reading your blog and find your writing to be very interesting and just an all-around great read, and of course I love seeing the outfits you put together!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?

In Galle, Sri Lanka, where my great-grandfather is from. It's right by the ocean and just gorgeous, but also quiet and peaceful. If not there, I would like to live in a house within walking distance of the beach, somewhere along the Indian Ocean. That is my ultimate dream.


(A view from the famous Galle Fort, a 17th century Dutch fort built at the edge of the city. There's a self-contained little village inside the confines of the Fort!)

Favorite vacation spot?

A beach on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, or somewhere really interesting, unique and out-of-the-way like Tibet or Bhutan. I am determined to visit both the latter countries one day!


(A mountaintop monastery in Bhutan!)

Name the things you can’t live without.

Okay, I take "things" to mean objects, because obviously I could not live without the people I love! But when it comes to things, I literally could not live without my thyroid medication, lol! I mean, I could, but I'd get very sick and end up in a miserable and uncomfortable life, probably with a goiter on my neck or something bizarre like that (my great-aunt had one). I'd also find it really hard to live without good reading material (be it books or magazines or blogs).

What would you like to have in your hands right now?

A box with these sandals by Rosa Mosa, which are waaay too expensive for me to be able to buy, but if they ever go on clearance at a price I could afford (or even save up for), they will be mine, because they are so utterly unique and beautiful:



What is your favourite tea flavour?

Good, strong (preferably organically-grown) Sri Lankan tea, commonly known as Ceylon tea ... the best tea in the world!


What would you like to get rid of?

Several inches off my waistline!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

If only just for an hour, I'd like to be at Topshop in London so I can check out the new styles!


(Topshop, Oxford Circus!)

What did you want to become as a child?

I wanted to be an archaeologist, but before that I just wanted to be working in an office with cool office supplies.

What are you reading right now?

Two fabulous books, a Scottish suspense novel by the rockin' Denise Mina, "Slip of the Knife", and a beautifully written novel by the Indian author Amitav Ghosh, "The Hungry Tide." I highly recommend both!





What do you fear the most? (Andrea’s question)

I'm terrified of spiders but also of enclosed spaces ... I have really bad claustrophobia

This is the one I (Kayleigh) changed: What piece of clothing would you most like to own that you don’t have?

I really want a pair of Current/Elliott flares, especially these "Horseshoe" jeans:

(the front ... check out the superbad flare!)


(the back -- I'm thinking this "U"-shaped detail might do my small bum some good!)

Admit one thing you feel awful about. Once you have written it down, you are no longer allowed to feel bad. My (Mervat's) question

I have always felt bad about the way I more or less rejected a guy who really wanted to marry me, thinking that we just didn't fit. I think it really broke his heart. I wish I could resolve that, somehow. He's still not married and I'm hoping he'll find a wonderful wife soon. I wish I could go back in the past and apologize or somehow make things right.

Here’s my (Kayleigh’s) added question: What have you let go of?

The horrible memories of growing up, being endlessly and often viciously teased and put down in school because we were immigrants from a country no-one had even heard of, and we didn't have the money for cool clothes and all those kinds of things that everyone else in school seemed to have. Since my life is so different now, I think I've finally gotten over those terrible times.

Here's my (Anusha's) question: If you had an extra room of your very own in your living space, what would you do with it?

I would love to have a little "studio" where I can keep all my books, craft supplies and maybe a sewing machine for one day when I learn how to sew! Something like this:



Sigh! Now wouldn't that just be blissful ?

Whom do I tag? Anyone who'd like to do this meme. Anyone at all! And please let me know if you did it, as I love reading these!