Best of: August '16

I'm absolutely gobsmacked that August has come to an end! I always say this, but where has the time gone?! I feel like the 1st of August was just right around the corner and now we're in September already. Baffled by how time flies like the wind, I'm super excited to see what September has got for me as it's my birthday on the 2nd and well, I just friggin' love the month for some reason (not biased or anything). Also, we're three months away from Christmas, my favorite time of the year! *woop woop*

Now, let's get on with what I've been loving over August, shall we?!

Travel:

Jakarta to Los Angeles: Despite the very, very long that I had to endure, I got upgraded to business class and let's just say I had the best sleep in the plane. Doesn't help that the food tasted delicious too! Sadly, once we touched down in LA and went in line for immigration, I had to wait for another an hour and a half to get our luggages and all that shiz. LAX should get their shit together, let's just end it with that.

A Weekend in Santa Barbara: No words can describe how in love I am with the city. From the culture, the architecture and of course the people, they're all so lovely and just, nice to surround myself with. Not gonna bang on and on about it as I've written two posts about my trip! Give that a read if you'd like. ;) (Part I here, Part II here).

Moments/Miscellaneous Things:

Taking a Walk: My cousin from the US came over to Jakarta a couple weeks back and with the excessive eating that we did whilst she was there, we decided to go on a walk around my neighborhood to loosen our stomach before dinner and it was oh so lovely (but very hot, grrr). I've lived there for around 10 years now and haven't properly skim through it, and my oh my I discovered a lot of beautiful houses and tranquility a few blocks over. Goes to show that sometimes, a walk calms your soul down and brings a whole lot of beauty into your life.

Bedside Table: My room in the US has been quite bare for the past three years and I've finally liven up my bedside table and made it a little more decent than it was and dayum it looks photogenic if I do say myself. Just a side note though, half the time, there are hoards of stuff on my table than it looks like in the picture. This gal hoards, alright?!

TV Shows:

Victoria: Been waiting for this TV show since the beginning of the year and I've gotta say, not disappointed at all. I have a huge crush on Jenna Coleman, her acting is marvelous and to be able to see her as Queen Victoria is pure gold. Gotta say, I'm a bit annoyed that the show pictures Victoria having a crush on Lord M, when in reality, he was 40 years older than she was and more of a father figure than an eye candy. Then again, Rufus Sewell is nice to look at and his acting left me speechless! And despite me not liking Victoria crushing on Lord M, their chemistry is off the charts! Can't wait to see more of the show.

Food (a whole lot of em'):

Afternoon tea at Lewis & Carroll: I may have eaten quite a lot last month, and one reason was because my cousin from the US came around and I had to show her around the many quirky and cute restaurants around Jakarta. I've done a post about this restaurant before and with my cousin, I managed to go there twice in one week. The tea was absolutely delicious, and I managed to snag one for my home too! Plus, how cute is it that the tea's PINK?! Friggin' marvelous, if you ask me.

Jigglypuff & Pokemon at Northpole: The Pokemon Go trend was raging hard for the past couple of months, it didn't get to me at all (sorry not sorry), BUT, the trend of Pokemon themed characters in restaurants definitely got to me. When I found out that my favorite ice cream parlour was doing a themed ice cream once again, I had to go ASAP and give them a try! I got myself the Jigglypuff one (bubblegum flavored, my favorite!), whilst my grandpa got the Pokemon one (banana flavored). You have to pay a bit more for it, but it was worth it. Very Instagram-able!

Taro Latte at Upo Coffee: I'm a huge fan of anything Taro related! Eg: Taro milk tea, they're the bomb. I've tried a couple of Taro lattes the past couple of months and haven't found one that I really loved. This gem of a cafe in PIK did their latte right. Not overly sweet and not nauseating at all! What I've gotta say is that for the price, the amount of it gives to us is too little, in my opinion.

Brunch at Finch & Fork: Before leaving Santa Barbara for LA, we found this beautiful of a gem restaurant located in the Canary Hotel called Finch & Fork. We had brunch there and from the food, to the service and of course, the decor I fell in love with straight away. Most important thing though was the service. I can't help but appreciate how nice the people were in Santa Barbara! All so very lovely and just, nice. After a fulfilling brunch, we went into the hotel and took a dozen hundred pictures (exaggerating, of course). Definitely give this restaurant a go when you're in the city!

Well, that's all the stuff I've been loving last month! Didn't like any movies or song as nothing has piqued my interest in those departments. Maybe this month will be different as Bridget Jones's Baby is out in two weeks time (yesss!). Honestly gonna rage if Bridget doesn't end up with Mark Darcy, haha. Have a lovely Sunday, you lovely bunch!

Much love, Ashley xx

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