Já estávamos ficando familiarizados em descer na estação Westminster e encontrar aquela atmosfera amigável.

A escuridão deixava a cidade mágica.
Havia um convite irrecusável no ar.

Eu havia realmente me apaixonado pela cidade de Londres.
Andar por aquelas ruas caprichadas, com aquele vento gelando o rosto, compartilhando sonhos e admirações com os demais turistas que passavam boquiabertos pela nossa frente trazia liberdade, enchia o coração de uma felicidade que eu nunca havia sentido.

Eu já estava saudoso antes mesmo de ter minhas pegadas apagadas daquele chão.
Eu já sentia falta de Londres antes mesmo de deixá-la.

Captava sons, cheiros e luzes.
Caminhava por caminhos e passagens secretas que mexeriam com meus sonhos num futuro qualquer.

Ruas e túneis, escadarias e passarelas que mexiam com o meu labirinto e gravavam as mais fantásticas recordações no meu coração.

Não resistíamos ao Big Ben.
Já não era a primeira vez que subíamos as escadas da Westminster Tube Station e dávamos de cara com aquela enorme torre.
Já não era a primeira e muito menos a segunda vez e, ainda assim, sentíamos aquele adorável sentimento de descoberta, que faz a gente procurar o final da torre para encontrar os ponteiros precisos do famoso relógio.

Ficar pela região do rio era uma prova de fogo, ou melhor, de gelo!
Naquela hora da noite, daquele lado de lá, era preciso ter sangue quente, ou melhor, frio, para suportar ou se fingir de sapo.
Enfrentar aquela gélida corrente de ar que por ali existia não era tarefa para muitos cavaleiros.

Parar no meio da Ponte de Westminster e ter um momento de reflexão, do que tudo isso significa, do quanto estamos distantes de casa, do tanto que lutamos por este momento, mesmo sem saber que ele seria tão especial… É algo que mesmo agora, do lado de fora da foto, sentado em minha velha cadeira, digitando aqui nesse computador, eu não poderia compreender.
É tão completa a experiência em fazer parte de um lugar tão importante e ao mesmo tempo tão gigante que por um momento me perco em pensamentos indescritíveis.

Estava eu ali, olhando para mim mesmo e nem havia me dado conta!
Claro que eu não me enxergava.
Mas óbvio que eu me vejo agora.

Somos tão pequenos e frágeis se comparados ao concreto e aos tijolos que recheiam e envolvem todas essas estruturas, ao mesmo tempo que somos tão capazes de modelá-las a nossa vontade.
Somos gigantes quando estamos fora da foto, olhando por cima algo que ficou no passado.

Nem havia me tocado que o ambiente atrás de mim havia mudado suas luzes para se adequar a minha vibração colorida.

Uma pequena fração de cores similares.

Um segundo atrás estava com cores similares. No outro, já havia mudado.

Olhamos para a London Eye com respeito.
Tem coisas que os homens constróem e tiram o nosso fôlego.
Essa era uma delas.

Refletida no Tamisa, a London Eye ou o Olho de Londres era ainda mais bela. Uma declaração luminosa aos nossos desprotegidos olhos gelados.
Certamente subiríamos nela no dia seguinte não fosse pela nossa úmida aventura pelo Meridiano de Greenwich.

Cruzamos a ponte e margeamos o rio para contemplarmos o Parlamento de frente.

Santo Deus! Fixei meu olhar pelos céus para ter certeza de não estar vendo nenhum bruxo sobrevoando a região com sua vassoura mágica.

Constatei que os únicos bruxinhos por ali haviam vindo do Brasil e éramos nós. Estava muito frio pra mais alguém suportar ficar tão perto do rio.

Demorei para lavar o Tamisa com a quantidade perfeita de luz amarela para satisfazer meu ego fotográfico.

Andamos sem medo.
Andamos muito.
Andamos onde não ousaríamos andar.

Andei com o desejo de uma criança num parque.
Andei desplugado de aflições e fobias.
Andei maravilhado, abobalhado com tantas coisas belas, com tantas coisas construídas.

Eu havia me esquecido de como andar assim era bom.
Sorte minha me lembrar.

Esta noite flutuamos por uma Londres receptiva.
As pessoas eram amigáveis e mesmo com pressa, nos instruiam com educação e um baita sorriso no rosto.

Queríamos ir à famosa ponte.

Foi com esse objetivo que chegamos a Tower Hill.

A noite estava mais velha, nem por isso menos bela.
Um executivo apressado da minha idade nos ajudou com o caminho.

Era notável como as pessoas daquela cidade eram receptivas conosco.
Não sei se era o fato de estarmos com uma energia muito boa, mas não havia caras feias, pouco caso ou um “Sorry, I’m late”… Todos paravam para nos dar suporte, tiravam o mapa do metrô dos bolsos e caprichavam no sotaque.

Foi assim que a vimos pela primeira vez.
Ficamos petrificados.

De todas as pontes pelo Tâmisa, esta báscula era de longe a mais charmosa.
Suas torres lembravam fortes escoceses da Idade Média.

Contemplamos seu poder, sua arquitetura, sua força.

Em poucos minutos estávamos tomados pelo poder da torre.
Não era possível resistir aos seus encantos.

Foi assim que a Jussara tirou a foto mais perfeita de todas:

Infelizmente as fotos ainda não capturam pensamentos.

Ali, sobre aquele mármore frio, uma série de idéias pipocavam pela minha cabeça.
Quem chega ali, vindo da onde venho não consegue mais ser o mesmo.
É como se adquirissemos sabedoria.
O olhar muda, as verdades são outras, a perspectiva muda.

Quando se atinge um objetivo tão sagrado assim, parte-se pra uma nova etapa, pra um outro patamar.
Estar ali, sob aquele céu, sobre aquele chão tão cheio de história era estar atingindo outro nível.

Compreendi isso neste exato momento.

Cruzar o mundo provoca em mim pensamentos desse naipe.
A distância é um bom exercício pra alterar alguns ângulos internos.

Não há como ser o mesmo estando tão longe do nosso lar.

O mais legal nessa experiência é que eu não estava sozinho.

Ter alguém da família ao lado, tão próximo e tão diferente de vc faz toda a diferença.
Não sabia que minha irmã era tão boa companhia pra tamanha aventura.

Ela se mostrou firme, equilibrada, excelente guia metroviária, ótima tesoureira, companheira, topa tudo…

Puxava-me pro chão, pois flutuo com facilidade.

Ela é mais realista, mais econômica, mais focada…
Nem por isso menos dorminhoca, menos sonhadora e menos impressionada.

A gente literalmente esquecia de comer.
Íamos lembrar da barriga vazia lá pelas 18hs.

Fomos andando, contornando ruas cheias de pubs lindos com pessoas impecáveis. Tudo parecia uma grande praça de alimentação de shopping ao ar livre.

Eu não conseguia acreditar na qualidade de vida que aquele lugar apresentava.

Havia uma felicidade pós-trabalho penetrante no rosto daqueles executivos que bebiam suas cervejas nos tantos pubs espalhados pela região.
Cada pub era mais espetacular que o anterior. Me vi colecionando admiração para com as testeiras e logos de cada pub.
Não sou muito dependente do álcool, de modo que entrar ali e tomar umazinha fosse algo a me tentar. De qualquer forma, pensei em alguns momentos, se tivesse um pouquinho mais de tempo pra gastar, perderia umas horinhas ali…
Tudo bem, mais uma desculpa pra voltar.

Não demorou pra alcançarmos a região do City Hall.

O inusitado edifício, criado por Norman Foster, tem a forma de uma pilha de cds.
Ele consegue provocar na gente uma sensação bacana de física distorcida. É daqui que saem as grandes estratégias e novos projetos para a cidade.

Essa região, assim como a região da Millenium Bridge, podem ser conferidas no último filme do Harry Potter.
Passar por lá naquela hora da noite teve um gostinho mais mágico do que eu poderia desejar.

Contornamos o rio até encararmos a Tower Bridge de frente.
Foi como estar nas vésperas de atravessar um portal de História Sem Fim…
Tudo ali era cinematográfico.

Perdemos a noção dos nossos atos.

Já nem guardávamos mais o tripé na mochilinha. Andávamos com tudo montado.
Íamos encontrando casais apaixonados pela rua que se ofereciam para baterem fotos nossas.

Parávamos em todos os pontos para fazermos dezenas de fotos.

Andamos um bocado.
Conseguíamos ver do meio da ponte o tanto que tínhamos percorrido. E era muito!

Não estava mais frio.
As pernas nem doíam mais.
Não havia fome ou qualquer reclamação.
A adrenalina havia dominado todo o corpo.

Passar por aquele portal renovou todas as minhas energias.

Atravessamos a ponte.

Havia mais cidade pra se ver lá do outro lado. Swiss RE Building lá ao fundo!

Mas terminamos nossa aventura na primeira placa que encontramos.

November 21-23

Now, onto something other than London’s Christmas lights…

Theatre

A few weeks before my trip, I had proposed to see a musical to Miles. We were looking into tickets for Les Miserables. I usually wouldn’t mind spending money on good performances, but the regular pricing for Les Mis was expensive, especially after traveling and seeing concerts so much already. We decided that we could just drop by the theater on the day I arrived (Saturday).

We walked around different ticket booths, but Les Mis was sold out. There were still tickets for Avenue Q, so we got them for 15 pounds each! I saw Avenue Q in New York City in 2008, but it was a musical that I liked and knew I’d want to see again – so I jumped into this opportunity without hesitation.

The London Eye

No, I didn’t actually go onto The London Eye, but I did enjoy the view of it. Have you noticed already? I’m a sucker for colorful lights reflecting on water.

Millennium Bridge

We walked all over the city after seeing Avenue Q. The picture was taken on Millennium Bridge, with St. Paul’s Cathedral right ahead of us.

Tower Bridge

I was eating fish and chips (delicious too) next to the towers, and an old man sat down next to me. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that he turned towards me and looked like he wanted to talk to me. Finally, he started the conversation, “Are you from Japan?” I smiled (and gave the answer that I’ve said so many times), “No, I’m not Japanese, but a lot of people think I am.”

“Oh, sorry. You looked like one…. Konichiwa.”

We chitchatted about London. The old man has retired already, so he goes around different parts of London everyday to enjoy the city while he can – “Everyday is like a holiday!” Before I left, he put a small origami crane in my palm, “Here is for good luck.”

The Tower Bridge was beautiful in sunset.

]]> http://poetul.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/orasele-mele-1-londra/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:56:37 +0000 poetul http://poetul.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/orasele-mele-1-londra/

Capitala Regatului Unit este fabuloasă, un oraş deopotrivă tânăr şi conservator, cosmopolit şi morocănos, ceţos şi cochet. Londra e mai mult decât inima financiară a lumii şi o oază de libertate. Londra e Oraşul. Cu majuscule.

Pictorul Juan Barreto este un personaj din „Rătăcirile fetei nesăbuite”, un roman pe care Mario Vargas Llosa l-a scris când n-a mai fost tânăr. Juan Barreto era un hipiot insolvabil şi simpatic. A murit pe la pagina 120 şi ceva, după o viaţă promiscuă şi aproape fericită. A murit de SIDA. Cu câteva pagini înainte de treaba asta spunea aşa: „Eu am treizeci şi cinci de ani şi, după cum ai văzut, vârsta asta, aici în Earl’s Court, înseamnă bătrâneţe”. Autorul îi cam dă dreptate: „Tinereţea fizică şi psihică a locuitorilor acelui cartier londonez mă făceau să mă simt un preistoric. (…) Cartierul respiră muzică, o viaţă fără bârfe ori calcule, o mare doză de naivitate, dorinţa de a trăi clipa dincolo de morală şi valori convenţionale, căutând o plăcere care respingea vechile mituri burgheze ale fericirii”.

Când începe bătrâneţea

 Londra, Londra tânără, aşa e: dincolo de morală şi de convenţii. Bunăoară, în Soho găseşti orice: cluburi colosale pentru toţi şi pentru fiecare, baruri speciale pentru lesbiene tinere şi confuze, gay care umblă în chiloţi şi cu coroane mari, regale, pe cap, pendulând între petreceri punk deocheate. Fumează, tutun sau ierburi relativ tolerate, în faţa cârciumilor. În Londra, fumatul e interzis în toate localurile. Nu insistaţi. N-are rost. Englezii ştiu să-şi respecte regulile. Acum, clişeul: cine s-a plictisit de Londra înseamnă că s-a plictisit de viaţă. Toate barurile, toate, sunt pline de bere, de oameni morţi de beţi şi foarte vii. Soho e o nebunie, vintage şi futurist în acelaşi timp. Şi, da, la treizeci şi cinci de ani eşti bătrân, dar chiar nu contează.

Miroase a ceaţă şi a ploaie

Londra cealaltă, Londra conservatoare, mândră, clasică e mult dincolo de Europa. E altfel şi e copleşitoare. Începe cu maşinile care circulă în alt sens decât pe continent, cu cabinele telefonice roşii şi cu parcurile ei crude, cu Tamisa verde şi indiferentă. Obiectivele turistice sunt cunoscute: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Parlamentul, Muzeul Madame Tussauds, Tower Bridge, British Museum, Trafalgar Square, Turnul Londrei, Westminster Abbey, Catedrala „Saint Paul”, Hyde Park , Picadilly Circus şi magazinul Harrods. Dacă rataţi ceva, nu vă îngrijoraţi. Oricum veţi da orice pentru a reveni în Londra aceasta capricioasă şi întunecată, care miroase a ceaţă şi a ploaie.

A treia Londră, Londra cosmopolită, e un amestesc de rase, limbi, arome şi tradiţii. Foştii supuşi au venit în capitala Imperiului şi nu vor mai pleca. Londra aceasta babeliană are parfum de Pakistan şi India, te priveşte uneori cu ochii oblici sau face rugăciuni la ore fixe, cu capul întors spre Mecca.

 O formă de război civil

 „Bucătăria engleză este o formă de război civil”, spunea, într-un interviu, Traian Ungureanu, ziaristul român stabilit de două decenii la Londra. Ungureanu ştie: unii englezi vor să le facă rău altor englezi dându-le să mănânce alimente fără gust şi nuanţe. Pentru o naţie de marinari, “fish and chips” înseamnă de-ajuns. În schimb, există ceaiurile de la ora 5 şi acele prăjiturele maro pentru care orice gurmand rezonabil ­şi-ar da câţiva ani din viaţă. Londra e un oraş fără pauze, o mirare continuă şi necesară. Londra te schimbă, îţi goleşte buzunarele şi te face mai bogat pe dinăuntru. Despre asta e vorba.

* acest articol a fost publicat in adevarul.magazin de duminica, pe 22.11.2009

"I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things."
— J.R.R. Tolkien

I’m pottering about on my laptop whilst the TV is on, and there is a programme about the future of modern art on one of the digital BBC channels.  Its very interesting.

One of the artists interviewed is Cornelia Parker.  She has some really interesting works of art, many of which are available for viewing in some of the famous galleries, like the Tate.

Of particular interest, and the thing that made me look up, was a work on display in the V&A, that has essentially created a large ceiling rose out of a set of squashed brass band instruments!  She had them squashed in the large hydraulic presses at work within Tower Bridge. It looks great!  Its called ‘breathless’ – you can read about it here.  If you are in any way squeamish about your brass instruments, you should maybe look away now

Another interesting one, is ‘Cold, Dark Matter: An Exploded View‘.  This appears to be a shed, that was blown up and put together in the exploded form in the Tate.

She has some very interesting work.

Kevin.

Tower Bridge, originalmente cargada por P.RoSan.

El mecanismo hidráulico original utilizaba agua a presión almacenada en seis acumuladores. El agua era bombeada dentro de los acumuladores mediante motores de vapor. Actualmente, la maquinaria hidráulica original todavía abre el puente, aunque ha sido modificado para utilizar aceite en lugar de agua.

Here it is: the Madre’s Visit series!  Disclaimer: we took a ton of pictures, we ate a lot of food (I almost forgot how much I missed it), and we made a lot of magical memories.  Here’s my attempt at documenting it all; a lot of the posts will be works-in-progress as I update them with little details I forgot/didn’t take the time to initially include–I know we have an eager audience awaiting!  Enjoy   I know we did!

After a very Love Actually airport reunion, Madre and I hit the Londontown running!  First, we headed to the London Visitor’s Hotel in Kensington to drop off Madre’s luggage; the LVH is a quaint little bed & breakfast style hotel with an extremely welcoming staff, but the best part is its close location to my flat in South Kensington!  From there, we walked through our ‘hood to my flat, stopping for a pub lunch at The Gloucester Arms and several Kodak moments — we soon realized that we were capturing Madre’s visit to London, my semester in London (flying solo makes getting pictures with yourself in them quite tricky), and our time together (again, only two makes it tricky, but we definitely capitalized on the kindness of strangers and waiters).  Next on the agenda, taking a very wise arrival activity cue from Madre’s The Unofficial Guide to London (the same trusted series we get all of our Walt Disney World advice from), was to purchase two 48-hour tickets for The Big Bus Company’s hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus tour of London.  We caught one of the last buses and, thanks to the ridiculously early sunset at 4:30pm, Madre got to see all of the London sights for the first time in their twilight glory.  We hopped off at Marble Arch, the end of the route, and grabbed a spot o’ tea (like the real Brits) before embarking on Madre’s first ride through London on a red double-decker bus (“yes, those really are the public buses!”).  Then, the jet lag hit, so we made a quick change of route to South Kensington where we stopped for a delicious Italian meal at Il Falconiere (the first of many delicious, spot-hitting meals).  I grabbed sleepover supplies for the next two nights; we were met outside, after already being freezing, by rain and a black cab…magic moment!  We hopped in, headed ‘home’ to the LVH, and snuggled the night away–the one thing I missed about home most of all!

Fredagen promenerade vi omkring i London

Tower Bridge.

Minnes-kors utanför St Paul’s Cathedral.

Efter St Paul’s så gick vi till London Eye och åkte den.

På kvällen gick vi på musikal, Les misérables. Loved it!

!!!

May 22-30, 2009

Finally satisfied my dim sum craving at Chinatown. Gladys and I met up with her friend Michelle and her German friend at Harbor City (I think that was what the restaurant was called) and had lunch there. Pretty decent and in my opinion, comparable to dim sum you get from Crystal Jade in Singapore. Three cheers for Cantonese chefs!

After lunch, we walked along Shaftesbury Ave towards Piccadilly and then I honestly cannot remember what we did for the rest of that day. I think we had dinner at Belgo’s, a German/Belgian pub near Covent Garden where you can pay according to the time you entered (5-6.30pm) and the food is really good there. Either that or we had fish and chips at Endell Street. My memory of dinners from six months ago fails me.

The next day however was pretty eventful. We made our way to Leicester Square and bought tickets for Les Miserables. It was a chilly morning and we took refuge at Pret and had breakfast there. I prefer the hot chocolate there to Paul’s because it is not too thick. And the jalapeno chicken wrap from Pret is fantastic. Eventually Dylan and Nat made it to Leicester Square and they were in the TKTS queue when we met up with them.

Next up was a walk to Trafalgar Square and into the National Gallery. I am now officially immune to art galleries, museums and such.

Nat, Dylan, Gladys and I at Trafalgar Square

Lunch was at St Martin's Cafe in the Crypt

And dinner was at Belgo's again.

Excellent excellent excellent musical.

Gladys’ last day

The next morning, Gladys and I were having breakfast at Paul’s while waiting for Yuanting and Kenny to arrive from San Francisco. They arrived at Gloucester just as we ordered our brekkie so I went to get them and walked with them to the hostel.

Gladys had the afternoon to walk around before getting to the airport in the evening. And it was her birthday on the 29th May so she chose to celebrate it over duck rice at Four Season’s in Chinatown. That done, the afternoon included braving the drizzle and winds at Trafalgar Square and the Westminster area.

We contemplated checking out 10 Downing Street and also perhaps getting to Oxford/Bond for a bit of shopping. Eventually though we headed back to the hostel so Gladys could get ready to leave for the airport. I accompanied her to the airport and said our goodbyes while she was at the tax rebate queue and went back to Gloucester for dinner with Yuanting and Kenny at Nando’s.

Borough Market

After hearing the rave reviews I had given to Borough Market, Yuanting and Kenny decided to pay it a visit and of course, I was going to join them. I was mildly disappointed though because there were less shops on a weekday and the atmosphere just wasn’t the same as Saturday but the main shops were there nonetheless.

Considerably less people on a weekday

Yuanting and Kenny had a wheat grass drink but no way was I going to have that

I opted for apple cider instead.

it didn't smell that bad really

freshly made sangria and pimms and fresh paella!

Now, I’ve been reading about the decline of the the wet market in Singapore. If the wet markets in Singapore were anything like Borough Market, I’m pretty sure they will do better than supermarket chains.

The three of us then made our way along the south bank of the river towards Tower Bridge and the Tower of London but by the time we got to the Tower of London, it was not far from the last entrance so we thought why rush it and decided to come back the next day and not go to Buckingham Palace as originally planned.

Yuanting and Kenny’s last day

May 29th, the day Yuanting and Kenny were flying back to Singapore and I would be alone again, for one night before leaving for Madrid the following day. We had originally decided to do Buckingham Palace but had to choose between that or Tower of London and it was the latter that won out.

There were little tents set up in the lawn and guides dressed in medieval costumes like there was a fair going on. It was pretty fun to hear them talk about the olden days but we were really there to join the tour given by the yeomen who protect the tower.

Tower of London

helmut looks ridiculous, i hope it works

totally in character now

our yeoman guide

The White Tower

So the funny thing is everyone on the little tour seemed more interested in Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn than anything else. I guess people always love a little scandal. Plus their story is currently making the rounds in movies and TV shows (The Other Boleyn Sister and The Tudors, etc).

I was more fascinated by the prospect of getting to see the crown jewels. Before that though, was an explanation of the ravens that live in the courtyard and how legend has it that if the ravens leave, the monarchy will tumble. I wonder what Queen E II really feels about that. Well, if I was a raven and I was getting fed chunks of red raw meat from the royal kitchen, of course I wouldn’t leave.

Tudor architecture and the ravens

Inside the White Tower, we got to see an exhibition about Henry VIII and his costumes, battle gear and all that, and even the royal latrine. And in the tower that houses the crown jewels, we were treated to footage of the jewels being used during ceremonies. Oh, of course we got to see the jewels too. And we were truly awestruck by the splendor and beauty of those jewels. No photos were allowed though. But the size of some of those diamonds… Wow.

OK, so for me, the Tower of London was one of the city’s top highlights. Incredible and definitely a must-do in London. That afternoon, we squeezed in a spot of shopping at Oxford Circus before Kenny and Yuanting packed up and left for the airport. I had been worrying about my suitcase all week because I wanted to leave it in London while I brought my backpack with me to Madrid. It finally worked out – I left it in the hostel and by God’s blessing, managed to find a kind couple (cousin’s friend’s in-laws) to pick it up and store it in their house for three months. More on that later.

So, I left London to spend the night at a hotel by London Gatwick airport, from where I would catch my early flight to Madrid…..

London is a curious mix of the old and new, stately and beautiful old buildings (and bridges) rub shoulders with the very newest developments. And yes, these are from a little while ago which is why it looks sunny and warm.

Tower Bridge with the Gherkin visible in the middle

light through the gap - south side between Tower and London Bridges

I think the structure on the left has some extra terrestrial purpose

One of these things is not like the other

Looking backwards R to L - City hall, Tower Bridge and hideous hotel on waterfront

Matt Groening.

Hola family! So, since I last wrote to you, I have been v busy, as ever. Last weekend I saw some of you as I visited home, but the real reason I went home was to go up to CJ’s dad’s wedding in Lincolnshire. It was an awesome weekend, had a good giggle and it was a lovely day on the Saturday (except for the shocking weather). I have a few photos that I will facebook for those of you on it.

Yesterday my boss left, so a very manic day trying to hand everything over. Bit sad also, but we made up for it with copious drinkies in the pub after work…. I also spent my afternoon looking after the President of Marketing for Disney Studios in LA, awesome fun, and a very nice guy. His mother also came, and she happened to be the wife of the President of Disney Studios. Gave them a nice tour of the best building in London (yes you know where I am talking about) and then saw them off. This evening they will be at the switching on of the Christmas lights. Which brings me on nicely to….. yep, you heard, they’re switching on the Christmas lights in the big smoke tonight, woopwoop!!!!!!!! Officially means I can buy roasted chestnuts from the vendor on the corner, eat lots of mince pies, and listen to Christmas music until my ears bleed. Life doesn’t get better.

Christmas at the Bridge also looking good, we have Christmas storytelling sessions on December weekends with none other than Mr Charles Dickens. He has popped back from ye olden days to regale us with tales of his London, a few cheeky excerpts from ‘A Christmas Carol’, and perhaps, if you’re lucky, a carol or two to round all the activity off.  Fun much??? Have also got the Christmas trees on order from Elveden Forest, I will be spending my 30th November evening decorating 7, yep, you heard, 7 trees. It’s like a Christmas overdose, LOVE IT.

So folks, be home again on the 21st November weekend, CJ home too, and bringing my mate Chris, so get your drinking caps on, we will be hitting the town!

Love and Christmas cheer to you all xxxxxxxx

After last night’s adventures, I have resigned to being holed up in my room for the next few weeks handling an enormous amount of papers, readings, and presentations to be completed before the end of November. Since I’m now in my 5th hour of readings for today, I’ve decided to take a brief pause to post some pictures from last night! After uploading photos, I noticed (sadly) that I didn’t have nearly as many as I would have liked… a rare occurrence for someone who takes pictures like it’s going out of style.

Rita & Alex kept with the theme for the most part, going as angels, but I did meet up with the Blues Brothers (aka Ronan & Aidan):

and had a run in with Kim Jong-il (aka Wen Fa):

Almost uncanny, right? For anyone who’s reading this and is super impressed with Wen’s locks of love: the hair cut is courtesy of one Ronan Conlan, hair designer extraordinaire! For a small fee, he can make you, too, look like “one of the most mysterious leaders in the world” (CNN).

The boat cruise was super fun, too, and lasted way longer than I had anticipated (left at 7.45 and docked at 11.30P). We got a little bit of sight-seeing in and enjoyed copious amounts of cider (speaking for myself, of course).

All in all, it was a fun way to spend Halloween and has definitely inspired some desire to host regular costume/themed parties! Dressing up is always way too much fun <3.

Side note: for anyone considering a boat cruise — definitely a cool way to do some sight-seeing. Highly recommended.

Hope everyone else’s Halloween was a blast,

Day 5 in London…
Date: July 5, 2009

Checklist Item Crossed #14 — Buckingham Palace
8.30am – Woke up, almost late again. Took a quick shower, waited for Y to get ready; 9.30am – Trains still weren’t running from South Ealing, so we took the bus and a train from another station to St. James’ Park; 11am – Arrived at the Buckingham Palace, got a nice viewing spot….or so we thought….; 11.30am – Saw some guards marching past, including the cavalries. Took some pics of the procession as we saw the guards head towards the palace and entered the gates; 11.40am – Waited for the Changing of the Guards, took some pics of ourselves; 11.50am – Realized that the Changing of the Guards was actually taking place within the enclosed palace grounds instead of the spacious piazza we we stood waiting at….stupid!! 12pm – Walked to the palace gates, managed to get some lame shots of the guards in line. It was almost impossible to get a good view of the Changing of the Guards because the crowd that gathered around the row of gates to get a glimpse (GLIMPSE!!) of the event was so thick – we had to extend our arms above some people’s head to even take a lame pic of the guards, nevermind actually watching anything! 12.30pm – NOT impressed with the Changing of the Guards. Y and I decided to look for St. James’ Palace instead because my London Guidebook had said that visitors can take pics with the guards on duty outside the palace; 12.15pm – Could not find St. James Palace. Took some pics with Y at an unknown building instead.

My Best Shot

Checklist Item Crossed #15 — Embankment
1pm – Arrived at Trafalgar Square, took a train to Embankment. Linda, my ex-boss, insisted that I visit the gardens at Embankment when I travel to London, so there we were; 1.15pm – Discovered the comfort of Embankment’s park deck chairs. Apparently there was going to be an outdoor mini-concert later on, so the organizers were preparing the stage nearby; 1.45pm – Packed some lunch (I had Rice and Chili Con Carne, Y had some Chicken Curry thing) and headed back to the deck chairs at the park, on which we sat on while we ate and enjoyed an hour or so soaking up the Summer sun. Took more pics.

Me + Union Jack

Checklist Item Crossed #16 — Tower of London and Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

2.15pm – Headed towards Tower Hill alone. Y and I parted ways because she had a colleague’s farewell picnic to attend later on; 2.45pm – Purchased my ticket to the Tower of London, watched a demo at the Siege exhibit; 3.30pm – Joined the Yeoman Warders tour of the Tower; 4.15pm – Checked out the Crown Jewels exhibit. That was impressive; 4.45pm – Checked out the Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill exhibition; 5.30pm – Tower closed for the day, walked out to see the Tower Bridge from a distance. Met Kim, a Korean girl, who helped take some pics of me with the Bridge and vice versa; 6pm – Kim and I walked to and along the Tower Bridge, took more pics. Too bad the Tower Bridge exhibition had closed for the day too.

Tower of London

Siege Exhibit

The White Tower

Checklist Item Crossed #17 — Hyde Park
7.15pm – Kim did not have any plans after visiting the Tower, so I invited her to follow me to Hyde Park — my last “Place-To-Visit” in London. She agreed. We arrived at Hyde Park after taking the train. I had an ice cream, while I waited for Kim to have her Hot Dog dinner; 7.45pm – Visited The Serpentine, Hyde Park’s famous lake. Oh, WOW….the view was absolutely breathtaking! Again, my camera battery had inconveniently died on me while visiting the Tower Bridge. Kim offered to take some pics of me with her DSLR camera and promised to email me once she got back to Korea a month later (I have yet to hear from her) Love Hyde Park, btw; 8.20pm – Kim and I parted ways. It was bad enough that the Piccadilly lines were closed, now the stupid train was not running past Hammersmith on District lines either. Took another train to NottingHill Gate where I had to change to the Central line instead; 9pm – Arrived at Ealing Broadway, took a bus back to South Ealing; 9.30pm – Arrived at Y’s place, checked my email, finished packing my stuff, took a shower, went to bed around midnight.

=====================================

Day 6 in London
Date: July 6, 2009

Leaving on a Jetplane
Y and I left her apartment early in the morning, she had to go to work while I was headed towards the London Liverpool St. Station, where I had to take the Stansted Express to the airport. I was leaving London for good. Y rode with me until Leicester Square and we bid goodbye when she had to get off. It had been a really fun trip and we had some nice times together. I arrived at Stansted Airport around 11am. Had a light lunch at one of the airport cafes and watched the RyanAir planes resting on the tarmac. I was to fly in one of those planes at anytime soon…..

1.50pm – Goodbye, London…

4.40pm – Hellooooo, Stockholm!!!

It really started during a class trip to Old Sacramento. The fact that I don’t remember the name of the class or the professor is in no way a reflection on how much I liked the course, which was a lot, but more an example of how bad my memory is. Anyways, it was on this night that I started something personal that is still going on to this day. I was interested in really getting a unique perspective for my my assignment and I knew it wouldn’t be easy with a whole class full of eager students running around the same block. I wanted to shoot something common in a way that was really unique and broke down the subject into basic elements of color and shape. I was in a hurry since my friends were moving on, but I had one slight spark of inspiration. I had one idea that I ran with almost on a whim. I wasn’t sure what would come of it but I’m so very glad I listened to myself. That night, I came up with this:

Do you recognize it? No? It’s the Tower Bridge in Sacramento. For those of you who might read this and aren’t from Sacramento do a quick Google search and you’ll see what I was working with.

I never realized when I shot this image that it would become a series for me. So you can imagine my surprise when I was thinking of what images to throw on here today and I started to notice a connection between some of my wedding work and this series. I could easily picture a lot of my favorite shots from friend’s weddings and it dawned on me that I had been adapting my art ideas and doing wedding work with the same eye. Change the angle, control the focus, concentrate primarily on the colors above all else, all of these things are ideas that I started using years ago with the bridge. Interestingly enough, I hate driving on that damn bridge. I always seem to get all turned around and annoyed when I’m in the area, so I avoid it like the plague. Anyways, don’t take my word for it, take a look at these!

William F. DeVault.

Ok, so I have been shockingly bad in keeping up with this blog so far, but will try to make up for it, especially after a rather funny email from my pa telling me off for not updating…. So, job is still going well, Tower Bridge is fun, weird things happening including boss leaving on 2nd November. As a result, all a bit up in the air, but I have been there for nearly five months so far and still enjoying. Trying to do some work at the moment with the old agency, Five by Five, so fingers crosse that gets signed off. I have also just been given the Monument to look after, which commemorates the Great Fire of London, and is where the tube station ‘Monument’ gets its name…

Have spoken with Nicki and she is doing well, having fun and is now in Wellington.

I have got my new tattoo, which is on my arm and says ‘enlacee dans les bras d’un poete’, which means ‘entwined in the arms of a poet’. It’s beautiful, and according to Lou, not as large as she thought it would be, so all good!!

I spent yesterday at another of City of London’s places, the CoL Cemetery in Manor Park. It is beautiful, I had a review meeting there all day, and then we got a tour. Saw where two of the Ripper victims were buried, and Bobby Moore. Also got to watch a cremation in the depths of the cemetery, pretty odd watching a body burn. Apparently the temperature in the furnaces reaches 850 degrees, and it takes around 90 minutes for a body to burn. The larger bones in the skeleton don’t break down, they just get very brittle, so at the end of the 90-odd minutes they scrape it all out and put it in something called a ‘cremulator’ (yes I didn’t think it was a real word either). This spins it all round with some metal balls, and the ashes fall through the holes in the machine (think mini tumble-dryer). The metal that is left at the end (including teeth, hip and knee joints, screws and coffin handles etc) is then gathered up, and the metal sold to make more things, such as screws etc. The money then gets donated to charity. All fascinating, although was glad I had lunch before I saw through the window of hte furnace!!!

So I am home now, having just packed. Off to Fareham town tomorrow after work for the night, then driving up to Lincolnshire with CJ and his bro for their dad’s wedding (how exciting?! I finally feel like a grown-up). Should be a good weekend, very much looking forward to meeting Pat’s other half Val too.

Not much other news I can remember right now, was supposed to go on a date this evening with a nice guy I met through work, but he has food poisoning. Hmmm….. Wait and see if that materialises into another date…!!

Been seriously getting into a new show called True Blood, and VVVVVV excited about the new ‘Twilight’ film out in about 3/4 weeks. Woop! Went to a funky cinema on Friday to watch the last Heath Ledger film with my mate Chris, then went to my friend Steph’s engagement party on the Saturday night in a place called the ‘Old School Yard’ in Borough. Was like a student union so the best thing I could’ve done was to get wasted on tequila. WhichI did. And the fine upstanding gentleman that CJ is managed to keep me standing up for the journey home. Yay! Felt like crap on Sunday but still managed to stomp down to Covent Garden in the afternoon to meet my friend Andy (an opera singer) and some of his ENO friends, who were  performing next door. All very theatrical dahlings! Went to see an Exhibition of photographs on Monday night with CJ – it was in Canning Town and was Lou Marshall (from Cams Hill) running it as it was her boyf exhibiting. Great to catch up.

Must go, telly to watch, will keep you updated with any more news, hopefully more regularly….. Mwah xxxx

Durante este puente de octubre he recibido mi primera visita!

Todos en el Tower bridge

Han venido a verme Pepa, Javi, Álex y Marta. Hemos ido a ver las partes imprescindibles de Londres, hemos comido fish & chips (bueno, hemos comido mogollón ;-D), hemos visto artistas callejeros en Covent Garden (En especial un tío haciendo malabares con una motosierra), hemos tomado te, hemos ido a comprar por Oxford Street y Harrods y todas esas cosas que tienen que hacerse cuando se viene a London.

St Paul & Millenium Bridge

En Picadilly Circus con Martita

Fish & chips

Mind the gap

Espero que os lo hayáis pasado bien a pesar de las largas caminatas.

Y los demás, a ver si al ver esto os entran ganas de venir también. Aquí os espero.

RICHIE MC CAW’S headgear looks like a bathing cap – that was the first thought that crossed my mind when I watched Rugby for the first time. I found the game incredibly funny and terribly confusing as it didn’t make any sense to me at all.

ALL BLACK HAKA: Getting ready for 2011 (pic: ABC)

Rugby is not a big thing in my homecountry (although we actually have a  national team, I recently found out), but after having lived in New Zealand for roughly a year now, I have watched a lot of rugby. It’s still a mystery to me – but I love watching it.

Like many Kiwis, I am all excited about New Zealand hosting the Rugby Worldcup in 2011.

This major sports event is also a great opportunity for the country to draw the world’s attention on it’s positive aspects and to attract tourists from all over the globe.

Tourism NZ’s motto in their marketing campaign is: GIVE IT 100% and they want rugby fans from all parts of the world to experience Rugby as its best when coming to New Zealand in two years time.

One major aspect of their marketing campaign is the giant white rugby ball that has already accompanied the All Blacks in 2008 when touring the UK and Ireland.

Next station on the iconic ball’s journey will be the Tokyo Tower in central Tokyo, where it will open between 28 Ocotber and 3 November 2009 and over 7000 visitors are expected to enter the ball.

This marketing strategy coincidences with the All Blacks vs. Wallabies testmatch, the Japan-NZ Business Council and the Japan-NZ Partnership Forum.

Sounds good so far – New Zealand is represented, the country gets attention, which -hopefully- will result in a boost for the tourism industry and subsequently also for the economy…

BUT – as the Dominion Post reports today - there is also a downside of the story: money.

STANDING TALL: The Eiffel Tower and the giant rugby ball (pic: STUFF)

When the giant ball promoted New Zealand during the Rugby Worldcup 2007 right next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, it cost $907,000.

Eight days next to the Tower Bridge in London in 2008: $1.7 million.

Seven days in Tokyo… well, accoridng to the Dominion Post who use figures given to them by Tourism NZ, it would result in a daily sum which would be six times higher than the cost per day in Paris: $2.7 million – to taxpayers’ expenses.

The huge difference in costs in Paris and Tokyo partly comes from the rent for the venue of the ball: while Paris provided rent-free ground to erect the ball, Tokyo charges a rent of $95,000 as it was difficult to find a space big enough for the ball in downtown Tokyo.

- visit the website of the Rugby World Cup 2011

- have a look at NZS’s Rugby Basics

- read the NZ Herald’s latest story on the All Blacks

- visit the website of the NZ Embassy in Tokyo (press release about the giant ball)

The first was taken on Waterloo bridge looking down the Thames.  The second is of Tower Bridge while going under it on a Thames boat ride, and the third picture is the London Eye.

T-Rex – Children of the Revolution

Banda de Rock Glam ingles de los años 60, muy querido por los Hippies de la época.

Woke up after a small amount of sleep in New Cross- enjoyed a delicious breakfast à la Tom then made my way back to the hotel to meet up with Dan in order to investigate Spitalfields Market.

Went up Brick Lane to check things out then walked to the Tower Bridge across to the South Bank. This was the first day that we experienced “typical” London weather: grey skies, slightly rainy and windy.
We basically just walked along the water and around that area taking a peek at the museums and whatnot- for a bit it seemed really commercial but once we got closer to the Tate Modern things seemed to ease up a bit. Dan hates modern art so I’m sure he wasn’t too pleased with his experience there, but I’m a pretty big fan so this museum needs a do-over when I have more time at some point.
The vacuum cleaners were kind of amusing though…

New Cross in the morning

Not sure what this is but it’s pretty and was also on my way to the train station

On the way to Spitalfields

Oh sausage and mash how I love theeee

The market

Brick Lane

Tower Bridge

City Hall I believe

This place reminded me of my 2nd Year film classes …

The Clink Prison Museum – where the term “The Clink” was coined

Shakespeare Globe Theatre- my understanding is that there isn’t a stitch of metal in there- that it has many-a-wooden peg holding it all together.

Millennium Bridge

After our trip around the Tate Modern we went back to the hotel to relax for a bit – ie. Kayla needs a nap big time.

That night Julia had invited me to come with her and Sarah to see Amanda Palmer at a secret midnight show in Camden. So I went to meet them around 10pm for some drinks and then enjoyed an almost three hour set by Palmer. It was so bloody fantastic!

Amanda came on stage in her underwear and asked that the crowd dress her- the whole thing was silly sauce and hilarious. For one song she forgot the key and the lyrics and through the power of iPhones was able to do a pretty decent job with it while an audience member scrolled the lyrics in front of her.

Neil Gaiman was there of course and he read a story from their book- the whole night was pretty amazing. Even the walk to find a night bus proved entertaining and wonderful. Annnd I may or may not have been slightly excited about riding on the top floor, front row on a double decker bus. Whatever… heh

Extremely talented viola playing friend of Amanda’s. I believe her name was Uma…

Dressin’ for the show

Neil reading us a story

Most of my photos were pretty horrible but luckily one of Julia’s friends Del is a fantastic photographer and he took a few photos that you can view here.

K