Tuesday 25 September 2007
Oh, PS!
I'm STILL trying to figure out how to put pictures in posts, every time I try I get those little blue boxes with the question marks inside. Anyone out there able to help me?
city livin'...
I'm trying to update more so I don't forget things when I go to write about the last 489509238748 million things I did in the last little bit. I'm trying to do the same with my paper journal.
Anyways. When did I last update? Friday evening? So Saturday Dianne, Steph, and I went to Buckingham Palace to tour through the State Rooms. It was really nice, the rooms are really opulent and ornate and really interesting to walk through. We got a complimentary commentary to listen to which I really appreciated because it had a lot of history of the building. I learned about the palace's history, how it used to be a house and was then renovated and recreated into a palace, and then redecorated by King George IV and then finished by Queen Victoria. I especially liked listening about how the Queen's Garden's got bombed during WWII, and then the King and Queen took lunch in an air raid shelter and then went to East London to tour around, which was the part of London that got bombed the heaviest. Oh, and for future reference, Buckingham Palace staff are not allowed to take pictures for you. Go figure.
Saturday night was good. Dianne and I went to South London (Clapham, to be exact) to meet Dianne's friend of a friend, James. He was really nice! Typical British guy, likes soccer (football) and cricket (we had a good chat about how much I like cricket, despite having never actually seen a match), is from Northern England (Yorkshire) and works for HSBC bank in the city. The three of us went out to dinner, which James generously paid for (I tried to offer money, he wouldn't take it... oh well?), which was really nice of him (!) and then went to see his flat and watch some British tv, which ended up being us watching a couple episodes of Friends (lol) before heading home. All in all, it was a good evening. We invited him to ISH karaoke.
Sunday was boring because I didn't do anything or go anywhere, and have no computer or tv to occupy me. I did some work, but there really isn't all that much to do here. So I got a little homesick, and then got frustrated with being homesick and decided that from now on I need only devote half-days to schoolwork in hopes of staving off the homesickness.
Anyways. Yesterday was pretty good. Lots of class. We had a really lively discussion in Drama about the show we saw last week (Poe's Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre). It was really really great to discuss some of what we all saw and did, and I was pretty disappointed when the prof had to cut off the discussion. After class we went to Shakespeare's Globe to see The Merchant of Venice, which was so good! It was definitely an experience standing in the yard for three hours and watching the show very much like I would watch a costume today. I had visions of Shakespeare in Love, it was pretty cool. I took as many pictures as I could, and will put them up on Facebook and Flickr for y'all to see. (I have a link to my Flickr account in the sidebar, by the way) The show was bawdy and funny and the crowd got a little raucous and it was just so enjoyable. Add onto that the fact that the acting was amazing and Bassanio was gorgeous and I'm sold. :)
So that's about it. Oh! Dianne and I went to the Victoria and Albert museum today to look at the fashion stuff they had. It's a really nice place, I'd like to go back there.
In other news, it's about two weeks until Cara and Evan get here, and I'm SO excited! And in other other news, I foolishly didn't bring my tan cord jacket and I'm regretting it huge. Oh well. I guess I'll just wear my trench more.
Anyways. When did I last update? Friday evening? So Saturday Dianne, Steph, and I went to Buckingham Palace to tour through the State Rooms. It was really nice, the rooms are really opulent and ornate and really interesting to walk through. We got a complimentary commentary to listen to which I really appreciated because it had a lot of history of the building. I learned about the palace's history, how it used to be a house and was then renovated and recreated into a palace, and then redecorated by King George IV and then finished by Queen Victoria. I especially liked listening about how the Queen's Garden's got bombed during WWII, and then the King and Queen took lunch in an air raid shelter and then went to East London to tour around, which was the part of London that got bombed the heaviest. Oh, and for future reference, Buckingham Palace staff are not allowed to take pictures for you. Go figure.
Saturday night was good. Dianne and I went to South London (Clapham, to be exact) to meet Dianne's friend of a friend, James. He was really nice! Typical British guy, likes soccer (football) and cricket (we had a good chat about how much I like cricket, despite having never actually seen a match), is from Northern England (Yorkshire) and works for HSBC bank in the city. The three of us went out to dinner, which James generously paid for (I tried to offer money, he wouldn't take it... oh well?), which was really nice of him (!) and then went to see his flat and watch some British tv, which ended up being us watching a couple episodes of Friends (lol) before heading home. All in all, it was a good evening. We invited him to ISH karaoke.
Sunday was boring because I didn't do anything or go anywhere, and have no computer or tv to occupy me. I did some work, but there really isn't all that much to do here. So I got a little homesick, and then got frustrated with being homesick and decided that from now on I need only devote half-days to schoolwork in hopes of staving off the homesickness.
Anyways. Yesterday was pretty good. Lots of class. We had a really lively discussion in Drama about the show we saw last week (Poe's Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre). It was really really great to discuss some of what we all saw and did, and I was pretty disappointed when the prof had to cut off the discussion. After class we went to Shakespeare's Globe to see The Merchant of Venice, which was so good! It was definitely an experience standing in the yard for three hours and watching the show very much like I would watch a costume today. I had visions of Shakespeare in Love, it was pretty cool. I took as many pictures as I could, and will put them up on Facebook and Flickr for y'all to see. (I have a link to my Flickr account in the sidebar, by the way) The show was bawdy and funny and the crowd got a little raucous and it was just so enjoyable. Add onto that the fact that the acting was amazing and Bassanio was gorgeous and I'm sold. :)
So that's about it. Oh! Dianne and I went to the Victoria and Albert museum today to look at the fashion stuff they had. It's a really nice place, I'd like to go back there.
In other news, it's about two weeks until Cara and Evan get here, and I'm SO excited! And in other other news, I foolishly didn't bring my tan cord jacket and I'm regretting it huge. Oh well. I guess I'll just wear my trench more.
Friday 21 September 2007
Ok! I'm back with more stories. Sorry I haven't posted pics yet, I'm not used to Blogger and haven't put the time in to figure it out yet. There are just so many other things to do!
So when I last left you I was talking about what... fireworks? Which brings us to the beginning of this week. Classes this week were good, we're starting to settle into a good groove which is relaxing. On Tuesday night we went to the Battersea Arts Centre in South London to see an adaptation of Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. Let me tell you, it was A-MAZING!!!! It was the best and most different play I've ever seen. Instead of having the play performed for us, we were totally incorporated into the performance of it. So instead of sitting in a theatre with the actors on the stage, we all got to take part in the play, walking through the building which was transformed into the world of the play. It was so crazy! You could be walking down a hallway and all of a sudden there is a actor walking toward you on their way somewhere. So you can stick in one room and see who comes and goes, or follow a specific cast member through the building, or just wander and take in the whole thing. There was even a saloon/cabaret room with a bar and band and people performing. It was just so crazy and amazing. If ever I doubted my love for theatre, this show just reaffirmed it.
So I guess it's obvious that that was the highlight of my week. Wednesday we went to the Tate Britain (an art gallery specifically for British art) for art class, and we looked at Victorian paintings and stuff, which was interesting. And last night the music class went to the theatre to see a show all about the Tango. So there was tons of great music and lots of dancing. It was a great show musically but the dancing was kind of lack-lustre. Nothing like So You Think You Can Dance!
Today we went to Portobello Market, which was really cool. It has a lot of antique shops and food and clothing stalls. I bought a couple scarves, a black one and a reddish stripey one like my other two. Oh, and Tuesday morning we went to Camden Market which is so cool and such a hippie place to be. It had tons of cool little handcrafted shops, and places to haggle and stuff. I got a bracelet and a pair of earrings for about £3. I can't wait to go back. :)
Tonight we're going out to dinner to a place called Giraffe. It'll be really nice to get away from the same old caf food for a night. I'll be SO looking forward to cooking and home-cooked food when I come home. And tomorrow the roomies and I are going to Buckingham Palace! We get to go into the rooms and stuff before it closes for the year, so I'm going to try to take some pictures.
I guess that's all. I'm off to watch Friends with Dianne and wait for everyone to get here so we can go to dinner. Thanks for commenting people! Keep 'em coming! :)
So when I last left you I was talking about what... fireworks? Which brings us to the beginning of this week. Classes this week were good, we're starting to settle into a good groove which is relaxing. On Tuesday night we went to the Battersea Arts Centre in South London to see an adaptation of Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. Let me tell you, it was A-MAZING!!!! It was the best and most different play I've ever seen. Instead of having the play performed for us, we were totally incorporated into the performance of it. So instead of sitting in a theatre with the actors on the stage, we all got to take part in the play, walking through the building which was transformed into the world of the play. It was so crazy! You could be walking down a hallway and all of a sudden there is a actor walking toward you on their way somewhere. So you can stick in one room and see who comes and goes, or follow a specific cast member through the building, or just wander and take in the whole thing. There was even a saloon/cabaret room with a bar and band and people performing. It was just so crazy and amazing. If ever I doubted my love for theatre, this show just reaffirmed it.
So I guess it's obvious that that was the highlight of my week. Wednesday we went to the Tate Britain (an art gallery specifically for British art) for art class, and we looked at Victorian paintings and stuff, which was interesting. And last night the music class went to the theatre to see a show all about the Tango. So there was tons of great music and lots of dancing. It was a great show musically but the dancing was kind of lack-lustre. Nothing like So You Think You Can Dance!
Today we went to Portobello Market, which was really cool. It has a lot of antique shops and food and clothing stalls. I bought a couple scarves, a black one and a reddish stripey one like my other two. Oh, and Tuesday morning we went to Camden Market which is so cool and such a hippie place to be. It had tons of cool little handcrafted shops, and places to haggle and stuff. I got a bracelet and a pair of earrings for about £3. I can't wait to go back. :)
Tonight we're going out to dinner to a place called Giraffe. It'll be really nice to get away from the same old caf food for a night. I'll be SO looking forward to cooking and home-cooked food when I come home. And tomorrow the roomies and I are going to Buckingham Palace! We get to go into the rooms and stuff before it closes for the year, so I'm going to try to take some pictures.
I guess that's all. I'm off to watch Friends with Dianne and wait for everyone to get here so we can go to dinner. Thanks for commenting people! Keep 'em coming! :)
Monday 17 September 2007
Just a quick post...
So, highlight of last week? Seeing three performances, that was pretty ridiculous! Saint Joan on Monday night, Albert Herring on Wednesday night, and then Dianne, Steph, Blair, Alannah and I saw The Boy Friend (a musical set in the 1920's on the French Riviera) at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park on Friday afternoon. Dianne and I had been exploring the park the day before and discovered that the theatre was in it's last days of performance for the summer so we hopped right on that!
Saturday was a looooong day. A bunch of us walked around the South Bank for the afternoon, taking in some sights. It was Doors Open London this weekend so we got to go in to a whole bunch of awesome places like The Rose theatre (Shakespeare in Love!) and the Lloyds of London building, which has some really great architecture. We tried to go into the Gherkin (the huge pretty glass, almost egg-shaped buidling) but even though it was taking part in DOL is was by booking only. But! The Thames Festival was also on so we enjoyed some of that. We walked across the Thames on Southark Bridge, which was so weird! Part of it was covered with sand, some with astroturf, and there were all these booths and tents set up. We all decorated gingerbread cookies, and some of us got some lovely organic ale at a beer tent (yum!) and then we got indian food for lunch and got to sit in an indian-style decorated tent complete with low tables, plush pillows, and islamic-style decorations - very cool.
Last night we returned to the festival and stood in front of the Oxo building to see the most amazing and best fireworks I've EVER SEEN! They were so amazing, and we all felt like little children watching them. And then we all made a human train and got pummeled and molested trying to get out of the throng of people. I get that's what we get for being in the middle of it all. It was worth it. :)
Ok, the roomies and I are going for dinner now so I'll head off. I hope to post some pictures tonight though!
Saturday was a looooong day. A bunch of us walked around the South Bank for the afternoon, taking in some sights. It was Doors Open London this weekend so we got to go in to a whole bunch of awesome places like The Rose theatre (Shakespeare in Love!) and the Lloyds of London building, which has some really great architecture. We tried to go into the Gherkin (the huge pretty glass, almost egg-shaped buidling) but even though it was taking part in DOL is was by booking only. But! The Thames Festival was also on so we enjoyed some of that. We walked across the Thames on Southark Bridge, which was so weird! Part of it was covered with sand, some with astroturf, and there were all these booths and tents set up. We all decorated gingerbread cookies, and some of us got some lovely organic ale at a beer tent (yum!) and then we got indian food for lunch and got to sit in an indian-style decorated tent complete with low tables, plush pillows, and islamic-style decorations - very cool.
Last night we returned to the festival and stood in front of the Oxo building to see the most amazing and best fireworks I've EVER SEEN! They were so amazing, and we all felt like little children watching them. And then we all made a human train and got pummeled and molested trying to get out of the throng of people. I get that's what we get for being in the middle of it all. It was worth it. :)
Ok, the roomies and I are going for dinner now so I'll head off. I hope to post some pictures tonight though!
Wednesday 12 September 2007
I have no witty title to put here...
Mainly because I'm so tired! I've been going non-stop since I got here. I've been out every night except one since I got here, and I've been here almost a week! I need to take it easy or I'm going to get sick or crash really hard, neither of which are good prospects.
So! Classes have started, and I'm really enjoying them. I'm taking Music in London, Drama in London, English Art, and Designing a Walking Tour, all of which I've had already. I really like all of them, they're pretty engaging and interesting and are very London-centric. Also, the workload isn't too heavy so I'll still be able to explore the city and travel. But the best part is that through taking the drama and music courses Dianne, Steph, and I go to two performances a week! Monday we went to the National Theatre to see George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, about Joan of Arc. It was amazing!!! The set design was pretty symbolic and SO beautiful, and the production had this musical accompaniment that was just so so good. It had this amazing intensity in some scenes that was just overwhelming, I loved it! Anyways, tonight for music class we saw an opera by Benjamin Britton called Alfred Herring which I really enjoyed. And we're going to see Carmen in a couple weeks - my nan would be so proud!
Also, I've discovered my London vice, and it's name is Primark. It's a clothing store where things are really nice and really cheap. I found a purse for £6, a cashmere cardigan for £10 and a whole bunch of shirts for £4 or less. It's like Winners, only I only get one brand choice. Anyways, it's a marvelous store, and I'm trying not to go back there daily to check out their £6 jeans and £1 shirt racks.
Anyways, it's getting on to 1am here and my roomies are already in bed so I think I should go. I finished reading Le Petit Prince and now I'm onto a new one, I borrowed Midnight in the Garden of Good and evil from Dana. Mom, is it scary? I don't like reading scary things before bed! I'm lame, I know.
Leave comments! Love y'all!
So! Classes have started, and I'm really enjoying them. I'm taking Music in London, Drama in London, English Art, and Designing a Walking Tour, all of which I've had already. I really like all of them, they're pretty engaging and interesting and are very London-centric. Also, the workload isn't too heavy so I'll still be able to explore the city and travel. But the best part is that through taking the drama and music courses Dianne, Steph, and I go to two performances a week! Monday we went to the National Theatre to see George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, about Joan of Arc. It was amazing!!! The set design was pretty symbolic and SO beautiful, and the production had this musical accompaniment that was just so so good. It had this amazing intensity in some scenes that was just overwhelming, I loved it! Anyways, tonight for music class we saw an opera by Benjamin Britton called Alfred Herring which I really enjoyed. And we're going to see Carmen in a couple weeks - my nan would be so proud!
Also, I've discovered my London vice, and it's name is Primark. It's a clothing store where things are really nice and really cheap. I found a purse for £6, a cashmere cardigan for £10 and a whole bunch of shirts for £4 or less. It's like Winners, only I only get one brand choice. Anyways, it's a marvelous store, and I'm trying not to go back there daily to check out their £6 jeans and £1 shirt racks.
Anyways, it's getting on to 1am here and my roomies are already in bed so I think I should go. I finished reading Le Petit Prince and now I'm onto a new one, I borrowed Midnight in the Garden of Good and evil from Dana. Mom, is it scary? I don't like reading scary things before bed! I'm lame, I know.
Leave comments! Love y'all!
Sunday 9 September 2007
Well hello!
It's been a while, eh? But I'm safely in London, and pretty settled, so here comes a post!
My flight was so long, and got off to a rough start: we had to stop just before we started taxi-ing to get the engine checked out. Iee! So our 10pm flight ended up taking off around 11pm. The flight itself was ok, except for being long and cramped, but that's kind of to be expected when you fly so long in a sardine can of an airplane. We finally got off the plane and then had to wait in the Customs line for about an hour and a half (CRAZY) and then I breezed through Customs and we got our luggage and left the airport. But oh no, our journey wasn't over yet! We then took a train into London, then a taxi from where we got dropped up to the main building we're staying at, to check in. THEN we had to walk a couple blocks WITH our luggage to the hall we're staying in. Whew! I get exhausted again just telling it. But we're here, and that was days ago, so onto the next events!
My first full day in London was spent just getting used to everything. I went to a Boots (Drug Store) and got some things, and went to a Barclays Bank and found out I can't deposit anything there (or in any British bank, for that matter) so the bank draft I have from my Nan is null here. So I'm pretty low on money. Not good. But the day was still good! Dianne and I hung out with some of the other London Semester girls and a bunch of us went on the London Eye, which was great! I have a bunch of pictures, but no way to dump them yet so you'll have to wait a bit longer to see anything from over here.
Yesterday was spent running errands (yet again) and hanging out with London Semester people, but with each passing day I get more comfortable being here and more used to it all.
A few random observations before I go:
- The Baker Street tube station is tiled with little outlines of Sherlock Holmes' head, very cool!
- Dianne got a new cell phone yesterday, it's so cute! And pink! And can call Canada for 5p a minute!
- My backyard is basically Regent's Park. You look out our window and see a tiny patch of backyard, a small street, and then the Park! Hopefully I'll get to it today.
- I'm getting used to it, but I find myself looking to the wrong side when I cross the street. Oops.
My flight was so long, and got off to a rough start: we had to stop just before we started taxi-ing to get the engine checked out. Iee! So our 10pm flight ended up taking off around 11pm. The flight itself was ok, except for being long and cramped, but that's kind of to be expected when you fly so long in a sardine can of an airplane. We finally got off the plane and then had to wait in the Customs line for about an hour and a half (CRAZY) and then I breezed through Customs and we got our luggage and left the airport. But oh no, our journey wasn't over yet! We then took a train into London, then a taxi from where we got dropped up to the main building we're staying at, to check in. THEN we had to walk a couple blocks WITH our luggage to the hall we're staying in. Whew! I get exhausted again just telling it. But we're here, and that was days ago, so onto the next events!
My first full day in London was spent just getting used to everything. I went to a Boots (Drug Store) and got some things, and went to a Barclays Bank and found out I can't deposit anything there (or in any British bank, for that matter) so the bank draft I have from my Nan is null here. So I'm pretty low on money. Not good. But the day was still good! Dianne and I hung out with some of the other London Semester girls and a bunch of us went on the London Eye, which was great! I have a bunch of pictures, but no way to dump them yet so you'll have to wait a bit longer to see anything from over here.
Yesterday was spent running errands (yet again) and hanging out with London Semester people, but with each passing day I get more comfortable being here and more used to it all.
A few random observations before I go:
- The Baker Street tube station is tiled with little outlines of Sherlock Holmes' head, very cool!
- Dianne got a new cell phone yesterday, it's so cute! And pink! And can call Canada for 5p a minute!
- My backyard is basically Regent's Park. You look out our window and see a tiny patch of backyard, a small street, and then the Park! Hopefully I'll get to it today.
- I'm getting used to it, but I find myself looking to the wrong side when I cross the street. Oops.
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