Now, this is a bit of love/hate sort of entry..... But while I love the random play mode or the 'shuffle' mode on music players, tonight I discovered that it's actually rubbish if you're listening to a new album.

The new Röyksopp album was released earlier this year and I first heard it on Spotify... Side-tracking a bit here, but Spotify is great. You need never buy another album again!

Right... so I listened to Röyksopp's new album, Junior, and was a bit disappointed as I loved The Understandin, so much so that I actually have two copies of it... Anyway, so I give Junior another go within the same week thinking that some albums just take time to grow on you. Still nothing.

Tonight, I listened it to again on normal play rather than random mode... The penny has finally dropped. The album is actually quite good if you play in order. Doh!

 

I don't think I've ever mentioned how amazing I think David Mitchell is have I? Well, I think he is amazing. Got that?!

I'm referring to the author, David Mitchell, here not the comedian.... Though, I do have sort of have a weird crush on him too.

No, my favourite author, David Mitchell is a genius!
The first book I read was number9dream... Whoa! Then I read Cloud Atlas where David Mitchell spends 500 odd pages showing off his different writing styles and blowing your mind with intertwining stories. Here's the thing, I don't enjoy reading books by the same author, i.e. I'll read one book by an author and probably never read another book by the same author again because I don't want to get too used to the style of writing... it just spoils the story sometimes. But with David Mitchell, his writing his so clever you never get bored.

I recently finished Ghostwritten on the way back from China and would have to say that it is my favourite of all his books.

Go read 'em now!

Bonjour!

Apologies it's been a while since my last update. No excuses really, just lazy. Anyway, exciting stuff since the last update include the following:

- Started reading Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières. It's only been sitting in my room for two years!

- Been to a couple of exciting new restaurants in London (more on these in another entry)

- Re-joined LoveFilm

- Went to Paris on the Eurostar with Dan

I've been to Paris four times now (5 times if you count the 2 hours I spent crossing Paris to get the connecting train to Spain) but each time it still feels like a fresh experience.




Highlights from this trip:
- Queuing for ice-creams at Berthillon and then eating them by the Seine
- Watching the sun-set from the Eiffle Tower
- Chilling in Jardin Du Luxembourg
- Viewing impressionist, post-impressionist masterpieces at Musee d'Orsay - though why (oh why!?) do people stand there trying to take rubbish pictures of the paintings? Absolutely pointless.
- Lunch at Le Relais Gascon where the salads are served in large bowls and come topped with thinly-sliced fried potatoes sauteed in garlic
- Meeting my sister's boyfriend who gave us a local's guide to Paris :)

A trip to Shanghai wouldn't be complete without eating lots (and lots) of xiao long bao (aka in the West as Shanghai dumplings).

My favourite things in Hong-Kong in no particular order:

1. Vitasoy - what I call the 'fake' soya milk drink. Yeah, I know you can buy it in London China Town but like many things.... this just tastes so much better in Hong-Kong, and you can only get the larger pack in Asia. It's the first thing I buy when I walk into the Seven-Eleven at HK International Airport upon landing. Ahhh....

2. Green tea frappuccino from Starbucks.

3. Hui Lau Shan Dessert Restaurants - More specifically I love the mango, sago and pomelo pudding. Heaven in a little bowl!

What is it that makes these little cakes such a joy to make, look at and eat?

I saw these stickers and had to have them.... In fact, I had to buy a set for each of the team! Available from Tosh World.

Another night of debauchery in Hackney, this time at the infamous Dolphin on Mare Street.
I had heard many tales about this East London haunt and thought a visit to the pub/venue was well over due. So that's how I found myself singing "My Way" (very badly) at some time past night and then dancing the night away again with my wonderful girl friends!

The Dolphin wasn't actually as grimey as I had imagined though the mix of people found there that night was somewhat dubious...Will I be back? Hell yeah!

Apparently there's a Facebook group for the Dolphin though I'm not sure I love it enough to join yet.

Ay-ya! Miles and miles behind on the blogging... So here's what I was up to three weeks ago!

Nick and Lisa got married in Rye on the 20th Feb.

When I told my colleagues at work that I was taking the day off to go for this wedding in Rye, the first question I got was "Peckham Rye?" I think Nick and Lisa would be disgusted if they heard that...

Rye is a small town in East Sussex and is where you go "when you're in need of a treat or want to escape the pressures of modern life".
The civil ceremony took place at the Town Hall and the wedding breakfast (as I discovered it is actually called) was held at The George in Rye. The George is a lovely hotel and such an excellent choice for the happy couple. Think I said about a million times that evening "It's so Nick and Lisa!" The food was very yummy, especially the sticky toffee pudding that totally trumped any dessert I've had in awhile (and that's saying something!)

I stayed the night at the George so was able to happily dance most of the night away with some of Lisa's beautiful and brilliant friends. They were awesome and totally made the experience of going to a wedding on my own a very pleasant one.

The next morning, we had breakfast (real breakfast) with the married couple and then I tagged along with Gemma, Maria and Chris to Camber Sands. Camber Sands is the only sand dune system in East Sussex and makes for a lovely walk on the coast, especially since the weather was so nice that day.

What is it about me and sand dunes? Dunno.... Just love 'em.



Get it?

Last Thursday I had the honour to be invited to the first of a series of lectures by the British Council in celebration of it's 75th anniversary. The morning kicked off with a few words from the Chair of the British Council, Neil Kinnock followed by the lecture by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Also in the audience (including a very humble me) was the Archbishop or Canterbury, Eddie Izzard and Ken Loach.
Notes from the lecture can be found on the website.

It was such a surreal morning - I was standing less than 10 feet away from Desmond Tutu, the Arbishop of Canterbury, Neil Kinnock and Sir Martin Davidson! And as I was leaving, I got to brush shoulders with Eddie Izzard 3 times!

Back in the office, the rest of the day seemed quite boring in comparison...

Isn't London beautiful?
My first time up on the Eye since it opened. Quite pricey as a London attraction but it's definitely worth it....

Snowman that Dan made :)

Yo! Happy Year of the Ox peeps!

According to this website:

The Ox is the second sign of the Chinese zodiac. Like its predecessor and complement, the Rat, it signifies new beginnings. The main difference is the Ox is associated with building to last and slow but sure action. Even more so than last year we all have to make good choices, as that which is begun now is likely to have long term consequences.

Any excuse to throw a steamboat party is what I say!!

I can spend hours on the Etsy website. It's like shopping at Spitafields market without having to leave the house! It's brilliant. I've bought some really nice pressies for people lately and my list of 'favourite sellers' is growing because there's so much cute/pretty/nice stuff that I want too!

Check it out people!

You can also support local designers by limiting the search to 'UK'.

..is not to talk about Fight Club.
Oh well, too late... The blog needs updating!
Last weekend we went to see Fight Club at the BFI, as part of the David Fincher season. I think some people were a little surprised to hear me talk about seeing a film which was originally released back in 1999. But then again, I suppose they have no idea how much I love this film. This film would make it onto my "stranded on a desert island dvd collection"!
I saw this film twice on the big screen back in '99 and then three times more on video when it was released. And it was just as good as I remembered it. It's ranked 22 of the top 250 best films on IMDB. All of a sudden I'm feeling an urge to watch the top 21 (i.e. the ones I haven't already seen) just for the comparison, starting backwards with - The Usual Suspects....

Continuing on with the Chuck Palahniuk theme, we went to see Choke at the Prince Charles Cinema on Tuesday. I'm not sure this would ever make the top 250 films but it was a fun night and very funny. Missed it on the big screen? Get it on DVD!!

Hey folks, happy New Year!

Time for a little nostalgia... Remember in 2006 I bought the Benrikan desk calendar that promised my life would change in 2006. Here are the tasks and comments again:

January - Warm up month: tell someone your middle name, try a new sandwich filling, bookmark a new website, go on a one-minute hunger strike, insult an insect, hold the phone up to your other ear....)

Comment: Peesy.... bring on the rest of the year.

February - Act suspiciously: Avoid eye contact with everyone, loiter outside secret services headquarters and sketch them from all all angles, set all alarm clocks in a department store to rind at the same time, walk past police sniffer dogs with a suitcase full of sausages, turn and walk the other way whenever a police officer comes near...

Comment: Can't say I actually attempted any of those tasks.... failed miserably on this account, though if you ask anyone who knows me well enough, I'm just not to be trusted anyway.

March - Discreetly give the finger to everyone this month

Comment: No comment (just look at my fingers)

April - This month, invade people's personal space

Comment: I tried this on Wing first, but I annoyed her so much she nearly whacked me.

May - Return to Childhood: play with your food, draw like Picasso, scream for ice-cream, fight with your siblings

Comment: Again none. You're assuming I always behave like an adult.

June - Lie about everything the whole month: white lies, blatant lies, lies no one will check and lies no one wants to check

Comment: Question is, how many lies did I tell? Can't remember but Matt C did give me a rating on my lies.

July - Treat everyone as if they might be the love of your life

Comment: I couldn't possibly lead someone on like that! What do you take me for, some callous, twisted and bitter woman (please don't comment)

August - Defy superstition: walk under ladders, open umbrellas indoors, step on cracks

Comment: This was a fairly easy month

September - Create your own imaginary friend.

Comment: Who did you think Geoffrey was?

October   -   Let out a primal scream every morning

Comment: It wasn't limited to the mornings

November - Do everything that society urges you to.

Comment: Was too busy trying to do everything my clients 'urged' me to.

December - Invite all passing strangers into your home

Comment: Didn't think I'd manage to do this, but actually it wasn't all that difficult. I say no more...

Hey, hope everyone had a good Christmas and is now making suitable preparations to see in the New Year!

Being a Londoner, I never wonder far from home at this time of year. Here's what I've been up to recently:

Drinks at the Royal Festival Hall - No, not at SkyLon, though I'm definitely going back. Here's a tip - the bars and pubs along the Southbank can get so busy that you can't hear the person you're with. Head towards the Royal Festival Hall and visit one of the bars on the upper floors where the only people there are the people pre-ordering their drinks for the interval. You get a good river view and you also get to hear most of the performance too!

Babylon exhibition at the British Museum - The exhibition was quite busy even at this time of year. Don't people have Christmas shopping to do?! The exhibition was very interesting, though could have done with better sign-posting and explicitly spelling out to nit-wits like me what the point of the exhibition was... This only became clear right at the end of the exhibition in a form of a short film about the invasion of Iraq and the importance of preserving the world heritage site. Oh.

Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park - Part of the park near the Serpentine has been taken over by fairground rides, a huge ferris wheel and a German market. Ignore the fact that most people on the rides are under the age of 20 and that there is non-stop (really bad) euro-pop music playing, you don't notice it once you've had your balance thrown out after the first ride. I think Dan and I managed to go on all the rides that would guarantee to make us throw up afterwards or scream like a small child. Fun though.

Winter walks - Well, not really but we went for a really nice walk from Angel right down to the Houses of Parliament via the Tate Modern. Walkit says it was almost a 4 mile walk but didn't burn off the equivalent of my Christmas meal!

And so there we are for 2008... See you all in the New Year! Have a good one!

Woo-hoo!

Dan (rather foolishly) challenged me to a bowl-off the other day and so we ended up at Rowans Bowling Alley near Finsbury Park. Ahhh... Rowans. The place has not changed at all over the years. The decor is exactly the same, the games room and the pool tables are still there. The only thing I noticed which was different was that they no longer serve non-alcoholic cocktails. Hmm... Was looking forward to a pina colada. Oh well, had a good time there anyway...

So folks, five reasons why you should go to Rowans (more) in 2009

- It's good value for money
- It's local. There aren't that many 24 lane bowling complexes left in London
- It has character... (just don't ask me for a definition)
- It's friendly
- And bowling is tonnes of fun!

It would be mean to post up the results of our bowl off here...Let's just say someone owes me a celebrations cake! Yey!

For ages now I've been walking past the Caffe Mobile stand outside Angel tube station on my way to work, thinking the coffee smells amazing but how to get it to work....? Obviously, it's not rocket science but I worry about carrying a cup of coffee to work on a very packed train.

Anyway, after losing all patience with the staff at Starbucks near work, I came to my senses and decided that if I use a flask and keep it upright in my hand-bag from Angel to Borough, I'll be sorted. So there we are... a perfect cup of coffee every morning with plenty of smiles. The guys who work on Caffe Mobile (Angel) are lovely! They know my order now (by the size/type of flask) and they remembered that today was my last day in the office before Christmas when I'd told them earlier this week. It's just so nice that there are people in London who remember you... Needless to say, I'm never going back to Starbucks nr Borough again.

Getting into the Christmas spirit yet?

Last weekend felt quite Christmassy - We walked to Columbia Road flower market where just standing there smelt like being in a pine forest, Christmas trees were being sold like hot cakes. I bought some ilex for our house... That's as Christmassy as we'll get this year I think.

From Columbia Road, we walked over to Shoreditch Town Hall for the East London Design Show where I managed to pick up some Christmas presents. Brilliant! There were loads and loads of cool designs, among them  some of my favourites were:

Going to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum has almost become a ritual for me. I think I've been to about four of these now and each year the winner does seem to take me by surprise because it's not usually the one I would have picked out to win. This year is perhaps the closest it has come...




Here are my favourites this year:

Window on the ice melt
Trouble Maker
Saffrondrop bonnets
Boletus in the rain
Love branch

Also a ritual of mine every year is complete one of the questionnaires. There's a question this year that asks whether the exhibition has inspired you to take photos of wildlife. (My freakish memory can tell you that last year's questions were different). The only possible answer I could give was "absolutely not", simply because I would never be able to take such amazing photos. But I suppose I can admire...

"Not hung-over, just tired" was the expression I came out with this morning after a night out on the town. My definition of being hung-over is if you can't get into a car or if getting into a car would be ill-advised, that would be a hang-over. Today, I just feel tired... Perhaps not the best time to tell you about the local watering holes that I have visited lately, but what the hell...

Islington:
Wax Jambu (also a pear shaped fruit with waxy skin and crispy flesh similar to the malay apple) is a bar on Upper Street where DJ Spy and Tendai (aka the lovely Carlos and Jide) play. The bar (on a good night) has a lively atmosphere, the bar staff are friendly and attentive, the only problem is the noise restrictions imposed by the council.... Honestly!

Anam - is a cocktail bar in Chapel Market (which is just round the corner from the Salmon & Compass) where we went for a friend's leaving drinks. There's a £5 entry on the door but that doesn't seem to put people off as the queue to get in was horrendous. We got there before we had to queue but would I have queued next time? Probably not.

Barrio North was where we spent a couple of hours last night while we waited for Spy and T's set to kick off. This bar is on my bus route home and I've always been curious of it because of the cool tiles that make up the shop front. The clientele here is a mix of people from around the area, i.e. not just the cool, beautiful people that frequent the Old Queen's Head over the road. The music was good, the atmosphere fun and the bar staff were amazing! When I asked for my usual dark rum and ginger beer, I got a Dark & Stormy. When I asked for a water, I saw ice-cubes flying through the air... Brilliant!

Old Queen's Head is as I said, I bit trendy but the food here is good and the people aren't really going to kick off at the end of the evening. There's usually live music or a DJ upstairs, but if you just want to sit and chat with a few mates then downstairs is good for that.

Hackney
Here are my local favourites, starting with those closest from my house:

The George (distance from the ranch: 1 min walk)
Serves a range of ales on tap and is a good place to congregate on a warm Summers' evening but the price of drinks are hefty for a local watering hole in Hackney and the staff aren't particularly the friendliest. Only on lazy days....

The Prince Arthur (distance from the ranch: 3.5 mins walk)
Is a lovely little local pub which is run by the same people who run The Gun in Cold Harbour. The food is excellent and the pub has a nice, calm feel to it despite being within short walking distance of London Fields and a host of other trendy pubs. One of my favourites in the area.

The Spurstowe Arms (distance from the ranch: 4 mins walk) is a good pub to go to no matter the weather really. There's a good food menu and there's a decent sized beer garden. The staff are nice and friendly and there's a good selection of wines and beers.



 

We have a new post boy at work who always gives you the biggest smile when he delivers your mail. This week I got the following albums delivered:

- Mr Scruff - Ninja Tuna (I looooove Mr Scruff!)

- Adele - 19 (I'm going to see her at the Round House in a few weeks time)

- Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (Perhaps should have bought this before their gig!)

- Kings of Leon - Only By The Night (Bit different from their old stuff but I do like it)

This lot, coupled with Snow Patrol's - A Hundred Millon Suns and The Killers - Day & Night (love it, love it!) which Matthew gave me....Lots and lots of new music. Yey!

Went to see Sigur Rós at Ally Pally last night... Really good. They're a great band anyway but they're just tonnes better live. They kicked off with songs from Takk and ( ) and a couple of new songs which I've heard on the radio but haven't got round to buy yet. 













Apart from being a really good gig, I did have giggling fits several times last night. Once during Hoppípolla, when I looked over at Judith.... then when we all started singing með blóðnasir.... And then about three-quarters of the way through the gig I turned to Lisa and said "This would be a good time to shout "Stephen!" (Radio 6 Adam & Joe fans would get it) into the crowd. So Judith did.

Ahhh... Good times.

Apologies for the last drunken entry... Actually, why am I apologising?! No, I'm not.
Just got from Electric Ballroom in Camden - GZA (Wu-Tang! Wu-Tang! Wu Tang!) was playing. Woooo! Overdosed on the caffeine I think because I should be shattered by now (I've had two 19 hour days in a row now).

Anyway, I'll make myself useful by telling you about something I discovered a few weeks ago.... Teapig teabags. Teapig teabags aren't actually called teabags, they're called tea temples. I love this description of the tea temple:

If the teabag is a bedsit, then the tea temple is a detached house with Georgian pillars and conservatory – a roomy, silky mesh purse that allows our tea leaves to express themselves properly.

Teapig tea temples make the perfect cuppa at work or when you don't have time to use loose tea leaves. I love them so much everyone is getting these as stocking fillers!

It's just taken me three attempts to log into the blog to make this entry but I feel like I HAVE to do this. So, I'm drunk. I've just got home after a night out in SOUTH London and can I just say, what a wonderful time I've had. I've never been to bar full of really, really friendly people. No, I don't mean friendly in the way some guys tend to b quite friendly, I mean nice and friendly.

Tonight, we were at the White Horse in Brixton Hill - Jide (AKA Tendai - who was in the London Lite this week!) was DJ-ing with Carlos. I've lost count of the number of people who have spoken to us this evening. Even girls who said we were pretty... Did I just dream that?!! Where in London do you get girls saying to complete strangers that they look pretty??? Maybe I've been in East London for too long.

Just a few drunken notes about things:

1. I love ginger beer and dark rum
2. Odd shoes = odd - I don't care what it symbolises
3. Tendai and Carlos are wicked DJs
4. Jide told me the truth about bad dancers..... Oh no.
5. I've had a wicked, wicked night and I love everyone.

Need to be up at 9:30am or so to play hung-over badminton... Good luck! And good night.xxx

Day 5: Friday

The one thing which is difficult about holidaying in London is that it’s sometimes all too easy to find distractions around the home. Today, I got up even later than the previous day (tut tut), but I did get myself out of the house before noon. I walked along the canal to get to Angel where I had lunch at one of my favourite places, The Elk in the Woods. (The Breakfast Club next door is another favourite).

After brunch, I hopped onto a bus to the Southbank where I got myself settled for the film of the day: 57,000km between us. Here’s the pitch:  Sex, lies, camcorders and social embarrassment - Delphine Kreuter’s caustic digital comedy uproariously dissects French family life in the website era.

For the record, it’s not your typical French art house movie where no one talks for the entire film and then right at the end there’s a huge argument with high drama and then it all ends (as my colleague describes). No, it wasn’t one of those types of films. Mathieu Amalric, the new badie in the Quantum of Solace (the new bond movie if you haven’t quite caught up yet) has a cameo role in 57,000km. He was also in the Diving Bell and the Butterfly which was a great film.

Holidays aren’t quite holidays without a spot of shopping (I think) so back I go to Liberty where I spend most of my time (and money) at the Korres counter. Korres products are lovely –  I’ve fallen in love with the Jasmine shower gel and got given the Jasmine body milk for my birthday. So if ever  someone walks past you smelling of a jasmine shrub – that would be me.

Day 6: Saturday

I’ve spent most of the past week in Central and North London, time to spend time in good old Hackney. Today, I had the pleasure of showing Roy, Alison and Pete the delights of Broadway Market. Judith tagged along too as she couldn’t face trawling through 500 CVs and application forms!

So what is this Broadway Market?! Well, it’s a nice little market near London Fields and it's open every Saturday. It has a good variety of shops and stalls selling good quality food and crafts. Broadway Market is home of some of my favourite places in London, like:

Buen Ayre, which does the best steaks in London. I promise you! Order one of the combination platters and just dig in!

L’eau a la Bouche (just as it says on the label), is a lovely little deli and café which serves up the best coffee and pastries. It also has a good selection of wines if you’re looking for something a bit special.

The Dove is a great pub with a huge selection of Belgian beers. I love the novelty of having chips served in a glass too

F Cooke is a traditional pie and mash shop which serves up a mean pie with parsley gravy, yum!

I start off by taking the troops to a stall selling Vietnamese coffee. We each have a double macchiato with condensed milk so it’s incredibly strong and sweet. This comes with a lotus tea chaser which I cannot decide whether tastes better before or after the coffee, it just tastes like grass.

We take a walk through the market, trying to decide what we’ll have for lunch. For me, I always get something from Spinach and Agushi. It’s Ghanaian food and there’s something addictive to it. It’s soooo yummy and hot! Oooh! I love it! The others, seeing what I get all get there own “bit of everything”.

Mmmmm… After having the sinuses cleared out by the food, it’s time to get a drink. We spend the next six hours in the Dove. The boys are most happy tasting a variety of beers while I alternative between flavoured beer (banana and strawberry) and cider. Surely that’s got to count as one of my five a day!

Day 7: Sunday

A day of rest? Of course not! But I did have an extra hour sleep though J

Sam, Pauline and I went to visit our friend Esther in Woking and meet the gorgeous twins (Antonia and Elliot). They’re 5 weeks old and are just so beautiful. I have no idea how Esther manages to cope with having to look after two babies at the same time though.

So, there we are. That was my week (and a bit) off in London. So it’s not 20^oC and there’s no beach or sea. But I’ve really enjoyed spending time off in London. The weather has been quite pleasant this week, I’ve had a chance to do the things I never seem to have time to do anymore and I’ve felt like I’ve contributed to the UK economy (when it has most needed tourists). Now it’s back to the grind….

Day 2: Tuesday

Wake up at 8:30am, expecting Jamie to be online. Where is he?! Oh well, have to get up anyway. Have breakfast at the cafe at the Curzon Soho (Konditor & Cook, which boasts the best cakes in town). Bump into Nick (who works around the corner) while I'm trying to choose cake.

Make my way to Odeon West End for the first film of the day - Tokyo! A quirky three-part film set in.... Tokyo! (where else?) It's funny, quirky and simply strange in parts but worth watching, least not because they managed to film a completely empty Shibuya. They must have closed off the roads to film that like in 28 Days Later.

Walk down Charing Cross Road and have lunch in Pret. People watch while trying to drink the horrible miso soup I ordered (never again). Walk down to Embankment and over the Hungerford Bridge. Take in the view of the river and the Southbank. Grab a coffee at the NFT before settling into the second film - Home (Ursula Meier's debut). It's dark in humour and also quirky (just like me, I'm told), but very enjoyable.

Go home and make myself a cup of tea. Realise that it's Champions League night and it's the first leg of the Fernabache v Arsenal game. Call Matthew to text me the score. I'm going out.

Meet up with Alison to start our quest of going to all top 50 pubs/bars in London as compiled by TimeOut. We decide to start East and move West so we go to the Prince Arthur, which so happens to be 3 minutes walk from my house (and I've been many times before, but I'm not one to say 'no' to a lovely local pub).

5 - 2 to the Gunners! Wooooooooo-hooo!


Day 3: Wednesday

Wake up at 9am and switch on laptop. Is Jamie around? Manage to catch him while I'm supposed to be getting ready to go out but what the hell. Chat for a little bit, get ready, go. Grab a coffee from cute Caffe Mobile man at Highbury & Islington. I like his sign "Drink coffee - Do stupid things faster and with more energy!"

Get to Leicester Square a bit earlier than expected so decide to pop into Bureau my favourite stationery store but it has shut down! Oh. Pop into the Photographers' Gallery for a quick wander and discover they'll be moving soon... Not far, but still....

Man with a grey suit and red socks makes me smile.

Meet Pauline for dim sum at Joy King Lau then walk back to Covent Garden with her. She goes back to work while I visit the Transport Museum. I haven't been since I was 15 and it has changed a lot. It's a really nice museum. I walk around the museum collecting the stamps, trying hard not to push in front of the kids. The Art of Poster exhibition is worth a look in.

Make my way back over to Leicester Square for another film - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Real feel good movie. If you enjoyed Juno, you'll like this. Feeling good. Go to China Town to pick up some Mi Goreng, vitasoy (the white one) and prawn flavoured crackers/sticks. Don't disguise the fact that if I could get away with it, that's probably what I'd live off.

It's October and I'm in London. No train or plane tickets booked. No LP guide to some far away land sitting on my bedside table. Nope, I'm staying in the Big Smoke this year.

To be honest with you, I've been feeling the daily grind of the Capital recently and just decided that it was about time I reminded myself of why this city is one of the best ones in the world. Here's how I spend my week off in the city...

Day 1: Monday

First stop today is the Hadrian exhibition at the British Museum. What was remarkable was the fact that it only took 35 minutes to get to Russell Square from my house... Why do I always think it takes an hour to get anywhere in London?!

I had breakfast at my favourite Le Pain Quotidien as I waited for Kirstin and Tobias. The Hadrian exhibition was good and clear, though Tobias was also very good at picking out the more interesting bits. And at 14 months, I can say, Tobias is very talkative and has a very carrying voice which isn't particularly useful when you're in the reading rooms at the museum. Anyway, it was good to see the young man.

As we walked towards the station, we stopped off at the Umbrella shop (James Smiths and Sons) on New Oxford Street. I think if I ever bought an umbrella from the store, I'd only leave it behind on public transport or be too cautious to ever use it. Maybe one day....

Kirstin and Tobias left me at the top of Shaftesbury Avenue where I stopped off at Fopp and spent 45 minutes agonising over how much I was/wasn't going to spend on CDs and DVDs. I came away with just the fourth season of Six Feet Under. Very good, very good indeed.

Next, I had a wander around Foyles and then enjoyed a splendid cup of jasmine tea in the cafe. The cafe occasionally plays live jazz in the early evenings so it's a good place for low budget entertainment. What I particularly like about it is that the cafe is on the same level and is directly opposite the Border's Starbucks cafe, where people are clearly not enjoying their beverages as much as they are at Foyles.

I then met up with Ray, Roy and Jide for some dinner at our old time favourite - Misato on Wardour Street. The prices have gone up by £1 in the last 10 years and yet I still can't finish the food because portions are so huge. We then made our way over to Odeon West End where we had tickets for The Warlords which is being shown as part of the BFI London Film Festival (one reason I took a week off this week!). The film was epic and I think I found myself holding my breath a bit too long at some points... But in the end, it was a bit... hollow (?!). It was good, it was intense but having dissected it on the way home (as film buffs do), I didn't get the point of the plot or really was it worth it? I don't know...

Ah, so there...That's day 1 off my week off from work. Time for sleep and mental preparation for more fun in the Big Smoke tomorrow.

Woo! Finally reached thirty! Yey! So, maybe now people will start respecting my authority, stop asking me for ID when I want to buy alcohol and I'll be a proper grown up. Ha ha... Somehow I doubt it but it's all good. And how could it not be good?! Over the past few days, I've been showered with enough well wishes from my nearest and dearest to keep me going until the next big one. Love you guys soooo much! Thank you all for making the occasion absolutely unforgettable.

The three-oh celebrations kicked on Wednesday when Ray took me to see Bill Bailey Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra. To be honest, on Wednesday I really feeling up for going out to another show and feel free to shake me and call me a fool next time you see me, because I thought maybe I was suffering from 'show fatigue'. Just in the last seven days, I'd been to see Avenue Q and Spamalot at the West End and also Cinematic Orchestra at the Roundhouse. I was tired. But OMG! Bill Bailey at the Royal Albert Hall is probably the only show I've really, really enjoyed in a long time. Bill Bailey is just a really clever comedian without being the need to be crude or rude, he's just so talented. Really enjoyed the show. Thank you!

On Thursday, at around 3pm (an acceptable time to have cake), gathered around my desk and mightly sang "Happy Birthday" to me as they presented me with two cakes and pressies. I shouldn't be ungrateful, but I don't know which is worse, being sung to or having to sing... I think, at a push, it might have to be being sung to. The reason for the two cakes was because they couldn't find one lemon cake (my favourite) big enough for the team. The team bought me a gift membership to the BFI which couldn't have been better timed as I do intend to spend most of my time off next week watching films as part of the London Film Festival. Thank you!

Friday was my first day off work so I spent the day doing some much required shopping... Not just shoes and clothes but for the essentials like for a lightbulb that had blown in my bathroom a week ago! (That's how little 'me' time I've had recently). Popped into Atari-ya on James Street for lunch and happened to bump into some friends so had lunch with them. In the evening, Kirstin and Fiona took me out for dinner at Indigo. The food was tasty (seared tuna for starters, salmon for main and we shared a chocolate tart and a cheese board for dessert). The company, as always, wonderful. Thank you! A real treat.

Perhaps because of the bubbly and red wine combo consumed during dinner, (and not the anticipation of the following day), I didn't get much sleep. But I woke up at a respectable 9am on Saturday morning to Lisa rendition of "Happy Birthday" and Judith's magnificant breakfast of smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, pastries and champagne. OMG! Can anyone be more spoilt than me?! To top it off, Ray came round with a big bunch of lovely flowers. OK, no one can be more spoilt than me today.

After two glasses of Moët for breakfast, we made our way to The Eagle to meet some friends for lunch. I loved the fact that this pub is mentioned in a nursery rhyme. That counts as a must-do London thing to me! I had friends dropping in throughout the day which was lovely because the pub wasn't too busy and I got to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in ages. Thank you guys for coming!

Part three of the day kicked off at 8pm at Wax Jambu on Upper Street where Jide (aka TENDAI) was DJ-ing that night. It was a brilliant night because my friends are ace, the DJs were great (Jide and Carlos) and I got to put on the magic DJ earphones and stand in the booth and look as though I knew what the hell I was doing. :)

The night came to an end (for me) around 2am, when my feet did not want to be in heels for any longer. I think, we can call it a day. A tremedous, unforgettable day. Thank you all for making it so special. Love you guys!

We love you Arsenal, we do! We love you Arsenal, we do! We love you, we dooo! Oh Arsenal we love you!

Tonight, Matthew and I went to see our beloved team play FC Porto in the Champions League group stage (pssst. they're from Portugal. It's an European match. click on here for more info!)

Final score: Four nil! (Van Persie 31, Adebayor 40, Van Persie 48, Adebayor 71 pen)

And we really needed it!

On Saturday evening, I was so embarrassed by our loss at home to Hull that I couldn't even watch MOTD! I then got one text after another over the weekend about it (all starting with "Ha ha... "). I even got a 7 line email from Matt in Canada just saying nothing but "Ha ha ha ha...."

So here's two goals tonight for the two conceded to Hull, another one to make it a sure win and one more for luck! And it could (and should have been) 7 nil to the Gunners tonight... But that would have only happened if Theo and Adebayor had a bit more composure and if Bendtner knew how to score - he was standing two yards from the line and still missed! Proves my point I think.

I love going to see matches with Matthew. I'm so glad he's an Arsenal fan! He's also very funny! Hey here's the theme tune that gives you goose bumps! And he got so excited when the tune came on and they started shaking the ball... Priceless!

(BTW MasterCard is an official sponsor, not VISA. That in itself gets my seal of approval for these games!)

This week has felt like the longest week ever! And there's no one to blame for it apart from myself.

So, Monday evening I went to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to see La Fanciulla del West (Puccini's wild west opera).

Wait a sec... So we go from hip-hop/drum and bass raves at the weekend to opera?

That's right! Now you try putting me into a box!

OK, the reason I was at the opera on Monday was really to help out the SOLT team at work but I get to see the shows too. So La Fanciulla del West was my third opera (I'm not your typical opera punter, I think it's because I don't say "Marvellous" enough). Anyway, I wasn't familiar with the story before the performance, but was surprised when no one dies.... Blimey! Puccini having a soft moment?

It was a lovely evening though at the Royal Opera House and I would highly recommend going at least once if you're in town. Loved the building and the champagne bar!

On Wednesday, I met up with Roy and Jid to see Tropic Thunder. Ha ha ha... It was funny, though probably even funnier after a couple of drinks (like my favourite Zoolander).... Oh hang on a minute, I think I was a little bit drunk when we got to the cinema.

On Friday, more SOLT team work. This time it was at the Old Vic for Round and Round the Garden. It's part of a trilogy (The Norman Conquests), but you can see them in any order and it'll still make sense. Very clever set and story and I loooove Stephen Mangan (from C4's Green Wing) even more!

So that's four shows I've seen for free now in the last two months as part of the SOLT team. Not bad going I say!

And now, it's the weekend again...

Everyone say "hip-hop!"

Hip Hop!

Say "hop-hop!"

Hip Hop!


On Wednesday we saw the Platinum Pied Pipers at Cargo. It's a good venue and should be more popular than it currently is. PPP were good. Loved the white outfits! Check 'em out if you have the chance.

Last night kicked off with a much needed drink at the Edinburgh Castle. Then went to see Pharaoahe Monch at the Jazz cafe (rescheduled from July because of illness). Trying not to swear here... but it's difficult when talking about Pharaoahe. The set was good, just wished Jamie and Jide could have been there too (as we had originally planned).

Next stop, The End club where we went to see Jide (aka the lovely Tendai) DJ. I looooove guest list and VIP wristbands especially if they get you access to the queue-free VIP lounge. Woo! This is how we roll baby!

Right, I better get myself off the couch and get ready to roll (again)...

Thank you guys for guest lists this week! I'm now known as "plus one" ;)

OK, back track a little bit first...

09.09 - Happy 30th Aki!!

10.09 - Happy 50th Mum!

11.09 - Ray, Will, Ely and I went to see Stevie Wonder at the O2.
I was really excited about going when the tickets were first released as it's just so rare that he tours now. Did he live up to expectations? Oh yes he did! He was great but I lost count how many times he mentioned Obahma. However.... However... The O2 is the worst venue he could have played at. I will spare you the details of the night though I will say that I won't be back there to see anything. Ever.

Why can't all of London's major train stations look and feel like St Pancras?

I've been through St Pancras about four times in the last three months and each time it's been an absolute pleasure. London does have a terminal to be proud of, you just can't fly from it.

I'm going to have to lump several unrelated things into the one entry to save time...

So, on Thursday I went to the Jazz Cafe in London to see De La Soul for the first time (venue and group). Was absolutely brilliant. They were just so much fun! Thanks to James for organising the guest list tickets! Thank you! (I can't believe tickets were £35 in advance and £40 on the door! Is that why we get so few decent shows?!)

On Saturday (30 Aug for the record), Matthew and I went to see our first Arsenal premiership game. Woo! We were sat above the Newcastle fans, who despite losing to the Gunners (again!!) continued to sing right to the end. Final score, 3 - 0 to the Gunners. (Van Persie 18 pen, 41, Denilson 59).

I finally got to see Cesc Fabregas play! Yey! He has just returned from injury, so he wasn't (in my opinion) having the best game but he was still good. One thing I never got from watching the MOTD or the games live on telly is how that he's actually quite bossy....

My love for the Arsenal isn't just for one player... Honest! I like the way the Gooners play and I like Arsene Wenger's managerial style. I'm not playing fantasy football this season, (supporting the Gunners is a full time job), but if I were, the following players would be in Team Wingers: Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor, Denilson, Gallas, Toure.... Hmm... That's almost half the squad! Perhaps a good thing I'm not playing this year.

And now I'm beginning to jump around but that's cos I don't know where to put these things down...

A couple of nice places I've been to in the last couple of weeks:

* Puji Puji - A Malaysian restaurant on Balls Pond Road (10 mins walk from the ranch). It was owned by the lady who ran the Malaysian food stall at Oriental City. The food was very yummy and the staff were very friendly and patient. It's cash only and bring you own... So, we brought champagne.

* Cafe Oto - This is a music venue which has recently opened up in Dalston (just down drug-den alley, opposite where the new station will be). I haven't been to see anything there yet but during the day they have a cool cafe and tables outside. I love Hackney!

* My old place - This is a great Sichuan restaurant on Middlesex Street near Liverpool St Station. The food is authentic sichuanese food, using the same kind of spices (and those pepper corns!). So yummy and oh so good value for money. Again cash only.

It's nearing the end of the Summer holidays and in a few weeks time a new school term will start. Growing up, this period was always filled with excitement and sentiment. And this is what I feel right now...  The last few weeks have been busy seeing friends, maintaining an active work-life balance and trying to forget that September will be very different. This weekend, two of my really close friends left London; Lisa to Sheffield and Jamie to Suzhou. I've just got home from a weekend helping Lisa move and spending a little time in the Peak District... And I miss them both already.

**sigh**

I suppose the exciting part is that I'll be spending more time in the future in the Peak District or going to see Jamie in China. I just gotta keep remembering that it's not good-bye forever and I just need to get myself a VOIP phone!

I could just add a note onto my last post about jazz, but that wouldn't be doing this guy any justice at all.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Jose James!

So, what's so special about this guy? He's just another jazz vocalist right? Oh no...Oh no, no, no...His stuff is interesting, combining hip-hop, soul, drum and bass kinda groves, he is like no other. You can sample his music on his MySpace page by clicking  here.

Another class act at the Roundhouse in London. I love this venue!

 

Yey! I've finally got myself down to the Emirates stadium to see my team play. Yey!
OK, it's not a league game or anything and the tournament is just an excuse to hold pre-season friendlies and charge normal prices for the ticket but still... I'm at the Emirates and eleven players wearing the Arsenal strip are on the pitch!

All in all, it was a really fun day. Firstly, I got myself kitted up properly...Yey! I've got the new away kit.




There are four teams that play over the two day tournament. We're at day 1 which I was originally a little bit disappointed about because on day 1, the teams usually play their B teams, leaving the A teams to play on day 2. However, this is how it all panned out on day 1...

First game: Real Madrid v Hamburg
Real won by 2 -1 which was hardly a surprise but they did play quite a few of their first team including: Raul, Diarra, Robben, Robinho, Van Nisterlrooy and Baptista. Wow!

Then Arsenal came on and lost to Juventus... Juventus played most of their first team including: Buffon (I hate his stupid hair!), Mellberg, Nedved, Trezeguet (legend!), Camoranesi and Sissoko. However, I'm not going to use that as an excuse for losing.

It would seem that Arsene Wenger was keen to give all his youngesters a kick of the ball, so we brought on our youngest player on the first team squad: Jack Wilshere. He's English and only 16! But doesn't seem to crack under the pressure. Aaron Ramsey (aged 18) who has recently joined the Gunners from Cardiff also played and had a pretty solid game.

Matthew got super duper excited about Carlos Vela (aged 19) who has been on loan since forever and is finally going to playing his first season for the club. We've also recently signed a young player (aged 21) from Marseille, the promising Nasri. Too early to tell how big an impact he'll have on the team, but there's probably a good reason why he was voted Young Player of the Year on the French league two seasons ago. Oh and Theo came on for a bit too.

There's no denying it, we have a very, very young team, but doesn't mean we're not any good. Despite losing one nil to the Italian team, I'm sure (absolutely certain) we'll have a great season. We should probably think about trading Nicklas Bendtner in for someone who knows what a goal looks like... But I am still fairly confident that the new season isn't going to be a complete shambles. My belief is so strong that I've finally got my act together and have officially become a Arsenal member.
Come on Arsenal!

It's funny how we sometimes focus on the negative things in our lives and completely lose sight of everything else. Perhaps a glass of bubbly with some good friends will make everything a bit clearer? :)

Cheers everyone! Long may the good times (that we too regularly disregard or play down) continue!
 




















Sharing a glass or two of bubbly at great heights (at Vertigo 42)

I'm beginning to think that I should set up a monthly direct debit into Ray's bank account so I don't have to keep on giving him money! I'm not actually complaining here as all the things he's suggested recently have not only been absolutely brilliant (truly un-missable), but also come with his personal money-back guarantee. You can't really say fairer than that!

Ethiopiques live at the Barbican

Featuring:
Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatqe, Getachew Mekurya, Alemayehu Eshete + The Either Orchestra (27 June)

This was their first live UK performance (they then went to play at Glasto the following night) but it was amazing to see the very middle-class audience at the Barbican completely transformed. I went along with a completely open mind as I had never heard of any of the music before...And now I can't get enough!

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions at the Round House (14 July)

"Who?! Pimp? As in Pimp?" That's all I hear when I tell people about this act. They are (to date) the best live jazz act I have ever seen.

I was in a really foul mood when I got to the Round House that day, but everything was forgotten by the time I left the venue. These guys are awesome! They came on dressed in Japanese robes and full on bling and looked just like members of the yakuza. Words cannot describe just how brilliant they were... I was dancing from the minute they started right til the end of their 2 hour set.... In heels!

I looked on Facebook the following night and found out that Jide was meant to have been at the gig that night... I called the boy up and he almost cried when I told him I was there and he had missed a truly wicked gig. Never mind Jide - there's Jose James coming up soon. (Both Ray and Jide tell me it's going to be brilliant... I'm just a sheep)

Oof! Just got home from Sam's birthday dinner at Buen Ayre (aka the best Argentinian steak restaurant in London! And it's in Hackney), so happily full of steak and cider now (went for a couple at the Dove, one of the best pubs in Hackney!!)

So more on Latitude...I've been reading a lot of the reviews about the festival and what keeps on coming up is "Oh, it was a very middle class kind of festival". Well to be honest, if "middle class" means no one pukes up over me, I don't get pushed and shoved all weekend and there are no sh*theads running around, then that's perfectly fine by me! But what did people expect really? Latitude isn't all about the music, in fact there's so much other stuff to do that you automatically end up attracting a slightly different crowd from your average festival.

Other stuff (aside from Sigur Ros and Amadou & Mariam) I saw which were brilliant:

Music: The Go! Team, Elbow, The Fairey Band (playing acid brass.... absolutely wicked stuff!), Interpol, Martha Wainwright, Shlomo, Grinderman (Nick Cave is awesome), British Sea Power
Comedy: Frankie Boyle, Andrew Lawrence, Adam Bloom, Simon Day, Dan Atkinson, Steve Weiner (winner of the Hackney Empire Comedy Act of the year 2008. Hackney!!) and the hilarious Omid Djalili
Theatre: 50 ways to leave your lover
Film: Sweet (with the Mighty Boosh!), a series of films from the Hard Liquor & Porn Festival
Literature & Poetry: Lots and lots of cool stuff going on in the tents and spent lots of time lounging around being entertained. Really liked the stuff from the Word Theatre (like Hearts Aflame; Love and Hate Letters from from 12th century missives to 21st century emails). Ray Panthaki reading 'Paki' by Gautam Malkani was really powerful. Was inspired by TimeOut's Michael Hodges (who says we have to start taking Boris seriously because the more you make fun of stupid people, the more they keep on doing stupid things).
Cabaret: Spent a lot of late nights in this tent either enjoying (use the term loosely) a bit of karaoke or just a bit of fun. Acts included: Stella Plumes/TrixieMalicious/Fred Bear, Duotard: Witness The Fitness (they live in Hackney!), Hot Breath Karaoke (from Hackney again!)
Other stuff which was great fun: Dancing to house music in the woods until 3am, the pink sheep by the lake (they're in charge of Latitude), dancing to good old cheese at Guilty Pleasures...

I just can't wait until next year's festival!

What an amazing weekend of camping we had at Latitude (Henham Park, Suffolk). This was my first festival (and camping experience too!) and the overall verdict is "When's the next festival?! I want more!"

I got back this afternoon and the brain is a little mushed... but I will try to put down some words about the festival over the next few days. Here are a couple of highlights to keep you going for now...

Sigur Ros - I saw they were headlining and immediately bought my ticket for Latitude...And they did not fail to live up to expectations, in fact they completely blew me away. You see, Henham Park is beautiful. Henham Park at sunset with Sigur Ros playing live is a beautiful and unforgettable experience... Listening to Sigur Ros under the stars with a full moon hanging above is just... Completely and utterly blown away.

Amadou & Mariam - This was the headline act in the "Uncut Arena" while Franz Ferdinand was headlining on the main arena on Friday night. Amadou & Mariam or Franz Ferdinan? It wasn't a tough decision to make; Amadou & Mariam don't play in the UK all the time and Franz Ferdinand just sound like any other band these days... (sorry if you disagree!). Anyway, it was definitely the best decision... They were awesome!

Travel music, i.e. music which is good to listen to when travelling:
Chromeo: Fancy Footwork - I think I pretty much listened to this one on loop for most of my train journeys

Never mind a sms, what you need is a sweet caress...

Maxwell: Now - In particular track 1 (Get to know ya) and track 5 (NoOne)


Travel Reading, i.e. books to read when travelling, which to me is any book really!

It's been a while since I did any reading to be honest, but during my two weeks in Spain I managed to get through three books and start a fourth on the way home. Now that's a record for me!

Started in Ireland with PS. I love you then moved to China with Empress Orchid, next stop was the US (mostly Las Vegas and Boston) with Bringing Down the House before returning home with A spot of bother.

New foods, or really just food that I didn't really like or enjoy or just haven't tried before the trip

Cheese! Especially manchego... yum!

Meat - there was no way I was going to continue being a pescatarian in Spain when there's all that yummy jamon. Though I actually turned back into a proper carnivore at the end of May. Seven months without meat, what was I thinking?!

Zumo de melocotón (aka peach juice), wow it's yummy!

Cafe con leche - I usually take my coffee black at home but not in Spain, it's all about the cafe con leche here!

And pintxos galore!

Other loves
The Spanish football team. I love them more than ever before! I was so close to buying the Spanish team football shirt and a Spanish flag when I was in Madrid, but finally talked myself out of it as I just didn't want to jinx the Spanish team (what if I buy the shirt and only get to wear it once??!). I'm so glad they won the Euros. They completely deserved to win.

Mañana, mañana... why stress? There's always tomorrow.

So leaving Bilbao on the Sunday morning was easy... tram back to the Termibus station, buy a ticket from the PESA ticket office (no queue, yes!)  and an hour later I'm in San Sebastian.

San Sebastian is named after Sebastian (I was told by Sebastian in Barcelona) so did I really need a reason to go? However, my first impressions are not great. Perhaps it was because of the big dark clouds looming, or because I spent longer than needed finding my hotel, or just the fact that I really, really needed to talk to someone! So, now I know that it's about 7 days without really communicating with people that I begin to go stir crazy. That's good to know for future trips.

Anyway, I'm staying in small hotel (Hospedaje Ibai) on what looks like a busy street in the old town. It's not the most obvious youth hostel and I'm worried that it's on a street which is lined with pintxos bars. I'm not thinking about the food, more the need for sleep! But all is good at the hostel as Suzanna, the lady who runs the place, is so lovely and the room is very, very quiet... Phew! Feeling somewhat relieved, I head out and look for food.

I wander around the old town for a bit and decide on a place which serves some traditional basque dishes like bacalao con tomate y pimientos (smoked cod with tomato and peppers), soooo good!

Right, with my tummy full I decide it's time to go for a walk and seek out the best bars to watch the football. It's Spain vs Italy in the quarter finals and I'm quite glad to see that my football options are good. I end up in a bar in the Cathedral plaza called Plaza Cafe which has two wide screens. Perfect!

So the questions I keep getting asked by friends when I come home from these "Mei-den" voyages is what is it like travelling around on your own? Is it really that enjoyable being on your own? To be honest, I don't notice it most of the time, until of course after day 7 when I start craving some proper conversation! But seriously, I don't notice it until people start staring and then I'm conscious people are staring at me!  In San Sebastian, I was probably also quite conscious that I was the only ethnic minority that I'd seen in days!! But I didn't let that get to me. If the locals like to stare, I'd stare back! :) No, well... that's really how I met Lano who runs the Plaza Cafe. My Spanish is rubbish and he can barely manage more than two sentences in English, but I finally manage to say the one sentence that I've wanted to say for so long.... The conversation kinda went like this:
Lano: Espana or Italia?
Me: Espana!!!
Lano: Muy bien.My bien. Torres?
Me: No! Me gusta Cesc Fabregas! Me gusta Arsenal!
:)
Wonderful.After that, I become one of the locals... And it feels good to be able to celebrate Spain qualifying for the semi-finals!




To be honest, unless you're a surfer, there isn't a huge amount to be done in San Sebastian but that's precisely why I decided on going to San Sebastian. The next two days kinda go like this: Get up, breakfast in an terraza, wonder to the beach, read, get up go to find pintxos, back to the beach/hotel, then more food, then sleep... I am super, duper chilled out by the time I need to get my train to Irun. It's been a good trip.

The train journey home from Hendaye is not particularly intersting and quite exhuasting. Though I am wondering how the transiberian might feel like.... London to China by train sounds like it has to be done!

OK, I'm fessing up that I'm about 2 weeks behind with the blog entries but this girl is busy! :)

So, I leave Madrid by coach on the Friday morning. Coaches for Bilbao leave from Avenida de America and the journey takes a painless 4.5 hours. However, I couldn't work out a way to book the ticket over the internet and there are no ticket machines at the bus station to I had to queue up just like everyone else.

So what happened with the trains I hear you ask. Well, I did think about getting the train from Madrid to Bilbao but there only seemed to be two trains a day and the journey would take 6 hours. The coach made better sense!

I arrive at the Termibus station nr San Mames tram stop in Bilbao. It is early afternoon and once again I arrive in the city absolutely starving. I thought about taking a taxi from the Termibus station to the hotel but I look at the queue and think again. There are no taxis at the rank and there's a queue of at least 20 people. I quickly change my mind about the taxi and look around... OK, renfe station, bus, tram... I go with the tram option and head towards the Guggenheim. All I know is that my hotel has coloured windows and faces the river on the other side from the Guggenheim. It can't be that difficult to find, and indeed it wasn't. In most cities, I would normally try to find the hotel first and then find an attraction. Not in Bilbao you don't. You just can't miss the Guggenheim and the architects knew exactly what they were doing when they built this urban landmark.

The Hesperia Hotel where I'm staying is a four star hotel. My room has a balcony and river views but I can come up with a long list of reasons as to why I wouldn't recommend the place, beginning with the fact that my floor continuously stinks of cigarettes despite being a non-smoking floor. OK, I suppose it wasn't all that bad, but when you pay for a four or five star hotel you do expect everything to be absolutely perfect.

I spend my first afternoon in the Casco Viejo part of the city which has plenty of good pintxos bars and cafes.... Yep, more eating! Pintxos follows the same principle as tapas. You order a glass of wine and just pick at the food at the bar. In my first pintxos bar, I pick up something which looks quite interesting, the waitress heats it up for me and I munch away... Only half way through do I read the sign and match it up with LP and realise that it's blood sausage in light batter covered with peanuts. It's still interesting so I continue munching... I'm drinking rioja of course.



The next day, I wander over to Casco Viejo for breakfast then stroll along the river to the Guggenheim. The interior of the art gallery is just as impressive as the exterior.... I can't remember paying much attention to the art inside at all, not surprising since installations and contemporary art doesn't always float my boat.

After the Guggenheim, I walk over to the Fine Arts Museum... By the time I finish here, I am really feeling art gallery fatigue! So I turn my attention back to the football and food. I'm a simple girl really...

Before I leave Bilbao, I decide to take a trip to Portugalete which is a short ride on the metro from Bilbao. Portugalete isn't in LP and I wouldn't necessarily recommend the detour out to the town unless you have a strange obsession with bridges...

The Puenta Colgante is the transporter bridge that links Portugalete and Gexto. More importantly, it is the world's oldest transporter bridge, built in 1893, it is still in operation and is listed as a World Heritage site - the only UNESCO site in the Basque region.




God, I'm such a geek! :)

'Tis true when they say you haven't really visited the country if you've never seen the capital city. And Madrid really does bring that home.

I arrive at Atocha station and make my way to my hotel (Hostal Santillan) near Plaza de España. The metro, similar to Barcelona's, is easy to use (though I do have to remind myself that having negotiated Tokyo's metro system, everything else has seemed easy!).

The hotel is basic but is well placed, has everything you need and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I especially like the caged elevator in the building (the hotel is on the 8th floor).

So where does one start when exploring this great city? For me, the only items on my itinerary are the three main art galleries, so I try to get a feel for the city by walking from my hotel to Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. It's not a long walk at all and I soon realise that I won't be needing to use the metro as much as I originally thought. I arrive at the Thyssen and decide to reward myself with a nice long lunch in the outdoor cafe. It is, after all, at least 32°c! And so it begins, the long lunches or coffee breaks in any welcoming terraza .

The Thyseen-Bornemisza is my favourite of the three main art galleries in Madrid. Here, I fell in love with the works of Degas and Gauguin and seriously have to restrain myself from breaking the bank at the gift shop. After an afternoon of high culture, I head over to the park, buy myself an ice-cream and people watch by the lake. It is nearly 8pm when I decide that it's time to start thinking about tapas...

The first stop on the tapas crawl is a place called La Casa del Abuelo, where gambas (prawn) is the speciality, nicely washed down with a small glass of El Abuelo red wine.



The next tapas bar I stop in Las Bravas, where patatas bravas is the top choice here alongside a cerveza of course. La Trucha is the last bar I nip into for some pulpo before I have to call it a night. The trouble with going on solo tapas bar crawls is that my stomach just isn't big enough!

The next day, I decide to start with the Artistic Madrid walk as advised in LP. Breakfast is taken in the splendid café Comercial where I order the obligatory cafe con leche and tostada. By the time I reach Gran Cafe de Gijon on Paseo de Recoletos I decide that it's time for the first alcoholic drink for the day - a champagne cocktail. It's just before noon, but what the hell. I'm on holiday! And an empty stomach is no way to appreciate all the splendid art right?!

First of all, I visit the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. The building itself is magnificant and I especially like the glass elevators. However, having been to the Thyssen the previous day, I was a little disappointed by the art on display. Perhaps I'm just not big fan of Dali, or I was all Miro-ed out from Barcelona, but I wasn't too impressed... Though saying that, Picasso's Guernica does save the day. I am in complete awe by the sheer size of the canvas and very glad that I decided to buy the audio guide. Guernica alone is probably a good enough reason to visit the Reina Sofia.

Next, I head over to the Museo del Prado which I think is in many ways similar to the National Gallery in London. The gallery is enormous and while the art on display isn't to everyone's taste, I would definitely recommend a visit and getting the audio guide to the permanent collection. For me though, I've always loved the works of Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio so there was no way I was going to skip through this place.

Needless to say that after my first day and a half in Madrid, I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed by art, feeling inspired but also very insignificant and humble in front of some of these master pieces (especially considering that I came back from New York not so long ago and saw many other masterpieces there too).

Feeling the need for another drink, I walk to Plaza de Oriente which sits opposite the Palacio Real. I couldn't agree more with LP when it says there is no finer place to spend a hot Summer's evening. However, I didn't spend all evening in the Plaza as there were more pressing matters to attend to.. the football! That night it was Spain vs Greece so I bags myself a nice spot at a local tapas bar and soak in Spain's love for the game.



On Thursday, I kick start the day with breakfast in a terraza in Plaza Mayor, though it's nearly mid-day by the time I leave the terraza, heading towards another Plaza and yet another terraza... agua con gas, cafe con leche, zumo de melocoton, tapas etc from one terraza to another. This is the life!

There is one thing that I did promise Matthew that I would do in Madrid, and that was to visit the Real Madrid football stadium and buy him a postcard of Raul. The stadium is huge! I end up walking around for a good 15 minutes before I find the gift shop. I don't really care for Real Madrid so it wasn't a difficult decision to make about whether to do the stadium tour or not. I did have to hold back on buying the Spain football shirt though. As tempted as I was, I just had a horrible feeling that I would jinx the team...

As I was leaving the stadium, I noticed a poster of Fabregas advertising Smints. The poster is almost on every street corner in Madrid, but something about it being in front of the Bernabeu made me smile. OK, so there's no ruling out that Fabs will play at the Bernabeu on an opposing team one day but the chances of him ever playing for Real Madrid are pretty slim.

LP says: Toledo (p239) - The 'city of the three cultures' is a fascinating medieval warren , the heartland of El Greco and epicentre of deep Castilla.

Do I need more of a reason to visit this city? It's just 30 minutes from Madrid and Renata and Sebastian both gave strong recommendations, so why the hell not?!

I arrive in Toledo mid-afternoon and I'm starving. I check into my hotel (Pintor El Greco) and then head straight towards the main square in search of food. I settle for a place with tables outside on a quiet side-street and order a local speciality of Caramusa (a pork dish). There is just no way that I can not eat meat in Spain! I'd just be missing out on soooo much.




With my tummy now full, I decide I have enough energy to explore Toledo. The town is small enough to walk around on foot, from the hotel which is on the other side of the town to the main square is just 15 mins walk. Saying that though, there's enough to see in Toledo to keep you going for hours. I decide to take the walking tour detailed in LP, starting with the Alcazar (which is still being restored and isn't due to the public yet), then over to Museo de Santa Cruz which was built in the 16th century. There's a gallery on the ground floor which has a number of El Greco paintings on display. I love the cloisters and feel there's something very peaceful about the place.



Next stop is the Cathedral which is the main landmark in Toledo - which is very handy when navigating along the narrow winding cobbled streets. The Cathedral is impressive from the exterior and the interior and is worth the 7 EUR admission (I generally dislike the admission charges that churches impose). There's a gallery within the Cathedral which has a number of paintings by El Greco, Titian, Rubens, etc.




The last stop on my walk is a the Plaza de San Juan de los Reyes which is a church near the Jewish quarter an is worth visiting for its beautiful cloisters. By the time I finish here, it starts to rain... I take the train to Spain and it rains...

Oh it feels so good to come back to Barcelona. Some people wonder what my obsession with this city is all about and I wish I could completely verbalise the feelings...  There's the sea, the beach, the city, the architecture, the mountains, the football, the shopping, the food... Everything seems to be there and it's all so fun!

Having been to Barcelona twice before you would have thought that I've seen most of the sights before. Wrong. I'm still spoilt for choice as to what to do with my time in the region.

I'd booked a room at The Garden Hostel for the first night, which is a couple of metro stops past Park Guell. Dumped my bag, had a quick shower and grabbed some food and then went off to meet Sarah, who I had met on the train from Paris. We decide to spend the day in Montjuic. We visited Fundacio Joan Miro, strolled up to the castle (it's really not worth taking the cable cars) and then spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing at the botantical gardens.

While on Montjuic, I completely forget that I'm in Barcelona, a cosmopolitan city... Where are all the people? It was just so nice to stroll around the mountain and feel like you were far, far away from anything. Certainly at the botanical gardens, I think Sarah and I were the only ones there!



That first day in Spain was lovely. Perfect.
Sarah and I parted with a hug and I felt as though I was about to cry. It's amazing what effect strangers can have on us sometimes...
Anyway, Sarah and the day in Montjuic did seem to set my pace in Spain. I decide there and then that every day for the next 11 days, I'm going to relax.

The next morning, I pack up my bag and head towards to Sants station and buy a ticket to Villafranca del Penedes, famous for the production of cava in the region. On the way, I stop off at Freixenet which is right next to Sant Sadurni station. After a quick tasting, I head over to Villafranca del Pendes (the next stop after Sant Sadurni). Villafranca is about a hour away from Barcelona and it's a nice place to spend the day. There's a market in the town at the weekends and it's all hustle and bustle until 2pm and then it's siesta time... Another thing Villafranca is famous for is its castellers (Catalan human-castle builders). I do wonder sometimes how these things get started?! Unfortunately the festival where you can usually see the castellers isn't until the end of August, so I have to settle with a picture of the statue in the middle of town.



That evening I head back to Barcelona to meet up with Renata and Sebastian. Actually, we all meet up but Sebastian and I leave Renata to go and shop while we go and watch the football. It's Spain vs Sweden and I'm really looking forward to watching the game with the Spanish fans... But there are none to be seen (or heard). Renata reminds me that I'm in Catalunya! Oops! Sebastian and I end up watching the game at an Irish pub called The Temple off Las Ramblas.... Once again, I manage to forget that I'm in Barcelona. There's not a single Spanish or Catalan speaker to be heard, the pub is packed with Swedish fans and Americans - not even the bar staff are Spanish! But, I do not complain. I have a nice spot in front of the television which is broadcasting ITV's coverage (not even Spanish TV!!) of the game... Oh and Spain win with a cheeky goal during extra time!

The next day, I manage to sleep right through to mid-day! I really must have been exhausted. The weather is mild but not warm enough for the beach so we decide to stay in Sant Cugat that day. Sant Cugat, where Sebastian and Renata live, is about 5km from Barcelona. The village has everything you need without having to go into Barcelona but there are also two lines which run from Sant Cugat into Barcelona should you need to make the journey. We spend the day drinking cups of tea, eating and just catching up. As always, it's a pleasure to spend time with these two and I just can't believe it's been over 2 years since Renata left MORI. How time flies...

A week ago, I packed up my (stupidly heavy) backpack and took the train to Spain... Well OK, it wasn´t quite that easy but it wasn´t particularly difficult either... Here´s how:

London St Pancras to Paris on the Eurostar. Book ahead! The cheapest return tickets are around 55GBP. From Gare du Nord transfer to Paris Austerlitz station which is only 10 mins away by metro. Just remember to have coins at the ready! Austerlitz station is tiny compared to Gare du Nord but has everything you need, including showers! So, this is where I board the Elipsos Trenhotel bound for Barcelona (booked in advance, the single ticket costs 54GBP).

My accommodation on board is a tourist class sleeper (4 beds in each single-sex cabin). It may be tourist class but the accommodation is very comfy (i.e. much better than the soft sleeper trains in China!). The journey from Paris to Barcelona takes roughly 12 hours but remember this, there are no hen or stag dos on board, making this the most civilised journey to Spain I have ever encountered!

The train arrives at Barcelona França station which is a short walk from Barceloneta metro station.

After a lovely chilled out weekend spent in Barcelona, well actually I spent most of my time with Renata and Sebastian in Sant Cugat (in the burbs of Barcelona), I take the AVE from Sants Station to Madrid. The new high speed line from Barcelona to Madrid has only been running for a few months and the journey is completed in just 2 hours, 40 mins with the speed of the train reaching 300 km/hour. However, expect to cough up for the convenience. The ticket which I booked about a month ago cost 49€, which is the special discounted fare available on the renfe website. The normal fare is around 110€.

I decide not to spend my first night in Madrid, but instead head South to the small, medieval town of Toledo, again on the AVE (30 mins, 16€ return).

I am a transport geek, there is no hiding it! Details of my actual experience in Spain to follow when I return to London. In the meantime, I need to go and find some more scrummy tapas and enjoy my last night in Madrid.

Ray was probably thinking "You big sap!" when I started crying during PS. I love you on the way back from New York. And he´s probably right, as movies and books tend to have little effect on my emotional status (that is, apart from horror movies), but this one got me going...

While the film is miles better than the book, the line that made me choke initially was:

If you can promise me anything, promise me that whenever you're sad, or unsure, or you lose complete faith, that you'll try to see yourself through my eyes. Thank you for the honor of being my wife. I'm a man with no regrets. How lucky am I. You made my life, Holly. But I'm just one chapter in yours. There'll be more. I promise. So here it comes, the big one. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Watch out for that signal, when life as you know it ends. P.S. I will always love you

Only managed to catch two films this year at the Tiger Festival, ICA. Both were excellent though.
I went to see The Case on Friday. This film is from the Yunnan Film Festival (a series of films by female directors in Yunnan). It's about an inn-keeper who finds a suitcase floating in the river. He hides the case from his wife and when he manages to break the lock, the contents trigger a downward spiral of events. It's a 'thriller' but it's also quite funny. I loved the character of the inn-keeper's wife - a mega insecure, psychotic woman.
Then went to see Mad Detective on Saturday with the same film buffs I went with on Friday (it's like a little film club going on...). This is Hong-Kong movie by one of my favourite directors, Johnnie To and he doesn't let me down. Mad detective is about a detective with schizophrenia who uses what his 'gift' to solve crimes. Here's a trailer for the film.
I love Asian cinema and both films have renewed my faith that not everyone is about to sell out. Here's two examples I want to chuck rotten tomatoes at: Dragon Ball the Movie. Oh dear god! Don't do it. There's no trailer for this yet, but it's a recipe for disaster: James Wong directing, Stephen Chow producing and Chow Yun-Fat playing master Roshi!
The Forbidden Kingdom - Jet Li and Jackie Chan should stop making movies in English. Though at least they shot this one in location.

14 Hours and 36 mins  until kick-off!
Hurray! The Euros start soon and I'm so excited.
My money (team sweepstake) is on Portugal winning though my heart is set on Spain. However, the more rational part of my head tells me that the likely winners are Italy. Here's how I got to that conclusion....


Team A
Winner: Portugal
Runner up: Czech Republic

Team B
Winner: Germany
Runner up: Austria

Team C
Winner: Italy
Runner up: Netherlands

Team D
Winner: Spain
Runner up: Greece

Quarter Finals
Portugal v Austria

Germany v Czech Republic

Italy v Greece

Spain v Netherlands

Semi-finals
Portugal v Germany

Italy v Netherlands

Finals
Portugal v Italy

Winner: Italy

Obviously, would like to see Spain make it through... but you NEVER bet on your team!

Loved the film, loved it, loved it, loved it!

And what a totally impromptu SATC (in London) I had over the weekend myself. Thanks to Wing (for your many words of wisdom), Wei-Wei (for the new hair-do) and my lovely friends that I had lunch with on Sunday (for just being fabulous). 

And a SATC weekend surely couldn't be complete without a spot of shopping... Ahem, I may have bought some shorts for the beach and ASOS mail tracking tells me that my new bikini will be delivered tomorrow.  Hee!

If you haven't seen any of the series on the telly while it's been on (Sunday evenings on BBC Two), then get it on the i-player!

Allow me to side-track for a moment...I love the i-player (and 4oD). The Internet and its capabilities don't ever fail to amuse me and the i-player is just one of those things which I think is brilliant beyond belief! I'm lying here in bed, streaming the latest Wild China programme on a wet and miserable Bank Holiday Monday. If I didn't need to eat then I could happily stay in my room for the rest of the week! (Though OK, I would get a little bit bored). Inside sources tell me that there will be something out soon that will supercede the i-player, 4oD and whatever else there is.

Right, so back to Wild China, a six-part documentary about China's landscape and wildlife. I really enjoyed the first programme where the makers focus on the rice fields in Southern China. Throughout the programme, I was mentally ticking off all the places in Southern China that I visited last year. At the end, I heaved a big sigh "It's so beautiful but if only!". The BBC film crew must have either filmed very, very early in the day or completely went off the beaten track because I can remember being by the River Li at 7am and I was still being hassled by tour guides to take a river cruise! So where are all those tour guides and tourists in the programme?

Programme 5 is called Land of the Panda.

The Dalai Lama says happiness = inner peace. For me, happiness is making a big slab of chocolate brownies. It's not so much the eating, (I usually only manage a tiny piece in any batch), it's more the distribution process.

Judith and Lisa always complain that "it's all your fault" after they've managed to scoff three pieces down in one sitting, but hey it's not like I'm force feeding anyone!



Here's my favourite brownie recipe:

From Green and Black’s Chocolate Recipes: Unwrapped - From the Cacao Pod to Muffins, Mousses and Moles

• 250 g unsalted butter (the recipe book says 300g but do you have any idea how much that is???!)
  
• 300 g dark chocolate (I tend to use 2 bars of 70% dark chocolate and a bar of milk chocolate. And seriously, if it's not good quality chocolate like Green & Blacks or Divine, then you shouldn't even bother!)
  
• 5 large eggs
• 400 g granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 200g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Tea Smith is a lovely little tea shop/house in Spitafields Market. A friend recommended it to me a while ago. Today was my first visit.

"Do you have a favourite tea?" The lady asked
I had to think for a while. Not really, I'm still finding my way around.

I can't remember why I picked this one to try. Perhaps because it's an Oolong from Taiwan and the description looked interesting but there are few teas that I've tried that will match this one. Well, so far anyway...



Ali Shan - Oolong

The aroma from the leaves and the cup itself was delicious.  It's a delight on the tongue  - very smooth, buttery texture and tastes just as good as it smells. And the flavours linger in your mouth too.

The next one I tried was a recommendation from the lady in the shop.  Another Oolong  called Phoenix Sung Special.


Phoenix Sung Special

This one was brewed in a little YiXing teapot . The leaves were a lot darker than the Ali Shan but had a really sweet aroma which hits the back on your tongue on the first taste. This one was very different from the previous, but again the aroma was captivating.  Tasted like lychees at first but on the second and third flush, the flavours become more intense but still sweet and mellow, a bit like honey.