25.10.08

my afternoon with annie leibovitz

boy, we've been feeling culturally deprived recently. its been since late august that we've done anything remotely to fill our 'creative' souls and we've been foaming at the mouth since then to do something, anything to fill this void. there just hasn't been much of interest on in london recently. we've seen most of what's great already and trying to save our pennies can dampen any efforts for we do want to do {the r.o.h's nutracker and their £50/$100 tickets come to mind}. so, we were pretty excited to go see an entire exhibition at the national portrait gallery, 'annie leibovitiz: a photographers life'. all i can say afterwards is my 'culture' cup now runneth over.

i love annie leibovitz and i am so drawn into her pictures. i saw some of her prints earlier this year at a vanity fair exhibition and am familiar with her work from various magazines, etc {including vanity fair}. what struck me about this exhibition was the professional and personal photos mixed together and how poignant they were---especially in respect to the photos of the loss of her partner, susan sontag. i felt a bit drained after the exhibition, which i think is a sign of 'true' art; something that captures the emotions and passions of the moment and shares these with others as a gift. i guess that's why i have grown to love art so much is that i feel like i'm making emotional connections on almost a primal level.

there were a lot of photos in the exhibition and i have way too many favorites to try to choose, so here's just a few that caught my eye :

queen elizabeth © Annie Leibovitz

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© Annie Leibovitz

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© Annie Leibovitz

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Her mother © Annie Leibovitz

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3.10.08

faraway friends

lucy & her adopted daughter

back in 2007 i first did a post on my work with the gan sabra society--since then i've managed to grow even closer to the owner lucy {see above} and i am continually amazed with her strength & inspiration. she is my age--in her early 30's and what she does for these kids infected with hiv/aids through no fault of their own is just amazing. i don't know how she does it, but she continues to be a mum to these orphans who have had such horrific tragedy & difficulties to deal with at such an early age.

the youngest members of gansabra

its hard for me to not feel guilty sometimes about doing more for them--i wish i had the money to buy them all new clothes, to completely pay off their mortgage so that lucy doesn't stay up at night worrying. i do what & when i can though which is ok for now and even though they always say how much encouragement & hope i give, what they have given to me back is twice as much if not more.

posing for the camera

building forts

to them its not about the possessions- the new t.v. {although they are loving watching 'heroes' re-runs at the moment}, the clothes or a fancy house--its about being happy and just being kids.


studying hard

even still they never stop working very hard for a better life {unfortunately in this area of india many with hiv/aids are lucky to reach their teens}.

lucy knows what education will give to these children---nearly all are always studying and many are even the top of their class! they are really trying to follow the example lucy is setting--she just earned a masters degree in social work from mizoram university.

i think everyone who comes into your life are there to be our greatest teachers for that specific moment in time. i'm so thankful for lucy & the children at gan sabra for coming into my life & what they teach me on a regular basis. although i forget my blessings sometimes, my friends in india teach me to never underestimate the power of positive thinking, hope & the real meaning of gratitude. i pray that one day soon {hopefully next year} i will get to visit and shower each & everyone of them with millions of hugs & kisses.

anyway, i'd like to end with a moving letter the children wrote to lucy on christmas. this was previously posted on gansabra's blog and is in lucy's own words:

I want to share with you what the children at Gan Sabra did-their gift to me for Christmas. On 24th December the children gathered around me and gave me envelops-the used envelops- inside there was letter written for me (separately from boy and girls). I was wondering why they gave me that and i started reading, it was writte by them and here it goes:

''Loving Mother

Christmas Blessing to you. this is christmas we want to give you many gifts. but we dont have things. But Mum, we love you and this christmas you know that we love you and we are telling you again.

You too love us and our family is happy. Our real parents died before now you are our parents. you teach us good things we will always keep them. you provide tasty food, medicines and toys too thank you. we will be good.

God bless you.

(sign by each child themselves and sign for by elder ones for those who cannot write)''

the best christmas gift i ever received and i believe the best ever always.

lucy


----------

if you want to help gansabra in any way this holiday season they are in dire need of blankets & bedding. they have recently had more children admissions and their supplies have remained the same. the winter for this year is being predicted as going to be colder than usual and lucy recently wrote to me saying how worried she is about staying warm. for address of the orphanage & further details on assistance this christmas please contact me {see side-bar}. if you can't afford to send something, adding them to your christmas card list would brighten their day.

1.9.08

greenwich, in-laws & the human race

over the weekend, james and i were super crazy busy {which seems to describe everything at the moment with me}. his parents came down from the midlands & we spent most of the time entertaining them in greenwich & canary wharf. although i enjoy seeing them having visitors can be draining. i'm the type that has to clean the house about 3 times over, getting everything perfect so i can relax but in reality that doesn't happen till they're gone. i like to put little touches when we have house visitors {thank goodness they stayed at a hotel though} like fresh cut flowers, nice organic biscuits to serve with a cup of tea & lighting candle/incense to create a soothing environment. i think the home is a real presentation of yourself which is why i go to such effort when we have friends over. either this or i must have some martha stewart blood running through my veins after all.

although i didn't get any pictures of his parents {camera shy}, here's a few highlights from Saturday. there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day i might add which is rare for london and made the day that much better.


we managed to catch a few minutes of a cricket game going on in the park. considering how hot it was, i'm surprised they were playing with their heavy clothes.


wandered around looking at all the trees in the park. i love trees & yes i occasionally do hug them {you should try it sometime}. this one is gorgeous & quick random fun fact ---some of the trees in greenwich park are older than america!


it was such a beautiful day. although you can see the pollution over the city---the sky was still blue, people were out with their families & it was glorious.

mildred

on the way home, we of course had to visit our pet ducks george & mildred at brookmill park. all george could do was feed his face on the bread that we gave to them {typical bloke eh?}---mildred though she decided to totally strike a pose & show off in the water. doesn't she look grand?

when we got home we raided the freezer for our skinny cow mint chocolate chip ice lollies/popsicles. a perfect end to the day!

sunday evening we were crazy enough to do a 10k run in the freezing pouring rain {thus no pics} for the nike human race 10k campaign held at wembley stadium.


i thought it was a great concept----25 cities across the world uniting for one day in the name of health & sports. it was more rock concert/race as there was pre race performances by moby & pendulum & there was great music around the course too including some coming from a swinging 60's double decker red bus. our time wasn't exactly the best we've ever done {we usually do 6 miles in an hour, hour/10} but it was wet & dark so i think that's a great excuse. although the race didn't start when we hoped cause of the concert, we were cold & didn't get home till nearly 11---it was a wonderful evening.

so that was my weekend in a nutshell. we're hoping for a bit more of a quiet weekend for the next couple of weeks, but i then remembered i've got a 5k race next weekend as well!

27.8.08

petits trésors

i had the best of luck shopping in paris this weekend. the theme for my 'finds' seemed to be little treasures {or should i say petits trésors en francais} and from the pictures you'll see why!



i've never seen such detailed and beautiful die-cuts before. i'd be afraid to use them in any crafts for fear of ruining them!

there are 25 of these petit little story books, each hand illustrated by the artist elisabeth ivanovsky.



j'adore the madeline books and it seems even more scrumptious in french! don't you love the illustrations?

if you can believe i found all of the above--- the die cuts, madeline book and mini stories all from the musee d'orsay gift shop? never underestimate where you may find things!

i found a collection of amazing vintage hand drawn postcards from marché aux puces de st-ouen in the antique market. these two are just a few that i'm going to keep & frame--the rest i'm going to hopefully get onto a new etsy shop sometime soon. the postcards all are early 1900's french {obviously} and are in my opinion adorable works of art.


you can see how much detail went into this when you look at it up close! i love the color and how their eyes are so permeating!

25.8.08

distractions

musée d'orsay (inside)--photo by me


recently distracted by:

asparagus and pea risotto {courtesy of the eurostar}
the métro on a friday night

antique dolls at musée de la poupée
booksellers along the seine
beautiful painted women at
le musée
looking out over the city on top
little books at the gift shop
jardin des tuileries
sephora on the champs-
élysées
shopping at comptoir de famille
catching up on sleep in a big bed w/fluffy pillows
grilled salmon & chocolate cake at aubergine
'i love paris' & jazz playing in the background

french breakfasts {all you can eat}
a 3 mile run w/the locals through jardin des luxemburg
seeing tai chi in the gardens
exploring the antique market
the accordian player on the métro playing 'la vie en rose'
adorable hand painted antique postcards
walking through the park in the rain
the smell of crêpes
warm quiche & frites at 'pauls'
wandering around st. germain des pres
side streets

windows with closeable shutters
fresh 'non london' air
cafés
catching up on my day dreaming
the best hamburger & chips in the world

mini pain au chocolat & croissants
champagne
vegetarian quiche & lemon tarts
comfy seats and nice french hostesses on the Eurostar
the french countryside
a glorious long weekend

15.8.08

what's in your belly?

my friend rebecca did this great post/tag entitled 'what's in your belly'. it reminded me of when i used to be a check out girl in the grocery section of fred meyer {such fond memories--ha ha}, i always thought it was interesting seeing what people bought for food. what you eat gives such a huge huge insight into your life! so i thought it would be fun to play along with this & post pics of the food sources currently in our flat.



so here are the rules if you want to play too:

rules:
  1. link back to the person who tagged you {their name linked to their blog}
  2. post as many pictures as it takes to reveal all the sources of food in your house. also, just for fun post a picture of what your refrigerator looks like
  3. tag as many people as you want.

so..................i tag:

sherrie
erika
jess
michelle
lori

12.8.08

singing in the rain

this weekend we went to our long awaited diana krall concert up in north london {kenwood house, hampstead--beautiful}. you would think that being august & all we would be guaranteed at least some semi-decent weather. staying true to british style-- it rained for nearly half of it and it wasn't just a little bit it was like a freakin' torrential downpour. the last time i was that soaking wet was in thailand bamboo rafting in the middle of the jungle. i'm surprised it wasn't cancelled and diana krall kept asking if we were all ok--which i thought was nice of her considering we were freezing our behinds off.




besides the weather it was an amazing concert. diana krall was more than great & i managed to get a signed cd as well out of it. i've loved her music for ages & it was fantastic to finally hear her live. to lighten the mood she sang a few rain songs & even elvis costello {her husband} made a surprise on stage appearance. although we only managed to have a tiny bit of our 'picnic' during the rain breaks it made for great leftovers the next day.


so----i'm glad we went even if the weather was the way it was. all the mud, rain & freezing cold make for a much better story & memories! can't wait till next year!

4.8.08

boys, girls & understanding what's between

James & I, Rome 2008


i think i can count on one hand the number of dates i had and a total of '0' long term boyfriends before meeting james. growing up i never talked to boys much cause i always thought they wouldn't be interested in what i had to say or who i was. i never pictured myself in a white dress like most girls do or even pictured myself as a mum. never went to any school dances, my first date wasn't until my mid 20's & my first kiss much later than that.

so i guess you could say i was a bit slow on catching the boat when it comes to trying to understand the whole boys & girls thing. james is my first real boyfriend and i went from pretty limited experience with boys to being in a pretty serious long term relationship across the ocean. i think we both needed each other & were lonely & we both happened to fill the gap at the time. but talk about adjustment--heck you could say its been a bit stressful at times. we've played a lot of catch up emotionally & gone through more in 8 years than most have gone through in 25 years worth of marraige. we're best friends & we've had so much fun over the years. james completely changed me & i'm glad that he came into my life when he did as i don't know what my life would be without these experiences here in london with him.

its just lots of doubts coming into my mind as i don't know if i'll ever understand boys or ever be good at relationships. i think its difficult anyway to live with anyone but a member of the opposite sex can be like trying to figure out how to put together a playpen from ikea with instructions in japanese. i struggle to keep my patience, to love no matter what & to forgive when mistakes are made especially ones that hurt him & me so much physically & emotionally. i want to be compassionate & make him feel like he's the only person in the room. i really doubt if i'm capable of a relationship sometimes but then i try to think about what my life would be without him and i just get weepy. surely it means something that we've got such an amazing friendship?? i can't just let all of that go because i'm doubting myself or scared can i? i dont know maybe i'm just weepy cause i don't want that feeling of emptiness if he wasn't in my life. i just don't know.

lots & lots of emotions recently swirling round our place & i'm just really unsettled because of it. i wish i could just make every day peachy when it comes to our relationship but i know that things like this are just hard work. i know he's worth all of this effort, but i just wish i didn't doubt that everything will be ok. i just gotta take one day at a time, focus on what i can do, remind myself of all the positive things & hope that everything will start becoming clearer. easier said than done though & i just wish things weren't so seriously complicated!!

30.7.08

how to do london on a budget

according to forbes, london is the third most expensive city in the world just after moscow & tokyo. i'm not questioning this cause i live here & i'll vouge that sometimes i don't know how i've survived here financially so long with the sheer expense of things. what i'm saying is that before you completely cross off coming to visit london especially with the doom & gloom we hear about everyday with the 'credit crunch' & a weak dollar- it is possible to see the real london for free or really cheap for those of you on a budget.

so here's what you can see in london for free:

-all the major art galleries like the national gallery {my favorite}, the tate modern & the portrait gallery. *i've mentioned a bit about free galleries in a previous post of mine.
- big ben {you can go inside the houses of parliment in the summer but it costs £12 & booking is required}
- the outside of westminster abbey {worth it to go in although it costs}
- the outside of st paul's
- the outside of buckingham palace {you can only go in in the summer anyway}
- the changing of the guards
- covent garden {& the street performers}
- the major museums {like the british museum, victoria & albert, natural history museum}
- trafalgar square
- the outside of the globe theatre
- the outside of kensington palace
- carnaby, bond & oxford street
- abbey road {you can get a pic of the crosswalk & road sign}
- london bridge
- number 10 downing street where the prime minister lives {from a distance}
- leicester square
- the prime meridian line at the royal observatory in greenwich { 0 degrees longitude}
- the royal observatory & queen's house in greenwich
- the old royal naval college {painted hall & chapel--loads of movies filmed here}
-piccadilly circus
- the horse guards
- the old bailey {one of the most famous courthouses in the world--oscar wilde tried here & they still wear wigs!}
- the parks {my favorites are hyde park which has its own lake & a statue for peter pan & of course greenwich park}
- hampstead heath & blackheath {both have really cute window shopping & wide open spaces to relax}
- the markets {including portobello road, borough & greenwich}

the above list is most of what there is to see anyway in london. it is possible to do most of it by walking & not the underground which will save you money on travel. get an oyster card if you are here a few days, it will save you a lot & go to streetmap.co.uk to print out maps so you don't have to buy one.

if you are into walking you can do the 'london walks' for £7 ($14) which are amazing, a good deal & you get to see the back streets. my favorite {and oddly creepy} is their 'jack the ripper' tour that goes through the exact spots in whitechapel where all the murders took place.

don't do the bus top tour---you can see everything yourself for cheaper. the london eye is worth it only on a clear day and london doesn't have many clear days unfortunately. there's a great view of all of london from greenwich park & the observatory that i think is better than you'd see w/the eye.

theatre trips---a definite must here {its like going to nyc w/out seeing a broadway play}--go to the half price ticket booths.

music-- many of the church's including st. martin in the fields do free lunchtime concerts.

cheap ways/places to eat:

- tesco's & sainsbury's all do mini versions of their grocery stores in the city---buy a snack from here for lunches
- instead of subway---go to paul's {there's one in covent garden} that has great handmade, european style sandwiches.
- wagamama's is everywhere which serves a lot of healthy asian food that's cheap
- carluccio's is one of my favorites too--great quality & inexpensive italian food
- greenwich has loads of cheap eateries
- pubs have cheap & filling food
- find a fish & chip or kebab shop {its how the locals eat}
- the markets all have food stalls where you can fill up
- covent garden has great food too: wagamama's, carluccio's, cornwall's pasty shop, & ponti's are good

tips on where you stay:

-
avoid staying right in the center of london or anywhere near a park--it will be more.
- greenwich & canary wharf have nice hotels
- try to get breakfast included in the price {it will save you money elsewhere & not many places open up for breakfast--except greenwich does nice english breakfasts at the organic cafe}

tips on shopping:

shopping in london will cost you an absolute fortune. the markets are probably the best place to go to save a buck--greenwich again is my favorite as 80% of it is all handmade or artisan items. if you want to save huge amounts at the normal store---try visiting mid to late august & january which is when the sales are. john lewis is one of my favorite department stores & is cheaper than selfridges. harrod's---locals avoid it like the plague as its a tourist trap & you'll pay through the teeth. if you want high end shopping the locals love harvey nichols as well.

---

so as you can see it is possible to come & visit without having to sell any vital organs to visit. i do have one request though--if you do come, be sure to pop by greenwich to say hello & i'll treat you to a nice cup of tea!

26.7.08

kew gardens

the english sure know how to do their parks & gardens. london may be a huge city but you can easily find several places to unwind & commune with nature. kew gardens is definitely one of these places to escape from it all & the weather this weekend provided the perfect opportunity for us to pop over to richmond-upon-thames {sw london} and check out these botanical gardens for the first time. for £13 you get 300 acres of solitude filled with every type of plant imaginable from all parts of the globe. kew gardens is reknowned for their conservation work & their love of the environment which is obvious from all their business practices down to the loos, cafe's & even their gift shops.



kew gardens houses some of the oldest & largest remaining victorian glass houses. the above picture i took was my favorite & definitely one of the more iconic images of kew. when you walk in to the glass house, its obviously a 'green house' & is humid but i found it oddly relaxing smelling the various greenery & plants.


even with the 3 hours we spent we didn't manage to see everything. if you want to see the whole thing, its definitely an entire day excursion. there's loads of activities for all ages & the gardens are big enough you can easily bring a picnic and find a secluded area to enjoy lunch. out of what we did see today my favorite parts were the waterlily house {see above} & the treetop walkway {see my flickr photos in sidebar}. they were absolutely amazing!


kew gardens is one of the most beautiful places i've seen within london. not many tourists make it out to richmond, but if you come and visit & have a day to kill i guarantee you'll love this place like we did!

17.7.08

changes


i am feeling rather blessed to have lived in such an amazing city as london for nearly 7 1/2 years. i think back to when i arrived in march 2001 how innocent i was & how much life experience i lacked. i was 25 & literally just out of college & besides visiting england beforehand--had never really been anywhere or done anything. college was tough for me & on leaving i really desperately wanted to travel the world and do something spectacular with my life. the opportunity arose randomly to move to london & i just ran with it, sold nearly everything i owned & flew across the world with just 2 suitcases. boy i was scared & if the 60 lbs i put on a couple months later was anything to go by {have since lost nearly all of it}--it was an adjustment to say the least.

fast forward to 2008---i'm 32 now & had so many opportunities & experiences i never thought possible. i've traveled the world to places i've always dreamed of, met loads of celebrities, seen some of the most amazing theatre productions, musical performances & some of the best art in the world. i live 10 minutes from one of the coolest parks ever, only 20 minutes by train from big ben & the heart of the city & only two hours by train to paris. i wouldn't trade any of these experiences for the world & i know it sounds slightly cheesy but these moments i've had have made me the girl i am now.

i don't know what path my life would have taken if i had never moved here nearly a decade ago. who knows if i'd be married, if i had the career of my dreams, that white picket fence, kids or even a pet dog. i'm happy though with what experiences i've had so far & i feel like the many layers of me that were inside finally were peeled away & allowed to shine through. my perspective on life & the world around me has completely changed--i know what sustains me & what i want more of in my life. i want to surround myself with good food, yoga & exercise, travel, books, music & absolutely all things creative. i want to watch more old movies of audrey hepburn, eat gelato in rome & people watch in a sidewalk cafe in paris. things like these remind me that life is truly extraordinary & you have to take it by the scruff of the neck & ride it till the sun don't shine. if i died tomorrow, i'd look back & say my life was spectacular & i wouldn't have it any other way.

so i guess you could say i love growing up. i love seeing where you've come & figuring out where to go in the future. i'm grateful for these moments in london, that james has been right by my side & helped along the way and for everyone who has crossed my path these 7 years---thank you. thank you for being my teachers in every possible way & teaching me to love this gift that has been given to me.




i can't wait to see what the next 7 years will bring.

t.v. swapping across the pond

don't watch television much but because of our lovely satellite dish {only way to get more than 4 channels in this country} when i do i have a wide array of shows both american & english to choose from. it wasn't until i moved here though that i started noticing how much both sides of the atlantic rip of show ideas/concepts from each other. you may find it interesting the following lists:

us show { originated in uk}

american idol, {pop idol} -both have simon cowell
the office: an american workplace, {the office} -both ricky gervais produced
dancing w/the stars, {strictly come dancing}
whose line is it anyway?, {whose line is it anyway?}
supernanny us, {supernanny}- both have jo frost
who wants to be a millionaire, {who wants to be a millionaire}
the weakest link, {the weakest link}-- same host
wife swap: trading spouses, {wife swap}
the muppet show, {the muppet show} --originally produced in the uk
baby borrowers, {baby borrowers}
bob the builder, {bob the builder}
teletubbies, {teletubbies}
honey we're killing the kids, {honey we're killing the kids}
antiques roadshow, {antiques roadshow}
brat camp, {brat camp}
faking it, {faking it}
sanford & son, {steptoe & son}
three's company, {man about the house}
welcome back kotter, {please sir}
all in the family, {till death do us part}
how to look good naked, {how to look good naked}

more can be found here

uk show {originated in US}
wheel of fortune, {wheel of fortune}
gladiators, {american gladiators}
saturday live, {saturday night live}
this is your life, {this is your life}
the upper hand, {who's the boss?}
the apprentice, {the apprentice}
queer eye for the straight guy uk, {queer eye}
the brighton belles, {the golden girls}
days like these, {that 70's show}
loved by you, {mad about you}
married for life, {married w/children}
family fortunes, {family feud}
the price is right, {the price is right}

more can be found
here

14.7.08

Duck Love


meet our neighbors 'george & mildred'. they are two 'resident' ducks that are always lounging around brookmill park {5 min walk from our flat}. you can always guarantee that when you see one, the other will be not far behind--they are literally inseparable {talk about true 'duck' love}. they don't do much besides sit there next to the lake, soaking up the rays & gorging on free fish right there & food from the locals {what a life eh?}. they do seem to be getting on in years as george's beak has faded & his feathers are everywhere & mildred just sleeps all the time. but we love them anyway & we always make a special attempt to stop by & see our fair feathered 'retired friends' when we go running or walking. I would love to live out my last few years like they do, wouldn't you? Just check out their set-up:


double click to read better

10.7.08

ode to our washing machine

washing. by djbass


6 weeks ago you left us for no reason
without explanations
or finishing the job.

oh how we miss thee dear washer
the clean socks
the fresh spring scent.

you seem determined to stay broken forever
even after people have tried to fix you
& paying them too much money.

we promise if you won't die
we'll be more gentle,
we'll talk nice,
won't hit,
we'll stop seeing the other washers,
will feed you good soap,
& only put you on spin once, not twice a day.

we love you dear washer
come back to us soon
we need our clean clothes,
we need you.

2.7.08

i'm not a mommy blogger

so i'm 32 years old and i'm not a mommy blogger or even a soon to be one. don't get me wrong i frequently stop by many that would fit into this type of thing { my favorites: *e*, pioneer woman & marta writes}. i enjoy reading about people's expected new arrivals, how their little ones lost a tooth or even mundane things like what a kid did or didn't eat for breakfast or how they just recently went through potty training. i like reading these {including many non mommy blogs too} cause yes, don't laugh- i enjoy reading about 'life' & i feel connected to the 'journey' others are taking {ya-da, ya-da} . but i guess part of me has felt bad sometimes when i'm reading about 'susie' learning how to swim or 'billie' saying his first words cause i feel like it should be my kid in the pictures.

i'm at the age where people start wondering why you don't have kids. they wonder if something may be wrong with you or if you are just plain selfish because you want to put yourself first. 'don't worry, one day it will be your time' --is a phrase i hear frequently. i grew up mormon as well and the idea of family was seriously pushed into my head from a very young age too. being 32, unmarried and childless in that culture-talk about social suicide! socially it can become quite awkward if you don't have a kid & all your girlfriends are starting to have them. the ladies with kids do eventually flock together and hang out together because they have so much more to talk about. it's the same whole thing with family get together's & you start to wonder if you've become invisible. parents and future mother & father in laws start gravitating towards those who have given them the grandkids. call me crazy, but all of the above is true.

i guess at the core of all this is i don't want to be left out in life because i don't have a kid. i'm really really trying to learn to accept my life for what it is & that includes the fact that i'm not yet a mommy blogger/mommy/mom/mum/mother and that its ok. not everyone may be meant to be a mom and i've got to just find my own niche in this world. whether i will eventually have children {or whether i can even have them} i don't know, but everything in its proper time & place. whatever happens will happen & i'm going to promise myself i'm not going to worry or waste time anymore comparing myself or thinking of the what if's. the future is just that--the future & i've got way too much to share with this world in the meantime.

20.6.08

intro to acupuncture

as some of you know earlier this year i had surgery. to explain--i've been dealing with a wide array of 'girlie issues' and horrible pain for nearly a year and a half and the surgery was merely a diagnostic procedure to try to figure out what's wrong. i've been to so many doctors and had so many tests done and yet still no answers even now. i've been feeling a bit like a guinea pig and if the eight vials of blood taken from me for tests just this week are any indication of things to come, i think answers may take a while.

i am ok with this because i've decided to turn to complementary health to supplement what i'm doing/will be doing with traditional doctors. a month or so back my gp {regular family doctor} recommended that i try acupuncture to help w/the pain, my auntie gail had suggested chinese herbalists a while back and i had seen doctor oz on oprah praising alternative medicine {including acupuncture} on oprah as well. after all these recommendations i figured heck why not try it. it may not work at all, but at this point i've got to be open to all options.

well anyway, i had my first appointment this week. i was given 3 bags of herbs to boil and drink and that will probably taste like @$*! but hopefully may do me some good. i then had about 20-30 needles stuck in me to start treatment. the actual needle part i was quite nervous about cause i really hate needles. the first one hurt slightly but then after that i was totally cool with it. she left the needles in about 20 minutes and then lit what looked like a cigar under my feet to warm the points. you get the strangest tingling sensations throughout your body and in the end i felt pretty darn relaxed. the only other weird thing for me was seeing that many needles sticking out of my stomach. i think maybe from now on i'll keep my eyes closed.

i have to admit part of me during the experience felt like i had visited a shaman or some voodoo doctor, but i did feel really good afterwards. i do know that more and more people now are turning to alternative therapies and acupuncture is becoming more and more respected as a treatment in the medical field. anyway-we'll see if i notice any benefits in about 4-6 weeks and i'll report back!

{image from here}

7.6.08

wolfman in greenwich

aghhh! how i wish i had a camera this morning. james and i went for a glorious 5 1/2 mile run this morning through blackheath and greenwich park and when we got to the park, we found ourselves immersed in huge film crews, lighting and sets. apparently 'the wolfman' with benicio del toro & anthony hopkins is currently being filmed in greenwich and have been since march. funny how you can not even know what's going on in your own neighborhood eh? anyway, the top part of the park has completely been taken over with cables, lighting and other wide array of things. it was slightly annoying to see the beautiful grass dug up and how the squirrels seem so confused because of it. however, there's signs everywhere though assuring that absolutely everything would be put back to its proper place. so a bit of excitement in our backyard you could say! the only bad thing is because i didn't have a camera with me i unfortunately have absolutely no pictures of anything. if you are really curious though i found this blog which has all the juicy bits complete with loads of pics {be sure to scroll down most of the page}. anyway, after today i may just ensure i take a camera with me everywhere!!

30.5.08

tagged


i saw this on a blog i frequently visit and thought i'd go for it too. beware old embarrassing pictures of me to follow.

what i was doing 10 years ago:

summer 1998, i was 22 years old and attending college in central washington as a music education major. college was very complicated for me. i was thrust completely out of my comfort zone socially, academically and emotionally. i had a lot of worries for someone of my age including trying to pay for college myself and i seriously struggled to cope. looking back i'm surprised i didn't drop out but i'm glad i somehow made it.

that year i was in orchestra and symphonic band. i remember staying up all hours studying for dr roth's music history exams. i wore jeans and t-shirts, anything that was comfortable and wasn't bothered about trying to be girly. i didn't have time to listen to much on the radio besides the required for classes. i remember finally getting over a crush i had on a particular boy and vowing to avoid all things that would bring me in contact with males in future. i never practiced my instruments like i should have. i worked close to 6 part time jobs that summer to try to make ends meet including working at the gorge summer concert series making baja burritos. saw rod stewart, james taylor, the b-52's and metallica because of it which was a plus. ate lots and lots of ramen noodles. had a born again christian as a roommate for a term who tried constantly to save my soul. was active in church although i didn't have many friends. started counselling later that year. started an exercise routine of running at 5 in the morning that lasted one week.

i have to admit its weird thinking of where i was then 10 years ago and where i am now. talk about progress.



5 things on my to do list today:

1. listen to teenie boppers perform
2. go to the bank
3. see 'sex and the city' the movie

4. dishes
5. sleeping

5 things on my lifelong to do list:

1. learn how to swim & ride a bike
2. visit my friend lucy in india
3. drive across italy or the south of france

4. make a difference somehow
5. run a marathon or hike through the andes or nepal.

{sorry its hard to pick just 5}

{took a picture before our first 5 a.m. run}

sweets i enjoy:


jelly bellys. organic ice cream. really really dark chocolate. blueberry or chocolate muffins. chocolate fondant. rhubarb or lemon tarts. warm chocolate chip cookies.

last 3 books i read:

1. no country for old men
2. a new earth
3. the power of now

last 3 movies i saw:

1. indiana jones 4 {ugh, disappointing}
2. into the wild
3. daddy day care

places i have lived before:

utah
idaho
louisiana
washington
england {currently}

people i want to know more about {or anybody who wants to play too}:

jess
carly
lori
erika
jenny

24.5.08

picnic with diana krall

i am so incredibly excited as we've booked tickets to see diana krall, {one of the coolest jazz vocalists on the planet} for early aug. the best part is its up on hampstead heath which has beautiful views of london and you can enjoy the evening with a pre-concert picnic from one of our favorite restaurants carluccio's. i know its a couple of months away but i'm really looking forward to good music, good views, good food and good company {james}. we don't do nearly enough concerts like this and that's why it will be such an amazing treat for this summer!

16.5.08

books & the city

i saw a list recently compiled by my favorite bookshop waterstones with books either set in or about the city of london. this list made me think of a blog post a few months back and a request from a reader for a list of good books on london or by london writers. so although its late i think its better late than never and a great list to share for all those who love a good read like me! the area bold is the title, followed by the author in italics and in {parenthesis} is the area of london discussed/set in the books:

  1. 253, geoff ryman { elephant & castle}
  2. bleak house, charles dickens {chancery courts}
  3. brick lane, monica ali {brick lane)
  4. the buddha of suburbia, hanif kureishi {bromley}
  5. the crimson petal and the white, michael faber {notting hill}
  6. the end of an affair, graham greene {clapham common}
  7. fingersmith, sarah waters {borough/lant street}
  8. a handful of dust, evelyn waugh {belgravia}
  9. hangover square, patrick hamilton {earl's court}
  10. keep the apidistra flying, george orwell {hampstead}
  11. lady's maid, margaret forster {marylebone}
  12. london, edward rutherfurd {tower bridge & more)
  13. london fields, martin amis {portobello road}
  14. neverwhere, neil gaiman {knightsbridge}
  15. saturday, ian mcewan {cleveland street, w1}
  16. small island, andrea levy {earl's court}
  17. white teeth, zadie smith {willesdon}
  18. wise children, angela carter {brixton}
  19. the book of dave, will self {richmond}
  20. how to be good, nick hornby {camden}
  21. the line of beauty, alan hollinghurst {notting hill}
  22. the drowned world, jg ballard {leicester square}
  23. hawksmoor, peter ackroyd {spitalfields}
  24. notes on a scandal, zoe heller {islington}
  25. the ballad of peckham rye, muriel spark {peckham rye}
  26. the lonely londoners, sam selvon {notting hill}
  27. london novels, colin macinnes {notting hill}
  28. jonathan strange & mr norrell, susanna clarke {hanover square}
  29. mrs dalloway, virginia woolf {westminster}
  30. notting hell, rachel johnson {notting hill}
  31. londonstani, gautam malkani {hounslow}
  32. the adventures of sherlock holmes, arthur conan doyle {baker street}
  33. a dead man in deptford, anthony burgess {deptford}
  34. a metropolitan murder, lee jackson {baker street}
  35. diary of nobody, george & weedon grossmith {holloway}
  36. 4.50 from paddington, agatha christie {paddington}
  37. the heat of the day, elizabeth bowen {regent's park}
  38. twenty thousand streets under the sky, patrick hamilton {euston road}
  39. the long firm, jake arnott {soho}
  40. mother london, michael moorcok {notting hill}
  41. the necropolois railway, andrew martin {waterloo}
  42. only in london, hanan al-shaykh {bayswater/westminster}
  43. possession, as byatt {british museum}
  44. three men in a boat, kingston upon thames {kingston upon thames}
  45. the tiger in the smoke, margery allingham {mayfair}
  46. towards the end of morning, michael frayn {elephant & castle}
  47. the last days of newgate, andrew pepper {city}
  48. sleep with me, joanna briscoe {bloomsbury}
  49. the queen of the tambourine, jane gardam {merton}
  50. under the net, iris murdoch {camden}
  51. growing yams in london, sophia acheampong {cricklewood}
  52. harry potter & the philosopher's stone, jk rowling {kings cross}
  53. the haunting of alaizabel cray, piccadilly circus {piccadilly circus}
  54. paddington bear, michael bond {paddington}
  55. peter pan, jm barrie {kensington gardens}
  56. stoneheart, charlie fletcher {natural history museum}
  57. stormbreaker, anthony horowotiz {science museum}
  58. madeline in london, ludwig bermelmans {buckingham palace}
  59. this is london, miroslav sasek {st paul's cathedral}
  60. raven queen, pauline francis {tower of london}