Yesterday was a looong day... probably due to the fact that I didn't get to sleep until 1:30 and woke up at 5 to get my homework done. I guess when you are having too much fun, you try not to let sleep become and issue, but unfortunately it does factor in once in a while. Anyway, after trying so hard not to fall asleep in class, my friend and I went on a little excursion to find an infamous curling bridge. See, you have to realise about my friend, she wanted to make a goal whilst here in London and the goal she came up with was to cross all the bridges on the Thames that were on her map. Well that finally being accomplished, she moved onto other bridges over canals, in the parks, and any other footpath over water. She stumbled across this fancy little bridge online and we had to go see it. The pictures of the bridge seemed pretty cool cause it's this bridge that can actually curl up on it self to let the passages of boats through AND amaze the tourists and locals. We were hoping when we got there, it would roll up for us. Well, the problem lied mostly on us trying to find the bridge. My friend really didn't know where it was, just kind of the general area. Actually, she drew a map for us to follow when we got closer to the area. Just one problem--she neglected to put on her homemade map where the bridge was. Which led us to our adventures into Little Venice (which is actually a bonus... cause I've always wanted to see Venice). Basically it was like the canals of Italy--boats traveling up and down stream, little shops off to the side-- just no Italians. It was a pretty area, but my friend was adamant that we find her bridge. We figured out our position (it was on the complete opposite side of where the bridge was--we actually walked in the wrong direction), and tried to find our way back to the area. I figured if we stayed near the water we would be safe. Well, we took one road that I thought curved around with the water, but it took us around a hospital and we lost where the water went. To make a long story short (too late), we finally ended up asking an information place where it was. Come to find out, it was just right around the corner of the tube station. Yay for not knowing where anything is! And it was kind of anti-climatic when we actually got there. I tried to trigger the mechanism to make it curl, but my friend wasn't too keen on busting open the electrical box to do it. So basically we walked for 2 hours to find a bridge that crossed water. Meh.

After our long walk in the rain, we went to go see A Midsummer Night's Dream at an outdoor theatre in Regent's Park. Regent's park holds a lot of memories for me because that was where our college was when I was here two years ago. It was kind of odd being there without my other friend who I was with 2 years ago... but I made up for the homesickness by buying a large bag of chocolate covered hazelnuts that we used to buy together at the tube stop. Ahhh, the memories! Anyway, the show itself was hysterical and the setting was so beautiful. It was a little cold, but the hotness of the actors made it bearable. ;) But some highlights of the show was that Titania's fairies were literally that... fairies (if you know what I mean). The play took on a whole new concept for me because Puck was kind of this homoerotic character that was attracted to Oberon and the motivations for his actions all kind of stemmed from that. I would have never thought of that, but London directors will never cease to amaze you. Another great part about the play was that Demetrius was Scottish and it was so fun to listen to him speak, especially the words of Shakespeare. Be still my heart! As for the players and the play within a play... I have never laughed so hard in my life. Their horrible overacting was so delightful to watch, I was rolling in the aisles. Kudos to you, Shakespeare for the excellent comedy you have provided. As the show ended, we walked through the park and it was so serene. They had some of the trees lit up with lights around the theatre so it almost felt like it was Temple Square at Christmas time...except no snow and no hot significant other to walk around with. But it was magical and leaving the "enchanted forest" of the play, into our own "enchanted forest" of London made the evening an unforgettable one.

Usually if nothing is posted for a day, it means 1) nothing interesting happened; 2) I was too busy studying or doing homework for the next day of class; or 3) I am eloping with Prince William. Guess which one it was yesterday? Okay, it was kind of a mixture between 1 and 2 but I think I can embellish enough where 1 would become obsolete. Let's see how it goes:

So I woke up early and did my laundry, which forces me to get up for the day and feel like I'm doing something productive rather than be a lazy git. But as I was waiting for my laundry to dry I started looking into getting to the Preston Temple which is what I've always regretted not doing every time I was here. So I started doing some research how to get there with my friend (cause dumb BYshmoo rules say I can't go alone... bitter!) and we do some rearranging of our schedules... and by golly, I'm going to the temple on Thursday! I'm so freakin' stoked, you have no idea. Just ask any of my flatmates, I was jumping around as if I was doing the potty dance. It was just nice to know that I will finally make my goal of 3 years actually come to fruition. So that just set off the day to a beautiful start.

That evening, we went to see the play Big White Fog about a black, Chicago family during the depression era. I thoroughly enjoyed the show but two of my favourite things about the show was 1) one of the actors was really cute and totally looked like and reminded me of one of my English friends. At first glance, I really thought it was him onstage... until I realised he's in Japan right now... oh yeah, and he doesn't act. Secondly, there were these characters who came out in these elaborate uniforms of which they were wearing these fluffy admiral hats. I looked at them and thought, "Dude, I soooo need one of those hats for my Dad!" (Only my mum and dad will really get that joke) Anyway, it was very thought-provoking and I thought everything about it was superb.

Just as my day started out happy, it ended happy because I finally was able to eat a doner kebab which I have been longing for since I left Germany. It was delicious!!!! You can't find doner kebabs in the states, which is a crying shame because I go through withdrawals all the time. So I'm glad I got my fix!

Getting British

So although not a huge amount happened today, it was none the less enjoyable.


After class today (of which seemed to drag on forever--but on a high note I got good grade on my midterm... hooray for B.S.ing!), I went to Kensington Gardens, to the Orangery and had a traditional high tea. I got this spectacular cinnamon tea with cheese scones and butter. Mmmmm! Whilst I was there I came to a realization--either America has horrible tea or I've just been making it the wrong way all these years. I've never been a huge tea fan because all these years it smelt good, but it always tasted like coloured water. Well today I actually put some sugar in the tea and it totally accentuated the cinnamon taste. So I don't know if the English just have better tea than us, or I should just try to put sugar in my tea back home. It's an experiment that will just have to wait for another 3 weeks.
(Addendum/funny story to my visit to the Orangery): As we were walking back home through the park, we saw these two pigeons who looked as if they were making out or something. I tried to rationalize the situation, saying to myself that they were just regurgitating food to each other (I know that sounds sick, but I was trying to come up with an explanation, rather than pigeons making out--what animal does that?!) Anyway, upon further examination... I really do think that they were kissing cause all of the sudden, after all the foreplay was done, one of the pigeons jumped on the back of the other pigeon... not really "mounting" the other bird per se, but it literally jumped on the back of it as if it was a pedestal. It was the weirdest thing! I'm not sure if it was some sort of psycho mating process of the Columba Livia, but whatever it was... I was bitter I didn't have my camera with me to take a picture of it! :)

After our biology lesson of bird reproduction in the park, I went to go see Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet on the big screen. The British Film Institute was having a special screening of this 4 hour film on 70mm. I was somewhat hesitant to see it because I didn't know if I had physically recovered from my mental breakdown caused by my 6 month process of working on the show at BYU and I didn't want to go through a relapse. But it was Kenneth Branagh and who can saw no to that attractive face? (After all, we were in a relationship together for a month... according to Facebook). I'm glad I went... Branagh has such a way with Shakespearean words that he truly does become Hamlet. The one downside was that I found myself calling cues at certain parts of the movie, which kind of removed me from the action--stupid habits created by repetition! But the show was spectacular (as usual) and now I know I'm cured from my Hamlet-induced-psychosis. It's amazing what a 20 foot large Kenneth Branagh can do for one's sanity.

Exquisite bliss

I went to the Tate Modern yesterday, basically for one reason, and one reason only... Rodin's The Kiss. I'm not a huge fan of modern art just because I feel like a 4 year old could basically do the same thing... you might as well hang the artwork on a refrigerator, it would make a greater impression on me. But when I was at the Tate last time, I remember just sullenly walking around, not that impressed with anything, then all of the sudden turning the corner and being in the presence of greatness. Amidst all of these neon, gaudy, unintelligible paintings, stood the simplistic, yet passionate sculpture of Auguste Rodin. I was in total awe the first time.. and this time was no different. It took me a while to figure out where it was, wandering around every room until I found it. Then it was all over from there--I just stood there, circling it like a vulture, examining every crevasse, every movement, every connection created. I'm so inspired by this work. To me, this is the quintessential representation of romance and love. I know people may think that it is erotic or provocative, but personally I think it captures the raw emotion of love and the multiple degrees therein. Here are two people passionately in love with each other, but yet, there are aspects of the piece that show their hesitation and unfamiliarity with expressing that love (i.e. his toes are tense and he is unsure how to hold her). I just look at this piece and think... this is what I want my wedding night to be like--expressing a love that neither of us have experienced at that intensity and becoming one with each other, where you are unsure where one body ends and the other begins--doesn't that just sound so romantic? As I was admiring this piece, I came to the conclusion that if I ever decide not to elope and actually have wedding invitations, our picture would be imitating this sculpture (clothes on, of course). I think it would be more artistic and creative than one of those silly invitations of the engaged couple sitting by a tree with a goofy smile on their faces. But as artistic and innovative as my idea may seem... elopement just sounds too sweet to have it be hindered by creative genius. (But I digress). In any case, that was mostly all that happened yesterday. It was pretty crummy weather, so we stayed inside and I found Whose Line is it Anyway episodes online, and just laughed myself to sleep.

P.S. Just a little story for what happened today... I got smashed in a tube door today, trying to catch the train. It hurt, but I caught the train!

Friendships are ageless

I've had a most pleasant day and it's all thanks to a friendship that was made about 7 years ago. On my very first trip to England with my mum and grandmum, we had a very energetic coach driver (American Translation: tour bus driver), who was all smiles and was the only person we had contact with on a daily basis who had a British accent. Anyway, as the years passed, my mum became excellent friends with his mum and they have stayed in contact for the past 6 years through e-mail, instant messaging, and phone conversations. I have been fortunate enough to have become friends with her and her family as well, and every time I visit them, they make me feel just like that--family. Which is basically what my day was. I spent the past 8 and a half hours just chatting about life with this amazing woman who has experienced so much in her life. She is so well-read and extremely intelligent, I become somewhat intimidated when I talk to her, for fear I won't say something academic or philosophical, or I'll make a blunder in my speech and look foolish (I know she would never judge me for such things, but still, the mark would be made). I learn so much from her every time I visit--about history, current political issues, the latest on the art scene in London, etc.-- and the time seems to just fly by. Today we discussed the theatre, wars, society both here and in America, schooling, homosexuality, the Internet, art, boys, making connections/networking, etc. Also, some of her family members stopped by to chat. It was good to see my coach driver friend again. He was still as silly as ever. Her daughter and granddaughter also stopped by and it was wonderful to see them again. She and her family are so welcoming and hospitable and they just make one feel so special. I'm glad I got to visit her again and enjoy her company.

Talk about your long days... I feel like I've been going and going all day today and I'm utterly exhausted right now, but if I don't tell you about my day tonight, I won't remember all the fun details of it tomorrow and you will miss out on all the great activities that went on today. So we travelled to Greenwich (pronounced "gren-itch") where we saw the prime meridian. Basically, it is the line where all the latitudinal lines on the globe are derived from in relation to the prime meridian. Here, the latitude is 0 degrees, 0 minutes and 0 seconds. I started jumping back and forth from one side of the other saying "Look, I'm in one time zone... now I'm in another time zone! Tomorrow.... yesterday... tomorrow... today!" My friend quietly reminded me that it didn't work that way. Bummer! Aside from looking at this giant red line marked on the pavement, there was also a beautiful view of London (just as good--or I would say even better--than the London Eye). I was able to see the other atrocity of London known as the Millennial Dome. In the beginning, I guess the dome was constructed for this magnificent exhibition for the millennium, but nobody came. I think now it has become a huge sports arena, which I guess that means it's good for something. I still think it's ugly. The last thing I saw was a camera obscura which basically is a giant table in a dark room, where in the ceiling is a mirrored pinhole that projects the outside world onto this table. I just thought it was cool to say that I looked at the world on a camera obscura.

After our adventure in Greenwich, we went to go eat lunch at my favourite place-- the Cafe Rouge. I discovered this delicatessen when I lived over here and fell in love with their baguettes. It's a fun atmosphere if you don't mind waiting around for 2 hours to eat and get your check. It's very slow-paced so that you can spend your leisure time enjoying your company and not have to worry about the hustle and bustle of the world. Plus, their food is scrumptious! I had a steak (yes, I splurged... I couldn't help myself) and then I got a cheesecake to top it off. I've been on cloud nine since then.

Then to top off the evening, I went to go see Stomp. I'm going to have to say that this is on my top five list just for how innovative the show is. Basically, it's just a bunch of guys (well, and 3 girls) who go around making percussion of all these household items. The things I remember were: push brooms, matchboxes, buckets, garbage cans and their lids, tin cans, wooden sticks, newspapers, hubcaps, plastic barrels, basketballs, rubber tubing, fast food cups, paper and plastic bags, just simple

hand clapping and toe tapping, and a giant kitchen sink... to name a few. It was so creative and really not a word was spoken. Yet, there were characterizations and even a little bit of a story line. There was even audience participation (I was this close to getting the percussionized newspaper). I was just so impressed at how they could convey messages, meanings, even commands just with body language and facial expressions. All the sudden I found myself clapping to create a rhythm for the show, kind of like a Simon Says game. It was so creative... I would highly recommend it!

Standing out like a tourist

Well, I finally succumbed... I rode the London Eye--the atrocity of England. All these years I've been complaining what an eye-sore this gigantic Ferris wheel on the Thames has been, and here I am, paying out the big bucks to ride it. Sure, it gave a beautiful look of the London City, but 1)I've already seen all the sights; and 2) I could have got a more adventurous ride at Lagoon... but that's just me. I probably will continue to mock "the Eye" just because .

Tonight, I also went to see Billy Elliot. What a highly entertaining show! It's all about this boy from Durham, who's growing up in a town where the miners are striking and instead of learning how to box, he becomes a dancer. The boy who played Billy was from New York and I think this was one of his first performances here because he looked a little nervous throughout the show. But he performed magnificently.. even with an impeccable Durham accent. He was about 13 years old and he did this beautiful ballet number that was spectacular. Another great thing about the show was that after intermission, a guy came out in a Santa suit and started doing stand up comedy with his little HOT, elf friend (emphasis added). Anyway, I thought it was all part of the show, until he started heckling audience members. And lo and behold-- yes, I said 'lo and behold'-- he started heckling me because of my laugh and because I was American (I guess when you don't get some of the British humour, you kind of stand out like a sore thumb). Anyway, he said I had a cute face though, and his HOT elf friend just stood there smiling at me. Man... heckle me all you want, as long as that fit, strapping young gentleman keeps staring at me. I was very tempted to wait outside the stage door and meet said hot gentleman, but my flatmates wanted to get home. I guess I'll just have to go back another night... and this time wear something a little bit more sexy and unforgettable!

Nothing exciting happened yesterday, which is why I didn't post anything. I basically took a midterm and then went and got my hair trimmed and highlighted and then I came home and and went to bed (I think I have narcolepsy). Which is why I didn't say anything... cause really what can you say about any of that?

Not hungry... play with me

I probably should be getting ready for my midterm tomorrow... but who really wants to do that when my faithful readers (thanks Mom) have been left stranded for a couple days, wondering what is going on in the wonderful world of London. So here's a summation of what has happened in the past 48 hours:

Saturday--

-10 am: Went to church

-3 pm: Took a walk in St. James Park, where we saw a bunch of old people marching so we decided to march with them (cause there was music playing and it was like the Pied Piper of Hamlen gathering the children... and we were the children).

-7:30 pm: Went to a fireside with Sen. Smith from Oregon and Sen. Hatch from Utah. It was a great fireside and I saw a couple of familiar faces from Ipswich Stake which was nice. Also, Joe from my present ward was there and he kept giving us math problems to figure out before the meeting started. He's such a cool guy!

-11 pm: Read Cybeline for homework.

-12:30 am: Slept

Then today, not a lot happened. I just went to class and then went and saw A Matter of Life and Death again, because I'm writing on it for my midterm. I got a lot more insights to it, now that I knew what was going on. It's got to be one of my favourite right now!

Today was a fun day, filled with antiques, Russian, and puppets. Early this morning a big group of us went to Portobello Road. Most of us refrained from singing the song, but you could see in each one of our eyes that the melody was playing in our heads. I've been there once before and I remember that I wasn't that impressed with it. Not much has changed. Granted, I went today (which is a Saturday), meaning that the markets are more fun, but I'm not that into antiques. Basically, for those who don't know why this road is famous, it's a big long road/market where they sale oodles and oodles of antiques, ranging from silverware to gramophones. Sadly, it just looks like a bunch of junk someone collected from garage sales over the years. I apologise to anyone who thinks otherwise, this is just my opinion. There were a couple things I enjoyed about the market-- 1) I found a Scottish shop where they were playing Scottish music and I almost started to jig (but I refrained). I was tempted to buy a kilt (but once again, I refrained); 2) I also passed by a couple of shops that were selling German food/chocolate as well as another shop that was selling doner kebabs (another treat I was introduced to in Germany, even though it is a Turkish dish). It just reminded me of my mission and the yumminess of it all. I did refrain on purchasing food (it was 9 am after all... who wants sauerkraut on their breath at that hour?), but I may have to go back just to get a taste of the good ol' days.

After our market walk, we headed over to the theatre where we watched Chekhov's Three Sisters, performed all in Russian. They had super titles and I had read the play previously, so I wasn't too out of the loop. It was a pretty good production, even though it was hard to read what they were saying as well as see their expressions whilst they acted, so that was annoying. But I'm glad I got to see Chekhov performed. I'm not a huge Chekhov fan because most of his plays deal with people just sitting around talking--no action, no special effects--just talking and that to me is somewhat boring. But after watching this production, I could see, if correctly done, Chekhov could be entertaining... even in English. Plus, I got new insight to what was going on, that kind of got skimmed over whilst reading the play.


Next, I'm not going to say too much about it-- just because. I went and saw Avenue Q tonight. It's basically Sesame Street, except for adults. I really enjoyed it because like Sesame Street for kids, it taught about life lessons for adults. It was highly innovative and very funny, and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to see it... and chances are I would go again.

Accosted, kissed and frightened... all in one day

Well, I had an interesting day today (if you couldn't tell by the title of the piece). We went to Covent Garden again today cause I love that place and wanted to peruse the tables some more... you never know when you'll come upon something great. Anyway, about 5 seconds out of the tube station (not exaggerating), a lady came up to us trying to sell something. Then a crazy man with flowers came up trying to sell roses to us. We said, "No thanks," then he took out a rose for each of us and gave them to us. We thought he was just being generous, but then he was like "Now just give me two of the small coins." I thought he just meant like some small coinage, but he meant 2 pounds. It all happened so fast that we just ended up paying him for the roses (interesting sales tactic, if you ask me-- I mean, we did end up buying them). Then he kissed us on the cheek... well to be completely honest, I offered out my cheek to him and he hadn't kissed me, then I turned my face towards him and he wanted to kiss me on the lips. Had it been Ewan McGregor, Prince William, Orlando Bloom or anyone else remotely attractive or famous... maybe. But this guy had rotting teeth, had just spit out a cigarette, and could be my grandfather... ewwww! Anyway, a gave him a very awkward smile and then offered my cheek to him again, and he gave me a rancid, sticky, smelly kiss. Oh well, at least I could say I've been kissed by a British bloke--not really my ideal, but it makes for a crazy story.

This evening we went to another play called Kindertransport. It was a play about this girl who was a German Jew during WWII and she was shipped off to England to be protected. It dealt with her relationship to her mother, surrogate mother and daughter throughout her life. Interesting production, but I wasn't that impressed. When I read the play for class, I had a different outlook of how it was going to be performed and it was a lot different than I imagined. But there was one character known as "the Ratcatcher" who was freaky. Basically the Ratcatcher was based off the Pied Piper of Hamlen, but in this production, he was this ominous figure lurking about in all the shadows. It really was quite scary. For example, when we first noticed him onstage, he was actually sitting in a dark corner when the play starts (he was wearing black and blended in very well), and then all of the sudden he lets his arm fall and you see movement and it was freaky! It is kind of like the movie, When a Stranger Calls Back where the bad guy blends into the brick wall and then all the sudden you see is a pair of eyes open and stare at the main character--- yeah it was just like that. And then the Ratcatcher's character basically had this extremely contorted face, with his mouth wide open and big, buggy eyes... I'm afraid I might have nightmares tonight. Hopefully I get to bed before my roommates do, just so that the light will still be on when I go to sleep.

Comments

So I'm still figuring out how blogging works, so I've changed my settings so that anyone can post a comment and you don't have to be a registered user... and I did it all by myself! So if you want to post, feel free to do so!

This is a random picture my roommate took and it has nothing to do with anything... it just makes my blog look pretty--Sparkle, sparkle.

So today was a pretty fun day... well at least when it started nearing to the late afternoon and evening. I slept in, which was so great because I really haven't done that since I been here, so it was good not having to set my alarm for once. My flatmates and I went to the National Portrait Gallery because one of my flatmates really wanted to go there... and hey--it was free. So we went there and I got somewhat bored really quickly (I looked at one exhibit for 10 minutes because it was a video portrait of this lady who was a neurosurgeon and it just changed ever so slightly from her picture to a cat scan picture of a brain... it was pretty cool), but other than that, I didn't really like the museum. So a couple of us left the museum (they were bored too), and we went to Camden Town were there is a wicked, cool market there. Right outside of the tube station is the hemp-smoking, multi-coloured Mohawk wearing, ghetto market, which is fun, but you have to hold onto your purse real tight. But a little ways down the road is a calmer market where the weirdos don't hang out at. It was really fun to peruse the tables... I even bought myself a leather bracelet.

(Leanda--one of my YW)
Later in the evening, I went to mutual cause I'm in the Young Womens and I want to get to know the girls better... It was so much fun! I love the Young Womens!!! We learned British Sign Language tonight and it was so fascinating. Granted, I don't know a lot about ASL, but I do know the alphabet and the numbers, so it was weird to learn a whole new alphabet and number counting system. It was so much fun! And I totally love the girls there, they are so much fun and I can't wait to get to know them better.

Wicked has some competition

Yes... I've just come home from another show... and no, it wasn't for educational purposes. I went to go see Mary Poppins this evening because I heard it was quite the spectacle to see and that Bert dances on the ceiling. To be honest, I actually was quite sceptical about it all. Mary Poppins is a pretty decent movie, but did I really want to see it performed onstage? Well... you only live once... and what a life it made! In the first 20 minutes my mouth was either in a perma-grin or dropped all the way open in awe. You should have seen this production with the design and dancing and special effects. Just imagine all the cool elements of the movie, like the carpet bag, the room cleaning up itself, the characters jumping into a painting, and Mary Poppins flying in and out of the town... yeah... now put all of that into theatrical form without it looking hokey, and you have the most amazing technical design ever. I wish I could have found a picture of the house set because basically it looked like a doll house with it's front cut off so you could peer inside. But, here's the best part (well one of the best parts)--in the rooftop which basically showed the shingles in the normal setting of the house, when the scene shifted to Michael and Jane's room, the base of the house moved upstage and then the roof was lowered to the ground to reveal their room... it was the coolest design ever!!! I just sat there with binoculars on everything to see how it all worked, it was incredible! And yes... Bert did dance on the ceiling... it was like watching Fred Astaire in A Royal Wedding when he dances around the room--walls and all. I was quite impressed! The only negative aspect of the show was that some of the new songs written for the musical weren't that intriguing, and I was a little put off. However, that being said, the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was one of the most entertaining musical numbers I have ever seen. They basically spelled out the entire word in the song, but they spelled it out through dance as well (kind of like "Give me an S...'S'... give me a U...'U' "... but less cheerleadery and more like spasms/hip-hop on stage) AND they were doing it at the quickest pace ever. I thought their limbs were about to fly off! I was just very entertained by the caliber of this production. But, hey, what do you expect... it's London!

Hehehe... get it?... it says "Never Hide"... and I'm hiding.... I'm so clever!

Yesterday was actually quite a fun day, and I apologize that I didn't write about it sooner... but I had some responsibilities to take care of--namely homework.

In any case, I found out that I am a fan of surrealist art. I always appreciated Dali and thought his work was intriguing, but I've never truly spent time looking at surrealism. The comment is spawned from the fact that I went to a surrealist exhibition at the V&A Museum and examined a lot of surrealist paintings, video clips of nature, and even clothing (many items that I could see myself wearing. There was one dress called Bone Dress which was this cute black number, except there was some fabric slightly embossed to give the indication of a skeletal structure--highly evocative). This painting by Rene Magritte, Portrait of Edward James really hit a cord with me and I'm unsure why. I find it quite intriguing that the mirror reflects the back of Edward James' head, yet the book in the right hand corner is a true reflection. I guess it just evokes the idea that you can never trust reality and that normal expectations can be altered, only giving you another outlook on life. Rather fascinating... at least I think.

After the V&A Museum, we headed across the street to the Science Museum. The science museum is basically a child-at-heart's play land. My friends and I tried all the hands-on activities in the basement, learning about spacial relations, centrifugal force and how a toilet works (it even included a plastic piece of poop to be flushed away... only the best for the British folk). After we learned about physics and how things worked, we headed off to the floor of genetics, which is one of my favourite floors. It has all these games where you can learn about how a person is created and what makes us who we are. There was this one game where it would take your picture and alter your face to either age it or make it more feminine or masculine. Can I just tell you how attractive of a man I made? I know that sounds really weird and awkward, but I would totally date myself. I actually tried to e-mail myself the picture of me, but it didn't get sent, so I may have to go back and prove to you how hot I am.

After our museum excursions, we went to a play called Landscape with Weapon. It was an interesting play about weapons of mass destruction and the people who create them. They made a lot of insightful arguments that made me question the people behind the machine. Ned (the man sitting) was this engineer for a piece of technology that was supposed to be used for precision in surveillance, which becomes weaponized and a whole moral debate ensues. One of the most impressive arguments was the example of a kitchen knife and how it is used mainly for cooking. However, if wielded in a psychopath's hands, it becomes a dangerous weapon. But we will not stop making knives just because part of its dual purpose can be deadly. (I know I haven't articulated myself that well, but it made an interesting point). But for all the people who aren't interested in random plot synopsis or philosophical debate, here's some Hollywood news for you. The actor who played Ned is the man in Pirates of the Caribbean 2 named Cutler Beckett who is the head of the East India Trading Company who wants Davy Jones' heart. And the actor who played Dan (the guy standing) was in the movie Notting Hill (he played the 'Time Out' journalist). It was kind of funny how many people in our group soon became more interested in the play when they realised we were in the presence of fame who've worked with such hot actors like Johnny Depp and Hugh Grant. Can you say star-struck? I personally didn't care that much--however if it had been Ewan McGregor, that would have been a whole nother story. But speaking of star-struck, we will be seeing King Lear with Sir Ian McKellen (Gandolf, Magneto), which I probably will hyperventilate over cause it's SIR Ian McKellen!

It's 3:00 am and granted I'm not tired, but I have to wake up in about 4 hours for class and I know I will be exhausted if I don't go to bed right now (I just barely finished writing my papers for class... and you say I don't do any studying!!!!). So I will fill you in on the details of yesterday/today... tomorrow/today (did that make sense?) Cheers!

See... this is me being all studious in my room!

War

I've just come back from a fireside with a British man who experienced WWII as a child. It never ceases to amaze me when I hear stories about survivors of the war, whether they be American, British or German. I remember speaking to this one woman here in London, telling me all about how during the Blitz, her mum would take her and her brothers down into the bomb shelter and just hold them in her arms as the sounds of planes and bombs echoed outside. I'm so impressed by the European spirit and what kind of people have been shaped by these atrocious events. The man tonight talked about how all the hardships of his past just gave the himself (and English people) more resolve to carry on with life. He discussed how a couple years ago when there were bombings here on the bus and tube, how so many people weren't even phased by it, and the next morning were out and about with their briefcases to go to work.

I wonder what my life would be like if I had to go through such an experience like that... whether or not I would be able to carry on with life, or if I would seclude myself and become a hermit. Just the thought of hearing houses exploding or the hum of war planes above, sends shivers down my spine and I tense up. What would a life like that really, truly be like?

So I'm pretty sure nothing eventful is going to happen this evening, so I might as well get this blog out now. Church was fun and I was able to go to young women's, which was so much fun. There was about 5 girls there total, but they were all really cute and I can't wait to get to know them. As for the rest of church, sadly, I kept nodding off (oh no... I'm turning into my father), so I really don't remember it that well. And now I have homework. So here's a pic to keep you satisfied.

London Theatre Study Abroad Group

Saturday's Nature Walk

I apologize for yesterday, but after walking/hiking for 10 miles... you would be a little tired too. Anyway, the details of said nature walk consisted of 1) being in Shoreham (a little city in the county of Kent); 2) mostly walking through English forests and wide open fields ("The hills are alive"... anyone); and 3) lasting almost 6 hours... without even a toilet. It was actually a fun hike (although my legs would disagree) because I really got to know people in my group a bit more. Plus, the people from the BYU center came as well, which made us stand out like none other.
back of the line (can you even see the end?)..............................................................front of the line.

I would say more about the hike, but you can only embellish greenery so much, and I'm not what you would call a botanist, so you would get descriptions like, "little, green, leafy thing, with pointiness). So as they say... a picture paints a thousand words.

It's late...

I'll share more tomorrow.

It never gets any easier

I went to go visit an old mate of mine, whom I met when I was studying here at uni about 5 years ago. I had a free day for myself and it was his birthday a couple of weeks ago, so I promised I would take him out as a present to him. But the wonderful friend that he is, made me a delicious English dinner (and probably the most healthy and well-prepared meal that I will get here during this trip). For his birthday, we went and saw Goodbye Batana, which is a film about Nelson Mandela. I wish I knew a little bit more about Mandela, but the film did inspire me to learn more about the history of South Africa. Then we went and bought ice cream from Tesco's, headed back to his place and watched The Notebook and played gin (a great card game that he and I used to play at uni until all hours of the morning... good memories). He also showed me around his hometown, which consisted of concrete cows (a Milton Keynes trademark), the Milton Keynes Eye (like the London Eye, but in Milton Keynes), and the giant snow dome where you can snowboard, ski, or sled in this massive, man-made, snow-capped hill. Odd, but noteworthy.

I had so much fun with him and it was great to see his face again. The last time I saw him was 2 years ago when I was here last and I don't think I will see him for another 2 years, if that. And I got to thinking how much fun we had at uni together. We made a life-long friendship, that nothing will ever come between, regardless of how much time passes. I remember how eventful that time was for me 5 years ago. I was living in a foreign land with no friends, no one I could talk to... and then there was Ian... who came out of the blue and we hit it off pretty quickly. He was so kind and quirky, that I couldn't help but be drawn to his goofiness (don't worry... no romantic stuff here... he bats for the other team). One of the first memories I have of him is he bringing me flowers and chocolates for Thanksgiving because he knew it was an American holiday and he didn't want me to be alone for it. So I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home with him (and Ewan McGregor).

It was really hard for me to say goodbye to him once again. I just stood there in the car park, hugging him and not really wanting to let go. Saying goodbye (even if this is my 3rd time doing it) is never easy, and as the train rode off, quiet tears rolled down my cheek. I got really reflective on my train ride home tonight... reliving all the past memories I made at the University of Essex. I longed for those days again, where we would all gather in the kitchen and chat about the world, about our classes, about our lives. But those days can never come back... they are locked away in a vault in my mind, only to be released when reminiscing comes to claim me and my thoughts. If anyone ever asked me what moment in time I would relive, it would have to be the time I spent in Colchester. That was a time I knew who I was, I knew what I was doing, I knew where I was going, and I was truly happy.

I guess that's why I keep coming back here, hoping to find that same person who was created here those 5 years ago. Whether or not I find her... well I guess that's up to me.

8 shows in 7 days

Okay, so I know it kind of seems like overkill for me to see so many shows the first week I get here, but I figure I don't know what the end of my time here will look like, especially if I have final papers to write, so I'll see all the shows I possibly can now. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to keep up this pace for long... sooner or later the purple bills in my wallet will be non-existent (meaning--"goodbye moolah"). The thing is, a few of these shows I already have tickets for because of the theatre programme, but sometimes sitting and analysing performances (don't you just love British spellings), puts a little wear-and-tear on the brain, so I need another performance to just sit back and enjoy without putting any theoretical spin on it--of course that happens regardless, but it's not on my own volition... it just comes with the territory.

So the two shows I saw today were The Reporter (homework) and The 39 Steps (entertainment). The Reporter was a play we read for class and then watched the performance to see how the text was put into production. It was basically about the BBC reporter Jim Mossman and his life. I understood the theme of the play, but it was kind of hard to get all what was going on because it was based on real life facts and I didn't know so much about the history of BBC television. So there were a lot of jokes and references which eluded me, which was kind of frustrating. But I'm a dumb, ignorant, American... what do I know?

The 39 Steps also had a lot of references, only this one referred to Alfred Hitchcock movies, which I also don't know too much about, but it didn't make the show any less entertaining. Basically it took all of Hitchcock's films and placed it into one show. I did figure out the allusion to The Birds and North by Northwest, but that was about it. But here was the best about the show... it was a cast of 4 playing about 140 characters in all. It was one of the most funny and entertaining things I ever saw. There were moments where the actors changed between 3 characters on stage at once. I don't know how the actors kept from screwing up their accents for each character, as well as fight off schizophrenia. It was such a creative production! My favourite part had to be when the main character was being chased on a train and he was supposed to be on top of the train. So the actor stood on a trunk and began waving his coat tails behind him to represent the wind... it was the most creative and hysterical thing I have ever seen. I think I might just be running around London doing that same motion, pretending that I'm on the top of a train (People already think I'm nuts here anyway).

Lastly, just a few random joys of the day... I had a Double Magnum Ice Cream Bar, first one of the trip (I basically said that to make my mum jealous... mwahahahaha!) and I also found myself a Feodora. You might not think that last fact is interesting, but I have been wanting a Feodora for a year now, and I finally got one. And might I say, I look so dang sexy in it. Take that Judy Garland!