Jumping Through Hoops

Farewell....for now.

2010-03-05T21:43:00.001Z

I have decided to put to bed Jumping Through Hoops for now to focus on my travel blog:

http://way-to-wayfare.blogspot.com/

Please stop by and check it out.

Thanks for reading. Mwah xx

Productivity: Low

2010-02-19T15:54:00.002Z

Today has been nothing short of a nightmare. I have already been on no less than FOUR bus journeys. Two of these were as a result of me going to the supermarket this morning without my house keys and then having to go to Ollie's studio in Walworth to pick up his. My boyfriend now thinks I'm a forgetful scatterbrain. Bus journeys in London have the potential to be hell on earth - particularly during half term when throngs of screeching kids descend upon the buses and somehow claim the territory as their own. By the time I got home my nerves were in shreds and for a moment I considered giving up the lent experiment for the small pleasure of having a nice Marlboro Light and a glass of wine on the balcony.

I am actually beginning to think that abstaining from cigarettes and alcohol is not affecting my stress levels too much - I think this morning would have stressed me out regardless of the amount of artficial mood-enhancers in my lungs/veins - I'm just having to find new ways to unwind. For example, today I decided that half an hour laying on the sofa under a blanket and watching Tribe would be a perfect remedy. It was.

So my first day off in ages has been much less productive than I thought it would be. Oh well xx

The Lent Experiment

2010-02-17T13:23:00.002Z

So yesterday was pancake day, and I completely forgot until the late afternoon once in the midst of essay hell and it was too late to haul-ass to Sainsbury's to buy pancake mix. This is a total shame as it is one of my favourite days of the year. Not only because you get to eat copious amounts of pancakes (yum) but you also get to stuff your face without feeling guilty. It is traditionally the day in which you prepare for the period of self-denial known as Lent.

Last year I gave up chocolate for Lent. Unfortunately this ended about a week in after I completely forgot and baked a whole bunch of chocolate chip cookies. Ooops. The year before I gave up caffeine which only resulted in me being a nightmarish creature - I think just about everybody was offering to buy me coffee just to put an end to my murderous mood. However, in 2010 I have decided to step up my game a little and give up cigarettes AND alcohol for the forty day lent period. I have been trying to give up cigarettes for about three years and even after my most successful attempt that I began on New Years' Eve, I have found myself succumbing to the temptation of the foul-smelling, evil, wonderful, beautiful, disgusting habit. So I am hoping that if I can get through these forty days, I will be able to kick it forever. Also, I have been drinking moderately heavily pretty much solidly since the age of 22, so it would be good to give my body a rest also.

As I am always partial to a good experiment, I yesterday made a list of all of my physical, mental and emotional characteristics, so that I can see if any of them improve as a result of this period of abstinence. I have two things that I must try to do during this period. 1. Not give into temptation under any circumstances. 2. Not replace cigarettes and alcohol with food. I will be keeping a daily journal of my progress, snippets of which I will add into the blog. So wish me luck!

Also, in an act of support, Ollie has decided to give up meat for 40 days which Im sure will also be very challenging. We walked past the hog roast stand in Dulwich this morning and I could see him salivating. I think I will need to take him out for a great big steak at Easter xx

Anti-Valentines

2010-02-15T16:55:00.004Z

So Sunday morning Ollie and I got up before it was light for our super-early drive back to Southampton. Our prediction that most people would be tucked up having Valentines breakfast in bed whilst listening to power ballads was right - the roads were clear and we made it back here in under two hours. The journey was ace, although it soured when once we got out of London and lost the signal of the radio station we were listening to and had to endure cliched love songs and sickening dedications on Radio 2.

Valentines Day has never really been something that either of us have done, I think the most into it we ever got was when Ollie sent some flowers to the house when he was touring in the US, but ordinarily we try to have something of an anti-Valentines. This year was no exception. Ou Valentines day was spent in my parents' local country pub celebrating Papa's birthday and before heading back to their house to eat Chinese food and the coffee-flavoured birthday cake I spent the afternoon making for them. Today Ollie and I went to visit my Nan for more food and a HELL of a lot of tea (she sure knows how to make it though, so I can't complain). I'm currently camped out on the sofa at Ollie's parents' house, reading yesterday's Sunday Times supplmements and hanging out with my favourite furry friend Baxter.

There's something nice about occasionally getting out of London for the weekend and spending time with family. It's definitely worth forsaking partaking in the commercial exploitation and pointlessness that is Valentines day for xx

Happy News

2010-02-13T20:35:00.002Z

Am also very pleased to tell you all about the engagement of my dear friends Matt and Adrienne. Very exciting news xx

Dry Day

2010-02-13T20:25:00.003Z

I am writing this blog possibly at the most tired I have ever been. You know when you get so tired that your eyes droop and twitch and you can't formulate sentences? That, right now, is me. I can pinpoint exactly where this fatigue has come from: two weeks of late nights and more specifically, choosing to meet Ollie and Matt in the Beehive yesterday after work instead of going home and sleeping before my double shift today. So I guess I have nobody to blame but myself.

It is now 8.30 and I fully intend to be bathed and in bed before 10pm. And on a Saturday night. Although in my normal universe this seems unthinkable, in the parallel universe I currently inhabit, this sounds nothing short of blissful. I have a Lush bath bomb and some clean pyjamas and that is all I need right now. I'm already swimming in alcohol so another day of drinking may actually tip me over the edge.

Some Very Sad News

2010-02-11T15:39:00.002Z

When I first came to London and I was skint I took a walk down Bond Street, pausing by the Alexander McQueen window and promising myself I would one day buy this dress.

RIP Alexander McQueen - an amazing designer and true Londoner xx

Balancing Act

2010-02-11T11:47:00.002Z

Tallulah Bankhead once said "It's the good girls who write the diaries because the bad girls don't have the time." Now no offence to Tallulah (who is one of my all-time heroes), but sometimes being good will restrict your time also. And sometimes the combination of both good and bad behaviour can be responsible for neglecting your diary/journal/blog. The last couple of weeks this combination has been my downfall and led to me doing no writing whatsoever. Confused? Let me explain.

Since the whole ordeal of Christmas became officially over, it has become increasingly difficult to return to a new routine. I still can't put my finger on why this is, but I have found myself becoming quite frustrated about how I didn't have everything in my life completely under my own control. To combat this, I began embarking on completely impossible projects to attempt to turn myself into an organised human being. This luckily came to a halt before I went completely insane when a friend told me that in fact nobody is completely in control of their own life and that I was just the same as most other people who feel like they are losing it. And these words were coming from the most Superwoman-esque person I know.

So then I decided that I was just actually going to chill out a bit and not worry. Which was great until things began to pile up when I neglected stuff I had to do in favour of the pub or an old movie marathon and I started running really low on money as I hadn't found a part-time job. Then it occurred to me that that the most difficult thing for me to do was to find the middle ground. I have always kind of been this all-or-nothing person who is completely unable to do anything in moderation. This is why my weight continually fluctuates, why I cannot be a social smoker and why I often change my mood every hour on the hour. So in order to combat this I have been attempting to balance one action with another. For example, eat a pizza but cycle to uni the next day. Chain smoke at the pub, no smoking for two days afterwards. Spend loads of money on a dress, don't go out for dinner for the whole of next week.

So am planning on living by this but it sometimes becomes difficult when life gets in the way. For example, the last week has been a crazy hectic time of uni, work, essays and various social engagement which include over-eating, chain smoking and over-indulging in inebriating substances. And to compensate I have been completely virtuous when it comes to managing the home, have been reading a whole bunch of books in preparation for my dissertation and have been cycling back and forth to New Cross in arctic weather conditions. So THIS is why I haven't been writing. It doesn't even make much sense to me, so I doubt it will to many of you.

In other news, am planning a trip to South America for 2012. I know it's a really long way away but it will cost £4,000 and I need to SAVE xx

Weekend Ahead

2010-01-29T15:17:00.002Z

So tonight I am going to put on my dancing shoes and go on a night out for the first time since getting back from Holland. Essay deadlines + lack of funds + home improvement projects = hermit Gempop. As soon as I finish this I am going to rifle through my wardrobe and find something suitable to wear.

In other news, I have a training day tomorrow and the lovely Adrienne is flying in from Toronto once again which is very exciting. Also I am in the mood for some serious cooking and baking, so will be making everybody goodies from my favourite cookbook xx

In a Sense We're Exactly the Same

2010-01-29T08:42:00.002Z

Tonight I will be dancing to all of these:

Like I used to in my bedroom in '97 xx

Hooray for Gingers

2010-01-26T22:48:00.002Z

Last night I dyed my hair and it went bright red. I looked awful - pale and about five years older (shudder). So this morning I had to undertake a major rescue attempt on my poor ravaged locks. So I put on a beret and hotfooted it to the nearest chemist to see what I could do to make myself look less like a safety match. I decided that a light-mid ash brown would be the best option to counteract the brightness and it worked. Kind of. I now have hair that is the colour of merlot, and although it is still too dark for my tragically pale skin tone, I am starting to get used to it (despite the fact that Mike greeted me with "Hello Goth - not letting that one slide).

Went for some little drinks at the Union with Sam, Mike, Jen Ven and her friend Louise and then for a yummy and cheap dinner at The Thailand in New Cross before braving the baltic bus journey back home. Jen is going to Borneo and not only am I super jealous, I'm going to miss her LOADS xx

Centre of....what??

2010-01-25T19:28:00.003Z

So today was a struggle. My shiny new blackberry decided to play a little trick on me and disable its alarm, which made me sleep in until 9.15. This is unfortunately the time that I have to leave to be in time for a ten o'clock lecture as the bus service from East Dulwich to New Cross is not that great (TFL - take note: There are indeed Goldsmiths students living in SE22. And not just me - I met three third years who live on Lordship Lane). So I missed my Africa lecture and instead decided to accompany Ollie to the emergency room at Moorfields Eye Hospital. So it may sound a little ridiculous, but we stopped in Pret in Finsbury Square for a little spot of lunch on the way (the eye emergency is not a real 'emergency' etc) because we skipped breakfast and also because Ollie injured himself skateboarding with John Allen at the weekend and cannot far/fast enough.

Emergency rooms are all full of crazies. Groups of people sat on those little plastic chairs which are wayyyy too close together complaining about everything from the waiting time to the lack of Diet Coke in the vending machine. It all smells of generic cleaning fluid and piss. After a spending a little while there trying to read my book whilst ignoring the guy opposite me who was shouting across the room at his wife despite the fact that she was deaf, I had to leave my broken boy there to get home in time to receive some deliveries. He arrived back a few hours later feeling he had completely wasted his afternoon. I put the kettle on.

Also today I discovered from reading The Londonist website, that the actual geographical centre of London is close to Lambeth North Underground Station, which is a mere 4.6 miles from my flat. Closer than when I lived in Hampstead, Golders Green and Forest Hill. The only more 'central' flat I lived in was when I was so central I could practically smell the tulips in Russell Square. I suddenly feel as though I am not so much in the periphery as I originally thought xx

Painty-Paint

2010-01-24T21:10:00.002Z

My apologies for not writing a single thing last week - sadly the essays I had to do momentarily took over my life. Unless it was regarding psychiatry in colonial Africa, the boundaries of the human in medieval literature or the Indian resistance movement - I was not giving it the time of day. The last essay was completed on Thursday and I am now a happy girl once again. I even gave myself a little day off on Friday as a reward for all of my hard work. I spent the majority of the day in my pyjamas watching lovely films and eating ice cream. It is a great source of annoyance that all of my days cannot be spent like this, although I would eventually get bored with it. Anyway, my first me-day of the year was a good one.

Ollie and I spent the majority of the weekend undertaking tasks relating to our flat. We have decided that it is indeed time to step up our game and dive into some serious home improvement projects. I am one of those people who can gladly spend all day looking at paint charts and fabric samples. Reading the Habitat catalogue is my idea of fun. However, the difference between playing interior designer and playing full-on painter and decorator are very different, as I have learned today. Spending five hours applying (beautiful) olive paint to my living room wall has left me with a bad back and paint-encrusted hair and nails it took a VERY long shower to remove. However, it will all be worth it soon when we can have a complete overhaul of every wall. After all, there is nothing more depressing than magnolia.

Have just read this and realised that I need some drunken debauchery quite soon to balance out all of my domesticated tasks.

Aside from this, we had a lovely Saturday lunch at The Plough in East Dulwich (love that place) with the Harcourt-Smiths and spent much of the afternoon playing with adorable little Anna. Have also been reading The Motorcycle Diaries, which I cannot seem to put down xx

What is in My Purse?

2010-01-16T16:49:00.003Z

Debit Card, very old and scratched.

Oyster Card, very shiny and new as Ollie broke the last one when I lent it to him.

Loads of little Eindhoven bus tickets from when we stayed there over new year.

A train ticket from Eindhoven to Amsterdam.

A tube ticket from Heathrow dated Boxing Day when I met my Dad from the airport.

A piece of letterhead paper from the Millennium Hotel in Jakarta with my uncle and aunt's email addresses written on in blue pen.

A train ticket from Farringdon to Peckham Rye on my last day at UKSIF.

Several other train tickets for New Cross Gate, Old Street, East Dulwich, Peckham Rye and Farringdon.

A very old and frayed provisional license I got in May 2002. Still can't drive.

A key-card for the Premier Inn in Bristol.

My credit card.

A business card for Panther Cars in East Dulwich.

My Goldsmiths student ID. I look totally fucked off in the photo.

Boots Advantage Card.

Aeroplan Airmiles Card.

A receipt for a skinny latte from Costa Coffee in New Oxford Street.

A receipt for a very expensive and sub-par lunch I had in Calais.

A receipt for drinks at the Old Thameside Inn with Sam and Brock on a VERY cold day in December.

Two Sainsburys receipts - one for cigarettes and one for organic houmous. Now I am only permitted to be addicted to one of those.

65 pence.

And lastly, a very special Angkor Pass from my trip to Cambodia. To remind me that with not smoking I will have more money to travel.

Not OK to Hunt the Fox

2010-01-11T20:25:00.004Z

OK, so I know I had a little rant about fox hunting a little while ago, but I'm going to do it again. There is something seriously wrong with people who hunt innocent animals FOR FUN. OK, so I know that foxes are pests and need to be dealt with, but I really object to a bunch of red-coated toffs jollying around the countryside cheering when they've terrified and torn to shreds a sentient being.

If you feel strongly about this issue PLEASE look at the stance of the different political parties before voting at the next general election. It is strongly rumoured that the Conservatives will seek to support the Countryside Alliance and overturn the ban on fox hunting. This is terrifying. More info to follow on this once I have found something concrete xx

Where I Belong

2010-01-10T15:23:00.000Z

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this week of being at home - of course I've bitched about it relentlessly, but actually it's been wonderful. For the first time since I moved in I have actually had some time to enjoy my flat and to give it a bit of love and attention. Last night Matt, Viv and Victoria all came over for dinner after a long day of moving Matt's stuff into the new flat, and after they left Ollie and I sat in the middle of our living room floor and made plans to create the most amazing living room where all of our friends could come, hang out, eat, drink and be happy. If what they say on the news is true and we are moving into a colder world, I am going to make sure that all the time I will be spending indoors is going to be lovely xx

Cabin Fever is Beginning to Set In

2010-01-08T22:47:00.000Z

OK, so this has officially been the most uneventful week ever. I have tried really really hard not to procrastinate today, but alas there were distractions from my work. This afternoon I trekked all the way across the street to look at Matt and Adrienne's new flat. It was very, very empty. No furniture at all and, more importantly, no Adrienne as she is still in Canada. However, it's a great place and just across the road from ours so we have a couple of new Dulwich neighbours.

Seeing somebody else's new home has spurred me on a little to make a couple of little purchases to brighten up my own. At present we are still awaiting the HUGE corner couch from Habitat (which is going to be a wonderful setting for the many League of Gentlemen marathons I plan on having with my travel chums) so I might do a little online shopping for some lampshades and cushions. Interior design, by the way, is not the new rock'n'roll, it's just that I have been deprived of a social life this week and am becoming somewhat domesticated. Next week I will get drunk on Moscow Mules and fall off my heels, just to create some balance.

In other news: Ollie is playing a gig in Kings Cross tonight which I am sadly missing due to my essay-shaped ball and chain, I have now been one week without smoking and I skidded on the ice on Barry Road a grand total of 7 times today. Hooray xx

Procrastinating #642

2010-01-07T21:42:00.000Z

Oh dear

I am supposed to be working on three essays but there are so many distractions. Tomorrow I really have to knuckle down and eradicate the following from my consciousness: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, cookery books, my new Ministry of Sound Electric 80s CD, the fridge, Dulwich Mum blog, travel guides about the Transsiberian Railway and Vogue. At least for tomorrow.

Last year when I was supposed to be revising for my exams I went on a total baking frenzy and spent hours making some hideously complicated but absolutely delicious cupcakes and have been known even to resort to hardcore cleaning in order to avoid work. Perhaps I should make it a news year's resolution - STOP PROCRASTINATING!! xx

A Minute to Myself

2010-01-06T21:10:00.000Z

I hope you'll forgive me, but I'm not going to go into detail about my christmas period. I've written it and deleted it about five times now and wayyy too much happened for me to put it into words. Besides, I don't think words could do it justice. One day. Just not now.

(I've given up smoking and my patience is low)

London is a very beautiful and snowy place at the moment and I am currently in a 'love' phase with it once again despite the fact that I have no footwear entirely suitable for navigating its icy paths (need some spikes or snow boots or something). We had to wait a bit longer than the rest of the country for the snow to arrive, and I spent lots of time on Facebook and Twitter last night enjoying everybody's updates but looking wistfully out of the window at a very dry garden. However, at about 11.30pm the snowflakes began to fall and when I woke up this morning there was a beautiful blanket of snow in the car park and garden outside my window, untouched except for a few fox trails.

I actually made it into central London today as I just had to go to SOAS and do some work on my Africa essay. Sam and I managed to put in about three hours of work until we got distracted by the increasingly heavy snowfall and gathered up our hats, scarves and gloves excitedly yelling "SNOW!!" Much to the disgust of some particularly grumpy students on the bank of desks opposite. We went out into Russell Square and walked (skidded) all the way to Covent Garden. Then we stopped to get the best type of fuel for a snow day - Crussh soup.

And I found £20 on the pavement. Result.

I love the way that snow days bring out everybody's sense of fun. OK, buses terminate miles from your house and it's bitingly cold and the pavements are slippy, but who can resist picking up a little snowball and throwing it at a neighbour or helping the local kids with their snowman? My bus kicked me off at Peckham Rye this evening and I walked all the way back to East Dulwich having conversations with people along the way. Would this happen on a normal bog-standard grey London day?

Some Time to Reflect

2010-01-03T11:24:00.000Z

I have decided that today is my 'free day' - a day where I will not consider work or essays but sort out all of the little jobs in my house that I have been intending to do since about mid-November. Therefore I have also resolved to delay the writing of my blog until tomorrow. However, I have decided to compile a little photographic round-up of 2009 to get myself all nice and nostalgic. Enjoy xx

Seeing in 2009 at Ivans Retreat, Brixton with Claire, Ollie and Will - January 2009

Mette, Jessie, Beatrice, Nic and Myself at Vincent Kane's Show at 93 Feet East, Brick Lane - February 2009

Myself and Jade on a very drunken night at Ye Olde Axe, Hackney - February 2009

My favourite neighbour Samantha Freds and myself enjoying the snow (skive) day in the Horniman Gardens, Forest Hill - February 2009

Celebrating Laura's Birthday in Brockley - January 2009

In Pompeii - April 2009

Recreating an old picture outside of the Colosseum in Rome - April 2009

Hannah, Jade, Cas, Laura, Laura and Myself outside of the Reichstag in Berlin - April 2009

Sam and I on the day we skived our lecture and had a renegade picnic in the courtyard of Chesterman Halls in New Cross - March 2009

One of the Foxberry Road House Parties - March 2009

At the Temple of Literature in Hanoi - June 2009

My BFI Leaving Drinks in Fitzrovia - May 2009

Ollie's Birthday BBQ at our old flat in Forest Hill - June 2009

Beatrice, Sam, Nic, Mette and Myself at Sam's Birthday Party in New Cross - May 2009

In Sorrento - April 2009

Sam and I at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia - June 2009

Brock and I in a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - June 2009

In Saigon - June 2009

In Hoi An - June 2009

Jen, Nic, Sam and I in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - June 2009

Serena, Jen and I at an outdoor screening of Slumdog Millionaire in Peckham Rye - September 2009

Sam, Mette, Myself and Laura at the wedding of Nic and Tom, Tunbridge Wells - August 2009

Ollie and I with the Bride and Groom at the wedding of Ryan and Caroline, Romsey, Hampshire - July 2009

With Rowena at the wedding of Sarah-Jane and Chris on the Southbank - July 2009

In Bangkok - July 2009

Our mis-matched Halloween in New Cross - October 2009

At the engagement party of Simon and Natalie in Bristol - November 2009

Flash Fiktion gig at the Brixton Windmill - November 2009

With Sam and Laura at I Love the 90s in Islington - October 2009

Arsie's Visit to London - September 2009

In Amsterdam - December 2009

Ollie, Myself and Sam in Bruges - December 2009

Brock's Visit to London - November 2009

David Bowie Night at Feeling Gloomy, Islington - December 2009

In Paris for my 26th Birthday - November 2009

And finally... where 2009 ended - in the hot-tub at Mike's parents' house in Eindhoven, Holland - December 2009

New Year, New Blog

2009-12-28T15:56:00.000Z

Dear Readers

I have been unable to write my blog of late as the sheer amount of alcohol and christmas food I have consumed have made my fingers too fat to type. I hope you have all had a wonderful christmas. I am off to Holland in the morning and, due to the liberal attitude of the Dutch government towards certain errrmmm.... inebriating substances, I doubt I will be in any state to write until my return.

In that case I wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year and leave you with the promise of writing much more in 2010.

With love

GP xx

Home Sweet Home

2009-12-14T11:11:00.000Z

One of the best things about families are that they make the most amazing houseguests, and when they come to stay they make you enjoy your own home all the more. Yesterday Ollie, Will, Claire and I all went Christmas shopping in Oxford Street which was extremely productive albeit very scary and then headed back to the flat for Harissa Chicken (Quorn) and an evening drinking more mulled cider and watching Spaced.

Have three more days in London then am off to Southampton for Christmas with the family. Getting pretty excited now.

Sorry - this is a picture from New Year's Eve last year. Am not as snap-happy as I once was xx

Christmas is Coming...and I Only Just Got It....

2009-12-12T17:07:00.000Z

So have had lots of thinking time over the past few days and am feeling much better. I have also had the benefit of lots of speaking time courtesy of my most wonderful friends and have had some good advice with which I can move forward.

Thursday I was taken to Vanilla Black for my work Christmas celebration and had the most wonderful lunch: baked beetroot terrine with horseradish cream and pickled fennel; followed by celeriac and sage dauphinoise, bergamot braised leeks and spinach puree; followed by sugar and spice tart with roasted satsumas and finally huge amounts of coffee with beautiful chocolate cups filled with white chocolate and Baileys. It was absolutely spectacular and such a rare experience to be able to choose ANYTHING on the menu (I rarely frequent veggie restaurants due to all of my non-veggie friends). I drank lots of wine and stumbled home to fall asleep in front of the TV.

Yesterday Will and Claire arrived from Southampton, which was exciting. I cooked us all some risotto and then we headed to the Amersham Arms to watch the band play. The gig was ace but the drinks were ridiculously expensive. Every time I spilled a drop it was like pound coins falling out of my glass. How a place in New Cross can charge £5 to get in and then £3.30 for a CAN of Red Stripe is beyond me. One good review in Time Out and they think they're the Koko. Oh dear.

Today we had a lie-in and then walked down to Forest Hill to check out the Horniman Museum. We wandered around the music gallery, the African worlds exhibition and looked at the Darwin 500 Wildlife Photography exhibition, the review of which will be the first entry in my new travel blog which is being started soon (just as soon as I figure out the last few minute details!) So exciting.

However, far from travelling, right now I am curled up in my flat in my enormous Goldsmiths hoodie about to construct a cheeseboard to have with the lovely homemade mulled cider that Will and Claire bought us. Loverly xx

Rest

2009-12-09T21:27:00.001Z

I have to get this out before normal service resumes.

At the moment I'm pretty tired and confused. It's been a heavy couple of weeks. I just need space and sleep. I will figure it all out in time but at the moment I just need to take some time to listen to my own voice and the voices of those around me. I'm not down or sad, it's just that something has shifted within me and I need to readjust. Rest assured, though, I am fine. For one thing I am way to bloody-minded to let it get me down. I apologise if this makes little sense. I'm going to write it off as some kind of self-therapy.

There.

Useless

2009-12-06T22:13:00.000Z

Rest assured, I have not abandoned my blog. I have the worst case of Saigon Syndrome ever bought on by a week of fun, American and Canadian visitors and some excessive drinking. Aim to have a full account of this week in words by mid-week. Until then, my apologies.

LY xx

Weekend with the American

2009-11-29T21:38:00.000Z

So I am totally procrastinating right now. I should in fact be writing my presentation which I have to give tomorrow morning on the subject of western psychiatry in colonial Africa. However, I am just not feeling it. I am pretty knackered to be honest, and I can't figure out whether this is tiredness through cooking, eating and drinking all day or sympathy jet-lag for Brock who passed out at around 9pm.

So this weekend was the long-awaited arrival of everybody's favourite travel buddy Brock and knowing that he had jet-lag, we thought instead of dragging him into London on a major sightseeing tour, we would have a weekend at my flat so that we could all hang out, catch-up and do nothing too energetic. Plus, it has not stopped RAINING the whole time he has been here. Sam and I went to Heathrow to meet him yesterday and took him on what must have seemed like the most complicated and ridiculous journey back to East Dulwich. There we hooked up with Ollie and Jen and trekked down to the Plough (which is where I seem to take all out-of-towners) for some London Pride, Addlestones Cider and large portions of pub-grub. Then we walked back in the rain to my flat for more drinks, some League of Gentlemen (what else?) and card games.

Today, Sam and Jen came back over to the flat and we drove up to Sainsburys for supplies before embarking on the most immense Sunday lunch I've had since I used to visit my Grandma in Devon as a child. We had olives, chips, sundried tomatoes and a cheeseboard of four different kinds of cheeses including Gruyere, Stilton, White Stilton with Apricots and Brie and crackers (Brock was amazed at how much cheaper it is to buy cheese here than in the States and went a little crazy at the cheese counter). This was followed by an enormous dinner of roast chicken (stuffed squash for the veggies), stuffing, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots, broccoli and huge amounts of gravy. If this wasn't enough to put us in a total food coma, we then had treacle tart and cream with lots of coffee before crashing out on huge floor cushions to watch Miller's Crossing and complain about how full we were.

So now Brock has crashed out, Ollie is in the living room watching Top Gear and i am curled up in bed with my laptop and Africa course reader, supposedly doing some work but actually doing this. Ooops xx

Little Break

2009-11-26T17:31:00.000Z

OK so I've been pretty useless at blogging this week. After spending the majority of last week pissed, I decided to take some time out. I haven't completely abstained from alcohol - have had a pint of cider and a couple of glasses of wine - but I have been taking it easy and enjoying simpler pleasures. Tuesday I went and had an ace and very cheap Thai dinner in New Cross with Sam whilst everybody else went and drank copius amounts of free wine courtesy of the history department. Wednesday I went to my lecture without a hangover and then had brunch and geeky discussions with Sam and Mike before travelling to Southampton to have dinner with Ollie's family. Today I walked little Baxter the dog all over Southampton common and am currently curled up on a couch with sleeping dog at my feet next to Ollie choosing recipes from the new Jamie Oliver American cookbook. Tonight I am going to see my Mum and Dad.

Of course, this is short-lived as there are already at least three drunken nights out planned for next week. The invasion of Americans and Canadians is nigh and I can't wait. Expect erratic hungover blogging.

The lovely Adrienne is coming to London from Toronto:

The lovely Brock is coming to London from Alabama:

And the lovely Keith is coming to London from New York:

Exciting times xx

If You Say Run, I'll Run With You...

2009-11-24T07:31:00.001Z

Bowie Night was AMAZING. I drank too much and danced too much, but it was ace xx

The London Transport Revolution...Finally

2009-11-23T18:07:00.000Z

After three years of living in South East London and enduring the ridiculous two-tier transport ticket system, it has been announced by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and the interestingly-named Transport Secretary Lord Adonis that Oyster pay-as-you-go will be introduced for overground trains from 2nd January 2009. For anybody who lives or regularly visits South East London, this cannot come too soon. To be honest, the fact that this confusing system has been in place for so long shows that the people governing London need to invest time and money into making the daily lives of Londoners easier instead of funding things which are no use to anybody (£400,000 on a certain Olympic logo springs to mind). For example, on Saturday night I travelled from my flat in East Dulwich, over to New Cross to have drinks with friends before we headed to Angel to a club. So instead of being able to do everything with my Oyster, I had to spend money buying a ticket at New Cross Gate station to get to London Bridge where I could connect with the tube. Why? New Cross Gate is in Zone 2, is a highly populated area and is closer to central London than many places on the southern end of the Northern Line such as Tooting or Morden, so why are we penalised it is a 'train' rather than a 'tube'?

It can be argued that forcing passengers to pay for additional tickets to use the trains, particularly in parts South East London where there is either no tube, or the tube is currently being built, widens the divide between North and South London. For example, I have received calls from friends at London Bridge on their way to my flat shouting in disbelief that they are unable to use their Oyster and asking the whereabouts of the ticket machines. And among some North London friends, the mere suggestion of a night out in Brixton or Dulwich is met with exchanged glances and tired sighs and I always give in and end up trekking up to Islington or Camden to pacify them. Is it a coincidence that most of the city's best restaurants and clubs are north of the river. Now, before I am met with protests, I LOVE south London, but it would be nice to get a bit more entertainment here.

As well as benefitting Londoners, this move will also be good for travellers. They can get off the plane at Heathrow or the Eurostar at Gatwick and buy ONE ticket which will take them anywhere in London and not have to figure out the present complicated system which could result a £50 penalty fare if they make one false move. The introduction of the London Overground stations on to the main Oyster map could result in more travellers visiting South London and its landmarks instead of spending their entire visit north of the Embankment. For example, a visit to Dulwich Park instead of Primrose Hill; Friday night at the Amersham Arms instead of the Old Blue Last; seeking vintage in Greenwich instead of Camden or slow food at Blackheath Common instead of Covent Garden.

It's about time xx

Village Bike

2009-11-21T15:29:00.000Z

Cycling is my new thing. Ollie bought me a lovely bike for my 26th birthday so I am trying to get out and use it as much as I can despite the grotty London weather. Today we decided to cycle to New Cross to go to the Telegraph Hill farmers market. So in total I cycled about six or seven miles - not bad for a novice. I am completely drenched and ache, and the only thing that can cure this is a Lush bath with all of the goodies I received for my birthday from the gorgeous Jen Ven.

I bought these too:

Must start baking more cupcakes xx

If You Run Away, They Get You. And if You Stand Still, Well...They Get You Too.

2009-11-21T10:36:00.000Z

Any film buff worth their salt usually has an opinion on City of God. This happens to be one of my all time favourite films. It is based around a true story, and the actual storyline and plot are not complicated or spectacular but the way the film is shot and the soundtrack beautifully captures both the Brazilian spirit and the tragedies of slum life. What is also clever is that the film focuses on the tale of a young man living in the City of God whose ultimate goals are being a photographer and losing his virginity, not on the gangsters themselves. Of course, the story of the gangs are what the film is about, but to have the straight guy as the protagonist not only adds humour and a different dimension, but also throughout the film you constantly question whether Rocket will become more involved in gang life. The film has three main stages: the early part of his life in sixties Brazil, all shot through a filter to make the long shots of the landscape look sunny and orange, the Brazil that exists in most people's minds. Then it focuses on his teenage years in the 70s, which is shot in what appears to be super-8 format, but isn't. Then finally, the 'war', which is all very grey and depressing. It needs to be seen to be appreciated. Plus, I don't want to have the responsibility of ruining it for whoever wants to see it.

And if you like it, watch Gomorrah, a film set in the slums of Naples.

The Return of Saigon Syndrome

2009-11-20T16:02:00.000Z

Most of my week has been spent either drinking or recovering from the effects of drinking and therefore little time has been dedicated to doing anything vaguely productive, including writing this blog. The week has existed in a series of highs and lows, which I will attempt to explain, but you may have to bear with me as I haven't properly thought it through.

LOW: Tuesday morning I set off for work despite being decidedly unenthused by the prospect. I was running a little late due to dithering all morning, so got to London Bridge ready to hop on the tube and was faced with crowds of very angry commuters. They had shut the Northern Line. If only this meant I could have retreated back to my flat.

HIGH: After a completely shambolic day at work, I travelled down to Goldsmiths and spent the afternoon with Deric having a competition as to who could consume the most caffeine and smoke the most cigarettes in an hour sat in the very cold terrace of the Goldsmiths Cafe.

LOW: Had to sit through Medieval Monsters with a very full bladder and the caffeine shakes.

HIGH: Went to Pound a Pint at the Student Union, drank many many pints of cheap cider, laughed until my face hurt, Ollie came out and we all planned our upcoming trip to Holland. Then back to the evils for wine, menthol rollies and more trip planning.

LOW: OMG headache the following morning. I couldn't even get my head off the pillow. I suspect this was due to the rather silly combination of cider and wine which always succeeds in fucking me over. Couldn't go to Wednesday morning lecture due to said headache and the stench of booze that was seeping from my pores.

HIGH: Watched a couple of episodes of Tribe and ate leftover mexican food. Started feeling better.

LOW: Spent the day having a freak-out over my essay which I was completely happy with two days previously. When I am hungover I am not only grumpy, it appears I am also paranoid and neurotic too. Started to chain-smoke furiously despite my declaration earlier that morning that I would never let another Marlboro touch my lips again.

HIGH: Handed in essay Wednesday evening with over two hours to spare. Celebrated by going to Barry's to buy chocolate.

LOW: had to go to work on Thursday - same problems with the tube. Began to consider whether professional recluse is a viable career option.

HIGH: Free chocolate. Yay me.

LOW: I had to somehow try to make two hours worth of work last eight hours. Cue much time spend organising e-mails and trying not to fall asleep. The highlight of this day was going out to take the post.

HIGH: Met Sam in Old Street and went to Tay Do Cafe for amazing and cheap Vietnamese dinner of fried tofu with lemongrass and chilli.

LOW: Finally arrived at 93 Feet East after a long walk through Bethnal Green. It has possibly the most vile and disgusting facilities ever. Even worse than the Goldsmiths SU...if you ever conceive that to be possible.

HIGH: The band played and they were totally on fire. Everybody loved it, the manager loved it, the other bands loved it. The evening was on a real high. A glass of wine was never very far from my hand and the world was yay. Then Sam and I drunkenly stumbled back to Kennington to meet the guys at their studio for late night jams and more booze.

LOW: I woke up this morning still drunk and had to go to my Empires lecture which soon bored me into a hangover.

HIGH: Pizza with the evils for lunch and now sitting on my couch with a big cup of tea writing my blog.

So there you go. That didn't quite work out as I had planned but things very seldom do. Am having a day off from drinking as am going to Bowie it up in Islington tomorrow night. Love xx

SE22

2009-11-16T20:01:00.001Z

My lovely little part of London...

Another Thing About the Heygate...

2009-11-15T22:26:00.000Z

Many of my friends have endured sitting across from me at many a dinner table listening to my obsession with disused tube stations, derelict buildings and the blowing-up of multi-story tower blocks and will not be surprised to learn that the Heygate estate is a constant source of fascination for me. I first noticed it a little over a year ago when I went past it on the bus and saw that the majority of the windows facing the street had been welded up. I soon became obsessed with this derelict, largely uninhabited concrete ghost town right next to one of London's major traffic blackspots - the Elephant and Castle roundabouts.

Basically, it is just one of Britain's crumbling 'sink estates' and Southwark Council are in the process of evicting the last of the tenants before the estate can be demolished in early 2010. Some people still live there, although the number is slowly diminishing, and the whole place has an eeriness that is as alluring as it is terrifying.

A couple of months ago I found this wonderful blog detailing life on the Heygate and after. It's still updated from time to time, but the early entries are absolutely fascinating:

http://livefromtheheygate.blogspot.com/

Also, I really want to get down there and take some photos of my own before it is demolished completely, however here are a few that I have pilfered from Google Images for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy xx

Harry Brown

2009-11-15T21:47:00.000Z

In an attempt to revive our old tradition of Sunday night trips to the cinema, Ollie and I ventured out into the cold from our very warm flat and trekked down to the Peckham Plex to see Harry Brown.

If you only see one film this year, make it this one. It is entertaining, emotive, but also manages to perfectly encapsulate a moment in time, which is easy to do retrospectively with the benefit of hindsight, but difficult to achieve as the said moment is still unfolding around us.

The film is set on an inner-London sink estate (beautifully shot on the crumbling Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle - all the more poignant as it is set to be demolished early next year) where drugs, violence and gun crime are rife. A frightened pensioner is stabbed to death in an Old Kent Road underpass and his devastated ex-Marine friend and neighbour (Sir Michael Caine), disillusioned by the abilities of the police to find those responsible, begins his own campaign of vigilante justice.

Although the characters and storyline are largely fictional, Daniel Barber provides an insight into the world which has become the white elephant in the room for many politicians - this gritty underworld that, although they are frightened to deal with, is all too real and present. Whether it is realised yet or not, this film will one day have historical significance, although the nature of this significance will largely depend upon the actions of the next government - whoever they may be.

Back to an artistic point of view, the film is wonderfully shot and gives a real sense of the bleakness of every day life. It is complex enough to be interesting but simple enough to be entertaining. And Sir Michael Caine, in all of his usual brilliance, completely gets under your skin. Beautiful. xx

Walking Home in the Rain

2009-11-12T20:18:00.000Z

Well, operation kick-myself-up-the-arse seems to be working - at least thus far. Yesterday as well as going to uni and coming home and doing loads of work I managed to spend some time hanging out with my friends, go food shopping, handwash all of my little delicate dresses AND be in bed by 10.45 so to get my eight hours sleep needed to survive today. They key to this new found productiveness is writing lists. Write down stuff you need to do, tick it off. Very satisfying.

Today was a typically boring Thursday. I tried to make three hours worth of work last eight hours. This involved re-arranging my e-mail inbox many times. I was so ready to go home at 5pm. Then I had to walk all the way back from Peckham Rye, in the wind and the rain, feeling very sorry for myself. I was about to give up for the day and dive straight into bed but when I got home the flat smelled wonderful - Ollie had made me an amazing veggie Spaghetti Bolognese. Love him.

Comfort food makes everything better xx

Busy Busy

2009-11-11T14:33:00.000Z

So this week, as weeks go has been pretty busy. I went into uni on Monday morning for my Africa seminar thinking how lovely it would be to have a week off. Not just 'reading week' but a week of doing absolutely nothing but sleeping, having long boozy lunches with friends, going on bike rides with Ollie and watching box sets of League of Gentlemen, Father Ted and Extras. Whilst deep in these thoughts I haven't had time off for a VERY long time.

Some parts of this week have been ace - hanging out with the evils for a couple of hours today. Also last night I went for dinner with Ollie, Matt, Dan and Lucy to Pizza Express in Kennington and ate loads, drank a fair bit and listened to each other's ideas about what we would do if we were super rich. We then went back to the Peranics' for tea and a film made in the 1930s about a freakshow, which was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. On the flipside there has been work and lectures and the constant troubled journeys from one part of London to another which are responsible for a large part of my daily stress. I think if I wasn't busy I would be bored, but it would be nice to have the option every now and again.

Despite being busy, I am smelling lovely. I got Lush boxes for my birthday from Sam and Lucy. Sam also made me a scrapbook of our South East Asia trip which I will probably flick through at least eight times a day remembering happy things. My friends are so lovely and generous xx

Berlin

2009-11-09T08:13:00.000Z

Twenty years ago today since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I have very vivid memories of watching it on television with my mother as a six year old wondering what the big deal was. Not realising what a huge deal it was.

Berlin is one of my favourite cites in the whole world and I would love to be there right now to experience today.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-11-08T11:42:00.001Z

Yesterday was my 26th birthday, and I didn't even have time to wake up and have my annual freak-out as I was up in the FOURS. Something which I am usually violently opposed to except when it is for the purpose of travel - and yesterday it was. Last year I spent my 25th birthday in Amsterdam cycling along canals and had such a lovely time, I decided that all birthdays should be spent in another part of the world (I realised this rule had also been adopted by Jen Ven who spent her birthday in Siem Reap with Cambodian coconut cake and many rum smoothies). So this year I was up so early in the morning because I was going to PARIS!

We got a ridiculously early Eurostar and, having slept through most of the journey, arrived in Paris a little after 10am. First we walked through tiny and eerily quiet streets towards the district of Monmartre, so that we could see the Scare Coeur basilica and the famous steps, which are Ollie's favourite Parisian landmark. We walked up ALL of the steps, shunning the cable car, so that we could reach the top and get an amazing view of Paris. Following this, we walked all the way back down, dodging the guys selling bracelets and models of the Eiffel tower and went to find some lunch. We had lunch in this beautiful little organic cafe and gorged ourselves on soup and bread, vegetable tartlets, salads, cakes and yummy little French sweet things. Then we walked off lunch and went to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower before spending the evening drinking in the Left Bank. Unfortunately we were unable to stay and fully experience Paris nightlife, but definitely some other time.

Remember Remember

2009-11-06T22:11:00.001Z

Bonfire night has always been a bit of a tradition for me. Firstly, I love winter and relish any opportunity to stand oustide in the cold, bundled up in my favourite coat with a big cup of tea and a packet of cigarettes. Secondly, it's two days away from my birthday. And thirdly...well, who doesn't love big sparkly things that go bang. However, last night it all went a little awry.

Instead of being in the park, I spent the night in various pubs in Crystal Palace with Ollie, Matt, John and Heather drinking vast quantities of alcohol, playing table football and telling everybody who will listen about one of my hamsters ate the other one. Instead of paying the £5 entry fee, we stood outside the gates with all of the other fee-shirkers and spent the money on extra booze.

Saying that, I had an ace time. This morning my head hurt like a bitch and I had to finish off my Africa essay. Not the best / most exciting way to spend my last day of being 25. However, tomorrow is my birthday and I am going to Paris to wander around doing lots of lovely Parisian things and not thinking about work at all.

On the eve of my birthday I always have a little think about what I've done throughout the year. Lots and lots and lots. I think of all things I saw, this was one of my favourites:

This is What Happens...

2009-11-04T20:59:00.000Z

So I am supposed to be writing my essay right now. No need to highlight the fact that I am the world's biggest procrastinator. There is always something dreadfully important that I would rather be doing. Right now I would rather be anywhere then sat in my spare room writing about disease patterns and healing practices in pre-colonial Africa, but that's what I signed up for so that's what I must do.

I started today hungover, which is never a good start. Last night Laura and Jade came over for dinner so I baked some squash with chilli and garlic and then stuffed them with roasted vegetables and goats cheese. We caught up and talked and laughed.

And drank two bottles of wine.

Then Ollie and Matt came back to the house and we decided that we hadn't drunk nearly enough so went off to Lordship Lane in search of more drinking venues. Then we ended up at the Bishop. Drank two more large glasses of wine, smoked a few cigarettes (NAUGHTY) and looked at scantily clad women on Laura's iPhone before Ollie, Jade and I stumbled back to the flat to top up our alcohol content with these amazing vodka-filled chocolates that Dan and Lucy bought us back from their recent trip to Vienna.

So this morning I grudgingly crowbarred myself out of bed and headed towards Bloomsbury to make use of SOAS's lovely library. (Another black mark against Goldsmiths I'm afraid when they had NO books I could use for my essay). A little trip to Pret was in order before I went in and I did so much work and thought myself all wonderful and productive.

And now I am sat writing a silly blog with a deadline on Friday. Idiot. At least I've managed to stay out of the kitchen. For now.

I have a feeling tonight will be a late one xx

I heart Laura and Jade

2009-11-03T18:15:00.000Z

Work was boring so I won't bore you with that.

On the plus side, I am spending the evening with Laura and Jade for the first time in ages and am super happy.

I heart Laura and Jade xx

Breathe Deeper, Daydreamer

2009-11-02T21:29:00.000Z

Spent much of today doing two things: daydreaming and trying not to fall asleep. Will probably go into work tomorrow to find that I've made some kind of disasterous error that it will take me all day to undo. Just cannot focus on anything real. Instead, have been thinking about Paris, entertaining Laura and Jade, my looming essay deadline and how easy it would be to travel the silk road.

There. Nothing whatsoever about environmental seminars. Should probably get to bed earlier tonight instead of staying up late with Ollie discussing how we could save the world from inevitable doom. I had great faith in human nature last night when I said that bankers should all give a little of their bonuses to helping disadvantaged inner-city kids, however that all changed this morning when I had a walk through the City and saw all of the flash suits and flash cars. Yeah, there are still 3 million unemployed - stop flashing it about, it's just vulgar.

My favourite part of the City is the little Lush tucked away in Liverpool Street Station. I went there this evening and bought this for my face:

and this for my bath:

Am waiting to find out about hosting my very own Lush party in the flat for all of my lovely Lush ladies xx

Breaking the Cycle of Laziness

2009-11-01T18:12:00.000Z

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain, which is something that hasn't happened in a long time. That's the problem with living in a modern building with lots of aluminium and steel - it's LOUD. At times I do miss my old beloved creaky Victorian town house. Anyway, I really really wanted to take the bike out this morning and cruise around Dulwich buying lovely things, however considering I have spent two weeks suffering from the dreaded lurgy, I though it better not to risk it. By the afternoon the rain had cleared up and Ollie and I cycled down to beautiful Dulwich Park and did a few laps, dodging joggers, children and dogs - the three nemesises of cyclists. Then we stopped off at the Clockhouse on Peckham Rye on the way home for a glass of White Rioja and some olives.

Despite the problems stemming from rain, I am actually beginning to enjoy winter. There is something lovely about getting bundled up and going for walks in the park, kicking dead leaves and snuggling up with hot drinks. And although summer has fun things like festivals and trips to the beach, winter has Hallowe'en, Bonfire Night and Christmas - excellent excuses to meet up with friends and drink lots. Plus - I love winter food. It is almost worth becoming a bit of a fatty for. Tonight I am making spicy bean and veggie sausage stew which I intend to eat under a blanket watching Sunday night TV with my warm boy. Bliss xx

Hallowe'en

2009-11-01T08:48:00.000Z

Despite the fact that I had to retreat back to Dulwich super early, Hallowe'en was lots of fun.

SAM

LAURA

LAURA & MIKE

NAT & TAFFY

AND ME....

(I think I might have done this somewhere before...?)

Oh yeah...

Tackiest Travel Souvenirs

2009-10-29T22:26:00.000Z

OK, so three blogs in one day is a little excessive, but I just had to get this one in. Courtesy of my Wanderlust newsletter, here are the tackiest travel souvenirs that are sold around the world:

1. A gravy boat bearing a picture of Saint Therese de Lisieux - the 'Little Flower of Jesus', one of the most popular Catholic saints.

2. A Virgin Mary ashtray from Rome, bought, perhaps, in a bid to gain some divine help in giving up smoking?

3. A donkey that dispenses a cigarette out of its bottom when you pull its tail.

4. A wooden toilet seat with a Spanish flag on the lid - a male appendage pops out when it's opened.

5. A Betty Boo flamenco pottery doll.

6. A Chairman Mao cigarette lighter.

7. A gold waving cat from Hong Kong.

8. A leprechaun bottle opener/magnet with a rainbow, pot of gold and an 'I Love Ireland' banner.

9. An Apron with a picture of a naked Roman statue. (I have to admit that Ollie and I bought one of these for a friend on a trip to Sorrento)

10. An 'I Love Hawaii' fridge magnet in the shape of a surfboard.

My personal travel tat includes an 'I LOVE NY' fridge magnet with a hologram that switches from Manhattan Island to a subway train, Tootise Rolls from LA, manga postcards from Japan and of course some wooden tulips from Holland xx

Coughs and Sneezes

2009-10-29T21:38:00.000Z

I wish this cold I have would FUCK OFF. Sorry, but crassness is totally justified. This week I have been through a whole family sized pack of Beechams, a zillion tissues and almost a whole Body Shop concealer trying to cover my red nose and the dark circles under my eyes. How attractive. Plus, today I sneezed on the bus and the lady across the aisle looked at me as if I just pulled a pin out of a grenade. I swear some Londoners think their is a secret band of terrorists targeting public transport to try and terrorise the public with...possible swine flu.

I have to admit that the cold is on its way out, but it is lingering around a little longer than I would like. If it lingers around much longer and ruins Hallowe'en, Crystal Palace Fireworks or my birthday trip to Paris I will be very unhappy xx

Hallowe'en Tomorrow

2009-10-29T18:52:00.000Z

Last year -

Foxy

2009-10-28T11:51:00.000Z

If you like a bath scented of fennel, peppermint and good deeds, go down to Lush and buy yourself a Fabulous Mrs Fox bubble bar. They smell amazing and all of the proceeds go towards the Hunt Saboteurs Association. Lush and the HSA have had a lot of bad press lately which has led to shops being vandalised and staff threatened.

This is not OK. FOX HUNTING IS NOT OK. Furthermore, it's illegal. If people were to uphold the law and not hunt there would be no need for hunt sabotage to take place. There's an old saying which says that you can judge a society by how it treats it's animals and hunting for sport is just barbaric.

Love You Short Time...

2009-10-28T10:28:00.000Z

Following a long morning at work and a quite traumatic Medieval Monsters Lecture, I was looking forward to cheap cider about as much as the yummy mummies of Dulwich look forward to the opening of yet another baby boutique on Lordship Lane. Don't ask.

So I went to the Student Union and that was where the chaos began. £1.20 for a pint of cider and black and a full packet of cigarettes. I drank one, then Sam turned up and I drank another one, and then Kerry kindly bought me one for my looming birthday - that was the third pint. Laura was moaning about being hungry so after buying some raffle tickets to buy the Goldsmiths Rugby Team a new kit, we all stumbled perilously across New Cross Road for what was promised to be some good food.

Funny how that never happens.

There's a little blink-and-you'll miss it restaurant across the road from Goldsmiths college called Noodle and Rice. I think it once was an Indian restaurant that changed hands. In short - it was dire. I didn't resent too much paying nearly £5 for what can only be described as udon in stock with a teeny bit of fried tofu chucked on the top - this is London after all, I have paid far more for far worse, but the service was pretty awful. Sam and I ordered sushi to share which was forgotten, so we cancelled it, and then it turned up as we were about to leave, by which time we are in no mood to eat it. Everybody else's looked less than appetising and poor Fabio didn't even get fed at all.

Fabio and Matthew ran off and hid behind the Marquess of Granby which resulted in Sam and I being embroiled in a drunken war of words with the manager of the restaurant who insisted we should pay. We managed to wriggle out of it, but she still wanted the boys' addresses. Presumably so she can go round and collect the money? Doubtful. Following this, we all went back to the evils' house for more wine, cigarettes and tales of embarrassing sexual experiences. Lucky for us the Trivial Pursuit remained in the box.

The funniest part was when I woke up this morning to see that Mike had set up a Facebook group called 'Noodle and Rice: Love You Short Time'. The description is as follows:

For refusing to feed Fabio, serving chicken in yellow shit, forgetting Sam and Gemma's sushi, making Laura feel ill and making us all piss in the dark. Bad times.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=317443210575

Sleepyhead...

2009-10-26T22:45:00.000Z

Is it just me or does putting the clocks back completely fuck with one's body clock?

I am SO tired.... too tired to write anything deep and profound.

Would just like to wish my very good friend Rowena a very VERY happy birthday. Miss you loads and loads. Can't wait to see you in Sydney December 2010. Mwah xx

(London Film Festival October 2008 - a rare moment of composure!)

One Exhausted Cook...

2009-10-25T17:04:00.001Z

My lovely kitchen has been used and abused over the past few days as I have been on a cooking and entertaining frenzy. Therefore I am closing it down for at least twenty-four hours and am tonight going to indulge in the age old gourmet classic: cheese on toast. Perfect.

First there was Dan's birthday dinner for which I made a poached leek and dorset blue vinny tart with buttered potatoes and salad, followed by the biggest and stodgiest chocolate caramel cake ever.

Then on Friday it was butternut squash and paneer curry for Jen and Sam. And today I have made lamb rogan josh, tarka dal and mountains of rice and naan for my family who came to visit this afternoon.

It seems silly to just blog about food, but you may have noticed that I actually adore cooking. I am even a bit pissed that so many international foodie documentaries have been made as I myself would love to make a film just eating my way around the world. Bliss. I did a cooking course once in Siem Reap in Cambodia. The woman who was running it soon tired of my fussy ways and I'm sure at one point she wanted to make me into a Khmer Gem-Mok.

Anyway, my family came up to see the new flat today, which was lovely. A very chilled out day of eating, drinking, walking on Peckham Rye and watching Liverpool beat Manchester United. I never realised how many Liverpool supporters there were in East Dulwich. I might start calling it Little Liverpool. Just during football season.

So I am now thoroughly exhausted and need sleep. Ollie is watching Roger Moore as the world's most suave spy, so I am going to do my Medieval Monsters reading and read my brand new copy of Wanderlust xx

Mozza

2009-10-25T00:51:00.001+01:00

Get well soon xx

Cold Coldy Cold

2009-10-24T18:48:00.000+01:00

The weather today has been shockingly bad. So much so that I have ventured out of the flat precisely once to walk Jen to Lordship Lane and buy some milk. I'm starting to get used to the sad fact that autumn has very quickly become winter and have already packed away some of my wardrobe until the sun comes out again.

My flat is amazingly warm, partly because it's brand new and partly because the sheer amount of cooking and baking I do provides a never-ending supply of warmth. The chillies are still growing on the windowsill despite the bleakness of outside and everything is ace.

Sometimes when it's cold outside there is nothing better than curling up under a blanket, watching a great film with some yummy food and remembering how lucky you are to have such an ace home xx

Jen's Going to Borneo!!

2009-10-24T16:53:00.000+01:00

So, the good news: I am feeling SO much better and my senses have returned, it is not long until I go to Paris, and my lovely friend Brock will be coming to London in just over a month.

And the bad news: The wars of words continue, although I am determined not to dwell on this.

Aside from news, good or bad, I had a lovely evening last night being local. Sam and Jen came over to the flat for one of our South East Asia reunion evenings. We ate some curry that I made from the new Anjum Anand cookbook (amazing), drank some Katy and watched a whole series of League, quoting the good bits and doing the voices. This may sound like an obscure way to spend an evening considering all that London has to offer, but they are the best times.

Jen has had some completely amazing news that Sam and I are so totally jealous of. Jen has obtained a bursary to go and work in Borneo for three months in building and environmental projects. The problem is that despite having a bursary, there is still so much money to be raised towards the expedition. So, Sam and I have decided to help with some fundraising to help Jen get to Borneo and continue some of the amazing work done by the Raleigh International Trust. The first part of the fundraising will be collecting sponsorship for a 5k run in Greenwich Park in December dressed in a Santa suit. I am going to be very persistent about sponsorship, so BE WARNED!! Also, I must stress that we are not fundraising to send our friend on a wonderful holiday, but help the Raleigh International Trust continue with their invaluable projects overseas. More details of what they do can be found here.

xx

Essential Film

2009-10-22T16:14:00.000+01:00

Oh, and just one more thing...

Series 6 of Peep Show finishes on Friday (tear...) and when you all get bored of Strictly Come Dancing / X Factor / Britain's Got Talent and all of that other rubbish. Go out and rent/buy this film... it's amazing.

I saw it at the London Film Festival in 2008 and just got it on DVD. Even bought Ollie some Forest Hills...

Notes From the Sickbed

2009-10-22T15:46:00.000+01:00

The dreaded lurgy has finally caught up with me. After smugly telling friends over drinks last night how "I never get sick", I now have all of the symptoms of a sick person: headaches, cold, sore throat and the inability to regulate body temperature. This has resulted in me spending two days in the flat feeling sorry for myself and venturing only as far as Barry's to stock up on more Beechams and trash magazines. Poor Ollie is also at home recovering from a minor eye operation, so the two of us are feeling a little pathetic at the moment.

However, it is better that we are ill now and not in a couple of weeks when we are going to Paris. So excited.

Also, this is the point where I offer another half-arsed justification for not writing the blog for a couple of weeks. The truth is, I have actually been really busy. The history department at Goldsmiths have seen fit to pile huge quantities of work upon their students in the first couple of weeks of term. I thought this would be at the detriment of my social life, but previous commitments and obligations have been kept, so what I have actually sacrificed is my sleep and my alone time. This probably explains why I am ill.

So over the past few weeks I have been to watch Flash Fiktion play in Brixton followed by drinks in Ivans Retreat (sadly the lovely Laura was working and unable to hang out with us), I have been to Bristol for the engagement party of Simon and Natalie and for breakfast with Thom the following day, I have entertained friends and family and had many great dinners out and home-cooked dinners in. I am ashamed to say that I have not yet made it to Club Sandwich, although my early start on Thursday kind of prevents this. My office is not very hangover-friendly.

So I fully intend to write more. But hopefully I will make time in my life for it, not just wait until I am housebound and bedbound xx

Slipping Into Old Habits

2009-10-07T15:41:00.001+01:00

OK, so it's been a really long time since I wrote anything - but in my defence, I have been really busy. I am even supposed to be busy right now reading for my Empires lecture on Friday but I am procrastinating. Oh, how I miss the joys of procrastination. Last year I stressed and stressed over deadlines and still managed to spend hours trying to beat my score on Geo Challenge. Oh dear.

So this is my second week back at uni and all is well. I have managed to turn up to all of my classes and have only had to endure one lecture hungover, which is pretty good going so far (avoiding Club Sandwich may have been key in this). I would like to claim that it has been an alcohol free couple of weeks, but I cannot. There have been two drunken nights in the living room of some fellow evils Sam, Laura and Mike which usually descended into us playing as much 90s tunes as we can find, downing multiple bottles of the 2-for-£8 wine (not, I might add, the 2-for-£5 - things aren't quite that dire just yet) and performing random acrobatics both in the house and on the street.

On the subject of 90s tunes, we finally made it up to I Love the 90s in Islington, which is somewhere I have wanted to go for ages. It was ace, I drank vodka and red alert and danced to Britpop all night. It would have almost been like the 90s except I am not fourteen anymore.

So I have three habits that I'm slipping back into: procrastination, midweek drinking and blogging. The latter is certainly a good habit and I am as yet undecided on the other two. I guess in a weird way they are all linked. So more blogs can be expected in future.

This has been vague and a little random. I think this is because I know there is something else I should be doing right now. Will make much more of an effort next time. Done. xx

The Best Breakfast

2009-09-26T11:49:00.000+01:00

This arrived this morning. Now I just want to make breakfast all of the time xx

The Friday Feeling

2009-09-25T13:10:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was such a completely unexciting day that last night when I sat down to write my blog, I actually fell asleep. So I've figured that actually I shouldn't be so hard on myself as there is a fatal flaw to blogging: When my life is being interesting enough to write about I never have time (or am not sober enough - see disasterous last post), and when I do have time to write, nothing exciting has happened. Maybe I am not, after all, the worst blogger in the world. I am just spare time-deprived.

So yesterday was truly dull. Really. I went to work and then I went home. Wednesday was much more fun - went to a free screening of The Wizard of Oz at MoreLondon with Sam and Matt. It rained, I became numb from sitting on the concrete, but it was all good. So much so that I am planning on going back next Wednesday to watch Strictly Ballroom, probably sans Ollie as kitsch Australian comedies are not his thing - how is this possible?

So today is my last day at Fight for Sight. I had decided to make one of the lovely flourless chocolate cakes from the Daring Bakers recipes, but in my shattered state last night it all went horribly wrong. So am at work (currently on lunch) trying to tie up all of the loose ends at my desk. I am sorry to be leaving as I've had lots of fun times here, but I am also glad to be going back to Uni and the world of lie-ins, midweek drinking binges and 'study' time in the Goldsmiths student union.

Will I ever be ready to give up student life? Probably not. For now I will just click my office-friendly sensible ruby slippers and return home.

You're out of the woods
You're out of the dark
You're out of the night
Step into the sun
Step into the light

Share and Share Alike

2009-09-23T01:10:00.000+01:00

It feels good to get things off your chest. Especially with friends and a glass of wine. It reminds you that you aren't always completely mental and that actually...you are fine.

It's good to know.

For the first time in ages I am a happy drunk and not a distressed drunk. I just realised though that a cheese sandwich before bed is probably a mistake. Expect a blog about my weird dreams tomorrow.

Going to get tattoos soon - yay.

Life = not as bad as I sometimes think xx

Post-Meltdown Analysis

2009-09-21T09:58:00.000+01:00

I think whatever has been bugging me all this time has passed. This problem started exactly two months, two weeks and two days ago - on my return from South East Asia. When on the plane from Hong Kong back to London I thought that I would settle seamlessly back into my life after my month of travelling and that everything would be OK. Instead, I came home to find sleepless nights and stress and just a feeling of being completely lost. How could things ever be the same after the month I had just had? And aside from this nagging feeling that I didn't belong anywhere, I couldn't find a way to fix it.

I feel like this problem has not necessarily been the root of all of the difficulties of the last few months, but has certainly affected how I deal with things. I found that when faced with a dilemma, I could no longer rationalise it as before and deal with it. I would just become frustrated and stressed that my life was no longer focused around having a good time on another continent. It sounds completely ridiculous but the bump back down to earth was enormous - and from a really great height.

Whilst away on my trip, I had my feelings hurt by a friend, and still cannot find a way in my head to sort this out. And I know that since I've been back I've been drinking too much, saying stupid and hurtful things, indulged in completely selfish and self-centered behaviour, been scatty and disorganised, had a short temper and have, at times, been completely impossible. All I can do is apologise and promise that I am on the mend. The answer is not to disregard the feelings of others around me, and I am sorry that it has taken me so long to figure this out.

I am moving forward. Just one little tiny step at a time. If anybody else ever feels as though they're having the same problem, try reading this. It helps:

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Gemma the Wino

2009-09-19T09:51:00.000+01:00

Oh dear, drunk again. If I spent as much time being productive as I did drinking wine I could probably take over the world or something (of course with Sam's help - I am no good at reading maps).

My brain has turned to pate and I am unable to write (Saigon syndrome, anyone?) so in my hungover Saturday morning pinot-soaked haze, I have selected some of my favourite drunken pictures to show that not only do I like a tipple, I indulge far and wide.

Mwah xx

DRUNK IN LONDON:

DRUNK IN MONTREAL:

DRUNK IN TOKYO:

DRUNK IN BERLIN:

DRUNK IN PHNOM PENH:

The Worst Blogger in the World

2009-09-17T16:05:00.000+01:00

So this week I have spectacularly crashed and burned from last week. It's not been quite as exciting, but it's quite nice to be at home. Ollie's been working at the studio like a crazy person and hasn't even been getting back until after I've gone to bed so I've been curling up on the couch, surfing the internet looking for pretty new things for the flat.

I love love love the flat but it is still in utter chaos. There are loads of boxes which are still sitting unpacked by the side of the couch. I really need to get stuck into these, but I kind of want some amazing storage options before doing so. Need a big shoe rack for my ever expanding footwear collection and a HUGE bookcase (ideally a big library-style one with a ladder, but I know we don't have the room).

I didn't realise that buying your own place is such a drain on your finances. What's depressing as I am working really long weeks and still recovering from the enormous amounts of money we had to shell out just to get to this stage. I always like being poor and find it a bit of a challenge - you know, shopping on a budget etc etc, but I feel sad that I have this beautiful new flat and can't go out and buy loads of stuff to make it perfect. We decided to paint the bedroom, but it kind of stopped there when we realised that the beautiful ivory light-reflecting paint we loved was £60 a tin and went nowhere.

I think my interior design days are a long way off yet.

So as flat is currently bland and blah, I've been putting off inviting everybody for cocktails, although I know I will need to do this soon so I don't run the risk of looking completely antisocial. Mojitos, I think. We do have an amazing mint plant on the windowsill and some Cuban rum in the freezer which needs to be used up.

Long Time, No Blogging

2009-09-14T20:57:00.000+01:00

Oh dearie me. It has been a long time since I last did any writing. In my last blog I had such good intentions to sit down and write and instead had one of the busiest weeks I have had in a long, long time.

Monday - Reunited with my friend Arsie. I met Arsie about 18 months ago in the girls' dorm of a hostel I was staying at in Portland, Oregon. This was her first trip to London, which is all very exciting as I love it when visitors come to stay. I met her at the Sorriso Cafe next to that crazy building with the derelict lighthouse on top where she was sitting with Steven, a guy she met on the Couchsurfing website. After a little while here, we took the very uneventful number 63 back to Peckham Rye and then made out way to the Plough in East Dulwich for a pint and huge plate of bangers'n'mash. How trad.

Tuesday - I worked. There's no need to bore anybody with talk of that. It was not very excited. I was feeling completely knackered, so went straight home to crash on the couch and watch cookery programmes. I found out that Brock was flying into London on Thanksgiving weekend, so got very excited and researched how to make a kick-ass Thanksgiving dinner. Although may need the help of some actual Americans.

Wednesday - OMG went to Rococo to pick up some gorgeous chocolates for the goodie bags. Possibly the most beautiful shop in the world, although I really dislike going to Knightsbridge - always feel distinctly scruffy. A sigh of relief was had when I made it back to the slightly more comfortable surroundings east of Holborn and met Arsie, Steven, Matt and Josh at the Tay Do cafe in Kingsland Road. Amazing Vietnamese food for very little money. Crispy tofu with chilli and lemongrass and steamed rice.

Thursday - Possibly the worst day in a long time. I had to go all the way to Newbury to organise a charity clay pigeon shoot. Worked a thirteen hour day and walked in (collapsed through) my door at 11pm. Country people are fucking weird.

Friday - Went over to Notting Hill after work to have carpet picnic at Josh's flat. He's moving back to Australia so has no furniture and needs to use up all of the booze before he leaves. Who could resist such an invitation. Drank lots and went to the local pub for more bangers'n'mash.

Saturday - Back to Forest Hill for a Brazilian tea party at Alex and Jo's house for their little daughter Anna's first birthday. She may actually be the cutest little thing in the world. We feasted on black bean stew and cheese bread and drank many deliciously strong caipirinhas. By the time the evening rolled around, I could have quite easily slinked home and collapsed into a food-and-booze coma, however, went over to New Cross to see Sam, Laura and Mike in their new flat. Drank lots and lots of wine, sang and danced and walked all the way home with Ollie via Nunhead and a drunken trip to a shop to buy bread and crisps to make crisp sandwiches.

Sunday - Had to say goodbye to Arsie (sad times) so met her for Sunday lunch at Ivans Retreat in Brixton with Ollie and Sam. So sad she's gone home as have really enjoyed hanging out with her this week. I'm going to try and get to San Fran asap.

Sorry this has been a bit of a list of activities, I'm too tired to remember anything more personal than that. Looking forward to bed tonight. Super sleepy xx

Too Tired to Write, But Just One Thing...

2009-09-09T23:31:00.000+01:00

OK, so I know I've been bad. My last blog entry was Sunday and it's now Wednesday. My friend Arsie from San Francisco is here from London and I've been having lots of fun and neglecting my blog. Tomorrow I fully intend to shun alcohol, restaurants and other distractions and write the blog. But before I sign off and retire to watch Oceans Eleven in bed, I have a little ironic story from today.

I had to go to Rococo in Motcomb Street today to pick up some gorgeous chocolates, so I topped up my Oyster at Monument Station. When I went to get my receipt (why pay yourself when you can expense it?) I found £4 in the change bit on the machine. So I thought I'd do a good deed and give some of the money away and bought a Big Issue off of this guy outside Harvey Nichols. After buying the chocs and getting back on the Tube, I discovered that he'd sold me a completely out of date copy with loads of pages ripped out.

I fully intend to go back tomorrow and punch him out.

P.S. I am not the violent type. I even feel better just having written something negative about him on the internet a la Mark Corrigan. I am now a picture of serenity.

What I Think About When I Think About Running

2009-09-06T18:08:00.000+01:00

So today was the day of the event I have been dreading for some months: The Adidas Women's 5k Challenge.

OK so it's only 5k, but for chain-smoking, wine-swilling, cheese-eating, lazy arse me it may as well have been a marathon. I have done little training beyond a few runs around Peckham Rye and spent last night sipping Gavi from a plastic cup. I didn't even get an early night as I was farrrr too excited about reading Michael Palin's 'Pole to Pole' book that I picked up at the fete yesterday for 50p.

The great thing about this particular race is that it is meant as a fun run and has little competitive edge, so my lack of athletic prowess wasn't an issue. All types of women run and it is genuinely the taking part that counts. Whilst waiting for the race to start I chatted to a sixty-five year old Irish pensioner and a woman who was five months pregnant. Both were in great spirits and just hoping to raise as much money as they could for charity.

My chosen charity was Kidney Research UK, which is an excellent cause. My dear Grandfather suffered from chronic kidney problems in his later life and spent his last few years having dialysis three times a week. I managed to raise quite a small sum, but am pleased that it all goes towards the greater good. For more information on this charity, please visit here.

In the end, it was easier than I thought. Perhaps it was adrenaline, the thought of Grandad or just determination that got me through. I finished in 36 minutes, which although was 15 minutes slower than Jessica Ennis (who, btw looked fab) it is still something for me to be proud of. Mwah xx

Just Being Local

2009-09-05T23:07:00.001+01:00

So much of my life focuses upon being in other parts of the world, sometimes I forget that I do have some quite wonderful things on my own doorstep. Of course, the joys of South East London will never persuade me to give up my increasingly expensive travel addiction (already costing up Coasteering trip to Northern Ireland for looming 26th birthday) but it is nice to know that in the times in between jetting off I can enjoy myself for very little money.

Last night, Ollie and I went walking around to see what nocturnal attractions there were in SE22 besides overpriced cocktails. We found an amazing little bring-your-own-booze Thai restaurant (that was full) and possibly the worst Indian restaurant in the world (which wasn't full but lost two customers after the curries turned up cold after a 50 minute wait). Despite the disasterous meal we learned a little bit more about our new neighbourhood.

This morning we embarked upon the weekly trip to the launderette, which is always an ordeal, but to make it better, we went for a lovely breakfast in Vintage Pretty's - a little cafe which looks like it could be a quaint country living room and serves up AMAZING food. Following that we took a little trip to a fete in Peckham Rye and bought chocolate and amazing sandwiches. Jen turned up - all the way from Tonbridge - and we watched...a dog show. This is something that only the English could come up with. There was most handsome dog, dog that looked most like its owner and....dogs in fancy dress. Quite a way to spend a Sunday afternoon, watching a poor golden retriever dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and being paraded round in front of all the other local dogs. Despite this being totally bizarre and somewhat wrong, it was quite a family fun-esque day.

The best part of the day was the last part - Serina, Jessie and James also joined us and we trekked over to the Cafe on the Rye to watch a free outdoor screening of Slumdog Millionaire. Sat on the grass with blankets and wine...and all for free. Lovely. And then for those of us who don't live in Kent, a short walk home.

Although these experiences do not match up to those you have when travelling, sometimes it is just nice to do something effortless and enjoy nice company.

Night all xx

Sexy Hair

2009-09-04T07:17:00.000+01:00

OMG my hair smells amazing. I won't be able to stop sniffing myself all day xx

Just One More Thing....Lost in Saigon

2009-09-03T23:08:00.000+01:00

I was speaking to Brock on FB chat today and he reminded me of the time he went 'missing' in Saigon.

Basically, we all went drinking at this backpacker's haunt down a Saigon back alley called Le Pub where they had $1 cocktails. After many, many, many, we all stumbled back to the hotel we were staying at shouting, quoting The Matrix, imitating each other's accents and generally making nuisances of ourselves along the way (I believe there is even video evidence of this somewhere...)

The next morning, Brock was supposed to meet Sam, Jen and I at this vegetarian cafe for breakfast and didn't show. The three of us were a bit worse for wear so didn't plan to do anything anyway and just kind of hung about, zombified. I think we even went to Brock's place around the corner to try and find him, but in our semi-drunk state made no sense to the girl on the desk.

Eventually, after seeing no sign of him for about six hours, we went back to his place with a digital camera and showed it to the lady (who already suspected we were either crazy or alcoholics) with a picture of Brock on the screen.

She laughed.
Pointed.
Laughed some more.

And then got him on the phone.

He was still in bed. Shell-shocked after a night of sharing with the worst English roommates ever.

I've just typed this and realised that the only people who will find humour in this story or even appreciate it were the ones who were there.

Oh well.

I'm not deleting it as I like it.

I HEART LE PUB.

Did Anybody Order an Optimist?...

2009-09-03T22:57:00.000+01:00

So picture the scene: I wake up this morning to the early morning sunshine beaming in through the window, little birds sweep in and lift off my duvet and sing me a little song and little mice in hats and trousers help me get ready for work. Remind you of anything?

Of course, this didn't actually happen but I did wake up in the best mood this morning, which was a sharp contrast to yesterday when I scowled and stamped my feet through everything. I think the main reason for this sudden change is that I am finally free of the mystery illness which has plagued me since Monday morning.

I don't care that we're in a recession.
I don't care people in the City are a bunch of rude queue jumpers.
I don't care that I spent £15 in Lush and have no milk in the fridge. I smell ace.
I don't care that London buses never run on time.
I don't care that City of London are still needlessly drilling Botolph Lane early in the morning.

Of course, I am not through with caring about stuff in general and I'm sure by tomorrow my cynical self will have returned, and all of the above will get on my nerves, but now I will make the most of being smiley and carefree. Now is it too late to open the Prosecco? xx

Autumnal Blues

2009-09-02T12:54:00.000+01:00

No wonder Londoners are so mardy. Yet again, the British summer has been shit. After the debacles of 2007 and 2008, we thought this might be the year that the glorious sunshine would return.

But NO.

This morning I walked out of the flat to grey skies, wind and, worst of all, RAIN. Autumn is here and the newspapers are forcasting lots of the dreaded rain and storms. So much for a hot September. I'll be putting my little summer dresses in storage before I've even taken them on a decent outing.

I should never have come to work today. I thought yesterday's day of languishing around on the sofa under the duvet would be enough to cure me of whatever mystery illness I picked up at a wedding on Sunday.

But NO.

I am sat at my desk, unable to concentrate or do a scrap of work. Everything seems so loud to my poor delicate ears. From the phone to the workmen digging up the road outside of my office. It's agony. I think it may be time to go home soon. Home to my big red couch and a cup of the magic lemon and ginger, perhaps to spend a couple of hours on Shopstyle choosing myself a new autumn wardrobe xx

For Anybody with a Cold

2009-09-01T20:28:00.000+01:00

This is honestly the best cold-remedy I have ever had. It shits on Lemsip.

Put the kettle on and get your favourite mug. Grate a 1 inch piece of root ginger and the zest of half a lemon into the mug. Juice half a lemon and pour over the top. Add 2 tsp of honey and pour over boiling water. Add whisky if you're lucky enough to have any in the house.

A well-known recipe, I know, but it's the quantities that make it special.

By Ollie Thomas, the king of spice.

I've been feeling lousy all day and now have a brand new lease of life xx

When the Thrill of Blogging is Gone

2009-09-01T15:20:00.000+01:00

I have tried and failed at writing several blogs. Sometimes I get bored. Sometimes other things get in the way. A mentor recently told me that I would find writing larger pieces a lot easier if I kept up a blog and recorded my daily thoughts. Practice, she said, would help me write better. I had a strong sense that this person who had kindly taken an interest in all of my unfinished blogs, was right.

There was the very first blog, started a very long time ago which was a disaster. My burnt fingers can't go into too much detail, but it involved a lot of ranting about a situation between me and another person. Unfortunately for me, this fell into his hands and he was less than impressed. This was enough to put me off blogging for a long time.

I started the first Jumping Through Hoops blog last year to give me a break from studying and to write about something other than history. However, the said studying along with working and travel planning got a bit too much and the blog fell into neglect.

Following that was my most successful attempt to date: my travel blog to record my trip around South East Asia, which was designed to be the basis of a future fictional piece. However, the blogging came to a very swift end due to unreliable internet connections and the allure of $1 margaritas in Saigon which rendered me a drunken mess for four days.

So I am going to have another attempt at blogging. It may not be good, interesting or coherent, but it will be useful to me. If others enjoy reading it, that's great too. I decided to keep the name 'Jumping Through Hoops', as that is exactly what I'm still doing, as I'm sure will become clear.

As well as general day-to-day blogging here, I am also planning to use the next few weeks to pull together all of the notes from the Hanoi - Bangkok adventure and turn them into something readable and, hopefully, publishable.

For the record, I still have the post-travel blues, so hopefully writing will help with those. I just miss being on the road, on the big adventure. Crossing the traffic, thunderstorms and lock-ins in Hanoi; kayaking and swimming in Ha Long Bay; dress fittings and beach parties in Hoi An; tunneling with Mr Ass, cinemas and extreme drunkenness in Saigon; learning about the past and finally finding Marmite in Phnom Penh; Angkor, cooking classes and the wonderful hospitality of Anna and Smiley in Siem Reap; and reunions, rainstorms and great Thai food in Bangkok.

But more than anything, my travel buddies. The ones who shared all of that. LY xx