A tender, tender night

A few nights ago, I had news that class was cancelled for the next morning. That type of email is definitely on the top of my "desired emails" list. Anyways, I knew staying in would be a complete waste since I had no need to wake up the next day, so I packed my Fred Perry bag with my Ipod, headphones, digital camera, notebook, and pen. And off I went.

I went to somewhere relatively close and interesting: Leicester Square. It's an area filled with tourists, both young and old. Around the time that I got there, it was the young crowd filling the streets. Clubs and bars are rampant, oozing with European men trying to pick up their female counterparts who are dressed like they are working the corner. Nevertheless, I love the liveliness of the area, and it reminds me of Hollywood.

At first, I was on a mission. I've been craving hookah ever since I got here. But more than the hookah, I've been craving the familiarity and vibe of the hookah bars I would visit back home: places filled with tropical scents of hookah flavors, appetizing aroma of Mediterranean food, and the company of my beloved friends. I found one in Leicester square off the internet and went on a trek, unfortunately much to no avail. As I was walking down a dark street with Interpol sounding through my headphones, I saw a very familiar face - I knew she was an actress. I remember her picking up an Academy Award last year, but I didn't remember her name or what she has starred in. But for some reason, I had a feeling my mom loves her, so I decided to approach her. She was dressed in a long red dress, a very slim figure, standing there with her 2 friends. I told her that my mom is a huge fan, and asked if I could take a picture. As her friends were snapping, a woman walked by yelling, "WHO ARE YOU??", to which she replied, "Nobody." I find the dynamic between celebrities and common-folk/fans very engaging. Anyways, she was extremely nice, and I walked away with a smile on my face having met an Oscar winner. Oh, I forgot to mention, she was Tilda Swinton. Her award was for her role in Michael Clayton, and she's been in movies including Curious Cage of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, and Chronicles of Narnia, to name a few.

I remembered seeing a nice cafe on the major street in Leicester square, so I headed that direction. I got there, and was very content with the atmosphere. It had an outside patio alongside the busy street. People were drinking their coffees, smoking their cigarettes, and conversing about who-knows-what. I found myself a seat and ordered a white coffee (with milk), and popped open my notebook. For the first half hour, I wrote nothing - instead stared onto the street. I was so amused by just the people. Some sober, some plastered, some with families, some with their significant other, and some with agendas or a place to be, and some just taking a stroll and enjoying the atmosphere.

All of a sudden I had an idea for a video I want to make. This would be much more on the creative side, since I've been focusing more on the documentary-style videos I've been releasing on YouTube. I took some notes about my idea, and shut the notebook, while taking my last sip of coffee. It was now around 2 in the morning, and I walked back home. I was happy for not staying in that night.

I've realized the beauty of being alone. You become much more observant, more content with your plans, and overall, get in touch with who you are as an individual. Especially in new environments, taking your time to take everything in alone can be very satisfying. Try it.

A few images...

The Globe

On Wednesday, I was graced with the presence of dramatic history!! Our program had arranged for us to see the play "As You Like It" at Shakespeare's Globe. It was a show I was really looking forward to because I remember studying it in English class with Mrs. Alvarez. As somewhat of a Thespian, I appreciate and respect the impact of William Shakespeare on the world of Drama.

At first, I did not recognize the title of the play so I thought it would be unfamiliar. Upon some research on Wikipedia, I realized that the play has the popular Shakespearean line, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." This was the quote I had used in my senior bio! Because of this, I was looking even more forward to seeing the play to see those words come to life.

Jenna, Sara, and I went early so we can get some good seats, seats meaning placed to stand. Yep, we stood for three hours long, just how they used to do it back in the day. The actual Globe burned down in the late 1600's, and they built this exact replica in 1997 (right on the Thames River), so it is relatively new. But they built is as an exact replica, with the roof completely open. If it were to rain, the show would still continue with the actors and the audience being drenched. But not all the audience members were standing: the outer side of the Globe has seats that are covered, and these seats used to be for the wealthy. Even today, I think those seats cost a lot more than our standing tickets.

The show was great. It was about lovers crossing paths. My favorite character was the Jester, who provided nothing short of non-stop humor and clever wit. I was surprised to see the show end with a really happy ending, especially since most of Shakespeare's plays end in death. Overall, I had a great time at the Globe, and plan on going back to see another show, possibly Romeo & Juliet or Hamlet. I also recommend all other Thespians to take a visit, it is definitely a special place.

BBC

On Monday, as part of my "Media & Communication for Social Change" class, we went on a tour inside the BBC building. Although not the actual headquarters, the "Bush House" hosts The World Service Trust. This branch of the BBC is responsible for implementing international development, humanitarian work, and advocacy. Basically, they go to the rescue for whatever country they find to be in desperate need of help. Our teacher, Lisa Robinson, works here as well so she set everything up for us.

We sat down for a meeting, where I met Larry Blackstock. Something this guy said really stood out for me. He said, the thing that helps him wake up every morning and makes him go to work is the fact that he can help someone in need and actually bring change to the world. I think if he was older, it wouldn't have had such a profound effect on me, but since he was relatively young, it became a statement of inspiration. He must be incredibly lucky to have a job that makes him feel that way, because from the way I see it, it is an extremely rare thing.

The tour was concluded after we had a brief discussion with the India group. They have one project where they host a television debate show to influence dialogue between the candidates. The show also has a segment where the audience members can ask the politicians questions: a concept completely unimaginable for the natives. Their second project is a television program where women travel around different villages and towns opening dialogue about sexual health. Although these programs may seem like nothing too big for us Americans, it has potential to bring a world of change into these countries where they are so accustomed to living under suppression. The role the BBC has around the world is commendable, and I wish them the best of luck in their future projects. Working for them would be an honor.

Thames & Greenwich

On September 8th, we took a nice cruise along the Thames River. This river has rich history, as it used to be pivotal for England's economy because of its capacity to deliver goods. It later became a very modern place with extremely high price tags for the apartments/homes that are situated along the river. The cruise was on a half open/half closed boat with mainly the elderly and a tour guide with jokes that would make you scratch your head. Jackie and I laughed of course, dry humor gets to me 10X more than literal humor (literal humor? I didn't know what else to write).

We then landed in Greenwich which hosts many palaces and cathedrals. You can also find the Prime Meridian line here which is really a big deal (0 latitute/0 longitude). You should've seen the line of tourists just waiting to get a picture on the actual line. Anyways, it was really an eventful day, and I ended up making another video out of it. This one's a bit different, with music and many of my program-mates also making appearances. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOw2p3erS0E

Trojan Eye

The London Eye is a large tourist attraction built only a few years ago. Extremely tall, it is used to give incredible views of all of London. Unlike a typical carousel, it is built of oval compartments that can carry up to 25 people at a time each. But this time, these are Trojans comprising the "The Trojan Eye." Cheers!

Stonehenge & Bath

On Friday, we took a day long excursion to Stonehenge and a city called Bath. Waking up at 8 am and finally getting back home at 6:30 pm was well worth it.

Stonehenge was all I had expected, and more. Just being present at this historic and world famous landmark was more than interesting, almost unexplainable. Of course, I made the entire bus wait for me because I was too busy really taking it in and filming myself for the blog, but I think it was well worth it. Everything else I explained in the video, so here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfghJ4XD_rU

Afterwards, we took the bus to a city called Bath. During the bus, we finally got to see some countryside that England has to offer. It was a nice change from being in the center of the hustle and bustle town of London. The hills were so green, there was the occasional sheep, goats, cows, and pigs, and gorgeous houses were sparsely nestled within greenery. When we got to Bath, we took a tour in the famous Roman Baths. As you may or may not know, Bath is known to have been the center of the popular baths that the British people would take a dip in in order to either rid themselves of illness, or as a leisurely activity where the townspeople would gossip and sip on tea. Anyways, the tour was interesting, but nothing too special. The actual city was beyond beautiful though. It had rows of small nifty shops, and I actually scored a killer leather jacket from this place, certainly made me a happy camper. Besides the shops, there were houses lined up along the hills, and the scenery looked straight out of a movie. There was also a nice little park where we saw a newly wedded couple still in their tux and wedding dress.

Sarah and I ate something new called "pasties": dough filled with meat and veggies, tossed in the toaster for crispiness. It was really, really, really good, and affordable too.

Anyways, hope you enjoy the pictures, and don't forget to check out the video. Till next time!

Westminster Abbey

On Tuesday, we took a trip to Westminster Abbey. This Gothic-styled cathedral is filled with colorful windows and ceilings reminiscent of the 1500's. Upon entering, we were told strictly to not use a camera, but I managed to sneak three pictures in anyways.

Many family members of the royalty are buried here with the coffins and tombstones clearly visible. On top of their coffins is a replica of the person buried. And the artists would make these metallic replicas when the person was in their prime, so they can look their best. They wouldn't want to be remembered as a grandma with fallen out teeth and barely any hair left. Now, many other famous people are buried here like Charles Darwin (which I'm still perplexed about) and poet Geoffrey Chaucer.

On the coffins of the royaly were miniature statues of angels, who were meant to guide the persons soul up to the heavens. Angie was telling us that when the puritans came through the town, they vandalized all the churches. An example was what they did to these angels: they either defaced them, completely scraping off the face leaving a very eerie figure standing, or cut their heads off leaving a headless body. They also scraped off all of the paint on the walls and statues, leaving a very decayed look.

Although I am not the religious type, I especially love religious artwork and history. The acts that people went through back in the day to ensure a hypothetical after life is amazing, such as donating lots of money to the church right before you died or wanting to be buried close to the royal family so their souls can give you an extra edge in making it up to Heaven. Regardless, the architecture, portraits, and overall aesthetics of churches astound me.

Notting Hill Carnival

Ahhh, great news: I just uploaded my first "vlog" (video blog). I was at the Notting Hill carnival the past two days, and took my video camera with me on Sunday. It's the largest carnival in Europe, and it's Caribbean themed. There isn't much to write here since I addressed every issue in the video, so watch it, go go gooooo.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNDG2kdYSUQ

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