Category Archives: Living in London

shoes …. the musical

Posted on March 19, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Okay – so something called “Shoes. The Musical” could go only one of two ways. Either unbelievably terrific or cringingly horrible.

The reality… something in between.

Sadlers Wells is the main dance theatre (there is probably a more correct term) in London. And all over the tube for months has been this enticing poster of legs and red shoes….so last night I went along to see if this was going to be the Shoe event of 2011. I should have taken more notice of the “hens party’s will love it” endorsement in the Telegraph but well… sometimes you just have to see for yourself!

Nuns singing about Manolo Blanhnik, Jimmy Choo and Patrick Cox while men in flesh coloured pants and  corsets moved liked cogs in a machine about them probably gives you some idea about why the audience split was 60% women, 30% gay men and 10% long suffering partners-boyfriends-husbands. We also had people dressed in lambs skin vests and espoused the comfiness of the aussie uggg and then a rather fantastic moses in Birkinstock sandels. Whats not to love or well cringe at really.

So would I recommend it….. nope but I am pleased to have seen really fit dancers complete a tap dance in 6 inch platforms!

 

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potential peak?

Posted on February 22, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Last night I made my way through the glooooom to The School of Life to consider my potential! They run all sorts of course and even conversation dinners, all done in a slightly quirky but thought provoking way. They are generally interesting as you meet people, complete strangers who challenge you as only strangers can. And with any luck you walk out with a small germ of an idea to mull over at least until you slide your key into your front door.

Yesterday eve though I couldn’t find my Potential. It had appeared to have got up and gone! I couldn’t do anything but feel cynical about the books they recommended, many of which I had read or were really people who had made shed loads of cash in their 20′s and could now make you feel guilty through their virtuous life spent recycling motorbikes or something similar. You will be relieved to hear that I kept my mouth closed, and did not rain anyone else’s blossoming potential.

There were people who were clear about what they dreamt of doing, what they need the push for by a group of strangers. Sadly I had nothing….. nothing to get a push for really. Primarily I think this is because I have made so many fundamental changes in the last few years – MBA, 3 jobs, a different country, new friends. It made me think that I had been busy and maybe it is okay to “chill out” or at least to chose a more simple and less work focused thing to sink my energies into.

The problem is what on earth would that be? How and where is that next potential peak? 

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bathroom battles

Posted on February 19, 2011 by | 5 Comments

It would seem that I am locked in one of the most baffling of bathroom battles. One that certainly requires persistence to be the final champion, the dominant user perhaps.

There are many battles to be had in the bathroom ..many that we are all to familiar with……. the Toothpaste Squeeze (some believe squeezing from the bottom is superior and have in the past been most disturbed by my random squeezing in my desire to be minty fresh), there are those that divide genders (the toilet seat goes up first and then down fellas!), the scrunch vs the  fold, the finger pointing about who needs to replace to toilet roll! Most certainly there are too many to mention here.

So, at the moment I am engaged in the over-under toilet roll battle with my house guest. I pop into the smallest room in the house and put the toilet roll so that the  paper comes over the top – so that it is easy to grab. Not tucked behind, near the wall. He heads in, sometime later, and switches it!

So I do feel somewhat surprised that my house guest is being quite so…… insistent…. in his preference for the under position in my bathroom. Continuing to make the switch despite my correction!

However, I guess I should be relieved that I have yet to go to the loo in the middle of the night and find my nether regions in contact with the chill of porcelain!

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sweet

Posted on February 13, 2011 by | Leave a comment

So last night I was out and about. No where grand but on a Ghost Walk in the City. It was excellent. I learnt (and have already forgotten) quite a few nifty facts about death (some corners have pretty grisly tails of hanging and murder) and also of life in London many century’s ago.

As much fun as the time spent trooping about was the most memorable part occurred well after the walk. Just as were leaving the place where we had grabbed a bite to eat and to defrost fingers and toes. A lovely young man went down on his right knee and asked his girlfriend to marry him right in front of St Paul’s Cathedral. It appeared she said yes and it also appeared that she was delighted! I base this on the hand across her mouth, a nod and then a fairly impressive kiss! awwww sweet.

It was quite amazing to see this from a far, and I guess also to see such a momentous question being asked. Certainly it will be the closest I will probably get to that particular question!

It was so incredibly sweet.

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film: you win some, you lose some

Posted on February 13, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Going to see a film can be such a delightful pass time or it can be honestly the most excruciating 90minutes. In the last week I have had both experiences.

Shall we start with the win?

The Kings Speech actually managed to live up to the vast amount of hype, yards of press and bulging awards haul. What a funny and lovely film about a mans determination to be better – certainly the future King George was portrayed as rather quick witted and a doting Dad of two very well behaved little girls. Who knows how accurate it is. However definitely an enchanting film for a Saturday night!

Sadly though less luck was had with “Never Let me Go” and now that I have seen it and googled it, done appropriate due diligence I should have known better. It is based on a book by Kazuo Ishiguro who I have previously tried to read. His novels always have great reviews, much like this film – but generally they are completely indecipherable. Boring and detailed and most of the time just plain weird!  There was another sign – Keira Knightly was in it. She has the inability to enthrall me. She always jolts about and looks like a wooden doll – a beautiful one but really there is no fluidity in that woman.

So two films – one great, one….. well really really bad….

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53 days ….

Posted on February 6, 2011 by | Leave a comment

February – god its grim.

If I was ever asked to do a word association for London at the start of the calender year – the words would be grey, drizzle, cloudy, drab….. tripping off my tongue in a moment, without the need for a thesaurus or in fact too much thought. Grim, grim, grimmity grim!

And just as the daylight starts to hang on too the edges of 4pm…..Valentines Day arrives.

It is honestly enough to put you over the edge. The windows of every shop are adorned in red hearts, bows, cupids and there are 2 for 1 offers for those with a special someone in every restaurant. I must say even when completely loved up I would prefer a bunch of flowers on any day with the exception of the 14th of February. I must be in the minority judging by the love propaganda down Oxford Street today.

The good news is that there are only 53 days until April!!

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The things you see on sundays

Posted on February 1, 2011 by | Leave a comment

So these guys are hanging about near the Houses of Parliament in Victoria Gardens for the next month. They are called Nuestros Silencios by Rivelino a Mexican artist. They are in good company with the Burghers of Calais at the other end of the Gardens by Rodin. You have love these surprises on grey London days.

 

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the holiday equation

Posted on January 22, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Possibly not as well known to all as the E=MC2 but for those who respond to a alarm each morning like a Pavlovian creature, dash about with blackberry’s and iphone’s, and spend their days compelled to be connected this less famous relationship will be known.

For every week you have away from work you achieve a single day of zen like calm. So in my case – 3 weeks away = 3 days of a devil-may-care, calm, controlled smiley existence.

But on day 4 when the cheery alarm bleeped me awake – the realisation that while I was away my inbox absorbed more than 1000 emails, the deadline that was weeks away is looming next week (gulp!) hit me right between the eyes. That lovely bubble of calm was popped and I was back on the get-up-get-out meeting roundabout of no time and lots of demands.

 

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Return to London

Posted on January 16, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Well – made it there and back unscathed. Survived the worlds most uncomfortable seats on a plane, watched as Queensland disappeared under torrents of water, basked in the sunshine and was amazed by the quirks of Australian political…. weirdness.

For instance Melbourne’s Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle (who use to be an English Teacher at my High School) wants everyone to walk on the left of the footpath…

….”I know it sounds trivial but keeping to the left as a pedestrian in our main streets means everyone can move more freely and more comfortably,” he said. Herald Sun 2nd Jan 2001

This reminds me of the sign that did the rounds which divided the footpath into tourists and locals, I think originally from Barcelona. So while I agree that it is annoying when people stop in your way, London is crawling with these people, but my goodness is this really the best we can expect from the Lord Mayor of Melbourne.

Then there is the Bike Scheme which has less than 70 users per day.… and why is this… well Australia has a compulsory Helmet law… and you can’t hire the helmet with the bike. Kind of scuppers the spontaneous use of the bikes.

Anyway, I am back in the big smoke where people walk where they fancy and you don’t need a helmet to cycle!

 

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hopeful in heathrow

Posted on December 22, 2010 by | Leave a comment

So it may well be that the travel gods are smiling. I am currently sitting in Terminal 3 waiting for my flight to go from the “gate open 19.25″ to the lovely “go to gate” which hopefully will be followed by the “Plane Departed” status on time and without mishap.

The good old BBC has been full of stories – missed planes, missed weddings, missed Christmas’. And to be fair it is actually pretty grim until you get into the terminal building. 100s of people looking wistfully at signs that will seal their christmasy fate.

For those that don’t know Terminal 3 – I believe it was built by the worlds most misguided architect. What sort of crazy person builds an “open air” waiting area in this country?

While I acknowledge that snow and frost are not the standard fare even in the depths of winter – it is not exactly tropical in temperature at the height of summer either! And all of these people are being asked to mill about under an enormous glass awning waiting for the opportunity to join an outside queue, which will hopefully lead to a nice person and a boarding pass!

Anyway, I have been boarding pass and it is the standard situation in Heathrow – over tired children, people of phones and everyone looking like they have already been traveling for hours.

So with any luck I will see you on the other side of the world!

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