"Take a look. It's in a book..." -Reading Rainbow

finished two books:

-Across the Wall by Garth Nix

-The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Across the Wall was overall pretty good. a collection of short stories by Garth Nix that indeed showed a lot of variety for the sci-fi/fantasy writer. some of the stories were good but not, imho, amazing. but that being said, some of them were really fantastic. i loved his perspective on the merlin stories, especially his new take on the character, viviane. he also featured some really beautiful fables, a "you choose the adventure," and a gripping western. his continuation of the Old Kingdom Series was interesting, but definitely did not appease my longing for further exploration of the Abhorsen story. i just have to be real patient because the next book in the series is not expected until 2010. until then, i can start reading his new series, Keys to the Kingdom to quell the fantasy nerd within. 

The Road - oh man what can i say about this one. bobby lent this to me after much praise and gushing. it's everything that he said it was. i have a new-found admiration for cormac mccarthy. after watching "No Country for Old Men," i thought he was definitely an interesting storyteller, but this book just makes my jaw drop. it is not for the faint of heart. it is horrible. but it is vividly beautiful. a story about the love between father and son in the face of a hopeless, post-apocalyptic America. mccarthy is highly innovative with his writing style and his language is fresh and potent. many scenes will just stay with u. my heart hurts right now, but i feel all the better for experiencing it. 

two down. two to go...

"It's all here for you as long as you don't fly away" -Death Cab for Cutie

my ipod flew away. actually, i left it on a train somewhere in scotland. i was last listening to the new death cab cd when i fell asleep and let it drift off to another land. i feel bare without it. a piece of me left on that train as an anonymous gift for an anonymous person. 

i keep singing songs in my head, but the words and beats get lost in my thoughts and memories. only to be mixed in until all is canceled out and the air is left silent. 

updates

updates for the last week and a half:

BBQ at my dad's flat

guestlist included a bunch of my dad's coworkers who, by the way, are all mid-twenties to late twenties. i felt pretty awkward being there since i didn't really know what to talk about with his co-workers who were closer to age with me than him. it made me feel very immature being there because all they talked about were politics and computer engineering. 

and then they giggled their way through an hour of making wii's of everyone there.

Indiana Jones

watched the new Indy with my dad. i thought it was really fun and i enjoyed it a lot. i think it definitely had the same kind of energy as the other Indiana Jones movies even though the concept of it was really kind of crazy. but i do like that they incorporated so much of what was going on in the 50's. 

SPOILER ALERT: my dad and i laughed hysterically at the part where the jocks were about to have a gang fight with the greasers in the diner. everyone looked at us like we were crazy. silly british people not getting american jokes. 

after the movie, we ate at spicy ramen at Wagamama and headed back home.

Khanh's Visit

i haven't seen the guy in almost a year so he took a train down from his school in Hull and came to visit! he's exactly the same. yet, he's sooo much different. i think he's found himself a lot while he was out here and at the same time, lost himself in it. he's a heavy drinker now. heavy smoker. pretty much a party animal. he seems happier because i think he's more comfortable in his skin, . but i do worry that he parties a little excessively.

first, we ate at a vietnamese place called Au Lac near my dad's flat. it was nice to hear khanh talk about how vietnamese food reminded him of home and good memories. then, khanh, my dad, and i watched Into the Hoods . yup, it's exactly what you think it is. an urban version of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. i thought it would be pretty funny us watching it since we did Into the Woods back at South City and it was. but it was also surprisingly impressive. no talking, no singing. just hip-hop dance and b-boy style antics. it all took place in "the hood" and each character related to a character in the original. and what brought it all together was the soundtrack - made up of a mix from current hip-hop and club songs. whenever the had to expressive an emotion, or plot development, they would use songs that corresponded to that exact scene. so cool!

after that, khanh and i went out for a night on the town. we club hopped all around Leiscester Square and Soho taking a shot here, and a cocktail there. by the end of the night, we had ended up at a gay dance club conveniently called G.A.Y. we danced till 3 in the morning when they finally turned on the lights. took a cab home (which was quite annoying and expensive). and finally called it a night around 4.

the next day, we walked around town, up and down Regent Street and all the fancy stores. we explored Selfridges & Co which is like a modern version of harrod's and ended up eating fancy gelato and drinking voss water at the food court. after that, we ate at Yo! Sushi, a sushi boat-type place where instead of boats, the food was placed in futuristic pods of goodness. then we headed to a bar for drinks before we watched the preview showing of Sex and the City. the premiere was a lot fun even though i'm not a hardcore fan of the series. the theatre was packed with girls dressed up in froufrou dresses and giddy excitement. the whole movie was accompanied by "ooh's and aw's," lots of laughs, and some tears. and the gay guys in back of us gave really amusing commentary on all the corny parts. we got out of the movie and headed home via the Night 19 instead of cab. it took us probably half an hour to finally find the bus stop, since all the bus drivers we asked had no idea where th N19 could possibly be. even though it only turned out a couple of blocks away. 

so as we were waiting for the bus, an old lady waved down an approaching bus to let them know that she wanted to get on. the bus started to pull over to the curb while she ran as fast as she could to the stop. just as the bus began to brake, she took a nasty fall, and she looked like she was in pain. instead of waiting for her to simply get up, the bus driver laughed and sped away. what the fuck?! i ran to the old lady, and helped her up and cursed out the driver even though he couldn't hear me. i felt so bad for her especially since it was late and buses only come every half an hour. one thing i really hate about this country is that this kind of dick behavior is quite common. fuck that really makes me mad. 

our bus finally came, and boarded, along with another fellow. he sat right in front of us and he eventually turned around while khanh and i talked. he immediately knew where i was from, guessing "california" by the accent. wow pretty impressive. he then went on to tell us that he was actually a dj and was planning on moving to san francisco to play in some clubs. he helped a bunch of old ladies figure out their stops and acted like a complete gentleman. i guess not all british people are tools hehe.

Wicked

finally got around to watching Wicked with my dad last friday. it was as good as i've heard. amazing singing. amazing sets. amazing story. the kind of stuff that makes me want to act, sing, and design sets for a living. i bought the soundtrack and a program, but i really wish i could just take the whole production with me so i could watch it whenever i like. i really need read the novel now.

More Shopping on Regent St. and Speed Racer

on saturday, my dad and i walked around Islington and got takeaway from Ottolenghi, a fancy, overpriced deli. it was the most crowded place i've ever ordered salad from. but that meal was amazing. i guess i can understand why it was so packed, it was sooo good. mostly vegetarian dishes like cous cous and other salads. lots of fresh pastries to decorate the counters with. we ate the chocolate-banana-caramel cake. man oh man. then we were off to regent st.. We ended up visitng Carnaby St. as well, which is a tiny shopping district that has lots of unique boutiques and fun little stores. we ventured around until we got tired and rested up a Cafe Nero, which is suppose to be Starbucks' big competitor here. sorry, but no contest, Starbucks is world wide for a reason (and i swear i'm not biased because i use to work there). the drink selection was kind of whack and they don't accept credit cards, which is not very smart. it's not even like a mom and pop kind of place -it's a chain that is on every block (even more than starbucks) and is imh, not as good.

after that, we watched Speed Racer at Leiscester Sq. while it wasn't as good as Indiana Jones to me, i thought it was enjoyable. it was loud, bright, and colorful which kept my attention and kept my interested. i thought it was inventive and definitely fun.

then we ate at a korean place where we got to grill our own meats and drink lots of soju.

Dad's Birthday

monday was my dad's b-day. i tried to cook a fancy dinner. menu: baked panko-crusted salmon, wasabi-slaw, and sweet potato mash. it turned out really nice. and i bought two slices of carrot cake from Ottolenghi for dessert. good stuff. 

"Under pressure" -Queen/David Bowie

no blogging for awhile because honestly, i don't know how to do this. i put too much pressure on myself to post everyday when i first got here, that after that, i became overwhelmed and gave up. plus, i'm not a very funny/inventive/interesting writer let alone blogger -so more things to overwhelm a blogger newbie. 

so i guess this is me whining and complaining. but also persevering. so no pressure. no dailies. i'll see ya when i see ya. and i'll say whatever comes out, funny/inventive/interesting, or not. 

"One at a time, constants become surreal. One at a time, heart attacks are concealed." -A.F.I.

day 4. 21 may

around 4 in the morning, gap kids keeps calling me. one missed call. two missed calls. three missed calls. what the heck? fourth call. fine. i answer it. turns out they're inviting me to the store's going-out of business all-store dinner. nope, i can't go. i'm in england remember? remember when i asked if we could have it before the 17th so that i could go because on the 17th i leave to europe? argh..i'm still a little bitter that no one tried to say goodbye to me when i pretty much advertised that my last day was on the 9th of may. and besides i really wanted to go to that dinner. i'm not sure why, but gap was actually pretty good to me and i will miss it and miss my co-workers. even after all that complaining i did, i really didn't plan on leaving because i felt settled. i felt accomplished (i was known for being really successful at gap cards) and even proud of myself. i finally kept a job for more than 6 months. almost a year and a half as a matter of fact. didn't get unbelievably bored like usual. and then just when i get really comfortable, we go out of business. and just when i think i'm starting to make real friends, real connections that can be carried out of the confines of perfect board folding and go-backs, our store is scattered...

so i wake up forreal around 9 am. pretty good start i think. eat some cereal...drink some milk...lay on the couch. lay on the couch...lay on the couch some more...and pretty soon the whole day blows away outside my window. so yeah. i spent most of my day watching grey's anatomy, bleach, taking a 4 hour nap, and laying on a couch thinking about how i should be active and see london. but ya know what? i'm on vacation and i should be able to do whatever the heck i want even if that means doing nothing. besides, i don't know why i put so much pressure on me to go and have adventures when i'm suppose to be relaxing and not stressing out. so that's what i did and i feel proud to have caught up especially on real Bleach. no more freakin bounto filler!!! i can finally see what the heck owen and bobby are talking about.

so after doing a whole lot of nothing, i finally got out of the house to meet up with my dad at the Virgin Active gym at angel station. i was kind of amused that we went to another Virgin-related endeavor. it seems like they own EVERYTHING here. want to talk on the phone? Virgin Mobile. want to watch tv? Virgin Satellite. want to work out? Virgin Active. want to fly to New York? Virgin Atlantic. how bout just a commuter flight? Virgin America. how bout a hot dog? Virgin Hot Dog. okay they don't really have hot dogs...

so we sign up for a day pass to see how the gym is. split ways and go to the locker rooms. the very first thing i notice (and it wasn't exactly hard to see) was that british women have ginormous breasts. okay this sounds really weird, but then again all the women were naked so it's not like it was a secret. no but really, i've noticed this since i got to the london. i haven't seen one flat-chested woman so i really stand out (or don't stand out actually). i'm not sure if it's something that's in the water, but i think i'll be drinking a whole lot of that H2O while i'm here haha. 

anyhow, i try to do some elliptical action and notice that i have no idea how much i weigh because i don't know how many kilograms are in a pound. and i don't know how fast i want to go because i don't know how many mph are in an sph. so i try to do it manually and find that their elliptical is more like ellipti-crazy. it was nothing like the ellipticals we have back in the states. but i tried to look like i knew what i was doing by looking around to see how the others were getting through it. and that's when i noticed that a lot of the people at the gym were deathly skinny, like mary kate skinny and snoop dog in "Starksy and Hutch" skinny. it was at that point that i realized i was one of the heaviest ladies in the room. man no wonder why they think americans are fat...they have really crazy standards.

so we finish the work out and my dad decides to let me get a month membership so i can come back and work out. as we leave, he comments about how it will be good for me to "finally get"  active which i totally agree with. but then i hear the undertones of his wish for me and realize yet again that he thinks i'm overweight. everytime he's visited me, he comments that i eat too much. that i (along with all of America apparently) eat really poorly. that it's starting to show (since i, like others from the states, eat like 8 burgers a day). and since i've been here, he's said some more things that hint at his disappointment in my weight. i said something about how the women in the gym were too skinny and he said that they're just healthy. they're just "active" and "eat right." this pressure to be thin has always been there but in the past several years, i feel like it's gotten worse. since my dad lost a bunch of weight, he acts like he's superior in his diet and his exercise regiment. he always brags about how much he runs, how little he eats. one time i commented on how he's anorexic and he said at least he's in shape. he said that leaving America has taught him how to eat (which by the way includes skipping breakfast and lunch). to me, this is not a good example. not only is he encouraging not eating, i feel like he thinks he's so much better than americans just cuz he lives in london now. and then he goes on to imply that he never cooks and is only cooking meals for me because he knows how much i like to eat. 

yeah. 

i do. 

i feel like he really wants me to follow his "methods" and i only wish he knew how much i've struggled with my weight throughout my life. he wouldn't be so free with his "advice" if he only knew. 

all this talk about not eating is making me hungry. end of day 4.

 

"Again last night I had that strange dream, where everything was exactly how it seemed." - Postal Service

day 3. 20 may

woke up around 11 am (finally slept in a little bit). it took me awhile to get up since i was debating sleeping in a couple of more hours to see where this recurring dream that i've had would go. in the dream, i'm running towards a cabin in the woods with some of my friends. there's something following us and i'm really fearful of what or who it is. we run into the cabin and lock all the doors and shut all the windows. however, some of my friends are hot so they decide to leave just one window open since it has a screen. everyone leaves the room, but for some reason, i just sit in front of the window with all the lights off and wait for "the thing" to finally come. 

didn't get to see where that went though since my phone kept getting incoming texts. it was my dad asking me to get dressed and help him out. i guess i'll go with him to his storage facility...

so he meets me at the flat and he tells me that he's rented a car since the storage facility is not easy to get to by bus or tube. okay this will be interesting. 

"dad, have you driven here before?"

"um...yeah one time when i moved..."

"oh how did that go?"

(then i think back to when he told me a traffic light took his picture repeatedly throughout the day when he was driving a big truck when he moved...)

anyhow, it was terrifying. lol. no really, i was afraid for our lives since all rental cars are stick shift with your left hand and steering with your right hand (driver's side is reversed). i seriously had to recite happy song lyrics inside of my head so that my dad would stay calm anytime he looked at me. instead of a terrified jaw clench, i tried to exhibit an amused smile. it was really crazy navigating through streets that didn't have street signs and dealing with jay-walkers that didn't even look to see if there was oncoming traffic (which there always is). it certainly was an adventure and not one that i generally would like to have again (unless my dad obtains a british driver's license). oh and unless england can drive on the normal side of the street...

the rest of the day was filled with laziness. lots of reality television and really long british commercials. if you thought our commercials were long back in the states, you would start to squirm watching these ones. on top of their length, a lot of them don't have anything to do with the product that they're trying to advertise. for example, there can be an ad showing parachuting, and skiing, and the tropics, and it would turn out to be an ad for m&m's. is this why they call it british humor?

other things that are weird/make me laugh:

-spelling: humour, flavour, organise (okay yeah, i did spell technicolour the british way)

-always say take-away when you buy food so you don't have to pay an extra dollar to sit down at their facility plus tax

-even though it's called "w.c." (wash closet), everyone says "loo" or "toilets" which is kind of the opposite of proper eh?

-even if you're standing in front of the bus stop clearly waiting for a bus, they will not stop unless you wave your hand to signal your desire to get on a bus

-crisps= chips=french fries, but tortilla chips are still chips

-tomato= ta-maw-toe

-pasta= pass-ta

i helped make dinner and was rather proud of the outcome. we had roast lamb with potatoes and salad. i was in charge of the potatoes which doesn't sound very impressive, but if you tasted them, you might be surprised (and a little impressed?). ingredients included: potatoes,  onions, garlic, paprika, extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, chives, parsley, bay leaf, pepper, salt, and a hint of sugar. 

i finally started getting to reading some of my books that i brought. optimistically thinking, by the end of this trip i will have read the following:

-Across the Wall by Garth Nix 

-The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

-The Road by Cormac McCarthy

-Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

wish me academic luck!

the rest of the night was more lounging around and being lazy. that prior adventure of the day really drained most of my energy and mental well-being. end of day 3.

"All your suits are custom made in London. But I've got something that you'd really like..." -Madonna

day 2. may 19

so today i was on a mission to go do some shopping and see a museum. i ventured out on a double decker bus and then to angel station for some "tube" action. i wandered around the london bridge area where i kept getting lost. i tried to go to the borough market to get a sausage but to my dismay, they were closed on mondays. so instead i went to the globe theatre to see what was playing. i ended up getting a ticket for standing room for king lear on may 28th. i'm excited to see a performance here but i'm not excited to stand around for 3 hours (but u can't really beat a 5 quid ticket). after that i went off to the tate modern where i walked around for several hours and checked out a new exhibit featuring three famous dadaist artists. personally, it's been more rewarding to check out art museums after i've learned about them in my art history classes. i feel like i can really appreciate the artists after learning about the movements and such. this last semester was all about 20th century art so this museum was perfect. by the time i got down to the last floor of art, i was really exhausted which reminded me of a couple of years ago when my friends and i were at the tate modern. by the time we got down to the last floor, we rushed through because we had been at such a slow pace on the other levels that all of our energy had been used up. deja vu. 

so after that i decided to still try to spend some english money. i read about a market place near liverpool st that features plenty of discounts on clothes and purses. so despite my tiredness, i journeyed over to liverpool tube stop. after getting lost some more for almost an hour, i finally found the spitalfields market which to my awesome luck, was closed on mondays. ugh! i tried to look in some boutiques along the way but they were quite boutiquey thus expensive. 

after another disappointment, i made my way home. instead of going to the gym with my dad, i opted to take a nap. by the way, i tried to be out of the house so that i wouldn't be in the way of the housecleaner but she didn't get there till half way through my nap. i think i scared her cuz she kind of yelped when i was stretching. to make it up to me, she vacuumed extra long in the living room while i was trying to sleep. 

the cool thing since i've been here has been my dad's cooking. he's been spoiling me by cooking every night (and good stuff by the way). we ate some amazing salmon and next up is some roasted lamb...i'm getting way too spoiled here! =P

end of day 2.