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.
