Foster the People: Pumped-Up Kicks
6/12/11
Toronto-London-Istanbul (Day 3)
Today was a travel day!
Aussie and I got up around 8:30 and put the finishing touches on our packing before piling into our cab to Heathrow. We arrived at the airport in good time, so we wandered through the duty free and had some lunch. I have not been eating my greens on this trip so far, so I had a nice big salad. I've been craving vitamins!
On board our flight, we listened to a few 'Rick Steve's' podcasts about Istanbul. (I had already listened to them, but I wanted a little reminder of the sights and sounds of the city.) The gentleman infront of me, who had a large head covered in very dark curly hair, leaned back in his seat, only to discover that the seat was broken and that it would not adjusted back into the upright position. Great. I didn't mind too much… except for when I tried to eat my dinner and my face was centimetres from the seat back. They played 'Scooby-Doo' as the 'in-flight' movie, but I decided to read instead (my book, 'The Help', is getting really good!)
The flight took almost 5 hours. We arrived at 19:50 local time. We weren't really sure about the best way to get to our hostel, so we consulted one of the many car-rental/travel agencies in the airport. We met Mustafa, who booked us a shuttle cab to our hostel. He also gave us advice on which tours to take and which sites to see. He even offered to be our 'guide' after hours, as we explored the trendy club district… we politely declined.
Our cab driver was very friendly— he pointed out some fresh fish restaurants right on the water. He was round and jolly and had a great sense of humour… but not very much English!
When we arrived at the hostel, a young man… who didn't speak any English… showed us our room. It's slightly shabby and small, but we are one floor below the rooftop terrace and breakfast is provided daily!
Well, I'm off to get some shut-eye! Tomorrow's going to be exciting!
Aussie and I got up around 8:30 and put the finishing touches on our packing before piling into our cab to Heathrow. We arrived at the airport in good time, so we wandered through the duty free and had some lunch. I have not been eating my greens on this trip so far, so I had a nice big salad. I've been craving vitamins!
On board our flight, we listened to a few 'Rick Steve's' podcasts about Istanbul. (I had already listened to them, but I wanted a little reminder of the sights and sounds of the city.) The gentleman infront of me, who had a large head covered in very dark curly hair, leaned back in his seat, only to discover that the seat was broken and that it would not adjusted back into the upright position. Great. I didn't mind too much… except for when I tried to eat my dinner and my face was centimetres from the seat back. They played 'Scooby-Doo' as the 'in-flight' movie, but I decided to read instead (my book, 'The Help', is getting really good!)
The flight took almost 5 hours. We arrived at 19:50 local time. We weren't really sure about the best way to get to our hostel, so we consulted one of the many car-rental/travel agencies in the airport. We met Mustafa, who booked us a shuttle cab to our hostel. He also gave us advice on which tours to take and which sites to see. He even offered to be our 'guide' after hours, as we explored the trendy club district… we politely declined.
Our cab driver was very friendly— he pointed out some fresh fish restaurants right on the water. He was round and jolly and had a great sense of humour… but not very much English!
When we arrived at the hostel, a young man… who didn't speak any English… showed us our room. It's slightly shabby and small, but we are one floor below the rooftop terrace and breakfast is provided daily!
Well, I'm off to get some shut-eye! Tomorrow's going to be exciting!
Toronto-London-Turkey (Day 2)
This morning, Aussie and I had a bit of a lie-in. I woke her up around 9:00 and we took our time getting ready for the day.
Around 10:30, we headed out to Highgate, an area not too far from where Aussie lives in Finchley. Highgate is a very posh area— apparently a lot of footballers live there. We took a stroll down the High St and found a park. Not just any park, but probably the most beautiful park I've ever seen… except for maybe Versailles. We walked down the paved path, passing many wooden benches, tennis courts and playing, laughing children. Past a few bushes and trees, our path opened up on a green hollow with rolling hills. There were large trees, fenced-in play areas, a pond (home to some coots and their chicks) and, at the top of the hill, a lovely manicured garden, surrounding an old house. We had fun watching some toddlers playing on their scooters, their scruffy cocker spaniel chasing balls behind them.
We continued down the steep street to a bridge which provided a road over the train tracks. From the bridge, we could see all the way down to 'The Gherkin' in Central London.
We then made our way back up the hill to a shop called 'High Tea of Highgate'. To my surprise and great disappointment, they didn't actually serve 'high tea'. High tea consists of foods that are more like a meal (usually sandwiches) along with scones, jam, etc. This tea shop only served sweet things. Aussie and I both ordered cream tea— tea with scones, clotted cream and jam. It was delicious, but not quite the filling meal we were looking for. It was a very nice little tea shop, with pastel colours everywhere. They had creamers that resembled cows and they sold all kinds of tea paraphernalia. I tried the 'Assam' tea.
As I do, I began to daydream about what it would be like to run my own little English tea shop (complete with actual high tea). I'll just add that to my list of half-dreams. I've been feeling a little anxious about my half-dreams lately… becoming a teacher, working in radio… I feel kind of directionless and unfocused. What am I actually good at? What do I actually like to do?
Anyway, after our tea, we caught the tube to Chalk Farm, where Aussie goes to church. It was so nice to be back in a church where people are really welcoming and interested. The worship at this church really felt like reaching out to God instead of just singing a nice song. The message that Sunday was about mercy. The pastor spoke about mercy— in a way that really got me thinking about my own nature. He said that being merciful is not just being 'easy-going'. He said that being easy-going has been elevated to an admirable status in our society, just being able to let things slide. I would say I'm pretty easy-going… but it's not always a good thing. Being easy-going has made me stop caring. Maybe it's my easy-goingness that has helped me slide into my distracted, directionless state. I gotta focus.
Being at Aussie's church it was so refreshing and humbling to be around people who really are a family to one another. They are open about their problems, concerns and happiness and they are completely comfortable praying and praising God together. It made me really miss my church family at Oasis in Birmingham.
After church, we headed to Covent Garden for dinner… and because the two of us are often so indecisive, we ended up ordering and eating a very rushed dinner at a French café. We were late to 'The Comedy Store', where we had tickets to improv night. The place was packed, so we had to sit on opposite sides of the aisle.
The show was pretty funny. It was very similar to 'Who's Line is it Anyway?'. They took a lot of audience suggestions, which was hilarious. They made up their own musical Bible parable: "He who procrastinates loseth".
Tomorrow, we head to Istanbul! I am really liking being on vacation. I wish I could just do this all the time instead of working a regular job. Don't we all?
Around 10:30, we headed out to Highgate, an area not too far from where Aussie lives in Finchley. Highgate is a very posh area— apparently a lot of footballers live there. We took a stroll down the High St and found a park. Not just any park, but probably the most beautiful park I've ever seen… except for maybe Versailles. We walked down the paved path, passing many wooden benches, tennis courts and playing, laughing children. Past a few bushes and trees, our path opened up on a green hollow with rolling hills. There were large trees, fenced-in play areas, a pond (home to some coots and their chicks) and, at the top of the hill, a lovely manicured garden, surrounding an old house. We had fun watching some toddlers playing on their scooters, their scruffy cocker spaniel chasing balls behind them.
We continued down the steep street to a bridge which provided a road over the train tracks. From the bridge, we could see all the way down to 'The Gherkin' in Central London.
We then made our way back up the hill to a shop called 'High Tea of Highgate'. To my surprise and great disappointment, they didn't actually serve 'high tea'. High tea consists of foods that are more like a meal (usually sandwiches) along with scones, jam, etc. This tea shop only served sweet things. Aussie and I both ordered cream tea— tea with scones, clotted cream and jam. It was delicious, but not quite the filling meal we were looking for. It was a very nice little tea shop, with pastel colours everywhere. They had creamers that resembled cows and they sold all kinds of tea paraphernalia. I tried the 'Assam' tea.
As I do, I began to daydream about what it would be like to run my own little English tea shop (complete with actual high tea). I'll just add that to my list of half-dreams. I've been feeling a little anxious about my half-dreams lately… becoming a teacher, working in radio… I feel kind of directionless and unfocused. What am I actually good at? What do I actually like to do?
Anyway, after our tea, we caught the tube to Chalk Farm, where Aussie goes to church. It was so nice to be back in a church where people are really welcoming and interested. The worship at this church really felt like reaching out to God instead of just singing a nice song. The message that Sunday was about mercy. The pastor spoke about mercy— in a way that really got me thinking about my own nature. He said that being merciful is not just being 'easy-going'. He said that being easy-going has been elevated to an admirable status in our society, just being able to let things slide. I would say I'm pretty easy-going… but it's not always a good thing. Being easy-going has made me stop caring. Maybe it's my easy-goingness that has helped me slide into my distracted, directionless state. I gotta focus.
Being at Aussie's church it was so refreshing and humbling to be around people who really are a family to one another. They are open about their problems, concerns and happiness and they are completely comfortable praying and praising God together. It made me really miss my church family at Oasis in Birmingham.
After church, we headed to Covent Garden for dinner… and because the two of us are often so indecisive, we ended up ordering and eating a very rushed dinner at a French café. We were late to 'The Comedy Store', where we had tickets to improv night. The place was packed, so we had to sit on opposite sides of the aisle.
The show was pretty funny. It was very similar to 'Who's Line is it Anyway?'. They took a lot of audience suggestions, which was hilarious. They made up their own musical Bible parable: "He who procrastinates loseth".
Tomorrow, we head to Istanbul! I am really liking being on vacation. I wish I could just do this all the time instead of working a regular job. Don't we all?
6/8/11
Toronto- London- Turkey (Day 1)
My parents dropped me at Lester B. Pearson around 6:30 pm and I quickly checked in. My flight started boarding quite late, but the pilot said we had a tail wind, so we'd arrive on time. I had an aisle seat next to Maxime, a young doctor from Montréal. He had recently graduated med school and decided to celebrate with a 3-week couch-surfing adventure with his buddy from school. He was a pretty cool guy— into triathlons and cycling. He had taken three of his Mom's sleeping pills prior to boarding, so about an hour into the flight, he was out cold— I even tried to wake him up for dinner, but no dice.
I took the train from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station — and I found myself getting a bit emotional… it all felt so familiar. I looked out the window and saw all my favourite things about the English countryside: oddly-shaped fields surrounded by low hedges, Tudor-era, Jacobian and Industrial Revolution-era homes and, closest to the city, back gardens squished together like sliced bread. I was reminded of all the train journeys and road-trips I had the pleasure of enjoying last year when I lived in the UK.
I met Aussie at Victoria Station with a big hug. We chatted non-stop all the way back to her flat in North Finchley, where I cleaned myself up a bit. Then we headed down to Camden— somewhere I have never been— which is surprising, as it is definitely my kind of place!
Camden is, pretty much, awesome.
It is a sprawling neighborhood full of amaing markets that sell everything from cheesy tourist souvenirs to expensive boutique home-furnishings to vintage clothes and shoes to an astonishing array of ethinic foods. Some of my favourite things in the markets were a towering display of old suitcases and trunks and a cart full of home-baked gourmet doughnuts. I tried a doughnut covered in icing sugar and filled with vanilla custard.
I also liked the rows of stools that resembled the seats of scooters-- it made a plain counter-top a fun place to enjoy some rice or Thai noodles.
Aussie took me to a fantastic/incredibly weird space-age store called 'Cyberdog'. Techno music filled the many rooms, which were all lit with ultra-violet bulbs, making all the products glow in a rainbow of neon colours. The entrance was flanked by two giant robots and inside, customers were entertained with scantily-clad, glowing dancers in cages. We explored room after room full of the wardrobe from 'The Jetsons' and inspected shelves of make-up and hair-dye that glowed in the dark. I have never been anywhere like 'Cyberdog'!
After a quick cuppa, I hopped on the tube to head South for dinner with two of my Canadian friends who are living and studying abroad: Mel and Stef!
We had a great time catching up, telling stories and updating eachother on the recent happenings of our lives. We shared some news about our friends and laughed about the latest episode of Glee and internet sensation Rebecca Black. We ate at an Indian restuarant-- finally, some proper curry! I really miss English Indian food! Unfortunately, I didn't have much time with those speial ladies, but I'm sure I will see them again soon.
Oh yeah, I got an awesome 'Royal Wedding' Oyster card!
I took the train from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station — and I found myself getting a bit emotional… it all felt so familiar. I looked out the window and saw all my favourite things about the English countryside: oddly-shaped fields surrounded by low hedges, Tudor-era, Jacobian and Industrial Revolution-era homes and, closest to the city, back gardens squished together like sliced bread. I was reminded of all the train journeys and road-trips I had the pleasure of enjoying last year when I lived in the UK.
I met Aussie at Victoria Station with a big hug. We chatted non-stop all the way back to her flat in North Finchley, where I cleaned myself up a bit. Then we headed down to Camden— somewhere I have never been— which is surprising, as it is definitely my kind of place!
Camden is, pretty much, awesome.
It is a sprawling neighborhood full of amaing markets that sell everything from cheesy tourist souvenirs to expensive boutique home-furnishings to vintage clothes and shoes to an astonishing array of ethinic foods. Some of my favourite things in the markets were a towering display of old suitcases and trunks and a cart full of home-baked gourmet doughnuts. I tried a doughnut covered in icing sugar and filled with vanilla custard.
I also liked the rows of stools that resembled the seats of scooters-- it made a plain counter-top a fun place to enjoy some rice or Thai noodles.
Aussie took me to a fantastic/incredibly weird space-age store called 'Cyberdog'. Techno music filled the many rooms, which were all lit with ultra-violet bulbs, making all the products glow in a rainbow of neon colours. The entrance was flanked by two giant robots and inside, customers were entertained with scantily-clad, glowing dancers in cages. We explored room after room full of the wardrobe from 'The Jetsons' and inspected shelves of make-up and hair-dye that glowed in the dark. I have never been anywhere like 'Cyberdog'!
After a quick cuppa, I hopped on the tube to head South for dinner with two of my Canadian friends who are living and studying abroad: Mel and Stef!
We had a great time catching up, telling stories and updating eachother on the recent happenings of our lives. We shared some news about our friends and laughed about the latest episode of Glee and internet sensation Rebecca Black. We ate at an Indian restuarant-- finally, some proper curry! I really miss English Indian food! Unfortunately, I didn't have much time with those speial ladies, but I'm sure I will see them again soon.
Oh yeah, I got an awesome 'Royal Wedding' Oyster card!
6/7/11
P.S. It's Dub Step Week
It's Dubstep Week on BBC Radio 1! Dubstep is a genre that comes from the UK dance scene. It's brilliant! Here are some of Dubstep's biggest stars of the moment:
James Blake
Katy B
Nero (One of my faves)-- Check out their Dubstep Symphony here
Chase and Status
Please enjoy!
James Blake
Katy B
Nero (One of my faves)-- Check out their Dubstep Symphony here
Chase and Status
Please enjoy!
Playing Catch-Up 2
Earlier in May, I had the great pleasure of attending my very first clothing swap! Being a casual fashion blogger myself, as well as a dedicated reader of a host of personal style blogs, I am familiar with the concept of a clothing swap.
Here's how this one worked:
1) Each lady brought a basket of their previously-used, no-longer worn clothing and accessories.
2) The clothes were divided up into categories… skirts, jackets, jewellery and so on.
3) Our lovely hostess held up each piece, describing it's size, colour and other features.
4) If a lady wanted the item, she would raise her hand. If only one lady wanted it, it was hers, but if it caught the eye of more than one of us, the hostess would pick a number and we would each guess. Whoever guessed the closest to her number won the item.
I got some great items. Most notably, I collected a colourful woven purse with leather trim, a railroad-striped denim bag, as well as a cropped tan jacket with 3/4 sleeves. I also got this great brown, knee-length skirt!
Here's how this one worked:
1) Each lady brought a basket of their previously-used, no-longer worn clothing and accessories.
2) The clothes were divided up into categories… skirts, jackets, jewellery and so on.
3) Our lovely hostess held up each piece, describing it's size, colour and other features.
4) If a lady wanted the item, she would raise her hand. If only one lady wanted it, it was hers, but if it caught the eye of more than one of us, the hostess would pick a number and we would each guess. Whoever guessed the closest to her number won the item.
I got some great items. Most notably, I collected a colourful woven purse with leather trim, a railroad-striped denim bag, as well as a cropped tan jacket with 3/4 sleeves. I also got this great brown, knee-length skirt!
Playing Catch-Up
May was such a busy month for me! I can't believe how much went on. It seems like I've had such a dull Winter of cuddling up with my beloved radio, avoiding the wind and rain. But with the lush green leaves and colourful blooms of spring came a series of wonderful events!
Wednesday, May 11
On May 11, my Dad and I woke up at about 2:30 am to help out at a very special event at Pearson International Airport: Dreams Take Flight. This organization puts together an annual one-day trip to Disney World in Orlando for socially, mentally and physically disadvantaged kids! As the children arrived at the airport, they were greeted with giant blow-up balloons of Disney characters, cheery music, tasty breakfast, free giveaways, the RCMP and clowns such as my Dad and I. We made balloons for the kids and it was so great to see them getting so excited about their trip!
It was exciting morning for me too! My Dad and I met Susan Hay from Global News as well as my childhood hero, Loonette the Clown from The Big Comfy Couch. We met some RCMP officers and picked up a pair of free Crocs each.
The coolest part of the morning was when they opened the airplane hangar door to reveal the airplane and a half-dozen SWAT team members descended on ropes from the ceiling. It was awesome!
If you want to find out more about how to support Dreams Take Flight, please click here!
Wednesday, May 18
The following Wednesday was a very exciting day for me indeed! I FINALLY got to see Adele in concert! I raced home after work to get dressed! I wore a very Adele-like ensemble: a black, 60's inspired shift dress, black ballerina flats and simple accessories. As always, I had awesome hair, too.
Anyway, I headed downtown right after work, but I didn't really have enough time to meet my friends Andrew, Ari and Hannah for dinner, so I wandered up and down Front St deciding where to eat. I randomly bumped in to Julie, one of my childhood neighbors and she invited me to eat with her and her boyfriend. It was really nice to swap stories and catch up!
I arrived at the ACC shortly after Adele's opener, 'The Civil Wars', had started their set. They were pretty good. They have beautiful harmonies and great voices... but a lot of their songs sounded very similar.
Adele was spectacular. As I have experienced from her live videos on YouTube, she is (if you can believe it) even better live than on her album. She sang many of the songs off '21', and also 'Make you Feel My Love' and some other covers. She was spectacular. For many of her numbers, her raw and powerful, yet heart-breakingly sensitive voice was accompanied only by soft piano or acoustic guitar, and that's all she needed. Talent like hers requires no auto-tune or production techniques to clean it up. One of my favourite moments was when she did 'Don't You Remember', which is my favourite song off her new album. Another was when she giggled about all of her 'sausage dog' printed belongings, such as her mug and stool.
My only criticisms of the show are in relation to the venue and the other concert-goers. First off, the ACC is far too big a venue for Adele, even when cut in half. She is much better suited to a more intimate space, where she can connect more closely with her audience. And Secondly, the people sitting in my section were LAME! We were right in front of the stage, less than 100 feet from Miss Adkins and they refused to stand up! I wanted to get up and sway to the music, and dance to her more upbeat numbers like 'Rumour Has It' and 'Rolling in the Deep'. I wanted to raise my hand in the air as I shouted along to 'Someone Like You'. But I felt quite out of place as the saddoes in my section remained with their bums on their hard, plastic stadium seats.
Stay tuned for more about the clothing swap I attended recently as well as my trip to Istanbul!
Wednesday, May 11
It was exciting morning for me too! My Dad and I met Susan Hay from Global News as well as my childhood hero, Loonette the Clown from The Big Comfy Couch. We met some RCMP officers and picked up a pair of free Crocs each.
If you want to find out more about how to support Dreams Take Flight, please click here!
Wednesday, May 18
The following Wednesday was a very exciting day for me indeed! I FINALLY got to see Adele in concert! I raced home after work to get dressed! I wore a very Adele-like ensemble: a black, 60's inspired shift dress, black ballerina flats and simple accessories. As always, I had awesome hair, too.
Anyway, I headed downtown right after work, but I didn't really have enough time to meet my friends Andrew, Ari and Hannah for dinner, so I wandered up and down Front St deciding where to eat. I randomly bumped in to Julie, one of my childhood neighbors and she invited me to eat with her and her boyfriend. It was really nice to swap stories and catch up!
I arrived at the ACC shortly after Adele's opener, 'The Civil Wars', had started their set. They were pretty good. They have beautiful harmonies and great voices... but a lot of their songs sounded very similar.
Adele was spectacular. As I have experienced from her live videos on YouTube, she is (if you can believe it) even better live than on her album. She sang many of the songs off '21', and also 'Make you Feel My Love' and some other covers. She was spectacular. For many of her numbers, her raw and powerful, yet heart-breakingly sensitive voice was accompanied only by soft piano or acoustic guitar, and that's all she needed. Talent like hers requires no auto-tune or production techniques to clean it up. One of my favourite moments was when she did 'Don't You Remember', which is my favourite song off her new album. Another was when she giggled about all of her 'sausage dog' printed belongings, such as her mug and stool.
My only criticisms of the show are in relation to the venue and the other concert-goers. First off, the ACC is far too big a venue for Adele, even when cut in half. She is much better suited to a more intimate space, where she can connect more closely with her audience. And Secondly, the people sitting in my section were LAME! We were right in front of the stage, less than 100 feet from Miss Adkins and they refused to stand up! I wanted to get up and sway to the music, and dance to her more upbeat numbers like 'Rumour Has It' and 'Rolling in the Deep'. I wanted to raise my hand in the air as I shouted along to 'Someone Like You'. But I felt quite out of place as the saddoes in my section remained with their bums on their hard, plastic stadium seats.
Stay tuned for more about the clothing swap I attended recently as well as my trip to Istanbul!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)