Playing Catch Up!

Hello! So sorry it's been so long since my last post! I'll try not to leave anything out.

Let's see... The friday after my birthday some friends and I attended the weekly BOP - this weeks theme being cowboys and indians :) Big fun! haha

Last Sunday I attended the Frieze Art Fair in Regent's Park. It was so amazing! Frieze is an annual fair that houses about 180 or more different small galleries, and displays the work of even more artists! It is a lot to take in. I didn't even get to see everything. I am so glad I got to go. There was tons of very cool art, some different art, and then some down right strange art haha. I guess those were above my artistic understanding....

Nothing really the week following Frieze, although I did have my very first piano lesson! I am excited to be finally taking lessons!

This weekend a couple friends and I took a trip to Ireland! We left Friday afternoon, and in about an hour we were in Ireland...love that! We got to our hostel, settled in, and then hit the town. We walked to Temple Bar and had dinner at a great little cafe. Great food! After we went just across the street to the famous Temple Bar for a (half pint of) Guinness, which I actually like now! Not wanting to head home yet we wandered about for a bit and found another bar to sit down a bit and have a pint. Headed back after that one, for it was getting rather late and cold.

Saturday: We spent all day exploring Dublin. We visited beautiful Trinity College, Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Viking and Medieval Museum, and last but not least, the Guinness Distillery, where we got free pints of Guinness! For dinner we went to O'Shea's Restaurant/Hotel/Bar. It was lovely :)

Sunday: Took the train (only 4 euros and 25 minutes) to the fisherman's village of Howth. It was absolutely stunning.... We walked along the pier and into the town; we walked around the ruins of a very old church and graveyard; we walked to the top of a nearby hill and enjoyed the view; we visited a market that had gorgeous and delicious looking pies and cakes and cookies and cupcakes... It was wonderful. We watched the seals, from the marina, begging for us to toss some food their way. We had fish and chips, and bought cupcakes. Just as we were finishing our fish and chips and getting ready to head to the train station, it began to rain. It was cold and windy, but I didn't mind.... I was in Ireland! :D We got back to Dublin and got ourselves to the airport, very early, so to pass the time we had our cupcakes and a final drink.

One more important thing to mention, that of course the day I leave for Ireland - just about to board my flight actually - I get the call that my nephew was born :) I met him today, and he is the cutest baby ever. I can't wait to see him again tomorrow :)

My Birthday

My birthday was a good one :) It really started on the night of the 14th for me. I met my flat mates (hall mates) at the Belfry bar. We sat around, had a drink or two, and then headed back to our kitchen to hang out some more. We waited for midnight and they sang to me. When it was time to go to bed, they all followed me to my door, only for me to find that they had decorated it with banners and balloons. It was a nice evening :)

On the actual day, I met up with Betty and we went to the Tate Britain museum. Saw some Turner and Sargent. It's very nice and I'd love to go back. Following that we had lunch in Beth's cute little neighborhood. I had a croque madame....yummy :} (I know I often talk about food. Sorry I can't help it haha. I'm a big fan of it).

When I returned home I rested for a bit. That evening I met friends and we rode the bus to Putney to have dinner at this neat Thai restaurant. I'd never had it before, but I really liked it! After dinner my friends and I went to a bar near by. We danced and drank and had a good ole time. I think a good time was had by all. When I got back to my flat, my flat mates came to my door with a cake, all lit up, and they sang to me. Plus they had gotten the whole flat to sign a card for me. They are a great bunch :)

Some Other Events at Random

Lets see.... Sunday a couple friends and I wanted to go to Spitalfields Market, but we had left too late, so we decided to spend the rainy afternoon in Richmond and wander around, and of course do some shopping. After that we cooked a nice little Italian dinner of pasta marinara; we had wine and veggies, and of course a tiny little chocolate cake for dessert. It was lovely.

Yesterday we ventured to Camden Town. It's a crazy area that kind of catches you off guard at first. The atmosphere is kind of punkish haha. There are tons of shops and tattoo parlors. It's cool though. You continue on and there are like market-style stalls where you can barter - it's so fun! Acting like you don't care is the key hahaha :) - Just a tip.... It was a very neat place and I would like to go back some time. Getting home was not a fun task. The tube wasn't that full surprisingly, but the bus.... we were stuck in traffic forever.

The tough trip home was counteracted though, I'm happy to say, because when we got back we met up with my friend Sam and ....... WE BOOKED A TRIP TO IRELAND!!! :D We are going not this weekend but the next!!! I'm so excited!!!

Well, that's all the excitement for now. Tune in next time for more stories of my adventures in London :)

Trip to the Sea

This past Saturday the Roehampton student union planned a trip to Brighton - the city by the sea. We met about 9, left by bus about 9:30, and arrived at 11 so it really isn't that far away at all. The weather, although early it seemed like it was going to be a gloomy day, was perfect. The sun was shining and it wasn't too cold.

I found a group of really nice girls - one from Japan, another from India, and another from the Virgin Islands - to spend the day with. We had a blast. One of the main attractions in Brighton is the pier. It's like a mini amusement park with some rides and old school style carnival-type games. Of course we did the bumper cars, and then the octopus (tons of arms goes around and up and down...haha), and also played some arcade games with 2ps (2 pence). I couldn't help but have some fish and chips since I was right there at the beach! I also influenced my Japanese friend to try it, and she loved it! :)

We basically just spent the day walking around Brighton and along the beach, and of course on the pier. It was a lovely day :) I would really like to go back and explore it a bit more.

Afternoon with Betty

Today was fine day. It didn't go quite to my devised plan, but it was a lovely day, indeed.

I had planned to get up early, go for a lovely walk about campus, do some homework, and finally meet Beth for lunch later on like we'd planned. Well.... I woke up at 11:30 and had to dash to get ready so I could leave by 12ish to meet Beth by 1! :0

I finally met Beth in Picadilly Circus, and she treated me to a lovely lunch - I tried Welsh Rarebit for the first time! It was rather tasty. We took our time and had some tea as well. Next, she took me to get my birthday present. We walked a bit and arrived at this very neat, very cool old hat shop, where I picked out a very neat little hat to wear about :) Next we ventured around Oxford Street, and areas surrounding. We peeked into Liberty - a very cool and neat department store, in a building that's in the tudor style. Next we wet to this very old and nice umbrella shop. I think I'll have to go back for one of those :)

I got back to campus and attempted to go to a Tai Chi class I'd been looking forward to, but i arrived at the listed location and no one was there, so that was disappointing.... After I tried to order in some food, but couldn't - didn't order enough for delivery, and I wasn't about to go and get it haha. Finally went to Belfrey Bar and grabbed a mini pizza and a Becks, and that has been my evening thus far. The rest will be devoted to homework and such tasks....fun fun, I know. have a lovely one :)

All The World's A Stage

Yesterday, actually, was a pretty busy day! Ballet class, like I said in the previous post, was great! We got out a bit late so I got a late start on my errands - primarily my much needed trip to ASDA. Anyway, I ended up not getting back until half four - which was 45 minutes before I needed to meet Clarissa!

Earlier in the day she and I decided to just go to Globe and see if we could get tickets for that night's performance of "As You Like It". Well, after a long trek there and waiting in line for a bit, we got tickets! They were standing room, mind you, but nonetheless we got them! And they were only 5 pounds! The show was so wonderful. I enjoyed every minute. The acting was superb, and since we had standing room (we considered it getting in touch with our peasant roots..) we were right in front of the stage. It was a wonderful evening.

By the second act we were sufficiently freezing and starving, so after the show we went in search of food and warmth. After a few failed attempts, we stumbled upon a little Italian place by the Thames that would feed us dinner at 10:15 at night. And that, my friends, was my adventure of last night!

Hooray! Ballet!

Good day. I have Mondays off, but I signed up for the dance society (it allows me to take all kinds of classes) and today they began with a beginners ballet class! I feel great and it was fun! I didn't realize how much I missed it, I suppose. I'm not going to feel so great tomorrow since I've been out of practice, but it will have been worth it! :)

The rest of my day is not going to be particularly exciting - getting the mail, laundry, a trip to ASDA (UK's version of Walmart), and little things like that. Just had to make a quick post to display my excitement about starting dance again haha :) Have a lovely day!

All These Things That I've Done

Greetings everyone :) Well, my first week of school is done and I'm trying to decide whether to drop a class or not. I'm taking a pretty hefty load and am already worried about being able to get it all done. I actually like all my classes and can't decide on which one I'd drop!

It's been a pretty good weekend. I've actually done some homework (not enough, but some nonetheless..) and had some fun as well. Friday my friend Clarissa and I journeyed (the journey consists of about a ten minute bus ride, but whatever) to Putney and hung out in a brand new bar for bit. Afterward we headed back to campus for The Bop - basically a weekly dance that's themed and has a bar. It felt very much like a high school dance haha but it was fun.

On Saturday I was good and started some reading. In the evening Beth and Josh took Clarissa and I to a rugby match! It was the premier league, which is the top league! We had hot dogs and beer and good ole time. We got to see the Harlequins beat Bath Rugby in the very last play of the game! Very fun!

Today I decided to go to Richmond on my own. I'd never been there, I heard it was nice, and it's really just a short bus ride from me so why not, right? I of course got off at the wrong stop but it made for a nice long walk through a nice area. It was very quaint for a while, with a few little restaurants and lovely homes, but as I got farther in it got more urban. I finally found myself in the down town area I suppose. There were tons of shops and such, and of course I popped into one or two. I kept on walking though until I reached the Thames. That was lovely! There were neat old boat by the shore, neat restaurants near the pier, and a lovely little grassy area to sit and have some ice cream and watch the boats. I finally stopped for lunch and ate outside near the water. Then I walked and walked all over, seeing what I could see. Seeing as though my lunch was rather light, I of course stopped for some tea and pastry. I wanted to rest for a while and write and do some reading, but it got rather chilly and I was sitting outside. So after I finished my tea and eclair I headed home.

Hope all of you are well, hope I'm not boring you haha, and I hope you like the blog!