inavacuum's Xanga

Friday, June 01, 2007

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:36:07 GMT

Just a quick note to say that Simon and I went to see the Antony Gormley exhibit 'Blind Light' at the Hayward Gallery on Monday. If anyone gets the chance to see it in London you should definitely make the effort. It was worth it!

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Tue, 01 May 2007 10:03:19 GMT

I went to see the musical production of 'Wicked' last night at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. I got a ticket from one of Simon's co-workers who runs the social program at the EFL school where he teaches... which means I got a £60 ticket for just £17.50. And that is the main reason I went by myself to the show - I can never really pass up a deal, even if it's for something that I wouldn't normally do.

I've been to a couple of musicals in my lifetime. The last one was 'The Producers' with my parents (and Simon in tow) back in Toronto, a couple of years ago. I should have realized then that musicals aren't exactly my thing. Sure, I remember liking 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Cats' - but I also happened to be 12 years old at the time. I don't really understand musicals, I suppose. It's hard to take the dialogue seriously when people are constantly bursting into song. I mean, imagine if that were real life... No one would ever get anything accomplished. Thankfully though, it's not real life - it's theatre - and I don't have to sing unless I've been drinking and there's a karaoke machine in the corner.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:28:31 GMT

I miss magazines. Simon and I were walking around China Town and Old Compton Street the other day, when I ducked into a local news agent to pick up a copy of Time Out London. Normally news agents carry a selection of magazines like Vogue, Elle, In Style, etc., but this one had a range of magazines that I haven't seen since my days at Lichtmans and the Great Canadian News Co. It was fantastic! International magazines of every shape and colour lined the walls from floor to ceiling. I just kind of stood there for a bit getting nostalgic and wishing I had more time to browse through them all. I briefly entertained the notion of opening up my own magazine store where I could order whatever I wanted and spend my days behind the counter leafing through the pages, but then I remembered that stores make absolutely nothing on the sale of magazines and therefore it probably wouldn't be a profitable venture. Ah well, some day I'll go back to that news agent, if I can find it again...

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:11:52 GMT

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. Simon and I had to cram all our fun into Thursday and Saturday because he needed the rest of the time to continue his love affair with the computer. I took Thursday off of work because who needs a 4-day weekend, when you can have a 5-day one! It was longer than my work week last week, and than this week come to think of it.

I've got pics of Thursday and Saturday, so hopefully I can post some of those soon. So what did I do with the rest of my free time? Well let me tell you! It consisted of a 'reading books/watching films and tv shows' bonanza. Hey, a girl's gotta entertain herself and who needs to go outside, really...

So, on the book front I read:

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
The Brief History of the Dead - Kevin Brookmeier
halfway through Hunger - Knut Hamsun
...and I just finished reading 'The Stars My Destination' by Alfred Bester

On the film front since Thursday, I've seen:

Sunshine
The Great Dictator
Sideways

And for TV shows, we just finished watching the first season of Dexter (who doesn't like a show about a serial killer killing serial killers - say that five times fast). Now we have Twin Peaks (Season 1 and 2 to rewatch), Arrested Development Season 3 to start, and Deadwood to start.

In retrospect, it appears that I DO need to get out more...

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:08:44 GMT

Just saw 300 today at the IMAX theatre down near Waterloo station. We sat in the very first row on the left-hand side. For those of you that have never been to see an IMAX, this would be like going to the movies but standing two feet away from the screen. We were that close... I could practically see up this guy's nostrils.

Let me say it was a little awkward for the both of us.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 19:44:06 GMT

I recently joined the N16 book club and I'm reading Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban for our next meeting tomorrow. As a result of reading this book I think I've become dyslexic.

The blurb on the back of the book boasts that it's 'composed in an English which has never been spoken'... and therein lies the problem. The review by Cosmopolitan (yes, a literary giant if ever there was one) says: "In the mental silence that followed the closing of the last page, I wanted to applaud, through the tears." And actually that's quite accurate. Applauding because it's finally finished (lucky bastards - I have 20 more pages to go) and tears of enormous relief because they can't believe they spent so much time and effort and still came out the other end alive.

For those of you who haven't read it, here's an excerpt so that you can see what you're missing out on:

'Then it come. Onlyes reason Goodparley ben giving Lissener bother wer becaws he wantit the knowing of how to do that 1 Big 1. Wel what if I put Goodparley to gether with Granser and give them the yellerboy stoan and they got the 1 Big 1. Then theywd tern Lissener luce they wunt help no qwirys on him then. Parbly that wer the bes thing I cud do for Lissener and the mor I thot on it the better it lookit. I ternt roun then heading back tords Goodparley but soons I done that there come a woal lot of grooling and smarling and ever so many sharp and toofy teef looking at me. It wernt jus only them 2 nexters then it wer all them dogs grooling low and deap it soundit like it wer coming out of the groun. I ternt roun agen tords Cambry and the grooling stoppit.'

Now imagine that for 220 more pages. I have to say that I gave up about halfway through trying to understand the deeper concepts, now I'm just trying to stay afloat from page-to-page figuring out what the main character is up to.

Can't wait to hear what other people have to say about the book tomorrow. I hate when something is deemed to be a classic because then people always end up saying how much they enjoyed it, regardless of if that's the truth or not.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 18:44:55 GMT

Monday, November 27, 2006

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:49:55 GMT

Still waiting for my passport and/or bank card in the mail. I'd be thrilled to see etiher at this point. Although, I can tell you that Simon would probably be happier to see my bank card.

Oh, and I'm being harassed by a 65-year old sikh at work. I've only met him twice now, but he asked for my mobile number and wants to get together to give me a 'present'. Uh, okay. Not really comfortable with that...

OH...

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 10:53:27 GMT

And I got my new bank card in the mail and PIN number a week later. My card doesn't work. Yes, the new card that I just got. The ATM doesn't recognise it. Apparently, it has a faulty chip in it. So now I have to wait for a new card in the mail, get it authenticated, wait for another PIN number and hope for the best. By this rate I should have a new working card in 2007. Yay for me!

Bees

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 10:21:31 GMT

I dreamt a bee flew into my ear last night and got stuck. I didn't want to poke it with my finger in case I ended up pushing it in further. I could feel it struggling in my ear and couldn't figure out a way to get it out.