When did getting older become a depressing hassle? Last year was a load of fun, from what I remember of it. And I figured having my first birthday abroad would be just as exciting, but in reality, it's looking pretty sad.
I'm expecting six people show up. No, I'm not kidding. You'd think that I have no friends. Well, at least I thought I had friends. But apparently the convenience of having your birthday fall on a Sat AND a bank holiday weekend only makes it inconvenient to everyone else.
So here comes my pity party. No presents to open. No mom around to buy me gifts and dad around to take me to my favorite steak house. No best friend to celebrate both of our birthdays with (Stef's birthday falls four days after mine). No ice cream cake. No beach (and come to think of it, no summer weather, either).
All said and done, 24 is the new 21, as my 21st birthday was pretty much the worst ever. So bring it on, bad birthday. I've learned to steer clear of beer and gin on bad birthdays, as they only seem to make it worse. I'm going to stick to champagne, wine, and I'm not bringing my wallet with me (other than ID for proof that I don't need to purchase anything myself).
And hopefully someone remembers to get me a cake. Because I can't imagine a sadder life than buying your own birthday cake.
So if you're bored Sat night, feel free to stop in at The Borderline near Tottenham Court Road, and look for a hot blonde wearing her birthday best. I'll probably be the drunkest girl at the party.
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Monday, 20 August 2007
We partied like it was 1999
This post is dedicated to the Prince show I saw two days ago at the O2 Centre in London (North Greenwich to be exact). I've been reading reviews of the shows he's been putting on (if you're unaware, he's playing 21 shows in LDN)since starting 1 Aug. This being his ninth show in, you would think he'd be bored of us.
I'm not entirely sure bored would be the word. But he is Prince, and he knows he's a legend. So, he can act like a King. And that he did. He took the stage at 9:25 to a very antsy and excited crowd. Sold-out, of course. Wait, before I go on, the stage was amazing. I'll have to post pictures (which we illegally took) on my .mac website. It was shaped in his Prince symbol, which light up in different colors and prints throughout the performance - so much fun.
To see his complete set-list, I've found Housequake to be the best. I can't say that I was the most fanatical Prince fan upon entering the concert, however after the show I must get copies of as many CDs he's got (what, like 1,000?) ASAP.
Still, I was so excited when the third song in was 1999. Other favorites included: Cream, Purple Rain (I was SO happy to hear it), Raspberry Beret, and a rendition of Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. Half way through the show he included a synth set of around eight of his songs, which was both a tease and a lot of fun. Of course, he kept telling us we weren't ready for them... Which made the crowd erupt in the loudest screaming I've ever experienced at any concert in my life - and I've been to hundreds. Do I need to remind you, I'm only 23?
His encore was immense - Kiss followed by Let's Go Crazy. He kept joking that he was out of hits and didn't know what else to play. Even though this would have been quite brazen and boasting coming from anyone else, it made him seem more human. Turns out, Prince can be funny. And I really like him. I thought beforehand (especially after Dave Chapelle's hilarious skit as him playing basketball in a purple velvet suit) he was a serious weirdo with a short-man complex. Well, I'm going to revamp my mindset of him. I really, really like him now.
So even though he only played for one hour and 20 minutes, I was sold. One of the best performances I've ever seen. And I don't think I've seen a more involved crowd in my life. They ate it up. With cream on top.
Maybe one of the best £31 I've ever spent. And now I can say, "Yeah, I saw Prince in London, baby."
I'm not entirely sure bored would be the word. But he is Prince, and he knows he's a legend. So, he can act like a King. And that he did. He took the stage at 9:25 to a very antsy and excited crowd. Sold-out, of course. Wait, before I go on, the stage was amazing. I'll have to post pictures (which we illegally took) on my .mac website. It was shaped in his Prince symbol, which light up in different colors and prints throughout the performance - so much fun.
To see his complete set-list, I've found Housequake to be the best. I can't say that I was the most fanatical Prince fan upon entering the concert, however after the show I must get copies of as many CDs he's got (what, like 1,000?) ASAP.
Still, I was so excited when the third song in was 1999. Other favorites included: Cream, Purple Rain (I was SO happy to hear it), Raspberry Beret, and a rendition of Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. Half way through the show he included a synth set of around eight of his songs, which was both a tease and a lot of fun. Of course, he kept telling us we weren't ready for them... Which made the crowd erupt in the loudest screaming I've ever experienced at any concert in my life - and I've been to hundreds. Do I need to remind you, I'm only 23?
His encore was immense - Kiss followed by Let's Go Crazy. He kept joking that he was out of hits and didn't know what else to play. Even though this would have been quite brazen and boasting coming from anyone else, it made him seem more human. Turns out, Prince can be funny. And I really like him. I thought beforehand (especially after Dave Chapelle's hilarious skit as him playing basketball in a purple velvet suit) he was a serious weirdo with a short-man complex. Well, I'm going to revamp my mindset of him. I really, really like him now.
So even though he only played for one hour and 20 minutes, I was sold. One of the best performances I've ever seen. And I don't think I've seen a more involved crowd in my life. They ate it up. With cream on top.
Maybe one of the best £31 I've ever spent. And now I can say, "Yeah, I saw Prince in London, baby."
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Amazingly bored
I've officially found the bottom of boredom. It hit me today. August the first. I could potentially scratch my eyeballs out, just for fun. Classes ended 5 April, and since then, I've had nothing to do, outside of finding stuff to do, on a daily basis. And in a week, all of that is going to change drastically.
I start work 1 week from today. Am I nervous? A bit. Am i sad my four month long vacation is going to end? Not at all. Not in the least. There is only so much you can do without making an income in this city. I've seen it all (not really). I'm so ready to join the daily office 'grind' and made new friends, and do things that don't involve eating breakfast at noon and commencing on the couch for a few hours staring at my computer screen. So excited.
As for today, I went to the park. It was a 'heat wave'. The quotes are for the fact there's a real heat wave in my hometown of Boston, where it's a gorgeous 90F/32C. Here, it was 75F/24C. That's not even real summer weather to me. It needs to at least be 80F/27C for it be summer. Anyways, I reveled in the fact it was a 'heat wave' and laid out at my local park. I may have even helped my fading tan a bit. No need to worry about my skin, though, I was protected with 30SPF. I fear skin cancer like the plague.
Bonus points for me, I finished No God But God by Reza Aslan. It took me a while to get through (started it in June, then left for Boston for 3 weeks, came back and wrote my final, so there's been a month gap). For someone who knew nothing about Islam beforehand, I have a much broader knowledge of it now. It makes me sad, after reading about it, how terrible of a view Christians and Jews have of Islam post-9/11. And a little tid-bit from the book, the Regan administration funded Osama bin Laden and the Taliban to help topple Communism. Not that I'm surprised, or anything.
Next up, I'm reading Watching the British by Kate Fox. And after that I'm going to buy The Glass Castle. I enjoy being literate and reading something other than the free tabloids on the tube.
I start work 1 week from today. Am I nervous? A bit. Am i sad my four month long vacation is going to end? Not at all. Not in the least. There is only so much you can do without making an income in this city. I've seen it all (not really). I'm so ready to join the daily office 'grind' and made new friends, and do things that don't involve eating breakfast at noon and commencing on the couch for a few hours staring at my computer screen. So excited.
As for today, I went to the park. It was a 'heat wave'. The quotes are for the fact there's a real heat wave in my hometown of Boston, where it's a gorgeous 90F/32C. Here, it was 75F/24C. That's not even real summer weather to me. It needs to at least be 80F/27C for it be summer. Anyways, I reveled in the fact it was a 'heat wave' and laid out at my local park. I may have even helped my fading tan a bit. No need to worry about my skin, though, I was protected with 30SPF. I fear skin cancer like the plague.
Bonus points for me, I finished No God But God by Reza Aslan. It took me a while to get through (started it in June, then left for Boston for 3 weeks, came back and wrote my final, so there's been a month gap). For someone who knew nothing about Islam beforehand, I have a much broader knowledge of it now. It makes me sad, after reading about it, how terrible of a view Christians and Jews have of Islam post-9/11. And a little tid-bit from the book, the Regan administration funded Osama bin Laden and the Taliban to help topple Communism. Not that I'm surprised, or anything.
Next up, I'm reading Watching the British by Kate Fox. And after that I'm going to buy The Glass Castle. I enjoy being literate and reading something other than the free tabloids on the tube.
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Wino
I find it funny that when I used this picture in Your Heritage - the which celebrity do you look like website - the top three people of the eight celebrities were of Asian descent. This probably because my eyes nearly close when I smile.
Ahh well. This picture was taken at Imbibe, and I cut out some people in the photo to use it as my Facebook profile picture. I think I look tan.. for me, anyways.
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
I'm not lazy, I'm just connecting
This blog is actually an opinion article I wrote for my final. I was happy with it (you may make your own opinion) but I felt like posting it.
Being a student in the year 2007 is exciting with Web 2.0. There is so much information at my fingertips. I really wanted to watch the YouTube Democratic debate, however without a television and not being in the US, this would have been close to impossible. But with the invention of video-sharing websites, I was able to go onto YouTube the next day and watch the entire debate – with no commercials!
With Wikipedia, Google, and Factiva, the library seems like a foreign concept. Many of my peers would be hard-pressed to visit one of those anytime soon. Are we getting lazy? Do we have too much information being thrown at us from unlimited sources all on one screen?
If the 90s were the age of excess, then the 00s must be the age of the Internet. Web 2.0 has given us knowledge and connected users from around the globe. It’s evolutionised the way we conduct our day-to-day dealings and with each other. From instant messaging, social networking sites, blogs, Flickr, and YouTube, I can stay connected with my friends and family thousands of miles away – without having to worry about a large phone bill.
Does this make us lazy? It certainly doesn’t make me lazy. With the more information I stumble across, the more I want. It’s like a drug. Once I read a blog that recommends a book, a movie, or a place to go, I want to do it all. I want to form my own opinion. Sure, there are people who are content with sitting in front of the computer screen, but they’re no different to those who were content sitting in front of the television.
Andrew Keen has recently put out a book, The Cult of the Amateur. In it, he discusses the end of our society and the end of old media. Blogs are “collectively corrupting and confusing popular opinion about everything from politics, to commerce, to arts and culture”. He should only be so happy, as I learnt about his book on a blog. And I probably will go out and buy his book, just to see his point of view, and then I’ll blog about it.
Everyone has the ability to have his or her voices and songs heard, words read, and videos seen. Does this make us lazy? People need to look at the big picture. The dot-com bubble burst around the same time terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in the ‘impenetrable’ US. Shit hit the fan. Things haven’t been the same since. Maybe we want to connect with each other, since no one seems to be gelling in the real world?
Perhaps Second Life isn’t such a bad idea, if I can avoid a war I never believed in. A blog I can rant and rave in because no one else is listening. Upload videos of people that matter to me. This doesn’t make me lazy. I’m just connecting, in a world where no one else is.
Being a student in the year 2007 is exciting with Web 2.0. There is so much information at my fingertips. I really wanted to watch the YouTube Democratic debate, however without a television and not being in the US, this would have been close to impossible. But with the invention of video-sharing websites, I was able to go onto YouTube the next day and watch the entire debate – with no commercials!
With Wikipedia, Google, and Factiva, the library seems like a foreign concept. Many of my peers would be hard-pressed to visit one of those anytime soon. Are we getting lazy? Do we have too much information being thrown at us from unlimited sources all on one screen?
If the 90s were the age of excess, then the 00s must be the age of the Internet. Web 2.0 has given us knowledge and connected users from around the globe. It’s evolutionised the way we conduct our day-to-day dealings and with each other. From instant messaging, social networking sites, blogs, Flickr, and YouTube, I can stay connected with my friends and family thousands of miles away – without having to worry about a large phone bill.
Does this make us lazy? It certainly doesn’t make me lazy. With the more information I stumble across, the more I want. It’s like a drug. Once I read a blog that recommends a book, a movie, or a place to go, I want to do it all. I want to form my own opinion. Sure, there are people who are content with sitting in front of the computer screen, but they’re no different to those who were content sitting in front of the television.
Andrew Keen has recently put out a book, The Cult of the Amateur. In it, he discusses the end of our society and the end of old media. Blogs are “collectively corrupting and confusing popular opinion about everything from politics, to commerce, to arts and culture”. He should only be so happy, as I learnt about his book on a blog. And I probably will go out and buy his book, just to see his point of view, and then I’ll blog about it.
Everyone has the ability to have his or her voices and songs heard, words read, and videos seen. Does this make us lazy? People need to look at the big picture. The dot-com bubble burst around the same time terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in the ‘impenetrable’ US. Shit hit the fan. Things haven’t been the same since. Maybe we want to connect with each other, since no one seems to be gelling in the real world?
Perhaps Second Life isn’t such a bad idea, if I can avoid a war I never believed in. A blog I can rant and rave in because no one else is listening. Upload videos of people that matter to me. This doesn’t make me lazy. I’m just connecting, in a world where no one else is.
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
A tart, I am not
Somehow, without Adderall, I've been able to stay course with my final project. I wasn't lying to people when I told them I'd do much better with it if I had two weeks to complete it. Now, it may seem to others that I'm in-fact a slacker, but I'm in fact a furious writer when under pressure. People should stop judging.
Do you think that I worked any differently throughout high school and UMass Amherst? Come on now. Of course I didn't. And I still managed to graduate with honors at both schools. I'm not a moron. I'm a procrastinator. There's a huge difference.
I'm actually really glad I picked the topic I did. Web 2.0 came to me in a dream (not really) and I'm so glad it came out of my mouth in the group meeting back in May while declaring what I'd be writing 12,000 words on. I've learned so much, and I'm not trying to sound like a tart.
To be honest, I think everyone should learn about Web 2.0 (which more or less means the new platform of the web and how the public are the new producers). In the process, I've even stumbled across some really great blogs, like dooce.com.
In another post I'll link to all of them, but I'm too exhausted (from writing 2,000 words today). I've also found some really creepy websites, like LiveLeak.com (previously ogrish.com) and military.com. Video-sharing just got a whole lot more uncut and uncensored. (Viewer discretion IS advised. I had to write about, so had to go to them, but I watched some videos with my eyes closed. I'm a wuss.)
Finally, since I've been writing so much, my carpal tunnel has come back in full fledge. It hasn't been this bad since nearly two years ago when my friends and I bowled every Friday night (don't judge, the bar served beers for $2). I'm currently loving my new bandage that looks like a sock, yet it's a certified Boots bandage. Not quite sure how the public will take it, but I am in London, and as I say fashion-wise, anything goes here.
Do you think that I worked any differently throughout high school and UMass Amherst? Come on now. Of course I didn't. And I still managed to graduate with honors at both schools. I'm not a moron. I'm a procrastinator. There's a huge difference.
I'm actually really glad I picked the topic I did. Web 2.0 came to me in a dream (not really) and I'm so glad it came out of my mouth in the group meeting back in May while declaring what I'd be writing 12,000 words on. I've learned so much, and I'm not trying to sound like a tart.
To be honest, I think everyone should learn about Web 2.0 (which more or less means the new platform of the web and how the public are the new producers). In the process, I've even stumbled across some really great blogs, like dooce.com.
In another post I'll link to all of them, but I'm too exhausted (from writing 2,000 words today). I've also found some really creepy websites, like LiveLeak.com (previously ogrish.com) and military.com. Video-sharing just got a whole lot more uncut and uncensored. (Viewer discretion IS advised. I had to write about, so had to go to them, but I watched some videos with my eyes closed. I'm a wuss.)
Finally, since I've been writing so much, my carpal tunnel has come back in full fledge. It hasn't been this bad since nearly two years ago when my friends and I bowled every Friday night (don't judge, the bar served beers for $2). I'm currently loving my new bandage that looks like a sock, yet it's a certified Boots bandage. Not quite sure how the public will take it, but I am in London, and as I say fashion-wise, anything goes here.
Friday, 20 July 2007
Today was a good day!
Well, my parents, my flat mate, and I can breathe easy today. I got a job offer! I will not be moving onto the street anytime soon. I envisioned myself finding scraps of food to eat in trash bins whilst clanging around a tin can begging for change and fighting over prime spots near cash points. OK, so I made that last bit up, but the money situation was getting a little tense. Tomorrow I'm going to be calling to accept the offer, and I will officially enjoy my first salary paid position of my life - in London! Hooray.
Other notes worth mentioning. I got Kaiser Chief tickets for Decemeber. Sure, it's ages away, but I'm so excited. General admission, which means I'm getting right up there. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to sing along to every song, while having other people jabbing their elbows and entire bodies into me. When the crowd sways one way, we all sway. It's like a giant blob that I used to really enjoy. I'm sure I'll hate it now, and forget why I ever enjoyed it. But damnit, it's the Kaiser Chiefs!!
I went for a drink with Drew at the Elgin. I haven't been since the smoking ban. It's amazing to be able to breath in their, I found it to be one of the smokiest bars in the city. And I don't smell like an ashtray, either. Brilliant if you ask me. I'm not sure why people were so worried about the ban, it's amazing. Second-hand smoke, even if you're a smoker, is never pleasant. You can't argue that with me. Unless you hate oxygen. Then, well, sorry you were born on this planet, it's too bad.
I'm exhausted. Today was an exhilarating day. And tomorrow is going to suck. 2,000 more words to write. But then I get to go out for Samira's birthday and celebrate with friends whom I haven't partied with in a while. Should be a good time.
Ciao for now.
Other notes worth mentioning. I got Kaiser Chief tickets for Decemeber. Sure, it's ages away, but I'm so excited. General admission, which means I'm getting right up there. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to sing along to every song, while having other people jabbing their elbows and entire bodies into me. When the crowd sways one way, we all sway. It's like a giant blob that I used to really enjoy. I'm sure I'll hate it now, and forget why I ever enjoyed it. But damnit, it's the Kaiser Chiefs!!
I went for a drink with Drew at the Elgin. I haven't been since the smoking ban. It's amazing to be able to breath in their, I found it to be one of the smokiest bars in the city. And I don't smell like an ashtray, either. Brilliant if you ask me. I'm not sure why people were so worried about the ban, it's amazing. Second-hand smoke, even if you're a smoker, is never pleasant. You can't argue that with me. Unless you hate oxygen. Then, well, sorry you were born on this planet, it's too bad.
I'm exhausted. Today was an exhilarating day. And tomorrow is going to suck. 2,000 more words to write. But then I get to go out for Samira's birthday and celebrate with friends whom I haven't partied with in a while. Should be a good time.
Ciao for now.
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