London: it never rests. (Continued)

So about two months ago, I wrote an entry about London. I’m in Starbucks and I heard this teenage boy speaking British-accented English and I know it is a sign.

d) Step into this LUXE world and snoop around for a glimpse of celebrity

Greengirl and I wanted to split our ways and visit a stadium and Queen Victoria and Albert museum respectively. Short of time, we decided to head to Harrods together.  We explored Harrods storey and storey and were in awe by  this luxury departmental store which has everything from bathroom essentials, furniture to children’s wear. They all carry a hefty price tag each including the simplest thing that you could probably get half the price. There were also more tourists than real shoppers, I noticed.

This was also where I felt that my London experience was very much complete.

We met… John Terry, i.e. the EX-captain of the English football team. The irony of our chance encounter was that on our way to Harrods, Greengirl was bitching about the Chelsea football team, its ineffectualness and lack of charm.

I took this picture. ):

e) Conquer the London markets (Portobello, Borough, Spitalfields, Camden & Brick Lane)

It didn’t help that Jo is an avid shopper. When I was putting up in her room, she showed me all her loot from the markets, Primark, ebay and ASOS. How can one resist all these temptations?

The ever enthusiastic Jo marked out all the markets on my map and even suggested to me how I could go about conquering all of them as I peered at the “yuniek & momo” guides, reading aloud the specialties of those places.

Camden was the least interesting, in my opinion or the right words for it, should be least rewarding or most pocket-friendly. There are hardly anything you could buy there except for food. Tip of the day given by Jo: Walk quickly through the Bugis-Street (a place in Singapore that stocks cheap, trendy and sometimes run-of-the-mill clothes) looking streets and head straight for the Stables Market. It has a commendable selection of vintage stalls but I personally find the things there slightly pricier.

For my favourite market, it is a tough fight between Portobello and Brick Lane.

Portobello is just so quintessentially British or so I think. We didn’t need a map or ask people for directions. We simply had to follow the crowd who led us through the what seemed like thousands of stalls and shops. I bought a nautical-striped bag from the market. THAT’S ALL. Can you believe it?

George Orwell lived here. (Portobello)

Portobello Market -- this is where it all begins

The Hummingbird Bakery @ Portobello

Pop by The Hummingbird Bakery to get a whiff and a bite of the scrumptious and cute cupcakes! We were too preoccupied unfortunately to remember to take a picture of the red velvet cupcake.

Brick Lane, quoting momoJ, is …

a fab place to people-watch and snap candid shots for you will spot young things that embody the epitome of british fashion, agyness deyne and alexa chung lookalikes/wannabes. not to forget, very pretty boys with side-swept wavy hair and tailored ankle pants. also old old book collections, an indoors market with feathered headpieces and handmade cards among many other things.

When I was in London in July, I wanted to go to Brick Lane again to shop at my own relaxed paced but by then, I could only bear to have one main thing on my itinerary per day and sadly, I missed out on a second trip to Brick Lane.

f) The two Roast that you must try –the Roast Duck & the Sunday Roast

So many people had raved to me about the famous Roast Duck rice in London way before I visited London. Apparently there are two restaurants at Bayswater that are well-known for their roast ducks. They are Golden Mile Restaurant and Four Seasons Restaurants. I’ve tried Golden Mile Restaurant’s. It was decently good. I don’t remember it as better than those that I’ve tried in Singapore. Still, if it is highly recommended, I think it is worth a try!

Sunday Roast

The Sunday roast is a traditional British main meal served on Sundays (usually in the earlyafternoon for lunch), consisting of roasted meat, roast potato together with accompaniments, such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables and gravy. - Wikipedia

In a bid to try traditional British fare, we went for Sunday Roast in a pub, feeling quite satisfied that we have finally sampled some local food!

g) The world’s a stage

Nothing beats the sensation of standing for two hours or so to watch a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre. This was on the top of my to-do list. However, as it was not theatre season the first time I visited London in March, I had no choice but to admire the Globe Theatre from the outside and leave the rest to my imagination. Fortunately, I was back in London again in summer and I watched Henry VIII. The cast was terrific. Such intensity! The tension between each and every actor and actress was so well-cultivated. Each of them wielded their “weapons” (their lines) and launched into such exquisite “swordsplay” (the dialogue/the interaction) that made made me feel like jumping on stage to act with them! I adore the actress who played Anne Boleyn. She is very promising.

Henry VIII and his queen

Even though I was in London once in Spring and another time in Summer, I still didn’t manage to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum.  It is such a shame but that gives me reason to visit London again. I mean, even if I have visited V&A museum, I’ll always want to visit London again and again, with or without reason.

Here are some of pictures of my discoveries during summer which also documented my frustration at finding out that Nick Jonas acted as Marius for three weeks! Preposterous! Norm Lewis, also a guest start, however, blew me away with his rendition of Stars. So achingly beautiful.

Snog at the Carnaby Street (;

Look out for Nick Jonas

Seeing & being at Canary Wharf sent shivers down my spine

Chinatown

Just right outside Covent Garden which is also a must-go

My second trip was less hectic. I really took my own sweet time. And yes, I did what I preach, I found another friend who was working in London who was kind enough to put me up. I was really lucky to have a spacious room for myself for three days to recharge myself. LN is really lovely. I had a lot of fun with her and her other Vietnamese friends. Because she was very busy with work, I was mainly on my own except for one night when I met up with Sherms and F to watch the football match — Netherlands versus I can’t remember the other team.

I remember on my last night, I had to leave her place in the wee hours.  I was a little fearful of what may lurk around in the neighbourhood. I looked straight ahead, dragged my pink suitcase along and walked very, very quickly.

When I boarded the 24-hour bus,  I heaved a sigh of relief. This is after all London, and this time round, I mean it in the positive sense. There were already a handful of passengers on the bus and as the bus cruised from Bow Road to Gloucester Place/Baker Street, more and more people streamed in with their suitcases. It was probably 4 or 5 am then.

Just about the same time right now in Singapore.

Oh, I miss London.

***

P.S. This was actually continued and completed not on the Starbucks day but after I read my friends’ posts about their exchange experience — friends who just left for exchange a few days ago. My exchange buddy also has a fabulous blog that he updates very often about his life here in Singapore. All these have made me feel a little horrible for not writing on the go. So I persevered and finished writing about London. It wasn’t daunting at all. I was so carried away.

Are you a man-repeller?

I have figured out that most of my readers are probably female, hence the question. Well,  sometimes, voyeuristic lawyers who are bored in office (ahem (; ) and pop-star wanna-bes, etc. read this, but honestly most of my guy friends don’t really know or care about my blog.

If you are a male and you’re reading this, sit up. Girls, let’s set this straight for once.

So, Serene and I were talking about how Singaporean guys are unreceptive towards fashion styles and trends and would totally frown upon what we wear or make some jokes (not funny, most of the time. but they would guffaw) about our clothes/accessories .  It just got me thinking that maybe I could do a short survey among some guys and try to get their opinions of what they think of  for instance, high-waist shorts, harem pants, jumpsuits and the likes. While harbouring the thought of exposing the ignorance of our fellow counterparts, I asked Phyl who is pretty experimental when it comes to fashion about her thoughts. She showed me this blog that she recently chanced upon — The Man Repeller.

This is what a man-repeller may look like:

via The Man Repeller and Mr Newton (street style photography)

MAN·RE·PELL·ER¹ [MAHN-REE-PELLER]

–noun

outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling the opposite sex. This includes but is not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.

–verb (used without object),-pell·ing, -pell·ed.

to commit the act of repelling men:

Girl 1: What are you wearing tonight?

Girl 2: My sweet lime green drop crotch utility pants

Girl 1: Oh, so we’re man repelling tonight?

*DISCLAIMER: the above conversation took place in this room 5 minutes ago.

Origin:
2009-10; < repellius (ptp. of repellia to eliminate male attention), equiv. to L repel- (s. of repellix) unattractive, celibate, paris fashion week, M.C. Hammer + -repel -ler¹

man·re·pell·ant, noun

– The Man-Repeller

So Phyl concluded that being unreceptive towards fashion style is a global syndrome and it is applicable to men all over the world.  Well, Singaporean men, lucky you, you are spared the scrutiny.

I think I have also cultivated, according to The Man-Repeller’s definition, sensibilities to don items of clothing that may not not be exactly Man-Attracting. (think: sweet dresses, figure-hugging clothes that are not too revealing with proper heels, cutesy t-shirt with shorts or who am i kidding, maybe just naked alright)

It feels liberating to wear whatever you feel like wearing. I love colours, prints (no, not leopard prints unfortunately), high-waist faded shorts, granny cardigan (I quote a guy friend. See, that’s why I want to collect all these little comments. It is the cardigan/shrug that Serene has given me) and long blazer and the list goes on.  There are just days when you really want the item of clothing to envelop you and you to possess it and you really don’t care what the men and boys think except to maybe spite them.

I have recently acquired a jumpsuit that in my opinion, is very desirable but which is potentially man-repelling.

My friend told me about how enraged she was at her male acquaintance’s remark. They were walking past a H&M store in Europe.

Friend: This jumpsuit looks awesome! I really want this!

Male Acquaintance: -snorts-  Why would anyone wear this? Why would anyone want to wear pyjamas on the streets? You wouldn’t be able to carry this off.

I have to add that I’m really impressed at how versatile this jumpsuit is! Plus, my friend looks gorgeous in it!

Via momoteapots.livejournal.com

This is my favourite way of wearing the jumpsuit. I can’t wait to lay my hands on it. I really like this May collection, so if you are snooping for some clothes to knock the socks of everyone, visit Momoteapots.

Now, do a quick test. Open your closet, stand before it and take a good look at your clothes.

Are you a man-repeller?

on the eve.

it is the eve of  the first day of my epic trip to Central and Eastern Europe and to top it off with a sweet cherry on top, I will be taking an 18-hour bus ride to Vienna from Rotterdam. (I have been saying that it is 18 hour bus ride, but actually, I’m not sure whether it is longer than that. Let me  check it out.) okay, it is around there.

i’m not exactly good at writing blow-by-blow account of my exchange experiences (nor highly inspired) unlike Valmond and Greengirl but I think I ought to give it a try because such chances don’t come by very often. I’m trying to strike a balance between “living in Rotterdam” and being a romantic that has an overzealous predilection of leaving my mark in every cafe; every second hand bookstore in Europe. So when I’m in Rotterdam, I seek for uniquely Rotterdam/Dutch stuff to do like going for Museum Nacht (I’m really happy that I went for that. It was like a city tour. I got to visit art galleries that I never knew existed.) I made an effort to hang out with my fellow exchange friends such as making sushi together, trying to figure how to prepare a nice chocolate fondue (next thing I want to try: cheese fondue!), going for city trips together, visiting the world of dreams and temptations — IKEA and feeling so pleased with myself for cutting a piece of fabric which would later be used to be draped over my ugly deckchair. It looks so nautical-chic now, by the way.  (;

Sushi-making at Clement's (who is camera-shy)

At Ikea

Museum Nacht - Indulge in poetry and hagelslag

oh yes and I do the occasional partying. (;  Once in every two weeks, maybe? Or after I come back from a trip and I feel like I need to go out and shake it out a bit. I’m not a fan but it is a good way to let loose, although it is very, very hard for me to get tipsy or intoxicated.  I’m looking forward to Queen’s Day/Night. I’m trying not to raise my expectations and keep it cool. All my friends who are visiting are so excited about it, how can I not be?

my trip to London deserves an entry by itself. I did so many things, including being a spy for one of my best friends and I met Ian Mckellen and John Terry. So we’ll save that for later, after I’m done with packing.

on another (equally bright) note, I have been thrift-shopping in Europe. It is my new hobby.

this newfound fascination with thrift-shopping bewilders me a little. It is an insatiable desire to find with utmost determination something that can connect you to who you think you really are with someone’s story; someone else’s life.

i bought a dress in Antwerp and when I wore it for the first time, I felt like I stepped out from another era. It felt strange, but in a good way.

Nautical-striped bag from London Portobello Market/Penchant from Utrecht thrift shop/Dress from T2 in Antwerp/Navy blue shrug from Serene (:

a  little story on how Serene donated her blue shrug to me:

On the first day when we met in Barcelona,

I: Hey, this(referring to the blue shrug) is nice. I really like it.

Serene: Thank you!

On the second day, out of the blue,

I: ehhhhhhh, (stares wistfully at the shrug) I really, really like this. Where do you buy it?

Serene: In Rome! Actually… (she probably regretted telling me this.) I wanted to get this for you. I thought it was very ‘you’. I tried it and Weiyi said I look good in it. So… (laughs)

On the last night in Barcelona, while packing, out of the blue again,

I: (sigh) I really like that, you know.

Serene: okay okay okay! Take it, take it!

I: (wide-eyed with disbelief) no, it is alright. I’m just saying…

Serene: It is okay. Just take it.  I don’t need it anyway in Singapore. Just maybe buy me something nice in return.

the moral of the story: Sometimes when you try hard enough, you will succeed! (;  I’m just kidding. but every time I wear the shrug, I will think of how chic Serene looks in it. It is like you carry a bit of her spunky attitude everywhere you go when you’re in it. But on me, the shrug looks more romanticised and softer. So, I think, this must be why thrift-shopping can be so enthralling. You take a piece of someone’s frills, locks and trinkets, enticed by the story that the unwanted treasure is speaking to you of. You think that you can recreate or maybe reenact the story and that you can bring a bit of the past to the present and a slice of the present to the past.

i wondered at first, why do some people throw away such good stuff? It dawned upon me then that probably because the story had ended for them. Goodbye, farewell, adieu.

so i conclude, in the most hyperbolic fashion that if you’re a thrift-shopper, you must be someone who believes not in fairy-tales and happily ever after, but in happily ever after after.

Boot-less

I need to whine and rant a bit. The zip came off my boots —  I can’t really explain especially not when I only have two hours of sleep. I’m a little sad because I need my boots to keep me warm in London. Anyway, Museum Nacht (Museum Night) was fun even though we were all freezing.  I’m glad I went and got to see another side of Rotterdam. I even wrote a poem entitled, “Ik heb Hagelslag”. Chocolate fondue with the few Casa (my student building) people was awesome even though once again, there was chocolate overload! I’m going to try cheese fondue when I’m back. I think i’m going to catch up with some other Casa people whom I want to know better but haven’t gotten a chance to you know, sit and have dinner with.

okay, back to packing! ): Or maybe I should just heed Jolene’s advice — bring more shopping bags.

my previous post was written in a haste. I had to end it there as my mom said we could leave my dad’s office already. aiks. ended my post on such a negative note! It’s not my kind of thing, really. I’m an optimistic little woman. woots.

I really think I will  feel much better after I organise my room, the folders on my laptop, my inbox, exercise a bit more and update my wardrobe. (: