France gets to everyone

I arrived in Avignon Sunday night after an uneventful trip. I finally got to meet my sister's fiancee, Vitalik. He's very kind and good hearted. Not a bad catch! It took less than a day for my mom to get into the spirit of the French and partake of some wine with her meal! For those who don't know here, my mother has had but a handful of sips of drinks in her life so it's always a big deal for me when I see my mom drink. She has been the adventurous person with the wine here...willing to at least take a sip of wines we say she may like. Could this be a new era for my mom?? Anyway, we are staying in a flat in the town center of Avignon, within the old city walls. It is a very quaint, quintessential smaller French town. The streets are narrow and lined with various shops. It is a lovely town and area to visit on a leisurely pace. We mixed our first day with some needed shopping and sight-seeing.

Ritika visits briefly

Ritika got to visit for about 24 hours. It was brief but great to see someone from back home! I finally went to a pub in my neighborhood which we found out didn't serve food which is what we were searching for. In the evening, we got together with Jennifer and Bernard at the Thai restaurant previously mentioned Mangosteen for dinner. While my squid dish was exceptionally spicy (all those that tried agree), everyone else had lovely dishes. I had to sooth my mouth with a Thai iced tea with milk. I did get some tasty sticky rice with mango for dessert. Afterwards we had hopes of going to the Ice Bar. However, it turns out it's best to make reservations for it on a Saturday night...oh well, next time. We went to a pub in the area, had a beer and called it a night. Ritika and I had a lazy morning at first but then I had to kick it into gear and get packed for my week off in France for my sister's wedding. It was great to see Ritika and I hope more of you get to come visit!

A couple of good food experiences

So, this week has been boring from an explore london perspective. With work and still trying to get everything sorted to live here, I haven't had much time for fun. My food experiences on Wednesday were good though.

For lunch I found an Italian delicatessen close to my flat. They have really good sandwhiches (which is saying a lot coming from me as I'm hardly a sandwich person). The staff are all Italian or speak Italian. The basement has Italian food products to be bought. I definitely have found a good source for some authentic Italian ingredients. Oh, and to top it off, they were playing Manu Chao on their stereo. Good points on my side. Sorry i don't remember the name. I meant to go back by and get it. I can't find it on the web either.

For dinner, I went to a tapas place called La Rueda. As it was just me eating, I didn't get to sample much so I won't comment on the food. I do think I've learned not to get octopus as a tapa. They don't like to cut the fat off and it's quite slimy. It got great reviews though. I did enjoy the ceiling filled with wine bottles. I had interesting neighbors...I'm sure the man at the table is mafia. I used the time eating to brainstorm what I thought were major child issues around the world and which one I wanted to try to tackle in my volunteering. Particularly, I wanted to find one that I thought would solve some of the other problems if that one problem was directly addressed. While I think I'm decided on what I want to do, in my final stages of research, I may find that I have to adjust this. Tonight, I'm continuing my research.

Just more taking care of business

So, today was filled with work and trying to get things all sorted out here. When I have more energy, I will do a lessons learned post on moving abroad. For now, I'll just say whatever you can setup before you leave do and check with the various companies you have dealings with to see what implications will be in how you use them while living abroad. There will be more than you ever imagined! On good notes, I bought a few things to add some color to my flat.


Also, this was the sunset for today! The best since I've been here!

Hackney Townhall meeting for the suspicious sale of properties

Last night, I attended a townhall meeting that was to address the sale of some commerical properties around the Broadway Market in Hackney (east side of London). This involved the occupation of a Tony's Cafe that I mentioned earlier in my post. There was one council member (it may have been the deputy mayor) against a room full of very upset (some angry) citizens. Being new to the situation, it appeared that the citizens had legitimate concerns with how their council has conducted itself with the selling of some of the properties. The councilmember could not give a straight answer to save her life!! I was there for about an hour and not once did it seem that she answered a question forthrightly. I had to leave before it ended but by the time I left, everyone was tired of her half answers and were becoming quite raucous. The preist who was mediating the event even asked at then end of a small speech intended to calm the crowds, "Why can't you just admit you f***** up?" I left just after what would be considered the guest of honor, Spirit, a local Jamaican shop owner who lost his shop due to some unusual dealings of the council, spoke to the councilmember and the audience about the sad state of affairs in their neighborhood. This brought a standing ovation. While it calmed the crowd for a bit, I think it only stirred their hearts more to demand more from their council. It was the most emotionally intense event I've ever attended. Reminds one of how they can't be a passive world citizen! On a side note, I was a little disappointed I got there late and couldn't use my new camera.

Afterwards, I attended the first pub quiz I've been to since I arrived. It was fun, a classic English pub quiz. It was at a pub named Shakespeare's in the Islington/Shoreditch area.

Gypsy Film Festival at the Ritzy Cinema

Sunday evening I joined Bernard for the Gypsy Film Festival at the Ritzy Cinema. This is one of the arthouses here in London. Unique in that it has a cafe where live music performances occur. Of course, you can see indie and foreign flicks as well. You can also buy wine and beer to enjoy while watching the movie.

At the festival, we only saw one film , Latcho Drom. It was a beautifully told story through the of the Gypsy people all over! There was almost no dialog, a story told almostly entirely with music. You see the various evolutions of the music. I was quite surprised by the emotions that were evoked from their music. I would definitely recommend this movie, though I would say that it might require a certain mood for some.

After the film, Bernard's orchestra (it happens to be a gypsy orchestra) conductor/instructor, performed with her band. She plays the violin and her parnter plays the according. What music it was! While I enjoyed it immensely, I'm so chilled right now, I can't seem to muster up the words to express how I enjoyed it. I'll just leave it at that. They play regularly at the Quecum Bar.

Yo! Sushi

I went to one of the other convery belt sushi joints after the Russian festival. Actually we did...Jennifer met me at the Russian festival. I personally like it better than the other one because they had more classic sushi dishes instead of more fru-fru sushi dishes like Itsu had. These conveyor belt places are dangerous though. With food constantly going by, you eat more than normal.

For some reason I was wiped out after eating and had to go home to sleep. I was in bed by 8:30pm!!! I woke up about 5am, but managed to not fully wake up and eventually went back to sleep and got out of bed at 8:30am! Yep, that's 12 hours of sleep!! It was a much needed catch up as I've only gone to bed before 1am once since I've been here and not really slept late. I was rested enough to finally go for a jog in Hyde Park. It was nice to exert a bit more energy than normal. However, I didn't do well with breathing the cold air. So you runners out there, any tips on running in cold weather?

Russian Winter Festival

I went to a Russian Winter Festival on Saturday at Trafalgar Square. There was a good size crowd filling the square. If anything, the festival probably could have handled being held somewhere larger. There was a stage which housed some live performances ranging from traditional dance to modern rock (all Russian of course). I arrived just in time to miss the classic traditional dancing. The rest of the performances had the overtop quality that is often found I think in European acts. The Russians really seem to like the performances though. The costumes were quite intricate. As for booths, there were a few food booths and a couple of Russian tourist shopping booths and a couple of information booths. This is only the 2nd year so I should go easy on it. I think I have gotten accustom to the abundance of festivals in Austin that are well established and have plenty to do/see.

All work and no play

I think since everyone was busy catching up with emails last week, that this week lent itself to being when all the real work started. On top of doing my normal work day, I also had a conference call from 7-10pm. I did manage to meet up with Jennifer for a drink after that. We hit one pub in time to have one beer before it closed. There was the most adorable bartender working there (he looked like he could be a kid...am I getting old?). We both felt like one more drink so we wander around to find a place that was still open. The problem with this is that since most pubs tend to close at 11, the only thing left open are loud clubs. We both wanted something quiet and relaxing and were having a hard time finding that. We finally settled on a place called The O Bar. The place ended up growing on us. The music is a fun mix and while most people are lounging around talking, when the music moves them, they get up and dance right there by their table. There were some fun people to watch, mostly because they were drunk. Last night, Bernard and I went for dinner at a Thai place called Mangosteen Thai Restaurant. It was excellent! We did a set menu so we had appetizer, soup and main course with some sauteed greens. There was not a bad dish! Right now it is at the top of my list for Thai, even though they don't have my favorite, spring rolls (which I know is more vietnamese which is why I won't slight them for it :) ). Oh, and my phone and internet are working now! The provider came around and fixed it. My outlets were not wired right. I think he was suppose to charge me but he didn't...sometimes it's good to be girl. Last but not least, I've included a picture of the scene just a block away...yep, Hyde Park.

Busy work days, no fun

The last 2 days have been swamped. I broke for dinner last night from work with things we were preparing to show the customer today broken. I ended up not getting to bed until 2:30am, only to have to get up at 4:50am to catch my flight to Frankfurt. There was no time for seeing Frankfurt, thus I have no picture. But I will tell you it was cold, drury and snow flurries. Oh, and did you know that Lufthansa won't let you fly stand-by if you have a restricted (cheap) flight!!!! What's that about! Oh, and I wen to dinner last night at the worst place I've been to yet!! It was in Soho. I don't know the name, but will get it so that everyone can avoid it! Having a horrible meal was not what I wanted as my break from work! It was a Korean restaurant. Sorry for such a negative post, but it's been a long 2 days.

On a brighter side. I road on the Autobahn today for the first time. My German collegue picked us up from the airport to take us to the customer site. He went 200km/h = 124mph(He says if he had his winter tires on he could go faster). Man I just calculated that and it is the fastest I've ever gone in a car! This was the first time I've ridden in a car since I've been here and it was quite an odd feeling that came over me. I almost felt like I was back home just because I was in a car and felt a bit sad because it made me miss everyone more.

Au Lac (Vietnamese Restaurant)

Oh yes! I have found a most excellent Vietnamese restaurant, called Au Lac. I went there with Bernard and Jennifer after I checked out the squatting situation. I probably had one of the best meals yet! We had what I call soft spring rolls (also known as summer rolls or fresh rolls). While they were a bit more simple than I am used to, it was the best I've had in London. Then we ordered a Crispy Traditional Pancake. I think Carter ordered something very similar to this at Tam's not too long before I left Austin. I must say, this was way tastier than the one at Tam's. For the main course, Bernard ordered Stewed Goat in a hot pot. The sauce on that was most excellent, while some of the meat was a bit chewy (but this should not take away from it's yummy-ness). I order the dish in the picture. It so far is the closest to one of my favorite dishes at Tam's. Again though, a bit more simple and the rice paper was over steamed and so mushy. I will try the pork one next time. Jennifer had already eaten so she only tried the pancake, and she agrees that it was yummy! Oh, I forgot to mention that is one of the restaurants in "Little Vietnam" on Kingsland Rd. I'm trying to keep my search going of good restaurants to take my visitors to :).

Resistance at 34 Broadway Market

In my search for activities to get involved with, I found this group that is trying to fight the gentrification of the neighborhodd and corruption of the local council. This group of community members have been a back and forth struggle with the local council and developers. Due to squatter's rights here have been able to occupy Cafe Francesca in an attempt to prevent its demolition in order to build new flats. I went there last night to check it out and when I got there, the squatters were in a meeting as they got a tip that they were to be evicted the next day. Turns out they weren't though so the occupation continues. It's been quite interesting. They were evicted earlier and demolition started, but due to the carelessness of the demolishers, they were able to stop the demolition. This bought them enough time to re-occupy the cafe and rebuild what was torn down. I didn't get to take pictures inside as things were intense with trying to discuss what could happen tomorrow and how to ensure they gave no reason for arrest or turn the public against them.

Welcome visitors

I was hoping to have this picture by the time I moved in so that it could be my "moving in post" picture. Better late than never...So if anyone comes to London, this is the tube stop close to my flat at which you would get off. Hope to see lots of your faces gracing the stop!

Long but not too intense night out

Last night I was to meet up with one of the bartenders (Laszlo) from the hotel bar at a pub where his friend worked. Jennifer and I decided to meet up beforehand and grab a bite to eat. We went to the general area where we were going to meet up with Laszlo and wondered around looking for a place to eat. We tried a few places but they were either full or not serving food. Finally we found a pub called The Clachan and settled in to eat. As Jennifer was at the bar getting us drinks, I looked up and low and behold but there was Laszlo walking in! It turns out the place we picked to eat was the pub that Laszlo was going to take us to! What's the chance?! I laughed out loud (probably too much) when I saw him. Take a look at Jennifer's blog if you want to see what the pub looks like...it's actually really cool. Laszlo is from Hungary and apparently there is a week long music festival in the summer there that showcases all kinds of music. I might try to go to that.

First flat visitors

So, Bernard, Jennifer, and Katherine (Jennifer's friend) stopped by to check out the flat before we headed out for dinner. We ended up eating at pub after a few attempts at other places that ended up being either fully booked or closed. Katherine used to live in the neighborhood where I live now so she brought us to one of her old pub haunts (I can't recall it's name but I know it started with a 'W'). Seemed like a neat pub, but I may look for one a bit closer if I want a regular pub.

The Flat

So, I finally moved in!! There is too much drama to put here for what I had to go thru to finally get in to the flat, but because of it all, I'm so happy it's over with. My internet was not successfully turned on as promised and they said it could be a week before they could look into it!!!! That's freakin' crazy!!! For now, I'm pirating wireless :) (Should I not acknowledge that so openly on a blog?) Here are pics of my flat. I didn't include a picture of the 2nd bedroom as its empty waiting for a bed. Nor do you get to see my illegal patio. All the walls are very baron...Combine that with a modern look, and the place feels a bit sterile so I have some peronsal touch to do. No, none of the fireplaces work. Actually, it's somewhat interesting I think...That UK/London skyline that is famous for it's multiple chimneys on the rooftops, quite a bit of them are probably not functional now. So, this is my flat. Those who make it over get to stay in the mysterious 2nd bedroom/darkroom. Oh, my landlord is this perfect older English distinquished gentleman, very sweet guy. He just moved back to London from working for the Prince of Dubai (now King as the father died) to help take care of his mother in law. Seems like he might have some interesting stories. After proofing this post, I think it is probably my worst post yet. I will post anyway.

Indian Food and Brick Lane

After the marionette show, we went for Indian food on the famous Brick Lane. Brick Lane is what I would call Little India. The street is quite intimate...narrow, cobble-stoned, and short buildings. I realy enjoyed it. On Sundays they do a market somewhere on there that I'll need to go check out. So I finally had Indian food in London. We had one dish that was quite spicy so it took away from me tasting the food. The place is suppose to be good place though (sorry I don't have the name). Oh, and they had a dish there that had hard boiled egg whites in it (we didn't get that dish though). I hadn't seen that in Indian food until I ate some of Savil's mom's cooking so I figure it's very authentic Indian (this is from my fairly naive knowledge of Indian food).

Marionette musical improv

Tonight I went to an improv performance with one the marionette puppeteers and a couple of the musicians from new years eve night. It was a complete improv...the music feeding off of the marionette's actions and vice versa. The performance was at a market called Spitalfield Market that was closed for the night but open to passerbys. They had a number of people who stopped to watch a while and 2 girls who stayed the whole performance. This was only their 2nd night to do it and already they have promises of repeat audience members who will bring more. They said last night Tracey Ullman (the British comedian)(****correction: Tracey Emin British Artist) stopped by on her way home. Apparently she lives just around the corner. All the marionettes were made by the puppeteer. It was quite entertaing and it will be interesting to see how this grows and develops.

Back to the grind

Well, yesterday was spent almost wholly in my hotel (besides my trip to the grocery store for a bottle of scotch). So with work going again, my post may not be as frequent as I may not be doing as much stuff, but I'm going to do my best at continuing my exploring (as I'm sure you would all expect of me). Until Friday, this is my hotel "office space" where I'll be spending most of my days. Looks a bit lived in already huh :).

The Electric Cinema

Sunday night I decided to venture over to Notting Hill to check out The Producers film at the Electric Cinema. Rigid cinema seats no more!! Soft leather armchairs with feet rest are what's it all about!! That is what everone gets in this theater! And if you are a couple and want to snuggle, you can pay just a few pounds more for a plush leather loveseat for 2 in the back! Oh, and would you like a beer, cocktail, glass or bottle of wine to go with that movie, by all means, get one at the bar (but only before the movie starts or during intermission)! There are even little side tables to put your drink and snack (nothing grand here) on. The theatre itself is one of the originals and they have maintained the original look besides the seat improvement. If you are looking for a nice relaxing cinema experience, it can't be beat (at least from what I've seen and as for now that is not much)! I could be biased as I haven't had a decent seat to sit in since I've been here (my hotel room chairs are horrendous!). As there only one screen and seating is reduced, you might want to plan in advance to come, though I got in fine alone.

New Year with the Marionettes

A friend of a friend Bernard (saxophone player in the first picture) invited me to a party last night that was being held at what I found out was a marionette theatre called The Puppet Barge which is on a small barge on a canal in an area called Little Venice. It was a small gathering of puppeteers, musicians, singers, and dancers (and me). The night was filled with a continual jam session of 2 guitars, a homemade base, soprano sax, flute and clarinet. It was so nice. The 2 guitar players were excellent. This was their first night to meet but they played wonderfully together. Eventually we moved into the theater where the jam session continued and a puppeteer and others had the marionettes dancing to the music and other performances! It was such an enchanting evening! It was quite interesting to get to study the movements of the marionettes as the people played with them. The movements were slow enough to analyze how the marionette worked. It's quite mesmerizing to watch and I got to play with one as well. I definitely will go back to see an official performance. I also hope to photography the venue as it's quite picturesque with all the marionettes hanging on the deep red walls.

It's alive!!!!!!

The ipod has been revived without loosing all my music!! Oh, if only you could all feel the happiness this brings me!!! I read all kinds of forms, all telling me that one of the things I should try is a restore (which is a reformat, thus loosing my music). The problem with this is that I could even get my computer to recognize my ipod to do a restore. Finally I got it to work and the restore become an option. As nothing else had worked, I decided to try. Alas, the restore even failed!!! How this makes me happy because the led me to research more. Within 30 minutes I found a post on the Ilounge forum that said the solution to my woes was simply to take the harddrive out of the ipod, give it a shake and put it back together. I had read solutions similar but were more about disconnecting and reconnecting harddrive and battery. I had really wanted to avoid taking it apart for fear of voiding my warranty. A shake could happen without taking it apart so....I held the ipod in one hand and gave one good tap with my other hand.....instantly it started working again!!!!! I giggled with happiness! My computer, Itunes and the Ipod Updater all recognize it. Now I'm using a nifty little program called EphPod to copy the music from my ipod to my laptop (my laptop harddrive crashed about a month ago so all songs were lost from my computer). Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to share the journey with you so that you can understand why it makes me so happy.