Rodwellian

Hey, Google Analytics: Canada is not the 51st state (yet)

2012-01-07T20:32:00.013Z

As a Canadian, I'm often pointing out Canadians and Canadians' achievements to my British colleagues. I'm sure they're sick of it by now. If you know a Canadian, you'll know I am not alone in this obsession.

Why do we do it?

We do it because we live all our lives in the shadow of the most powerful country on earth. We are innundated by US news, culture, music, movies, finance, business, politics etc. We're just looking for a little way to be noticed. So, when we have our chance we jump on it. That's why we bother pointing out that Michael J Fox, Christopher Plummer and more recently Ryan Gosling is Canadian (even though he's probably spent most his life in the US). It's our little way of jumping up and saying "we exist".

In Canada, we amuse ourselves by watching episodes of Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans and sharing stories of injustices to Canada's pride.

Today, even Rick Mercer's antics can't bring a smile to my face due to this Canadian injustice. Yes, it's true GOOGLE of all companies has committed the biggest sin. They have decided that Canada is not quite big enough to have their own map in Real Time Google Analytics.

Let' me expand. I work in the internet. I was investigating the origin of the visitors that visit our website using Google Analytics. As a Canadian, I was particularly interested in the Canadian cities where our visitors were from at that moment.

So, here is what happened I clicked on the link "Canada". On the left hand side of the screen I saw a list of familiar city names such as Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Richmond Hill (a suburb of Toronto), Guelph, Grand Prairie, Unionville and many more. Seeing those names made me feel close to home. Yet, when I cast my eye on the accompanying map, it wasn't a map of Canada at all. It was a map of the United States of America. What the ****? See for yourself ...

In case you are not familiar with the Canadian map, this is NOT a map of Canada. This is the map of Canada.

I'm sure you will recognize the first map as a map of the mighty United States of America. Yet, all the cities are floating in a blue sea north of the US border.

I guess it has finally come to pass, Canada is just the 51st state of the US. Please Google, sort that out to make this Canadian a little bit happier.

What is your porn name?

2011-06-08T03:26:00.002+01:00

I thought that title might get a little interest. As it turns out my alternate names range based on my anagram are:

Della Sir Owl to Ladle Sir Owl to Ordeal Wills to Dare Ill Slow

So, what's your alternate name?

Dalston Street Artist -Stewy - Does Tea Parties

2011-05-02T12:51:00.014+01:00

The building across from us is the canvas for various graffiti artists. I captured some little men back in 2007 and J posted another find on his blog. Usually, the moment someone tags it, the authorities come in and paint over it.

About 3 weeks ago, I woke up to a horse outside of my window. Unlike our home in Primrose Hill, it wasn't a real horse, but it was still beautiful. Here's what it looked like:

there was a frog too.

About a week later, a horn was added and it became a unicorn. Unfortunately, I was a little slow to capture that transition on film because not more than a few days later some wings were added. I made sure I got that one on film (*ahem* digital I should say)

I was planning on making a short post about this unexpected surprise and that would be that. However, last weekend, a little tea shop and art installation (Urban Fog) popped up beside my winged unicorn in a soon-to-be renovated building. It turns out Stewy (see more of his work here) collaborated with the team at Urban Fog and added some animals announcing the tea house. I thought I would document these wonderful additions here as I am sure it will all soon disappear when the renovations begin.

More about the Tea House ...

The owner - Zoe - decided to use the space to create a wonderful fabric installation. It feels like you are inside a modern day cave with little cubby holes where you can sit, enjoy music and tea. You can read more about the concept and installation on their website.

So, if you're in Dalston before May 21, 2011, you should check out Stewy's and Urban Fog's work. (opening times are on their website)

My Beautiful Network of Professional Contacts

2011-02-03T22:27:00.005Z

Last year Dopplr sent to its users a beautiful map which outlined their business travel for the previous year. Here is an example of the map they did for Barak Obama for 2009. As you can see it was a really beautiful way of presenting data.

It seems that Linkedin has been taking a page from Dopplr's playbook. And, they've done a brilliant job. I now have a visual map of my Linkedin connections. The colours represent connected networks. If you create your own, you will see that you can decide who the colours represent by scrolling over the dots to expose the individual people.

(click here to see it life-size)

I was surprised to see that the majority of my connections in Linkedin were associated with my time at Yahoo! This is incredible given it was only 2 years of my rather lengthy career. I guess I made lots of contacts during that time.

I'm now thinking I love my map so much I might make a set of MOO business cards with my personal map printed on them.

Go on make your own!

Me. Me. Me. Me.

2010-12-01T06:49:00.004Z

Who Me?

Yesterday I was meant to speak about social media and MOO at a conference in Germany. Unfortunately, the snow in Frankfurt kept me from attending. I was rather bummed as I had worked hard on the presentation ON THE WEEKEND! Oh well.

I found this cartoon in a recent Marketing Week and felt it actually provides all the rules of social media and brands. Hey, brands and people for that matter.

How influential are you?

2010-08-04T07:48:00.003+01:00

Fast Company is running an interesting experiment called the Influence Project. Evidently they are attempting to see who is the most influential person online. You would think that would be rather obvious, it has to be Ashton Kutcher and his 5 million+ followers.

It seems that influence is calculated on the number of people one can influence to sign up for the Influence Project.I have signed up as I was rather curious how it works. To date, I haven't managed to influence ONE person to do the same.

Now if you are curious and want to sign up for the project than please do click my link and show that I can influence ONE person on this interweb. If nothing else you can get your photo in Fast Company's magazine when the project is done.

The Project is in Flash (big surprise) and as a result, I had a hard time screengrabbing a shot of the collage of photos. It's probably best to visit the site yourself.

This project actually reminds me of a business version of the Dorito competition where J was a finalist. That is the winner was not based on the best ad but rather whether he was good at getting people to vote. (remember? I think I asked all of you to vote).

Happy 80th Birthday Barbie!

2010-06-21T22:55:00.004+01:00

My Aunt's 80th birthday was on Sunday. Sadly, we weren't there to celebrate. And as she has just got a new red convertible, it'll be even harder than usual to keep up with this crazy lady.

Enjoy the new wheels!!

This Cat's Got My Tongue and More

2010-05-25T21:05:00.007+01:00

Tonight, I went to a stranger's home who I met on the internet. I know - I've broken all the rules.

Actually, I haven't been hanging out on dating sites and haven't been flirting in chat rooms. I met this stranger because of my desire to get a cat despite my allergies.

Huh? You ask.

Well, here's my story. About 3-4 months ago, I decided I really wanted a cat despite being super allergic to these creatures. YYZ was busy with her 3 new kittens and I wanted one too. I was determined to find one with whom I could live. That meant searching out a hypo-allergenic equivalent of the feline sort. That's where I discovered Siberian cats and their alleged hypo-allergenic nature.

Now isn't it clear how I ended up at a stranger's house? That's right, I went to meet a few of these furry felines to see if they could break me. That's right, super-allergy girl was in a house with 5 adult cats and 9 kittens - all Siberian - for an allergy test. I had an enjoyable 30 minutes talking to the breeder, scratching and holding the big guys and playing with the kittens. . I even got to hold my potential kitten - Aurora. I was hopeful as I was only just a bit sniffly

Only after I left the house, did the full on allergy attack happen. On my walk home, I sneezed non-stop for 10 minutes and found I was scratching wildly at my neck. That's when I knew. I knew that baby Aurora would not be moving in with me.

*sniffle sniffle

A long long road

2010-05-21T23:38:00.005+01:00

Over the last few years, I've shared some video work that J has done. It's included everything from a music video for Dusk & Blackdown to product demos for to promo videos for a ballet troupe. So, it's time again to share something that is keeping him busy.

For the last few years, J has been working on a real cool road trip documentary. It's still being edited and searching for funding. However, there's a trailer and here it is.

Driven, Trailer/Demo from Jonathan Howells on Vimeo.

How many takes does it take?

2010-03-21T13:37:00.003Z

I was curious as to how long it took to make a video like this one.

So, I did a bit of internet research and found another video on OkGo's website which told the story behind the video. It looks like they went to the internet for the solution and Donkey Kong for inspiration. I actually thought of Mouse Trap.

This is another video from the same guys. It made its debut years ago on YouTube, but I was glad to stumble across it again. Remember, the treadmill dance? Of course you do. Why not watch it again?

Canada Shines in Olympics Opening (well kind of)

2010-02-16T21:27:00.040Z

As you all know by now, I'm Canadian and I'm a PROUD Canadian (in my Canadian way). That means a few things:

I'll be the first to tell you if someone well-known is from Canada (i.e. Margaret Atwood, James Cameron, Tyler Brule or Kate from Lost)
I'll also be the first to point out if something was invented in Canada (i.e. the zipper or the obviously named Canadarm)
Of course, I'll be happy to explain the virtues of Maple Syrup, Poutine and Bannock
I can explain the rules of curling (in fact my Mother, Sister, Brother-in-Law and my nieces are incredibly talented curlers) and know that the competition is called a bonspiel.
Finally, I'll be quietly crossing every possible body part to ensure Canada succeeds at any competitive event, but knowing that usually we just can't rise to the occassion (we choke). Perhaps, we have a politeness gene that stops us from dominating.

It's important to understand what it is like to be a Canadian as we host the Olympics and I provide you my impressions of the Olympics Opening Ceremony. In typical Canadian fashion, we hire someone from *away* to direct our show. Yes, that's right we brought in an Australian, David Atkin, to define Canada as we take the spotlight.

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay up long enough to watch the ceremonies live. However, thanks to a certain Swedish site for connecting me with someone in the US who watched and captured the NBC coverage.

Anyway, as I sat down to watch the ceremonies, I was REALLY nervous. All of a sudden the wallflower (Canada) was taking centre stage and I was concerned we might suffer severe stage fright and REALLY screw up. What exactly I thought would happen? I'm not really sure. Perhaps, that the ceremony would be similar to Canadian TV. What you don't know any Canadian TV shows? That's hard to believe. Let me paint the picture: think LOW production values with dull storylines. No, actually lower and duller. If you dont' believe me, here a few that I'd watch as a youngster when nothing else was on the tube. King of Kensington (set in Toronto), The Trouble with Tracey (deemed worst sitcom of all time), and of course The Beachcombers (which was filmed a stone's throw from Whistler - home of the Downhill at the Olympics)

Now, can you see why I was so nervous?

My Observations
All and all, I thought the ceremony was beautiful, intimate despite the size of stadium and incredibly emotional. I loved the theatrical approach and the use of lights both on the playing field and on the audience itself. This was achieved by providing white capes to the audience which turned them in to a giant canvas. (wander here or here for some shots of the evening)

photo by: firebellyreed

As the ceremonies continued, I was progressively prouder to be a Canadian. I loved the welcoming section featuring the 4 First Nations from the Vancouver/Squamish area. The glass totems and costumes of the First Canadians were spectacular. The procession of the athletes with a special focus on Canada made me a little weepy.

Generally, the *journey* across Canada featuring different parts of Canada's landscape and culture was wonderful. I loved the fact that Donald Sutherland was the English voice of Canada. Then, Sarah McLachlan surpassed any expectation I would have had. (she is still one of my all-time favourite singers).

Wheat
Uploaded by praguelondon.

The photo above featured one of my favourite moments. Donald Sutherland introduced the prairies with a quote from Who Has Seen The Wind by W.O. Mitchell. The aerial dance by Thomas Saulgrain was accompanied by one of my all time Canadian favourites - Joni Mitchell. It was utterly dream-like.

The 8 Canadians (listed below) chosen to carry in the Olympics flag were all deserving recognition for their unique accomplishments and provided a rich weave of Canadian fabric.

Donald Sutherland
Betty Fox (Mother of the most inspirational Canadian who ever lived - Terry)
Bobby Orr (if you don't know this guy, you clearly aren't Canadian)
Anne Murray
Jacques Villeneuve
Barbara Ann Scott
Romeo Dallaire (was really thrilled to see RD)
Julie Payette

On a fashion note, I loved the white suits worn by all the background dancers and flagbearers. If you would like to know more about Olympic fashion, wander over to YYZ's post.

Image thanks to Firebellyreed

All this being said, I wouldn't be a Canadian without a big BUT. I would be remiss if I didn't mark a few of the cringe moments.

Where was the FRENCH? Honestly, I kept waiting for it in the cross-country poetic tour of our country. I didn't hear it ONCE. I loved the quotes and songs that were so carefully chosen from W.O. Mitchell (which reminded me of grade 10 English class) to one of my favourite Joni Mitchell songs ever. Donald Sutherland's distinctive and soothing voice made each quote come to life. Yet, still I waited for a few French quotes or at least ONE. I kept saying to J "what about French?". We're Canadian, not American. That means a country with two official languages. What is this? Turns out, I wasn't alone in this concern.
Why did we screw with our national anthem? I think the young woman who sang has a wonderful voice and her outfit was fab (as YYZ points out Dsquared designed it), but I hated the jazz version.
The Olympic Cauldron was to be lit in a very Canadian manner - that is rather than choosing just one torch bearer, they chose 4. Sadly, there was some malfunction and the 4th column didn't rise and left one of the torch bearers without a column to light. I suspect someone was swearing profusely at the malfunction. Ahh... Poor Canada.

Flames Abound
Uploaded by praguelondon.

Don't get me wrong the ceremonies were great and I was rather veklempt when I heard the words and sentiments of a relatively unknown Canadian poet. Yes, I AM CANADIAN ;)

Now I'm off to watch more Olympics and you can see I'm wearing my Canadian colours.

Babylon

2009-12-07T20:22:00.014Z

On Saturday, J and I were intent on starting our Christmas shopping. However, we also wanted to take in a bit of culture at the same time. We were in luck. Hidden Art was on and we figured we could pass a few studios on the way down to the East London Design Show which was part of Hiddent Art. (If Hidden Art sounds familiar, I've mentioned it before as we've been we've been a few times before- I wrote about it back in 2007).

We ended up seeing 2 groups shows and the opening of Gerry Juddah's Babylon show at Flower Galleries in Shoreditch. We just happened on the show and felt so lucky to have stumbled on such a powerful show.

I'm not much of a writer or art analyst. Although, I do know when I saw these scultped paintings, I couldn't take my eyes off of them. As you maybe able to see from the photos above, each painting/sculpture shows what appears to be a miniture city (but blown out) and all the details of the cityscape. The stark colours (they were painted white, black or wine/rust) on such a detailed sculpture ensured one would notice the details of the city even more than if the city was painted in technicolour.

If you are in London, try to visit the Flower Gallery. It is definitely worth the visit. The Small is Beautiful Exhibit that was exhibiting upstairs was also a pleasant surprise. Plan to take enough time to explore both.

An Ode to Literature

2009-12-03T07:47:00.008Z

I discovered this amazing video via our twitter feed at work which thanks to the lovely D and the other team members always has a wealth of fun stuff to distract you from your other duites. So check it out.

Here is a short video that should amaze anyone when you begin to think of the intricate work that went in to making it. I loved it and decided to post it here so I won't forget about it or lose it.

Here is what Creative Review said about it.

Using around 3,000 still images, Andersen M Studio has animated an extract from Maurice Gee's novel, Going West, for the New Zealand Book Council...

Now that you watched it you can appreciate it took 8 months to complete. Beautiful. Let's read books.

Kseniya Simonova: Now she really does "got" talent

2009-10-28T23:49:00.004Z

Thanks to my friend, Gosia, I was treated to an unexpected treat this evening. She sent a link to the following video out to some of us on her email list. I clicked to YouTube and within 10 seconds I was hooked.

Many of you may have already seen this video from Kseniya Simonova. She was on Ukraine's Got Talent and does she ever. She's 24 and created a series of sand pictures which depicted German's invasion during World War II.

I think it is amazing and in this day of short attention spans; I managed to watch for the whole 8 minutes. I would encourage you to do the same.

A Barbie-licious Birthday

2009-10-20T12:22:00.026+01:00

On Sunday night, I attended one of the best birthday parties I've ever attended. And, the best bit was it was a SURPRISE birthday party for me. I was caught off guard because like all surprise parties, there was a lot of secrecy involved. Also, my birthday was the last thing on my mind as I approached my Aunt's home. Remember,

I was visiting my Aunt's for dinner (natural event as I had not yet seen her since I had come back to Canada)
my birthday was over 15 days away
this year is NOT a big birthday
it wasn't my birthday

So, the last thing I was thinking when I walked in to my Aunt's home was that I would be met by all the wonderful women in my family* dressed up as their favourite Barbie waiting for me. Yes, that's right. It was a surprise birthday with a theme - A Barbie Birthday. And this big girl loooved Barbies as a child and was more than happy to partake in this fun-filled craziness.

My first thought was I wouldn't get to dress up as Barbie as I hadn't brought a change of clothes. Boohoo! I'd miss out on the dress up component of this soiree. Oh no! Thanks to my Aunt and her many visits to Value Village I had a wardrobe of clothes & accessories to choose from and felt right at home in my Barbie-wear. [I'll post all the outfits of the evening on my other blog.] However, I wanted to share some of the decor and silliness here that my Aunt Kathy had planned so perfectly.

Here's a few shots of the evening's antics.

Here's the amazing woman behind the craziness
dressed in her Barbie outfit:
yellow polyester pant-suit with wig (which no-one realized it was one)

All of my remaining Barbie stuff made an appearance at the festivities
(including the United Airlines airplane, bungalow and bathtub)

Here are a few of the presents & cards I received:
Did you notice the 41 year old princess card?

I received a new carry-on suitcase (I think it's my colour).
It's ideal for all my work travel

Turns out it's better built for Barbies than a laptop.

I also received a new matching handbag (backpack) and wallet.
My cousin embellished the wallet with small hearts

My family thought this sleeping bag would be perfect to keep me warm on all those Trans-Atlantic flights.
I'm tempted to pull it out on flight back to London on Virgin-Atlantic.

Given my reputation of being late for events, they felt an alarm clock was in order:

And even more Barbie themed gifts:

Other gifts included a foot-care & massage set (for the days out in heels),
a fun desk emoticon calendar and a Barbie Video.

Here is the dinner table with guests from the soiree:

This was a special glass for the Princess Barbie (moi).
In fact it was a glass from my grandparent's
50th anniversary over 30 years ago.

My Barbie Pink Cake

Now for the thank yous. I want to thank everyone for coming to my birthday party and playing along (i.e. dressing up, bringing their Barbie and sharing their Barbie stories). In particular, special thanks to Aunt Kathy for the idea and the organization of the party. Plus a call out to my very own Aunt Barbie (who also happens to have the same last name as Barbie and is married to her very own Ken-- how cool was I growing up?) for hosting the festivities at her home.

Finally, an artsy shot of me in my Barbie attire

PS if you loved Barbie's too, you might enjoy E's post about her Barbie collection.

PSS More photos from the evening can be found on flickr.

*sadly, Julie was sick; Al & Maggie were across the country. Yet, my other sister was there (E)

Dancing Words Coming to a Screen Near Me

2009-09-16T22:55:00.004+01:00

I often find myself peering over J's shoulder to see what's happening on his computer screen. Sometimes, I find it filled with designs for anything from chocolate to pitas to dog treats. Other times, I might get a glimpse of a travel company's brochure, signage for a gala event or even a dubstep video.

The last few days have been filled with dancing words for the Bach Festival in Montreal. I maybe biased but I love the idea and the execution. (Watch it full scren and turn up your sound to enjoy)

Montreal Bach Festival 09, English version from Jonathan Howells on Vimeo.

Stella Artois Ad Rips off Retro CBC Logo

2009-09-12T21:56:00.005+01:00

CBC Logo Rip OFF
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

Last weekend we spotted this poster in the Tube for Stella Artois. As an aside, I never drink Stella Artois as I was once told that it was rated the worst in blind taste tests. However, the purpose of this post is not to discuss its virtues rather this poster.

The ad as you can see is eye-catchingly retro. It even features a suave French gentleman who definitely pleases my eyes. However, that is not what grabbed our attention. Surprisingly, it wasn't even the classic car for J.

No, it was the old CBC logo that was included in the poster that got our tongues wagging. We just couldn't figure it out. Why would they take an old logo and cut it in to pieces and include it here.

It is the CBC logo isn't it? (here's the 70's logo). Am I missing the idea of the ad? Is it supposed to be recycling old logos? I doubt it. Who in the UK even knows what the CBC is. Any ideas about this ad? Anyone?

Be A Maestro in B Flat

2009-09-09T22:03:00.004+01:00

I think the moment this is posted, I'll realize I am about 6 months behind its discovery, but I don't care. I LOVE it.

A bit of background. I work in an office that loves to share. We share commentary (on anything and everything), jokes, websites, technology, DVDs, books, advice, opinions and everything else you can think of. Most days I ignore what is being passed from in-box to in-box. However, tonight I happened to click on what one of my colleagues (who rarely shares) sent around. There was no commentary associated with this link but I clicked anyway.

The link led to a page filled with YouTube video screens. There was a line of text which read "play these together, some or all, start them at any time, in any order" So, I did. And, I loved what happened. I started with 3 screens and then quickly added another and another and another. Wow, I'm a conductor, DJ, producer all in one. So, not only did I get that good feeling of creating, it also gave me something to write about here which I haven't done in a LOOONG time (YYZ-LHR and the MOO Cryptic Quiz have been keeping me busy)

By the way this brilliant idea was conceived by Darren Solomen.
Could someone now break it to me and tell me how out of touch I am with this find.

Better than I remembered

2009-07-14T21:08:00.005+01:00

The summer before I started university, I worked at Lincoln Motor Inn in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This was 22 years ago (eek!), so I was rather excited to see that 1) Lincoln Motor Inn still existed and 2) it has a website. They've come a long way!

Having grown up close by and then working in Niagara Falls one summer, I've visited Niagara Falls probably 100s of times and I know I took them for granted. They are pretty impressive when you get up real close.

It's just that when people especially from the UK find out that I lived 15 minutes from Niagara Falls, they always seem in awe. Little do they know that after you spend 20 minutes looking at the Falls you then have to spend the next few hours in amusement hell on Clifton Hill surrounded by thousands of toursits. That's probably why I don't always think so kindly on The Falls.

So, when I saw this post today on Fubiz, my first thought was why would a cool site like Fubiz feature Niagara Falls on their site. Well I think the video shows that even amusement hell can be beautiful.

Niagara Falls in Motion from Matthew Wartman on Vimeo.

A Day Out at the Seaside

2009-07-08T18:38:00.022+01:00

A few weeks back J and I decided to do something we had been talking about for ages. We decided to be spontaneous and take a day trip down to the seaside. We've lived here 4 years and have never gone for a day on the beach. We felt it was high time we found out what the fuss was all about. We jumped on a train to Brighton and spent the day down relaxing on the stoney beach and checking out the fun and games of the pier. And of course a lot of great people watching. Here's a few shots that capture our day:

A great shot of the deck chairs we didn't rent. We went for the slightly cheaper option of our portable beach blanket which we purchased in the post Xmas sales and have been waiting to use.

Merry Go Rounds and Pier Shot (oh, and some woman in the foreground)

We had a few hour rest on the beach. Ahhh bliss.

Brighton Boogie on the Boardwalk. Seeing these dancers made me a bit depressed that we have failed with our Swing Dancing lessons. We'll have to get back on that horse again.
We helped another couple take their requisite postcard Brighton shot so they volunteered to help us. We had to oblige.
We tried our luck at the penny arcade. Of course I lost more than I won, but did cut myself off at £2. As always J was attracted to the Star Wars connection.

We took a short break after our try at gambling sitting in the *free* deck chairs (introduced in '84) on the Pier overlooking the big blue sea. The Pier was built in 1899 and is the second most visited leisure facility (hmmm interesting term) in the UK according to the Pier's website. If you want to get a real sense of tacky fun the Pier has to offer, visit their website and make sure you have your speakers on.

We checked out all the crazy rides on the Pier. However, we didn't partake.

We found a cute little oyster bar along one of *the Lanes* for a glass of champagne and early dinner. We loved the communal marble tables, dripping candle wax and of course the fish. What a perfect end to the perfect Brighton Day!

Fish decor inside Riddle & Finns.

And finally, the sunglass pose to prove it is sunny in England (sometimes - not as I type this post)

More photos from the day at the Seaside.

I definitely recommend being spontaneous!

London Taxi ALMOST on the Move

2009-06-23T23:54:00.003+01:00

When I first started writing this blog, the first posts I did mentioned a documentary J was starting to develop. It was about 4 young women (my Mother was one of them) who traveled Europe in an old London taxi cab. Here is a reminder of the story from the depths of the internet (circa 2005) and my first post EVER.

Now I'm happy to introduce you to J's current Taxi endeavour - Alfred and Jakobine - the documentary. Here is the trailer for the movie or you can read more about the project over here.

A Recipe for Joy

2009-05-25T14:05:00.005+01:00

This may be a slightly misleading title. Decide for yourself after reading this post and the recipe itself.

The title refers to a recipe especially developed for Ms. Joy T. She was our HR manager in London MOO offices up until she moved backed to the US in February. It was a sad, joyless day when she left. (we love our puns at MOO).

As a going away present we all contributed (except me) our favourite recipe for Joy's cook book. Now if you know me, you will understand why that has taken a few months for me to complete. I just don't cook and I wasn't about to put a recipe in there for peanut butter and banana toast. Also, when I do attempt to cook I follow the recipe to every last pinch of salt. I never stray as I'm worried what will happen if I do. I couldn't very well plagiarize a recipe for dear Joy.

Now, a funny thing happened on Saturday....

J and I decided to have Nick (J's cousin) and Mark (our Filmmaker/Musician friend - also Canadian) over for a BBQ. It was forecast to be nice weather and I was keen to eat outside. I was in charge of the table and ambiance (I think I did quite well on that front). You'll see I kept it low key but funky with our map placements, chinese lanterns and cool new coasters brought to me from Boris of Prague.

I realized while J had a perfect meal we needed some low key appies. After looking through the aforementioned cook books I found what looked like a good recipe for guacamole.

Now, what happened next was created completely by accident. I soon realized we were missing a few key ingredients so I improvised. The results were scrumptious and I declared I had a recipe for Joy! All of you (my millions of readers) can try it out here but Joy you'll get it printed and ready to insert in your MOO cookbook when I come to Providence next month.

Sweet Joy Guacamole*
2-3 avocadoes (make sure they are ripe)
2 tomatoes seeded and diced
2 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 red onion - chopped finely
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fresh cilantro or coriander (depending on what continent you live in)
2-3 drops of Tabasco sauce
2 tbsps Mandarin Yogurt**
pinch of salt and pepper

*Joy is one of the sunniest people I have encountered so I think it is fitting this guacamole is actually sweet
**The mandarin yogurt add the sweetness and creaminess to the guacamole

Basically you crush/mush up the avocadoes, then add the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Stir in the Yoghurt, the tobasco, cilantro and a bit of salt and pepper. Yum Yum Yum. This is really a sweet spin on typical guacamole. EnJOY!

Ooooooo soooo good.You can see from Nick's face how enjoyable the guac is.

The guac was a sweet start to an all and all enjoyable evening. Here are a few more photos from the evening on my flickr account.

J and L's Big Adventure to Kent

2009-05-04T20:41:00.022+01:00

I've been a bit remiss about posting any of our London adventures lately. I think that is not because we haven't been having fun, but more that I have started another blog which is also nagging to be updated. The new one is easier to update as I always know the topic - fashion. E and I started it to recreate our high school and post-university days of swapping clothes. Since I've moved across the ocean it's been more difficult to share in the real world, so we've opted for the virtual world. I digress, but now you know that I have been posting just not here.

This past weekend was a bank holiday here in Jolly Old** and that meant time for an excursion from the big smoke. We decided last minute to take a trip to the country side. So, what did I do, i asked my twitter followers. I must admit this was better than Yahoo! Answers as the recommendations were from people I knew and knew me. Sweet.

We ended up choosing Whitstable in Kent which by the way is the setting for Tipping the Velvet. As usual, I waited until Friday night to secure a place to stay and it appeared to be too late. I didn't tell J that we were landing in Whitstable stableless until we arrived. We really did feel like Mary and Joseph wondering in to little inns and B&Bs asking if they had room and they all said "no room at the inn" and sent us on our way.

By luck (longer story) we ended up finding a Bed & Breakfast that had room for us. It was WAY better than a stable; in fact, it was perfect. I'll write a full recommendation on the Gallery House later on Qype but Gary and Penny were great hosts and we loved our room - so clean and bright. Penny really did think of everything from a toaster and tea to filtered water.

Now on to the activities of the weekend. It was jam-packed with what we love most: eating, walking, drinking, eating, drinking, listening to music and shopping (in that order)

After some fish & chips at the local Harbour Street shop, we walked the coast from Whitstable to Herne Bay. Along the way, we passed hundreds of colourful beach huts which were mostly boarded up waiting for the real summer to begin.
As you can tell they are quite small. They are only big enough for a little day-bed, changing area and kitchen. Each one was painted and decorated to suit the owner's style. I loved the green and pink one the best as it reminded me of Pippi Longstocking's home in Gotland, Sweden. (I was lucky enough to visit Gotland years ago on a cycling weekend with friends) I wonder if the owner is also a fan of Pippi who I secretly still want to be.
Later we had dinner at an Oyster restaurant right on the water (The Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company) . You can see from some of the shots that we were treated to an amazing sunset. Oh bliss.
The food was nice and I even had a go at Oysters (when in Whitstable!)but not as wonderful as the spot and the company (awww! gag!)

After dinner, we wondered down the beach capturing images as dusk fell. We were going to have an early evening until the sounds of live music drew us in to the Old Neptune.

Bonanza! We hit gold. The Old Neptune was definitely the place to be. The pub was heaving with locals, weekenders and tourists. Not only did we enjoy the actual entertainment - a wonderful blues guitarist with a drummer and base player - but loved the people watching this place had to offer. What a diverse crew all with the same goal -- having a good time. We found ourselves giving them names. Here were a few of our faves:

Reboot: The guy who kept stalling. He clearly had smoked more than a few joints
Work the Room: The 40-something pick-up man who was busy chatting every lady in the house. He even asked me if I was French (that was before he saw J)
Mr. Guiness No Rhythm.: The name says it all. He tried so hard to find the beat but in the end was only able to find the bottom of many glasses of Guiness

Seriously, everyone was groovin to the music and seemed to be happy that it was a long weekend. The Old Neptune was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Sunday was spent doing more eating, walking and some shopping. I won't describe in detail, but here are a few shots to capture the walk that day.
I also would be remiss if I didn't call out an adorable shop called FRANK on Harbour Street. It sold a collection of incredibly sweet hand-made goods and prints from the UK. She seemed to have a special liking for birds. As you can imagine I kept thinking of Tania and Steve.

All in all a wonderful 24 hours out of London. Thank goodness we can still be spontaneous in our older age ;)

** Jolly Old was what my Aunt Barb & Uncle Ken always called England. Frankly, I can't think of something more incongruous when I think of my East End London neighbourhood -- Jolly is NOT what comes to mind.

Puts a Spring in Your Step

2009-04-10T08:07:00.003+01:00

Thanks to Bmad for putting me on to this wonderful little video. I believe it might be an ad for a Belgium "Maria" competition but I'm not 100% sure. In any case, watch until the end and enjoy. It's definitely a sunny start to the day (especially for those of us who LOVE musicals).

Don't use this to intimidate people

2009-04-05T21:59:00.004+01:00

For Christmas I gave J a rather unique candle arbre by Studio Glithero. It is a candle arbre completely made of wax. Theoretically you can burn the entire thing. The piece looks rather gothic. Take this rather gothic candle arbre and add our over-the-top contemporized barroque (J's description) wallpaper and our bedroom is taking on a slightly weird look. See below..

So I figured how better to hang said candle arbre was with black curtain tie-backs knotted using a noose. A noose? Yes, a noose. (rather morbid I know) I needed to figure out how to tie a noose knot given I've never needed one before. So, where better to look than the interweb and even better than Google, I checked Youtube as I figured I would need a video explanation. Within seconds I found 100s of 'how to' videos on noose knot tieing. The one that I ultimately used was the one below. My teacher made it very clear "DO NOT USE THIS TO INTIMIDATE PEOPLE" ... you heard me.

The Dynamic Duo Pony Style

2009-03-29T10:19:00.006+01:00

D. at work directed the whole office to this collection of My little Pony's featured on the Guardian website. I immediately laughed out loud and then was incredibly fascinated on the "how did she do it?". So I wondered over to the artist's website Mari Kasurinen and found that she has created around 20 hollywood & comic figures sculptures out of vintage My Little Pony dolls. Here are a few but visit her website for the real deal.

And I think our all time favourite (J's influence clearly) was Han Solo in Carbonite. How cool! But the question remains - How?

Teens that Curl -- Good title eh?

2009-03-11T20:53:00.006Z

It looks like my sister, brother-in-law and nieces have all been beating the pants off all those other crazy Canuck curlers. Don't believe me? Read it in the black and white of newspaper below (thanks to Mum for sending me the article) or read it here on line.

Now I know why I never get an email or phone call from my sister and nieces ;). They are too busy curling.

My Dream Combination

2009-03-09T22:19:00.003Z

When I was 13 my brother made fun of me because he said my favourite band was not a band at all but was in fact musicals. I would laugh it off and try to pretend that it was not true. In fact, for years I always quoted Psychedelic Furs as my favourite band in order to refute his hurtful comment. Musicals - pashaw!

It wasn't until I was well in to my 30s that I embraced my eccentric music taste. I admitted it whole heartedly that I was a musical fan (not all musicals but a select few). In fact, while I was at eBay I decided we should not use sports analogies in my team but "theatrical analogies" as an ode to the musical. My team was very supportive and adopted the nomenclature without too much fuss. Thank goodness or I could have ended up like a character in the Office.

I'm telling you this because it will explain my absolute adoration for some recent Flight of the Conchords videos. I've mentioned in the past how much I LOVE these guys (perhaps it is the musical/campy quality to the show).This year they have concocted the most brilliant of videos Can you spot the reasons? Here are two examples from the Kiwi boys that make me smile.

First, in homage to West Side Story -- "Stay Cool"

Now, that we have the musicals out of our system, why not relive the only music I ever loved (outside the musical genre) plus add a dash of shopping/shoes to the mix and we have another dream combination. Here's Fashion is Danger

Finally, if you have time, go to youtube and watch "sugarlumps" -- hee hee hee hee.

Are you a narcissist? Here's one for you...

2009-03-08T21:33:00.006Z

My friend Xiao Dan sent me a link to this site called Photofunia (yes, all domains have been used up that is clear!). Quickly, I found myself superimposing my pic on all over these *famous* landmarks and magazine covers. Here are a few that I created.

It reminded me of the photo booths in Maple Leaf Village (1972-1992) in Niagara Falls where you would stand in a barrel in front of a poorly rendered photograph of the Falls. Then you would be charged a fortune to take home a shot of you and your friend going over the Falls in a barrel. I found a barrel shot on flickr.

Ahhh Niagara Falls the classiest of tourist destinations.

A Sweet Viagra Ad ... for a change

2009-03-02T12:57:00.003Z

I came across this ad on my daily jaunt around the interweb. I think they have done a fabulous job. Perhaps this one appeals more to women. Who knows maybe they've done their research and learned that women are the "nags" in this purchase decision. Not sure, but I like it just the same.

In The Dead of Winter

2009-02-04T06:31:00.002Z

(I know London is hardly known for their harsh winters. So, let's say this post is for my friends and family back home who are on their umpteenth snow storm of the year.) As I was saying, in the dead of winter, it's always fun to think back to those long hazy days of summer when you were a kid. I stumbled upon this beautiful video on flickr. Turn on the music because it adds to the magic.

I'm sure you noticed the video was editted in reverse. Strangely, it reminded me of an ad I worked on years ago for Pond's. The ad showed everything in reverse -- you know turning back time with cream (of course it is plausible). While the end result was beautiful thanks to the talents of Janet Kestin and her creative team. It actually was hellish to make given it was shot in Montreal in late Fall and there was a lot of outside shots involving rain machines. Yes, it was freezing.

As always I love how something today seemingly unrelated can bring back so many different memories.

Holding on to The Wire

2009-01-31T10:30:00.006Z

If you read my post on Christmas wants or if you have seen me anytime in the last 5 months, you'll know my recent love is with THE WIRE. Perhaps I'm a bit late to the party but you have to remember, I have never subscribed to HBO and I live in the UK plus I have a pop culture blind spot as J tells me.

For Christmas, I received the 5th Season of the Wire. We watched it in about a week and even watched all the crap extras (they were crap). I have since researched the actors to see what they were doing now or who they were before The Wire. I found out that that McNulty (Dominic West) is actually English and Stringer Bell (Idr is Elba) who I thought was from Hackney (my neighbourhood) is actually from Newham. In any case, yay for East London!

But now there's nothing - an emptiness. I yearn for more. So, on Monday when Joy came by my desk, I noticed her T-shirt. I had to have one and of course I did. Here is the one I got for me, but it was cuter and tighter (this is the boy version).
I thought as it was J's birthday I should get him something too. Having matching t-shirts is a bit lame so I bought him a type related one given he has his new typography blog.
So, now I feel I can keep my obsession with The Wire living just a little longer. Thanks to Joy for the tip.

Talent! Talent! Talent!

2009-01-30T07:21:00.004Z

This video is jam packed with talented people. The film-maker, the actress, the stop-motion editor, the musician. If you don't like it, I would love to know why.

I discovered it through this amazing french blog called Fubiz. The guy who puts it together continues to find creative gems every day. I was visiting his site today and found this video and LOVED it. (how did I find Fubiz? Thanks to Shamir from Flickr)

.

My Ever-Growing List of London Must Do's

2009-01-10T14:33:00.014Z

Given it is January and it's time to start new habits and bin old ones, I decided to clear out our back office (interpret: shed). So far I've managed to clear out a stacks of Time Outs.

Every year when our subscription comes up for renewal, we discuss whether to renew it. My instant (frugal) reaction is NO. Then, we talk about how fabulous it is: jam-packed with great things to do, shows to see, music to discover. We both know we never manage to read more than an article let alone the whole thing.
J argues,

"but it is full of fantastic things to do. How will we keep up with what is hip in our adopted city?"

Then I point out what we typically do each weekend i.e. spend our time close to our hood, visiting our regular haunts and drinking in the same old pubs. Hmmm. Is there really a need for this weekly London Bible?

YES. We've decided to renew again. That means I have to make room for the onslaught of new issues. The old ones have got to go.

But maybe, we'll want to refer to the ideas from past issues?

Here's my solution. I'm going to keep track of those things that sound interesting here. Perhaps we'll use it to plan our weekends. Maybe, I'll even cross off the things we did - like My Santa List. Here goes (in no order whatsoever):

Dress up & dance in 1950s prom style at the Bethnal Green Working Man's Club
Tap dancing at Pineapple Dance Studios or Urdang Academy (still need to find some shoes at eBay)
Visit an exhibit at the Wellcome Institute
Go the Highgate Cemetary
Make it to the First Thursdays Art Night in East London. This should be easy given I work at Old Street tube.
J wants to the Imperial War Museum (What is the fascination with guys and war?)
~~Finally, make it to the Saatchi Gallery where perhaps I can see my friend (introduced via Burke), Matthew Carver's, piece on display. He had one of his graduate pieces bought by Saatchi.~~
Take a shoe-making course or better still a boot-making course (Tamsin at work has made a beautiful pair of shoes)
Dennis Sever's House. It is a step back to the early 1800's London. It sounds a little like the visit that the girls and I made to the Tenament Museum in NYC.
~~Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey~~
The British Museum has been said to be the best gallery/museum in London and I've never been.
Visit Buckingham Palace INSIDE. The Queen opens it up each summer and in 2010 there's a special exhibit.
Bike over and see the construction site of the 2012 Olympic Site.
MORE TO BE ADDED AS I WORK THROUGH THESE TIME OUTS. At least I've started.

I've slowly started to strike them out as I've done them.

Dear Santa, I'm making my list

2008-12-01T20:29:00.011Z

I know I'm supposed to be buying everyone gifts and not thinking about what I MIGHT like. However, I'm often asked what I want for Christmas. Well actually, it is usually just my Mom. So I thought I would create a post that I can update as I think of ideas. In fact, I might keep this list way in to the new year to remind me what I need

Don't worry I'll be busy buying little gifts too. So, to get what you really want be sure to tell this Santa what you would like -- post in comments.

Now for me:

~~black socks~~ ~~(and other colours too). It may seem boring but I need them.~~ **update: my MOM and Aunt Kathy bought me some - yay!

donations to Wen-Do or any legitimate charity with a special focus on women and girls' lives around the world.
a cashmere shawl - I'm not sure what colour but I want a really soft and fuzzy cashmere shawl. I'm thinking burgundy, gray or even fuscia. (I need to keep warm at work)
scales for our kitchen - this is really for J as he does the cooking. In the UK, they use grams rather than cups and sometimes we are really at a loss as to how much chocolate we need to put in to our desserts
acrylic shoe boxes - last year J bought me 12 of these for Christmas. I loved them but I've been busy buying more shoes and need more boxes

~~The Wire - Season 5. Have you heard I'm totally addicted. I've been holding out from watching the last season as I don't want it to end. Oh well, Lost is coming up soon.~~ [ed. Yes, it's true. I got season 5 for Christmas. Whoohoo! The season will start Jan. 5th]
~~A bell for my bike. I think this one is kind of cute but I just want it to work.~~ Update: I just bought a new bike bell at sportsdirect for £0.99 at the Boxing Week Sales.

~~Non-stick frying pan~~ ~~- again this one is for J. I made some pancakes this morning and realized it is high time for a replacement~~ We just picked up one at Home Base. Wow, what a difference!
~~Plastic Spatula~~ ~~- J again. We keep wrecking our frying pan with our metal flipper.~~
J got it from me for Xmas, ~~but we still need a new frying pan~~ Not anymore see prior comment.

Well as you can see I'm finding this incredibly easy. Why can't my nieces and nephews provide me with a list of what they want. I keep asking and they say "nothing". I don't believe it. Do you? What would you like? Do tell and don't be shy.

..

Christmas Lights for Rodwellian

2008-11-30T10:08:00.011Z

I think I've waited long enough to put up the Christmas lights. It's time. In most stores, there have been decorations since mid-October. So, today I'm going to get out the decorations for our house (I bought some new beautiful bulb yesterday at Liberty's)

So, before I run downstairs and start cursing because the lights don't work. I thought I would spruce my blog up with some London-inspired decorations. Taaaa! Daaaa! (through the magic of photos)These Victorian era angels hang high above the streets around Seven Dials.The covered market at Covent Garden had vertical lights changing colours to make it feel like it was snowing inside.

Some of the flying stars on Regent Street, London this year.

This is a combination of the street lights on Regent Street and the lights in the window at the National Geographic Society Store. (it's an amazing place for great photography and stuff for the adventure-minded including NG holidays)

This little guy reminded me of the Stay Puft Marshmellow man. He can be found on Carnaby StreetInside Liberty London, you can find this corridor of lights in their Christmas shop.

Finally, the traditional candle lighting La Trouvaille, our favourite spot for a cozy glass of wine after a day of shopping.

Ahhhh.....

Going Nude on Fancy Shoes Friday

2008-11-29T21:50:00.011Z

I thought that headline might catch a few people. Yes, it's true on both accounts.

Friday is Fancy Shoe Day
I'm going nude this Friday

OK, a bit more detail.

High heels were not always welcome in the studios. When we were at the old offices I would teeter around in my heels on the beautiful wooden floors to the glaring glances of my co-workers. Imagine the equation:

office with high ceilings + hard wood floors + heels does not equal soothing work environment

Things, got better after we moved in to the new offices at the Silicon Roundabout. My heel-wearing is now much less of an issue as we have carpet there. In fact, other women in the office started wearing heels. Whoohoo! Bring on the mutual shoe adoration.

Now, every Friday, the women at work hold Fancy Shoe Fridays. That means we are encouraged to wear all those ridiculously high, impractical but oh-so delicious shoes that we really don't have a reason for wearing any other day. Thanks to Tamsin and Joy for this brilliant idea and an excuse to go nude this Friday.

OK ... NUDE. Well, you know I'm not that crazy. Of course there is a double meaning.

I will be wearing my new pair of shoots (shoe/boots) from United Nude. This wonderful line of shoes first hit the scene and my shoe rack back in 2003 with the Möbius shoe. The Möbius shoe was designed by Rem D Koolhaas (the architect) and Galahad Clark. I've had this first pair for 5 years now and still feel it is the coolest thing in my wardrobe. That probably explains why it was pretty easy to hand over the Amex card on these new babies (despite the fact I was supposed to be Christmas Shopping for others). These particular shoes are called Fold. They are described as follows on the United Nude site:

Like the physical concept of the Möbius, about the fluent movement of a single strip. The strip folds around the foot front-to-back-to-front like a scarf. The Fold’s are made on a comfortable last with some space in the toe-box to fit normal to wider feet. The uppers are made with custom designed elastics and the shoes have all leather lining.

I'm counting down to Friday. (I have a feeling I won't go that long to go nude)

..

Swish Titles Looking for a Film

2008-11-23T20:05:00.006Z

If you know me personally (which of course 99.9% of my visitors do), you know that since we moved to London J has been reinventing the work he does. After years of working with printed fonts, logos, packaging, book covers and brochures, all a bit static, he is finally giving those designs some movement. Of course he still pays the bills with his beautiful graphic design work as his portfolios demonstrate.

Dinnick & Howells Packaging Design 08

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: graphic branding)

But the exciting thing for both J (and actually more for me) is that he now feels he has a body of work ready to unveil -- 'moving designs'.

I say it is exciting for me because being the spouse of a creative perfectionist I have had to be very patient about the time it took to finalize his reel (that's what the portfolio is called). Personally, I felt he was ready a year ago. However, perfection is not quickly achieved and in fact it takes many many hours/days/weeks of studying (that's what J calls watching movies).

In any case, J has now finished two portfolio reels including some commercial video work and also some yet uncommissioned movie titles. We just need someone to write and produce the films and we'll be in business.

Reel, Spring/Summer 08 from Jonathan Howells on Vimeo.

Reel, Autumn/Winter 08 from Jonathan Howells on Vimeo.
Yes. Of course, I am very very proud (I'm convinced I must have had some impact with all my forceful encouragement).

Diet Time is No Fun Time

2008-11-15T06:26:00.012Z

How often have you told yourself "I'll start that diet tomorrow". Let's just put it this way, if I lost even 1/2 pound for every time I'd said that, I would probably be skinnier than most models. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

A week ago, I went to NYC with four of my oldest and bestest friends for our fortieth (gulp!). What fun but definitely less wild than our earlier years. In any case, the NYC weekend was full of wining and dining without much attention to nutritional intake. After 4 days, I found myself declaring that not only I would be starting a diet but so would J to ensure I actually did start it.

It's a week later. How have I done? Well... let's just say this cat is doing better than me. However, I'm thinking about signing up to Nutracheck for the calorie counter -- maybe tomorrow. For now, bring on the wine and cheese.

more animals

Is it Christmas Already?

2008-11-01T14:36:00.008Z

Yes, it is November 1st so I can officially start talking about Christmas. In Canada, there is a golden rule. You NEVER say Christmas until the candle is blown out on the Jack-o-lantern. As Halloween is now behind us, bring on the big old fat guy. [Strangely here in the UK, Christmas and Halloween live side by side in shops from the beginning of October. I don't approve. - However, as a Canadian, I must keep to my roots and wait until November 1st.]

So, now that my favourite holiday is over. I can begin to talk about my second favourite holiday. I think I will try to pepper this space with "ideas for me" over the next two months. Isn't Christmas all about presents? So, if you're thinking about how you can win my heart check back for ideas.

However, today I'm going to do a bit of promotion because I do it so well. Here is the outcome of a little contest that's been running on MOO.
Basically, the contest involved posting a photo and asking for people to come up with the Christmas Card Headline. Here was one of my favourite photos (by sappymoosetree) in the contest:

One of the winning captions was: Peace.Love.Bacon. Who wouldn't want to receive a joyous card like that? I can think of many who would also appreciate that humour.

So, if you want to see the entire pack of 25 Christmas & Holiday cards check them out. There is a special card especially designed for the Star War fan (who also happens to be Jewish) on your holiday card list.

Buy this on MOO.com

Have a Scary Halloween

2008-10-31T06:11:00.001Z

Happy Halloween Everyone! (if you've seen it before - watch it again)

Another MOO video from J.

2008-10-25T16:40:00.005+01:00

As J still has not got his act together to write his own blog, RODWELLIAN has been renting pixels to him for his video adventures (here, here, here and here). Below is one of the latest. He did another one recently for Reed Professional Services (what a name eh?) but I don't think I should post that one. Of course I'm partial to this one as it is for MOO (a cool frame which makes MiniCards in to art). Check out these babies! I must admit I think they are rather slick -- of course I'm biased -- but still.

Moo presents Mosaic Frame --
by MOO_Crew

I'm embarrassed to say I haven't voted ...

2008-10-02T22:26:00.002+01:00

For my Canadian readers, they probably know there is a Canadian federal election on October 14th. However, the rest of my readers have NO idea a large geographical country but much smaller in world political power is having an election i.e. Canada. Well, we are. Embarrassingly, I haven't voted yet and as I'm out of the country I am now too late. Don't do as I do, do as I say.

So, my American Cousins (in fact I have no real American cousins but you know what I mean) - VOTE - just like the ad says (which by the way is very entertaining). Enjoy!

Laughing so hard I'm crying

2008-09-13T00:22:00.002+01:00

Now, if you don't know the Flight of the Conchords, it's time to spend some time on Youtube. I was first introduced to "Business Time" (hilarious!) when I was at a Techie Conference in Greece last year hosted by WPP. Thanks Sir Martin!

Anyway, here's another one that put us in stiches ...

Newington Green Gem ... Suruchi at 82 Mildmay Park

2008-09-12T21:40:00.004+01:00

J and I have eaten at this spot at least 4 times and taken away 2 times in less than 3 months. That's pretty damm good considering we were out of town for probably 16 days of those days. Based on those stats, do I really need to write a review? I don't think so, but I'll outline the highlights:

only 5 minute walk from our house (perfect when we are knackered at the end of the week, but still want to feel like we've gone "out")
the slightly surly maitre'd - J thinks he is just serious (I'm not sure)
the amazing recommendations the surly maitre'd makes
the food rocks - forget your normal butter chicken or sag paneer (but those are great) instead go for the surly man's recommendations
the hospital green decor
the crazy music - psychedelic prog-rock meets bollywood
the superb food (did I already say that?)
the expansive back covered garden in case it rains (which of course is rare in London
the spectacular food
the chocolate squares with the branded Suruchi labels with your bill
the bill!!!!!! (we have never spent more than £27 and have always left FULL of food and drink)

I ask you please please please, if you live anywhere close to Newington Green, Stoke Newington or Highbury & Islington, visit Suruchi at 82 Milmay Park for a meal. I ask because sadly they are often rather empty. I want them to survive and prosper because we think they serve the best Indian in London and being selfish we want them to live on.

Hey, what do 2 Canadians know?

~~PS I wanted to link to the Suruchi website but turns out the url on the chocolate square (www.suruchi.co.uk) doesn't really exist .... got to love the illusion they're trying to create.~~
Update: They do have a website. It is just not as it appears on the chocolate.

Fascinators Revisited

2008-08-31T20:34:00.013+01:00

I promised to expose the outcome of the Fascinator tale. So, here goes:

Wedding Day Minus 1 Day:
Joy from work who is incredibly creative and crafty brought in her glue and creative expertise to help work on the burgundy fascinator. Our goal was to add in some of the other feathers to see if we could get the fascinator to match the dress and shawl.

So, just after Friday lunch, Joy pulls out her goodies. It was amazing to see the wonders she just had lying around. She is definitely a creative diva. She slowly plotted where to insert the gray feathers. Denise, our other creative guru, added in her expertise. I realized I couldn't be in any better hands. Thank Goddess!

A good hour later, Joy was done. My fascinator looked perfect and she even suggested making a little carrying case for it out of a whiskey bottle container. Did I say crafting genious? Sadly, it was a little early for empty whisky bottle cases. In any case, I was set with less than 24 hours to go. YAY!

Wedding minus 6 hours:
I woke up and looked at my beautifully enhanced fascinator and then put it next to my dress and shawl. OH NO! It still wasn't quite working. On its own, it was wonderful, but together it just didn't match. Still too brown and too burgundy. What was I to do?

Wedding minus 3 hours:

I decided it was worth a wonder around Harrogate. It looked like a town that was used to a lot of weddings. I deduced: there must be a shop with the latest in fascinators. Sure enough there were a lot of shops on the high street with a focus on hats, but nothing that really worked. Then I stumbled across Julie Fitzma urice a shop that knows their fascinators.

I found one I LOVED. I breathed deeply and asked the very helpful sales woman the price. Shit! I give up. I guess if I was going to be co-ordinated at this wedding I was going to have to pay for it.

Then I heard the voice of Gina's friend who told me "never buy a fascinator without the dress". Given the fact I had got in to this mess in the first place by doing that, I rushed back to the inn to grab my dress and shawl.

I guess the pink bag gives it away that I took the plunge and bought my final fascinator 2.5 hours before the wedding was scheduled to begin. Wow, I cut it close.

So, I must thank everyone involved in the fascinator fiasco - Tanya (who helped pick one out in the first place), Joy and Denise (who enhanced the one I had) and finally the sales lady at Julie Fitzmaurice who helped me find the one I actually wore. I think it worked out in the end.

What you want to see it? Well, I don't have a photo which shows the entire outfit together with the pink shawl.... silly me. You would think I would get a photo of the whole ensemble given the challenges. Oh well, it wasn't about me. Rather, the bride who was gorgeous!!!!! Here are the few shots I have but alas no shawl in these pics.

No More Tears in 2008

2008-08-31T17:08:00.021+01:00

I won't be crying in public for at least another year. Yes, that's right - Wedding season is over for 2008.

We definitely had a good year for weddings. All in all, J and I were invited to six weddings in 5 different countries. We manged to attend five of the weddings which meant a year of amazing trips and side-trips (not to mention huge expense). So, to recap:

Pete and Laura (English and Italian): February 29th, St. Albans, UK. This was definitely a date we can't forget. The wedding celebration took place in a beautiful spot outside London (pic to right was taken close to the venue). The wedding also allowed me to catch up with old Yahoo! friend - Greg G. Then the topper of the evening was the chance siting/meeting of Paul Weller of Style Council fame staying at our hotel. How cool was that for a girl stuck in the 80s?
Xiao Dan and Marco (Chinese & Swiss): May in Bejing, China. As there were two ceremonies, I'm not sure if I should count this as wedding 2 or wedding 2 and 3. In retrospect, I felt like Xiao Dan's wedding was a rehearsal for the Bejing Olympics Opening Ceremony. We were treated to acrobats, opera singers, musicians, drummers and dragons. Lots of fun and an incredibly memorable holiday.

Tania & Marcel: (American-Canadian & Dutch-Canadian); Toronto, Canada. Whoohoo! What a partee! This wedding definitely reflected the bride's sensibility. We started on Toronto Island in a beautiful little wooden church (felt like our many canoe trips together) and ended in the stylish Distillery District. Loads of great drinks, food and dancing involved here. Great to catch up with old friends including Jim, Sian and Rian to name a few.

Gina and Kenvor: (English);Harrogate, England. Think Four Weddings & a Funeral. Can you picture it? That was this wedding. It was so perfectly English. I even got to wear a fascinator (more on that here). J was busy filming the event (we won't expect a DVD for a while as he still needs to finish Tania & Matt's 2007 wedding).

The evening ended with crazed dancing to "500 miles" square dance style with whomever I could grab. It's good to know there are consistencies across every wedding you attend. We spent an extra few days in Yorkshire, where we hiked the nearby cow-country
(our pics).
Chris and Margaret (Gosia): (Canadian & Polish) Krakov, Poland. As Chris said in his speech no one at this wedding was from Krakov. Everyone (over 80 people) traveled to this fantastically beautiful locale. J, Daryl & I all arrived via night train from Prague and were deposited in the city centre without coffee at 6AM (that will have to be a story told in person). Luckily, the arrival was the most stressful part of this wedding trip.

The remaining 5 days in Krakov were relaxed and incredibly social. Days & nights were filled with catching up with old Uni-friends, meeting new friends (from Sweden, Crotia, Poland, Norway & England) and numerous shots of Polish vodka. This wedding took the cake for most historically significant church of all the weddings we attended this year - St. Peter & St. Paul church of Krakov. I think my own claim to fame at this wedding was the fact that J and I were the last ones at the reception which meant we arrived back at our hotel just as the sun was coming up. What fun to act like I was in university again.

Thankfully, not everyone has the same approach to getting married as J and I, otherwise I would never get to visit such amazing places. Thanks to everyone for deciding to keep the tradition of marriage alive. (here is a quick peek of all the weddings I've been too in the last few years).

Fascinators? Handbags? The Festival?

2008-08-13T08:09:00.005+01:00

Well... actually still not. I know I owe 3 posts that answer those questions above. I do have them queued up (in my mind at least), but have not made the time to tap them on to the keyboard. However, I thought I would share a bit of my man's recent endeavours and as there is a loose connection to the Big Chill festival - it kind of works.

Over the last few months, J has been working with a friend of ours on a video for his music. Before meeting Martin I had never heard of dubstep, but that doesn't mean anything as a girl who could listen to Cats, Avenue Q and Les Mis back to back - all day every day. In any case, J and Martin collaborated on this video.

What's the festival connection you ask? Ain't it clear? Well, in fact we went to the Big Chill (pics here) was to listen/see Blackdown (that's Martin).

Anyway, without further ado - here it is. Suffice it to say this was a big part of J's life (and by extension mine) for the last few months. So WATCH IT!

Keysound Video presents... Dusk + Blackdown: Margins Music from Keysoundrecordings on Vimeo.

Sharing the Handbag Goodness

2008-07-26T18:01:00.008+01:00

Don't worry. I'm still going to give you the final chapter on the fascinator, but wanted to share a great sale on handbags. Alicia (from work) tipped me off on this one. I immediately found 5 different bags/purses etc that caught my fancy and my credit card. Since then there has been even bigger reductions. Go wild!

PS Happy Birthdays to Julie, Chelsea, Maggie (my nieces), Finn (my nephew), Eliska & Bertik (my Czech niece/nephew), Jason (my cousin), my Nana and finally Anne (my Mum-in-Law).... July is a busy month. I guess I could get a set of Greeting Cards from a certain on-line stationer.

Sinking Feeling? No Longer.

2008-07-20T22:23:00.004+01:00

Amazing Shoes and Heel Stopper
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

At Gina and Kenvor's wedding I was introduced to an amazing fashion accessory. This one ensures the fashionista in all of us can keep up our look regardless of the terrain. Introducing the Clean Heel. It is a brilliant little invention that is placed on the heel of the stilleto to keep the wearer from sinking in to the lawn.

Why didn't we (E and I of course) think of it???? We could be relaxing in our French villa right now or at least enjoying a new pair of shoes with the earnings. I'm keen to think of other must haves for fashionistas who want it all to look effortless.

In the photo, you can see the Clean Heel in action. There are other models that combine functionality while further accessorizing your shoes. Check out the Clean Heels that come with rhinestones, pearls and other bling.

Clever idea!

PS I know you are dying to hear the conclusion of the Fascinator saga. I will definitely divulge the crazy story later this week.

I'm Almost Fascinating

2008-07-16T22:19:00.015+01:00

Princess Beatrice ROCKS her butterfly hat!
Originally uploaded by catrocks2007

I've been waiting for this day for years. I'm finally going to a wedding where women wear hats (and fascinators). In Canada, we're just not a hat-wearing culture - well except for tuques. That's what it is like in Canada, you don't wear hats for fashion -- sadly. Truth be told this is the real reason I moved here.

Last summer, when my friend, Gina, announced she was getting married, I was of course thrilled for her. But when she told me I would be invited, I was dancing around the cubicles at the chance of wearing a hat. Hey, I had seen the ladies at Ascot! Imagine how cool I could be and I had a full year to get it right.

Fast forward a year minus 3 days. How are my hat plans you might ask? How well do you know me and you might be able to imagine my current situation. I'll fill in the details for those of you just getting acquainted.

It really is a long story involving the original idea of taking a milinary course and visions of creating something spectacular. Sadly, I tried to enroll in the course 4 times over 5 months and each time something came up. Now it's ...

Wedding Day minus 4 weeks:
About a month ago I was out for lunch in Primrose Hill, I went in to one of my favourite vintage stores and saw it. It was what I dreamed about for the past year. It was a perfect combination of colour and coolness factor. The clincher was that it had a little gray bird perched a top of a big pink flower. How quirky! I loved the idea. Sadly, I don't have a photo to share. I guess you have surmised that i didn't buy that PERFECT fascinator. Why? Does £150 for a flower and bird sound outrageous to you? Do you think you can be a hat-maker? Do you have visions of making it yourself? I did.

Wedding Day minus 3 weeks:
My amazing Aunt Barb hears of the quest for the perfect hat. It's important to know that Aunt Barb is one of the most talented seamstresses you'll meet - she did make her own wedding dress. In any case, she dug in her sewing chest of goodies and about a week later I received a collection of feathers and slightly squished flowers in the mail - directly from Canada. Sadly, these ingredients (while promising) were the wrong colour to match my dress. Perhaps I can use these goodies will my next wedding. (again the difference is my Aunt=amazing seamstress; me - not even close)

Wedding Day minus 2 weeks:
I started to get rather nervous. So, I decide eBay is the answer. I quickly find myself overwhelmed with the choice of both fascinators and notions with which to make these little babies. So, the bidding starts and as always on eBay I get carried away. By the next day, I think I have everything solved. I have bought a fascinator and if it isn't quite right I have bought 3 batches of feathers with which I can make my own (visions of being a hat-maker still dance in my head) creation.

Wedding Day minus 10 days
My eBay purchases arrive. Not good. The fascinator looks good from a distance. However, up close anyone will see that it is lined with beads/sparkles/trimmings (whatever they are called) In real life they just add cheese factor ... so while on a white manniquin head, the fascinator looks classy in reality it looks sadly cheap. I didn't move across the ocean to the land of garden parties and the queen to look cheap. Time to move on.Plan B - The DIY Fascinator. I ordered a number of feathers in case the fascinator came up short - it did. So, I have in my possession 3 sets of feathers in search of a headpiece. Here they are .... (the costs start adding up)

It started to get very complicated. The colours are good but how do I make a fascinator that doesn't look like well as my best friend said a bunch of pipe cleaners stuck together with Elmer's Glue. Oh no. I should have listened.

Wedding Day minus 7 days
I'm out on Saturday with my cousin (she's visiting). We're in Camden market. Tons of vintage stores around. I find a very cool hat that we both think looks great on me. Grab it, buy it. No fooling around.

I modelled for J (after buying) and he made a good observation - his words: "looks cool, but it kind of feels like you should wear it to a funeral". Then the comments of my British friends start dancing in my head "don't buy the hat without the dress". It was becoming quite apparent that was good advice. These ladies have experience. What does some crazy Canuck know?

The day wears on. We end up in Marlyebone and happen on Cabbages and Frocks Outdoor Market. What luck! There is a woman selling fascinators. They have that little bit of flare that I'm looking for. I think I've found the right one. I look closer at the price tag. Oh no. If I buy this one too, I've now spent significantly more than I intended and I will have a house full of fluffy stuff for my head. Hmmm should I buy it?

Guess what? I do buy it and guess what? I still don't think I've managed to get it right. It's got some weird brown going on and the burgundy is too dark - I need light pink. Oh no.

Last stop of the day (but I'm throught buying), we wonder on to John Lewis. T wanted to buy one too. So what does she do. She buys a simple little feather number for £5. It looks fantastic in her blond upsweep. She's thrilled and I'm feeling duped.

What's the situation today?
It's Wedding Day minus 4. I have 2 fascinators - 1 superiourly cheesy, 1 with colours that are wrong, 1 hat (with a funeral veil) and about 30 pink and gray feathers. I'm considering getting out the glue gun (well actually buying 1 first is necessary) and attaching some of the gray feathers to the most recent purchase. Or maybe I should just go without ...

Perhaps this hat thing should be left to the English.

Now It's Easy to be a Handbag Addict

2008-07-09T22:32:00.006+01:00

I am a relatively new addict of handbags. I guess the reason I've been rather slow in the past is due to the fact that changing handbags takes time and effort. And, my readers (my best friend, BMad and my Mum) know that I'm always running late and often I don't have time to switch to my new co-ordinated handbag.

So, yesterday when I was told out about these little numbers that are designed to be easily transferred from one handbag to another --- i thought oh no my addiction my just get worse. Oh well - there's always rent-a-bag.

Thanks to Malinki for the tip. I'm off to buy one. Now I just need to keep these inserts organized.

Update: Looks like Lola's Sister has some great advice.

So Long Yahoo! Hello Open Skies!

2008-06-29T13:11:00.005+01:00

Last year, I left Yahoo! in late August. I hate the good-bye thing so I had said I didn't want to do drinks etc and was hoping in the hoopla of Yahoo! chaos that I would just sneak out the door.

So, I was thoroughly surprised by the going-away shin-dig that my colleagues had arranged. They made a neat little video which I'm sure is still online but I couldn't find it anymore which was accessible via my own "IY". What's an "IY" you ask? In essence, you needed only to type my name in to Yahoo! search and a little icon popped up next to my name that linked directly to this great video. I felt pretty special to have one of these (btw, it is gone now so you can't see it) If anyone knows where that video lives, please send me a link.

Then to top that off, they gave me a really great gift. I had no idea what they would give me and was really pleasantly surprised to get a gift certificate for a helicopter ride over London. So, below are a few pics from the long awaited trip (the rest are on my flickr stream).

My reactions:

Helicopters are not scary
The trip was not thrilling i.e. stomach turning
The scenery was fantastic
Hearing all the banter between the other planes/helicopters and traffic contrel men was cool. It sounded oh so civilized in a British accent.
Exciting to fly over the parliament buildings and see in to the internal courtyards. I felt like a spy.
Highly recommend to anyone and everyone

Thanks Yahoos! It was brilliant.

Name that Tune and Win

2008-06-25T19:15:00.007+01:00

J created the new MOO Business Cards video. Can't you tell by the music? In honour of the launch and J's involvement, I thought I would run my own little contest.

Here, is the challenge.

What is the name of the music J used in the video?
What year was it written in?

I will give out two prizes. First prize will be a set of 100 cards for the music name and second prize will be a set of 50 cards for the year (all prizes courtesy of me - yes me!)

Introducing MOO Business Cards!
Uploaded by MOO_Crew

Think Pink (and chocolate of course)

2008-06-24T21:39:00.005+01:00

I remember the first time I visited the Designer's Guild, I almost cried. It was a weird feeling but I loved everything so much, it hurt. If you have ever been there, you may know what I mean.

Today was an even more emotional day because I arrived home to find that the wallpaper that I ordered on Saturday arrived. You know me, I love chocolate (all kinds) ...

I'll keep you posted on how long it takes us to get it on the wall. Neither of us have ever wallpapered and I keep remembering that we live on a street whose patron saint is "the saint of lost causes" and I think perhaps we need professional help.

Any tips?

Living in a Pigeon Coop

2008-06-14T19:56:00.003+01:00

Suspected Intruder
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

I know that our bedroom is ridiculously messy. My mother would definitely need a sedative if she saw it. Who knows some may think it looks like a pig sty or a chicken coop, but a PIGEON COOP?

Yes. That's what it was this morning at 8.10am.

Let me backtrack. Today was Saturday. That means a little lie-in (as they say here) or sleep in (as they say at home). So, at 8.10 I was asleep, sound asleep. Something woke me. Those dratted pigeons were really getting loud. Why had they recently decided our window sill was the new Meeting Place? I couldn't imagine. If only they would keep it down.

What made me open my one eye? I don't know, but within a nano-second I was wide awake when I saw the scene more clearly. I looked over J towards the window and what did I see, but the pigeon on the inside of our room.

Of course I freaked out and pushed J out of bed to deal with our intruder. I hid under the covers. Don't worry I was helpful. I gave instructions to J. "Throw a towel over him. Do something but don't let him start flying around our house." Quickly, J surmised the situation and told me that not only was there Mr. Beady-Eye, there was also Mrs. Beady-Eye in for an early morning visit.

How did that happen? How did we get not one but two pigeons in our bedroom?

I heard J speak to our visitors politely in a coaxing voice, "Come on, fly out the window. You know it is much nicer outside."

There was J quietly cooing to the pigeons. Meanwhile I was yelling from under the duvet "throw a towel over them. Get them out or they will start s***ting everywhere. GET THEM OUT NOW!"

I'm not sure if it was my approach or J's cooing manner, but soon one made his way out. However, the second decided to fly up and perch on J's wardrobe. It became a staring contest between J and Mrs. Beady-Eyes. Eventually, J's convincing tone swished her out the open window.

What a start to the morning!

Looks like we have to go buy those crazy spikes which I always thought were inhumane. Not any more. I can't live in a Pigeon Coop.

Has anyone seen my friend?

2008-06-13T22:40:00.002+01:00

Flower Shopping Done
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

I am seething. I feel violated. I want to scream all the obsenities I know and learn some more so I can scream them too.

Recently, (in fact as recent as 2 hours ago) I have been bragging about my super duper short commute to work - 15 minutes on my trusted bicycle. It is a great way to start and end the day. It's just long enough to destress but not too long that I feel the regret of riding my bike in the morning when I've had a drink of wine in the evening.

Tonight just after I bid a 'good-night, I'm off on my wonderful bike' to R, D, G and M I approached Old Street Round-About to mount my wonder in blue and what should I see but a cut bike lock and no bike.

WHAT !!!!! Which f**ker (yes, I said that out loud) stole my bike? It was a girrly bike (that Isabel gave me when she left for India). Why???? I love her. She was my friend. Everyone thought she was wonderful. I thought she was wonderful .....

.... now some yucky person is misusing her. Please help find her and make me happy again.

Summer has arrived in Canader

2008-06-09T19:49:00.003+01:00

Glamorous-- even in the most misshapen hat I have ever seen.
Originally uploaded by OblioZen

On a recent wirlwind tour to N. America for Tania and Marcel's wedding, work (in San Fran and Calgary), I managed to get a few days up at Crane Lake. This photo (captured by E) says it all.

Wow, I do love life especially when it includes days like this. Thanks to M, D, E and J.

Vote for J and Win me a Pair of Shoes

2008-05-26T13:54:00.004+01:00

First off thanks to my millions of readers for voting for J's ad. It paid off. He is in the finals. Now, the voting really counts. Please do the following:

1. go to www.doritos.co.uk
2. visit vote area
3. select MEXICO IN YOUR MOUTH
4. vote for MEXICO IN YOUR MOUTH
5. tell all your friends

Please. Please Please.... he has promised me a great new pair of shoes if he wins and I really want a pair of these.

Mexico in Your Mouth

2008-05-18T21:26:00.006+01:00

Huh?

It will all make sense if you watch this video. It was conceived, directed and animated by J. He is submitting it to an ad competition put on by Doritos. I would LOVE it if he won (£20,000 - we'll all go for drinks) ... so world-wide readers, when you have a moment please go to www.doritos.co.uk and rate it. It is called (surprisingly) Mexico in Your Mouth.

The cool Mexican guitar was created and performed by Mark Barlow (my old Yahoo! colleague) Go there now and rate!

Wobbly Legs

2008-05-17T23:55:00.003+01:00

I have twice fallen in public places when I was completely sober. Once in the busy intersection of Queen's University immediately after handing in a paper. I blame it on lack of sleep.

The second time occurred when I worked at Ogilvy in Toronto. I was running along the 11th floor accounting hallway and bam I was down. No warning nothing.

When I saw this, you would think I would be compassionate given my sketchy past and my own fashion victim status. Nope, I whooped with laughter. I hope you do too.

Sexy Legs

2008-05-17T14:12:00.008+01:00

As you all know this blog really does not have a focus. It originally was going to track my goals and ironically that didn't happen. Then it meandered in to our life in London and at other times it is a world-wide marketing platform for the latest and greatest from MOO (see yesterday's post).

But, today we move in a new direction. Today, I'm going to talk about sexy legs.

It starts with an introduction to the coolest little online shop called the Shop Floor Project. It is jam-packed with loads of funky but incredibly expensive finds. Within minutes of entering, I found myself salivating over everything and strangely I found myself attracted to all the products showing off sexy legs. I guess I'm a Legs woMAN.

What do you think? Tea with Sexy Legs A brand new take on the tea party.

And, what better accessory for your sexy legs tea cup but a pair of your own sexy legs. Here is the perfect solution to add some sex appeal to the old jambes (also found in the same shop) - these beautiful tights adorned with Peacock feathers.

Now I need to find an event to justify these purchases. I hear another MOO Tea Party maybe in order.

Is your ________________ naked?

2008-05-16T06:22:00.007+01:00

In my mind, you are not dressed unless you are wearing at least one accessory and it should be stand-out, memorable and preferably a conversation starter. Well how do you think your ________ feels? You know your __________. There it is all naked and boring without one accessory. That's just cruel.

Well, I have the answer for accessorizing your _____________. It's a sticker or better than that it is a collection of stickers. Imagine it. The creativity, the comments, the conversation -- all due to some stickers.

Here's the easy answer on getting some really cool stickers. It's a full book of stickers designed by 90 different designers from around the MOO world. Check them all out and now your ________________ (fill in the blank - Laptop, mobile phone, notebook, oyster card etc.) will be dressed. Here is a Ready Made pack of 90 stickers. Go check them out:

Stickers $9.99
Buy this on MOO.com

Otherwise, make up your own pack choosing from other designers or use your own pics/designs. Go Crazy, but don't go naked.

Travelling is Understanding

2008-05-04T03:16:00.006+01:00

It's interesting what travelling does. Big revelation here ... it teaches you something about your home.

J and I are in China (my pics). Currently, We're in Shanghai but we have also visited Hangzhou and Xitang (all within a few hours of Shanghai). All three places exposed us to new experiences -- the people, practices and prawns (I needed another p word). But, what keeps amazing us is the fact that visiting China has taught us about our neighbours back in Canada.

In Toronto, we live in an area filled equally with young white families (2nd/3rd generation Cdns), Portuguese and Chinese immigrants. I must admit we've always pondered some of the aesthetic renovating decisions of the last two.

Now that we have visited both places and marvelled at the beautiful tile work in Portugal (we went last May with my parents) and the pagodas and red lanterns here in China -- we get it. We also understand way more about the funny personal traits that seemed wrong to us. But of course they weren't wrong, just different.

Here goes:

1. Clean Clothes are more important than the aesthetic of Laundry Lines. You see it everywhere here. In the polluted city of Shanghai to the picturesque riverfront of Xitang. Laundry is hanging out constantly. Everyone does it. Why? To clean your clothes of course. A colleague of Martina's asked her how could her clothes possibly be clean if they weren't allowed to dry in the sun. It's part of the cleaning process. Ahhh. I get it. I still don't like the way it looks hanging off the front porches of our little Toronto neighbourhood, but I understand it now. Hmm. Not enough sun in London.

2. Spitting is not a slight. It has always disgusted me how in Chinatown you'll be walking by a fruit salesman and you hear a deep gutteral horking sound. I always thought it was a slight at me. Not so. It's just acceptable (but don't you dare point that teapot spout at me - bad ediquette)

3. Butting in line is the best way to make a train. Yes, as a WASP, I was trained to wait quietly in the queue. Here it is mayhem. We first encountered it at the airport when we arrived in Beijing. We had to get our bottle of Whiskey re-packaged. So, we found the line and waited patiently. Then out of nowhere a little old granny marched to the front with 6 bags to be packaged. What??? We were here first. That's the way the cookie crumbles here. Not to worry. We used the same granny technique when we almost missed our train back to Shanghai from Hangzhou (we jumped a queue at least 300 people long). In fact, J was quite good at it given his height. It felt liberating.

4. There is always a better price to be had. Well I knew that at the markets here we would have to haggle. [ed. NEVER EVER go with J if you want a good price. If you know him (perhaps you are his client), you know negotiating isn't his strong skill.] However, the negotiation even transpired for our water in Xitang. Crazy. Now I know that I could probably negotiate a better deal in some of the Chinatown shops. I must remember. Tania? Maybe you should try.

5. PJs are acceptable street wear. I often wondered why I would see Chinese men wearing pajamas on the back streets of Chinatown. I still don't know why, but I decided to give it a go in Xitang. Of course after a number of glasses of wine and a need to go buy candles it felt great. I think I looked rather chic and I fit right in. In fact, coming towards me was a man wearing his flannels. We exchanged knowing looks.

6. U turns and driving in the opposite lanes make a more harmonious driving environment. It is often said (not by me of course as my driving sucks) that women drivers are bad but Chinese drivers are worse. Now I understand it. It isn't that Chinese drivers are bad. It is just that as new immigrants to Canada they are driving Chinese style. Here everyone drives using their own rules. You'll constantly encounter cars doing U-turns, driving in opposite lanes, sitting on their horn etc. What is the most amazing thing is I didn't hear any squealing tires or yelling of profanities once. NOT ONCE. I think it is because the Chinese drivers (cars, trucks, mopeds and bikes) are basically like bats. They come really close to one another but never hit. They have an amazing radar system. The problem really occurs when you insert a Western driver or you move the Chinese to a Western city like Toronto.

So. Basically, everything makes more sense and it make me think that our London neighbours must look at us and say "what the hell!" I know for a fact you don't ask for doggie bags in London (Pasha Moment).

A New Meaning for Cat Hair

2008-04-19T16:51:00.008+01:00

I don't have a cat (due to allergies). Otherwise, you know she would have one of these sporting wigs. You can see the whole collection and buy one for your feline at www.kittywigs.com The blue wig (not shown here) is the showstopper.

The model in pink is Chicken photographed by Allison V. Smith and Fern has attested that Blondes do have more fun. Photo by Jill Johnson.

Here is some further thought on cat wiggery from my best friend -- you'll notice she has a more intellectual approach.

A Truly Canadian Sport ..

2008-04-19T11:13:00.003+01:00

The Grimsby Girls Curling Team
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

Congratulations to Jordan (my niece) and her high school team. They advanced to the Ontario championships for Curling and came in second. That's bloody good considering they are only in grade nine. Proud Aunt here.

Curling?
I hear the outrage, the groans (not from my own family, but my large non-Canadian readerbase) - Curling?!??? Athletic?!!! Sport??!! Come on.

Well, personally I can not comment on the legitimacy of curling as a sport. Frankly, I can't even define sport. Everyone who knows me, knows I'm the least athletic person in our family (even more unathletic than Decker our sorely departed overweight cat) -- BUT I am told it is very strategic and takes great skill. So, let's hush the groaners please. Hey, what other sport allows you to take a drink on to the "playing field" (in this case ice")? Just for that allowance, I believe it is worthy of sport status .

Another interesting Curling trivia note: in Canada more people watched the Canadian Brier (big Curling bonspiel - yes that is what they are called) than any other TV programme including the Stanley Cup. (what? you don't know the Stanley Cup? Next up we will have to feature Julie our own secret Wayne Gretzky to explain).

OK enought Sports Talk - where's the wine?

Another Artist in the Family

2008-04-13T19:48:00.004+01:00

First there was J's run away success with Hugo on youtube. Then my own success as photographer and now the youngest artist to make a name for herself - Maggie Rodwell. You can see her drawing above featured in Chirp magazine. The fun thing is that I think J's sister Tania has done illustration for Chirp too.

Congratulations Maggie!

Dinner Party - Before

2008-04-13T12:34:00.002+01:00

TW Protected
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

Last night we had our first dinner party (not including Christmas dinner) at our new house. It took nine months to organize, it was rescheduled 5 times, but finally we hosted.

J redeemed himself after the disaster with the risotto at our last dinner party (Oct. 30, 2005). I'm happy to say both our Barbeque and J's menu was a success (ed: just read to J and he wanted me to say a smashing success). We had :

Starter: rocket (arugula in Canada), pear and goat cheese salad with walnut & orange juice dressing
Main: salmon with lime-ginger butter sauce OR
Barbequed chicken marinated in sundried tomato and basil marinade on a bed of greens
Served with: mango and cilantro salsa
Dessert: we cheated. We bought GU desserts (yum yum) plus baclava which E&M brought

BTW. Most people had both chicken and salmon. I think the salmon was the clear winner.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my wits about me at the end of the night to take an "after" shot. That would have told the story better. Suffice it to say we all enjoyed ourselves. It turns out that we didn't really need the "table talk" questions I hid in each person's napkins -- but they did add a good twist in to the conversation.

Here's a few for blog participation:

Do you collect anything? ... of couse I said I used to collect smurfs (here's proof)
What was your childhood ambition? ... of course anyone who knows me knows what that was.
From which famous person would you most like to receive a massage (this one somehow seemed to be the one with most debate --especially between the couples)

The Music Video is Finally Finished... Woohoo!

2008-04-08T10:12:00.003+01:00

J has been working on this video for a long time (read - 3 years!). It is best seen on big screen with lights low and a cigarette in hand (not that I smoke).

Asprovalta by Sans Soleil, music video from Jonathan Howells on Vimeo.

I have a new addiction

2008-04-06T11:12:00.004+01:00

Joy & Lisa - Guitar Hero Friday Night Session
Originally uploaded by Mex Beady Eyes

I hate video games. Right? Haven't I ranted about the fact they waste time and all the other anti-gamer arguments. I'm now eating my words as I have been given the chance to relive my groupie days pre-corporate life. Well this time it is NOT as a groupie but as the frontman (well - woman). Rock on with Guitar Hero.

Now imagine this is the Rock Legends version which really just has ROCK music. You know the music as a young girl I complained about as my oldest brother blasted his music in the boys' end of the house. But still I try to ROCK. Imagine when they bring out the 80s Post-Punk, New Wave edition. There'll be no stopping me then.

J is actually happy by this addiction as I seem to be coming home an hour later every day from work. He can continue to amuse himself doing equally geeky things without me hovering.

Me a photographer?

2008-04-04T22:28:00.002+01:00

So, for all those readers who follow my antics or are forced to read my blog. You know who you are. Well, frankly I know who you are ... you fall in to a few different camps. You are either
1. my best friend
2. my Mum and Dad
3. my sister-in-law
4. or actually there's only 3 of you.

So, if you 3 remember when I wrote about the wonderful weekend J and I had when we visited Kew Gardens, you may remember some of my photos. Just before we left Kew we happened upon a photo exhibit featuring Flickr photos. They were encouraging visitors to submit theirs to a Flickr group. So... that was not really a hard ask. In fact, I had way more photos to submit than I was allowed.

About a week later, I found out one of my photos was selected as one of the top 10 for that week. Whoohoo! (they probably only had 10 submissions - hey. I'll take what I can).

So, I was super excited this week when I was told I was one of the top 20 for the Spring submissions. Double whoohoo! Why you may ask? Isn't it obvious? It's the sheer brillance of my photography ...

Here's the photo and below is the judges comment:

MOORE MOBIUS
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

Judge James Morley writes: "In managing the Moore at Kew photo showcase, and chosing the weekly top-ten images, there were many images along the lines of this one. Great colours, striking form, trees framed through the 'window', wonderful cloud formations.... But this illustrates how a subtle shift of angle, and the pure simplicity and boldness of filling much of the image with just a uniform blue sky makes for an incredibly strong image "

So. Basically. I took the same photo as everyone else. My camera moved and it looked like purposely framed the photo with a lot of thought. Oh well... I never said I was a photographer.

Recent Wars Retold by Food

2008-03-23T19:38:00.002Z

I've finally made it on the little screen

2008-03-19T22:18:00.007Z

We launched our cool little MOO MiniCard holders yesterday. Whoohoo! J and I also created a this video for it ... starring my hands. Is it just me or do my hands look like they belong to a granny? Oh well. Pass me another glass of wine.

The moo mincard holder
Uploaded by MOO_Crew

Another Hugo Video

2008-03-07T07:34:00.001Z

Well weirdest thing ever. J's video has TAKEN off on Youtube. I'm still shaking my head. It was seen more than 1.4 million times in 4 days. Wow! So, I figured my 1000s of viewers might like to see episode 2. Here it is. Enjoy.

World War 1 - We have not forgotten

2008-03-02T15:58:00.008Z

Last night after a long day of egghiding, we decided it was high time we did something a little cultural. So, we went to my all time favourite theatre venue in London. No, I'm not talking about the National Theatre or the Old Vic. I'm referring to the Arcola Theatre.

I have long been a fan in fact, I went to the very first production back in 2001 of a play called SOHO.

I have seen a number of shows at the Arcola and each has been memorable for different reasons. I would recommend that you keep your eyes on their roster.

So. ... last night we saw the Living Unknown Soldier.

First off, World War 1 holds a few personal connections for me. Firstly, my Father's Father fought in the Great War, was gassed and many years later died due to a related illness. I think this has made me more interested as I wanted to understand what he must have gone through. While I never met Frank Rodwell, he had a huge impact on my life. I believe the fact my Father was deprived a healthy father growing up coloured his own approach to parenting. He always made it his top priority to be there for all four of us at all times. I think he realized what he missed out on and wanted to be sure his children would get all the love and attention he could give. He still does treat us royally and I know he is always there and ready to help out. (OK - I'm digressing)

Secondly, my best friend (who was recently a guest blogger) worked at Vimy Ridge Memorial - a world war 1 battle site where Canadians fought together under Canadian direction for the first time. In fact, she recently took us to the Vimy Memorial (see my flickr photos here) and I'm still reeling from the beauty of the memorial and the emotions that it stirs.

That is why I was more attracted to this play than you might think. So you want to know, was it interesting and compelling? It definitely was. It was the story of a young soldier who had lost his memory and knew nothing of who he was, where he had fought and what he had seen. It was a powerful story as this unknown soldier was pulled in one direction and then another by potential families trying to claim him for their own. The anguish of these families reminded the audience (and the doctors in the asylum where the soldier was kept) of how even 20 years after the war was over the pain of losing a child never goes away and the raw emotions are always close to the surface.

I had read a review in Timeout which criticized the director's technique of using all the actors to play the "unknown soldier" at different points during the play. I actually thought this technique added to the reality of amnesia. It left you slightly confused and feeling off-balance as the soldier himself would feel.

The script was also speckled with lighter moments which gave the audience a chance to break the stress often associated with themes such as war and death. The show kept a steady pace by quickly moving through time which was marked cleverly on the wall with chalk . Yeah - I liked it alot. Here is more about the production company behind the Living Unkown Soldier (you can also watch a trailer on their site and judge for yourself. Blog participation: Have you seen a movie or play you would recommend for yours truly?

Again, the Arcola does not disappoint.

Misfits, MOO and Mahem

2008-02-25T19:55:00.005Z

When I first met J, he had a set of MISFITS cards from his childhood and I knew we were meant together because:

I also had the MISFITS game as a kid
I still had my game (but for different reasons ... mostly being a packrat)

(photo courtesy of Etsy seller sushipotparts)

In any case, he kept his set of MISFITS for many years hoping to get a client to buy an idea that used them. He finally managed it when he designed this book cover for Knopf. Not sure the book did all that well ... but he realized his MISFITS' dream. So, it didn't come as a huge surprise to me that J would think it would be cool to use MOO MiniCards as a modern day way of creating a new MISFITS game (complete with Angelina Jolie and Woody Allen). So, first he created some misfits,

then he borrowed Nick and Jacqui's cat - Walter - then came the filming .... below is the result. A cat, some silliness with a dash of MOO ;)

Not exactly the London Fashion Week Sale

2008-02-24T17:05:00.004Z

I knew it was going to be a marathon shop as I didn't leave for the Natural History Museum (home of the London Fashion Week ) from Stokey until 2pm on Saturday. I finally got to the sale by 3.30pm, so I knew I was going to have bolt crazily around the stalls snatching up unique and stand-out fashion finds - I was ready for the challenge.

Sadly, the burly security guy looked at me with absolute horror when I told him I didn't have a ticket. He basically laughed in my face reinforcing his power. Dejected and embarrassed, I slinked away.

There I was in the other side of town locked out of the fashion heaven that the London Fashion Week Sale can be. I had to drown my shopping sorrows somehow. So, I thought I would do something I never ever do... go down to Harvey Nicks and see if there was something on sale. Thank goodness that didn't happen.

Instead, I got sucked in to good old Zara on the way to Harvey Nicks. I must admit Zara is amazing for cheap but fashionable finds (I felt like Erin as I walked around snatching up items to try on in the fitting rooms). I had her voice in my head the whole time - "don't buy something that doesn't fit, you'll never get it altered"

I ended up buying about 5 things. Here are a few I found:

1. Silky Top - with 60s design
First off, I was thinking about an upcoming wedding (evening one) and wondering what I might be able to wear with my raw silk black tulip skirt purchased for a Yahoo! Christmas party 2 years before. So, I gravitated to a number of silky shirts. I'm not sure this shirt really works with the skirt ... but I like the bold design and bought it.

I also love the easy construction of this top which I plan to knock off if I ever get my sewing machine out again. It is so simple to make it is ludicrous they can charge any money for this thing. While my top wasn't on sale, I thought it was a good deal for London - £29.00 (ok i'm still having rotation issues on blogger - please help!) Blog participation: Do you think the black skirt will match in style? I'm not convinced. Other ideas?

Orange Shorty Swing Coat
Here is the next incredibly cheap deal. I bought this little jacket - ORANGE - on sale for £12.95. For those of you not hip to the exchange rates to US$ ... that is about $25.00 Whoohoo! I felt like Erin (my shopping fiend friend). Now she would also point out to me that I look terrible in Orange which was in fact reinforced as J told me that perhaps I should wear a bit of make-up with it :), but hey, I'm addicted to orange. What do you think? Good buy? Or bad purchase?Here are the other fun finds of today (i need to upload a shot of the dress because i'm still on the fence and need all of your input - 100s that read my blog ;) Here they are:

Gray Silk Dress (perfect for all my upcoming weddings) It has empire waist and feels a little deconstructed but need to show it to you for your advice- required some kick-ass, high heeled shoes... really high
Gray leather handbag - every day big leather bag, rectangular in shape with short shoulder straps (not so cheap £89), but my laptop can fit in it if i need to get everything in one bag for carry-ons
Burgundy jersey long-sleeved top - cheap £6 (i'll need to throw out the one i have that has bleach marks on it which means i can only wear it with a vest)
REALLY pink, v-necked cotton sweater - cheap £9.99 (perfect to go under my orla kieley vest with pink around one shoulder)

So, what do you think? I think I made up for the fact I got pushed out of the London Fashion Week Sale... :) It was a Happy Ending.

In fact, I came home to an amazing meal prepared by J and then we went around the corner to an evening of jazz at the Vortex with Gilad Atzmon (highly recommend ... in fact we bought a CD for Paulie -lucky Paulie)

If I can't ski, I'd rather bike

2008-02-10T18:02:00.001Z

Having grown up in Ontario, Canada, I still find it incredibly surreal to be able to bike and walk without wearing gloves in February. This photo of a Magnolia bud was taken yesterday.

To give you a sense of winter while I was a child and frankly up until 3 years ago, here is a shot Tania took in Toronto just last week. While I love the snow, I need to be close to a mountain for some skiing. So, I'm not sorry not to be in Toronto ...

Now here in London, England, this weekend brought blue skies! Both Saturday and Sunday were filled with clear sunny skies only scarred with airplane vapour trails. Plus the good old gulf stream made sure we could easily spend all day outside --around 12C (yippee!)

The blue skies also meant that I wasn't going to sit in front of my computer, it dictated a day(s) out. Yesterday, as soon as we managed to wake up (we had been up late visiting with Matthew and Alex), I suggested a trip to Kew Gardens and J quickly agreed. So, after the prerequisite latte and croissant from Belle Epoque, we jumped on the train to Kew Gardens to see the Henry Moore exhibit.

I'm sure the exhibit would have been amazing on any day, but add in blue skies and relatively warm winter weather (i.e. 12C) and you have an "I love life" kind of day.
We just arrived at Kew and bought some fudge :) But it is disappointingly not anywhere as good as Niagara-On-The-Lake's fudge. Beware!

Can someone tell me how to make sure blogger doesn't rotate the pics. Sheesh!!

Here are a few shots from the exhibit and the day... I hope they make you smile and hear me say "miluju zivot!"

I think the best part of the day was as we walked from Kew to the train, some entrepreneurial young girls were selling yummy pink cupcakes. We passed by only to stop 10 feet past their booth and J ran back to get some -- yum yum. Only 50p each.

Now today (Sunday), J and I decided to give each other an early Valentine's Day present. FLOWERS!! As if Jonathan needed an excuse.

Today, I noted in the market (Columbia Street Flower Market) that it doesn't take an HP like J to buy flowers for himself. In fact, all guys here seem to find it invigorating. I was pleasantly surprised to see how at home the most tattoed, piereced and muscle-bound east-ender looked with an armful of lillies or tulips in Awww so sweet.

Believe it or not there were other great moments this weekend .. but feeling a bit weary from all the goodness. I hope you had a memorable one too.

Our Roman Holiday

2008-01-27T12:51:00.001Z

A Terrace with a View
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

Last weekend, I surprised J with a trip to Roma. He didn't know where we were going until the last minute (i.e. before we went through security). I figured it wasn't a great idea to take someone blindfolded through security. We both may have ended up down at Scottland Yard.

We had a totally romantic weekend. One of the highlights was our place of residence for the few days. Thanks to a tip from DA, I used a website called romesweethome to find a flat. I had selected a nice one in my price range in Piazza Navona. But, luck had it, they made an error as it wasn't available. So, like any good company who cares about customer service they offered me a MUCH BETTER flat for the same price.

Presto. We were now in a 90 square meter flat - 2 beds/2 baths - steps from the Trevi Fountain. Romantic -- beyond belief. All you need to see is the view from the terrace. Yes, that's the Pantheon and St. Peter's in the background. ( Roman Holiday definitely came to mind which by the way I brought on my laptop)

s. A Roman Kiss. Awwww. Bliss.

I have a few more pics on my Flickr account and will get more up when I have time. So, looking for romance on Valentine's Day?

Go to Rome!

If you can't to Rome, why not get some cheeky love cheques (here are 2 of 100 different ones below) at MOO. How's that for a shameless plug?

London Calling

2007-12-26T19:03:00.000Z

Guest blogger here-- enjoying the incredibly warm hospitality of L&J's hide-away hotel. So far, we have had a great time, walking miles, enjoying the multitude of olfactory treats on the public transit, taking a few pics of the scenery, chowing down on yummy venison stew and treacle pudding near Chichester with Andy Fitz and family, and basking in the gourmet splendour of Jonathan's amazing Christmas dinner-- Martha Stewart should be VERY nervous.....

Day 1:
London must agree with Matt: photographic evidence above of him voluntarily trimming the tree!

Above: moo.com cards make the BEST decorations! (particularly when coupled with J's photos of ancient angels)

Day 2: With three London experts as my guide, I was taken to see the fancy decorations in Regent's Street and New Bond Street. Click here to see more of the gorgeous, festive baubles and gew-gaws.

Above: Flowers everywhere in Covent Garden. Very Eliza Doolittle.

Just off Carnaby Street, we stopped for lovely wine at Trouvaille-- a slice of France, including staff who spoke only in French.

Day 3: Matt and I went down to Southern England to visit his old sailing partner, Andy "Fitz" and his lovely family. Here, the boys relive their glory days as they kick the tires (keels?) on the I14s on the dock at Itchenor Sailing Club.

Day 4: Christmas Eve saw us act like proper Brits, heading down to "the local" for a drink.

Day 5: Happy Christmas! See me pretending to be helpful.... clever minx that I am, I donned an apron just for this shot and spent the rest of the day stuffing my face and quaffing champers....

Welcome, Friends! J's Aunt Jacquie, cousin Nick and Uncle Brian arrive to share in the festivities.

The Rodwell clan in Burlington-- everyone is together, courtesy of skype!

Day 6: Boxing Day in the land that invented it. Matt stayed home and nursed his cold-- sad! L&J&E went walking and walking and walking around Stoke Newington. We saw the climbing gym in an old power station from the early 20th century; the building was based on a Scottish Castle.

An angel in the very old, very overgrown Abney Cemetery in Stoke Newington Church Street.

After some delicious turkey sammies (and far too much chocolate), some mulled wine to warm us up, it was off again for a wander down Regent's Canal.

A rose (one of many) in bloom here in Stokey-- gives new meaning to the phrase 'the last rose of summer'.

A little Christmas fun ... you've seen it before

2007-12-24T08:10:00.000Z

A few elfing moments from Jonathan and Lisa

Hidden Art - Thankfully Found

2007-11-24T22:51:00.000Z

It was a day full of visual excitement. After a breakfast at Belle Epoque with the two Johns (Ricarrdi was visiting), my J and I decided to make an afternoon uncovering art. We only saw a fraction of the studios but it made for a wonderful afternoon on a crisp November day. Here are a few things that I found particularly inspiring. If only I had more walls and table space....
These bottles were by Akiko Hirai. She shared a studio with another woman (Covadonga Hornero Garcia) who also did work in porcelain - it was very fragile, web-like surfaces. I don't have any images of her web dishes, but she had some fantastic vases and lights. Here is a vase that I particularly liked.

Most of the work was of a commercial nature - beautiful but buyable. However, we were treated to an installation by a woman named Caroline Lambard My pictures do not do it justice. Here is a small snippit of it and the 2nd photo shows J is posing for scale.

Then came the whimsical, adult sculptures (or maybe not sculptures perhaps pieces) of Alice Power. I loved her work. One piece that I didn't capture here (i need to save something for you who want to go and see the work is a Gary Glitter in shish ka-bob sticks jail). All her work was funny and a bit grown up despite the style that on first glance felt quite cute and kid-like. I loved it.

Here are a few pieces which work better in person -- should have shot a video...

Now for the nuns ....

I hope you can feel the motion and hear the crackly music of old 45s. I think this one was called Domenique. Jonathan of course was thrilled to hear the first one in this series used a reproduction player that had a usb port that you could use to digitize music. I hear a purchase coming on.

There was so much that we saw that it is unfair that I didn't capture them all here, but you need to go yourself. However, i will feature the one purchase that J made (i made one too, but it is a little gifty for someone so can't say much). J of course bought something for our walls -- which we have very few. Here it is. The strangest thing is that J bought me a skirt about 5 years ago from these guys in Toronto. Do you remember my RUDE skirt? These guys are called thisisrude.com

The rest of the evening looked like this ... (can you guess the locations, the events, the experience?)

Love Actually is All Around Us

2007-10-27T10:55:00.000+01:00

You can tell I'm pushing my late 30s when I describe my night last night as one of of my most memorable Friday nights.

I started the evening off with a few beers with workmates. This is still the greatest part about living in London (i.e. someone willing to go for a beer after work). Now this in itself is nothing to note, but a good start just the same.

The real fun bits of this Friday evening were waiting for me at home. I arrived home to TWO tall handsome men waiting for me. Lucky me. One poured me a glass of wine and cooked the meal. The other entertained me with his banter. (guess which was which? Hint: banter=bmad)

I say "Why stop with TWO tall, handsome men, why not invite over a third?" While it was a bit late to come in time for dinner, we arranged for a third to come for an after dinner tipple. Enter Sam MBA. It wasn't a difficult task, we just called on the powers of the interweb and a little company called skype. Enter Sam from DE.

OK the best part is still coming -- MOVIE TIME! B recommended that we watch Love Actually. How fantastic is that? I got to watch LOVE ACTUALLY and didn't have to use up one of my requrests on it. Thanks B.

So, up we went to the lounge, set up the projector and snuggled in to the couch to watch our collectively shared all time favourite (appropriately set in London).

Now part of the fun, was the pre-movie discussion. We all had to choose the saddest, funniest, hotest bits of the flick. We definitely had different points of view. Big surprise. My saddest but also the sexiest ... Laura Linney & hunky Carl. Personally, I think she should be able to have love and still be devoted to her brother. She should have done both!

Just to close out the night -- I guess what really was the topper of the evening. Not surprisingly I happily watched the first fifteen minutes and then fell asleep during the rest with the happy thoughts that I was surrounded by Love

... and my 2 HPs watching Love Actually together.

Blog Participation Here:
What are your favourite, saddest , hottest, funniest bits? Here are some suggestions..

Funny: Could it be Hugh Grant dancing around number 10? That'll always remind me of Risky Business crossed with Matt B's dancing.

OR

Sad: Emma Thompson opening up a Joni Mitchell CD. We all love Joni but ...

OR

Romantic: Colin Firth speaking Portuguese to the lovely Portuguese girl?

I do want to know - leave a comment.

Beautiful Texture Deserves a Place on the Wall

2007-10-20T17:40:00.000+01:00

I'm on my own this weekend. That means .... shopping. Yay!

I had great plans of visiting TopShop on Oxford Street. However, the closer I got the more my brain said NO. The crowds, the skinny girls, the depression. So it actually never happened.

I managed to make it down to Chapel Market to pick up my shoe at the cobblers (need one? ask me) Then, I sat at an outdoor cafe and lingered over a wonderful Latte and Brioche. I was basking in the sun reading about all the cultural stuff I could do in my Timeout. Yes, I said the sun - le soleil. Yes, it is London. Oui, J'ai dit le soleil.

As I was debating about making the trip further to Topshop I saw an advertisement for an Art Fair right around the corner from the tube. What a treat.

It turns out it is running for 4 weekends and every weekend features a different theme. Lucky for me it was -- textile and jewellery. THERE ARE NO OTHER TWO WORDS THAT GET MY HEART BEATING LIKE THOSE TWO... well of course the words SALE or better still SOLDES (in Paris of course)

The show was an unexpected pleasure. It was free! I saw so much lovely and amazing things that I wanted to own it all. I wanted wanted wanted. As my friend Paulie says "I want but I won't get" (or something like that)... but he was wrong.

I did end up buying 1 thing for me and 2 things for my bestest friend. (her birthday is coming up). I also tried on a great hat. I felt like I was from a different era in this little pillbox (well not really pillbox kind of oval pill box - any ideas as to what they are called? Found this website trying) hat with all this great embellishment on it. I didn't buy it but I'm thinking about it. I wish I had a pic to show you but the young women who make them don't have a website. In fact it was their first show. I feel I'm stumbling on to something big.

Don't worry ... i do have some visual chocolate to show you. Here goes.... these are some very simple silver earrings that I bought from Jo Bagshaw

And, the piece de la resistance or the pocketbook killer (as some may call it) is by a young artist also called Jo - Jo Deeley. In fact, the title of this post relates to a beautiful piece I saw at her stall. She makes fantastic pieces out of textiles.

I absolutely adore textured and constructed clothing and her pieces reminded me of that look. She makes constructed wall pieces out of starched cotton or something like that. I need a photo as I have to convince J that it is what he has been dreaming for our wall but doesn't realize it yet. I couldn't find the particular one on her website but here is one I did see at the show. Check out her website it is really fab.

Allright now it is wine time ... first chocolate then wine. What could be a better on a late Saturday afternoon.

Show your creative side

2007-10-18T23:55:00.001+01:00

Halleluiah!
Originally uploaded by patti haskins

Today, MOO launched their Super Duper Holiday Card Competition. There are some really beautiful as well as some hilarious entries. I of course can't enter because I work at MOO, but I sure can enjoy them. This little baby here made me howl right along side.

On a more personal note, B has landed in London - stop 2 on his world wide tour. Right now he is down at J's computer working at uploading all his photos to Flickr. Right now he isn't loving the process, but I'm sure he will shortly be a convert. Oh good news for B. He was chosen as one of the top 10 artists on the Saatchi Gallery website. Check out his work there - Burke Paterson.

OK ... need an objective this week:

Bring in the winter clothing. Can you believe I still have my summer clothing stuffing up my closet. Meanwhile, I've got carol singing cats to remind me how close Christmas is.

Oh another discovery lately was thisnext.com ... I'm loving this site.

*******************

The photo was originally uploadded by patti haskins and is entitled Hallelujah!

Here is the yellow bag ...

2007-10-13T22:12:00.001+01:00

The New Mr. Bond
Originally uploaded by praguelondon

Any suggestions on how I might fix it? The rivots have been pulled out and the plastic/vinyl has ripped :(

Another Saturday Night...

2007-10-13T16:41:00.000+01:00

In an effort to start blogging and giving back (I get so much from other blogs), I'm going to post a nothing blog. As you can see by the date on my last blog it seems like I average about 1 blog post a year. I just need to get something up there. Let's compare this to getting back on the old horse.

So ... it's another Saturday night here in London. J's mother, Anne. is visiting and today we tired ourselves out. We started the day out with a breakfast at the Acoustic Cafe in Newington Green. It was a good English breakfast sans grease! What a treat.

We then headed down to Chapel Market because I had been told that there was a dry cleaners/cobbler who could fix my yellow bag ... see my photo here. I love this yellow bag. It is my new laptop bag, which got ripped last weekend on my way back from the Stream07 conference. Unfortunately, while this cobbler can fix one of my shoes for a crazy low price of £3 ... he couldn't fix my bag. Any suggestions would be helpful

Finally, we made our way down to the Thames to the London Craft Show put on by the Craft Council. What a treat! It was soooooo wonderful. We loved so many pieces. There was some fantastic jewellery, beautiful scaves and one particular artist who made art pieces out of felt. See some of the great work by the artisans here. We didn't buy anything, but I'm hoping J will buy me some cool earrings or a ring for my birthday --- hint. hint.

I also did a little sales job for MOO MiniCards at the sale. In fact, a few of the artisans thought it would be a great idea to show their work.

OK ... I've done it. I've managed to get over the year hiatus.

Saturday Night - From Leona to Noel

2006-12-17T00:39:00.000Z

It's been a bit of a sad night for me. It a few weeks to Christmas and I'm stuck at home doing work. Don't feel too badly for me. I'm my own worse enemy. If anyone has any idea of how to get over procrastination, I would appreciate it. I really mean it. I think I need a recovered procrastinator - not people like Erin or Tania who always get so much done.

So, I was home watching the tele. It started with the X-factor. Yes, a bit embarrassing but I've never watched it before the quarter finals. Then I was hooked. Personally, I was happy to see Leona win. So that was then and now it is Noel Gallagher. He's got a concert on ITV. He's looking a lot calmer than in his younger days.

WOW. Time flies. I started this blog more than 2 years ago and it seems like I could probably plot the number of entries on my blog against my attendance at the gym and have a similar average per year :)

Oh well.. another year, another set of unrealised objectives.

I wanted to share a pic from my Aunt's party that we weren't able to attend. It looks like they had a lot of fun. I really liked the idea of taking pictures in the empty frame.

Evidently our quickly editted movie was a hit. Yeah for us! We hit one objective.

Objective for This Week:

Make it to the plane on time without any stress
Finish the business plan so I don't have to work during the holidays
Thanking the world and give a little back

A bit of a distraction

2006-11-26T23:39:00.000Z

I should be working right now, but we just found this shot of Mr. Licky from our trip last December. For the last 3 years, we have take a little weekend break at the beginning of December. Last year, we went to Barcelona where we stayed with Kathleen and Dave. As we prepare for next weekend's trip in Carlisle, England, we found our shots from last year.

Barcelona - who needs Gaudi's architecture when you have models as photogenic as Mr. Licky.

Objective Update:
If you read yesterday's post, it was all about a video for my aunt. Welll in typical last minute lisa style, we did it. We didn't leave the house until about 2pm which gave us very little time before the sunset. It a whirlwind London tour where we had to literally RUUUUUUUUN after the light. It kept getting darker and darker and then to top it off the battery in our video camera started to run out - sheesh! But we did it, as soon as J uploads it to utube, i'll put a link here.

This week's objectives
I have lots of work objectives but that isn't the point is it. Then I would have to say I would like to buy at least 2 of my Christmas gifts. We have a good idea for all the twerps. If we decide to go with it, I'll be able to knock of 6 just like that

The Beauty of the Past

2006-11-25T12:33:00.000Z

I have been quiet for almost 2 years. Kind of. In fact, i have been busy avoiding my original objectives I set out for myself and this blog. I'm back ... I hope.

You have to start with baby steps. Here is my first step i.e. finding my username and password. That is a challenge in itself. I accomplished that objective.

I thought I would share the beauty of old photographs. This is a photo of my mother and her friend. Isn't it and aren't they beautiful?

The other photo is a picture of her soon to be sweetheart - my Dad. Here he is with some old friends from his Wheeler days (his hockey team). Awwww, the snow. I miss it only at this time of year. Oh well I'll get it when I'm home at Christmas.

Now off to accomplish today's objective - we're making a little video for my wonderful Aunt who is turning 60 soon.

2005-02-17T13:09:00.000Z

3rd Wednesday of the Month

Rodwellian Theatre Launches to Small Appreciative Crowd

2005-02-17T13:00:00.000Z

I've been a bit remiss lately. Obviously I haven't been accounting for my goals and objectives. I think that was done on purpose. If it is written down, then I can't get publicly lashed for not doing them. Oh well. I will try to make it a goal to have a weekly entry to the blog.

Meanwhile, I did accomplish an unwritten goal. We launched Rodwellian Theatre. Starting last night, we had our first official Rodwellian Theatre night. Napoleon Dynamite and Saddest Music in the World were on the roster. Thanks to the die-hard - Matthew - for staying for both showings.

Stay tuned for next month's presentation. Remember, it is the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7pm. We will feature one presentation from "the vault" and will take requests for the other. Please post requests.

2005-02-02T12:22:00.000Z

SCARY STEVIE

Film Artistes & Huge Task List

2005-02-02T12:03:00.000Z

I needed pictures on my blog. People hate reading, right? Ok, here's a pic of my brother. Scary eh?

My job is so crazy at the moment that I feel scared by the prospect of making daily personal objectives. It is that whole public accountability thing. But this is the point, right?

Tuesday was incredibly productive because I managed to do accomplish all these unnamed objectives - take my word.

Actually, I did attend a workshop last night on Arts Grant Writing for Film Artistes. Yes, this is an Arts Grant so it better be very arty. Remember that. Jonathan is confident that given his time at art school he can say the right thing and morph in to the ARTISTE. It was very interesting and I still can't believe I sat for 4 hours without saying anything. Get up off the floor. It isn't unheard of just unlikely.

Ok so where is the long task list? No that is a work thing. Let me publicly put down a few small objectives for the rest of the week:

Ensure the painters come and fix the wall I tried painting (my role in that is to get Jonathan to call them - hee hee)
Read another installment of the Diary - finish July 1955. I'm still waiting for the sex and drugs
Try felting my newly knitted armbands. Doesn't that sound beautiful?
Workout at least 1 time (as I said make them attainable)

Monday Assessment & Frozen Fingers

2005-01-31T12:44:00.000Z

So, now for the accountability. It wasn't quite as easy as I anticipated it.

Yoga - I managed to get there. However, I ended up going to a different space - the Yoga Space - in fact because I had missed the class at Downward Dog. I highly recommend the Flow class at the Yoga Space. It was wonderful
Diary Reading - Fascinating. You might understand this if you are getting any pleasure from reading this. I only managed to read up until June 18th, 1955. So far lots of crazy drunken nights which are laced with young British men trying to woo these young Canadian girls. So, I guess I get A for effort but still have a long way to go.
Clothes Rack - This was probably the easiest of my objectives but it has yet to be filled with the clothes that are still in the extra bedroom. Eventually, young Nick from England will get some space in the cupboard

FROZEN FINGERS. No, it isn't a new summer orange-flavoured treat. It's the state of my fingers today from the short walk to the street car and commute to work. Eventually my 'swearing' finger will thaw. For now others may think I'm rude.

Oh, if anyone can help me put links on this blog. I would greatly appreciate it. I can't figure out how to add links to other cool sites and blogs. So, since I can't on the side bar I'll just tell you that if you want to see a very innovative design website - visit Jonathan's here.

Sunday's Objectives

2005-01-30T15:01:00.000Z

Europe Trip
Originally uploaded by rodwellian.

Sunny Sunday Morning. I'm going to start this exercise with few expectations. If I start with few objectives I'll be sure to meet them. Here are the goals for the day:

* Yoga Class (you think that sounds easy? Well it has been 4 months since I've exercised regularly. The snow really has slown me down)

* Read Peggy's diary. She is one of the women about whom Jonathan's documentary is going to be about. I will read it and find out what really happened on the trip around Europe in 1955 (4 young women in a cab). I'm sure there will be lots of cool adventures.

* Bring up the clothes rack from the basement and transfer my clothes from our extra room to the back storage space. Nick, Jonathan's cousin, has arrived and he needs some space for his stuff.

That's it for today. A good start.