City Dusk

Thoughts on the Day...
Yes, it has been practically a week since I last posted anything on here, but I'm sure you were all able to get on with your lives. So a brief catch-up... Feeling much better about my course, far less red marks on my homework this week, and just wrote a composition that I think may have actually had a writing style. I have also decided that I want to cook more, and as such want to cook a new dish every week (we'll see how long that lasts). Also purchased my costume for an upcoming birthday party with the theme of 'bad taste', I promise a picture will follow. 

...Musings

Red Sky at Night: I came out of my lesson at 5pm on Tuesday and was greeted by the sight below, a beautiful pink sunset over Bloomsbury.

I walked my usual route round past the British Museum and, since I had 20 minutes to spare, I took a quick trip inside to browse the bookshop, and took some pictures on my way out.

Two Types of Eels: 1) I'm going for lunch tomorrow with a friend at one of my favourite Japanese Restaurants, The Hare & Tortoise (yes, I know it doesn't sound very Japanese.) It is my favourite because they serve Unagi Don, eel and rice, a dish that I haven't been able to find at another Japanese Restaurant in London.

2) I have now listened to the new Eels' Album and it is, of course, amazing. The track Walking Cloud is my song of the moment. This is their fifth consecutive album to receive rave reviews across the board, which you can see here.

Japanese Genders & LA Living

Thoughts on the Day...
Ok, so I failed to post anything yesterday but that's because I had nothing to report. The whole of yesterday was dedicated to getting that essay done. 

My 'Issues in Post-War Japanese Society' lecture today was particularly interesting. We had a long discussion on gender roles in Japan, which led to comparisons to the rest of the world. It brought up some really thought provoking issues about women in the workplace generally, and got me thinking about the choices that I will one day have to make in regards to being a mother/pursuing a career.

...Musings

Sun & Sand: I have been craving a beach and some sunshine recently. Usually the prospect of birthday presents in February is enough to get me through the post-Christmas winter season, but not this year. I was reading Vogue today and saw an article on LA living. Sure does seem appealing right now...

A Non-Croydon Ikea

Thoughts on the Day...
After sitting through another two-hour Japanese lesson that did little to reassure my feels of yesterday, I joined my boyfriend, his sister, and his brother-in-law for an evening trip to Ikea in Wembley. I, myself have only ever been a patron of the Croydon branch, and so I was wondering what Wembley had to offer. In truth they are pretty much exactly the same, only this time when I left, I had absolutely no idea where I was. Ikea has always been a treat for me, I can get lost walking through their room mock-ups and fantasizing about future properties I will one day own...

...Musings

Lost London: Again, apart from that glorious essay that I will dedicate tomorrow to, a book caught my eye today in The Guardian. Entitled 'Lost London' it is filled with unseen photographs of London taken between 1875 and 1945, and sounds right up my street, I shall be looking out for that in bookshops... Then I saw this fellow walking out of Charing Cross today and thought that he wouldn't look out of place in the pages of Lost London, I particularly like the bag in his right hand. I suspect it's an old doctors bag, but was in really good condition. 

Must Do Better

Thoughts on the Day...
Well today could have been better as far as academics are concerned. Despite having recently changed courses, and feeling much happier about my subject, I'm still only getting average results. Yes, average is better than failing, but I do really enjoy my subject and yet I still feel like I'm not moving up to the next level. Team that feeling along with receiving back homeworks covered in red ink and you'll understand why I'm feeling so disheartened. I think tomorrow I will pick up some Japanese language films and try to immerse myself in the language. I could also try to speak to the Japanese exchange students in my lectures rather than just shyly nodding and mumbling 'konnichiwa'. Hmmmm....

...Musings

Fashion: Aside from that essay that is still looming somewhere in the back of my mind, I have been thinking about what to wear more than usual of late. I think it's because of that whole 'New Year' feel and wanting everything to be fresh and new, not just in what I'm doing but also in my appearance. So I decided to go through my wardrobe to find some sort of inspiration heading into 2010. I was actually pleasantly suprised, some of my best finds are shown below.

  

 

I bought this at a secondhand shop in the 11th arrondissement in Paris. It's actually navy and white but looks black in the picture. It's handmade with boning in the skirt so that it stands out when worn. I actually haven't worn it out yet, I just feel too dressed up, maybe this Summer...

 

This is from a stall in a French market that sells off old theatre costumes, and I suspect is also handmade. The pearls are a mix of real and fake, either from flee-markets or inherited.  

 

My mother's old jumpsuit from the 80s complete with shoulder pads, I wish I could find a photo of her wearing it. She was much smaller than me but thankfully it just fits.

Cake & Books

Thoughts on the Day...
Went for my second run of 2010 this morning, last year one of my goals was to run a 10k which I never did. So this year I really plan to do one, and I have to say I'm making progress I can probably run 6k comfortably. Then off to The Duke of Wellington on Portobello Road to celebrate a family birthday. The cake was amazing, made to look like a stage, complete with ornate stage surround and curtains. This also meant a huge amount of thick royal icing, all of which I ate, while drinking a coffee. All that sugar + caffeine = headache & a massive sugar rush.

  

...Musings

Essay: Sadly most of my brain power has been used today thinking about an essay I have due on Thursday. 3000 words on the political and cultural relationship between Japan and The Philippines. My university, SOAS, has one of the best libraries in the country, with over 300 books just on Japanese-Filipino relations, and yet I have so far written only 375 words. Help.

Tennessee Williams & James Earl Jones

Thoughts on the Day...
I went to see a performance of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof tonight to celebrate my dad's birthday. The play was slightly rewritten to be performed by an all black cast, and was absolutely brilliant, dealing with the inner workings of family relationships. When I told my boyfriend about going to see it he said, "The one with James Earl Jones?" and I have to admit I didn't know who he has talking about. He went on to explain that, along with several other parts, he was the voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa from The Lion King. Anyway it turns out that it is his birthday today and so at the end of the performance we were all invited to sing Happy Birthday to an acting legend. Happy Birthday James and Happy Birthday Dad.

...Musings

A Surprise! A wonderful surprise was awaiting me when I got home this evening... The brand new eels album, a full five days earlier than the release date. Just goes to show that pre-ordering is always a good idea. So I'm off to listen to that as I fall asleep. Good Night.

Today is a new day...

Yes today is a new day, partly in the sense that every day is a new one, but mainly because today I take my first step into the realm of blogging. I hope to keep things light and interesting on here, to keep you all informed of any interesting sights, thoughts, or experiences that I may have. My aim is to break each post into two sections; Thoughts on the Day and Musings. The former dealing with any interesting details from the day, the latter concerned with any topics I've been thinking about of late. And so here it goes:

Thoughts on the Day...

I have to admit that today was one of my less glamorous, a 10.30am wake up, a while browsing the internet with Judge Judy on in the background, 10 minutes concerning internet banking etc. I promise this will get more interesting. I have been blessed with having Fridays off from university and, as such, have a three day weekend. This would be great if all my friends weren't either working or in lectures. I think I'd rather have something to do....

...Musings

Glee: This has basically been my saviour of late. I have not had the best Christmas or New Years and so having something that never fails to give me a full forty minutes of smiling so hard that my face aches has been exactly what I need. I have always been a fan of musical theatre, I went through a phase at around 14 when I became obsessed with Chicago and would strut around the house singing and dancing, and so Glee is a welcome addition to the programming schedule. If you're in the UK check it out: E4 - Mondays at 9pm, repeated Thursdays at 9pm (no, I am not on the E4 payroll, I just like it that much).

Fashion: No matter what trends are being thrown at us or how hard I try, for me Black with always be the new Black. My friend recently asked me, "If you had to wear one colour for the rest of your life what would it be?" "Black," I replied without hesitation. Yes colour is all very well but black is flattering, classic, and goes with everything . My great grandmother left me a beautiful necklace that is my standard go-to piece when accessorising with black, the bracelet I bought at a market in the South of France.

Fresh Feeling? So why the name you ask? Well it's one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands (check them out here) but it also rang true with what I was trying to do with this space. To try and give you a fresh prospective on the world around us, but to also challenge myself to keep my mind as fresh and as open as possible. And hopefully we will all get that fresh feeling... (see what I did there?)