Great Scott!! My first Secret Cinema Experience

Hello!!

Apologies for the extreme delay in posting.. I have been a very bad blogger but have been very busy these past couple of months! I can’t believe it’s already August and the end of summer is looming ahead 😦

With all the amazing things that have been happening this past summer, I thought I best write about my Secret Cinema experience while it was still relatively fresh in my head!   I’m not lying when I say it was an unforgettable night and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Back to the Future and feeling like a kid playing dress up 🙂

For those who don’t know, Secret Cinema is a company that puts on elaborate recreations of iconic films, making the movie-goers feel as though they are a part of the movie rather than just a spectator, creating a real-life experience that is unlike anything else.  While I can’t comment on previous movies they’ve put on as I haven’t been, I have a lot to say about Back to the Future!

While Secret Cinema experienced a bumpy start to this event, having to cancel the first four dates due to not being completely ready, I can understand how this could have happened as the scale of this production was huge!

Some tips on what to bring that do not give anything away:
– disposable camera (they were sold out by the time we got there)
– blanket to sit on
– cash
– jacket or sweater (it gets chilly when the movie starts)

 

** SPOILER ALERT **

For anyone who is planning on going and does not want to know what happens, STOP READING NOW! I do not want to spoil the experience for anyone and know that I was trying to avoid reading and seeing anything that involved Secret Cinema’s presentation of Back to the Future before going last Saturday.

The experience started as we rocked up to Highbury & Islington station to catch the Overground to Hackney Wick.  After a few strange glances from strangers on the bus journey in our 50’s attire,  we were greeted by a sea of vintage dresses, high wasted pants, slicked back hair and other fashions synonymous with that era all waiting to catch the next train to Hackney.

While it was a pretty cramped train due to the majority of us girls wearing pouffy petticoats underneath our dresses and skirts, no one seemed to mind too much as we were all so excited to see what the night had in store for us! And it was a fairly short ride to Hackney Wick which was the recommended stop to get off at.

Once at Hackney Wick, there were guides all dressed up as students from the high school directing us to the “secret location”.   It was a bit of a walk but it was a sunny, summer afternoon and it just added to the excitement of where we were going.  To see literally hundreds of people all dressed up, those who weren’t going to the event and just walking by in normal clothes seemed out of place amongst the poodle skirts and suspenders.

And then we arrived!! After a short line up that moved quite steadily, a quick bag check and surrendering our “communications devices” at the door,  we were walking up to Hill Valley, and what a site to see!!! Vintage cars, an old school bus, and a complete recreation of the town square, complete with clock tower from which we would be watching the movie.  Secret Cinema outdid themselves in allowing us to step back in time to life back in the 1950’s.

What I loved the most about going to this event was how every single person there fully immersed themselves in the 50’s era.  99% of the crowd was dressed in 50’s style clothing, hair styles and accessories. And those that weren’t dressed in the 50’s style of clothing, were dressed as Marty McFly, my favorite being the little kids in their red puffy vests and high top sneakers.  Personally I LOVED wearing my polka dotted dress complete with petticoat underneath.  There’s something about full skirts and dresses that just make you feel pretty! I think it would have been amazing to have a closet full of pretty dresses to wear every day.  I feel as though people made more of an effort back then, whereas today I am very guilty of throwing on jeans and a t-shirt and calling it a day.

The only frustrating thing about the night was not being able to take photos.  While it was nice to be smartphone free for an evening and I understand their need to prevent people from posting photos on Facebook and keep things a secret,  it is a little sad to not have pictures to remind us of the night other than the official photos they take at different places within the fair.  They do sell disposable cameras but they were sold out by the time we got there 😦 boo!  But I do have to say it was pretty cool to see everyone really enjoying being in the moment rather than making sure they had “checked in” on FB and uploading the perfect selfie onto Instagram.. which, let’s be honest, had i had my Iphone on me I would have been doing just that!

Anyhow, back to the show.

After dancing to “Rock Around the Clock” and other classics at the highschool dance, we headed to Lou’s Diner to have the ultimate diner meal, burgers and fries.  Sponsored by Byron Burger, prices were pretty reasonable and their Chuck Berry drink packed an alcoholic punch!  Overall I’d have to say prices at the event weren’t over inflated as I had expected them to be. While 4 pounds for a can of Budweider is definitely pricey, it wasn’t any more expensive than going to a bar in the city.

While eating our dinner we had the opportunity to see some of the actors reenact some classic scenes from BTTF.  George McFly was standing at the counter with Marty McFly next to him, while Biff and his crew come in to harass George about getting their homework done.  It was awesome!! And then Goldie came by our table to ask if we’d vote for him as future Mayor!  It was GREAT!!!! 🙂

After our meal, we wandered around the different stalls and checked out the fair that was on the other end of the grounds.  We were excited to try the ferris wheel but the lineup was huge and the movie was about to start.. so we took our spot on the grass and got ready for the movie.

At 9:00 sharp the movie started and everyone stood up and cheered! Scenes from the movie were recreated in real time by the actors as they were happening on the screen which was amazing!! And the first time the Dolorean made an appearance I think there was a collective gasp and then cheers from the entire audience as it raced around the square! It was spectacular!!

During one of the slower parts of the movie we snuck off to get on the ferris wheel which now had no line up (score!).  It was one of my favorite moments of the night!  the view from the top of the ferris wheel, while being able to still see the movie screen in front of us was magical.  It was amazing for other reasons as well 🙂

I can honestly say I did not want the night to end.  Once the credits rolled it was time to collect our photos and Iphone’s and head back to the present and reality.

Secret Cinema went above and beyond exceeding all expectations I had for the night and I can’t wait for them to announce their next endeavor! I will definitely be queuing for tickets as soon as they come out!

Until next time… which is hopefully sooner rather than later

Thanks for reading!

krismas x

Wrong side or right side, roundabouts are not my friend… Shenanigans in Ireland

Our first glimpse of Ireland from the plane

Just got back from a week away in Ireland with one of my good friends Naomi, and it was amazing! Ireland was exactly what I pictured it to be, green EVERYWHERE! Rolling hills, windy roads, more sheep than I had thought, and plenty of Guinness!!

I could write a novel on our experiences in the Emerald Isle but I’m afraid that would be quite boring and I don’t generally have the patience to write that much in one sitting.  So here were the highlights! I am starting with Dublin since that was our first stop 🙂

Driving on the “other” (not wrong) side of the road:

OK… let me just start this off by saying I hate roundabouts!! Other than that and the very narrow and windy roads, driving in Ireland was great! Although stressful at times, it was nice to be back in the driver’s seat after 8 months of getting around on public transport! If you are visiting Ireland, I highly recommend hiring a car as I don’t think we would have been able to see as much as we had without the convenience of our own car.  Note to those hiring cars: BRING YOUR OWN GPS (or Satnav as it is called here)!!! Renting a car can be relatively cheap; however they like to rip you off by charging 11 pounds a day extra for a GPS.  NOT COOL!!!

While driving on the left side of the road took a little getting used to, I think not having driven for 8 months worked to my advantage.  It was a little awkward to shift at first, and there were a few turns onto the wrong side of the road (luckily in parking lots), but other than that, driving on the other side was probably the least of my worries.

Making the most of my worries were roundabouts, crazy fast speed limits, narrow roads, and a GPS telling us to drive down pedestrian streets :S YIKES! Roundabouts do not make sense to me on  motorways.  With speed limits generally in excess of 100 kms an hour, 80 km’s if you’re driving down a dirt road into the farm, having to slow down abruptly to 50 to go around a 4 lane roundabout, while figuring out which exit and which lane you need to be in to get to that exit is not fun! It was a test of mental awareness each time one was approaching! I much prefer off ramps and traffic lights!

Also there’s nothing like seeing a tour bus coming down a narrow road in the opposite direction to you to keep you on your toes! And make you hold your breath in the hopes that it will make the car skinnier as you pass each other!

Anyhow… enough about the drive!

Dublin:

Before arriving in Dublin I had been told by a few people that Dublin is basically a smaller London.  As we weren’t really in Dublin for long enough it was hard for me to really make a judgement on its size since we had only seen a very small portion of it.

Our highlights were:

The Guinness Storehouse: HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Even if you don’t like Guinness (which neither Naomi or myself did prior to taking the tour), the tour itself is pretty impressive with interactive displays and the history of Ireland’s beer and how it was transported across the globe.  Rated Ireland’s #1 Tourist Attraction and at 16 Euro admission (13 with a student card) it was worth the price!  We even got to pull our own pint of Guinness at the end! There is a special way to pour a Guinness and who knew that the harp on Guinness glasses were there especially to ensure the beer hits the glass at the correct angle? Pretty neat!  Their Gravity Bar at the top of the building provided spectacular 360 degree views of Dublin and was a perfect place to drink our first pint! And for someone (me) who hated Guinness before, I was converted! Not only did I finish my pint first out of our group, I also drank a whole 2nd pint! Needless to say, I was a little bit buzzed coming out of the tour!

LIVE MUSIC:  Dublin did not disappoint in the live Irish music department! We managed to find our way to the Merchant’s Bar and listen to some great Irish music! We even met some fellow Canadians there who were dancing up a storm to the Irish tunes! It was a great night out and exactly how I pictured a night out at a pub in Ireland to be like!

Timmy Ho’s!!!! in IRELAND!

TIM HORTON’S: For anyone who has known me since moving here.  I speak a lot about how much I miss Tim Horton’s coffee (Or Timmy Ho’s as we Canadians affectionately call it).  So imagine my absolute amazement to see a Tim Horton’s sign outside a convenience store in Dublin!!! I was in HEAVEN! I quickly grabbed a Boston Cream Doughnut and tried my best to recreate a double double from their machine (didn’t turn out so well but just holding the cup in my hands made it taste that much better!).  It was great!

One disappointing thing in Dublin was the Trinity College Library and Book of Kells.  After seeing so many pictures on Pinterest of this library maybe my expectations were higher than they should have been. Although I’m very happy we went and I can cross this off my check list of things to see in Ireland, i felt that the 10 euros to get into this library was a bit of a rip off!! While the library itself was impressive and beautiful, it’s a bit steep. Maybe I’m spoiled by all the free museums here in London, but I’d rather pay 10 euro to get into the museums here instead of that library. Oh well! still happy we went!

So after a day and a half in Dublin it was a long drive up to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.   Never had to mentally prepare myself for a drive as much as this one!

Thanks for reading!

Krismas x

A sculpture in the shape of a pint of Guinss

View from the Gravity Bar

Outside the Guiness Storehouse

The proper way to drink your pint! Elbows up!

Irish Tunes in Merchant’s Bar

Trinity Library

Trinity Library

Trinity Library

Can’t remember but a pretty church in Dublin 🙂

Pulling my first Pint!

Tea for two and…Four for Tea! High Tea at Charing Cross Hotel

The view from our table on a gorgeous sunny day in London

So one thing that I’ve been meaning to write about since my parents have left was our delicious Afternoon Tea experience at the Charing Cross Hotel.

I grew up having afternoon Sunday tea at my grandparent’s house in North Vancouver. While I have only just recently become a tea drinker (sorry Tim Horton’s, I’m slowly being converted), I always LOVED the food that went along with afternoon tea! Especially when my Grandma would make these tiny little pancakes with sugar and butter that I would LOVE to get the recipe for but  no one has been able to find it! Boo! Another favourite was when she’d have the pink and white square checkered cakes (not sure what the name is but YUM), or the lemony muffins!  It was a Sunday ritual for us, along with badminton games in their enormous backyard afterwards, and a ritual that I definitely missed after my grandparents passed away.

Anyhow, I’m not exactly sure how the tradition of afternoon tea came about (I must google) but I love the idea of how afternoon tea has become a staple over the years and seems to be making a resurgence today! Even in Vancouver I was noticing the increasing popularity of cute tea shops popping up throughout the city.  It’s a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and family while not feeling too guilty about eating all the delicious cakes and scones and clotted cream because surely there can’t’ be THAT many calories in something that’s bite sized! Can there?

Back to the tea….

I’m not too sure why this gorgeous Afternoon Tea spot in the center of touristy London was not more busy on the Sunday we went and I’m assuming isn’t busy very often as I was able to score a 2 for 1 deal  for the 4 of us.  Meaning our regular £24.95 a person high tea was only £12.50 per person which is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me! Considering some afternoon Tea`s can go as high as £75 if you want to add champagne, this was a steal.

The Charing Cross Hotel is kitty corner to Trafalgar Square and opened in 1865. Although it is extremely easy to get to either by bus, or Charing Cross Road Tube Station (it sits literally on top of the station) we still managed to arrive 15 minutes late for our scheduled 3:30 pm seating.  That`s what happens when you spend a sunny Sunday afternoon wandering along the Thames and taking in the sights 🙂 Well worth it! And it turns out it didn’t matter in the slightest that we were late!

Upon entering the hotel, I immediately felt like we were in a ritzy (or swanky as my mom repeated over and over) hotel that I didn’t quite belong in.  But the hospitality of the staff was terrific and they were so friendly and accommodating.  They even printed out my voucher for me as I only had it on my phone to show them (note to anyone using the voucher: they don`t say it on the email but print a copy out beforehand if you are able to).

My eyes lit up as I saw the tables set up with cute and colourful cups and saucers and not overly frou frou as you might expect from an old hotel.  Our table was in a sun room type area and looked out onto The Strand with flower baskets overflowing with red geraniums (I now know the name of those flowers because we just planted some at our flat :)).  It was a beautiful sunny day outside so the light was amazing!

As we ordered our tea (traditional earl grey for my Mom and I, and a ginger pear tea for my more adventurous Dad), I couldn`t help but notice just how empty the place was.  Is it because it`s not known for tea or is it because it`s too pricey and people don`t know about the voucher? I don’t know but the upside was that we weren’t restricted to our 1 hour allotted time slot! We could relax and enjoy our high tea.

Tea time!!! My dad trying his best to look enthusiastic 🙂

When our server brought out the 3 tiered trays of goodies my mouth started to water! There was PLENTY of food on that one tray to feed the 4 of us and we had two trays full! From sandwiches and mini quiches on the bottom, freshly baked raisin scones with jam (2 large scones each!) and clotted cream in the middle, to mocha and strawberry cakes on the top, where to start!!! We stuffed our faces and there still managed to be some leftovers!

I highly recommend Charing Cross Hotel for high tea if you can take advantage of the 2 for 1 deal. I’m not saying it’s not worth the full price; however, if you are on a tight budget like I am then 24.95 is a little extravagant but I would still spend that as a special treat from time to time!

I’m super excited to take my friend Naomi there who will be here visiting in exactly one week’s time!! So excited to have here here for a visit and to be spending a week exploring Ireland with her!  Feeling extremely blessed these days to not only have had my family here for 3 weeks, Naomi here in 1 week and then meeting the Frick to my Frack Camila in September in Paris for a week of Macaroon’s, cafes and spending time with one of my favorite families and my adorable goddaughter Lily!!

Life is good! 🙂

Thanks for reading!!

Krismas x

 

i wanted to steal this tea pot! I am in love!

My mom excited for her “swanky” tea

we couldn’t finsh!

CJ digging in to the deliciousness!

pretty in pink 🙂

Where’s all my stuff?? The Art of Living with Less

 

One thing I have learned since moving to London is learning to love living with less.  Less money, less space, less STUFF! After speaking with other ex-pats I’ve come to realize that this is a common complaint. It can be frustrating at times and can almost feel like you’ve taken steps backwards rather than forwards while climbing the career ladder where the the amount of money you make seems to be a direct reflection of the importance of your job or the hard work you’ve done to get to where you are. But looking at my life now compared to my life before following my dream, I think I can officially say I have never been poorer money wise but felt richer life wise at the same time!

Not to say I was ever rich. I’ve never been rich, but I was comfortable in Canada. I had a well paying job, owned my own apartment (which I now rent out) which was full of possessions that I had accumulated over my 33 years on the planet. I had my own car, and could pay my bills without worrying about making payments.  I would go shopping and not worry about whether or not I could pay the rent if I bought a pair of Converse. I definitely took it for granted! But I also spent money on so many useless items that gave me temporary happiness but did nothing to make my life richer or more fulfilling.

Fast forward to London and the British Pound! While I love my job and the company I work for, I don’t make anywhere close to the income I had at home even after converting to Canadian dollars. BUT I am a lot less stressed out, am working at a company that I can learn from and I can leave work at the end of the day without worrying about my never ending to do list for work the next day. I get to go to work and do what I love, and be able to come home and find other hobbies that I’m passionate about pursuing. However; the smaller income has made me more aware of what I choose to spend my money on.  I am much more concious about shopping trips because a pair of shoes could equal a flight to Barcelona, and for me, a weekend in Helsinki or Lisbon with some good friends far outweighs having another item of clothing hanging in my closet.

There is also a sense of freedom in knowing that all of my worldly possessions here could fit in 2 suitcases; meaning I am no longer tied to a property and if in a year or so I want to move to Paris or Dublin or anywhere, I am free to do so.  When moving to London I had to sell all of my furniture, box up all of my mementos and store them in my parent’s storage space, donate any and all clothing that I didn’t want to take with me, and take what couldn’t be sold or pawned off on friends and relatives to the dump.  All of that is time consuming and costs a lot of money! And the first time I considered moving to London,I found out I was unable to rent my apartment which would have meant selling it.  That was not an option!

Shipping my stuff was also not an option as I had no idea where I was going to live, and the cost of sending one box of clothes cost me $200 cdn and another $300 in taxes over here (which I still don’t understand).

In the beginning I was getting tired and bored of wearing the same clothes over and over again but realized I had the wrong attitude! Once I started focusing on WHY i had less clothing and that reason being because I had this opportunity to live in my favourite city, it no longer became a frustration, but more of a game of how I could take the few items I had and turn them into different outfits for different occasions! It also became MUCH easier to get dressed for work in the mornings because I no longer stood in front of a massive closet of clothes to choose from, I now had one pair of work pants, a few skirts, and a couple dresses to choose from. I now get ready for work MUCH quicker which gives me more time to sleep in the mornings 🙂 and more sleep is always a plus!

I’ve always been someone who loves to decorate (and redecorate) my living space.  I took a lot of pride in how I painted and decorated my apartment back home and was constantly thinking of ways to update my space and make it more cozy and reflect more of my personality in it. From a lime green kitchen with a blackboard wall, to my Tiffany blue painted bedroom, it was all decorated to my tastes and with my own two hands.  It felt like a step back to be renting again in London and have all of the little knick nacks i bought now sitting in boxes. But it also gave me this great opportunity to become more creative with how I decorate my space and to really focus on what makes me happy.  The only decorations in my room are pictures of my loved ones back home and all the encouraging cards and Christmas cards I received since I’ve been here. I did splurge on a super girly flowery duvet cover too which I love! And for me, those items mean much more to me than a flower painting I had bought for my living room back home because I “liked the colours”.

The more I’ve been in London the more I’ve realized that I used to spend so much on creating the “perfect home” because I spent a lot more time in my apartment than I do my flat here.  Sure I’d go out on weekends and occasionally during the week in Vancouver but never to the extent that I’m out here.  While I do like my relaxing nights in, I love the fact that if I want to go out here, there is usually someone up for meeting for drinks or dinner in town or going to see a show or random event happening nearby.

I’ve learned to have a less is more attitude.  I focus on spending money on experiences rather than things.  I’d much rather save money to spend on trips to experience different cultures, than for that Michael Kors or Marc Jacobs purse I had been coveting at Holt Renfrew for months. I think it’s that shift in attitude the past few months that have made me enjoy living in London more and more. And accepting the fact that while I may not have as much money in my bank account as I used to, I am learning how to spend in the best way to enhance my life and get the most out of my time on this planet! Because when i’m 90 years old I’m not going to look back on this life and say “I wish I had bought that Burberry Bag”, but rather “I’m so happy I took that trip that changed my life”.

Thanks for reading!

Krismas x

 

 

I Carried a Watermelon??… Dirty Dancing on a Rooftop in Peckham

After saying a sad farewell to my parents Monday afternoon after a fantastic visit (blog posts still to follow), it was back to the normal routine of work and catching up with the friends I hadn’t seen since my parents arrived in town.

Monday evening brought me to my regular Canadian Vandoos meet up at the Hippodrome for wings and £2.50 Blue Moons.  I think they changed their recipe for the wings as my mouth was burning for a good 20 minutes after inhaling them! I talked to a few new faces and caught up with the regulars 🙂 The crowds haven’t been quite as large as they were during the Olympic hockey games but there still manages to be a decent crowd for each event!  I’ve also somehow volunteered myself to do some kiddie face painting for the Canadian Meet-Up Group’s Canada Day festivities at the end of June.  Sounds like fun but since I am not artistic I’ll have to start practising my Maple Leaf and Canada flags for the next month! 🙂

After talks of possible trips to watch the northern lights in Igloos and Tree Houses in the fall it was time to head home.  One of the best things about becoming friends with other expats is we all have a huge desire to travel and see as many parts of Europe as we can fit in during long weekends and our ever dwindling vacation days left! The best part of working in the UK is that a month of vacation seems to be the norm! However, after already planning a few big trips and a couple extended weekend trips, I am running low on extra vacation time and money! Somehow trips back to Vancouver seem to be taking a backseat however; I am determined to get back home for Christmas this year and a wedding next June!

Now onto my Tuesday night!! If you know me, you know that my absolute FAVORITE movie of all time is Dirty Dancing! I can pretty much recite the movie off by heart now, and play the entire movie in my head at any given time.  I even used a Dirty Dancing quote at my brother’s wedding! That’s how much I love this film 🙂 It is by far THE BEST coming of age girly movie in my opinion and I think every girl who grew up watching the movie has always wanted to find her “Johnny” to do the mambo with.. and possibly a little dirty dancing as well 😉

Anyhow, I wasn’t able to get to the Musical Dirty Dancing which was playing here in London but from meeting people who wanted to see the musical as well, I was able to find a lot of other Dirty Dancing fans!  So when I saw that Dirty Dancing would be playing on a rooftop cinema in London, I thought “MUST GO”!!! No brainer!! And at £13.00 a ticket, it’s a new experience, cheaper than watching a movie in some of the cinema’s here and it’s Dirty Dancing!! I can’t pass up my first opportunity to watch Johnny and Baby do the Meringue on the big screen!! So Facebook invites were sent to see who else would be up for it, tickets were bought, and then a month long wait until the day actually arrived!

Fast forward to Tuesday night and the Dirty Dancing Rooftop Cinema Experience awaited us! We all met at Peckham Rye station and tried to find somewhere to eat a quick dinner before heading to the movie, but the area was seriously lacking of any sort of food establishments! Aside from McDicks and KFC, the streets were littered with fake hair stores, grocery stores and other convenience type shops.  No offence to anyone who lives in Peckham or around Peckham, I only saw that one area and it just didn’t feel Londony to me and had I been there by myself, I would have gotten back on the bus and home to familiarity.  It was a little sketch for me.

So after some pretty terrible McD’s (never again!), we set off to find the Bussey Building to feast our hungry eyes on the Mambo, Pachenga, and the best of them all… the Lift! We didn’t have to go far as the building was RIGHT across the street but we DID have to walk up about 10 flights of stairs to the rooftop of this old, and what seemed to be abandoned, building. I did need a little workout for that day!

After huffing and puffing our way up the who knows how many  stairs, we made it to our rooftop oasis! Set up like an airplane with two aisles of British Airways Blue beach chairs, patio lights and a gigantic screen at the front, the outdoor space looked cozy and just right for a rooftop movie experience! And the views were incredible! You could see the London Eye, The Shard, Gherkin and other famous landmarks from the edge.  As well as a very dark and ominous cloud that looked like it was headed in our direction!! YIKES!

The ominous clouds coming our way!

We quickly chose our seats near the front, took photos and eagerly waited for the movie to start! There was still a good 45 minutes left. We were trying not to let the cold get the better of us and were wishing there were blankets to wrap ourselves up in, when what to our wandering eyes should appear?  Other movie-goers carrying BA blankets and headphones!!! Turns out, we had to show our tickets to the booth at the back to collect our “boarding passes”, headsets and blanket!!  Good thing we figured that out BEFORE the movie started or we’d be quite confused and feeling very ripped off 🙂

Boarding pass, blanket and headphones for our in flight entertainment!

What was also pretty great about the outdoor cinema was you could buy burgers and chips (wish we had known about that before scarfing down Mcd’s) and of course there was a bar as well! I don’t think any events in London take place without giving people the opportunity to purchase alcoholic beverages!

With the dark clouds still looming, the movie started and our headphones kicked with with that famous opening song, “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes.  We were extremely lucky to not have the skies open up and it was pretty cool to watch the movie outdoors while planes flew overhead.  It was cold even with blankets but that didn’t dampen our spirits!!!  A little word of advice for those planning to watch any of the Outdoor Movies: BRING WARM CLOTHES, WEAR A ONESIE, OR BRING YOUR SNUGGIE!  One thing I’m quickly learning in London is no matter how warm it may be during the day,  it gets extremely cold at night!  So the Spring jacket you wore during the day to check out the markets, is definitely not suitable for a night out on the town later!

The one downfall about watching the movie wearing headphones is it took away from the experience of watching this classic with fellow dirty dancing fans who can also recite every line of the movie! The only time I really noticed any audience participation was at the end when a few brave souls started singing “I’ve Had the Time Of My Life”.   Had this have been a silent disco and had I had a few drinks in me, i MAY have started singing.  But I had no liquid courage in me so instead sat there grinning from ear to ear as Baby ran into Johnny’s arms for the perfect lift! ahhhhhhhh how I love this part! 🙂

🙂 The BEST part of the movie 🙂

Although it was cold, and the headphones a little isolating, I think this got me even more pumped up for the Dirty Dancing sing-a-long happening at the Prince Charles theatre next month! And what will be even more awesome about that night will be that my friend Naomi will be in town from Vancouver who also loves the movie 🙂 Shenanigans are on the horizon and I can’t wait!!

After the movie ended, we all quickly handed back our BA gear and headed back towards Peckham Rye station.  And a LONG wait to get back into town!!

Not sure I’ll be headed to another outdoor movie at this location but I’m definitely glad to have checked it out and would definitely check out the outdoor cinemas happening in other locations throughout London! Although I may wait until the weather gets a tad bit warmer 🙂

Thanks as always for reading!

Krismas x

 

 

Cruising Down the Thames and a Day Out in Greenwich

Happy Thursday! The tube strike is over (until next week) and it’s T-1 day until the long weekend! Since it’s a rainy evening and my parents and brother come back into town tomorrow (they are currently making CJ’s Beatlemania dreams come true over in Liverpool) before heading home to Vancouver on Monday, I thought it would be a great time to get back into writing about the many adventures that we have been on since my family have come to visit! I’m feeling a little out of practice writing again, so bear with me 🙂

On the Saturday of the Easter long weekend, we headed out to Greenwich for the day to do some exploring and get away from the massive crowds that were dominating the streets of downtown London.  Our mission:  a cruise down the Thames, lunch in a cute pub, and soaking in some history and some sun! While it wasn’t warm, the sun was shining that day and we accomplished everything we had set out to do!

To anyone wanting to head out to Greenwich or Canary Wharf and aren’t short on time, I highly recommend taking the Thames Clipper down the river for a scenic tour of London instead of cramming onto the tube, and DLR out in that direction.  While it may take longer, the sights are breathtaking, there’s seats to sit on, AND there’s coffee, and beer if you so feel like it!

With an unobstructed view of Westminster from the dock, to passing under Tower Bridge, and a  sea level view of Traitor’s Gate, a cruise down the Thames on the Clipper was a bargain at £6.80, AND you get a 10% discount with your Oyster card!! I’m not too sure what bells and whistles you get on the other river cruises operating in the same area, as when we went to ask one of them about what the difference was, they really couldn’t tell us and didn’t seem like they wanted to sell us tickets, which was a good thing since they were £14 EACH!

My Favourite View

Heading towards Tower Bridge

Just About to Go Under

The Shard

I got my swim trunks, and my flippyfloppies

Traitors Gate

After our 45 minute journey, we disembarked in Greenwich.  First stop, the Cutty Sark!  My outdated London guidebook must have been published right before prices skyrocketed!  The book said tickets were £5.00 but when we got there, £13.50!  As awesome as I’m sure it is, I think I got the gist of it by walking around the outside.  So after a quick trip around the gift shop and peeking through the glass to look at the bottom of the boat, we were on our way to find some lunch!

Cutty Sark – Bottom View 🙂

Cutty Sark – Top View 🙂

Bellies full from tasty pub grub and a pint, it was time to check out the Maritime Museum.   The building itself is a work of art, as well as the lush green space surrounding it!

The reason I wanted to go to the Maritime Museum was because I had read that there were some items from the Titanic.  I searched high and low in that museum and did not find these items.  That’s not to say the museum was disappointing, I’m just not a huge fan of Maritime Museums; however, I was impressed by the sizes of the Figureheads that were taken from the bows of different ships.

I kept trying to imagine what the figureheads would have looked like on a ship and loved seeing the wear and tear caused by the salty ocean water crashing against the ship as it sailed through the seas! Yes, I am a geek 🙂

After the museum, we walked up to the Royal Observatory in the hopes of seeing the Prime Meridian but unfortunately it was just closing as we walked up.   So instead we enjoyed the views from the top of the hill! And what spectacular views they were!

After a busy day, it was back on the DLR and Tube (per CJ’s request :)) into the city for some tea and cakes, and then back to the hotel for the family and home to bed for me 🙂 Definitely looking forward to exploring Greenwich some more, especially after reading that it was popular with the Tudor Family AND Henry VIII was born in Greenwich! Next time I will be taking a visit of the Queen’s House and The Royal Navy College!!

Butterbeers, Whispering Galleries, and a Tube Strike, OH MY!

Reunited and it feels so good! 🙂

Sorry for not posting in a few weeks but it’s been a busy time with my family in town visiting from Vancouver YAY!! It has been great having them here and will be very sad to see them leave on Monday! But with that, work, planning trips and other randomness that has been occupying my time and head space in the past little while, finding time to sit at my laptop and write  have unfortunately been pushed to the backburner.  Which is frustrating me because there are so many blog posts I want to write, and so little time to write them at the moment! So for now I’ll do a quick recap and hopefully be able to write full stories on each in the near future!  And it will help me actually remember what I did that was worthy of writing about!

Tour Guide duties aside, I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely tube strike we’ve been having the past few days :S For those not in London, we are on day 2 of a 3 day tube strike which means longer commutes and shorter fuses by everyone involved.  I don’t understand how inconveniencing the people who you want to be supporting you accomplishes anything.

I do feel bad that people will potentially be losing their jobs because it must be scary and upsetting to have been in a job for years and all of a sudden be looking for a new one, and I can sympathise with how hard it is to find a job in this city, but by making people commute for an extra hour or two each day due to limited or no service on a lot of the underground lines to prove a point, only creates frustrated, angry and blurry eyed commuters who are half asleep when they get to their main method of transportation and completely asleep on their commute home.

And with safety concerns being a part of the union’s bargaining tactics, having hundreds of commuters jammed onto a platform on the brink of being pushed onto the track, doesn’t really make me think that our safety is really at the forefront of their concerns.

Anyhow, that’s enough of my rant 🙂

Transit strikes aside, I have so many awesome things that have happened over the past couple of weeks! The best thing about having family in town is being able to do all the touristy things and forget that I actually do live here, until Monday mornings roll around and it’s back to work time 🙂

Some of the highlights from my family’s trip so far that I’m HOPING to write  posts about in the near future are:

•  A day out in Greenwich including a trip to the Maritime Museum and a ride on the Thames Clipper!  Possibly one of my new favorite neighbourhoods!
• The Natural History Museum.  For some reason I always get drawn to the Dodo birds…. I must have been one in a previous life.. or still kind of am one 😉
• St. Paul’s Cathedral and the whispering gallery, YES! I walked up all those stairs, and what an amazing view from the top!
• The Harry Potter Studio Tour part deux! Just as good the 2nd time round,  and I think they’ve perfected the Butterbeer since the last time I was there!
• Where to find a semi-decent facsimile to my beloved Double Double from Tim Horton’s.  Definitely deserves a spot on the highlights list!
• My first Prince Charles cinema experience watching “The Room” which I am still completely confused by. This wasn’t with the family but still deserves a write up anyway due to it being so bizarre!
• And the BEST Sunday Roast I’ve had since being here, and it just so happens it was in my neighbourhood pub!!! I know where I’ll be spending future Sunday’s to come!

This list is going to keep expanding if I don’t get on the blog posts soon!!  But for now, it’s to bed to rest since it’ll be another early start in the morning to battle the crowds. HEAD DOWN, ELBOWS UP and don’t forget to tap in and tap out 😉

Good night London!

Krismas x

Hello…Is it tea you’re looking for? The Expectations vs. Reality of moving to London according to BuzzFeed

Good evening!

So it’s been a bit since I’ve posted, not because I haven’t wanted to but mostly because I’ve been busy enjoying London life and because I’ve lacked writing inspiration for the past week.  Maybe it’s writer’s block? Although I wouldn’t really call myself a writer so it can’t be that!  I’ve gone to see Swan Lake this past week as well as had a lovely day out in Greenwich visiting friends and watching the London Marathon, (blog posts coming soon) but tonight’s blog post is about the expectations vs. reality of living in London after you move.

Sorry, this post has nothing to do with tea, I just bought an awesome new mug which I got in the mail today and it features Lionel Richie’s face with the caption “hello… is it tea you’re looking for?” underneath and I’m sorry but I can’t get enough of it!! And now I constantly have that song in my head.. which hopefully.. now you do too 😉

The inspiration for this post comes from my recent obsession with Buzzfeed.  I’d occasionally see a Buzzfeed article in my Facebook feed back in Vancouver, but since moving here I seem to have more Buzzfeed posts than anything else clogging up my daily FB news screen. And I get hooked onto every single one! I don’t know how many random quizzes I’ve taken to find out how geeky I am, how proficient I am in 80’s movie trivia, and how metal my monthly flow is.. yes I took that one…and No i am not sharing the answer..

This newfound Buzzfeed obsession reminded me of an article that an old co-worker had sent me after telling them I was moving to London.  I’m not sure if it was sent to discourage me from going, or to keep my expectations low.  The article was titled “Moving to London, Expectations vs. Reality”, so I thought it might be interesting to revisit this article and see whether Buzzfeed’s “reality”, match my reality after being here for 6 months.

1. Expectation: Your contract says 9 – 5 BuzzFeed Reality: You stay until the work is done. And the work is never done. My Reality:  My contract actually says 8:30 – 6:00 and those are the exact hours I work, no more, no less.  So I’d have to say while yes, there is always work to be done, I am lucky enough to work for a company that recognizes the need for work/ life balance and is more than accommodating when needing to leave work early or take days off.  So my reality is better than the expectation in this case! Buzzfeed: 0 Me: 1
2. Expectation: You’ll work hard but play hard. You’re in the nightlife capital of Europe BuzzFeed Reality: You’re just too tired. Maybe next week… My Reality: I am in London! So therefore, I make a point of going out during the week and on weekends to enjoy the nightlife this city has to offer! While I am not out until 3 am on a weeknight drinking and dancing, i AM out seeing shows and concerts, going to pubs to meet up with friends, and generally saying yes to whatever adventures await, regardless of the day of week. Buzzfeed: 0 Me: 1
3. Expectation: There are 6 million people – meeting the love of your life should be easy BuzzFeed Reality: People can’t stop telling you about their friend’s online dating success. Eventually you give in. My Reality:  Ugh.. so this one is truer than I care to admit, and as awesome as it is for everyone who has friend’s of friend’s of friend’s that have been successful in the online dating scene, I find it to be as depressing as it was back in Vancouver. So my motto is “it will happen when it happens” and I’d much rather be out experiencing London by trying new things and joining different groups than sitting in front of a computer scouring the internet for potential mates. Buzzfeed: 1 Me: 0
4. Expectation: You will spend your weekends looking around the markets BuzzFeed Reality: You spend your weekends trying to get over Friday night drinks My Reality: While I have had one or two Saturday’s or Sunday’s recovering from a few too many the night before, I have actually made it to Spitalfields, Brick Lane, and most recently the Greenwich markets.  And if I’m not going to a market, the majority of my Saturday’s and Sunday’s as of late have been out in the sun, trying out new places.  So BuzzFeed gets a fail on this one 🙂 Buzzfeed: 0 Me: 1
5. Expectation: You’ll go home and visit friends and family all the time BuzzFeed Reality: You won’t even leave Zone 2, let alone leave London My Reality: This is an unfair one at the moment because I have only been here 6 months.  Had I gone home at Christmas, I probably wouldn’t have come back and for me, I think it was important that I didn’t go back to visit after only a few months.  Also, it’s WAY more fun to have people come visit me!!! I get to be a tour guide for once, IN LONDON!!!  And I’m lucky enough to have not only my family coming to visit in 3 days, but another good friend coming in June and a rendezvous in Paris in September with another great friend!!! So why go back to Vancouver, when people can come out this way?? I’ll get back to everyone on this Reality in a year.  I am hoping to get back to Vancouver for a visit at Christmas time depending on flight prices! Buzzfeed: 1 Me: 1
6. Expectation: Yes things are expensive, but surely that means you earn more money BuzzFeed Reality: You don’t My Reality: I don’t. Not even close, not even after exchange rates.  BUT i’m in a city I love, and while I don’t have the option of going on shopping sprees the same way I used to, I do have the option of cheaper travel to a lot more countries than I had back home.  And for me, that is much more important than my monthly trips to HomeSense to buy yet ANOTHER storage box or picture frame.
   Buzzfeed: 1 Me: 0
7. Expectation: You’ll spend your nights in the coolest bars and clubs London has to offer BuzzFeed Reality: Not so much My Reality: Not being much of a club goer anymore, this one is pretty irrelevant.  However, I have been to pubs that used to be frequented by Charles Dickens, I’ve been to a super cute loungey type place with cute cakes and paper cranes on the ceiling, and I’ve even been lucky enough to go to a party on a boat! So it’s not like you can’t go to these places if you really want to!
   Buzzfeed: 0 Me: 1
8. Expectation: You’ll live in a cool spacious flat near your friends BuzzFeed Reality: You live somewhere so small and far from everything you wonder whether you should have stayed at home My Reality: So NOT true! I live in a really spacious flat with two awesome roommates, and my kitchen here is much larger than the one I had at home! I may not live near my friends but it’s nothing a short bus and tube ride won’t fix! In this city I think you learn to love the fact that you don’t go to your friends house to hang out in the same way you would at home. If you’re meeting up with friends, you’re going out and meeting somewhere central.  And the beauty of that is always trying out new places or finding your “local” that you keep wanting to go back to!!
   Buzzfeed: 0 Me: 1
9. Expectation: You’ll make the most of the musicals and plays the west end has to offer BuzzFeed Reality: Yeah Good luck with that My Reality:  I’ve seen Billy Elliott and Swan Lake since being here as well as gone to see a Christmas concert at Royal Albert Hall, a New Years Eve Prodigy concert at the 02, Chvrches at Scala, and The Beards at a pub in Soho.  I’d say that’s not too bad considering that works out to 1 show a month! Buzzfeed: 0 Me: 1
10. Expectation: You’ll bypass public transport with a casual bike ride to work. BuzzFeed Reality: You’d rather pay for the tube than put your life in the hands of London drivers My Reality: Ha ha ha.. me?? bikeride?? to work?? I wouldn’t even bikeride to work at home.. that would NEVER be my expectation! Maybe one day I’ll be able to walk to work, but bike ride?? no thanks!
    BuzzFeed: 1
    Me: 0 (but really it should be tied because I wouldn’t bike to work no matter where I lived)
11. Expectation: You’ll see your best friend who already lives there all the time. BuzzFeed Reality: Somehow you see them less than you did before. My Reality:  Didn’t have a best friend that already lived here SOOOO can’t really comment…but I can say that the friends I’ve made since being here I see regularly.
    BuzzFeed: 0
    Me: 1
12. Expectation: You’ll visit all the tourist attractions and take in the city’s unique culture. BuzzFeed Reality: You refuse to leave the house at weekends to avoid encountering tourists. My Reality: um… no.. I am ALWAYS up for visiting tourist attractions!!! Museums, walking along the Thames, taking the obligatory Harry Potter picture at Kings Cross.  I am a tourist at heart (aside from being a slow walker), and I will always enjoy visiting the places in London that I grew up watching on TV and in movies!! It never gets old!
    BuzzFeed: 0
    Me: 1
13. Expectation: You can get anywhere in no time thanks to the world-famous London Underground. BuzzFeed Reality: Please use the rail replacement bus service My Reality: Maybe I’ve just been lucky but the most service disruptions I’ve seen have been trying to use the Overground which always seems to be delayed so I only use it if absolutely necessary.  Other than that, it has been smooth sailing, even during the transit strike 🙂
    BuzzFeed: 0
    Me: 1
14. Expectation: London is home to some of the coolest pop up restaurants in the world BuzzFeed Reality: They don’t take reservations so you queue for hours My Reality: I don’t wait in line for a restaurant unless it’s a 10 minute wait or less.  If it’s longer, I move on to the next restaurant without a line that most likely serves the same quality of food at a cheaper price.  It’s like Stepho’s in Vancouver. Why people wait an hour in line when there is an equally as good if not better greek restaurant 3 doors down that’s CHEAPER!!!! it’s Greek food.. you can’t really go wrong with Greek Food!
    BuzzFeed: 1
    Me: 0 (again, only because I don’t do lineups or pop up restaurants)
15. Expectation: You’ll go to the gym every night after work BuzzFeed Reality: You go to the pub every night after work My Reality: A combination of the two.  I have to go to the gym after work in order to justify going to the pub other nights of the week 🙂 It’s all about the happy medium 😉
    BuzzFeed: 1
    Me: 1 (because I do both!)
16. Expectation: You’ll live there for 5 years before moving back home for a quieter life BuzzFeed Reality: You’ll never leave My Reality: I hope BuzzFeed is right because I have no intention of leaving 🙂 I love it here and hope to call this city home for a good long while!!! Long after my 5 year VISA runs out!!
    BuzzFeed: 1
    Me: 1

Totals:  BuzzFeed: 7  Me: 12

Verdict: While BuzzFeed does make a good argument in some of these examples, the overall message is that London is what you make it to be! You can choose to move to London and act the same way you would at home, having quiet weeknight evenings in, and avoiding touristy areas, OR you can experience London for all the reasons you came here and enjoy it!!! 🙂 Yes, London is expensive, and crowded, and your days of getting around by car are numbered… BUT for every not so awesome thing about London, there are about 100 awesome things to make up for it! So after six months.. my love for this city seems to keep getting stronger! I may be poor money-wise, but I feel like the richest person in the world right now with all the many things I have to be thankful for at the moment! I have no complaints.. and with only 3 more sleeps until my parents and baby brother get here, I’d have to say Life just keeps getting better!! I am SO excited to make the journey out to Heathrow on Thursday to greet them at the airport! Pretty sure a few happy tears will be shed by me since i’m a bit of a sap when it comes to airport reunions (the opening and closing sequences to Love Actually get me EVERY..SINGLE..TIME). Anyhow.. it’s bedtime for this Londoner. Goodnight! Krismas x

If I see A&W rootbeer in London… I WILL order it! My first Byron Burger and a Pillowfight!

The National Gallery behind a sea of feathers

As part of my ongoing “say yes to everything” mentality here in London, I participated in a gigantic pillow fight in Trafalgar square yesterday! Definitely not something you see or hear about every day so when I was sent the Facebook link and asked if I wanted to go, it was a no brainer! It’s not every day you can hit random strangers in the face with a pillow and have them laugh and hit you right back 🙂

Before heading to the pillow fight I met up with a couple friends for my first Byron Burger experience!! Hamburgers can be hit or miss here in London, but I kept hearing rave reviews about Byron and how awesome their burgers taste compared to some of the other “gourmet” burger joints in this town.  “Proper hamburgers” is their tag line and being a north american who has had plenty a hamburger in her lifetime, I was excited to see if this stood true. Especially after having the Boom Burger a couple weekends ago!

The Byron Meal, Cheese Burger, Onion Rings and RootBeer

We went to the Byron Burger near Leicester Square on Charing Cross Road (again, spirit of the west goes through my head) which was extremely colourful and reminded me of a crayon box.   We beat the lunch rush which was awesome and were able to get a table straight away.  First thing I saw on the menu? A&W rootbeer!!! Instantly I knew, this would be a hit! It is impossible for me to see A&W rootbeer on a menu here, and NOT order it. It reminds me of home, and to be honest, it’s THE BEST root beer there is in my opinion.  And it came in an icy glass!! Perfect! I was so tempted to spend the extra 50p and get the rootbeer float but will save that for next time! Because there WILL BE a next time!

Just like home

The burger itself was pretty awesome.  It was juicy and delicious, but pink on the inside! Growing up where a pink burger was not good news, it was hard for me to eat it and not think about it possibly killing me later on in the day.. but as this is their “thing” and all their burgers are cooked medium instead of well done, I took a chance and all was fine!  I also ordered their onion rings which if I’m going to be perfectly honest, I loved the crispyness but it lacked onion! It was mostly batter and oil to the point where my fingers were almost dripping in oil while I ate them. I think next time i will try the courgette fries (zucchini fries) as I’ve heard those are pretty amazing!

Yes.. I ate this whole thing!

I didn’t think I could fit much more in my stomach after the burger and onion rings, but i also forced down a Banoffee Mess, a banna, whipped cream, cookie and carmel concoction that looked a little intimidating at first, but I managed to polish that off in no time! Good thing I would be working off that massive lunch at the pillow fight!

After paying our bills (20 pounds for burger, onion rings, a&w rootbeer and dessert, a little pricey I have to say), it was time to head to Trafalgar Square for the massive pillow fight! As we walked down Charing Cross and rounded the corner to the front of the National Gallery we were greeted by a sea of pillows, and even more spectators with their cameras ready to take pictures of this annual event.

We quickly put our pyjama bottoms on (over our pants) and joined the crowd, completely not knowing what to expect.  Were we going to be trampled? Were we going to walk out of there in one piece? Only time would tell!

The pillow fight band started playing, people were ripping open pillows and letting the feathers fly, and soon they were counting down to the start of the madness! It was hard not to scream “happy new year” as they got down to 1, but that’s a different day…

So the first five minutes of the pillow fight I think we were all laughing too hard to actually swing our pillows at anyone’s heads.  My stomach was literally aching from laughing and trying to get my hands above my head to actually get a pillow ready to be tossed at someone was a difficult feat.   But as people got more and more into it, soon pillows were coming from all directions and I was trying to hit people back. It was quite a lot of fun for about 20 minutes or so until the first round ended.  We were all walking in a sea of feathers and everyone was in such a great mood and so friendly, even though we were all hitting each other.. it’s impossible to get angry in a pillow fight! It was fun to see the kids on their dad’s heads getting into the action as well and hitting people from up above.  How fun it must be for kids to see all us “adults” participating in what’s generally a kid’s activity and probably something most of us haven’t done since slumber parties as a child!

As they started the counted down for round 2, the novelty had worn off and it was time for us to become adults again and head to the nearest pub for a pint.  We earned it!

Off to Waxy O’Connor’s, London’s biggest Irish Bar, just off from Piccadilly Circus.  With a gigantic tree going right through the middle of it Waxy’s is a labyrinth of little areas of tables, bars, and nooks to hide away in.  Luckily we found an empty table and sat down for a couple drinks before heading home.  The music was great! And some more plans for a future road trip around England and/ or Scotland ensued.   Being from Canada and Australia, we are all used to our yearly summer road trips. For me it was up to Kelowna, or Prince George.  I definitely miss driving up to Kelowna in the summer and seeing the first glimpse of Lake Okanagan as I drove down the highway.  Maybe next summer I’ll be back to do that again…. Or I’ll find somewhere equally as beautiful here to drive to.

The next challenge will be attempting to drive on the other side of the road over here.  Will have to add that to the always expanding list of things to do here as I continue to settle into life as a Londoner.  I also signed up for my first online class this morning.  A free writing class through coursera.org.  Hopefully that will help improve my writing skills on my blog. I know I’m not much of a writer and my blog posts tend to come out as verbal diarrhea as I quickly jot down my thoughts on the page.  So hopefully this online course will help me organize my thoughts a little better so my posts are a little more concise. Fingers crossed anyways!

Another weekend winding down and cookies baking in the oven for the week 🙂 I definitely miss my kitchen aid while baking here.. which is probably why I don’t bake half as often as I used to. One day hopefully I can afford to a) ship my shiny red Kitchenaid from home or b) buy one here.  Although the red one has sentimental value so I’m hoping option A becomes a possibility.

Until next time!

Krismas x

Have you tried turning it off and back on again… I was in the same room as Moss!! (aka Richard Ayoade!)

Ok so one of my dreams came true this week.. I was in the same room as Richard Ayoade!!! So maybe it wasn’t a huge dream and maybe this really doesn’t mean much to most, but I’ve  had an unhealthy geek crush on him since I became obsessed with the IT crowd early last year.

This past Tuesday, I not only got to watch the latest film he directed, The Double, but I also got to stay for a Q&A session that was held after the film where Richard Ayoade answered questions from the audience!! Needless to say, I was grinning from ear to ear before and after the event! And I’m still smiling every time I think about it! Only in London would I get to experience this!

I randomly got into the IT crowd one day when I was home sick from work and Netflix on my IPad was my only option for entertainment… hello netflix marathon!! As is what normally happens when watching a series on Netflix, I was able to watch all 4 seasons in a matter of days!  My favorite episode was where Roy (Chris O’Dowd) is dating a girl whose parents tragically died in a fire at a Seaparks.  Being from Canada, I have no idea what a Seaparks was but Roy’s determination in trying to figure out how a fire could possibly start in a park surrounded by water was incredibly funny!

So after finishing season after season of the IT crowd I was determined to find out more about the guy who played Moss.  I found out that not only is he an actor, but he had also directed music videos for the Arctic Monkeys and had directed a film called Submarine.  I still have to watch the entire movie. I also found out he is happily married which just goes to show that nice, intelligent, geeky, guys can also get the girl! Now… to try and find out where in London these guys hang out…. hmm…

Anyhow, fast forward a year later to March, when my flatmate had gotten a package from BFI and I saw that they were going to be showing a film directed by him followed by a Q&A! I couldn’t believe it!! We quickly decided that we were going to be in the audience of that show!! And my super awesome flat mate was able to snag the last 3 seats!! Meant to be? I think so!

I could hardly contain my excitement during dinner Tuesday evening, and was trying very hard not to keep checking the time to make sure that we wouldn’t be late for the show and potentially miss it.. We had plenty of time, I just like to worry about things I don’t need to worry about 🙂

Finally, it was time for the film!  And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  I’m generally not a fan of dark comedies or “artsy” films.  Not because they aren’t great films, but I generally have a hard time watching depressing movies or reading depressing books without feeling a little blue for days after and prefer to watch things that keep my spirits up and provide a happy escape from the world.

The Double is about a young man who is a glass is half empty or completely empty type of guy. He doesn’t stand up for himself when it comes to his job, his mother, or the girl he’s (not so) secretly in love with.  Enter his doppelgänger who is the complete opposite.  Self-assured, outgoing and not afraid to say what he wants and when he wants it.  And also not afraid to take charge and get the girl.  It was an interesting concept in that,  normally you would feel bad for the main character and be rooting for him to get the girl and the promotion but what you really felt was annoyance that he allowed this guy to walk all over him and constantly play the victim.

It’s a trap I think a lot of us fall into from time to time.  It’s so easy to blame others or our circumstances for what’s happened to us or not happened to us.  But the reality is that the way you live your life and the “good or bad luck” generated is ultimately created by you and your mindset.  Unfortunate things happen to everyone but it’s how you choose to handle it that builds character. I know I used to blame a LOT of my unhappiness on other people, circumstances, or just “bad luck”.  It wasn’t until I dealt with my own insecurities and lack of confidence that I realized that it is no one’s job to make me happy, and until I was happy with myself and who I am, no one would have ever succeeded in making me happy anyway… it was a no win situation for everyone involved.

Anyhow, without giving away too much of the storyline, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the film and how even 2 days after watching it now, it’s still making me think about it’s underlying message.

As Richard Ayoade made his way onto the stage after the film, I honestly felt like I was dreaming because here I am, sitting in a theatre in London, watching one of my favorite British personalities sit down and speak about his new film, like it was just a normal every day thing.  Craziness!!!

Although the questions from the audience were pretty generic, Richard Ayoade answered each one in his usual self-deprecating style.  He has to be one of the most humble and soft-spoken “celebrities”, who doesn’t seem to like taking credit for his amazing work, but rather makes it seem like directing the film  was a breeze because of the talent he had to work with.   After an hour (that seemed like 20 minutes) of answering questions,  the Q&A session wrapped up and it was off to the tube for the long journey home. But not before seeing Noel Fielding,  Richard’s IT crowd co-star, walk out of the theatre.  AWESOME!

All in all a pretty amazing night!! And although I was exhausted the next morning, it was well worth it!

And tomorrow I am off to Trafalgar Square to participate in what is aiming to be the world’s largest pillow fight! Pretty excited, but also hoping I don’t come home covered in feathers, or a concussion from some overzealous pillow fight participants!

Good night London and as always,  thank you for reading!

Krismas x