Adventures in London: Issue 31

This week started in NYC (actually it started in West Virginia, but I already covered that last week). Like my past 2 trips to NYC, the trip was bittersweet. My favorite and least favorite part about going home is seeing my nephew. He has a smile, a laugh, and a touch that can melt the iciest of hearts. He is turning into such a gem of a man. I thought that I was picking the right time to go to London - figured I would be back when he was 4 and things would be okay. What could I possibly miss from years 1-4? Apparently all the magic. These are precious years where he starts becoming his own person. When he starts to forge relationships, communicate with people in his language and in ours. This is when he discovers what foods he likes and dislikes. This is his beginning of discovering the world, and I am missing it. But to be fair and honest, how much would I have seen if I lived in NYC? Would I have seen him every week (well almost every week)? Probably not. The truth is, when I lived in NYC I was too engrossed in living my own life that I did not focus spending time with my family. If nothing else, moving away has given me that one bit of clarity. 

Perhaps if I did spend more time at 10 Park, I would have realized just how very similar my brother and I are. For the 4 1/2 years that I lived in NYC, I was too stuck on how we nothing in common. We shared the same last name and genes, but I was the jeans wearing media chic and he was the suit wearing investment banker. When I was home, him and I were able to spend some time together during which I realized that we actually had so many things in common; the color coding of our closets, the layout of our drawers, our reading cycles (educational - fiction - hobby - repeat), our love for chili (dammit!! that is what I forgot to buy when I was home), and the fact that we both store our pens between the 2nd and 3rd button of our shirts.  If you promise not to tell him, I will tell you a secret, ever since I was a kid I wanted to be like my big brother - make people laugh like he did, dance like he did, run as fast as he did. We are very different people, but I am glad that we are also very much the same. We will always be our own people and I am sure we will continue to quarrel, but at the end of it all - he is my brother. 

Immediately after getting back from NYC, I had family friends from Long Island in town for the weekend. It was such a pleasure to spend time with them. Normally when we have the chance to see each other it is for a family gathering, so this was the first time that we had the opportunity spend some quality time together. I am so pleased that we did. A, I am so happy that you came and THANK YOU for everything that weekend (especially for introducing to UFC)! Yes you heard that right. I went to my first UFC fight and I definitely got into it. In fact, I am planning on throwing a party on 19 April for the next UFC fight showing at a reasonable time here. I also learned this past weekend that finding a restaurant that is serving after 11:00p is a nightmare, that the uncensored MTV shows are much better, that if you go to a restaurant that specializes in Argentinean beef don't order gnocchi, that pudding is a term for dessert, and a few other things that I should probably not share on this blog as family is reading :-)

On that note, I am off to fold socks and go to bed. Only 2 more sleeps until my ski trip to Austria. Cannot recall the last time I went on a 10 day holiday...probably dates back to Nisky days (that is just sad). It is going to be brutally cold, but I am looking forward to a week of saunas,  snowboarding (yes I am thinking of taking lessons), relaxing, snowshoeing, reading, x-c skiing, and recharging. 

Speak to you all in 2 weeks! Try not to miss me next weekend ;-) Feel free to write anyway...

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 30

I am flying back on the re-eye flight back to good ole London. I should be sleeping and after the weekend holiday that I just had in West Virginia -- I definitely should be sleeping. Yet, I cannot fall asleep thanks to the screaming baby in front of me. I figured since I did not have a chance to blog on Sunday, I would "blog" now on the BA beverage napkin. Old school I know, but I am hoping that once I've written about my "latest adventure" I'll be able to get some shut eye (otherwise works is going be rather unpleasant). 

This week has been lovely. For starters (and by no means the highlight of the week), on Wednesday we had another pub quiz night at the work bar. Our team thankfully, defended our title by winning again. This time rather than winning "fine" sparkling wine, there were a collection of prizes - one of which was an iPod nano. It was just the treat that I needed before leaving for holiday and more importantly it reminded me that things workout for the best. All week I had been thinking about buying an iPod for the NYC-to-WVA roadtrip. Given the "credit crunch", I decided to be wise and make old school CDs for the 14hr journey. I loose it from time to time, but having faith and believing in things is a powerful and freeing thing sometimes. 

Speaking of believing in things. While I was home, I got the chance to catch up with a friend of mine that I had not seen or really spoken to since I moved to London. It is sad what can happen when people fail to communicate with one another.  You may not mean to, but your actions can always be misread. So even if you have the best intentions and mean no harm or disrespect, if the opposite person doesn't see it then it doesn't matter - perception is critical. I am generally a very trusting person (to my own detriment sometimes), but with my move to London I started to question the relationships I had with the people close to me. I never should have..I never should have questioned my friends or needed any confirmation of our friendship or why they were in my life. All I can say now is that I am truly sorry and I am thankful that we are friends again too. It was a pleasure seeing you dear and I hope this state of mind for you does not fade like your tan will. Aloha kakou (probably said that wrong)...xxx

On the flip side, there are other things that I have not questioned since moving - my girls.  I don't speak to them nearly as much as I did when I lived in NYC, I don't see them every week, they are no longer in my photos nor am I in theirs, but I never questioned where I stood with them. I do not need confirmation (though an email response from time to time would be nice) that things are just as I left them. No matter the distance or the time in between, something things will always be. 

On that note, President's Day weekend marked the 3rd annual ski trip in West Virginia.  It was a lovely weekend of meatloaf, baked ziti, pancakes, snow tubing, bloody marys, running, 3-man, reading, movies....all the typical events of a long weekend at the WVA cabin. It was lovely to not only catch-up with my NYC girls, but to see the rest of the WVA family that travelled in from Maryland and PA for the weekend. It was supposed to be a long weekend, but it went by in a flash. Because of the time difference, I spent a lot of my hours reading, watching movies, running and staring at the blazing fire while the rest of the house slept (the joys of having your mornings on UK time and your nights on London time). When the house was awake, I became a zombie. That said, I had a blast and I am so very pleased that I went back for the weekend. To my "Everything Girl" thank you for arranging such a lovely get-a-way weekend. It was a sincere delight to see you and everyone else. Cannot wait until next year - I will make sure that DJ curry makes enough playlists for the ride back too! 

I should write more, but I am off to make some mac n cheese!! Will write about the rest of the trip in the next blog ;-) 

To my many friends on this list expecting...I send you an extra kiss and hug! 

Adventures in London: Issues 20-29

Below is the recap from weeks 20-29. Seems like a while ago and yet it feels like just yesterday. I have another interesting, yet fitting song choice for this entry. As lovely as the 10 weeks summarized in this video, they also marked the time when I felt utterly home sick. The song is called "Get me through December" by Allison Krauss & Union Station. I absolutely love Allison's voice and this song is an extremely moving and telling song. "Faith can move mountains...of that I am sure" :-)

Hope you enjoy the video. Miss you! xx

Adventures in London: Issue 29

On Monday London was covered in 8 inches of white fluffy joyful snow! I know what you are thinking, "8 inches, that is nothing". Well for a city that is not accustom to snowfall and find 2-3 inches of snow remarkable, 8 inches was enough to bring the city to a literal standstill. It was the first time in nearly 18 years that London had seen so much snow and it was quite the site to see how unprepared the city was. I was rather pleased to be around for this as Xavier and I enjoyed playing in the snow!!

I don't know if it was the "snow day", the sound of kids laughing in the streets, or what, but seeing the blanket of snow on the ground finally made London feel like home. It was the perfect ending to my "me weekend". I don't think it comes to any surprise that these past 6 months have been a roller-coaster of emotions. A friend back in NYC once compared my move and the stages that I would go through emotionally with the "5 stages of grief": denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When I first moved here, I was certainly in denial of the situation. However, once I moved into my flat and with my box of photography and painting lost, the "depression" certainly kicked in. That lasted for a while, but once I started traveling and had friends come to visit, the bargaining started to take over. Sadly, a couple weeks ago the anger kicked in. I normally not a outwardly angry person, but I do have my moments. My 2 brothers will be the first to tell you that when I do get angry I am most the most mature individual and will pout like a 6 year old.  I owe a sincere apology to those closest to me here as I became the worst version of myself for a bit. I am pleased to say that the "Tini" that you all know and love is back.  

My mom used to wish that I would go back to being that girl that I was when I was 10 - after all if I was going to insist on wearing boots from that age, then I should embody that free-soul spirit. With this move I feel like I have found that side of me: the one that did not let a broken leg stand in the way of square dancing, the one that danced to her own tune, the one who had a subtle sense of confidence and determination. With this move, I have also retreated to the introverted side of me: the side that does not like crowded places, the side that just reads her book in the tube rather than sparking conversation, the side that is often quite at the dinner table....a side that many of you probably never knew existed :-) The important thing is to not to allow your Achilles heel to be your demise. 

The rest of the week has been utterly delightful. On Wednesday I had my first overnight trip to Manchester for a client meeting on Thursday. There are a lot of things that I have learned through this experience, client and project; one of which is that I do not have a karaoke song :-( The meeting went brilliantly and certainly made all the hard work leading to it seem well worth it. It is amazing how a slight turn in events can change the course of the wind. The rest of the week was spent with dear friends celebrating birthdays, memories, the six nations, belgian beers, detectives, and traditions. It is good to be back! 

On that note, I am going to go. I cannot wait to come home to catch up with my girls on our "14-hr" roadtrip to West Virginia. I am working on our CD mixes - leave it to me to take them to a whole new level. Speaking of, I am not going to be able to update the blog until I return back to London. It is going to be a hectic/fun-filled couple of weeks which brings smiles to my face. Will certainly have plenty to write about, and will do my best to update the blog (will be out of town 3 of the next 4 weeks). 

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 28

Believe it or not, but I celebrated my 6 mos anniversary in London this week. I have not been in the most festive of moods and I must apologize for my "25% down, 75% comment". The honest truth is as tough of a week as it may have been, it also put things in perspective for me. I did not move here to kill myself at work (sorry). I made this move to grow, to learn, to experience new things and most importantly to live life. I am not going to accomplish that by staying in the office all day and taking my project personally. I'm not a brain surgeon and this is not rocket science (even if matching CPAs feels like a mad science experiment at times).  

With that said, I decided to have a "Tini" weekend; i opted out of girl's night on Saturday and the Superbowl party tonight (I know this is more of a punishment to me as I am missing some gourmet American SB food at Si's) to re-align myself again. 

Yesterday I tried a new restaurant in Clapham which is combo of Ruby's+Shake Shack+Sandwich Planet. I learned at Linner (lunch/dinner) that beetroot and egg are typical topping for an Australian burger. Furthermore, I also learned that evening that PB&J sandwiches is a definite American thing. Who knew?! Had to actually explain the joys of a PB&J sandwich, that it is not just strawberry jelly, etc. Maybe I can open a Peanut Butter & Co restaurant here. Reckon I could make a killing on Oxford St!

During dinner we had a spur of the moment idea to see Slumdog Millionaire. If you have not had a chance to see the movie, I highly recommend it. It is truly an uplifting story of love, never judging a book by its cover, family and making most of the hand that you have been dealt. 

There was one scene that I definitely had to turn away for (and for those who have seen it you know what I am taking about), but it also made me smile. When your highest hope is only just a matter of feet away, you have to go for it. 

In efforts to get out of the apartment and away from leaking ceiling, I went to Windsor with a friend of mine. We had plans of seeing other things, but we ended up concentrating on Windsor Castle. I learned today that Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in world. I was hoping to run into Princes William and Harry, but sadly they are still on holiday - sorry Buckaroo. While walking through the State apartments it always "lovely" to see jewels, weapons, and other souvenirs from the various countries that England "visited" back in the days. To no surprise, Windsor Castle reminded me of Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh -  a drawing room here, a chambers room there, a china closet over there. What was absolutely amazing to see though was the restoration of St. George's Hall after the 1992 fire. Rather than trying to have a modern take on things, St. George's Hall and the rest of the rooms that were destroyed were rebuilt to keep with the original structure and intent in mind. There is an octagonal shaped room just beyond St. George's hall that is simply breathtaking. 

After making our way through the State apartments and the exhibit for HRH: The Prince of Wales to celebrate his 60th birthday, it was off to a english pub for sunday roast and a hot beverage. We contemplated walking around the town, but the bitter cold convinced us to go back to London. Windsor is a beautiful and crisp town. You would think that it would be this magical place - after all it is the home of The Queen. Not saying that it isn't, but that "magical" sense was diminished by the fact that there is a McDonald's, a Pizza Express, Starbucks and Nandos right across the street from the Castle gates. 

Guess The Queen was just looking after her grandchildren's needs. At the end of the day, who doesn't need a latte in the morning, a Big Mac after a night out and a Nando's to cure the hangover?! Maybe in the springtime when I go back, Prince William will sitting at the next table waiting for his £5.99 roast + drink special?! 

After coming home and defrosting a bit with some warm tea, I did what I always do - caught up with FaceBook. I know I have issues, but I am grateful for FaceBook as it has allowed me to keep in touch with my girls in NYC, I have rekindled some friendships from HS and BU, I have learned 25 random things about 25 random people, and tonight if it were not for FB - I would have missed the first London snowfall. 

I love the first snowfall - the winter smell of snow, the crispness in the air and peace that covers the ground (until of course you walk over it). I immediately grabbed my camera to capture this moment. For some reason I could not stop smiling. It was a rather suitable ending to this weekend. I felt like I was home this weekend - I got to see my nephew and brother yesterday (I cannot believe how much Kadin is talking), I was "back in the loop" with my NYC girls, I played in the snow, I arranged my drawer a bit and I am watching the Superbowl :-) 

Hope you all are well. Please send me your updates and feedback on what you think of the blog. I know the last couple of weeks have not been the best, but I assure you that Feb and March have some good potential for adventures: a trip West Virginia, Austria for a 10 days, my first UK race & half marathon, and visits from friends from NY.  

xoxo

T