Adventures in London: Issue 80

It hurts to write this entry as it officially means that Sunday has arrived and it is time for me to return to London. I decided to spend my roll-over days from 2009 in NYC. It was a rather impromptu trip, but I figured it would be a nice way to spend the weekend and also to surprise Mom. Bhai, Jamila and I decided to allure Mom to NYC under the pretense that she was needed for baby-sitting (muwhahahaha). It was difficult talking to Mom for nearly three weeks and having to hide the truth that I would be seeing her sooner than she could imagine :-) I know it was potentially wrong to shock her like that, but we all figured it would be a nice surprise. We were supposed to surprise my mom over Christmas break, but that did not happen due to the fact that I was under the weather so why not a month later.

Rather than calling Mom down the day I landed, Bhai suggested to call her on Thursday so I could spend some quality time with my close friends before the family weekend officially commenced.

We met up at Rio Grande (yes I am boring, but there is not good Mexican places in London, so I have to get my fix whilst in NYC) and then moved onwards to...well...yes, The Wharf. It is so lovely to be back in NYC and amongst my friends again. It is amasing how you can just pick up right where you left off with certain people. Of course things have changed, life would be rather mundane if it did not, but the people in your life do not have to. I truly and sincerely miss my NYC crew. I wish I had the power to move every one of them to London. Then I would have it all (well almost, would need to convince Bhai and Mom too - oh this is getting too complicated).

So after scarying Mom at the train station and a case of food poisoning, it time for good ole family bonding. I did not pick the best weekend to visit NYC as it was freezing...I could not bear leaving the apart as any more than 10 minutes exposed and I wanted to cry from the bone chilling pain of the weather. The positive side was the weather provided me with the opportunity to spend quality time with Bhai, Jamila, Mom and Kadin. Speaking of Kadin, wow that kid has changed so much. In just 3 months since I last saw him in person. He is fully talking now; TALKING!! You can have full conversations, negotiate with him and debate whether today is a cereal or waffle day. He is still however, a little bundle of joy.

On Friday, Jamila and Kadin made a visit to LI to visit with her cousins. I was gutted that we would not all be together, but it turned out to be a lovely surprise. It had been a while since the three of us had spent some quality time together. Bhai and I started our family night together with a brother/sister gym session. It was nice to actually have a brother/sister gym session in NYC. I have enjoyed my London ones, but it is good to have your brother from the same mother on the treadmill next to you. It had been way to long since I stepped inside NYSC and I have to admit, it was a bit strange being back there. I used to work in that gym and yet it seemed so foreign to me. It was good to be running again. I went to do my post-run power plate session, but sadly NYSC was not blessed with power plates :-( Had to settle for the old fashion abs machines.

From there it was time to start out New York City evening. We travelled down to alphabet city area for dinner at my brothers special restaurant. And no this is not a "short bus to school special", it is a "I only take family and close friends there, special". I had been there a number of time with Bhai, but this was Mom's first. It was also the first time for her I believe that she was sitting down to eat dinner at the time when she is normally getting ready for bed (or as she is in most cases - fast asleep). After a tremendously delicious and quaint meal we decided to make an impromptu stop for dessert at Artisanal Bistro. As to you can see from the photo above, it was a rather late evening for all parties involved, but it was one of the loveliest times I have had with Bhai and Mom. I may have been ready to sleep at the table, but it was good to have a full evening of family time that only resulted in the three of us laughing so hard our tummies ached in pain.

This trip has really been about spending some quality time with the family and I could not have asked for anything else - well maybe for the weather to be a bit warmer :-)

After a day of shopping, errands and needless purchases for the UK (still cannot help going food shopping whilst in NYC for London. There are just some things that I miss having here), it was dinner time again with the family to celebrate Bhai's big 3-5! Wow 35!! That is old...nearly ancient. (I am only kidding Bhai...well not really). All jokes aside, I am looking forward to us being in the same age group again. Cannot wait to share the Dirty Thirties with you and count the days down until your fortieth.

It has been a lovely trip home - almost so that I do not wish to go back. I wish I could bottle this weekend and replay it over and over. Bhai, Jamila, Mom - thank you for a memorable weekend. I cannot wait for May/June when I get to see you again. Wherever we may end up meeting up I can be certain that it will be a top trip that won't be matched :-)

Hope you all are well. I know it is only February, but my holidays seems to be vanishing. If you fancy a trip to the Big Smoke, let me know as my summer weekends are starting to fade away.

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issues 70-79

I was debating a couple of songs for this video. It is a tricky act finding the right song to accompany and summarise the video recap. What have these past 10 weeks been? It has been about finding a new lens to look at the world through. It has been about accepting the change that is in store and even embracing it. It has been about adapting to life when things don't go as expected. It has been about life - and enjoying it.

The song I selected for this recap is "Joy of Life" by the Corrs. Every time I listen to The Corrs I think about a lady I meant named Sue Davis at the Today's Show's concert series. I am not in the mood to go into the story of that morning. What I will say is, Sue taught me that anything can happen with just a little faith. My thoughts are with you Sue!

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 79

I do not have much to share for this week. I suppose the only interesting event of the week was a trip to Zurich, Switzerland for several client meetings. Trips have certainly progressed since my first business trip in 2004 to Reston, VA. It was during that trip that I "visited" Washington D.C. for the first time in 18 years. I had not really given much thought to that trip until this one for some reason. I went with the same boss that I travelled with this week. May be 5 years since that trip, but even he remembered how awkwardly quiet I got when we entered Washinton D.C. How times have changed since that trip. I've gone back to D.C. for a visit and to come to peace with the city, and my business trips destinations have become a bit more interesting. I am happy though that my travel partner is still the same :-) (even if it does involve a 0630 solo gym session cause someone forgot to pack their kit)

Over the weekend, Powers, Biju and I went to Borough Market for brunch. It had been a while since I had been to Borough - actually trying to remember when the last time I went was. I think it has been a good 2 or 3 months. I am happy that the market is still open, but really gutted that they have changed the experience of the market. They have shut down and moved a number of the stalls, so rather than being an indoor maze, the market has been separated into a number of individual markets. It is not so bad once you figure out where everything is now, but it will require me to change my schedule of eating since things have moved around :-) I should not complain, there were talks that they were going to shut the market down, so I should be pleased that it is still open. Even if it is a different experience, the oysters are still the same so I should make a trip more often than I do to the market.

Probably comes to no shock, but the weather was not the best and outdoor eating friendly, so we walked over to Cote in the Hay's Galleria for brunch. I am starting to get used to brunch here, which is a little sad. I love NYC brunch and there is truly nothing like it. I miss Saturdays at Euro diner with my NYC girls catching up on the night before and planning the night ahead. Speaking of planning the night ahead, Saturday night, Lindz, Biju and I went to Tsunami, a Japanese restaurant in Clapham North. It was a quiet evening (which was the exact opposite of what was planned) of good friends, good food and good conversations. It was exactly what was needed after the long week that just passed.

Well, it is not much of a post. The GHF has suffered a bit with some late nights in the office and a massive night out with friends on Friday, but I am still in the plus :-)

On Sunday I tried as much as I could to watch the AFC/NFC games. I was able to sadly watch the AFC game of the Jets vs Colts. I was cheering for the Jets...would have been nice to have the Jets in the superbowl. Looks like it is going to be a Colts/Saints superbowl. Now in case you are wondering, yes I will be watching the Superbowl and yes I will be hosting a Superbowl party to celebrate the game. It is a bit insane to tell you the truth since the game does not start until 2300 (GMT), but this is the biggest game for Americans - how can I not watch. Finger crossed there will be another snow storm. Unlike last year, I will not to travel into the office after 4 hours of sleep only to turn around because the tubes were closing.

Here's to Superbowl Sunday :-)

Miss you all and love you more

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 78

"Just a small town girl, livin' in a loney world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raise in South Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere...Don't stop believin' Hold on to that feelin'..."

The joy and phenomenon that is called Glee finally came to the UK. For those of you who did not catch the Glee bug, how can I possibly sum up the show. You could say that it is about a Spanish teacher who takes over a high school glee club and they periodically break out into musical song-and-dance. That does not do justice to the show though. Hmmm how to explain, it is like High School Musical for adults with a dose of sarcasm and skepticism. I am probably not explaining the show well. Maybe someone can help me out a little. All I can say, is I am happy that OTH date night has been replaced with Glee Mondays! The girls were in doubt about the show, but I am happy to report that we all are hooked to the store after the series premiere double bill!!

On Friday, we "celebrated" a friend of ours moving to Korea for work. I am tremendously happy for him as this is a great opportunity, but it is going to be sad not having him around the office. To celebrate his last hours in London (literally), we started in Central London near the office and then moved the party to Guanabara, a Brasilian restaurant in Holborn. This place was absolutely amasing; from the Brasilian food, to Brasilian cocktails and beers, to the Brasilian music and dancing - this place had it all. In fact I am thinking of having my 30th party there (wow - did I just say 30th). It has been a pleasure getting to know and working with Adam over the past 18 months and I truly wish him all the best with this endeavor in Korea. Fingers crossed I will make a visit to Korea :-)

To give you a feel about the venue and evening:

During the weekend, I went to my best friend's flat to learn how to cook Sunday roast. I should say by learning I simply mean they prepared the roast and I stayed in the living room watching Aladin while they cooked. I simply did what I do best...observed and then I ATE. Boy did I eat. This was no shame eating too... I ate like it was going out of style :-)

Will admit, I was not the greatest fan of roast since I moved here. Sundays were for brunch, not roast. When my family came to visit, I had one of the tastiest roasts, but nothing compares to the roast I had the pleasure of enjoying this weekend. I am sorry folks, I know when I normally discover a new restaurant or neighborhoods, I am quick to say that I will take you there when I see you, but I reckon I am not going to be able to convince my friends to cook every time I have a visitor. That said, you never know :-) Will use my American charm - is that an oxymoron?

I don't think I have mentioned, but I started running. I am keeping it slow and limited, but I am RUNNING!! If you fancy reading about it or if you are having trouble sleeping you can check out Tea Knee's Journey to the NYC Marathon.

Miss you all

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 77

You know it just dawned on me, we are in the year 2010! When did that happen? Like most of you, I returned to work this week and had to start dating my notes with "2010" and well for me that was shocking. It made me realise that 2010 just does not start a new year, but it starts a whole new decade. Do you remember the choas in 1999 with the close of the year and scare of what was going to happen when the clocks turned 01/01/00 00:00? We have come a long since 1999. The Euro was introduced, mobile phones have become more than just a device to talk to you friends/family with, portable music players have been forever changed with the introduction of the iPod, 256K flash memory disk are so last decade, and TV & digital camerasizes, technology, programming and experiences have evolved tremendously over the last 10 years. As Americans we started the decade with Clinton, later swore in President Bush and after 8 years welcomed President Obama. The decade has been marked as the "worst and most destructive decade of natural disasters" with the Gujarat earthquake in 2001 killing 12,000, the boxing day Tsunami in 2004 killing over 230,000 and Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans in 12,000. Over the last decade we were also introduced to three young wizzard battling against the dark lord, the quest of a hobbit, the demise of young Anakin Skywalker, and we saw Neo fullfill the prophecy. The decade also marked the finales of 90201, Felicity, Friends, Seinfeld, Sex and the City...well you get the idea. Lastly, we saw the Red Sox win the world series (TWICE!). (I know I have missed monumental events especially in 2001, but I figured we don't need any reminding of that...we haven't forgotten).

What did the last decade mean for you? For me it marked a return to running; running my my first 10K and half marathon. I joined 2 running clubs and for 2 months had started my own. I visited over 10 countries, lived in 4 cities, started 4 different jobs, graduated from 2 different universities earning two degrees. I also bought my first digital camera, laptop and ice cream maker. I started four different blogs (of which there is only one active one today). I (FINALLY) got my drivers license and became a nationally certified personal trainer. Most important, I made a number of new and cherish friendships over the past 10 years. Scary to realise that there are some people in my life that I knew before the millennium...when did we get so old?

Well back to this year!! Over break I decided to start a "Good Habit Fund". I did something similar a couple of year ago, so I thought I would do another. The idea is, you reward/penalise yourself for certain habits to re-instill a sense of routine back in your life. My GHF is broken down into 3 main categories: health, cleaning and lifestyle. Within each category are sub-tasks.

1. Health: Taking vitamins (+£0.20), eating meals (+£0.25 per meal), sleeping (+£0.50 for 8+ hours, +£0.20 for 7-8...-£1.00 for less than 5 hours).
2. Cleaning: Making the bed (+£0.05), doing the dishes (+0.20), putting away my clothes (£0.05), etc.
3. Lifestyle: Going to the gym (+£0.50), running (+£0.50 per KM), working (+£1.00 if I leave before 6pm, +£0.50 by 7:30p and even worse -£1.00 if I stay until 10:00p, -£2.00 if I stay until 11:00, etc), drinking (-£0.50 per drink)

Let's see how long it will take me to save for an iPod Touch. Granted I could just go out and buy one, but this way is much more challenging and guilt free.

To celebrate being back at work, the new year, and the fact that is was 4 Jan (cause why wouldn't you)...I decided to cook a good ole American meal of meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Over break I definitely got used to the home cooked food. In fact there is nothing like it. After 10 nights of eating in, eating outdoor food lacks a certain flavour or touch. I don't know how to explain it, but there is nothing like winding the day down with a home cooked meal. Fingers crossed, I hope to be able to cook dinner at home not just on weekends, but on weekdays too. Wish me luck :-)

It seems like I am not the only one who has wanted to start the year off one a "quiet" note. On Saturday, a bunch of the girls got together for "girls nite". Either we are all knackered from the Christmas break or we have finally hit that point in our lives. Rather than going out and celebrating with dinner, drinks and dancing, we stayed in. We spent the night drinking tea, eating pizza & cheese, baking & decorating sugar cookies and then we all curled up on the sofa and watched St Elmo's Fire. It was definitely the ideal night! Wow things have changed...I truly must be getting old - rsrsrs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BHAI!!! I love you that much (in case you were wondering)!!

Miss you all and love you more

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 76

HAPPY NEW YEARS FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!

Before I get to the New Year Eve's adventures and thoughts on the year and decade in store, let's recap on the last week of holiday.

I spent a good portion of the Christmas-to-New Year break under the weather, but I was blessed with a couple of upright days that I was certain to enjoy. To take advantage of the post-Christmas sales a friend of mine and I went into central London for some hearty Oxford Street shopping where I was quick to kick myself for buying jumpers and shirts on Christmas Eve. Should have just waited those 3 days. That said, it did not stop me from shopping and adding even more jumpers and shirts to the already over-flowing wardrobe.

It was really nice to get out of the flat. I am normally a home-body, but after a week on the sofa and extreme-OCD cleaning I was starting to feel the cabin fever kick in. As much as I enjoy cleaning, colour coding my wardrobe and filing my paperwork, it was time to visit the outside world (also did not help that I did not have an inch left of the flat that required cleaning). I was also pleased to discover that my appetite was returning and we treated ourselves to a tasty pastry after our stressful shopping excursion; I highly recommend to you fellow Londoner and visitors to make a trip to Patisserie Valerie. There are a number of them with an exceptionally delicious selection of cakes, pastries and tarts. I am craving one now...maybe I will run up the street later and get one :-)

On Monday I hung out with my brother from another mother. It was a nice relaxing day with the family catching up and spending some long overdue brother-sister time together. It had been a while since we had the chance to just talk (not about work), but about life, what we wanted to do, etc. We started with bowls of hot chocolate at Gastro (we soon discovered that this was NOT a gastro pub rather a french bistro), then moved to The Sun for burgers and then we chilled out watching Come Dine with Me & Deal or No Deal as his new flat in Clapham South. On a side note, I heart Come Dine with Me. A quick summary, it is a reality TV show with 4 strangers that have to throw a dining party for the other guests. At the end of the dinner, each host in scored. The one with the highest score wins £1000!! When I move into a bigger place, I will apply to be on the show :-)

Well HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! I hope 2010 brings you joy, love and peace.

xoxo

T