Adventures in London: Issue 158

This week has been an interesting one. One of mixed emotions and sentiments. It all started with drinks at the Paramount @ Centre Point with Jaideep (my uncle's go to man). It was my first time at the Paramount and let me say the views were out of this world!! The drinks were amazing too. It was a nice after work "happy hour" conversation and catch up. Definitely cannot wait to return to the paramount for further drinks and dinner too ;-)

On Wednesday I initially had plans to go to the Sony premiere of Friends with Benefits, but decided at the last minute not to go and instead opted (quite happily) to go for dinner with Powers! It had been a while since she and I had a chance to catch up - just girls, so I was glad for the "date night". We both are way too busy for simple things lately...work always gets in the way. Even seeing friends and catching up seems to be an arduous tasks at times. I am pleased that I gave up the movie plans to spend the evening with my dear friend. Powers - - it is always a pleasure and looking forward to our next chat. Who know what cherish memories we will make!

Thursday marked 25 years to my Dad's passing. It is always an interesting day for me. As years pass, I must say the day just becomes another day. 25 years is a long time...and yet it is nothing but a bit of dust in our existence. I do often wonder how life would differ if the accident didn't happen. Would life bring us to where we are today? Would I still be living in London? Would I have gone to BU? Who would I be if my father was still alive? Would I still be the person that I am today...or would I be something more...something better? Doesn't matter playing shoulda, woulda coulda...I am who I am and that is it. I am my fate, my destiny and that is all I can be. If I am 5% of my father and mother then I am more than blessed!

On Saturday we went to Cheryl and Marks for their famous summer BBQ -- aka ribs and bacon dip in the garden! We got there later than everyone as we were helping KV drop off her bike for the London Triathlon, but thankfully we did not miss any of the food. Never want to miss out on the food...especially when Little Wib and Mark are cooking!

It was a great evening catching up with the Americans. We don't get together very often, but when we do....it is certainly a night that none of us are going to forget. Especially when the 'Cappy' is on deck ;-) For me, I know it is a good evening when I have brought my camera and not a single photo has been taken. It is a testament that I just enjoyed the evening, the people around me and more importantly was too busy eating to go into my bag for my camera.

On Sunday a group of us went out to cheer on KV on her first London Triathlon. When KV mentioned that she signed up for the London Triathlon I thought she was first kidding and then I thought she was nuts. She is still nuts...but I have mad respect for this girl. She dedicated herself to the triathlon and training. I was looking forward to training with her, but that little slip up in April prevented me from running with her. Putting aside the swim and the bike...I am amazed by the 10K she did. This is a girl that with the mention of 10K running and she would be fast asleep...went and ran the full distance. I could not be more proud!! To add to the amazingness of the day, she beat her time. First triathlon and she conquered her target. I wish for that sort of achievement for my first marathon...whenever that moment comes ;-)

Well on that note, that is it! Hope you all are enjoying the summer weather

xx

T

N: London Triathalon

Adventures in London: Issue 157

This week has been like my birthday all over again. Okay well not exactly, but it has been wicked! The beginning of the week was just another week with plenty of leftovers and lamb chops to be consumed. Almost made it through the 14 chops left...almost :(

For my birthday I was given tickets to see India vs England Test 1 cricket match at Lord's. To say that I have been looking forward to this day for month is a sheer understatement. I bought my India cricket shirt, brushed up on the players and finally it came time to go watch them in action. Going to Lords was magical. There is no other way to describe it. Going to a live sporting match, especially in a venue like Lord's is brilliant.

England batted first which meant that I got to see ALL the Indian players on the field. It was unbelievable. Our tickets were amazing so if felt like we were on the green itself. Gautam Gambhir, Sharma, HB Singh, Praveen Kumar, MS Dhoni, and of course the legend himself Sachin Tendulkar! WICKED (no pun intended there).

Drinking champagne, eating our sandwiches we watching the drama of Test cricket, of England vs India cricket unveil in front of our eyes. I love watching sports...I love watching sports LIVE especially and cricket is definitely one sport that has captured my attention. It is a slow moving game....but so it tennis, baseball and marathon running. It was a brilliant day watching India vs England (cannot say the same for the remaining days of test 1 or the rest of the series)....shame the rain came and spoiled the fun.

After the fun (and champagne) wore off from Lord's it was time to get ready from my first visit to Wales!!! You may be thinking - - what a flippin awesome week (or you could be thinking - - cricket and Wales?!?! Wow you are easily entertained!). Well for either thought you may be having - - you would be right!!! With my trip to Wales, I now only have 1 country left to complete my 'tour' of the UK. Ironically, Ireland is still left. It has been the one country that I have wanted to visit and yet for some reason I have yet to make a trip there. Hmmmm, I really need to fix that and plan a trip to Ireland. Ireland 2012!! That will be make for 2 additional countries to my list (going to Singapore in May for a wedding).

Wales is such a beautiful country. It is everything that you think of when you think of when you think of British country side. Blue skies, rolling green hills as far as the eyes can see and SHEEP EVERYWHERE!!!! I don't know what my obsession with sheep has been, but this place is heaven!!

That said, I have learnt, where there are sheep there is sheep poo. Loads of sheep poo! I tried avoiding it, but there is no luck when surrounded by sheep. Still..loved the sheep....loved shouting sheep every time I saw one...but did not love the smell. That said, they smell nicer than cows. Why do I like smelly animals.

It was a relaxing weekend. Seriously!! Here I was on holiday visiting Hubb's family and all I could do was relax (aka sleep). Feel bad looking back on it. All I did that weekend was eat, sleep, and eat. Learnt hands on how to make roast lamb and potatoes. Cannot wait to try it out. I have always been weary of cooking roast, but going to give it a try. Learnt a lot about British cooking this weekend. Interesting fact, the flavour of British cuisine comes from the sauces and condiments that accompany it. Indian cuisine on the other hand is the complete reverse. The overwhelming flavours are cooked into the dishes and marinated through and through the meat. It is interesting how cuisine change from country to country and what similarities are shared by neighboring countries.

Its been a great week...especially with the cricket match and the trip to Wales. More often than not we focus our attention on the small details of life - - working, cleaning the house, chugging through the detailed task lists. We focus so much on the work plans of life that we miss the broader picture. What makes life worth living - - it is not the hours we put in, the cents in our accounts but the experiences that we have had and shared. Experiences like this week will always be remembered and cherished. Sit back, relax and soak up the scenery and beauty around you. You may just discover you are luckier than you anticipated.

Hope you all are well

Miss you

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 156

There is not much to report from this week to report on. The week was primarily summarised by leaving do drinks on Wednesday for a co-worker. I have come to realise that I am no longer the drink during the week queen that I once was. I used to love going out for mid-week drinks. So much better...bars are quieter and you can sit (I have always been an old lady it seems).

Nowadays though, I just cannot do it. I like being in bed by 10pm and definitely need by 8 hours of sleep a night. If I get anything less that 8 and I am absolute rubbish the next day. Oh the days when 6 hours was more than sufficient to get by the next day. You know, I have no desire to go back to those days.

That Saturday the international UK-US BBQ happened. Planning a BBQ in London is a risky task...you never know what you are going to get. The day of the international BBQ - - guess what happened. Oh just take a guess? IT RAINED!!!! Poured in fact.

The BBQ was going to happen...no amount of rain was going to stop us. The food had been bought, so the focus was then put on making an outdoor/ indoor BBQ. How do you do that exactly?!?! Gazebos!!! With the purchase of open tents, tarps we had ourselves a game plan to battle the rain. Nothing was going to stop us from having a summer BBQ!!!

For the BBQ in the rain it was critical to have the right menu. I was really nervous. Not only was this an international BBQ, but it was the first time that I was cooking for 20 people. BLIMEY that is a lot of people. The menu was as follows:

- Bacon Dip , cous cous salad, pasta salad with pesto, goat cheese & beet root spinach salad, Marmite & chili prawns with pineapple and peppers, chicken kebabs, tandoori lamb chops (note to self: do not budget 2 per person - 48 lamb chops when you have 4 courses it way too much), sausages (8 varieties), burgers and then there was dessert. Plus all the food that people brought in addition to what we made. I think I can safely say that no one left hungry (or at least I hope not).

Despite the rain hiccups, the BBQ was a success. Operations went smoothly with courses and logistics. The food was tasty and people were not sick the following day. After the sun started to set and we made way through our courses we headed indoors for some Wii games. It is absolutely brilliant to watch two grown men box each other via Wii...pure enjoyment!

Shockingly the BBQ wrapped up around 0200. I cannot remember the last time I was up that late, but it was wonderful. You cannot argue with a night of laughing, eating, drinking and great friends!!! Until next time folks!

Hope you all are enjoying the summer weather and that it is not raining on your parade

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 155

A full week in New York City...it has been a long time since I have had that. It is going to be LEGEND.....wait for it....I hope you're not lactose intolerant DAIRY! It is really wicked (and slightly surreal) to be visiting NYC and staying in a hotel. It is like I am living here, but not...

The week started with America's birthday...irony of bringing a Brit to celebrate America's independence. The jetlag helped us in kicking off the day with take-a-way breakfast from Bouchon. We intended to eat at Tiffany's, but a few other cheesy tourist beat us to the punch, so we consumed our lattes and croissants in Trump Tower.

After breakfast, it was off to FINALLY visit the Empire State Building. FINALLY!!! It was wicked. I lived in NYC for nearly 5 years, visited numerous years and yet never seemed to make a visit to the ESB! This visit it was in the agenda and I was determined to see NYC from the 86th floor. It was truly taking a step back and looking at my memories from an arial view...there are no words to describe the view and experience.

After the ESB, we headed to the Flat Iron district for Jamba Juice and Mexican. Again, a new experience, we ate on the tables in the road. Wonder why on earth they were there and why anyone would eat there and then I found myself enjoying the grand view of the ESB, Madison Sq Park and the Flat Iron.

From there it was back to the hotel for a quick change and then it was off to NJ for dinner and the viewing of the Macy's 4th of July fireworks show at my dear friends Santina and LC. It had been ages since I had seen the two of them. We used to see one another when I came back to NYC, but the last couple of trips did not allow for it. I was pleased that this visit allowed for a chance to catch up -- a proper catch up with the full family.

It was so very lovely to see not only Santina and LC, but to spend some time with Eva and meet Luca. It is amazing to look back on the years that we have known each other and recount the memories we have shared over the last 6 years.....such a lucky gal to have great friends like them in my life.

On Tuesday whilst everyone went back to work, we did the tourist thing...we took a 'Hop On- Hop Off' bus tour. It was extremely surreal taking one of these in a city I lived in for nearly 5 years. We started the tour in Times Square and headed downtown....I was not entirely impressed with the commentary so I decided to give my own tour notes...which I personally found entertaining and informative (don't know about the other passengers, but I had fun).

We stopped off in SoHo for lunch and a walk around. I was a bit taken back and unimpressed with my tour guide ability. Before I left I used to spend most of my free time in SoHo area, but I completely lost my barring this visit. It is sad how quickly you can forget things....forgot the names of the restaurants I used to go to, the shops, and general orientation of which direction to walk. Thankfully it all came back!! Just in time for a eating tour of SoHo, chinatown, little italy....there is not enough time nor a big enough stomach to eat your way through NYC.

Months can go by, years even and there are things you are naturally going to forget. It has been nearly 10 years and there are somethings the mind cannot forget.....nor should it. Visiting Ground Zero and seeing the Freedom Tower sent chills down my spine. I couldn't handle being there, the whole area is filled with....I don't know the words for it.

This trip has really been about doing all the things in NYC that I never got the chance to do. When my friends from the UK visit NYC I am always envious of all the 'tourist' things they do. It has been absolutely BRILLIANT to play tourist this visit. It's been a real mixture of tourist and local. On Wednesday we made a visit to Central Park. I forgot how massive this park is....blimey. Rather than attempting to walk the park, we opted for a boat ride. Who knew that you could spend a full hour rowing and not double-back on yourself. Truly incredible.

In the evening we had arranged for a sunset sail boat ride around the Statue of Liberty. Before sailing off, we experienced a true American classic -- a flight of beer and buffalo wings at the Chelsea Piers Brewery. Have had some great memories here and glad to have added another.

The sail ride was absolutely brilliant. There is nothing like drinking Champagne and awing at the magnificent view of Lady Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. The gusty winds that made it feel like the sail boat was going to top over... well that was less than fun...but definitely added to the experience.

I am getting tired of writing now and eager to publish this post so I am going to leave you with photos from the rest of the week. Sometimes a pictures says it all.....