The days since I last published have been busy! Our family of creative writing MA/MFA-ers have been routinely hitting the pubs together and exchanging writing ideas. Several of us decided that we would like to start an official Kingston University writing group, so we went ahead and began that process. A friend of mine also wanted an A Capella group on campus and she has started creating that society as well (and I am the media officer, woohoo!). In class, I got my first bit of creative writing critiqued. Thankfully, I got excellent feedback and constructive criticism. Overall, the piece seemed well received. Whew. Between classes, trips into London (which you can read about below), trips to the pub, and lack of sleep (thank you, genetics), I occasionally wanted to relax and have a soda with a mate. So here is a brief glimpse into one of my quiet afternoons:
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| It's a Moogle. His name is Pipup. |
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| And I got a Hot Wheels! |
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| Penrhyn Road |
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| Portsmouth Road |
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| Shoreditch. "What were you doing in Shoreditch?" Read on! |
Friday night, I went out with some buddies to Shoreditch. I'd heard of the district but hadn't visited. It was allegedly an up-and-coming part of London. My first impression was that it still had a lot of "up" ground to cover. It seemed, quite honestly, like a really sketchy area. Abandoned buildings were all over just about every block, graffiti covered most of the walls (granted, most of it was really cool artwork instead of just tags), and the place just felt strange. As we walked through the streets, heading to a bar that none of us had been to, we came across a darkened building that just said "playroom" outside. I jokingly turned to my flatmate and said how funny it would be if we ended up going in there, like THAT was the famous bar we were looking for.
Turns out, that's exactly what happened.
And it was awesome.
The bar is called Casa Negra. My flatmate was happy that we actually managed to find a Mexican place (she's Hispanic) and, though it was pricey, we all tried out the food. For a random Mexican bar in the middle of a seedy building, it was good! The ambiance of the bar was worth the trip in itself. Paintings of Luchadores covered the walls and the lights were very dim. We were mostly able to see thanks to the nifty candles that were on every table.
Being college students with better things to do than buy expensive drinks, we left the bar early and headed to a lounge where our time could instead be spent buying cheap drinks. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we discovered Trapeze: a circus-themed lounge/club in Shoreditch. Tasty drinks were served in carnival cups and made to look like slushies, gymnastics rigging was attached to the ceiling, and the music was so random and catchy that it was hard not to enjoy. We had a great time.
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| My drink: The Wallbanger of Death. |
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| Oh, yeah, there was a huge disco ball, too. |
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| Bit blurred, but there's the Shoreditch Adventure Crew. |
And so ends my Friday in Shoreditch.
Saturday morning, I woke up early to get into London and visit an old friend: Portobello Road. Those who read the blog last time pretty much know what that is, but I'll do a quick recap: Portobello Road is a market that has just about everything. It is three miles of stalls filled with antiques, books, street food, farmer's stalls, clothing, music, jewelry, you get the idea. Saturday is absolutely THE day to go, but I highly recommend either getting there early or late; go midday and you'll have crowds like this for three miles:
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| The only reason that there's a gap in front of me is because that is the very, very beginning of the road. |
Getting there late also means that things are less expensive since vendors are trying to sell! This is especially true with baked goods (which is how my flatmate got a fabulous loaf of French bread for half the regular price).
It was invigorating getting off of the tube at Notting Hill and taking a deep breath of London air. I easily found my way back to the market without maps, and the excitement of being out in the market again made me feel like a puppy going to the park. I felt like I was back in my element and set off down the road. There was so much to see, do, eat, investigate, etc. As always, the market had its share of street musicians. This guy was definitely the most intriguing:
The best way to avoid becoming overwhelmed in Portobello is to focus on one side of the street on the way down, and another on the way back. Even then, though, the crowds, noises, and smells can be very overstimulating and exhausting. By the end of my time there, I was wiped out and down for the count for the rest of the day. I needed the rest, because I knew the next day I'd be one of hundreds in Trafalgar Square celebrating Diwali.
Diwali is a mostly Hindu festival (though other religions, such as the Sikhs, also celebrate in their own way). It celebrates a story in the Ramayana: the return of the lord Rama with his wife Sita, who had been captured by demons. Symbolically, it represents the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. It gathered a huge crowd in Trafalgar Square (it was a miracle we made our way in there). There was a stage next to the lion statues, where dancers from different schools in London would perform. Lining the square were food stalls and vendors selling jewelry and clothing. Myself and my group stayed for about two hours, eating food and watching the performances. I decided to get food at a stall called Bombay Street Food. I ate two bhajis and an order of mattar paneer with rice. (I had no idea what I was ordering at the time, instead basing my choices on how the food looked.) I was not disappointed; it was all absolutely delicious. I was full of food and bliss. Later, I asked my Indian flatmate what I'd eaten so I could pass it along to this blog; Bhajis are essentially Indian vegetable fritters. Mine were spicy and had onions. Mattar paneer is made with peas and fried cubes of cottage cheese (I couldn't tell what it was when I was eating it, but it sure was good) in a tomato (I think) sauce spiced with masala. I was a happy eater! Mmm...
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| That was Trafalgar Square. |
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| The National Gallery. |
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| My food. I want more right now. |
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| All of them were being stony-faced, except for the guy in the middle. He kept smiling. |
As for why my walks may have to stop: I injured my foot. In truth, I injured it months ago. The top of my left foot would hurt and sometimes bruise in the same spot for no apparent reason. It seemed to get better, so I never got it checked and assumed I'd hit my foot on something. Occasionally I kept noticing it, but it wasn't a big deal at the time. Well, when we were on our way to Diwali, we came to an intersection. Some of the group crossed, and I went to cross after them. A friend holding on to my arm noticed that the light changed and we wouldn't make it across the road on time, so she pulled me back on to the sidewalk. Surprised, I stumbled back and planted my left foot awkwardly. I felt several pops from the top of my foot, followed swiftly by heat and pain. I limped badly for about ten minutes before it settled, but the bruising was certainly back in the same place it had been. If the internet is to be believed (I even did a self-test thing), my left foot has extensor tendonitis. Seems like the solution is ice, rest, and being careful to not tie shoes too tightly. Pretty straightforward, at least. I'm also probably going to pop into the campus gym tomorrow and see if the sports rehab person is around. I have a feeling he or she would know for sure what it is. For now, though, I'll ice it and force myself to take buses (ugh).
That about wraps up this entry! I have no set plans for this week, but I'm working on putting together a few out-of-England adventures for the coming weeks. I'll keep this updated, of course! Until next time...Cheers!
