November 2010
4 posts
Student life
At this moment, many of my expat peers are finding themselves at a time of transition. Many are leaving their current cities, desperately searching for direction. Others are getting married or breaking up, quitting jobs and going to grad school. What unites these individuals is their nomadic lifestyle. Always ready to change and move. They are infinitely more educated and sophisticated than any of...
London round 2?
Domingos and my British visas expire in June next year and this upcoming date has sent us into a frenzy of life analysis. Stacking up the pros and cons of residing in London and measuring up our satisfaction levels in the areas of work, city, social and culture, we are hoping our next step will be crystal clear after mapping it all out. Essentially, it’s been three years. Well? What did we...
How to be British: 10 top tips
1. Agree. Agreeing is paramount to being British. Agree even if you don’t actually agree. No one wants to know.
2. Be non-confrontational. Very similar to rule no. 1. To confront is to highlight a problem which reflects a lack of common ground. This is the same as disagreeing.
3. Get on with it. What one does even if one does not agree and is trying not to be confrontational.
4. Do not question....
THE PUB
Dear God why must the pub be the center of the universe in the London? Try as I might to fight it, all roads lead back to this tragic English establishment. My repulsion of this place, cherished in the hearts of all Brits, is met with utter bewilderment. There is a satisfaction, a sort of English pride, about one’s “local.”
One’s “local” is a proper English pub where no tourists have ever set...
September 2010
1 post
Turin: a civilized place!
Turin is highly underrated. Despite some fleeting fame as a hosting city for the Olympics, most people never think about it, let alone visit. Truth be told, it was a toss-up between Bologna and Turin last weekend, but as the tickets were slightly cheaper to go to Turin, this is where I happily ended up.
Arcades, arcades, arcades. Arcades that snake along the perimeter of nearly every city block...
March 2010
1 post
Spring! Take off your clothes and come outside...
It’s sunny today in London. Not swollen, atmospheric, white light, but urine-tinged, honest-to-God sunshine drying up the sidewalks and re-instilling faith in its inhabitants. Faith that five months of darkness had beaten out of us. A very exciting time for London, a transitional time, when all the English come out to see and be seen!
Now to be fair, it is only the girls who put themselves out...
February 2009
1 post
Snow Day
It’s Monday, ten till ten, and I am home, buried under snow. The snow has blanketed the city in meringue loveliness, powdering all that is gray and urban with nostalgia and suburbs.
January 2009
2 posts
Goodbye, Karen!
Karen is going back to New York to be reunited with her fiance, Tsune and the NY Vinoly office. I will surely die here without her. Good luck Karen, and come back soon.
BARCELONA! VALE!!
Last weekend Domingos and I took 4 days off to commemorate our 2-yr wedding anniversary and his birthday. We went to Barcelona, primera vez para Domingos, segunda vez para mi!
It was, in a word, delightful. Whatever you want, Barcelona has it. Blue skies? Check. Sunshine? Check. Beach? Check. Ski slopes? Check. Cava, pan con tomate, jamon serrano? Check, check, check!
What a fantastically...
September 2008
1 post
Bergen, Norway
Monday night and back from a day of work, dry and unsatisfying like the crunch of Ryvita crackers, but also like Ryvita crackers, comfortably familiar.
The fatigue of a weekend spent sipping aquavit in front of a campfire has set in and I search my photos trying to string together the story between those 3 days. A society that has no disparities amongst the people, social or economical, the...
July 2008
1 post
Doppo Sardegna, doppo sole
Sardinia. What can I say. Had no idea what I’d be getting into, but it has won me over completely. Limoncello sunshine, gentle breezes heavy with the scent of salt and mirto leaves, rocks, sand, and crystal-clear waters. Many beautiful things to see in Sardinia, you’d hardly believe that we were only a two-hour plane ride away. Very notable however, was how delicious it was to attempt...
June 2008
1 post
BT: Typical British customer service, I'm...
British customer service is much like Dutch cuisine—an idea, a concept, but incapable of being experienced as it does not, in fact, actually exist. Essentially, there are people on the other end of the phone line who will argue with you and then point you down one of two options: cancel with us and pay an outrageous fee, or stay with us, be trapped with us for another year and still pay an...
October 2007
1 post
Lubeck/Hamburg
Last weekend we flew into Lubeck. Ryanair, same drill. First day and night were spent in Hamburg, second day in Lubeck. Not much to report besides the ubiquitous sausage stands. Bratwurst, Krakauer, Curry Wurst. And little scraps of cardboard they call “sausage holders.” Yep. Sausages. Beer. And more sausages. And even more sausages. Sausages as far as the eye could see. There were...
September 2007
2 posts
Brussels, deuxieme fois...
Last Saturday, Domingos, Karen, Tsune, George and I flew to Brussels, 22 pounds return!!!! How can you go wrong with that. Ryanair. Had I known that call time to catch the airport shuttle was at 3:20 AM I think I could have come up with a number of things that could be wrong, but hence, now I know why George and Tsune book the tickets and keep us in the dark (literally, there was no one but...
FASHION WEEK IN LONDON
Totally cracked out as it is fashion week in London, and not only have the studios been super busy, but there have been shows and parties, and I did go out for some action last night, and am kinda pooped. Went to two magazine parties last night in the West End. Was good fun, despite fact that my beautiful heels were vices on my feet and rendered me a drunk cripple by the end of the night. It was...
August 2007
3 posts
OASIS
Quick post: did shoot here today on the roof with photographer, Kevin Westenberg and lead singer of Oasis, Liam Gallagher. Didn’t recognize him as he has grown his mop out.
Euro trip No. 1--Holland
To commemorate our first bank holiday in London, Domingos, George and I embarked on a trip to Holland. £60, 35 minute roundtrip on Transavia to Rotterdam. Not much to Rotterdam really, but checked out one of Rem Koolhaus’ first projects, Kunsthal, as well as an art museum containing a sizeable collection of Dutch art, including Peter Bruegel’s “Tower of Babel.” Notable...
Employed!
Well, I am starting my second week at work at Snap Productions (www.snap-pro.com) as the production coordinator and feeling very positive about London life! I am also happy to report that aside from Domingos’ art direction, and the use of Tsune’s computer and printer, I landed this job entirely through my own wiles. After tracking down a 2006 copy of Le Book, I printed out a stack of...
July 2007
3 posts
Fergie and Justin Timberlake
I am slightly dehydrated yet trudging bravely forward on the job search. Last night I saw Fergie and Justin Timberlake perform at the new 02 arena with Karen and friends. Was fabulous. We had a suite with some other Gensler people and it was all very posh indeed. Justin did not disappoint.
Job search update...
So, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still job searching and have yet to land an interview, so call everyone you know in London and send me their contact info! I know, I know, I have only really been looking for about two weeks, but it is really awful to be hanging around during the day while everyone else is at work except me! Thank you very much Isabel, Lisa, Lisa, Fernanda, Rachel,...
New neighbor!
So, just when I thought things couldn’t get any grander after my discovery that Madonna is my neighbor, guess who else just moved into the neighborhood!!!! Tony Blair! Yes, ex-PM Tony Blair. There haven’t been any sightings of either yet, but I will certainly keep my eyes open as well as continue to stalk them outside their homes. Other than that, the job search marches bravely on as I...
June 2007
3 posts
library cont'd...
OK, so what I wanted to say was that my cell phone rang in the library and the guy at the desk scolded me from across the room and I was mortified and I had no idea how to regain dignity, and so I hid under the desk, whispering to Domingos. Again, the whole war image again, shielding myself from a blitz from cranky Mr. Librarian and the jury of proper English folk shooting me terribly disapproving...
Crucified at the the library...
So, a lot has occurred since my last post. Domingos and I finally moved into our flat and I have officially begun my job search. The flat business was certainly pricey. Essentially, we handed over every last penny we own to our sadly imcompetent estate agent and are now on rations until next month. Very sad, but oddly invigorating, as I imagine myself as a sort of Simone de Beauvoir character...
Foggy and Soggy
I am finally over my jet lag and Domingos off on his first day of work (www.anouskahempeldesign.com), so I grab my map and head out the door for a bit of exploring. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to dig my umbrella out of one of our four mammoth duffles, and so here I am, drying off @easyInternetcafe while cats and dogs are being dumped by the bucketful outside on Tottenham Court Road. It’s...