God Zeus' Domain: Travel

Slowly Gettin' There

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 16:57:21 GMT

My hair's been washed, Air’s - Alone In Kyoto’s playing in the background, I have a hot cup of Options in front me (its no Swiss Miss, but it'll do) and a massive headache that’ll ensure I stay home this afternoon. It's officially a lazy Sunday. It may be for the best, since I was out all day yesterday…just aimlessly walking around. That’s what I like about London. You sometimes have too much choice and end up doing nothing…but when you set out to do ‘nothing’, you end up having too much to do.

So autumn’s coming to a close (I think. I’m no expert on the matter), and I don’t really have any seasonal shots to speak of. I still don’t think I have any ‘real’ autumn shots to speak of. Sigh…that’s what I don’t like about London. Sometimes you miss your green areas.

Whine, moan and groan. Shut it jackass. Geez…

Still in the testing phase of things with the new cam. I think I have the basic functions down a bit better. Need to work on my focusing skills. Oh, need to work on my exposure skills for sure. Steups, ok…I need to work on ALL my skills in general! Found some recommended reading on Amazon, so come next pay day…(you know the drill)

And again, Live Spaces will totally kill the quality of the pics with their sub-par jpg compression system. Yes you heard me Live Spaces monitors…I’m slaggin’ you lot off! (Folks, if my Space stops loading, you know why eh).

The Brighton Run

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:31:02 GMT

Alrighty then. Before my dark(er) side was made manifest (again), there was the ‘Brighton Day Out’ on Sunday last. Totally spur of the moment, but much needed! Unbeknownst to us at the time, it was the Ace Café reunion weekend, with a Rally To Brighton on the same freakin’ Sunday we decide to hit the coast! This meant over 3 hours to get down there!

Since I’m watching Lost and still in a rotten mood, I’ll be half-assin’ this post.

Bikes, Bikes and More Bikes
It was quite apparent on the way down to Brighton that something was up. I saw more motorcycles on the roads that afternoon that I’d ever seen in my whole life (honest!). I’d soon change that bold claim once we got into town however…since THAT would be the most motorcycles I’ll probably ever see in my whole life! There were classics, customs, scooters, cycles with sidecars, tricycles…everything with three wheels or less! The website expected close to 40,000 cycles to participate in the rally apparently. Sure did feel like it.
Pipe Dreams
Another welcome surprise was the half pipe set up on the waterfront. Really didn’t think pipes were that big…or that high! The Extreme Sports Channel spectacle (Extreme Dirty Weekend) provided perfect lunchtime entertainment, as we sat on the pebbles and munched on pizza. It also helped me forget about the jackass attendant at the pizza place and how I was unwittingly engaged in a game of charades just to get some damn napkins. My winning prize? A dismissive “No. No napkins. You take away” comment. We had thoughts of snatching the ones under the cutlery on the tables. Wish I did.
Fish ‘n’ Chips - British Style
Oh, the British and their inability to ‘properly’ season fish (or chicken, or beef, or any other dead animal being readied for consumption). Caribbean people just aren’t used to that sorta thing. We need thyme (at least two different types), garlic, chives…the works. The fish or meat also has to marinate in the mixture for at least a few hours. This apparently, is exactly what the few Brits I’ve asked don’t like. Seasoning overwhelms the ‘original flavour’ of the meat is what I’ve been told. So it was off to a seaside restaurant, with the hopes of redeeming my first very ‘meh’ fish ‘n’ chips experience. So what’s the verdict? Just as before, it tasted like fresh fish dipped in fry batter. Fullstop. I had to drown it with lemon, vinegar, salt and anything else that was on the table.
‘Z’
The spritey friend of a friend that joined us, and found it necessary to provoke me several times throughout the day. She did get tons of bonus points for loving funk and old school hip hop though. (The surfer girl I met in Nottingham also admitted to having a soft spot for the funk). Oh yeah…she loves coffee and checks rottentomatoes.com before catching a movie! See, SEE! I’m not the only freak out there! Ok, so here’s where we totally throw all the good things out the window, for another friend and herself managed to somehow drug me and make me ride that roller coaster of death at the end of Brighton Pier! Really. That’s what happened. I swear. Yes-sir-e Bob.

New Brighton Pics Here

St. Albans

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 22:53:29 GMT

Wait a minute…an unexpectedly sunny day, clean clothes to wear, massive delays and closures on several tube lines? This could only mean one thing…IT’S EXPLORATION TIME BITCHES! Ok, to be honest, I was quite content with spending Sunday at my local urban green patch with my snacks and reading material, but who am I to pass up an invitation to travel somewhere new?

The Tour
Lets see here…St. Albans is just to the north of London. Probably took us just under half hour to drive there, which was funny since it took me close to 2 hours of travelling to get to my friends’ home. This old Roman town (then called Verulamium) was eventually renamed after England’s first martyr. I’m not going to get into the very long history of this town, since I probably don’t know that much, and simply because this ain’t no damn history class. Wikipedia has a great write up here.

We started with a small walk-about of the town centre. The Clock Tower and it’s very claustrophobic stair case was the first stop. Great view once you make it to the top though! Next it was the cathedral. Cathedrals are always interesting. Their intricate architecture (both inside and out) and detailed history will always make this a ‘must see’ for me. (Cathedrals kinda creep me out a bit too…well British ones anyway).

It was onto Verulamium Park and museum. The park was home to the hypocaust (roman version of central heating) and several patches of Roman wall ruins that date back to almost two thousand years ago. The museum itself was packed full of artifacts (from the expedition in the 30’s, by that family…what’s their name again?) and other exhibitions that helped give us outsiders tons more info about the town. We ended with the Roman theatre ruins, just a short walk away. No wait…we ended with the pub.

The Pub
Long will name of the pub called ‘The Six Bells’ be present in my mind, for it was here I took my first taste of alcohol in nine years. I have a long winded reason as to why I threw my hat back into the ring, but you’ll know all in due course. So it was a pint of the Belgium beer, Hoegaarden for me…naturally cloudy with a hint of citrus. Its been a while, so it tasted like ‘beer’ to me. A pint’s a lot by the way! Aside from the light buzzy feeling, I was fine. Don’t worry Gav, its not the start of anything bad.

(Now what did I do with that bottle of wine?)

More St. Albans Pics Here

Notting Hill Carnival

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:27:38 GMT

Righty-o. Lets do this comparison style, baby…

Costumes
Trinidad
The quality of Trinidad’s costumes has begun to slip over the last few years. In fact, its been literally been slipping right off the bodies of the folks wearing them! While in most cases, this can be seen as a good thing (if you’re out and about to get an eyeful), it is killing the creative side of the whole affair. These days, costumes are nothing more than beads and feathers carefully arranged to cover the naughty bits of your body, that the extra extra-small, cheap-assed bikini isn’t hiding. Costume designers will just randomly arrange same said feathers and beads for the following year. They’ll then demand their $5000TT.

Notting Hill
As bad as the current Trinidad scene is, they’re still leagues ahead of this lot. While some of the costumes weren’t bad, it did feel like some folks just didn’t care. Hell, the police officers in their high-viz jackets made for better viewing at some points!

Winner – Trinidad. Only because of the few designers that are still making a proper effort. Beads and feather whores should not celebrate.

Music
Trinidad
Soca (with all its retarded variations) and calypso…the sounds of TnT carnival. It’s what you’ve come to expect at carnival right? It’s a shame that over the last few years, the misguided youth with their ‘insanely fast B.P.M. fetish’ and their shotgun marriage to the words ‘jump, wave, wine and jam’ has reduced the art form to seriously embarrassing lows. Sigh, lemme not get started.

Notting Hill
You had your mobile sound systems and your static sound systems. Most of the mobile sound systems we heard were Brazilian, so it was samba, samba and more samba (muscular thighed Brazilian honeys included at no extra cost). The other few we caught, were basically blasting Allison Hinds. Aside from the one Destra track, you’d think Allison was THE soca queen! (Bajans would be nodding in approval at this point). In total, there were 41 official static sound systems spread across the area. The choice of genres was insane. Break beats, soul, R&B, raga, drum n bass, hip-hop, soca, roots, funk, house…you name it, you could find it!

Winner – I dunno. While I always welcome the chance to NOT hear poorly made soca music, I’m not entirely sure I wanted to hear Snoop Dogg’s Gin And Juice on Carnival day. On the other hand Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore. I’m smack dab in one of the most diverse cities on planet Earth…this is what I should expect right? Hmm.

Food
Trinidad
Just typing this up is getting me hungry. Trinidadian food just can’t be beat! There’s something about an authentic Trini roti or doubles or bake n’ shark or pelau or stewed fish or macaroni pie or callalloo…ok I HAVE to stop!!!

Notting Hill
So even though there were tons Caribbean based food options available, most of it didn’t look very appetising. This is usually the case for street food I guess…presentation and thoroughness takes a back seat when your primary goal is to ‘get dat paper’ It also doesn’t help to be vegetarian…in the obviously Jamaican side of the carnival. I settled for an average ‘Mom’s veggie roti’ eventually.

Winner – Trinidad. Can’t wait to get my chops into a PROPER roti when I return.*

People
Trinidad
Ahh. Sweet TnT. Land of many cultures and many races. Carnival time often brings out a wide spectrum of the population, though at times, it does seem to be a bit ‘segregated’ at times (Trinis KNOW what I’m talking about!).

Notting Hill
Sorry to say, but London is at least a hundred times more diverse than Trinidad. There’s probably someone from almost every part of the world here…and it was very apparent through music, costumes, displays, food and the crowd generally. This one band had Caribbean, Chinese and Turkish representatives all in the same section. I love to see cultures mixing it up…that’s one of the reasons I’m here anyway.

Winner – Notting Hill. Obvious reasons.

Transport
This is a no-contest really. Even a George Bush could guess who’ll be the victor here…

Trinidad
Getting to and from anywhere on Carnival Monday and Tuesday is a nightmare. Since public transportation is non existent, you have to rely on the eight maxi and three taxis that are actually running. Once the festivities are over, feel free to join the thousands as they converge on the poorly designed and operated transport hubs. Ok, calling City Gate a transport hub is a bit generous. Be sure to multiply frustration by infinity if the rains come.

Notting Hill
Hundreds of thousands of people crammed into a small area of the city? Surely you’d expect transport chaos! Nope. We got in and out of there relatively easy. Officers were stationed at streets, maps were distributed, websites were constantly updated…bottom line, we were always informed!

Winner – Notting Hill. Hands down!

So we wind up with a 2-all score line and one ‘I eh too sure’ comparison between Trinidad and Notting Hill carnival. I did have very low expectations of this festival, (being from a country where the carnival mentality isn’t restricted to a few days a year), but I guess it was cool in the end.

Would I do it again next year? Probably. Once the right people are again present

View some pics here

* - No, I don’t know when that will be. Don’t ask.

To The Midlands With Us!

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 01:20:18 GMT

Thursday
Got an offer to be a part of a video shoot for a band at a pretty large gaming studio. (Contracts of secrecy were signed, so this’ll have to be very vague). Of course I jumped at the opportunity. Something new? Something fun? Something I won’t be able to do back home? Count me in! After getting the “Production Running For Uber Dummies” short course, I felt ready.

Friday
It’s cold and wet. We skip breakfast, load the car and hit the road. Navigating the complex spider web that is the London road network would prove very difficult…A-Z in hand or not! We arrived in good time. Had the chance to unpack and setup the equipment without the rush. The day went well I think. Boom mic operation isn’t as easy as it looks, by the way. Later that afternoon, as tired as we all were, we began packing for the trip to Nottingham. Who knew it was so far away. I still don’t have a proper gauge as to how large this country is. I think Trinidad can fit within the M25 can’t it? Anyway, we relied on hot air balloon sightings, fields of sheep and horses and the sugar rush of candy bars to keep us awake. Oh yeah, fear of crashing and dying is always a good stimulant.

Saturday
The plan was:

Make No Attempt To Get Up Early
Somehow, my body didn’t get that memo. I was up at 6am! It gave me time to work on something I should have done a while ago. I did get up kinda stupid too. “Where the hell am I? Who’s that chick!?” Eventually, my brain figured out the first question and my host helped me with the other.
Lunch
Wagamama. Been hearing about this place even before I got here! Never went to any in London…because I’m not into going to restaurants by myself. It just looks weird. (Ladies, that’s a hint…or not. Depends on who’s reading this). I opted for some kinda soup/noodles dish. Pretty ‘meh’ for me. I’ve had better in Trinidad. I’ll try another dish at some point.
Walk Around Town
Fopp, Forbidden Planet, clothes stores, electronics stores, cool pub with great arty crap…we just made the rounds. There’s nothing like leaving one city with to head to another with the same shops. Can’t say it was generally cheaper either. Nottingham has the convenience of ‘everything’s right there’. We hit the supermarket for some snacks and some wine. The night was about to begin.
The Party
Hmm. Never did a costume party. Technically, I still haven’t. I just wore a shirt. The guy I went as (Kele from Bloc Party), dresses normal. Didn’t help that some folks were like, “who are you supposed to be?” Oh, the sad state of non-indie people.

So it was a dress party, as you may have gathered. People had to come as a famous singer. You were also supposed to sing and dance along when your person’s song was being played. I didn’t…’cause at the time, no one told me I had to! No worries…no one knew who I was anyway. Lets see, we had a Britney Spears, Shania Twain, Joss Stone, Freddie Mercury, Meg and Jack White, Kylie Minogue (a very brave guy) and Mick Jagger (a very cool gal) to name a few.

Some ‘very interesting’ yadda yadda happened, and we’re back home. (Clever cop out…for my own safety)

Sunday
The plan was:

Car Boot Sale
The car’s ‘boot’, for my non British readers, is your car’s trunk. So it’s just people who stuff their cars with crap from their houses, and sell it to you in an open field (or wherever). Ok, so it’s not all crap. You can actually get great antiques (that the seller may not even know they had all along) and other gems that you may find handy. I got an R2D2 Puzz3D for 50p! Suck on that Knowledge Zone in Movietowne! $325TT meh backside!
Walk Around Town
Yeah. Walk around town. Check out the shopping. Check out the ladies. Yadda Yadda.
Snakes On A Motherf*ckin’ Plane! (Bitches)
How could we NOT see this movie? I’ve been a part of the SOAP phenom since it was being kicked around on blogs, as ‘rumours’. Rumours? Pure marketing genius is what it was. Create a massive buzz before you even put pen to paper! Instant cult classic. So how’s the final product? Just what I expected really. It was so damn camp and juvenile, it was genius. Plot? Character development? Not here folks…it’s snakes on a plane, with some extra bits at the beginning and end…so as to make up time I figure. (I also love how so many brand-name products were so ‘inconspicuously’ featured throughout the movie)
Las’ Lap
We made our rounds to various friends, said our how-de-do’s and so-longs, then made that multi-hour trip back to London. I watched Run Lola Run in the car (my best attempt to stay awake). It was good, but spawned a lot of debate after. Just what you need at 11:30pm on the motorway, I say! Good times!

So we're a bit short in the photo department. That's a combination of forgetting to carry the cam, being too busy to snap when I did have it on me and my 'doh show personal pictures on my blog' policy.

Portobello Road Market

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 00:31:32 GMT

All recovered and ready to go! I spent Friday limping around and doing a much needed laundry run. Yesterday was all about getting out and about again. As I hooked up with a friend and headed to …uhh, well we had no ‘real’ plan.

Not surprisingly, we’ve had another shock move by the ever fickle British weather. It rained like crap! The definition of ‘unpredictable’ in the dictionary should be followed by ‘See: Women, West Indian Cricket Team and British Weather’. Never a good thing to see everyone in their summer wear getting soaked.

The Day - Summary (‘cause I’m tired)
So anyway, after a bite at Subway (first time in the UK, after practically living off the crap in Trinidad) we headed to Portobello Road market in Notting Hill. Much easier said than done as there were tons of closed stations all over central London today.

Portobello Road market is a nice mix of antiques to retro, music to clothing, jewellery to accessories. There’s something for everyone in this market, so both young and not-so-young can get definitely find some common ground in this market (remember my visit to Camden market? Total opposite here)

We popped into The Hummingbird Bakery for some of their ‘famous’ cup cakes (or so I’ve been told). The verdict? Nice and moist with a lot of icing. Very sweet, but you’ll live once you drink some water after. Good, but nothing to write home about.

How could it get any better? Why with some flippin’ good art of course! This was so conveniently located just across the street in the form of the Apart Art Gallery. Thoroughly enjoyed the pieces on display…no one should pass up a chance to check them out.

Finally, finally got my wooden spikes! There was a small Tribu stall way down market, and after a lot of debate (with self and friend), I made my purchase. She of course, had to endure my constant bitchin’ about the cost till I managed to try them one later that night…when I was convinced that it was a good move. I just need to remember to take them off before I go to bed (Memories of bloody pillows pop into mind)

The rest of the day was spent making our way to Harrow-On-The-Hill, flipping through wedding albums and having dinner. I then spent the next hour and a half getting my ass back to Leyton (not much fun there kids).

Pics
A ‘not so good’ pic of an Italian café (complete with Fiat 500 and rare reflection of me taking the shot…the ONLY time I’ll ever appear on this blog!) and the upper part of Portobello Road.

Canterbury And Dover

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 02:01:59 GMT

Fackin’ hell MSN Spaces...you’re really takin’ the piss now! I can create a brand new photo album and add new pics to it. I CAN’T attach these new pics to my blog entry without it being copied to the ‘My Blog Photos’ album!! What’s the point? I should just keep all my pics in one big, hard to navigate, ‘My Blog Photos’ album then? You’d better get this shite right with Live Spaces dammit.

**Deep breaths and a sip of water later…**

Thursday 20th July, 2006

6:00am – Alarm goes off. Four hours of hot, sticky sleep was over. I would pay for this later on.

6:50am – Leave the house with my aunt, so I can get a lift to Blackhorse Road station. Have to put up with road rage first thing in the morning.

6:55am – Metro in one hand and the tube’s vertical rail in the other. I was in no mood to battle the other standing passengers for the odd seat that may pop up between stations.

7:40am – Stench of the guy that came on at Oxford Circus is still bothering me. A lot. I get off the tube and make my way to Victoria Coach Station.

7:50am – I’m at Gate 8 waiting for my coach. I select my ‘Upbeat’ playlist to keep myself awake.

8:30am – We leave Victoria on schedule. There are only about 8 people on board, but I know by the time we get out of London, that’s going to change

9:30am – The coach is now packed and a whole lot noisier. I would spend the next 45 minutes slipping into sleep, and being nudged out of it by the young lady next to me.

10:30am – We’re at Canterbury’s Bus Station. I get off and make my way to the visitor information booth, to sign up for the 11:30am walking tour. Needless to say, I took the long, scenic route to get there.

The sight of all the big high street stores, blocking up all the old-styled buildings kinda threw me off. I think the town planning people let things get a bit outta hand. All those pics of Canterbury I saw online were misleading.

11:10am – I stop for breakfast. A ploughmans, packet of crisps and a mineral water. It was a breakfast deal…it took it.

11:35am – I met the members of the tour group. Three from Texas, a couple from Germany, a couple from Holland and a couple from England.

The tour was great. Yes I could have walked around town myself (and did after it was over), but the tour-guide was able to carry us to all the nooks n crannies of the town. She also gave a lot of background and stories into significant buildings and locations. There is SO MUCH history, folklore and legend going on in Canterbury…I can’t even begin to start telling you guys about it.

12:50pm – I began checking out all the places I had marked on the map I printed. A guy came up to me saying he loved my hair. He was the fourth. Just one of the many ways I stood out. (You’re smart enough)

1:45pm – I’m on the 15 bus to Dover. Just like the coach ride to Canterbury, its fields of crops and sheep as we drive by.

2:17pm – Dover is much cooler (temperature wise), and man did it feel good. Seagulls are everywhere and the air’s a bit fresher. I soon realized I didn’t print a map of Dover…very unlike me…Mr. plan for everything. I moved into plan B, which was ‘wingin’ it’

2:30pm – I have a quick bite (in yet another town centre packed with big named stores for no reason) and make my way to the water front for some pics of the White Cliffs.

3:30pm – I’m on my way to the Dover Castle. The guys in town could have warned me it was a damn steep hike up the hill! Luckily, months of mad walking throughout London prepared me for it.

3:40pm – I’m on a bench halfway up trying to catch my breath.

3:50pm – For the millionth time for the day, I’m having to talk about my hair, my accent, my country and how am I enjoying England so far. I paid the gate lady and made my way in (at last)

I had no idea a castle was so big. It took me about another 8 minutes of brisk walking to get to the other end where the tunnel tour was supposed to start! I also had no idea that there were three stories of underground, secret world war 2 tunnels in the Dover cliffs. My WW2 itch was about to be scratched, somethin’ fierce.

The tunnel tour was great! (on so many levels…can’t mention it on the blog, sorry). Using lighting and sound effects, they simulated what it was like during war times as it’s occupants carried out their duties. Hell, they even had projections of people on walls, down poorly lit corridors…kinda creepy when you’re down there actually!

Once I was out of the cold and damp, it was time to explore the rest of the compound. King’s quarters, the courtyard, an actual trebuchet…you name it, they had it. Woulda been cool if they had people in costume walking around etc. Hey, I need to be entertained!

5:20pm – I’m halfway down the hill, and was wondering, “It somehow doesn’t seem that bad. It never seems bad on the way down”

5:40pm – Back on the 15 to Canterbury. The journey’s a bit slower as its still rush hour. I’m dosing off again.

6:10pm – There’s an international beer festival in town, so there’s a lot of movement all around. I have about 50 minutes to kill, so I explore the southern side of town a bit. Ok, I was looking for Sainsbury’s! I had a Jaffa Cake craving! In the end, I got my tasty treats along with three newfound friends. Not a bad way to spend my last moments in Canterbury. Good times! Great times!!

7:00pm – Back on the coach. Back with the fighting to stay awake. I gave in. The guy next to me woke me up when we got back to London.

8:50pm – Beautiful, noisy, grimy London welcomed me back. I push my way past the usual crowd at Victoria station as I make my way to the tube.

10:15pm – Finally back home. I shower, munch on a croissant, sip a cup of tea and make my way to bed. I get up the next morning with aches, pains and a bad headache.

That’s a brief on the day. Check the album for pics. May have to select (Canterbury & Dover). There’s about 29,000 more words in there.

Bring On The Sun, Baby!

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 21:09:36 GMT

One more headache out of the way. Spent the morning sorting through documents for my afternoon interview. Why must everything be so tough for foreigners in this country? Alyuh doh want we here or wha?

Government business completed, nothing else planned for the afternoon, weather on the up, Oyster card with enough money for a cross city travel and mp3 player loaded with many a metal tune…this could only mean one thing. Time to go exploring! (Your queue to clap and cheer like a child getting cake and ice cream on a Sunday afternoon).

It was off to Holland Park. One on the ever increasing list of ‘green sections’ of the city I wanna visit. The park was nice. The lawn areas were strewn with scantily clad men and women, begging the sun for skin cancer. The ‘forested’ parts of the park were so densely packed at some points, it formed a (very welcomed) overhead canopy. There was a little Japanese styled garden too. Not as relaxing as you’d want it to be since park security enforced the ‘stay off the grass’ rule. Why does ‘the man’ always have to cramp our style?

Now if you’ll excuse me, the time for my weekly mass steupsing and head scratching is at hand. Lost has started!

No Alarms And No Surprises

Sun, 28 May 2006 03:04:24 GMT

Choices. It ALWAYS has to be tough and complicated for me. I’ve always said, “If it happens too easily, something’s wrong!”. Negative thinking on my part, but whatever yes…it’s the damn truth.

There are times when paranoid over-thinking and planning are the best things for a situation. Others just require a good mixture of luck and the foolhardy ‘act now think later’ attitude. The latter worked for me last Friday, but somehow I think some thought should go into what happens next. Turning your back the hustle and bustle of big city life for a quieter country setting IS a hard choice for me at this stage. Sigh. We’ll see…

Country Livin’
Luton’s a cool place tho. Beautiful country houses, green landscapes and rolling hills and a community small enough for you to be able to say “Hey, I remember seeing you this morning!” Frig, the bus drivers say “thank you” when you’re leaving! Someone needs to write some new code for those robot bus drivers in London. As we’re on the topic of the bus…

Better Get A Move On
Getting around Luton is a bit of a hassle though. There’s no ‘every 7-10 minutes’ bus service in these parts. It’s more like every 40 minutes or so. If you miss it, you’re screwed. They’ve recently scrapped their Sunday service to the area I’m staying in…so even more joy for me right? (punks). The Oyster card system is a London only scene, so I find myself frantically digging through my little orange leather coin purse every morning, trying to make up the fare. I’ve been told you can be denied entry to the bus if the driver doesn’t have change for your bigger notes.

Getting to and from London isn’t such a big deal, but it’s time and £ consuming. Here’s a run down from East London to Luton.

The 58 bus to Walthamstow Central station. From there, the Victoria line tube to Kings Cross/St Pancras station. Turns out, the trains to Luton aren’t at that station, but at the Thameslink Extension not too far down the road. Once you shell out your £, it’s about a 40 minute train ride to Luton Train station. You can either walk to Luton Bus station or grab a taxi just outside. The bus will probably take you about 30 minutes to where I’m staying, but it’s about a 15 minute taxi ride. The coaches leave and terminate at Victoria station, which is about a 45 minute+ tube ride from Walthamstow.

All this travelling is definitely not something one can afford to do every day (time and money wise), hence my ‘choices’ to be made. I’m going to have to make that trek into London everytime I need to visit my Aunt or check out anything in here. (Not good)

Wonder What’s Next?
Well, I’m heading back to Luton on Monday and I’ve got my Editors gig this Thursday, so I’ll have to spend a heap of £ to get back into London. Getting to Brixton in time for a good spot at the venue is my main concern! Just the whole hassle thing is putting me off the whole affair. Going to have to face it every time…steups. Could never be easy eh?

A Day In Brighton

Sun, 14 May 2006 01:57:50 GMT

Went to Brighton for the day on Friday. Didn’t sleep after the Stereolab show on Thursday night, but who cares…the human body can take a lot of punishment apparently.

Not really in the mood to ramble-on this morning, so it’s summary time.

For some reason, the upload of pics has become very slow and tedious. What’s going on MSN people. I know you’re reading this dammit! Work on it please! With that said, I’ve started to create separate albums for pics. I would have in the past, but everything automatically gets dumped in the ‘My Blog Photos’ album when I submit a post. Sigh, turns out its more hell to move those pics into albums now…serious MSN people, help a brotha out here!

Threw up some pics of the day’s street activities from the Brighton Festival. That was one crazy scene. It was one act or thing to see right after another. Most times, it was a case of more than two things going on at once, so you had to be quick or check out pieces of each.

Major disappointment with the Brighton ‘Beach’. It’s no beach…don’t get your hopes up. Brits reading this blog, that’s not a beach! Still tho, it’s a cool spot to hang out. After being in the city for so long, it was a welcome change. (Still no substitute for a good Maracas Bay lime tho)

In conclusion, it was cool. Didn’t get home till 1am the next morning, but good times none the less. The pics will speak for themselves.

Turn Your 'Imagination Dial' To Max

Sun, 07 May 2006 21:14:01 GMT

This one almost made it into the 'bizarro' file eh...

I tried describing it to a friend yesterday…and yeah, it was hard to swallow. Hell, even though I’ve seen it today, I’m still in a bit of disbelief.

Here we go…
On Thursday of last week, a ‘capsule looking thing’ crash landed around Waterloo Place (near St. James Park). After a day of curious on looking and dandruff scratching, the public got its first glimpse at the capsule’s contents (with the help of some puppeteers). A rather big ‘little’ time travelling girl. Not entirely sure where the elephant came from or came in, but it was there! The elephant’s apparently the Sultan’s time machine (even though he left in a stretch limo as part of the closing show). They spent the next few days roaming the city, sleeping in parks and confusing the old folks silly.

I was lucky to catch up with the elephant at Piccadilly before it was on the move. That gave me time to walk back to St James park to catch the girl. After seeing the crowds at Piccadilly and the crowds at the St. James, I told myself to stay put. Took up some primo real estate ear the 'finale staging area' and chatted with the locals for a bit (that’s a whole other blog, trust me!)

Eventually the elephant and little girl came in (bringing thousands more onlookers with them) and the final act began. The puppeteers equipped her with helmet and goggles (safety first), then lifted her into the capsule. A quick snuggle with elephant trunk soon followed. Some of puppeteers stayed in the capsule to strap her in etc. After putting the capsule’s top on, the elephant blew some ‘cannabis’ smoke through a cabin window. Guess time travel’s hard on the mind or something.

We all knew the capsule wasn’t going to shoot off into the sky…and we all knew there won’t be any David Copperfield crap going down. What we didn’t know (I guess being caught up in the moment) was that after the blaring rocket launching sounds through the loud speakers and some nifty fire effects…was the fact that the little girl and the puppeteers inside the capsule had ‘vanished’ (they lifted the capsule top to show the crowd obviously).

WTF! When did that happen? We were right up front! My make shift crew and I exchanged confused glances. The couple on the other side of me exchanged spit. Large puppets and pyrotechnics turn them on apparently. They either stuffed the girl in the capsules cover or broke her down and she’s in the bottom bit. Either way, where’d the humans go? She was pretty big herself…how’d she fit?

Yuh understand so far? Still with me? You believing any of this?

The whole thing turned out to be the largest street theatre ever in London, performed by the Royal de Luxe (a French street theatre group or something…hadda be the French eh). The Sultan's Elephant was really something to behold…something I may never see again. Good times!

The Full Scoop Via BBC

Gentlemen (And Ladies), Start Your Dribblin'

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 19:32:23 GMT

The Gumball Rally 2006. Ask me to explain it and I'd have been lost. I would have also thought you were mucking me about. Gumball Rally?...steups. You would have been cussed.

Now I know. In short, it's a fun rally for the rich and famous, that spans the world (or so they claim). It takes 8 days, and takes them across Europe, part of Asia and the USA...with party stops in 1st class resorts along the way. Oh, apparently, it was an old 70's movie or something...like Cannonball Run. Whatever yes.

As for me and all the other plebs, we had a chance to check out the Gumball Rally thing-a-majig at Trafalgar Square...or thereabouts (had to do a bit of walking around to find it). This was a big deal for me...I'm a car nut. More of a modified car nut than an exotic car one, but who cares?!?! Look at the pics!

I met Bam and his crazy partner off his show, got a nose full of burning rubber off a Ferarri, heard and felt many an engine rumble (emphasis on feel) and saw tons of rides I've only seen on TV or in games.

Oh, saw the 'famous' Goldie Looking Chain and their 'A-Team' van. Much kicks there. Weird as it was, they constantly had a large gathering around their little van!

Gumball Rally MSN Space

GOOD TIMES!

Had a hard time selecting pics for the blog...there were just so many! Over 120 taken!

So go forth and click my people...click and steal

And We Gorn Again...

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 22:43:35 GMT

‘Goat Mout’ – the phenomena of speaking one’s self into bad luck.

Example… Some posts ago, I was all excited to experience some temperatures around 20 degrees or higher. We were all excited.

In reality, temperatures NEVER crossed 17 degrees. It’s getting freakin’ colder too. WTF? It was a windy 12 out there today…lows tonight of 4 (with a touch of frost). What is wrong with this country? :)

Still, I had business to conduct.
>>Fast Forward >>
Business was conducted and London was a waitin’.

First stop was Coningsby Gallery, somewhere in central (I eh sure). There was an exhibition by Sarah Howell on (fell in love with her stuff when I first saw it in a mag I bought). Twas great…great I say! She combines Photoshop work, sketches, paintings and photography to form some pieces that has to be seen, to be fully appreciated. Mark my words people, I will be that good some day! **shakes fist in the air…eyes squint**

Next, it was off to Asia house off Regents Park station. What’s on there you ask? Why, just some Tibetan Monks doing some tantric art or the other. No way in hell was I going to miss this! It takes the monks a week to create the art (out of coloured sand), and just a few moments to destroy it. Yup, it’s destroyed when they’re done…to symbolise the impermanence of everything.

You know what? That’s not for me nuh. After a week of doing nothing but scratching sand out of a ‘chak-pur’…you eh go be destroying jack-diddley-squat!

Feeling all enlightened, I made my way to Hyde Park. The plan was to go to Hamstead Heath, but I was a bit too lazy. Also, the enlightened feeling went away pretty quickly as I entered the tube at Tottenham Court Road. That station is ALWAYS packed.

Hyde Park is huge! I only planned to check the Princess Di Memorial and stroll around a bit…all close to Knightsbridge. What really happened was I went nuts, and walked all over the damn place. Before I knew it, I was at ‘speaker’s corner’! How did that happen? My aching feet keep telling me how lame that move was. Anyways, got TONS of pics, soaked up some sun (even though it was kinda nippy), and still went back to Virgin in the end :P Good times!

Nocturnal Urges

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:45:41 GMT

After days of reading articles and round the house trials, it was time for another night run.

All the pics below were done on 'manual controls' (I'd normally use semi manual). Still got alot of work to do, but I'm happy with things so far.

Digital SLR, here I come! (hopefully)

Nowhere In Particular Really...

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:40:25 GMT

Heading Down?

What a craptastic weekend people. I'm not even going to get started. Moving along...

Spring, You Bitch! Stop Stalling...

Ok, I'll ask again...when exactly is Spring supposed to show up? We're this far into April and today was a windy 2...so it felt like -1. In true bizarro style, it also happened to be sunny and fairly clear. I'm from Trinidad...this kinda deception is unforgivable Mother Nature...UNFORGIVABLE!

Well whatever the weather or temperature, I had a busy day planned. Business for 10am, then off to a kick ass exibit just off Groodge Street station. After that...who knows? (That's often the extent of my planning I'm afraid).

Everything For A Reason?

I get to Groodge Street station, make my way to the art gallery, and its closed! A quick check of the time-piece did confirm that I was within opening hours. "Blasted Trinis" is what my mind said! Trini blood in dey veins!!!

I was cold. Starbucks was there. Yes people, I've broken my life long pledge to NEVER go into Starbucks. Frig dat shite, I was cold! Any longer without heat and I would have needed tweezers to pull my testicles out of my lower torso. A friend and I always used to argue about Starbucks and other big name corporations that drive 'Mom and Pop' stores out of business. Well 'R'...what say ye now?

(The dotish thing was, as I sat at a window, there in plain view was a small cafe just across the street...)

The coffee wasn't all that either. Honestly! I'm a coffee whore, and I know dammit!

Went back to the gallery and it was still closed.

Surprise!

Out of pure 'hauntedness', I left central London and headed east. I decided to pop in on my aunt at the hospital. (For no real reason actually). I'd already met my limit in zone's 1 and 3, so it was free travel for the rest of the day (I hate to not use that feature. Transport is already so damn expensive).

So from Groodge to Warren Street, then along the Victoria to Walthamstow. From there I got on the 34 to Tottenham. Long and tedius is that 34 journey. I should have stopped at another tube station and figured out a shorter route (too much thinkin' too late). Well I did get there eventually, and boy was she was surprised.

Worth it in the end I think . We chatted a bit, then I left for Walthamstow again. (nonsense eh?)

Swing Back

Yeah, I went back to the gallery. They were open, and that extra hour back there was well worth it. My respected artist list groweth.

So, I'm back and my feet are KILLING me (wonder why?). Time for the tub and my water warped book (apparently paper absorbs water pretty well! Note to self...try not to fall asleep in there again)

This Lil Piggy Went To Market

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 01:18:02 GMT

Finally checked out the famous Camden Market scene.
I pretty much geared myself up based on online reviews and that one guy in Virgin Megastore...but yeah, it was so much more!

Getting There
Well decided to ship out fairly 'early', since I had some other errands to run before the market spin. Business before pleasure kids. Thanks to all my previous visits to Camden for gig nights, getting there was like clockwork...to a point. I made the mistake (and I normally avoid) of going to Bank station. Bank station is like some kinda labyrinth, created just to drain all life force from your body.

It’s big. Uhh, if I remember correctly, the Central, Northern, DLR and some other line meets at Bank station. This entire transportation mish-mash means one must traverse stairs, escalators, walkways and fellow tourists to get to the next tube stand. (Oh yeah, escalators weren’t working). By the time I got to Camden Town station, I was exhausted.

What The...
Crowd and more crowd. Camden Town station was a mess. Again, escalators not working. WTF man…don’t they know I’m tired? Stations officials had to usher folks out. There was simply no room inside anymore. (Not like outside was any better though). The street market pretty much starts just outside the door!

This however, wasn’t the first thing I noticed. What caught my eye were the punks. I’m not talking about the guy the groped you inappropriately ladies, I’m talking real ‘Sex Pistols, F*ck the system, foot high multicoloured hair’ punks. They were everywhere! In little colourful anarchy bunches every few feet or so. Leather jackets full of patches, safety pins, piercings, tattoos, beer, swearing, making out…sigh the freedom.
Despite the well ‘ard appearance of these gals and blokes, they were pretty friendly, and didn’t bash my head in when I struck up small talk. Good times.

To The Market
But wait, another group of fashion trend outcasts caught my four eyes. The goths. Ahh, kids and their love of black trench coats, black lipstick, knee high boots, silver chains and jewellery, skulls and bones and running makeup. But wait, it wasn’t only the kids! The older heads got in the mix as well. Not as glam and flash as their younger counterparts; they opted for the edgier pentagrams and ‘evil’ symbols. No, I didn’t talk to the Goths. Rebelling against the system is one thing, molesting my soul is another :P

Ok, To The Market This Time
There are several markets in and around the Camden area apparently. The main one being the Camden market, with a smaller (more fruit and veg. based) just opposite. A lil lower down is Camden Lock market. Seemed to be a smaller and slightly crappier clone of the main market. On the opposite side tho, was a killer food line up. A £1 for anything zone (too bad it was mostly dead birds, cows and pigs).

The main market was my scene. Trendy jackets for any occasion! Want to start from scratch? You can grab a plain something and customize with the tons of nick nacks and accessories for sale (prices were like 3 for £1.50 etc. Patches, buttons and iron-ons). There was a big t-shirt stall just at the entrance with some novelty (not licensed) t-shirts with stuff like Darth Vader trimming a death star shaped hedge and a monotone pic of Bush’s mug with ‘Geezer’ under in small letters. Classics.

Sadly (for me) it was very heavy on the goth and punk scene. A lot of spiked belts and wristbands, bondage pants and leather wear etc. Don’t come looking for high street fashions here people…you’ll be disappointed.

So all in all, not bad. Quite an experience…I got a lot of new ideas (hmmm).

Spent a lot of time walking around, so light on the pics today (people who does skip to de pics, suck salt)

Check the mouse trap pic. What the hell? Would you use a name like that for your product? I guess this trap means business huh…