Orlando!

Went to Orlando, Florida Dec 14-18, 2006 to visit family members with mom.

Stayed at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tony's place in Orlando, and took a day trip to Cocoa to see Aunt Lisa, Uncle Sam and Harrison who is now 10 months old! We got treated out to Red Lobster, and I was reunited once again with their glorious Cheddar Bay Biscuits...

The rest of the vacation was spent shopping, exhausting Ginger (Aunt Kathy's Shih Tzu) and watching TV (Little People, Big World marathon!).

It was nice and relaxing, but without Kris and hitting the theme parks, it wasn't as exciting as I remembered Orlando to be. At least I got to wear a skirt/dress again in 78 degree weather!


Cutie Harrison!


Sunny Orlando from the airport.

Stolen Horses

The trailer for the film I worked on in Banff & Calgary...



I can't wait until the final cut!

Oot and Aboot

I was in Banff and Calgary from August 10-22 for Harris' film shoot. It was a steady crew of 14 working 12+ hr days.
I got fed by the lovely Sandy Richer, who was our mom for the 12 days.

I got to ride on a horse, drive a 16' cube truck (about 200 feet, no biggie), see a calf tranquilized, got licked by 3 calves, rode in the miata, and learned how to hold a rifle... all important things, indeed.

Unfortunately my camera decided to break on me, that's 3 digital cameras I've broken. Perhaps I should take a break and not get anything nice/expensive until i learn how to take better care of things.

FORTUNATELY, Bea took lots of photos.

Voila:


Banff, Alberta, Canada. BEAUTIFUL, ay?


Warner Stables in Banff. The actors and the horses


Our Christmas card this year. (Jon & I)


The 16' Cube truck we drove back and forth everyday listening to Lite 96. (I'm hanging off the back)


2 of the 3 cutest girls we met on the Thomson farm in Turner Valley


a beautiful sunset.



Jon taught me how to hold a rifle. what a guy!


Wow. Kevin, Jon, Me & a horse's ass.


a sweet dog that was MASSIVE and MUDDY. It loved to be pet, and when it wanted to lay down, it would bend his hind legs, then PLOP, he would come down with a thud. It was amazing.


Bea (one of the producers) & I. They got us confused. Do you see any resemblance?


Sean (producer) & Me.


and I end with another amazing night shot. You should've seen it in person. and when it was completely dark, you could see a million more stars. Some were shooting. One looked like Mars. Breathtaking.

Turks & Caicos - May 16-May 19, 2007





(stayed at The Ocean Club Resort in Provincales with me mum!)

I'm back and I miss London at least once a day.

However, I've seen fab people since last Saturday and got to check off things on my "Things I Am Looking Forward To" List:


-Sushi (devouring Yellowtail handrolls avec scallions; many of them)
-Chipotle (or another suitable burrito franchise; i.e. burritoville.)
-Spice ( lunch special -- spring rolls & chicken pad thai)
-Wholefoods (a place for meditation and really good tabouli)
-Strand Books/ Barnes & Noble. I miss perusing through huge bookstores.
-H&M (To help prove [my newfound knowledge of] fashion in London is better than Manhattan)
-Kim's Video (albeit personally never having borrowed or bought any films from the store)
-Getting carded at a bar and then showing my Driver's License with a smile. (though with my luck, they'll never card me again)
-24 Hr Subways I forgot how disgusting they were!!
-My dear family and lovely friends who I have missed.
-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Reliable internet
-Not having to walk a mile to collect mail
-More than 5 television channels
-Regular cucumbers and fruits (Though I did see European Cucumber...)
-My own apartment to decorate and clean.
-Not wondering how to respond when people ask "You alright?" because that's really just their way of saying "How are you"
-A Haircut!!
-Drugstores with everything in 'em.
-Saying "math" instead of "maths"

I've only gotten to talk to Chris once since I got back. I wonder if those guys miss us at all. The 5-hr time difference is really mindblowing.

how is it already the last night? didn't i just get here? I remember arriving here so vividly, exploring Clerkenwell for the first time with Nick and Ethan.

i had to make the rounds with the goodbyes and it was especially hard with my friends who live in England. I got to go to Wagamama with Chris, Saela, Rob, Huw, Mengfan, Lisa, MiMi, Willa and Lauren. So yummy, I regret not going there before.

Ahh i just said goodbye to Imran who lives in Chicago, and I won't see half these people until September... I hate goodbyes SO MUCH!!

In other news, the boat party last night was fantastic, kind of like our mini prom. i took a few prom pictures with some of the guys-- always good times.

Whatever happened in Amsterdam, stays in this Journal.

one of the canals during Queens Day

Lucky Lake... near the hostel/caravan park I stayed at.

Overall, Amsterdam was not fun. Exciting, but not fun.

Well, it definitely would've been better had I had a friend or ten to accompany me around the craziest little city on Queens Day. At least, it would've been nice to have had someone to meet up with there (ie Wesley), but I won't get into that, and instead will decide to give it another chance another day.

I did manage to get a Dutch, Iranian's and Canadian's number in good ol Holland. I suppose that's always a...compliment?

The Canadian, Dave, 27, I met in Barney's, when I decided to get some pancakes for breakfast, and he is actually planning on coming to London in a few days to meet up with his dad (who supposedly owns a mining business in South Africa). Whatever. I was very grateful for his 40 minutes of conversation.

I enjoyed the scenery and took a couple of pictures, but it was freezing and raining and just not my weekend. I did reflect on a lot of things.

OH, and I could've gotten brought to jail because the police caught me without a ticket for the metro, but lucky me, was instead escorted to the ticket booth where he let me off the 34.70 euro fine, and allowed me to continue on my journey with a 1.60 ticket. teehee.

I also got let off the hook of not paying the bus driver, Kelvin, 40s, (the Iranian, and he insisted i not pay), because he enjoyed our 5 minute conversation so much, he gave me his business card (taxi service) and instead offered to take me to Amsterdam himself. He also dropped me off at my hostel instead of the bus stop that was further away. how thoughtful.

and the Dutch man, Tom, who reminds me of a cross between Dick van Dyke and Willy, was nice, but according to Dave, not to be trusted. (FYI, I don't plan on calling any of these people, so do not worry...or get your hopes up)

Gosh, can't a girl travel alone in peacethankyou?
But I'm safe and sound and enjoying every last minute of London I can.

Today, Saela and I went to the V&A. Then to the Trocadero for the arcade games and acted like children with free money. Essentially, that's what happened. We started playing those bloody 2p games where you aim a 2 Pence piece into a moving shelf which should thereby knock more 2 pence pieces into your wallet. We got the hang of it rather quickly however lost our money even quicker. (relax, it was only 60 p)

We then wandered to the other floors and found a 10 pence piece game when all of a sudden Saela's eyes lit up and whispered "Nicole! look!" and there were 2 shiny stacks of 10 pence pieces. We waited around to see if anyone came back, and looked for cameras. after a couple of minutes we decided we were going to count the stacks and return it saying if anyone claimed the right amount, it'd be rightfully theirs, if not, we get it. Well that was all going good and well until we ran back to the 2p games and exchanged our 10p pieces for 2p pieces. (altogether, it was about 5 pounds). We spent it like crazy people addicted to gambling and winning lousy 2 p coins. So much so, we lost it all (I kept the 60p i had lost before). Then she said to push the game so the pieces would fall. We did and the alarm went off, so I ran away.

After that, we went to Tesco to get candy and ate it til we got sick, and later watched Napoleon Dynamite.

Always an adventure with Saela around.

Drum Roll Please....

Here they are. Pictures from the studio-


Lisa, Mark & Me... (swoon!)

Me with the Skype tree where the Gamers get to talk to Sam & Mark

Me sitting at their seat..ooh la la

I normally wouldn't do this during work, but I just want to let everyone know that Lisa and myself just scored a picture with Mark Rhodes in the studio. Yep, our dreamboat who presents the show… we were in the studio 'afterhours' taking pictures (5 min ago) when he came in and asked what we were taking pictures of. He then took my camera and well, you'll see the photo later on tonight when I upload it.

I feel like I just met a backstreet boy.

:-D

Oh and in case you were wondering, last Friday, on my day off, I went to Hyde Park, saw Kensington Palace (the exterior), Kensington Gardens, Princess Diana's Memorial fountain, The Science Museum, The V&A, Harrod's, and still had time to go to Covent Gardens, grab lunch from Marks & Spencer's, go home, back to Covent Gardens to meet up with people at Porterhouse for Matt G's last night with us before he goes to Wood Norton. THEN, went back home, took a 5 min nap before Saela called to say she, Chris & Garf were back at Farringdon ready to go get food at Tinseltown. (Small nachos, extra cheese with an oreo milkshake).

I didn't get to go to Brighton though. Quite unfortunate since Saturday was a gorgeous day and Sunday was drab.

I've Fallen in Love.

I have compiled a list of things that I will be looking forward to when I arrive back on U.S. soil, should you need to find me, I'll be relishing in one of the following:

-Sushi (devouring Yellowtail handrolls avec scallions; many of them)
-Chipotle (or another suitable burrito franchise; i.e. burritoville.)
-Spice ( lunch special -- spring rolls & chicken pad thai)
-Wholefoods (a place for meditation and really good tabouli)
-Strand Books/ Barnes & Noble. I miss perusing through huge bookstores.
-H&M (To help prove [my newfound knowledge of] fashion in London is better than Manhattan)
-Kim's Video (albeit personally never having borrowed or bought any films from the store)
-Getting carded at a bar and then showing my Driver's License with a smile. (though with my luck, they'll never card me again)
-24 Hr Subways
-My dear family and lovely friends who I have missed.
-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Reliable internet
-Not having to walk a mile to collect mail
-More than 5 television channels
-Regular cucumbers and fruits
-My own apartment to decorate and clean.
-Not wondering how to respond when people ask "You alright?" because that's really just their way of saying "How are you"
-A Haircut!!
-Drugstores with everything in 'em.
-Saying "math" instead of "maths"


Things I Will Miss Dearly:
-The clean and somewhat efficient Tube.
-Sainsbury's/Tesco/not-so-much Budgens
-Sofra's £5 two-course meals (Borak Platter, Mixed Grill/Salmon…amazing)
-My British mates: Chris, Matt G, Matt F, Garf, Rob & those whose company I have had the pleasure of sharing even if it was once or twice: Bobby, Riley, Tom K., Tom H., Tudor, Ricard etc…
-Their charming accents
-Printworks (or really, the luxury of stumbling across the street to dance and for cheap drinks)
-TopShop (even though I never bought anything, it was nice to dream)
-The vast varieties of candy bars and crisps
-Fish & Chips
-The easy and somewhat affordable access to the other European countries.
-The never-ending debate on the English vernacular. (Seriously, it's pronounced 'schedule'… not 'shedule' & 'Eggplant' is another name for fruit, 'aubergine' too… 'Aubergine' is actually French, thankyou.)
-Working for CBBC and having an email address ending with bbc.co.uk.
-Having the pleasure to work with such people like Lucie, Sarah, and all of the contacts I've made... [BTW- I emailed Jonnie, a contact in the Videogaming industry, saying I'd be leaving this Friday and to instead contact Lucie, and he wrote back saying "That's a shame, it was a pleasure dealing with you! I hope you go off to do something interesting". I've never even met the guy, but I already miss him.]
-Free museums
-Pret a Manger's hoisin duck wrap....& chicken/avocado salad... with Balsamic Vinegar & Salt Crisps
-Nachos at Anexo or Latin Square or the ICA
-or at Tinseltown at 2am...with an Oreo Milkshake....with Saela, Chris & Garf.
-The absence of guns
-All the Liberal-minded people who hate Bush
-Free laundry
-'That'll Teach 'Em: Boys vs. Girls' on Channel 4, Tuesdays 9pm.
-The way they use the 24-hr clock and have the dates as day/month/year (it makes things so much easier)
-People saying "cheers" instead of "thank you"
-Their obsession with Omega-3 Fatty acids and "fruit & veg"
-Not seeing celebrities I know (aside from TomKat, Brangelina & The Hiltons/Nicole Richie), and instead dishing about Local celebs in "glossies"
-Reading The Guardian daily, and getting easy access to The Independent
-The ICA
-The absence of disgusting men who catcall at girls (I've only gotten it about three or four times here)

:(

yo, check it out:
(it's nice having first dibs)


Monday:
ETYMOLOGY 0455PM-0610PM

Tuesday:
MODERN US DRAMA 0200PM-0445PM
THE AVANT GARDE 1100AM-1215PM
SPOKEN WORD OFF THE PAGE 1230PM-0315PM

Wednesday:
HISTORY OF ANIMATION 0200PM-0445PM
ETYMOLOGY 0455PM-0610PM
INTRO TO SPECIAL EFFECT MAKE-UP 0620PM-0910PM

Thursday
THE AVANT GARDE 1100AM-1215PM

Monday & Friday
Work, or Internship

Farringdon Road is a scary place. I went to Farringdon Station to see if Erin B was there (since I hadn't heard from her) and thought I was being followed by this guy who was waiting (or peeing) in a corner... but I called my flat and talked to my suitemate Erin K for comfort.

Finally got a call from Erin B and she was a block away from Kamen, so I ran to get her. Such a relief!

Today we went to Camden Town. Once again, I did not purchase anything except for food. Perhaps I will try again next week because it'd be a shame not to get something vintage for a relatively good price.

I am probably not going to Spain with James next weekend, so that'll leave him to write his screenplay and me to go to the Science Museum, British Museum, Selfridges, Harrods, Hyde Park, and whatever else I haven't hit yet.. Maybe even Oxford or Cambridge.

Now, i just have to focus on this bloody script. argh!

update 14/04/06

bad news:

-I lost my keys. I actually "cleaned" my room (looked under my bed. threw out some newspapers, etc) and still, nothing. I can't understand where I could've left them, but alas. Michelle and Lisa have been nice enough to lend me their keys. Of course, it would happen during a holiday weekend when hardware stores are closed...

good news:

-Wednesday night, I went to see RADA's performance. They did Two Gentlemen of Verona (for the life of me, i couldn't follow, but I'm like that with alot of Shakespearean works). I was very proud of them, and even though it wasn't conventional play-acting, they did a really good job.

-Also, today I helped cute Tom in the studio, though I didn't really do much except wrangle the guests. Peter, our Animal expert and James Bellamy who plays Stevie Wonder in Dancin in the Streets was on. and I didnt even wrangle them so today was quite pointless.

-I was running on 3 hrs of sleep because my lovely suitemate who was on her way to Dublin, misplaced her wallet (which held her key and passport and money), and BANGED on the door at 3am, shouting and not remembering that I had to wake up at 5am. So there was that ordeal. I wasn't pleased. However I got to talk to Kris and that was good since I haven't talked to her in ages.

-After work, I did my laundry and took a nap. I was exhausted. I don't know how I'll make it to 7:30am transmission (TX) next week, if I go in at all. (Cute Tom won't be floor manager)

-Tonight, Sean took me out to Sofra for my birthday and we had a nice long chat.

-Tomorrow, Bowser comes to visit!!

Good news!

1) Erin is coming to viist this weekend from Dublin!! Thank goodness I decided not to go away.
2) I am going into work early this Friday, even though it should be a holiday for me, and instead, taking off next Friday, because I might go to Barcelona.
3) Yesterday, work was kind of slow, but I managed to speak to someone about sending Guitar Hero for my gaming expert!! It's this really cool game like DDR (dance dance revolution), except instead of a dance pad, you get a guitar and have to press the right buttons at the right time to go in tune with the music... I got more contact numbers as well. Maybe I should go into PR?

Bad-ish News:
1) I am still stuck on my script Idea (due very soon). I don't know enough about forensics to write it, but I do know enough about teen drama. Should've watched more CSI with my mom....
2) I only have one more month here with still so much to do.
3) This in turn has made me think about wanting to move back here to work.

I shouldn't be allowed to read WedMD, or other things like that because I am such a hypochondriac. This week, I have longitudinal melanonychia. Well, I've had it for awhile now, but I just found out what it was called, and while it's a mild case, i still need to see a dematologist when i get back home... which is SOON!! ahhhh.

Work has been good. Today I called a bunch of people and got semi-important contacts for videogame releases. It's amazing how helpful they can be once I mention we want their product on-air.

I've made 2 friends already, Jonnie and Graham. I find it weird I'll never meet them, yet will rely so heavily on them to make sure we have a show for the 5th of May, when I won't even be working there anymore. I'm actually really sad to be leaving because I really enjoy the people in the office, and I can't believe I only have about 12 workdays left.

Which means, I only have 2 weekends left to take in this city. This past week was fun-filled with some BBC girls and British Friends. Thursday night, we went to Strada near Oxford St for dinner. It was MiMi, Willa, Saela, Lisa, Chris, Matt, Scottish Matt, Garf, Bobby and I. Quite fun, ended up in a pub down the road where I did not drink, but arm-wrestled Bobby for the use of American words. He insisted it was courgette, not zucchini, aubergine and not eggplant... refusing to admit to the fact that l'objets can be named more than one thing...and that the "correct" ones are French!

Well I lost (to Bobby & Matt), because I am a weakling (and have longitudinal melanonychia...) and I've failed for the American people despite some British strangers cheering me on.

Friday night, went bar hopping (Stop tsktsking, remember I'm 21!) along St John's Street. Started at Vic's Bar, had a gin & tonic. Came across Darbuka, this Turkish lounge-like place where people were dancing all crazy and free-ly which was awesome. I consider myself a good dancer, but I couldn't keep up with them. Went to another where MiMi's Tom made me try Sambuca. Eww, licorice. and ended up in Al's Cafe. Tom bought me a Flirtini requested by Saela. [t'was Absolut Vodka, Cointreau, Champagne and Pineapple Juice]

Saturday was Garf's 24th Birthday. While he was at his favorite pub from noon onward, I went shopping with Chris in Camden. He got a couple of things, but I couldn't bring myself to buy this dress. It was gray with white polkadots... cowl-neckline and knee length tapered skirt. I may go back this weekend to get it. Also went to Oxford Street, grabbed lunch at Pret a Manger, and sat in Cavendish Park, quite lovely to sit on grass again. I met up with Saela, and tried to use my 50 pound gift certificate (given by my lovely Aunt Lisa, Uncle Sam and Harrison), but I guess I wasn't in the shopping mood.
Fast forward to that night... Chris, Garf, Saela and I ended up in the 24 hr American Diner called Tinseltown. FINALLY!! too bad they can't make American food correctly though.

have a craicing* day!

Oh it's been too long,

I'll post up pictures from my birthday/post birthday... which, by the way was a great one because Phil & Mike came to visit on their spring break and went to Muji to get me 21 assorted pens/markers/pencil/eraser/etc... for my 21st. And anyone who knows me knows I like stationary.

Also, it was superb because Phil reserved a table at Shanghai Blues... and Saela, Mengfan, & Lela were there as well.

ANDDDD I went to Dublin for St Patrick's Day, to visit Erin Bowser who surprised me with this:


i loved her before, but i love her even more now

It was also for Steph's 21st (3/15)... she's on the right... her roommate in Paris is Agatha (left)


On our walk back home on Temple Bar Lane... a man randomly gave us this.. which I took home and cared for a whole 3 days.


me, Phil & Mike in Dublin


Here's Chomsky at the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. I didn't know he was a lush until that weekend.



In other news:
I wrote an approximate 3000-word research paper the entire weekend 3 weeks ago. The result? Exhaustion.

It was on how David Lammy, Minister of Culture Media & Sport in Parliament decided to help fund museums so that admission was free (vs Museums that were not...ie in NYC).
Really boring, I kind of blanked out the next day so don't ask me what I wrote.
(also, that white pencil case is Phil's present to me!)


That weekend, Chris invited us out to his housewarming party... so we went, 'cause hey... we have British friends now, we needed a break and because we heard there was fondue

Clockwise from Left: Lisa, Saela, MiMi Chris & Me

This in turn has also led us to meeting more people. And if I get my way (which I will), Mark from the duo- Sam & Mark (aka third & second place in Pop Idol, respectively....not my British uncles) will be my BFF (British friend forever...thank Lisa for that one).
Here they are (minus the girl in the middle)

(Mark...girl...Sam)
They are really cute and super nice, though I haven't had a full conversation with them just yet. We just smile a lot to each other.

ANYWAYS. work has been good. i've been doing a lot of research and trying to get kids on. But I really can't discuss it further for it might breech my contract.

One more month to go, and I'm back home, if not touring Europe, but I really do miss New York and warm weather. It's been nice(r) here but yesterday, it hailed for a few minutes!! Argh.

Oh and I've decided on some classes for next semester. I'm going to push Intro to Forensic Anthropology (perhaps take it in the Spring)... and instead take Modern US Drama, US Contemporary Playwrights, History of Animation and Intro to Special Effects Makeup. (which would mean I'dhave class Tues-Thurs)

my other choices were: History of Western Art I, Intro to Jewelry, Intro to Painting, Intro to Lithography, Intro to Sculpture or The Avant Garde. What do you think?

* "craic" means "fun" in Ireland.

Bad News/Good News

Bad News:
I caught a nasty cold last Tuesday (14/3), of course it being the first day of work at CBBC.
I was miserable, but [Good News] Lisa was there, and we just sat at the computer doing a safety module course online.


Wednesday (15/3), was probably the worst day, and I definitely felt like luck was not coming my way. [Bad News] Airborne did not work. I felt really really miserable, was sniffling throughout the whole day, but somehow made it through the day. [Good News] Phil came to visit from New York!! He and Mike met up with Saela, Mengfan, Lela & I. We went to Anexo for Tapas.

Thursday (16/3) [Bad News] Still sick. [Good news] They gave me a job to do. I am a researcher for topical articles that kids can talk about. I also get my own login name and computer. Also, Phil made reservations at Shanghai Blues, this trendy-ish Chinese Restaurant. It was pretty awesome. Mengfan got Shanghai Duck. It was amazing. Mine wasn't bad... noodles with chicken and salted fish? Meh. It was a good dinner overall. [Bad News] I had a theatre review to write for Friday. [Good News] They convinced me to stay out because it was, afterall, the night before I turned 21. So we went to this one bar. Phil got me a gin & tonic against my wishes. I was feeling tired, but they got me to go to Penderel's Oak (a JD Wetherspoons....). As soon as I turned 21, (Phil counted down), he gave me a present :) A pencil bag full of 21 writing utensils. AMAZING. Also, a little pad and Mike picked out a ruler that extends. They were all from Muji, the Asian stationary store that I've passed by many times, tempted to go in.

They sang Happy Birthday, and then I left. My first birthday call wish was from Sean, and all in all, it was a good night.


Friday, [bad news] was pretty idle. but in lieu of that, i got to leave early to catch the train to Luton Airport. [good news] got there really early.... bad news.... my plane was delayed, so these Aussies with green wigs made the entire plane do the wave.
surprisingly, I wasn't in the mood (and i LOVE doing the wave...). but I got to the airport, called Erin who didn't pick up, so I took a chance and got in a cab. It cost me a fortune, but the cabbie was nice and told me all about dublin. There were tons of people on the street, already drunk. He dropped me off at the wrong spot, but luck was coming back and i found my way down Cow's Lane at 11pm...and there was Erin waiting for me!!
We ended up going to Pravda, this club/bar/pub where the others were. I got to see Phil, Mike, Steph, Priya, Jesse & finally got to meet Ben, Agatha & this really creepy guy from Toronto.
Anyways, it was super until an Irish drinking song came on and some guy was jigging, and elbowed the glass Steph was drinking from, causing it to shatter in her mouth and all over the bar. luckily she walked away with just a cut inside her lip

It was a great 21st birthday!

Condensed Photo Album of Spring Break

The longer i put off writing an entry, the harder it gets. so here it goes:
some pictures!


Actual route taken during my 8 days of Spring Break....
london (england) --> bergamo (italy) --> bratislava (slovakia)---> vienna (austria)--> bratislava--> bergamo---> milan ---> lugano (switzerland) --> milan ---> bergamo---> paris (vive la france)---> london

Unfortunately, I pretty much snuck my way into Switzerland (it was a night train, nobody checked my train tickets, nor my passport...), so I didn't get a stamp or anything. Boo.

So here are some reasons why I am falling madly in love with Europe....

Bergamo, Italy:
We really like our jumping pictures... Me, Michelle, Colin blocked by Imran:


This is a view from Cite Bassa (downtown), to Cite Alta (high city) and yes we walked to the top...


the view from Cite Alta:


the first set of stairs to our hostel:



Then I said Ciao to the group who went to Milan and headed to
Vienna, Austria:
This was the main street that reminded me of Times Square because it was full of stores and neon signs.


Stephansdom:


a blurry shot of the inside:



Afterwards, I went to Lugano, Switzerland to meet up with them again:




then we stumbled across a lot of swans, who were apparently intrigued by us (they came out of the water to greet us). So I danced with them a bit, and Michelle caught the act on camera:


Chomsky enjoyed himself:


more of Lugano on the train ride back to Milan....yeah it really looks like this all the time.


Then to....Paris!... which I think was my favorite part of the trip. I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen all week, and some I haven't seen in a year.
Jumping for Joy...


We all met at the Eiffel Tower Friday, 1pm... it was pretty neat...then we had dinner:

L-R: Me, Nick, Ethan, Colin, Imran, Michelle, Saela, Mengfan & Lela

The next night, I went out with May to get foie gras and les fromages du jour. We also went to Sanzsans, this nifty redvelvet bar and ran into Antoine (left) who May had met 2 years ago in Montreal. Coincidence, mais oui? He and his friend, Adrian, were nice enough to drive us to Fu Bar to meet May's friend.


After Fu Bar, we tried to find the night bus to get back to Cite Universitaire.... and who should be on the same exact bus?? Fahreza, one of my best friends from junior high. what a lucky night!
The next morning, we met for brunch and got Chocolat Viennes....

Hallo from Wein!

From 8:30am til 7pm, I walked and took the U-bahn & tram all over Vienna (Wein). My 24 hour ticket (which was never checked, mind you) got me everywhere I wanted to go including Stephansdom, St Peters, Prater, Danube and then some. Of course, I had no destination when I started out, it just so happened Stephansplatz (one of the random stations I chose) was the center of everything.
Other stations I got off at include, Volkstheater, Schwedenplatz, Herrengasse, Praterstern, Spittelau, museumsquartier, Stradtpark & Karlsplatz... so you can say I know my way around Vienna now.

The H&Ms here are amazing and one is housed in this old wooden 3-floor store. Very chic-looking. I got lunch and dinner at Nordsee. Met an Australian, Caroline, who has the bed next to mine, so it was nice to finally talk to someone not German. Tried talking to the British next to me, no such luck. Stupid Cambridge.

All in all, I got around just fine, and although I did not get Weiner Schnitzel (sp?) which I am regretting...Caroline showed me a picture and it looked amazing. I did get lots of gummies from the Penny Markt.

Tomorrow...Lugano!! (which, I hear from Michelle, is amazing)

Bonjourno from Bergamo...

in vienna!
with 2 minutes left of the internet...

Bergamo was nice. Saw the whole city in one day.
Cite Alta (high city) is where it's at... You get to view Cite Bassa (downtown) and its awesome, but a real trek.

We ate REALLY well.

but yeah. that's all I will say for now.

just know i'm alive and kickin.

I leave for the airport in 6 hours!!! We are taking a bus to Stansted *cross fingers* we make our 6:30am flight to Bergamo!

Packing for this trip has been good exercise. I bought a 45 litre backpack from Tesco and it looks really nifty and backpackerish albeit tourist-like. But it's black, gray and light blue and my new favorite thing. I can't wait to go to Dublin

I had a hard time deciding what to pack and what I could do without...But so far I have managed to fit everything in one bag, plus I'll take my purse... hopefully I won't fall over backwards due to the weight.

I finished my training course with the BBC... a good ending for the most part. Not to toot my own horn, but I got an A (95) in my evaluation, and Margie said I was a "pleasure to work with". Of course there were bumps, and we all agreed it was "90 Dido, 10 [Me]"... which is fine. I admit I should've been more assertive as a director, but all in all, my final project came out better than expected and I will get a copy of it soon to screen.

The guy who helps coordinate our attachments had me call him to see if it was alright to put me on this new show. I can't go further into it, as it is probably top secret, and I don't want to jinx it, but the next 6 weeks should be pretty great if I get placed with it.

but anyways, ill try to find an internet cafe at some point to let you know i've survived.

wish me luck!!

-Nic

wes leaves

wesley left for Gibraltar yesterday. it was bittersweet.

while i enjoy having someone who is so fond of me, it was getting really annoying.

He took me out for dinner Tuesday night at our Thai place. we ordered so much food!

anyways. he's gone.

i can move on.

though i might see him in Amsterdam at the end of April.

It has come to my attention, that I write (mainly) about money, food and... boys.
While that's basically been my life since I could speak, I am not entirely surprised; though I admit, a tad offended.

Therefore, I will focus more on my traveling and studies at the BBC. Tomorrow, I am directing 2 actors (one male, one female... mine are Harry and Dido) in a single camera drama. It is taking over my life (for this week) because it is basically our final project/evaluation.

My actors (who were assigned to me) are very good, but Dido had a different idea of what the female character in My Zinc Bed by David Hare is like, so now i have to redo everything. PLUS I have to wake up an hour earlier tomorrow morning and I'm one of the four going first. My "producer", Margie, is a doll and very motherly, so I can probably count on her for help.

In 2 days, I will be on my way to Bergamo (Milan) for one night, be off to Vienna for two, meeting up with people in Lugano, and ending my break in Paris. Should be fun.

Friday @ BBC-

The actor, Bruce, who played the Headmaster in The History Boys came in and gave us tips on how to direct and work with actors (Patrick and Jenny). It was fun, and although I didn't get to direct, it was interesting seeing the techniques.

That night, Wesley swung by and we went to dinner at this little Thai place on Exmouth. It was really good, except don't get the Massaman Beef. DO get the Chicken Satay, Tempura Prawns & Chicken Pad Thai.

We then went to Farringdon to pick up Ricard(o) and Scottish Matt. Brought them over to Kamen for the BBC reunion/party.

Today, I met up with Dad and Carmen in Notting Hill to walk along Portobello Road. It was a beautiful day, just chilly. I also made a pitstop at H&M, TopShop & Sainsburys before heading home.

Laziest Saturday night ever.

plus, my eye keeps twitching which probably means I need some sleep. Good night.

Wednesday:

Had a really cool storytelling class with Kate. She told really fantastic stories that made me appreciate the art. She also made us tell one, and as horrible a storyteller I am, she said I did well. :)
She also told me where to go to get babyclothes (John Lewis on Oxford)
So I headed over to Oxford Circus and surprisingly, I Found it! What a fun street... I need to go shopping there soon (and on Portobello Road & Leather Lane...and...Longacre...)

Then I went to Putney Bridge, so I got to see my Aunt Lisa, Uncle Sam, Dad, Carmen, my grandma & Harrison!! He's SO cute and tiny and I got to hold him until he fell asleep in my arms. They fed me and thats always appreciated

I headed out after a couple of hours to catch Blackbird, this play at the West End. I think it could've been a play I would've really enjoyed had I just read it, but I wasn't crazy about the actress, nor the set, nor the music, nor the ending.... I really disliked it, which is unfortunate because thats the last play in my class I have to see. So far, of the 6 I saw (The History Boys, Once In a Lifetime, Paul, Journey to London, The Prince Among Men & Blackbird).... I have liked 2.5. History Boys & Prince Among Men were about a fictitious Boys Boarding School... and the latter I saw purely by chance. The .5 was A Journey to London because it was somewhat comedic and I fancied the Colonel.

Then I got to hang out with Sean and Phillip... which is always fun.

So much so, I went out to dinner with them, Erin and Kathlyn tonight at Sofra. it was a lovely time and the food was of course delicious (though last week's dinner with Wes was better). But the waiter tonight was adorable and fed me an olive. long story...

more tomorrow.

Rain, rain go away.

It is rainy out, and I am exhausted.

Valentine's Day was nice. I spent the morning with Saela at the Tate Modern. Then our Arts in London class was cancelled. So Michelle, Saela, Mengfan & I lounged on the steps of the ICA, and headed through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace... It was lovely. Then afterwards... we had our double date like we had planned at Yo! Sushi. It was disappointing only because of the fact of how pricey it was. The couple across from me had ordered at least £75 worth of food and drink. :-o and I had ordered £12 and don't think it was worth it.

Wednesday, the four of us decided to go to the London Eye on our day off. It was chaotic there. I got really good pictures, none of which I can upload, unfortunately. But it was a nice half hour of just seeing the entire city in a glass capsule.

That night, I went to the Union Theatre and saw my independent play, A Prince Among Men by Henry Eric Sanders (a NY playwright!). The boys were undoubtedly cute, and I got front row center (or what is equivalent to it since seating was L-Shaped.

Thursday & Friday we got to work with the Sony Z1. Quite a neat camera... My project turned out alright, unfortunately.... I don't get a copy! ugh. But it was fun working with the actors, Stephen & Emma.

Saturday, Wesley and I walked to Leicester Square, grabbed coffee at Covent Gardens, wandered over to Picadilly Circus, where he showed me the glory that is Hamley's... the wonderful 7-story toystore. Then I took him to the falafel place that Michelle and I went to a couple of weeks ago, because he had never had one prior (gasp!). Afterwards, he took me to see Memoirs of a Geisha at the Vue theater. It was his idea, not mine; I never would've paid £10 ($19) for a ticket.
Luckily, I really enjoyed it. I only had a problem with the fact they spoke English. I definitely would've put subtitles in. But it was absolutely gorgeous overall; you can take any frame from the film and it would be beautiful.

It was fun, but now he's gone back to Evesham. and now I have to do my homework, write out emails and book my spring break trip!

So, I admit I was incredibly spoiled last week: Our own rooms, with big comfy pillows, a view overlooking the lawn, Taxis to bring us door-to-door to our classes and back to the hotel, all meals provided, an indoor pool if we had so wished to swim, books, games, ping pong and British boys to keep us sane on Wednesday and Thursday night.

Walking to class this morning was a lumbering and tedious task, though not as hard as the walk to Holborn Station on Saturday night when we had to take the 1 hr train ride to Richmond to see A Journey to London. Lisa offered to give us Valentine's Chocolates (Dove), if we left within the 5 minutes she offered, so we dragged our feet out of the door.

While Lisa's chocolate wrapper said "Love with your heart, not with your head", Inside my foil wrapper was, "Chocolate. Always your Valentine.". How sad, but true. I've never had a Valentine and this year won't be any different. I think I'll go with the other single ladies to get some Sushi for dinner because once again, they gave us free money. £10, in fact.

I do, however, have something to look forward to this weekend. It just so happens that the guy who Mengfan and Saela met that first day, Wesley (who also introduced us to the BBC boys, ate with us at breakfast & dinner, and who I took a liking to), is visiting London. And so proves the point that things happen when you least expect it... Someone else (I won't name names) had a visitor this past weekend from one of the guys, who is quite the sweetheart and lucky for her, from London.

but enough with all the gossip.

My projects went alright; nothing perfect, but Mike, one of our producers, said I should think about directing, and that there were few things I should just work on. So who knows what I'll do now...

But look who I found at the BBC Training site! They liked their gnomes there...


and here is a picture of the pool...(i'm on the green raft.)

Yesterday was stressful, but ended up pretty well.

I know whatever happens in Evesham, is supposed to stay in Evesham, but I will mention that I directed much better than the day before... just missed a few camera cues and such.

And then for dinner, I had Artichokes and Avocado, duckling de mure...

THEN... Wesley invited the girls out to the BBC Club with the other boys in the engineering class.

It was fun to mingle with other people outside of our group. We also went to a club. and that's all I'll say for now.

Evesham!

Monday started off with taxi's to the ICA because we had to bring our luggage for our week long stay in Wood Norton...
After a quick fire evacuation (t'was no biggie), and class, we took the tube to Paddington Station.
Here is Michelle and me-


The place we're staying, the Evesham Hotel, has won many awards and is known as the "Teddy Bear Hotel" for good reason... it's amazing here. The owners are super nice.. and the place has such a fun atmosphere. It's one of the finer establishments I've stayed in... also because I get my own room (although, tonight, Michelle is sleeping over because her room gives her the creeps which you'll understand why in a moment...)

My room is pretty basic, but pretty:

(for some reason, I cannot flip it)

and every bathroom gets bubblebath and rubber duckies!


Across the way, is Klara, whose room is Sea themed... which would frighten the hell out of me:

Now Michelle's room... which is famous, a family suite valued at ￡200+ and in the attic of the building (built in the 1500's!!), AND Alice in Wonderland themed!

However, because of it's large size, it can also be scary:
this is the kids room:




and this is the crawl-space in the master bedroom, that has a pretend tea set and the mad hatter's hat as a table:



BUT... nearby my room... is the indoor Pool (Which I'll post pictures to once I get them)
Here is Lisa and myself on some lounge chairs by the pool:

and of course, after a long day's work, we can play dress up in the children's/library/really dimly lit and creepy corridor:

(Michelle, Mengfan, Me)

and Of course the Restaurant (which we get free dinner to) is delicious. it has flavours and all that good variety...
the first night I ordered Lamb which would've been like $30... crazy
and a Turkish Delight Ice cream... which is rose flavoured ice cream in a brandy snap shell. I can't even describe it...

Anyways, i'll update soon... I've got a big day ahead (directing a 1+2 interview segment!)