Dear London Town

For those of you who have come to visit me, you know that I pass the Alexander McQueen office on my way to town. I always point it out to visitors or friends coming to the area for the first time. I think it is so exciting to be in a city where world-renowned fashion designers live.

Today, I learned that Alexander McQueen is dead, possibly of a suicide. The news makes me sad. While I do not know him or anyone who works with him, I feel like the next time I pass his office will feel different. I feel connected by proximity. It is a tragic loss for the fashion world. He put together stunning shows filled with innovation.

London – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Pubs

After a cold weather walk in Hyde Park, this pub is a good place to warm up. Stopping in for ale and hot food is just what I needed.

This is the kind of pub that attracts groups of friends with board games available, as well as the lone paper reader in the corner booth. With lots of comfy seating, The Champion invites you to stay in for the duration.

Check out my review of The Champion – I am katmabufay – on Qype

The folks were headed to Europe on their way to Africa and decided to take a long layover in Amsterdam, which was convenient for me! After two failed attempts to see Amsterdam (due to flights and illness), I had high hopes for this visit.

I arrived at the hotel twenty minutes before they were to leave to find the excursion office for the Red Light District tour they had booked. While I was a bit unsure I really wanted to see the RLD with my parents, once there and we found it was no problem to book me in, I joined. I am *so* glad I did!

There is so much to learn about and see in the RLD. Our tour guide was fantastic. She was funny and smart and has been leading tours for something like ten years, I believe. She many times has to do it in both English and Spanish, but our group that evening all spoke English.

There was a lot of information to take in. Our first stop gave us some intimate details from Mariska, a former prostitute/sex worker who now runs the Amsterdam Prostitution Information Center. She told us about everything from prices, negotiations and how to rent a room/work a shift, to safe sex practices, tax regulations and why they use a red light (leaner, tanner, younger looking and less cellulite — hello I’m buying one now!). It was impressive. I was also surprised to learn that the age span starts at 18 and the oldest is/was 88!

The ladies as we walked through the streets were sometimes playful and sometimes indifferent. When I looked through the windows at some of the younger looking girls, I felt as though they looked back at me like I was judging them. If anything, I was just curious.

My father, somewhat jokingly, asked our guide during the tour: Is this where the term window shopping comes from?

She laughed and said she wasn’t sure. I cannot find anything yet about the origin, but it sure makes sense!

The weather this morning caused a bit of a dilemma. I had an interview in the afternoon. It was only 15min walk, but if the snow was still coming down, what could I wear? I had my suit, but the pant legs would be too long to wear without heels and would get wet and gross. I didnt want to tuck them in boots because they’d wrinkle. I didnt want to wear heels because that was neither comfortable or practical. Fortunately, my mom had brought me the wrong black skirt from my closet (it was close, I asked for a black, knee-length Gap skirt and this fits the description, just not the one I meant) on her last trip over, but it matched close enough to my jacket that I could wear boots.

Then, the boot dilemma. My black boots are the ones that always cause to me slip or fall. I thought it might be icy out. If not, it’d certainly still be wet and slushy and they aren’t waterproof. So E offered to let me wear her rubber boots. Typically I cannot wear any of her shoes. Her feet are smaller than mine. Yet, these were a 40. I can usually wear 40s, and these fit! Hoorah.

But rain boots to an interview??

I decided to suck it up. I could take other shoes and change or I could just get over it and wear the boots proudly. I decided to go with the boots. I talked myself into believing they would show how sensible and practical that I am. They also demonstrated my ability to get to the office regardless of the weather. I also figured that if nothing else, they’d be a great conversation topic.

It never came up, sadly. E’s boots are a pretty chic pair and not really the standard garden variety, literally.

What do you think? Good look, no?

On Sunday, I joined the London Photo Walk group on their afternoon of photographing the area around Brick Lane. The day started at the Ten Bells Pub, known for infamously for being where Jack the Ripper met some of his victims.

The area around Brick Lane is filled with funky offices, galleries, boutiques and homes. Brick Lane, itself, is a mix of Bangladeshi restaurants and shops that turns into a hipster haven of bars, cafes, record shops and vintage markets. On Sundays, however, Brick Lane is filled with people roaming the street stalls for a great find, eating from one of the street food vendors (yum!), or sipping on coffees or lagers while people watching. It is, in short, a fantastic area for taking photographs. The variety of people, architecture, and offerings yields a fantastic array of subjects.

I’m still fascinated by doors and shop windows as photo subjects, but alas my battery did not retain enough charge to allow me as many as shots as I was tempted to take. I also felt like I had the pip-squeak of cameras. Oh well, someday I’ll own some amazing camera with a gazillion lenses. Maybe. Till then, it’s nice to go light and keep it simple.

Photos from the whole group can be found on Pixie.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

It’s snowing in London (well, if you can call the few flakes of white stuff blowing in the wind snow) and I’m drinking cocoa and listening to Christmas music. Yes, I am *that* girl who listens to Christmas music. I think that this year, having just completed my Masters and not spending money on a ridiculously expensive ticket home to the States, I feel the need to warm up my tiny flat with some Christmas cheer. I dont have a tree or place to have a wreath. It’s just not Christmas enough without some Babes in Toyland, Love Actually or The Holiday playing. I need a little Christmas, right this very minute, dangit!

So between the batches of sugar cookies and pumpkin spice loaf I’m baking, I thought I’d write a little about my upcoming plans for two reasons: 1 – it’s been ages, but now that I’m going to have a bit more free time, I’ll try to be a better blogger; and 2 – I would love to win some lovely Christmas goodies from my friends over at Domestic Sluttery.

This year, I will spend the Christmas holidays with the boy and his family in his hometown – somewhere near Gloucester or Worcester – basically in the country where each town has 5 families on streets sorta near each other. We will arrives in Gloucester on the 23rd and be driven the 30 or so minutes to the house. It’s a large home that has been divided into three; their’s is in the middle. There’s a pub just across the road that also looks like an old country home. It’s very cozy. Other than the few other homes dotting the street, it’s just the pub, a few barns and a lot of land.

Since boy’s mum is a nurse and is working the Christmas shifts, his parent’s wont be there until Boxing Day likely. So it’ll just be boy, his sis, her fiance and me. Quite a quiet holiday. Fireplace glowing and movies on tv…not a whole lot of action in the country. But the plan is to be there till the 29th, hanging with his family, walking the dogs (yay!), eating roasts and drinking tea (and probably some ale, wine or other jolly liquid).

It will be a different Christmas, but I’m looking forward to getting out of London for a few days. My school friends are starting to head home for the holidays, and some are heading home for good. It will be a different London for me when I return. Till then, I remain in the Christmas spirit — baking, making, cleaning, and packing… and singing carols while I work!

London – Shopping – Fashion – Lingerie

I stroll past the windows of Bordello frequently and sigh that I’m not enough of a diva or dom to pop in and browse. Thank goodness for Qype’s event which allowed me to stroll through the doors without shyness and tough silky knickers and buzzing toys without shame.

The store is beautiful, but quite out of my budget. I would have loved to take home a pair of the vintage-inspired bra and panty sets, but *sigh* I cant reward myself for anything so extravagant quite…yet.

Someday I’ll be back and I’ll take something home.

PS — All the ladies who work there deserve girl-crush status. BEAUTIFUL. meow.

Check out my review of Bordello – I am katmabufay – on Qype

I have a total fascination with the London Eye. As a landmark, it holds nothing of what I typically love of London. It’s not a historic building or filled with royal artifacts. It’s just a feat of engineering, which is so easy to capture on film. I found this video by Mario Cavalli recently and it is so beautiful that I had to share it with you.

LONDON EYE from Mario Cavalli on Vimeo.

2 minute film shot one chilly evening in early April on London’s Southbank.

Shot as a test for a longer project and to put a few cameras through their paces in low light conditions.

Director: Mario Cavalli
VFX: Rob Rae : Adobe AfterEffects
Camera: Tino Tedaldi : Canon D5II
Camera: Mario Cavalli : JVC Evario GZ-HD7
Camera: Rob Rae : Sony Cybershot

Music: Leo & Lydia vs by Gavouna

Our morning spent at the Natural History Museum!