speechless...

went for a dinner party at Rubens Hotel, in Victoria...It was an event where many other ballet lovers and ballet dancers would attend.. in particular the royal ballet... i was on the same table as Laura Morera. She was absolutely warmth, witty and have an incredible sense of humor. I wish there was more time to chat with her... She made me laugh so much... in fact, our table was the last to leave at about 11.30pm!
Of course, i tried to take pictures with some of the other dancers too, as this is my first and last dinner party with them *sob sob*
EDWARD WATSON:it was surreal...
LAURA MORERA:An absolute star!!!
RICARDO CERVERA:he was so funny!!!
IVAN PUTROV

sunday with Tsumugi @ PAUL

once again... another lovely relaxing sunday spent with Tsumugi... after an intense ballet class at the royal opera house... which was splendid (come to that later..) we headed for some really awesome Fish & Chips at Rock & Sole!!!! BEST COD in london.. i say.... batter was tasty and crispy, the meaty fish was soft and tender... oooooo.... then brought her to Birkenstock.... and we checked out some makeup at MAC... and headed for tea at PAUL. We decided to pamper ourselves with cakes and ice-cream, for we worked hard in ballet class... speaking of which, we did jetes and fouettes pirouettes, etc and for me.. it was an amazing feeling, to get the opportunity to fully utilise the vast studio space in the opera house... i can't imagine when else will i ever have such a privilege.....
anyway.. back to PAUL... the rustic frenchie ambience....

and our lovely treat... a sundae and Tsumugi's favourite strawberry fresh cream cake...and i had my favourite Macaroons...the waiter didn't give me pistachio flavoured ones.. which was a little disappointing....

Attack of the GIANT Tomatoes!!!!

David, from work, bought some tomatoes for lunch... I am obviously ignorant as usual... made a fool out of myself, as always, when i exclaimed with extreme excitment when i saw the tomatoes... Being Spanish, he said these giant ones are extremely common in Spain... well... i told him, "clearly, you are not talking to a European here..." I decided to take pictures to share with fellow ignorant ones who have never seen such big tomatoes... Here we are, placing the two tomatoes infront of a box of butter... see how massive they are....then i asked David to put the two over his eyes... heehee...and still in disbelief... i had to put one on my face, to demonstrate how gigantic they are....Hahahaha.. talkin bout RED NOSE! and lastly when David dissected the tomatoes, aren't they lovely????HAHAHA i think you get my point now huh?

blooms blooms blooms

Spring is here.... or rather.. SUMMER (due to global warming.. london has been a lovely spread of 24-26 degrees, with sun setting at 8pm) Flowers are BLOOMING BLOOMING everywhere... every little corner... heehee.. these are things tat make me smile and indulge in the crispness of the spring/summer london air... with a hopeful of less polluction... i would have taken more pictures of the flowers.. but... gosh oh gosh... one has got to work... and dash here and there to watch ballet ya.... hahahahhaa.... let's not be too demanding now...Grocers are also making use of the lovely weather to display their stock.... its all pretty and colourful...heehee...
When the weather is good... what do the natives do???? head for the park of course.... and one of the common sight was the ice cream van :)... ice-cream vendor takes this wonderful opportunity to extort lots of money from the tourist and the thirsty customers... hmmmf...
Tsumugi, my japanese ballet friend, who i just met, decided to spend last sunday free and easy... literally... aimlessly walking around, and sprouting ideas as we walked along Piccadilly, Green Park, St James' Park, Covent Garden, etc.... She brought me to a really posh japanese sweets cafe... i bought one of the cheapest product, Cherry Blossom Flavoured Mochi, basically its made of glutinous rice flour, and the filling is white bean paste with crushed Cherry Blossom (how lovely!). The taste? it was divine... a tad of rose flavoured sweetness and the sticky goo was of fine consistency...Tsumugi suggested that we sit in the posh cafe to luxuriate our little sweetie, and the kind hostess served us green sencha tea.... and a little wooden bambooed knife to enjoy the sweetie..
As we walked along the little streets surrounding Green Park, i found tis:
the weather was wonderful and the company was fantastic too... a highly enjoyable day it was...

GALLERIES

last week and the week before... i decided to pay a visit to Tate Modern and Royal Academy of Arts... didn't managed to walk the most of the gallery.. but managed some highlights...
At Royal Academy of Arts...I fell in lurve with this picture the very moment i say it all around the London underground... how not to lurve... it is The Death of Marat, Studio of Jacques-Louis David. I don't think i should say anymore to justify the beauty of this masterpiece....
At Tate Modern...it was the fun fun fun slides: The Unilever Series: Carsten Höller... thanks to tickets by Tania (Nat's friend), I managed a to get 2 rides on the rides (from the 3rd floor)... it was tremenduous fun.. screaming on my first attempt, as the bumpy ride was not exactly what i expected.. and the second ride, i tried to get a video of it... but unfortunately, my butter fingers click the recording mode to still shots.... (smack my hand)... nevertheless, i managed to capture a little glimspe of what it looked like in that silvery half metal, half plastic tunnel.... rather snakelike i have to say....

I CAN DIE PEACEFULLY NOW...

well, to begin with.. it's my birthday today.. and i remembered that in a previous post, i did state tat i got a ticket to watch the royal ballet in class for my birthday morning.... (READ EDNERGISED!)
To begin with, my wish list was, Edward Watson(for I have never seen him in class before), and Steve McRae(which will be a delight to see some showing off, and get the adrenaline running), and Marianela Nunez (as i have never
seen her in class before too) So, when I first stepped into the studio, i spotted Ed on the floor on his mobile phone, my heart stopped for a second, and i was telling myself, "breathe breathe, calm down take a seat..." so, i set myself down, and feeling awfully happy that finally i get to see ed in class... and within minutes, steve walked into the studio,
and under my breath, " thank you thank you" hahahahaha and i told myself, oh dear, my eyes are gonna be busy now... each of them on either side of the studio for barre work. and just few minutes before the class commences, my friend sitting
beside me, nudge me in the elbow, and i looked at her. she signalled to look to my left, and guess what? marianela came in... at that moment, i said to myself, "whoever up there has heard me, and
T H A N K Y O U!!!!"
gosh... i wish i could watch ed for the rest of my life... his face is simply so 'beautiful' i mean, in terms of the features, and colour of his skin, etc... ok.. not going to continue to gross you out... i will simply just stop here...
all in all... Ed has really beautiful lines, Marianela has her sublime beauty in the way she express her movments, and Steve was just absolutely exciting to watch... apart from this trio, it was also a delight to watch some of my other favourites, Yuhui, Tamara, Lauren...
Anyway.. will write more when i have the time... need to catch some sleep.. no more happy lala mode now... birthday ends, life continues.. had to work tomorrow :(

EASTER DAY!

HAPPY HAPPY EASTER!!!! while most people are probably spending this fine day feasting and merry making and attacking giant chocolate eggs... i decided to spend this fine (18degrees Celsius) day indoors, spring cleaning and updating my blog, and also clearing my hard disk.. making today a well-spent day... and of course not to forget catching up with telly... saw The O.C, Ugly Betty, Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll, Grey's Anatomy, Spiderman 2, Passion of the Christ... etc... busy eyes... heehee....
so... updates huh...
TAMARA ROJO: Principal, Royal Ballet...
Yup, i attended a ballet event where she was the speaker, and she was such a loveable, passionate and wonderful being... down to earth, open, and warmth person... i was so pleased that i managed to get pictures taken with her.. thanks to fren, dave :)
Meeting up with old friends, well.. not exactly old.. but friends that i have meet since i arrived in london.. and each of us, with different paths, and passion, shared the same sense of humor and loving one another's company... Christian, Paul, Iryna... well... since Iryna and Christian are dating now... they kinda come as a pack... anyhow.. the three of them spent Good Friday afternoon drinking before meeting up with me after work... Paul forgotten his coat, and was freezed, hence i offered my coat... and i can't help it but had to take this picture of donnie darko look-alike in a black coat and a little pink button.. heehee...anyway.. met up with them in the park, and soon after headed for drinks before dinner, and had our usual Maroush... which i was the only one who can't finish my serving... while the rest managed to whallop everything on their plate... it was really nice hanging out with old friends again :) gonna miss them lots when i had to leave... hmmmf
just yesterday... Lucie gave me my early birthday present... which i have already eaten half of it.. heehee... really sweet of her...
the other day, outside Nat's place, Nat spotted a car with a spunky number plate... NENEK? heehee...
And met a couple yesterday who supports one of my fave dancers at the Royal Ballet... *wink wink* heehee...
Oh.. and also.. i finished the 1st season of The O.C... heehee... i want to watch Season 2 and 3... anyone wanna load me?
today... Easter sunday... i treat myself to some easter chocolates.. no eggs.. but some little cutie chicks from Godiva... they are far too cute to be eaten, i say...

"Love Letters (1999)"

first of all... i want this dvd... but it need to be Region 2, which HMV does not have... i will continue to search...
well.. the plot of this film: [An ambitious U.S. Senator (Steven Weber) reflects back on his life after the death of a woman (Laura Linney) whom he loved and kept in contact with only through correspondence. The movie is told in flashbacks as the two first meet as children and begin their lifelong correspondence. He grows into his political aspirations and leaves her behind, as she becomes a struggling artist. While he is successful, she has a rocky life.]
and whilst watching this film... it strongly reminded me, of one of my closest friend.... and i wish he gets an opportunity to watch this film too...
I guess, there are certain films in our lives that have a special significance, and these significances applies to the specific loved ones in our lives... and all i wish for is to share such significances with them... like a special moment that one would like to embrace with a friend...

STEVEN WEBER

i know i know.... i am odd.... what's new? well, just had my eyes on a really charming actor... hahahaha... i know i know... he is not exactly the young teenage idol type... but... he is charming... STEVEN WEBER... he is 46 years old...somehow... just somehow... i see a little resemblance of him to Christian Bale... or am I not making sense???

guess what made me smile for 5 hours?

just as the title describes... basically, it also means how well do u know me :p well, for people out there that REALLY knows what i likes and crazy about... imagine all those in a short period of 1.5 hours and the effect it had on me.. well, it's been 5 hours since... and i would say it probably gonna last till tomorrow morning/noon... or maybe even evening...
well, getting to the point.. folks that knows me... are fully aware that i am rather morbid, liking drugs, death, goth, well.. u get the drift... so this evening, i was at the opera house, and it was a Mayerling Insight evening. Briefly, Mayerling is a ballet of the Austrian Crown Prince, who is just as morbid, and obsessed with death and drugs...
not having a clue as to what was instore for me tis evening, i got hold of a programme note, and saw what will be rehearsed for this informal insight evening.. and *thank you whoever up there who have heard me*, there was Edward Watson and Steven McRae rehearsing... AAAAHHHHHHH... Pure delightful news indeed... so... off i went into the auditorium; without any expectations... i mean, the names are good enough to make my heart flutter...
the evening commenced with a candid lady giving the historical background of the characters of the ballet. and there was a line she said, i quoted, "the really morbid thing about Prince Rudolf was that he was so obssessed with death that he had a human skull and a gun on his bed side for the rest of his life, and that is morbid" At that point, i was thinking to myself, "is it? is that morbid? i think that's really nice.. who wouldnt want a black skull beside the bed, not that keen on the gun, cos there's no purpose really.. but a SKULL... of course... it's a great idea!!!!" (but of course, friends that know me will understand)... anyway.. i was already loving the character of Prince Rudolf by then..
then there was dancing... Steven McRae began a nifty number, lots of jazzy snazzy moves... he is one of those dancers that one can just watch forever, he is simply so interesting to watch... he danced with a top hat, he spins and jumps and flic-flac his feet around... and so forth.. then... we had Mara Galeazzi and Edward Watson (as Prince Rudolf) dancing the 'Gun Pas De Deux).. basically its about the couple dancing with a pistol... i was absolutely drawn to Ed's psychotic expression when he drew the gun to his head... that was one of the finest image I have seen him done.. (not that i seen alot..) at that point, i have already fallen in love with the ballet (MacMillan's) well.. what not to love bout MacMillan's ballet? that man is a GENIUS...
lastly, Steven came on stage again for another solo, which he splendidly performed, even in practice attire... and then the intensely erotic pas de deux of Prince Rudolf and his lover Mary Vestera had before they commit suicide. Oh My Gosh... Ed literally man-handled Mara with all the throwing around, spinning her above his head, lifts and transformation in all sorts of provocative positions, kissing her all over and so forth was intense.... their expressions and acting (even in practice attire), was as good as it could have been with full props and costumes.. Ed's drug scene was ok.. not exactly that convincing, cos he just injected his left arm, and within 5 seconds he was lifting Mara around... which is rather unlikely in a real world.. but i guess its theatre... anyway.. it was breathtaking, i had to rest a while, digest it in, before i could reply to the kind lady beside me who ask me what i thought about it.. and i said... "Speechless" and when Jonathan Cope (who rehearsed them), was asked what to look out for in Mayerling, a charming answer he gave, " Edward Watson".. AHHHHH... I can't wait...

animal instinct

my visit to the zoo zoo zoo....it has been ages since i last went to the zoo in the daylight... well, i was there a couple of years back for the night safari... so it was considered a new and exciting experience for me, and it was a great day out...
one of the highlights for me was... watching this sweet old lady taking a rest.. and it was hard not to notice her and her ornamented face and outfit along with her trainers/sneakers... i couldn't resist to take a picture of her :)

one of the zoo's highlights were the white tigers, there were 3, but i managed to grab a picture of the 2 lazy ones sunbathing on the rock...

when i was at the night safari years back, i was captivated by the majestic beauty of the giraffes, and fell instantly in love with them, their serenity and grace... but i was disappointed this time round... cos in the daylight, they seemed to be smaller and bland... i guess the zoo keeps the magnificent ones for the nights.. hmmmf

there were a few dozen of penguins paddling along in a tank... everyone was crowding around it (don't blame them, after the huge success of Happy Feet) when i saw these penguins, the first person came to mind was Tommy. {She is the author of a really lovely blog: http://www.thisisnaive.com/journal/ } tommy, if you read this, heehee... this picture, though not well taken, was dedicated to u :p

right, moving along, there was a Mr Polar Bear... swimming round and round in his giant tank... the only missing elements: Polar Bear Junior and a bottle of Coke Cola

i like this archway very much... my camera seemed to overexpose the pictures... cos the trunks were meant to be a lovely olive green with really deep shade of purple.. and i simply love the colours to that... and the effect was surreal...

my other favourite animal... the BABOONS!!!! they are so human like... these are 2 pictures that i love the most...

Chillin' with the Saf

a visit to the little princess in sunny singapore.... delivered her presents from her mommie to her... and her eyes just litted up when she say her charlie+lola backpac.... let these pictures explain wat a wonderful time I had spending the afternoon with her (time passed so fast when u are just chilling out with the Saf)

videos upon request *wink*

MARVELOUS

Ahhh... my marvelous experience at the royal opera house.... all thanks to Val who managed to get my these tickets whilst I was working in Singapore in November. *muaks* to Val...
the evening awaits me with big names... Darcey Bussell, Carlos Acosta, Marinanela Nunez, Tamara Rojo, Leanne Benjamin,etc.... and like i mentioned before, they were just a stone throw away...
i could see literally E V E R Y T H I N G!!!!! such as, if the corp de ballet's diagonal lines are diagonal enough or if they are on time with each other, etc. also, i spotted a little habit of Carlos, which could be improved to perfection.. which i should not say here, as he has a strong reputation to keep, i saw the dancers' panting, their shower of persperation sprinkle around as they pirouette or leap.... and also with Marriot's piece, Children of Adam.. hahahaha... one saw the B O D I E S of the male dancers.... it's really 'WOO-LAH_LAH"
so anyway.. here it is... where i sat, before the show begins....the massive crowd of audience to watch Darcey and Carlos, both in Apollo.
Here's a brilliant shot of the entire cast of Apollo, Darcey Bussell, Carlos Acosta, Marinela Nunez, and Mara Galeazzi

then, we had Children of Adam.... Leanne Benjamin, Johannes Stepanek, Steven Mc Rae,more shots...
Of course another capture of Stevie

Then we had the ever-beautiful Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta in Themes and Variation...
well, an evening well spent? You bet'cha.....

coming soon...

pictures and fun fun fun updates.. heehee.... went to the zoo.... visited saffron in spore, went to watch royal ballet's onegin and apollo mixed bill... had terrific seat.... marianela nunez, carlos acosta, darcey bussell, steven mcrae, tamara rojo, mara galeazzi, johannes stepanek, leanne benjamin etc etc etc were just a stone throw away... can't really touch them, but just 1 chair away from the stage.. anyway.. will say more when i have 'time' to blog... have been workin and watchin ballet lately.. no time at all :s

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