so, what's on dmentedboy blogger ? everything dmented about jxe's travels. here, there and everywhere.
dear juliet,
so, we finally met in my trip. thanx letting me crash in your west end pad ! you are always accommodating with my last minuteness ! it was great to catch up eventhough i felt my back itching when i was in nyc. have a great 2008 !
london
tuesday 15th January - saturday 19th January 2008
day 124 - 128
ok. the one thing i came down to london for and the very first thing i did, was to gaze on the waterloo sunset. and what she said was right. i gazed on the waterloo sunset, with my ipod plugged in, listening to ms. dennis sing with her incredible soulful voice, and i was in paradise. not only i was in paradise, i finally can cross that one out of the list of my '10 things i have to do before i die' list. this is the moment i have been waiting for. lets relive this moment ...
(london: waterloo sunset -
dirty old river, must you keep rolling
flowing into the night)
(london: waterloo sunset -
people so busy, makes me feel dizzy
taxi light shines so bright)
(london: waterloo sunset -
but i don't need no friends
as long as i gaze on, waterloo sunset
i am in paradise
everyday i look at the world from my window
but chilly, chilly the evening time
waterloo sunsets fine)
(london: waterloo sunset -
terry meets julie, waterloo station
every friday night
but i am so lazy, dont want to wonder
i stay home that night
but i dont feel afraid
as long as i gaze on, waterloo sunset
i am in paradise
everyday i look at the world from my window
but chilly, chilly the evening time
waterloo sunsets fine)
(london: waterloo sunset -
millions of people, swarming like flies round
waterloo underground
but terry and julie, cross over the river
where they can feel safe and sound
and they dont need no friends
as long as they gaze on, waterloo sunset
i am in paradise
everyday i look at the world from my window
but chilly, chilly the evening time
waterloo sunsets fine)
ok i went back to waterloo station on friday because terry meets julie, waterloo station, every friday night. gawd terry is charming and julie is hot !
a fantastic song written my ray davis from the kinks, a version performed by ms dennis which brought life and meaning to this song making it one of my all time favorite record. this is london !
the waterloo sunset aside, everyone i know from london was curiously asking me what is my first impression on london. well my respond was ... "its annoyingly wet but quite charming !"
(london: wet and grey)
to me london feels very much like paris, surrounded by very old classical architecture which are both charming and appealing. i guess i enjoy london very much more than paris is because i understand the language.
(london: the tate gallery)
also london has really good integration of the old and new. met up with anne and her sister here and anne showed me around london by foot.
(london: british museum - fantastic integration of the old and new)
(london: the ballerina bridge and trafalgar square)
met up with chris and we went to watch a english gig. reminiscent of nyc except the band wasn't poppy enough. oh well. still i got my live music fix.
(london: a gig at the monkey chews)
london has alot of nice mysterious looking tunnels. lots of character. great setting for horror flicks and music videos.
(london: weston street tunnel)
of all the places i have visited, i think london by far has the best modern contemporary architecture. it seems like the quality control is extremely high to maintain the integrity of the city. charming darling.
(london: cool modern contemporary building)
my favorite part of london has to be the riverside. its really pleasant to walk along the river even though the sky was grey. again, the beautifully crafted architecture adds to the pleasantness.
(london: more cool modern contemporary building along the thames river)
met up with juliet and andrew. they took me the whole of london by car. was definitely great to catch up with old friends and the kinda bonding you get when you get trapped in traffic and literally spent the whole day together in the car. 'niff said !
(london: greenwich)
ok. 8 days in the uk, and i still haven't seen the sun. is this the english life ?
xxx. j.
dear spain,
so, you cried and cried and cried, moaning for my departure and thus, i got the rain, the rain and more rain. sigh. i feel for you too. not to worry. i promise you i will return.
birmingham
friday 11th January - wednesday 16th January 2008
day 120 - 125
(birmingham: the older look ...)
ok i dont really know why it feel so weird. is it because i am not in a country where i understand nobody or i am in a foreign country where i actually understand everybody. it seriously feels weird, being anywhere, at the bus stiop, at the restaurant, at the mall etc, listening in on the mumbles around me and then suddenly realize that i can actually understand everything. it took me a while to adjust. again, i cant decide if its a good feeling or not.
but anyway, birmingham is a good place to relax and unwind for a bit. slow english city with nothing much to do. i guess the biggest surprise is that things here are not that expensive. at least not the things that i am interested in. the music cds and dvds are way cheaper than anywhere in the world that i've ever been to. even food is comparable to sydney. if anything at all, i have learned not to listen to people going on to anything but to go and see for yourself. i could still remember people going on about how expensive japan is etc but when i arrived in tokyo i was surprised that sydney is a much more expensive city. and how people go on about how cheap spain is .... i am still so gonna kick some asses when i get back !
back to birmingham. again, despite what most people say, the city is actually quite charming. the older and more classical architecture feels and looks like the ones around europe and the newer buildings are ugly ass, reminiscent of what u get in atlanta. i think in this case its a good thing because one needs to know what ugly is to appreciate and treasure the beautiful that is in this city. its like how i explain to people why i have to find and look into the mirror whenever i go out walking in the city.
(birmingham: the older look .. lets forget about the new)
similarly to madrid, birmingham is so centralized that everywhere else in england is at most 4 hours drive away, making it a good base to see the rest of england. met up with an old friend who i have not seen for 10 years here. show was an old school friend who now works in sheffield. it is very nice of her to drive all the way here to hang and catch up where we last left off.
warwick
monday 14th January 2008
day 123
(warwick: random shots)
did a day trip to see, as advertised, england's greatest medieval experience ... the warwick castle. warwick is quite a nice picturesque town with the castle being the main attraction to the city. almost like the castle feeds the city.
(warwick: the entry)
interesting place and quite well maintained. some parts of the castle is closed due to bad weather - so they say.
(warwick: waxworks inside)
i say its because its low season and due to the fact that there are so few visitors. but anyway, they still charge full entry fees. damn brits.
(warwick: the outer walls)
ok. 6 days here, 6 days of rain. what the fuck ! haven't seen the sun for 8 days now !
xxx. j.
