A Pictorial Journey

Being a tourist is EXHAUSTING! Anyway, I've been going nonstop the past few days - highlights include the National Gallery, Tate Modern, Phantom of the Opera, Shakespeare's Globe, and St. Paul's Cathedral. Oh and, of course, one last trip to my beloved TopShop. Love love LOVE this city!

Sheets of Egyptian Cotton

I can't sleep. Again. Last night i was up until about 6:30 a.m., which of course means i slept until 2 p.m. Luckily my productivity was at an all-time high today, and i somehow managed to finish and print off all my papers before 10. Who am i?? Pretty soon i realized i was tired and when it turns out my latest chick lit turned out to be a HUGE flop (Marianne Keys - The Other Side of the Story, blah! but do check out her other book Is Anybody Out There?), i turned out the lights, and snuggled up with my hot water bottle. Then i woke up at 1:45 to use the loo, couldn't fall back asleep, realized poor M was still downstairs in the computer room so made her a thermos of darjeeling tea, packed some biscuits, and headed down there (tea and biscuits - how British!). Poor darling was in desperate need of tea and biscuits... After realizing her productivity level was at an all-time LOW, i dragged her back upstairs to use my laptop, and then at 4 a.m. we both decided to get some sleep (aka she would sleep for 2, maybe 3 hrs). But here it is 5:13 a.m., and i have yet to fall back into slumber. Gah! Maybe my body is just preparing itself for its return to the States?

Soooo many things lately that i've wanted to blog about, but because i was being a good student, i never did. And of course, i can't remember a damn thing now. But i will say that this next week, aka my last week here in Londy, is going to be a whirlwind of sightseeing fun! I have sooo much to do, including but not limited to...

1. Tate Modern
2. Natural History Museum (LOVE me some dinosaurs!!)
3. Seeing the Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House
4. Afternoon tea (yes, again.....)
5. Portobello Market
6. Evensong @ St. Paul's
7. Westminster Abbey
8. Boutique shopping in Hamstead and Chelsea
9. Phantom of the Opera
10. Outdoor ice skating
11. Une autre visit to Harrods to buy pink Wellies!

Oh and i also have to figure out how on earth i'm going to pack and if i need to ship stuff home (likely) and um, all that jazz.

Have been eating TONS of Indian food lately and can't seem to get enough. There are some truly fabulous hole-in-the-wall vegetarian Indian eats just down the street - yum! There's also a cute little cafe/store called Greens 'n Beans, a DRU yoga creation, that serves a very very petit hot lunch buffet full of delicious, wholesome, and amazing vegetarian/vegan food. Think i might hit that one up tomorrow since M and i did Indian tonight...

Ouch, i think i might be experiencing heartburn. Not that i really know what heartburn is, of course, but this is what i imagine it to feel like. Speaking of hearts, Mom's surgery went really well, and i talked to her today. She said the first thing she said when she woke up was, "I'm hungry!" Hmmm i wonder where i get my appetite from... Can't wait to get home in a week and celebrate the holidays with Mommy, Daddy, Jennifer, Chris, Puffin & Muffin!! It's going to be such a full Park family house, i can hardly stand it! And the Thursday apres Christmas, Mom, Sister and I will be relaxing at the Bliss Spa in the W Hotel. 75-minute massage + "Mistle toes" pedicure = HEAVEN for this pedicure-starved student abroad.

xoxo darlings,
C

2 Down... Too Many More to Go

Taking a little breather (ironic b/c i'm so congested that i can't breathe at ALL) in between papers to blog. Do you know what's the most annoying thing about a cold? Not the fact that i can't breathe, not the achiness, not even the vast quantities of tissue that i go through. Those things i can all handle pretty well without wanting to rip my head off. But what i REALLY can't stand is the POPPING. THE FREAKING POPPING OF THE EARS. It won't stop, and it's driving me CRAZY! And this is a pretty new phenomenon with me, as it's never once happened in the States. Also this whole getting sick apres travel thing is also annoying and promises me a sniffly Christmas. Add to that a really frustrating (in this country?? NEVER!) situation regarding my medication and getting an American prescription refilled in the UK. Basically you can't no matter how many times the pharmacist you talked to on the phone assured you that you could. I wish people would either tell me they don't have a f-ing clue or they'd just SHUTUP b/c giving me false information, particularly when my ears won't stop popping, makes me want to punch somebody. Suffice to say, as much as i can't stand so many things about America and more specifically, AmeriCANS, i do miss the much more prevalent competency, consistency, and efficiency in the land of the free... (i can't believe i just said that)

That's all for now. Toodles!

My Thanksgiving

I realize i should've written this ages ago (more like 2 days..), but it somehow escaped my mind. What did i do on Thanksgiving? Well i scored front row tickets to Les Miserables for half-price! So i took myself on a date on the evening of Thanksgiving to celebrate, sans turkey and pumpkin pie, giving thanks. The show was I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. If i had to recommend one must-see show in London, i would recommend Les Miserables. The talent was beyond compare, and the entire show was captivating. I was incredibly moved and found myself wiping away tears in the last 10 minutes of the show (i wasn't alone either!). Loved it loved it LOVED IT. I can't say enough good things about. Being the longest running musical in business, Les Mis is truly organic - no fancy schmancy props or lights or special effects or wiring. Just brilliant performers on stage doing what they do best to an incredible masterpiece by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Bravo a million times over.

Nesting

It's cold, grey, and rainy out there, and so i've decided to spend the majority of my day warm and cozy in front of my beloved MacBook. I've got hot green tea, fabulous study music (think Aqualung, Perishers, Feist), and an illegal candle burning. :-) My sleep schedule is so frustratingly off. I took an impromptu nap last night around 8, woke up around 9:30, and then couldn't go back to sleep until around 6:30 a.m. Needless to say, i finally arose for the day close to noon and am determined to get to sleep at a decent hour tonight. (Haven't we heard this before...?)

Just to give you an idea of the Institution in which i am living, below are photos of my very colorful and cozy room. And trust me, the rest of the place does not look quite so... cheerful. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Night Owl

I'm having one of those nights... those nights that you just don't want to go to sleep! First off, i'm not sleepy. After my 20-hour slumber marathon the other day, i slept from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (yup, you read that correctly) this morning and then got up refreshed and ready to start my day. Took a much-needed hot shower, actually put some makeup on, and ventured out into the gloomy cold to hit up the Victoria & Albert museum. Oh i'd almost forgotten how much i adore museums! Esp. this one - specializes in art and design, yummy! Bought my ticket for the Golden Age of Couture exhibition and then decided to kill some time in the incredible museum shop. Goodies galore!! Got prezzies for Mom, Sister, and Pony (and ok yes, maybe a lil sumthin' pour moi) and discovered, on my way to the exhibit, ANOTHER SHOP! This one specialized in the Museum's featured exhibitions - HELLO COUTURE! Even more goodies got popped in the sack, and then finally i was on my way to the main event. Only downside to the experience was that it was so PACKED. I guess rainy day + Sunday + gorgeous vintage Dior make for a good combination. Needless to say, i loved it and can't wait to return to the V&A to explore the rest of the (FREE!) collections.

By 5:30 p.m., London is pitch black, so after exiting, i dashed down the street to the Laduree in Harrod's in an effort to cross off at least 2 of my "To Do's." Sadly i would not be seated, as the line was literally out the door, but i did manage to purchase some macaroons and a darling little notebook. Every little detail inside the patisserie and even in their wrapping and presentation of the treats is incredible. Gotta LOVE the French for that! It screams French royalty, and it's like i have my own little personal Versailles... mmm love it. Can't wait to go back and indulge in a cup of chocolat chaud and sink into the plush red velvet chairs... Geez there are SO many more things i need to do in this city! Sadly the weather is NOT behaving, and the 10-day forecast says rain rain and more rain. Bleh.

In good news, my stomach has fully recovered, and my head cold appears to be on its way out as well. Yay! Food in my belly makes me sooo happy. In even better news, i'm thrilled to report that i made my first...blogger introduction?? Hmm how to explain.. basically, i virtually introduced the fabulous Kimberly Wilson (of hiptranquilchick.com) to the awesome Claudia (of theparisapartment.com), and now it seems that KW will be doing a podcast with Claud! This is why i love love the blogging world. I've been lucky enough to meet and actually spend face-to-face time with these two incredible women. I mean... who am i? A 24-year old law student who still cries for her Mommy when she's sick. But at least i've got some kickass chicks on my side.

2:33 a.m. and not a single yawn. OK. Gonna listen to some HTC podcasts, tidy up a bit, journal, and mayyybe try to sleep. xoxo, darlings

Itchin' to Travel

Bonsoir, mes amies! I am happy to report that after a long hiatus from traveling, i am finally leavin' (on a jet plane) to Prague tomorrow afternoon!! I could not be more excited, as Prague is definitely high on my list of places to see and be seen. I'm going with my darling Martur, and we are staying at Wencenslas Square in a gorgeous **** hotel for quite a deal. Seeing as how the American dollar keeps plummeting to new lows, it's nice to be going somewhere that doesn't use the freaking pound. Before packing, i looked up the weather forecast for the weekend, and um... well it appears that the highs will be in the upper 30's and lows in the lower 30's... and rain/snow is on the menu for each day we are there. I haven't decided whether this is a good thing, as Prague and especially Charles Bridge are rumored to be gorgeous in the snow, or a bad bad thing as i have not had to deal with weather that cold in quite some time, and as many of you know, i have a major aversion to wearing pants (despite my many, many pairs of designer denim). Sooo i bought some long underwear from the ever-trusty M&S and will most definitely be sporting my raspberry pink Uggs, and I think i'll be okay. :-)

Life's been a series of ups and downs lately. Ups include the fact that i'm living in freaking London (YAY!), doing zero schoolwork and not having to feel (that) guilty about it at all, and have just been having an amazing time abroad. Downs, however, include Mom's health and my occasional feelings of fatigue and ickiness. It seems, however, that my Mom's situation is best-case scenario so i guess that's a little comforting. And my ickiness is just a natural result of this radical weather, and as long as i don't get the flu, i'm happy. It gets dark around these parts at, like, 4 p.m. now. It's crazy weird!! Really, it makes you not want to leave the house past 5 because it's so cold and dark outside, and so i've been pretty content snuggling up in my now cozy bed, in my now very homey room, reading some great books. Just finished "The Almost Moon" by Alice Sebold, which i very much enjoyed and have since started "Atonement" by Ian McEwan (quite an unfortunate name, eh?). Today i also started re-reading my beloved "Hip Tranquil Chick" and fell in love all over again. I actually read a semi-nasty review of HTC on Amazon.com and kind of wanted to punch the reviewer in the face. OK not really, but her attitude was very "holier than thou," and she CLEARLY was not a girly girl. So why did you buy a pink and leopard print embellished book entitled "Hip Tranquil Chick??" Oh well, guess you can't win 'em all!

While i've been here, i've also been fortunate enough to make a little extra cash babysitting for a fellow UT law student's adorable children. S and L are DARLING, and i love every moment i have with them. (Ok - maybe not the dirty diaper ones.) It had actually been awhile since i babysat, and so tonight was quite a treat. We cooked penne and bolognese sauce for dinner and then cuddled on the couch watching Mario & Luigi kick some ass on TV. It was sweet. I can't wait to have babies! (I know i know... i'm only 24...)

Um so, like a fool, i forgot to put all my Christmas tunes on my macbook, soooo if anyone has fun holiday music to share... please do!! Thus far, i've successfully fought the temptation to buy Christmas decor... i hope it stays that way. In the meantime, i will be enjoying the beautiful winter wonderland that is Prague!!

Pics!

Just a few pics of PARK SISTERS REUNITED: London 2007. The two of us post-Lord of the Rings musical madness, me gazing longingly into the windows of Laduree, me striking a pose avec a Harrods display mannequin, and sisters in front of the beautifully lit Harrods.

Wicked

God i LOVE the theatre. This morning J, L, and i went down to Victoria to get student discounts to Wicked and managed to score 3 badass seats. And yes, it really IS that good! I was skeptical, at first, and I must admit that most of of the First Act was, like, OK, but by the end of the First Act, i was hooked. And then the show just got better and better.. I even teared up at the end! And the two witches certainly deserved that standing ovation b/c they were FANTASTIC! Comedy's tough to do in musical theatre, but they nailed it. I can't wait for more.

On another note entirely, i've been feeling a bit down lately as my sister brought me some not-so-great news regarding my mother's health. My parents are both really healthy, and besides my dad's gout, they've never had any major health problems. But it seems that not all is right with my mom's heart, and she's been seeing a doctor and cardiologist to pin down the problem. It seems to be best case scenario, meaning she'll only need a minimally invasive outpatient surgery, but surgery is surgery, and anything to do with the heart terrifies me. (Blame it on Grey's Anatomy.) Anyway, that's definitely been weighing heavily on my mind, and the fact that i'm not there to see how bad it really is.. well, that's been really hard on me. Sigh. I know she'll be ok. She'll be ok.. right? Yes, she'll be okay. My mom's in great health. And if this is what's going to force her into early retirement, then it's kind of a blessing in disguise. But i am undeniably 100% totally and completely freaked out. I haven't been able to sleep lately. And life in London is good, reallly good, and i had an incredible time with my sister, but... man this really sucks.

Dorktastic!

Yesterday i got half-price tickets, 10 rows from the stage, to... THE LORD OF THE RINGS MUSICAL!! I know what you're thinking, how lame can you be, but considering my sister and i have seen Les Mis, Phantom, etc. at least 2x each, we were looking for something a little different. Plus we both are huge dorks (especially her) and love Lord of the Rings so... I was really curious to see how they'd built the set, and i KNEW the music would be fantastic, and off we went! It was AWESOME! Granted there were a couple of snooze parts, but the set, the music, the lights, the costumes, everything was great! I LOVED Lady Loth Lorry and Smeagle (sp?) was INCREDIBLE and sounded just like the movie character. Act II actually opened with Smeagle crawling down the screen! The hobbits had a fantastic song/dance number in the first Act that was standing ovation-worthy, and the trees on stilts, dark knights, and even ginormous spider were all CLASSIC. Oh and at one point, the orgs were in the audience, and it was TERRIFYING. In any case, if you're a Lord of the Rings fan or just enjoy theatrical fun, i would highly recommend this musical.

TopShop...

...is amazing. And dangerous - very, very dangerous. I stumbled my way into the massive, huge, world-class TopShop at Oxford Circus today and just about died. Bags, shoes, sparkle, 3+ floors, boutiques within boutiques, jewelry counters, and even a cafe! It was beautiful. It was not quite as cheap as I had hoped, but it was still beautiful. Oxford is just shopping heaven and only a hop, skip and a jump away! Seriously the location of our dorm couldn't be better. I love love LOVE IT.

And I finally got a lamp in my room so my "closet" corner isn't quite so dark. Choosing daily ensembles in the dark is not so pleasant. We also finally got a full-length mirror sittin' pretty in the hallway so that we aren't so clueless about the bottom halves of our bodies.

I am loving loving London. I don't even care about traveling so much; I just want to learn this city inside and out. Plans for the weekend include trying a fancy Lebanese restaurant, London zoo, Indian food, beaucoup de walking, babysitting for 4 kids, and enjoying the sun while it lasts. :-)