room with a view

from our dining room table, a bit of view.
speaking of dining room tables...my flatmate Katherine made us all an English style sunday lunch yesterday. Traditional roast, potatoes, yorkshire pudding, peas and carrots, mmm. Sounds like it's a French lunch next sunday! Sarah volunteered, tres bien!

a loverly film

it's wonderful, I hope you can check it out. The soundtrack is fabu...

madame president!

self proclaimed president of the mickmoi fanclub, haha! Fumi sent the most amazing care package today...wow, it was like christmas!!! We're talking magazines, iced green tea packs, chocolate, wasabi potato chips, my fav pretzel snacks, the cologne I 4 got in Dan's car (thanks for packing & the fabu soap Dan!), other japanese nibbliy bits, treats and so much more! But no, I looked and looked...no Pucci...maybe next time...

Thanks FUMI! This was her at my sfo fine scotch sendoff, I'm a lucky boy.

President of The FumiLee International Fan Club and Honor Society

Corey!

came to visit last weekend and we had a blast, toured all around and caught some chinatown!

bird's eye view of ben

Corey in the Eye

we took a great 'flight' on saturday, so impressive!

Tower Bridge by Nite and Boat!

shipmates

Butler's Wharf residence took us all on a boat trip last week, so fun. 2 of my flatmates Thail (far left) and Quan Wen on the far right are in this pic along with Pei and Akihiro. We had fun!

'do you expect me to talk goldfinger?' 'no mr bond, I expect you to die!'

for the secret little paul smith discount store off bond street of course ( and just down this tiny little alley...fortunately you don't need to be 007 to find it!)

my hood, Butler's Wharf

Spitalfields

of course is an unfortunate name for what is an amazing market with knock out pastry...

Art in Brick Lane

This little neighborhood has quickly become my favorite, ok, I have a few already, but it's amazing. Next to Bengali restaurants (like 200+) are so many art and design happenings that I can barely take it all in. At this one over 10 artists from a japanese young artists collective were simutaneously painting canvases of the same size along a similar theme, it was really cool.

Hyde Park Serpentine Lake

this is where all of those romantic parasols on row boats scenes take place and have for I'd imagine, a long time.

I wonder if this is why swans have a such a romantic reputation...and is where the poise and grace comes from? Now don't go bringing up the animalinyou.com profile test (hopefully you don't remember what I was...). Take the test tho if you haven't already! It's quick.

so say you were having a party and needed oh I dunno, 20,000 cheese sandwiches for example

you could just go to Harrod's amazing food courts! Why not?
Harrod's is EVERYTHING it is cracked up to be...and more.

bacon a la harrod's

now I know my bacon, or thought I did...who knew there were 14 cuts of bacon? Harrod's did of course and hey if you really can't decide they have a few whole pigs up there you can take home...so easy peasy

wee birds at a not so wee price

but they doo look yummers

many a statue

in london, this is near Knightsbridge...and Harrod's

not bad as far as city halls go...

with a great guy at the helm and it's right nextdoor to Butler's Wharf.

Mayor Ken Livingstone on the July 7th blasts...

"I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.

I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others - that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.

In the days that follow look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfill their dreams and achieve their potential.

They choose to come to London, as so many have come before, because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don't want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."

Tower Bridge marks my hood, I'm about 25yards in on the right

give or take a meter...

yes a gerkin may be mentioned again in this blog

that's the nickname for this funky office building completing the skyline view of the financial district, all just across the river and more or less just past the bridge.

the local food market

is simply gourd - gantuan...seriously, look at these! They are like 3.5 feet tall!

* don't look Abbe

and fresh!

my life tends to center around one place so far...

and shhhhhh! don't tell my departmental supervisor!

but seriously this open air food market dates back to the Romans who first traded produce and animals here...lucky me it's only a short 10 min walk from my door and I can pay in pounds not beads or pottery.

3 for 3

three weekends in the new hood and I've been to the market 3 saturdays in a row, ok twice on the first saturday...this was visit #2 (fresh shaven and caffeinated) looking a bit more awake eh?

shroomies in all shapes and sizes, ahhh

magic mushrooms?

now if they aren't...I don't know what are, iridescent purple these were...

this may look like a mess...

but you are looking at 2 of the most celebrated items at the market (ok, and by far my favorite), Olaf's grilled cheddar cheese sandwich (left) and raclette (hot cheese over potatoes and gerkins) both featured in Gourmet Magazine this spring...yum yum yum! Olaf and I were talking cheese tales on our first meeting, and so captivated in our imagery and shared passion that I forgot to pay him for my sandwich and he didn't even notice...I went back after I polished off the first half and realised it. No bad cheese karma here please!

Sunny loves the cheese

butt....?

no it's true this guy just sells fresh churned butter...french butter granted, but somehow he makes rent...it is of course...delicious.

'a filter please'

means, 'I'll have a coffee please', for 1.80p or $3.25 you too can get the finest cuppa joe in town and done in very much a civilized way.

don't forget the sweets

the truffle choices boggle the mind...

friars it seems had life really good

a posh residence on the thames, great views, easy market access...good construction...this place is behind the market about 15 yards from the river...and still standing since the 11th century

this is finally starting to look familiar!

yup, you watched national lampoon's european vacation, "look kids Big Ben! Parliament!"

eye yiyi!

the london eye is the world's largest observation wheel, it turns continuously and moves slowly enough for folks to load and unload w/o it stopping...each capsule holds 25 peeps!

multi tasking artists abound along the Thames

don't be coy

b/c these guys take the cake

parks and open space

indeed a student can use, this lil one is right by school and home to the coy fish

millenium bridge

takes me to school everyday, nice not dodging taxis!

Tate Modern

is hosting Frida...Madonna found it 'loverly' apparently

little is wasted in london

like this corner of the southwark walk along the thames, why not? everyone enjoys a skatepark!

a welcome break in a downpour...

is this lil booksellers market under jubilee bridge, and we just made it here after it started to really come down on sunday, 15mins later Sunny had bought a great travel book and then yes, the sun was really shining [n.b pun intended but not planned]

tower bridge

is fortunately tall, so it's hard to get lost coming home

and yet another bridge

this one is jubilee bridge

mio

in my fashion passion, I took to needle and thread and contrast stitched my lil sporty coat a la the way I saw a cool one done near Spitalfileds in Huxton Square. Best part is the stitches easily come out when this trends is past and I'm back to the original, my favorite part is..the outlined vent in the back. X