glam gods

Yes folks... last night saw the reinvention of GLAM at the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, hosted this year by the Ukraine.

Norway... led by the son of Thor, blasted the stage with more glam rock than Tiffanys. These guys had to be the faves for me.... as well as the femme rock group from Switzerland. Go Grrls...

When it came to the voting...well... yay! I could actually vote this year! woohoo! Good to see the UK didn't get zero votes again, although it was rather dismal. Only it was 1/2 way through voting and the second bottle of the Spanish red that we realised that we should have, in fact, cast our vote for Latvia. The reason being, we are planning to go to next year's EV.... Latvia would be much cheaper to travel to. Ah well... looks like I'll be wearing my white satin gown in Athens. On the plus side, I've always wanted to travel to Greece and it will be warmer than Latvia. As Terry Wogan pointed out, the women contesting in EV must have severely damaged kidneys from the cold...perhaps they just ran out of money for the rest of the outfit....

A couple of points that need to be mentioned here:
a) why is Israel in EV????... I know it's a mandatory drink to ask the question, but no-one has an answer
b) where is Moldova?....oh yeah... somewhere between Romania and Ukraine...good to see they did so well in the voting, and thanks to Tim and Naabi for the world atlas. Came in very handy last night.
c) who allowed drums into the competition? I thought this was a song contest, not a Big Bang. Not that any of those guys could possibly have been playing them given the acrobatics... but yes, the granny from Moldova was probably the most authentic.

ok, let's go Greece! Gotta say that they put on a very slick performance.... looking forward to the 51st EV in Athens 2006. Opa!

...other news from the Squidfiles: haven't been able to keep this up to date as much as I'd like. It's been quite hectic over here. Friends dropping in and out and in and out and in again.... and relos of friends and their friends... partytime at the postage stamp patch...

Been sick with gastro bug and flu. New job which is taking a bit of getting used to and study study study... had the exam last week. Phew! I am sooooooo tired now....

However, I have been getting out a little with my boy, discovering some great pubs and bars. A Polish bar and a couple of great English pubs in Angel and Bloomsbury, Italian cafes in Soho.

Friday, 13th May, was my first ever visit to the opera. Berg's "Lulu" at the Coliseum. It was such a fantastic evening. Loved the music. Lisa Schaffer was simply amazing as Lulu. What a voice! And if the opera didn't grab you then the beauty of the theatre did. It's gorgeous inside. Restored beautifully.

Today involved a trundle around Camden Town Markets again. Shoe shopping. Enjoying all the sights. A pint at the Lock Tavern and seafood with noodles, Asian style for tea. Brilliant. But we are definitely going to be dropping in at the Lock Tavern a bit more often. You should see the fare. The roasts look superb. Actually, it was kinda like walking into a pub somewhere in Fitzroy in Melbourne. Lounges set up around the place, a couple of geeky (but way cool) DJ's doing their 'old' loungy vinyl sets. A great lineup of upcoming gigs posted on the wall. Young(ish) alternative crowd... definitely my kinda thang.

But speaking of cities... next weekend is a bank holiday so we're going to head out of London to visit down south in Plymouth. Can't wait. Hope to get out and about around Cornwall a little too. Perhaps a bus trip to Looe and see if there's any smuggling to be had.... or maybe a Cornish Pasty or a Devonshire Tea...

No photos at the moment. But promise promise promise... that there will be a new batch up very soon.

ciao! fb

stuff

Hi Kiddies

Forgot to go to the Royal Wedding yesterday. oops! Just wouldn't have been a party without me, I know. ... Never mind... had more fun hanging out with a friend in the evening at one of the fine restaurants at Angel Islington. Love that spot.

Was very cool for my friend to visit me from Plymouth over Easter. I haven't been to a noise gig in ages, so it was 'well fun' to head over to Lewisham Art Centre to see a gig. sorry, can't remember who the dudes were. When I get around to it, I'll post a couple of pics on flickr.

Of course, I'm all higgle-dy-piggle-dy here.... the Sat eve before was a trip to Barbican centre to see the Christian Marclay exhibition. I was so impressed. Really! Definitely worth another look in. What kind of person thinks of strapping an amped up guitar behind a pickup truck and dragging it around over rough terrain... I think it was somewhere in Texas. Way cool! ... and fu*$ing loud!

Although, we did manage an accidental detour before finding the Barbican Centre. We happened upon the Smithfield Meat Markets... I loved the story of how women who were no longer wanted by their husbands were brought to the meat markets to be sold... dead or alive so it seems... anyone for a nice rump steak????

So yeah, getting out and about a little more. I'm in a local internet cafe tonight. Job hunting again. My contract runs out in a couple of weeks. But plenty of work around. The weather is doing some very bizarre things. One minute it looks like we're in for an early summer then next we're right back into winter... brrr....

ok. going home. gotta get some sleep. off to the gym tomorrow. start italian classes soon. Va Bene! And then back into fencing classes at end of April. En Garde!

spring is in the air

Goodness gracious me, it's a beautiful sunny day here in ole London town today and set to continue over the weekend. (I have my best weather girl voice on while I type this...). Methinks it's a perfect opportunity to get outside and explore London town a bit more... and procrastinate further about study....

Hmm... perhaps I'll venture on to Whitechapel Gallery or Spitalfield and Brick Lane markets. ... but then again I have no money to spend. Have to pay the rent next week. I won't tell you all how much I pay.... all the Aussies reading this will have heart attacks. But to give you an idea... for the monthly rent it's basically your life savings and doubled each month....We figure there is enough chemicals in the London air to sustain (preserve) us between rental payments....

Seriously though, now that I'm earning £'s and not converting back to Aussie $'s it's not too bad living here.

I know, everyone is obsessed with the weather... but I honestly can't believe what a difference there is here compared with just over a week or so ago. I was honestly trudging to the tube station in the snow once or twice. Trying desperately not to slip over flat on my arse. I was layered up with clothing, suffering from a nasty flu and everyone was just gloomy and agitated. Now, today, everyone is smiling... and I wasn't quite fearing for my life getting off the train as people literally just shove you out of the way.... people actually stood aside this morning and I've people hold the door open.... remarkable.

.. A comment on the weather readers... I can't stand them... they act out the weather! If it's blowing a gale they literally pretend they are the wind.... All I can think is they must be former or rejected Tele-Tubbies to carry on like this.

I'm even having to wear my sunnies today. Apparently it's only the Italians who go around at all times of the year indoors and outdoors wearing sunglasses.

And St Patrick's day yesterday... you'd almost think we were in Dublin, not London. Green and orange everywhere yesterday... alas... not really knowing anyone just yet to join in for a few pints.... I trundled home to a Stella Artois and soggy pasta... a bit depressing... almost knocked on my neighbours door to ask if i could stay for tea... They are Iranian and make the best smelling curries... mmmmmmm........ curry......

Although, I have had the opportunity to sample some of the Indian curry here... Bellissimo! (ok, I'm going to take up Italian again also. Dying to go to Italy). The flavours were just fantastic and superb service. (I was at someone's birthday dinner). Probably not made as hot as some Aussie curries I've had. No matter. Loved it...

And finally on the culinary front, I am still yet to find the ultimate coffee shop here in London. You know... the coffee you just have to have... to die for... lots of chain stores around... and some small coffee shops, but the Brits just can't seem to make a decent coffee. And the Italians and French seem to be catering to Britains bland tastes. The search continues....

little britain

had to publish this. greetings to all Governments and spy agencies and anti-terrorist folks. .... freedom of speech.... freedom of human will... a wonderful thing.....


Re: Immigration, a timebomb waiting to happen. aired Friday 11th March on BBC.

I found this program absolutely appalling. hard to know where to begin. What century are we living in? The sentiments expressed were reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

When will so-called journalists (Rod Liddle) start doing their jobs properly and start doing some research of facts before they start mouthing-off and inciting hatred.

I had to laugh when he mentioned the Kurdistan refugees being placed into areas of England occupied by 'indigenous Indian and Pakistani' populations. Excuse me? When were these groups indigenous to England?????

Then he goes on to talk about the problems of Islam and how they don't have the same values as 'us'. How we have 'freedom of speech'.

Hmm... same values... well... I don't know whether the UK, being a 'Christian' country necessarily values placing women in shop windows to be sold for sex. As was shown to us from Amsterdam. Freedom of Speech? Equality? Values? I don't see this occurring here. Particularly not equality for women or having a sound set of social values. What about equal pay for women, better access to social welfare, the fact that many rapes are not being convicted and domestic violence levels still at unacceptable high rates? And this is just in our 'liberal' society...

And much of the debate recently has been about Indians, Pakistanis and the others... the muslims.... If someone had done their research properly they would know that Pakistan itself is a nation of Islam and there also happens to be a large Islamic population in India. In fact, Islam is found throughout all of the world. On the African continent, in Asia (ie: Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, the Middle East and in Europe. So when we talk about Islam are we actually talking about a religion or a country. As with Christianity there are also different factions.

tolerance? How tolerant are we as so called Christians if we can't find compassion for asylum seekers. I'm sure these are not the teachings of the Bible.

The liberal left that we accept homosexuals in our society? NOT! Gay bashings still occur. Gay marriages are not permitted and homosexuality is indeed one of the leading contributors to the split in the Anglican Church at this present time.

And for the record, it is not open slather to enter this country. I am a recent immigrant here from Australia. I had to fill in a multitude of paperwork and show all types of evidence to obtain my visa. I have done nothing but paperwork since I arrived. I have had to prove that i can support myself and will not be a burden on the social welfare system. This week I have an interview for my national insurance number. More paperwork. There have been criminal, financial and character cheques etc etc.... It seems I can't even scratch myself here without filling out a form.

So yeah... if you're talking about numbers, then kick all the immigrants out. What would you have left? The Dark Ages all over again. A few landholders and low skilled uneducated peasants.

Immigrants in this country are accountants, engineers, bar staff, waiters, labourers, teachers, health care professionals, admin workers, business owners (employers).

No tea, no coffee, no international trade, no infrastructure. No culture.

I just can't believe that so many people donating to Red Nose Day and the Tsunami Relief Appeal could also be so callous as to deny people an opportunity for a better life, whether they arrive on working visa or as asylum seekers.

Besides, with the BBC controlling the media in this country and the Government controlling the BBC, how much freedom of speech do you really expect to be occurring?

'Banned in the UK' - a BBC series highlighting the manipulation of the Thatcher years... don't kid yourselves that John Major and Tony Blair were/ are much different....

winter wonderland

It's snowing!!! In London. Quite heavily too. I just had to share this with everyone. It is so beautiful. I tried taking a few pics from my camera phone but it didn't work out. Just a few buildings.

I was downstairs making a coffee at work when it happened. The American students in the basement computer lab let out a scream of excitement. Much like I did on Saturday when it snowed while I was out walking. This is the first time I've been in a city where it has snowed. You don't quite get that in Australian cities. Especially not Brisbane, except if you include the man-made toboggan run at Mt Coot-tha studios of Channel 10.... bizarre....

that is all, I have heaps of work to do. .... but might be here all night anyway if the tubes stop running. hmmm....

oh! and start fencing classes tonight. picket... stone... brick..... or maybe some swordplay.

toilet training

Yeah yeah... I know... weird ass title... I was just thinking about this posting today... You know, when travelling or going out anywhere it's essential that one finds out where the toilets are. When you gotta go, you gotta go, right?

Anyway, it all started for me in Oman... the call of nature after traipsing around Fort Nakhal... I was wondering what those shower hoses were attached to the side of the toilet... hmmm... strange...

Then in Dubai, at the airport, I had to pay a visit to the bathroom again. Lo and behold they were there again. This time I wanted to find out what they were... I gotta say that I had a pretty fair idea... Ok, so I heard this lady going for it in the cubicle next to me (with the hose, I mean). So I just had to give it a go... wooo hay! That was so awesome. Power shower! I heard somewhere that once you have tried the bidet you can never go back. How true that is.

And I didn't have to flush! The toilet had some kind of inbuilt sensor that flushed automatically. I really don't know how that one works. Why doesn't it flush when you're in the middle of doing your business? ??? Eeewww.... that would be rather unfortunate... but what a cool concept!

Also, sensory taps... put your left hand in, put your left hand out, put your left hand in and shake it all about... do the hokey pokey and turn around... that's what it's all about... put your right hand in... ok ok... you get the picture...

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. Oman. Pull the flusher, don't press. Had to get used to that one.

In England, they have levers on the side of the lav which you just pull down. Wow! So many ways to take a crap! I mean it! I'm not taking the piss, mate. 'Scuse the pun.

What I haven't checked yet is which way the water swirls down the toilet. Clockwise or anti-clockwise... ie: Simpson's episode where Bart rings Australia... cringe... really bad Aussie accents galore...

Thank god I haven't experienced the hole in the ground or the outdoor dunny yet. It's too bloody cold here in London to be doing that. You would literally freeze your butt off.

And at the Tate Modern I did see a really cool photgraphic display of toilet seats... can't remember who the artist was...

Oh yeah... Hungry Jacks or should I say Burger King makes you pay 20p for the pleasure. they have turnstiles outside their lavs with coin dispensers... bizarre... and public loos are also pay per pooh.

good ole McChucks is still free... I don't eat there, was just busting one day when I was in between job interviews. sorry, too much info? But in Eng-errrr-land, the toilets at Makkas are unisex... freaked me out a little when a hairy ape came waltzing out of the lav. Blah!

Is this a new obsession of mine? No. Probably just some kind of depraved virgo observation.

There are 3 toilets in the house where I'm currently living. The one I love most, and which is closest to where I'm sleeping is the loo tucked away under the stairs in the closet. It's the weirdest sensation going under the stairs to take a pee.

Having said that, nature calls... way too much coffee...

ciao!

a penny for your thoughts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/squidfiles/

Well.. it's been two weeks in London. I have managed to set up a bank account PLUS I've found a new job. It's really ace. The company runs exchange programs for American students in Europe. The perks of the job include being able to tag along on some of the day tours they provide, so I've booked in for a day trip to Stone Henge. woo hoo!

The latest photos have also been uploaded. Check the link above. As you'll see I've been doing a bit of sight seeing around London. Where was I last week? Oh yeah, Camden Town. Gotta go back there soon.

I've already been into the Tate Modern and heading in there again tomorrow. What impressed me the other day? Pollock, Picasso, Beckmann, Hesse, Warhol and a couple of installations by Bruce Nauman. One viewing is simply not enough. That includes the amazing structures of the place. Yeah... you can tell I was a big fan from the numerous photos posted.

Last night was my first introduction to London pub culture. I am NEVER doing the 'snakebites' again. sheesh! Mind you that was two pints following the vodka and the long island ice tea I'd just finished. Man... the chips were soggy. Yuk! And lo and behold, I heard more Aussie, Kiwi and Saffa accents than English.

Also, the Brits have absolutely no taste in music. Seriously! I was watching the British Music Awards the other night (yeah yeah... I would have had more entertainment reading my accounting books)... but who are the "Scissor Sister" and who cares? Bad music. But the Brits voted for them as best group over Green Day. Go figure...

Well it's off to the pub again tonight...... what else... But definitely no snakebites... I'll just stick to the pints of lager methinks.

I'm a bit over computers right now. Most of my new job literally involves delving in and out of spreadsheets and I just spent all day trying to edit those damn photos... can't wait til I have my own laptop.

ok, beer-o'clock time.

mad world

hoookay....

Had the coolest day today. Took a trip into Camden Town with Kirsty. We were going to head off later to see a movie, but we kinda got distracted with all the sights and delights... of course, ended up spending money accidentally on a few things. Picked up a few bargains actually.

£15 pair of funky brown street shoes/ runners
£12 chunky ring of mother of pearl set in silver
£35 (ouch!) for some really gorgeous woollen light brown fishermen's wrap around pants.

coffees and hot chocolate in one of the groovy cafes on the canal near the lochs.

I don't think we even saw nearly half of it all. This place has absolutely everything. Cheap groovy clothes, homewares, music to suit anyone's rhythm, food stalls galore from all over the world (Carribean, Japanes, African etc...).

It's also still punk city. I saw some "wicked" mohawks, piercings, tattoos and red checked pants with braces.

leather gear everywhere. It was "well fun".

Anyways, took the cheezy shots of my first double decker bus ride. I just can't believe the crowds of people here. Crazy man. But I loved it, seeing all the different freaky people. I guess the novelty will wear off soon enough and I'll look and act as grumpy pants as everyone else here.

Of course it also only took me 5 seconds to spot the drum-n-bass, break beats, dance store. So I've collected all my paraphenalia, had a chat to the DJs instore (working there and punters also) and now have a nice list of clubs to check out. ... Although, I can't for the life of me remember how to make my way back to this store. It was down one of the side streets off the markets. ..**sigh**... guess I'll just have to go back and explore Camden Town a bit more.

Boy o boy.... was this such a different world away from my expeditions yesterday. I took in the sites on Sat of Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Houses of Parliament and had a pub meal of bangers and mash in a pub just up near Trafalgar Square.

However, my timing for my arrival at Buckingham Palace was impeccable. I arrived just before midday as the palace guards were going on parade with the marching band. I also had prime pozzie right outside the gates. Very cool.

Deciding that I was bloody freezing, I thought it prudent of me to purchase a hot chocolate in St James Park on my way up to Westminster and stroll through the gardens and watch the geese and squirrels.. the dear little rascals...

The sight seeing was cool around Big Ben, will show pics soon on flickr.com... Oh! And also happened upon the Palace Life Guards on horseback near Whitehall. It was only when I was having lunch of lumpy mash (somewhat disappointing) and sausage in red wine sauce and onion (remedying the poor mash), washed down with a pint that I realised I had overlooked No 10 Downing Street. Never mind, I have pics of the anti-Iraq war protestors outside the Houses of Parliament to remind me that Blair is a Baby Killer. .. ahem...

Trafalgar Sqaure - full of pigeons and tourists. It's a famous London street scene. There should be a t-shirt saying "I survived the double decker buses and cabs to make it here".

So anyway, that's about it for now. I start a new job on Wednesday. woohoo! And I'm a bit excited about that. So I have 2 days left of relative freedom before I become a wage slave again. Ah well.... I just hope it's nothing like the BBC production "The Office"

ciao!

welcome aboard

...thought I would re-post the entry from the other blog site for those who couldn't access it....

The first enty of my travels abroad...
..Well, after the last few days of rushing around London I really couldn't be bothered doing much today..so just decided to go for a bit of a walk around the local neighbourhood.. I've taken a few pics of the area in which I'm currently living. The post box, a couple of street scenes, a couple of shots from the park and the house where I'm staying.
Why the post box? It's just little differences that I find really interesting. They still use the old red, rather ornate post boxes. I just find that quite quaint. I don't know how well these photos will turn out. It was extremely grey here today and going on 5.00pm now it's almost dark.
To view other photos which I have uploaded I'm referring you to the flickr site listed under the links.

My site is called "Fi Fi A Broad", although, at some point I will get around to sending some photos to this site.

Anyway, on my wanderings this arvo I came upon the next suburb/town called Neasden. It has quite a large population of Black Jamaicans and Nigerians, Indians, Pakistanis and Turks. ..mmm... so found myself in an Arabic/ Halal food store and have been enjoying a late lunch of stuffed eggplant, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves).. munched on some baklava on the way home and soon to be brewing up a very strong Turkish coffee. woohoo! Nothing like having a few heart palpitations before bedtime....zzzzzzzzzzz........
The food I bought was really quite cheap. I bought a few other things as well, so only had an outlay of about £20 today. Nice going. It is such a relief not to be paying inner city prices.
It was quite a nice walk back through a huge park across the road from the house. I can't afford to join a gym until I have a job so might just go running around this suburb in the meantime. One of the guys here said this is quite a dodgy neighbourhood, but the Indian lady at the chemist reassured me that I have landed in quite a lovely spot. I think so too. I find the multi-culturalism here just fantastic. It's actually the Irish pubs and dodgy bars that I saw that made my skin crawl. Think I'll be avoiding those joints.
Ok, hope you enjoy the pics from Oman. Promise to post some more soon.

let's try this again...

Ok,. sorry everyone... me not such a technical genius... Hopefully you are accessing this blog site ok and can post comments etc etc...

...sheesh... I'm getting onto the job agencies again today. I need to work! ..although, do have quite a bit of study to keep me going for a while.

I'll post again later. ciao!