I have been in London for three months now. But what seems like a great expanse of time, has actually just whirled by. Like that! In three months I have moved apartments four times, landed two jobs, started a masters program, signed up for five different extracurricular classes/groups, and had more emotional break downs than I care to relay here. Despite the resilience I think I have, moving to the third country in three years is hard. It takes so much longer to readjust to a new place, no matter how comfortable and easy the picture of moving cities may appear in my head. I have a tendency to want everything settled and sorted right away and I’m not always patient for the long, slow adjustments to fall into place.
Last week I received a special invitation to sit in as part of an audience for a Live Art workshop being held at the Tate Modern. This was because I personally know one of the participants, and had already heard recounts of the contemporary dance and choreography they were learning. What I didn’t expect, however, was the sheer grace I encountered. Because it was beautiful to watch. These weren’t professional dancers, and it was not a complicated dance piece, but there was pure beauty in just the simple movements of their bodies; the way they danced around and among each other with such ease and elegance. There was also the added bonus of having the London skyline as their backdrop. But I was still amazed. Amazed at how a group of young, amateur students could produce something so simple, peaceful, and yet so stunning.
Yesterday was the last day of Liberty’s ‘Get Creative’ week, and I was lucky enough to get a spot in their Origami Workshop hosted by Etsy. The workshop was led by designer Gemma Gilleard who displays an array of talent on her Etsy shop, Gx2HomeGrown. Thanks to her careful instruction and an origami-for-dummies guide, I created my very first pair of paper doves. Keep reading to find out what we did, and how to make your own origami dove!
There’s a lot on offer this Halloween in London, and people love it! My neighbors have gone all-out, American style, and decorated their front porch with fake cobwebs, creepy pumpkins, and even a dancing ghost in their front window! So here are a few different things gathered from around the web (pun intended) to get you in the spirit for this Hall-o-eve:
It’s Monday and, if you’re anything like me, you need a little motivation to get you going; to face the week cheery-eyed and bushy-tailed. So here’s a round-up of things to look forward to this week. Go on, get out there and do things!
When we were little, growing up in Hong Kong, my friends and I would physically buzz for our favorite Thai dish: Pad See Ew (who knew that a dish with the word ‘ew’ in it could be so good!) We never actually called the dish by its official name, preferring instead to baptize our favorite comfort food as “fat noodles”. Since then, I have never tasted a version of Pad Thai that can compete with my childhood, gooey “fat noodles”. But that doesn’t mean I have given up looking. This past weekend we took a roommate outing and walked across the river to the 5 Foot Way Street Food Fair – one of the many events forming part of London’s month-long South East Asian Arts Festival.