Hampstead Heath

© Joselito Briones

LIfe's been easy... most weekends Jerome and Ronnie would invite us for a drive somewhere nice for a weekend (they bought a brand new volvo). This time the destination was Hampstead Heath, within London. The area we set up picnic in is called "Kite Hill" or "Parliament Hill". Needless to say, there was plenty of food and wine, and picnic necessities (plates, cutleries, wine glasses) willingly lent to us by Waitrose. Pictured above are (L-R) Mati, Ronnie, Jerome, Gaudi, Mickael.


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the one who refuses to go away

© Joselito Briones

Back in London. Wil and I went to Putney to look at the house that he's buying. It's a lovely semi-detached in a quiet neighborhood. We did the measurements, which wasn't very easy because the old woman who owns the house is still there - together with all her stuff - most of which are breakable.





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First thing that I thought of, since it's obvious that Wil loves having friends around, and everybody invariably gravitates toward the kitchen/dining room anyway, is to suggest to convert this garage, next to the kitchen, to an informal dining room. He's currently enrolled in a car-sharing program and has no immediate plan to buy a car, and visitors can always park in the driveway.





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Photo above is Wil talking with the current owner (not shown). At first glance she's the typical old lady, nice and gentle and proper, but when you talk to her it becomes obvious that she's always calculating and that she's rather cunning. All the time that we were there, she kept offering Wil stuff that she won't be taking with her (usually junk) and her effort in making everything sound appealing was just admirable, albeit ineffective. Wil was fuming when we left because she insisted to extend her stay in the house by a few days, at Wil's expense (he'll have to rent a place to stay those extra few days), and brushes Wil off with "Oh I'm sure you got friends who'll accommodate you! If not I've got friends who'll put you up." Shrewd, if not cunning.


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Back to London

© Joselito Briones

Today we drove back to London. On the way back, we went to Haddon Hall and Hardwick Park ("Lady Spencer's Walk" and the grounds full of cows and cow shit>. As it was when we went to the Peak District, Ronnie and Jerome (photo above) were kind enough to give us a ride. They dropped us by Wil's, then after some time to take a quick rest we met up again in their flat in Baker Street and from there, dinner. Indian.


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gherkin lunch video

© Joselito Briones

video version, just gotta show marco and mati too.

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Jason Bourne

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This is another photo from the "Bourne Ultimatum" premiere in Leicester Square in London the other day. My guess is that one wouldn't think him a celebrity if one bumps into him somewhere, he looks like your everyday nice guy next door. He's constantly got that almost-shy constantly apologetic smile on his face. It's a credit to his acting and on-screen persona that he can carry both art films and action blockbusters.


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Ha!

© Joselito Briones

Am still here of course, spending most of my time in Wil's kitchen (photo, above). I know I owe you quite a lot of stories already, but I'll try to do it little by little, or maybe not. Am not really good at backtracking. I'll just show you photos of things that I've been seeing here in London.


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Star appeal

© Joselito Briones

I was in Leicester Square to buy tickets for a West End musical and I stumbled upon the premiere of "Bourne Ultimatum" in Odeon Theater. The stars of the movie were there, including some other celebrities, so I was just happy snapping away.

Photo above is of Julia Stiles, who's now been in all three Bourne movies. She's very beautiful in person, and seemed nice enough to fans. Oh and her hair, perfectly set.


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London trip confirmed

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Mati has been for sometime asked by his company to work in England again, but he hasn't really been agreeable with the terms they offer, so he's declined it (and it's in some other city, not in London). This time they offered him a short-term assignment instead (6 weeks) in London, so he took it. I've also got several things to do in London (Ronnie and Jerome's partnership ceremony, Wil's housewarming party, iStock minilypse), so I'm tagging along. So yeah, for the next 6 weeks starting Friday, Mati and I will be in London.

Photo above is one of my absolute favorite places to visit in London, the National Portrait Gallery, taken during my recent trip there. Okay, it's actually the building behind the ornate wrought iron street lamp and kiosk. I've always been fascinated by the human face as photography (and drawing) subject, and this place has a treasury of the different styles different personalities have been portrayed.


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No Drama, Thought Bubbles

© Joselito Briones

Everybody's back from easter holiday today. Email inbox is pretty busy. One of the better news, of course, is that Ronnie's press conference turned out well. The event itself didn't occur, or it didn't have to, but the desired result was achieved nevertheless. His family is 100% in support of his forthcoming marriage to Jerome.

They've of course picked out a date for the wedding, although they've yet to announce the reception venue. Ronnie said they'll most likely go for a countyside venue.

The photo above was taken on the night that they announced their plan to us, on our most recent visit to their apartment in London. As you can see, Mati made a big faux pas (why do English-speaking people call it "faux pas" when it means "il ne faut pas"?) of putting his foot up on the very fabulous, precious, sofa, and Jerome is considering the different possibilities of punishing him.


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Anne

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Anne was all dolled up when she showed up at Wil's for our brunch, and Chinese new year dinner that night - special make-up, new 'do, the works - I just had to take pictures of her. Photo taken in February this year.


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Farewell Drink

© Joselito Briones

I'm going back to Erlangen tomorrow, so I thought I'll do a last night walk in the vicinity of Picadilly Circus. I also took some pictures around the area.


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After some time I met up with Wil, then Ronnie joined us, for dinner in Kulu Kulu Sushi, a Japanese restaurant in Brewer Street. It's one of those conveyor belt places where coded plates of sushi continuously go around in a conveyor belt and you just grab whichever pleases you. I wonder why they haven't done this with dim sum? Not being able to converse in Cantonese, I am always reduced to chasing after those dim-sum-trolley-pushing-women to see what sort of goodies they have to offer. Maybe a transparent steaming basket need to be invented, because they need to be kept in such baskets to keep them warm, while they also need to be seen so diners know what they're grabbing. Am sure eventually someone will actually do it.


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After dinner, we decided to go for a drink in Village Bar, in Old Compton Street in SOHO. It might as well have been anywhere though, as the place isn't even half as crowded as it usually is, and we were just talking so much, like old friends do, about just about anything.


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Footballers and their WAGs

© Joselito Briones

I woke up with so much pain on my left foot. At first I thought it was just because I walked too much yesterday. Then I started thinking. I had the same intense pain yesterday also, but not for long, when someone in Oxford street, always a crowded place, accidenttally walked onto the outer side of my left foot, exactly where it hurts now. I didn't think of it much yesterday as the pain went away after a few minutes, but today it hurts like hell. Lesson learned: in a city where most men's preoccupation is football and some of whose feet are trained to be strong enough as lethal weapon, DO NOT let anyone's foot anywhere near you.

Having said that, I'm on a holiday and I've got things to do, so walk I did. After several attempts, I found a way of limping that didn't cause too much pain, as long as I don't walk too long or too fast.

In the afternoon, as Wil suggested, I went to Carnaby street to see one of his favorite reality tv shows, "WAGs Boutique", being filmed. It's amazing how with one cameraman and an assistant, and plenty of people with enormous ego, a popular tv show can be made. They all looked like they're just playing a game. Maybe they are. That people are actually watching the show is an enormous credit to human fascination over celebrity, even non-celebrities trying to graduate to B-lister status, and their appendages, are actually watched. And no, I didn't know what a WAG was either, until today - Wives And Girlfriends of footies (football players).

Cassie Sumner, one of the wag contestants, is pictured above with what seems to be this week's task (selling something to drag queens?). It's debated whether or not she even belongs to the show, as Michael Essien of Chelsea, denies ever having her as his girlfriend.


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Pictured above is Michaela Henderson-Thynne, girlfriend of Stewart Downing of Middlesbrough F.C.. She's a law student, but Wil says she actually comes out as the ditziest among the wags.



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It's a good thing I didn't stay long watching, else I'd have missed the magical early evening light in the city, the deep blue of the sky washing over the white trimmings of brick facades, perfectly framing the golden glow of interior lamps. When it got completely dark I went back to National Portrait Gallery and studied portraits of celebrities of the real kind - from royalties to fashion icons - resting assured that no one here will kick my foot.


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Shopping, shopping, shopping

© Joselito Briones

After having breakfast and doing laundry in a nearby laundromat, Wil (pictured here showing off his really really nice Armani Jacket) and I spent the whole day shopping for kitchen and bathroom for his apartment. We walked south across Hyde Park towards South Kensington High Street. We checked out several shops, including Habitat and Laura Ashley, where we ended up picking out a wallpaper. At the end of the street, we made an appointment with "Magnet", a kitchen store, for Wednesday. I'll be going by myself though, as Wil would've already left for India by then. We then went to Earl's Court and had lunch there, in a Filipino restaurant. We had grilled stuffed fish and kare kare.

After lunch we went to Oxford Street, to the John Lewis department store to look at their kitchen showroom.

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While walking along Oxford Street, a fitted-out car passed by, blowing bubbles, driven by an old man singing to a microphone with a loudspeaker. He was all bubbly and happy. He sang a tune I didn't recognize... "Raining in My Heart". It was very effective in that just about everyone who saw it instantly flashed a big smile on their faces when they realized it was the old man driving and singing the silly song. After sometime he changed the tune to something more easily recognizable... "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles. He was promoting a company offfering handyman services.

We dropped by Selfridges first to look for some kitchen stufff, but we ended up spending most of our time there checking out the men's clothing section.


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I'm really sorry, but It just didn't take...

© Joselito Briones

I don't know, I kept an open mind, ignored the weather and all, even ignored the guerilla behavior of Oxford street pedestrians, but somehow this city just hasn't endeared itself to me as New York did, or San Francisco, or even Hong Kong.

Maybe it's just time. Maybe I just haven't spent enough time here. Maybe loving it is something that slowsly grows in someone. I didn't have enough time to find a favorite cafe to spend sometime in on a lazy afternoon, not enough time to be in familiar terms with the fishmonger I've been to a few times, not enough time to see if my dry cleaner is consistent with its service. I also didn't have time to find where the best buys are, save the Paul Smith discount shop off New Bond street where the suit, pictured left, was purchased (excuse the Stephan Schneider messenger bag, nice as it is, I haven't got myself a man-purse yet).

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Above is mostly the thought response to what Wil said to me about how he loves the city even tho it hasn't exactly been kind to the renovation of his apartment. I had lunch with him in a Chinese restaurant in Queensway after we met up with this apartment building's appointed structural surveyor for his recommendations. As there's been so much delay, he decided to move in temporarily while waiting for the start of the project so as not to waste money paying for temporary accomodation. He had his bed delivered from his storage space, and some boxes containing basic stuff. I brought him some kitchen items. Eating off paper plates with plastic cutleries and drinking off plastic cups is just so wrong. How anyone can enjoy wine with the taste of plastic is something I'll never understand. I brought his curtains back with me for washing, he hasn't got a washing machine yet.

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Chocolate with Wasabi, anyone?

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Not a very good combination. I tried this dessert at "Wagamama". The chocolate part of it was good and heavy, but the after-taste of wasabi in every bite was just too weird.


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I walked for hours yesterday.

© Joselito Briones

Neal Street to Shaftsbury Avenue, then High Holborn, Charing Cross Road, then to Oxford Street, by Citibank to inquire about transferring funds to my US account. Continued walking. Passed by Marble Arch, then Bayswater Road by Hyde park, then to Queensway to meet up with Wilbur's builder (dodgy), then coffee with both of them. Then to Wil's temporary accomodation in Notting Hill so he can check if the mortgage approval letter has arrived, then walked with him to Notting Hill Gate tube station... then walked all the way back to Soho, to Berwick street fish monger (turns out it's closed today) then to Chinatown, then to Tesco's in Bedford Street in Covent Garden to buy groceries, then to the flower market at Seven Dials, then back to Neal's street.

By the end of the walk, my black calfskin chisel-toe oxfords from Miu Miu, unused until yesterday morning, was completely broken in.


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The Case of the Vanishing Enema

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The line actually reads "The Real Barbary Enema", but when you're passing by and looking at the colors and objects, the words on the glass just disappear in the foreground. (See bottom photo, middle right area)


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The shop is in Monmouth street, not bad for celebrity sighting. One I ran into recently was Orlando Bloom.


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Woke up this morning to the best window view one could ever have...

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Shoe shops proclaiming "FINAL SALE" on their windows. Of course there's no point going to those stores again, as I've gone through them several times already, during "SALE", "FURTHER REDUCTION SALE", "UP TO 70% OFF SALE", and of course this week. Liquidation totale. I've gone through the sale bins each step of the price reduction. This is the best part of living right on Neal Street. I hope when we move to Nürnberg in two month's time that we can find an apartment in the shoeshop district of that city.


© Joselito Briones

Have you been to Union Square recently? I miss the times I spent there sitting along the long steps, looking up at that DSW store level where they sell men's shoes. If you sit right in the middle of the steps you can see the shelves that hold most of the Prada, Helmut Lang, and Miu Miu shoes, the goodies.


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I know, I'll be there next month, but I probably won't have time to go shopping. I'll be there on a very limited time, and I have plenty to do already. We'll see...


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