La Clique

I first heard of La Clique back in 2006 when the Famous Spiegeltent set up shop during late Spring. We tried to get tickets for the La Clique show but they were sold out way in advance. I didn't really have an idea of what the show was about, but I thought it was just burlesque dancing. Entertaining nonetheless and it would have added some variety to work/drinkies cycle I was going through.

So the opportunity arose to watch it at the Hippodrome at Leicester Square. All I needed to do was shell out £25 for the ticket and meal offer. London is quite good like that - no one ever pays full price for a theatre ticket!

Dinner was a quickie and then we scooted off to the Hippodrome which I've walked past many times but was unaware of it's existence. La Clique is more or less a feat/freak show and a circus tent-like structure was successfully recreated in the theatre.

Our tickets were free sitting/standing and thankfully we managed to scum a row of seats with a decent view. The show opened with a puppet which I can only described as 'a head with an afro on a slinky'. It was manipulated by two puppeteers to the song "If You Could Read My Mind". With all due respect to Gordon Lightfoot and his original version, there are times when I absolutely f*%king detest the Starz on 54 version. I'm not sure why that is.... hmmm. It's like it is capable of flicking on the hater switch in me.

Anyway, tonight was one of those times when I was hating the song. In my mind I begged that this didn't represent that types of act we were going to see. It's only now that I realise the puppeteers were quite talented however during the song, I couldn't see past all the hating and it felt like an eternity.

The follow up act certainly proved to be redeeming - The English Gents. Hmmm who are actually Australian. Two men balancing on each other in various positions. Sounds not so impressive but trust me they were. Those handstands/headstands/armstands require exceptional body strength. It also helped that these two boys had some seriously cut up bodies. Not in a horrible bodybuilder steroids way, but in an athletic way. Muscle percentage? Zero. Hehehe.

Our MC for the night was Mario. He was pretty good at juggling in time with Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust'. Captain Frodo was captivating but in a disgusting contortionist kind of way. Ursula Martinez - well you can see her act here. Be warned - it's NSFW!

Njla happily told us the secret to this trick - a thumb glove! She used to perform that trick herself when she was a wee lass. Maybe not the naked bit though.

The Skating Willers were another highlight but at first I thought 'Seriously?? Their whole act is rollerskating??' However it was on circular platform no more than 1.5 metres diameter. Also for part of their stunt, they were only connected by a neck collar - eek!

I've been told the performers vary night to night and but I'm glad to say that we did see the Bath Boy. Dressed in just a pair of jeans, he fluttered in and out of a bath tub using only his strength to hoist himself up and down some leather straps. Yeah, he was pretty freaking hot too. A trained gymnast, I'm glad he's putting his skills to good use for the ladies' viewing pleasure.

It's too good to be true - he's probably gay!

If you're not a fan of physical stunts, freak shows and living life in general, then please don't see La Clique. Otherwise, dole out the small amount of cash and have an easy night out while someone else does the tough work.

Flight of the Conchords

I'm a bit slow off the mark but late last year I came across an episode of Flight of the Conchords while on an international flight. Specifically it was New Fans and the lads sang Ladies of the World. It was the most funniest shit I've seen in a long long time. I had only vaguely heard of them before and couldn't believe that the episode I was watching was over a year old. Why hadn't I seen this before!?!

Anyway since then I'd watched the entire first series and am currently watching the second series. It was nearly two years inbetween each series. Let's not pressure the guys to make a third series because the last thing we want is for them to make something while uninspired. It won't be funny!

I was going to say that Dave (Arj Barker) was my favourite character but then I thought maybe it's Bret, or Jemaine or... blah! I love them all!

This would have be one of my favourite songs which Jemaine sings after seeing a beautiful girl at a party.

You're so beautiful .... like a ... tree or high class prostitute HAHAHAHA *wipes away tear of laughter*

The shrug - Completed!

Well, I've finally seamed up the shrug that has haunted me over the past two months. I actually finished it about two weeks ago but the baby set took up all my time that I hadn't bothered to blog about it.

I could tell from early on in this project that it wasn't going to turn out how I wanted. But I persevered just so I could see the completed garment and have some idea as to whether I could really construct a wearable piece of clothing.

Here's the shrug sewn up. Yep it's a circular shrug.

How it looks assembled. Looking ok there I guess.

This is how it sits on me with a brooch I bought from Primmy for £1. I bought it just for this purpose!

Anyway, I think the shrug is DISGUSTING. I didn't realise that the mock rib stitch would make the garment so dense. Coupled with the thickish yarn and large needles, the result was a shrug which was heavy and better resembled a blanket. It felt like a thick jacket but with no arms - a pointless piece of clothing and not what I wanted at all!

So.... what to do with a knitted garment you don't want? You frog it! And so I did.

Pulling it all apart and re-balling all my yarn.

All the yarn that once constituted my shrug.

Now that I've got all this yarn (It's quite pretty too - it's got sparkles!) I should decide how it should be reincarnated. I still want to make a shrug but I think this yarn might just look better as a lacy wrap or scarf and hat combo. I think I'll just ponder for a while until I find a pattern I like. Also, I bought this particular yarn for the bargain price of £2.50 a ball at I Knit because it's now discontinued. So I can't go around making stuff willy-nilly or else I might not be able to source this yarn if I need extra!

Knitted Baby Set

Knitting for me is quite a joy but it is a serious time killer. I'm not quite up to scratch to those who can knit without glancing at their needles and I'm fastidious about ensuring my stitches turn as as regular as possible. It all leads to a well-fitting garment!

The project I've just completed is a baby set for a newborn who will be my first cousin-once-removed. I had to wiki that. The knitting has taken a whole 2.5 weeks. That might sound like a short period but seriously, ALL my spare time was taken up. I even snuck in a few knitting sessions at work. It's the reason why this blog is not up to date and why the house is so dirty. Also, I killed myself pulling an all-nighter last night in order to complete this in time for the baby shower I'm attending.... today!

But *happy sigh* through my sleepy eyes, I am adoring the fruits of my labour. All the bits of the baby set have now been blocked and I have to say, they look pretty good - I don't want to give them away! However, that would be pointless as I am not with child (or puppy for that matter). I understand there's a kind of daggy stigma attached to hand-knitted goods. For that reason I'll won't be upset if the baby doesn't ever wear them ...... so long as my efforts are appreciated :D

Again all of these knitting patterns are free and easily found on Ravelry.

Baby booties! Pattern can be found here.

Baby mittens. No need to include thumbs - too fiddly!

A baby beanie. The pattern can be found only on Ravelry.

A baby jacket. It took about 7 of the 25 days but I really enjoyed making this. My first project which involved picking up stitches which was a bit of fun! Ok, I find weird things fun.

The baby set ready to be given away.

The yarn I used was Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK which resulted in (mind the gushing) lurrvely garments. Also, I've realised it really pays to use a decent yarn as it leads to a much nicer finish on your garment. Duh, obviously. I've done a few practice projects with acrylic and while it's functional, the finished garment just doesn't look as luxurious.

So now, I'm off the the baby shower! *clap clap*

Tayyabs

Tayyabs is a Pakistani-Punjabi restaurant which has received many accolades but until quite recently remained relatively unknown to wider circles. I'm not a huge fan of curries and the like. I mean I'll eat it if it's served to me, but I never crave it nor have any desire to learn how to cook it. Smee on the other hand loves curry in the same way a fat kid loves chocolate cake, so off we went to try this London establishment.

We arrived about 9pm hoping to avoid it's notoriously long queue. It was a good sign that there wasn't a queue out the door but little did we know that queuing begins indoors and it needs to get to about 20 metres long before it extends outdoors. So we did like the British do and took our place at the end of the queue. It took a good 30 minutes before we were seated. It helped we only needed a table for two as any parties larger than four can guarantee a longer wait.

We had a look at the menu and settled on the following:

Mixed grill of meats. Lamb chops, shish kebabs and chicken. Very, very fresh meats used here.

We also had the bhindi (okra) meat curry. Not too spicy, full of flavour. Me liked it!

No curry can be complete without some naan bread. In this case keema naan and garlic naan. The keema naan was like a lamb pizza! Yummy.

Smee enjoying the order.

We also ordered a jug of mango lassi. For a mere £4 it was hard offer to refuse. Yep, I walked away full and surprisingly really enjoyed the meal. I guess if the food is prepared well, I'll appreciate it! I'm short of being a curry convert, but I am definitely a Tayyabs supporter :D For anyone who doesn't really enjoy curry, you should give it a try.

Chip Competition

Whilst doing the grocery shopping Smee and I came across these chippies or *posh English accent* crisps as they're called here.

Yep that right. The flavour of these chippies are Builder's Breakfast i.e bacon, fried egg, baked beans, Onion Bhati, Cajun Squirrel (wtf), Fish and Chips, Crispy Duck & Hoi Sin and finally Chilli & Chocolate. Very Heston Bluementhal. Well he did have a hand in developing the flavours.

Walkers want to introduce a new flavour and these are the finalist which the public can vote for. So now that I've tasted all, these are my thoughts:

Builder's Breakfast. I'm an unashamed fan of bacon and eggs. It's just one of the best post-clubbing foods to eat and a great way to get your greasy fill. I was impressed at the initial bacon and ketchup flavours and then just totally surprised by how the chip finished off with a fried egg taste. It really tasted like a fried egg! My personal winning chippie.

Fish and Chips. I thought this one would be an easy one to concoct. I mean half of the flavour is already there! It did taste like battered fish though. It was nice but not a winner by any means.

Crispy Duck & Hoi Sin. Yep, they were trying to recreate the duck wrap. It did taste hoi sin-y but not quite duck-y as I'd like. Still, quite easy to snack on.

Onion Bhati. Tasted like smelly feet. Bleah.

Cajun Squirrel. This was weird. I couldn't really identify the Squirrel-y bit but there was something not quite right here.

Chilli and Chocolate. I like the combination of chilli and chocolate in hot chocolate, blocks of chocolate and chocolate biscuits. You could taste they the chilli-choc combination a bit, but the potato of the chippie just took over. It wasn't unpleasant, but it just wasn't quite right either.

Anyway, I hope the Builder's Breakfast wins! I submitted my vote already :D

Russell Peters

When news went around last year that Russell Peters would be in town, I was like 'Me! Me! I want tickets!' So yep, that's how me and Smee spent Valentine's Day (it's a rort of a day anyway). For anyone who hasn't heard of Russell Peters, just search for a few clips on youtube or go to his website. Just look at his face - it's laughable already!

We were in the heaven seats and it made Smee a little ill to look down. I guess it didn't make much of a difference given that all the funny stuff would be heard and hardly any of it was visual.

Our view of the stage.

The warm up act were two DJs (I can't recall both names but one was DJ Spinbad) were really good. Nothing beats a good DJ battle.

Our view of the stage with Russell on it.

I guess the main appeal of Russell Peters is that he just does racial jokes really well. His Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese accents are just spot on and hilarious! In a way, I enjoyed it more because I haven't watched any of his recent stuff so a lot of the jokes were new to me. Here's a bit of his stuff:

Go and see him if you can! Especially if you're a migrant :D

An Interesting Sign

Someone who lives or works in my neighbourhood has a sense of humour and a lot of time on their hands. They've been putting up funny signs here and there.

Here's one on a pillar in a courtyard.

On closer inspection, this is what it says:

Hehehehehe... cute.

Thriller Live: The Musical

Every year, the Society of London Theatre has a promotion offering cut-price theatre tickets for many of the West End shows. Me and about 8 others took this opportunity to see Thriller, the musical based on Michael Jackson and his songs. It's only just opened in London after having a successful run in Manchester and I mean, really, with Michael Jackson's songs, this was going to be some kind of good.

It was a bit difficult to find some background about the show e.g. storyline, detailed reviews etc. I concluded that the show would be a biographical re-enactment of MJ's life interspersed with songs. I was a bit wrong there.

There was no script, no conventional storyline, just people on stage singing MJ's songs wearing various outfits reflective of the era or music video. There was a voiceover narration which didn't narrate all that often and was only used to introduce significant parts of MJ's music career. That's not to say the 'musical' was bad but it more or less makes it an arena spectacular.......in a theatre. Once I realised that this was not going to be MJ's stage version of Tina Turner's 'What's Love to Do with It' (with MJ's Joe Jackson to Tina's Ike Turner), then I settled back in my seat. Not what I expected, but oh well, let's enjoy the show.

The child performing MJ's Jackson 5 songs was indeed very good who put most of the adult 'Michaels' to shame.

He misses one of the notes near the end (I think his first encounter with puberty has been immortalised on TV!) but it's a decent performance.

The role of adult Michael was not burdened on just one person; there were about four to five Michaels. Sometimes they sang solo, sometimes they performed together and other times there was a specific Michael who just danced. He was a professional impersonator and his Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal scenes were particularly noteworthy. Those epileptic-fit dance moves sure do look easy, but I appreciate they're not. Here's a bootleg clip.

They even built a contraption for the bit where they bend forward (fast forward to 4.56). Of course nothing.. NOTHING... can compare the Real Deal MJ in his heyday but you gotta give this guy kudos.

Now..... I'm gonna have a dig into some of the other Michaels. Every so often during the show Kahoons and I would shoot each other 'OMFG, he's so crap' looks. These songs are difficult to sing but you would think that the producers would at least do the song justice by casting better vocalists!

I assigned the Michaels nicknames to make them more easily identifiable. There was the Usher-lookalike who I thought was just the worst. He was having a really off-night.... either that or he was just simply bad. Not 'MJ Bad', just 'bad' bad. I'm no music student, but he missed soooo many crucial notes, or as Paula Abdul would put it - he was pitchy.

Then there was the Pudgy Brian McKnight. He was mediocre at most. He'd get applause for a good karaoke performance but it was not quite arena-worthy. Also, singing loud does not equate to singing well.

MJ-dance-impersonator - I don't think he sang. Or at least, I don't recall him singing.

Then there was the Token White Guy. I'd place him level with Pudgy Brian McKnight. His performance of 'Bad' made me cringe and he was trying a bit hard. Vocals were okay but wavered on so-so to not-so-good at times. I have a feeling he can do better judging by the other videos I've seen of him on youtube. His acoustic version of Bleeding Love is quite peaceful. Maybe he's just not suited to singing MJ songs.

The best Michael by a longshot was Female Michael. Yes a woman singing MJ's songs. Makes more sense than you think. From my dress circle seats, she also vaguely looked like Janet Jackson. She just put the other Michaels to shame. Her vocals were effortless - she had the MJ signature 'wooooh!' and vocal hiccups down pat. I particularly looked forward to her performances as she was the only adult MJ who would nail each song with flair. She looked like she was enjoying it too! *thumbs up* I am somewhat biased here, but I really enjoyed her delivery of 'The Way You Make Me Feel'. They had slowed the beginning of the song with an acapella section before pumping into version we all know and she was just so damn good. I couldn't find any bootleg recordings of her performances, but I found out her name is Denise Pearson and she was part of a band. That kinda explains it.

The sound is not so great on this video so her vocal qualities might not come through.

I couldn't find any recordings of Denise singing 'The Way You Make Me Feel' but I did find this video of Haley Evettes who I assume is her understudy. Maybe I have high standards but I just think this is just plain bad and somewhat representative of the general vocal quality of the show. Yes, that is why Mr. Wong and I often shuddered.

Uggggh!!! So painful!

Despite all my criticisms and the fact that it wasn't what I expected, I actually did enjoy the show and wouldn't mind watching it again! I think is partly due to the fact that MJ songs are so easily appreciated and you would have to severely butcher them to really ruin the show. Being a hardcore fan can have it's drawbacks. I think the show will split opinions and you'll either overlook it's flaws and enjoy it immensely or you'll think it's a travesty.

This was a preview performance and hopefully by the next time I watch it, the performances will be more polished. I just feel that the show has a lot of potential to be better than what it was. It should be on par with other jukebox musicals such as the super-slick Jersey Boys, though obviously there is much more choreography involved in Thriller. I do retract my comment of expecting a storyline. If there was a storyline, there would be no time for singing all the songs and musical would go for at least three hours!

My other highlights of the show was Billie Jean (cos it's an 80s club classic) and Thriller. Nothing beats zombie dancing!

Pink Knitted Hat

The thing about knitting is that there are TONNES of free patterns available online. I got the pattern for my knitted hat from here. I used the same wool as my waffle scarf, so I could have a matching set - yay!

This was my first project using circular knitting needles and a step up from the sewn up hat that I made last year. Man, circular knitting needles are easy to use! Also, you don't get that horrible seam on a sewn up hat! This knitted up fairly quickly as the yarn I used is kinda thick and the needle size was a 6.5mm. I modified the pattern slightly so it was more floppy like a beret rather than a beanie.

Look! I'm using the stitch counters from my knitting accessory kit! *clap clap* Prior to that I was using a mixture of rings and elastic hair bands.

The finished product after blocking (ooh knitting lingo) the hat:

One side... the other side!

Hippy doing a pretty good job at modelling the hat.

How it sits on moi.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with how the hat turned out. It's a pretty good project for first time circular knitting and gives you just a slight challenge with the button strap so it's not an overly repetitive knit. It's turned out fairly dense because of the thick wool but that pretty useful for the winter here. Otherwise, once I leave London, I might never wear it again!

Cool Knitting Stuff

Yes, I put the words 'cool' and 'knitting' together in the same sentence. It is cool! And fun! And somewhat satisfying too!

My birthday was hmmm a few months ago but my friends didn't forget. They were just hanging out for the perfect gift for me (one of which I specifically requested hehehe).

My current obsession for knitting needed to be fed and I was generously given a few pressies including a Clover knitting accessory kit - full of very useful items indeed. Also, I received a Cath Kidston knitting bag which is just uber, uber cool. I know there are people out there who aren't fans of the retro chic designs but I just ruv, ruv, RUV them! I want to buy the whole store!

Me filling up the bag so it looks good for it's first photo shoot. It's quite roomy too! I can fit several balls of yarn, plenty of knitting needles, my knitting help book, the accessory kit and have room to spare!

In addition, I also received the Porsche of interchangeable knitting needles, the Addi-Click Turbos :D I need never to buy another needle again! Ok, ok so maybe one or two pairs. Oh Addi, the product of German manufacturing, I do adore you.

The cords are made of gold. GOLD, I tells ya!!

Yep, I was pretty darn happy to get these.

The case is pretty darn sexy too. *purrr, purrrr*

Look at the kit *rawr* Like a sexy dissection kit. If this doesn't make knitting sexy, I don't know what does.

Also included was this pretty heart pin. The function of this pin is a bit mysterious. Might just be for pritti-prittiness only.

I can't wait to use my pressies! Thanks guys! *muah!*

Snow Day!

You may well have heard that London received a HUGE dumping of snow today. I sit here at home blogging about it after walking to work, arriving at a nearly empty building, being informed that public transport had been halted and about 90% of the working population remained at home. I felt like a downright moron. Hmmm that does explain the empty streets.... duh. I usually don't like it when it snows but hey I can get over my usual disdain if that means I get a day off. Now I just want it to snow all the time!

The snow began falling last night and Smee took a few pics. Here's one of the adjoining street.

Aaaah so fairytale-like.

Now, I'm just waiting for Smee to come home so we can go and make Snowmen!! By the time I come back to post this blog I'll have some more pics....hehehehe.....

A few hours later.....

Well here are the pics:

St Paul's Cathedral

The view from the Millenium Bridge.

The Millenium Bridge was where we began the Snowman Hunt after I spotted this little fellow on the railing:

Here are some more Snowmen found at various places.

I wanted to make an army of Snowmen, but little did I know, I'm not very good at compacting snow and constructing large snow balls. Impatience to command an army didn't help either. This was our first snowman:

A bit difficult to spot in the white, white snow.

He was a bit lonely, so we built him a friend:

They needed another friend, so we built him yellow-cap.

Not so much a Snowman Army than a bunch of Snowman Cuties. Hehehe..

We realised than an army was going to be a bit difficult so we decided to build a Snowman Family instead.

Happy to hold a big snowball.

Smee making Daddy Snowman.

Ta-dah!!! Snowman family complete with doggy. Yep, I brought accessories.

Here they proudly stand waiting for their house to be built.

Me giving Baby Snowman a cuddle.

Giving Doggy Snowman a pat.

Not before too long, there was an onslaught of admirers wanting to photograph our sweet little family.

Look! These girls even posed with them!

We did get one question from a passing admirer in regards to the Doggy Snowman. She asked "What's that?" like as though he didn't look like a puppy :S

It started getting dark and I have to admit, I was a little sad to say goodbye to my Snowman Family. *sniff* I wanted to take them home with me and keep them in the fridge to stop them from melting!