The Royal Wedding

Today was a special day - I was going to witness history in the making!!  It was Will and Kate's wedding day!  Wow, I couldn't believe that I was going to be in town for an event that was going to go on the same list as Henry VIII's several marriages, Queen Victoria's marriage to her first cousin Prince Albert (ew) and Charles and Diana's nuptials.

Like most people I had watched Prince William grow up through reading the usual women's trash mags.  We are similar in age, so it was like we grew up together!  Except he was in pictorials and I errrr wasn't.  His wedding day?  I'm gatecrashing.

Seeing all the bunting out on the street, department store displays and decorated public transport, it was hard not to feel proud of being British... or in my case feeling proud of being pseudo-British.  Also, the cheese hoarder in me was being roused out of hibernation by the displays of crass, kitschy souvenirs - I wanted them all!

Eww, my wrinkly, old woman hand.  A £2 imitation Royal Engagement ring from the ever faithful Primmy.  So many imitations for varying prices, this was the best bargain by far.  How could I say no to this bit of fun?  Well I didn't say no and I ended up buying five of them.  Gifts, of course.  I originally bought one from M&S for £18!!  It was a better finished replica than the £2 Primmy one but it didn't sit on my finger well.  

Ok so on to the actual day.  I originally had been quite prepared to head in early morning and set up a roadside camp.  However, the idea of only having a portaloo for 6 -8 hours (or no nearby loos!) was not very appealing.  Leesh had looked into several of the luncheon options offered by the opportunistic businesses around town and we settled on Altitude 360 and their Wedding Breakfast.  We were confused as to why they referred to it as a 'breakfast' when it was going to be served at lunch but this wiki entry explains the history.

Altitude was located at the top of the Millbank Tower and in the back of my head, I always thought, "Hmm that's kinda far from the action."  But with their description of being 'steps away from Westminster Abbey', I thought, "Yay!" despite knowing that 1 kilometre is hardly considered being 'steps away'.

'Breakfast' wasn't going to be served until 1pm but doors were open from 10am for the live broadcast.  My day began with a walk down the Thames. 

This giant seagull wasn't going to joining in on the celebrations. 

Not sure where this guy was going with his painting of the couple. 

Walking over Westminster Bridge and observing the slow march of people heading towards the abbey. 

Oh dammit, here I am walking away from the action! 

Our view of the abbey.  Well I guess they didn't lie.  It was a view of the abbey but just not a very useful view.  

There was an excited gasp as Kate left her hotel and we got a glimpse of the dress designed by Sarah Burton of the Alexander McQueen fashion house.  Very Grace Kelly and royalty-cover-your-arms appropriate.

Will and Kate exchanging vows.  The balcony kiss.  It did feel a bit silly to photograph a TV.  

Now on to the breakfast which was based on food served at Diana and Charles' wedding.

(L-R) Home cured Scottish salmon with fennel Carpaccio.  Supreme de Voilaille Princess de Galles chicken breast stuffed with a fine lamb mousse served with spring vegetables and new potatoes.  British rhubarb trio – rhubarb crumble, rhubarb braised with orange and rhubarb with ginger ice cream.  Hedgehog slice I think. 

To be honest, the food was pretty average and not worth the price tag.  But that's what happens at events like these and I had been mentally prepared to be ripped off.  I couldn't help but think 'Is this really what they served at D&C's wedding?'  It was rather... plain!  (Arguably, that makes it British too.) 

Afterwards, we went out for a walk to Westminster and Buckingham Palace.  The crowds were still out and about and from what Smee reported, a lot of people had actually been denied access to the Royal Wedding Procession route.  Despite it looking crowded on TV, a much larger number of people had converged at Trafalgar Square (and other access points) but were not allowed entry.  Smee reported fights breaking out between frustrated members of the public trying to get in hahaha.  

Bobbies on a break from crowd control. 

Bobbies on The Mall.

Horsies on The Mall.  

Someone had to say it.  Why not put it on a poster? 

The kissing balcony.  They shortly began dismantling the decorations while we were there.  

But not before I got my pic of me displaying my ring outside Buckingham Palace!

We spotted Jane Seymour interviwing... someone.  She's looking mighty fine for a 60 year old.  

The aftermath from days of crowd camping.  

This is very considerate.  These campers left their rubbish in a nice, neat pile.  

With the party drawing to a close, I headed off home with a few extra mementos (Royal Wedding Official Program, Will & Kate flag, crown headband) and added them to my growing collection.  

Grace Kelly - Style Icon Exhibit

There are some people in the world who I find just so beautiful that I just can't help but stare (it's so rude and Asian!), amazed by their luck in the gene pool.  That is how I feel when I look at photos of a young Grace Kelly.  I just think she is simply stunning, stunning, stunning.  Some say she looks icy cool but I think she epitomises classical beauty.

I first saw pictures of Grace Kelly when I was aged 7.  Having exhausted my kiddie reading options, I started scouring Ma's Women's Weekly magazine.  (You see, my parents didn't really supervise my reading habits).  I had no idea who she was and to my 7 year old eyes, Grace was just a middle-aged lady with upswept hair standing in a royal palace somewhere in Europe.  However, she sure had presence in those photos and her image stuck in my head.  It was a few years later after watching a documentary about her death that I realised Princess Grace and Grace Kelly were one and the same.  (You see, my parents didn't really supervise my TV watching either).

When I saw posters on tube advertising the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibit at the V&A, I thought 'Yay! Pretty dresses!  I'm going to see that!'.  Admittedly, I've never seen any of her films but that shouldn't keep me apart from seeing pretty dresses.  After sleeping in to noon for the past few days, I managed to haul myself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 9am and arrive at the V&A at 10.30am.  I didn't bother pre-booking my ticket - I was just gonna fight the queue.  I figured I would need to get there early enough to avoid the flock of Ladies Who Lunch who like myself (for now), had the day to do whatever takes their fancy.  Being a Lady of Leisure in London sure is a tough life.

Seeing an exhibit alone has it perks.  The three ladies in front of me weren't allowed to enter for another hour due to crowd control, but me, all lonesome me was allowed in immediately because I would obviously take up less space.  Hehehehe..

Unfortunately, only one particular dress located at the entrance of exhibit was allowed to be photographed.  But even if I could take photos, they would probably turn out crap anyway.

The pink lace and silk taffeta dress which Grace Kelly wore a few times.  You can see her wearing it here.  It looks like a Prom Queen disaster but Grace manages to pull it off. 

The exhibit displays her dresses chronologically and the first thing I noticed is she had the TINIEST waist and was surprisingly a bit flat chested.  Not a criticism by any means, but in combination with her statuesque height, I guess clothes would look understated and elegant rather than flauntingly sexy.

Also for someone who could have bought an outfit for every occasion, she was known for wearing her favourite outfits repeatedly.  Well we could all relate to that, can't we?  Included in the display is also the famous Hermes Kelly bag.  It was a little worn as you'd expect and not very big but wow, I was looking at THE Kelly Bag!

As she got older, her minimalist style did not waver and while may not have been the trendsetter (avoiding the miniskirt rage), she kept to what worked for her and what she was comfortable.  The tell-tale signs of ageing were apparent in her facial features but it was all just 'graceful' ageing.  This is how all women should age and not down the plastic fantastic route.

For anyone interested in the Grace Kelly exhibit, tickets are £6 a pop and it runs until September.  For the accompanying book you can either buy it at the V&A or you be the thrift like Grace and get it cheaper on Amazon.  I might just get myself one.

As a side note, I wandered around other parts of the V&A and spotted the following:

A Juicy Couture velour tracksuit (wtf) and Princess Diana's Elvis dress.  Totally unexpected.  

This Is It - Michael Jackson

Well I'm now on the other side of the planet having volunteered to not shower for 24 hours.

I finally got my first ride on the A380 which in cattle class didn't really feel that much bigger but I struck the lucky pot and was assigned a seat which was part of a row of four, however the row in front of us only had three seats.  In other words, I had no seat in front of me!  Yay to extra leg room!  I did cop the envious stares from the 1.80cm men surrounding me and admittedly, I don't need the extra space as much as other but hey, too bad!  Otherwise, it is a spiffy little plane and yes, it is much quieter than the 747s. 

Another perk of the Airbus is that onboard entertainment is waaaaay better with a larger range of movies and it also has touch screen control.  So much easier to pause a film!

Anyway, one of the movies I watched on board was Michael Jackson's This Is It.  I wasn't that diehard a fan to watch it in the cinema and was happy to wait for the general DVD release.  The 'movie' is essentially composed of back to back behind the scenes segments of the rehearsals for MJ's fated London concerts.  If the content revolved around anyone but Michael Jackson, it probably wouldn't be all that interesting.  But........ this is MJ and his music and the documentary had me glued to the screen, bopping along in my airplane seat. 

My first thought when seeing Michael rehearse was "He's so freaking skinny!  He so freaking frail!"  However, in spite of the osteoporotic limbs, I was so surprised to see that those bones could sure move!

Once Michael got into the dancing, he just seemed so much more healthier than what the media purported, though I don't doubt his dependence on certain drugs nor that his health wasn't 100%.  It was hard to believe this was Michael Jackson at 50 years old - it looked just like his heyday, flawlessly executing his signature moves.  He seemed to be on the ball mentally and his perfectionist tendencies and critiquing of minute details were caught on camera.  He really did have a vision as to how the concert should be performed. 

When the concerts were initially announced, I had my doubts that they would go ahead.  Not because he would DIE but rather he was well past his prime and that he would falter in the spiralling style of Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse.  But this footage really kicks that thought out the window.  The back up dancers were hailed from all parts of the world and were cream of the crop.  His hand-picked lead guitarist, Orianthi (all 25 years of her) was ridiculously talented.

Sure, there was a likelihood that some of the concerts may have been canceled anyway but if they ever did go ahead, I get the impression that it would have been awesome!  It's a true shame they never made it to stage.

For even the not-so-big fans of MJ, it is worth chucking this movie in the DVD player and letting it play in the background.  Despite all his health scares and questionable state of mind, when it comes to the crunch, this footage reaffirms that Michael Jackson was indeed the King of Pop.

RIP Michael Jackson

I suppose I should put my two cents in along with the rest of the world.  It was about 11.30pm in London last night when I was reading a news website and saw that Michael Jackson had been rushed to hospital.  Then of course I tried to google for more articles and found stuff saying he was dead!  What... the....

Being in London, I had followed the hype over his upcoming concerts.  I had wanted to attend but knowing the demand (and the fact I was broke) I decided to not try so hard to buy tickets.  I wasn't surprised when they pushed back the date of the opening concert and I always had a feeling that these concerts would be jeopardised somehow........ but not because he would DIE!!!!!!!!

It's a bit hard to believe but at the same time his life was a bit.... all over the place.  Now I feel like I should go back and watch Thriller Live again because that's as close as I'll ever get to seeing MJ in concert. 

Despite all the weird going-ons with MJ, let's just celebrate the good stuff - his music.  I am proud to say I am the owner of his Off the Wall album.  I recall scouring various music stores in my early 20s (before the Ipod age) trying to find that particular CD.  Why did I want it so badly?  Because of this freaking awesome song!  (Sorry, I'm not allowed to embed the actual music video)

RIP Michael Jackson!  Your music legacy will live on!

Queens Club

In the lead up to Wimbledon, a mens only tournament is held every year at the Queens Club.  Having boss who loves his tennis (and gave me my Wimbledon tickets last year hehehe) meant that our office got a half day off work for 'training' at the Queens Club.  Tee hee!

It's kinda weird that play starts after lunch.  I'm used to tournaments starting at 11 or so.  After a few drinks at the pub (no I don't drink beer), we arrived at the ground at 2pm.  We had left our ticket booking a bit late and were only able to reserve ground passes.  Upon reaching the entrance booths we were told that no more games were being played on the outside courts due to injury and other games finishing early.  Wtf..... !!  It was looking like it we might just have to return to the pub.

We remained standing at the front of the queue for about 15 mins whilst the ticket booth people decided what to do with us and the queue of people growing behind.  I'm happy to say that they reissued us new tickets - on centre court! YAY!!!!!!

My view of the court (right).  For such a well established tournament they've really not put much thought into the seating arrangement.  Obviously my seat was located in one of the corners (not a bad view) but I was conscious of my neck being constantly turned to the left which was not terribly comfortable after a prolonged period.  I tried sitting with my neck not turned and adjusted my eyes to a left gaze but that wasn't comfortable after awhile either.  Why isn't the seating curved at the corners like other tennis show courts?  Crappy seating arrangements are expected on crappy courts but this is Centre Court at Queeeeeeens. Not impressed. 

We made it to our seats just in time to see the remainder of the Andy Murray match.  The Brits go mad for him here; their one and only tennis hope in a long, long time.  He won his match.

I was aware that the ground pass tickets we had were for pretty shit matches so to have Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt rock on, I was pretty pleased that we were gonna get some good play on the court. 

Roddick and Hewitt in for the coin toss. 

Hewitt doing something..... Roddick going in for the shot.

I was egging on Roddick, he seems a cool guy despite marrying a swimsuit model whom he met only after seeing her photo.  Hewitt has always slightly irritated me (C'MON!!) and most often I will side with his opponent anyway.  I walked past his wife, Bec in the grounds.  She looks like she does on TV (that's a compliment). 

Cheesy tourist shot!

I had expected Hewitt to be thrashed but he stuck it out and was in pretty fine form.  Roddick's serve was fairly dominating and he would win points quite easily whereas Hewitt had to fight for a lot of his points.  I was hoping for a third and deciding set but it was over in two.

The scoreboard 7-6, 7-6 Roddick wins!

We finished off the day with a Pimms :D  I didn't care too much for the following match (I don't even know who played but I think it was doubles) so off to the tube I went!

Mick Jagger

London has been... well London-ish since I've been back. Grey, rainy, cold.... the typical winter. Today was a little exciting because of our work's Christmas lunch at Theo Randall. Having not eaten breakfast, it wasn't a good idea to drink two champagnes and a mixed spirit before sitting down. I was already dizzy, slurring my speech and had to concentrate really hard to read the menu.

But before settling at our table, we stood near the private dining room which was slowly filling up with guests. My judgment was quite cloudy and evidenced by my loud observation and pointing, "Hey, that guy looks a lot like Mick Jagger".

Well duh... cos it was Mick Jagger.

At the conclusion of our lunch while we were waiting for our jackets, he brushed past all of us. Of course, we were all too-cool -for-school and we were all nonchalant.

He's a very small man. Not much taller than me. He looks like his photos, saggy skin and all.

His daughters were supposedly there. Me......too drunk to notice.

Gordon Ramsay Cookalong

I managed to score some free tickets to a taping of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's Cookalong Live *excited face*. For those who are unfamilar with the concept, the ingredients used on the night are posted on the internet a week prior to taping and the show is broadcast live. You literally 'cook along' with Gordon at home. I had four tickets in total, so Smee, Lil Miss J and J joined us. We arrived an hour early for the taping yet a queue had already formed.... grrrrrrr....

Wrist passes were handed to us when we reached the end of the queue - yay! Guaranteed entry!

Once in we were ushered to a cloak room where we had to dump our belongings whether we wanted to or not.

The filming studio unlike the taping of 'The Fashion Show' was in a warehouse which was open to all the elements. Not great for those standing near the door on a November night. Brrrr... Again, we were taught how to clap and more importantly because this would be airing live... when to clap. Oooh, technical.

Our view of the stage. Great view but it meant our chance to be on TV was very slim!

The guest chef cooking with Gordon tonight was Britain's Got Talent judge, Amanda Holden. She was a little annoying. David Coulthard was one of the guests who would be served food. Wow, his jaw is bizarrely square.

The funniest part of the night was when a Ramsay lookalike appeared with Gordon's wife. Some lookalikes are really bad, but this guy... he was uncanny. Here he is in action.

Blink and you'll miss us! A friend who watched the live show from home reported seeing us on TV. Yay! They must have been searching for us pretty hard because the screenshots I've found ... well you have to squint a fair bit and use your imagination.

The four of us indicated by the yellow arrows.

Me and Smee under the yellow arrows!

Maybe if we managed to get high definition recording of the show, the above screenshots might have been clearer.

The night didn't end too late but we were all pretty starving and unfortunately the food that was cooked was not served to us!

One last photo in the kitchen.

Top Gear MPH Show

Smee and I were looking forward to this. The annual Top Gear MPH show is the easiest way to see the boys from Top Gear live if you don't wany to try your luck on the two year waiting list for the TV show. Smee and I had a late one last night (happy birthday Smee!) and needless to say, it was a drunken escapade which involved me guiding a very drunk Smee home..... walking in my heels. From Tottenham Court Road... to St. Pauls. Mmmm yes.

Lucky for us, we had booked an afternoon show. We got to Earls Court, had lunch and then made our way to the exhibition centre. It was then we realised that the show began at 2pm and not 2.30pm as we originally had thought. :-S We ran into the centre and made our way to our seats much to the annoyance of others. We'd missed the first 20 minutes! :( Upsetting.

Anyway, the rest of the show was enjoyable. The played car soccer again, had a whole bunch of stunts, did the whole boy banter thing. It is definitely worth going if you like the show. If you have no interest in cars and can't stand the hosts......then..... don't go.

The boys waving us goodbye.

Afterwards we had a look at the cars on show and Smee found his (current) dream car, the Evo X.

Miley Cyrus

I saw Miley Cyrus in Oxford St Topshop today. I heard the grating type of American accent and didn't give it another thought. I turned around and realised it was Miley, or if you wish, Hannah Montana.

I don't think that it's anything I should be bragging about. Given that I'm not a mother of tweens, I am somewhat embarrassed that I even know who she is! Hahahaha

There were some serious signs of over-styling. Her hair looked like it had the same texture as straw. Bleah.

Hens Partay

Lil Miss J is getting married ever so soon and so a little Hens partay was planned.

Yes, yes, it all began very classy with a picnic at Green Park. We were very lucky with the weather especially for this time of year. Sunny all around!

Mmm yummy Hummingbird Bakery cupcakes.

A bit of wining and dining to start us off and then the hen had to don the obligatory embarrassing accessories. Learner-plate pink headband, a sash, garter and a phallic necklace were the accessories of choice for dear Lil Miss J.

She was a very good sport. Here she goes obtaining phone numbers.

The whole gang in the park.

Next on the agenda was burlesque dancing. You know, something useful for the wedding night. We all donned ourselves in hold-up fishnets and gloves. Yah-huh... mmm.. mmm... mmmmmmm.. sexy!

Here I go sauntering across in my big ol feathers.

Lil Miss J then was subject to the ultimate embarrassment of performing in front of the rest of us. This involved sliding up and down a mirror, crawling on all fours and slowly removing all her accessories. I'm getting hot under the collar thinking about it. Hehehe

We separated to prettify ourselves for dinner and then gathered at a hotel where we were greeted by the surprise of the night Michael, our Butler in the Buff.

He was a lovely butler and very accommodating with our drinks and snacks. No, it wasn't his career, but it's just a bit on the side as he puts himself through his studies. I think it was drama school. Michael had to bid adieu much to our disappointment, but we had a dinner reservation at Asia De Cuba to attend.

Holding up well after several rounds of watermelon martinis.

The food as the name suggests is a fusion of Cuban and Asian. Very zesty flavours and we were all very satisfied at the end of it. Celeb spotting for the night - two of our ladies bumped into Jay-Z while leaving the female toilets!