olympics: london 2012

opps, been awhile since i last updated (been super busy!).  basically, i was volunteering as a dancer for the paralympics opening ceremony, and rehearsals took up a lot of time.  however, the experience was absolutely incredible!  so if you're living in brazil in 2016, then definitely think about auditioning for the ceremonies: it will be the memory of a lifetime!

 

 

anyhow, during the olympics this past summer, london pretty much hummed on as usual; only the areas immediately near olympic park in east london were exceptionally crowded - the tube (london's metro) was disgustingly hot and packed with people, yuck.  but as long as you weren't commuting in that direction, life went on as normal.  except, of course, for the exciting festive atmosphere!  olympics, and then paralympics, decorations sprang up everywhere; statues of the mascots, wenlock and mandeville, popped up all over london in various guises.  at first, the mascots creeped me out, but after awhile, they grew on me and i started to think they were kinda cute. =P  i thought this video was particularly endearing.  haha
 

  

 

 

but my all-time favorite decoration was definitely the epic olympic rings at tower bridge (just stunning!):



the organizers also gave us paralympics volunteers free tickets to the olympics opening ceremony dress rehearsal, so we were able to see it in advance.  watching the industrial revolution scene in person was surprisingly moving, especially when the olympic rings rose up and forged together in the air.  there was a magnificent, awe-inspiring quality to it that i felt the television didn't quite capture.  there's just something about being there in person, seeing the huge scale of it, hearing the loud music, feeling the beat of the drums shaking the whole stadium, and feeding off the energy from a crowd of 80,000 - that you can't get from a living room tv.

 

 

not long after, they began drilling us with back-to-back rehearsals for the paralympics opening ceremony.  rehearsals were mostly nights and weekends, with a few all-day rehearsals leading up to the performance day.  a lot of the rehearsing lasted for hours on end, and were so tiring, especially when we moved to a large outdoor space in dagenham, where we repeated the dance moves for 5hrs in the blazing heat on scorching asphalt.  arrgghh...  made me miss the previous venue, 3 Mills Studio, a nice and cool indoor space.  finally, several days before showtime, we moved to rehearsing inside the olympic stadium itself, which was very exciting - never got tired of it. =)

 

 

all the hard work was worth it, 'cause performing on that day was just unforgettable!  although, very nerve-wracking; waiting backstage to go into that huge stadium filled with people felt uncannily like that scene in gladiator, where the guy pees himself before entering the arena. =P  but fortunately (and i can only speak for myself), once i got onto the stage, i thought it was very much like rehearsals.  i couldn't see the audience at all because of the lighting, and the many athletes seated in front of us also weren't that jarring, since the crew and staff usually sat in those seats during rehearsals.  so it all felt same ol' same ol' - except for the fact that the ground was absolutely soaking wet from the day's rain.  halfway through dancing, i noticed my dress was dripping wet at the hems, and it didn't help that we had to lie down at the very end of our routine, so after performing, my entire back was soaked through!

 

 

overall, however, it went very smoothly and was simply a phenomenal experience.  i know that it didn't air live in the states, so if you missed it, i'll leave you with a video of it - definitely worth a watch!  (i'm one of the many blue-dress floor dancers in the ocean/whale scene towards the end - probably impossible to spot =P).  and if you ever get the chance to attend or participate in an olympics or paralympics event, then DO IT!!  it will be the most incredible and inspiring experience.
 

 

 

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occupy london

i’m not too big on politics.   the odd news story might spark my interest, but in general, political campaigns and the such seem to play out more like a media circus than anything else.   but nevertheless, when i heard that the protestors outside of st. paul’s were going to be evicted soon, i thought it’d be interesting to walk down there and have a first-hand look at the scene before the protestors got kicked out.

like many other places around the world, london has been plagued with unrest over the past year.   a year ago, i inadvertantly let a whole bunch of student protestors into the university london campus.   they occupied the building for a week and proceeded to completely trash the place; posters were torn down, doors blocked and chained, bathrooms wrecked, garbage thrown around, etc.  so, the london campus was subsequently closed and classes cancelled.   how this was supposed to help decrease student fees is beyond me.  ultimately, police stormed the building, raiding from the roof like something out of a hollywood blockbuster, and the students were forced out.   personally, all this seems like a farce, especially since the increase in UK student fees to a maximum of £10,000 per year still looks like a bargain to me, a hapless american graduate currently paying off loans at about $10k per year, for the next - decade or so. *weep* converted into dollars, the new UK student fees is "only" $15k per year (for three years, since their degrees don't take as long), which is cheaper than some of the cheapest schools in the states.   so, needless to say, i had very little sympathy for the student protestors, especially when taking into consideration their haphazard and nonsensical approaches to protesting, which seem more like childish tantrums than anything reasonable and potentially effective.

i was also living in central london when the riots broke out last year.   however, as awful as it all was, i think the media somewhat blew it out of proportion - made it seem as though all of london was burning down.   i live in the waterloo area, so quite central, and aside from a few closed shops, i didn't see anything out of the ordinary - wouldn't even have noticed that riots were going on if it weren't for the news.

anyways, as for the st. paul's protestors, my feelings were pretty much the same as for the student protestors.   yes, they've camped out and turned the surrounding area into squalor, but what does that actually Do?   the economy is still struggling and people are still unemployed.   and can't protestors get their message across without littering and wrecking things?

at any rate, i wound up just walking around st. paul's and taking some photos of the protestors.   i might not really agree with them, but it was still nice to personally photographically document this little piece of history. =)

see my photos here.

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the london southbank

the london southbank is a great place to have a lazy stroll during the warm summer months.  this little strip of land gets its name from being on the southern bank of the river thames in central london.  along the southbank, you’ll find the shakespeare globe theatre, the royal festival hall, the national theatre, and the london eye.

london is definitely a great place to be if you’re a fan of theatre.  at the shakespeare globe theatre, you can see shakespeare’s plays in an authentic period setting.  the royal festival hall hosts concerts, while the national theatre is home to dramatic, artsy plays.  this past summer, i often went to the southbank, since i live within easy walking distance.  over the summer, the national theatre usually sets up giant green couches outside of its front doors.  these are fun to lounge around on and to take photos of. =)

 

i also had the pleasure of going to the royal festival hall’s weekend food festivals.  the cheese and wine festival, as well as the charcuterie festival, were particularly memorable for me – it’s great to just wander around in the early autumn weather and munch on some free samples. =)  the southbank centre also hosts weekend food markets, every week, behind the royal festival hall.

if you’re still hungry after the food markets, then walk down to the river towards the london eye.  along the way, you’ll pass beneath the hungerford bridge, which is flanked by the beautiful golden jubilee footbridges – the view from the footbridges is spectacular, and it’s a nice place to take photos of the thames and parliament.  but before you start crossing the bridge, why not grab an ice cream?  in the summer and early autumn, london is flooded with classic ice cream trucks; there are usually a couple of them parked along the southbank, between the hungerford bridge and the london eye.  i usually get my ice cream from an old-school cornish ice cream truck, which serves up rich, creamy ice cream made from cornwall’s famous clotted cream.  there are many street performers in this area, so get some ice cream and take some time to soak in the sights and sounds.

 

not far from the ice cream trucks is the london eye, an iconic landmark that offers great night views of parliament.  the best time to take a ride up the london eye is during sunset.  if you have a tripod, then definitely bring it with you, since you can get some magnificent night photos of parliament from atop the london eye. =)

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- golden jubilee footbridge, hungerford bridge:

welcome and introduction

welcome to my travel blog!



wow, where to start. well, to give you a little introduction, i was born in houston, texas, raised in upstate ny, and my family and i moved to california about 10yrs ago when i went to college there. now we're based in the 'burbs of los angeles. i recently finished studying at royal holloway, university of london, and am typing this on my laptop in central london, as we speak. i've been in england for about 5yrs already now. time has flown by!!



given my background, this blog'll be an american-eyed view of travel and living abroad. and of course, of travel on a budget - given my background. so if you're that lucky 1% of the population who can afford big luxury vacation deals, then this blog probably isn't for you. keep checking back, though - who knows, there's always the chance that i could publish a bestseller and start giving tips on luxury vacations. but until then, if you're a student, or just plain poor, then i can hopefully help you out. afterall, if i can afford it, then you probably can too!



happy travels!

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