Quick Update

Feeding the birds at the park.
Dunno why I'm hold my left arm awkwardly like that... maybe to shoo birds away from my face?

I've been pretty busy as of late but after I get back from Istanbul I'll try to get back in the habit of updating the blog 2-3 times per week. I'm leaving Thursday morning and will get back on Sunday night.

Quick recap of the last week:

Wednesday (22nd) - Stayed up very late reading A Man For All Seasons the night before so I was prepared for class on Wed. I met Rez before she had to go to work and we picked up some clothes for my internship. Two shirts and a pair of pants for £19 altogether.
Thursday - Internship in the morning and then class in the afternoon. I met with Rez after work and we came back to the flat. We spent most of the evening in the common room with Mutian.

Friday - A full day at my internship. I spent most of the day reading up on and setting up Solr and Tomcat. They had already been installed but were a complete mess and various folders with various things were scattered all over the hard drive. Ended up reinstalling both so I could do the setup myself for sanity's sake. Rez and I were supposed to go out on a date but it got pushed back until Saturday. 

Saturday - Slept in and caught up on some rest. Met Rez in the evening and we planned on dinner at 7 at Bella Italia but we were quite a bit late so we each had a pork bun to hold us over until after the mystery segment of the date that Rez had planned. We ended up going to see 'Going the Distance' which was something we decided that we should watch on principle since it was a romantic comedy about a long distance relationship. Afterwards we were too full from popcorn and candy so we decided we'd go to the restaurant some other time.

Sunday - Slept in on Sunday too. I was rather unproductive most of the day and just seemed to be killing time until the Vikings game which was really ugly but at least it was a win. The Vikings defense has really been shining this year, giving up only 31 points in 3 games.

Empty tube from the Japan Matsuri night. Pretty much the same going home on Monday though.

Monday - After classes I met up with Rez near her school. I had done some research online and found a nearby mini-golf course to surprise her with. It was cute how impatient and curious she was while we were on our way there. After mini-golf we went on a shopping errand for Rez's aunt and then to dinner at Bella Italia and out for a walk. It decided to rain and Rez wasn't feeling well (obviously sick but she wouldn't admit it) so we got on a bus and I took her all the way back to her aunts before heading home myself.

Tuesday - Full day at my internship again. I spent most of the day fixing various little problems with Panlogic's website or updating some content. I had to relearn some HTML and I spent forever formatting one page. When everything was right on one browser, things looked wacky with another. 

Playing with the birdies!
Good thing the army of swans stayed in the water, one feisty swan was enough!

Wednesday (29th) - Today I got up and went to class. Then I met up with Rez before she went to work. We walked to Kensington Gardens to the pond we went to before and I brought some old bread with. We fed some ducks, geese, swans, and pigeons. Mostly pigeons. When they started flying in our faces Rez got scared and fled from the bench leaving me to handle easily over 50 birds (luckily most of the fleet of swans were too lazy to get out of the water). It was really fun feeding them all and having up to 4 birds or so on my arm at once (as well as a few in my lap and on my shoulders). I'd like to go back and do it again sometime. It was starting to rain so we hopped on a bus and got some Thai food before Rez had to go to work. I unexpectedly came to pick her up after work and surprised her with flowers. We came back to the flat and had a chicken dinner and she helped me pack for Istanbul. 

Busy Week

Windsor Castle.

Friday night I made dinner with Rez and then we rushed off with Mutian to get to the theater. We were already late for the play by the time we got out of our tube station and we ran for close to 10 minutes in the general direction of the theater and found it. We got into the Globe maybe 5-10 minutes after the play started but since it was in the standing portion we didn't really bother anyone coming in. The play was a lot better live than reading it like we'd done for class.

Courtyard at Windsor.

Afterwards I took a train to Greenwich to meet Rez at bar/nightclub for her friend Siana's 19th birthday party. We sat around in a private room for a while then everyone went downstairs to the club section and danced to awful hip hop, rap, and a little bit of pop for a few hours. Rez and I got too hot and tired out quicker than some of the others so we went back to the room to cool down a few times and get some water (which was all we drank that night). At the end of the night I took a couple of buses home, since the tube stops running a bit after midnight, and caught a few hours sleep before waking up at 8am to go to Windsor.

St. George's Chapel.

Windsor Castle was much larger than Warwick Castle but also quite a bit less interesting save for St. George's Chapel which we were not allowed to take photos in. It was very beautiful inside the chapel and the craftsmanship of the marble tombs(?) was amazing. I didn't stay in Windsor for too long, Mutian and I caught a 12:30 train back to London so that we could attend a festival called Japan Matsuri. I was able to meet some of Rez's friends who went to Japan with her. Mutian spent a lot of money trying different foods there while I just got a bowl of udon noodles and later bought ice cream for Rez and myself. There were musical performances, art displays, martial arts demonstrations, and much more.

Rez in her kimono with Mutian.

Sunday I slept in and met Rez for her lunch break at work. After she got off work she came over and I let her relax while I cooked dinner for the two of us. We semi-watched the Vikings game which was quite a disappointment. Monday classes resumed and nothing really notable happened. I ended up procrastinating most of the day. Today I had my first day at my internship which went pretty well but the main IT guy who I'll be working most closely with was gone since his wife and daughter were sick. I spent the day reformatting old computers that were going to be donated. Then tonight Rez and I went grocery shopping so I should be pretty well set with food for a week or so.

Thorpe Park

Saw: The Ride.

On Tuesday Rez and I went to Thorpe Park which is an amusement park a little ways out of London. She was about 45 minutes late to our meeting place since she had forgotten the tickets and had to go back for them (She bought them really cheaply online). We went on just about all the main attractions that were open and never had to wait very long since it was the middle of a weekday. I'd had an upset stomach since after dinner on Monday night so after the spinning teacups and a ride called the Zodiac I felt quite nauseous and I laid down on a bench for a while to let my stomach settle. The most fun rides of the day were the fairly new Saw-themed ride, which has a 100° drop that  as you can see above, and the Stealth which was probably the shortest roller coaster I've ever been on, lasting only really 15 seconds or so.

The Stealth.

 Wednesday I had class then Rez came over for a little while before work. I went with her all the way to her work and afterwards I had planned on picking up a few more collared shirts for work (Primark has some for only £3) in a nearby area but I wasn't feeling too well so I just came back to the flat and took a 90 minute nap. After that I made dinner, did the readings for today's class and went to bed. Tomorrow we're going to the National Gallery and in the evening we're seeing the Merry Wives of Windsor at the Globe Theater. Then on Saturday we're actually going to Windsor.
(Also I didn't bring my camera to Thorpe Park so the pictures in this blog post were not taken by me. All the pictures in the other posts are by me.)

Weekend Adventures

Rosetta Stone at the British Museum.

Friday morning we made our way to the British Museum. We split apart into our own little groups and went off exploring the museum. Mutian and I covered the Egyptian area first then moved onto the section on Greece. He was in a hurry to get to the Asian section so we passed through the sections on North and South America rather quickly. We spent some time looking at things from the Enlightenment but cut that short for him to get to the Asian area before his camera's battery died.

Buddha statue.

We were both quite tired after the Asian rooms and decided to go home then. We'd spent roughly 3.5 hours in the museum. I would like to go back again before I leave to revisit and finish the Enlightenment rooms and explore some of the places we missed such as were the Egyptian mummies are kept and a few additional rooms dedicated to Rome/Greece.
On Saturday we met outside Manson Place at 8am and hopped on a bus to Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon. The bus ride was probably a bit over 2 hours and most people slept a good chunk of it since we're not used to being up that early here.

Warwick Castle. The large tower in front is Guy's Tower.

The castle was pretty fun. We split up into groups again and once inside the castle my group joined a tour that had just started. While the others were waiting for the Ghost Tour to start I went off on my own to do the tower walk. I then joined the Ghost Tour which wasn't terribly interesting except for the dungeon. Unfortunately I didn't have time to go see the trebuchet since after the Ghost Tour finished we had to leave for Stratford-upon-Avon.

Inside the castle.

We took an hour for lunch and met in front of Shakespeare's birthplace. The next building over had a walk-through tour where each room had a large video screen and told us about Shakespeare's life. After that tour finished you would enter Shakespeare's home from the side and tour the house itself. We then went to a museum next to New Place which is where he lived later on and eventually died at. Most people were worn out by now but we still went to one more museum, Hall's Croft, which was where one of Shakespeare's daughters and her husband lived.

Shakespeare's Birthplace.

We didn't make it back to London until after 8pm so the castle, Stratford, and the bus journey came out to over 12 hours. On Sunday I slept until about noon and went to Oxford Street with Mutian and Rachael. From there I went to pick up Rez from her work and we came back to my flat and cooked dinner together while streaming various NFL games. Today I had class and my internship interview which seemed to go pretty well. I'll be starting a week from tomorrow.

Night at the Theater

The theater is the building with the yellow lighting. (this picture is from a 360 of Piccadilly Circus last week)

Currently halftime during the Vikings/Saints game. I've got 2 streams going in case one goes down.
After class I took Mutian to Chinatown and we ended up having dinner. I tried some Dim Sum which is more or less a series of appetizers instead of a normal sized meal.
We finished dinner around 7:50 and had a 3-4 minute walk to the theater for the 8:00 showing. We saw The 39 Steps which was quite funny and I found it impressive how only 4 actors were able to play all the different characters in the play. After the play we just walked around central London and found a place for Mutian to have a cup of coffee then went back to Manson Place.
The second half has started, I hope the blocked extra point doesn't come back to haunt us.

Classes Begin

The Royal Albert Hall.

Classes started on Monday this week. The first class went pretty well, it was more or less getting to know the professor and going through the syllabus. Rez and I hunted down the best place to exchange the rest of my US cash Monday evening and wandered around forever looking for somewhere to eat. We finally went into a pizza place and split a large pepperoni. There was also a tube strike on Monday and Tuesday so travel became a bit tricky and slower.

Mutian arrived on Monday night and I met his mother who I believe is doing research at Cambridge. We didn't have class on Tuesday so Rez and I originally planned to re-walk the tour I took then go to museums but I ended up taking Mutian to the foundation house so he could get the quick version of orientation and pick up some essential items like his ID and oyster card. He came with Rez and me on the walking tour to the Royal Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. In the gardens we spent a long time by a pond taking pictures of swans and playing with pigeons.

The Albert Memorial.

After the we finished the walking tour bit Mutian said he wanted to do some shopping so we went to Oxford Street. I ended up getting a grey sweater (one that goes well over a collar shirt) for just £5. After that we went to Tesco since both Mutian and I needed groceries. I found quite a few good deals and have enough food to last quite a while. Rez found the best deal of the day, it was a 3kg (~6.6lbs) bag of fusilli pasta for just  £2. After getting back to the flat we were all starving and cooked dinner. Rez and I had some of the pasta with a sauce and chicken.

Today I had my ethics course in the morning and Rez came over with a yummy lunch that she cooked. There was a welcome reception at Imperial College in the evening. Not many CSBSJU students went so I ended up meeting a few students from other schools. 

Tomorrow I have my Islam and the West class and I'm going to see a play called "The 39 Steps" in the evening. Then I'll be streaming the Vikings game at night.

Rez, Mutian and a swan in Kensington Gardens.

Orientation & Oxford Street

Manson Place - My flat is in one of the buildings with the scaffolding out front.

Friday was fairly uneventful, just general orientation from 9:45am-1pm and internship orientation from 2:30pm-4pm. In the evening I took a trip to Leicester Square intending to walk to Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown but I went the wrong direction and ended up going as far as Goodge Street before turning back. I found my way to Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown. I got a crunchy bacon bun for 90p and took some pictures then made my way home. I did spend nearly a hour exploring the area around the Goodge Street Station and looking for somewhere to have dinner. The door to flat 17 is quite fickle and I wasn't able to undo the lock (some girls even got locked INSIDE the flat because the lock is so bad) so I just took a walk in the South Kensington area. I got into the flat later thanks to a resident life supervisor.

St. Paul's Cathedral

On Saturday we had a walking tour of the South Kensington area in the morning that lasted about 2.5 hours. It was really fun and the places we were shown were gorgeous. I really regret not bringing my camera. I'm planning on taking Rez on that route with my camera so I can take pictures of all the beautiful buildings and monuments. In the afternoon we had a bus tour of the city and saw most of the major historical and important buildings and other landmarks. But since we just saw them from the bus for a few moments I'm hoping Rez will want to show me all the places properly.

Rez insisted I take a picture of the Oxford Street sign.

After the tours finished I met with Rez to go to dinner and do some shopping. She took me to Oxford Street and I found a cheap belt (£2.50) that I was in sore need of, some flip flops for £1, and a second bath towel (£4) all at a store called Primark. I was surprised at how big all of the stores were when they looked so small from the street. Most had several different floors or were very deep or even went below street level. We went to all kinds of clothing stores looking for some shoes for Rez and finally found some at a sporting goods store. I had a good laugh when I found a Timberwolves jersey that read Garnett on the back. We also spent a good deal of time at an electronics (mostly CDs/DVDs/Video Games) store called HMV.

Rez under the Marble Arch.

Rez dragged me into a tea shop called Whittard of Chelsea because she said they always have samples. I've never liked any tea as far back as I remember but I found the sample of their 'Dreamtime' tea to be so good that I bought a can of it. Rez bought a can too and we took advantage of a 3 for 2 deal and bought some tea for my mom as well. We remembered seeing some giant mugs in the sporting goods store for only 69p so we had to go back and get them (The sporting goods store is underground so my phone lost reception and dropped the call, so in case you were wondering I didn't hang up on you mom). We didn't make it to Taro, the Japanese restaurant we had dinner at, until nearly 9pm. We both had the Chicken Curry Udon which was very delicious. After dinner I walked Rez to her bus stop and once she was on it I headed back to the tube station and came home.

Moving In

We moved into our flats today. Rez came to get me from Arami's house around 10am and stayed with me through most of the moving in and registration process. The picture above is the 4 person room I'm staying in with AJ, William, and Steven. Not too much to say about the room or moving in, it was a pretty smooth process. Though for the Istanbul trip that I'll be taking for my theology class I had to pay £480 so a huge chunk of my budget disappeared today. The debit came in handy for paying that since I didn't have that kind of cash on me and my credit card limit doesn't go that high.
After I was pretty well moved in, Rez and I went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. She had a buy one get one free ticket voucher so we saved £10.50. After the movie we went to China Town and got pork buns. She showed me a neat little bakery that is pretty inexpensive and has all kinds of yummy things. I want to go back there sometime soon for a baked roll/bun that has bacon inside.
We said our goodbyes around 7pm so she could go home and I could go to a meeting for all the CSBSJU students about the rules for the building. My roommates went out drinking after the meeting (they must find it exciting since they're all probably 19-20) and I stayed in the flat to finish unpacking, set up my internet and get started on this blog.