Friday Afternoon in Islington

I stumble on the patchwork pavements as I scan the window of Canal women's clothing chop on Cross Street for that startlingly red dress of the softest and most diaphanous of cottons. It's no longer there and in it's place are the tweedy fabrics of fall. A breeze enviously grabs at my shopping bag filled with a loaf of fresh bakery bread and a couple bars of luxury imported chocolate. Shop windows in this eighborhood are filled with tempting items on offer; designer goods, kitch at designer prices and lots of cafes, restaurants and bars with names like 'Kinky Mambo'. Today is a good day in London. On worse days, I notice instead how horrid it is to be poor in London. In North America, the poorer parts of big cities seem dirty and gritty... in London, they are moldy! And by 'mold' I don't just mean that greenish fungus-y stuff growing in damp corners.

Dalai Lama - Proud to be Canadian?

Seems the first center to bear the Dalai Lama's name will be founded in Vancouver (the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education)... and the Dalai Lama will be the third person (after Nelson Mandela and Raoul Wallenburg) to gain honorary citizenship! Needless to say, China is not happy...

Milestones

Just in case you are confused by the title of this entry, it is not about the restaurant at English Bay, Vancouver (although the goat cheese, strawberry, slivered onion and spicy pecan salad is special). Milestone in this entry refers to turning points. While working on my dissertation, I read some books on how to analyze interview data. The sample interviews in the book had elderly respondants trying to identify turning points or milestones in their lives. It got me to thinking about mine... what have mine been... or am I too young to have REAL onese yet? I was thinking that our lives really are just stories that we are writing and milestones are the the signposts that indicate the different sections of the story. I thought I might note some of mine to return to later to see if I still agree that these really were significant points in my life. When I finally turn my hand to fiction, I guess the milestones in the protagonist's life will be more astonishing and interesting than these. And anyway, I am not really sure what the difference between MILESTONES, TURNING POINTS and EPIPHANIES are.

1. finding out that boys cry too... 3rd year of university.
2. finding my voice.... 5th year of university
3. discovering that ethics and morals are not the same thing, are not universally shared, and are possible to renegotiate (standing at a Jizoo shrine devoted to aborted babies somewhere near Yokohama, Japan)
4. experiencing financial freedom (1996 after working in Japan 3 years to pay off debts)
5. discovering a little inner power/beauty (upon achieving all the goals I set for myself for 30th birthday)
6. experiencing my first real loss (my brother - summer 2004) and learning empathy

Don't know what the next one will be...

Genie in a Teapot

Taken Thursday on the Southbank at impromptu farewell to A. before he heads off to the West Bank!

Note plastic giraffe at A's right hand is blue, too.

Aya Arrives

Yukari & Aya at the Northgate! A welcome toast to London!

Prince Charles Cinema

There'll be an Almodovar double-bill at the Prince Charles Cinema on Thursday this week: Bad Education followed by Live Flesh... But I have sort of had to face the fact that I can't afford to spend my valuable evening (the time when I do my best studying/writing) watching movies. So sad that I am so behind on my dissertation. This Almodovar marathon is timed with the opening of Volver (which I'd also like to watch, but at Screen on the Green, but it's more likely that I will have to wait till post-dissertation and try to improve my Spanish by watching the unsubtitled version I downloaded via Limewire).

But I did decide to enjoy a little alone time this morning before getting to work today. I made coffee and had a late breakfast before heading to Prince Charles for a matinee. It was so cool! Only £4 (it's not £1 Friday) and I practically had the theater to myself. I should go to movies on my own more often.

physicality spirituality

About to die, I learn to breathe again.
My heart finds a rythm,
a rhythm that works in time with the bass reverberations,
the snap snap of straps that fasten foot to pedal,
the hum of 12 flywheels spinning in unison; metalic becoming organic...
vibration like a room of people chanting a post-savasana 'om'
individual and united...
The movement of my limbs, lungs, blood coursing; sychronized
automatic now
my heart is free, my mind still

Here piggy piggy

These days, I am working from Mildmay Library. Doggy chases Piggy is on a wall beside the library.

Hip Hop Happy

Went to the gym again after a long absense. Feeling bad as I am at my least fit ever, but it all started well... went to the gym floor to warm up before class and found out that there was one of those 15 minute ab sessions being led by Delmar (OK, I cheated and looked at his name tag.. even so, I can't be sure I am remembering correctly). He always says the most ludicrous things... like that I am looking fit and must have been working out lately (Could it be veiled sarcasm?). I was too late for his first 15 minute abs program and the second was cancelled, so I got a private one while we talked about flaky things, like that he is a Gemini and that he fell off a treadmill and hurt his arm and that his dissertation was only 10,000 words (whereas mine will likely be 15,000). Then he invited himself along to Hummingbird next time I go... wonder if he will be taking his gf along... I have seen her at the gym before.

Then I went to my first class ever with Winston... Billed as an aerobics class, but it wasn't really... It was hip hop! Reminded me of when I was in Taiwan and took a salsa class at a studio right after a group of 'youngsters' finished their 'popping' class. It was pretty fun and I am thinking next place I will go, I will buy some outrageous '80s dance gear and join a bunch of baggy trouser, airmax nike-wearing teens and learn popping and other hip hop kind of stuff... It is pretty fun and also takes coordination and talent. Eventually, I will be able to quit all this ELT nonsense and do something important, like teach dance-inspired aerobics or pseudo-yoga at a gym somewhere. (This may sound slightly sarcastic, but it is partly serious).