brighton #2

brighton (31 nov 2012): 

woke up when i wanted to 

took a bus to baker street for famous fish & chips in brighton 

had the cod & chips and it was crispy on the outside 

hot and tender on the inside 

and the chips were soggy just the way british fish & chips are meant to be 

the restaurant had simple tiled floors 

simple plastic furniture 

simple glass doors 

unsophisticated and unpretentious 

in the background the waitress told a couple a story about how her teenage son disobeyed her 

everybody was laughing 

after that i took a slow walk down to north laine 

the shops were interesting 

bought two second hand h&m tops for 1.50 pounds at a charity shop 

tried hats on in a shop called 'the mad hatter' 

flicked through vinyls at a shop called 'the wax factor' 

bought an old watch for 7 pounds from a shop (i forgot the name) 

checked out every used bookshop i could
some were very specialised and carried only, for example, books on art design and coffee table books
others, like the one in the picture, was exploding with all kinds of books, called 'rainbow books'
i was taken aback when i walked in. you have to tread with caution because
the books litter every possible pathway, strewn open, spines yawning
almost impossible to browse yet it is such a haven
two extra side rooms downstairs, equally disastrous
it was chaotic but it was inviting, you couldn't help but squat down and start sifting
the shop owner was a lovely old man who knew where things were in spite of the mess
he helped me locate some books i might be interested in
gave me recommendations of his favourite books which include one that i eventually bought
and am reading now, titled 'the end of the world news: an entertainment' by anthony burgess
author of 'a clockwork orange'
it's a very good read so far, i'm going back to it once done with my french homework

i told him one day i would like to set up something like his shop
'don't expect to get rich' he said
'ok' i said. 'i don't need that anyway'
he said, 'but it pays the bills'
'and you get so much time to read' i said
'a lot' he said

i told gus, i'll collect the books and you handle the business things
gus thinks it's a risky, almost futile business venture in singapore, a used bookshop
no market
i believe him but
that would be a good life i think, reading all the time
however, if i think about the good food i'd be sacrificing if i didn't have extra good food money
it makes me kinda sad
in recent years i have realized just how much i love food
especially asian food

at night i went to the 'theatre royal brighton'
it sounds french, putting of the adjective behind the noun
feel like it should be called 'royal theatre brighton' instead
at 6.45pm i bought reduced price tickets for a play called 'the sacred flame'
it was about a crippled man whose devoted nurse loves him
but he loves his wife
and one day he dies and the nurse suspects murder
it was a story about the line between love and pity
the duty of a profession and the obligation of morality
but also the dissolution of morality as observed by the crippled man's old mother
who asks, why must one person's set of morals be a standard for everybody else
and, if love fades in a marriage, what is one to do

i watched it through the white hairs of the generally elderly audience
but i enjoyed it thoroughly
i seldom watch plays
it is an adaptation of a play by the same name by william somerset
perhaps if i can get the book i can post some of the dialogue i enjoyed in the play

after that i walked to the bus stop amidst zombies, vampires, nuns, witches
(one girl, totally green, wicked-inspired, great effort)
took a slow walk home
watched QI on tv and fell asleep

still to blog about:
london
interlaken

cannot begin to describe how awesome brighton has been for me 

not sure if it's because i'm not with any friends 

forced to do things alone 

but it's beautiful, the freedom, in a beautiful place, i cannot describe 

the first day i woke up when i wanted 

went down to brighton pier (of course) and walked around 

bought fish&chips to take away and sat on an unused cart staring at the sea 

 

my lens cap fell between the boards and into the ocean 

'well it's gone now' a man said to me 

walked around all the gaudy, tacky rides that looked so fun 

rickety and simple and garish and beautiful 

smiled at a group of old women who were driving bumper cars 

the metallic structure of the abandoned West Pier was in the distance 

just huge pieces of metal left standing in the water, facing the wind 

and it was haunted and empty and sad and pitiful 

when dreams die i think they look like that, west pier 

walked down to the pebble beach and to the shoreline 

never been to a pebble beach before 

it was difficult to walk 

little kids were hurling pebbles as far as they could into the waves 

the wind was making me tear and sniff 

 

i sat down on the pebbles and looked at the sea 

took out my kindle and read 'sum: forty tales from the afterlife' by david eagleman which is a book i forgot i had, and found it an apt read to have

because everyone thinks brighton is where people go to die isn't it 

i don't see why it wouldn't be true, it's so lovely here 

if all goes well, november & december x

Retour des Alpages 2012
Annecy, France

about 15 St Bernards, so many ducks, sheep, cows who tried to hump each other while marching in the parade, folk groups in costume, food, food, food... had such a great time at the festival, the weather was beautiful by the end of it and we sat by the lake happy. a clown made me take a picture with him and somebody else made us taste some liquor that was really disgusting. ate raclette in the windy cold. dangled our feet over the water and enjoyed the view.

thank you Annecy for a beautiful day, one of my favourites on exchange so far

Père Lachaise Cimetière

I think one of my favourite parts about Paris this time around. Something creepy about knowing you're in the middle of tons of dead bodies, but at the same time it felt very humbling, and reasonable, surreal and beautiful all at the same time. I am and will always be absolutely terrified of death, while simultaneously being completely enamoured by the concept of it and its implications.

I especially love this last statue, that of Mary cradling Jesus's broken body. I have never seen such a statue or image depicted of Jesus before. This is the first time I'm seeing an image of Jesus as 'weaker', if you will, or in need of care. I really like it, because often we immediately see Jesus as strong, almighty saviour, Son of God who is powerful and gracious... but i think I often forget that he was also a man, somebody who felt all the torments and pains of humanity. And of course, Mary's pain. I like to think this is the grave of someone's mother.

There also lots of famous people buried here, but surprisingly I was more impressed and intrigued by the tombs of the unknown than Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin... most of them had been defaced by fans' graffiti and writing and so have had to be barricaded off by ugly sheets of plastic and railings... looking at the tombs of strangers was a much more fulfilling use of time here, although I did want to see Oscar Wilde's tomb, the man who wrote the brilliant "The Picture of Dorian Gray" has to be paid a visit, no?

& I loved seeing tombs that were completely decaying, broken down or just totally worn down by time and weather, but still, a fresh bouquet or a lively sprig of flowers would rest on the doors or on the tombstones, just put there a few days ago. The contrast in the colour is so, so lovely, and so touching.

I thought I would be a little scared but I really wasn't. It was most definitely a place worth visiting. There are other cemetries in Paris that are equally famous, and I hope I get to see them on my next trip in December.

Père Lachaise Cimetière
16 Rue de Repos
75020 Paris

Some things cannot be procrastinated. Things happen and in retrospect they take on a new light, except sometimes the light dawns before you've stepped out the door. That is how I feel about Paris this time around, how I can feel a warmth expanding in my fingertips when I think about the past two days. It feels like somebody has punched my chest and left it bruised and longing. When I saw the Eiffel Tower flicker to life I thought about how much you've changed and how much I'm changing. The tower itself has morphed into something symbolic, emerged from the banality of tourist cliches with a sheen of metaphorics, a starship I have hitched my wagon to. I mean that I will always remember this time, roaming the streets and loving the people. Napoleon lifted the lid and offered me relief, comfort, joy on a silver platter. On the steps of Sacre Coeur I realised my naivety.

I wonder if birds enjoy the view.

Also, I miss London and Paris so much.

Casual walk at the Louvre

BEST. GELATO. EVER. 

after checking out Tate in London

ABBEY ROAD!!! 

I wrote that. I think he will appreciate it. 

Random scribbling that has nothing to do with The Beatles, but awesome nonetheless. Dumbledore's Army! Haha

Tired after shopping along Oxford Street

Was so proud of the chanel when we bought it :') I was so scared I would dirty it or something

Loveliest bookstore located near the Notre Dame Cathedral! Quite famous actually, but I'd never heard of it until we stumbled upon it in Paris. STUMBLED, yes, what a find

Le chateau de Versailles, of Marie Antoinette fame. We actually didn't go see her chambers because Versailles is monstrously huge, it was all the way on the other side and we were rushing for time. Besides being monstrously huge, it was also amazing and beautiful! It was massive but what a lovely expanse of land. The garden is perfect. 

Sigh I miss it all so much :( I really love London and Paris. Add Tokyo to the list and they are my top three favourite cities. Above New York even... although we never really got to explore NYC a lot. I don't remember much about it anyway. I definitely remember more about Europe.