Vernazza, Italy

After what felt like the hardest 3 hour hike of my life (straight up a mountain side), this was the picturesque view you got! It was so worth dragging my chunky butt up this mountain! Not to mention dragging water and my camera (with it's 300m lens) ! It gets heavy, okay! ; ) I like this picture so much. I can't tell you what this building is bc I took it in a whim. But I love how it came out.

Cinque Terre, Monterosso, Italy

This was the second stop on our Italy itinerary. This is my fave stop! Cinque Terre consisted of 5 little villages along the Mediterranean Sea Coast. This village was Monterosso. It was so beautiful. This is where I need to be now! The villages are so small that you run into everyone along the way. You get so close to all the other tourists and the town's people are so great!

Pisa! Pisa! Pisa!

I got some of my Italy pics back. OMG! I developed 3 rolls (1 copy ea.) of 24 exposure (w/cd) and it came out to 30 pounds ($55 buckos) ! It will be a while before I get the rest, damn. Okay, so it was 1 hour photo but I couldn't wait! Too bad they weren't all from Italy. Some were from an old roll in Greenwich. But ne way, this is Pisa, Italy. Not much else to see in this grungy little town other then this amazing tower. But it was our first stop so it was pretty fucken cool to me!

Beautiful Day, Considering...

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, considering some rainy spells. Too bad my weekend is already kinda suckie. I'm saving money again...so that means...another night at home! Grrrr... Saving money sucks. I can't spend any money. I have a few trips lined up! Actually back to back to back trips! I'm on a time crunch now. I leave for home in 7 weeks! It's not enough time! But on the bright side I really like how this pic of St Paul's Cathedral came out. And tomorrow I'm going to this really cool black & white photography exhibit @ The National Portrait Gallery. (Yay!)

Fields Of Gold

Isn't this a pretty pic? I took this on my way to Oxford. It's a field of yellow flowers! My So. African friends were not impressed at all. Well where I come from, LA, doesn't have fields of gold !! I got a little too excited! I wanted to hop off the bus, run thru them, wearing a hippy flowing white dress (w/my luscious locks blowing in the wind) and run straight into the arms of a handsome English gentleman! One day...

Tow Me Away

I don't know why I found this tow truck so fascinating. I had to take a pic of it (let alone share it). But me and Aurora found this truck to be very monstrous-transformer-ish in a way. It was cool to see the car getting knocked about as it lifts it in mid air and plunks it down on it's flat bed! The car sways as it's suspended (which can't be good, I bet). Why do you think this country uses this kind of tow truck? Why doesn't it just drag it along like it does in the USA and Mexico? I wonder? Maybe the streets are too narrow and the parked cars to tightly packed in. Things that make you go hmmmm....

LA TOMATINA!!

I just bought my tix for Spain! Whoo-hoo! Me & my Aussie friend, Ellen will be in this tomato fight on Aug 30th! LA TOMATINA!

Here are some fun facts:

* There is no political or religious significance to La Tomatina, it's just good, messy fun.

* Participants who show up from around the world: 20,000

* Number of tomatoes used: 150,000 ...that's over 90,000 pounds of tomatoes!

* Buckets of water are thrown at the crowds first by the fight instigators in the tomato trucks, as a foreshadowing of the veggie barrage to come.

* After the battle, you can hose off the splatter on the riverbank, where the town slaps together makeshift public showers.

* Every year, the fight is nationally televised by the most prestigious agencies in Spain.

Cheers Little Lizzie!

Lizzy is going back to America (pictured center). I will miss her laziness in the cafe and the big fluffy cappuccinos she used to make me. I will never forget how she dances and all the sass she used to give me! We had fun flirting with all the hot European men that would come in. And we had even more fun when some became stalkers! I'm glad I decided to hire her just bc she was American and desperate for a job. Liz, you're the funniest Mormon-gone-wild I know! Always keep dancing - kid! I will visit you in NY, promise!

Teardrops From Heaven

Rain, rain go away. Come again another day! Winters BACK! It's cold. It's wet. It's windy. Yeah, it's official. Our summer is OVER. (Sigh.) I just bought a cute summer skirt too! I wanted to show off my pasty white legs! Oh well. But I must admit, when it first hit, it did feel kinda nice. I was sticky & hot forthe past two weeks straight. I don't like muggy weather. But I do miss the sun. Oh well. Hopefully the sun will still be shining in LA when I get back in Sept.

OUTTA THIS WORLD!!

I was reading about this in the Daily Mail today... " Virgin Galactic to Offer Public Space Flights". Can you believe it? And they want to start sending people out soon - like in a few years! The new service will be called Virgin Galactic and expects to fly 3,000 new astronauts within five years. Fares will start at 115,000 pounds (US$208,000) for a suborbital flight, including three days' training. Branson (the British entrepreneur) said the business would "allow every country in the world to have their own astronauts rather than the privileged few." "Virgin Galactic will be run as a business, but a business with the sole purpose of making space travel more and more affordable," Branson said.
He told the news conference: "We hope to create thousands of astronauts over the next few years and bring alive their dream of seeing the majestic beauty of our planet from above, the stars in all their glory and the amazing sensation of weightlessness. " Right on! Ready, set, Jetsons!

Can You Here Me Now? Now? How Bout Now?

I love technology! I'm def a tech-head. I remember when I got a new cell 2 years ago, sending pics to other phones & your email was so new & all the rage. Plus my baby could take video clips as well. It was pretty impressive- back then. Now, you can do so much more! It's pretty cool how you can send messages to other random blue tooth owners, listen to the news or radio, surf the net, take digital pics with 3.o mega pixels, send emails, faxes, & texts in an instant! My little Motorola V300 pretty much sux now! I want a new one. You can do so much more. Not only can you take better video clips now but you have phones that have that thing where you can see the person you are talking to! I feel like the Jetsons! Where was this phone when I was dating Mr. Long-Distance?! So I see an ad for the latest mobile here in London, The Tv Mobile. You can watch tv on your cell! Ahhhh! How cool is that!?? I want one! This article I read says... "According to London-based IMS Research, in the next five years, more than 120 million people will be watching TV on their mobile phone." I wouldn't mind getting car sick from watching tv on my mobile while riding on the bus, instead of getting from reading a book or playing solitaire on my pod. It would so be worth it then!

Petty Fuckers!

SO-- here I am again, the scene of the crime. The place I call my second home. The place where I get free cappuccinos & endless hours of free Internet usage. I get to gossip w/cool friends & make new ones. Many memories have been made here. It's not just a Internet cafe...it's a social scene. And too be honest, it's hard to be back. On last Thurs. while I was surfing & checking my email, my purse got stolen! But that's not even the worse part. The worse part is...the fuckers took off with a LOAD OF MY GOODS! I mean, they MADE OUT! I felt like such an idiot! See, the thing is, I know how bad petty theft is in London. I've seen muggers actually make off with someones bag. I've heard all the stories. I know so many people who have had their bags taken. It happens, I know that. So I'm really, really anal about where I keep my purse. But they got me this time! They had to tag-teamed me to do it too! I was sitting in my fave spot ( a corner space) and I had my little backpack in the corner (which I normally wear on me while I'm there but took off bc it was so hot that day) and there would be no way anyone could get to it bc there is a long wall there & it's in my view by my feet. So there I am minding my own business and listening to my new cd. Some chick comes up to me from the left side and taps on my shoulder. I take off my ear phones & I turn to the left to look at her and she asks some stupid question..."Um, are you using the Internet?" I said..." Yeah, why?" And I'm literally thinking : Isn't everyone? You dumb fuck. It's an Internet cafe! Well, guess who the dumb fuck really is? Yup, while she was asking me the stupidest question, someone was on my right side slipping my bag out from under me. That was the only way they could have taken it. I remember that girl's face too! I could kill her if I ever see her on the street! Okay here's the fun part. Let me tell you what was in my little bag of fun.... £200 = $400 buckos, Ipod (my baby-ugh!), digi camera, 5 cds, bank card, credit card, keys to the cafe, make-up bag from Italy...etc yeah, like I said they made out - good! Fuck! I was depressed all freaken weekend. Esp bc I won't be going to Amsterdam this weekend after all. Now, I normally don't walk around with all that. Esp the cash but I had rent to pay and they only take cash. Plus I was going to buy my tix to Amsterdam. I walked home all sad...with only my stupid mobile and the new cd I bought. Why didn't I buy more cds that day!?? I remember that bitch's face too. If I ever see her on the street again.... I will so kick her ass! The good news is I took my passport out the day before! THANK GOD! Everyone has been really kind too. My boss advanced me rent. My landlord let me pay my rent late, offered me money & helped me with finding all the necessary numbers to call to cancel my cards. My friends offered me money and got me drunk! My Timmy cheered me up while I walked home all sad and depressed. I must have been a site to see! I was walking home in the middle of the night with only my stupid cd I bought a couple hours earlier all sad with my head down!

JUST IN: So I haven't checked my email bc I've been a little blue. Well I got an email from this Brass Company. Apparently they found my bag (along with 3 others that were stolen) in their rubbish bin Friday morning. Isn't that nice of them to contact me! All my stuff was recovered, except for the cash, ipod & camera. They left the bank cards & cds, surprisingly! Fuckers didn't like my taste of music, I guess. I'm feeling better too. I've finally made it back to the Internet Cafe (although I haven't made it to my fave spot yet) and I've been shopping around for a new pod! It was time for a new one anyway. Besides I want a Photo Pod!

I think it's time to go home. I feel emotionally drained!


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201 -203 Edgware Road, London, W2
tel: 020-7402-1854 www.aandhbrass.co.uk

Terror Attacks London- Again!

We got hit again! 3 bombs on the tube & 1 on a bus, again! This time the bombs seem to have been duds. Or basically, not as destructive as before. But I can imagine the panic in the commuters faces when they saw smoke on the tube! Luckily no one has been fatally hurt. The bus had it's top windows blown out but again, thank god, no one has been hurt. I felt physically ill this time when I heard the news. I was at work when we heard it on the radio. All you do is filter out the words...Bombs...again...incidents...terror....4...underground...bus blown windows...panic...stay where you are!! Ahhh, you think to your self: Not again!! And they are very vague when it comes to their news coverage here. That's when you panic some. But as of now everything/life has gone back to normal. Except for our transportation & major grid-lock.

The NAKED Truth

Isn't this a cool pic?! A little errie, a little nude, but man, what an impact! This really cool artist, Spencer Tunick (www.spencertunick.com) was in New Castle this morning shooting his latest naked project. Hundreds of peeps (about 1,500) came out to support his latest quest. It was suppose to be the largest naked "installation" in the country. I read on the Daily Mail, that volunteers included, zoo-keepers, midwives, postmen & even a vicar! Ha ha. Tunick largest photoshoot was in 2003 (7,000 got in the buff in Barcelona- crazy spaniards!) Check out more of his art on this website http://www.i-20.com/artist.php?artist_id=19&page=images&work_id=199

My Flower Child

Brandon brings me home! YAY! I get to see THE KILLERS, yes again, in the LBC!! Whoo-hoo! Okay so I sold my soul for these tix. I asked an old friend of mine to get them. Which means, I'll prob have to take HIM with me. But I'm willing to scarafic. Okay, sometimes I'm not proud of the choices I make. Esp. the completely selfish ones. I can be an out right little devil. But whatever. I'm going throu a selfish phase. I asked my EX to get them for me. A) Bc I knew he would. B) I can rely on him for things that I consider v. important to me. C) I knew he would want to go with me. I haven't seen him in a year and I think it would be nice to see him. (I really hope he looks like a toad!!) BUT I did try to contact another friend to see if he could get them for me first. (Damn it C-Dub!!) I'm all maxed out on my card bc I'm going to Amsterdamn in 2 weeks. AND I had to buy a tix home, yo! It's expensive flying across the ocean (at the last minute)!

Smile Like You Mean It!

The Killers are back in LA on Oct 6th! I really, really, really want to go --SO BADLY!! Okay, I know I saw them 3 x already here in London but I haven't seen them in LA yet. So, if anyone wants to buy 2 tix and take me with them...I promise to be a good concert date! I dance, sing, mosh..etc but I don't surf! With my luck, they'd drop my ass on my head! Oh, and the reason I can't afford these tix is bc I'll be coming home in the end of Sept! Can you believe THAT?? I'm coming home. Yes, I will be kicking and screaming every step of the way but I believe it's time. Believe me when I say, I DON'T WANNA GO HOME YET!! But it's time. I haven't seen my family in a year! That's a long time for yanks. Maybe not for Assuies & Kiwi's (who don't mind being away from their families years at a time) but for us, we are homeward bound peeps. That's just the way we are. But I am going to miss my brummie boy. Yes, I am. =( It would only be fitting that I find a fit boy right before I am about to leave. Tragic, innit!

TERRORIST TOGETHER!

How scary is this image? Here they are! The 4 of them ready to start the mission! Look what's strapped to their backs! Fuck! I swear this is a creepy image. This is Luton Airport, I believe. It's 7.21 am July 7th, 2005.

WERE NOT AFRAID!!! =)

www.werenotafraid.com

Brummie BLISS!

I'm still under his spell! Ahhhh. It's hard getting back into the swing of things, aka work, after coming back from my weekend in Birmingham! Yes, I have my very own Brummie. He's tall, white and handsome! Hey we're in England! They don't make em brown here. But he's equipped with a killer English accent! That's just the way I like em! And I had such a great time. I came to the conclusion that I am def a relationship girl. Yes, indeed. I tried the flings and I've tried the fools. And to be honest I was becoming a make-out whore! Yes, I admit, I would snog em and leave em. I couldn't help it. I came to London in a "single & ready to mingle" mode. After, a 9 year relationship, I had a lot of catching up to do! You want to have fun on your holiday! AND, I did have lots of fun. But then it got boring. I wanted a boyfriend of my own. It's just so much more fun then a kiss and go. Besides, Europe has so many romantic cities that are just great exploring with a honey instead of your stinkie backpacker friend. No offense, Jules. Hee hee. And E never let me play footsie with her! See, boyfriends, are just a lot more fun! But I'm still super glad for all those fun guys I got to play with before hand! Good times, guys. You will forever be in my camera phone and in my heart.

MAD WORLD!

What is this world coming to? The bombings this morning in London hit a little too close to me. And all I could do was cry. I couldn't stop. I was safe, I was safe, I was safe. But so many others were not. When I saw that blown apart double decker bus I couldn't help but choke back. I love those buses. I try to make it all the way up top just so I can see outside the large front window. The entire top was blown off the bus! It was gutted and the people were thrown. The wall of a building where the bus had exploded has blood splattered on it. It's such a sad day. What's scariest is that we walk amongst those mad, heartless, crazy people who do this kind of destruction! And we have no idea when it will happen again. They blend in so well. What a way to knock a city down in it's happiest moments. I'm taken back.

Back The Bid, Baby!

Surprise, surprise...London wins the bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2012! They beat out Paris! Not to mention New York, Moscow & Madrid. I actually kinda felt sorry for our dear friends, the Frogs. They were the favorite to win. When it was time to announce the winning city, all the camera's were on them. They had the band & celebratory theme all ready. It reminded me of the Oscars, actually. Ya know, when the camera zooms in on the loser's face to see their reaction! But one thing is for sure, no other city wanted to win like London. The campaign was shoved down our throats! But I'm happy London won. This is a great city! Trafalgar Square is one huge party right now. It's too bad I'm sick or I'd be out getting drunk too. =) I feel really lucky to be in London right now. Esp after Live 8 and now after winning the bid. It's a great time to be here.

MAKE POVERTY HISTORY!!

A full report on LIVE 8 soon! Let's just say, after 15 hours in Hyde Park, and watching history (literally) unfold in front of me...Im sicker then a dog! Yes, and watching Pink Floyd made it all worth it!!!