It has been ages since I've written here, but I've been on a holiday of sorts. I also experienced a glorious 4 days at my first Reading Festival. Admittedly, I enjoyed Isle of Wight Festival in June a bit more because it was more chilled out and there were fewer kids with attitude, but Reading certainly has its perks.
For one, Smashing Pumpkins played. They have been my obsession since I was about 11 years old and for the first time, I got to see them live, even though they are not completely the original band. Three people from front and centre, I found myself swept a few metres to the side without even touching the ground, then elbowed in the face, then squashed up against the armpit of the man in front of me. Bruised and sweaty at the end, I came away satisfied and in a Billy Corgan influenced bubble of happiness.
The rest of the weekend, we ate Ribena ice lollies, saw Beth Ditto strip to her skinnies, danced to CSS, rocked out to Albert Hammond Jr and The Enemy and chilled in the grass while The Shins and Arcade Fire played. The line up wasn't the greatest in the world besides the Pumpkins in my opinion. There were a lot of bands I liked, but not a lot I loved. The alternative tent did bring a few new discoveries like Jeremy Warmsley who had on-stage makings of music videos that they played on screens to the side.
The food was expensive but tasty. The weather was gorgeous. The company was excellent.
After five days sleeping in a tent with gas canisters exploding around me and no shower, I was happy to be home.
And now that I've been paid, I will be back to exploring this fabulous city shortly. But for the moment, it's back to work...
August 31, 2007
August 15, 2007
Amora: The Academy of Sex and Relationships
Written for an application for travel freelancing as a sample:
After a mesmerising look at the infamous Piccadilly lights above the London crowds and a few rounds of air hockey at the Trocadero across the road, why not pop next door for a visit to London's first academy of sex and relationships, Amora?
For £10, take a trip through the red-walled rooms and explore interactive exhibitions as the moans of orgasm seep through the surround sound. Learn your lover's hot spots, how to push your own buttons and the desired intensity of a spanking. One wall boasts a collection of 84 plaster cast genitals and breasts of every shape, size and variety. Across the way, explore a selection of sex toys. From there, move into the Amorgasm Tunnel, a walk through the stages of orgasm from the arousal to plateau, the explosion of ecstasy and finally, relaxation, all featured on TV screens. Next up: bondage. At the end, you will find yourself in a bar with aphrodisiac drinks and a myriad of books about sex and foreplay. Before you exit, there is, of course, the inevitable store filled with products and toys for all your sensual needs.
The downside? The educational parts can feel a bit like health class. There are pictures of STD's and a lot of heavy information to read on the walls, supplemented by an audio guide. The atmosphere feels a bit too bright and with other people walking around, you need to be comfortable being trapped in a little vacuum of all-things-sex with random strangers.
For the tutorials on how to find the g-spot and the prostate and other handy tips, I give it an 8/10. Did you know that when a male eats pineapple or cinnamon, his cum will taste better? Asparagus has the opposite effect.
Enough with the tourist spots; now the only thing you'll be looking for is the perfect little romantic hotel to test out all the little tricks you'll learn, like how to perform a striptease for your lover...
After a mesmerising look at the infamous Piccadilly lights above the London crowds and a few rounds of air hockey at the Trocadero across the road, why not pop next door for a visit to London's first academy of sex and relationships, Amora?
For £10, take a trip through the red-walled rooms and explore interactive exhibitions as the moans of orgasm seep through the surround sound. Learn your lover's hot spots, how to push your own buttons and the desired intensity of a spanking. One wall boasts a collection of 84 plaster cast genitals and breasts of every shape, size and variety. Across the way, explore a selection of sex toys. From there, move into the Amorgasm Tunnel, a walk through the stages of orgasm from the arousal to plateau, the explosion of ecstasy and finally, relaxation, all featured on TV screens. Next up: bondage. At the end, you will find yourself in a bar with aphrodisiac drinks and a myriad of books about sex and foreplay. Before you exit, there is, of course, the inevitable store filled with products and toys for all your sensual needs.
The downside? The educational parts can feel a bit like health class. There are pictures of STD's and a lot of heavy information to read on the walls, supplemented by an audio guide. The atmosphere feels a bit too bright and with other people walking around, you need to be comfortable being trapped in a little vacuum of all-things-sex with random strangers.
For the tutorials on how to find the g-spot and the prostate and other handy tips, I give it an 8/10. Did you know that when a male eats pineapple or cinnamon, his cum will taste better? Asparagus has the opposite effect.
Enough with the tourist spots; now the only thing you'll be looking for is the perfect little romantic hotel to test out all the little tricks you'll learn, like how to perform a striptease for your lover...
August 07, 2007
Exhibitions
Being a huge city, London has the advantage of being able to house a lot of unusual or very specific exhibitions. Because of that, it's easy to find something for everyone. Here are a few that might amuse me.
London Exhibitions: Five to check out this week
1.) Htein Lin: Burma Inside Out
Produced while Lin was captive of the Burmese/Myanmar military government, these works will be on display for the first time in the UK. They are both abstract and figurative, ranging in subject from prison life to Buddhism. He painted on white prison uniforms using soap as paint and his fingers as a brush, among other tools. There, he finished over 230 different works.
When: 27 July – 13 October; Monday – Saturday 10am - 6pm
Where: Asia House, 63 Cavendish St. W1
Admission: £2.00
Website: www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23101
2.) Daily Encounters: Photographs from Fleet Street
In the 80’s, Fleet Street was a booming area of London famous for its newspaper offices and pubs frequented by journalists and photographers. Fleet Street newspapers released loads of press photographs ranging from politicians and events to actors and models. A selection of these will be on display along side photos of the newspaper industry itself. Over 75 works will be shown.
When: 5 July – 21 October
Where: National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Place, WC2H
Admission: £5.00
Website: http://www.npg.org.uk/live/wodailyencounters.asp
3.) Chris Moffat: Experimental Photography and Design 1923-1935
An art student of New York (where he was born) and Paris, Moffat moved to London in the mid 1920’s where he opened an interior design company and his own gallery. His photographs of society figures were praised for his innovative use of colour. The portfolio donated to this collection contains over 1,000 works.
When: 2 August – 13 January
Where: Photography Gallery, 38A. V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Rd, SW7
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.londonlantern.com/articles/default.asp?snID=&cssType=0&Issue=200708&Area=0&TRCday=0&ID=828
4.) Keeping Time
We all remember puberty: that awkward time of sexual exploration, timidity, crossing the line into adulthood, growing into our skin, so to speak. While the focus of this exhibition is on female ice skaters, it explores the challenges they face while they are going through adolescence. The pictures are symbolic of femininity and facing approaching adulthood in a period of high self-awareness and wavering confidence.
When: Now until 22 Septemer, Monday-Saturday, 10am – 10pm, Sunday 3-9pm
Where: Tricycle Gallery, 269 Kilburn High Road, NW6
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.londonlantern.com/articles/default.asp?snID=&cssType=0&Issue=200708&Area=0&TRCday=0&ID=830
5.) Helmand: The Soldier's Story
Created by soldiers of 16 Air Assault Brigade, Helmand is a story in exhibition form, told by real soldiers who have experienced the war in Afghanistan. Real letters from home are on display alongside uniforms and bedding with mosquito nets. Film recordings of real soldiers, both living and dead, were made during battle and eerily place the viewer in their boots.
When: From 3 August; Daily 10am – 5:30pm
Where: National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, SW3
Admission: Free
Website: www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/exh_gfx_en/ART49607.html
London Exhibitions: Five to check out this week
1.) Htein Lin: Burma Inside Out
Produced while Lin was captive of the Burmese/Myanmar military government, these works will be on display for the first time in the UK. They are both abstract and figurative, ranging in subject from prison life to Buddhism. He painted on white prison uniforms using soap as paint and his fingers as a brush, among other tools. There, he finished over 230 different works.
When: 27 July – 13 October; Monday – Saturday 10am - 6pm
Where: Asia House, 63 Cavendish St. W1
Admission: £2.00
Website: www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23101
2.) Daily Encounters: Photographs from Fleet Street
In the 80’s, Fleet Street was a booming area of London famous for its newspaper offices and pubs frequented by journalists and photographers. Fleet Street newspapers released loads of press photographs ranging from politicians and events to actors and models. A selection of these will be on display along side photos of the newspaper industry itself. Over 75 works will be shown.
When: 5 July – 21 October
Where: National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Place, WC2H
Admission: £5.00
Website: http://www.npg.org.uk/live/wodailyencounters.asp
3.) Chris Moffat: Experimental Photography and Design 1923-1935
An art student of New York (where he was born) and Paris, Moffat moved to London in the mid 1920’s where he opened an interior design company and his own gallery. His photographs of society figures were praised for his innovative use of colour. The portfolio donated to this collection contains over 1,000 works.
When: 2 August – 13 January
Where: Photography Gallery, 38A. V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Rd, SW7
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.londonlantern.com/articles/default.asp?snID=&cssType=0&Issue=200708&Area=0&TRCday=0&ID=828
4.) Keeping Time
We all remember puberty: that awkward time of sexual exploration, timidity, crossing the line into adulthood, growing into our skin, so to speak. While the focus of this exhibition is on female ice skaters, it explores the challenges they face while they are going through adolescence. The pictures are symbolic of femininity and facing approaching adulthood in a period of high self-awareness and wavering confidence.
When: Now until 22 Septemer, Monday-Saturday, 10am – 10pm, Sunday 3-9pm
Where: Tricycle Gallery, 269 Kilburn High Road, NW6
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.londonlantern.com/articles/default.asp?snID=&cssType=0&Issue=200708&Area=0&TRCday=0&ID=830
5.) Helmand: The Soldier's Story
Created by soldiers of 16 Air Assault Brigade, Helmand is a story in exhibition form, told by real soldiers who have experienced the war in Afghanistan. Real letters from home are on display alongside uniforms and bedding with mosquito nets. Film recordings of real soldiers, both living and dead, were made during battle and eerily place the viewer in their boots.
When: From 3 August; Daily 10am – 5:30pm
Where: National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, SW3
Admission: Free
Website: www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/exh_gfx_en/ART49607.html
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