Will leave you today with a pretty centerpiece from V&A Museum
Destinations are only desirable because a journey lies in between. If I arrived somewhere and knew that I would never leave again, even a sojourn in paradise would turn into hell for me.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898)
A man goes out on the beach and sees that it is covered with starfish that have washed up in the tide. A little boy is walking along, picking them up and throwing them back into the water.
‘What are you doing, son?’ the man asks. ‘You see how many starfish there are? You’ll never make a difference.’
The boy paused thoughtfully, and picked up another starfish and thew it into the ocean.
‘It sure made a difference to that one,’ he said.
Hawaiian parable in Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl Wudunn
1
Victoria & Albert Museum
world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design
V&A. Ain’t it sweet? The love story really gets me it does!
Royal Albert Hall
which is just located in front of The Albert Memorial. Had a nice sit that afternoon at the feet of the memorial, admiring (again) the HUGE hall.
Albert Memorial, Kensington Garden
Months later I watched The Young Victoria (2009), which tells the early story of Queen Victoria (longest reigned British monarch) and her beloved Prince Albert, which I loved love love. It’s one of the sweetest love story I have ever seen, standing out above the royal stories who are normally full of unhappiness, betrayals, stupidity, and murders.
Beating against all odds, Victoria and Albert actually loved and complemented one another dearly. Prince Albert died young at the age of 42 (while Queen Victoria lived until her 80s), which sent the Queen into great depression, forever mourning the loss of her life and wearing black thereafter.
During Queen Victoria’s reign, landmarks and buildings were built in memory of Prince Albert, which, after knowing the story, really touch me. (Blame Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend, they’re so adorable in the movie!)
Albert Memorial, Kensington Garden
This was the time within the first week I arrived in London, carrying my DSLR and walking in vague directions, discovering one wonder after another. The Albert Memorial was one of them, which I found at the end of Kensington Garden. The picture may not do it justice, but it’s HUGE.
Kensington Palace
The residence of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate and William) and Princess Diana until the time of her death.
Southampton, UK (2011)
Southampton
A seaside little town about 2 hours away from London by coach. Jane Austen and family used to live here.
Man on Wire
“I did something magnificent and mysterious and I got a practical Why? and the beauty of it is I didn’t have any why. There’s no why.” ~ Philippe Petit, Man on Wire
A very charged performance from Philippe Petit, his passion and enthusiasm exuberated, intoxicating. You can see why he managed to gather his accomplices, to help him cross the Twin Towers on wire. But as in any great success story it seems, there is broken friendship and relationship at the end.
One who really touched me was Jean-Louis Blondeau, the friend who was at the other tower, single handedly pulling the heavy wires for hours and rigging it, when their other friend has given up. People don’t realize that if there’s no Jean-Louis Blondeau, there would be no Philippe Petit.
Well, at least not on that day.
You know, I’ve seen 30,000 sunsets, and no two that I can remember have ever been the same. What more can we possibly want?
Seven Moons, Fup by Jim Dodge
West End Theatre #1: Chicago
Chicago at Cambridge Theatre, Seven Dials
Opened by London Company on 18 November 1997 - going 14 years (2011)
The musical theatre was excellent! Funnier and more comical than what I remembered from the movie. Costumes were hot and sexy. Everyone wears black and tights and leather. There was live big band on stage with all kinds of trumpets and the likes. Theatre was cozy and fitting for the theme. A great opening for my West End adventure!
(Did I tell you London is famous for its West End theatres? Yes yes, there are dozens of top class theatres running all year long, lots have been for more than a decade! So unlike Australia where usually only one show going on at one time, for a few months or a year at most, and everybody just goes to this one show. No! In London, they are everywhere! All the musicals you can think of: Les Miserable, Mamma Mia, The Lion King, Wicked, Wizard of Oz, Billy Elliot, the list goes on and on. Some from movies like Legally Blonde, Ghost, Dirty Dancing, even Shrek! You name it! I’m in theatre heaven!)
