who was eleanor rigby?

So my parents and uncle flew over on Friday, and I met them in London where we spent two days. (Keep in mind it's the first time any of the have been outside America) It was a hoot showing them the pound system and underground and taking them around the city. We did all the touristy things like St Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, the London Eye, the changing of the gaurds, the London Museum, etc. etc.

Check out these videos.

The first one is of my mom in London. my brother and i always play this game about how many questions can my mom ask with out us answering...and it's always a lot. but never in my life have i heard my mom ask more questions (with no response) than in london...and then on top of that we lost her! luckily, i was filming her for most of the day with out her realizing to capture it all.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCSoHjERqBs

and this is a video i made of our trip in london.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKZJzn8E59g

Irish Jig Offs Exhist...do leprechauns?

Although I never found a leprechaun, spending St. Patrick's Day in Dublin compares to nothing I have done so far living in the UK.

Hostel- Katie and I arrived around 6pm on the 16th and checked in to our funky little hostel, Litton Lane, in the heart of the city center of Dublin. The hostel was previously the recording and rehearsal studio for Van Morrison, U2, The Cranberries, and more, and had murals on the walls of these artists. The hostel window was also big enough to enjoy a cup of coffee on while overlooking the city.

Night Life- Katie was exhausted from the 13 hours of traveling and passed out, but I was too anxious being in Dublin so hit the streets solo style, and stopped in a Starbucks to read up on some hot spots for night life.

The Globe- Seemed to be a pretty spacious bar, minus that fact that it was full with two different crowds...young locals enjoying pints, coffee, free WiFi, tapas, newspapers, and live jazz....and then the St. Patty's tourists taking pictures and wearing green. Once it started to get later, the bar merged with club RiRi and was slammin' so I left.

The George- A really nice dance bar with a young crowd and DJs. There were statues of angels (which was pretty ironic considering it was a gay club) and greek-lookin' gods. There were chandeliers throughout the whole bar and upstairs there was a wrap around balcony overlooking the dance floor. Upstairs Also, off to the side a lounge with big red couches and a huge gold gaudy mirror the size of the wall. The club was really loud so I head outside to the back brick patio (designated smoking) and chatted up some local Dubliner's who describe St. Patrick's day "as just another day" and one of the girls claimed that she didn't celebrate, and that the only thing she did to celebrate was to drink, "but i do that everyday" she laughed. i then met a new friend drew, who of course was from America (because for whatever reasons Americans always gravitate towards each other)

St. Patrick's Day Parade- There couldn't have been better weather on St. Patrick's Day, as the sun-drenched Dublin streets were being filled with thousands of others (a reported 675,000...mostly tourists) all with the same thing in mind (securing a good spot to watch the parade). However, we were lucky enough to get almost all the way to the front (behind three guys with obnoxiously tall leprechaun hats). People were climbing trees, lamp posts, and statues to get the best view. Others watched from street windows.
After waiting for a painful two hours the parade began! The theme seemed to be surrealistic, which was right up my fantasy-pan's labrynth alley. From upside floating animals, to dancing butterflies, hippies, peacocks, creatures, and space-monkeys, the parade was widely entertaining but lacked somewhat of an Irish feel, minus a couple of floats. The parade was a lot more Global than I thought, with groups from Iceland, Germany, and high school bands from America. Overall, the parade was very creative and unique and set the day up nice for a pint of guinness (or two...or ten).
I have way more to say about Dublin, but I am staying busy and hope to continue to write more. Was in London the last couple of days with the rents and uncle and now am back in Swansea with them.

And to top it all off, Katie, her dad, Drew, and drank Guinness at a self-serve bar, and witnessed a dance off (irish jig-off). Check out the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnQNR21QJDU

Leaving on a Midnight Train to... Holyhead?

Early on the morning of March 16th at 3:30 am Katie and I left for Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin!

My buddy Matt from Manchester offered to give us a ride to the train station so we wouldn't have to pay for a taxi. We were both exhausted, but andrelanine was pumping for Saint Patrick's Day and I couldn't fall asleep. But finally after riding the train for an hour (and some sleeping pills) I passed out, although that's not the best thing when you're on a train that has to transfer through Cardiff Central and Shrewsbury Station. I woke up one time and thought for sure that we had missed our stop. But we arrived in Holyhead, North Wales around 12 and we had time to explore before making our way to the ferry. Here are some pictures from the train journey and the town of Holyhead.

Tourist in my own Town

On Sunday, I had to go pick up my train tickets for my big St. Patty's day trip coming up. So, I needed to take a bus to the city center, but when I got to my bus stop I remembered that the bus only comes once every hour on Sunday (and of course I had just missed the bus by like 5 minutes). Luckily, it was a gorgeous day, and I had my camera, so I decided to walk to the city center (with my camera) and just catch the bus at another stop. However, I was having so much fun I decided to walk all the way to the train station, and with a few minor detours to the park and the beach, and running into random friends, a 20 minute trip turned into a 3 hour adventure. Anyway, check out some of my favorite pictures, and watch the video, if you have 3 minutes of your life to waste.

i always lose socks

Yesterday was laundry day....okay laundry month. It's the second time I've done laundry since I've been here, and I have been here for what? Over two months now. I packed a lot of underwear and socks...okay. And I don't wash my jeans hardly ever, so it works out for me. And I bought like 5 new pairs of socks one day, so I could post-pone laundry for a week.
Just a quick blog to show you what laundry is like in the Hendrefoilan Student Village, werd?

the pictures posted show how i hang the clothes up in my room since I don't ussually dry my jeans and t-shirts in a dryer. (my friend maddie, from australia, went home in january and gave me the clothes pins and line.)

Laundry Costs
2 pounds 50 for one load
and 1 pound to dry for 50 minutes.

This is my treck to the laundry mat...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg--UY9sksQ

Spring Intermission

Just got out of my last class for the next 5 weeks. I have off from March 12-April 17. Crazy! Most people still have one more week, but one of my classes was cancelled next week, and I’m missing my other class to go to Ireland for St. Patty’s day.

Everytime I see an adult on a bicycle, I remind myself that there is hope for mankind.

When I first arrived in Swansea, riding the bus was exhilarating for me. The bus I ride almost everyday is called BOB (Bright Orange Bus...and no, it's not a joke, it's really called that). It is a totally different experience than what I'm used to. Everyone rides the bus. I have found that less students seem to have cars with them at school, and that some don't even have their license (like my 19 year old flat-mate Jemma). So, riding the bus seemed like a sure way to immerse myself in to the Swansea-culture, a way to have quick tours of the city and to actually not have to worry about paying for gas. On top of that, taking the bus is more environmentally friendly (...which is totally in this season).

However, after being here for 2 months, I've come to the realization that the public transportation system isn't really as exciting as I thought it was. Sometimes it can take up to 30 minutes to get to the City Center, but if I had my deeply missed Shaggin' Wagon, it would take me merely 5 minutes (and I could have Santogold playing in the background). Other times the bus can be running late, or too full of people so you can't get on, and it has caused me to be late to class.

So with the need to just be able to get out of the claustrophic bus system and be free, I decided it was time to invest in a bicycle. However, the average bicycle cost 150-200 pounds, and being the starving student I am, I can't afford that (especially after taking weekend trips to places like Amsterdam).

Fortunately, I was introduced to a hidden gem in Swansea called Re-Cycle. It's a quaint little bike shop hidden in a random alley-way just outside the city center of Swansea.

How it works is simple: The company takes in donations of used, old, or unwanted bikes. Then, they are refurbished and repaired for asylum seekers, refugees, and low waged people (a.k.a student from another country...me). According to one of the guys working, "The British throw away over 1.2 million bicycles each year!" Which was inspiration for this new organization to start up. It's a project of the Black Environment Network and supported by the Countryside Council for Wales. The guys that work on the bikes are paid very little and after talking to a couple of them I learned that they mainly just do it for a hobby (which is partly why the shop is only open Mondays and Tuesdays).

So last week I went in on Tuesday, and browsed through the bikes, and found one that was perfect for me. It is a road bike, has military bags attached to the back, and has a bell! The guy working told me, "good choice," and that he'd call me up next week when it was completely repaired. Sure enough, a week goes by, and I went to go pick my new bike yesterday. I was planning on riding him to the Tesco (Wales version of Wal-mart) to buy a bike lock, but was pleasantly surprised to find that there was already a bike lock installed to the back of the seats, with two slightly rusted keys attached. Although it's a little rusty, it's perfect for the for the short time I will be using it.

If you turn off the sun, I'm still gonna shine!

Living in another country teaches you random things you would never think about when you least expect it.

Case in point, yesterday I was on Facebook (surprise) and realized that a comment someone had left me was 5:00 pm, when it was really only 4:00 pm. Then, I looked at my computer's time and it said 17:00, not 16:00. I began to panic, and suddenly realized that it was Daylight Saving's time and that I had lost an hour of sleep the night before. But for whatever reasons I had no idea that it was Daylight Saving's time. No one had mentioned it.

I told my flat-mate that we had daylight Savings time, and I called a friend and told her.

Then, after my flat-mate called his mom to double check we soon realized that Daylight Saving's Time occurs at different times depending on what country you were in. And my computer and facebook was still set at American time...oops.

Below is a map from my trust worthy friend and the number one most reliable source on the internet, Wikipedia!

-the blue denotes places that have DST

-the orange denotes places that used to have DST

-the red denotes places that have never had DST

Dance like a Monkey

After 4 pints of beer, 4 strikes, and barely beating my Welsh mates in bowling, we made our way to a club...Monkey Bar.
Monkey is now my new favorite night life hot spot in Swansea. It is an organic, vegetarian cafe-bar by day, with chunky tables, big sofas, modern art, and cool tunes. Then, after dark, this funky venue transforms into the best alternative club I have ever experienced in my life. Weekend DJs play drum and bass, hip hop, reggae, salsa, and world music. Check out their webpage, it's really groovy.

The guys that I went out with just had a pay-day and were on a spending spree, buying our group drinks and shots. One shot that I will never forget was Sambuca, Tequila, and Tabasco Sauce. (You think that's bad, you should have smelt my burp).
After intense dancing and drinking, we made our way to a Fish & Chips shop, and I got what seemed to be the most amazing chicken sandwich and chips (fries) I had ever had in my life.

Finally, we got home around 4:00. And after listening to some Santogold in Craig's room, I passed out.

if you can't knock the pins down...strike a pose!

Went out bowling last night with some mates.

-Unlimited bowling: 9 pounds
-Beer Special- 4 pints: 10 pounds
-Bowling in Wales: Priceless?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSGEGMHolqk

Staying in on Friday night isn't so bad? Not with VV Brown it isn't.

Ahhh nothing is more relaxing than a Friday night by yourself. I sat in the kitchen and painted and watched some British Television. Just really wanted a night to not talk to anyone. For awhile I had a music program on and I stumbled upon a new favorite. As soon as she started singing, I stopped everything I was doing, and just stared at the TV. She has this great 50 vibe going on from her pop hair fringe, to her style, and her songs. As soon as she was done performing, I kept waiting and waiting for the announcers to repeat her name, but they never did, so I had to find her via Letssingit.com by typing in her lyrics.

Luckily, I found her. VV Brown is the name. She is a London-based English singer-songwriter/producer, and I can't believe I haven't heard of her yet. She is upcoming and was nominated for BBC's The Sound of 2009 Award. Her album Traveling Like the Light has not been released yet (doesn't come out until May 11th booo), but her two singles Crying Blood (released in late 2008) and Leave (released March 3rd) are able to be purchased on i-tunes.

She did a photoshoot with Vouge magazine in January, and subsequently landed herself into the fashion world (which isn't surprising to me at all, she looks like she's about 5'11" when she's in interviews and on stage and she's different). On the 20th of February 2009 she modeled and performed at the ashish fashion for London fashion week. She has expressed a love for fashion and hopes to one day open a vintage store! She is opening an on-line store and the website is VVVintage.com. In one article she stated, "It's kind of a hobby and even if I only sell two pieces in a year I'll be ecstatic."

Another crazy fact about VV is she Madonna's former backup singer.
She's also about to go on tour with the Ting Ting's and Ladyhawke. I think I found myself a gig to go to.

Check out this article for more reading. VV Brown does the Questionnaire
Check out this video as well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsNCFweHYas

ageless beauty

ran in to my friend leigh anne in the village with my camera on me.
we decided to go on an adventure, as we followed our noses to the beach.
the beach is right across the road from swansea university's campus, and is actually the closest campus to the beach in the entire world.
check the vid out.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkHpVLTNkCk

Good thing Tim Gunn wasn't there

There was a Recycling of Clothes Workshop run by the organization People and the Planet in J.C.'s coffee shop on campus yesterday. There were bags and bags of old clothes and fabric that were up for grabs. There were also sewing machines, thread, ribbon, buttons, zippers, beads, etc. to repair, remake, alter and funk up the clothes.
The company that donated the clothes was the More Green Community Shop. It's a thrift store in Swansea. They have a wide selection of old furniture, clothes, fabric, and random bric-a-brac.

The point of the workshop was to not only encourage people to be creative, but also the importance of recycling old clothes.

Katie actually lucked out and found a lot of cute clothes without even having to alter them. One of the dresses she found is from New Look and is really freaking cute. She added purple fabric around the waste and some button thing.

[it's pictured to the right]

I found this plaid fabric and made a vest out of it. I'm still not done with it. I need to alter it a little more so it fits more snug, and now after looking at it I think I'm going to make it a bit shorter as well. On the back I put, "I'm an animal" I kept picturing myself on Project Runway and laughing about how bad Tim Gunn would react to my work. Rawr baby!

While rummaging through the clothes, I found a pair of women's trousers that had an amazing black-and-white small checkered print. Then I took red fabric from a t-shirt, and made a reversible scarf-handkerchief out of the two.

To the Left is the checkered side forward.

To the Right is the red side forward.

My favorite part about the scarf is that it buttons. I took the button strap from the pants, and sewed it on the back, so instead of having to tie the scarf, you can just button it. The pictures below show the button and strap.

There were also some other really great things going on at the workshop.

One girl was making a gown, with strips of fabric and it's going to be featured in a fashion show. [pictured on the left]

And another girl made a tube top and a handbag. [below]