Fun day cycling with London protests in the background

Today was the perfect Saturday. It was just perfect, despite the fact that there were huge anti-government protests in London, we were in the middle of them and had few encounters with anarchists on the way. I was seriously scared a couple of times, but there was A LOT of police, so that made me feel safe a little bit more. 

1 1/2 house

But the day started with meeting Dom-dom at Finchley Road, walking to St John's Wood (longer walk than I expected!) and enjoying the warm and sunny day. Dom-dom has never cycled in London before, so she was major scared, because our plan was to cycle from St John's Wood to Tottenham Court Road. Of course buying Boris bike pass was not problematic and it took us around 20 minutes (!!!) to buy one for each of us (3 people in total). We didn't know the latest trick in the book aka when you pull the bike from the docking station, press both brakes simultaneously and then pull as hard as you can. Easy. Right.

trying to buy bike pass

In the end, with the little help of a guy who was returning his bike, we went on and cycled all around Regent's Park to the British Museum. We made a little stop there. In the original plan we were going to see The Eagle at Odeon on Tottenham Court Road, but we were so hungry, so the decision was to eat some lunch. 

We spent few ours eating, laughing and joking. Dom-dom had her first encounter with the Nintendo DS  - me and Boyfriend have one each (mine is pink of course), so we played against each other and it was so much fun! I forgot how great Nintendo is - usually I'm going through the gaming phases like playing The Sims, Caesar, etc. and then the circle overlaps. Anyway, Dom-dom now wants to buy Nintendo too, so we're be playing together aka even more fun.

I won

When were were talking, I said that I want to go to the Selfridges today and buy MAC lipsticks. I had my eye on both Lady Gaga ones and also the hottest spring trend - orange! I've found on the MAC website a great colour called Morange and I knew it had to be mine. Dom-dom claims that she also wanted to buy orange lipstick for quite some time, but of course we all know that it was my idea. 

not a good photo, but I will write another posts about the lipsticks and post better pictures.

We went all the way from the Tottenham Court Road to Bond Street. We didn't take the main road (Oxford Street) because of the protest and it was very good idea, because when we were passing Topshop on a parallel road, there was madness - shop closed, paint on the walls, windows smashed. Anarchists had a really good time out there. It was rather shocking to see all these people with banners, shouting and in black hoodies and then enter Selfridges and pass Louis Vuitton, Prada, Marc Jacobs and Chanel. Two completely different worlds.

We bought our lipsticks and parted our ways. Dom-dom went home to get ready for a friend's birthday drinks (I was also invited but didn't want to go) - in the end she was so tired (we can really make people suffer) and went to sleep! Score Dom-dom!

Me and Boyfriend wanted to go to the cinema badly, but when we saw that the earliest movie at the Odeon Marble Arch is in over an hour, we were stuck. Our bike pass was still valid (it lasts £1 for a whole day and then £1 when you use bike for over an hour), so we cycled back to Tottenham Court Road to the Odeon we were originally supposed to go to and see The Eagle. Because there was still a little bit of time and there's a HUGE Paperchase store (aka my heaven - I LOVE stationery!) on the other side of street, I have a new mug and notepads (pictures to come soon). 

The Eagle was better than I expected. I don't want to put spoilers, so I won't write about the essence of the movie, I will only say that it's much more than fighting and blood on the scree. Of course there are battle scenes and nasty usage of the knives etc., but as my usual reaction to this is hiding behind my jacket, I don't remember it after leaving the cinema. It was an interesting movie and I'm glad we went to see it. It gave me a chance to not only salivate over Channing Tatum, but also remind myself about honour and true friendship.

Fun day - Just Go With It

AW has given birth to her son yesterday at 10.34pm. I am so proud of her and I cannot believe that she is officially a mother. It's so scary to think that she is responsible for a real human being! I can't wait to see her and hug her but right now she is still in a state of shock and for a while she'll be getting used to a new role.

I - on the other hand - had a fantastic responsibility-free day with Dom-dom. It was so great to see her - I've missed so much, because we rarely see each other since it's winter (BLEH!) and we don't go out clubbing as often as in the summer (aka almost every weekend). I went to her place and the journey wasn't as bad as I thought it would be - good news for future! We ended up gossiping, laughing and talking about diet and gym. She has the exact amount of kilos to loose as I do, which is motivating. Usually, when I want to eat something or I don't want to go to the gym I simply tell myself that Dom-dom is doing it, so I don't want to be behind. 

We also went to the cinema and saw Just Go With It with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. I am a huge fan of Miss Aniston, even though to me she is an actress of one role only - Rachel Green. I envy her body and her hair - she is just perfect! We were both salivating during the movie and just nudging ourselves to say how amazing she looks. I was very positively surprised, because I liked the movie! Usually the movies she's starring in are so predictable it's too boring for me to watch it (I think the worst of the worst was The Switch), but this one was even funny and her acting was really good - she played to different persons and you could see the difference.

Swans and King's Speech

King's Speech is one of the major contenders for Oscars this year. It has 12 nominations including for Best Picture, Best Actor (Colin Firth) and Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter). I truly hope that it will win most of them and certainly one for Mr Firth and my personal favourite - Miss Carter. The movie is great! Amazing thing is that it does not have any special effects or over-the-top Hollywood style. It's simple, rather raw. I love the fact that the camera concentrates on the close-ups (thankfully, no Botox in sight!) but you can see a blurred background.

On the way to the cinema we decided to make a quick walk in the Reservoir. Boyfriend had his dangerous encounter with the swans, who were very unhappy about the fact that we didn't bring them any food (we always forget about it). All of a sudden he was encircled with the swans, which started to hiss and put their beaks to his pockets. I only took a couple of photos with my BlackBerry, because we forgot to put a card into my camera, but this will be certainly something to remember! Maybe it's good that we didn't see Black Swan today - Boyfriend could have nightmares!

Day full of art

Today we finally went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The movie was GREAT! Honestly, I was preparing for the worst, because I'm not a fan of the Harry Potter movies - I believe that the books are so much better. Of course, it was the same in this case, but after hearing some horrible reviews and moaning of my friends how they wanted their ticket money back, I can only say that they're all wrong. The storyline is almost the same as in books (one of the most important things for me) and even though some plots are not shown, I secretly hope that they will put it into extended edition or in the DVD extras. It was scary, it was magical, it was emotional. I was growing up with these books and reading them on the planes, in New York, Poland and London, so maybe that's why they have a special place in my heart.

After the cinema we went to Wagamama, but I wasn't really in the mood for it, so I didn't eat much. Then we decided to go and see the exhibition I was DYING to see in a National Portrait Gallery. It's Isabella Blow by Noble and Webster. Isabella Blow was an English magazine editor and international style icon. She was the muse of the hat designer Philip Treacy, to whom she gave recognition and she has also discovered Alexander McQueen. So it's not a surprise that I was so disappointed. I was expecting her signature hats and dresses and all I got was this sculpture made of rats and crows, which - when underlit - shows Blow's profile.

That's all I got

This is the ONLY object in the tiny room, except a small board with Blow's life history. I was suspicious when I saw that the entry is free, but I would rather pay to see something special that this. To ease my pain we went to see three other exhibitions:  

From Where I Stand: Photographs by Mary McCartney (daughter of Paul McCartney)  - dsplay celebrates the publication of McCartney's first book, From Where I Stand, selected from her archive from the 1990s to the present and include photographs of Helen Mirren and Gwyneth Paltrow;

Ballet In Focus - collection of photographs and the richness and variety of dance on the British stage in the early decades of the twentieth century aka another disappointment;

Twentieth Century Portraits Photographs by Dmitri Kasterine - one of the most significant portrait photographers working in Britain from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, the display presents a cross section of the most eminent cultural figures of the twentieth century like Samuel Beckett and Stanley Kubrick.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Yesterday we ventured to the outside world - finally - after all the illnesses, fevers and bad cough. I was so happy! We went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I am a MAJOR fan of the books. I got them as a Christmas present from my uncle when I was six years old. I was reading them all the time throughout the years and I love them! The books are pure magic. I am fortunate to have them in two big hardcover editions, which are sturdy and full of the coloured original illustrations. I remember that there was a time when I was reading all stories so often, that I've known them by heart. My personal favourite is The Horse and His Boy, which I have also in English, French and I also recently purchased one copy in Spanish - I am mad! But I know the story by heart, I know all the sentences and it's a good way to learn a language - to read something you know so well - only in a "slightly" different manner. 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - the movie - was of course made in a Hollywood style. There were some over the top scenes, but in the end - I liked it. Of course, as a usual practice, they've altered the storyline and bended it for better filming, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I was really impressed by the fact that they've managed to actually insert a meaning into a movie - we can see the internal struggles of the characters and how they are giving in or how they are trying to fight with them. I was surprised by it, because the book differs in that respect - it's more about the journey, while the movie is about different journey - the one which takes you to the darkest places of your own mind and soul. So, now I am very interested in watching Black Swan.

Today I wanted to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I am SO behind), but because Boyfriend has (so far) a mild attack of the kidney stones, we've stayed inside. I also wanted to see two exhibitions in the National Gallery, but this also had to be postponed for the next weekend.

Bad and good reviews

Expect surprises

This weekend we went to see The Tourist. I'm not a fan of Angelina Jolie. I've always belonged to the Jennifer Aniston camp and always will. However, after watching Changeling I saw her more as an actress, rather than a celebrity with husband's blood in a phial around her neck. And surprisingly, even though in The Tourist a second leading role plays Johnny  Depp, it was Angelina's portrait of Elise that convinced me. Johnny Depp's  flimsy performance just didn't sell his character - I could see him as an actor playing the role, not an actual person he played. 

I've read the movie's review in The Sunday Times and as usual - it has only two stars while I enjoyed it. No matter who is reviewing the movies the only advice The Sunday Times gives me is to check out movies with the least stars. I don't know how these people measure the cinema. Apparently, it should be innovative, modern with a twist of being old-fashioned and at the same time a breakthrough. Thankfully, the book reviews are usually alright. For the next week in a row I've found a worrying trend - that the top ten of the best-selling hardback copies are ALL memoirs of some kind of celebrity Z-list stars (OK, there is one A-list - member of The Rolling Stones, but that's it). Who is reading those "books" written by comics and entertainers with a really ugly front-cover?

And yesterday I've watched the final of The X Factor - just like other 20 million people. Matt Cardle won, I'm very happy - I was supporting him from the beginning.  Especially after he sang Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" or "First time ever I saw Your face" in a more than perfect way. He was mentored by Dannii Minogue, who for me is a role-model. Although people say that we shouldn't  vote for people just because they are mentored by a particular judge, the reality is a little bit different. It's the end of  The X Factor saga for now, Dom-dom will be free to go on dates on weekend's evenings (she is addicted to the show and NEVER misses an episode!), I'll be able to go to the cinema without regrets and the gossip columns will be full of the new details of the wannabies' lives.