Brighton, UK, in pictures.

Last Saturday, my brother and I decided to hop a train to Brighton (about an hour away from London, UK). The closer we got to the coastal city, the sunnier it became. Needless to say, we were very glad we picked that day.
When we got to Brighton train station, we were directed out, which my brother and I found strange; it made us wonder what was going on. We found out soon enough: gay pride! That also explained why the train was packed with gays and lesbians *facepalm*

We checked out a little stretch of beach to kill time before the parade started. My brother was looking for gems, and I was snapping some pics - including the one above.

My brother and I had fun watching the parade, people (and their pets) and enjoyed the sunshine, too. It was a short parade, but a nice one. When it was over, I noticed I was hungry (I had a small breakfast). Arnold knew of a place and we walked to it: my brother is currently dating a (Dutch) girl and took her to Brighton for a few days before I came over. It was obvious he was familiar with the surroundings, so I totally trusted on him to show me all the good places. I like the fact that Brighton is small and compact, and everything is within walking distance.
My brother took me to a little health food place (he said he spotted body builders who went to the place for their (proteine) shakes). Lunch was fresh and delicious!

My brother knew of a place where they have pedis with fishes, so I decided that was our next stop. It was an interesting experience! I'm glad my brother warned me to not take my feet out the tank once the little fish start nibbling away: it tickles. I opted for a 20-minute-pedi (time flew by!), after which our feet got a quick shower, and we were given some citrus smelling lotion to rub into them. I can't remember my feet being so smooth ever - like a baby's bum.

After walking around the narrow streets, my brother took me to a little place called "Naked" for some delicious tea. It's one of those places that locals know of, but tourists walk by. I had excellent rose tea with a slice of freshly baked slice of apple walnut pie. My brother had some kind of tea emperors in the olden days used to drink - with a bag of crisps. Then it was off for more exploring.

Kemp Town (a little neighborhood) aka Camp Town started to the right of that building. No surprise, eh?
My brother and I actually found an Indonesian restaurant! I'm not sure why it's called "Shop seven" - "Resto seven" would have made more sense to me. I liked the little bilingual sign that said they were closed (tutup - open is "buka").

You know how time flies when you're having fun. That Saturday flew by like a little breeze! Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. I mentioned a place called Terre a Terre before flying out to London, UK, and he said he had several meals there (it's his favorite restaurant in Brighton - and now it's mine, too) so it wouldn't be a problem to take me there for a bite.
He recommended the tapas, which we shared. The food was absolutely delicious! As was the cocktails: I had a Salty Dog, my brother had a Raspberry Kir.

Texas in concert at "Bospop" (July 8, 2011)

Several days after watching The Trews play an excellent show at Alderney Landing I was on my way to Europe: a Scottish band called Texas were scheduled to play the first day of a Dutch classic rock festival called Bospop. I’m not sure why it’s called Bospop; “bos” is Dutch for forest, but the festival site was in the middle of a meadow. By the way: I saw a guy sporting a Trews T-shirt, but I didn't get the chance to find out whether he's Canadian or not.


Still jetlagged, I met a couple of friends at the entrance of the festival site. It was sunny and I was looking forward to spending time with them, catching up and enjoying the music. Among the better known bands playing that day were The Faces, Foreigner and Journey. I have to admit I didn’t care enough to check them out all the bands. I was there to see Texas: it’s been several years since I last seen them in concert (the first time I saw them live was some time in the early 90s as Bryan Adams’s opening act).
The band played the smaller stage (in a huge tent) between Journey and closing act Joe Cocker (both on the main stage), and I didn’t have any problems with skipping Journey in favour of getting a spot at the front row - or as close as I could get - at the Texas gig. (In case you were wondering: I managed to get a spot in the second/third row throughout the concert.)
I could tell by eavesdropping on conversations most of the people in the front rows were fans. What I liked about the festival is the fact that people who had (never) heard of the band had the opportunity to check them out. 



 



Texas did not disappoint: even though their set was short (they weren’t headlining) they made sure to play their biggest hits, and gave it their all while doing so.
Guitarist Ally McErlaine, who suffered a brain aneurysm a few years ago and recovered, has been on the band’s current tour: Bospop was one of their dates on their schedule. It was great to see him back. This was their setlist that night:  


I Don't Want A Lover
Everyday Now
In Demand (yes, that’s professor Snape dancing)
Black Eyed Boy
Halo
In Our Lifetime
When We Are Together
Summer Son
The Conversation (a new song)
Say What You Want
Inner Smile
Suspicious Minds (yes, an Elvis cover)


Before I knew it their show was over, and Joe Cocker was about to start on the main stage. I knew that high of having enjoyed a good show was going to wear off soon, and then my jetlag will hit me even harder, so I decided to go home. I can’t wait for their new album, and a new tour.

Toronto and Peterborough, ON

I was in Toronto and Peterborough about a month ago, and instead of blogging about it, I figured I recap through posting a few pictures. Here goes:

I really wanted that T-shirt. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it in my size....




Chocolate!




Cool drinks with Sean and Moose.




Hot day: some offices had their windows opened, some not.




Detail of wooden staircase at the AGO.




Serena Ryder's mom, Barb, posing with Moose and me!




The infamous lift lock (the main reason I visited Peterborough - besides hanging out with Sean, and meeting Serena Ryder's mom).




I have my own street! ;)




Pretty lights (at a movie theater).

London, baby!

This was originally posted on January 22, 2011.



My brother was a little late in arriving at the airport, so I waited at Costa Coffee. We caught up over tea and a cappuccino before traveling back into London. We went straight to Slurp for a late dinner - we both had skipped lunch, so we were both very hungry by the time we got there. This time I tried the Chicken Teriyaki Bento. Delicious!

The next day Arnold and I traveled to Victoria Station and looked for the Oxford Tube stop, which my brother found in no time. Then we traveled on to Canada Square aka Canary Wharf - via Canada Water, a Tube stop. We wondered around till we were hungry and it was time for dinner. (I came across a sweet deal: HMV sold a boxed set containing all seasons of Torchwood for just £40!) It was freezing outside, and we were glad when we spotted a place called Wahaca, a Mexican restaurant. The food they served was simple, but really good, and our dishes both were very yummie.
I woke up early on Monday morning: I had a bus to catch. I found rush hour pretty much the same in any country. At Victoria I got a sandwich and lemonade before getting on the coach. I picked a seat on the upper deck (it's a double decker) in the front so I can see the landscape go by. Unfortunately, less than half an hour later the windows were pretty much fogged up, and I decided to enjoy the backside of my eye lids instead for half an hour: the journey to Oxford went so much quicker! My friend Alice was waiting for me at the bus station.

She took me to a comic book store, which - unfortunately - was closed. (Later, she also took me to a little pub, which was closed as well - for renovations by the looks of it.) The center of Oxford is easily walkable, and I enjoy the surroundings. It's very obviously a university town, and having read "His dark materials" by Philip Pullman I wandered around wondering where Lyra would go if she were here.
After lunch, we walked to Christ Church: that's where the dining hall scenes of the first two Harry Potter films were shot. Whee!
We also visited the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and proceeded to the Pitt Rivers Museum, which has an extensive collection. Excellent stuff!
We end the day with dinner at a pun called The Four Candles; their Sweet Chili Noodles isn't bad at all.
My brother quickly popped in to wish me a happy birthday the next morning, before I went to work. I spent the morning very relaxed, because I wasn't supposed to pick up Alice (who was traveling in from Oxford) until after 11am. We met up on Victoria Station, where Alice got a tube ticket valid for an entire day (and I got her a subway tube map so she could navigate easier and quicker through the London underground).
We set off to London's theater district aka West End, where we were going to have lunch with Ian (also a SiP fan). It turned out that West End is steps away from Chinatown, and I even found The Hems, a Dutch pub my brother's mentioned. We located Med Kitchen, and to kill some time before lunch Alice and I browse a few bookshops.
Alice and I arrived at the Med Kitchen a few minutes early: Ian had let us know via Faceplace he might be running a little late, but to go ahead and start with drinks (he made reservations).
Ian turned out exactly like he is online: a lovely guy. The food is good, the company, too. Perfect, eh? (Their fries, by the way, is crispy and non greasy. Exactly the way I like it!) Lunch is his treat (he remembered it was my birthday) and I told him if he ever visits the Netherlands I'll buy him and his wife lunch. He told us that there were two comic book stores nearby: a Forbidden Planet (I'm familiar with the one in Croydon, because my brother took me there. But it was closed because it was New Year's Day.) and Gosh! I manage to find Terry Moore's Echo #27, but neither carry back issues (#25 and #26). Oh well... I do manage to find the collected volumes of Paradise, Too.
Both Alice and I restrain ourselves, and managed to not spend a fortune on books.
After work, Arnold wanted to meet up with us for dinner, so with an hour or so to kill Alice and I agreed on having pre-birthday drinks at The Hems. Alice had a Flemish beer and I enjoyed a Jack and Coke when my brother called: he was on his way to meet us at The Hems.
Walking around and on our way to the Hems, I spotted a Chipotle: a mexican restaurant I got familiar with when I visited Stacey (and when I found out there's one in Toronto as well, I went there, too). The food is great, but the steak burrito I had didn't convince me the way it did in the US or Canada (I had a different dishes there, but it shouldn't matter - right?). I'm glad Alice and Arnold loved theirs.
After dinner we headed over to Yates on Leicester Square - my brother has been here before with his room mates and thought it might be a nice place for after work birthday drinks. I thought we were early (it was about half an hour before 8pm), but the place was already packed! Fortunately, a group of people left and a high table with stools suddenly was available. Not sure how many more persons to expect we moved to that spot.
Derek walked in, and he, too, is a lovely guy. Funny stories to tell (in part thanks to his job at BBC radio) and very on top of today's music. Speaking of music, I don't know what was going on, but the later the hour, the more they cranked up the music. (My brother assured me it wasn't like that the last time he was there.) Not only was I older, I was also getting deafer by the minute.
Alice left around 10pm, back to Victoria Station to catch a coach back to Oxford. Derek, Arnold and I decided to call it a night. I had a great low key birthday with great people :)
Wednesday was my recuperation day - one I needed badly: despite the fact I was still coughing my lungs out, Arnold thought I was a little too active). I slept in, took a bath (despite the fact I love my brother's shower - he has the best!) watch "The Four Faced Liar" (which I thought was pretty good) and "Black Swan" (pretty disturbing). Arnold and I had dinner at a chain called Pizza Express; there's one close to where he lives and he hadn't tried their stuff before. We both tried thin crusted pizzas, and we agreed they were good.

The next morning I woke up early again, this time to catch a train leaving from Euston Station. I traveled with Arnold by bus to Brixton station where we got on the tube. I got off on Euston, my brother commuted on. With an hour to kill, I got a little breakfast on Euston Station. I needed a little help in finding my correct seat, and soon I was off towards Manchester (a little over 2 hours by train) where I was going to meet up with my friend Wendy. We bonded over K's Choice and Texas and have been chatting online for the past 3, 4 years and I knew we would get along very well.
I've known from early on Wendy wears hearing aid, so I reminded myself to make sure she looks at me when I talk to her. I was worried I might forget, but I instantly adapted to it and it wasn't a problem at all. Wendy was relieved to hear I have a distinct *gasp* American accent, instead of a distinct Dutch one (she's had a Flemish girlfriend in the past, and Wendy told me she had trouble making out what she said): it made "hearing" me much easier.
Wendy remembered I watched (the original) Queer as Folk back in the day, and took me to Canal Street. Despite having basked in the sun on my way to Manchester, it was drizzling when I got off the train. Fortunately, while Wendy showed me around in the city center it stopped.

She took me for lunch at Little Yang Sing, where we went for the veggie options (Wendy's a vegetarian, and I didn't feel like having meat). We shared starters: veggie spring rolls and steamed spicey vegetable and nut dumplings. Then Wendy had the stir fried mixed vegetables in black bean sauce, while I had the veggie rice vermicelli Singapore style. It was all quite good. Plus, they scored brownie points in my book for not adding MSG to their dishes.
After lunch we set out to a couple of comic book stores. (See a pattern here?) There's a Forbidden Planet in Manchester as well, and that's where I got my brother and I light sabres - heh heh... Unfortunately, they didn't carry Echo #25 and #26 either. Wendy knew of another little comic book store nearby: Travelling Man. And guess what? They carried them - wheee! (I caught up during the train ride home.) We also popped by the Manchester Art Gallery. (I love their kids' section.)

Manchester is different from London (and Oxford), but not in a bad way. I had a good guide, and before we knew it it was almost time for me to get back to the train station - passing the opportunity to have a drink at Vanilla. Rob was right when he suggested I should book a hotel room for the night, and return the next day. Who knows next time, eh?
I slept in the next day, had a relaxed morning. I met up with Arnold for lunch near his work. It was a dreary day, but lunch at Wasabi was good. I had veggie sushi, and edamame (to take out, so I could snack later). Traveling up to meet my brother I started to feel unwell, so after lunch I slowly trekked back. Back at the house I had an extended nap, only to be woken up when my brother called to asked if I felt like having a typical British "fish & chips" for dinner - or, in this case "chicken & chips". (No salt nor vinegar for me.) The food was better than I expected.

The next morning Arnold and I set out to Westfield Shopping Centre to catch the 11:35 screening of the last Harry Potter movie. Unfortunately for us, parts of the London Underground weren't running, so getting there took us longer. (In time for the afternoon screening!) First, we strolled around on Shepherd's Bush Market for a bit, before walking over to Westfield. Having skipped breakfast, I got my brother and I Buffalo Burgers at GBK. (They're very tasty, and my brother loved his.) We shared a small portion Chunky GBK Fries with really good garlic mayo.
We killed time before the start of the movie walking around the mall. Arnold and I both enjoyed the movie (it wasn't as good as the book...).  After the movie Arnold and I shopped some more. Or, more accurately, Arnold shopped some more. We had a massage (I was reminded why I don't have them; they hurt like hell! Yea, me being a bit tense is an understatement.) and later shared a freshly baked soft pretzel (cinnamon). We ended up having a really good talk (we hadn't had those in months) at the local Starbucks - till closing time and everybody was asked to leave.
By the time we got home it was late, and we weren't hungry. Arnold went to bed, I repacked my bag for the next day.
Over brunch, my brother and I were trying to determine the best way to get to Liverpool Street (where an express train rides directly to the airport). To cut a long story short, the trip ended up taking much longer than we anticipated. And when I had finally checked in, I had a little over 10 minutes till the gate closed. So, I hurriedly said goodbye to my brother, before "rushing" through security. After that I had less than 10 minutes, and getting to the gate would take about 12 minutes. Needless to say, I sprinted to the gate - despite the Bronchitis. I made it in time.

I had such a wonderful time visiting my brother. Not sure if and when another opportunity comes up to visit him. But if I do, I'd like to visit Brighton as well ( a 50-minute train ride!)...

NYE in London, UK

This was originally posted on January 3rd, 2011.

Instead of the first weekend of December mom and I made it to London (no cancellations this time! Three is a charm...). We celebrated my brother's birthday, NYE (at Trafalgar Square) and enjoyed good food. Nando's a good place to have spicy chicken, but Slurp's an excellent place to have Japanese food (or Chinese or Thai, if that's what you prefer). Speaking of chicken; those Brits sure love their chicken. There are about two or three fried chicken shacks on every block (or so it seemed).
After waiting an eternity it was finally 5 minutes to midnight: that's when the BBC starts airing live footage (there were plenty of choppers flying overhead) and huge screens were showing it. A massive countdown preceded the fireworks... And then: 20 tons of fireworks was blasted into the sky over the course of 15 minutes. It was awesome! (I guess I can scratch this off my bucket list now.) I think, together with the fireworks at Milwaukee Pride, this was the best I've seen this year. Wait. Technically, Milwaukee Pride was last year.

Me enjoying my food (and double Jack and Coke) at Slurp :)
My brother sneakily shot that one... Doesn't his chicken teriyaki bento look drool inducing as well?

Bonjour Paris!

This was originally posted on October 17, 2010.



Exactly one month ago, I arrived at the hotel in a Parisian suburb. I hadn't visited Paris, France, in several years, so I was stoked to be back for a weekend. Here's a (quick) recap in pictures:



I just loved my designer sink so much I wanted to take it home.



A nice comfy bed, with a firm mattress. I slept like a baby.



A Parisian rainbow!









A nice contrast between old and new:




One of the many entry ways into the subway. This one's in "Art Nouveau" font.



This one (obviously) isn't:






Sunday morning in Le Marais, the Jewish/gay neighborhood:




This used to be a bakery, now I'm not sure if I'd pick up a loaf of bread there:




Around the corner (turn left) from this traiteur/boulangery is where locals - and tourists - get the best fallafel in Paris (l'As de Fallafel). I, of course, tried one and it was definitely one of the best I ever had.





I had a fantastic weekend! EDIT: I'm so glad we went last month instead of now. Can you spell strike?