Victoria and Albert Museum

View from the John Madejski Garden

A few weeks ago, a friend and I went into London to have a nose around the Victoria & Albert Museum. Entry is free, and it's really easy to get to because it has its own exit from one of the tube stations!

There's so much to see that it would be impossible to sum it all up in one post (or even to properly take it all in during one visit!) but here are a few highlights...

Tasty Turkish!

After going to the British Museum on Monday, we stopped for lunch at Tas, an Anatolian Turkish restaurant that sits just along the street from the museum!

I was eager to try some of the food available, as it would count towards another goal on The List (also, I was hungry!)

043. Try foods of 5 different countries

Upon being seated, we were given bread with some kind of oil/youghurt/dill dip (tasty!) and olives (not so tasty).
Since we were short on time, we opted for some plates of meze to share:

Left to right (if I get this right having looked at their menu online): Mücver (courgette and goat's cheese fritters), Börek (filo pastry with feta and spinach), Icli Köfte (lamb and walnut kofte) and Zetinyagli bakla (broad beans).

Though it wasn't cheap, it was tasty and filling, and a nice treat for a day out!

I know that Turkey has a really diverse range of traditional food beyond meze, and Tas certainly had a lot of choices on their menu, but this was a nice way to sample what the cuisine has to offer!

British Museum

Yesterday I trawled up to London to go to the British Museum with Ann, my awesome manager (and history buff). I'd been thinking of going to the museum but wasn't keen on going there alone, so was grateful when Ann jumped in and offered to come along--thank you!

We looked mostly at Ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian artefacts, though briefly breezed through Assyria too!

Of course, it's impossible to go to the British Museum without seeing the Rosetta Stone (if you can see past the crowds around it). This was brought to the museum in 1802 and became key to deciphering hieroglyphs!

Another piece that is impossible to miss is this fragment of a statue of Ramesses II, which came from his Ramesseum (mortuary temple). It really dominates the room--you can't not see it if you're walking through.

I took around 270 photos altogether, so whittling it down to a few for this blog post was difficult. Even then, this has ended up a bit image-heavy, so here's a handy dandy read more...

Hyper Japan Christmas

After going to Hyper Japan's Christmas event two years ago, I was unsure about attending again when a group of friends suggested going. It had been fun last time, but the venue was cold, and the huge crowds were exhausting to my introvert brain (not to mention the stalls being exhausting to my wallet!)

But I went anyway, and I'm glad I did!

This time, we went on the Friday, which was still busy but thankfully quieter than the Saturday we went last time. I guess going at the end of the week is a good move!

As usual, Hyper Japan had a lot of things going on, including shopping, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances.

We had a good look around the 'Illuminight' exhibition--several rooms that displayed Japanese 'akari' lanterns (seen above!) With the rooms dark and gentle, traditional music playing, this exhibition was really peaceful to look at--a nice sanctuary away from the rush of the shopping area!

Of course, food is always a prominent feature in any day out, and as usual Hyper Japan did not disappoint!
I opted for the mixed set (Takoyaki, gyouza and pumpkin croquette) as I'd eaten last time from PEKO PEKO, Chicken katsu don  from Don Panko Katsu House, and a smores waffle from Miso Hungry!

Among the many demonstrations at Hyper Japan, one we stopped to watch was Taro Fukushika's demonstration of Shodo (Japanese calligraphy). As soon as I saw a guy with a bucket of ink and a huge piece of paper, I knew it was worth watching!

He worked super-fast, creating this piece in a matter of minutes! I hadn't seen anyone do calligraphy like this before, and had always been curious about how the larger characters are drawn (answer: a really big brush). It was impressive to watch!

We also watched part of a karate demonstration, but had to rush off for the next thing...

...a performance by FEMM!
Anyone who has followed this blog for a while will know I first heard FEMM during my one year music challenge. I'd missed their appearance in London earlier in the year, so it was great to have the chance to see them play at Hyper Japan. They only played a short set, but were very engaging. I enjoyed their mannequin-esque style of performance!

After that, we headed for home. I was pretty exhausted by then so was more than happy to take up my shopping bags and go!
(I'd post photos of my shopping here, but it's just nerdy stuff-- One Punch Man DVDs and various charms/pins of anime characters!)

It was a good day out; depending on what's on next year I may go again!

Swearing Therapy (and One Hell of a Goodie Bag)

After going to Stylist Live with my youngest sister last year, when I received an email about this year's event, I jumped at the chance to go.

A 'Festival of Inspiration', Stylist Live - hosted at Olympia - was chock full of health and beauty, fashion and lifestyle, with talks, food, drink and shopping!

Both of my sisters wanted to go this year, and having enjoyed the event last year, I decided to go for VIP tickets!
The VIP ticket included lots of awesome extras, such as food, drink, luxury pick 'n' mix (seen above!), glitter makeovers, a VIP lounge, beauty treatment, a talk, and a goodie bag!

Bubbleology

Before going to Stylist Live last Thursday, my sister and I had time to kill, and ended up in the Angel branch of the bubble tea shop Bubbleology.

I've had bubble tea before so the drink itself wasn't a strange thing to me, though making a decision about which flavour I want is always what takes me so long.

Eventually I went for lychee flavour, which I hadn't tried before!
I probably won't try it again either, because it wasn't the best bubble tea flavour I've had. However, the drinks here have a lot more tapioca pearls in them than other places I've been to, and the service was fast and friendly.

Not sure if I'll go to Bubbleology again, though this is mainly because I don't live anywhere near their shops. Still, their decor is cool, and they have a good number of options on the menu, so who knows...

Visiting Bubbleology counts towards another of my goals on The List:

036. Eat/drink in 30 new places

I'm at 27 now--nearly there!

Macramé and Shopping at Stylist Live

Crafting and shopping: two of my favourite things.
So when I heard about Stylist Live, a four-day event in London filled with workshops, talks, catwalk shows, shopping, food and a free Chambord cocktail, I knew I had to go!

I dragged along my youngest sister, who isn't much of a craft-oriented person, but is totally into fashion and beauty and well up for a day out trying something new.

We opted to go on the Thursday, and since the ticket price included a workshop, we went to learn how to make macramé hanging planters!

I Like My Music With Strong Visuals

Along with shopping and interesting food, Hyper Japan Christmas Market also had entertainment to offer! There was so much happening at the event that it was impossible to see everything, but we did manage to cram in a few performances, including two rock acts and a chindonya!

Octopus Balls and Curry Flavoured Fizz

Following on from yesterday's post, this one is dedicated to the food I bought at Hyper Japan Christmas Market on Saturday! Amongst other things, I tried a curry-flavoured soft drink, warm sake, and battered octopus balls...

Hyper Japan Christmas Market

On Saturday, my friend Sara and I headed off for fun and food at Hyper Japan Christmas Market at the Tobacco Dock, London.

The event involved more stalls/pop-up shops than you can shake a stick at, all selling goods relating to Japanese culture.

Down the Rabbit Hole

After scaling The O2, and eager for further adventure, my friend Lilia (Paracosm of Lilies) and I headed on to the Southbank Centre for an exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.

The artist was Carsten Höller (remember I mentioned him in my last post?) and his show Decision is his biggest in the UK so far.

Rather than an exhibition, it would be better described as an experience! A lot of the pieces were fully interactive, bringing a new dimension to the art world, and some rather trippy results!

This exhibition had a real Alice in Wonderland feel to it, with strange sights, weird experiences, and a very noticeable difference between the world outside, and the world within the exhibition itself.

Up at the O2

Yesterday, I went into London, and completed something that has been on The List for ages--and was one of my main goals for this year! Hurrah!

084. Climb the O2

I met up with Lilia, my lovely friend who blogs at Paracosm of Lilies, and we headed over to The O2, which is right next door to North Greenwich underground station!

For those unfamiliar with London's landmarks, The O2 is an entertainment complex that sits right next to the Thames, and includes an arena, cinema, restaurants, and a bowling alley, among other things.

Up at The O2 runs daily climbs over the dome, to a viewing platform on the summit which stands at 52 metres high!

Sukekiyo @ O2 Academy Islington 2014

Yesterday I met up with Lilia (my lovely and creative friend from Paracosm of Lilies) in London, and we went to a gig!

The gig in question was Japanese band Sukekiyo, who came to London's O2 Academy Islington on their 'Ameagari no Yuushi' tour.
Unusually for Japanese bands, photography was allowed, so I snapped a few pictures on my phone (most of which turned out incredibly blurry), though only during the first few songs.

The Ideal Home Show

As I noted on The List, there was a goal I'd already achieved:

037. Go to an event that isn’t an anime convention

 The event I attended was The Ideal Home Show at Earls Court, London.

The venue was dressed up to the occasion! 

I was lucky to snag a pair of free tickets through Money Saving Expert. My dad has always been interested in home improvement and has a few renovations under his belt, so we headed up to the show last Monday. Most of the people in the above picture had the same destination (and most of them had the same free tickets!)