13 hours, one screaming baby and four movies later, I have returned to the land of my birth for a much-needed two week break. This vacation will also include a weekend of feasting on, or attempting to feast on the best char siew in Kuala Lumpur. Yes, and in the month of Ramadan too. Never let it be said that I do not have Hokkien blood in me.*

* Because I'm guai lan lah.

P.S. Star Trek rocked, Sunshine Cleaning and A Night at the Museum were okay and 17 Again was terrible.

SW4 was incredible. I had doubts over whether I should go as I was going by myself, but Sander Kleinenberg's entertaining "This is Your Night" set which was, I'll admit, very much for the masses, and Sasha and Digweed's absolute blinder of a set more than affirmed my decision to go.

Sasha and Digweed's back to back set - the first one I've attended in recent memory - was amazing, and should go down as one of the best sets ever in the history of electronic music. They were ripping up the dance floor from start to finish. And I can't explain it, but I almost cried because their set was just so beautiful. 

What's the most amazing thing? I didn't have a single alcoholic drink. That's how much of a corker their set was.

Separately, they're geniuses. Together, they're the stuff legends are made of. Respect.

A fellow clubber - clearly on something or other - said to me, right before their set, "This day must rank as one of your best London experiences ever." I said, "Well, actually, that would be the U2 concert..." He then repied, "No, that was about watching someone. This day isn't about watching anyone. It's about you, being here, and being an amazing dancer."

I laughed and just said, "you haven't even seen me dance yet!" but I later realised he had. I'd been dancing next to him for Sander K's set and had somehow managed to return to the exact same spot after going off to grab something to eat.

It's really strange what clubbers say half the time, but what he said was still nice to hear! 

And I'm definitely going to have to agree with him; it does rank as one of my best experiences ever now!

Although a seemingly odd combination, I am incredibly fond of popping candy and chocolate. I first came across this at The Grove hotel, where I had taken a large piece of the chocolate but didn't realise what it contained, until about one minute later when I realised something was going on in my mouth. (Hey, I was hung over, give me a break.)

Montezuma's now offer up their version, called Zwickies, which I bought just yesterday. The first two pieces were disappointing; all snap and crackle, but no pop. But the third piece was incredibly satisfying. Plenty of fizzing, popping candy for your buck.

One could probably make some based off Chubby Hubby's take on Heston Blumenthal's Popping Candy cake. I knew I should have spent my last ten Norwegian Kroners on a bag of popping candy when I was there a couple of weeks back!

Woo, Central Perk is coming to London, and right after my two week vacation too! I absolutely loved Friends and even though the show’s long-gone, the thought of being able to hang out at the iconic café is really appealing to me… particularly seeing as it doesn’t look as if I’ll realise that long-held dream of dancing in a fountain with my friends anytime soon! And besides, Gunther’ll be there too. If that doesn’t entice you, then what will?!

I wish this were him, only he doesn't read PostSecret. And even if it were, I still wouldn't believe him, any more than I did at the beginning of the year. Actually, believing's one thing, it's the forgiving part that's way more difficult. And that is not something I feel able to do, even six months on.

Aw, f**k, f**k, F**K! U2 played Stay (Faraway, So Close!) and Bad at yesterday's concert... and both are in my top five U2 songs of all time, and I really really want to hear them live. I knew I should have gone for both nights, even if the Jubilee line was down. I'm really upset now. F**k!

Please, please, please let them go on tour again so that I get a fighting chance of hearing these songs performed live. Please? Sigh.

U2, as always, were amazing.

The 360 degree stage set-up aka The Claw was an incredible feat of technology and definitely something that only the biggest band in the world could afford. It was great for someone like me, given that I a) am not that tall and b) wasn't standing right at the front and able to see the stage. The video set-up was such that no matter where you were at the stadium, you could see everything happening (at least, for the big songs, as some of the other songs featured graphics instead).

Elbow was the supporting act for U2. I'll repeat that: the supporting act. A band which has been around for 11 years, and won the Mercury Music Prize last year was U2's warm-up act. U2 have always been able to attract some incredibly big names as their supporting act - Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Snow Patrol - and this just reflects just how awesome this band is. They've been around for ages, and have been the at the top of their game for the greater part of my life, and that's most definitely no small feat. Even though, like most fans, I prefer their older stuff to their more recent stuff, there's always been a song in every one of their albums I really enjoy. Magnificent off No Line on the Horizon,  Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own off How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Walk On and Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of on All That You Can't Leave Behind... the list goes on.

U2 kicked off the concert with four songs off NLOTH: Breathe, No Line on the Horizon, Get on Your Boots and Magnificent. I still think Get On Your Boots isn't that great a song, in part because of silly lyrics and also because it's just not that strong a song, but Magnificent definitely belongs in the 'stadium rock' category. With Bono's yearning vocals and The Edge's soaring guitar work, this is most definitely a song meant to be played to and sung by the masses (and that's not a bad thing!). 

After that, they went into some of the older stuff. I guess it felt a little like travelling through time, from their more recent songs into the classics, and that might be a painfully obvious thing to state as any concert by any established band tends to feel like that, but I felt this a lot more with U2, and I've been to quite a few concerts in my time. 

For me, the concert didn't really turn into the crowd-rocking experience I wanted it to be until they launched into I Still Haven't Found (What I'm Looking For) which was truly spectacular, and then into an acoustic version of Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of which featured just The Edge and Bono sounding incredibly soulful and simple, which isn't your typical U2 sound. I really enjoyed the latter as the song's definitely something I can relate to at this point in time. Heck, I could probably relate to any U2 song at any moment in time, and that's why they're such a great band, because of their ability to write music that touches people.

Other stand-out moments for me were I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight which turned Wembley Stadium into a giant rave venue for a couple of minutes with the house beats and amazing clubby lights, Unknown Caller which I think is an incredibly stupid song but which made me crack up with the lyrics being displayed and lighted up a la karaoke on the giant screen, Where the Streets Have No Name, which must have the most amazing guitar intro of all-time because it always gets me just there, and Walk On, which was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi. 

Say what you like about U2's soapboxing - which is really just down to Bono, and not the other three, to be fair - but it is effective. Because of just how big they are, they're able to focus people's attention on matters which would otherwise escape notice. And they can't be accused of doing something because they're trying to expand Ireland's influence, that's for sure. 

The one thing I'll admit to being disappointed by? That they didn't play Stay (Faraway, So Close!). Yes, it's not a typical feature on their setlist (they haven't performed it on tour since 2001), but they have played it a few times so far on this tour (Berlin, Dublin, Gothenburg and Zagreb) and I was really hoping their first night in London would be one of the rare times. Damn. I swear the day I finally get to experience this song live, I'll break down and cry.

Still, U2 live is a truly incredible experience, and I'm lucky enough to have seen them three times. I saw U2:3D earlier this year as well, and while that was almost as good as going to a concert seeing as it's almost as if you're on the stage with them, I think standing in a crowd full of fellow fans, getting to jump up and there and just go crazy, knowing full well that the view's better in the seating area but the atmosphere's ten times better where you are... Enough said.

"It's summer and you're not at the beach, so you must really want to be here!" Bono said midway, almost as if he couldn't believe why anyone would want to spend a lovely summer evening with the best band ever. Silly man.

Dear U2,

Please do Stay (Faraway, So Close!) tomorrow. Please, please, please, please, please?

Much love,

Little Miss Random

So that pain in my side has been diagnosed as shingles. I had chicken pox as a kid, and, apparently, shingles can flare up when a body's stressed or tired and other things which generally make your immune system low. If it was just a sharp shooting pain every now and then, I could probably deal. But it's itchy and the pain tingles too. Ugh.

According to the doctor, as well as the Internet, the rash should subside in about two to four weeks. I don't know if I can wait that long! 

Ever since watching Wall-E, I'd been curious about Hello Dolly. If you haven't watched the movie, Put on Your Sunday Clothes and It Only Takes a Moment feature prominently throughout the show, while the musical itself, we learn, is instrumental in making sweet robot Wall-E yearn for love and affection. So when the Open Air Theatre at Regent's Park announced it was putting on a performance of Hello Dolly as part of their summer season, I got right in there and purchased a ticket for this evening, which also happened to be opening night.

And boy am I glad I did! Although it was an open air theatre, the sound was amazing. The band - which to me looked like a five person band - sounded like a full orchestra, and, aside from the time a helicopter passed overhead, I could hear every single word. The cast itself was amazing. Olivier award-winning Samantha Spiro played Dolly, the Jewish New Yorker matchmaker perfectly. Her accent sounded incredibly authentic to these untrained ears of mine. Allan Corduner as Horace Vandergelder played the part of a grumpy, gruff male chauvinist to the hilt. In fact, the interaction between Dolly and Horace reminded me strongly of the relationship between Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.

The only thing which let opening night down was the weather. It drizzled heavily (you know the kind of drizzle... the kind where it's too light to take out an umbrella but heavy enough that you still end up quite wet) before the show began, and also midway through the second half. Luckily, my colleague loaned me his anorak because, by this time, I was starting to freeze, much like the last time I went to the Open Air Theatre eight years ago. As the stage isn't covered, this meant that the stage got really wet, so wet you could see it glistening, and I began worrying about the dancers. It's not easy to tap dance at the best of times, and, on a wet, potentially slippery surface? Even harder!

Hello Dolly is a good ol' fashioned musical with happy, exuburant songs which just cannot fail to cheer you up. Rather similar to Hairspray, come to think of it. I'd definitely recommend this to any musical-loving person. On top of that, the Open Air Theatre's an experience that every Londoner's got to experience at least once in his or her life!

I {heart} LDN #googleplex

Camden Lock (taken August 8, 2009)

I was supposed to head to a Balboa workshop yesterday, but, thanks to the whimsies of fact (aka an affliction which is currently causing me pain whenever a certain area is pressed, and would certainly have been pressed in any partner dance), I ended up lying down on my sofa trying to get some sort of pain relief, when I thought, "F*** it. The weather's so nice, I might as well get out of the flat and explore some beautiful part of London."

And that's how I ended up making a 35 minute journey to Melrose & Morgan near Primrose Hill.

Melrose & Morgan is one of the coffee houses featured in Time Out's recently updated feature on where to drink coffee in London. It's also one of the few I hadn't yet tried, and adventurous creature that I am, I thought, "Why not?"

A beautiful day indeed

The only problem, as it turned out, is that Melrose & Morgan is located between Camden Town and Chalk Farm. In other words, it's near enough that I wouldn't be daunted by the thought of having to walk between ten and 15 minutes from either station, but not near enough for it to be incredibly convenient. Still, the walk was well worth it, maybe more so for me, given that this was my second visit to Primrose Hill, and my first during the day.

M&M is both a cafe and a deli, with beautiful pastries, salads and sandwiches all laid out a wooden table in the centre of the cafe. They also sell jams, honeys, cheeses and Monmouth coffee, all of which are laid out on shelves adorning the wall. Now, if you've ever been to The Albion Cafe in Shoreditch, you'll probably be struck by how similar the layout is, right down to the display of bread and the unfinished wooden furniture. That's exactly what I thought when I first walked in, thinking I'd somehow managed to teleport myself to East London without realising it.

There was one big difference between the Albion and M&M though; the latter didn't have too mnay places to sit. It wasn't a problem at 4.15 pm, but I can imagine it being packed during the lunch-time rush. There were around eight stools by the wooden counter along the glass facing Gloucester Avenue, something I was a little worried about as I had opted for a short cheerleader style outfit that day. Still, I managed to get myself up and perch myself comfortably without flashing anyone (I hope) and proceeded to order a chocolate & raspberry tart (£2.95) and a skinny cappuccino (£2) from the friendly chef.

The chocolate & raspberry tart came almost immediately, as expected, and I did my best not to eat any part of it while waiting for my coffee to be prepared. I couldn't resist, however, and I took one small bite and was rewarded by dark chocolate-y goodness nicely complemented by a slightly tart berry taste.

Yummy

The coffee was rather mild and smooth, which meant it was perfect for a lazy Saturday. If I had been in the office, however, I'd probaby prefer it stronger, but no quibbles from this so-called connoisseur was in a very lazy mood. My only quibble is that it came in a paper cup even though I was clearly eating in. I guess it's convenient because if I'd decided to go elsewhere, I could bring my drink with me, but I do prefer to drink out of less temporary devices when I'm staying in one place for a relatively long time.

Coffee o'clock (because this reminds me of a sun dial for some reason)

In spite of the few seats in the place, I managed to read comfortably for about half an hour or so without being disturbed, not even by staff clearing my dishes, something I'm not fussed about, as it tends to make me feel a little harried. During that 30 minutes, a couple and their son came in and chatted with one of the chefs or managers about their visit to the zoo. Clearly, they were regulars and it's always good to know a place has a bit of a neighbourly feel.

As I got up to pay, the same chef I'd ordered from asked if I was just visiting or living in London. The latter, I replied, but I'm not from this area. With a friendly smile, she said I should come a little earlier next time, and grab some food and go to the hill for a picnic. I'll do that, I said, and the next time, with a friend!

Melrose & Morgan
42 Gloucester Avenue
London NW1 8JD

Monday to Friday, 8am - 7pm
Saturday, 8am - 6pm
Sunday, 9am - 5pm