I read somewhere that divorce/separation and losing one's job rank among the most stressful life events that one could face. Moving house, apparently, also ranks somewhere up there.

If you count my split from MD as ranking in the former category - and I suppose you could, given that I loved MD more than any other guy I've dated  - then you can see why I'm not at all keen to contemplate having to move. I love the location of my place; it's central, it's got great transport links to anywhere else in London, and it's near to a whole host of amenities and entertainment options. And for the rent I'm paying, it's a bargain.

But that's the main issue: I'm paying rent. And I'm no longer receiving a regular pay cheque. It's a considerable drain on my resources, and I need to accept that. I'm such a pack-rat that there'll be loads of things I'll have to put into storage once I move out that it's a logistical nightmare. And I really wish I didn't have to deal with a third life event right now... or rather, I'd prefer to be dealing with another stressful life event - starting a new job - instead of this one.

I am the happiest girl alive right now.

Obviously, if you've been a regular reader over the last few days, you'll know that I won tickets to watch U2 perform on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge at the BBC Broadcasting House on Portland Place, now one of several London landmarks which hold immensely happy memories for me.

Strangely enough, my win was due to someone posting on the MoneySavingExpert.com's Freebies board, one of my daily reads. I knew there was a competition going on but I hadn't been following it as I'd kind of gotten into a rather lazy funk over the last week or so.

So bless you, MSE poster, and, more importantly, bless you, BBC Radio 1, for picking me as one of the lucky randomly selected fans.








Doors were supposed to open at 11 am. Having been to the BBC Broadcasting House for a radio show before, and knowing full well of the BBC's overbooking policy, not to mention U2 is just about the biggest band in the world, I arrived at just after 9.30 am so as to ensure I got in. And good thing I did, as the BBC decided to open doors early at 10.30 am given the sheer number of people waiting.







As my friend and I were among the first 150 to get in, we managed a coveted place on the lower floor of the Radio Theatre. We'd waited 2 1/2 hours just to get to this stage, and it would be a further 20 minutes before Jo Whiley would come on to introduce U2.

U2 was due to perform three songs off their new album, No Line on the Horizon (reviews here, here and here). Bono informed the audience - in a lovely Irish brogue which I hadn't noticed when I watched them perform in Sydney nor in U2 3D - that this would be the first time the band would be performing the songs live, and "hope [they] don't screw up."

They kicked off with Get On Your Boots, a title I'm not overly fond of, to say the least.

The song was inspired by the band being on holiday and seeing a couple with a young child. Bono explained that they were just tired of all the war and suffering in the world, and just wanted to celebrate love. This drew an "awwww" from those of us there.









Next up was Magnificent, a song about love with Bono's soaring vocals and The Edge's trademark guitar sound which I quite enjoyed, and, then, Jo announced that U2 was going to do a cover for us(whereupon Bono burst into an off-key rendition of Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl) but as they'd been so busy with the new album, they hadn't had time to prepare, so, instead they'd perform a vintage U2 song. Bono quipped, "Just think of us as a U2 cover band" before launching into Beautiful Day, an entirely apt song for what this day would turn out to be for me. During the last few guitar bits of the song, Bono sang the first verse of The Beatles - Blackbird, something he'd done before in another concert performance I'd seen (on DVD or in the cinema), but was nonetheless, lovely to hear live.

They ended off the performance with Breathe, the most anthemic of the three new songs, though definitely not in the same stadium-bursting, get-on-your-feet-inducing way that Beautiful Day.

So, as it turns out, U2 will be going on tour in "early summer" and they'd very much like to do Glastonbury one day, but wouldn't commit as to when. Much to my delight, they said they'd be working on "cheaper ticket prices" although there would be "really expensive tickets" available as well, as "rich people have feelings too, I'm told," Bono deadpanned.

I can't wait! As always, I really hope I'll get the opportunity to see them in London, because I doubt the band will drop by Singapore. It's simply not big enough to host a band of this size.

Edited to add: Damn, I missed out on the secret Regent Street rooftop gig! Still, I'd rather have gone for the Radio 1 gig, simply because I could see them, as opposed to being on street level, unable to see much.

Run Riot is a weekly listing of arts events taking place in London. Events listed include art, dance, clubbing, music, media and theatre. It's not as comprehensive as Time Out, and events featured usually tend to be those targeted at the alternative and quirky crowd.

On another London-related feature, this week's Time Out feature is on rockabilly nights for those wanting to indulge their jive cravings, both in terms of music and dressing up. I keep meaning to go for one of these events just to see what they're like. Perhaps the next Rock-a-Hula at Proud?

And just as I was thinking about what to do this weekend, it turns out there's a murder mystery game on for Lates at the V&A. How cool is that?

Bea (of Bea's of Bloomsbury) is a genius! Aren't these just amazing? [via Bea's RSS feed]
Now, I haven't managed to make it down to her cafe just yet, but I've heard so many good things about her, and she sounds lovely over the phone.

Peace in one's morning cuppa

Snapped at The Buttery in Oxford

After a much-needed break from London, I got back to find this:

We've got some good news for you. You've been randomly selected to receive a pair of tickets to the recording of three live tracks from U2 on Radio 1's Live Lounge.

Woo hoo! Hopefully I get there early enough to get into the recording studio!

Coming on the heels of the free ticket to the sold-out The Killers concert on Monday, this is shaping up to be quite an unexpectedly musical week!

Recently, Ask Annie, Fortune magazine's career agony aunt column, has had some particularly pertinent snippets of advice for someone in my position. While I do read through most of the pieces she writes, I don't usually take anything away from them as I find them a little geared towards the American work environment to be of use to me. However, her most recent posts on getting an MBA if you've been laid off recently and job-hunting for introverts have struck a chord with me.

I have to admit that getting an MBA in order to ride out the recession is incredibly tempting. However, I've been putting off thinking about this seriously for a number of reasons. Firstly, I don't think I have the correct motivation. If I were to go into further studies, I would like to do it because it's something I'm interested in, not because it's something I fell into or was forced into because of extenuating circumstances. That being said, doing an MBA is better than prolonged unemployment, or taking a job which makes potential employers go "now what the heck happened there?"

In any case, I'm currently focussed on looking for a new job, although, given that most of the new jobs tend to be found via contacts as opposed to headhunters and job boards, being in a city where my network is not quite existent doesn't exactly help me any. Not to mention the fact that I feel I'm rather shy, and I just don't know how to network.

A person I met recently told me he didn't know that many people who distinguish between 'networking' and 'making friends' the way I did. For my part, I don't know many people who don't! I mean, I treat the former as 'getting to know people because they may one day be of use to me' while the latter's just... well, 'these guys seem like cool enough people to hang out with.' I wish I could reconcile the two as I recognise that the two could conceivably peacefully co-exist, but... yes, sometimes I feel as if I've separated what makes me such a strong individual outside of work and just dialled down all of that in any work environment that I don't know how to use or activate any of those qualities anymore.

There was one night in December when MD held me in his arms as I was crying and he just kept saying, "Everything will be all right. I love you very, very much." At the time, it felt more like a promise rather than just mere empty words.

And now, it's come to this.

How did it go from one to the other so quickly?

"Have I ever lied to you?" he asked during our last meeting.

No, buddy, but you must have one hell of a doctorate in misdirection.

After telling my parents about the break-up - about the break-up with the only boy I've especially brought home for them to meet - my parents told me not to worry about him, and that I knew best, and that they loved me. I said goodbye and hung up and then burst into tears.

Honestly, most of the time, I can take it, but there are moments and there will continue to be moments when I am completely and utterly miserable and there is nothing more I want to do than to go home, go back to Singapore, and just be with people who love me and whom I love and whom I know will not let me down.

I'm wondering whether I should start up a post, or, heck, even an entire category devoted to all of my eBay treasures. It'll probably have to be a category, given that, I've received in excess of over 30 feedback comments in the past 12 months alone. *coughs*

This is why I shouldn't have been one of those to be retrenched; my spending habit alone would have helped to prop up the fragile UK economy.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share these two vintage/eBay blog finds. First up is Fashion Toast, run by Rumi, who also has her own store on eBay (Treasure Chest Vintage). I absolutely adore love her LA-style. And she's gorgeous! And she loves Léger too! I think I've got a girl-crush on her. Like seriously.

Next is eBay Fashion Addict, a blogger who, believe it or not, shares not just her favourite eBay vintage stores with the rest of the blogosphere, but also the auctions which are closing but currently still have low bids. I'm not sure I would be that generous with my finds if I were planning to bid on them too, but hey, who knows? That, and a true eBayer always opts to snipe. I've lost count of the number of auctions I've lost in the last five seconds. And it's such a thrill when I manage to pull one off myself. Heh.

Anyway, back to my eBay loot page... I'd love to share what I've bought with the rest of the world (or maybe just the three readers I have), but I value my privacy greatly (in a weird "yes, but I still maintain a public blog" sort of way), so if I do share them, it'll have to be the not-so-instantly-recognisable ones, like the long, red BCBG evening gown I acquired not too long ago (as every lady needs an LRD on top of an LBD), as opposed to the multi-coloured Hervé Léger vintage dress or psychedelic op art mod dress I purchased last year. Still, given that I haven't quite had the occasions to wear these gems, even if I do live in London where anything goes, it'll be a shame if no one gets to see them. What do you think?

The cake is good, say P. and other guinea pig. Hurrah, says I. (Can you tell I'm in a bit of an Alan Clark Diaries mood?)

The only thing is, it makes you fall asleep very quickly, according to P. Not a problem. I've been having some difficulty sleeping lately, so it's good for someone like me... but probably not P. who ate it during his lunch break and had to go back to work.

Today's turning out to be a bit of a retro day for me. First, I caught up with an old friend (i.e. guinea pig) for dinner and drinks at my place. We chatted about everything before she caught the last tube back. I had intended to go out clubbing after that, but due to an unexpected wardrobe mishap (literally; the support for my wardrobe rail broke), I had to repack and redistribute my clothes.

I would love to say that I don't know how I managed to double or possibly triple my wardrobe in 14 months, but seeing as I was showing off my most recent vintage purchase (a Geoffrey Beene '80s Art Deco-inspired jacket) to my friend over dinner, that would clearly be a lie. Add that to my pack rat tendencies and you'd definitely say this was a long time coming.

I ended up sorting my clothes into "clothing which I loved when I was younger but wouldn't wear now", "work clothes", "expensive vintage clothes" and "clothes which I love, which I wouldn't wear now but can't bear to throw away and will re-visit in a few months". Now if only I could make some decent money out of the clothes I'm willing to dispose of...

After that, I proceeded to pour myself a stiff drink - I don't usually drink alone, but it's been an exceedingly long week - and watching Future Sound of London music videos, namely, Papua New Guinea and We Have Explosive. The latter prompted off some dancing in my living room (including an attempt at popping!) which probably annoyed the heck out of my downstairs neighbour.

Good stuff.

Mmmmmm. Strength 7 extra mature cheddar. Deliciously good.

I am baking, believe it or not. It's only the second time I've ever done so in my life... and the first time in over eight years. The cake is currently in the oven, and I'm hoping it turns out well. I didn't quite follow the recipe after all, having forgotten when to put in a certain ingredient and ending up mixing it in far too early. In addition, given my current situation where I may end up having to move from my beloved apartment so as to cut costs, I didn't want to buy a dedicated cake tin and am actually using my roast pan for the cake instead.

Fingers crossed and less than half an hour to go.

The first time I ever tried to bake, I made chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, they turned out more like chocolate chip pancakes. Once my mother recovered from her laughing fit, she said it was probably because my mixture was too moist. My friend/guinea pig on that occasion doesn't remember the pancake-ness of the cookies, but does remember that they tasted good.

This is a good thing, because said friend will be a guinea pig for the cake as well. Hopefully, she'll still be around to see her boyfriend when he touches down in London this Saturday.

On an chocolate-related note, I tried some truly divine hot chocolate from Paul A. Young Fine Chocolates yesterday. It's pure, thick, decadent chocolate-y goodness. Yum. Apparently, if you go to the shop and tell them you read about them on Boing Boing, you'll get a free hot chocolate. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know about this when I came across the shop yesterday!

Edited to add: It turned out edible and rather sweet. There's no taste of chocolate, unfortunately, as I mixed it into the batter, instead of spreading it on top of the batter as the recipe originally called for. Ah well. It just tastes a little caramelly now, which is no bad thing.

And now begins the time when I stop answering calls and responding to texts. I didn't want to respond to his text - the one thanking me for what I'd made for him some weeks back but had only just delivered yesterday - and he knows I don't want to see or speak to him, but I wasn't brought up to be rude. And I'll admit, I wanted to hurt him as well.

So I texted back a two word response: You're welcome.

That was it. No sign-off, no "xoxo", no nothing.

And I hope he saw the hidden messages as well. "Leave me alone." "I'm only doing this because I'm polite." "I meant it. I'm not speaking to you, I don't want you in my life." 

So much more effective than simply not responding.

I love walking. This is one of the reasons I love London so. It's such a walkable city... when the weather's good. And the weather has been particularly mild this week. Yesterday evening, all I had on was a coat and a tracksuit and I wasn't cold at all. Amazing.

That being said, I'm not a particularly good walker. Twice in two days now - or if you'd prefer, twice in 24 hours - I've almost fallen down a flight of stairs. The first was yesterday night, while descending the stairs of a double-decker bus. I usually wait for the bus to come to a complete halt, given that I've injured my knee rather badly once before when a bus jerked forward, and thought that this was the case this time, but, once again, it jerked forward, just as I was halfway down the flight of stairs. I was more or less hurled down the last few steps and slammed into the wall at the bottom. However, I wasn't hurt. I don't quite remember what happened, but just remember the noise I made as I clattered down and hit the wall.

Then, today, after leaving an interview, I decided to walk down the stairs, only to slip at the top step. Thankfully, my dad has always admonished me to hold on to the railings. So I hung rather desperately at the top of the stairs for a couple of seconds, before managing to regain my footing and walk back down.

I really do need to be more careful. I keep thinking things can't possibly get any worse, but I guess they clearly can... even on days when I'm chanelling my inner Serena (from Gossip Girl) just to get through the day.

While talking to a friend who's over in London for a few days about MD and our break-up, my friend paused, put her hand on mine and just said, "Sweetie, are you going to be all right?"

I gave my stock response of "it sucks but I'll be fine."

"No, I mean, when you stop being angry at him."

Such a small, tiny question, but I was touched that she'd noticed how I'd chosen to cope, and that she wanted to know how I'd be even though I wasn't there yet. At the time, I said I would be.

Now, I'm not so sure. We may have been together for a really short amount of time but I really thought we could work. Sometimes, you just have this connection and you just know. I thought I knew. I really did.

Check out the hilarious new opening credits for The Simpsons and the inevitable Wikipedia commentary. Whee!

This is a photo I did not take of a flock of pigeons, all puffed up to ward against the cold, resembling a gang of burly mafiosos just like the pigeons in Animaniacs, all facing one lone pigeon turned towards the many, looking and posing as if it were - yes, you guessed it - the Godfather himself.

I decided to work my Blair Waldorf look yesterday just for the heck of it. I have a closet overflowing with wonderful clothes and I just never seem to have the right occasion for them. And seeing as I'm not working and all, I decided I'm just going to wear them whenever I feel like it. It's London, after all, and you'll fit in, regardless of what you look like.

So what was it? A clingy black Alaia dress (woo hoo!) over a short-sleeved white tee, a long string of faux pearls doubled over, a wide patent black mock croc belt, paired with a grey cashmere coat, tan leather shoes and a tan leather bag. Minimal make-up: Benefit's Dandelion as blusher and MAC's New York Apple (pink raspberry with shimmer) for lipstick.

It felt good, just knowing I looked good after the last few weeks of not quite caring and/or being in suits for interviews.

P. always makes sure I receive a bouquet of red roses for Valentine's Day. They are brightening up my lounge as I write this.

Bless you, P., for being so caring.

What I like about the UK health system (aka the NHS): The fact that there are standardised bands for treatment. For instance, it's £7.10 per prescription, and, if I need more over a certain period of time, I can get a prepaid certificate for £23.10 covering any prescriptions for, say, the next three months (please check before relying on this as I'm just relying on memory from something I looked up briefly last week). The same goes for dental. There're three bands of treatment ranging from £19.60 to £44.10 depending on what's needed. In contrast, a private GP can charge £40 just for the consultation, and a private dentist, in excess of £100 for doing a routine filling.

What I don't like about the NHS: The fact that whenever I want to make an appointment, I end up being on hold for over 10 minutes. Also, that the doctors on the NHS - or at least the one I've ended up seeing the past two times so far - seem to be rather old-school. I'm not entirely sure I'm confident about his abilities as I'd like to be able to demand medication, which is the norm back in Singapore, I gather, but, here, I tend to trust in whatever they say. I'm revisiting the doctor today after having seen him last week for an infected cut on my finger which hasn't gone away. It sounds gross, looks a little bad (angry, red, swollen finger = scary to some), can't bend easily... yeah, you can see why I'd be worried.

The other things about the NHS I dislike? Well, the regular scary stories you see in the papers which talk about how people end up waiting in the A&E for eight hours before anyone - and I mean anyone - even sees them. There's a reason someone's in the A&E, you know, and that's because they need immediate treatment!

Anyway, that ends my little rant for today. I really hope this stupid infection goes away soon. It even hurts when I write. I mean, one of the first thoughts I had when I discovered that little fact was: Thank goodness I completed my CFA Level III examination last year! If it were this year, I'd be in agony!

Edited to add: So the doctor sent me to a nearby hospital to get my hand X-rayed to rule out any bone infections. Erk. He'll get the results in 7 days and told me he'd call me if there's something to be concerned about, and won't if there isn't. Why can't he just call me regardless? There's still something wrong with my finger even if it's not bone-related!

After my recent post on vintage goodness, I managed to catch the For Those Who Think Young, the first episode of Season 2 of Mad Men, on BBC iPlayer. If you haven't been privy to all the hype about drama, it centres around Sterling Cooper, an advertising agency in New York City, in the 1950s, and displays the changing social landscape in the US in the 1960s. It's been praised for its historical accuracy and visual style and won an Emmy for outstanding drama series.

For my part, I was surprised to see the sheer amount of cigarette smoking that took place, and indoors too! I was particularly thrilled by the vintage dresses the women were wearing, not to mention a TV show of Jackie Kennedy showing off the White House that was broadcast as part of this episode. I also liked Anne Dudek's acting (she plays Francine Hanson, Betty Draper's good friend). I don't watch House that much where she apparently did a great job as Amber two seasons ago, but the short scene in which she appears on this episode of Mad Men is very entertaining to watch.

Damn all these shows on TV on demand. It's just feeding my need for fashion fixes!

I've often been described as a failed Singaporean. I can't take chilli (although I do like spicy food), I hate durians, I don't like Chinese desserts (I've only eaten ice kachang twice in my entire life), I can't speak Mandarin that well and I get sick of Chinese food on a regular basis.

Still, on this journey of rediscovering how to cook, I've purchased chillis, curry powder and curry paste in recent weeks because, dang it, I want to cook curry. I'm taking it one step at a time (as with everything else) and will be trying out a recipe from the BBC Good Food website.

Yep, that's right. I'm such a failed Singaporean that I'm learning how to cook ang moh-nised curry.

Anyway, on a related note, some time back, a pot of burning chilli apparently sparked fears of a biological terror attack in central London.

I think it would be a massive understatement to say that London hasn't quite turned out to be what I'd hoped it would be. 14 months after moving over, I'm a month away from becoming officially unemployed, and probably a week away from becoming have just become single. Either one of these events, on its own, would have counted as a life event, to use corp-speak.

And now, I'm facing both of them, pretty much simultaneously.

As the song goes, baby, sometimes, love just ain't enough. And no amount of wishing and believing in the world can change that.

So my random surfing has uncovered another money-saving tip from Canadian Living especially directed at females: what kind of make-up should one save on, and what should one spend on?

Ironically enough, it's at a time when you're unemployed that appearances matter the most. You need a new suit, new shirts, new everything so that you look good in interviews, and that also includes make-up. It's said the French never go without "polite make-up", that is to say, concealer and blusher. I didn't use to bother too much with that in Singapore as the humidity meant make-up would just melt right off you. In England, however, where one's susceptible is looking wan and pale, concealer and blusher are of the utmost importance... particularly if one's to meet potential employers. And wouldn't you know it? These are the two items of make-up which you shouldn't scrimp on. While holy grails vary from individual to individual, my concealer-of-choice is Benefit's Boi-ing (in 02 Medium), while M.A.C. does awesome blushers; I currently own three: Trace Gold (M.A.C. web-site description: fairylight gold with shimmer, I use this more as a bronzer and for parties), Secret Blush (dirty neutral plum, with gold pearl, my usual work look during the winter) and Hipness from the Fafi limited edition collection (intense coral with soft white pearl, usually on weekends or when I want a more summery look). When I don't want any strong colour on my face, I use Benefit's Dandelion, which was my usual look in Singapore, but doesn't seem to show up much in London.

I'm fortunate in that my lips are one of my best features and simple lip balm will do. That being said, I do have more than half a dozen tubes of lipstick. My go-to brand, as with most females, is M.A.C., however, drugstore brands such as Rimmel (available in Boots and Superdrug) and New York Color (available in Superdrug) have been touted as being almost as good at around one third (or less) of the price. Strangely enough, Rimmel, a UK brand, is more expensive in the UK than NYC is.

As for the rest... I occasionally use lip gloss and tend to stick to neutral eyeshadows. Here again, I love M.A.C. for these two, but I think drugstore brands work just as well, with GOSH (Superdrug) having been singled out for having eyeshadow shades very similar to M.A.C.'s.

And here endeth today's how to look good while not breaking the bank lesson.

Not that I'm any expert at all on these things. I'm a bit of a spendthrift and it's been difficult these last few months! Baby steps, I keep telling myself. Baby steps.

Now if only I knew where to get a reasonably-priced suit which still looks good after a couple of cleans...

P.S. Beauty Counter Direct are offering Boi-ing in 02 Medium at £7.50, a 52% saving of its usual retail price of £15.50! Use code "STU8" for a further 10% off. Cheapest delivery option is £2.99.

If it wasn't obvious by now, I truly love vintage clothing. For some reason, my body shape is made for vintage clothing. Modern sizing doesn't ever get it quite right, while I've often tried on a vintage dress or two, only to marvel at how well the dress fits. And of course, it's recycling at its most useful.

Fortunately - or not - for me, UK vintage isn't half as fun as American and European vintage. Translated, that means the truly amazing brands and pieces tend to be found in the US, continental Europe and, strangely enough, Singapore (as shops there source from all over the US). Of course, you can find a piece or two in some of the exorbitantly priced UK vintage stores, but part of the fun is bargain hunting. Some of the - I hope - more valuable pieces I have are a Frank Usher dress and a Jessica McClintock prom dress, both purchased for less than £10 each. I also have a Louis Feraud jacket and dress set which I got for less than £20, but, which, alas, turned out to be too big for me, even after factoring in the differences in sizing. The most amount of money I've spent is about S$400 on a Gunne Sax black velvet and gold skirt prom dress.

Anyway, back to the relatively less fun vintage scene in the UK. My favourite brands, that is, those which I actively look for and would consider buying and aren't priced out of my budget, are Hervé Léger, Azzedine Alaia, Catherine Ogust, Lilly Pulitzer, Tadashi and The Vested Gentress. Of these six, the first two are French and who made it big in the US and the remaining four are based in the US. As a result, these labels tend to be more easily found in the US, either in a thrift shop, an expensive speciality vintage store or eBay. I know eBay transcends all barriers, but buying anything from outside the EU can be rather tricky, as not only is there the potentially costly question of shipping, there is also the thornier issue of customs duties, which can add on another 20% of the cost of your item.

The other part about vintage collecting and investing - the part that isn't as fun - is the cleaning and storing. This site offers some great advice on what needs to be done. And this is just as important as finding the right brand and fit; without this part, your investment - and I do mean investment in every possible sense of the word - will go to waste.

And, yes, we may be in a recession right now, but other than shopping at Primark, going thrifting (aka shopping at thrift stores) and on eBay are other ways to keep your expenses down.

Happy vintage-ing!

Related Links:

• Vintage Fashion Guild - An international collective founded in 2002 by a group of vintage sellers with a shared passion for vintage clothing.
• Suite 101 - The Best Vintage Clothing Stores in the UK
• IHT Globespotters - Vintage shopping in Berlin
• Elio Ferraro - Florence-based vintage shop with a branch in Selfridges, In addition to being a vintage retailer, Elio is also a designer of couture fashion. One of his dresses can be viewed here.
• Queens of Vintage - QoV calls itself "the first daily vintage glossy" and features vintage tips (from fashion to beauty to interior design), a Make and Mend section for those with far more artistic ability than I possess, and a 100 Vintage Queens feature which, well, pretty much does what it says on the tin. Stores featured in their NYC vintage shopping guide include What Goes Around Comes Around (which is currently having a moving out sale *sob*) and has an outlet in Harvey Nichols. If only this had been published before I went to NY... ah well, I'll just have to make my way there again some day!
• Beacon's Closet - Based in NY. Strictly speaking not a vintage store. More like a clothing exchange store, but with new clothes being brought in all the time, you can count on finding gems there almost every single time you walk in. In the two times I've been there, I found an incredibly gorgeous and comfortable Andy Warhol-inspired hoodie by Paul Frank selling for $12, and a chain-link belt for $6.
• Decades, Inc. - Based in LA, Decades is apparently *the* vintage fashion store for Hollywood starlets. Prices, as you can imagine, are incredibly expensive. Also has a branch at Dover Street Market.
• Vintage shops in Singapore include (in ascending order of priciness) Dustbunny Vintage (my personal favourite as owner Pia doesn't do the hard-sell and she picks out other pieces based on what you like), Déjàvu Vintage and Granny's Day Out. Several other shops are featured in these Straits Times articles: Market Sweep and Vintage Vaults.

Saw Traces by Montreal-based circus troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers of the Hand) at the Peacock Theatre tonight and it was utterly sublime. Part dance, part acrobatics, part clowning around, and done to a soundtrack ranging from jazz to indie to R&B to progressive house, it was a riveting show from beginning to end. I got tired and almost broke into a sweat just watching the first five minutes!

The cast consists of four men (Brad, Will, Raphael and Francisco) and one lady (Heloise) revealing little snippets of information about their personal lives. Francisco, for instance, likes cereal, and when he's feeling particularly naughty and indulgent, uses chocolate milk instead of regular milk, while Heloise, when she "was young, [she] was always falling out of bed" and then she fell in love, and so on. In between these, I guess, more intimate moments, they leap, twirl, fall, somersault, skateboard and play basketball, all in a semblance of everyday life.

One of the more engaging scenes, and definitely one in which the audience gets thoroughly into, is the one where the cast does all sorts of Chinese acrobatics on poles to Radiohead - Talk Show Host. It's a great song and a great piece, and everything just seems to go together so well. The entire six minute or so piece can be seen in this clip on YouTube (complete with audience reactions), and while it captures pretty much everything they did in tonight's show, it's a million times more incredible just seeing it live. They make climbing up the pole look so effortless, but I've tried to climb up a pole before, and I can tell you that you need a lot of upper-body strength for that.

Another more whimsical piece was the skateboard/tap-dance (skatetapping / tapskating?) scene set to Harold Arlen - It's Only a Paper Moon. In this item, Brad, Francisco, Will and Heloise just clown around in time to the music and it's just really cute to watch. They do tricks too, just not on the same scale as the pole piece.

The final piece is simply entitled Hoops and is a wonder to behold. Set to pounding techno beats (tm 2ManyDJs/Soulwax), the energy and vibrancy of this frenetic, urgent acrobatic piece is clearly felt. In this clip, as well as in tonight's performance, there were some mistakes made, which is only natural as not all somersaults can be perfect, particularly when props are included, but the way the cast handles them made me think that they actually intended for the mistakes to occur, just to remind the audience how difficult the flips they are doing really are. It just seemed so "gosh, yeah, I totally meant to do that" that I fell for it completely.

In short, I had a wonderful time tonight even though I was alone. It was just the thing I needed after all the crap I've been through, and it was well worth the £15.50 I paid (half-price utilising the What's On Stage promotional code). And as I left the theatre with a spring in my step, I smiled at Brad, Raphael and Will who were leaving the theatre in search of a well-deserved drink and went on my merry way home. The weather was surprisingly good despite the severe weather warning for tomorrow; the 40 minute walk home didn't feel chilly in the slightest!

Related Link: Traces trailer

Check out Christoph Niemann's delightful illustrations of his relationship with coffee.

And the snow continues, bringing the whole of London to a virtual standstill as transport links have been severely disrupted.

Several more inches of snow fell overnight... definitely more than two!

Footprints in the snow


A mini snowperson!

It's a veritable blizzard by London standards right now. It's awesome.















London this afternoon



London now

Good thing I went for my walk on Saturday rather than Sunday. Yesterday was cold enough!

I guess if someone doesn't love you back, it isn't such a crime,
But there's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of your time.

And I don't have the time to waste on you anymore.
I don't think that you even know what you're looking for.
For my own sanity, I've got to close the door
And walk away...
Oh...

There's a fine, fine line between together and not,
And there's a fine, fine line between what you wanted and what you got.
You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime...

There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time.

- Avenue Q