Springtime in Oslo

A rainbow is a momentous occasion. TWO rainbows? Well, that`s extra special. I was blessed to see this beautiful natural phenomenon whilst enjoying some quality time with family in Oslo, Norway.

After finishing two exams last week,  I was more than ready for some R&R away from London, so this was the perfect getaway. My aunt picked me up at the airport & we spent three days hanging out with her five grandkiddies, who are all much taller than when I last saw them in 2008. I played ping pong and Wii with the boys and we attended a very fun opening event for the local community/art centre. I wish I 'd taken more pictures of the Art Collective...the space was picturesquely located in the woods next to a farm (with beautiful horses!) and every nook and cranny is filled with colourful artwork, intricate wood sculptures, silver jewellery, film studios, etc.

My neurons got a pleasant break all weekend & I had fun trying to follow the conversations in Norwegian-Chinese-Swedish (not to mention watching a movie in Italian with Norwegian subtitles!! At the Art Centre we watched Cinema Paradiso, on an outdoor screen, with the sun not quite setting because of course it is Norway in the summer time....)

Norway's Old Town

I also spent half a day wandering around Oslo proper, watching the changing of the guards, doing some window shopping and coffee drinking. I also visited the Nobel Peace Centre, where they have two very interesting photo exhibits on Afghanistan - from a soldier's and from a local women's perspective.

Photo credit: Lynsey Addario- In Afghanistan, Exhibition at the Nobels Fredssenter

It goes without saying that Norway is a beautiful country. My aunt has a theory that the good quality of life that Norwegians enjoy can be measured by the ratio of trees per capita. I`m being a bit facetious but my own theory is that people who enjoy their life show it by showcasing beautiful things...which are plentiful in Oslo. Regardless, I am struck by the poise and pride the Norwegians possess. It's certainly a country which deserves to be discovered. Maybe in another four years, I'll be back and exploring the fjords...

xoxo Miss Engagée

Diary of a Tired and Cranky Student

Hi everyone,

Sorry for my long silence in cyberspace. I've just come out of a marathon week of cramming for my two full-unit courses. It's been stressful so I'm really looking forward to a few days of peace up in Oslo visiting aunts and cousins. Who knows, it might even count as "studying" as I have some very smart cousins-in-law whose conversations may help shape my thoughts on the Informal Economy and Global Environmental Governance (my two remaining exam topics!!).

The whole exam system here is rather skewed I'm afraid. We should really have tests scheduled in December so we can get half-units out of the way. Instead we're expected to revise for subjects that we vaguely remember covering six months ago?! I suppose it's not so bad if you are a diligent note-taker. I happen to take pretty descriptive notes but am rather disorganized so have to check all my randomly collected piles of paper in my room to make sure I haven't mixed up " theories of neo-Gramscianism" with "Bottom of the Pyramid" notes!

Ah well, the good thing about exam period is that it gives one an excuse to give oneself treats (I'm "incentivizing" myself to overcome my tendency to procrastinate hehe). I've been religiously going to yoga class and treating myself to ice creams (or "ice lollies" as popsicles are called in England). I also enjoyed some Shakespeare performances last week - there was a particularly memorable performance of   Love's Labour's Lost in British Sign Language. Makes me think that all theater should be performed in sign language - it is the most visually evocative of media.

If I take some nice pictures of Oslo I will post them up next week. Otherwise you may get more on the subject of my Tired and Cranky state of being.

Love to all, je vous embrasse (et souhaite BONNE FETE a mon petit frère!)

Mia xox

Promenade

Tiens, bonjour!
J'ai décidé de prendre une marche (oui oui je veux dire "je suis allée me promener!") le long de la Thamise aujourd'hui, histoire de me changer les idées. À force de passer tout son temps enfermée dans la bibliothèque à discuter de néolibéralisme, on oublie que  ça existe, du monde qui se moque de théories du développement et qui préfère aller se promener un jour de congé.

Il a fait un temps de canard ces temps ci. Imaginez ma surprise ce matin lorsque des rayons de soleil m'ont réveillée!! Il fait assez frisquet mais c'est une température idéale pour réviser en préparation des examens finaux.

I had a very busy and social week regardless of a strict study regime. We went to the London Philarmonic Orchestra on Wednesday; heard a fantastic pièce by the son-in-law of Dvorak, "Symphonie poétique" I think it was called. yesterday after my empteenth study group I invited two girl friends over to eat junk food and watch the "Rocky Horror Picture Show". I couldn`t believe that my film-studies-major friend hadn`t seen this cult classic - this is the girl who took  me to a Big Lebowski bowling night!!  Anyways today it had been back to the books, I`ve managed to write one summary and send a whole bunch of emails so I`d say it was a medium-productive day. (!)

Feeling a bit antsy and can`t wait for the exam period to be over - in 44 days to be exact, urgh. Ah well it is kinda exciting to be revising and realizing how much I`ve learned over the course of a year. Plus my study buddies are great fun and keep me from going nuts. I`ve booked my trip to Rome! and will try to cook up more interesting plans: once the sun shows its timid self I think i will be much more inspired to plan bike trips/adventures and what have you.
Bisous
Miss Engagée

A Sedate and Ghostly Beauty

" London itself looks best in the dark. It’s a pretty safe city, and you can walk in most places after sunset. It has a sedate and ghostly beauty. In the crepuscular kindness, you can see not just how she is, but how she once was, the layers of lives that have been lived here. Somebody with nothing better to do worked out that for every one of us living today, there are 15 ghosts. In most places you don’t notice them, but in London you do."
-from the NY Times "A Profile of London" by A. A. Gill 


I was thinking of this quote this week. Strange to think that I`ve been in London for over seven months now. I can`t say that London feels like "home" - there are too many of those moments when I get lost or when I just don`t understand this place (sometimes it`s just the expressions - did you know people here say that a gullible person is "a mug" ??). Yet there are moments - lots of them - when I wouldn`t want to live anywhere else in the world. Crossing Waterloo Bridge at night always does that for me [London at night is, as Gill says, a ghostly, beautiful city]. And seeing Tower Bridge. Also, going to the Opera, to see La Bohème, on Opening Night, in the company of royalty. It just doesnt get much better than this. 

I`ve been trying to take self-timed pictures for the last few months. Clearly my photography skills need some work! In the photo above I was trying to show how beautiful and sunny it was today - finally! for the first time in a whole month. I was on a lunch break - I volunteer at an NGO called War on Want two days a week, it keeps me from spending all my time at the LSE library.

 Here I am with my friend HJ. We went to eat Dim Sum in Chinatown on Sunday & I realized it has been a while! Going for dim sum is just not the same when I`m not eating with my extended Chinese family. But it was pleasant nonetheless - the Ha Chaun Fan was pretty good, although I was a bit disappointed with the Cha Siu Bow (they were tiny). 


This week we have dissertation workshops where we get input from other students about our dissertation proposals. I`ve been a bit behind in my research schedule! But I think we'll have a really good discussion since most of my group members are working on climate change /resilience/ South East Asia like me. 


I`m also thinking of going to Rome sometime in June. Blame it on Roman Holiday and Audrey Hepburn! In between revising for exams, I`m going to allow myself to spent a few blissful moments imagining myself on a scooter whizzing past the Piazza del Popolo, indulging in gelato, and dancing on a boat in a long red skirt. 

Sending my love to my family. I am thinking of you.

Love

Miss Engagée 

Michelin Stars: the London Foodie Tour

Ash Baked Celeriac, Vanilla Black Restaurant

Toasted Cauliflower Mille Feuille, Vanilla Black Restaurant

Dessert . Vanilla Black Restaurant

Fish, Fifteen Restaurant

Pork Dish, Fifteen Restaurant

J'ai SUPER bien mangé cette semaine grâce à la présence de ma mère et de ses copines , qui sont venues visiter Londres et profiter d'une scène gastronomique de plus en plus riche et variée.

We ate at a number of excellent restaurants! Top of my list were Vanilla Black (in the central Holborn area) and Chez Bruce (in Wandsworth common, which has been described as a "jewel in the gastronomic wasteland" of south London). We also ate at Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen, which was quite pleasant although the selection was too meat-heavy for my taste. And we had breakfast at Tom's Kitchen in Chelsea, which is lovely, affordable and located in a gorgeous neighbourhood.

Mom and I did a few things besides eating - went to see Jersey Boys and perused Borough Market's extensive selection of cheeses, olive oils, veggies and artisanal breads - but the highlight of this trip was the food, without a doubt. I feel so lucky and spoiled to have such a wonderful mom. I hope that my friends and I will keep in touch, like Mom and her girl friends from university, and go on trips together even when we live in different countries.

xxx Miss Engagée

Playing Tourists

British Museum

One of the most fun things about living in London is that I get visitors! I had the pleasure of spending time with my Québécois relatives for a few days this week. It was my little (taller!) cousin's first time in Europe so we had a lot of fun showing her how things are done over here. Yours Truly is thinking of becoming a tour guide, it was really great to show off my knowledge of my little London Town, telling lurid tales about Jack the Ripper, Henry the Eight, Guy Fawkes and all the other characters that have made their mark on England's capital.

View from St Paul Cathedral's Golden Dome

Nous avons fait du tourisme "non-stop" pendant quelques jours. Avec ma copine N, nous avons visité Camden et Brick Lane, deux des quartiers qui m'attirent beaucoup, malgré leur côté un peu kitsch. Avec la famille, nous avons visité la célèbre cathédrale St Paul, lieu de pèlerinage pour plusieurs, et site du mariage de Lady Diana et du Prince Charles il y a plusieurs années de cela. 

Nous avons également assisté à une représentation de la comédie musicale "Singing in the Rain".

I adore going to see shows in the West End and "Singing in the Rain" was a really good one to see with my cousin and friends. The crowd went wild during the famous rainy dance scene! although I think I preferred the tap dancing duo/trio between the male lead and his sidekick Cosmo (along with an elocution teacher....à la Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, only this guy was helping his students prepare for the arrival of talking pictures).

We also went for tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury, which I quite recommend. Their scones were beyond delicious and the tea I drank, Dragonwell, was splendid.

The author of Dracula, Bram Stoker, lived here. 

My aunt and I walked around Kensington/Chelsea, very posh neighbourhoods where a number of notable characters have lived/frequented, such as Mick Jagger and Bram Stoker (not at the same time, of course).

My cousin and uncle did the London Eye experience and quite enjoyed it. We ended our last day together with a walk along the Thames followed by dinner at Nando's (my cousin's choice - it seems a young pop star is a fan of their chicken). We had rain for part of their trip, but the last day was sunny and relatively warm. All in all, a most delightful study break!
Nous avons terminé notre visite ensemble par une photo à la station King's Cross. Nous y avons vu la plateforme 9 3/4, rendue célèbre par la série Harry Potter! 


xx Miss Engagée

And Now....A Cult Favourite

Not much to report this week, except that it was incredibly sunny and gorgeous weather in London (but now, sadly, we're back to 12C and grey skies). Oh, and my friend J convinced me to join her for a night of bowling and White Russians in honour of the cult classic The Big Lebowski. It was a fun outing even though this was the first I'd heard of the movie, and also, I've decided "slacker chic" is a complete oxymoron. Everyone was dressed in bathrobes in honour of the movie's main protagonist "The Dude". Frankly, not quite as sartorially inspiring as a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I urge everyone to see at least once in their lives.

xx to all,
Miss Engagée