my small token of gratitude...

Being here really allows me to appreciate all the little things that I had taken for granted
-being able to call someone to go to class together
-being able to have my mother cook for me
-being able to complain about classes with friends
-being able to constantly have someone there
-being able to spend time with those I love (even if its just for coffee)

I guess you really do miss the little things...the big things don't bother me as much as the little thing....the little things that were the comforts that kept me going

Distance only makes the heart grow fonder <
all I really want to say is:
THANK YOU!!!!! MISS YOU and LOVE YOU!!!

all of you :)

Theater Productions

Because London is such a GREAT place to go to amazing shows, I plan to go as much as I can and as much as my bank account lets me :)

These are the ones I have seen so far:

1. 39 Steps at the Criterion Theatre
Thanks to IFSA Butler...I thought this was a fun play...I mean it was 4 people playing like a gazillion roles and you had to pay attention to the little details that made them all different. I enjoyed it :)

The 39 Steps (www.thelondonexperience.co.uk)

2. Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre
This was the sequel to Phantom of the Opera...I must say I had kind of high expectations but it wasn't as good as I had hoped...the singers (especially the Phantom) were amazing...I thought the plot was a little dull but yea I still did enjoy it

Love Never Dies (www.loveneverdiestheatretickets.co.uk)

3. Wicked at the ApolloVictoria Theatre
I LOVE this musical and I mean yes it is my third time watching it but it's so good and it gives you a new feeling each time...some of the characters were not as good as other productions and the portrayal of Elphaba was a little awkward at times but the Elphaba and Glinda were both amazing...love that I got to go for so cheap thanks to IFSA Butler :)

Wicked (ltd.uk-plc.net)

4. Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre
I must say that I wasn't really sure what to expect when I went to watch this but I had heard good things about it so I guess I had some expectations about it. When I went though the show blew my mind!!! It was really amazing although some of the lyrics got lost in the music (which I think was a little loud) but it was still amazing. If you have a chance to check this one out...please do :)

Legally Blonde (www.premierevents.co.uk)

I hope that I can go to more so if anyone has any suggestions of must-sees PLEASE let me know :)

Visiting Nicole at Oxford

So this weekend...after I FINALLY finished my coursework/essay type thing for my class, I took a relaxing trip to Oxford.

I really enjoyed it :) I mean, it took me and Ann a LONG time to find the actual bus stop because it was on the street and people kept on pointing us in different directions but we finally got on and we were off to Oxford. When I got there, first thing I saw was Nicole's HUGE (I really mean HUGE) room...well at least compared to mine...anyways after that I met some of her friends and we went to a pub. After that and trying to call Joy Um and failing, I went to sleep :)

Today though was great :) Breakfast at Nicole's favorite little cafe called Georgina's which was quaint and had really good omelets

Inside of Georgina's

The Omelet :)

:( all gone

So after that we looked at some of the forty some colleges at Oxford...I really liked just walking around even though the weather wasn't the best :)
It was such a college town haha so since a picture is worth a thousand words here are some 

The Radcliffe Camera (part of the library)

The Bridge of Sighs

Nicole in the small nook as we were waiting to go up a tower

The VERY exclusive All Souls College

The three of us with All Souls as the background

Dining Hall at Christ Church (Great Hall at Hogwarts)

The ceilings were so pretty (Christ Church stairs leading to dining hall)

A corridor in one of the Harry Potter movies (Christ Church)

The BEST milkshakes yum...but in the end they ended up in the trash

Although there was a fiasco with the Oxford Tube in the end but it all worked out :)
Thanks Nicole for having us :)

Restaurant Review :)

So as time passes and I go to some good restaurants I'll list them here :)

1. Jamie's Kitchen: This is a restaurant run by Jamie Oliver. It is italian food...I went twice Fridays for the past two weeks and first time I had the fuseli arrabiata with posh chips (fries with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese) but both were AMAZING. The pasta had breadcrumbs on it which gave it a kind of crunchy texture...sooooooo good...the second time I went I had the crispy shrimp (calamari) and the truffle tagliatelle both were also very good but the pasta had a very buttery  taste which I wasn't expecting but it was good none-the-less
->next time I go I want to try their appetizer platter with cheeses, meats, and etc and this chicken dish I saw someone having that looked REALLY good :)
http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/covent-garden

Inside of the restaurant (www.fluidnetwork.co.uk)

2. Tokyo Diner: I just happened to walk into this restaurant as I was passing through Chinatown...i know chinatown and japanese food...but it was very good. First time I went I had the Katsu Curry with was a lot of food but it was good :) and then the second time I got Zaru Soba and Age Dashi Tofu and the tofu was all crispy on the outside and moist and yummy on the inside and the Zaru Soba was good but because I love it soooo much
->don't know if I will go again because there are so many other places I want to explore but if I do I would definitely get the katsu curry again :)
http://www.tokyodiner.com/

Front of the restaurant (www.trusted-gourmet.com)

3. Georgina's: This is up in Oxford in the Covered Market (a very good place to explore and find stuff to eat) anyways I had the omelet and it was good, it came with salad and bread and the bread was very tasty also. I mean I would love to go to this place again and try their paninis and it looked like they had some good coffees and hot chocolates but I think I definitely want to go back when I go to Oxford, the atmosphere is nice and it was cool ceiling decorations of eclectic posters :)

inside of restaurant

This is it for now but I will keep updating this...

Just an ordinary day...

So I have some coursework due today...which is basically the ONLY during the course of the class type work other than another essay for the same class due in March...

I mean the school system here confuses me...I don't have anything due until MAY!!!! and I only have one final which is just blissful but now I am starting to panic...already...it's only February and I'm already panicked about May...I know I complained a lot about Case being too much work blah blah blah...but seriously you guys should be happy that your whole grade isn't dependent on a 5000 word essay...this is going to be...just great...ok enough of my rant

Anyways...I was going to use this post to kind of figure out what I want to do with this blog, I know for sure I want to do more detailed reviews of the trips I will take but I think I'm going to start writing about all the mundane stuff...the stuff I take for granted now...but the stuff I probably will miss most when I go back and just some of the stuff I want to remember

So I got an email yesterday from the US State Department because I signed up with them in case anything happens here and I want to go back home...just so they know I'm here haha because I am NOT being paranoid in anyway but the email was very...pleasant so I wanted to share :)

Travel Alert: United Kingdom and Gibraltar (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland)
January 31, 2011
The Department of State has issued this Travel Alert to inform U.S. citizens traveling to or resident in the United Kingdom (UK) of the continuing high level of terrorist threat, including the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems, aviation and other travel infrastructure in the UK. U.S. citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.  This Travel Alert expires on April 30, 2011.
In the past several years, extremists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as the aviation sector in cities such as London, Madrid, Glasgow, and most recently, Moscow, demonstrating that terrorists continue to take an active interest in targeting these transport sectors across a variety of European cities.
As has been widely reported in the press, UK law enforcement authorities have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack, underscoring in their public statements that the police are using a range of tactics to mitigate the threat.
The Embassy is located at 24 Grosvenor Square. The Embassy telephone number is 0207 499 9000.  The Consular section can also be contacted by email at ConsularLondon@state.gov<mailto:ConsularLondon@state.gov>.
U.S. citizens in the United Kingdom are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Travelers Enrollment Program (STEP) at the following website: https://travelregistration.state.gov.  U.S. citizens without internet access may enroll directly at the U.S. Embassy.  By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.
Updated information on travel and security in the United Kingdom may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  For further information, please consult the Country Specific Information for The United Kingdom, as well as the Worldwide Caution.  These products and the latest international travel information for U.S. citizens are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.
This email is not intended to be alarmist in any way. It is simply highlighting the need for extra vigilance at this time.

I think this is great...apparently it's not supposed to be alarmist...but yea...I guess I'll live...I mean there's no other way getting around right? Oh well I guess I just have to trust that God will provide and protect

Anyways...the fun stuff:
Upcoming trip:
Feb 4-5: Oxford to visit Nicole :) whippeeeeeeeeee

My first post

I'm not very good that this blogging business but I'm going to give it a go because I think it will be fun to look back in a few years time at this time in my life.

It's officially been 4 weeks since I've gotten to London...much has happened but I'm happy to be here. I'm just going to a quick summary of what's been happening so far because 4 weeks is a lot of remembering to do :)

Week 1: basically just getting to school and my dorms, checking in and just settling in and I just remember a whole lot of orientation business and a little bit of exploring

The London Eye all lit up and pretty

The Parliament building at night

Week 2: Science classes started for me, meaning I had class on Wednesday and Thursday so I was free the other days to explore and just have fun, went to Salisbury to see Stonehenge

The Stones

The cute little sheep that were nearby

The beautiful and very historic Salisbury Cathedral...oh and the Magna Carta is housed here

Week 3: I was really sick over the weekend but I started getting better for my first week of classes and my weekend to Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Castle...which I did not get to fully explore because it cost TOO much to get in

Haggis...the traditional food of Scotland...I tried it but did NOT like it

I'm actually really proud of this picture...it's the Cathedral with a statue of Adam Smith in the front

This was etched into a table at one of the pubs on the pub crawl so I had to take a picture of it

the BEST scone at our favorite (literally) THE LARDER

The Elephant House where the first books of the Harry Potter series were written had a toilet with familiar faces on it

Week 4: Classes and just trying to get stuff done for classes and the unfortunate Celtics vs. Lakers game at a Sports Cafe...sad