A Saturday Evening 'Quickie'

So, it's late and I am absolutely shattered. What an interesting day. I have been excited for a while to learn that Levi Roots was coming to the bookshop to sign copies of his new book. He did not disappoint. I guess I was a little disappointed that his publicist seemed to de-personalise the experience by constantly being at his side. Then again, it was her job so I cannot fault her for doing it... was just glad to have been able to assist in setting up for the 'event'. And hey, at least I got my book signed (by giving it to a smiley person in the queue with my name on a post-it for her to present to Levi for him to sign)

*sigh*

Past disappointment. Am over it already. I just wanted to do a quick post on some of my adventures of the last week...as in during the week.

On Wednesday 9th Sept, I took a trip down to Piccadilly Circus and to the Japan Centre. I was extremely excited and nervous for some reason. I was afraid that I'd feel a little out of place and that everything would be in Japanese. D'oh! It was not as I expected.

I first browsed the ground floor which consisted of food and homewares. There I was able to get my sushi supplies like Seaweed Sheets, Rice, Wasabi and Rice Vinegar/ Seasoning for Sushi. I also bought some Jasmine tea bags, a bamboo mat for rolling the sushi and a tea cup. I did consider purchasing a good Japanese knife as there were really good ones there for about £6.99 but decided against it for that day and planned to buy it on another trip I would make there.

I then browsed on the basement floor which was the book section, filled with Magazines, Books and Japanese artefacts for sale. There was even a pair of 'geisha slippers' made of wood, for sale (sorry, I forgot the special name given to this type of shoe). I wanted a sushi book to give me some more ideas and inspiration for fillings, techniques and different types of sushi. (I will edit this post to include photos and links another day when I have photographed things!) I found one...I also wanted a good beginners Japanese book in addition to the one I already have and I found the staff to be very helpful and friendly and I eventually settled on a Textbook/CD combo called 'Japanese for Busy People' and is a romanised version so that the Japanese words are written phonetically to aid pronunciation. Fantastic! This will keep me occupied as I no longer have any studying to do (in the near future!)

SO I'm definately going to go back pretty soon...well when I can afford to!

I then walked from Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square Tube Station and to a second hand bookshop on Charing Cross Road where I remembered purchasing a second hand 1800 book for Leo's birthday nearly 2 years ago.

(Such a big deal was made of this book at the time; I merely thought it was pretty and that it would be well received...which it was. It was an interesting find. However, as I hadn't really been "dating" Leo for long, this present was supposedly too thoughtful and an indication of my undying love and devotion to him forever...

*rolls eyes*

G.O.Y.** It only cost me £6! Pah!)

I love the antiquarian bookshops there and love a good bargain so ended up buying two books for £4, both of which are related to African History/ Slavery. Very interesting reading and I'll ALSO be going back there pretty soon to browse for a bit longer (by this point, the sushi rice was weighing me down a bit and it was BOILING hot on the underground)

On the walk from Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square, I came across NUMEROUS Croatian football fans in their shirts all singing and chanting and generally looking very excited about what I now learn is the England-Croatia match which took place on that day! At the time I can remember being a little worried about the chanting and wondering what the crowds were protesting about!

All in all it was a good day and I think I will be taking a little walk and browse there after payday, which is next week!

SO that is all dear readers, I felt compelled to write this down, just in case I forgot because I really had an enjoyable day that day and made up some avocado, cucumber and red pepper sushi rolls that very evening...yumm!

Surprisingly, despite the fact that this is a long-ish post, it did not take me very long to write but I shall stop for now as I am growing increasingly weary and I have to wake up early for work in the morning...

Good Night all!

CBC

xx



** G.O.Y. = GET OVER YOURSELF!!
(It wasn't my fault that I was a good present buyer...)

A tragic story set in Trinidad

Currently, I am reading The White Woman on the Green Bicycle a fabulously written story, set in Trinidad and with the dialogues (of the Trinidadians) written phonetically to represent the dialects of the island. When a British couple move to Trinidad in the 1950's, the husband, George Harwood immediately takes to the island life, whereas his wife Sabine initially struggles with the racial segregation and isolation. It is not until she accidentally stumbles upon a political gathering in which the future Prime Minister of Trinidad, Eric Williams, is delivering a speech, that she finds island life is becoming bearable. Over the decades, she writes him hundreds of letters in which she tells him about her hopes, fears and dissatisfaction with her marriage and life. She never sends the letters. They are her outlet. However, when her husband discovers her secret stash of letters, their lives take a turn which ends in tragedy.

One of the main things I liked about the book was the way in which the action over the decades, which started in 1956 and continued to present day, was split up and its order not chronological. This meant that you found out the tragic end nearer the beginning but were left wondering about the back story of the couple and their time in Trinidad, which made the book compelling reading.

I am currently on page 379 of 437 and although I don't want the story to end, I can't wait to continue reading!!

Homesick

I'm missing the Caribbean sunshine and my family.

*sigh*

One day CBC shall return!!

xx


**EDIT**

I haven't posted as much as I'd have liked recently because I'm feeling increasingly homesick. Missing St. Lucia and the way and pace of life over there. In short, I need a SODDING holiday!!

I hate wallowing and feeling sorry for myself. (I do annoyingly have the occasional lapse) Maybe this is my problem...not wanting to talk about my problems. My REAL problems and feelings. This is MY coping mechanism. It's not shutting anyone out. It's just that in my opinion, my problems are just that; my own and no one else's. There are times where I'll moan to my nearest and dearest, (or even on this blog) seeking reassurance and comfort. The majority of the time, I put on a 'brave face' and get on with it.

Am I unique? No. Everyone has their problems and different means of dealing with them which I respect.

I am not afraid or too proud to ask for help or to admit when I'm feeling a little down but I'll make no apologies for occasionally keeping 'schtum'.

It's no secret that I've been trying for some time to secure a legal job for some time with little success. It's no secret that I'm not particularly thrilled at this fact and that it gets me down from time to time. But it's something I have worked very hard for thus far and am not about to give it up. Obviously, I AM being realistic. I knew it was never going to be easy and that I was never going to jump straight into a £100k a year trainee role out of uni. BUT, I know MY capabilities and strengths and am tailoring my applications to suit.

I am just slightly frustrated (understatement of the year) at the whole process which I know a lot of graduates and prospective lawyers are also feeling...

The big question is whether it really WILL be worth the hassle in the end...

Rhubarb and Custard...

...is what is currently lodged in my mouth as I type (of the boiled sweet variety). I'd like to say it reminds me of my childhood but it couldn't be further away from the truth. In reality, growing up in the Caribbean would have meant that treats for me would be yummy fresh fruits, Tamarind balls, guava cheese and my favourite treat of all. FUDGE!!! Mmmmm.

In a bit of a reminiscent mood today.

Should really be studying at the moment but I find my thoughts being drawn to all things West Indian (or Caribbean...as people these days like to call it much to my dismay. Same Difference)

I love listening to the radio. You know? Not those music stations necessarily...I particularly like the discussion programmes. At the moment LBC 97.3 is my favourite. In the Caribbean there used to be a programme called ' Jook Bois' conducted almost entirely in Creole. A French/ English fusion. Funny, funny man. If only I understood it more. Sometimes I feel like there's a French person inside of me waiting to jump out! Alors!

Reminds me a bit of a date I went on with Leo. I think it was the first. On the Tube on the way back home...Bakerloo line I think it was. Both a little fecked after a few (me more than him because let's face it; I'm a lightweight) and were engaging in a little playful word foreplay in French.

Vous voulez du cafe monsieur? Ou est la gare? La gare est pres du boulangerie madame.

(you get the picture. cute.)

We thought we were so cool taking the Michael Barrymore out of the French accent until a couple sat opposite us started talking in French!! Shit! Haha. Both realised at the same time. Shuffled into the empty seats nearby, away from their disapproving French glances avec grande vitesse!

(That was the same night I nearly had an accident when I thought he was going to kiss me on the busy Tube. Turned out to be a kiss on the cheek! Good times :D)

Why am I so shy? PDA scares me a bit. All that saliva; especially of the stringy sort. Yeuch! Recipe for disaster really. Though I did kinda do it. Does that make me a hypocrite? Haha. I bloody love(d) it really. Really should get over being so self-conscious though.

Miss his cute little 'blushing face' sometimes. Back to the fishing gear it seems!


CBC

xx