Watch it!!!!!!

We needed to create an attention grabbing 30 sec viral video for our Video Media class this week, which was to be posted on YouTube. We then had one week to advertise and spread the link in order to get as many views as possible. It seemed an easy enough task until the lecturer responded to our question of what the video should be about, with the uninspiring word: "Anything". Where does one start on such a random task, the options spreading the entire sphere of human existence and maybe even beyond. A rut was surely to follow and I was, quite suddenly, stuck. The scope was too vast and the timeframe too small to narrow your options down and do the necessary research, so we each went out and edit the closest idiotic formation of video clips we could find together, and shamelessly posted them online. So here is my not-very-well-thought-out and not-a-lot-of-effort-put-in attempt at getting web surfing beings to watch this clip. Please spread some love and spare 45 seconds....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfbp-jgH1s

Lifestyles of the Rich and the famous

I took another stab at shopping today. My expedition led me to a well known shopping area called Knightsbridge. I found Harrods here and saw the most beautiful, spectacular and expensive dresses and clothing. I continued through the Knightsbridge area, poking my head into a boutique here and there. Unfortunately for me all the boutiques only sold hand-made couture dresses that would cost anyone but the rich and the famous an arm and a leg. So my dreams of finding the perfect dress in London slowly started to die away with every step I took down that street. My dad met me there again and we both went by bus to a mall Schalk had recommended. No luck there either though, but I couldn't care less anymore. I took the train back to the West End after that and went to see Chicago! And I had thought Wicked was awesome... Maybe it's just because I'm already so obsessed with it, but it was totally different than I had expected. But brilliant nontheless. All that Jazz!

Wonderous World of the Wicked Witch of the West

My dad and I tried to go to the London Dungeon this morning, but we didn't have enough time to complete the entire tour so we went to Buckingham palace instead. The queen was home, but she was busy with some politician so we had to postpone our tea party. Maybe next time... After our visit to the palace we walked down to Trafalgar Square, where Dad had to go to some fancy business lunch I was once again not invited to. I headed up to the National Gallery and spent the afternoon staring at the works of Van Gogh, Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci. Later I went over to the Big Ben and houses of Parliament where I took about a thousand pictures. Why can't architects these days be more creative. All the detail on those buildings is just so amazing! How can anyone think that less is more when you see all that beauty? I came across an interesting sight when walking around Parliament Square. The Square has about 6 large statues of political figures that have played a great role in the world's history. Among them are Abraham Lincoln and even Nelson Mandela. I met up with my dad a little later and we took the tube to meet up with Schalk again. I then saw my first ever West End musical, Wicked. It was so amazing. I was literally sitting on the very edge of my seat the entire time, with a huge goofy grin on my face. It was spectacular and breathtaking and I loved every single second of it. I just really wish I could have shared it with my best friend. Nina would really have loved it...

Home sweet home

So I got up a little late adain this morning. I don't seem to have that whole "wake up early because you're in London" thing down pat. Maybe tomorrow? Anyway... I took a trip down to Oxford Street to do some shopping. That didn't work out so well though. Maybe I can buy a shirt there tomorrow. If my parents sell their house and all our cars in time... As soon as I walked into the main department store there I knew it was going to be bad... Suffridges is a 5 storey building filled with designer lables in every nook and corner. Everywhere I looked I could see Chanel, Dolce and Gabanna and Dior. I didn't have to look at any price tags. In fact I didn't even dare to touch anything! I walked through that store with my mouth hanging open like an idiot and both my hands tucked safely into my pockets. I started feeling a little light headed and decided it might be better to find the nearest exit. I wandered down the rest of Oxford Street in a daze untill I came upon a sign. I sign that said: Notting Hill Gate. I know I've always said that I love Namibia and I'll always live there, but I found my home today. I love everything about Notting Hill. The small little store. The cute two storey flats packed closely together. All the market stalls and friendly people and antique shops. Colours and music everywhere! And I really just felt that I could breathe! If home is where the heart is, then my heart's in Notting Hill.

Eye see London, Eye wish Eye'll see France

After an eventful day my dad and I just wanted to do something relaxing like watch a movie... that didn't quite work out as planned though. Instead we ended up 135 m up in the air, overlooking 40 km of city. Yep, me and my dad, who just so happens to be afraid of heights, spent 30 mins in a revolving wheel overlooking London's most famous sights. The London eye. I've been on it before, but that time doesn't really count, since we spent most of the trip sleeping (long story). I thought it was awesome, and my dad agreed, though I could see that he preferred sitting on the bench in the centre of the compartment, rather than stand at the edge with me. The view from up there is spectacular, unbelievable and completely undescribable (no really, I wish I could describe it to you, but I just don't have the words). All the while I was up there I was also thinking of how great it would be to see a view similar to this one, only that viewing point is at the top of a triangular structure in Paris and not a rotating wheel. A girl can dream can't she?

Animals aren't only found at the zoo

Sunday morning started a little later than i had planned, but I did only sleep for about two hours on the plane, so who could blame me? After breakfast with dad and uncle Chicken (as he shall henceforth be known) I set off through Regents park to the ZSL London Zoo. On my way there I came across the most beautiful, albeit a little spooky, churchyard. It was a quiet forest-like area in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world and almost deserted, except for two old grannies siting on a bench with their knitting needles in hand. The churchyard was filled with tree and oddly shaped stones, which on further inspection, I found out were actually headstones. They dated back to the 1700s and most of the names couldn't even be read anymore, but they were still there, hidden between the bushes and undergrowth, and the more I started to look around, the more I found. They were everywhere, and they gave the lovely tranquil garden an eery feel. I loved every second of it. After that I continued through the park to the zoo, which it turns out, isn't like our zoos in SA. It's obvious from the get-go that this zoo actually has money. They have special features and effects at each exibit and the animals definitely don't live in shoe boxes. You actually have to spend about 5 minutes looking for each animal in its enclosure. That fact instantly removed the guilty feeling I usually have when entering a zoo. I hate seeing animals locked up in cages, but these guys were clearly having the time of their lives. Living it up in a posh London neighbourhood with not a care in the world. This, unfortunatly, made me feel even worse for the animals in the SA zoos though.

I found out a little later that afternoon that the zoo wasn't the only place in London to find exotic animals. It became clear as soon as my dad and I set foot at Lord's Cricket Grounds that it was going to be an interesting afternoon. The final of the mens World T20 match was electrifying. Sri Lankan and Pakistani fans packed the stands and the noise was overwhelming. I quickly pointed out to my dad that cricket definitely wasn't a "gentlemen's game" anymore. The fans were ecstatic! Both teams played a convincing game, but it was the fans that made the match worth watching. Even those rooting for Sri Lanka, like my dad and I, starting singing with the Pakistan fans towards the end of the game.you just couldn't escape the excitement, and their tunes were actually quite catching. Our group (all the people attending the ICC conference that stay in our hotel) even made a new friend in the form of a very drunk Pakistani guy who landed a seat right in the middle of us. That guy should have been wearing a number 23 jersey at a rugby match!

After the match we all tried to escape the stadium as soon as possible. The match might have ended, but the fans went on chearing for much much longer. And I thought it was an advantage staying in a hotel right next to Lords...

The Home of cricket

After the match we had a quick lunch/dinner with Schalk (my dad's friend) and his mates on a boat. We ended being pretty late and had to run to get to the hotel in time. We took a quick shower, got dressed in flash and then scurried over the street to Lord's, The Home of Cricket. We attended the ICC's cocktail party and met so many people from so many countries, with so many accents I almost got whiplash! My dad's cousin, Marais, who's an international umpire, was there and the two of us spent the evening making fun of all the countries that we weren't even sure was being enough to fit a cricket field in. Like St. Helena and Cyprus. I met some really nice people from Chile and Ireland and had an intense debate with the guy from Ruanda about women's cricket. I was actually quite surprised at myself. I hadn't noticed that I'd been listening to my dad all these years, untill I was face to face with some of the biggest names in cricket, and i was up to speed with what they were saying and could wip out plenty of facts about Namibian cricket and keep our country's name proud. The Long Room, which is the most important historic site for cricket was absolutely beautiful. It was, a the name implies, a long room with high ceilings looking out onto Lord's cricket grounds. Take 3 steps out the victorian style doors and you were literally on the outfield. The paintings on the walls of the Long Room dated back to 1744. I was scared to breathe in there! But as it turns out, all those very important looking people are soem of the coolest most down to earth people I've met. Except maybe for the Brits...they're a bunch of snobs. Big surprise there!