#fridayfromwhereistand

I'm standing: London's exceptional Borough Market. I'm currently suffering a food coma from all of the incredible treats I sampled this morning so more to come on this gem of a destination later.

I'm feeling: Perturbed. The stress of exams coupled with the impending timeline of my stay here is really unsettling.

I'm thinking: I'll save the sappy emotional 'I'm not ready to leave London' rant for another post, but right now I am mostly feeling thankful. I love this beautiful city and everything that it has presented to me. Even now as I am torturing myself with exam revision, I am still so thankful that this experience and this city gets to be a part of my life.

I'm anticipating: Well there are the good and the bad feelings of anticipation that are churning up a storm within me. Thankfully I've filled my last weeks in London with some really fun and exciting things to distract me from thoughts about my departure. Mostly though I'm anticipating how to deal with the inevitable shit storm of emotions I will have to face come June 3rd.

I'm planning: There is currently talks of one last quick jaunt off to another country before I leave... we'll see how that goes.

I'm reading: Revision notes, ha! I picked up a vintage Penguin copy of Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck that I plan to read once my exams are completed, but unfortunately I don't have time for leisure reading at the moment.

I'm listening: Around once every season there seems to come a week where a lot of new music is released. This seems to be one of those weeks. Two albums I'm really excited about that came out this week are Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend and Volume 3 by She & Him. Both are definitely worth a listen, especially this track from Vampy Weeks. I just can't get it out of my head!

Lately...

The days and weeks are flying by. As I get closer and closer to the end of my time in London everything is starting to blend together. I've made quite the to-do list that I'd like to complete before 3 June. We'll see how that goes. Until then, here is some of what I've been up to lately:

Antique junk shops on Brick Lane | A scenic view of London from the Eye | Creepy but beautiful headstone in Brompton Cemetery | London has the best sunsets | Soho flats | I finally made the pilgrimage to the Mumford & Sons 'Sigh No More' album cover location | Johnny Flynn performing at the Globe Theatre for Shakespeare's birthday party | A lovely view of St Paul's Cathedral and Millennium Bridge | Very cool neon sign installation at Tate Modern

ARTspiration: Mike Bayne

Boy, it's been a while since I've done a nice ARTspiration post here on the old blog. For those of you who weren't around back then, first of all, welcome! and second of all I'd like to introduce you to a little feature here that I like to call ARTspiration (art + inspiration = art-spiration. Cheeky, I know) While I don't consider myself a traditional artist in any capacity, (I do however believe that we are all creatives because we all intentionally or unintentionally create things.) I still consider art to be a big part of my life. To me, there is nothing quite like taking the time to truly ponder a piece of artwork. Now, I know that some people out there will argue that there is such a thing as 'bad artwork' but I don't really believe that to be true. The work that is often considered 'bad' might just have a more complex meaning behind it that isn't understood at face value and many viewers don't take the time to read into anything and really, truly think about what the artist was trying to communicate. Art is after all, a means of communication.

Anyway. [*end rant*] This go around on ARTspiration I've found an artist that I don't think anyone will dispute that he has talent. Now folks, take a good look at the following images, prepare yourself.

  

Mixtape Monday: Goddess Marling

Laura Marling is a goddess of beauty.
I don't need to explain that or provide further information, you just need to look at her.
A major goal of mine for my time in London was to make a point of seeing all of my favourite British musicians. That's quite a hefty undertaking because I have so many, but I've been really lucky so far. Like, really, really lucky. My luck was truly proven last Thursday when I won tickets to the private screening for When Brave Bird Saved, the new short film/music video from LM. Hannah and I hit the bar before noon at the tiny cinema and Laura even provided us with pizza before the screening. Pizza party!
The film is breathtaking and while Laura didn't perform, let alone utter one word during the screening I still felt accomplished.
I still don’t believe it really happened. Less than 30 people in a room with LM herself at a private screening for this beautiful short film? nah, that wasn’t real. Laura, you are perfect and my love for you is never ending.
Anyway, no mixtape this Monday, but a Marling medley and that's far better than any mixtape I could put together. Enjoy.

Beautiful Bruges

I finally got around to editing together some clips that I took while on my recent vacation to Bruges. I really can't say enough about that wonderful city, it really is what dreams are made of. Within the first hour of arriving my aunt and I were already picking out flats we wanted to move into... a girl can dream.
Oh Bruges, you beautiful thing. I promise to be back someday.

This was my very first time filming and editing clips, ever! I actually enjoyed it a lot and hope that it turned out okay. I'd love to start incorporating more videos to the blog in the future. Let me know what you guys think.