It's been a busy few weeks since my last posting! I had a wonderful, relaxing weekend in Belfast with Mark's family including a delicious recreation of Christmas Dinner. The next week was quite busy with school and the internship (I just finished designing a new "Art Trail" for children visiting the gallery) and finished off with a late night of editing and learning about seal calls (any guess whose paper I could have been reading? haha). After that late night, Mark and I had planned on having a Skype date the next night... or at least I was planning on having a Skype date that night. Every long-distance girlfriend's worst nightmare- I was stood up for my Skype date!!! Luckily, every long-distance girlfriend's dream came true- and he showed up for our Skype date in person!!! :)... with flowers and chocolate... yeah, not too shabby :) He had a break before new classes started so he was able to stay for a week- it was such a nice, relaxing visit filled with cooking dinners and watching movies and a little school work mixed in. Though I was sad to still have to go to work and class while he was here, it was so great to have him to come home to! On Tuesday I had to pitch a big project proposal in front of a panel of our professors and they had to decide whether to give us hypothetical funding. It turned out a lot more intense than I thought it would be, but luckily Mark helped me practice my presentation and it went really well and I even got imaginary funding :P
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| Flowers from the boy :) |
In other news, I went to chinatown and central London with my friend Liz to experience Chinese New Year. I think all of London was packed into a one block radius; it was terrifying! Made me grateful to be only living in the 16th most populated city rather than the first (Shanghai with almost 14 million people!). Once we escaped the suffocating crowds in Trafalgar Square and Chinatown, we adventured to an amazing dim sum restaurant to celebrate the year of the Rabbit a little more peacefully.
After a nice week with the boy, we met up with his mum, sister, aunt and cousin for a great day/evening on the town in London. After having a little taster of the multicultural hub that is London during lunch with Kim (our waitress could not understand anything we said..), we met up with the rest of the group and went on a quest for cupcakes and shopping, went to see the musical Grease (reminded me of a lot of good times dancing on the bed with Ana and the Shrimp to the soundtrack!), and out to an Italian dinner. On Sunday I started volunteering again at the South London Gallery's Sunday Spot and had a nice hall potluck dinner that evening. Alas, after seeing lots of men frantically signing cards on the Tube, eating and resealing chocolates for their valentines, and a few embarrassed souls walking with oversized teddy bears, my Valentine had to head back up to st. Andrews, so I am very much looking forward to seeing him again in a month! I also recieved a great valentines surprise from home and an currently indulging myself in eating way too many chocolates!
OK now for the random trivia of the week....
Ever seen this guy?
Hint: He was an actor on the TV Series The Thin Blue Line, in Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Hugh Grant's brother, Howard Wade, in Two Weeks Notice ... but his real claim to fame.... he happens to be my neighbor! yay for living near slightly obscure British celebrities and my nosy boyfriend sticking his head through the hedge to this guy's house!
Inspired by my friend Lin Lin, in addition to my quest to find a celebrity during my stay in London, I also am going to be on the prowl for the tackiest royal wedding souvenir!
This could be a promising mission... I'll keep you posted as the city shuts down for the royal nuptuals in April. My invitation appears to still be lost...
Well hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day aaaand if you happen to be in South Carolina at the end of March, you should go see the shrimp as Alice in Alice and Wonderland (so proud!! wish I could be there!!!!)
what a cute blondie!!
