The City of Angels

After a lovely and intense weekend in San Fran, I headed down to Los Angeles. The huge highways never seize to amaze as does the general feel of industrialization and just overall feeling of the U.S. as one mega mechanism. The ride didn't result in a single picture, but was spent listening to Hindi music, Portuguese and Danish rap along with the English language popular music of today.

During the first days in the city, I have to admit I felt completely overwhelmed and a little lost. As trying to do my Portuguese homework on national identity while the sun is shining outside is not a feasible task, I went out to explore the area and found a bus taking my directly to no other than Venice beach!

In contrast to all the movies and scary stories you might hear from people who have never used the public transportation system in L.A., the people on them seem generally quite normal. The buses are fairly inefficient due to traffic and the size of the city. The trains, however, are great.

I had my first surfing lesson on Friday. It's a harder than I thought, but heaps of fun! Going back again Monday to practice on my own and hoping to beat my record of 0.5 seconds standing up =) Keep your fingers crossed!

During the week, I've also been as far as Pasadena and Claremont to meet up with a close friend and had a wonderful time exploring the areas and enjoying her lovely company, delicious food, wine and chocolate fondue. This weekend has taken me to Hollywood (haven't seen the sign yet though) and Santa Monica to do the things this city is best known for - watch pilots of two new potential shows, eat junk food and shop. As far as the shopping and eating didn't bring about much of a surprise, the irony of the titles of the shows chosen to air at the same time was comic - the first one being called Jesus People and the second... nothing other but... Quitters!

San Fran

This weekend, I revisited the city I fell in love with last year. The trip included visits to the good old favourite spots - Specialty's cookies, Kara's cupcakes, the Mission and the Golden Gate Bridge. On top of the pictures, the trip resulted in a spontaneous flamenco shoes purchase and even more love than the first time around...

As you know, I'm crazy about the Murals, so they get their own slideshow :o):

Peak back

at the three weeks in NY!

Miranda

I've been in Astoria since three weeks and discovered the Euro Delights creperie on my second weekend in town. That'll be... what... 10 days ago? I have been there on a number of occasions since having both savory and sweet pancakes. I had dinner from there yesterday seated on the sofa in front of the TV watching Gilmore Girls. Today, my sweet tooth got the best of me and I went over to pick up an Evita. The lady recognizes me now. She was friendly, as always. She knew I take my crepes to go. I somehow felt a pinch of a flash back to the Sex and the City episode where Miranda goes off on a waitress at the Chinese place she always orders the same dish from. That's me in a year from now. Maybe less. Ordering the same food. Being emotionally freaked out by a relationship. Living as a single mom in Brooklyn...

Surfing

The project this year is a lot more fun in the sense that I'm doing market research and it's for a purpose (as opposed to last year's pointless contact info calls to Z-grade companies). However, it's a lot of just surfing the net. From morning till night. And since there's no end to this, I can't say I'm highly stimulated by the task.

While online, I've come across a number of interesting sites, the latest female hygine articles included, but what I'm getting at here is that according to a website, this blog is worth 80 151 SEK. I'm really curious how they came up with that and... anybody wants to buy?

Another World

I just finished reading Stephenie Meyer's novel - The Host. "The sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi" as is stated on the webpage is just spot on. I can't remember having swallowed a book this long this fast apart from Shanataram and having even been remotely interested in any sci-fi what-so-ever. So, yeah, it's cheesy at times, but the plot pulls you in very quickly and has elements of pretty much everything you could imagine. It also bares a freakish resemblance to my current situation of an alien in another culture. Really enjoyed it!

Speaking of Shantaram - I can't believe that there's a movie coming out next year! And with no other than Johnny Depp... can it get any better?

Fridge

I take it back. The thing I said about locking myself in an AC vacuume all day long. I take it back. My room is the coldest in the entire office and I'm freezing! Changing tomorrow.

The Web Revisited

Dim lights. Kinda shady. I've walked down those stairs once before - in January - and was nearly refused the entrance before H walked down behind me. That night the place was packed, as it usually is on weekends. Packed and fun. This time it's practically empty since most people have left off for the long weekend. I was expecting it to be packed despite it being a Thursday.

The drink is nothing like the daiquiri Marty and I had at Tvärsöver a week or so before I left. It'll do though. I'm tired and I quite honestly don't really feel like being there anymore - the dancefloor is closed, the dancers are so many that the customers are at a 2-1 ratio and the place is just a drag. One drunk and completely unrhytmical beer-bellied and shirtless middleaged man is trying to hook up. It looks pathetic and comical. I can't decide which. Maybe both?

An older Chinese guy in a cap standing next to H asks him if I'm his boyfriend. I can't believe I heard that and "play dead" for a while not to blow up or laugh histerically. That's speaking of drag for ya. H goes speachless, picks up his chin from when it dropped upon the question, then chuckles and just shakes his head. A while later, a young guy asks me if I saw his friend from Canada and we start to chat. H comes back and retells the brief conversation. The three of us laugh. Oh my God! Where'd he get tha'from?! I was just thinkin' she hot and I dunno what the hell she doin' here? Haha

Thank you. That's better.

Philly

Philly was:
BBQing Vietnamese style
Learning to make summer rolls
Vicious mosquitos
Mosaics and murals
Shoe shopping (more on that later)
Late night sightseeing
Loving Love park
South Street
Penn's landing
Suburbs

Royalty

On one of the evenings last week, Bumble and I took a walk around the area where I currently live. We saw the ever-so-NY-typical ladders...

ID4 decorations...Other decorations (?!??)...
And realized the ethnic diversity of the area:

Haven't tried it yet, but I'm curious how good their dishes are. For now I can tell you that the Indian place down the street from my place has aweful food, whilst the Italian Sac's is 2die4 and I haven't tried their highly recommended pizzas yet.

What I however noticed in the Churasqueira picture above is the Fan Club... Will have to investigate!

Popular Demand

By popular demand... here comes the first picture from this US trip.

Manhattan at Sunset

Hot Stuff

Before the week was over, I revisited the Broadway Dance Center and attended one more jazz class - this time for Rhapsody where we danced to:



The choreo was great and the music grovs on you. In other words - loved it!

Hostel in Rome

Looking for a hostel in Rome? Read the reviews... I wonder who wrote the fifth one ;-)

Manhattan 0720

I sit on the subway next to a homie listening to his iPod. I stopped listening to mine to read up on Angolas road to independence during my train ride. Luckily the train isn't packed at this time and the AC actually works (unlike on the Stockholm PT). Once above groud, I notice the streets filled with early morning sun. It's warm, but the humidity hasn't kicked in yet making it a pleasant walk to the office.

The sidewalks are empty by Manhattan standards - there were more people out last night at 9 p.m. than now. Then again, this isn't Wall Street or Downtown. Tourists with huge suitcases, smaller suitcases, lots of suitcases, businessmen in suits, New Yorkers in casual clothing, New Yorkers in shorts jogging to the sounds coming out of their earphones... All passing the closed stores and open cafés and delis, construction sites and the steaming orange&white cones.