The Red Suitcase Diaries

One night in Bangkok

2009-08-12T16:21:00.004+08:00

Actually it was two nights in Bangkok, which nearly turned into three when we conveniently missed out flight out to islands after a rather over-enthusiastic start to Rebel's 30th birthday celebrations.

We landed in Bangkok around 8.30am on the Wednesday morning, after leaving Perth the night before, with a short stop over in Singapore for some delicious roasted duck noodles. It was a funny feeling walking through the doors of Perth International Airport again to leave for our holiday. It was a lot less dramatic, to say the least, then when I had arrived a year earlier completely shattered and half in shock that I was actually back in Perth after leaving London. It was also hard to believe that I was going to be in another country for the first time in a year. It had been far too long between travels.

Our priority on arriving in Bangkok was to find accommodation as soon as possible so we could dump our luggage, have a quick look around and catch up on some much needed sleep before really exploring the city. We made our way to backpacker central - Koh Sahn Road, in Banglamphu. It became pretty obvious quite early on that I was probably the only one out of the group that had bothered to do any form of research before arriving in Thailand. Actually, this became obvious at Perth airport and Changi airport as everyone kept asking me where we had to go, when our next flight was and what was happening. So somehow I fell into tour leader role and found us some spare rooms at Rikka Inn for about 800BHT a night, complete with air conditioning, hot showers and a roof top pool. Exactly what we needed.

After a few hours sleep Rebel and I decided to hit Kao Sahn Rd to find some food and see what this city was all about. Kao Sahn Rd as I said before is backpackers central. Hence the street is full of vendors selling cheap clothes, fake sunglasses, cheap beer and food. I loved watching the street transform throughout the day. First thing in the morning it's so quiet, with the vendors starting to assemble their clothing stores, getting ready for another days trade. By lunchtime the hungover backpackers are starting to appear from the myriad of guesthouses lining the street, people are queueing to grab a 30BHT pad Thai from the street food vendors and the bars are slowly filling with those ready for their first Singha beer. As dusk starts to fall on the city the touts start flooding the street trying to sell their wares to every passing foreigner - glow sticks, ribbiting wooden frogs, laser lights. The 7-Elevens transform into street bars selling cheap as chips cocktails and Tiger beers for 50BHT (approximately $2) and loud music thumps out from the bars across the street.

Our little travelling group also decided to absorb some culture and sightseeing. We ventured off to The Grand Palace, sidestepping the dodgy people trying to fool us that the Palace was closed for the day and headed through the impressive main gates only to be hustled into the change room, where we were told to cover up. As we stepped back into the sticky humidity, donning our new outfits, full length sarongs and button up shirts, we wandered into the grounds of the palace admiring the glittering gold statues throughout. We finished the tour of the grounds with a look at the Emerald Buddha in the Royal Monastery at which stage my modest sarong decided to fall off and bare my barely covered backside to the revered Buddha. Oops!

The lure of the Bangkok night life also drew us into it's steamy bosom. On our first night as we dodged a lightning storm we stumbled into a hidden mansion bar down a little side street. This beautiful 2 storey old Thai house was set up as an alternative indi bar, with outdoor furniture settings filling the courtyard lit with fairy lights. We were the only Westerners yet we were greeted with big smiles from the people running the bar, as we found ourselves a place amongst the young Thais sharing bottles of whisky at the tables. We kicked back sharing large bottles of Chang beer and watched the rain pour down outside through the open shutters, loving every moment.

Our last night in Bangkok coincided with the start of Rebel's 30th birthday. Acting on a last minute recommendation from a friend via facebook (what would I do without facebook?!)we headed across Bangkok to Sukhumvit Rd to the Bed Supperclub. Our night was timed with UB Radio's 1st birthday party which saw us paying an exorbitant 700BHT entry fee. However, the bar itself and the music they were playing was pretty damn cool. We kicked on until about 2 or 3am, before managing to find our way home to collapse in bed. We awoke blearily 5 hours later only to start a series of slow moving stuff ups leading us to miss our 11am flight to Koh Samui.

To be continued...

Leaving London

2009-03-24T11:26:00.000+09:00

Monday 28th July 2008

I flew out of London and back to Perth on Monday 28th July 2008. The plan was to return for about six months, stay for summer and then apply for the Highly Skilled Visa, or Tier 1 as it is now known, and head right back to London again.

Unfortunately, in the meantime a global economic downturn, recession, credit crisis - whatever you wish to call it - has seen the English economy turn into a pit. One of the responses to this was to start cutting the immigration intake and hence they have now raised the minimum requirements for the Tier 1 visa so that you must have a Masters degree to qualify for it.

So now any plans I may have had to return to London are pretty much squashed.

But I don't think this will be the end of the Red Suitcase Diaries. While I am still currently in Perth, working hard and saving money, I definitely seem to still have itchy feet. There are plenty of other countries in the world to live in.

So stay tuned for round 2 at the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010.

A Belgian City Break

2008-11-03T16:32:00.000+09:00

(18 - 20 July 08)

I nearly didn't make it to Belgium for the weekender planned in Brussels with my older brother.

The night before, I went on a Friday night date into Leicester Square with J to see one of the 5 pound comedy nights, sure to give you a few cheap laughs over a few drinks. Well, in our case, a few drinks too many which saw me rather inebbriated at 1am trying to pack my mini suitcase for my early 8.10am departure the next day. I had arranged to meet Rhys at the Eurostar terminal in Kings Cross at 7.15am yet my overzealous efforts the night before meant I was in struggle-town and still trying to make my way out of Brixton at this time after I had already run back home once to grab the passport I had nearly forgotten.

A stressful 45 minutes later I met my rather distressed brother at the Eurostar station and we made a beeline for our platform. We made our way through passport control and dashed to our carriage just as the last boarding call went out over the station.

After finding our seats Rhys looked at me, shook his head and told me I was "selfish and stunk of booze". I was more impressed by the fact that it's possible to get on a Eurostar with 15 minutes to spare. Definitely the best way to travel in Europe!

After nearly a two hour train ride I had managed to rehydrate slightly and then we were in Brussels, trying to find our hostel. We checked in, dumped our bags and began our site seeing excursion of the city. I have to say, I wasn't really in the right state to be sightseeing, but I pushed through and stumbled along after Rhys as he stopped for photos here and there. It was a nice enough city with the usual mix of old historical stuff that's interesting and more modern culture but Brussels can really be done in one day or night. Three days was too much for me for this Belgian city, even with most of Sunday spent sightseeing in the quaint town of Bruges.

If anything, the beer is fantastic in Belgium and it was great to just sit down with some frites covered in mayonnaise and sip on a Hoegarden or Leffe Blonde for a measly 2 euros. The quality of the Belgian beers is just extraordinary and I was even more fascinated by the wide variety of glassware that they were served in.

Maybe if I hadn't just finished a massive two week holiday in Croatia, I might have enjoyed the Belgian weekender more. But it was hard to sum up much excitement when I was still recuperating from too much partying, with a fading golden tan in a quiet, chilly city, with not much to offer apart from good beer and a bit of chocolate.

Was I Dreaming (Part III): Split

2008-10-27T12:46:00.000+09:00

On Saturday morning I blearly woke to feel the boat already motoring along the coast towards Split. Just before 9am we pulled into the port at Split, packed our bags, did the best clean up of the boat that we could manage (it still looked like it had been hit by a bomb) and thanked Papa for putting up with us for 3 nights.

With that he looked at us, threw his hands in the air and said,

"Well I don't know how else to say, but it is time to...Get Off!"

So with one last song from Papa we waved goodbye and staggered in the hot sun towards the Old Town with the single mission of finding somewhere to sit and eat breakfast and drink lots and lots of water.

It was in Split that we all finally parted ways. Some had early flights out from Split, while others left that evening, and then another group were catching the ferry to Italy. I was staying put in Split for the weekend and taking the opportunity to see a bit more of the port than I did last time I was there in 2007. Luckily I had prebooked a hostel before leaving London and I found my hostel just outside the walls of the Old Town, near the markets. After what was nearly a solid two weeks of partying with very little sleep, I was in desparate need of somewhere quiet and preferably air conditioned to rest my body. In hindsight, what I really wanted was to be jumping on a plane back to London, to my own comfy bed.

Fortunately I found my hostel, the Silvergate, a quiet and cool escape. Even though I was staying in a 6 bed dorm I had the room to myself until about 10pm that night. Perfect.

After a nanna nap I ventured out into the still hot evening and found a few of the others from the boat a restaurant in the centre of the old town. So we enjoyed another delicious meal and washed this down with a couple of cold beers and then called it a night as the sun went down. Everyone was exhausted.

Sunday morning I woke to join two of the girls, Carly and Lisa for breakfast, back at the same restaurant we had enjoyed dinner at the previous night. The two were heading off to Hvar that day to spend a few days frolicking on the island. Before they left we made the mistake of peeking our heads into one of the jewellery stores in Split and emerged half an hour later with several beautiful pieces of jewellery. I saw the girls off then managed to find a bus that would take me out fo the main port and round the bay to a small swimming area. I spent the day lounging at the waters edge until I finally headed back to the hostel for another sleep.

Back at the hostel I made new friends with an American girl who had just arrived in Split on her own and made loose plans with her to head out to dinner together later after a spot of site seeing. Rather than both trying to find somewhere to eat just by ourselves it was nice to both head out and share a dinner.

And then, it was Sunday night and after one more sleep I was finally on a plane first thing on Monday morning back to London. And let me tell you, I was very much looking forward to getting back home to my own bed finally.

Was I Dreaming? (Part II): All aboard the SS Paradise

2008-08-27T12:38:00.000+08:00

The Garden Festival officially drew to a close on Monday 7th July. I awoke sometime late that afternoon and managed to drag my aching head and body down to the massage gazebo on the waterfront for one very much needed full body massage. I quietly thanked my foresight to book myself in for this on the first day of the festival as my friends enviously watched me head off to relaxation heaven. It was so peaceful feeling the cooling breeze waft over me as the waves lapped the shore nearby and the cicadas kept up their constant chirping.

With the festival finished we had two days left in Petrcane which we used to catch up on sleep and discover the delicious menus of the local restaurants. Dinner always proved to be quite a production with at least 20 of us descending upon the small family run restaurants of Petrcane and feasting until our bellies were full.

On Wednesday morning 22 of us packed up and headed to the main jetty to anxiously await the arrival of our privately hired boat, the SS Paradise. Finally she arrived, skippered by Nevin who we decided to affectionately rename "Papa" for the trip, a big bellied Croatian, who spent most of his time wandering around the boat in his sarong and nothing else and occasionally treated us to an opera song after a few wines, and his trusty sidekick Katarina.

After several trips between the boat and the shore to transport our bags, food, booze and finally oursleves all onto the boat we all immediately stripped down to our bathers and with squeals of joy and echoing "Canonnnnnnnbaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!"s we all leapt overboard for a swim before we motored away from Petrcane. The boys got to work figuring out how to play music on the soundsystem (lucky we had a dj onboard) and the next thing we knew, we had our custom made party mix album bursting out of the speakers on deck as we cracked our first beers and vodkas for the day.

And so began our cruise down the coast.

For me, it brought back lots of memories of the previous year's Sail Croatia trip and had much of the same vibe. The days on the boat were spent alternating between sunbaking, reading, sleeping and swimming until we reached our destination for the evening. The first night we landed at Biograd, an island which didn't leave much of an impression on me. It was touristy, overrun with families and cafe bars with bad Eurotrash music. It made me realise what a great little place Petrcane had been and how it maintained so much of its humble Croatian atmosphere.

The next day we set sail again until we moored in the bay of a small island. I have no idea what it was called but the reason we headed there was because the grandfather of one of the boy's on the boat used to live there. So we named it Strika Island. We didn't step foot onto the island until the next day after a long night of partying on the boat. Early in the morning before leaving Biograd, the boys had bought fresh squid, mackarel and sardines from a fishing boat that had pulled in alongside us, and this was then used for a huge feast that we cooked up on the boat that evening.

Our third day aboard the SS Paradise finished as we again dropped anchor in a quiet bay. Well, it was quiet until we arrived. Once again, I've no idea where we were, and once again we renamed the island, to Wasp Island. This was because we seemed to have a phenomenal amount of wasps flying around our drinks the minute we moored. They came out of nowhere! There was nothing in this bay except a smattering of boats and one restuarant on land all by itself. We booked ourselves into the restaurant for dinner and found it to be situated amongst a beautiful garden. It was run by an Italian family and all the food on the menu was either caught by the hostess' husband from the ocean or grown in the garden. Amazing and such unbelievably fresh food. We laughed our way through dinner and through more than several bottles of wine and managed to convince Papa to sing his opera for us one last time.

And, after dinner we made our way back to the boat in very high spirits and continued the party well into the early hours of the morning, making the very most of our very last night of our amazing holiday.

Was I Dreaming? (Part I): The Garden Festival

2008-08-18T19:41:00.000+08:00

The start of July signalled the start of summer holidays. On the 2nd July I hoisted my bulging backpack on, caught the 3.08am train from Clapham Junction to Gatwick Airport and joined the throng of travellers in hats and t-shirts all checking in to a summer holiday destination of their choice.

My destination was Split, Croatia.

I met two of my friends at the airport, all of us wearing big grins as we were about to start our group holiday of a lifetime. Once we made it to Split, we had prebooked Garden Festival transfers which was a 2 hour bus ride to the small Croatian village, Petrcane.

We finally stepped off the bus in the main carpark in Petrcane. It was a warm 35C and the heat was instantly a shock after a year being aclimatised to the cool London weather. My initial problem was to now find my accommodation. As there were so many of our friends all coming to this one festival, we had a number of apartments booked throughout Petrcane. The directions I had received to our apartment were rather limited, that is, there pretty much were no directions except for an address. So, after asking a local Croatian person, making a phone call and getting them to ask for directions for me in Croatian, I finally made my sweaty way to Lady Zvisdana's apartment on a street called Put 10, a mere 20 metres from the sparkling blue water. There I was met by Zvisdana, a lovely Croatian woman, and the family dog Roki. After dumping my backpack, my wonderful hostess immediately offered me an icy cold Karlovacko beer and we sat in the cool shade of her garden and made, what I would like to call polite small talk, but as neither of us knew any of the other persons language, we laughed our way through sign language and smiles.

After getting settled, I was in contact with my two other travel buddies, who had found their apartment further around the bay and we wasted no time heading to the main festival site, which was still in the process of being set up. On the pine forested peninsular, surrounded by the glistening Adriatic Sea, we found people sprawled across day beds under the pine trees, sipping on cocktails with chilled beats being played by the dj set up in a gazebo. It was pure bliss and we started to get a feel for what the next week would be like.

We arrived in Croatia on the Wednesday and the festival itself didn't start until the Friday. Over the next two days all of our friends started arriving from their various locations from around the world. For those that had arrived straight from London, we definitely needed those couple of days to unwind from the maniac pace of city life. I started to realise just how magical this festival was going to be when, on the Thursday evening as we were dancing on the waterfront as the sun set slowly over the water, the dj dropped the Bob Marley classic "Could you be loved". It was heaven on earth and the festival still hadn't even officially started yet?

The first day of the festival set the precedent for what our days would entail over the weekend. A mainstage was set up under the pine trees which would see some quality djs and live acts over the next three nights. Highlights included Crazy P, with their high energy lead singer Danielle belting out the tunes and who we later danced side by side with on the dancefloor the following evening and No Faking DJs with a banging set that had everyone dancing. The second stage was the beach bar, where the dj decks were set up under a thatched gazebo and overlooked a wooden dancefloor platform and then the waterfront where people partied half naked in their bathers, splashing in the water or floating past on their lilos with cocktail in hand.

And as if this wasn't good enough, I haven't even mentioned the Argonaughty Boat Parties. Twice a day the massive party boat would set sail, once during the day and once in the evening. Each day you would see the boat cruise past, with its music pumping across the open water as its decks were filled with heaving bodies, grooving to the house tunes.

It was one of the most amazing festivals I've been to. Small, idyllic, fantastic music, cheap and filled with a happy, friendly crowd. It rocked.

Dosser City

2008-06-30T17:49:00.000+08:00

Dosser (defn): someone who sleeps in any convenient place

In London the term is used loosely for any friend or friend of friend who needs a place to stay for free or cheap upon arriving in London, or in my case, a place to keep my stuff and stay in between travels before heading back to Perth at the end of July.

On Sunday I packed up my room in Brassey Square where I have had my cosy abode for the past 6 months, boxing up the non essentials to go into storage at my brother's house and then taking the rest with me to my friend Justin's house, where I will be camping out on and off for the next month. As I unpacked my clothes and shoes that started to look like they would envelop J's room, I joked that I gave it till 4pm before one of us ran screaming from the house and down to the pub for a straight vodka.

I had gone from my comfortable, quiet room to sharing with five guys in a big house in Brixton. These guys are the Strick9 boys who I have mentioned in a previous post to my blog. My favourite boys who I met last year in Croatia. Who would think that meeting them in a bar in Dubrovnik would lead to me dossing at their house 9 months later?

I presumed that it would be hard enough getting used to sharing with 5 lads. Just think, toliet seat permanently left up, and not even that but the fact that they all go to the toilet with the door open too. I can definitely see a few awkward moments occuring in the future. I'm also getting my own special ear muffs to be used when the boys get carried away with "boy talk", not fit for ladies ears.

However, yesterday it wasn't just me who turned up on Sunday to "doss" at the boys house. Five new dossers, fresh off the boat from NSW also stumbled through the door, along with one of the boy's Mum and Dad who were on holiday from back home. Suddenly, there is thirteen people all under the one roof. All I can say is thank God the lads live in a massive four storey house and thank God I have a bed!

And then this morning we had to laugh as the whole household was woken up at 6am on a Monday morning to an angry, nearby neighbour ranting and raving about who knows what for the whole street to hear.

Welcome to Brixton ladies and gents!

The Summer Holiday of 2008

2008-06-27T19:49:00.000+08:00

It has literally been a six month planning process which began in early December in 2007. Back then the call went out for everyone to jump aboard the "Gratuitous Group Gallivant" and friends in the UK and Australia scrambled to buy tickets to The Garden Festival, a new boutique festival on a pine forested peninsular at Petrcane in Croatia. The festival is now only in its third year, with ticket sales and promotion mostly through word of mouth.

Our pure excitement of spending one glorious week listening to awesome djs spinning tunes right on the beach, while we frolicked in the Adriatic Sea spread and we now have 40 associated friends all ready to descend upon the tiny village of Petrcane. We've all secured apartments a measly 50 metres from the festival site and will be staying there from this Wednesday until the following Wednesday for a measly 100 euros each. The festival kicks off on the Friday with djs playing on the main stage and beach bar from 10am until 3am each day. In addition to this are the Argonaughty Boat Parties which set sail twice daily, again kitted out with djs and people ready to party.

And the holiday doesn't stop there. The following Wednesday morning, twenty of us get picked up from the festival site on our own private boat, SS Paradise (could the name be any more perfect?), which we have chartered for 4 days. We set sail back down the coast until we reach the island of Hvar (one of my favourites from the Croatia trip last year) on Friday afternoon. After spending our last night on this pristine island we then make our way back to Split. Most will head back to London to recover while others have onward journeys throughout Europe. I've booked to stay in Split over the weekend, giving myself a second chance to explore this port and relax before heading back to grimey London.

While there are the twenty friends who leave the festival to board the SS Paradise, other friends also depart Petrcane to land themsleves straight into festival heaven again and head to Exit festival in Serbia. Their trip then continues on for another month or so and encompasses the Greek Islands as well.

We're on the home stretch now, after months of email banter discussing accommodation, flights, budgets and hot travel tips, each day another Bon Voyage email comes through as one of the gang quits their job to start their summer holiday of 2008.

I have my last day of temp work next Tuesday. It couldn't come soon enough as I sit at my computer and check the weather each day for Zadar. 35C - here I come!

What's it like living in London?

2008-06-27T19:45:00.000+08:00

London is like living in one giant nightclub.

Let the Summer Games Begin

2008-06-23T02:34:00.000+08:00

Longer daylight hours and finer weather has seen us Londoners crawl out of the wood work to take advantage of being outdoors.

Last weekend I, along with many of my other friends embraced the sunnier weather and celebrated with a roof top barbecue in Putney, a 30th birthday party on a roof top terrace at the latest 'It club' in Brixton and topped off with a long day lounging on the green grass at Barnes watching the boys battle it out on the cricket pitch.

On Saturday we ventured to the Norroy Road Vortex, where 15 or so friends got into the summer spirit sipping on ciders on the roof top, firing up the barbie (gas in true Ozzie style, none of this charcoal crap that you see so often in England) and mucking around playing games while listening to some great tunes. It was sitting up there on the roof and it made me realise what an interesting bunch of friends I've collected in London. So chilled, yet such a fun bunch always out to let the good times roll.

After we were starting to feel nicely lubricated, my friends Sass, Wolfie and Jay headed off to Brixton, where we were celebrating one of the gay boy's 30th birthday. Our friend Frikkie, who is quite an established event manager in London, had organised to hire the roof terrace at this hot new club, The Dex Club. I frocked up in my hot new summer dress, a long watermelon coloured maxi dress, as the club was awesome with decking, a hot tub, a chef cooking a gourmet bbq and amazing beats being pumped out by the dj. It was a flamboyant night as is usually the case when we party with the boys, and boy do they know how to party. Immaculately dressed, and always flirtatous we shared many laughs and hit the dance floor hard.

The next day I recovered from the night before by lounging on the grass at a playing field in Barnes. My friend Jay and all of his mates had their weekly cricket match on. The day was considered to be a big day as the two teams playing eachother were filled with all friends who were battling it out. Apparently the week before the sledging started early through numerous emails throughout the week. It was a big day, with the boys bringing down a bbq, eskies with beer and a megaphone to make sure everyone knew about it when someone dropped a catch.

In one weekend I don't think it was possible to fit anymore in! Except maybe dinner out in Clapham after the cricket game but I was doen by then. Two long days spent in the sun, with lots of drinks and it was definitely time to head home for a well deserved sleep.

Taking Holidays

2008-06-01T04:04:00.001+08:00

I suppose you can't really go wrong when you get a chance to take a holiday when you are "on holiday".

A couple of weeks ago I finished working at my job at The O2, and breathed one very big sigh of relief. The feeling of elation I felt when I walked out of that place one last time was great. I had no work planned for a week minimum which I kicked off with another weekend trip to Dublin. Once again and for the last time I stayed with my friends Jess and Robin at their little apartment. The couple were busy packing up after a two year stint in Ireland. It is now time for them to head back to Perth, but first they would be travelling to Croatia, followed by a two month holiday in South Africa. The main reason for my visit back to Dublin was to celebrate my close friend Sass' 30th birthday. About 15 friends all from Dublin made it over for the party.

Once back from Dublin, I made the most of my spare time and made sure I got out and explored the parts of London that I hadn't had a chance to see yet. My days have started to go by the routine of - lazily wake up after a big sleep in, go for a gym session at my local leisure centre, come home for lunch, then head out for an afternoon of sightseeing activities.

Since following this routine I have managed to revisit the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaur skeletons, stopped in next door at the Science Museum, joined a Beefeater tour at the Tower of London, had a blissful massage at an upmarket day spa in Notting Hill and joined the throng of tourists lining up to have their photo taken standing on the Prime Meridian Line at Greenwich.

1 Year Anniversary

2008-05-17T01:18:00.000+08:00

I can't believe it - one year has flown by already.

This time last year I had only just arrived in London, wide eyed and wondering what on earth this city was all about. I can't say I loved the place when I first arrived and looking back I would say it definitely took a good three months to really start to appreciate the hidden gems amongst everything this city has to offer.

What has definitely made this place is all the fantastic people I've met along the way and who have made this adventure what it is.

Lisa

My great little buddy from Perth, who welcomed me with open arms, a place to stay and got me up on my feet when I first arrived. We shared a room together for the first few months before it was time to part ways. Funnily enough, when I did move out, we rarely saw it eachother much from then on. Both with hectic social lives, we still made time for coffee catch ups every month or so to touch base on life in general. And now, little Lise has packed up and headed back to P-Town. Her time in London over for now.

The Puff Girls

London would not be anywhere near as fun as it has been without all these crazy cats in my life. Having met them at the first Puff Party in London and then continuing on with many other nights and days out. Sass, has become one of my closest buddies over here, along with all the other girls too - Applebum, Vixen, Brodie. And along with the puffs seems to come a whole bunch of extended puff crew. They keep life colourful, full of laughs, shocks and many many good times.

The Norroy Road Vortex and associated crew

Namely Wolfie. A Perth boy, who owns his own pad in Putney where we often hang about sitting on the roof having drinks when the sun is shining. Wolfie gets the honour of being the craziest person I know. So unbelievably loose, there is never a dull moment with him around. Although he is loud, found more often than not with some form of alcoholic beverage in his hand, always has an opinion on something and tells incredible stories (in the loudest of voices) I wouldn't have him any other way. With a heart of gold, he is one of the most dependable of friends. He welcomes anyone he meets and would do anything for any of his mates.

My brother

Having family here is a blessing. Being able to live in the same city as my big brother again has been great. While almost complete opposites, I like anything that involves a party, Rhys enjoys anything to do with bike riding, rugby and photography its always great to catch up over a beer or two and get direction in life.

The Strick9 boys

New recruits on the London scene, I actually met these guys last year in Croatia. It took about another 6 months to randomly bump into them again one night at Fabric when I went to see Plump DJs and Krafty Kuts. Also known as the Froff Crew, they are like the male verisons of the Puff Girls. 6 lads, all from Sydney with their broad Australian accents and tongue in cheek humour. We've had quite a few fun nights out on the town, random adventures which I'm sure will continue till I leave.

The best part about London is how damn good this city is when summer comes along. After months of hibernation and trust me that is exactly what it feels like, the minute British Summer Time hit, along with some long sunny days, the city kicks into life. People spill out from all the pubs onto the streets, pints in hand, sharing stories, everyone's happy. It's a completely different vibe. The summer festivals sell out in a matter of minutes and everyone starts looking forward to the summer holidays that they booked months ago.

I finished work last week and am now picking up some temp work to take me up until July when I head back to Croatia for nearly two weeks. About 40 of us are heading to the Garden Festival and then have a private boat booked for 4 days cruising afterwards. A little bit more travel after that and then it will be time to head home for a short stint.

After that - we shall see!

A Very Vegas Weekend

2008-04-28T00:18:00.000+08:00

It was time, finally, for the third installment of the London Puff Parties and this time the theme celebrated the glitzy, gaudy world of Vegas and all things SHAM. Happily Ever After...and other sham wedding tales kicked off on Friday night at the lavish Soho club Studio Valbonne.

Us Puff Girls spent Friday afternoon at the Lola Events' Soho Gallery sipping champagne where we had our hair and make up done by our creative artists before we donned our costumes and spent the next couple of hours before the party touting on the streets. The costumes looked great and ranged from Los Vegas show girl glamour, to Amy Winehouse (that's a sham marriage if anyone saw one). I opted to go as Britney Spears - the ultimate for a well publicised Little White Chapel sham marriage in Vegas!

We brought in floristry for the venue, glammed it up even more with party sparkle and designed cocktails for the night - Green Card, Shotgun Wedding, and Something Blue. Our djs for the night included Tsuki Lala (a Perth electronic duo of female vocalist Kristie and DJ Ralphski) and our regular DJ Gary Stewart along with vocalists Tish and Krysia.

The only unfortunate thing of the night is that the lavish venue seemed to come along with some very lavish attitudes from the management and door staff on the night. It's always frustrating when everything that is agreed prior to the night suddenly seems very open to change at the actual party. I guess next time it's just a matter of finding a venue that suits our crowd and supports the creativity of the themed parties we throw.

After getting over the hangover from the Friday night I was rapt to have had the foresight to purchase a Fat Freddy's Drop ticket months ago for Saturday night. I was first introduced to the fat dub beats of this New Zealand band last year whilst cruising the coast of Croatia, by some of the Kiwi lads on our boat. Last night, the performance put on by Fat Freddy's at the Hammersmith Apollo was sensational. So much energy, with the guys on the horns constantly dancing away on stage, while the man I could only imagine to be Fat Freddy, a big guy on the decks at the back, threw in some of the deepest, toe tingling bass beats I've heard, whilst holding a sold out sized crowd in the cups of their hands. I can only say how much I am looking forward to their next album coming out.

Link to Puff Party photos www.gruntmedia.co.uk/albums/show/183

Puff Party 3: Happily Ever After...and other sham wedding tales

2008-04-18T21:32:00.000+08:00

Sleeping on weekends is overrated

2008-04-14T22:57:00.000+08:00

I like to make the most of my weekends. It's a running joke in my house that I go out Friday night and don't come home until Monday morning. I'm constantly out at night with friends, and in between that going to check something or other out during the day in London.

This weekend I class as one of my more cultural weekends in London except all this cultural participation fell in between two big house parties.

After a big Friday night out in Putney, my friend Sass woke me up Saturday morning asking if I'd like to go to the opera. So at 11am I found myself in the middle of Covent Garden at the Royal Opera House, sitting down to watch a full dress rehearsal of the 'The Minotaur'. Our Puff Party star vocalist, Krysia, had a role in the performance and kindly offered us the tickets to come check it out.

Once I had been to the opera it was home for a quick change, then back out out the door to Kensington to The Cardogan Hotel where I was meeting some of my girlfriends for high tea. There we sat in the drawing room of the hotel, eating our sandwiches with the crusts cut off, devouring the scones and cream and sipping on tea. Afternoon tea is definitely one of those activities that you need to tick off on the "check list". I rolled home after tea for a quick early evening power nap before getting ready to hit my next social engagement on Saturday evening - another London house party.

Sunday dawned and I then found myself being convinced that I should go to another London institution (for Australians) - The Church. The Church is only open on a Sunday and only for 4 hours from 12pm to 4pm. A mass of people, mostly Aussies and Kiwis descend on this place dressed in all sorts of crazy costumes, for four hours of drinking bliss. At the bar you have to get three drinks at a time which are handed to you in a plastic bag. All the pub anthems are pumped out over the sound system. It's trashy, messy and completely crazy. At 4pm, they shut their doors and hundreds of drunk people spill out into the streets of Camden to make their way to the Shepherd's Bush Walkabout to continue the party (not that the majority of them need to).

The only good thing about The Church is that it finishes so early. I was home, filled up on Chinese takeaway and asleep by 8.15pm. Hungover by midnight and into work by 9am!

Snow...and British Summer Time?

2008-04-08T18:17:00.000+08:00

I've actually been meaning to write for the last week about the start of British Summer Time and the almost instantaneous effect that it seems to have had on this city. The Sunday that it started I headed into Clapham for an early afternoon roast at a local pub, only to be informed that they had no food left on the whole menu. It seems all the locals seemed to have had the same idea as me but earlier and the place was buzzing. The extra hour of daylight seems to have lifted everyone's spirits.

I even have time after work now to enjoy the lingering sunset. I've been taking full advantage of this and going for a run around Clapham Common in the evenings. It's my favourite time of day which leaves me so inspired.

The funniest thing though is how much the weather can change so quickly and extremely. As last weekend was kicking off on what I would call a warm Friday evening (I think the temperature was pushing 15-16C) I left work and just couldn't face sitting underground for half an hour on the packed Jubilee Line. Instead I opted to catch the Thames Clipper boat along the river. This is definitely the best scenic route. The boat travels all the way from Greenwich, passing Canary Wharf and then down into Central London past all the major landmarks including St Paul's, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and then finally Waterloo where I hop off. It was such a nice evening and the whole way along the river you could see people spilling outside all the pubs for afterwork drinks. It reminded me how good this city is in summer - such a good atmosphere.

Yet even though we had this "summery" atmosphere on Friday the weather did a complete back flip by Sunday where I woke to see it "raining white". Raining white? Snow? Looking outside big, fat snowflakes were falling down, covering the grey city. It was actually enough snow to start covering everything and enough for us to get excited for snow ball fights.

Such an amazing sight for a Sunday morning. We loved it!

The Red Suitcase Diaries London Entertainment Guide: Into the Underground

2008-04-01T04:54:00.000+08:00

Another week of work over means another night out on the town at yet another London establishment.

This time we wandered into the dark depths of London Bridge, down into the musty darkness of the vaults of the Underground station, to a nightclub called Shunt.

A small doorway, mostly unnoticed by the city commuters rushing past as they pour through the London Bridge underground station, opens into a long dark cavernous walkway. Tunnels peeled off left and right with a few people scattered here and there. As I walked in, there ahead was a grand piano spotlit in the middle of the tunnel. I walked past, further down into the depths wondering where all the people were, where was the bar and where was the music?

Then just before we almost walked out the back door, there to the right we could see a mass of people moving to the old school rockabilly tunes being pumped out.

Shunt was like an underground playground.

Each week, different promoters will run the night at Shunt so everytime you visit there is a different theme, different artwork and different performers. We wandered from the arcade room, to then adventure off to find an old van to play in to suddenyl stumbling across a garden area complete with vines, bird noises and grass to picnic on. Shunt was definitely filled with the weird and wonderful. I have never been to a bar like this before - it is utterly amazing.

Apart from being one of the coolest venues I have ever seen it's filled with an open minded crowd, and has extraordinarily laid back staff meaning it was an excellent night out.

This place will undoubtedly become a regular haunt.

A White-ish Easter

2008-03-28T09:21:00.000+09:00

Seeing as we never got a white Christmas, just a nice grey, drizzly winters day, who would ever have thought that 3 months later I would wake on Easter Sunday to look out the window and see snowflakes fluttering past?

The Easter long weekend was spent in London. While most people took the opportunity of a 4 day weekend to venture out of the big smoke, my travels to Italy earlier in the month had left me penniless to go further than a bit of sightseeing in the city. And even this was limited as the weather left oh so much to be desired.

The whole weekend was punctuated with cold and windy days, alternating between hail, rain, sleet and then finally turning into pretty little snow showers. Unfortunately, not enough to make a snow dusting on the rooftops, but just enough to cause a ripple of excitement and fascination.

Easter Sunday I decided to throw a semi impromptu lunch at my place in Battersea, for those left behind in London. Each person brought a dish along, plonked their booze in the fridge (outside on the back step) and we ate our way through day. It was a mixture of family and my party friends who always manage to provide an endless amount of entertainment in their shameless ways. No house party would be the same without them!

Snow in Sestriere

2008-03-14T18:42:00.000+09:00

"Challenging" is the first word that pops into my head when I am asked how my week in Italy was. The second thing that pops into my head is pain, namely my bruised knees (which are still swollen, almost a week now after my last day of snowboarding), my backside and elbows.

Other than that I am pretty happy to say I learnt to snow board in the Italian Alps - how many people get to say that?

And the Alps surely were breathtaking. Beautiful, imposing peaks covered with dustings of snow. My first glimpse of them was as we flew into Turin, where the Alps peaked up through the clouds. Miles of snow covered mountains, here and there little villages could be spotted crowding around the winding roads that ran through them.

We arrived in Sestriere, a small Italian ski resort on a Sunday afternoon. Our accommodation was quite nice. We stayed at the Belvedere hotel, sharing two self catering apartments between 7 people. The highlight of the accommodation was definitely the hot tub, sauna and steam room which we flocked to religiously after a day on the slopes. Relaxing into the spa and trying to ease all our aching muscles was well deserved. Our next stop each day after the spa, was to the hotel bar where we were greeted by our favourite Italian barman who offered us an endless supply of bar snacks (olives, crisps, and pistachio nuts) and made my favourite Caffe coretto Baileys (espresso shot with Baileys) with a big smile.

Sunday, the day we arrived, was spent organising our equipment, lift passes and ski school. Three of the group decided to ski, while the other four of us opted for snowboarding. My friend Chris and I were the only two who were learning to snowboard for the very first time. I laugh now, recalling my famous last words to someone on the Saturday before leaving on the trip "It couldn't be that hard could it?".

The hard part wasn't really learning how to snow board, it was more the constant falling over with your legs strapped onto a board. As Sestriere hadn't had snow for over a week the first two days on the slopes were in extremely icy conditions, which means the runs are mostly hard compacted snow, which in turn means that when you fall over its like hitting concrete. Well, that's what it felt like. Apart from the bruising, I was pretty elated to be getting the hang of sliding down the baby slope, starting to learn how to turn, slowly stop and get my balance on the board.

On Tuesday night we were fortunate to get snow and this was the first time in my life that I have seen snow! What a funny thing to see flecks of snow falling down everywhere. It's so pretty! Tuesday's snow meant that the runs would have a nice dusting over them for Wednesday. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to make the most of this. With my first attempt at a blue run, I threw a pretty big tantrum, and managed to cry the whole way down the run - exhaustion and knees the size of coconuts meant I wasn't having a bar of learning to snowboard that day.

It was the best decision I made to have a day of rest. Although I woke up Thursday morning extremely nervous about facing that blue run again, I had managed to buy myself some knee pads which hopefully would help with the sore knees factor and then somehow it all started to click. I was managing to turn on the run and made it down the entire run without falling over too much. It was great!

We didn't experience much nightlife as I was so exhausted each day. We were up out of bed and on the slopes by around 9am each morning and after a few glasses of wine each evening I was snoring in bed by 9.30pm. However, Mal, Chris and I did manage to drag ourselves out past our bedtime on the Friday night, somehow managing to find a great little wine bar and then waltzing into the discoteque, Tabatha's. Sounds cheesy, I had a preconception that it would be, but it wasn't. It was filled with couches everywhere and had the feel of a London West End club. We hit the dancefloor with the rest of the Italians and Brits, before stumbling home at 2am.

Saturday morning I blearily awoke after our Friday night efforts and joined Jimmy, Nat, Chris and Phil in our taxi to Montgenevre, just over the border into France. I had had enough of boarding and being hungover didn't really want to attempt balancing on a snowboard. I spent the day sipping coffee, eating delicious pastries and wrapping my head around another new language.

Highlights of the trip?

Definitely the complimentary bar snacks that we received each night at our hotel bar and at another wine bar in the town.

My caffe corretto Baileys

That spa each day after hitting the slopes

Seeing snow for the very first time

The sensational scenery

The friendly Italians who worked in the ski resort

For once, seeming to be the only Australian group in the town.

Lowlights?

The bruising and waking up each morning totally nervous about the day ahead!

Doing Dublin Again

2008-03-12T06:39:00.000+09:00

This time there were strict instructions for the flight over, that is "No talking to strangers on the plane!". This time the weekend WAS to be purely for sightseeing, taking in the sights of Dublin and getting to know this great city. Not that another free ticket to a massive festival wouldn't be welcomed!

The sightseeing efforts lasted until about Saturday lunchtime, at which point we stopped for lunch at Jhonnie Fox's pub, on a hill somewhere just outside of Dublin and we were rolling drunk for the rest of the trip.

We, being myself, Jess, Robin and Robin's friend Manny, also visiting from London for the weekend hired a car on the Saturday morning and drove out to the beautiful Powerscourt Gardens, taking in the fresh Irish air and the beautiful surrounds of the expansive gardens. We were stoked to find a small section of the gardens dedicated to Australian trees, rubbing the gum leaves and smelling the Eucalyptus on our hands.

After lunch, we rolled home, power napped and then it was time to hit the town. A big, boozy night ensured that Sunday was, as usual, a bit of a write off. Jess and I only just managed to drag ourselves down the road for a few bloody mary's over a late brunch before it suddenly was time to catch my flight back home to London Town.

Saying Goodbye...

2008-02-11T07:26:00.000+09:00

It's been a big weekend.

A combination of birthday celebrations and a going away party for one of our favourite Perth-London couples, Mel and Stu.

Not only has it been an awesome weekend but an emotional one. Saying goodbye (for now) to two people who I now consider to be two of my closest friends - friends for life. It's one of those special things that happens when you live overseas away from home. It's not only about living in London and having the opportunity to travel to so many parts of Europe. A huge part of my life here revolves around these amazing people that I have met and who now play such a large part in my life.

You meet so many people and even though we've only known eachother for such a short amount of time, you find that you click with certain people and because you are away from the support of your family and closest friends back home, these people become your family. Always there to lend a hand, a sympathetic ear when you're having a bad day, hours of deep and meaningful chats, sharing dreams, life experiences and many many laughs.

Mel and Stu have become such close friends of mine here. They are leaving London after a 7 month stint to finish off the last leg of their round the world trip through Canada and the States, before heading back to the sunny world of Perth. It's been an emotional weekend saying "see you soon". Their leaving London will definitely leave a gap within our group of friends.

At least we will all positively look forward to the day we end up living back in Perth again - to catch up back home and reminisce about the London days. I can't wait. Bon voyage guys!

"But I promise you this
I'll always look out for you
That's what I'll do"
Sparks
Coldplay

Festas De Sant Sebastia (part II of my Mallorcan weekend away)

2008-01-26T04:57:00.000+09:00

I really did manage to pick an exceptional weekend to visit Mallorca. We landed right in the midst of Palma's festival for its patron saint, Saint Sebastian.

As evening fell we packed our cooler bag, and ventured into the Old Town of Palma through to one of the many plazas packed with people. The smell of cooking wafted in the smokey air, as families jostled for prime position around one of the many barbecues set up, fiercely cooking their meat. We stood shoulder to shoulder, sharing vino tinto, munching on cooked chops, and eating my favourite parma ham.

The festival was quite the set up. Each plaza had its own stage, with makeshift bars set up here, there and everywhere. Barbecues were dotted around and everyone in the festive mood.

Soon after we finished our chargrilled dinner a Spanish flamenco band started playing on stage. It was beautiful. Such entertainment on such a beautiful evening. I was so happy to be on this island off the coast of Spain with one of my closest friends, having the time of our lives. It was times like these that I had travelled to the other side of the world for.

After watching the flamenco band play we wandered from plaza to plaza, each one offering a new vibe with some awesome music. We saw this rocking Moroccan hip hop group who had the crowd begging for more (never mind that we couldn't understand a word they were saying), reggae bands getting their groove on and even this cute local guitar duo who decided to play their own music for the festival tucked away in a back laneway, locals singing along in unison with them. As it got later and we thought the night it was winding down we made our way back through the main plaza only to approach a familiar thumping beat. We hit a massive stage, with a dj pumping out the beats and a surging, dancing crowd. We danced till we could dance no more, and after a hot chip feast on the way home, passed out into a deep sleep.

Sunday

The beckoning bright blue skies peeping through the shutters in the morning overcame the craving to sleep hangover off. It was our last day in Palma and we weren't going to waste it. Up, out of bed, pack the bags and off down to the local cafe for the coffee and ciabatta combo.

After this we jumped in our hire car, with Hayley taking the wheel and headed out through the mountains to hug the coastal road with the most amazing views of the Mediterranean Sea. We stopped for lunch and later a coffee in Deia, a quaint "artists" village. I was quiet for most of the day, just stopping and constantly taking in the amazing scenery, blue skies and fresh air.

And then, sadly, but with promises to return soon, it was back on the plane and back to reality.

Bliss (part I of my Mallorcan weekend away)

2008-01-23T22:11:00.000+09:00

There really is no other way to describe the weekend I just had in Mallorca. Most of the time I had very little to say, feeling so completely relaxed, uttering the odd "This place is so amazing/stunning/beautiful/breathtaking".

Yes, Mallorca completely took my breath away and stole my heart.

I left London with my friend Azlee, on a typical grey, cold and raining day, content in the knowledge that I would be arriving soon at a warm, sunny island. Having checked the BBC weather site religiously for the week I was absolutely certain Palma would be producing the goods for us.

Touching down at Palma airport I couldn't have been happier as we arrived to a glorious weekend of blue skies and 20C days. We caught the bus into town to be met by my gorgeous friend Hayley, patiently waiting at the bus stop for us to direct us up to her gorgeous rustic Mallorcan apartment. We went straight up to the roof terrace to soak up the remaining sun, glass of vino blanco in hand, gazing at the amazing views of the Cathedral to the left, the glistening ocean ahead and the castle up to the right perched high on the hilltop. As the sun set we opted to enjoy some tapas at a waterside cafe on the Passeig Maritime. Munching on some tasty octopus, salted peppers and bread, all the familiar smells of salt air, with that slight whiff of diesel from the boats drifted past.

The evening was so still, the sunset hanging in the air - my favourite time of day.

After tapas it was onto a bar and then a late dinner at 10pm. Hayley and I joined some of her boatie friends at this beautiful restaurant. Many drinks later and with full bellies we collapsed in bed with the view of making the most of the following day.

Saturday

After a late sleep in we opened the shutters to clear blue skies again! Being able to wake up to fresh air, the sound of the ocean and looking out to these gorgeous terracotta coloured Spanish houses, with their cute shutters over the windows brought such a smile to my face. Hayley and I ventured down to the local cafe for breakfast - a good coffee with a toasted ciabatta rubbed with olive oil and topped with freshly sliced tomato. So simple, yet so delicious.

Then we wandered into the Old Town where Hayley left me to my own devices as she had to meet with people for an hour. Being the off season in Palma the town was lazily quiet. I strolled along, taking in the impressive cathedral and then wandered through the alleys of the Old Town, often finding myself alone feeling like time had stopped in the pretty stone laneways.

As I walked through some of the plazas, the Spanish were hard at work erecting stages for the festivities that would be taking place that night. It was Festas de Sant Sebastia - Palma's festival for its patron saint, Saint Sebastian. I will write more on this in a moment, as I truly did pick one of the best weekends to visit this town.

After my leisurely stroll through the Old Town, it was getting quite warm and after catching up with Hayley again, we decided to hit the beach. There really is nothing better than my favourite past time of kicking back in the sun, in a pair of bathers, glass of vino in one hand and watching the sun sparkled ocean. After catching a few rays my excellent tour guide decided to take Az and I to one of the most idyllic bars I have been in - PuroBeach. A breathtaking place, with gleaming white couches arranged around a rectangular pool, overlooking the blue ocean as the sun set over the horizon.

This truly was the life.

Banksy

2008-01-18T06:59:00.000+09:00

Banksy would have to be one of London's most infamous street graffiti artists, yet who he is still remains unknown. His distinctive stencilled graffiti often has a political message behind it, some point being pushed forward to challenge everyday living. I went to an art exhibition late last year which featured Andy Warhol vs Banksy. In this they compared a lot of Banksy's screen printing and drawings to Warhol's pop art, however I felt that where he has greatest impact is in his street art.

I was fortunate enough to receive an interesting book on Bansky and his artwork for Christmas last year and since then this has fueled my interest in actually seeing one of pieces with my very own eyes on the streets of London. I'm totally fascinated by his work, the way that he has become so popular and yet his identity is a mystery. I'm not even sure that Banksy is just one person, he might be a couple of people who work together, especially on the larger pieces. Someone has even covered one of his pieces on Portobello Road with glass to preserve it and is trying to auction it, wall and all on ebay.

So with keen eyes I have been looking, scouring the marked walls for that distinctive stencilling. And then last Friday I glimpsed one, as the bus I was on in Angel pulled up in traffic. There was a Banksy image across the road. Alas, with no camera in hand and only a moment before the bus took off there was no time for a photo. Maybe next time.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-07T05:40:00.000+09:00

The countdown to 2008 in The 'Dam

Going Dutch

2008-01-06T04:22:00.000+09:00

I flew out of London's Heathrow airport on a surprisingly sunny but very cold Saturday morning to begin my new adventure in Amsterdam. What was quite unsurprising was the reaction from the people I told that I was heading there for New Year celebrations. You would get that knowing look, the slight smile that said "ahh another one heading to the stoner capital of the world to lose their mind". I guess that if you're heading to a city where weed is legal it would be hard to imagine not spending some time in one of the illustrious Coffee Shops.

Surprisingly enough, or maybe quite unsurprising (as I've never been a huge fan of smoking weed) I didn't step foot into any of the coffee shops. Although we did walk past an endless amount of them, the smell of weed wafting out into the laneways of Amsterdam.

I was fortunate enough to be offered a place to sleep at a friend's house about a 30 minute bus ride out of the city in the 'burb of Schipol. Each day we would bus it into Leidseplein and from there make our way into different parts of the city. On Saturday afternoon we stayed in Leidseplein, strolling down Leidsestraat munching on a delicious ollebollen (literally meaning oil ball) whilst window shopping. One thing I could not get over was the number of bicycles. Everyone rode a bike - everywhere.

Sunday morning I decided to get a dose of the art scene. My friend Nicole and I headed towards Centraal Station to find the Stedelijk Museum which had a large Andy Warhol exhibition on. Several hours later we emerged from Warhol's "Factory" world and wandered down the street to Dam Square for lunch. Our curiosity got the better of us by this stage and we found ourselves wandering into a "Smart Shop". Or not so smart shop. A "Smart Shop" is basically the drug shop. Magic mushrooms, drug paraphernalia, herbal xtc, herbal speed, horny pills - you name it, it's there. Numerous people wandered in and discussed types and effects of the mushrooms they were buying, what pill was better than others. It really was fascinating.

This, along with the infamous Red Light district is something that I can still not get my head wrapped around. For such a pretty city it has such a seedy underside to it. Stumbling through the Red Light district late on Sunday night, after a few drinks, past red window after red window with half naked women selling themselves to the men on the street. It was somewhat fascinating, somewhat disgusting and unbelievable that this exists so blatantly within a city.

What an experience.

Another year over....almost

2007-12-29T05:13:00.000+09:00

Another year that seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. I can remember so clearly last year's New Year celebrations, on a typically warm Perth night, dancing and laughing with all my closest friends at Funk Club's countdown. Seeing in the New Year and wondering what on earth 2007 would hold for me.

Well, here I am now, still living in London. Although I won't be counting down to 2008 in this city that has now become my home. Tomorrow I fly out to Amsterdam, to kickstart the New Year festivities with a motley bunch of friends who all seem to be heading in the same direction. I'll return next week, a year older and possibly a bit wiser?

"Let the wild rumpus begin!"

2007-12-17T05:42:00.000+09:00

Last night I joined the Puff Girls in unleashing the wicked and wild at London Puff Party 2: "Where the Wild Things Are..."

The Puff Girls are an ever evolving mix of friends who have formed a group called Puffs At Play. The girls organise unique parties that showcase the huge talent of local artists and provide a place for guests to frolick in costumed splendour. We throw a party every couple of months, sourcing a unique venue, along with aspiring musicians, singers, funky house dj's, up and coming artists and celebrating anything and everything creative.

After a successful launch party back in July, and a somewhat long break between parties, it became time to organise the next London Puff Party installment.

After many meetings over £3.50 all you can eat Indian veg buffet in Angel, a date was set, a venue found and preparations fell into place to throw a wicked party at a new club opening in Soho. Our carefully planned party was all set to go until we hit a slight hurdle late on Friday afternoon when we were informed that the new club we were to have the party on had been flooded due to a burst sewerage pipe.

At the last minute we managed to find a new venue, the trusty Arch Angel in Kensington, and a few hundred calls and emails later trying to contact all the ticket holders for the party, we hoped that the party was still going to rock the socks off London.

And it did.

Costumed revellers flocked down the stairs into the depths of the Arch Angel club, where DJ Omar was spinning his house tunes, with lusty vocals from Krysia. With costumes of a wild thing nature highly encouraged for the party, people arrived in all sorts of creative outfits. Dark fairies, cavewomen, woodland hunters, gorillas, and even a unicorn were all spotted amongst the pulsing throng of people on the dancefloor. Our house dj was later joined by Gary Stewart on electric guitar combining to create a unique sound. They were then joined by my brilliant friend Basil Black2Basic on percussion, bringing a new level to the already heaving dancefloor.

The party was pumping. The gorgeous Puff Girls working the crowd in their spectacular costumes, smiling at the wicked party that we had created. We were almost like celebrities, with people left, right and centre wanting to take our photos or have photos with us. We also had an official Puff photographer, snapping away at our guests in true paparazzi style.

The party rocked on until the lights flickered on at 3am, signalling an end to a very successful party.

Now, we start to plan our next party due in a months time and this time it will be at The Enclave!

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

2007-12-11T05:14:00.000+09:00

A grey, windy and cold Saturday afternoon, saw a small group of us bravely venture into Hyde Park to test out our ice skating skills.

The Hyde Park trees were glowing with red fairy lights as we joined the queue for the rectangular ice skating rink. Ethereal music wafted across the glistening cold ice awaiting the onslaught of a mass of inexperienced skaters. It was a stark contrast. What should have been a somewhat romantic scene was in reality an hour of carnage where kids slid along their bums, people crashed into the side barriers and the spectators laughed in amusement.

I started off on a pair of seriously wobbly legs wondering who in hell's idea this was? Five minutes into our hour of skating I was over it. I thought it would be sheer torture to try and maneuver my way around the ice. But I persisted and by the end of the hour, our small menagerie of friends could semi steer our way around stumbling kids and even build up a bit of speed.

After our exhilarating hour of ice skating we had worked up our appertites and it was time to eat our way around the German Christmas markets. First stop was a cup of steaming mulled wine (or wulled mine as Jacq called it after her third cup), followed by a bratwurst sausage, hot nuts and then topped off with a big serving of waffles with apple topping.

It was the first time I felt a real sense of Christmas this year. The twinkling lights, the Christmas music floating on the air, people eating, drinking, kids running around, Father Christmas and his elves. Warming our hands around a hot cup and taking in the atmosphere it all makes sense.

Take That

2007-12-11T04:56:00.000+09:00

Early last week I was fortunate enough to be invited along to a Take That concert at The O2 arena. I'll honestly admit that I never really have been a big "boy band" fan and have never really been interested in spending money to see a pop concert. But with a friend of mine performing as a guest vocalist with the foursome, I thought I'd take advantage of the offer.

It was definitely worth a look, purely for entertainment factor. With Take That approaching their 40s, they too saw the funny side of being in a "boy band". The stage show was incredible and to see 20,000 screaming women, waving their hands along to their favourite song made me giggle.

And I even surprised myself - recognising a lot more of their songs than I thought I would!

Puff Party 2 Unleashed

2007-12-06T01:57:00.000+09:00

Just a bit of shameless promotion via my blog...stay tuned for party antics in a week and a half!

The Sunday Roast

2007-11-29T03:38:00.000+09:00

With the colder weather comes the search for cosy indoor activities. One thing we look forward to week by week is the big Sunday afternoon roast down at the local pub. The weekend just doesn't seem finished without it nor can you start your week ahead unless you go to sleep on Sunday night with a full belly of roast chicken or lamb, gravy, vegies and cauliflower cheese.

Last Sunday I headed to my new local The Goat which is just near the Junction. My friend and I shared a very satisfying meal and with our bellies full texted some other friends to visit the same pub with our recommendations. The next day I received this story from these same friends and each time I read it I am reduced to hysterical laughter because this surely is one of the funniest situations that could happen...

Ok, so on your advice (Meesha) we made our way to the Goat and after trying to order roast Lamb we were told they only had chicken left so we all ordered one of those. We waited for sooooooooo long and we were already starving before we got there... but I was confident it would be worth the wait... it just sounded so good.

After about 50-mins I walked to the bar just to ask the girl if maybe they had forgotten and just as she said she would go check up I heard this loud 'thump thump thump' and turned around to see the waiter totally stacking it on the stairs only about 1m from our table. Steve and Joel were sitting there, mouths wide open in complete shock as chicken, peas, carrots and asparagus went flying everywhere. A half chicken flew through the air and actually landed upright flat on the spare seat next to Joel..... faaark it was funny.

The poor waiter hit the deck hard... he was on his hands and knees and a piece of roast spud was stuck to his back... another waiter came and pulled it off.
I tried not too laugh.... I really did.... but omg it was just so good.

The waiter was so embarrassed he didnt even look us in the face or utter a single word... he just walked off.

Steve had had enough waiting and asked for our money back... the bar girl was nice and got us a free pint and a bowl of chips.

We ended up at Sainsburys buying microwave meals.......
I WAS SO DAMN UNSATISFIED....... I WAS TOTALLY craving a roast. And it looked so good to... it was tempting just to dig into that piece that landed on the chair.

Classic!

Where the Wild Things are...

2007-11-28T23:08:00.000+09:00

6 Month Anniversary

2007-11-14T03:01:00.000+09:00

It feels longer but also doesn't feel long enough.

But it's a long enough time for this place to have grown on me, in a big way. When I look back at all the things I've seen and done and all the people I've met in these last six months, it feels like 6 years worth of experiences.

For a 6 month anniversary I feel like I should say something more poignant, or summarise more of my experiences, or be going out and celebrating but the reality is, I'm at work where I've been for the last 12 hours feeling a bit tired yet bouyant on the energy you seem to have when you're focussed on an event.

Over the last week I've been lucky to even see daylight. Unfortunately at The O2 I work in a windowless office and even when I do step out of the "office", it's under the cover of the tent encasing the O2. Half of London could disappear and I wouldn't have a clue!

As you would see from the pictures below, I'm in the middle of a very busy Preview week for the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs Exhibition. Today has been exceptionally interesting with a morning press launch in which I listened to the world renowned archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities speak about the Exhibition (with some controversial viewpoints!), and later today we had a royal visit.

How fitting that I should spend part of my 6 month anniversary on British soil, standing in the same room as HRH Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Not too bad eh?

The Golden Opening

2007-11-12T23:24:00.000+09:00

And the Pharaohs' Palace is open...our first Preview Event before the Exhibition officially opens on Thursday.

One day before the first Preview Event

Build it...and they will come

2007-11-10T21:15:00.001+09:00

I often get asked the question "So what exactly do you do?".

Well, this is part of it. The photos below show the construction stages of The Pharaohs' Palace, the hospitality venue which we are running in conjunction with the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs Exhibition.

The Red Suitcase Diaries London Entertainment Guide: The House Party

2007-11-08T19:13:00.000+09:00

Click.

It's like someone turned the lights out and the heating off at the same time. Daylight saving has finished and London is deep into a fresh and chilly Autumn. Frequent blue skies contrast with the deep burnt auburn leaves falling off the trees.

As my London social network expands and it gets colder and darker, the house parties have started to become a more regular event. Two weekends ago, Halloween celebrations were in full swing throughout London. Strolling down the street after dark I passed several axe murderers, witches, devils and bats strolling down the High St off to some party in some place. I found myself at a Halloween party at my new house in Clapham and after leaving that, walked 10 minutes down the road, and into another Halloween party which was being hosted by some familiar Perth faces.

Last weekend London became alive with the constant crackle and bang of fireworks when Bonfire Night celebrations took off around the city. Many of the commons, such as Clapham Common, Battersea Park and Victoria Park hosted firework celebrations and bonfire parties for the local community. There's no restrictions here for fireworks, with just your average Joe being able to buy rockets from the local off license.

On my way to Brixton on Saturday night via Clapham Junction, I had the pleasure of worrying about being blasted by fireworks as the local teenagers decided to let off a few crackers in the middle of the Junction. They would light the crackers then lob them onto the road as buses, cars and people meandered along. Each time people would duck for cover as much as they could. I personally felt like keeping my legs intact for a bit longer.

Now to the house party...

Saturday night, Brixton, a penthouse apartment with a roof terrace in a 7 storey building, 270 degree views over the London skyline.

We counted 14 different fireworks displays rocketing sprays of pink, blues and golden crackers over the smoggy, inky sky. And to join in the fun, we had our own stash of rockets which we set off with big mischievous smiles, trying to outdo the neighbours in a fireworks competition.

The party was one of the best house parties I've been too. A great mixed crowd with a very chilled vibe, the lounge turned into a makeshift dance floor, and in the corner guys jamming with bongos, a band set up and a dj on the decks pumping out the funk and Latino beats. It was unreal. The party seemed to expand as the adjoining penthouse was hosting its own Halloween party, so soon we had a mixture of ghouls and normal people busting a move on the dance floor.

It really was just too cool.

City Commuting

2007-10-21T17:34:00.000+08:00

An office relocation at the start of last week, now means that I join the masses commuting into the city as I head to work in East London. I don't think I realised how good I really did have it when I could secure a seat each morning on the train and bus as I headed to my office previously based in West London.

Sure the area I worked in wasn't the most pleasant of areas. The quiet of the office would be frequently punctured by the wail of sirens outside, groups of hoods would loiter near the bus stops and along with my work colleagues, I would watch with bemusement as each Friday a local drunk chav couple would have their weekly screaming match down the street. You could hear them before you saw them. The large, fleshy, ogre of a woman, would be roaring and swearing at her visually impaired partner. Can of Stella in one hand and swiping at him with the other. We would watch them carry on down the street until her roars blended away into the noisy outside world.

Now I head into the crushingly busy direction of East London. My destination each morning is one stop past Canary Wharf, London's big shot business district. I'm lucky if I can squeeze onto the first train that comes along. Jammed in next to one 'suit', sqeezed under another person's armpit, I have my MP3 player on as my only escape from the claustrophobic carriage that is packed to the rafters. There isn't even room for me to hold my Metro an inch from my nose to see what Kate Moss was up to the previous evening.

Upon arrival at Waterloo station, workers leach out of train carriages, scuttling down the platforms as fast as possible before you hit the bottle necked ticket check. Shuffling past the guards you are then unleashed into the gauntlet that is Waterloo Station. People come from everywhere - escalators pump commuters up from the underground, travellers sweep in from the Eurostar creating havoc with suitcases and baggage, queues for the ticket machines form impenetrable walls and then I dodge, sidestep and weave my way across the station to scurry down into the depths of the Jubilee underground line.

Another queue. This time to get onto the tube. On an average morning I get on the third train that comes. Trains come every minute. Then its back into the stuffy humidity of a rammed carriage until the next stop is Canary Wharf. With a sigh the doors open, and the throng of black suits clamour out of the train until it's just me left in the tube, surrounded by discarded newspapers like tumbleweeds fluttering down an empty street.

At my stop, I'm ejected into the chilly morning air and then head into the bowels of a white oversized pincushion where my new office is - The O2.

The Hunt for a House

2007-10-11T22:01:00.000+08:00

Life has been pretty sweet since I've moved to good ol' London Town. It was made even easier by my close friend Lisa going well out of her way to help me with accommodation and generally getting me up on my feet in this big and sometimes very confusing city. We've been sharing a room together in our cosy household in Putney for the last 4 months, but with all good things, a long dark winter fast approaching, a hectic event work schedule about to kick off and both being grown up girls, it has come time for us to part ways.

I was feeling somewhat daunted by the task of finding a new household to move into. I'd heard numerous horror stories - friends who had looked at ten or more houses over several weeks, met freaks along the way and been totally put off the whole share house experience before finding somewhere to live. I myself had experienced a gruelling house search in Melbourne a couple of years ago and was dreading going through the same again.

So I started trawling Gumtree.com last week in the hope that this wouldn't become a disheartening experience. The hardest part is finding the time to view the house, going out of your way after work, making it home late and then trying to squeeze in time to see another house later in the week. It's exhausting, especially when you rely constantly on tubes, buses or trains. If you arrive at a house that's a total dive, you've just wasted a good two to three hours of your evening.

Fortunately my house hunt involved looking at only 2 places. The second, a nice, clean terrace in Clapham with three other people that seem to think I fit the bill for sharing their living space. I mean really, who wouldn't want to live with me? My move to the new house will coincide with my 6 month anniversary in London.

A new chapter for the next stage of London life.

Munching in Munchen

2007-10-01T02:21:00.000+08:00

I love my food and after a short trip to Germany, I sure do love my German Food.

Pretzels, goulash, roasted nuts, cheese, giant donuts, and yummy beer sticks. It was all washed down with a nice big stein of beer.

I finished off the Oktoberfest trip with a sunny day of sightseeing around Munich. It is such a beautiful city, with the Marienplatz in the centre, the Residenz, and the Hofgarten. Being a Saturday, the city was full of people, all still celebrating Oktberfest.

I strolled through the city centre, taking in the sites and then topped off the day with an ice cream just of Maximillian, the main shopping strip filled with upmarket stores.

The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

2007-10-01T01:57:00.000+08:00

The gate leading into the main courtyard
"Work Will Set You Free"

The Dachau Concentration Camp was one of the first camps set up in Germany and later served as a model for all later concentration camps. It was set up on the 22nd March, 1933, a few weeks after Adolf Hitler had become Riech Chancellor and became a school of violence for the SS men under whose command it stood. In the twelve years of its existence over 200,000 persons from all over Europe were imprisoned in Dachau, with more than 43,000 dying. The survivors were liberated by American troops in 1945.

Today, a memorial site stands on the grounds of this former concentration camp.

The former maintenance building, now stripped bare, houses the new exhibition which documents the history of the Dachau Concentration Camp and the "Path of the Prisoners".

Once where 20,000 men at a time would have filled the stoney yard during roll call, now there were a sprinkling of tour groups walking quietly through the sun lit grounds.

Oktoberfest

2007-10-01T01:04:00.000+08:00

Do I really need to explain this to you? Just the name, Oktoberfest, immediately conjures an image of thousands of people eating and drinking to their heart's content, in massive beer tents, with beer wenches delivering ten steins at one time to those wanting to down another litre of beer.

Leonie and I arrived into central Munich late on chilly and wet Wednesday afternoon. We were staying at the Euro Youth Hostel, just 2 minutes from Hauptbahnoff, Munich city's central train station, 8 minutes to the festival site and a short 5 minutes to Marienplatz. We stumbled into the youth hostel to find our friends from Perth, Alana and Rob, enjoying their 3rd beer, with other members of our entourage for the next few days, Alicia and Rohin.

After settling in, and swapping travel stories (Alana and Rob had been backpacking around Europe for 2 months) we rugged up and decided to take a stroll to the festival site just to, well, "check it out". We stumbled merrily into a carnival atmosphere, with glitzy show rides, the smell of roasted nuts wafting on the air, and massive beer tent after massive beer tent. Our "we'll just go for a quiet beer" idea disintegrated the minute we stepped foot into Haufbraus. The place was packed to the rafters, the German band in full swing in the middle of the tent on a raised stage and people, everywhere, standing on tables, clinking steins and shouting "Prost!".

We somehow managed to join a table with a group of Irish, ordered our first stein and watched in amazement as our beer wench muscled her way through a heaving crowd to deliver the beers into our waiting hands. Drunk passers by became immediate friends with a simple chink of steins and a friendly "Prost!" and it was great. Even the security sauntered through the crowd, blowing their whistles in time with the music, followed by merchandisers with pretzels, cigarettes and Oktoberfest t-shirts.

The next day we vowed to do it all again. We ventured off to the festival site and found a place at the Lowenbrau tent. Once we claimed a table, we didn't have to move to do anything. Steins, menus, food, and merchandise were all easily bought with our bottoms firmly planted at our wooden tables. Later in the evening, with our bellies full, we would head off to explore the festival site, jumping on the show rides, drinking apple schnapps and giggling our way through the crowds.

As Leonie put it "Oktoberfest is just one big festival where people from all over the world come together to drink a shitload of beer".

She's got that one right.

A Bird's Eye View

2007-09-30T17:49:00.000+08:00

After the week spent lazying about on a boat in the Adriatic Sea, I came back to a hectic week of work in good ol' London Town.

But that didn't stop me taking a short break one afternoon, after 2 day full days of exhibiting at a venues and events show, to get a bird's eye view of this big city. I went for a ride on the "giant ferris wheel" on the Thames River - otherwise known as the London Eye.

Our Croatian Holiday

2007-09-16T23:48:00.000+08:00

Sail-Croatia

Saturday 8 September to Saturday 15 September 2007.

The Route: Split - Makarska - Trstenik - Dubrovnik - Mljet - Korcula - Hvar - Split

Rhys, Jacq, Chris, Leonie and I left London at dawn's crack on Saturday morning to catch the early flight to Split, in time to board our boat Penelopa. We arrived in Split at noon, to find ourselves sharing a boat with 36 Kiwis, Saffas and Aussies for the week.

Each day generally involved waking up about 9am, having brekkie, then claiming a deck chair or lilo on the top deck to start off the day's sunbaking session. Suntan lotion on, hat on, sunnies firmly planted over eyes, towel, book open on lap, music on, discussion with person next to you over type of music to suit the mood, bottle of water at hand to rehydrate from the night before, camera to take the odd picture and then negotiation across the deck to swap your deck chair for a lilo so you can tan your back.

Then it was time for a swim. Bodies left, right and centre would leap off the top deck, kayaks dragged into the water, lilos thrown overboard and flippers and snorkels for the more adventurous. After a refreshing swim, lunch was served and then it was back to the top deck for a sleep and afternoon tan session before we arrived at our next destination for the evening.

Highlights

Meeting some awesome people, most of whom were travelling all over Europe and also living in London. The conversations, dance offs, and shenanigans are still making me laugh.

My fabulous tan (let's see how long I can hang on to it in London!).

Becoming relaxed to the point of completely lazy.

Makarska: Beautiful little town with this little bar set in a cave overlooking the ocean. Also randomly met the engineer on my friend Hayley's boat at a small bar in the back streets. Yet I wasn't to know he was working on the same boat until we met again in Split when I caught up with Hayls!

Trstenik: Quaint, small village. Leonie and I went for a walk up the hill, bumped into a local and were offered freshly picked grapes from his vineyard. Later we enjoyed cocktails at the local bar and karaoke on the boat.

Dubrovnik: The walk along the wall surrounding the town, the gorgeous little alleyways filled with shops, restaurants and bars. A big night on the dance floor at Club Latino Luego after we enjoyed dinner at restaurant tucked away in the back laneways.

Mljet: Unfortunately it was raining this day and we didn't stop here long enough. We wanted to hire scooters and ride around the island which is a national park but didn't get enough time. We spent the evening at the hotel sipping cherry brandy while listening to a couple of old Croatian men playing guitar and singing Croatian music at the table next to us. What a great little vibe.

Korcula: One of my favourite islands. It had the most relaxing vibe, a beautiful little old town. We hired bicycles here and rode round the island, stopping at little bays and later stopped for a swim after working up a sweat riding around. Later that night we shared Flaming B52s with a group of Slovenians at a bar on the roof of a castle and hit the dance floor at the only club on the island.

Hvar: My other favourite island of the trip. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! If only we had longer at these places. We were moored in pole position on the main wharf where we could people watch. I had a happy moment there, watching the sun set on the deck of the boat, enjoying a beer and listening to good tunes. The markets were also great here and I managed to buy a beautiful necklace, as did Leonie and some lavender which Hvar is known for. We had a great evening. 14 of us shared a dinner at a restaurant in the square and then we kicked on to the Verandah, a club in a castle. Matt and Kathryn danced three people off the podium (it was legendary) and we all managed to make it back onto the boat before it set sail the next morning at 7am.

Split: We arrived tired and sad that it was the last night of the trip. Too many funny stories, shared experiences and promises to all catch up back in London for Sail London! I managed to catch up with my close friend Hayley, who was in Split working on her boat. We went out that night to some little bars in the Old Town and then kicked on at the beach bar, Pascha where everyone was sharing a few final drinks.

And then it was all over. The time had come to catch the bus to the airport and board that plane home to London.

We're all going on a...summer holiday!

2007-09-07T22:47:00.000+08:00

Oh my...I'm going to Croatia tomorrow. TOMORROW! And I haven't even packed, nor trial packed or changed money or even really thought about anything for Croatia except that all I will be doing is switching off that phone (except for the pure necessity of drunken text messages to my special friends who need to know what a SUPER FABULOUS TIME I'm having because I've had one too many drinks) squeezing into a swimsuit and chilling out on a boat for one...whole...week.

Goodwood Revival

2007-09-03T02:51:00.000+08:00

With it being almost a year since working on the last Rally Australia event, I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoyed motorsport. That was until I stepped out of the car at Goodwood and heard that oh so familiar sound of a racing car engine opened up at full throttle, tearing down the main straight.

Goodwood Revival is the only period themed racing event of its kind in the world and after leaving the main carpark behind, filled with the latest model BMWs, Lexus's and Volkswagens, we travelled 50 years back in time as we stepped through the main gates. Everything looked so glamourous from the women in their fur stoles, gloves and hats to the men smartly dressed in their fedora hats and tweed suits. Gee I wished we lived in the 50s again, if only just for the fashion.

The people attending this unique racing event weren't here just for the fashion though. They were here to watch the beautiful vintage cars and motorcycles battle it out on the track. Some of the cars I was told, cost around £1m each. With such a high figure on these cars I wondered how they could face racing them on a track and risking damage. But what is a few more thousand pounds to fix or rebuild a car at the end of the day? And I guess when you think about it, the F1's and Rally teams spend similar amounts on their machines.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Goodwood Revival with my friend Lisa, who had been invited to attend for work purposes. We were guests of Lord and Countess March and found ourselves drinking champagne with the blue bloods in the March enclosure with prime views of the main straight. Later we also ventured into the pits to look at all the vintage Ford GTs, Ferraris, Porsches and Mustangs - beautiful. Speaking of Mustangs, we were lucky enough to rub shoulders with the actor Rowan Atkinson, who later drove a beautiful blue 1966 Mustang in one of the races. Another highlight was seeing Australian racing legend Wayne Gardner win the vintage motorbike race.

It was a most enjoyable day out, and a great little motorsport event. The attention to detail in theming the whole race course was unbelievable along with the effort that all the spectators put into their 1950s attire.

I would reccomend Goodwood as one of the places to visit when in England. It is well worth visiting at least on of the three main events they hold here - The Festival of Speed, Glorious Goodwood (a week of horse racing) or the Goodwood Revival.

Carnival Carnage

2007-08-27T18:35:00.000+08:00

Carnival. The Notting Hill Carnival. The biggest street carnival in London, possibly Europe with 1 million expected visitors for the two day event, full of colour, floats, stalls and the infamous sound systems.

I had heard mixed reports about the carnival. Some had commented that once you get in, its almost impossible to get out again, with tube station closures and just the sheer magnitude of people. Most people warned of rife pick pocketing and also rumours of gang warfare. But you also heard about how good the sound systems were, especially the legendary Good Times stage with Norman Jay and well, carnival is just one of those things you have to go to if you weren't going elsewhere for the Bank Holiday weekend.

We went yesterday, which is "children's day". Today is "adults day". The difference is possibly a few hundred thousand people and they have the main parade on the Monday. If Sunday was supposed to be the lower intensity day, I'd love to see what the crowd is like today. The streets were jam packed with people, everyone drinking, dancing, whiffs of weed floating across the crowds, the parade pushing through the masses...we even became part of the parade at one stage.

After we were ejected out of the nearest tube station at Notting Hill Gate in the morning it took us about 2 hours to make our way through the streets to undoubtedly one of the most popular sound system at Carnival - the Good Times stage. Here Norman Jay was spinning some awesome tunes from the top floor of a red double decker bus. This part of the festival reminded me of Parklife in Perth in some ways, a big street music festival, except it was all free and about 50 times bigger!

Sure enough, in my usual form with a bit of cheek and a big smile to boot, I found myself being invited up into the red double decker bus by one of the Good Time dj's, Rudy Ranx. Up on the top floor of the bus, looking out over the massive rocking crowd with Norman Jay spinning his tunes just to my right would have to be the absolute highlight of the day. I managed to get Nic up there with me and we were like two naughty children, unable to wipe the smiles off our faces from finding ourselves in the most envied spot of the day!

Our luck continued from there as we then went on to the afterparty at a club called Neighbourhood. The Carnival finished at 7pm, but all the afterparties then kick on from there. I got my first dj lesson on the decks (the Good Times decks!) before all the crowds arrived and then basically continued dancing the night away as the tunes kept pumping.

So yes, I guess just another tale to add to The Red Suitcase Diaries...

The Week That Was

2007-08-20T03:22:00.000+08:00

Picnicking until sunset in Regent's Park

India vs England Test Match at The Oval

The Pigalle Club, Piccadilly Circus

The Great Court, The British Museum

Ancient Egypt at The British Museum

The English Seaside

2007-08-07T20:27:00.000+08:00

Sunday morning had the smell of summer in the air. I could almost, almost smell the hint of salty air as I stood on the platform at Clapham Junction waiting for our train to Brighton. The morning had that feeling to it, the one where you wake up on a summer's day in Perth to hear the drone of the planes flying down to Scarborough beach, the lazy buzz of flies outside and that promise in the still air of a warmer day to come.

Summer has finally arrived in London.

1 hour later we found oursleves ejected out of the Brighton train station and stumbling amongst the crowd of travellers with the same idea our group had. As we wandered down the street stained with beer, the town had obviously had a good workout during the previous day's Pride Parade, I glimpsed it. The shimmer of blue between the whitewashed buildings. The beautiful ocean.

We hit the...beach. Pebbles stretching along the foreshore, deck chairs and sun beds lined up waiting for the pink British sunbaker to claim them for the day, the old burnt out pier to the right and the main Brighton Pier with it's amusement park to the left. We stopped for coffee and that was it. I couldn't sit still any longer. Why sit around looking at the ocean when you can be in it?

Crunching down to the water we stripped off, left our flip flops at the waters edge and did the "Brighton hop" over the final meter of pebbles and into the refreshingly cold water. It was what Andy called "A happy moment". I don't think you realise how much you miss the ocean until you set eyes upon it again, feel the cool movement of water past your legs and the stickines of salt dried skin afterwards.

After our initial dip, we ventured to the touristy Brighton Pier, filled with light flashing and noisy amusement rides, people of all sorts dripping ice cream down their fingers while taking photos and kids running about. After strolling through the lanes we managed to find an Italian restaurant tucked in a quiet square where we secured a table on the upstairs terrace. We toasted our ice cold beverages to experiencing such a glorious day by the English seaside.

After lunch, it was a quick stop past the off license for a few more beers as we continued on our way back to secure a posse in amongst the masses of people filling the sun beds and pebbly beach for miles. One last swim, one last ice cream and then it was, unfortunately, time for us to hop back on the train home to London.

The Red Suitcase Diaries London Entertainment Guide

2007-08-07T00:27:00.000+08:00

Friday night was another excuse to try out another upmarket London bar. This time the lucky venue to be graced with mine and the Puff Girls presence was The Penthouse in Leicester Square.

We left the hustle and bustle of the tourist packed square to be greeted by the usual door bitch and bouncers. Although we were on the guest list, we were curtly informed that women had free entry whilst the men had to pay a £15 cover charge. After pooling our resources to cover the guys (can anyone say sexual discrimination?), we entered the glass walled lift to take us up to the 6th floor bar.

Overpriced drinks, average hip hop and r'n'b tunes and I was bored. A bar can advertise its exclusivity all it wants but a good night out involves a lot more than "being seen" at a trendy bar. I guess I could add that there were 2 highlights of the night - the extraordinary views over London and our complimentary bottle of vodka.

However, this alone is not enough to see this bar graced with my presence again.

Expensive tastes

2007-08-01T16:55:00.000+08:00

This travel blog is starting to read like a London "what's on" entertainment guide.

And so begins my next tale about another unexpected, yet fun night out on the town. Friday evening saw my good friends Jess and Robin arrive from Dublin for a weekend in London. I had booked out my evening to spend the night with them and word came through as I was leaving work that we would be heading out to one of London's upmarket West End establishments that evening.

Sometime before midnight we found ourselves walking through the doors to Crystal, aptly named due to the ceiling covered with crystal-like lights that continuously changed colour or maybe after the alcoholic beverage itself. Entry to this exclusive bar is achievable either by getting yourself on the guest list or booking a table which you probably need to know someone who's someone who knows someone - you get my drift. Somehow we were at this place with the right people because after a blink of the eye, a magnum of Moet was delivered into one ice bucket and a 1L bottle of ice cold vodka into the other along with a selection of red bulls, juices and soft drinks.

The girls out on the town

After getting over the initial shock of being in a bar where everybody seemed to have more money then sense (it was reported in the Metro that one patron and his guests racked up a £105,000 bar tab at Crystal last week), we decided to make the most of the fact that we were at a club that we would probably never go to ever again. We had a great night, the music was cranking and there we were dancing on the tables - glass of Moet in hand.

London is certainly making me develop very expensive tastes.

All Festivalled Out

2007-07-26T02:17:00.000+08:00

One thing that London definitely has worked out, is how to run a damn good festival.

Sunday saw the sun shining down on us as we headed to Victoria Park for Day 2 of the Lovebox Weekender, a quirky music festival organised by the supremely talented lads behind Groove Armada. In comparison to Oxegen in Ireland, this festival had a more intimate feel, with a variety of themed stages from the wooden fenced and shady Trojan Soundsystem stage, the circus tent Barfly stage to the impressively designed New York alleyway, El Barrio complete with traffic lights and drag queens dancing out the 2nd story windows.

I must admit that having been at Oxegen only 3 weeks previously I was finding it hard to muster up the excitement to tackle another music festival so soon. But thankfully, Lovebox had a less intense, manic feel about it with a number of families about enjoying the fine tunes and sunny weather and it proved to be a great way to spend the Sunday afternoon.

There was a huge variety of gourmet food stalls, a mini lifestyle festival within the festival, show rides, a number of bars serving any type of spirit you wanted (straight poured - none of those preservative filled pre mix cans) and large cans of Red Stripe. It's amazing the difference it makes when you don't have to queue for a drink ticket, then queue for your drink and then be enclosed behind fences just to enjoy live music and an alcoholic beverage at festival. I'm sure Perth event organisers would enjoy running great events like this if the city just relaxed a bit about the liquor licensing laws.

Highlights of the day, apart from the glorious weather, were Sydney boys The Presets, who late in the afternoon had the Barfly tent crowd rocking to their punchy, tight set and of course it was fantastic to once again see Groove Armada's full band live on the main stage as twilight descended over the park.

Arch Angel Jam

2007-07-18T19:38:00.000+08:00

I must admit that today I am feeling a little tired at work after what turned out to be a later than expected night. Especially for a Tuesday night. But what can you do when you're out enjoying quality live music?

We ventured out to High Street Kensington (otherwise known as High St Ken) to catch up with the crew from Spontaneous Construction that I had met in Ireland. On our way to the venue it occurred to me that we would probably be the only Australians within the crowd. This in itself is actually quite unusual as where ever you go in London you will always meet another Australian. We are a dime a dozen. Also being the only Aussies at Arch Angel, Leonie, Rhys and myself felt extremely white. That normally brown Australian tan counted for nothing at Arch Angel and we found ourselves laughing about it with The Horn Stars who, before we arrived had been getting dance move lessons off Basil because he thought they were all too white!

Having said this, it was an absolute pleasure to be welcomed to the club with open arms and to listen to their very funky tunes in a more intimate and well, less muddy situation. The band was filled out more with percussion/vocals, The Horn Stars (sax, trombone, trumpet), bass guitar, jazz guitar, keys and drums. After the house band's set finished, Basil was up on the decks spinning out some tunes while a dance off kicked off on the dance floor.

The night is designed so that any musician can come down to have a live jam and spontaneously construct music with the house band. So the second part of the night saw a variety of musicians hit the stage - vocalists, drummers, more sax players and basically the guys lead a big jam session.

All I can say is that it is extremely refreshing to have a found such a good group of musicians who play such quality music. This was one of the main things (good ol' Funk Club) that I had missed upon leaving Perth, and was struggling to find my favourite music amongst the jungle of club and music nights that make up London.

Things - London - Life - has clicked into place and I'm really, really liking living here. The people I've been fortunate to meet and the adventures we are having and will keep having I just could never have imagined in Perth. Anything in life is possible - you just have to open yourself up to it.

A few photos can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/jonasphoto

A Hop, Skip, Jump into Ireland

2007-07-09T02:08:00.000+08:00

Sunset over the Oxegen Festival Site

Spontaneous Construction jamming it up

Wellies! And mud!

Before leaving for Ireland on Friday I had envisioned a weekend which would be spent exploring Dublin, maybe a short train trip out of the city to see some of the country side and sharing a Guiness or two with my friend Jess.

The only similarities between what I had envisioned for the weekend and what we ended up doing included the Guinness and the short trip to the country.

Friday night I hopped aboard my Ryan Air flight to Dublin. Being a budget airline they have open seating, so you can choose where you want to sit on a first in first served basis. I remember my close friend Hayley once telling me how she was disappointed that Jet Star back in Australia had stopped the open seating as she had enjoyed scoping out the passengers before getting on the plane and then choosing the most interesting person to sit next you. Bit like a lucky dip - they could be a gem of a person or a real drag. With this in mind and with a bit of luck I found myself sitting next to two very cool guys, Ian and Basil. Upon asking them why they were heading to Dublin I discovered that they were dj's who played a mixture of funk, soul, afro beat with bongos, a horn section and vocals thrown in and were hosting the Bacardi Live tent for the massive Oxegen festival in Ireland that weekend. How very interesting and just my luck too beacuse by the end of that flight, I found myself invited along with Jess as their guests to the festival and to the VIP section of the B-Live tent.

The next morning Jess and I went for breaky and then had a mad dash around Dublin looking for wellies, rain coats and a way of getting out to the festival. The guys had told me to call the next day if we decided that we definitely wanted to come. I must say, the thought had crossed my mind as to the level of trust we had in thses guys to come through with tickets. I mean really, I sat next to them on a plane for an hour and they're going to invite us to this sold out festival to which tickets apparently cost somewhere around 200 euros for the weekend? This doubt was quickly pushed aside as I thought - sometimes you just have to go with what life presents to you, trust your judgement of people and sure enough I called the next day and the invitation still stood.

We caught the bus out to the festival which was about an hour out of Dublin and made it there by about 3pm. We were greeted by Ian and brought into the B-Live tent. Basil then arrived looking every part the rock star. Picture an extremely cool black guy with dreads just below his shoulders, leather pants, boots to his knees, a black v neck shirt topped off with sunnies, nose ring and a cowboy hat. Then picture Basil behind the drums up on stage grooving it up with the dj. These guys were awesome.

The festival was huge and also one big mudpit. I'm talking 7 stages and a lineup including the following (in no particular order):

Muse, Wutang Clan, Air, Snow Patrol, Queens of the Stone Age, Scissor Sisters, Kings of Leon, The Gossip, Jet, Digitalism, Felix Da Housecat, 2 Many DJ's, Tiga, Avril Lavigne, The Goo Goo Dolls.

That was just Saturday.

If I didn't have to fly back to London today we would have been back at the festival watching Daft Punk, The Killers, Bloc Party, Babyshambles, My Chemical Romance, Sinead O'Connor, Sierra Leone's Refugee Allstars, New Young Pony Club, Deep Dish, and DJ Shadow vs Cut Chemist.

All I can say is that Jess and I had a blast. We were almost a novelty item amongst the Irish. Two Australian girls at this festival in Ireland. "You're Australian? What are you doing here then? That's a long way to come!" spoken in their wonderful Irish accents. We were extremely well looked after by the guys as well who made sure we were having a good time, introduced us to all the band members and djs in the B-Live tent for the day, sorted us out with free drinks and made sure we had food.

Basil played with his band Spontaneous Construction, which was a collaboration of Lloyd (a big black dude) with the most amazing voice singing the vocals, a horn section consisting of trumpet, sax and trombone and then Basil on the drums and djing. This made for one funky ass band. Check out the guys tunes at www.myspace.com/archangeljam.

The night ended quite late and we were fortunate enough to get a lift home with the band as they had a driver and van for the festival. This saved Jess and I a potentially messy bus ride home in the early hours of the morning. We stopped via the hotel where I was treated to my very first Guinness in Ireland. Finally, a Guinness! I was in Ireland and we'd been drinking Bacardi all day!

Today, we awoke tired but laughing at what a fantastic weekend we'd had. Who would've thought that we would have ended up at Oxegen?

Lastly, I must put out there a massive thank you, again, to Basil and Ian for their generosity. Much respect. It was an experience too good to be true.

How Odd

2007-07-06T23:42:00.000+08:00

How odd to think that tonight I will be in another country.

And even odder that I will spend more time trying to get to the airport then I will actually spend flying on the plane!

Dublin here I come! I will let you all know if Guinness really does taste better in Ireland.

London Mostly Cloudy 17C

2007-07-05T19:13:00.000+08:00

I was warned about the weather before coming over to London and while it doesn't bother me too much at this stage, I am somewhat slightly worried that it won't get much better than this before it hits winter. I have a slight advantage over the other Londoners, in that I have come out of a Perth summer before coming here and hence this weather is pretty much on par with what I would be experiencing back home anyway. I do feel sorry for those who've just been through a long, cold, dark winter and are yearning for that taste of sunshine that London experienced back in April and part of May not long after I got here.

The past 2 weeks each day has ranged through the following:

Wake up and look outside the window - Ooh... a patch of blue sky and sun!
Finish getting ready and leave for work - Dark clouds
An hour later - pouring with rain
Lunchtime - sun is out again and I don't actually need a coat for outside
Late afternoon - massive dark clouds again
5 minutes later - huge rain drops, thunder, lightning...
10 minutes later - hailstones the size of 10p coins
Half an hour later - all over and just back to the standard grey overcast sky

Lately the rain has seemed to time itself perfectly with when I leave work to go home. It's like it's mocking me by not letting there be any perfect end to the day. Just more rain so I get home with wet shoes, scuttling from the train station to my front door as fast as possible.

Like I said before, at this stage it's not worrying me hugely but it would be a shame to not have some sunny days. I still have visions of a few summer bbqs and a couple of picnics lazying about in Regent Park or Hyde Park in my bikini trying to get my tan back. Let's hope this heatwave in the rest of Europe doesn't snap before I get a chance to get away for my summer holiday.

I fell down the rabbit hole...

2007-07-01T17:20:00.000+08:00

and landed in a Puff Party!

Friday night saw the Puff girls launch their very first London Puff Party in style. The party was held at a very funky bar called Umbaba in the heart of Soho, which almost had a rabbit warren feel to it with hidden knooks and crannies. House tunes were pumping out courtesy of DJ Put the Cat Out and they even had a Brazilian drumming procession through the crowd.

The party had an Alice in Wonderland theme with all the Puff girls looking amazingly stunning in sexy Alice and Queen of Hearts costumes. There were many a mad hatter to be seen and tempting cupcakes scattered throughout the bar just daring to be eaten.

The night saw Leonie and I partying and dancing into the wee hours of the morning and big ups to the Puff Girls for a killer launch party.

The Intruders

2007-06-23T19:12:00.000+08:00

When living in a share house you'll never become lonely. With 5 of us living here, all from Australia and one from New Zealand, there is always someone's friend, relative or friends of friends passing through and dossing on our couch.

This week our house has almost turned into a backpackers lodge and we're just about ready to put up the no vacancy sign.

For most of the week our flatmate had 2 friends from New Zealand convert our lounge into a double room and this weekend my room has turned into a triple share with our friend Stefan staying from Perth. Although it sounds busy, we welcome our friends and their news from home and the colourful traveling tales that each bring, with open arms. Somehow we just don't feel all that far from Australia when another Perthi pops by and with each friend who stays, you discover a new side to this big busy city and have experiences that you can look back on and laugh about for years.

On Wednesday, I went for a guided walk with my flatmate and the two New Zealand friends. We walked from the colourful and retro Portobello Road, past Little Venice with its canals and then up through Hyde Park where another music festival was being set up.

Our friend Stefan arrived on Thursday and last night we ventured out in Covent Garden, discovering bars and checking out the night scene of London. What did we find? A slick bar called Dirty Martini's offering a happy hour with half price cocktails and an extensive martini menu to die for, then moved onto The Gardening Club with the tackiest music imaginable, then skipped across the piazza to Fuel Bar where we engaged in an in depth conversation with French travellers on the roof terrace (except this morning none of us have any idea what we were talking to them about) before negotiating our taxi fare home with some random driver on the street.

Now its time to hit Borough Markets for the most delicious gooey cheese imaginable and a nice big fresh crusty bread loaf!

Snapshots of a Lady of Leisure

2007-06-16T20:51:00.000+08:00

The Changing of the Guards - Buckingham Palace. (The band played the theme songs to Star Wars and Hawaii Five-O)

At Trafalgar Square with the pigeons and my favourite sculpture in the background.

Lisa and Meesha at The Queens Tennis Club for the Artois Championships watching Lleyton Hewitt lose to Tsonga. You could hear the Aussies round the crowd "Caarn Hew-eee". Other highlights included viewing the corporate facilities and making sure the French Champagne was up to standard.

At the Putney Walkabout with Jacq and Rhys watching Qld def NSW in the State of Origin. "Caarn the maroooons!"

And no week for a Lady of Leisure would be complete without a trip to Harrods. And yes, hidden within that box was one deliciously wicked chocolate brownie mousse tart.

My First Day Trip

2007-06-11T20:10:00.000+08:00

My First Day Trip involved walking from Bath to Bradford on Avon. Approximately 20kms, sore feet and a whole lot of canal later - I experienced my first hike through the English countryside.

Yesterday a group of us joined a casual tour group who organise day trips out to the country or weekends away for people looking to see outside of London and not pay a fortune through the usual tour companies. We managed to get a small group of friends together and joined the tour group which made up about 30 people in total. We took a minibus out to Bath and after a short stroll through the quaint town we started along the Kennet & Avon Canal.

We passed a lot of gypsy boats, and these funny little makeshift tea gardens. It was quite interesting looking at the gypsy boats, with people living a self sufficient lifestyle. The boats had anything from herbs and vegies growing on the them, to wooden carvings, a hills hoist and the token mongrel dog hanging around.

We finally made it to Bradford on Avon, with the vision of enjoying an ice cold beer, at about 6.00pm. Unfortunately we found ourselves at a pub that didn't seem to understand the concept of refrigeration or ice and instead enjoyed room temperature beer and a fruity jug of pimms. This was topped off with an ice cream (yes the ice cream was cold!) to cool us down.

Camden Markets

2007-06-11T18:31:00.000+08:00

The Camden Markets are rated as London's 4th largest tourist attraction. The markets actually consist of several different markets - The Camden Lock Market, Camden Stable Market, Camden (Buck Street) Market and the Inverness Market. These combine with the high street and pubs, bars and cafes to make up what is collectively known as The Camden Markets.

You will literally need to set aside a couple of weekends to experience and see all that these markets have to offer. Leonie and I managed about 3-4 hours on Saturday and I think we only got through the Camden Lock Markets. Although I'm not entirely sure on this because even though there are maps of the markets neatly outlining the different areas, once you are on the ground walking amongst a sea of colour, clothing, people, music and food it's a completely different world.

We alighted at Camden Town Tube and walked up the High St, past shop after shop of clothing, shoes, souvenirs, hats and tattoo parlours. The shop assistants watch you like hawks and the minute you show any interest in a piece of clothing they're asking what size you want and if you like it. All the prices are negotiable, so don't pay up front the marked price. This made the shopping all the more fun.

We then entered the Camden Lock markets and wandered deaper past stalls of Indian jewellery, vintage clothes, bags - the list is endless. Anything you want you can find here. We stopped for lunch and had the most amazing chicken tagine from a Moroccan food stall and think we'll have to go back to try what looked like the tastiest mexican food at another stall.

We left exhausted having only managed to see about a quarter of the markets. There will definitely be regular return visits.

One month...

2007-06-08T04:09:00.000+08:00

This Sunday will be my one month anniversary of living in London. It actually feels quite strange to be saying that and I cannot believe that it has been a month already. To be honest I think it has taken me about a month to actually start to get the hang of this city. It is hectic, busy, fast paced and at times you can feel completely at loss. But I think this is something that you would experience from moving to any new city. You have to give it time and its little gems will slowly reveal themselves.

For example, I think I just about fell over from excitement last night when I bought a Timeout magazine. I'm still trying to find out where you can pick up the ever elusive free street press, One week to live (great name for it), which I happened to stumble across in the toilets of a tiny basement bar in Covent Garden last week. At this stage I don't think I will ever find that bar again although it did have 4 pound cocktails - bargain! The Timeout magazine lists everything from art and photography exhibitions, to theatre, cinema, gigs, and more. It is your bible to what's on in London for the week. So there I am checking out upcoming gigs for the next month and mentally calculating how I can ration my weekly food budget to pay for all these tickets that I'm going to have to buy. Over summer amongst the countless festivals there will also be Faithless, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Aerosmith, Crowded House, Snow Patrol, DJ Shadow, The Roots, Groove Armada (again), Basement Jaxx and this doesn't include gigs last week for Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada, Bob Sinclar - the list is endless. It is unbelievably good to be going back into summer festival season again.

I also thought I would do a little recap of my first month of observations and experiences of things that make London - well London I guess:

There's two speeds at peak hour when catching the tube - fast and express. Anything less and you're sure to be nudged out the way. An MP3 player is essential.
You always walk on the right of the footpath and same with escalators. Although this can vary and most of the time its a quick dodge and side step down the footpath to your destination. (Thank god for years of netball training)
The planes leave trails across the sky
You can bargain the cost of your fare home with the "black taxis" (this works especially well after a few drinks or so you think)
Your "bargain" taxi fare home still costs you 30 pounds
Even better - on your way home you realise you have absolutely no sense of direction as to where your house is from the city, how long it should take you to get home and how much it should cost you. Thank god for friends who know what they're doing.
If you were smarter you could've caught the night bus home for 1 pound
The shopping is amazing
The markets are amazing (and yummy)
Every pub is named after a Duke, Queen or some weird combination of objects. For example the Piano and Pitcher, the Slug and Lettuce, The golf ball and the green (just joking - made that one up)
It takes a minimum 20-30mins to get anywhere if your lucky. You usually need to give yourself an hour.

I will never, ever again complain in Perth about it taking me 20 minutes to get anywhere. Oh yeah, and when it hits 24C - people think it's a "scorcher". Is that a giggle I hear from all you Australians?

I just had a few more things to add:

There is no such thing as responsible service of alcohol here. A double seems to be the standard drink. You actually have to ask for a single.
Same with beer - never, ever ask for a half pint. You always get a pint (no wonder everyone gets a beer belly)
There seems to be no concept of refrigeration. I still have not yet had a nice cold beer. A cool beer, yes, but definitely not a cold beer.

Pirate Party and a Day at the Rugby

2007-06-03T18:29:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Lisa's fabulous efforts of scoring tickets, we spent our Saturday at Twickenham Stadium where we watched the Barclay's Churchill Cup. The teams playing on the day were Canada vs USA, Ireland vs Scotland and New Zealand vs England. Lots of laughs and beers, and of course a little bit of watching of the games.

On the night before, we found ourselves at a pirate party on board a boat cruising the Thames. Thank goodness I'd been practising my angry pirate face before leaving Perth! It was a beautiful evening, perfect for my first time experience of seeing London at night from the river. We cruised from Embankment pier, under the Tower Bridge, past Westminster Abbey, getting glimpses of St Paul's Cathedral lit up at night, past the London Eye which looked like a magical giant ferris wheel and then up to Greenwich and back. As a London freshie, it was an excellent way to view the city from an angle I'd never usually experience.

Lisa and Meesha at the rugby

England vs New Zealand

City "Life"

2007-06-01T18:08:00.000+08:00

Or the complete opposite of life.

There I am, travelling to work on Wednesday morning, reading my Metro when I am confronted by an article describing in sensational detail another public suicide. The large article described how on the previous evening, in the middle of the city, a man had jumped from a posh innner city roof top bar and landed on a bus. In detail it gave eye witness accounts of the man's descent, ending in impact and a photo to go with it.

It amazes me how immune this city seems to be with the high suicide rate and how publicly these suicides seem to occur. Yesterday, in the lift at work I overheard a joking conversation between colleagues of how they had heard of a "suit" who had been made redundant. The man left the meeting, went to the the top of the building and threw himself straight off the edge.

In another instance, on my second day in London catching the tubes there came the announcement "We are currently experiencing delays on the Piccadilly Line due to a person under a train". The collective sigh that swept the platform seemed to correspond to commuters mentally calculating how much longer it would now take them to get home, not over any concern that another person had thrown themselves in front of a train.

It's a worrying thought that this is a city of people who have become immune to such a depressing issue. The only solution I've seen so far to addressing this, is that some of the newer tube stations now have glass walls protecting the tracks.I'm sure this is a lasting solution to a bigger problem.

Postscript (Wednesday 6th June): Sourced from an article in the Metro this morning. Men accounted for 75% of the 4,343 adult suicides in Britain in 2005. The Metro is backing a campaign by the Campaign Against Living Miserably to get 500 firms to pledge £100 each towards funding a helpline (500:100 Campaign).

Borough Market

2007-05-27T01:07:00.000+08:00

London - nearest tube station, London Bridge.

The markets in London are colouful and interesting places to visit. Each market has its own uniqueness, with a focus on either food, bric a brac or clothing. Last weekend I visited the Old Spitafields markets and then ventured down Brick Lane where we sampled curries and Tibetan momos.

This morning, we decided to venture to the Borough Markets, well known for its variety of fresh food and produce. One of the Rally girls has stayed with us for the night, so we celebrated with a dinner at Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Fifteen, and then opted to spend today at the markets. So us four ex-rally girls faced the hustle and bustle of the Borough markets and ate our way to belly bursting bliss. You wouldn't expect anything less would you - there's never been any eating disorders within the rally team! Except maybe overindulgence.

The Borough Markets are gastronomical. Bread, French cheeses, Spanish sausages, pastries, bread, antipastos, fruit and veg, towers of chocolate and brownies. It was foodie heaven. I have always thought the Queen Victoria markets in Melbourne were good, but this was another level up. At the Queen Victoria markets you always felt that the stall owners were somewhat stingy with letting you taste their produce. Here it's all about sampling.

"Would you like a taste? Here try some cheese. Food is not there to be looked at. It's there to be eaten! Here have some more!" (The man from the French Mons Fromager cajoles as he walks through the crowd)

And I say Yes Please!

I think I've just died and gone to shopping heaven...

2007-05-25T20:49:00.000+08:00

Because there is no way that the pure bliss of shopping on Oxford St, could be a place in hell.

Tuesday morning saw me stumble blearily out of the underground station, only to look up and see a glorious sign saying "Topshop". My eyes opened a bit wider, the sun shone a bit brighter and the sky turned a bit bluer and I knew where my lunch time date was going to be every day from now on.

Accessories galore, bags to die for, cute shoes, summer dresses, coloured tights, saucy tops, and a never ending stream of girl's elbowing eachother out the way from that perfect addition to their wardrobe.

It just so happens that my very first job in London has found me located in Mayfair, a 30 second stroll from Oxford St, which is lined with shop after shop after shop.

I'm living every shopaholic's dream.

Take a walk along the boardwalk. Advance token to...

2007-05-17T16:26:00.000+08:00

Trafalgar Square, Bond St, Oxford St, Pall Mall, Piccadilly - you name it and I'm standing on it. It's a pity I can't collect $200 as I pass go, because London sure is an expensive place.

Yesterday I had my first taste of "real" sightseeing. So far, my life has been Putney based and to be honest, I felt like I could've been living anywhere. Catching the tube means that you don't get to see much of the city, except when you hop off and suddenly you pop up on another street.

I looked at my list of free things to do in London (trust me, it's a good list too) and off I went to find the National Gallery which also happens to be part of Trafalgar Square. There I am viewing a collection of Monet's, I saw my first Van Gogh and Picasso in the flesh too. Hours and hours could be spent and I think there will have to be a return trip.

Next, I was bitten by the sightseeing bug and glimpsing Big Ben down the street I went to sniff him out. Suddenly I was passing the Princess Diana Memorial walk, Parliament, the Horse Guards that don't move (well they do because I saw one go for a little march) and then there in front of me was Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. The sheer scale in size and the amount of history - words cannot explain. It is somewhat amazing to find yourself standing in front of such an iconic landmark.

Now I really feel like I'm in London.

Arrival

2007-05-14T17:45:00.000+08:00

Putney, London

I'm sitting at my kitchen table, in my new home, looking outside at the brown rooftops, the grey sky and rain drizzling down - and I can't wipe the smile off my face.

Yesterday I arrived at Heathrow after a 13 hour plane trip from Hong Kong and was greeted by my brother and best bud, Lisa. Lisa being the THE most organised person I know, whisked me back home to Putney, threw together a G & T, gave me 20 minutes to freshen up and then marched Rhys and I down to The Boatshed, a great little pub on the banks of the Thames.

I felt like I was the genie in Bewitched. All I did was twinkle my nose and suddenly there I am in London, sharing my first Pimms with family and Perth friends, looking out over the river.

Flashing Neon Lights

2007-05-14T17:22:00.000+08:00

Kowloon, Hong Kong

One thing about travelling on your own, you are bound to find someone willing to take you under their wing. I fortunately found myself enroute to Hong Kong sitting next to one of these willing persons. The businessman sitting next to me was a seasoned traveller to Hong Kong and probably after taking one look at me with my puffy, red eyes decided to take pity. I found myself picking up travel tips for Hong Kong and London and had a very helpful guide who pointed me in the right direction Kowloon, Hong Kong, where I was staying for the night. So thank you my friend for looking out for me!

Hong Kong itself was everything I expected it to be. Flashy neon lights, endless highrises, taxis wizzing past, shops, people out on the streets and warm 28C at 9.30pm when I arrived that night. The streets were still busy at that time and I decided it would be safe enough for me to hit the streets and take in the sights. Most shops were still open and I managed to have a quick look at the Temple St Night markets. These were just a short 10minute walk from my hotel on Nathan Rd.

I intend on visiting Hong Kong again but I think a 3 day stay is all I would do. Sightseeing, shopping for electronics, and eating Cantonese can easily be accomplished in this time.

One more sleep(less) night to go...

2007-05-11T16:53:00.000+08:00

The red suitcase is to be packed one last time. After a trial pack yesterday, I've managed to weigh in at a grand total of 19.5kgs. Amazing that my total possessions, for moving to a new country, amount to a measly 19.5kgs. On top of this, I have my brother's beloved surfboard in tow as well. Tomorrow, at the check in counter, I may need to use any negotiation skills I have to make sure I avoid any excess baggage costs and hope to god that that board gets on the plane with me.

I've only had one small hiccup leading up to the big day tomorrow. Unfortunately, my travelling partner has had to postpone her flight for now, due to her passport being delayed. I'll now be hopping on that plane at 12.20 tomorrow, on my own, with a very long flight ahead of me. I have a stop over in Hong Kong and then fly on to London on Sunday where I'll be collected at the airport by my brother and a close friend. Then, after getting settled, I think it will be down to the pub for a very well deserved beer.