Month: February 2009

Say Yes more and No less

thegirlinthecafe 9 Comments

Organic Coke

  • No: I am OK with Organic food, but this “Sparkling Delicious organic Cola” is not Sparkling and as far from Delicious as it can be, it is the worst tasting cola I have ever tasted. So that’s a no. Never again. Yuk.
  • Yes is what I said to a Tweatup (Twitterers eat and meet up) last Saturday. This meant that I had a late but great lunch in a great Indian restaurant in East London last weekend. I had never been in that area before, and I have never tried Indian food like this, it was like the Indian version of tapas. Very recommended!
    Address:
    Vijay’s Chawalla
    268-270 Green Street, Forest Gate,
    E7 8LF London

    (Tube: Upton Park)

  • On Wednesday I have said yes to a pop quiz in a pub in Soho with 3 (that’s 3 the mobile phone company). Pub/Pop quizzes are so typical British, I have never really been to one in a pub before, so in stead of declining I am going. I can always leave if it turns into a big drink fest. I will report back on how it was, I consider it a part of my British education. And apart from that, there is always a chance that I pick up some inspiration for future writings.

    And I am generally going to say yes more. I won’t go as far as becoming a Yes Man, but I think I need to push myself a bit and go and do some things that I have not tried before.

  • And phew – I have a first serious response on my flatmate ad (that’s for the flat where I currently live). I will be away this weekend, but will hopefully meet with her soon after the weekend. She sounds promising!
  • And as you might have noticed, the coffee cup is gone, I was so tired of it. I went back to a more minimal look, and finally feel the logo looks right in this design. I will have a proper spring cleanup in the sidebar soon too. For now it has to do? Like it?

What new things have you tried (or are going to try) recently?

Confessions of a stressoholic

thegirlinthecafe 5 Comments
  • Confessions of a shopaholic wasn’t the best rom-com ever (it’s Sex in the City meet Devil wears Prada), but I laughed quite a lot at Isla Fisher. She has great comic talent, and she is worth watching the film for. She and Hugh Dancy.
  • I saw A View from the Bridge last week, and wow, Ken Stott blew me away. A must see if you happen to be in London before the 16th of May. Great acting work, also from Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (she was Lady Marianne in Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood!). Don’t miss it!
  • And then my flatmate is leaving. And I have two seperate lines of thoughts about this.

    Line 1:

    I need to find a new flatmate. I know our rent is not the highest, definitely not for the area in London where the flat is based, but loads of people are leaving London because it is so expensive. My worries:
    Will I find a new friendly, funny and reliable flatmate?

    Line 2:
    In American movies like the above Shopaholic they always show flatshares where people are the best of friends and where things just seem to work. I want that too. Which is why I probably need to find another place to live. My current flat does not have a shared living room, so it’s natural to retreat in your own room.
    And if my current flatmate and me have spoken more than 100 words to each other the last 2.5 years I will be surprised.

    So my current dream scenario is finding some really nice people I click with and rent and nice house somewhere in London where there is space for privacy (I still want to be able to sit in my room and read or write or watch a Bill film on my own) but also space for socialness. But where to find the people, and where to find the place to live! It is probably pathetically ignorant to think that that is possible. I must think about this.

  • I am going to tick the lighthouse in Plymouth off my list on Saturday. And will stay with the lovely dogs and my good friend in Devon for the weekend. Here is to good weather for everyone, to sea views, beach walks and Devon creamcakes with tea.
  • It’s Pancake day today.

Film production: To Wales

thegirlinthecafe 9 Comments

I should be packing by now, but a short note here before I am off. All is prepared for my trip to Wales, well all that I could think of that should be prepared.

There are a couple of changes to the original plans:

The school children will not be there. The school has withdrawn from the project because they were in involved in too many other things so they did not have the time anyway. This makes my life as producer a whole lot easier. In stead of school children we will use some more actors. It is not completely the same, but with some creative camera work, I am sure it will be fine.

There is more »

Double Bill: Valkyrie and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

thegirlinthecafe 1 Comment

Bill Nighy - Col. Olbricht in Valkyrie

Valkyrie

The first time I saw Valkyrie was last Saturday, together with someone who appreciates the acting (amongst others) skills of Mr. Nighy as much as I do. The 11.00am screening in Devon seemed to have been exclusively reserved for us, we had a private screening!

Valkyrie is one of the best films I have seen in quite a while. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from the beginning until the very last second. It has a dream cast: Bill Nighy, Kenneth Brannagh, Tom Wilkinson, Tom Hollander, Terrence Stamp. There is a whole regiment of tremendous British talent here.
And there is Tom Cruise, and he is delivering a great performance as Gen. von Stauffenberg, the man who tried to assassinate Hitler. Bill’s Col. Olbricht hesitates at the crucial moment in the plot, and this has severe consequences. Valkyrie really makes you wonder what would have happened if they had succeeded. It’s one of those films that have you glued to your seat after it has ended. It made a big impact on me.

If you like a gripping thriller – Valkyrie is a must see. (My current Valkyrie counter: 3).

Bill Nighy - Viktor in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

And then there was Underworld, which is something completely different. If you like Vampire movies, this might be something for you. If you thought Davy Jones was a baddie, wait until you see Viktor in this one. Here is one truly evil villain, the master of all Vampires, not someone to mess with. Bill plays king of the Vampires very well. Michael Sheen is delivering a solid acting performance too but the story is a bit weak. I do love the colours in the Underworld movies, the cold blue surroundings match very well with the red colour of blood. Cheers Viktor. See it if you like to watch top class actors hissing at each other, or just because Bill looks so bloody cool in a battle skirt.

And while we are at it: I have also spotted the trailer of The Boat That Rocked in the cinema for the first time. The 1st of April is approaching fast. It’s a good Bill year this year.

Have you seen any of the above films?

Built a snowman – the results

thegirlinthecafe 12 Comments

When you finally get snow in the UK, you have to make a snow man. So I challenged my friend in Devon to do the same thing and send in photographic evidence.

The above one is the one I made this morning. Lucky I took a picture of it as it has already been trashed and is meltedaway ! But yes – that is really my sock on the top of his head!


And this is a mobile phone shot of the heart covered Devon snow man.

Did you make a snowman? If so please place a link to your image (flickr, twitpic, blog where ever it may be) in the comments and show it to us!

And then the winter came

thegirlinthecafe 8 Comments

When I came home from Devon last night, London looked white. This morning I woke up to even more snow, which caused all buses to be cancelled, the tube came to a halt, lots of trains cancelled, airports struggling (Heathrow is closed), schools are closed, and children are having the time of their lifes playing in the snow. It is a beautiful day in London. I am forced to work at home today, but I will have to go for a walk around lunch, as this much snow in London is a seldom event.

Davy 'Snow' Jones

Davy 'Snow' Jones

Snow in London

View from my window

Snow in London (Pimlico)

Is there any snow where you are?

(More snow is to expected in London)