Today I'm Grateful For...

Netflix.

Seriously, part of my London adventure has involved watching the complete series of Private Practice, and tonight I just completed Desperate Housewives. I get so wrapped up in the tv shows that I watch, especially ones with many seasons where in a weird way I bond with the characters, get emotional over the story lines, and just enjoy pretty much every minute of them. Sometimes I even find myself blurring reality and television.

Thank you Netflix for filling my relaxing weeknights and lazy weekends. For helping me to kill time on the mornings I wait for a supply call, and for allowing me to be entertained.

Today I'm Grateful For...

Big city shopping on Oxford Street.....Primark....and my crazy friends Phoebe & Derek <3. They definitely are full of laughs...

I'm not sure who else I could sing "Milkshake" and "Cruella De Vil" with on the same night, let alone in the same McDonald's location less than 30 minutes apart. Oh ya, and don't forget our Oxford Street serenade of "We Are All In This Together".

Good night, my friends, good night.

:)

The Royal Ascot!

Saturday, June 22nd was a day at the races for myself, my friends, and the Queen!

We set off to Ascot early, as we wanted to be sure to get there as the gates were opening at 10:30 am so we didn't miss a thing! That meant leaving Finchley Road at about 8:15 to get to Waterloo Station. We managed to be one of the first to board the train that was next leaving, so we luckily got seats for the 55 minute train ride. However, a lot of people were not so lucky especially those who boarded for Ascot at stops after Waterloo.

Even just on the train ride, I started to get excited seeing everyone in their fancy dress. Suits, ties, dresses, hats, and fascinators meant we were definitely on our way to a British royal party!

My ticket, even it looks fancy!

When we arrived at the race course and made our way into the Silver Ring section, we were in luck and arrived early enough to have a table with chairs to claim as our party area for the day! Definitely glad we left when we did, because the tables went very fast.

The weather was definitely not nice summer weather, as we had to survive several small showers through out the day and a cold wind at times. However, there were brief moments when the sun would shine and a bit of blue sky would come through causing all of the Brits to cheer!

As we were settled in seats by 11 am and the Royal Procession didn't begin until 2 pm, we had some time to relax, have some drinks, eat food, take pictures, and organize our bets for the day!

Next to the race track. You can see the main grandstand building in the background, and the grass race track which is different from the common tracks in Ontario where it is dirt and sand. 

Our table, yay for being early! On the left is Jason's friend Dan, then myself, Jenn, and Jason!

Jason's friend Roy, Dan, myself, and Jenn - we are all smiles despite the weather!

Cheers! 

Roy and Dan had purchased a newspaper at Waterloo station which had a list of the horses in each race, as well as the list of horses that were favourited. There were 6 races in total. However, we didn't know which horse was what number unless we paid for an official program, so I couldn't bet based on what day it is, which it was a '7' day. 

So, the horses I chose were...

Race 1: I Know Your Name

Race 2: Songcraft

Race 3: Sirius Prospect

Race 4: Our Jonathan

Race 5: Art Scholar

In Race 6, we did a table bet on a horse. I didn't get lucky and win in any of the races, but I figured you can't go to the Royal Ascot and not at least take a chance!

Organizing my bets! We placed all of the bets before the race started to avoid waiting in line for each race. 

At 1:30 pm, we made our way to the edge of the track to wait for the Royal Procession. I was so excited because it was finally going to be my chance to see the Queen!!

And there she is! It's hard to tell, but she is in that carriage wearing a blue suit. There were other members of the Royal family in the carriages, but the Queen was the one to see!

At 2:30 pm, it was time for the races to begin!

During Race 2, there actually was a horse that stumbled on the track and ended up de-mounting the rider, which I had never seen happen at a horse race before. Although it wasn't something to laugh at, it was quite funny to see the horse carry on racing without a jockey!

However, the horse which did win Race 2, Thomas Chippendale, collapsed and died after the finish line of a heart attack, which Jenn and I found quite sad. However, I am glad that the horse died of natural causes as opposed to suffering a severe injury and having to be shot or put down. 

So close to the live action!

A horse and jockey heading to the starting gate!

Some of the horse races wear only 6 furlongs in length, which meant that the horses ran a straight line starting from the left of the track, passed the silver ring, and towards the main grandstand. Other races were longer, so the race went in a full circle, and then came down the silver ring strait to finish near the starting point at the main grandstand.

It was definitely a good day and a great experience to add to my London adventure! I am very glad that I went and enjoyed this day. 

Plus, now I feel my London adventure is more complete because I finally saw the Queen!

Here's to the Royal Ascot!

It's Pretty Cool When...

the school you are supply teaching at is having a Country Hoedown day where all the children are dressed up as cowgirls and cowboys!

I only wish I had known ahead of time so that I could have dressed appropriately! haha.

They even learned a country dance routine, and then performed it on the playground in the afternoon. A school that does random dance parties? Now that definitely makes a Friday fun!

Les Miserables!

Tonight I saw another exceptional musical in London's West End...Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre near Piccadilly Circus.

Ever since I saw the 2012 movie version of this musical set in the 1800s I have wanted to see it live. So, I decided it was a show I must see before I leave London.

I am so glad I did! The show featured a new cast that just started this week and I think they did a fabulous job! The only thing that threw me was that I pictured Cosette with blonde hair (especially since the movie featured Amanda Seyfried's luscious blonde locks) so when this actress had brown hair I wasn't prepared! 

I did find that when watching the film I was able to follow the storyline a bit better than when watching it at a live theatre. However, the music sounded excellent in both. Of course I still cried when I heard "I Dreamed a Dream" tonight, as I shed a tear or two anytime I really listen to that song.

I definitely recommend this musical to anyone, whether you have seen the movie or not. For those of you at home in Canada, I just happen to have read today that Les Mis is returning to Toronto in September! I suggest you purchase tickets because the show is well worth it!

Outside of the Queen's Theatre on Shaftesbury Ave.

It's hard to compare the two version as both are amazing in their own right!

A musical that has stood the test of time, that's for sure!

Today I'm Grateful For...

Unexpected but awaited phone calls and emails.

Movie night at the cinema. 

Pick n' mix - the closest thing that Britain has to Bulk Barn, which pretty much gets me as excited as seeing the movie. 

Happy Tuesday! :)

Today I Saw...

Children in my Year 5 class do thirty minutes of Tai-Chi!

As part of their P.E. curriculum, the students currently are having a special instructor come in and lead them in Tai-Chi on Monday mornings. I've never heard of or seen a school do this before!

Watching them reminded me of how I used to watch my Dad do Tai-Chi when I was younger. I remember sometimes I would even try to mimic his movements, but I knew I probably was disturbing his level of zen because I would giggle as I did it!

Some of these kids were giggling too, but I was impressed by their interest in the activity! I guess anything beats literacy and numeracy!

Today I Saw...

An original Peek Freen cookie and biscuit factory!

What a surprise when I was just walking to a new school this morning in Bermondsey (South East London) and I saw this on a building wall.

I love these cookies! PF's and Fruit Creme and Chocolate Digestives! Yum!

Plus, I have family members who love them too! Whenever I see my Uncle Len in New Jersey, he always asks for a case of PF cookies and my family friend Scott gets Fruit Creme cookies in his stocking at Christmas!

Such a random yet meaningful thing to happen across at 8 am on a Friday morning!

Today I'm Grateful For....

the Camden Market!

Today, I met Phoebe in Camden after work and we got some delicious food from the food stalls in the Camden Market!

I had sweet and sour chicken with noodles and Phoebe had one of the most gigantic pieces of pizza I have ever seen!

For dessert, we both had caramel churos with cinnamon! So yummy and warm. A perfect dessert for a rather chilly and windy June day!

I definitely want to go back and try some more of the delicious food! The pizza, and the hamburgers and fries looked definitely worth a try!

Today I'm Grateful For...

My Skype chats with my Mama <3. I wouldn't have made it through these past months without them. For a while they were daily, now they are biweekly but if I need to talk more often she always makes time for me.

So blessed to live in this day and age with all of these technological advances at my fingertips. Because even 15 years ago, living abroad would have been A LOT harder.

Today I'm Grateful For...

Good conversations with good friends, that make the evenings just a bit more enjoyable. :)

Today I'm Grateful For...

The energetic tube train operator on the Jubilee line train that brought me home from Canon's Park today. He made me laugh, just because of his enthusiasm on his personalized train announcements.

"The next stop is Wembley Park, where you can change to a metropolitan line train. And look, this one right beside us that is much bigger is going all the way to Aldgate. Doesn't get better than that! It'll also take you to Finchley Road and Baker Street much faster than I can!"

haha classic. Thanks for making me smile Mr. Operator :).

Capital FM Summertime Ball!

Yesterday was the day! Sunday, June 9th - The day I would get to see Taylor Swift, as well as a lot of other great musical artists perform at Wembley Stadium for an amazing concert!

Here they are! Two tickets to Capital FM's Summertime Ball! 

The doors opened at 2:00 pm, so Phoebe and I met at Wembley Park station around 1:45 pm to make the quick walk to the stadium. As soon as I saw this...I started getting super excited!

We took this picture before heading inside...what I love best is what we captured in the background! 

They were a bit late opening the doors, but as soon as they did we headed inside and made our way to our seats. I had no idea if the tickets I got were good or bad or anything at all, so when we reached our seat selection and saw our view we were pretty impressed!

And here we are in our seats!

I enjoyed all of the performances so much! Here are the top performers that I loved, out of the 21 on the play list.

And here's a list of my favourite Summertime Ball moments.

1. When Taylor Swift finally came on stage! She was the 2nd last performer.

2. That Phoebe and I screamed so loud for Taylor that the two couples sitting in front of us covered their ears! 

3. When Ed Sheeran joined Taylor on stage to sing "Everything Has Changed".

4. Taylor performing "22", "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together"

4. When Labrinth performed "Beneath Your Beautiful" and almost brought me to tears.

5. When Nathan from The Wanted surprised everyone by performing in the group after undergoing throat surgery. I had no idea he was sick and on leave from the group, but even I was glad for his emotional return and he sang so well!

6. Psy performed "Gangnam Style" and pretty much all of the 80,000 people in attendance were jumping and dancing at the same time!

7. Having all the lights shining off of cameras and cell phones during Taylor & Ed's performance.

8. How Justin Timberlake just had to perform acoustically as a surprise! 

9. How great Olly Murs is on stage! He is so charasmatic!

10. That B.O.B. surprised everyone and made an appearance!

11. Loving Ellie Goulding singing "Anything Can Happen"

12. Will.I.Am keeping the party going!

We decided to leave before the last act, Robbie Williams, was finished as we hoped to beat the rush to the tube station. However, I think a lot of people had the same idea because in front of us was this....

Complete madness! Actually, they also had police officers stopping people from entering to keep the station from overcrowding. I have never seen such a mass of people! I don't even think the rush after a Blue Jays game comes close!

Such an amazing night and I'm so glad I got to see Taylor! Seeing everyone else was just a bonus! And going with my Australian twin, Phoebe, was priceless.

Going On A Celebrity Hunt..

...Gonna catch a cardboard cut out?

So, last night I found out that one of my favourite artists Jason Derulo is in the big city of London this weekend! Not to mention that Taylor Swift is also in London this weekend, but there will be more on her later!

Thinking that this gorgeous man was in London had me excited enough, then I found out that he was going to at some of London's favourite hotspots today and was sending out clues on Twitter as to his location for photo ops!

This is when I got really excited! I woke up this morning and thought, I HAVE TO DO THIS! I checked the clues, I recognized the pictures....spot #1 - Trafalgar Square @ 12:30 pm, spot #2 - Piccadilly Circus @ 1:00 pm and spot #3 - Oxford Street @ 1:30 pm.

So, I grabbed my friend Phoebe who was up for an adventure and made my way to Trafalgar Square. The anticipation was killing us. We didn't know where he would come from or how he would appear. But I promised Phoebe that I would notice, because I have an extremely keen eye for men with darker skin ;).

Finally, after about 40 minutes of scoping out the location and taking a few pictures...

it was 12:30 pm. We noticed 2 other girls, who basically were doing the same thing as us. I was refreshing my twitter feed constantly for updates, and then we got a clue as to his exact location...

but this is what we found...

It was just a cardboard cut-out! If we took pictures with Jason, we could enter on Twitter to win access to an exclusive dance lesson with Jason tomorrow. It was a bit of a let down, but to be honest this will likely be the closest I will ever get to the beautiful man that is Jason Derulo. If I win the contest, I'd be so excited but sad because I'd miss seeing Taylor at the Capital FM Summertime Ball tomorrow!

Either way, it was a great way to start off a Saturday in London!

See You Again

On Friday, June 8th Carrie Underwood released her music video for her latest single "See You Again".

I've been a fan of Carrie's since she won American Idol. What I really like about this song is that it represents the exact mentality that I had when I left Canada in September to begin my adventure abroad. At the time, I didn't know how long I would live over here or how long my adventure would last. All I knew was that I would see all of my friends and family again.

Now, I can say that this music video has come at a good time because it shows both good-byes and reunions with loved ones, both of which I will be experiencing in about 7 weeks time. I'll be saying good-bye to the friends I have made in London, and I'll be saying hello to my family and friends. And let me tell you, I can't wait for that airport greeting! If anyone at the airport thought they had seen a fast mover get off an airplane at Christmas, wait until I'm practically racing through customs, security, and picking up my baggage! Let's hope my bags aren't the last ones to be unloaded this time too!

While I can't wait for my arrival in Canada, I'll be sad to leave some great friends that I have made here in London. This is when "See You Again" will take on new meaning for me, because it'll no longer be about my loved ones in Canada, but those I have come to love in London who are remaining in London or are leaving to start their own adventures elsewhere.

There is not an once of this song that I haven't felt at one time or another. Here's the lyrics and then have a listen and watch of the excellent music video!

See You Again

"See You Again"

Said goodbye, turned around
And you were gone, gone, gone
Faded into the setting sun,
Slipped away
But I won’t cry
Cause I know I’ll never be lonely
For you are the stars to me,
You are the light I follow

[Chorus:]
I’ll See you again, oh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, oh
Till I see you again

I can hear those echoes in the wind at night
Calling me back in time
Back to you
In a place far away
Where the water meets the sky
The thought of it makes me smile
You are my tomorrow

[Chorus:]
I’ll See you again, oh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, oh
Till I see you again

[Bridge:]
Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking
But I stay strong and I hold on cause I know
I’ll see you again, oh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, yeah yeah

[Outro:]
I’ll See you again, oh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, oh
Till I see you again
Till I see you again,
Till I see you again,
Said goodbye turned around
And you were gone, gone, gone.

Today I'm Grateful For...

...two words...

Candy Crush.

Only the best, most addicting and mind consuming online game that I have ever played! Let's just say it's occupied a lot of my spare time in the past two weeks since I started playing.

And today, I pretty much made it through 7 levels with only 5 total lives! NAILED IT! haha.

Plus, Matt, Kelly, and I have pretty awesome Candy Crush playing parties. I get the couch, Kelly gets the chair and Matt rocks the bed! haha.

Today I'm Grateful For...

...the simple fact that it is Wednesday, and now that it's Wednesday night that means I'm over halfway through the work week!

Also, so glad that London is experiencing such lovely, warm, and sunny weather since June started! Fingers crossed that it sticks around! :)

Today I'm Grateful For...

Two different things.

1. This song that came on my iPod on the way to my school today.

"It Won't Be Like This For Long" by Darius Rucker.

The song is about how fast time flies, specifically in relation to the growth of a daughter in her father's eyes. The line that related to my situation was the lyric "This phase is gonna fly by if you can just hold on, it won't be like this for long". It just reminded me that the rest of my time in London will fly by and then I'll be on to the next phase of my life. So if I can just be patient and enjoy this stage as much as I can, soon I'll be home.

The song also just made me miss my Dad and made me think about how fast I must have grown up in his eyes. I hope he's proud! And as you can see, this is quite a lot of deep reflection for a 4 min song. It's crazy how my mind can just go like that.

Here is a link for the song, have a listen...

It Won't Be Like This For Long

2. that the French I learned in school from Grade 3 to Grade 9, and the little bit I tried to teach myself last summer actually is enough to help me sound like an expert when I have to teach French to Year 6s! Because surprise, that was part of my day today! Thankfully I had enough knowledge of how certain words should be pronounced in a French accent that I did alright for myself! And since the lesson was about the French words for musical instruments, I actually enjoyed it!

Today I'm Grateful For....

....that moment when just one or two children give you a hug near the end of a school day and ask if you are going to be their teacher tomorrow too.

Especially when it's a very challenging class at a very challenging school in North London. But even though I still yelled and I still was at a loss for how to get the children to stop talking and listen, I was still nicer then their regular teacher.

And then when these same children start singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and saying it really really fast while they are working on their art pictures and ask you to join in? That's priceless considering how much I love Mary Poppins!

Let's just say my afternoon was much better than my morning in this class!

Preparing Myself For The Last Leg...

Today is the last day of the May half term break. After this there is just 7 weeks of teaching (technically 7 1/2 but my last day will be July 19th) left on my adventure abroad.

Honestly, I'm ecstatic about it this. I'm looking forward to going home and figuring out a career that is going to make me happy to get up and go to work. I'm pretty sure I know that career will be, but I'm not ready to 100% set my heart on it.

However, I do have 7 weeks of supply teaching left. That's 35 potential work days. Yesterday, I was not in a good mood. I was already feeling depressed about having to go back to work. I know that I can't wake up each weekday morning in despair. I won't survive it, and the days until July 19th will drag on and on and on. So, today I've been thinking about what I can do to get me through.

My best friend Denise inspired what I am going to try. I know that even though she is my best friend and that she wants me home just as much as I want to be, that she still wants me to enjoy my last bit of time here in London. She gets mad when I focus too much on a countdown and I don't take the time to enjoy each day. I personally think that will happen when I'm actually fully enjoying what I am doing in life (work, friends etc). But, for her, I am going to try something.

Each day I am going to think of something that I am grateful for. It could be a highlight from my day of teaching, or a song that I can't get out of my head. It might be something funny, or something beautiful, or something so random that I can't even think of an example right now. Each night before bed I will put this on my blog. Hopefully this will work as a reminder that as much as I want to be at home, there are positive things to take from each day here in London. And perhaps I'll wake up each day just thinking "What will I be grateful for today?".

So, to start these daily posts, this is what I am grateful for today...

I am grateful that I have one of the craziest and most awesome best friends that I could ever ask for waiting for me in Canada. Evidence of that? I send a silly picture to her, and she doesn't just laugh and shake her head at me, she sends one right back! 

While I've been on my adventure abroad, our friendship has only strengthened which is not something I can confidently say about all of my friendships. If I didn't have her supporting me and pushing me to carry on here when she knows I'm unhappy, then I probably wouldn't make it through my entire year abroad. She has gotten me through heartbreaks and celebrations. She even shared an amazing trip in February with me, which is something that I know I will cherish forever and it will be one of the best parts of this year. I can't wait to have so many more adventures with you! You will be my friend forever. There is so much more that I could say, but I'll just end with the fact that words don't do our friendship justice. I may not have grown up with a sister, but I can say that I feel like I know what it would be like because of you. 

So, here's to my last 7 weeks of teaching and my last 54 days on my adventure abroad! Let me find the strengthen to make it through each day and to try my best to enjoy my time here. :)

The Three Muskateers!

Friday, May 31st didn't start out as a bright and sunny day that we had been anticipating most of the week...but after lunch, the sun came out and Matt, Kelly, and I had one of the most fun days that I have had here!

We started out with a picnic on Primrose Hill....

Our picnic area! We had drinks, sandwiches, chips, music and....

a soccer ball!

Enjoying my cider! :)

Kelly & I

After our picnic and a couple hours in the sunshine we headed to the Washington pub, which is one of our local spots! The main reason we stopped there was to use their bathrooms but....

we grabbed some half pints as well!

Then it was back to our next-door pub The North Star. This is a cheap, good place that Kelly, Matt, and I frequent for drinks and darts!

The North Star is where I first had one of my new favourite drinks, a Guinness & Black. Mind you, I am also starting to adjust to and enjoy the taste of just straight Guinness!

Now, I am not a good darts player really. Although I have found that I am better with lighter darts, however Matt has been hording these as his own! But now I will insist on making him share! 

And of course, sometimes when we play darts we get a little crazy....

Matt & Kelly

Matt & I

From the North Star, we headed to KFC for a snack because we were hungry! And because sometimes the North Star just decides that they shouldn't open their kitchen...

In order to increase our energy levels, Matt suggested Espresso shots...so two espresso shots and a trip to Sainsburys for a couple more snacks and drinks, we ended up back at 106 Finchley!

After 2 Espresso shots! haha

You can't pass up 1/2 price pints of Ben & Jerry's either! So I found this new awesome flavour...it's Peanut Butter and Vanilla flavour ice cream, with a Raspberry jam core in the centre, with mixed in peanut butter cups! Simply Amazing...

Oh and a White Russian cocktail to top it off! haha

And then, we played cards and decided to say hi to....

Denise Michaud via Facetime! 

And that pretty much highlights one of my best days on this London adventure. I am so thankful for Matt & Kelly, true friends who always have my back and never make me feel like a third wheel! :) 

Wicked!

On Thursday, May 30th I treated myself to a ticket to see the theatre production of Wicked! This is a musical that I have been wanting to see ever since Peggy, one of my co-workers at Coles, told me how amazing it was!

Then when I heard Defying Gravity performed on Glee's first season I fell in love with that song and wanted to see Wicked even more!

Now, I give full credit of this synopsis to the Wicked London About The Show webpage...I just knew that if I put it in my own words I wouldn't fully capture the idea of the story.

If you think you know the Wicked Witch of the West, think again... 

When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire's acclaimed 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, re-imagined the land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by L. Frank Baum and first published as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. 

Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl, Elphaba. 

Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. 

It was a wonderful show, and I am glad that I chose it to see on my May half term break. And the performance of Defying Gravity in the show...simply my favourite part!