Subject : more fun with sis  
   
Date : Fri, 02 Apr 1999 08:16:15 PST  
    
[she's fat and ugly and mummy dresses her - ha ha ha]

Okay this is more fun about my sister's visit to London now.

She arrived in London on Friday the 12th at 4:15pm, oops, 7:45pm.

 If she arrived on time I would've taken her to Natural History Museum 
as most of the paying museums here are free from 4:30pm to 5:50pm. Just 
enough time to look at the dinosaur exhibition and other cool stuff and 
bypassing the exhibitions of flowers, seeds, early man, rocks, fish, 
grass...........

  Then if the plan was on time we would've gone to Whiteleys Mall in  
Bayswater to meet up with Liz and Emma.

  Anyway we do go back to Bayswater and eat a 30 pound chinese meal of 
5-6 dishes. Liz and her boyfriend Kym who has since had to leave used to 
come here, so the owners ask after him.

  Head up the road to Whiteleys mall and check out some of the stores 
before they close, MUJI is a japanese chain store of clothes, pens, 
paper, envelopes, food, bikes, shelving ad nauseum and it is utter 
namebrand shit, don't know why people buy from there. On the top floor 
is an art gallery so we have a quick look in there.

  Head back to Liz's flat which is just down the road. We sit and chat 
and till late and head back home with a view to getting up early 
tomorrow morning.

  Saturday comes with the weekend and in London this means MARKET TIMES. 
I was looking forward to showing Julia Portobello Market as it is always 
an awesome sight for a visitor to London to come to a real market (not 
like the insipid Victoria Market in Auckland which I never liked) and 
see the sea of people. 

  We plan to meet at 10am the top of the road which looks down onto this 
cavalcade of antique shops. While waiting a host of taxis drop off 
beside us with old american couples and distinguished english gentlemen 
with their wives.

  We're slightly late and they are later, they decided to walk through 
Notting Hill Gate to get the full experience of market time. The sun is 
above us and a slight breeze makes this most aggreable day I've had so 
far. We descend into the depths and escape around 3pm. In there we 
followed Julia's nose for cashmere and nicknacks. Can't remember much 
what we did here but I do recall carrying around a lot of groceries for 
everyone and also eating the best value chicken burger ever. I'd not 
been here for over a month and it was actually exciting to be back 
again. Picked up the uncut videos for Dario Argento's "The Sect" and 
"Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer".  

  We walk back to Liz's place, we get waylaid as they check out a price 
for a haircut at some swanky place. Pop into Oxfam next door and find 30 
mins later they've taken off without me !

  Arrive at Liz's place tired and following my plan we head to Camden. 
Normally it's best to try to get to Camden for the first time on a 
Saturday so that if you run out of time you can go on Sunday.  We take 
the bus from Bayswater up north then east along Kilburn, St Johns Wood 
to the Chalk Farm end of Camden. The sun is still out and we enter into 
the marketplace here called The Stables which it was once the site of. A 
bit boring but we check into that techno rave store whom everyone who's 
ever been there will know what I'm talking about (!) 

  Getting dark so we head back along the road to the Camden tube and 
nothing much else apart from clothes catches our eye.  Surprised during 
her whole trip here that Julia's doesn't seem to be that interested in 
the things I thought she would be such as clothes and arty crafty stuff. 

  We get off at Tottenham Court Road Station and walk south down Charing 
Cross Road and eat at Wong Kei Restaurant. We managed to get a seat on 
the Ground floor which is a bit of a first ! The bill for dishes came to 
12 pounds a step down costwise but not taste wise from the upmarket 
Bayswater the night before !  A short jaunt through central London at 
night, we end at SEGAWORLD and shell out for some rides which are 
terrible.

  On Sunday we gotta head to Greenwich Village. I could've sworn I asked 
Liz if she had been there before and as the day progresses it seems 
she's hasn't. Anyway we arrive at Bank station at 10 or 11am grab the 
tube to Canary Wharf and get some photos and views of the Millenium 
Dome. Walk on 2 tube stops and find that the line is down for the last 
leg of the journey so have to take a bus to Island Gardens Tube. It 
stops conveniently outside the toilets so I jump in and jump out again 
(guys can do that) and look onto the Thames from this side of the river 
before heading underground through the tunnel to the other side. 

  Check out the millenium dome exhibition and get our bags checked as is 
usual with London, they seem to have security for every shop and 
restaurant. Check out the marketsin the village, grab a bag of fudge as 
is usual then walk on up to the Observatory. Get a photo on the zero 
degree line, east-west latitude line. Spot a few squirrels along the 
way.

  A search for a toilet leads up south past the deer park and almost to 
Blackheath which looks like an old rustic village from far away (we can 
see the church steeple very well) but as we walk past the donkey rides 
on the heath where supposedly the plague victims are buried (?) the 1/2 
mile marker causes the others to turn back, but never fear I'll be back 
again..........

  It is round 2pm now. The bus stop is convenient and we get on it and 
travel from SE London through New Cross where Liz used to live and get 
off at Westminister Bridge. The Lode lion on the aquarium side of the 
bridge is cool. Made many years ago on May 24th ;-) This is where we saw 
in the new year within earshot of Big Ben as you may  recall.  We walk 
across the bridge to check out the House of Parliament and Westminister 
Abbey. It's cut short for more toilet breaks, a quest for food ! In this 
particular area there's not much at all apart from office blocks and the 
food places that service them. We decide to walk East along the Thames 
to The Tate Gallery. Get there and it's a quick jaunt downstairs to the 
ahem...toilet and to the cafe. They grab some overpriced treats, I grab 
some knives and forks. Eat up and walk around the Tate for 2 hours until 
closing and we can tick that off our list.

  From there we decide to make our own way back.

  On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we try to meet up but need the first 
2 days to relax and catch up on our sleep from the late nights on Friday 
to Sunday. Tried to catch up with cousin Rodney but work committments 
meant none of us could make it. In the meantime Julia has a weeklong 
travel card and checks out amongst others : Victoria and Albert Museum; 
National Gallery (which this summer is open till 9pm on Sundays and 
Wednesdays - great cos I've been there 3 times and only done half of it 
cos I like to read everything); Natural History Museum where Julia said 
she found more interest in the things I found boring; Bond Street and 
other fashion places; catching up with Rebecca from Auckland; and also 
searching for pressies for back home...............

  Thursday I finish work and plan to meet with Julia and Rodney at 
Virgin Store at 8pm. Good to see Rodney finally and he hasn't changed 
:-) Walk through to Soho looking for a place to eat. Decide to go to Mr 
Wu's all you can eat chinese for 4.50 UKP. We eat here and take our 
time. Leave and head to Leicester Square and catch the stars leaving the 
Royal Premiere of 'Tea With Mussolini' we catch the back heads of 
Charles and Camilla and catch a glimpse of Judi Dench and Cher. Get some 
yanks to take our photo and then we go our separate ways, hugs all 
around. 

  Friday Liz gets a day off and books them on a day trip that takes in 
Stonehenge en route to Bath. From all accounts it is a fun day with a 
cockney driver which slangs/swears every so often at the other drivers. 
Liz fulfills a dreams to eat some 'tea and scoones' (sic). On the way 
back they are supposed to be back at 6:30pm but traffic on the M25 and 
M4 holds them up for 2 hours. Thank goodness for coaches with toilets !!

  Saturday we plan to meet at Waterloo Station to take the train to 
Hampton Court Palace. We turn up late 20 mins and at the top of the tube 
escalators there is a Guiness tent giving away little cups of the stuff 
to England and French fans off to Twickenham. We line for 10-15 mins 
trying to get our tickets from a machine that doesn't seem to accept 
notes and in one instance chewing out my note and putting it into a 
little repository (was it counterfeit?) and a little bit of work with a 
pencil we manage to prise it out. 

  Eventually we are on our way and take a 30 mins train trip NorthEast 
to Hampton Court Palace, home of a King or something. ALways wanted to 
go there and on a bright sunny day like this. The grounds are nice but I 
would've liked it to be a water garden. The trail leads us towards the 
outer grounds and walking through a gate one sees a wide treelined trail 
all the way to the end of the park. Julia and I run down it and turn to 
get our photos taken. Down the trail we see what seems like a whole pack 
of dogs, though the legs seem a bit too long and high off the 
ground...we run down (cue for another impromptu photograph) and see that 
is it actually a pack(?) of deer crossing backwards and forwards along 
the trail, young fellas playing around !  Julia takes a photo of them 
passing in front of her, I go get Liz and Emma to give them a push but 
the deer depart when they arrive, natch. 

  Luckily we decided to walk the grounds first instead of buying a 
Palace ticket at the main entrance where everyone else from the train, 
coaches are buying them, because at the rear of the palace there is a 
nice quiet ticket office there. We grab a timetable for the shows and 
plan our next 3-4 hours here. We split up and walk around, I won't go 
into the size and many attractions here, suffice to say you need to come 
here at least to say you've been here. We check out the kitchen and the 
many private chambers and galleries here. King Williams private chambers 
are cool and a tour adds a lot of interesting info about each room. I 
found it interesting how the rooms got smaller and smaller as you got 
closer to her personal chamber. Also what a waste eh ? Got our photos 
taken with various staff in traditional dress. A talk on the different 
hierachies of England raises a few laughs as I am a knight with daughter 
in tow, Julia is a Baron, Liz is a Dyke, err Duke and Emma is a 
Gentleman. Being the Fong kids we have to be kidders so we have a little 
kid around, (you had to be there.) In this particular room there are 
amazing tapestries that must have taken years and years to hand weave. 

  We leave the palace as it closes on Saturday at 4:30pm. Head to the 
maze which is laughably small. Not much fun as there are a hundred other 
people running around it as well like little children !

  Try to get to the smaller palace gardens and it is shut, oh no ! We 
satisfy ourselves with a photo each sitting on the garden wall. Head 
back and get my photo taken on the bridge with a cool looking restaurant 
in the background - to my family who will see this photo, you will 
understand. 

  Take the train back to Waterloo station and from there pass by South 
Bank Centre and check out the latest art installation - boring irish 
shit which makes me think they should stick to killing each other :-)  
Nice and warm here we walk over the bridge back to the northside and to 
Trafalgar Square and to all-you-can-eat indian in Leicester Square. 
Munch down with lots of tourists and eat a few dishes of indian until I 
am stuffed. 

  Sunday is designated a shopping only day. Julia will be taking back 
stuff for my family. Plan to meet at Liverpool Station exit at 10am to 
go to Spitalfields Market. Should mention here that I did have a few 
things earmarked for my family but when I suggested them to Julia she 
said they wouldn't like them. Anyway the line from Holborn to Liverpool 
is down we have to take a bus there which wastes some time. We get there 
and spend and hour waiting for the others. Eventually we find them in 
the station as well walking around like us !

  Head off to Spitalfields and it is cool being there early in the 
morning as I'm normally there late in the day. Get a tshirt for brother 
Matthew, one for sister Anita, pick up some cds for myself, too 
expensive so ditch them. Julia managed to pink up a chinese print tshirt 
which'll be cool to wear in NZ. After a successful excursion we ran for 
the bus and get off at Covent Garden and then to Oxford and Regent 
Streets in searches for perfume, clothes etc. After a lot of walking and 
dead ends we manage to pick up all we *almost* need for everyone else 
;-p

  We separate and I go pick up Emma in Borders bookstore, I get waylaid 
by a video of Simpsons and share a listening a booth with an yank for 30 
mins watching the latest video. Buy some chinese groceries and a tin of 
almond cakes for a final dinner at Liz's place. A bit of a long fucking 
debacle waiting outside in the cold and getting told off by Liz's 
neighbours until her landlord comes to the rescue. We get in at 9pm for 
a great homecooked meal. The other girls have a laugh as Julia and I 
slurp our soup (as a sign of respect to the chef - Liz).

 Anyway to cut a long story short we finish up late, hug each other and 
head back home with thoughts of the busy week and memories of home and 
family clouding our thoughts.......

  Thanks Sis !


 


Subject : a little update on happenings  
   
Date : Wed, 14 Apr 1999 17:14:18 +0100  
   
HI All 

still busy here, sweating bullets every now and then so not much time to do emailing stuff. Because of some firewall problem here Hotmail and geocities etc go really slow in the afternoon so hence I find it very hard to check my email and update my homepage, really bad, so hence my tardy email to any personal email from you all.




Anyway, here's some news : 

Do you recall how I ended up at this hostel in Shepherds Bush ? 
Well it was so I would be close to Shepherds Bush Empire for MTV's Five Night Live week -a week of concerts. 
Tickets came on sale again this weekend so I picked up tickets for Supergrass and Suede. Shame you can't get it in New Zealand again ! These concerts will be in May.

  This Saturday I am catching up with Dave Davies and others from XTRA and heading out to a rave. 

  A few weeks ago Emma's friend came and stayed at a posh restaurant so we ordered up an expensive dinner on her company account. It is affiliated with a restaurant owned by well-known French chef called Marco Pierre White. I decided to try again in my quest to get a great steak in England, but alas it was not to be !  I ordered the 20 UKP steak with all the trimmings and it came in normal french fashion as medium rare which was fine by me but still tasted bad. For dessert I ordered a slice of cheesecake which I ate in a mouthful and that cost 3.50 UKP !

  had a great time driving around the UK and headed down to Lands End (the most south-westerly point of Great Britain, expect a rundown soon. IN the interim we missed the Oxford-Cambridge boat race which by all accounts is an antiquated tradition.

  Today is Wednesday and Anna-Maria should be coming back to the hostel today. 

 This coming Sunday is it the 23 mile London Marathon. 

 Crazy guy sighting number 18 : in the tube a guy was holding a moneykey soft toy like it was a child, thought it was a fun guy so went up behind and shook the monkey's hand and got a cold as stare back from him !

  UK Tv is great, every saturday night BBC has a chinese movie. In the past two weeks we've had The Killer, City On Fire (which Reservoir Dogs is based upon and you can definitely notice the similarities) and Bullet In The Head !

Tonight I looking forward to Marathon Man - one of my favourite movies ! 

Last week saw 'Life Is Beautiful' and it is great, though I can understand if Jews don't like it. 

xxx 
darryl ! 




"Work like you don't need money, 
Love like you've never been hurt, 
And dance like no one's watching."