May 29, 2004

Istanbul Istanbul photo gallery I spent 5 days in sunny Istanbul. OK, so it actually rained the night I got there, but I could walk around without a jacket most of the time. Istanbul is much more European than I anticipated. Turkey is a massive country and I imagine things are different further east, but Istanbul was about as close to the Iraqi border as I wanted to get considering the conflict. Before going, I was nervous about being an American tourist there, but I needn't have been. People were friendly and welcoming and eager to talk with an American. They said the number of visitors from the USA has decreased drastically since the Iraq war started. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Amir, a friendly, laid-back Iranian. Beautiful Mosques are all over the city. I expected everyone to throw down a carpet and start praying when the call to prayer sounded from the minarets, but things went on as normal. The praying apparently only goes on in the Mosques and there are a lot of people who don't do the 5 times a day thing. Food was yummy and CHEAP!!! Every morning I ate tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, a bit-o-bread and peach juice. In the evenings I usually had fish. Nothing extra special, but it was fresh and tasted great. I went purely for pleasure. Istanbul is a bustling city with lots of visuals...some colorful and beautiful (which I tried to capture with both my Canon cameras) and others dirty and dismal, like any big city. Strike that. Like most big cities. Singapore is different, so I'm told. I'm still eating tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese on a daily basis.

May 28, 2004

Getting Rid of It Last day in Istanbul. On the streets by 7:30 am to shoot some photographs before the crowds arrive. Later, I'm at the Grand Bazaar to get rid of my remaining Turkish Lira. Maybe I'll get some Turkish delight or fresh figs. Urgent need to use the loo hits me, so I go to the underground passage near the Galata Bridge. I'm not sure about the price, or if I even have to pay, so I walk right past the young woman near the entrance who has her head in a magazine. She quickly calls me back and it's then that I notice the 500 TL sign. It was 500 Lira well spent.

May 20, 2004

The Pixies The Pixies are coming. Brian's got tix. I get to go. Sweet.

May 16, 2004

Breakin' Convention Though it may not be the local b-boy hang, Sadler's Wells was bumpin' an krumpin' this weekend. Brian, Claudia, and I saw the Sunday line-up which included Rubberband Dance Group (Canada), Electric Boogaloos (USA), Vagabond (France), The Holloway Boys (Holloway, London) & Tommy the Clown and the Krump Dancers (USA). There was head spinning, hand standing, body popin'. And the latest on the hip-hop scene, krumping, which is essentially a highly choreographed spaz attack. Naturally, I like it.

May 02, 2004

Den Hague I did a presentation in The Hague on Thursday. Had a large Grolsch in the Amsterdam airport. Delicious! That and Negra Modello were my favs in the mid 80s. With Ruffles potato chips and cottage cheese. Don't do those any more. Still had more time before my flight back to London Town, so I browsed a video shop. Wouldn't you know it, I found Down By Law and Happiness, for cheap! At the counter, the sales clerk held up the copy of Happiness and asked, "You've seen this one before?" I thought he may try to warn me that some people find it offensive. Me, sheepishly: 'Uuh, yeah.' Him: Thumbs up and a big grin on his face. The Netherlands has great architecture. And all the Dutch people I know are so dang intelligent, casual, content, unpretentious. Speak six or seven languages fluently. Is it all the water? The low altitude? Three day weekend here in London Town. Heavy chillin' involved.

May 01, 2004

Exposed Emily is going to prom. I went to a prom when I was 16. It was with a guy who worked at Arby's with me. We went just as friends. My boyfriend at the time was alreday out of highschool. He wasn't too thrilled that I was going to a dance with another guy. Anyway, we went with a group of people, I think 4 couples in all. We went to a fun fair beforehand. Kind of a weird thing to do as we were all dressed up. I was wearing a strapless dress. On the rollercoaster, I put both arms up in the air to get the max stomach rush on the downhill bits. At the end, I noticed the ride attendant looking at me stragely. I looked down and my left breast was hanging out in plain view. One of my most embarassing moments.