A photo an hour: Royal Wedding edition

To clarify, this isn't actually really a photo an hour post, but a variation on a theme because you would be right in thinking that I couldn't just restrict myself to snapping one photo every hour.

So it's several photos over the hours of about half of the day (you don't really care that I crawled into bed in my pjs after, do you?) and I've tried to roughly get the timing right, but it's a bit hard.  I know lots of my friend here in Inklund weren't interested or were even disdainful, but I'm a tourist here and every little bit of Britishness is novel and exciting and besides, it's a once in a lifetime event.  Plus, how could I not squee over all the cool clothes?

I rounded up a small group of like-minded friends and we had a fun time cheering, clapping, laughing and trying to mentally matchmake Pippa and Harry.  Enjoy.

8:00am

I wanted to go with simple but eye-catching - the raglan shirt is my British tribute (it's five freaking years old.  Urban Outfitters is amazing.) and the skirt is my version of a poufy royal dress.

Raglan shirt - Present from friends.  Skirt - Vintage from Mint.
Shoes - H and M.  Earrings - Camden.

9:00am

I took pictures of my friends Hilary and Gruff (obviously Hilary's in blue) before we fortified ourselves with large, calorific English breakfasts.  Shriya came to join us later as she overslept.  Overslept for the Royal Wedding.  I know, off with her head!

10:00am

We got seats on the floor riiiight in front of the speakers and the big screen and watched various family members arriving. 

The Middleton parents showed up, Mrs Middleton looking quite nice and sharp.  The commentator said something like "Oh, when I heard she was wearing powder blue, I thought she might be encroaching on the Queen's territory, but actually she's very far from it."

I don't know how you would tell someone was far away from the Queen's territory except for not setting foot in the palace, but I found it so funny I laughed out loud.

Turns out the Queen's territory is yellow.  Everyone burst out into excited cheers when they saw her.  I'm assuming that happened wherever you were watching it as well?

  
All kinds of supporters showed up!

11:00am

We got our first glimpse of Kate - is there anyone who thinks she didn't look exquisite - and more loud cheers erupted.  I was all "YOU GO GIRL!"  (Earlier, I also said "You go, Camilla!" because she was looking quite snazzy and Hilary warned me that it was a controversial thing to say.  I don't see why.  It's not her fault things are the way they are.)

We were noshing on almond thins at this point.

   
Again, all kinds of supporters showed including those who thought they were literally in the Abbey.

I sang God Save The Queen, even though Hilary had to feed me the lines, and I rather imagine that was how Singaporeans used to be under colonisation.  I love Singapore and all, but you have to admit, GSTQ is a cracking tune.  Majulah Singapura comprises so many uncomfortably high notes, though I have very fond memories of Mel and I harmonising with it under our breath(s) during school assembly.

12:00pm

The couple went back to the palace so we went in search of food in the school's sandwich joint.  They were making special "Royal Wedding Platters" that had sandwiches cut in "elegant triangles".  If you ever see an inelegant triangle, please let me know.

  
Our posse.  I don't understand why the girl behind was posing as well, but she must have been keen to get in on the action.

1:00pm

  
Blah blah biddy blah, KISS!  Blah blah biddy blah, ANOTHER KISS!

Am I the only one who thought Harry should have snogged Pippa when the cameras focused on them laughing bashfully after the first kiss?  I mean, you might as well.

2:00pm

We went in search of tea and cake.

And all posed with the British flag. 

3:00pm

I stumbled back to my room to take a nap having been awake for ages and decided to finish with a photo of Gutty, my little vampire plant, basking in the afternoon sun.

Hope you enjoyed the post, I've read a couple of others in blogs asking how you spent the day and I'd love to know as well, so feel free to leave a comment!

A photo an hour: Slow day, Snow day edition

I haven't done one of these in awhile, you just take a photo an hour for the whole day (sort of, sometimes I cheat and take two) so that you get a glimpse of what the day is like through the details.  I thought I would do one on the first snow day we've had this winter, which also happened to be a lazy Saturday during which I didn't actually do anything.

I know it's kind of uneventful, but you really get a glimpse of what life is like on a slow day.  I'm going to do one on a contrasting weekend in which the day is packed with activity, perhaps next Saturday or Sunday, if I can! 

It's nice to know that this blog documents not just sartorial choices but also the life and times of me, no matter how mundane or chilled out they are.  After all, that's really what it's here for.

9:00am

10:00am

11:00am

A mushroom and egg hollandaise sandwich for brunch.  Crumpet ho!

12:00pm

Reading stories to be workshopped for Monday.  I love my course.

1:00pm

2:00pm

Wearing a pair of headphone earrings from a set that Shriya and Anjuly bought for me from Claire's for my birthday!  So cute!  I've got pictures of the whole set coming soon...

3:00pm

My very, very good old friend Priya sent me a massive box which was literally half my height!  I was so excited to get back and open it, to find...

4:00pm

... flowers and a balloon!  Have you ever seen such a beautiful bouquet in your life?  It was twice the size of my head!  I was really touched... Priya is crazy... and really, really wonderful!

5:00pm

Seriously, it's pitch black by five.  Depressing much?

6:00pm

7:00pm

I don't know if you can tell, but the dolphin diver zombie is about to breach my poorly constructed stronghold.  Curses!

8:00pm

Notes from a recent meeting that I was typing up into minutes.

9:00pm

Shriya and I have been preparing for a chorus recital for this week!  I pop in the Mozart's Requiem cd and sing along in serious falsetto for about half an hour.  Earlier, Shriya asked me what Ex Au-di meant.  I told her, "something that used to be a car", and we laughed for three bars.

10:00pm

I don't mind to bleed

It's been about a week since my first official day of freedom.  You know, that thing, freedom, just another word for nothing left to lose.

I'm actually on no-pay leave from work for awhile, making preparation for what could possibly be the best thing to happen to me in a long time.  It's exhilarating, the possibilities.  I wake up in the morning filled with purpose and love.  I spend my days reading eagerly, absorbing information that is, for once, not being shoved down my throat.

There was a day, a couple of months ago, when I was pounding the pavement, knocking on doors as a good journalist does.  It was getting increasingly hard.  The night was hot and people were being abhorrent.  They slammed doors in my face as if I was selling something or rudely yelled from within that "I don't know.  I don't know anything.".

I pushed on, but when one girl insisted on conducting a conversation with me entirely through shouting from her kitchen, my knees knocked with exhaustion. 

I don't mind the long hours.  I don't mind searching for things for days.  But it's hard to be made to feel invisible and unwanted.  To be hung up on and derided, snapped at and ignored, when all you really want is a polite decline or a kind word.  Dianah said to me in my first week that journalists are treated like dogs.

And I am so ready to be a student, to celebrate my freedom, and to feel human again.

This is a photo an hour from the first day of freedom last week, which comprised buying books from Borders, stuffing my face with a cheese board from Jones the Grocer, lots of window shopping and quality relaxation.

9:00am

 
10:00am

I finished my Agatha Christie novel.  I'm getting a lot better at reading them than I used to be, I can now guess whodunit about half the time.  My mom claims she can guess every single time, but of course, she only "reveals" her guesses when she's done reading the whole thing.

I am an Agatha Christie JUNKIE.  I love almost everything except boring Tommy and Tuppence Beresford.  Nemesis is my Miss Marple favourite, and I love almost all the Poirots.

1

11:00am

12:00pm

1:00pm

Picking my accessories before leaving the house.

2:00pm

#

3:00pm

4:00pm

5:00pm

6:00pm

7:00pm

Picking out books from my possible reading list.

8:00pm

9:00pm

We had dinner at Marche, after which Dhany practiced sketching demented animals of some sort.   I'm a salad freak and I love that in Marche you just pay for the plate and then pile on a whacking great assortment of greens and potatoes and eggplant.  Just thinking about it is making my mouth water.

10:00pm

11:00pm

Started on my new book.  It was so creepy, I slept with the lights on for two nights.

12:00am


Photos of my outfit that day to come.