happy easter !

I am in Spain visiting my parents, but in reality I am sleeping and eating like there is no tomorrow, but I like it. Here Easter is celebrated the whole week, everyday different religious parades are held which I found quite scary in some parts and very pretty at the same time...

other than that, we had a couple of really beautiful trips to the mountains, the light here is amazing, i wish i were a painter... also been to flamenco performance in one small gupsy bar, insanly energetic as usual

 

all the touristy remarks apart, i had time to actually time to stop and think for a change, as opposed to usual running around ... I can't say I have changed my views on life but I think it was neccessary... enough rambling

Hail the GaGa

I have just seen the latest music video by Lady Gaga and Beyonce and must say: "oh my God, I LOVE it."

The Telephone video, as you already know, is the continuation of the Papparazzi clip directed by the very same Swedish guy (don't remember his name). The elaborate plot, the quality of the video and funny dance moves altogether pay a tribute to Tarantino's, Madonna's, Michael Jackson's and a bunch of other's works.

Once again Lady GaGa outdid herself.

GaGa Rocks

I haven't been here for a long time. Not much has happened to me since then. I've spent another few wicked weeks working for Burberry, had my friend from Rome staying over the weekend and even managed to go back home to visit my parents.

But the thing I'd like to share is my recent experience from Gaga's concert. That was something! A friend of mine who was supposed to come with me initially but due to some reason went to the gig the day before made rather wary. So it was decided to spend some time getting into the concert mood in order not to be disappointed. And thanks God it never was the case. I never sang, danced or had so much fun during the concert (special thanks to my friends).

The show itself is very peculiar. It's not done in a traditional 'pop' way and involves many interactions with the public which I personally find very essential since they develop connection between the artist and his fans. Gaga's talks about her experiences, expectations and aspirations were nicely mixed with music and set the mood for following sections of the concert.

The dance routine she had was not as elaborate as lets say Madonna's. However, her singing seemed to be better and more real (I mean less backing or prerecorded singing) which might have influenced her ability to move during the concert.

Some may say that the Monster Ball is not technologycally advanced as the majority of concerts are nowadays. But you shouldn't forget that Gaga is a relatively young artist and that is why I don't think she's able to attract as much financial back up as established 'popstars'. And let's face it, sometimes these frills are employed to distract from the drawbacks the show has, which clearly wasn't the case here.

bits and bobs

Week was busy but absolutely flew by, and eaten by work. I was suprisingly touched by unfortunate death of Alexander McQueen, I am not usually involved in show business, but I think it is a real shame that it is becoming a comon way for fashion idols to go.

On a positive side of things, been to see Van Gogh twice already and it is probably not the last time. Exhibition shows the way Vincent became an artist we know him through his letter mostly to his brother Theo. I'd say his early work is eye-opening and his established pieces are as always genious, I really recommend this one.

On Friday, couldn't get to sleep so tried another version of lemon tart, overall happy, but next time I am going against Danna Hay and adding not more than 3 lemons

an educational weekend

What I can remember of last weekend is that it was very cold but yet pleasantly relaxed, and contained some educational points. First, I teamed up with my Italian friend and we tried to cook gnocchi for the first time for both of us... He didn't actually believe in our ability so bought a pack of already made ones too, but we have succeeded. I was very proud - when an Italian sends a picture of food to his mum it says something :)

Then was the cold Sunday afternoon, when I have decided to have a walk... don't get me wrong flower market and brick lane are lovely, but the only thing I could think of was hot chocolate.

Then met Kostya and our common friend with her other half for a long in advance planned jazz night at Ronnie Scott’s. We picked this performance passing by the place a long time ago, judging by the posters rather than music knowledge, which turned out to be quite a good approach. The singer (Beth Rowley) appeared to be very fit curly blond in a very snug red satin evening gown, which was a nice visual complement to her strong clear voice. The only unfortunate thing was since she was young and had not much experience playing with large band she didn't make a full use of Ronnie Scott’s big band, which was a bit of a shame in my opinion.

But on a good note, she appeared to be the singer from a film An Education, which we watched in December, and I really recommend to anyone - beautifully played and staged. At some point the main actress says 'I feel old, but not wise' being 17.... I am already 25 but I feel neither, hopefully wisdom will come first.

Almost Perfect Sunday

A quick entry to share what's been going on with me. The last weekend was mainly spent on a Jazz concert I was invited to by a friend of mine and an exhibition dedicated to RCA graduation works.

This particular Jazz event was an interesting experiment since it turned out to be only music with hardly any lyrics which really did test my patience and attention. Meanwhile, friends I went with were mostly involved in small social conversations and alcohol consumption (which I was guilty of as well). Luckely the concert ended sooner then the staff had a chance to remove us after several warnings. But I guess it would be fun to see them doing it.

The following day was a lazy one. After 15 minutes run through the exhibition @ V&A me, Natalia and our common friends went to Brompton Quarter Brassiere for a quick dinner. It felt like it was almost everyone's desire to ruin the atmosphere by talking about work, the coming Monday morning etc etc, which made me think about calling ill next morning.

The next day an unpleasant surprise was waiting for me at work. After all the struggle for going to bed early and waking up at 7am it turned out that it was my day off. Fuck! Luckily I found something to occupy myself with, so all my effort was not for nothing.

My cultural experiences

Since I came back to London a bit earlier then my work should have started I decided to dedicate the previous week to cultural events I was dying to attend.

The first one on my list was the contemporary version of Molière's The Misanthrope with Keira Knightly as the lead actress. For me personally she seemed to be a strange choice for the role despite her ability to attract required attention and attendance as a celebrity. However, Martin Crimp's rewriting of the play appeared to be a worthy undertaking for her.

Being skeptical at the beginning I admit that I enjoyed the modern Misanthrope very much. Although, Ms Knightly overdoes it sometimes her partner Damian Lewis captivates the public from his very first appearance on stage and thereby makes slips of the others barely noticeable.

The next day I and my friend went to see Billy Elliot The Musical. Honestly speaking the idea of watching it hasn't crossed my mind at all before I learned of its success on Broadway.

The musical employs an interesting combination of theatrical performance and musical that does not let the audience get bored for 3 hours. It is also refreshing and funny to hear young actors using coarse words and see the use of a high-tech stage. No doubt it was well received across the pond.

Varekai by Cirque du Soleil became the climax of my cultural programme. I have always been kind of obsessed with Cirque and its performances. For me it represents the perfect

mixture of acrobatics, acting and design which define contemporary circus. What is special about the Cirque is that their different shows have different themes and that their performers are usually dressed in elaborate outfits with make up to go. The production format and act performed never fail to impress even the spoiled audience.