Bank Holiday Weekend

As opposed to the multitude of public holidays Malaysia, the U.K. has merely the 3 Bank Holiday Mondays, Christmas, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday.

The 25th May Monday was the Spring Bank Holiday thus the long weekend - spent in London with friends and parks as we were blessed with the sun after prior dreary days.

Friday

Kicked off with a Tudor and Stuart Southwark Walk from Betterbankside Community with A. We were briefed on the locations and history of the Bull baiting arenas and theatres. The highlight of the walk was the archaeologically-significant find of the Rose Theatre - a fascinating look at the entertainment of the Tudors and Stuarts. Apparently Southwark was the 'Soho' of London then.

Not having had enough of walking, A and I decided to have our own DIY walk of London. For some reason, A wanted to do 'Seedy' London i.e. Soho and then to Camden. We wandered around Soho and ended up in a gay bar and had a half-pint. Not far off in Tottenham Court Road while topping off our oyster cards at the Underground, we had a good look of the night-goers in London - a melange of people wandering around in all shapes and sizes. Groups of youngsters; boys and girls mostly drunk, women tottering on heels, dodgy-looking older men standing around and chatting, an odd older couple walking arm-in-arm, a lost and crying barefoot girl on the street. Take away the 20th century clothing and dress them in 16th century Tudor ones, the vibrations of the night would have been the same I think - a sort of chaotic desperation in it.

Saturday

Amy, Bakthier and I went off to Oxford street for the Night at the Museum 2 launch on the streets. It was crowded as usual - one of the reasons I don't really like Oxford Circus. Amidst the carnival-like atmosphere nevertheless, we did a bit of shopping and topped it off with some photographs with some characters from the movie.

Later on, met up with D and friends for a Malay movie called 'Zombi Kampung Pisang'. It wasn't half-bad - 'campily' entertaining despite the fact that Sharon and Roz thought it was rubbish. Surprisingly the cinema had quite a number of people and everyone of them stayed till the end. I wasn't sure if the non-Malaysian audiences appreciated the 'Bintang RTM' and 'Siti Nurhaliza' jokes but I sure had a good laugh. Later on, it was coffee and tiramisu in a cafe on Leicester Square and we had an interesting discussion on Malaysia, race, politics and culture. The couples very kindly dropped me off home on the way back to the south.

Sunday

Had a field day today with Jasmine coming down again for a visit. We did some baking with Jasmine's yummy Pine Nut cake and my Poppy Seed Bread for the afternoon. And being a Sunday as it was bank holiday or not; had a compulsory siesta before heading off to Battersea Park armed with crisps, drinks, cake, bread and fruits. The weather was glorious and we were warmly welcomed by P (who had arrived earlier) at the Bandstand and a blanket on the grass.

The scene: families talked, friends lazed, children frolicked and couples embraced amid the greenery of Battersea. Memories of Parco Sempione were also evoked (one of my fondest) - a blanket, some food, good company and laughs. The bugs were also out with some of them wandering up our nostrils and into the chips but it was all in the picnic package. We then got up for a stroll around the park and Jasmine said "What a luxury it is to walk with friends like this"

With that, we felt that summer had truly arrived.

Monday


What better way to end the bank holiday with a little razzmatazz pop-jazz with Julie Mckee and bassist Andrew Malloy. It was an ear-opener, an education in jazz standards and an inspiration for original piano compositions. Julie was a pro with clear-as-a-bell vocals and snazzy piano riffs. Her repertoire for the evening was carefully chosen with songs with beautiful lyrics i.e. Louisiana 1927, Invitation to the Blues, People Get Ready, Roamin in the Gloamin and her own songs: What a Woman Shouldn't Do,It Just So Happens, Eric Marlow, Mount Vesuvius and a few others. Absolutely mesmerizing