Nigella Lawson's Book Signing

One of the perks of living in the first world country is accessibility of the people you see on telly.  I know, this is a travel blog but it is worth mentioning (I think) that our cooking idols and celebrities that we love are very accessible.  I am only human after all.

If you like movie stars, please check the Leicester Square Premier schedule if you ever visit London.  We saw Marion Cottilard and Johnny Depp on purpose and the cast of World's End unplanned. 

I was excited to see Nigella.  I admit, I watched loads of cooking shows even before I started to cook.  I learnt all the principles that equipped me to be the cook that I am today.  Ang bigat.  Growing up in Manila, you have access to Filipino celebrities but to see chefs, you have to have a connection.  There is only one cook that I want to meet and will queue up for book signing and I am glad that I have met her in person.  

London Day Trip

I can't stress how much I love London.  When I was younger, I wanted to move to the city.  It wasn't as expensive then as it is now.  To give you an idea, a Brixton one bedroom flat is almost the same price as our 3 bedroom detached house in Wokingham.  Wokingham is not cheap by any standards BUT London has been very unachievable lately.  

Currently, there are a lot of free museums in London.  You can go to the British Museum, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum for free.  You will have to pay for some exhibition but you can just go for the day and not spend money and see "treasures" of the past and modern art.  I tend to go to at least one when I visit London.  It just makes me feel cultured.  Hahaha.

For my sister's bday, we planned for 3 things:

1.  Louis Vuitton Series 3 Exhibition 

This is free and we obtain the ticket by downloading online.  I work in the Fashion Industry and is very much interested in Fashion so I like to keep myself updated on the trends.  Although we buy for Health and Beauty, it is still a good exposure to see what is new and to take inspiration from them.

2.  Tree by Ai WeiWei

This was free from the Royal Academy of Arts as well.  This is the second exhibition that I have seen of him.  The first one was the sunflower seeds exhibition in Tate Modern.

3.  Ice Bar

This is something that we have to pay for and book in advance.  It is literally a bar made entirely of ice.  Drinks are served in ice glasses.  You have to go on your allotted time and leave when you needed to.  There is no cheating as you will be asked to leave and you know when your time is up as they stop the music.  :P  I admit, it is a bit gimmicky for my taste but everyone should try anything once and I am not getting any younger.  The place is good for photo opportunities although it can get a bit crowded.  Camera phones might not work all the time as the temperature is freezing but it is still good fun.  :)