A Grand Day Out

Hey guys!

Thought I’d post another entry. I really shouldn’t be, as I have not written much since finishing Chapter 13, but I thought this blog would be a good warm up exercise after three days of slacking.

It is not that I have been lazy for the sake of being lazy. I have written one page of Chapter 14 on Saturday, but ran out of steam when it came to writing a piece of dialogue. My brother tells me that I need to have a few days of reading, which I do anyways when I’m chilling. During the Germany vs Uruguay match (who cares about 3rd place?); I read a few pages of Terry Pratchett’s ‘The Last Hero’, which Birmingham David strongly recommended to me. I must say, I am a huge fan of Prachett’s laid back writing and sense of humour, which often makes me feel a little envious. But rest assured, it is healthy admiration envy, not the grotesque sort that makes the person want to rip the book apart and lie about how awful the writing is.

As I have been feeling a bit bogged down of late, probably because of too much writing and obsessing about tiny little flaws in my life, I agreed to meet Birmingham David in Birmingham for a catch up yesterday afternoon. If I must use my poetic voice: ‘the trees gave out a tourmaline glow and the Napoleon and Art Deco buildings looked sandy under the sun’. Yes, it was that beautiful a day that beautiful language must be used to describe it.

We first went to the Art Gallery, which was more my idea than David’s. Here, we had a look at ‘The Staffordshire Saxon hoard’, which is a collection of Saxon gold found in England, excavated by Birmingham University Archaeology Unit and Staffordshire County Council. David and I marvelled at the Celtic patterned rings, gilt-pieces and gold strips engraved with inscriptions through glass boxes. Even though they were faded and bronzed, they did look a lot more sophisticated than the shiny trinkets you see on trackie wearing teens these days.

We then went to the Retrospective gallery, which showed a collection of photographs taken by Steve McCurry, including his famous Afghan girl with the Peridot eyes. I have to say, his pictures made me want to book holidays to these places, if only I had the cash. Geishas in kaleidoscopic robes, the crumbling buildings of Afghanistan and Indian dancers embellished in bells and jewellery were only to name a few. Looking at these photos really did make me wish that I paid more attention to the landscapes in my novel, but as my lecturer said, you need to focus on the story, and then add little details later if they are necessary.

David and I then walked to Brindley Place, as planned for a few drinks. The place was very much like the Waterfront in Dudley, which of course would be as it is a row of warehouses-turned-bars by a canal side. But, as it is Birmingham, it was much more sophisticated. The restaurant and bar windows looked as glossy as a sheet of waterfall. In all, the places had the kind of air most posh places in London have. We drank outside a bar called ‘the Slug and the Lettuce’, where David bought us some Pimms, which included Orange, cucumber, mint, juice and a shot of alcohol. As cheesy as this sounds, each sip was so amazing, I paused for a moment to savour the Summery taste. Amusingly for David, I got a little tipsy.

Luckily though, the light-headed feeling wore away as we walked through Birmingham Town centre. We spent most of our time in Waterstones, where we flipped through fantasy novels and comic books. As for the latter, I really do need to buy a copy of Kick-Ass, despite the strong sexual and violent content, which makes the film version (which was brilliant by the way!) look tame. David promised to buy a copy of the Watchmen, which I strongly recommended, if I promised to buy V for Vendetta. Speaking of Alan Moore’s works, I forgot to pester my brother to let me lend the ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’, which according to him, makes you realise what an utter travesty the film version is.

David and I intended to go into Topman, where his housemate Lee works. David had shown me Lee’s Facebook profile several weeks ago. Considering that he is a Noel Fielding doppelganger, he does look untouchably cool and vibrant. But unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet him as the store was closing and the security guards were only letting the customers out. And that was when our adventure ended, as I had to get home in time to watch the Spain vs Holland match. With regards to that, a Paul the Octopus’s prediction was right, as it was Spain who lifted the golden globe. There I was thinking that psychic powers were as believable as unicorns.


LINKS (you really do need to check out the Staffordshire Hoard and Steve McCurry)

http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/

http://www.stevemccurry.com/main.php

PS, Sorry the links on my stupid account does not work...boo times :(