Disobedient Objects

One thing I have in common with my 2 year old nephew is a need to be constantly entertained. One thing I should learn from him is that I can do this by myself.

London is awash with free and cheap “things to do” and I am guilty of losing sight of this.

On a boring Sunday, a day I have recently resigned to a tube-free day, I broke that habit and headed to the V&A Museum in South Kensington. 

Cubania

It feels special when you see a living legend in real life.

I was front row for a Michael Jackson concert, went to two Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan concerts, saw Mo Farah win gold in London and I have even chatted to Pele.

Last night I saw Carlos Acosta at the Royal Opera House and was blown away. Cubania is his show, he curates and dances in it. Modern ballet and dance set to some live Cuban music.

MF Husain, A Great Master at The V & A

Maqbool Fida Husain, known as M.F. Husain (1915-2011), was one of India’s most eminent and prolific artists.  Often described as India’s Picasso, MF Husain is one of my favourite Indian artists.  He is one of a group of Indian artists known as the Great Masters and they are indeed great, possessing a quality and perspective yet unmatched by generations of painters since.

The Last Word: Hanif Kureishi

Hanif Kureishi with Razia Iqbal Photography by Nick Cunard http://www.nickcunard.co.uk

A superstar author never shy of sharing his opinion, Hanif Kureishi opened the Asia House Bagri Foundation Literature Festival with an evening full of laughter and delight.  The writer was interviewed by BBC special correspondent Razia Iqbal who effortlessly kept her own presence on stage and steered the discussion that gave interesting insights into the way Hanif writes, his life and opinions.

The evening began with Hanif Kureishi reading an excerpt from The Last word, his latest novel about a young English

Marrakech in Style

Riad Lila

My sister and I spent a long weekend in Morocco recently and my goodness it was fun.  It could easily have been a bore, I had just returned from Delhi and so a traditional Moroccan trip of spending endless hours in souks and around henna painters was not the fix I was going for.  What did we do instead?  Nikki Beach, YSL gardens, a live Arabic music night club, a day trip and made new local friends that’s what….

My sister found the most delightful and stylish independent hotel, Riad Lila that was off the historic old square.  A gorgeously decorated secret retreat,

Red Velvet At The Tricycle Theatre

Every now and then I come across a gem of a find and this time it is Red Velvet, a play by Lolita Chakrabarti and starring her handsome husband, Adrian Lester!

Lester plays Aldridge a mid-19th century black actor who played at Covent Garden. He is outstanding, in fact he is almost too outstanding as he overshadows his co-stars

2014: Year of the Wooden Horse

It is Chinese New Year on 31 January 2014 and this year it is the year of the wood or green horse.  I have personal interest in this as I am a horse in the Chinese horoscope, much to the amusement of my sister who claims to be a much cooler dragon. I counteract her claim of superior coolness with the fact that dragons don’t exist and at least neither of us are rats!

Besides remembering to wish your friends

Gravity

Boy likes Sandra Bullock. I like action, if it happens in Space, even better.

Off we go to 3D cinema to see Gravity. It is excellent, believe the hype but not all of it. It is incredible. It is techy and whizzy and let’s face it, Sandra Bullock is divine, but I’m not sure

Party Like It’s 1930s Shanghai

Oh dear lord, if there was ever a party that I simply must attend it is a 1930s Shanghai party in London.

The events are organised by the Nudge and UFF Tea Merchants. The theme is as described and my friends and I have added a sub line of “Go Large or Go Home” .. we shall be glittering in crystals, jewelled turbans, elbow gloves, velvet, red lipstick – more is more, as they say!

Escape Plan

One of my most glorious moments was when I beat the boy in Commando Challenge.

We are watching Commando, an Arnie classic circa 1980s. A challenge! “Let’s see who guesses most next lines”. Our eyes slit and we grit our teeth.

He, a lifelong Arnie worshipper, sneers at me. He knows he will win! He is a boy! And I am a girl!

I sneer back. I know I will win! Yes I am a girl! A girl from Scotland with shit cold summers, a fun  sister and Commando on vhs that we will watch 20 times. A week!!!

Crime and Punishment

I have a beautiful hard back copy of the literary classic, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.  Even my copy with its font size 7 type it is the size of a brick.  I have been looking at it for years thinking about reading, feeling guilty that I hadn’t, so a few days ago I finally picked it up and read the foreword.   The following day one of my best friends rang me to say she had two tickets to watch Crime and Punishment at the Citz in Glasgow and I jumped with glee to be given a sneak preview into the book later that evening.

London From The Shard

So! I went up The Shard and what a fab view (surprise surprise). It was my friend’s birthday and she wanted to do something special/touristy and so 8 of us trekked over to London Bridge tube to see The Shard.

I have always wanted to go ever since

100 Out Of 100!

Believe the hype! The Book of Mormon is amazing, the most funniest musical of all time. I didn’t know anything much about it in advance and I am certain that added to the enjoyment. The cast, set, lighting but most of all the script and lyrics are just so much fun!

The Winslow Boy

I feel bad recommending a play that’s coming to the end of its season but there is still a chance to get a ticket to The Winslow Boy by Terence Rattigan at The Old Vic, London.  Believe the hype and Daily Telegraph reviews, it is so much fun to watch.

Set in Edwardian England, Winslow’s son is accused of stealing and expelled from school.

Cecconi’s

I remember when I first moved to South West London and my cousin took me to a bar in Chelsea. “Oh my god” she heard me mutter as we walked in. “Great isn’t it” she nodded at me. No. It wasn’t great, it was awful, full of tossers, one of whom said “it was great to see Asians drinking in Chelsea”.

This experience happened time and time again. I would be taken to a “fabulous place darling”

Burns Night at The Drafthouse

Last week I went to the Drafthouse on Tower Bridge Road, SE1 for Rabbie Burns Night (25 Jan for the ignorant amongst you). The Drafthouse is a small London chain of pubs and they are so much fun, you should go for that warm pub glow while it’s cold outside.

Take A Peek

This weekend, it is the wonderful Open House London event!  Every year hundreds of buildings open their doors, for free, to the public so we can wander around and appreciate the design and architecture of the London skyline.  Whether you’re fond of new or heritage architecture there is something for everyone.

Degas

Degas’s ballerina collection is currently being shown at the Royal Academy on Picadilly, which represents the most fun you can have for £15.

The collection has been assembled from all corners of the world, from museums and private contributors, and shows

South Asian Literature Festival

Apologies for the London-centric post but the South Asian Lit Fest begins tomorrow with a great line up of authors, discussions and events from tomorrow 8 October all the way to 24 October.

I was going to go to Scotland on Monday but will now stick around

The Buttery Cafe

I remember when I first moved to London and fell in love with Hampstead.  It was so pretty even on a miserable rainy day that I went home and dramatically declared to my sister that we must move there.

The Buttery Cafe sits at the top of my road in the 300 year old Burgh House