Sunday Bloody Sunday, not really

So I actually went to bed close to 1 am last night having finally met my cousin Rosana and her friend Edu. Right after I finished my last blog, I went back to the room, took a quick nap, and took a shower and came downstairs to the commons room, which has a fireplace, a flat screen TV, the noisy vending machine, some leather couches, a painting that looks like a fake early-modern still life, and a pool table. The Spanish woman was gone but there was a man on a laptop Skyping with someone. When I walked in he asked me if I did not mind him talking, and I said no and asked him if he minded I was in the room, which he said no. He then proceeded to speak Portuguese and probably had no idea I could understand him, and I felt bad for the unexpected intrusion. I got a text message from her (aka torpedo, that is, Portuguese term for text message, not how she goes by), saying she had just gotten back from her meeting; I told her where I was and that there was a Brazilian in the room, she let me know she was coming down my way and that he was probably her friend.

After the initial hugs and pleasantries, the two of us went up to her room, also on the second floor, but she was in the old building (I am in the new), while Edu stayed downstairs and Skyped with his son.

It was really nice seeing her and talking with her without family around, and it's been a while. We talked about our jobs, our parents, family, work, love, etc. Edu eventually came up and the three of us chatted for ever, going from everyday stuff to academic stuff, which is always nice. They made some pizzas in their convection oven (her unit way nicer than mine, wooden floors and a bathroom that actually has a defined shower box, a lot of old wood details, etc). We also had some lovely wine. She has also been here for a couple months, so her studio feels way more homey than mine. Rosana told me that the beautiful woman who helped me with towels is called Albertina, and that she is from Angola, so I will surprise her by talking to her in Portuguese (small world indeed).

One thing we talked about is how cosmopolitan or globalized London has truly become. I remember going to the movies a few years back to watch Basic Instinct II, which is set in London instead of New York, with my friends Valerie and Henri, and he posited that in that movie London is recast as a sexy city, r sex symbol (this is before the term branding was colloquial), specially since the majority of the action took place in the building popularly known as the Erotic Gherkin (or pickle for the Americans). I noticed that this transformation of London from traditional lady to a sexy cougar was present in other movies, such as all the new James Bond movies with the blondie hunk (what's his face). And this is truly indeed, where everywhere the new is replacing the old, where glassy and glossy surfaces of unrequited desire are now prevalent everywhere, where you can always see your self reflected but cannot see who sees you (this voyeuristic aspect is also reinforced by the ubiquity of CCTV cameras, which do police surveillance here - I learned the term from watching Law&Order UK - as a side note, I think the bus drove by the MI-5 building, by Vauxhall, what was bombed in Skyfall - now talk about a [homo]erotic movie0.

I finally left last night when I knew I'd either not sleep at all if I stayed awaken much longer, so we made plans to meet today, and I bid my adieu. I slept for about 7 hours, and though I am still tired, it felt good to get some zees for so many uninterrupted hours.




- posted via iPad

Location:Halsmere Road,Lambeth,United Kingdom