What I love most about London is the multicultural mix of people one comes across daily. The most cosmopolitan city in the world. To me, London is a 'mini-world'.
Last week, Isabella (my Latino partner in crime!) and I decided to meet.
"Shall we go to this party at the Stables?" She asked. "There's a good DJ playing there tonight."
"At the Stables, honey? I'm not really into riding!" Were my remarks, accompanied by laughter.
"Haha ... You're so funny! It's an old Stable turned into a club. Really good music." She continued.
"Why not?! Not a late night though." I tried to convince myself.
The evening started with a bite in Clapham followed by a visit to the Stables at the opposite end of town. We arrived before midnight, bought tickets at the door and entered yet another 'shady' club scene. Now, shady is fine, it simply implies a different scene to a nightclub where people go to see and be seen. It is more liberating to dress casually and dance 'like no one is watching' than to constantly be aware of our surroundings and everyone eyeing each other up and down.
In the first dark warehouse area, the music was blasting away.
We had to make our way through a crowd of people spread and dancing, to a corridor with stables on each side.
I keep thinking 'I've visited so many cities and underground spots around the world and yet there are more surprises to come'.
Each stable had bench-like perimeter seating with a pole in the middle of the area. As we slowed down to peep through the partially open doors into each room, with prison-like bars halfway across the wall. My eyes widened more with a cheeky smile on my face as... 'Wow'! They were almost like torture chambers where, in fact, men and women alike, came to get a release from the emotions of their daily lives. I say that because no one cared who was watching and there were people hanging onto the poles dancing freely, while others sat around chatting or enjoying the music. It was like a packet of 'Allsorts'; different looks and nationalities; some in leather, casual clothes or in suits; some half-naked; only tops off!! (Don't get too many ideas here now!) Clean fun in a shady atmosphere. It is a free world after all.
We had good fun dancing.
In contrast to that was a wedding I attended last week. The groom, Kildare and I met a while back at one of those 'shady spots' I mentioned earlier. I had organised a table at the fabric club for a friend of a friend's stag due and they had kindly asked me to join them. As I was mingling and having a good time chatting and dancing, Kildare approached me and asked, while gently tapping his index finger on my shoulder: "Now... This is a stag party and we're all men at the table. What are you doing here, I want to know!" He said this with a tone of bemusement and a smile.
I smiled back and threw my hands in the air as a gesture of 'Who knows?'
"I see... You're one of the boys. Aren't you?" Kildare exclaimed.
"I can be one of the boys, one of the girls, one of the gays! Take your pick." was my reply.
We laughed and that was the start of a good friendship with a fellow worldly character.
Kildare's extravagant wedding was set in an old monument that people had flown in from across the continent to attend. It was a memorable evening of bonding and sharing the love and happiness of the groom and his stunning bride.
It is not easy getting ready to go out! The question of what the hell do I wear? The hair? The shoes followed by accessories can be time-consuming and nerve-racking... Well, for most of us ladies anyway! But I had already decided on my new, red Cleopatra dress and my darling hairdresser Dez had taken care of the hairdo.
I allowed myself enough time to get ready. However, the dress had plenty of tiny clips on the side which were literally impossible to reach under the arm. My thoughts were as follows:
'Damn... I tried and tried... Ok no worries, I will leave it open under the jacket so Heidi can help me with it in the cab. Do I have to wear these super high heels which will kill my feet but go with the dress? The handbag... How can I find the wretched thing amongst the pile of bags in their sleeves! Where did I hide those earrings again?!
Told you... stress all the way. Haha...
"Yes, coming," I replied to the cab driver at the door.
A newlywed, Heidi got into the cab with her husband Berto on the way to the wedding party. She was a thoughtful, young and ambitious friend I met through Kildare. The poor girl struggled the whole way to try and close those many clips on my new dress; unsuccessfully! We were both red in the face, taking our jackets off with perspiration! Oh no...
So she asked Berto to intervene; whereas, he simply took a look and said: "Haldita, it seems the strap on the back is wrong, it should probably be in the front." These were the words of a truly modern man.
Grrrrrrrrrrreat... And he was right.
We entered the magnificent hall and I grasped Heidi's arm and dragged her to the Ladies' room. I had to take the dress off completely and put it on again with the strap in the correct place, while ladies entered with shock at seeing my almost naked body! Oooops... Well, there was no choice. Goodness knows what they thought! Irrelevant. Strapped in properly, Heidi tapped water on her red face and we re-entered the hall with full attention to the grandeur of the event.
This fairy tale wedding was emotional and heart-warming. Meeting more lovely people from around the world and who knows... Perhaps even keeping in touch with some in due course.
I had my classic moment of the evening, of course. Standing outside, beneath the columns with an unlit cigarette in my hand, forever searching in my handbag for a lighter, a gentleman appeared with his own.
"Can I offer you a lighter?" He asked with a certain accent.
"A woman's bag! And with all the lighters I collect, seems I haven't brought One with me!" I thanked him as he lit up my cigarette.
"I can usually tell accents, but I can't quite place yours." He started.
'Good try' I thought.
We chit-chatted more until the conversation was driven... quite quickly (I must say) to: "So you're single. Do you want to get married again?" He asked.
I was rather taken aback by his abrupt directness, then again... I am used to this by now and couldn't help but wonder where this is leading to.
"Well, it's great when two people meet, fall in love and want to get married but I've been single for many years now and happy. Besides, it's all about timing. Guess my time hasn't come, yet." I answered.
"Wouldn't you say that the world has changed and women's and men's roles in society have changed with it? Women are no longer as they used to be. They're after careers and have more say in society in general." It was a good point, if only I didn't feel a slight tone of chauvinism in his expression.
"For sure, women have a stronger position in society. This has perhaps confused the role of men as it used to be in our generation, but the young seem to come to terms with this more easily." I contributed.
"Yes, but don't you think relationships don't last any longer. People are less tolerant." He said.
By this time, I went straight to the point and to test what he really was getting at.
"So, are you married?" I pointed out.
"Well... Let's say I'm separated." He continued on with the conversation when I noticed a lady approaching with a look of 'there goes my husband chatting up another bird' kind of way. At which point he turned around, gave a false smile, took his lady by the arm and introduced her as his wife!
They departed and I was left thinking ... Deja-vu! I am shocked! NOT.
Lunch today with another very dear friend; Sandra, left me inspired with many more learnings of how our lives change and what steps we each take to make our stay in this world, a more meaningful and fulfilling experience. More of that to come...
Last week, Isabella (my Latino partner in crime!) and I decided to meet.
"Shall we go to this party at the Stables?" She asked. "There's a good DJ playing there tonight."
"At the Stables, honey? I'm not really into riding!" Were my remarks, accompanied by laughter.
"Haha ... You're so funny! It's an old Stable turned into a club. Really good music." She continued.
"Why not?! Not a late night though." I tried to convince myself.
The evening started with a bite in Clapham followed by a visit to the Stables at the opposite end of town. We arrived before midnight, bought tickets at the door and entered yet another 'shady' club scene. Now, shady is fine, it simply implies a different scene to a nightclub where people go to see and be seen. It is more liberating to dress casually and dance 'like no one is watching' than to constantly be aware of our surroundings and everyone eyeing each other up and down.
In the first dark warehouse area, the music was blasting away.
We had to make our way through a crowd of people spread and dancing, to a corridor with stables on each side.
I keep thinking 'I've visited so many cities and underground spots around the world and yet there are more surprises to come'.
Each stable had bench-like perimeter seating with a pole in the middle of the area. As we slowed down to peep through the partially open doors into each room, with prison-like bars halfway across the wall. My eyes widened more with a cheeky smile on my face as... 'Wow'! They were almost like torture chambers where, in fact, men and women alike, came to get a release from the emotions of their daily lives. I say that because no one cared who was watching and there were people hanging onto the poles dancing freely, while others sat around chatting or enjoying the music. It was like a packet of 'Allsorts'; different looks and nationalities; some in leather, casual clothes or in suits; some half-naked; only tops off!! (Don't get too many ideas here now!) Clean fun in a shady atmosphere. It is a free world after all.
We had good fun dancing.
In contrast to that was a wedding I attended last week. The groom, Kildare and I met a while back at one of those 'shady spots' I mentioned earlier. I had organised a table at the fabric club for a friend of a friend's stag due and they had kindly asked me to join them. As I was mingling and having a good time chatting and dancing, Kildare approached me and asked, while gently tapping his index finger on my shoulder: "Now... This is a stag party and we're all men at the table. What are you doing here, I want to know!" He said this with a tone of bemusement and a smile.
I smiled back and threw my hands in the air as a gesture of 'Who knows?'
"I see... You're one of the boys. Aren't you?" Kildare exclaimed.
"I can be one of the boys, one of the girls, one of the gays! Take your pick." was my reply.
We laughed and that was the start of a good friendship with a fellow worldly character.
Kildare's extravagant wedding was set in an old monument that people had flown in from across the continent to attend. It was a memorable evening of bonding and sharing the love and happiness of the groom and his stunning bride.
It is not easy getting ready to go out! The question of what the hell do I wear? The hair? The shoes followed by accessories can be time-consuming and nerve-racking... Well, for most of us ladies anyway! But I had already decided on my new, red Cleopatra dress and my darling hairdresser Dez had taken care of the hairdo.
I allowed myself enough time to get ready. However, the dress had plenty of tiny clips on the side which were literally impossible to reach under the arm. My thoughts were as follows:
'Damn... I tried and tried... Ok no worries, I will leave it open under the jacket so Heidi can help me with it in the cab. Do I have to wear these super high heels which will kill my feet but go with the dress? The handbag... How can I find the wretched thing amongst the pile of bags in their sleeves! Where did I hide those earrings again?!
Told you... stress all the way. Haha...
"Yes, coming," I replied to the cab driver at the door.
A newlywed, Heidi got into the cab with her husband Berto on the way to the wedding party. She was a thoughtful, young and ambitious friend I met through Kildare. The poor girl struggled the whole way to try and close those many clips on my new dress; unsuccessfully! We were both red in the face, taking our jackets off with perspiration! Oh no...
So she asked Berto to intervene; whereas, he simply took a look and said: "Haldita, it seems the strap on the back is wrong, it should probably be in the front." These were the words of a truly modern man.
Grrrrrrrrrrreat... And he was right.
We entered the magnificent hall and I grasped Heidi's arm and dragged her to the Ladies' room. I had to take the dress off completely and put it on again with the strap in the correct place, while ladies entered with shock at seeing my almost naked body! Oooops... Well, there was no choice. Goodness knows what they thought! Irrelevant. Strapped in properly, Heidi tapped water on her red face and we re-entered the hall with full attention to the grandeur of the event.
This fairy tale wedding was emotional and heart-warming. Meeting more lovely people from around the world and who knows... Perhaps even keeping in touch with some in due course.
I had my classic moment of the evening, of course. Standing outside, beneath the columns with an unlit cigarette in my hand, forever searching in my handbag for a lighter, a gentleman appeared with his own.
"Can I offer you a lighter?" He asked with a certain accent.
"A woman's bag! And with all the lighters I collect, seems I haven't brought One with me!" I thanked him as he lit up my cigarette.
"I can usually tell accents, but I can't quite place yours." He started.
'Good try' I thought.
We chit-chatted more until the conversation was driven... quite quickly (I must say) to: "So you're single. Do you want to get married again?" He asked.
I was rather taken aback by his abrupt directness, then again... I am used to this by now and couldn't help but wonder where this is leading to.
"Well, it's great when two people meet, fall in love and want to get married but I've been single for many years now and happy. Besides, it's all about timing. Guess my time hasn't come, yet." I answered.
"Wouldn't you say that the world has changed and women's and men's roles in society have changed with it? Women are no longer as they used to be. They're after careers and have more say in society in general." It was a good point, if only I didn't feel a slight tone of chauvinism in his expression.
"For sure, women have a stronger position in society. This has perhaps confused the role of men as it used to be in our generation, but the young seem to come to terms with this more easily." I contributed.
"Yes, but don't you think relationships don't last any longer. People are less tolerant." He said.
By this time, I went straight to the point and to test what he really was getting at.
"So, are you married?" I pointed out.
"Well... Let's say I'm separated." He continued on with the conversation when I noticed a lady approaching with a look of 'there goes my husband chatting up another bird' kind of way. At which point he turned around, gave a false smile, took his lady by the arm and introduced her as his wife!
They departed and I was left thinking ... Deja-vu! I am shocked! NOT.
Lunch today with another very dear friend; Sandra, left me inspired with many more learnings of how our lives change and what steps we each take to make our stay in this world, a more meaningful and fulfilling experience. More of that to come...
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