Weekend at LDN II

Friday: Despues de un buen desayuno de esos que acostumbro yo en mis manianas (Cereal de fibras con yogurt descremado natural, frutillas escocesas, mix de nueces y miel de Espania, dos tostadas de pan negro con semillas y queso Philadelphia, una taza de cafe con leche y una de te verde, ambas sin azucar...no me gustan las bebidas dulces) me fui al gym.
Ducha por medio, me dirigi a Central London por un plato de hummus con pollito y tsatsiky. Jump on the tube como se dice aca con direccion norte a ver una casa para vivir con mis ex-companieras de LAMDA, Katie (de EEUU), Elisa (de Italia) y Marta (de Portugal). Salgo muy feliz del subte con mi mapita; LLUVIA TORRENCIAL. "Oh shit!" fue mi expresion segun recuerdo. Caminando, o mas bien buceando, llegue a la casa en cuestion. Timbre.
Viejo x: (openning the door) Yes?
Yo: Hello!
Viejo x: ...
Yo: ...emmm I'm Matias.
Viejo x: Nice to meet you...
Yo: ...
Viejo x: ...
Yo:...I'm here to see the propperty.
Viejo x: Certainly not.
(LLUVIA TORRENCIAL de fondo, o mas bien sobre mi)
Yo: Isn't this a propperty to rent?
Viejo x: mmm No, I like my house.
Yo: oops! oh think I made a mistake! Sorry!
Viejo x: Perhaps, have a nice day!
(te parece? nice day? I mean......REALLY???)
Ok, no era el 5 de la calle Ble, era el 4...o sea en frente. Bueeeno! errores cometemos todos! Y si no me conoces por que carajo abris la puerta anyway???
Cruzo...el rio. Timbre...nada. Ok llamo a Heidi, agente inmobiliaria que deberia estar aca. Riiiing.
Heidi: Oh! hello Matias! You weren't there at 3:30, so i came back to the office (eran las 3:40...o sos demasiado literal o te fuiste mientras yo hablaba con el viejo x en frente ¬¬) Don't worry I'll be there in three minutes (wow cuanta exactitud).
Ok me refugio en la casa del al lado que tenia techito. "Siiiinging in the raaaaaaaain! Juuuust siiiingiiiing in the raaain..." Abre la puerta Vieja x CHAN!
Vieja x: Good afternoon.
Yo: o.O
Vieja x: Can I help you?
Yo: Oh! Hi!, no, actually I'm just waiting for an agent who's suppoused to show me the house next door, and I needed the roof. Thank you! :)
Vieja x: Oh! I see! poor you! look at you, all wet! Ok have a nice day. (no, seriously...REALLY???)
Que onda? aca le abren la puerta a cualquiera o estoy en un barrio de jubilados desesperados porque alguien los visite. Ay que triste :s
Heidi arrives! (en exactamente TRES MINUTOS O.O) veo la casa, bla bla. Linda, con todo el potencial pero mucho laburo para ponerle encima. Bua, seguire buscando, thank you very much indeed.
LLUVIA TORRENCIAL
Hecho sopa, jumped on the tube again. Destination: Primemark! necesitaba medias urgente! Cola kilometrica...paciencia Matu. Ok con medias cambiadas, siguiente destino: Starbucks...necesitaba un tecito y un muffin de arandanos.
Salgo de Starbucks con la pancita llena y el alma reconfortada: SOL todos en remera y ojotas. Como yo ya soy un Londoner, ya se que aca hay que salir con remera, campera, anteojos de sol y paraguas. Efectivamente en el mismo dia use las cuatro cosas.
Me dolia el cuerpo asi que decidi hacer uso del sauna de mi gym. Ahi conoci un tipo en sus 60, prof de ingles que me felicito por mi excelente manejo del idioma y me dio unos tips para imitar acentos locales...que groso! Sali renovado.

Saturday: Desayuno habitual. Me junte con mi amiga Henriette, inglesa  de familia alemana/holandesa que conoci en LAMDA en Picadilly Circus, bajo la fuente de Eros. Fuimos a el mejor y mas barato sushi de Londres! "Wasabi", cadena muy popular. Comimos la delittessen japonesa en Soho Sq obviamente, bajo la lluvia. Fue una imagen muy simpatica dos mamertos acurrucados bajo un paraguas en medio de una plaza, bajo la lluvia, comiendo sushi. Pero bue, teniamos un capricho, y comer en el resto te cobraban extra, asi que TAKE AWAY!
Despues nos fuimos al teatro a ver "Yes, Prime Minister". GENIAL. Una obra MUY inglesa, con lo mejor del humor britanico, bien acido y super inteligente. El primer ministro britanico, tonto titere de su consejero de mayor confianza, un manipulador onda Yafar de Aladdin, con su secretario un bobo onda Reinfield de "Dracula muerto pero feliz", una secretaria sexy pero brillante que se las sabia todas (un pj mio basicamente). Este grupete disparejo se ve envuelto en un lio cuando la BBC se entera de que podria haber un plan para unirse al euro (escandalo obvio!) si se firmaba un contrato con el presidente de "Turushustan" por petroleo y un prestamo al gobierno europeo. A cambio el enviado del presidente de dicho pais quiere una noche en compania sexual de una menor de 16 anios. No voy a contar todo el plot, pero para dar una idea nomas. Muy divertida y muy inteligentemente escrita.
Salimos riendo a carcajadas y nos dirigimos a tomar un te con scons, cottage cream y strawberry jam on top. Luego volvi a casa a cambiarme y ponerme un lindo traje porque me esta misma chica me habia invitado a una cena formal con algunos de sus amigos. Donde? Chelsea! Lugar cheto cheto, de esos qeu sentis que gastas una fortuna de tan solo respirar y caminar. Wow que amigos paquetes que hago.
Resto italiano, muy bonito y original, caro por cierto, pero bueno, no podia decir que no. Es una de esas experiencias unicas en la vida, una cena formal en compania de ingleses de mucha tarasca en una zona tres veces mas valuada que Prto Madero. Todos modelos, chicas operadas de tacos muy altos, marca sobre marca...tenia dos opciones, o me dignaba a sentirme Betty la fea, o me subia a la ola. Decidi lo segundo, caminata segura, mano en el bolsillo, zapatos lustrados, camisa de Zara...facha, mucha facha.
Que dia mas British!

Sunday: Brunch entrada la maniana, lease mismo desayuno pero con dos huevos revueltos. Me fui al Japan Centre con mi guia amiga Chihiro, quien llega tarde. "Ok, no problem", el contesto el mensaje. Al rato veo una japonesita de metro veinte COMO MUCHO corriendo hacia mi, llega con las manitos juntas me dice "I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!! sooo sorry!!!" (reverencia, reverencia). Sentia que me saludaba Sailor Moon. "Don't worry!" deja de inclinarteeeee por diosssss!!
Entramos al Japan Centre, un mercadito japones 100% hermoso lleno de todo lo que dicho pais puede ofrecer envuelto en un bello packagging. En la entrada habia una japonesa con una sonrisa y un kimono, una nena al costado, exactamente igual y una mesita. Nos ofrecen te verde y un postrecito minimini de quesito y polvo de te verde re rico.
Mina en kimono: Hello! green tea? (reverencia)
Yo: Oh! Thank you.
Chihiro: japonesjaponesjpaoneswatashiwajaponesjaponesjapones.
Mina en kimono: ohhhhhhh japonesjaponesteriyakitonkatsujaponessushioniguirijaponesjapones
Chihiro: japonesjaponeswasabipankojaponesjapones
Nena en kimono: ohhhhhh japonesjaponeswatashiwajapones
Chihiro: japonesjaponessaintseyajapones Domo arigatooooooooo (reverencia)
(las tres me miran): ahh thank you! (sonrisa y reverencia)
Yo:  ... o.O ... ponele... thank you?
(jejeje se rien)    oookeey
Paseamos, me conto mucho de la cultura japonesa, que sabe hacer la ceremonia del te, de su escuela, de sus comidas, de su familia, etc. Me encanto, super interesante. Fue como un mini viaje a Japon por un par de horas. ademas todos los que estaban ahi tanto compradores como staff japoneses. Claro, casi anda tiene traduccion, si tenes tu propia japonesa de metroveinte no cazas una.
Compramos unos pastelitos de crema de porotos aduki y crema delciosos y los comimos con un poquito de te verde. Luego fuimos a un Costa (cadena de cafe) por un chocolate caliente y un mocha cooler (cafe con chocolate pero frozen). Charlamos de Argentina y Japon, de Londres, etc. Una tarde super cultural y enriquecedora.
Bueno, quedamos para juntarnos a cocinar un dia.
Yo: what would you like to eat?
Chihiro: Pizza  and empanadas!
Yo: ¬ ¬
Al final la japonesa era fan de la pizza y le encanto cuando le conte de la carne y las empanadas! jajaja que grosa Chihiro.

LAMDA

All about my experience in LAMDA (The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art):
As everyone may know by now, "Project London 2011" or "P. LDN '11" is something I'd been working in for at least three years. All my devotion, my energies, my savings, my learning process was focused at all times towards this project. What is the projetc about? Study, work and live in London as an actor. I am happy to say that the first part of this project is now completed! Finally, after all the hard work and studies, I finished my course in LAMDA, speciallized in Shakespeare's work.
I started the course in July and I've just finished it last week. I can say it's one of the best experiences EVER!



Stage Combat practice seconds before getting our diploma with my good friend Henriette

 Classes began at 10am and runed until 6pm, with an hour break at 1pm to have lunch. During that time I had Stage Combat (with swords and unamrmed combat), Alexander Technic (posture and body awareness), Pure Movement (danza contact, balance and working in pairs to gain confidence), Physical Theatre (physical expresion through the exploration of your own body's movement, keep open to influencies), Pure Voice (voice training with and without text), Historical Dance (many traditional English Reinasance dancings such as "Volta" and "Thread in the needle"), Vers and Texts (analysis, Shakespeare's penthameter, literacy, etc), Improvisation (be in the moment, listen to your partner's suggestions, say yes instead of "no", be realistic, etc), Singing (traditional lute songs from Elizabethan times), Mask and Comedia dell'Arte (Arlequino e Tattanio, neutral masks, be open and keep your neck free!!), Accents (from all over the world applyed to English, from South England to Russia, from Australia to Scotland, from Chelsea to California) and of course Acting under the supervision of an important drama director, mine was Jeny Lipman, with a huge career in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

My group: From left to right Me, Nicola, Gabriel, on top Cameron, Catlin, Joceline and Rosie. Down from left to right Emily, Louise and Marta. Two more missing: Sophie (wasn't feeling good) and Grace (had some bad news from home)

During this course we've been asked to prepare a scene from any Shakespearean play, which under my director's supervition was to present at the end of the course showing as much as we could all that we've learned from our subjects. My scene was from "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Demetrius(me) and Helena (my partner Joceline). It was sooooo fun!! Our reviews were "(...) the most realistic scene." "It was so fun! I couldn't stop laughing!" "Simply the best one, by far!". So I am very happy indeed, not only because i did something others liked, but also because it was the end of my dream! At least the first part....TO BE CONTINUED. (the project...not the blog...lol)


With my director, Jeny Lipman

 Not only the classes were amazing at the school, but we also had a study trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare. We stayed in a 5* hotel, near downtown. Hotel's facilities included sauna, indoor swimming pool, gym, steam room, playground, among others. All my partners had to share the room, but I had a private room for reasons stil unknown! I must have an angel! We had breakfast and diner included, buffet!!! With everything you could imagine! I stil have dreams about those meals...seriously. We had tours payed to Anne Hathaway's cottage (Willy's wife), Willy's bithplace and a city tour around the lovely town centre. Included in the course price was two tickets to attend to RSC's performance of "The merchant of Venice" and "Cardenio". Two great plays which I really enjoyed.
The first pice was set in the 50's Las Vegas, within a Casino. Imposible to describe! And the cast included two mayor stars: Scott Handy as Antonio (who I met personally) and Patrick Stewart as Shylock. The play respected the text perfectly, as you might expect from the RSC, but with a musical shape, songs and an Elvis performing as Shylock's servant.
Cardenio was very interesting too, set in Andalucia, with gypsy music and candle lights. Fun and tragic at the same time. Very enjoyable.
After the trip to Stratford we made a short stop at Warwick Castle before comming back to London. A medivial castle in the countryside with nice activities such as archery and horse-riding. A little experience of Willy's time.
Once in London we also attended to performances at the Globe and the Old Vic. "Much addo about Nothing" and "As you Like it". At the Vic, "Richard III" with Kevin Spacey. I loved the Globe, but at the Old Vic, I got soooooo bored that I actually thought about going home during the interval! All the characters were screaming and Lady Anne was a disaster.
The Globe on the other hand is always the most pleasant experience.
All in all, LAMDA was one of the greatest experiences in my life so far. I'm so thankful I could do it! :D Thank you all for your support!

Brighton (my first English sight outside London Town)

I know, I probably don't write as much as I should, but...you know me! :p
Anyway, so a couple of weeks ago Askin, Archy and I went to Brighton, a very nice small city (famous gay point as I've been told) on the coast side, South-East England, about two hours far from Central London. Actually, is not "about" two hours far, it took us EXACTLY two hours to get there and again another two hours to come back. We didn't believe it's gonna be so precise, but you know the English people!
The trip as we went to Archy's school was just £8,- each, really cheap! So we got there, we had lunch, and we went around the city for a couple of hours. Our first visit, as it was raining cats and dogs, was the Royal Pavillion. This was the summer house for king George, a really magnificent "little" palace by the sea. Outside you can imagine an Indian Taj Mahal, but inside is the most awesom Chinese-style palace. After we visited all the interiors, we had a nice cup of tea in the tea room, up stairs in the terrace, with a great view of the palace's gardens.
As soon as the rain stoped, we went for a walk around the city, visiting its nice narrow streets, finding traditional old shops where we bought some old-fashion fudge.
Finally we ended up in the beach taking some pictures (you can see them on facebook, there's no need to put the same stuff twice on two different places...). We took the bus and came back to Central London, yes in exactly two hours. As soon as we put a foot on London, the sun made his great appearence...that bastard!! So we went for a walk around Regent's Park. Great day for a great price.