Another Sunny Day

We've seen sunny skies for the last two days in London and the forecast promises one more. I have worked in the 'back garden' for two days laying wood chips and cleaning the beds. The result is lovely. I will post a video tomorrow.

Meantime, I have copied all of my video files onto another hard drive so I can hand in all of my equipment. I also feel like I'm the only one in the library each morning searching for jobs... where is everyone?? (Probably still on summer holiday.) xx

A Few Lessons in London

The sun is actually shining here today and I feel optomistic.


While walking to to campus today from Harrow (carrying editing gear just to find the library is closed and the other rooms are closed so there are no computers within access for students) and then walking back to Harrow I was thinking of some of things I've picked up on while living in London. These include:


1. Calm down. I am learning that I am happiest with a balance of determination and patience. I don't have to be skewed by someone else's crisis. I can be in control of mine.

2. Don't take comfort for granted. My dear friend Kate shared this lesson with me when she had to use public transportation in Cincinnati. Her car was in the shop while she saved up to bail it out. Growing up in the US, I'm used to the way things work there. I am used to having a car which gets me from point A to point B. In London, I have to find another way. I walk or I take the bus, jump on the train or tube. I have to plan my route and make sure I have enough money on my travel card to make the journey. If not, then I have to walk. Is this a bad thing? It is frustrating. It does rain a lot in London but I think this tough process makes me stronger and less lazy. This is big city living.


3. People need to see more smiles and hear more encouragement. A main cultural difference from living in a large city vs. a medium one is interaction with community. Here, people are used to functioning during their day alone. We race the clock trying to get to the correct tube stop before rush hour. A smile and a bit of patience goes a long way.


4. Enjoy the moment. Don't always live in tomorrow. Enjoy and respect today's offerings. When I work hard, put my head down and move one foot in front of the other, I can accomplish much.


5. Cherish the fam. I am so thankful for my family (and friends). I know my parents and bro miss me but it is because of my family that I am here. They are a spring board to help me reach for my goals and run after my dreams.

A Passion

When I was in grade school, I hated to go to bed at night. So, the rebel in me hid a pile of books under my bed to read once the 'rents retired for the evening. I would stand on my bed, hold the book up close to my eyes and read by the glow of our neighbor's security light. This wasn't always easy because my twin bed's mattress wasn't that firm. I would get tired of standing up and holding the book but I just HAD to read another page.

London feeds the passion for reading...because there's a lot of waiting. Passengers on the tube or train are usually buried in a book. People walk down the sidewalk reading a book and I've even seen someone order coffee at a stand while turning a page. This has inspired me to take advantage of the 20p stack of books at the local charity shop.

Please send me your suggestions of books to look out for. Meantime, here's a look at my shortlist:

Carol Drinkwater's The Olive Season is a memoir about a woman's journey to become an olive farmer. Carol and her French husband bought a house in the South of France and are doing their best to make it into a home. Excellent read. (It will make you want to start a property hunt in the S of France.) The first book in the series is The Olive Farm and I'm about to crack part III, The Olive Harvest.

Another incredible title is The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka. This book is long but worth the read. The book tells the story and struggles of generations of a skilled Chinese family. At times they are oppressed by the Japanese Occupation but find a way to ration rice and continue to live. The colorful details painted by the author's words go hand in hand with historic references to create an unforgettable story.

William Falkner's Light in August (vintage) grabbed me from the first sentence. He writes about a young girl who travels from Alabama to Tennessee. She crosses the Alabama border by foot but is traveling with a stranger and her soon to be husband when she glides into Tennessee. She falls into trouble, is alone, but remains strong and steady. The other tones in this story go along with the racial unrest in the South during this time. Light in August has a happy ending depsite the drama.

A Trip To Bath, UK

I rewarded myself for at least turning in my final project by taking a quick trip to Bath, UK. The sun was shining and I boarded a train south. The streets of Bath were quiet but came alive in the evening with people walking in Parade Park (entrance only £1, on the river, gorgeous floral arrangements), discovering the Roman Baths and dining on world-famous bunns in a 14th century house.

Sally Lunn was a French refugee and apparently occupied the house (above picture) in the 14th century. She would bake her popular bunns for money. The recipe was found with the deed of the house in the 1700s and the owners began making the bread again. I sampled a bunn with a lamb chop and roast vegtable dinner. Not bad at all. It was a bit dry but fluffy and a good mix of salt and sweet in the dough.


I stayed a nice B&B, Anabelle's Guest House for £40. My room had a delicous view of the rolling hillside and church yard. The double room included a full English breakfast. Quaint, clean and very friendly.

Bath is only about 80 minutes by train but historically there's a bit of distance from London. The design of the landscape, the buildings, bridges and streets are influenced by both Italian and Parisian flavors.

I like the shot of the stacks of bricks. This was escavated to show how the Romans created heated floors around the Baths. They would lay stone slabs ontop of the bricks and light a slow fire underneath.

My favorite part of the short trip was imagining walking as a Roman along the cobbled streets of Bath. I also stopped into The Pump Room for tea and dessert. The place has live music almost every night and you can actually sample the spring water that feeds the Roman Baths.


Here's a quick look at the Grand Bath in the Roman Bath Centre. For a look, just click on the arrow on the screen:

Happy Birthday, Samira

We met in Soho on Friday at a small club called Thirst. Samira and the 'crew' were running a bit late and I was (surprise) a bit early. I ordered a cocktail and perched on a sofa to wait.

I really enjoy people watching and had a nice vantage point for the activity last night. The place was absolutely packed and several people were scrunching up to the bar, trying to grab the attention of one of the 2 bar tenders.

Several young guys in suits walked in with their briefcases and female co-workers. They ordered beers and the ladies ordered martinis. Another threesome walked in and the guys found a seat. The chick went to the bar to get the drinks. While she was waiting she returned to her party and threw them her red jacket. The guys passed it between themselves like a hot potato before stuffing it behind them. 100% chance of it getting wrinkled. Men.

By now, a guy named Kevin had made his way to me. He introduced himself and asked why I was alone. (Why are some people bothered so much by people sitting alone?) He said I looked bored and invited me to stand out on the street where a crowd of patrons were gathering to smoke. I smiled, thanked him and tried to move him on his merry way without being too rude.

I called Samira. She was on her way, in a cab, wearing a birthday crown. I knew it was going to be a fun evening.

Around this time my good friend Michel came in with Jocelyn, Thabang, Edu, Daniel and Kerry and Perry. They spotted me, found the bar and the evening kicked off. We talked about jobs, travels, school projects and plans for the future.

Michel is moving to India to intern for CNN. Jocelyn landed a great job with a media company as account manager. Others are trying to find jobs here and still others are just trying to finish final projects and get a degree. When everyone asked my plans, I wasn't quite sure how to answer.

This is a tough time for me. I don't necessarily want to leave London but the pound/dollar exchange is crippling. I left my job in the states after 6 years of working in the field. By then I was earning a decent salary but didn't have the edge to take me to the next level. I hope to have that now: travel experience, a bit more maturity, less anger, more knowledge about how the world works, a Master's degree and a portfolio of published works.

I am talking with an agent from David Crane who will begin to help me look for a job, show or project where I can also present. I prefer a challenge where I can exercise a new perspective on work ethic, building a dynamic news team and even corresponding about travel.

Samira's birthday was a fun night to get together, talk about acedemia and whisper about our lofty dreams for the future.

"Adrenaline Junkies"

We finally turned in our 30 minute television documentary yesterday. My first shoot for the piece was in February and I began editing in early June. This has been a long process but a rewarding one.

Thabang Motsei (she is from Cape Town, South Africa) and I decided to merge our ideas into a program called Adrenaline Junkies. We wanted to explore why certain people seek an adrenaline rush. We researched two arenas: professional and play.

I videoed my trip shark diving off the coast of Gansbaai in February. I focused on two "risk takers" from London who grew up near the water and have a healthy respect for sharks. Thabi spent a day with Formula One women racers. One of the drivers she interviewed lost her father in a racing accident (he was also a driver). His accident while racing was fatal but she still wants to race. Why?

Research shows that certain people actually get hooked on the flood of Seratonin in the brain. Seratonin is regulated by a molecule called MAO. Some psycologists report that people with low levels of MAO are naturally higher risk takers. With low levels of MAO, we experience higher levels of Seratonin which produces feelings of happiness and even anxiety. A study in 1974 re-published in Psycology Today Online (2006) shows that athletes, performers and some business minded people have low levels of MAO, therefore influencing risk-seeking activity.

I think the documentary is something to be proud of. We'll see what our professor thinks...

(Thanks for the encouragement from friends and family!)

120 Credits Attempted 120 Credits Earned!!!

I just checked my grades and I have passed all classes!!! If I can get a nice finish on this documentary then I will hopefully get the degree...

The Home Stretch

On September 11th, 2006 I flew to London with 3 suitcases and an address. My goal was to earn a Master's degree in International Journalism from the University of Westminster. I seem to be almost there.

My 30 minute documentary produced with my coursemate, Thabang is entitled "Adrenaline Junkies." (More about the doc later!) It is due on Thursday of this week. Despite much pre-planning, shooting and editing we are quite stressed as the deadline approaches. The process hasn't been without major hiccups...

First, a few blocks of our University sadly burned to the ground. (The fire was covered on BBC.) Our editing suites were damaged by smoke and water. So, for the last couple of weeks our only option to finish our documentaries has been to edit on the Macs in the library.

During the summer the library is only open 9 to 5. For those of us who work, it is difficult to get there during the day, especially since the Harrow campus is an hour north of Central London. There are also unexpected library closures. I planned to work for 8 hours on Saturday but the library was closed for IT work. Our professors generously gave us a week extension but we have had other problems with this setup.

Most of us need to add voice over to our docs (that is the narrative you hear while watching documentaries) but the machines we edit on are located on the 3rd floor of the library which is a strict "Silent" zone. I have put off doing the voice tracks until tomorrow so I won't disturb other who are working. It will probably be one of the busiest days so far... Oh well. I am left with no other options.

If you think I'm complaining, you're right. Our access to editing suites, video capture stations, headphones to edit with has been taken away by the fire. We also had to hand in all of our camera equipment a few weeks ago so that it could be used in the studio. Bummer. I feel we could use more time to make our docs brilliant. Anywho...I'm on the home stretch...I can get this done! Plus, a 3,000 word essay has suddenly jumped from a due date of August 24th (all grad students somehow have the wrong date???!) to July 19th. Help.

From Westminster to Greenwich

I took a lovely boat tour along the Thames on Thursday to Greenwich. Kings' family was in and we enjoyed the ride. Once we embarked at Greenwich, we toured the Royal Naval College, the Royal Observatory and the National Martime Museum. The pic with me is actually posed standing both in the Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere. The Prime Meridian of Longitude was established here in 1884.

The views from the Observatory show the Millenium Dome which just opened again after another refurbishment.

You can also see the Queen's house (Mary II) which is now an art museum. The tall buildings in the background mark Canary Wharf, the financial headquarters of London.

The painted hall in the Old Royal Naval College is amazing. The buildings began as a palace in the early 15oos. In 1694 Mary II had it changed into a hospital for seamen and then the Royal Naval College took it over in 1873.

I wasn't that impressed with the National Maritime Museum and I couldn't tour the Queen's House without leaving my purse at coat check. (I don't trust anyone enough to leave my bag - especially at a tourist destination - so that was disappointing.)

The village of Greenwich is quiet and can seem a bit slow. However, we found the Greenwich Market at the end of the day and that was hopping with people trying to find bargains in the flea market-like stands. Good times.

Machine Guns and Me

This video is from my week with NATO forces in Denmark. I went on a media training exercise and they wanted us to experience the weight of a gun... It was very heavy and I couldn't get the safety back on at the end. I have a lot of respect for the guys and gals who have to do this every day.

Travel Articles

Avantoure Magazine's July issue is out. I have two articles published it it. One is on Storm Chasing in the US and the other is about touring the coast of Uruguay in vintage cars. Check it out at http://www.avantoure.com/. Unfortunately, if you want to read them you'll have to get a subscription but at least I have a byline in the Table of Contents. Woo-hoo.

London, Southbank

We went to the Southbank of London on Monday to enjoy the rare sunshine. We even decided to spend 15 pounds to go up in the London Eye, which is like a giant, enclosed ferris wheel. Each capsule holds about 25 people and you can certainly walk around and view 360 degrees of London. The views were gorgeous and we were able to locate Buckingham Palace, Canary Warf, Westminster Abbey and of course, Big Ben and Parliment. I took a short video to share the experience. Enjoy.


Video by Denae D'Arcy.

Friday in SOHO

My good friend Chris celebrated his birthday last night and invited an intimate group of friends to SOHO. I journeyed from Putney and arrived in Central a bit before everyone. I decided to take a Rickshaw to my final destinations so I could snap a few shots of the punters before the sun went down completely. Here's a quick video of the ride.


Soho is a happening place with plenty of ethnic restaraunts, expensive boutiques and Ronnie Scott's.

Chris and his gorgeous Italian wife booked a small, authentic karoke room at Karaoke Box on Frith Street. He started things off with "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond (great song and well sung). We sang at the top of our lungs for 2 hours while sipping Japanese beer.




We may have been singing Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" here. I love the enthusiasm behind the air guitar. Play it, girl!

Thankfully there are no pictures of me with a mic in my hand. I really tried not to sing too loudly so noone would need to leave the room... Happy Birthday, Chris!

Bedroom DJ Video

I finally uploaded a video I produced, shot and edited (Final Cut Express) at the beginning of the year. Considering I worked with a photog/editor on stories like this for the last 5 years, I think it turned out okay.

The short documentary is entitled "Bedroom DJ." The subject is Kings (bless his heart for helping me) mixing in his living room. Bedroom DJs are guys who mix music only as a hobby...usually in their house slippers.

Please click here to check it out. Total run time is less than 5 minutes.

Jingando Press Party

I went to a press party last night in Camden Town at this little place called Made in Brasil.


Jingando Rio Hoidays is a new tour company, started by two women who are passionate about Brazil and the local community. The vacations allow travelers a chance to interact with people living in Rio de Janeiro through volunteer service and Samba and Forro dance lessons.

Community work includes painting homes in less fortunate areas and helping with a children's club. The service takes up about 9 hours of the 2 week vacation.


Last night we enjoyed dance lessons by private tutors, Joel and Paola. They taught Samba and another gorgeous dancer (see green feathers) performed Forro.


For more information about Jingando Rio Holidays, click here.

(These pictures taken by Photographer Celia Mannings.)