Bragging Rights

I decided that perhaps I should be modest but if I'm not going to toot my own horn, then who is? My Celebri-Tee Gallery was the second most clicked on page for the entire month of January with nearly 600,000 page views!!

The Tate Britain was great, but I need to go back because I didn't really see anything that I was hoping to see - William Blake and JMW Turner. I might try to do that this weekend, and then go to the Tate Modern by ferry afterwards.

Erica's birthday was low-key, I think she enjoyed herself. Kristin and I snuck out to Selfridge's and bought these amazing birthday cupcakes and a birthday petit four...they were so good we didn't even share with Marvin....or one of our roommates. But as she was on a psuedo-date, we felt she had other things to look forward to than a scrumptious carb nightmare.

I overslept this morning and ended up having a miserable day at work....just one of those days. How I semi-got out of that mood: hunting for cupcakes on Earl's Court Road with Kristin until we found chocolate souffle cakes, Indian food, finished The Sound of Music, watched a couple of episodes of friends....GETTING TO BED EARLY.

highlight of the day: email from jolynn, listening to "closer to you" by the wallflowers on the tube. on repeat.

So, I'm gonna need a second opinion...

I finally gave in and went to the dentist today - the verdict? I need to have 3 wisdom teeth removed as soon as possible and then 1 later on. He scheduled me for surgery on Thursday even though I said no...but don't worry I'm cancelling. Gonna tough it out till March - can't be worse than kidney stones...right?

I had three more things published on MSN today, but I should let you know that though my name is on them, I did not actually interview the people or write anything other than the questions. Those are general interviews they send out to media outlets for PR. I also found out that I am no longer "allowed" to work for the Life & Style channel, except on Fridays, because Shannon and I are on the entertainment team. Kinda sucks since I really love working with that editor.

Tomorrow we're going to the Tate Britain which I'm really excited about...van Gogh, Gaugin, JMW Turner, William Blake...people I've actually studied! I'm going to meet up with Jamie for a coffee (read, hot chocolate) afterwards.

Tomorrow is also Erica's 21st, don't forget to say happy bday. We'll see what happens with that!!

Penguin Love

Too exhausted to write. New link up at msn - gallery on SAG winners. msn.co.uk then entertainment, then movies, then it should be linked up from there. Another gallery up tomorrow, fashion at the SAG awards. And an article on U.S. vs. London style.

Mouth is killing me, nothing works, may go to the dentist on wednesday.

Thinking about going to Barcelona, any thoughts?

Hasta Manana,
ab.

And then there were two...

Friday was a disaster. We tried to go to the V&A to have drinks and look at some exhibits (don't worry I caught a glimpse of a Giambologna) but it took everyone too long to get ready so by the time we got there, they were wrapping things up. But I'm definitely going next month. Afterwards we went to a few different places, but I think everyone was in the mood to be disagreeable. Kristin and I got carded at this RESTAURANT and I didn't have anything on me so of course the manager was like you can't drink which was fine. 5 minutes later he came up and shouted "Didn't I ask you to leave?" and I said no...you said I couldn't drink and I'm not? I love getting yelled at in public it's my favorite. I got yelled at at McDonald's the other day too. It was weird.

Yesterday Kristin and I had a Kristin and Ambika day again, which was just what we needed I think. We just walked around Kensington High Street...tried not to give into our vices of shoes and sunglasses, respectively. Although I did find a pair of stilettos similar to the shoes I've been trying to replace. They're a little less camel and little more cream, but they're darling. We had lunch at this amazing Thai restaurant I think called the Papaya Tree...it was done in all white and had orchids and things. (Chelsea they even have #9 from Bangkok!!) We're going to go there for Valentine's Day, don't be jealous. Then we had tea at muffin man...well, Kristin had tea, and I had milk and chocolate cake....

Nanima and Papaji called yesterday which was incredible. Last night I met up with Sangeeta Bhua, Sanjit Uncle, his grandma, and Shivam at Harry's Bar. We had a lot of fun and it was so interesting to talk to Nanni (sp?). She was a huge journalist in India - she started the first women's and men's magazines in India and interviewed all these incredible people. Mind you, she had lunch yesterday with the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, who's name is ironically enough Nayan.

Afterwards they headed home and we went to Annabel's. Wasn't in the mood but ended up having fun. I was eavesdropping on the dinner conversation of the Princess of Ghana.

Maya cooked lovely Indian food for lunch and now I'm back at my flat. Have to do some research for some articles and homework...

ttfn (that's for you gautam, and probably chels)
ambika

Get Excited!!

Hi!! Ok well here's what I've been doing all week - check it out and let me know what you think. And be nice, it's only my first week :)

Only complaint - for the "spot the difference" gallery, I wish the pictures were larger so you could see all my photoshop work in detail. This week was the first one, and they've decided to make it a weekly feature!

http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/celebrity/PhotoGalleries/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=7349099

http://style.uk.msn.com/fashionandbeauty/celebritychic/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=7355946

stay tuned

I know, it's been a bit since I've written, but I will remedy that tomorrow. Missing everyone!

xo. ambika

Marvin the Mouse

Quote of the Day
Me: "How do we know Marvin's a boy?"
Kristin: "Because we can't fit any more b****es in this apartment."
So true Kristin, so true.

We have a mouse. He is probably pooping on my clothes because as there is no room for all of our things, I had to fold my juicy hoodies and sweaters and place them on the floor under a desk. On the bright side, at least it's not a rat. Mice seem friendlier, except for Ratatouille.

Today was my first day of work ~ and I am now realizing that I can't say anything because my editors have my blog address. I will say that everyone is really nice and I'm getting my feet wet with some projects, but I was having some computer difficulties today. At one point, I had three computers on my desk.

I'm really, really bummed out right now for various other reasons, some of which I can't even put a finger on. The icing on today's cake was that one of my roommates can't afford the perfect house we want to live in next semester, and I just found out today that someone else has signed for it. Awwwesome.

I have to go write a paper for tomorrow night's class which should be interesting as I still don't know what I want to write about.

Whatever, (like from Wedding Crashers)
Beaks.

99...98..

I tried Kristin's sure-to-get-you-to-sleep method of counting backwards from 99. Well, that was 2 hours ago. Wish I could sleep -- messing around in Photoshop etc. I wonder if there's an easier way to upload all these pics without having to change their sizes in photoshop. Suggestions?

We are so journalism - Erica, Sarah and I are all in our beds on our apples.

I have a paper due on Tuesday night that I'm not looking forward to - I didn't really enjoy the museum we went to, and I tried to take notes but now they make no sense. I guess that's what I'll do tomorrow night when I can't sleep.

Sunday Blues

Kristin and I spent the afternoon at a little cafe down the street and got quite a bit of work done...I dragged her with me to Picadilly Circus to get the Sound of Music which will only play on my computer, not an American dvd player, but it will be worth it I'm sure. Hopefully it will get me out of this weird funk I've been in since M & D left. We all start working tomorrow - Shan and I are planning on leaving at 9. I'm realizing that I won't be able to eat as much, and as well, as I'm used to -- everything's so expensive and I'm trying to spend wisely. Shannon just found ramen noodles for 40p - feels like mizzou.


On the brighter side of things, Chelsea found us an incredible house and I think we'll be signing this week.

Flatmate Fest Numero Uno

First thing's first - internship update: Shannon and I will be working for the entertainment channel at msn.co.uk -- usual start time isn't until 10am. Thank god someone understands that mornings just aren't doable for me.

After a lot of indecisiveness last night, all six of us actually managed to go out together which is actually quite an accomplishment. We took the tube to Picadilly Circus and went to a club on Haymarket called Electric Birdcage which was sooo much fun. Arriving just shy of 10, we beat the 20 pound cover charge which was a blessing once I coughed up 10 pounds, or $20, for a drink. With nowhere to sit, I asked one of the hostesses how we could get a table, and after just a few minutes, she had the manager kick a group of people out of their seats so we could sit down. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but we got a table without having to pay the standard 500 pounds for it! I'm pretty impressed, I'm not gonna lie. We danced for at least 3 hours in front of a DJ stuck in a birdcage - totally serious.

I woke up today with my usual super sloppy Saturday craving of pizza. I spent the afternoon figuring that out and exploring our neighborhood a little bit. When I got back, Shannon and I got super motivated and reorganized our living room. It opened up the room quite nicely, but it would probably help if we could all figure out how to pick up after ourselves.

Abbey Road

So...I was informed that my interview went really well with MSN and that I will be interning with them for the semester! Yesterday Mom and I went shopping on Oxford and then met Dad and Sangeeta Bhua at China Tang at the Dorchester for a quick lunch. She was going straight to the hospital from there which made me sick because she doesn't deserve any of this. Then the three of us went to Harrod's which was of course a zoo. The sales are incredible...but the fact of the matter is that you'll still be spending an exorbitant amount of money regardless of how much you "save." Case in point - I'm sure everybody reading this knows about my camel colored steve madden's that I've had since...10th grade - the one's that make my mom cringe because they're ripped and the heels are split? Well, after looking for a similar pair for ages, I found them at Harrod's. Slight problem though as they are Jimmy Choo's on sale for 200 pounds (read, $400). I made the mistake of trying them on and of course now I can't stop thinking about them. Last night we went to this incredible Indian restaurant in Wembley with Harish Uncle, Geeta Auntie, and Janki. It's called Blue Room and the food was delicious. I think I'll be craving the spicy, crispy prawns for a long time. And the fresh passion fruit juice...mmm. I spent the night at the Dorchester with Mom and Dad. I was thinking about staying here but then I realized I shouldn't let a hotel room twice the size of my entire flat go to waste. I slept in this morning after they left and then went to visit Sangeeta Bhua at the hospital. We're having a flatmate fest tonight - details to follow!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

We saw The Sound of Music at the London Palladium Theatre in the West End and it was just absolutely unbelievable! All day Kristin has been serenading me (somewhat creepily) with music from the show, and I completely understand why. To everyone's dismay, I had never even seen the movie. The six year old girl who played Gretl was sooo sweet. They were all amazing -- I'm so glad we got to see it. Our BLC trip today was to the Museum of London which was quite a let down. It was basically targeted to fifth graders...but I guess I learned a little bit. I'm more interested in going to the V&A, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, stuff like that. Tomorrow I'm spending the whole day shopping with my mom and eventually my dad, so...hasta manana.

tears and rain

i didn't realize how much i missed anything until i just talked to nayan...i was in tears the whole time...hopefully he didn't detect, i'm a pretty great actress.

Four Square

Ahhh what a perfect evening. Class was interesting, we had BLC but tonight's lecture wasn't so much British History as it was American perception of Britainand British perception of America. I enjoyed it and actually took a few notes because I would really like to learn about where I'm living. It would be so interesting to take an American history class here, just to see the angle they take, what they focus on. Afterwards, Kristin and I went to Sainsbury and got some dinner - their chicken tikka samosa was definitely eatable... Our flat was pretty jampacked when we got back..everyone cooking etc. I opened a bottle of chardonnay and then Erica, Kristin, Sarah and I went to Prince of Teck, a pub nearby and had some wine till close which was really fun. We just talked about really interesting topics and got to know each other a little better. We came back to our flat and it was just the 6 of us which was so great, we have such a great dynamic. More wine, more laughter, music, facebook, videos, stories....we got real. Mom and Dad get back from Milan tomorrow, then I'm going on a tour of the Museum of London, which may very well be the British Museum, at 2, and then the three of us are going to see the Sound of Music. I might go to Paris this weekend with a girl from downstairs (Kirsten) or I'm thinking about visiting Janki in Portsmouth. On another note, I'm so stoked about msn.co.uk....I hope they think I'm a good fit! Also, Nayan, if you would email me back that would be grrrreat. Chelsea did some research on what sounds like 1.5 great houses in Columbia, so I'm pretty excited to hear more about that. My friends think Nayan is cute lol but it's okay since he is. P.s. It's impossible to find Reisling here. Any tips?

xo, beaksy

What a feeling

I am really pleased with my interview this morning. I met with three different editors for msn.co.uk and really liked all of them. If I really hope I get the position - we talked quite a bit about event and celebrity coverage, fashion blogs, and entertainment. Also, I would be able to experiment with different mediums to enhance a story which will be a great learning experience. The offices are located in basically a glass pyramid, and there were xbox 360's in the waiting area of the lobby. I was told that the building would be hard to find, so I took a cab this morning, which was probably harder to find than the building. I walked up Cromwell for about 20 minutes before one taxi lit up just as it was approaching me.

I rewarded myself with a cup of Starbucks and a pastry as I made my way back to my flat - all this walking will surely negate one tall hot chocolate, don't you think?

Ok I have to get ready for class...6-9, get excited!

So I shouldn't have assumed - we all know what that does

I found out this morning about where I will be interning for the semester...drumroll...msn.co.uk! At first I was focusing on wanting to be placed at a magazine since I know that's what I want to do, but I'll still be writing (and hopefully editing) in more of a features style than I ever have before, so I'm thoroughly stoked. I have my interview tomorrow with Matt Ball, the editor-in-chief and I'm really excited. As far as I know, I will be working for the lifestyle and entertainment sections of the website which will be really interesting and brilliant. I'll be working with Shannon and Stephanie which I couldn't be happier about. Oh, we had our first class tonight...no comment. Three of my roommates are out probably having a fantastic time at some pub, but I figured it would be more responsible to prepare for my interview. I talked to Chelsea today which was a great pick me up...now if I could just get her and Jolynn out here. I'm gonna go narrow down what I'm going to wear as I have to get up at 7 - with our pressureless shower I'm giving myself all the time in the world to get ready.

Seriously? I wonder what it would be like if I was asleep...

Have you ever laid in bed wondering why you can't sleep when that's all you want to do? I'm pretty sure i'm nocturnal...I wonder who I should talk to about that. I had a very interesting weekend - Friday's orientations only corroborated my theory that this program is either not legit or run by half-brained twits, but I'm pretty sure it's a little too late to back out now. On Friday night we went to Harry's Bar, a fancy-schmancy private dining club, with Sangeeta bhua. We took a cab two blocks to Annabel's to see and be seen over coffee. I think my dad's pretty impressed with London, and really intrigued by this whole private night club thing. I actually read an article in Vanity Fair today, thanks to Erica, about Mark Birley - the man who introduced private clubs to London, which was rather interesting. Yesterday I ventured out on my own to Oxford Street and dropped into Selfridges. I wanted to have sushi at Yo! Sushi, but it was really intense and i got scared, probably because it wouldn't be the same as Wasabi. Last night was the Mittal party which was really interesting. I wore a black, gold, and pink Missoni-esque dress from bebe and actually stood out from the crowd of 15-18 year old girls stumbling around in black dresses, Christian Louboutins (sigh), and Chanel bags. It was so interesting to meet the Mittal moguls...I couldn't get over how ordinary they are. I can officially say I've met billionaires. All the girls in the family were so sweet to me. The open bar was a great hit, and when this woman with an albino python (pictures to come) walked in, I avoided her like the plague. I think I'm going to flip through my LSAT books until I fall asleep. XO.

soggy socks suck. so do naps with the door open. dad's in town!! I'll get to see him after another orientation at Imperial, and then we're going to Harry's Bar tonight...getting excited.

Have you ever seen the rain?

I just got back to my flat from the Dorchester (thanks mom) and it's still dark outside. What? We have to meet up at 8 for an orientation at Imperial College in the pouring rain...not the end of the world, as long as I can find my umbrella.

...i'll think of something to put here...

quote of the day: "i think that's creepy but it suits you" ~kn

That was in response to seeing if "Gimme More" (as in Britney's song) was an appropriate title for today's entry - which I think it is considering I want more of London...but whatever.

So not going to bed on Monday night was a grrrreat idea, I was ready to pass out about halfway to Chicago. We met up with Kristin, and it wasn't long before we discovered we have enough episodes of Sex and the City and Friends to hold us over. The flight to London went over pretty smoothly -- minus the guy three rows behind us who had a pillow case on his head...while he was watching his iPod touch. Maybe it wouldn't be that weird if it was an ordinary pillow case, but it was the pillow case off the airline pillow, so it stood straight up. I sincerely tried not to laugh in his face.

We spent the night at the Regency and then packed up to meet the rest of the group at the residences. It was pretty intense -- Kristin and I lugged 5 suitcases up 5 flights of stairs, and then some because each flat is really up the stairs from the front door. Our flat is across the street from a hospital that Papa was in for a while, which is kind of depressing...but at least I know I'm tracing his footsteps. Mom left after she helped me unpack...the contents of half a suitcase are taking over the living room which is actually making me feel right at home. So then we had to wait for half an hour for the people in charge or whatever and we went to the Kensington-Chelsea library, peeked into Hyde Park, and then had a disastrous lunch at a pub on Gloucester Road. So I THINK what happened is that the pub that was booked for like 90 people forgot that we were coming and didn't prepare, so we had to wait 3 hours for our fish and chips, which were full of bones. However the conversation may have made up for it - 5 sorority girls talking about politics, aids, morals and values? You be the judge. These two girls got plaaaastered at the next table, i think they each had 9 vodka sprites with black currant (?). Coincidentally enough, they got lost on the way to our next stop and rumor has it slaps on the wrists ensued. After lunch we went to Imperial College to talk about safety and rules etc., and then my flatmates and a lovely girl from downstairs, Carson, decided to wing it back to our flats on our own. We made a pit stop at Marks and Spencers (at my suggestion) to pick up some food etc. I went straight for the trifles, green apple juice, and chocolate rolls (big surprise there).

All in all, it's been a long but bearable day and I'm so looking forward to the rest of this semester.

Wave Goodbye, Say Hello

if saying goodbye to everyone is anything like tonight, tomorrow's going to be one hell of a shit show.

so this seemed like a better use of time than packing or cleaning my room (sorry mom). i'm a lot excited, a little nervous for this chapter, but that's quite a change from the past few days. i think that now that it's here, i'm realizing i'm going to have a blast in perhaps the best - and probably the most expensive - city in the world. that's probably enough soul searching for now...