You Can't Hurry Love

Normally, the only day that I have to wake up even remotely early is Monday, for my 9 am class. So I’ve been my usual nocturnal self, staying up late and getting up even later. Today, however, I was up around 9:25 and ready by 10. Rachael (my floor rep) and I had coffee and tea, respectively, and toast, before heading out to London.

The sun was out but the air was crisp as we made the brisk walk down the street from Roehampton to Barnes Station, where we took the train into Central London. From there we hopped onto the Tube and, instead of coming up for air, we walked through the tunnels to the entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Rachael’s family friend gave her tickets to the special Supremes exhibit at the V&A, so Rachael invited me to make good use of them. We walked slowly through the exhibit, reading about the Civil Rights movement, Motown, and the rise of the girl group. It was kind of strange to read about American history in the middle of London, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Supremes were trendsetters in both music and fashion (especially in the African-American community), and the costumes they wore on stage are absolutely amazing: extravagant, brightly colored, and drowned in sequins. The Supremes wore everything from mini-skirts to pencil skirts, fake eyelashes, winged sleeves, and enormous wigs.

The background music was a mix of the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and other Motown hits. Listening to Oldies really brought back old memories of sitting in the Mazda with my dad when I was little, listening to the radio. “Daddy, who is this?” I would quiz him. He was almost always able to tell me the title of the song, who sang it, and where he was the first time he heard it.

After we exited the exhibit, we decided to wander our way through some of the other interesting galleries of the V&A, including the Islamic/Turkish, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese rooms. It was fun just to walk through them, stopping to admire the beauty or craftsmanship on display, while chatting about family, food, weapons, religion, language, and everything in between.

The smell of hot food came wafting in from somewhere nearby, and we were beginning to get hungry, but opted to head up to the third floor in search of the jewelry exhibit. We had a quick “look-see,” as Rachael says, around the ancient instruments gallery before making our way to the jewelry rooms.

The first thing that caught our attention was the touch screen that allowed you to design your very own digital ring. Rachael and I couldn’t decide if it was really cool or if we were just easily amused. But what girl can say no to the opportunity to design her perfect engagement ring? But like they say, "you can't hurry love."

I admit, when it comes to jewelry, the girly-ness in me comes out. Especially when it comes to rings and earrings. We browsed through the timeline of jewelry; some of it was gaudy, some plain, some intricate, some extraordinary. Rachael and I came to the conclusion that we have to marry the right person if we want to be decked out in the kind of stuff we saw there.

Following the jewelry exhibit, we decided that we couldn’t stand it anymore and embarked on a quest for a decently-priced restaurant in (slighty posh) Knightsbridge (as in, a block from Harrod’s). God answered my morning’s prayers and we quickly stumbled across Taro, a self-proclaimed “Sushi Noodle Bar.”

A quick browse of their menu convinced us that our search was over. We were lucky enough to make it right before they closed for the pre-dinner break. Rachael, on my suggestion, ordered the chicken curry rice, and I had the syoyu ramen (I think it’s actually shoyu ramen?). I was unreasonably excited; I had been craving real ramen since before I left the States.

The food was delicious…or we were hungry…or both. Either way, Rachael and I definitely enjoyed ourselves, and managed to make it out of Taro—to our surprise—each paying under 10 pounds (including drinks). Food in London is expensive, so we were quite pleased with our fortuitous gastronomic find. Needless to say, we left the restaurant with full stomachs and happy hearts.

On another note, the weather today changed a bit as we were walking around. The wind is beginning to get chilly now; it’s beginning to really look and feel like I’m living in London. Despite the dreariness of it, there’s something strangely beautiful and romantic about it.

I spent this evening with some of the Biola girls, alternately planning out tomorrow’s excursion and watching episodes of “Friends” on DVD. Amy was sweet enough to make fajitas for everyone, and Dani (our adopted non-Biola American friend) baked brownies and cookies. We’re spoiled, aren’t we?

I tried to be responsible and do some reading tonight, too, but alas, there are more exciting things than dragging myself through The Jungle (Upton Sinclair). I’m dreading how early I have to wake up tomorrow morning, but I think it’ll be fun. I guess you’ll just have to keep reading to find out about my upcoming adventures!

P.S. Did anybody catch the title?