Vacation in Great Britain: part 3

 
The third/last full day in London, we started with going to the national portrait museum, to look at paintings and pictures to get inspired for future photographic school assignments that we might get. It was really lovely! Everything from huge paintings of victorian kings and queens in their most bejeweld attire, to the simplest little sketches, and modernistic photography of all the most famous people up through history... Personally, I was really fascianted by all  the details in the art, and wound up looking at the "wrong" things (folds, shadows and such, since I am into drawing myself) instead of the things I could have adapted into a photograph (positioning of the model, light, style of clothing etc.) hehe... all my reference pictures are detail pictures = V="""

Since the gallery was coincidentally situated in Leichester Square, we were quite close to China Town, which was really great, since my group had planned to go there afterwards. The first thing we did after finishing up our tour at the gallery, was to go look for a close-by Ben & Jerrys´ that we had found during some searching on google earlier. We don´t particularily have that kind of thing in my country (or atleast not in the smaller cities and towns) so it was definitely a goal to find one!

... I guess the picture can state our search was successfull x) hehe

I ordered a sundae with three icecream-scoops (cookie-dough, s´mores and baked alaska) and it was topped with whipped cream, white chocolate, milk chocolate and nut bits and a drizzle of chocolate sauce to finish it off ;v; yay <3 de–e–licious!

Later, we looked around china town. We found loads of little cute shops with kawaii things in them. I finally got myself a new wallet! (My melody themed) and resisted buying the totally overpriced arpakassos they had there >v< (I have still got to get my first one ;^;  own none still!)

I tried out bubble-tea for the first time! I tried matcha milk tea with "tapioca" bubbles
(correct me if I misspelled it >.<). It was rather strange, but tasty ^^ I wasn´t able to finish it though...

Later we went back to oxford street, to do some last "cramp" shopping. I got a cute red tartan skirt from H&M (something I have been searching for for ages!), and the others got themselfes some new clothings as well. We wound up at Pizza Hut where we split a pizza between the three of us, and in the end we wound up so late that had to run our feet sore to get to our next appointed meeting place, to meet up with the rest of our class and teacher: the trainstation with the train that was going to take us to the Harry Potter Warner Bros studios tour! We were so afraid we were gonna miss the train, and essentially we were acctually 5 to 10 min too late to go, but we made it just in time anyway!

My, oh my, that was quite an adventure @_@ I was mindblown! It was so amazingly cool!
I don´t consider myself a very, very hardcore fan of the Harry Potter series. Sure I have those periods of time when I have a crazy Harry Potter period of my life, where I just have to read all the books again, watch the movies and play the games (usually during summer vacation it seems XD hehe) but generally it´s more one of those things that I am a fan of, but its not apparant at all times!
But there, and then... I felt like a little kid again x3 yaay <3

Imagine, actual REAL sets, props, outfits and gear worn and used in the movies... for display!??

(we were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted, but my phone who is stupid and old, died on me,
so I got very few of them >.<)

 It felt really surreal. We saw everything from the great hall, the Gryffindor common-room, Dumbledoors office, Hagrids hut... I rode a broom and the flying car, got to see how they did loads of their special effects and even got to meet loads of the animal actors (several generations down) that was used in the movies! ^^ In the outdoor area they had butterbeer that tasted like soda with caramel and whipped cream on top xDD a classmate bought some, so I got to taste a mouthfull... really weird ( didn´t really like it...). And I got to take a picture of and with Hedwig ;v; <3 the real Hedwig!

 Later we saw the workshops with the different models, special creatures and masks and loads more information. Statues of centaurs, trolls and gnomes, and close up details of mermaids and loads of other things you never get to see in the actual movies! Just before we came out, we got to walk through the Diagon Ally (it was so lovely peeking into all the windows ;v;) and the whole tour ended with a huuuge 10 meter tall model (atleast!) of Hogwarts, with every little detail put in, like the boat-house, the whomping willow, the quidditch fields and everything! *v*

(here is also the ticket I got at the shop at Kings Cross!)

Needless to say, I had to get a couple of chocolate frogs (only one pictured here) and a copy of the Quibbler (with glasses!) from the souvernir shop before we left x3

Just to quickly mention the next day, since nothing special happend...

I felt rather sick this day, so we just took it slow...

 we went and looked at Big Ben and the London eye (though we didn´t take the tour)
and basically we (me, my classmates and teacher) parted around 1 or 2 pm. 

I headed to Heathrow on my own, and the others went to Gatwick (kinda scary, but I met everyone was so helpful and kind, it was no problem really...), and soon enough I found myself on the plane to Edinburgh. Nothing much happend on the first day. I got settled with all my suitcase in my sisters apartment, and otherwise just looked around some shops, if I remember correctly ^^ I was to excited about the following adventures to focus xD

As you might know, I took the opportunity to visit my friend Ruth (Princess-Peachie) while I was in Edinburgh, so the next entry will be about our first (out of three!) meetup! ^0^<3You see, we had planned to meet up the very next day after my arrival! I hope you look forward to it as much as I do writing about it ;V; I promise there will be better pictures >.< ehm...

Do you think its scary to travel alone??

Until next time! ^^

Vacation in Great Britain: part 2

I have been extremly busy with school the last couple of weeks! 

Sorry for the update–delay >0<!

The second day of my trip was rather busy as well @_@
And it definitely started off better than it ended...

We had a scheduled tour through the BBC news-building around 11 am,
so after getting ready in the morning, we pretty much just headed right over there ^^

Here is the entry to the new building! They had an old one built in the 30´s right next to it (that they also still use!), but this is now the main–building :-) It was really exciting going there!

We found a full–size (?) Tardis, and even though I haven´t watched Dr. Who before, I felt this was a neccessary tourist shot to do xD hehe

It felt so surreal to acctually stand next to it O.o

The tour lasted for about an hour or so, afterwards we had to do some school related tasks before we had the rest of the afternoon off. Well, atleast we had until 6 pm, since then we had made a deal to meet up together (the entire class) and go to china-town for some dinner!

So, I and the others I was with decided to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum
as soon as we had the time! ^^ We got cought in the rain, and had to stand in the it for an hour to wait, so I was soaked by the time we finally got in >.<

It was a really lovely museum! <3

  But the rain kinda ruined the rest of my day, cause I walked around shivering the entire day after that, in wet clothes.... So, I didn´t really enjoy our trip to Camden Marked afterwards... and thus because of that and because there was only a small amount oftime left, we only stayed there a bit over an hour before we had to leave to meet up with everyone else for dinner....

Some of the others felt that they hadn´t got enough after finishing there, so we went out to look around some clothing shops again, even though I mostly just felt sick by then, because I was so cold >.< 

...

On our way home we went by kingscross underground
so we decided to quickly visit the Harry Potter shop there! ^^

 It was really nice, and it had such a strong atmosphere around it <3
They played the correct music and everything!
I bought a "train ticket to Hogwarts" and a tiny little button that said "9 3/4", as a souvenir.

By the time we finally got home again, I had felt so cold and sickly for such a long time that my mood was down in the dumps and I just headed right to bed... there was no use in doing anything else (seeing as I could not "take a hot shower" since there was no warm water >.>)

Thats it for day two! 

Do you enjoy going to museums
when you are traveling??

Later!

sickness and new obsession

 

I have been sick almost the entire time through this past week! 

From tuesday until saturday, basically >.< 

I am usually never sick, so it was really odd that it lasted so long, 

and I was so exhausted at the end of it that I didn´t really know what to do with myself,
I just felt super ambivalent, full of headace, slimey throat and nose and all my muscles were aching...

I´ve walked around in a huge, cosy, woollen sweater and big, bulky scarfs all week! Extremly boring and only oriented around comfort... and I tell you, even with all that on, 

I felt like an iceicle all the time :-S

I am happy its over! Or well, just about over... my throat is still slimey, but all the other things are ok now ;v; Sadly, my nose has turned into a huge, bulky flaming red mess, because I´ve been blowing my nose so much... so I´ve been blowing my nose, it has dried up, I´ve blown it again and the skin started getting all flaky and falling off, and now its super sore and flaky, yet slimy and it hurts really much, so I don´t particularily feel very good about myself >.>

 I kinda look like a monster at the moment... I feel really bad for not uploading any pictures lately, but too be honest, I´ve been too sick and depressed  >.<

I´ve been drawing a lot, reading books, tried focusing on things that was not only
oriented about depression, it was pretty much just horrible all until very yesterday,
when I discovered a new thing, that will surely be a new obsession of mine ;v; 

You might have heard of it, you might not have, what I am talking about, however, is

Bee and PuppyCat! 

It is a totally new cartoon series created by Natasha Allegri, who works as a character designer and storyboard artist on Adventure Time (which happens to be my favourite fandom ;v;) 

so when I found it I offcourse felt intrigued...

Until now, only half an episode has been published, but oh wow what an episode ;A;

    Just look at this! I absolutely adore every single thing about this show, the super cute drawing-style, the storyline and the characters.... everything is so freaking adorable, quirky and super cool! I have a feeling it will be a big favourite of mine ;3; I can´t wait until they post the next part!  It won´t be until August 7th, sadly ;___;
What do you think of "Bee and PuppyCat"?   Now I will continue doodling fanart, tend to my sore nose, and hope that my working
days at the library keeps being as cosy as I find them to be up until now ; v;
It´s only 9 days until I´m going to Sweden, yay!    Until next time!

♥ Pinku Project labu labu ♥

If you have followed my blog for a while, you might know that I am a big fan of the Canada based Jpop idol group called

  Pinku Project

Today, I thought I´d share some info about them, since I just recently ordered their CD and some autographed pictures! :)

Pinku Project started on Youtube, when a girl called Robin Joobin started uploading dance videos on her account. She got many viewers, and after a while, she started dancing with her friends also! ^^ They wore super cute lolita outfits, and did the most adorable jpop dance covers! And suddenly, pinku project was born ^0^ 

(playing of the name "hello project" which is a famous japanese idol group ;-) )

The first generation of Pinku Project started about three years ago, Robin and her friend Leah has been in it ever since then, but the two others decided to focus on school after a while. 

After that, it became more apperant what kind of nicknames they made for eachother! Robin became Peach Pinku, and Leah became Baby Pinku ^^ They were accompanied by Candy and Cherry Pinku in the second generation of Pinku Project! I loved Baby and Candy sooo much <333

Peach is a blooming fashion designer on the side of being in Pinku Project, and she started making their outfits to make a more distinct look for them when they danced! :D Around this time, she also started an Etsy shop with her own brand called 

PinklyEverAfter

In the beginning, she sold only smaller items such as accesories, but in the more recent times, she has begun selling clothing also! Many of these can be seen worn by the Pinku Project girls in their videos, so for anyone being a fan out there, I really reccomend you to look at it! You can get really unique handmade items, and even though I don´t own anything from the brand myself, I can easily tell that Peach has become an amazing seamstress over the years :) I plan on getting things from them as soon as I get some money to spare ^^

First Pinku Project Mini concert!

Part 1

Part 2

This is the first proper concert they ever held! I love Peach and Babys dresses the most! I really wish Peach would make those dresses for sale >w< I love the design so much! The dresses worn by Cherry and Candy however, is available in the PinklyEverAfter etsy shop :D

  This concert is where it was announced that  Candy and Cherry was going to graduate. Baby and Peach was once again alone :(

So this time, quite some time went by with only Peach and Baby sticking together, making videos as the kawaii "Sugary Fairy" duo!

I had begun being a fan of Pinku Project properly after the second generation started, so I was quite devestated when they split up, you might imagine >.< I dreamed about attending one of their concerts one day * v*

BUT, datta-da-daaa! 

They gather together once again for a new generation! Generation three :D!

Cotton Pinku and Berry Pinku joined the fun, and they are the ones that is by definiton, 

todays Pinku Project^^

As you can see in this video, they were quite new together, and still hadn´t settled their catchphrases properly >v< I love their outfits so much! <333 (these are not made by Peach!)

THIS generation is the one that has made the most impact on me, and that has made me the crazy Pinku Project Otaku that I am today >0<  ♥ ♥ ♥

They uploaded video after video of super duper cute dance covers, and they also started to focus on each Pinkus character traits! Baby, which became my favourite, was the lovely type, Peach was the happy type, Berry was the healing type, and Cotton was the nyan type! :D

(Don´t get me wrong, all of the Pinkus makes my heart go doki doki, but Baby was my first favourite, so she will always make me feel extra fuzzy and happy >w< These days, I feel like I love all Pinku Project members very, very much!♥)

They held several concerts together, and they started a close collaboration with 

the American kawaii idol

 Yukapon

She became a model for PinklyEverAfter clothing, and she also helped them in their biggest project ever done! Their original produced CD and DVD! *0* I remeber so well when they launched this idea, I almost freaked out!!! I just jumped around shouting with joy, and I felt so happy and proud on their behalf. They are so strong and wonderful to work so hard and follow their dreams, and I really, really feel like they are true idols when they are even able to make a proper CD! *0*

It is so amazing, they made a totally original dance and the cutest lyrics you could ever find <3

Offcourse I had to preorder the limited edition DVD/cd set right away x3 hihi 

It contains their amazing PV Magical Journey, sung by Baby Pinku and Yukapon, and also their song about their Pinku Project, called "Pinku Invasion" (just like the title of the CD itself! ^^)

Originally, this PV was only meant for their Pinku Otakus, ordering the DVD, but as it was announced that Pinku Project was ending, once and for all with a final graduation of all members, it was put online. ( I am very happy to own the DVD being able to watch it on my tv - screen! thihi >w<)

I am really sad about Pinku Project graduating... even before I was able to see them preform live! It has been a dream of mine for so long, so it acctually made me cry ;_; 

I understand it though, they are all growing up, and they need to focus on their studies, work hard and really follow their own message that they have spread out there through all their years as idols^^.

I have the utmost respect for them,  and I am so happy that they will continue to be online seperatly, spreading their interests and love for kawaii things and dancing. Peach will keep up her store, Cotton and Berry will dance, and I am not sure what Baby is up to, but she has claimed to come back also! 

(btw, Berry has become my Pen-pal :D!)

They will continue Pinku Project until the end of this year, but then it will be over... this means that they are still having a couple of events for fans to attend! ^0^ If you live in Toronto, 

please look them up! :D

 I decided to get more Pinku Project merch, while I still could, since they have been such huge inspirations to me, and brought me so much joy ;_;
When I made the order, I sendt a little message to them about how much they mean to me, that I was sad they were splitting up, and that was why I decided to make another order to get more of their things! ^^ Peach was the sweetest person ever and wrote me a super cute message where she said that she offcourse remebered me, and that they would name a seat after me on their final concert ; A; whaaah TT ^TT They are so amazing <3333

I only owned the DVD/cd limited edition set, but I really wanted to own the CD also, so I got one more x3 I also ordered one of every single picture they had for sale! :D

Look at the cute visit cards and the HUUGE PinklyEverAfter sticker! ;_;

(Probably putting that on my wall of kawaii = v =)

 They sendt me an extra CD for free ;A; And Peach Pinku wrote inside of it... 

" Dear Josephine♥ Love and peach, we love you! Please remeber us"

Please don´t worry, precious, precious Peach <3 I will NEVER EVER forget Pinku Project, and the huge impact it has had in my life... I have never been a bigger fan of any group before, and I will always remeber you guys! <3 You guys have made me hold on when I have felt like just giving up with my disease. When I have been so sick that I had to stay at the hospital, I always smiled when I watched your videos, and you made me feel strong, like I could do anything ^^ I wish I could meet you guys in person, because you are so important to me ♥

I hope that I can one day hug each and every one of you, and tell you how amazing you are!

  (even though this is a bigger text, I will probably write more about Pinku Project/PinklyEverAfter

later on also >v<)

So to sum up this wall of text, all I really want to say is Thank you... thank you ever so much for all the fuzzy feelings, the smiles, the giggles, the warmth and friendship you have shown me! The inspirational happyness you have brought me, and the fact that you are always there to make us smile and be happy. I really don´t know how to explain it better, there is SO much more I feel like I should have said, but I really don´t know how to make you understand just how important and deep this subject is to me ;_; *sobs* I just want you to be aware of that...

I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH!

 

Thanks for reading