Radical Rads

Talk on the tube. That's twice someone's remarked and commented on my hogwarts bag. Knew it was worth the investment. And the brown does look more cooler and chic than the black did. Satchels are cool no matter what. Nice when people actually talk on the tube in a world of silence and grim isolation. I mean even im guilty. I'm standing with my earphones in raptured by a book with the HP soundtrack in my ears oblivious to anything but a recently vacated seat. The animal instinct. Dare anyone make eye contact on the tube. Still I have to say that little moment of human interaction and a compliment in this otherwise hushed commute home has put a smile on my face, leaving me uplifted for once after work on a Thursday.

Views, Food, Twitter. One fantastic Tuesday. London is always beautiful...even in, and following the rain.

J.K Rowling- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Department of Serious Coffee: Down an alleyway in Newburgh Quarter, hidden within London's Carnaby Street is a quaint little corner boasting independent shops and food places. There is also one of my much loved coffee shops within the city: Department of Coffee and Social Affairs. This coffee chain never ceases to surprise me- it can always be found located within a picturesque setting (see above) and also at Slingsby Place in St Martin's Courtyard by Covent Garden. Nestled amongst beautiful exteriors there is no need for frills and colour within. Instead expect sparse whitewashed ceilings, candid photographs tacked to the walls boasting a sense of london pride, quirky quotes and stacks of bookshelves that make the otherwise sparse and wooden tables and desks a warm and welcoming space. Definitely a place to sit cosily in, sipping an Oat Flat White, journalling, reading Harry Potter, nibbling a slice of cake or otherwise ruminating or reflecting upon life's movements... The coffee boasts a rich and intense flavour and is flawlessly crafted, whilst the staff are extremely bubbly and attentive and do not mind offering their opinions on what tickles their fancy... Go on, give them a try!

Don't you just love it when you manage to make your title with a rhyme? A stroke of lyrical geniusness really.... haha. Anyhow, despite not posting in some time- life gets in the way, I've been scribbling more in my journals and exercising my handwriting, I have missed the energetic flow of blogging random life events and really, today just tops it off. What better time to restart something than the beginning of the month? And even more so when your trusted piece of clothing simply defies you, leaving you half exposed, extremely uncomfortable and well, simply grateful that you are covered in a long flowing scarf and jacket. I mean, who expects to dress themselves in BRAND NEW GLOSSY 80 DENIER TIGHTS (to fight the brisk London chill obviously) only for them to lure you in a false sense of security... (they stayed up for 7.5 minutes, believe me I felt compelled to time this event!) So brand new tights... not stuck to my hips and covering my thighs like you'd expect them to. Oh no. But with every step, they slowly slide downwards until THEY ARE WAY PAST WHERE THEY OUGHT TO BE AND ARE SIMPLY HANGING THERE, BY MY KNEES. Do you know how uncomfortable this situation is??! And infuriating. And quite embarrassing too. I mean I do not expect to put on a pair of tights, no matter how glossy, and feel my upper leg walking against my dress, and my tights losing all will to stay up and slid down to my knees. In the middle of london. Continuously. It's pretty darn traumatic. But now I'm an expert at somehow now attracting stares as I reshuffle and realign my tights by pulling them UP ten times today; in Starbucks, on the Tube, on the Underground Platform, in the middle of the street!!! There's me hoping for a positive Friday, and instead I'm left feeling abashed and frankly Bridget Jones like. I mean, who expects this to happen to them on an average day??! I've taken refuge in a coffee shop and now simply dreading the moment I stand up to leave as it will probably entail another two shifts and wiggles and pulling-up-motions to keep my tights up for another two minute interim. Maybe it's time for me to bound down Oxford Street and buy tights rather than lattes... but when your tights aren't laddered or ripped, buying new ones to replace these already new ones is a new level of pain... Oh here goes!

January is for starting new chapters and closing finished stories 📖 10.01.17

Another day another update: A day of dip and doughnuts... Thursday 3rd November. Well yesterday I was beyond exhausted and apart from having the loveliest natter with Helen Chesshire of Brighton Gin who has joined the Foodism Pages and the day going relatively quickly there's not much else to note really. Note to self: sort out LinkedIn profile and use it effectively. But I think it was being squished into and suffocated by beer dripping and tipsy football fans who were supporting Tottenham and were getting off at Wembley on the Met Line, after running around the London underground (during peak after work rush hour ??!! Nope not sure what I was thinking. I was just on missions. I wanted to find one of those personally embossed books Emma Watson of all people had been leaving on the tube yesterday. They're gold dust. And obviously distributed and found waaaay before rush hour began. Not sure what I was thinking exactly apart from being determined to find a piece of the magic for myself. I'd do anything for that piece of my childhood Harry Potter. Felt a bit like Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and that if he could find it in a maze of chocolate bars perhaps I'd be as lucky... evidently not. But it was a great euphoric feeling to embark on such a challenge straight from work) But I think it was all that and then still getting for 7.30 (somehow?! Now that truly is magic seeing as it takes me that long when I do my normal commute from Clapham to Hillingdon following the Northern-Met line without having stopped off and chasing Tubes on a crazy dedicated mission...) But yep guess that is unsurprising that I fell asleep- zonked out flat on the sofa after eating that warm roast chicken for dinner. Total Zzzzzzzzz. So there went my evening and I felt so sleepy that ALL I wanted to do was Facetime Kish before bed and be all sleepy than summon extra energy and wash my hair and apply to a job application that I was eyeing last year and was successful but which had opened and was closing this morning... Perhaps I ought to have used Accio and done Hermione proud. But I didn't. I was a sleepy mess and then applied this morning and my mid week Wednesday trundled along and passed rather quickly than I originally thought it would. Then this morning I woke and showered and applied to that job application before heading out into the crisp winter morning and onto work-ward.

What an enlightening 1st November for sure…

Today is a good day. ... Every day should be a good day, and really on the Rads Rollercoaster each day since as far back as I can see has been spectacular. Mostly anyhow. Enough to make a shimmering and positive impact on my rose-tinted retrospect... But today is a good day than any to kick-start my blogs that I've put on pause for too long. Life has that tendency, much like my thoughts, to race on and not spare you with the moment to stop and reflect. There's a lot I wish to cover and note down but then I stop and realise that perhaps- living it, experiencing the day and its moments as they happen is the best method to take life when it's most busy. Which is exactly when it makes sense to note it down and keep it alive forever, preserved in the written word. But hey ho, I'm surprised I have fitted in time to sleep and enjoy life and marvel at how much has changed since this precise moment last year than worry too much about all those times life raced ahead of me, leaving me no time to write.. (And yes I am that commuter who uses her scarf as a pillow and rests my eyes *sleeps* as I head from Uxbridge to Clapham twice daily. What do you expect- it's a 110 minute journey both there and back!!) So today: Is Monday It's the start of a new week Start of a new month tomorrow It's the new year for all us Indians Our new year falls on Halloween which is also a new eve of some sort right? And generally I'm quite perky and wide awake despite thinking my sleep was too short- isn't it always... Monday has also raced by pretty quickly so no complaints there either. So okay I didn't secure a deal, which is the whole point of my job but I did put leads out there, the sun was beautiful and shining down oh so nicely earlier and I'm all warm and buzzing and loved up from such a wonderful and welcoming weekend in Notts/Leicester. Also I head into work and am greeted by a welcoming whole hamper of flavoured coffee from We Are Littles which is my favourite drink to indulge in and unwind around during this festively spicy winter time. I am genuinely sorted for the next year. They sent across a chocolate blend and a vanilla and a Christmas blend too which I am keen beyond measure to brew. Then just now on the tube as I was surprisingly surreptitiously snoozing on the Met Line two people got up to give their seats to a young dad and his toddler son just as a student offered his seat to a lady. Normally that's me. But it's a pleasant surprise when London loses its selfish, self centred approach and looks out for others. Faith in humanity is restored and coinciding oh so nicely with Diwali and the Indian new year. Now with a box bursting with coffee to spoil me beyond measure and a delightful weekend with the family let's see what the rest of the week unfolds... But yes- Caffeine Fix: sorted. That's one of my life's main concerns tended to. How magical.

Bloodtests make me ravenous: unearthing the time I ordered a deconstructed rhubarb eton mess with crushed creme brulée, and he ordered cheese 🧀🐀 hehehee. 13.05.16 Quick flashback to the past in order to make an account for the future...

Rads Reflecting Retrospectively... Today we hit the 1st August- this post marks the foodie events from Thursday 30th June... It may *seem* like ages ago, but in reality, it was only yesterday. That's how it actually feels. And that's how every event feels in the life of an uberbusy undergraduate who thrives on staying exactly that- busy. And enjoying the excitement of my home city. So first on the list: Dishoom at Carnaby. As always it was phenomenal. The day was hot, they sat us in their quirky and colourful conservatory, all dappled in desiness and spice and ambient laughter. Dishoom really has to be one of my utmost favourite places to chill and dine in London. It has t all, nimbu pani, chai, Limca, the tastiest Pau Bhaji I've ever eaten...the right mix of India in London, the place where Kish first told me he loved me... It's truly a special place. One of opportunity, adventure, where certain life chapters close in order for new ones to open and start... I had the pau bhaji and the ever vibrant farfar to start which flung me back to being a chubby toddler in Birmingham (another place full of indianness where every weekend warranted the frying of crispy, crackly farfar) and a tandoori chicken roti wrap to follow (I wanted rajma chawal, they didn't have it on the menu, but this wrap wasn't all that unfortunately) a bit too dry, and a shade too heavy, but the character and flavour was there. All washed down with a glass of hot spicy sweet chai. Mmmm. We then ventured over to Hackney and Shoreditch to check out this Japanese exhibition of pumpkins and chandeliers which was extremely eye opening and glamorous. We were lucky to get in; they stopped the queue a few people behind us as the gallery was extremely small yet the queue was thriving. Art installment complete we then rounded off this particular London escapade with a mooch and drink upon the Selfridge's rooftop; they had a pop up Gin Garden, it was Kish's 23rd Birthday today, I raised a toast for him up there with a glass of fizzing elderflower gin and something called a Chocolate Forest (funny because the restaurant itself is known as Forest on the Roof) which was an exquisite explosion of chocolate and honeycomb, meringue and raspberry, sorbet and foam mushrooms. It was truly a beautiful day out in London 💞💞💞💞💞 this city really is the place of adventure, each corner unfolding something new and wonderful to explore.

Welcome to the family Cursed Child: cannot wait to sink in and devour this newest addition to the PotterVerse. ⚡😍💞 Sunday 31st July 2016. Happy Birthday Potter!!!

I hide in probhitionesque bars and read the Cahoots daily newspaper which amply features gin, grins and grand old alcoholic recipes... 🍸

Tuesday 24th November 2015: The launch of The Studio; The University of Nottingham's brand new Student-Space and renovation of what was previously known to us students as The Den. The Studio is everything The Den wasn't; which honestly can be described as a grim, dilapidated pit rarely used, untrusted by many of the University Student Population and in my opinion only used for the annual SU Elections we hold to appoint our new SU Officers. I mean every time I set foot in there I was slightly afraid for my safety and also would stand blinking dolefully in its dim light. It was also ignored. That was its predominant function. Viewed by many as the un-fun sibling of the SU Spaces, or merely as a desolate extension of Mooch which has always been the main attraction for students, especially because of its inviting appeal, warmth, light, food and pool tables...The Studio however surpasses them all. It was such a thrill attending the official Opening earlier and was immediately impressed by the sheer expanse of space that was available to me. Not only has this Studio got individual lounging areas, an outdoor setting, two booths to hide in for some independent time (one even fitted with a TV and ample plugs), there is a classroom, a performance space and multiple plush stools and seats for students to merely perch upon, chat, study or mingle. Perhaps to also sip a coffee and complete some studying too- that's always an option! Amongst the numerous bottles of Prosecco that were continuously popped this afternoon, there were live performances by our Tamil and Sri Lankan societies in a way that showcased the Studio in its many along with the spread of food, fruit and cute cakes I happily raise my flute of bubbles in a salute to the University and its SU for pulling off such an impressive and successful stunt!

Harry Potter's poignancy on the terrible loss the world has suffered over this weekend and most importantly the loss, pain, hurt and hardship we are all forced to endure endlessly as hatred continues to exist every second of the day in every crevice of this earth. Prayforpeace,worldpeace ❤ 16.11.15 The world ought to be our sanctuary not a frightening void.

Radhika Chond