Author Archives: Red

Burnt Out

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I don’t tend to complain much…and I can’t say I am as observant as The Critical Eye. But I really appreciate it when people don’t challenge my intelligence. I’m not much of a cook either but I really do enjoy good food. So when someone serves me black eggs and claims that’s how they are meant to be eaten, then be sure I will speak up!

That little incident happened a couple of months ago at Megan’s – a cozy little Chelsea joint renowned for its ‘atmosphere’ and ‘home cooked food’. With its lovely decor and welcoming feel, my flatmate and I sat at the table, starving and ready to eat a hearty brunch. Almost 20 minutes after putting in our order we finally received out lattes (yes 20 minutes later). The mugs were stained from the outside and the coffee did not taste great. I thought ‘ok’ I will let this slide – as I said I don’t like to complain much. But then came the ‘meal’. My English breakfast – served with bacon, toast, beans and a large portion of black scrambled eggs. (Yes black.) I of course called over the waitress to ask her what had happened. She apologized and took my plate away towards the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later, with what seemed a new portion but when I looked down, there they were again…black eggs. She relayed the chef’s message to me: ‘that’s how these eggs are’. I said, ‘really now..?’ and told her to get me the manager. The manager of course apologized again and told us that they had just gotten a new supplier and perhaps that was the reason why these eggs were not normal looking. He also told us he had a taste and that they tasted a bit off.  With an empty stomach and following this huge disappointment, my friend and I left Megan’s, never to return again. (Poor and ignorant people around us continued to eat their meals.. I only hope no one ended up at the hospital.)

And now we come to today.

This evening I ordered some pizza, chicken strips and choc chip cookies from my local Domino’s. My flatmate and I were bored to cook and this seemed like a safe choice. Not expecting much from the pizza, we ate it and an hour later were ready to enjoy the dessert. We opened the box of cookies only to find that the cookies were burnt. So here we were again. Disappointed and unsatisfied. My friend phoned the local store and politely asked them to replace them. Shortly after, the 2nd batch of cookies  arrived. I went downstairs to greet the delivery guy and much to my surprise saw that the new portion of cookies were equally burnt – if not more! At that point you can imagine I was quite frustrated and annoyed. I called the guy at the store right in front of the poor delivery guy and told him that this was getting a little ridiculous. And guess what the Domino’s employee said to me on the phone? ‘Please miss just take a bite and I promise you won’t get food poisoning.’ (!) I did not find this funny in the least. He also tried to convince me that they were not burnt and that this is the way they were usually made. He said we always serve them this way. Again this stupid phrase ‘oh that’s how they are meant to be’.. Well here is some news for you. NO ITS NOT HOW THEY ARE MEANT TO BE. Cookies are NOT meant to be burnt, eggs are NOT meant to be black and there NEEDS to be a better freaking standard of quality in this country!

P.S. This is how Domino’s Pizza describes their cookies: “Domino’s Cookies – 4 crunchy chewy warm & gooey cookies loaded with choc chips”…No mention of burnt cookies anywhere.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

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So I woke up this morning feeling mentally and physically drained … I rolled out of bed and into my clothes and headed to the bus stop. With a flapjack in one hand and my bag & coat in the other – I ran to the bus and barely made it in. I stood crammed amidst a crowd of people, some yawning, some alert, some smelling of freshly sprayed perfume, some holding coffee and listened to the same voice I’ve been hearing for the past 2 years, announce the same stops on the same route I take each morning. ugh. I hate monotony but this is what it has come down to now.

And then it got me thinking – something I think about pretty often…. How awesome was it when I was a student?! It’s true what they say… Enjoy it while it lasts.

So to break my monotonous day at the office – I dedicate this post with some of my favorite ‘you are/ you’re no longer a student when’ jokes to my long lost student life – something I will forever cherish and miss as I get older and older:

You are a Student when…

A lecture at noon is considered “too early”

You say “I’m never going to drink again” at least twice a week

3 days go by before you realize you’ve not left the house or got dressed

A balanced diet means varying your takeaway choices

The Chinese delivery place you order from knows your address off by heart

You pull all-nighters writing up essays

You pull all-nighters chilling with friends

Your friends decide to bake cake at 5:00am

You can spend a lazy day reading a book or relaxing on your couch

You watch a TV series that airs at 4:00am daily

It’s ok to go out on a school night

You’re no longer a Student when…

7:00 am is when you get up, not when you go to sleep

You keep more food than beer in the fridge

You know all of the people sleeping in your house

You hear your favourite song in the lift at work

All nighters are no longer realistic or physically possible

You don’t pregame at home before going out to a club

You no longer go out to clubs

A lot of weddings are suddenly happening

You go from: 1 month at Christmas 1, month at Easter & 3 months summer holidays to 25 days of holidays a year

You get out of bed in the morning even if it’s raining

You no longer take naps from noon to 6 pm

You actually eat breakfast foods at breakfast time

‘I just can’t drink the way I used to’ replaces ‘I’m never going to drink that much again’

Over 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work

Mixed reviews for Danny Boyle’s FRANKENSTEIN

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Slowly I learnt the ways of humans: how to ruin, how to hate, how to debase, how to humiliate. And at the feet of my master I learnt the highest of human skills, the skill no other creature owns: I finally learnt how to lie.


This was by far my most anticipated play of the year… Having booked tickets 2 months in advance, I was ecstatic when the day finally arrived that I would see Danny Boyle’s vision of Frankenstein come alive on stage. And come alive it did…

From the opening moment when Jonny Lee Miller flopped around on stage naked as the creature, stripped off everything, bare and exposed, to the closing scene, where we see him evolved to an almost human – he delivered a beautiful charismatic performance making me laugh, cry and simply fall in love with his character. I cannot stress how amazing and genuine he was! Told almost entirely from his viewpoint – he became the beast who was hated on stage but embraced and adored by the audience.

What was most unfortunate however and really made me furious was the remaining atrocious supporting cast – who were not even remotely close to the standard of the National Theatre actors. I have never seen such weak performances in a professional play, a play of such notoriety and with such a huge production. What was Danny Boyle thinking while casting these actors?! It almost mocked and demeaned the high rate – vastly superior performance of the creature.

The production itself was impressive, with a live fire, sparks and rain falling on stage. I sat right at the front and it all seemed very real to me…with JLM gracing me with his extremely close presence on several occasions… but regardless of the brilliant lead performance, the spectacular set & atmospheric visuals, the play was let down by the supporting cast who fell flat and lacked depth. Even Victor Frankenstein was not given the adequate opportunity to develop as a character. The script itself, adapted from Mary Shelley’s novel by Nick Dear was shockingly weak, and regardless of tackling some of the existential questions posed in the original novel, this rendition came off as superficial and amateur. You could almost have a hit with the muted performance of the creature alone, without the drab and shallow dialogues.

Perhaps it was the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch was taken ill that evening and it may have upset the order of things (granted his understudy was not bad at all)… Or perhaps too much work went into perfecting the role of the creature and not enough attention was given to hiring decent actors for the minor roles, but whatever it was, it took so much away from what could have truly been the best play on the London stage!

5* for JLM

3* for the play

1* for the supporting cast

Here comes the sun… and I say… its alright.

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It’s a funny thing the weather. It affects our planet, it’s life, it’s death, it’s unpredictable, its an ice-breaker, it’s hot, its stormy, it’s cold, it’s cloudy, it’s warm, chilly, sunny… it’s what I wear every morning, what I eat every afternoon and how I travel home each night. It’s winter-blues and happiness. It changes with each year, each season, each month, week, day, hour, minute…

I think we underestimate the weather sometimes and at other times we are reminded of its power.

I love most types of weather. The rain soothes me, the wind makes want to stay indoors, the snow evokes my childhood and the sun makes me smile. It always seems to be on my side.

Today, feeling exhausted, drained and stressed – I looked up and saw the sun peering through the clouds, shining down on my face and at that moment I felt warmth, satisfaction and an array of bursting emotions. So rare it is to see the sun these days that you saviour every little moment you can get and as with most good things – you always miss it when it’s gone.

I leave you in the entertaining hands of the Beatles.