The big 5-0-0

I'm not one for stats and figures and monetizing and referral sites and page clicks and what have you, but the new Blogger interface showed me a few weeks ago that I was inching closer and closer to the 500 posts mark. And this is it!

When I started this blog, I never thought I'd be in the UK for four years – nevermind inching towards home ownership with a longterm partner. And I definitely didn't think I'd still be blogging. When I began Bloody Brilliant in 2008, it was definitely a place for me to capture my feelings about moving abroad – sort of like an online diary. At some point, probably around 2010, I thought to myself oooh how nice would it be if I could be like Orangette or Mighty Girl or Design*Sponge or The Pioneer Woman and just live off of talking about myself and my passions online! I'm cute, write well, work in design, and have interesting things to say! I can DO THIS!

But I realized, eventually, that whether or not those attributes above are true, I'm not committed to becoming an online persona in that way. This realization came about, I think, when an influx of other American expats to London who were blogging started linking to me and commenting; they helped me understand through their writing that I'm neither unique in my experience of living abroad nor social enough in my interactions online to become a power-blogger. Once I came to terms with that realization, found a measure of acceptance in it, I fully embraced Bloody Brilliant for what it truly is: a carefully curated record of my life since moving to London, through pictures and words. And that is enough. More than enough.

Every so often I like to look back through my posts and re-read them to remind myself of how far I've come. It's heartwarming to remember the amazing trips I've been on, meals I've enjoyed, exciting moments and sad times alike. Do I wish I had tried harder to make this blog more popular or more < gulp > famous? Maybe – I'd be lying if I said no – but do I want to grow up and grow old and say "I'm really glad I devoted my life to a blog"? No, I don't think so. So I'm satisfied for now with keeping Bloody Brilliant as living, breathing timeline of my life in London.

So what's next, then? Well obviously there is big house news that will be hitting here fairly soon, and then I will probably post quite a few retroactive entries about what the process was like – finding, offering, losing, winning, negotiating, waiting and waiting and waiting. And then of course there will be a few decorating posts and DIY posts, and maybe a few more money posts. And then it will go back to just normality: every day life posts about the weather, musings on philosophy, a few pretty things, and a few moans about, well, life.

Because that's really, at the end of the day, what blogging is really all about – it's about sharing the little and big things that make you happy, sad, and everything in between. Thank you all for continuing to visit my small corner of the world – I truly hope you'll continue to stop by for the next 500 posts and beyond.

Follow Friday

I never really do that #FF thing on Twitter, mostly because I don't really *do* Twitter that well, but this week I am going to #FF here AND there to introduce you to my friends who just entered the blogosphere.

You may remember that I mentioned earlier about some friends who have decided to save up to throw it all in, quit their jobs, and travel across Asia for several months. Well, the dream is on its way and the one-way tickets have been purchased and the blog has launched! Head over to Banh Mi and You to read about their preparations for their big trip. PS: Their blog will soon have a sweet new blog look and feel, thanks to YOURS TRULY. When I get around to it.

I'd also highly suggest that you follow them on Twitter (@banhmiandyou) and join them as they embark for the biggest and most exciting adventure of their lives! Wheeee!

Bloggybody

Yet again, it's me, back at the blog after a noticeable absence, about to apologize for a lack of posting and etc. But this time, I'm not going to: I've been busy in the real world, and haven't really had the time or patience to chronicle it all in the virtual world. I'm not sorry about the lack of posting but I am sorry abut the lack of sharing.

So what have I been up to since my last post?

The last three weeks have been, well, just life. There were some highs and lows, celebrations and despair, decisions and reversions on decisions, trips abroad and time in my house. In no particular order, I...

...finished up a knitted baby gift over many evening hours for my dear friend Alex, whose baby shower is Saturday (which I cannot attend, to my chagrin) and who is due in September...

...played kickball at my friend's third annual Colonists vs Commonwealth 4th of July kickball game (we lost, again)...

...saw La rondine at Opera Holland Park and spotted Gok Wan and Joanna Lumley in the audience...

...met up with many friends for meals and drinks...

...missed my company's summer party at the delightful looking Dock Kitchen...

...agonized over whether to buy a pair of shoes in the Net-a-Porter sale...

...sort of tried to stay on track with my marathon training programme...

...decided, with The Irishman, to put off the plans to move until he makes some career decisions that will affect where we live...

...spent a weekend working on and off in the office and at home...

...went to Paris for 5 glorious days of shopping, eating, strolling, and seeing friends.

And now?

I'm back in the office, trying to repatriate myself into the working world. The weather is chilly so it feels like September, and I'm trying to keep the summery spirit rather than seek comfort in soft woolly sweaters. It's hard though with a dense sky that looks like lead and temperatures hovering at 19°C.

But I have much to look forward to!

This weekend a friend from the Netherlands visits to see art and eat food, next weekend we have tickets to Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and another excursion to a local pop up restaurant, and after a quietish weekend in between I'll be traveling to the Lake District for the first time! Then it's off to Ireland for a rugby match of some sort, and then Brittany to celebrate the marriage of Jon et Alix, mes chers amis français. After all of that, I will be out of money and running upwards of 15 miles a weekend so by the time it really truly is September, I will be ready to start some serious hibernation.

And of course, I will try to blog about it all.

Blognic!

The lovely Tea for Joy is hosting a blognic!

Bloggers and bloggerfans, sign up and see you there – hopefully with as much sun as there is today! It's glorious outside, isn't it?

Year 3

Last week was my three-year anniversary of life in the UK.

And you know what?

I forgot.

Between getting swept up in the giddy excitement of the Royal Wedding, suffering another Irish invasion in my apartment, keeping an eye on the situation in Syria while getting out and about to enjoy the glorious weather, I've simply been too caught up in my life here in London to remember when I actually arrived. I contemplated not posting about the anniversary, and just blithely sweeping past it into year 4. But ignoring a milestone means not taking the time to remember just what has been achieved. And I've achieved a lot since moving here; sometimes it doesn't seem like it, as small victories like successfully shopping for groceries and finding one's way on a bus are everyday habits back home.

But it's also a good thing that I forgot the anniversary. It means I'm fully acclimated to life in the UK, really a resident rather than a transitory guest overstaying her welcome. My daily life is normal, rather than exciting; the currency in my wallet has lost its charm (as well as its buying power) and I whinge just as much a native Brit. The only thing left for me to do is vote - which I won't get to do for a while yet.

As I move from enchanted tourist to weary nearly-citizen here in world's biggest small island, the implications for this blog are also weighing on my mind. I started BloodyBrill as a journal of my time away, my travels, the quirky Britishness I encounter, and record of my experiences. As I settle in and settle down, I'm finding it harder and harder to think of what to write. It's not that I don't love the readers and commenters who frequent BloodyBrill, but I'm thinking that you probably don't want to read about my composting, my struggle to keep my flat clean, or my constant war with TFL about overcharging on my Oystercard. As I am not traveling too much for work anymore, there isn't much for me to report as the farthest I'm going is in cabs to Embankment – a far cry from monthly meetings in Amsterdam.

So friends, three years on... what do you want to see, read, hear about on BloodyBrill? I'll be using the summer to think about a new focus for BloodyBrill, so please let me know what you think. There are so many other expat blogs out there doing a much better job than I, so hopefully you can help me develop a more personal (and sustainable) angle here.

London to live, New York to love - BloodyBrill on Little London Observationist

If you fancy, hop on over to Little London Observationist. Stephanie's got a great thing going, reviewing and commenting on London life and its lovely quirks. She also interviews a Londoner weekly, and your truly is that Londoner this week! Check out my interview on her blog, and give her a read - you won't be sorry.

Two things that inspired me to write.

As a followup to my last post about finding the impetus to put fingers to keyboard, I felt compelled to tell you about two articles I just read regarding reading, writing, introspection, and life plans.

The first is courtesy of my main information source, The New York Times. Their "Ideas" blog is a pretty reliable column for finding quirky and thought-provoking fodder (it damn well should be for being called "Ideas"), and this post didn't let me down. I am intrigued by the paradoxical suggestion that digital communication is actually improving human skills in writing. And I have hope that I can overcome my simultaneous writer's block and failure to follow-through.

The corollary to my perceived self-faults is my latest personal fad: writing my 5 year plan. I admit, I'm not that close to 30 but it's creeping up with increasing speed. Lately I've been trying to sit down and figure out "what I really want out of life" and frankly it's excruciating. Therefore I've been compounding my lack of follow-through and refusal to write by also refusing to actually think about making big life decisions. (I'm really good at backing myself into theoretical corners, in case you haven't noticed). So I was cheered up immensely by this list, recommended by the same Week in Review columnists who bring you the NY Times Ideas blog, of people who were in completely wrong-for-them careers at 30. Not that I think I'm in the wrong career per se, but more about considering what it is truly makes me tick and prioritizing it in life.

So look - if I can just keep on writing, and get better at it, I might just figure it all out by 30. Like Sylvester Stallone did.

Long time no blog

Hi all, sorry for the dearth of posts. The holiday season is in full force here, so time is in short supply. But I'm about to put a few posts up now, so hope you enjoy...

My Perfect Saturday

Continuing the topic of food, and travel, and the fact that I live in London, etc, my friend Kat hipped me to another food blog called Londonelicious who she thinks I should befriend over wine and tapas somewhere in N1. I have to admit the girl has a way with words and a keen eye for London restaurants, so I was excited to see that she has invited comments on her post "Your Perfect Saturday in London - or elsewhere" - bloggers are asked to detail their perfect Saturday with food and link back to her post. So, gamely, I shall try... be gentle with me, I've only been here for 5 months! The only caveat is, I'm going to do my perfect Sunday - I seem to eat more and do more foodie-type things on a Sunday. Here's my perfect Sunday in the East End.

9am: wake up and make coffee to deal with hangover
10amish: after shower, interwebbing, etc, set off for a nice big English breakfast at either S&M (Angel, Essex Road) or Workers Cafe (Angel, Upper Street)
11:30ish: after lingering over my roasted tomato and gathering the energy to move, head over to Islington's farmers market for ingredients for the soup of the week, flowers, etc. Taste cheeses from the various mongers and definitely use the hand cream tester from the honey/beeswax lady!
12ish: Pop into Aria to browse, just because you never know what you'll find!
1ish: Drop off veggies at home, and head back out to Regents Canal to walk over to Columbia Flower Market and Shoreditch/Brick Lane (or bike by road if feeling saucy)
1:30ish: get a deal on some sort of plant as the stalls close up
2ish: stop for a pint to quench your thirst at any of the fine establishments on Shoreditch High Street or around Hoxton Square (bonus points for sitting in Hoxton Square)
3ish: head over to Brick Lane for the Sunday markets and general fashion parade, pick up a snack at the Sunday market in Old Truman's Brewery, perhaps some Thai spring rolls - eat while you browse the market stalls and Rough Trade Records
4ish: head down to Spitalfields to see whats up, still open, etc; pop nose into the little British food shop A Gold's, perhaps get a little something at Market Inn
5ish: head back to Angel, stop at the Camden Head for another pint to quench the thirst sitting outside on the patio
6ish: here's the dilemma - either cook, or out for Sunday roast. I haven't found the perfect Sunday roast place yet, and I always get there too late when they've run out of food, so there is no one place here - recommendations, however, would be great!

Food, glorious food!

I've written a bit about my cooking fiascos and interest in most things culinary. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a foodie like the Irishman, but I do enjoy preparing a good meal and conquering a new and exciting recipe. And of course, reading food blogs to find those recipes is an excellent way to waste - um, I mean, spend - time.

Another aspect of food I enjoy is eating in places I've never been. When I was in Amsterdam with Riejte, we ate some amazing pancakes in the Negen Straatjes neighborhood; in Spain, I couldn't get enough cured meat and sauteed vegetables. Culinary exploration might be the best kind of travel.

So I was thrilled to see that one of my favorite food bloggers, Clothilde at Chocolate & Zucchini, recently marked her blog's fifth anniversary, and celebrated by posting online maps of her favorite food and shopping destinations in Paris. Wheee! She has managed to get 3 of my favorite things into one: eating, shopping, and Paris. Now, I just need to scrap together a few pence for a Eurostar ticket to use those handy guides!