The Lion King Musical, Lyceum Theatre

Whilst being in the nucleus of culture in the UK, I couldn't let myself leave without seeing a musical. Even all the street signs wouldn't let me go, as they screamed their titles at me, spanning from more traditional, well-known shows to newer yet tempting ones. Tonight I decided to visit the Lion King at Lyceum Theatre. Half of the people I know must've grown up with Disney movies, and so the story of the Lion King is pretty straightforward and familiar. I went in without any expectations, mostly curious about how the animalistic characters would be executed. Hakuna matata, it was well-worth the visit.

If I had to describe the show in two marketing-like keywords, I would say: vibrant and clever. The orange glow of the decor immediately reminds you of sand-laden Africa. As a rising sun marked the beginning of the show, drums and enchanting chants could be heard echoing all around the venue. Even whilst sitting in the very back-row at the top of the theatre, I could enjoy the visuals as they were so very bright and cheerful. A pleasant surprise was the way the animals were depicted: no cheesy onesie-like costumes that would probably make the actors sweat in unison, but elegant headdresses that also had multi-functional aspect of acting like puppetry. The human aspects of the actors were not overly disguised, and I think that is beauty in itself. After all, the emotions of these animals are no different from what humans face on a daily basis, yet elegance was preserved as the clever costumes made way for a good balance between human and animal gestures.

I found myself surprised again and again, because everyone knows what would happen in every scene, yet the special effects made way for clever and mind-blowing solutions. A great deal of the show was puppetry and mechanically powered. Whether it's a small cart with mobile-like antelopes, or the bigger giraffes which bent their necks with mechanical strings, it all required quite an amount of brain-power to execute in a way that it wouldn't seem silly. We are all used to moving decors, spinning platforms and lit-up screens, but the integrated puppetry is something I have never encountered in other musicals before. Actors did not only have to think about their own movements whilst dancing, they also had to keep in mind how their puppet-half would move along. I cannot imagine the amount of effort that must've been put in perfecting these double movements.

The cleverness continues into some characteristic scenes from the movie as well. When little Simba got himself stuck in the moving herd, who would've thought that the elephants would multiply themselves in the form of automated puppetry? Then came the emotional moment of Mufasa's dead, his fall further dramatized by making use of stroboscopic light, it was as if you were frozen in the realization yourself. Carrying on, even the spirit of Mufasa was shown in an emotional combination of light and echoes, as a grown-up Simba studied his own reflection.

However, the enjoyment of the show did not only come from its technical aspects. Timon and Pumba did well in bringing the carefree, hakuna-matata spirit into the venue. It's in the little things such as their silly movements and greatly imitated, cartoonish accents that made their characters so believable. Of course, more laughs were triggered from characters such as Zazu, the anxious servant who always gets his feathers ruffled by everyone, and desperately started singing "Let it go" when captured in his skeletal cage under the reign of Scar when he demanded "a song with more bounce". Not to forget Rafiki, with his (or actually, in this case: her) foreign mumbling and shaking of the hips. And of course, the three hyenas literally rolled on the floor laughing with their own humorous idiocy, it was as if you were dragged right back into your childhood memories again.

Words just cannot describe how bombastic and intense the show was, especially because I have no pictures or recordings to justify my words with. Furthermore, I just believe that the songs would speak for themselves as you are there, listening to a video recording is in no way the same as the acoustics you get from sitting at the venue. Songs like "Can you feel the love" felt like an amplified, touching ode to puppy love (or should I say kitten love?). The mischief of little Nala and Simba that quickly got exchanged for a whim of maturity was noteworthy as well.  You would have to see for yourself to go through the excellent singing, dancing and acting. Expect to have your mind-blown, it is certainly worth the 45+ pounds.

London: A first impression

Ocford Street: for all your shopping adventures, or simply to enjoy the British flag everywhere.

London: even though you left blisters on my feet and dizzied my mind with your heat, I still twist and turn in bed, thinking of you. It's not hard to be reminded of this bustling metropolis at night, when sirens echo through my window as if a crime scene is being set up to be marked on your cityscape, something that might as well be taken straight out of a movie. Indeed, everything in this city seems to have a cinematic quality. From its labyrinthine underground system to its majestic architecture: London feels like a Parisian Sydney with bits of Melbourne and double-decker buses everywhere. Grand and classy.

On Saturday I arrived in a small airport called Luthon, where no help desks could be encountered (only a grey man that sold tickets without caring about providing further information); where something as logical as a city map or tube (the underground/metro/subway) map wasn't available: it surely was a hassle getting around. Of course I was just a naive tourist who thought getting to the city centre without preparation should be fine because it's London. It took a while until I finally got my hands on a city map and tube map, which made life a lot easier. So, tip of the day: if you're arriving in a small airport such as Luthon, download your maps beforehand. Sydney was easy, a matter of following a few simple lines. But London, oh boy, it's a crisscross of colour-codes and intersecting dots. Reading a map isn't hard, finding the station you want in gazillion other names is another story, knowing which names are the highlights of the city is a plus.

Despite the initial disorientation, within a few hours it was just a matter of following the signs and asking around. The public transport staff is surely kind enough. If you love public transport as much as I do, then live your dreams in London. Double-decker buses: great for escaping the sauna of the tubes during summer. What's more: you finally get to see some buildings from a straighter angle than usual. Do be aware of regular traffic jams, but if you just like to aimlessly muse about architecture without straining a muscle, I'd say: plant your body on the upper deck. The underground and/or overground system is probably more reliable if you're in a hurry and want to wander efficiently.

Enough of this infrastructural talk, though. So how's London? I guess I gave you a bit of a taster by mingling grand cities into a simile about London, but it takes more than one line to describe the city. If I had to use one word: majestic. Another one: bipolar. The latter doesn't only apply to the weather (even though I've had the luck to only experience sun during the last few days): it's as if a whole different atmosphere lies around each corner. Somewhere on a wall I read: "The unexpected is always to be expected".

Most of the landmarks are bound to be old-school: columns, carvings, castle-like features, gold-plated lettering, you name it. If I had to pick a city to study during my Art History classes in high school, I'd probably go to London:

Saint Paul's Cathedral

Somebody help me out here, I've got no idea what this is.

Ditto. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between things when everything is grand, but hey that's the London Eye sneakily hiding behind the brown tints. London has too many landmarks.

Palace of Westminster, Big Ben atop.

London Tower

Tower Bridge (apparently not London Bridge, y'know, the one we always curse to fall down by singing that song.)

But sometimes, London likes to play mix-and-match as well. A good example would be Piccadilly Circus: a place where modern embellishments and classical architecture seem to intertwine perfectly. Some parts make you feel like you're in the Broadway of London, with all of its glamorous neon/led signs announcing musicals against a classical architectural backdrop. Even if you're not a musical lover, it grabs your attention.

Of course, no metropolis would be complete without its multicultural influences. I have yet to try the famous Indian Curry of London, but given my heritage it would only do my stereotype justice if I visited China Town. The one I went to is only a 10 minute walk from Piccadilly Circus (just follow Michael Jackson's finger), but you can also get there by wandering a few minutes from Leicester Square Station. Other than your usual Asian supermarkets, red lanterns and highly competitive restaurants, expect a huge red gate to stand in the middle of the street effortlessly.

Piccadilly Circus

China Town, Gerrard Street.

And if you'd like to see a whole different facet, try the London City District: London's economic area with glass buildings that make you feel like you're supposed to be in a futuristic animated movie where cars fly around (Wall-E, anyone?). Like I said, I was lucky with the weather, so I had the pleasure of capturing some nice reflections. I guess it kind of feels like the WTC of Amsterdam.

London City, with its cute bullet-like tower called "The Gherkin" peeking up from behind the glass frontier.

Classical Architecture doesn't leave: the reflective nature of the London City District makes sure of that.

Pointy and tall: the Shard. Round and shy: the City Hall.

Rise and shine.

One doesn't always have to blind themselves to see the sky.

And in between the blue, there's always red.

So that's it for today, all glamour and glitter finally shaken from my head after rolling in bed for almost two hours. They say that the clouds of London always cry, but they seem remarkably happy these days. Next up: probably something about the markets of London, but I'd also like to explore some of the more urban areas. After all, there's beauty in decay. I'm curious about the street art I'd encounter if I take less well-known roads, but for now I'm probably packed in the tube most of the time, or somewhere in class. Oh right, I came here to study, you knew that, right?

Camping in Luxembourg: killing the internet-bug

Camping "Um Gritt": a peaceful place between the hills in Luxembourg, situated alongside the Sauer river.

University's over for now, and since my graduation project was based on the smartphone usage of millennials: what better way to detox from all the information overload by packing a car and hiding yourself between hills? Me and my friends needed a short and cheap getaway after much sleep-deprivation, but killing the internet-bug was just one out of many coincidental advantages from the past few days, for me especially. No social media, no comparing, no obsessive checking of e-mails. It's cliche, but healthy every now and then.

Given the possible directions I would like to go in life (writer/communicator/story teller), it is hard to not give in to the marketing charms of social media despite re-occurring negative feelings against this social habitat. Its addictive nature, the tendency to sketch a far-too-perfect image, the growing narcissism, the admiration for superficiality... you know the drill. However, it is easy to blame a whole construct when it is really ourselves who have the upper hand.

Nobody forced me to create an Instagram-account and to scroll through meters worth of pictures each day. Nobody forced me look at pictures with the intention of analyzing composition, contrast, colour usage, etc, just to end up landing on this far-too-perfect "lunch date with my bff"-kinda image and clicking further and further into cyber space. Is it a play of coincidences? Sort of, as far as the tracking of our social media behaviour goes. We can't change it, that's the way companies know what we want. So what do we have? Emotional control, which is highly dependent of our own mindset.

The latter is hard to manipulate once overhauled by envy; a short getaway into nature might help despite its short-term effects. It is not meant as some sort of rehab. Instead, it should be a little nudge into readjusting our focus; a realization of what brings peace to us and what doesn't. Throughout the trip, I realized that cruising or hiking through landscapes along with my photo camera brings me solace.

Of course, it helps to have a semi-volunteer driver (a.k.a. close friend) and lush landscapes. Even the bipolarity of the weather creates a certain appreciation for beauty. We drove from the Netherlands, through Belgium, right into Luxembourg. It's easy to spot the difference by focusing on the differences of the roads and the signs. Little details like these create small sparks of refocus throughout the chaos in my mind. So does staying alert for nice picture opportunities.

With this mindset, I'd like to show you some of the pictures I took on the first day. They contain a lot of simplicity, mostly pictures taken along the highway, but it's just to give you a vibe of losing your mind to the infinity of nature and infrastructure. This isn't about results, hundreds of pictures of the same thing ought to have told me that I am not a professional photographer. But this quantity does tell me something else: during those hundred pictures, I was focused, I was in the moment. Social media gives you this focus as well (how many times have we lost track of time while scrolling?), but to me it creates much less satisfaction and worthy memories.

Therefore: enjoy my little story.

Yellow-green plains, cars and bikes. Not something specifically Belgian, but surely cute and a memorable starter of our journey as our tires seemed to be displeased with the quality of the road.

This is a puddle, but could as well have been a lake through the way it is photographed. Nonetheless, it doesn't take away from the amount of rain we experienced while driving.

Soon enough, Belgium welcomed us with much bluer skies...

... and steep roads.

But in no way do they take away from Europe's authentic atmosphere.

Luxembourg has the same green and hilly vibe, although with better roads.

Here, it's even easier to make your mind wander.

But the effortless change of landscapes, along with the gorgeous sky, surely keeps you awake.

Architects surely know how to create picturesque scenes as well...

...but the clouds that peak up from above the trees should not be left without credits either.

By the way, you should know that I've never gone camping before. Who knew that tents actually contain a divided interior and exterior?! At least I learnt something new, although I only functioned as an assistant while setting up our two tents. Sadly I am too used to hostels or hotels, but I can't complain about the experience. My back might be a bit sore but it really wasn't as terrific as I thought it would be. Camping can be quite civilized as well. ;)

I don't often post pictures of my friends, but I am sure that without them, I might have ended up sleeping in the cold rain with no food. Did you know that it's possible to cook pasta by nesting your pan of boiling water plus pasta in your sleeping bag? I surely didn't, but I doubt I should try this out at home with my regular blankets.

So here's to close (and less city-spoiled) friends. Here's to beautiful skies; spending the evening playing cards; not falling asleep with your smartphone light while waiting for responses; and a lot of shutterspamming.