Birdy want a drink, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

a fasinator, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

dave & catherine on mushrooms, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

beginning of a very long weekend

beginning of a very long weekend, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

party hopping3, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

where are we going?, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

east london

eoin, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

art and about

Been to see a few art shows recently.. there is so much on offer in London. Millie took me to a very exclusive word of mouth exhibition by innovative performance company PUnchdrunk entitled 'tunnel 228' - they have teamed up with the Old Vic (Kevin Spacey is the Creative Director at the mo) and created an underground mixture of art and live performance in the tunnels under Waterloo station. Going underground was very spooky and there were rooms that were completely pitch black but you just walked into them and then discovered some artwork; there was a pvc forest, water whirlpools in a perfect glass sphere, hooded human figures littered throughout the space setting a very dark motif. It was bloody freezing in the tunnel and you had to adorn a flu mask because of the industrial nature of the site - dust and shit.


Today I dropped into the Royal Academy of Arts to see the collection of Kuniyoshi's work - an amazing Japanese artist who existed in the mid-nineteenth-century doing colour woodblock printing. The work was amazing not only for the composition and detail from the artist but the craftsmanship of the block-cutters who could transfer such fine and intricate lines onto the paper. The Warriors fighting fantastical sea creatures were just amazing.

meringue in notting hill

meringue in notting hill, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

Yummmmmm

White Denim

Going to check out this band tommorow night... loving their video clip. 3 guys from Texas... should be fun will post gig review (as if i will ever do that...hehehe)
White Denim MySpace

Zeigeist

so i'm probably a bit slow on the uptake -- considering this is a revolution that may be unforgivable. But I just watched Zeigeist online... Wow! What an eyeopener... you come away feeling so duped and naive but also so helpless. We seem to be at the mercy of the economy and a small group of dominant men that control the finances and are working towards a one world government. This film states this has been in construction for 60 years. Now whilst I never fall for anything hook line and sinker (even conspiracy theories) this did raise some very plausible schools of thought and I think that it is worthy of everyone to view this film, at least to throw the other side into the mix.
Capitalism is definitely not working the way that it used to be and as we head into another age (2051 - age of aquaruis) people are actually sitting up and saying.. hang on.. i'm not really happy with my situation and all these things that the television and media says I should buy actually don't make me happy.. wait a minute... what does make me happy?

This is the beginning of a new train of thought- where status, clothes, possessions are all being questioned as to their actual worth and value to me as a human.
I urge you all to watch this... it's online so it's best to watch on a laptop.

Zeigeist The Movie
and let me know what you think..

Irish Jig from Alexandra Fletcher on Vimeo.

drinkin jamesons

i necked a few Jamesons while I was in Ireland.. but there is something funny when i'm drinkin neat whiskey in a glass that I just want to lean up against a pole in a semi slumped position... with a furrowed brow and break into this song "..you make me feel so young...you make me feel like spring has sprung..." basically i feel like Dean Martin.

ireland

someone i picked up at the pub, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

I've just been on a pilgrimage to Ireland... the mother land and home to a vast majority of my ancestors. Going with my mum also helped the sense of a family reunion... and because she is a genealogist I heard many a story of distant relatives and who they married, what they did and their respective fates. Some of them were bad buggers... and one was hung for blowing up a jail in England.

Ireland was awesome and some of the scenery is so f^&* mindblowing that you just stand on the hill blinking and rubbing your eyes. Such overwhelming beauty makes you feel so insignificant in the best possible way.. you lose your ego and put yourself in perspective of population and also of time.
We drove across Ireland to Dublin and trekked around, went to Kilmainham jail which plays a very important role in Irish history -- witnessing, in yet another country (having just come from India), the backlash & uprising of patriotic countrymen against English oppressive rule.
And don't get me started on the weird conversations that I've had with some Englishmen here.... let's just say that in reference to India there were quotes such as " but we built them railroads.." and" I don't know why they changed the city's name to Mumbai.. i mean are we meant to call it Mumbai Mix now?" Eek! And I thought Australians were racist.

a day at the Tate Modern

I love the Tate Modern - everytime I come to London I sooo look forward to walking up to that massive chimney and checking out the inside. Doesn't fail to inspire...

Great day for it too - overcast and cold - i wish London would just choose a lane already with the weather.

3rd Day now here and i'm slowly coming round to being out of India. Everything seems so functional, clean and a little bit boring. And it takes a trip to India to totally see how excessive the western world is. I mean every single step that you take there is something that you can go into and spend money, even the office blocks or buildings have people inside that are making money..money money money.. entertainment, mobile phones, clothes, accessories, eateries.. ahhhhh!!! i sometimes just close my eyes and think of my little chai guy everytime i walk past a Starbucks.

elephant blessing

being smashed, originally uploaded by alexandrafletcher.

I'm leaving Pondi tonight to head for the hills. Apparently it is much cooler there..that will be a relief. It's started to getting really hot here and although i have climatised... you just feel gross all the time and so lethargic. It's a wonder tht you get anything done around here.
Today Jonas and I went inside the Matrimandi at Auroville. I have never seen anything so amazing and pure in my life. YOu weren't allowed to take photos inside but if I could describe it - their were walkways that lead from the bottom to the top of the round Matrimandi very similiar to the ones at the Guggenheim in NY. In the very centre was a tunnel of light that went through the whole centre of the globe. outside there were small meditiation rooms with marble floors and you had to wear white socks inside. You head to the main meditation chamber which looked like something out of a movie. In the centre of this room was a large crystal ball - absolutely flawless and smooth perched on a gold stand in the shape of Sri Aurobindo's sign. There was a perfect shaft of light that came from the ceiling that goes through this ball and the middle of the matrimandi and comes out the bottom to meet another crystal ball in the middle of a fountain shaped like a flower. Amazing. Then around this ball are about 8 white columns and there are white pillows perfectly laid out around this circular room for meditation. The doors leading in are made of marble ....in fact everything is made of white marble. Perfectly still and quiet. Truly amazing. Not many people get to go inside the Matrimandi so I was very lucky. Jonas arranged for a tour with a very French Aurovillian called jacque. Who built a lot of the functional aspects of the Matrimandi - he kept showing us where all the hidden doors were..and the hidden light sockets etc. a little added bonus. I wish that I could've taken pictures but i'm glad that you can't because you wouldn't be able to capture how amazing it is inside. A lot of thought, love and dedication has gone into the structure. And it serves to represent what Auroville is all about.