#london nye 2022

[ringsbeforebabies]

Fete List: Worldwide New Year's Caribbean Parties 2023

Fete List: Worldwide New Year’s Caribbean Parties 2023

[giacomo77]

Weekend a Londra. 🇬🇧 • • • #london #travel #weekend #england #love #loveit #photography #picoftheday #travelgram #traveler #family #italian #bigben #londoners #life #2022 #nye (presso Big Ben, House Of Parliament, London Eye & London Bridge) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm6mz6OtIwn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[the-vertical-woman]

My Business Life

The events industry is far too big, and way too fickle, for me to wish to join as a competitor. Every year, many companies fade away, and completely disappear off the radar.

I have however, had to organise specifics for many parties: with regards dancers, colour themes, interactions, classes, venues, choreography, costumes for performers and clients, etc…

Communication is key, of course; although I do find a large number of customers are still complaining about the lack thereof. I pride myself in being a listener, and an adviser. I use my life experience, my contacts with various cultural backgrounds; in my own approach to helping people bond with each-other at a party.  Dance can be an extremely powerful way to bring people together; within a non-threatening emotional pétri-dish.

Contact me, Sandrine:

www.corporate-entertainment.club

Have a great day!

[myheartalivewrites]

Hello, hello, felt like about time I made one of these. Here are all the fics I have up on ao3, sorted by fandom then length, because... I don't know, I felt like it? These are mostly E rated, so remember to check the tags and read only what you're comfortable with! 💚

(title links will lead you to ao3)

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

Long (over 50k words)

Deep Blue (~76k, E rated) - AU, FWB to lovers, beach setting, pining while fucking, Henry POV (tumblr tag)

Down by the Water, I Saw You (~63k, E rated) - AU, exes to lovers, set over multiple vacations/holidays, mutual pining, split POV

Foxden Park (~50k, E rated) - Victorian AU, house party, country games, featuring moodboards created for the RWRB Big Bang, Alex POV (tumblr tag)

Medium (10-25k words)

Have One (On Me) (~10k, E rated) - AU, NY bar setting, mutual pining, miscommunication, bartender!Henry, Alex POV

Happy NY (~11k, E rated) - AU, New Year's Eve in NY, aged-up, missed connection, a little bit of angst, split POV

In His Wildest Dreams (~11k, E rated) - post canon, set at the brownstone, very horny, very smutty, Henry POV

Just like that. (~10k, E rated) - AU, roommates, getting together, feelings realisation, sex talk turning into actual sex, silly + soft + sappy, Alex POV

Love and Hate at the Farmers’ Market (~11k, T rated) - AU, farmers' market, rival stall holders, Christmas/holiday vibes, Alex POV

Love and War (~11k, E rated) - AU, WWII training camp setting (no actual fighting though), getting together, a bit of pining, captain!Henry, Alex POV

Paper Chains (~25k, E rated) - AU, co-workers, friends to lovers, NYE, non-linear narrative, ALL the pining, split POV

Pumped (~22k, E rated) - AU, climbing buddies to friends to lovers, pining, set in London, Alex POV

Twice the speed (of you and me) (~17k, E rated) - post canon/slight canon divergence, Alex + Henry + Pez threesome, very smutty, split POV

you and me, babe, how about it? (~13k, E rated) - post canon, A + H + OMC threesome, smutty smut, Alex POV

Short (anything under 10k words)

Awakened (~2k, E rated) - post canon, a coda to In His Wildest Dreams (see above), a crucial scene but told from the flipped POV, almost purely smut, Alex POV

Don’t Wanna Be A Fool For You (~6k, E rated) - AU, roommates, angsty Henry pining super hard, getting together, Henry POV

Have One (On Me) REMIX (~6k, E rated) - AU, NY bar setting, bartender!Alex, shy/pining Henry, Henry POV

Oxford Days (~6k, E rated) - AU, roommates, an ode to Henry’s Oxford slut phase (as CMQ put it), slutty Henry, clueless Alex being into it, Alex POV (tumblr tag)

"Please, I need you to." (drabble-ish, E rated) - missing moment, the rimming we all wish we'd gotten to see in the book, Alex POV

Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured (~3k, M rated) - AU, enemies to lovers, co-workers trapped in a cab together, Henry POV

Total Eclipse (~1k, T rated) - AU, karaoke-based meet cute, Henry's a disaster, Alex is obsessed with it, Alex POV

Tumbled Down and Tangled Up (~4k, E rated) - canon divergence, alternate events in that hospital cupboard, getting together, Alex POV

You Spin Me (Right Round) (~5k, E rated) - AU, gym/spin class setting, spin instructor!Henry, Alex POV

* * *

A MARVELLOUS LIGHT (THE LAST BINDING SERIES)

in your room, like a temple (~4k, E rated) - post book 1 canon, set at Sutton, magic smut, a result of me being obsessed with the blue light spell

(you are) the river of light (~6k, E rated) - second in my post book 1 canon series, set at Sutton, more blue light smut, magic lube, and an ending that’s so romantic even I can’t believe it

* * *

And if you're after MORE recs: here are my favourite reads from 2022 and 2023; I reblog fics I love on this blog with the tag rwrb fic rec; and my ao3 bookmarks are public. Or you can always hit me up. I'm happy to share my enthusiasm for RWRB fics

Happy reading!

[invisibleicewands]

Welsh should stand up to attack on culture - Sheen

Actor Michael Sheen says the Welsh public must rise up and defend its cultural institutions to prevent an "unthinkable" end to the Welsh arts sector.

He listed funding cuts at Welsh National Opera, National Theatre Wales and Museum Wales as examples of "an attack on culture" in Wales.

His comments came ahead of the Welsh debut of the play Nye, in which Sheen portrays Welsh politician Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the NHS.

The Welsh government said it has had to take “extremely difficult decisions” to focus funding on core public services, including the NHS.

Sheen, from Port Talbot, said it would "an outrage... terrible" if a continuation of funding cuts meant an end for the Welsh arts sector and insisted the public would not let that happen.

“We are not going to let our country die, are we. We are not going to let it culturally die and wither on the vine," he said.

"We have to do something about it. We’re not going to sit here and let people take everything away from us.”

On taking on the role of Aneurin - or Nye - Bevan, Sheen said he felt an "emotional and passionate connection" to the Tredegar politician, but said it was also "a lot to live up to".

The play was written by Welsh playwright Time Price and is a co-production between Wales Millennium Theatre and the National Theatre in London, where it premiered in April - it will play in Cardiff from 18 May to 1 June.

It tells the story of Nye in a series of flashbacks as a morphine-induced Bevan lies in a hospital bed battling terminal stomach cancer in 1960.

Sheen said it is now time for Wales to tell its own stories - despite the squeeze on public funding.

"Walking in here yesterday, walking onto the stage I got a real excitement about the potential for this space, for plays telling Welsh stories, the story of Wales," he said.

"No one else is doing it. Where is the great play about the Chartists, the Miner’s Strike, our cultural life and history?

"We have to make sure our voices are heard. Even if the opportunities for those voices to be heard are being shut down, then we have to shout louder don't we."

The Welsh government said: “Wales’ culture, art and sports institutions are an integral part of our society and well-being, enriching our communities and inspiring future generations.

"We have acted to mitigate the full scale of the budget pressures on these sectors.

"However, we have been clear our budget is up to £700m less in real terms than when it was set in 2021.

"We have had to take extremely difficult decisions to focus funding on core public services, including the NHS.

"Based on [the UK government's] plans our budget will be lower per person in real terms in 2028/29 than it was in 2022/23.”

[twopoppies]

https://www.tumblr.com/twopoppies/738010788973903872/some-of-harrys-team-are-all-together-in-st-barths

Who from his ream are in nyc?? Also if you don’t mind can you share the links where he celebrated new years in last couple of years??

Tommy and his boyfriend are in St. Barts. But they travel all over the place. I don’t think H is vacationing with them.

I don’t remember the years and locations of Harry’s NYE trips, but he’s been with James Corden a couple of times and Adele was with them once. I just remembered he was in London for one New Year where we got some photos from a party (James Corden was there, again) and then a bunch of people got Covid. That might have been 2021? 2022? That video of him dancing in the But Daddy I Love Him t-shirt was from one of his New Year trips. His yacht vacation with Kendall Jenner was over New Year (in St. Bart’s). Anne and Robin were there, too. Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi showed up, too. That was all weird.

[sincericida]

I'm not exaggerating anything. It's obvious that his feelings for her are strong. If we are to make a comparison, for example, he introduced Alyssa to other famous friends long after their relationship started and took her to a public event. He took Kate on a double date with Bo and Phoebe at the very beginning of their relationship, arranged pap walks for her many times, had his team inform the press about their relationship, and yes, he took her to Wimbledon. //

I don't disagree with this anon. I do believe that Andrew has feelings for the witch. But I'm not sure the Alyssa comparison is apt because when they were dating, covid was at its peak. People, especially famous actors, would probably not have been available to meet easily owing to covid safety guidelines (if they were working).

He was also working quite a bit, shooting UTBoH and promoting TTB. He probably had other priorities than arranging pap walks. She still visited him in Calgary. And even then, he took her to both the TTB premieres, to London to meet his school friends (when he went out there to promote TTB) and to the SAG Awards. They spent Christmas and NYE together and she was basically staying with him when he wrapped UTBoH and returned to LA.

His team put out an article about Alyssa too when they were first papped together in NYC. It was oddly similar to the Kate article, where it was mentioned she has great sense of humor.

It also is true that he was never dating anyone publicly when he attended Wimbledon in the previous years (2017/2022/2023).

☝🏼

Information from the time he was in a relationship with Alyssa that you can find online, and people who have been in fandom for longer knew.

[00qad-fandom]

A 00QAD HOLIDAY NIGHT IN: WATCH PARTY LIST 2022

Happy Christmas 00QAD fandom! As is our tradition every year between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the 00QAD discord server brings us together by hosting some of the best holiday movies, new releases, and fandom-related content.

Join us for:

A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992) on December 24 / Christmas Eve at 11am New York / 4pm London / 7pm Istanbul / midnight Hong Kong

(w/ Michael Caine)

Hosted by @kmk1701d

CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY (2022) on December 26 / Boxing Day at 5pm New York / 10pm London / 1am Istanbul / 6am Hong Kong

(w/ Andrew Scott)

Hosted by @nothingtosay

KNIVES OUT (2019) / GLASS ONION (2022) DOUBLE FEATURE on December 31 / NYE at 3pm New York / 8pm London / 11pm Istanbul / 4am Hong Kong

(w/ Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas)

Hosted by @kmk1701d

WATCH THIS SPACE IF MORE WATCH PARTIES ARE ANNOUNCED

As always all relevant links are in our FAQ or send us an ask (not on anon!)

See you there!

[mariacallous]

It may sound like fun and games, but it’s no joke. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, this decentralized group of activists came together to raise money for Ukraine and demolish Russian narratives on social media. They even have their own version of NATO’s Article 5 for mutual assistance, with the hashtag #NAFOArticle5, a cry for other fellas to pile in on social media posts. The fellas took a big step toward recognition last month by staging the NAFO summit in Vilnius. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas congratulated the group on its first summit and tweeted, “Behind every Fella is a real person who believes in #Ukraine’s victory.”

The world has changed markedly in the more than three decades since political scientist Joseph S. Nye Jr. popularized the term “soft power” in the pages of Foreign Policy. When that article was published in 1990, the dust had barely settled on the ruins of the Berlin Wall, most American homes didn’t have a personal computer, and the first internet meme of a dancing baby was still a few years in the future. The notion of government ministers attending a wartime summit and taking time to praise smack-talking cartoon dogs would have struck many political observers as far-fetched.

​​Although the modern vernacular of soft and hard power implies opposition, since the earliest civilizations it has been more of a continuum. In ancient times, Hellenization spread throughout the known world in the wake of Alexander the Great’s army. Proselytizing priests followed in the footsteps of Spain’s conquistadors. Imperial China presented a cultural wall against the steppe as powerful as any fortifications. The information age has modified the nature of soft power but not human nature. As Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine grinds on and governments in West Africa fall to coups, it’s evident that no surfeit of wishful thinking will reduce the appeal of hard power for some.

Today, many world leaders still reach for sports, language, food, music, and movies to advance their interests. These efforts aren’t inherently more persuasive than bullets or blockades, but it’s a much more pleasant and humane way of seeking to influence world events. Occasionally, soft power seems to work like a charm. The United Kingdom is widely viewed as having benefited from the recent royal pageantry, despite it coinciding with some messy political infighting in London’s Parliament. India certainly benefits to some degree from the widespread popularity of yoga and Bollywood, but the country’s status as a rising Asian nation and counterweight to China explains much of its appeal in the West.

Increasingly, some political representatives are taking the extra, and risky, step of engaging directly with global popular culture. China’s ambassador to the United States, for example, recently tweeted, “An American friend asked me: what kind of flower will grow out of China?” A torrent of responses cast doubt on this anecdote and questioned whether the ambassador had any notion of how Americans actually speak.

Advancing soft power through pop culture may get more difficult as the internet evolves. The NAFO fellas, for example, generally organize themselves on Twitter, which has been a popular platform for social movements from the Arab Spring to Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement. But Elon Musk’s rebranding of Twitter as “X” raises the question of whether the fellas will still be able to “tweet” and if anyone will notice if they do.

In a similar vein, Hollywood, which arguably did more in the 20th century to promote a beguiling image of the United States than the Marshall Plan or the Apollo program, is struggling with challenges at home and abroad. Labor strife casts doubts on new productions, artificial intelligence is encroaching, and competition from overseas is increasing. Content from Nigeria, Mexico, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and, of course, Bollywood is clamoring for the global attention span. Filmmaking can also backfire: Sony Pictures Entertainment suffered a major hack in 2014 that included threats to terrorize cinemas showing The Interview, a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korea’s leader.

North Korea may be a touchy Hermit Kingdom. But South Korea’s K-pop, its brand of popular music, furnishes Seoul’s leaders with a deep well of soft power to draw from. In September 2021, when the United Nations opened the first fully in-person General Assembly in New York after lifting COVID-era restrictions, South Korea’s then-president, Moon Jae-in, invited the group BTS to sing and dance (and speak) their way through the U.N. headquarters as his special presidential envoys for future generations and culture. At the time, South Korea was riding high, having recently been catapulted into the top 10 largest economies in the world. Now, it has just been elected to the U.N. Security Council.

Sports and pop culture don’t have a monopoly on soft power. A little more than a decade ago, Russia was viewed favorably by nearly half of Americans. (Russia’s favorables have since dropped to single digits in the United States.) But with the possible exception of the dissident punk-rock band Pussy Riot, Russian pop culture was almost entirely unknown, then and now. Americans are more familiar with the cannons of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and the works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov came to define classical dance; ironically, these Soviet defectors made ballet cool for a generation of Americans enrolled in classes during the Cold War. Only much later would some balletomanes understand that Nureyev self-identified as a Tatar and Baryshnikov as a Latvian.

Some government cultural campaigns are deliberately nostalgic. In 2020, Spain’s food ministry launched a campaign with the slogan El país más rico del mundo—which translates as either the “richest” or “tastiest” country in the world—plastering the motto on billboards in train stations and at bus stops. Centuries have passed since Spain had the world’s silver at its fingertips, but Spanish food and chefs are ubiquitous.

Language, and the pleasure of wordplay, is one of the most enduring aspects of a culture. Romance languages, a Roman legacy, flourished in medieval Europe. Many of the top-ranked countries in a recent survey of soft power subsidize global language schools, including Spain’s Cervantes Institute, Germany’s Goethe-Institut, China’s Confucius Institute, Italy’s Italian Cultural Institute, and the United Kingdom’s British Council. The guidepost has been France’s Alliance Française, which was founded independently by a circle of preeminent late 19th-century Parisians that included Jules Verne, Louis Pasteur, and Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, developer of the Suez Canal, and leader of the plan to bring the Statue of Liberty to New York. French President Emmanuel Macron feted the 140th anniversary of the organization’s founding on July 21, remarking at a celebration at the Élysée presidential palace that the hundreds of schools scattered around the world, mostly underwritten by student fees, are “absolutely key for the diffusion of French culture but also of our values.”

Soft power may be pricey, but world leaders continue to pour money into a range of cultural offerings because they can’t be certain what will resonate. Last month, Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched the Bastille Day parade in Paris, including a flyby of three French-made jets in the Indian Air Force. Modi’s visit concluded with an announcement that India would buy 26 more Dassault Rafale jets and three additional Scorpène-class submarines. This year, during a state visit to Beijing with plenty of cultural baggage, Macron sealed commercial deals for aircraft, cosmetics, financial products, and pork. Soon thereafter, a French television station called it a “jackpot” when the news broke that China had agreed to extend the stay of a pair of giant pandas at the ZooParc de Beauval in France’s Loire Valley. The zoo’s director had been among the entourage that had recently accompanied Macron to Beijing, which has a monopoly on pandas around the world.

Sports, especially hosting global events, can be an expensive and risky way to project soft power, and in some cases, countries have been accused of “sportswashing.” None of this is new. Adolf Hitler wanted the 1936 Berlin Olympics to showcase his Nazi regime; it showcased instead the superlative skills of Jesse Owens, the African American athlete who walked away with four gold medals. More recently, pro-Tibetan protesters stormed the field during an Olympic torch-lighting ceremony ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Last year, Qatar faced widespread criticism when it banned soccer fans from wearing rainbow gear into games because visible support for LGBTQ rights is prohibited in the socially conservative kingdom.

Currently, the thorniest debates center on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and how to handle it when they face Ukrainian competitors, a headache that host countries probably had not envisioned when they bid for these events years ago. Some star Ukrainian athletes are refusing to shake hands with competitors from Russia or Belarus, which Moscow has used as a staging ground for its war in Ukraine. Some tennis fans, who may have thought they were witnessing poor sportsmanship, booed at the end of matches at Wimbledon and the French Open. Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan was disqualified after winning a world championship match in Milan for refusing to shake hands with her Russian opponent. She later posted a video on Instagram saying that what happened “raises a lot of questions.”

One question that hasn’t been answered is whether the fellas are making a real impact. Their social media messages have been so pointed, at least in part, because they echo the agitprop communication style developed by the Soviets to agitate nonbelievers and motivate the like-minded. But the fellas didn’t get their most cherished wish at NATO’s Vilnius summit, which ended without a major advance in Ukraine’s bid to join the security alliance.

The term “soft power” evokes more than wishful thinking, although that was certainly part of its appeal after the barbarism of the 20th century. Alongside other forms of persuasion, it can help a country cut trade deals, win friends, or join new clubs. Or not.

[plegdoctor]

Last Glitterask Sunday! They started last year this time of the year so they're ending now 😊 it seemed like a fun NYE resolution adjacent thing to start the year with in jan 2022 and it's been very nice while it lasted. Are you a new year resolutions person? Tell me about them (if you feel comfortable doing that ofc). And thanks for indulging me and playing along with me, hope you have a great 2023 💖

Me because glitterask Sunday is ending

My New Years Resolutions are mainly in my 20 before 20. This includes complimenting people more, doing Race for Life again, learning to play a song on piano, reducing screen time. You get the idea, just random things I want to do to improve my life.

I also have a few seperate resolutions, such as going to Hampton Court or the Tower of London, getting a first in my first year, and reading Anna Karenina!

Do you have any?

[tuituipupu]

last night was such a eurovision-filled nye it was a weird feeling for a lil brit like me because normally everything feels so distanced from esc and that our country’s relationship with the contest was just a meme and something to poke fun at :( but...

- we had sam ryder’s live concert ringing in the new year on mainstream tv

- we had a tribute to ukraine with the london eye fireworks at midnight featuring stefania and blue and yellow lighting

- ... more sam ryder singing after the midnight fireworks (he is a national treasure now)

- followed by almost 3 hours of a recording of the Het Grote Songfestivalfeest 2022 again on mainstream tv (BBC1) called ‘The Big Eurovision Party’

i was so excited and it’s just a weird feeling that liverpool will be hosting on behalf of ukraine this year... I hope this isn’t just a one off because of the situation and that the uk keep this enthusiasm up in the future!

[channelping]

🎧Channelping.com | DJClub.io✨We love to share your posts. Let’s spread the music! @slapthatsound @oden.music @fatzo_music @thearchbrighton Events⭐️SLAP.🥳New Year’s Eve: ODEN & FATZO ▶️Sat, 31 Dec 2022 (21:00 - 09:00) @ The Arch Brighton, Brighton UK🎟skiddle.com #letsgo #brightonuk #uk #channelping#dj#musicproducer#oden&fatzo#nye#techhouse#housemusic#techno#melodichouse#dance#podcast#hardstyle#trance#edm#nightclub#electronicmusic#radio#undergroundtechno#psytrance#beatport#recordlabels#soundcloud#soundtrack#music#london#musicfestival#spotify https://www.instagram.com/p/ClK7zRgMqDc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[itsrattysworld]

Without Prejudice Mervelee Myers Windrush Oral History Resources Share Stories About Misogyny Of Women Who Speak Our Truths Gag By Judiciary Of England Wales Criminal Justice System Crown Prosecution Service Criminal Justice System Open Letters Top Down Bottom Up Government To Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin Fall On Blind Eyes Closed In Shame Deaf Ears Must Get Ready For Mental Health SEND Advocacy Nexus Health Group Denis From Africa Study Kings College London Identify Boredom Whilst Joanne Duggan Leigh Kavanagh Nexus Health Group Call Write About Misogyny NHS England Letter Breach Nye Bevan Founder NHS 1948 Vision Can Gayle Lewis Please Contact Me About Concerns Husband Neglect My Assault Kings College Hospital 6th April 2024 Windrush Square Black People Desmond Jaddoo Cohorts Worship Injustice Of Dead Ignore Hate Crimes Against Living Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway Put Me On Customer Panel For My Skills I Was Minute Taker On Scrutiny Panel District Judge Sterlini Will Not Get Away Label Me Violent Nuisance LEYF Did UURICA-LE Criminal Need Emotional Regulation Treatment Under Cover Of Margaret Horn Lecture Holly Sweeney Led Nikki Wright 2 Male Police Officers To Murder Read MOPAC Response Neil Solliss Nikki Babb Until Black People Stop Treating Each Other With Disrespect We Will Not Realise The Greatness Marcus Garvey Spoke About Nelson Mandela Stated The Purpose Of Freedom Is To Create For Others My Life Did Not Start May 2022 When Samantha Gibbs Invited Me To ASB Meeting She Is On Long Term Sick Leave Whilst Am In Danger From Deborah Agnes Gilchrist Joe Hooper Neighbours In Alma Grove Metropolitan Police Gave Permission To Target Me And Son Visiting To Help Me Overcome 23 Years Hate Crimes In Bermondsey I Reclaim Copyright Intellectual Property Images CPPDP From Social Media Cyber Criminals Mark Upton Guy Lawful Stolen Website Created From Scratch 2012 Waiting To Pay...

Refer to 26 August 2024 Court Narin Masera Devonshires I was contacted via letter in July 2023 by the Housing Association about the mediation I offered. I was in shock when during the CRISIS I was experiencing I received a letter from Narin Masera about repossession.  I called the number in the letter in good faith asking if the person was aware of the DISCRIMINATION of their client of other…

[bisluthq]

yeah NOLA was in 2022, but he must have wrapped up the shoot before christmas right? So they were both off to go on holidays like usual. Hence why I was wondering why there was not a report of it of any kind unlike what happened in other years and if they even did a trip at all. I asked someone else and they said Joe was spotted in NY right after NYE, so I'm guessing they didn't

And I'm not sure but I feel like I saw on the Instagram jet account that she wasn't even in London for the 1975 performance thing. Like she flew there seemingly just for that. The NY Times article also said she was like hanging out there until pretty late and stuff, so Joe probably didn't flew in with her. I remember him showing up the day after in Milan looking red eyed rough as heck

I honestly don’t know 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

[dennisasp]

Harry Potter Nerd Trip til London

New Post has been published on https://dennisasp.dk/harry-potter-nerd-trip-til-london/

Harry Potter Nerd Trip til London

Allerede tilbage i 2020 havde jeg planer om en Harry Potter London Nørd tur med en nær ven, men som alle nok husker, var vi alle sammen i sommerhus i Jylland den sommer. Turen var dog ikke glemt, og efteråret 2022 blev det en realitet.

Hovedformålet var at se teaterstykker Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, men det var lige voldsomt nok at tage helt til London med det ene formål. Jeg havde været i London otte gange tidligere (det kan du læse om her), så jeg havde allerede set de mest almindelige seværdigheder og lidt til. Så det endte med at være en rendyrket Harry Potter tur til London.

The Making of Harry Potter / Warner Brothers Studio Tour

Den første erfaring vi kan give videre er: Book i god tid! Vi havde nær ikke fået billetter, da man åbenbart skal booke 2-3 måneder i forvejen. Dog er der indimellem nogen der rykker deres bestillinger, og så dukker der alligevel noget op. Vi tjekkede hjemmesiden flere gange dagligt og lykkedes til sidst med at få to billetter. Vi havde adgang kl. 14:00, hvilket var fint. Men er du en hardcore will not miss a thing fan, så forsøg at booke med adgang når de åbner.

Bussen til studiet. Foto: Maila Walmod

Studierne ligger i Leavesden i det nordvestlige London. Det er let at komme dertil, enten med den gratis shuttlebus fra Watford Junction, i bil eller med bus fra London. Sidstnævnte kan fås som en samlet pakke med billetterne.

Jeg var der selv for første gang i 2016 med en ungdomsskolegruppe, og jeg mindes at vi var der 3 timer. Allerede der havde jeg besluttet, at jeg gerne ville tilbage og have bedre tid. Og det var en god beslutning.

Da vi var der tæt på juletid, var hele oplevelsen tematiseret efter ”Hogwarts in the Snow” – altså magisk hvid jul. Og det var fuldstændigt magisk! Det gjorde hele oplevelsen både bedre og anderledes, og oveni det var der en del nye ting.

Hvad kan man forvente?

London Harry Potter Tour Storsalen. Foto: Maila Walmod

Allerede når man når til Watford Junction, kan man se andre fans iklædt Hogwarts-skoleuniformer. Så inkarnerede var vi dog ikke. Når man træder forbi garderoben mv., bliver man som det første mødt af en fuldskala Ukrainsk Jernmave (dragen trioen flygter fra Gringotts på), inden man kan styre ind i caféen eller begynde turen. Her får man en kort videoinstruks af Fred og George, inden lærredet glider op, og afslører den store dør ind til storsalen. Under vores besøg var den dekoreret med juletræer, julemiddag og isskulpturen fra juleballet i Flammernes Pokal. Det er overvældende, især hvis man forventer at storsalen er filmtricks – det er den slet ikke! Herfra kan man ellers bevæge sig videre rundt mellem kostumer, rekvisitter og udstillinger af scener såsom Gryffindors sovesal, fællesrummet, Dumbledores kontor, eliksirklasselokalet og mange flere. Så kan man blandt andet lære, det lokale både har været rummet med den trehovedede hund, Fluffy, i 1’eren, Snapes kontor i 2’eren og et meget større klasselokale i 6’eren.

Crypten og eliksir klasselokalet

Hogwarts Ekspressen

Desværre er det kun udsnit af Ministeriet for Magi og den forbudte skov, der er udstillet, da de ellers ville være enorme. Flere af skuespillerne forklarer ellers, at de elskede at træde ind i Ministeriet for Magi alene pga. dets enorme størrelse. De er stadig ret fantastiske, og vil man have noget stort, kan man se frem til platform 9 3/4 og Hogwartsekspressen. Desuden finder man det indvendige af Gringotts i fuld størrelse. Det var oprindeligt ellers filmet i Australia House, London, men det var lettere for crewet at bygge deres eget – plus endnu et der ligger i ruiner til den sidste film. Og så kommer man selvfølgelig en tur gennem Diagonalstræde, inden man når til den episke Hogwarts model i 1:24 skala – altså ca. 15 meter høj.

Desuden er der masser af figurer og tegninger mv., der viser processen bag en stor filmserie som Harry Potter. Vidste du, at plantegningen over slottet blev ændret løbende? Den store bro, dødsgardisterne angriber fra, gik oprindeligt til et andet sted i slottet, men blev ændret i film 8, da der ikke rigtigt var nogen indgange til slottet. Drivhusene blev tilføjet til Hemmelighedernes Kammer, ligesom slagpoplen også er flyttet undervejs. Det kunne en af guiderne fortælle en masse om, og han var endda så venlig at vise nogen af de originale tegninger frem for os.

Vi måtte gå lidt hurtigt igennem den enorme butik til sidst, for at nå den sidste bus ved lukketid. Så havde vi også brugt hele dagen der. Men vi nåede dog at få aftensmad med butterbeer, hvilket i øvrigt smager helt fantastisk.

Den fantastiske Hogwarts model

Teater og Tour

Andendag gik rundt i byen til fods forud for teaterstykket om aftenen. Vi startede på Kings Cross (st. Pancreas) og gik i Platform 9 ¾-butikken. Den var heldigvis uden kø ved dørene, sådan som da jeg besøgte butikken i 2019. Herefter gik vi til spor 3 og 4, som er spor 9 og 10 i filmen. Det var desværre ikke muligt at komme derind uden togbilletter, men det havde jeg heldigvis været tidligere. Så gik vi lige over gaden til St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel – den bygning der udgør ydersiden af Kings Cross i Hemmelighedernes Kammer, hvor Ron og Harry flyver i Mr. Weasleys lyseblå Ford Anglia. Næste stop var Claremont Square ikke så lang fra stationen, hvor Grumsted Plads (Grimmauld Place) 12 er filmet. Man kan både se bygningerne der skal være nr. 11 og 13 samt parken, hvorfra Fønixordenen kommer ud, inden deres hemmelige skjulested kommer til syne. Mugglere kan naturligvis ikke se nummer 12. Om aftenen havde vi billetter til turens hovedattraktion: Harry Potter og det forbandede barn (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). Det var ufatteligt godt lavet. Englænderne kan noget med teater, og effekterne til både tidsrejser, tryllestave, troldmænd der bliver spist af bogreoler, undervandsscener og rejser med susenetværket var helt fantastiske. Historien kendte jeg selvfølgelig, da jeg havde læst manuskriptet 2-3 gange, men jeg kunne dog alligevel ikke helt huske det. Og nu vi så lige var i nærheden af Leicester Square, tog vi lige et billede med Harry Potter statuen og gik i den enorme Lego-butik, der selvfølgelig havde nogle kæmpe Harry Potter Lego udstillinger. Som noget helt nyt for mig, var der også et rigtig fint julemarked på Leicester Square, som vi gik en lille runde i.

Den Utætte Kedel og Ministeriet for Magi

På dag 3 gik vi rundt i byen i eget tempo, og så et par af de gængse seværdigheder og parker, og fik selskab af både egern, duer og nogle undulatagtige fugle, der alle kravlede på os. Herefter ville vi besøge Ministeriet for Magi, men desværre var telefonboksen der udgør gæsteindgangen i Harry Potter og Fønixordenen samt Dødsregalierne part 1 ikke at finde. Men i filmen står den på Great Scotland Yard ved hjørnet til Scotland Place. Så faldt vi ved et tilfælde over Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition på vejen til Covent Garden, og brugte et par timer på at se på billeder og kostumer, læse fun facts og selvfølgelig gå i butikken ved udgangen. Det var en ganske fin oplevelse, men stedet er desværre lukket siden hen. Det var efterhånden blevet mørkt, da vi kom frem til Covent Garden, og det fremstod supersmukt med kunstige misteltene hvor de hvide bær var lyspærer. Vi nåede ikke frem til Minalima udstilling af grafiske designs til Harry Potter filmene inden lukketid, så vi kiggede ind af vinduerne, beundrede juleudsmykningen i Regent street og gik hjem – det var også blevet sent.

Den sidste dag var en søndag, og det er normalt en travl dag på Camden Market. De havde dog ikke helt åbnet da vi kom ved 10-tiden, og der var på intet tidspunkt så mange mennesker, som jeg har været vant til. Det var faktisk helt rart at være der. En af tingene på min liste var Primrose Hill en kort stykke fra Camden, hvorfra man kan se ud over hele byen – en ting jeg først sent opdagede og derfor ikke havde haft lejlighed til tidligere. Så gik vi forbi de sidste must see seværdigheder som The Shard, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St Pauls Cathedral og Millennium Bridge (den der bliver sprængt i Halvblodsprinsen). Slutteligt lagde vi vejen forbi Leadenhall Market, hvor jeg endnu ikke havde været før. Det er et smukt victoriansk marked tilbage fra 1321, og for tiden havde det et kæmpe juletræ i midten. Det er desuden her indgangen til Den Utætte Kedel (The Leaky Cauldron) findes. Desværre er det kun døren man finder, og til brug for filmen var den malet sort og gammel, og har derfor kun en sparsom lighed med filmen i dag. Man finder indgangen i gaden Bulls Head Passage lige syd for markedet.

  Og sådan sluttede endnu en fantastisk tur til London – jeg kunne sagtens gøre det igen. Der er heldigvis rygter om en ny Harry Potter HBO serie og et PlayStation spil på vej jeg kan glæde mig til. Desuden har jeg en lille drøm om at komme til Oxford, hvor flere af Hogwarts-scenerne er filmet. Det er desværre halvdyrt og bøvlet.

Ellers må jeg en dag til Universal Studios Orlando og se deres Hogmeade og Diagonalstræde eller tænke tilbage på flere af mine tidligere rejser med Harry Potter Indhold:

– Gratis Glæder i London del 2 – London – Europas Hovedstad del 1 – Los Angeles del 2: The City of Angels – Santa Monica, Hollywood og Los Angeles – Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Timelapse

Her følger lidt flere billeder fra turen:

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Dragen spyer ild. Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Foto: Maila Walmod

Første møde med studierne

Foto: Maila Walmod

Kings Cross fra Hemmelighedernes kammer.

Grumsted Plads

Ministeriet for Magi Gæstindgang

Covent Garden

[renewingagain]

thursday 12 january 2023 // 4:14pm

happy new year g !

i’ve started off the year doing dry jan AND dry feb. the latter half of 2022 was pretty fun but was sooo fuelled with alcohol, and you know when your body is telling you it needs a massive break? that!

so im doing dry for a few reasons 

let my body detox and feel better

get slimmer for the gig in march

get slimmer for other stuff

new job and cant afford to be hungover

time efficiency - i waste TOO much time being hungover and doing nothing

my last drink was on NYE and since then i’ve not touched alcohol. it’s only been 12 days but my body already feels so much better and my sleep feels deeper. im really excited to assess how im feeling physically and mentally as this goes on

i’m not gonna have a drink until after the DFC gig on 4th march. i wont even drink on my 25th bday!

i’m also trying to limit takeaways and drink LOTS more water. im also finishing off all my freezer food so i can cook foods fresh and batch freeze stuff.

i know this is the usual spiel when people start the new year, however im truly determined to do it this time. i’ve marked 2023 to be the year of progression. by the end of year i want to have tried to achieve the following:

new job

slimmer body

new place ! (london?)

its funny cus i’ve told so many people im doing dry jan and feb and they all laugh at me (as i am usually such a drinker) and they dont think i can do it. but i know i can do it and i will! it would actually be embarrassing at this point anyway if i break it because i’ve kept myself accountable by telling so many people i’m doing it

i genuinely feel really positive about 2023. my mental health has been really good so far, im learning to let go of a lot. i’ve been taking ashwagandha for a while and i dont know if it is placebo but i do feel like it really has helped balance me out.

going dry has helped limit some social interactions too, i feel like im going in to hiding a little bit but i feel like that’s what i need to do

i really hope this year turns out the way i want it to. im tired of being complacent, stagnant, i want to achieve what i want, i want to enjoy my life even more and make the most of it

2022 was both good and bad, it started off awful but just got better and better.

i’m learning to let go of the shame that comes with being gay, im so ready to just be myself. it does equally scare me a LOT as there are still family that don’t know and i fear their reactions to it, but what can i do about that really. unfortunately it is what it is, but i know that i have some family who DO support me, as well as friends of course who are like family to me.

it might sound really silly, but im gonna get some piercings this week to have a bit more of a faggotry look. i really want to continue exploring myself, my sexuality, and how that presents both with my attitude and look. i feel like a nose piercing (as silly as it sounds) is a good start, i dont see many indian guys who have their nose pierced (well that i know of anyway) but i just want to look and be more queer. i want to own my fucking queerness because it really is who i am

i cant wait to boss bitch this year. lets revert back to the goals for 2023 because i have more goals

BEGINNING OF A NEW CAREER

i’ve started a new role in the civil service, its my first week (started on monday 9th) and to be fair it seems alright so far. it seems more interesting than what i was doing before, but i know that a career in the CS isn’t what i want for now [at least with what im currently doing there]

as i’ve previously expressed, i’d much rather work in IT/Tech. i know it is something i am good at, and it requires training to do it. i was trying to train for it last year, unfortunately, it didn’t really work out in 2022. i just lacked the time to do it and the drive to do it. 2022 was still a big adjustment period for me in terms of just feeling more secure in myself, working out what i want to do in life, who i am etc etc, as well as looking after my mental health

again, lately im feeling much better with myself, im learning to not deep things too much and let go of stuff. im learning to not let my anxiety and restless mind get the better of me. i really just want to make the most of life, as it is limited and time is indeed sort (such a cliché, i know, but its true!)

there is definitely opportunity in the CS to progress and im really enjoying the experience im getting from it, but as i said before its not what i want to do! the ultimate goal in life is to become a software developer, so i can then work my way into music technologies and combine my skills with my degree. i could come back to the CS one day, but in the career i want to be in ! at least i have the clearance for it !

i want to start from the very beginning of tech which is IT. 

i also want to be a freelance singer and musician if that works out at all. performing live would be the ABSOLUTE DREAM. im so so happy that dreamflower are doing stuff again, it brings me such life, as well as doing things like cruise ship work

but how can this be achieved? well this leads me nicely into point 2

2. MOVE TO LONDON (or anywhere besides birmingham)

Moving to London would be a dream music wise. The opportunities there really are endless and it’s the best place to be as an aspiring musician. It’s also so beautiful and rich with culture. Expensive? Absolutely. HOWEVER,

Massi has very kindly offered to house me there for work as they are in the middle of extensions which will be finished in a few months. I just feel like it would be silly for me not to take up this opportunity to then live and work there

I also feel like this is the perfect opportunity to take a break from work and upskill. I’m pretty sure massi would happily look after me for three months while i upskill and get into tech. I could use Lucas’s company as a way to do that, or pay for a course again. It would be a GRAFT but it would fly by and then I could finally get in to what I want to do

I can also then do my music things over there and audition for things like cruise ship work, which would be SO MUCH FUN! 

and there i can get myself into the gay scene, connect with people like me (south asian queers) and find a new family down there and continue to find my identity. it would just be beautiful

I need to talk to massi about it, but im aiming for July/August time. I feel as though sheffield is now a closed chapter as I came to work out what i want to do with my life.

My contingency plan could be to move back home once the extension is done. While this is not desired, again, it could just be a case of grafting for a few months, upskilling, and then moving out again to a new city (London or Manchester or LEEDS! or NEWCASTLE!)

I need to save a fair amount of money and have a cash cushion. Roll on EO overtime! Try and do as much as I can while I have this job and work hard. It will all pay off.

3. RELEASE AN EP

i realise that this may be slightly unrealistic, but i can at least start one for SURE. whether being connected to sheffield, birmingham, or london, i know many musicians in all those cities who i could do this with. furthermore, mum got me a nice MIDI keyboard for xmas and a good sustain pedal so there isnt really an excuse. even if i just toyed around on logic and watched tutorials this would be sufficient! and it would just be so much fun

i need to make a list of what kind of songs to do and what inspires me. start a spotify playlist

JUST START IT THOUGH! be inspired from sounds and do cool things

4. (a) GET FIT by eating better

i am seeing the impacts that dry jan and feb is having on me, and i feel like i am already starting to slim down and its only been two weeks. i wonder how it will be at the end of feb! doing this alongside just trying to eat better and drinking more water is having a notable difference on my health i feel. i feel like my sleep is getting deeper and better

4. (b) GET FIT - half marathon

i didnt do it last year so i want to achieve it this year. i dont necessarily have to run an official one this year, but just to be able to get to the ability where i can do it is enough. i was really good at running and i know i will be able to achieve this again. just start small after work and see what happens, let your ability grow again

4. (c) GET FIT - confidence

again, i buy so many nice things which are just a touch too small for me. i would be able to fit into these nicely and be even more sexy than i already am! and in turn, feel good about myself, physically, MENTALLY, and sexually

my big problem is that i always have these ideas and thoughts swimming around in my head but im never good at making them happen. i need to be proactive. how can i achieve this without putting too much pressure on myself? perhaps i need to refer to this post again and again and again to remain inspired. i also need to just take it easy and not put pressure on myself otherwise i just shut down and crumble

i also just want to end this post by touching on gratefulness.

please, God, help me to be more grateful this year. yes i am tired from things like work and waking up early. but i want to be so thankful for where i am in life and the opportunities i have that surround me. i want to be thankful for the simplest of things, like running water, having heating (even in the cozzy livs) and having food and being able to feed myself. many dont get that luxury.

i am thankful to be surrounded by technology and many things, where i can continue to learn again and again and again. 

i am thankful to have a good set of family and friends around me

i am thankful to even have a job and make an earning. i am thankful that within this job i can even flexi hours to an extent

i am thankful to be sat in a comfortable bed as i am writing this. i am thankful i have a place to rest my head at night

please please help me to keep thankfulness and gratitude at the heart of everything i do and who i am. i am lucky to have what i have even though i want things to be better. i want to be content while simultaneously having the drive to do better and do more

love,

G