Something Blue and Something Borrowed

So, today I met up with J. If it weren't for this conscription service, I would never have known J. So, that's one positive thing that can possibly come out from something so vile. J has become a close friend over the past year because we share similar tastes in everything. We enjoy good food. We enjoy calm, soothing music. We adore fashion. And we both know that we have so much more to offer the world. I can safely say that he's one of the most creative people I know. He's applying to CSM. That's Central Saint Martins for you. It takes guts and confidence to put yourself out there to be judged. He's also applying to Glasgow School of Art to be closer to his girlfriend. I'm going to be bummed when he leaves but at least I can look forward to vacations to either the United Kingdom or Scotland in the future!

We met up because we wanted to see an exhibition at the National Museum called "The Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashion from the Victoria & Albert Museum, London." For once, I was earlier than J because he had to develop photos for an art project that he is currently in the process of completing. It was a considerably small exhibition compared with the Christian Lacroix one three years back but it was just as wonderful. The pale lilac exhibition hall just emanates this inexplicable sense of romanticism throughout the entire place. No matter what your thoughts on weddings are, you cannot help but be swept away by the beauty of those gowns. There were veils that Queen Victoria wore on her wedding day to simple cotton dresses that brides wore when they got married during World War II. All too soon, we reached the end of the gallery trail since I did mention that it was a relatively small exhibition.

We had dinner at this simple casual dining restaurant called Lenas. Now this place has a few other outlets, and this visit just shows how I should never eat at places that have been franchised. The pasta was undercooked and the bruschetta were soggy instead of crunchy and fresh. It was a bad dining experience that nearly left me in a foul mood if not for the wonderful gelato at Gelateria Italia. The dark chocolate was bitter as chocolate should be and the strawberry cheesecake tasted like I was eating the real thing. Today is the perfect example of how ice-cream could actually lift one's spirits up.