Christmas Partying

A good work Christmas party has to involve an open bar, fancy dress, and those moments that will be spoken about the next day.

Fortunately for me, I had the following day booked off. With a Christmas party set in the heart of Soho, it was obvious that I was going to head out clubbing afterwards, dressed in my outfit that began with the letter E (my company is going through the alphabet, I am already planning F), and then pass out on the night-bus home only to wake up in Peckham. 15 minutes past my stop!

I blame the open bar that was clearly calling for me to consume as much alcohol as humanly possible.

A drunk Egyptian is always a fun sight in the heart of Soho, right?

With everyone in their outfits, we headed over to The Player in Soho. An underground cocktail bar that did not disappoint, and I would recommend you all to go to if you need a venue for some christmas drinks, or after work cocktail! The Goonies on old fashioned television sets, 1970′s style lamps and 100 people in fancy dress.

The bar staff were great, and were able to accommodate any request. They even made a special home-brewed cocktail for one couple, which obviously left them worse for wear. Luckily, the canapes that came out helped them sober up slightly!

In the words of Miss Burke… there’s an Elephant (or two) in the room!

Even our lovely HRH Queen Elizabeth made it out to celebrate!

An Etch-A-Sketch, Envelope and Eighties girl…

The winner of the best fancy dress went to the Emergency Exit!

Having the Empire State Building as an outfit was genius.

At the end of the night, the lights came up, colleagues unlocked their lips and realised who they have been kissing (standard party procedure!),  and we ventured out into Soho. A few of us moved onto another club, before me and Vitor jumped on the bus back home.

That’s the great thing about having a friend live round the corner from you. You can nod off and they will wake you when you get to your stop.

Unless they fall asleep too and you both wake up in Peckham! Well, that is what google maps said when we had to find out our location! If you ever happen to fall asleep on a bus, don’t do it dressed as an egyptian or 80′s clubber – the looks you get are horrific!

The only way I can describe the next day is by this…

How was your Christmas party? Drop a comment below and let me know where you went, and if you ended up a little too far from home too!

x

National Portrait Gallery

Strolling around London on a Sunday is always a nice way to unwind from the night out previously, or the busy week that seemed to have disappeared before it even started! Granted, the hustle and bustle with eager Christmas shoppers, and tourists taking photos of everything (and I mean everything, including the litter bins), makes you feel like it may have been better to stay at home under the duvet with some movies and snacks.

It’s only when you find a quiet, relaxed space that you realise that getting out of the house wasn’t such a bad idea afterall! For me and Vitor, both nursing a slight hangover, found this within the National Portrait Gallery.

With portraits dating back to the 1400′s right through to the modern day, we grabbed our maps and headed into the maze of rooms and images. Gone were the crowds of Trafalgar Square, replaced with quietness and the occasional security guard ensuring you didn’t take too many pictures.

The layout of the gallery allows you to travel back to the 1400′s, and walk through to the modern day. With the Tudors our starting point, we slowly strolled through, imaging what it would have been like to be alive in those days whilst reading about the powers these individuals had.

Sizing up King Henry VIII. A big piece of artwork for an even bigger piece of man!

The only way to see the detail of the artwork is to follow Vitors lead and get as close as possible. It really is fascinating how intricate and precise the artist was when producing a piece.

Leading through the years and changes in clothing choices, we came to the contemporary and modern art with Diana and Joan Collins striking you as you entered the room.

Remembrance Sunday had us already thinking of the men who fell for our country. Our thoughts, however, flashed to the memories of when we heard the news about Diana, which lead to a debate on her legacy, and why I will always be #TeamDiana.

The final piece at the end of our walk through history came with the Marilyn Monroe expedition. Featuring photos, movie posters and copies of the magazines she covered, we found ourselves back in the era where she reigned supreme with her glamorous  looks and red lipstick.

Dragging ourselves away from the 50′s, we made our way down to the new Taylor Wessing exhibition. This is a new expedition running from 8th November through to 17th February next year featuring 60 images from a range of photographers. Unfortunately, cameras were strictly forbidden so I couldn’t get any cheeky snap shots, but they released the image of Mo Farrah so I can tease you with what we saw.

There is a little bit of nudity too, so be prepared for a few nip slips!

With that, we braced ourselves and left our Sunday getaway to emerge back on the busy London streets. Feeling refreshed and self-proclaimed professional historians, we strolled on through the West End for a bit of light shopping, before heading back to our own duvets, DVD’s and snacks!

A day well spent!

The National Portrait Gallery is located on St Martins Place, just behind Trafalgar Square. You can find more details here.

The nearest underground stations are Charing Cross, Leicester Square and Embankment.

The main gallery is Free entry, and the Taylor Wessing Exhibition is £2 entry. So even if you spent all your money on those cocktails the night before, you can still enjoy a day out.

Instagramming

Like any blogger, being snap-happy is part of the job!

 

Even when I don’t have my camera on me, the mobile gets whipped out and I usually capture a picture on my iPhone. Then it is straight to Instagram and shared for the world to see…

The perfect birthday present… Although devoured in 30 minutes

Say hello to Poppy, she is a Beagle, the rut of the pack who my mum fell in love with. She

is usually found passed out on the sofa after a heavy day walking…

Whereas I prefer my bed and a cup of tea after a heavy night out!

Making sure my envelope stood out among the rest at a recent birthday meal… Quick bit of

printing and gluing seemed to do the trick!

WE Party… Wearing a top I thought no-one else would be wearing…
I was wrong, obviously!

My housemate has just returned from Korea, armed with chocolate and goodies…

These were sooo much better than Mikados!

Being professional (of course!) at a Advertising industry workshop.

Skins… THE television show that summed up our teens!

Southbank… one of the nicest places in London when the lights go down at night.

A quick stroll, visit to the Tate and hot dog was on the menu!

Walking off the hot dog, all the way to my favorite cake shop!

Can you tell that I like food? Lola’s Cupcakes are my biggest weakness… Try the

Oreo one. Heaven!

Me and a few friends went to the Halloween Masquerade Ball at Kensington Roof Gardens.

The bow tie wasn’t a clip on, and it managed to stay in place all night!

A room full of vampires, zombies, witches and blood 6 floors above London…

Trick or treat?

Finally, Google Chrome has an app called Pic Monkey. It is great to quickly edit your photos
to fit a theme. Mine was for Halloween… Now I don’t want to take it down.

That was only a few of allllll the pictures I take, but if you want to follow me then just click here.

Back to being snap-happy!