The Art of Script-writing (Revenge of the Duck)

 

12 years ago I had written these scripts for a local comedy show on Gayelle called Bacchanal. 

Obviously with the passage of time and the likelihood that a short lived TV series of three/four episodes will ever come back on air - I have decided to share the two scripts I wrote with everyone. 

As you can recall from previous blog posts, I'm totally obsessed with the TV series - 24. (as well as several other TV series)

This blog post is a two part series (the second part I'll publish at a later date).  I had only written two complete scripts as well as I had a whole season planned out too. 

Caveat - please note this is the first time I ever wrote a script and have not had formal training in such, please be gentle. 

Disclaimer - obviously this is a spoof show, no offence is meant to anyone. 

Script Name

24 minutes - "Revenge Of The Duck"

Written By Usayd Hamid

Characters taken from 24, Tomb Raider, Relic Hunter.

Location: Superpharm Valsayn car park.

Cast
Imtiaz Seepersad - Rakesh - Jack Spaniard - 24 name - Jack Bauer
Lead character.
Sits on the toilet for the entire episode.

Maurissa Maharaj - Sue - Audrey Spaniard - 24 name - Audrey Raines
Wife of Jack.
Nervously sits on bed & paces back and forth outside the toilet.

Artala Seepersad - Liz - Kim Spaniard - 24 name - Kimberly Bauer
Daughter of Jack.
Gets herself and Renee Singh in trouble with Tony Blair

Shalini Mahadeo - Priya - Renee Singh - 24 name - Renee Walker
Jack's sister in law enforcement - CTU
Tries to save Kim from Tony but is unsuccessful.

Amanda Ramroop - Rosita - Lara Fox
Cross between Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) & Sydney Fox (Relic Hunter)
Makes a grand entrance and saves the day.

Ajit Bolansingh - Kirpal - Tony Blair - 24 name - Tony Almeida
Friend of Jack who betrayed him in the past, over the manicou.
Spies on Kim & Renee buying medicine for Jack.
Wonders how to use this to his advantage.

Lakhan Lenny Mahabir - Sam - President Sam
President of all ducks.
Makes a speech to a flock of ducks dressed in suit and tie.

After normal Bacchanal opening.

Time clock beeping in 0:24

Rakesh - Previously on 24 minutes.

Flashback - Jack eating platefuls of curry duck on the river lime.

Rakesh - The following takes place between 8:00 p.m. & 8:24 p.m.
Events occur in real time.

Rakesh - I'm Jack Spaniard and these are the longest 24 minutes of my life.

At the bottom left and right of the screen, names of the cast members who are acting the parts.

Imtiaz Seepersad - Rakesh - AKA Jack Spaniard
Maurissa Maharaj - Sue - AKA Audrey Spaniard
Artala Seepersad - Liz - AKA Kim Spaniard
Shalini Mahadeo - Priya - AKA Renee Singh
Ajit Bolansingh - Kirpal - AKA Tony Blair
Lakhan Lenny Mahabir - Sam - AKA President Sam

Guest Starring
Amanda Ramroop - Rosita AKA Lara Fox

These names will appear on the screen briefly in the 1st scene.

Scene

Jack & Audrey lying down in bed.
Lights are dim in their bedroom.
Jack moaning/ groaning/ tossing and turning.

Rakesh Why did I eat so much duck?
Sue I told you not to.
But do you ever listen to me?
Noooo…..
Rakesh Ahhhh….. meh belly hurting meh…..
Sue If only we still had dat mani-Q, you woulda never get indigestion so….
Rakesh What did I do to deserve you?
Manicou, you stupid woman, manicou….
Why you does torture me so?
I love curry duck so much I go drive from here to San Fernando & back, just for a plate of curry duck.
Sue You never did anything like that when we were dating.
So you saying that you love curry duck more than me?
Rakesh Ammmmm……

Scene Jack pretends the urge to go to the toilet has overtaken him and runs to the toilet and slams the door.
Upon entering he realises that it's worse than he thinks, and calls out to Audrey in agony.

Rakesh Audrey!!!! I luv you!!!
It burns, it burns….
I can't take it anymore…….
Sue Jack!
Are you all right?
Can I come in?
What can I do?
Rakesh Get Kim & Renee to go Superpharm, quick!!!
Get me something for dis pain!!!
Sue I don't have the phone with their numbers you have it.

Scene Jack pulls out his cell phone and calls Kim.
Kim in the car with Renee answers her phone.

Rakesh Kim, breathing painfully.
Liz Dad?
Is that you?
What's wrong?
Rakesh I don't have time to explain Kim.
Just listen to me.
Get me something for dis diarrhoea….
Liz From Superpharm?
Rakesh Yea, quick….
Liz Ok daddy. Ends the call.

Scene Jack bawls out in agony again.
Audrey pictured outside the door, wringing her hand and biting off her nails in worry.

Sue Oh gosh, I hope the meh ole boy would be alright, it sounding horrible in there.

The scene changes.

Scene Kim & Renee in a car driving to Superpharm.
Renee tells Kim the trouble she has with Tony.

Priya That Tony, drives me mad all de damn time,
He caused me and Jack so much trouble, always digging up we business, and telling everybody else it.
He cost CTU hundreds in money and time.
We could lock him up but Lara is a powerful friend to have.
Liz I know!!!
I have no idea what Lara sees in him.
Priya It beats me, but he does have a way of talking himself outta anything eh?
Liz That's true, when we caught him today with the manicou, he rehl sweet talk his way out ah that.
Priya I hope Jack will be alright, and somebody at Superpharm go know what to get him.
Liz I thought you is a doctor?
Eh girl?
You should know what to get him.
Priya Doctor?
I only do that because of this fella who was in UWI with me.
Those nights, oh those wonderful nights.
Oh crap I said too much….
Liz I gonna tell my daddy about what his sister did, you gonna get into sooo much trouble.

On screen Meanwhile

Scene President Sam, dressed in suit and tie & boxer shorts giving a speech in front of a flock of ducks.
A bit tipsy from drinking too much in the Caura River Lime.
Hanging on to a pole by one hand.

Sam Ladies and gentlemen.
I refuse to let this go on any longer.
We will catch the culprit who decimated our population.
And he shall be brought to justice.
For eating too much curry duck, Jack Spaniard, that criminal will be put in jail.

Scene Close up shot of the ducks.

Sam This I promise you!!!.
I know you all elected me President for a reason,
and I will definitely  come through on my campaign promises, that one duck is meant for one person!!!.
Jack should not be allowed to eat so many of our friends anymore!!!

Scene Cheering in the background and President Sam looking pleased with himself.

Scene Kim & Renee outside Superpharm by their car after getting the medicine.
Tony nearby hears them discussing the diarrhoea and pulls out a small handheld water gun.

Kirpal I wanna know who that medicine is for, or else.
Does a threatening gesture with a water gun.

Liz Tony, I fed up of your ways.
Put down that water-gun or else I'll scream

Kirpal Never!
I want to know who that medicine is for.
Liz You asked for it.
Help!!!

Scene Renee tries to pull out her own water gun.
Gets soaked for her trouble.
And Tony manages to take it from her.
He has them backed up against their car.
Unnoticed to Tony, Kim texts Jack
Daddy come save me, Tony has us at water gun point and want to know all your business.
All my make-up would run.

Scene Jack, still in agony on the toilet gets the text message
And tries calling 5 people, but only gets a busy tone.

Rakesh What to do?
Damn it.
I guess I'll have to call Lara.
Oh gawd, (wipes face)
She go want me to cook lunch for she for months for this favour.
And wash she clothes, clean her place, gawd…..

Scene Audrey still pictured outside the door, wringing her hand and biting off her nails in worry.

Scene Jack dials Lara's number.
Shot of Lara's mouth when she answers the phone.

Rosita Hello?
Rakesh Lara?
It's Jack.
Rosita Jack!
How things ole boi?
Rakesh I need some help girl.
Rosita Eh heh, what's new?
You always need some kinda help eh?
Rakesh Kim is in Superpharm and Tony is at it again.
Rosita Again?
That boy, I go deal with him, always getting himself in trouble, minding everybody business.
A rehl true mako.
Rakesh Yea.
Rosita But you owe me for this, I was in the middle of polishing my car.
(Have to be a rehl besss car for this scene)
Rakesh Anything, anything, just go and help Kim.

Scene Lara ends the call and accidentally drops the phone, by her feet.
As she picks it up.
The Xena opening theme music starts playing.
(the same part as when the camera shot is going up Xena's body in Xena)
As the camera shot travels up her body and then pans out to show Lara wearing a full Tombraider outfit.

Scene Shot of Lara pulling up in front of Superpharm with a squeal of brakes.
She only has to drive a couple blocks.
Lara gets out of the car.
And pulls out a huge water gun.
Throws a water balloon, splashing Tony, who screams like a girl.

Kirpal Ahhh!!! Freezing Cold!!!!

Scene Then Lara sprays down Tony from head to toe with the water gun.

Rosita Give up Tony!
Let Renee & Kim go!

Scene Tony agrees, all the while crying out to stop torturing me.

Kirpal Stop wetting me!!!
They can go, they can go!!!

Scene Kim & Renee get in their car and drive home.
Where they hand the medicine to Audrey to give to Jack.
Jack meanwhile is still suffering on the toilet and drinks half the bottle of Kaopectate
and gets instant relief.

Scene Lara kneels by Tony asking him,

Rosita Why Tony?
For the hundredth time why?
Why do you have to be so?

Kirpal It's in meh nature, gyul.
Ah can't help it.
Gimme a kiss to make it all better.

Rosita A kiss?
Kiss a sorry looking mess like you?
For you to get some tender, loving care (tlc), you'll have to do more than that.

Scene Tony starts doing push-up's in the hope of getting some attention.
Lara kneels by Tony looking on, with a bemused expression on her face.

Rosita Hopeless, hopeless.

Scene When he reaches five (struggling) Lara pushes Tony to the ground where he falls into some water.

Rosita Goodnight Tony.

Scene Lara gets up and walks to her car, where she drives off.

Scene Sitting down by the table, Jack, Audrey, Kim, Renee, reflect on what happened in the last 24 minutes.
When Kim asks.

Liz Did anyone see Sam recently?

Scene President Sam running down the road still dressed in suit and tie and boxer shorts,
being chased by an old woman with a broom who is shouting,

Old woman What de so and so, drunken old fool, doing disturbing my ducks? (some bleeped curse words would be useful here)
Take that! And that! And that!
(Hitting him several times with the broom.)

Time clock beeping into 0:24 The last few seconds before the 24th minute reaches.       

The Only Woman I've Ever Loved (Boss Level Movie Review)

 

NO SPOILERS!

Everything within this post comes from the trailers on YouTube. And yes I did actually see the entire film.

I had nearly three weeks of vacation over the recent Christmas period, and like any good movie junkie I used the opportunity to watch a movie every other night. 

Soooooo much popcorn... YAY!

Does anyone remember the cute Fantasy, Romance, Comedy film from 1993 starring Bill Murray called Groundhog Day? 

That's the best thing I can say without spoiling the film - just add a whole lot of cursing and violence.  Undoubtedly a lot of people might be turned off with the action and violence, but impressively, the movie combined a lot of heart and tender and touching moments. 

The movie is starring Frank Grillo as a retired special forces officer trapped in a never ending time loop on the day of his death. You might remember Frank Grillo from the Captain America movies as Brock Rumlow/ Crossbones. i.e. if you're a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan.

Frank gives an amazing all round performance and captures the entire range of emotions throughout the entire movie. The couple of slow bits in the movie which I didn't like at the time  I was watching the movie but are like soooo totally necessary for the movie, Frank really shows his range as an actor.

Frank Grillo as an action star especially in this movie, you could see the fun he was having in kicking the *ss of everyone.

Mel Gibson is the eponymous boss and who doesn't know Mel Gibson from Braveheart, Lethal Weapon and Mad Max? 

Mel Gibson gives a totally impressive Mel Gibson performance, as if he was the only person born for the role and the role was written only for him. 

Naomi Watts stars as the only woman Frank Grillo's character has ever loved and the less I say about her the better? You'll see when you watch the movie. 

She is better known from her performances from King Kong and The Impossible. Hasn't starred in many timeless movies, but gives really great performances in what she does.

Michelle Yeoh has a critical supporting role in the film and is critical to the overall plot of the movie. Michelle is best known internationally for her role in Tomorrow Never Dies (James Bond) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. 

No matter, if you memorise the entire YouTube trailer, the trailer and marketing for the movie was well done, think Avengers Endgame Marketing well done. The trailer hides a lot of the great twists in the movie. 

You know how sometimes movies have a lot of extraordinary reviews from critics? And then when you see it, it's the worst load of poop sh*t show you've ever seen and you regret wasting your life?

THIS MOVIE LIVED UP TO EVERYTHING.

Directed, written and produced by Joe Carnahan, better known for Narc, Smokin' Aces, The A-Team and The Grey (which coincidentally I have not seen any of his movies - have to take in some of his movies now after Boss Level)

Joe Carnahan made a truly unbelievable movie and due to COVID-19, is not going to be released worldwide in cinemas and unfortunately only on Hulu in the USA and Japan on 5 March 2021.

Imagine this film was completed with filming in May 2018 and it took this long to surface.   

Before I forget - this movie is hilarious and can also be billed as a comedy. 

I Am Guan Yin and Guan Yin Has Done This! 

It'll make sense when you see the movie.

I also liked how the film didn't try to explain any of the science fiction stuff in too much detail - it was just like here - deal with it. The special effects were just enough without becoming too cheesy, DC live action movies anyone?

With an impressive number of supporting characters rounding out a true popcorn flick, it was just one bad guy after the next after the next. 

As Thanos says "This does put a smile on my face". It will probably be one of those hidden gems of a movie that people would constantly stumble on over the years and it's a crying shame that has to happen. 

Here's to hoping it lands up soon on the Disney Plus (+) expansion worldwide using the Star branded tile on Disney Plus later this year/ next year. 

Overall rating - 9.0/10

One of the best pure action movies I've seen in a long time, very bad *ss, plenty violence, lots of cursing. I would say I didn't love every second of it, there were a couple slow bits where the story drifted slightly, so I took off 0.5 for that, as well as the last 30 seconds of the movie disappointed me greatly so another 0.5 for that. 

However, this movie comes with an extremely high recommendation from me for all action addicts and fans of Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts and Michelle Yeoh.

This would've been f**king awesome to see in a Cinema on a big screen. F**k you COVID-19.

A huge round of applause for Boss Level.  

Start the movie, turn up the sound as loud as you can and enjoy yourself for 100 minutes of screen-time. 

The Art Of Music Video Creation (Click-bait) (Music)

A small disclaimer - I have not been involved in the creation of any music video thus far in my life (as much as I wanted to be) and any resemblance to any other music video/ imagery is more than likely coincidental and is not meant to be representative of anything.

I also, however, do not know if these ideas can work in a music video, but I believe it has potential? Who knows. 

Onto the good stuff!

These were created nearly ten years ago - when I thought it was a good idea to be a manager of a band. This blog post will however not go into any details of the band and just the parts that I created for potential music videos.

As prerequisites for the music videos, I'm going under the assumption that the band has five members, a lead singer, a drummer, a lead guitar, a rhythm guitar and a bass guitar player, as well as one of these should be a decent backing vocalist.

First Music Video Idea (Volcano/lava field)

Opening scene to a bleak dusty filled chamber/ cavern with dust devils. 

The starting of the song with drum beats (only) is shown by an overhead camera, which then starts to cause the roof of the cavern to fall. 

The pieces of the cavern roof conveniently misses the band members that are playing their various instruments. 

The sky is revealed to be a dark lightning filled sky. 

As the pieces of the roof strike the ground, they break the ground away revealing the boiling molten lava field.

The opening instrumentals begin and the destruction of the cavern is completed, this should show the five members each on a separate pillar of rock.

As the song continues, the lava goes through (as random as possible), increasingly larger bursts/ waves of lava, which steadily consumes each of the pillars that the band members are standing on.

During an instrument break of the song, the lead singer slips on her platform and falls off catching herself on the ledge. 

The lead singer pulls herself back up on the ledge and she sings the last verse of the song. 

As the last verse of the song is finished, the lead singer falls into a kneeling position and watches as the drummer finishes the song and then leans back, crosses her arms and falls into the lava. 

During the fall, she lets go of one of her drum sticks, which lands and stays stuck in a piece of rock that is just jutting out of the lava. 

As the final frames of the music video closes, the drum stick is shown with the words "to be continued" written on it in fiery cursive script/letters. 

The final shot of the music video will be of the lead singer giving an evil grin.

Second Music Video Idea (Waterfall - cavern in waterfall)

The opening shot is of a waterfall and in the background, snow covered mountains. 

Next up would be a shot of the lead singer jumping down the waterfall and landing on a protruding rock halfway down the waterfall. 

The next shot shows the full extent of the mountains and the convergence of the five waterfalls (conveniently for the five band members) into a huge/vast bottomless pool. 

The five waterfalls are in a circle. 

The opening seconds of the video should show one after the next, the other band members (the lead guitarist, the rhythm guitarist and the bass guitarist) dropping onto their respective ledges on each waterfall.

The opening instrumentals of the song would show behind a curtain of water (of the fifth waterfall) the drummer (minus the drummer actually being seen).

Throughout the music video - there should be continuous different camera views of each band member as they are playing. 

One camera to the left, one to the right, one directly in front and one just above. 

At some point during the music video a lightning storm starts turning what was once a beautiful sun kissed scene dark and dangerous. 

During the lightning strikes, this should reduce the platforms of rock that the band members are standing on, reducing it to a dangerously small area by the end of the music video.

As the song continues and builds to a finish, an avalanche starts on the mountain that has the drummer's waterfall. 

The resulting debris cuts off the flow of the water completely. This reveals the drummer to be safe and sound (who died in the first music video). 

The lead singer sees her and a shocked look crosses her face. 

The shocked look stays on her face as one of the drummer's sticks (thrown by the drummer) appears in her throat killing her. 

In the last chords of the song, and in a last act of desperation, the lead singer clutches at the rock, but it is much too slippery for her to hold onto. 

She falls (the 50 or so feet) into the water and blood (something red) is seen after she enters it. 

A split screen is used showing the four remaining members of the band looking over the edge of their platforms of rock at the water as the lead singer hits it. 

The final shot of the music video closes with a silent clock (reminiscent of the TV series 24 when someone significant dies).

This then disappears and the words to be continued is shown in cursive writing on the screen. (with water effects)

Third Music Video Idea (Ice-field/ Iceberg)

The music video starts with a close up shot of the lead singer frozen in an iceberg, arms spread wide, hair all askew. 

Interestingly this shot works better in my mind with a female lead singer. 

Next show shows the ling-up in front of the ice-berg, the bass guitarist, the drummer, the rhythm guitarist and the lead guitarist. 

As the song starts, cracks start to appear in the iceberg that the lead singer is frozen in. 

Before the first verse of the song is about to start, the song stops and the iceberg shatters into a million pieces and the lead singer is freed. 

The song now starts and the next few shots are with the different band members playing interspersed with beautiful shots of the vast/ limitless icebergs field. 

In the backdrop/background of these shots, the same snow covered mountains from the second music video are seen. 

Midway through the music video, an earthquake/iceberg quake? This causes the iceberg to break/split up into three pieces leaving the bassist, and the rhythm guitarist stranded on separate icebergs which start to drift away from each other. 

Three-quarters of the way through the song a meteor shower starts, striking at the separate icebergs reducing them to dangerously small levels/areas for the band members to stand on.

As the last chords of the song are finished, a tiny meteorite is shown to be striking the lead singer severely disorienting her. 

She slips and falls against the lead guitarist  and drags him off the iceberg with one arm around his neck in a choking grip. 

As they fall in the most dramatic fashion possible, the music video is finished when they hit the water with the words written to be continued is shown in cursive writing. (With ice effects)

As you can imagine - there are a million ways that I can continue the sequence of each band member consecutively offing each other, 

This was as far as I had reached in coming up with different music video ideas (having listened to the theme of the album that the band's music was). 

Love to hear some feedback and ideas - maybe I can have a part two at a later date. 

The Art Of Discrimination (clickbait)

Hi everyone!

Hope my post can shed some light of the different ways discrimination can occur.

It's been three years, and two weeks since I've published a blog post, and what a time it has been since.

I'm older, maybe wiser? Maybe a little more sane? Only time will tell I guess.

Thank you to Fairytalekindagirl for the inspiration to start back writing and clearing my writers block! Check out her blog (linked) for that taste of magic that everyone needs! You're awesome 🤗

The recent events of the US Capitol Hill siege/ insurrection yesterday (Wednesday 6th January 2021) has reminded me of the time I was discriminated against (consciously) three times within the space of a just over an hour and a half at Miami International Airport. 

A combination of my name (Muslim), religion (Islam) and skin colour (Indian)

Caveat - I am sure I was discriminated against many times in the past, and probably I put it down to bad service or that person having a bad day.

Why was I in Miami?

An all expense paid trip for training, courtesy of my work.

Typically, my entire life, I've really had no desire to go to the United States of America, as nothing really appealed to me. Maybe I've had my fill from looking at the dozens of movies and TV series coming out of USA.

Another thing I need to say, is that discrimination comes in many forms and this was the first time in my life I got discriminated against and combined with me being tired from the flight, made me scared that I was going to get thrown into jail etc (probably the fear mainly comes from my love of the TV series 24 for those of you who don't know what this series comprises there's a handy link for you)

Anyway - in October 2019 - arrived at just past 7:30 and it took me until nearly 9:30 to meet back up with my three colleagues. 

I was quite excited to experience a new airport and new experiences. If it's one thing I love (out of many many other things) is the flying experience (departure and arrivals and everything in between). Navigating customs can be a tricky experience at best and I managed to take an hour and a half as compared to the relatively light experience of half hour for my colleagues.

First Act

Because of my name being wholesomely Islamic - Usayd Abdul Samad Hamid, I got automatically flagged to go in the line for additionally screening with all the other "potential" suspects in the eyes of the USA. So my three colleagues breezed through one line, and my customs ticket and an X over the face of it - so the customs agents would know where to send me.

Second Act

I was tired no end from the flight, and the extremely slow moving of the line because typically in situations like these, there was two customs agents (I think, can't remember for sure) screening hundreds of passengers. I spotted another customs agent making his way down the line talking to each passenger and asking for their ticket and passport and asking them some questions. 

When he reached to me and started to read my passport and details, I could actually see his demeanour changing as in his mind he found someone who meets their criteria as a troublemaker. He pulls me out of the line and takes me to the front of the line (this is the only good thing that happened in the whole experience, he made my wait time cut by an hour). He had me scan my fingerprints with the other customs desk agent and he was talking excitedly in Spanish with him (I don't understand Spanish, so it sounded excited to me). At this stage I got panicked as my fingerprints weren't scanning initially after the first couple of tries.

He then took me in a room behind the waiting area with the lines and questioned for around ten minutes (he had a whole questionnaire to fill out). He asked me such questions as to my purpose in Miami, what mosque I go to in Trinidad, and if I noticed any potential dangerous situations when I go. 

As a result of my job, I am all over Trinidad and I don't typically have the opportunity to either go to mosque regularly or go to the same mosque on a Friday for Ṣalāt al-Jumuʿah. Unfortunately I probably miss a lot during the year. 

It was only after I showed him the printed out emails from my work which indicated why I am there and where I would be staying, he realised that I am the least of his worries and wrapped up with me very quickly after that. Thank goodness I had the foresight to print out those emails - cause I don't know if I would've been allowed to start up my laptop there to show him the emails. 

He also took the opportunity to have me show him the contents of my carry-on and suitcase (which I considered to be normal inspection, he didn't touch anything).

Third Act

Leaving the customs area and meeting up with my colleagues in the luggage collection area, who were wondering what on earth happened to me, I felt that sense of relief as I probably was on adrenaline for the period of my experience. 

Now - leaving the luggage pick-up section and walking to the exit of the airport - I was stopped by an all white security guard who demanded my passport and ticket and reason for being there. (I should note at this point that all the colleagues I was with were black and I was the Indian - so this time it was a skin colour discrimination). All my colleagues were allowed to exit and I was questioned for a couple of minutes.

All in all - an experience I still remember clearly 15 months after and has it turned me off from going to the USA? Quite possibly for the rest of my life - but, who knows where life will take me - here's to hoping a second experience (if it happens) is not as bad as this.

And I know - people have a lot of worse experiences.

Here I am - looking all tired as **** in the hotel lobby after my experience.

The Magic Of Our Childhood (Review of Museum)

As I was doing research for my trip earlier this year, I came across something called the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood. It was getting some amazing reviews, and being a child at heart, I knew I had to make the time to pop in and look. I didn't get a chance though to properly go through the place as I only had just over an hour to spare, but you need at least 2 - 3 hours to properly appreciate the place.

There is a slightly unusual entrance to the Museum, you don't quite know that you're entering a Museum, until you hear the screams of children enjoying themselves. But then again, it's not your typical museum. 

Oh to be a child again... adulting is hard. SNIFF!

from site - https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/465370-v-and-a-museum-of-childhood#lHpZxws3T6XfwK0l.97

The mission of the museum is "To enable everyone, especially the young, to explore and enjoy the designed world, in particular objects made for and made by children." It has extensive collections of toys, childhood equipment and costumes, and stages a programme of temporary exhibitions.

It is the largest institution of its kind in the world. Its mission is to hold in trust the nation’s childhood collections and to be an international leader in engaging audiences in the material culture and experiences of childhood.

Timeout London says "Home to one of the world’s finest collections of children’s toys, doll’s houses, games and costumes, the Museum of Childhood shines brighter than ever after extensive refurbishment, which has given it an impressive entrance. Part of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the museum has been amassing childhood-related objects since 1872 and continues to do so with ‘Incredibles’ figures complimenting bonkers 1970s puppets, Barbie Dolls and Victorian praxinoscopes. The museum has lots of hand-on stuff for kids dotted about the many cases of historic artefacts. Regular exhibitions are held upstairs, while the café helps to revive flagging grown-ups."

One of the most interesting reviews from Timeout London's site by FloA, which perfectly captures how I feel about the place.
"The V&A Museum of Childhood is just an amazing place. The first time i went was on my own and I thought the exhibition was quite beautiful and interesting. A couple weeks ago, my cousins (in their 40s) visited with their dad (late sixties) and their little 3 years old visited me and I took them to the Museum of Childhood. At that point, this museum took all its sense... Four generations sharing experiences, excitement and nostalgia (for the eldest), what a great afternoon! I think we stayed for 3 hours and none of us wanted to leave!!"

There are thousands of individual toys in this place, and I saw many that I either had as a child or wished I could be a child to play with, since some of the toys only came out a few year ago. The scope of the place is unbelievable, as it has toys ranging over a very long period of time, and the layout is very nicely done. I recommend that you walk all the way around a glass case, because the displays are made for 360 degree viewing and you never know what you you'll see on the other side. 

I guarantee that every person who visits this museum will find at least one thing they would reminisce over or have their heart strings tugged. 

The V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green in the East End of London is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum (the "V&A"), which is the United Kingdom's national museum of applied arts.

The museum was founded in 1872 as the Bethnal Green Museum. The iron structure reused a prefabricated building from Albertopolis which was replaced with some early sections of the modern V&A complex. The exterior of the building was designed by James William Wild in red brick in a Rundbogenstil (round-arched) style very similar to that in contemporary Germany. The building was used to display a variety of collections at different times, including the works which can now be seen at the Wallace Collection. In the 1920s, it began to focus on services for children, and in 1974 the director of the V&A, Sir Roy Strong, defined it as a specialist museum of childhood.  Of all the branches, the Bethnal Green Museum has the largest collection of childhood objects in the United Kingdom.

Another review by Jenny E
Amazing museum of everything childhood related from past to present. The exhibits are set out in numerous glass cases around the perimeter of this huge building and accessible on two levels. There are little play stations set out in amongst the exhibits so there are plenty of places for younger visitors to stop and enjoy themselves and keep their attention. Showcased across the museum are toys, crafts, clothes and furniture from the past, present and future including a narrative of children's toys and making tools across the ages. It's very interesting and includes a number of fantastic pieces which are wonderful to see captured side by side. 
In the centre of the museum is a lovely big open space for families to enjoy a drink and bite to eat before visiting the small gift shop as you exit. It's a wonderful place for young children and best of all, it's free.

Virtual Tour, this I stumbled across online, essentially this gives you an in-depth look at the layout of the place, i.e. a taste/ teaser of what you expect to get, without going into the finer points of each exhibit. Amazing bit of work to put together. 

Museum opening hours
Open daily 10.00-17.45 (last admission 17.30)
Admission free.

Location
V&A Museum of Childhood
Cambridge Heath Road
London E2 9PA
United Kingdom

Nearest tube: Bethnal Green on the Central Line

The Loveliest Castle in the World - Leeds Castle (Review)

Who would've thought that Leeds Castle wasn't in Leeds? They are approximately 230 miles apart, Leeds is to the north of London and Leeds Castle is roughly south east. Address: Maidstone, Kent, ME17 1PL.

Leeds Castle is in Kent, England, 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Maidstone. The castle today dates mostly from the 19th century and is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds.

Looking further afield from London for touristy things to do, I came across an awesome medieval castle, Leeds Castle. Timeout says - A picturesque Norman castle set on two islands in the middle of a lake with 500 acres of beautifully kept grounds to picnic in when you’ve exhausted the medieval furnishings, paintings and tapestries – and the collection of antique dog collars. 

How does one get here from London? It's not that difficult from London, you essentially have three options (stations in London to choose from), St Pancras International, Victoria and London Bridge. My sister and I ended up choosing St Pancras International, since that was the most direct one to get to from where we staying at her flat. As you can see from the picture of the ticket below, it's slightly pricey, and this is after we got a discount. Once there at Bearsted station (what an awesome sounding name huh?), you have a look around and ask a station attendant where the coaches/ bus/ taxi service is to Leeds Castle. I should mention that since this is a tourist site, (Leeds Castle), I ended up paying 20 pounds for a return journey for the two of us, (it was like a 15 minute journey one way). 

The pictures I was able to take do not do justice as to how gorgeous it is. It is something, one has to experience in person. 

Here's me, looking utterly pleased with myself.

So on top of their being this fabulous castle to stroll around and admire the centuries old building inside and out, there's also 

• A gatehouse exhibition
• Dog Collar Museum (this was fascinating)
• a battle for the skies exhibition (couldn't figure out the relevance to Leeds Castle)
• Knights' Realm Playground (for Kids)
• Squires’ Court Playground (also for Kids)
• The Maze (for adults as well as kids - I love mazes, this one had a curious ending)
• The Culpeper Gardens (flowers galore)
• The Wood Garden (you didn't realize walking in from the entrance that it was actually a garden, but it had plenty wildlife (birds) to accompany you)
• The Lady Baillie Mediterranean Garden Terrace (didn't care much for this part of the visit, it was strangely laid out)
• Bird of Prey Centre
• Falconry Displays
• Falconry Experiences (it was too windy and drizzly when the time came around for this, I was so disappointed they couldn't have it the day I went)
• Punting on the Moat
• Elsie the Castle Train (it's a short ride from the entrance to the castle and back, I didn't see the point going on it, but it's just for tourists 😀
• Black Swan Ferry
• Segway Tours (sadly it didn't have any the day I went)
• Go Ape Tree Top Adventure (I didn't realize this existed until the day after I went, so I missed out)

 There is also several other one off events during the year, have a peek at their What's On before planning your trip. 

  

The Castle
Leeds Castle has been a Norman stronghold; the private property of six of England’s medieval queens; a palace used by Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon; a Jacobean country house; a Georgian mansion; an elegant early 20th century retreat for the influential and famous; and in the 21st century, it has become one of the most visited historic buildings in Britain.

The first stone castle was built in 1119 by a Norman baron during the reign of William the Conqueror’s son Henry I, on an island in the River Len. In 1278, a century and a half later, it came into the possession of Queen Eleanor of Castile, first wife of Edward I.

For the next 300 years the castle remained a royal residence, before again becoming a private home. This in turn was handed down over four centuries, by both inheritance and purchase, through a network of interlinked families.

You can discover the fascinating history of the Hon. Olive, Lady Baillie, the last private owner of the castle; a wealthy Anglo-American heiress who acquired Leeds Castle in 1926 when it was sold to pay death duties.

Today, the influence of Lady Baillie continues to bring the state rooms to life while visitors can see the effect of Medieval and Tudor periods in many of the other Castle rooms.

Picture of the station sign which advertises Leeds Castle.

Had to take a picture of the tickets, as they are taken by the ticket barriers to pass through.

A very upset looking bird. Hopefully I didn't piss it off.

Who knew there were so many different types of dog collars? One of the more fascinating exhibits for me, since I love dogs of course. 

Oh yes, on top of all of these things, it makes for an unbelievably fabulous wedding location, who wouldn't want to get married in a castle? Well for minimum of 8,250 pounds it makes for a steep ask, but it'll make for great memories.  Got this picture from Leeds Castle Website.

Leeds castle has a brilliantly detailed website - Website which lists out every conceivable thing you can do and see.

As with all the tourist locations in England, there is a few eating places as well as the mandatory souvenir shop for all your tourist collectibles. I'll admit I bought quite a few things here, as it was really interesting stuff. 

All in all, it was an extremely interesting day out, only slightly marred by the usual English weather, (unfortunate for the two of us). 

Price
Adults £24.90
Senior Citizen/Student £21.90
Child (4-15 years) £16.90
Visitor with Disability - Adult* £21.90
Visitor with Disability - Child (4-15 years)* £13.90
Infant (under 4 years) FREE

Important opening times!

The Wonderful Story Of Foyles (Review)

One of the most impressive things (well to my eyes) in such a modern world that we live in, with the advent of E-books, is that a brick and mortar store just for books, is a chain of seven stores in England called Foyles. 

W & G Foyle Ltd. (usually called simply Foyles) is a bookseller with a chain of seven stores in England. It is best known for its flagship store in Charing Cross Road, London. Foyles was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest bookshop in terms of shelf length (30 miles (48 km)) and number of titles on display.

Why is it impressive? Well, coming from Trinidad and Tobago, and our tiny bookshops, covering possible half a floor, to one that covers 6 floors, is quite jaw-dropping. Over 200,000 books? Quite literally it's one of those landmarks of London which shouldn't be missed out on. 

In his love of showmanship, 'the Barnum of Bookselling', William Foyle, called his emporium 'The world's greatest bookshop'. Over the past century the world has become a very different place and far be it from us now to make such bold claims, but what we can say for sure in this day and age is that few bookshops can claim such a rich and varied history and still retain the passion we have for books and the people who write, publish and, above all, read them.

By Tom Morris - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33726491

It was extremely difficult to take this picture, I suppose someone would have to save it and zoom in probably, but the lighting for taking a picture of this wasn't great, it was more of mood lighting than anything else.

Taken from Timeout London's website on Foyle's (I really wish I had taken something like this, but when you're overawed by the vast number of books, looking for the perfect picture is secondary in nature.)

The flagship bookshop

The new Foyles flagship at 107 Charing Cross Road houses a range of over 200,000 different titles on four miles (6.5km) of shelves - the equivalent of lining one bank of the Thames with books from Battersea Power Station to the Tower of London. With 37,000 square feet of retail space, spread across eight alternating foot-plates over four floors, it is the largest bookshop to have opened in the UK so far this century. Alongside books, we have a wide range of gifts and stationery, magazines, printed music, classical music CDs and Classic and World DVDs as well as Ray's Jazz, Grant & Cutler Foreign Languages, a Cafe and an Auditorium. An impressive full height central atrium and large windows fill the space with natural light, while the layout allows for easy navigation and the serendipitous discovery of new books.

Foyles, which was founded in 1903 by brothers William and Gilbert Foyle, first opened on Charing Cross Road in 1906 and moved to its location at 113-119 Charing Cross Road in 1929. Declared by William Foyle to be 'the world's first purpose-built bookshop', it quickly became one of the capital's most well-known literary landmarks. William's daughter, Christina, built friendships with some of the leading writers of the time and pioneered bookshop author events, beginning a lecture series in the 1920s and founding the famous Foyles Literary Luncheons in 1930. The move to 107 Charing Cross Road in June 2014 marks a new chapter for the world-renowned, family-owned bookshop.

Interestingly, I had gone to their previous location 113 - 119 Charing Cross Road in 2010 and 2011, but going to their new location in 2017, I thought they did renovations/ re-modelling, totally oblivious to the fact that it was a whole other building! 

Foyles employs more than 80 expert booksellers who will be happy to offer any help or advice you may need. Whilst these days most bookshops are stocked by books bought centrally from head office and distributed across the chain, at Foyles the heads of department are also our buyers, so they truly are experts in their stock and subjects.

From Timeout London (I totally agree with everything)

"If the old Foyles was a bookish uncle in a soup-stained cardigan, the new Foyles is a hip teenage cousin: ahead of the curve where apps and indie cinema are concerned, but sporting a pair of off-puttingly flash trainers. Foyles has always been one of those shops that trades partly on sentiment, with its labyrinthine layout, oddball-friendly café and loyal staff: Giles Armstrong, manager of the foreign languages department and Foyles' longest serving, had clocked up an impressive half-century on the payroll in 2015. News that Foyles was moving, and its much-loved café closing, was greeted with understandable dismay by Time Out readers, but standing in the vast, updated premises (just a couple of doors down from the old one, in the former Central Saint Martins HQ) it's easy to understand the decision. 

Foyles CEO Sam
 Husain describes the new store as ‘a bookshop for the twenty-first century’, with 37,000 square feet of floorspace laid out immaculately by architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands around an impressive central atrium, and eight levels (four actual floors) packed with more than 200,000 books. Wherever you stand, you can see every part of the building, and the place is bathed in a gentle, contemplation-inducing glow. It’s light years away from the dusty nooks and crannies of the old building, and a bold visual statement of Foyles’s ambition and new image.

In the age of the e-reader and Amazon, punters need a good reason to visit a bookshop, and the new story has plenty. Books aside, the focus is on the social aspect of reading. A whole floor is dedicated to events, from readings by Michael Palin and Jarvis Cocker, to themed reading groups or literary tours. The swish new café is run by Leafi, the people behind Whitechapel Gallery's smart bistro, so expect something slick rather than homely. There's also a capacious art space curated by cultural innovators Future City.

There are no real signs of the building’s former life, although one was uncovered during the redevelopment, in the form of ‘a big wall that had been given a going over by some art students’, according to the shop’s manager. This is in stark contrast to the old premises, where expansion work turned up disused rooms and even lifts that no one knew anything about.

Foyles veterans may find the new store a smidge anodyne, but any business making such a gutsy statement in favour of ink and paper, and bringing the printed word to life in such a sociable setting, deserves an exciting new chapter."


Location and Opening Hours
Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road, London, 
Postcode - WC2H 0DT 

The nearest Underground station to Foyles is Tottenham Court Road, which is on the Central line and the Northern line. Alternatively Leicester Square, which is on the Northern and Piccadilly lines, is a 5 minute walk from the shop.

Opening hours
Christmas Opening Hours Special opening hours which vary from year to year.
Monday - Saturday 9.30am - 9.00pm
Sunday 11.30am* - 6.00pm (*11.30am - 12.00 noon browsing only)
Café The Café closes 45 minutes before the shop.

One final note on bookstores, the current record-holder for the largest bookstore is Iran has opened possibly the world's biggest bookstore still to be verified by Guiness Book of Records, as far as I can tell, but as the article indicates "In a country where literary censorship is official government policy, the fact that Iran has opened what could be the world’s biggest bookstore is all the more astonishing."

 To demonstrate the impressive range of topics that are covered, have a peek at the below listing. (Which is basically a reader friendly version of the sadly blurry picture above)

Ancient History/Archaeology/Civilisations: Floor 3
Art/Architecture: Ground Floor
Atlases/Maps/Travel: Lower Ground Floor
Audiobooks: Floor 2
Bestsellers: Ground Floor
Biography - see Popular Biography
Biology: Floor 3
Business: Floor 3
Cafe: Floor 5
Chemistry: Floor 3
Children's Books & Gifts: Lower Ground Floor
Classical Music/CDs & DVDs: Floor 2
Computing: Floor 3
Cookery/Food & Drink: Lower Ground Floor
Crime Fiction/True Crime: Floor 1
Design: Ground Floor
Dictionaries: Floor 4
DIY: Floor 3
Drama/Film/Plays/Theatre: Floor 2
DVDs: Floor 2
Earth Sciences/Geography: Floor 3
Economics: Floor 3
Education: Floor 4
EFL/English Language: Floor 4
Engineering/Technology: Floor 3
Fiction/Literature/Literary Criticism/Poetry: Floor 1
Foreign Languages/Grant & Cutler: Floor 4
Gallery: Floor 5
Gardening: Lower Ground Floor
Gender/Sexuality/GLBT: Floor 2
General Enquiries
Geography/Earth Sciences: Floor 3
Gifts/Cards/Stationery
Graphic Novels/Manga: Floor 1
Health: Floor 3
History/Politics/Current Affairs: Floor 3
Horror Fiction: Floor 1
Humanities: Floors 2 & 3
Humour: Floor 1
Jazz/Ray's Jazz: Floor 2
Law: Floor 3
Linguistics: Floor 4
Literature/Literary Criticism/Fiction
London Guides and City Writing: Lower Ground Floor
London History: Floor 3
Management: Floor 3
Manga/Graphic Novels: Floor 1
Maps/Atlases/Travel: Lower Ground Floor
Mathematics: Floor 3
MBS (Mind, Body & Spirit): Floor 3
Medicine/Medical Equipment/Nursing: Floor 3
Military History: Floor 3
Modern History/Politics: Floor 3
Music Books/Printed or Sheet Music: Floor 2
Natural History: Floor 3
Nursing/Medicine/Medical Instruments: Floor 3
Pets: Floor 3
Philosophy: Floor 2
Photography: Ground Floor
Physics: Floor 3
Plays/Theatre/Film: Floor 2
Poetry/Poetry Criticism: Floor 1
Politics/Current Affairs/Modern History: Floor 3
Popular Biography - titles are kept in related departments
Popular Medicine: Floor 3
Popular Music: Floor 2
Popular Science: Floor 3
Printed Music: Floor 2
Psychiatry: Floor 3
Psychology: Floor 3
Ray's Jazz: Floor 2
Reference Children's: Lower Ground Floor
Reference General: Floor 4
Religion/Theology: Floor 3
Sheet Music: Floor 2
Sport/Puzzles/Games/Hobbies: Lower Ground Floor
Teaching Resources/Education: Floor 4
Technology/Engineering: Floor 3
Textbooks/KS1,2&3/GCSE/A-Level: Floor 4
Theology/Religion: Floor 3
Transport: Floor 3
Travel/Maps/Atlases: Lower Ground Floor
Veterinary Medicine: Floor 3