My Week With Matthew - New York!

Hi again! Here comes part two of my week with Matthew :)

I told you before that MJ was here in the States to attend the Christening of his niece and to become her godparent. MJ's family were kind enough to extend the invitation to attend along to me, and of course I definitely wanted to be there! I hadn't met any of the American side of MJ's family before so I didn't want to miss this opportunity :)

So straight after rehearsals on Saturday evening I dashed off to Fort Lauderdale airport to find the plane that would transport me up to NYC!

After checking in and going through security I proceeded towards my gate! On my way there I came across the most amazing vending machine I've ever seen in my life! EVER! LOOK!  

No, your eyes are not deceiving you... It's a Benefit Cosmetics Vending Machine! In an airport! A vending machine that gives you MAKE UP! :D Craziness! Just had to share that with you :) Anyway...

I made sure I was wearing my St. Christopher necklace and then departed for New York! 

... the flight was very smooth and we had TV sets to watch to keep us occupied! After a bit of an interesting ten minutes trying to find my driver when I arrived I was soon well on my way to Valhalla, where MJ and his family were staying, and before I knew it Mango and I were reunited again :)

I have to let you know at this point that I was to be spending less than 24 hours in New York... sleeping felt like a bit of a waste of that time but I am terrible with no sleep and needed to be awake and fresh for the Christening the next day so off to Bedfordshire it was :)

The next morning I met the members of MJ's family that I hadn't previously been introduced to, and also caught up with his parents as they had arrived just a few hours before I did! We had an amazing breakfast roll from a deli a few minutes walk away and then got to work decorating and setting up the house ready for the party after the Christening.

We had a 'who can make the best paper flower?' competition... 

...before hanging them all in the marquee outside...

... along with themed table clothes and floral centrepieces!

After all the preparations were done, we finalised what we planned to wear for the Christening and proceeded to get ourselves all dressed up :) Here's a few of us together... 

        

     

And one of my MJ looking dashing in his brand new suit! 

Then we were off for the Christening :) it was a lovely service, lots of friends and family there, many smiling faces and pictures of those smiles to mark the occasion!

Back to the house for the party which was catered amazingly by a local restaurant; the food was great and I tried some dishes I'd never heard of before! Everyone had a happy afternoon celebrating; it was great getting to know MJ's family and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it :)

All too soon however it was time for me to start heading back to JFK to fly back to Miami for another week of rehearsals. It was a bittersweet goodbye indeed. I had had such a wonderful time, felt so welcomed by everyone I had met and I knew it would be a while before I would see MJ again in person... needless to say I was a bit of an emotional wreck when it came to waving goodbye! Oh dear..! As I think back now though, I just remember the smiles and the happiness so am very grateful indeed for everyone who helped in organising how to get me to NY and back in less than a day!

View out of the window of my take off back to Fort Lauderdale

I hope to be visiting New York again soon for a longer period of time as it's a city I've always wanted to explore and appreciate fully!

Until next time, meow! xx

My Week With Matthew - Miami!

I am very lucky to be able to say that I have the most amazing boyfriend. I believe I've mentioned him before in previous blog posts but I'm not sure if I've introduced you properly! His name is Matthew but is frequently called MJ, Mudge, Mango and an array of other nicknames too :)

He has family in New York and while he was over visiting them in August he took the time to pop down to Hollywood to see me for a few days :) We stayed in a great suite at a Ramada hotel not far from my rehearsal studios - was a nice change of scenery from the apartments!

I wanted to share what we got up to during our time together here! 

***

On our first evening together we took a cab to Hollywood Beach for a stroll and some food... 

The moon was HUGE and looked beautiful against the clouds and sea! I wish my camera could have caught it in all it's glory but you get the idea from the above photo! 

After dipping our toes in the Atlantic we found a mexican restaurant called Mamacitas and decided to order food and cocktails! As often happens with me, I got serious cocktail envy after I realised that MJ's tasted much nicer than mine but my food was awesome...

I ordered enchiladas with rice and refried beans! Yum! 

I have to say that I was rather tipsy after my cocktail (that thing was strong!) and I did end up demonstrating some of the Jellicle Ball to MJ on the beach... My balance wasn't great and I am pretty sure I looked a right sight as my silly brain was attempting to remember and execute the steps! No doubt MJ found it all hilarious... oops!

***

On our second evening we took a trip to Aventura Mall for a spot of shopping and to grab ourselves some more scrummy food... I am a food fiend! Yikes. 

So the reason that MJ was over in the States was to celebrate his niece's Christening so we had ourselves a bit of a shopping mission to accomplish in the hour and a half of opening hours that were available to us! We had to find a suit for MJ and a Christening gift for his niece, especially seeing as he was to become her godparent :) very exciting! 

Suit shopping was fun! We spent a long time in Calvin Klein finding the correct sizes and matching up suits with shirts and ties etc before MJ settled on the combination he preferred and which looked great :) One thing down, one to go! Neither of us had a certain idea of what gift to buy for his niece; but after a bit of thought we decided that a piece of jewellery to remind her of the day would be a lovely keepsake and will hopefully last as she grows up! We opted for a teeny tiny silver Pandora bracelet with a cross pendant charm, so pretty! Mission accomplished :D 

After our shopping spree we sat down to eat at The Cheesecake Factory where yet again the food was just delicious :) as was the Oreo Cheesecake that we took back to the hotel for dessert (an obvious choice for us as we are both addicted to Oreos!)

I ordered a lovely fruity Mango cocktail to accompany my food! 

***

It seems that my week with MJ is turning into another food blog... oops! That might be partly due to the fact that mealtimes were my only free times during the week where I wasn't prancing around as a Cat, but probably also due to the fact that we love our food!

We got up early one morning and had breakfast at ihop! Of all the times I have been to America, ihop was one restaurant chain that I had never experienced so I was excited to see what all the fuss is about!

I went for a Chocolate Milk to make my brother jealous, it's one of our favourite breakfast beverages over here!

And we both went for a big breakfast that offered eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns with a side of pancakes each to top it off! So worth the wait, I felt more than ready for a day of rehearsals after this :) 

MJ likes surprises. No wait... Correction! He likes to organise surprises! Not so much on the receiving them ;) So after being told to dress up, being given a beautiful silver Swarovski star pendant necklace (so beautiful, thank you again!), hopping in a taxi with no idea where I was going while being told that where we were headed came highly recommended I knew he was up to his usual tricks!

Where we ended up was GG's Bar and Grill near Hollywood Beach, but situated adjacent to a stunning lake. His brother had dined there before and suggested we gave it a try too! We had a table outside right next to the lake (you can kind of see in the picture below!) and it was so beautiful!

The mojitos we ordered were gorgeous, the food we ordered (steak with garlic and herb mash for me, tuna with some fancy accompaniments for MJ) was soooooo beyond delicious and the whole evening was just wonderful :) I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we both thoroughly enjoyed our evening!  

***

So that pretty much sums up our time together in Miami! MJ flew up to New York the following morning and I followed him up there after my week of rehearsals had finished for the Christening! Will tell you all about my time in New York in my next post, coming very soon! 

Until then, meow! xx

More food from Miami :)

I'm back with more photos of food to whet your appetites and tingle your tastebuds :) I'll get straight to it... 

So there was one particular week a while back where everything I was eating seemed to be green... Although green, each item was in fact very yummy, just not a colour of food that I am used to! 

First up was this Key Lime Pie flavoured yoghurt from Publix which I had for lunch - very creamy and full of delicious limey flavour :) 

I also HAD to pick these up when I saw them! They're new: Citrus (Lemon and Lime) filled white chocolate Lindt truffles! Very good combination of flavours and highly enjoyable 

Next I purchased some Mint Creme Oreos... to die for! Nothing more needs to be said except that if you can get your hands on some of these bad boys then DO IT! 

Lastly I tried some Lime Fanta as a companion to another sub from Miami Subs.. we definitely don't have this flavour in the UK and I have to say I very much enjoyed it, very refreshing indeed! They should import it for all us poor Brits who are deprived! 

*****

I tried a rather unhealthy (I assume) brand of cereal to make up for the boring (un)Special K I had been munching on for breakfast previously! I tried Hershey's Cookies'n'Creme cereal... 

It reminded me of the Nesquik chocolate cereal we have in the UK but obviously mixed with the cookie and cream flavour too... needless to say my breakfasts were way more fun and I would recommend you buy them if you're ever in the States :) 

 *****

It's very easy to eat out all the time when you're in America... the food is usually very scrummy and enticing and after a long day of rehearsals the thought of traipsing home in the heat and then having to cook can be dire! However :) I did make a HUGE saucepan full of bolognese for my lunches/dinners etc one week and I have to say that it was rather delicious...  

Spaghetti Bolognese using my mum's recipe! Yum! 

As I said, it's very hard not to eat out in America! Here are a few things I've tried when I've been out and about.... 

Took me a while but one night I did end up in Maccy D's and wanted to compare with the UK! Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the bacon burger I had but it was very satisfactory! 

I accompanied my MacDonald's bacon burger with another drink I've not seen before which is shown above and which was yummy! I love strawberries and strawberry flavoured things so this was a no-brainer for me :) 

*** 

I also HAD to get myself to a TGI Fridays :) It's one of my favourite places to eat anyway, and their menu has so much more to offer here in the States! I am not ashamed to say that I went all out and ordered quite a large plate of food....

As my face subtly indicates (ha!) I was very excited when my food arrived! 

I forget what the dish was officially called but it had a half rack of bbq glazed ribs, some steak, sweet potato fries and macaroni cheese... AMAZING!

Despite the size of my plate I was more than happy to eat it all as everything was so delicious! 

***

I also tried some Chinese take out from a local restaurant and was really overly excited about receiving the dishes in the little cardboard packages I've seen on Friends countless times :)

I ordered Orange Chicken, rice and some spring rolls! Everything sounded and looked great but I have to say I was a little disappointed with the taste... all a bit bland and dry... never mind! 

***

I decided to change it up one lunch time at the studios and opt for a Thai dish :) I've never had thai food before and opted for Chicken Pad Thai...

I had a very pleasant lunch indeed - am looking forward to trying some more Thai cuisine at some point in the future! 

 *****

I would like very much to introduce you to two of my favourite people in the whole world... Ben! And Jerry! My life would not be the same without these guys in it and I am very grateful to them for making my life that much better :D I treated myself to some of their delicacies when I came across a beachfront shop last week and tried a new flavour of ice cream I'd not seen before:

'Lazy Sunday' - Vanilla cake batter ice cream with chocolate and yellow cupcake pieces and a chocolate frosting swirl... Can you see why I had to try it! 

Needless to say Ben and Jerry didn't fail me :) 

*****

So that's it for the scrummy food I've been eating since I updated you last :) I just have one last thing to show you that I saw while shopping in Publix... this is especially for all my friends from my hometown :D

Yes! There is a range of salad croutons with the brand name 'Chatham Village!' Just too funny!

Anyways, that'll do I think...

Until next time, meow! x

Name change required!

Hi all!

I think I mentioned in a previous blog post that I may have to alter the name of my blog due to the fact that there seem to be lots of ways to spell my characters name! Variations I have seen have been Syllabub, Sillabub, Silibub and countless more... However! After speaking to Chrissie (my rehearsal choreographer and number one person to go to with any Cats related question!) about the correct way to spell it she has informed me that it is in fact Sillabub!

If anyone is a follower this name change might mess things up for you, I'm not sure... but for everyone else who connects with my blog via the posts I link on Facebook, everything should still be fine :)

Meow!

It's been a while...!

Meow! My my, blogging is hard to keep up when you're in rehearsals from 10am-6pm six days of the week! Sorry it's been a while but I am hoping to make amends with my next few posts :) I won't be doing separate weekly posts for the weeks that I've missed but will instead pick out some highlights and share them with you now, hope that will suffice :D

First I'll update you on all things Cats and what we've been up to in rehearsals!

In the opening number, we pick out a guy in the audience and will no doubt make him feel rather uncomfortable as 22 cats stare straight at him and sing about his ignorance of Jellicle Cats, before informing him and the rest of the audience exactly what they are :) When we first learnt this section of choreo we were all fixing our focus on different spots in the studio so we eventually got creative by drawing and labelling our very own 'Man' which makes me chuckle every time I look at it!

Gus: There's a man over there, with a look of surprise.. As much as to say 'Well now how about that?'
Munkustrap: Do I actually see with my own very eyes, a man who's not heard of a Jellicle Cat?

To help us get used to how they would move and get into character we were introduced to our rehearsal tails!!! Such a weird sentence to type! Needless to say, when I saw this box sitting inconspicuously in the studio I got far too over-excited and couldn't wait to pick one out! 

Enric, Kelsie and I showing off our new tails! 

It's actually crazy how quickly you get used to wearing them! I don't feel right when I'm running through the show without mine anymore :) we have to be aware of them when we are pirouetting/whirlygigging (!) and also negotiate ways around not sitting on them while we are rolling around on the floor being feline! But like I said, I am getting far too comfortable wearing mine.. I even wear it for lunch breaks, am surprised I haven't worn it home yet...!

*****

Royal Caribbean and Dreamworks have teamed up to offer character meet and greets, parades and lots more on board some of their ships! The Oasis is one of the ships that will feature the Dreamworks characters and we were lucky enough to meet some of the characters at the studios as the Oasis Dreamworks cast were rehearsing :)

Dom, Lee and I with the Pengiuns from Madagascar!

Apparently the penguins had to cross 4 lanes of traffic to get to the studios to interact with us! Can't imagine what the people of Hollywood thought of that! Too funny :) Why did the penguins cross the road?!

Kelsie and I with Kung Fu Panda :)

*****

So Cats and being a Cat has kind of taken over my life... I find myself gesturing to things using a paw instead of a point and when we run our other show, Come Fly With Me, find it difficult to break out of being a kitty! We've been spending a bit of time improvising whilst being a Cat - how they sit, how they walk, how they run, how they move in general, how they react to sounds/situations, how they feel, how they interact and so on and so forth! Very valuable research to do for the show :)

As of midweek this week we've now learnt the whole show; from opening to bows and every wonderful moment in between! Hooray! Sometimes we were a tad overwhelmed with learning lyrics/harmonies etc... especially for a section in the show where we portray a Siamese Cat army... haha! I was unfamiliar with this part of the show and it took a while for me and most others to get the lyrics in our heads...

This was my roommate Kelsie really trying learn the words for the Siamese one break time! If I had been wearing a hoodie I would have been doing the same thing too! 

We did get there in the end however so all is well! Pheeeeew! Since learning all of the material rehearsals have focused on cleaning, working with click tracks to set the tempo for each number, tightening up transitions between numbers, developing our cat characteristics, identifying our relationships with the other Cats in the tribe and just really trying to pull the show together! We ran the show from start to finish for the first time the other day which felt awesome :) and we've just started adding the mics in too! It is such a pleasure to get to do this show, I can't even put it into words! Cannot wait to get onto the ship and explore the set to see where Syllabub's favourite place to sit actually looks like :)

*****

For me, Cats is such an iconic and amazing show, and over the last couple of weeks I have tried on my costumes for Syllabub, had my wig fitting and been given a tutorial on my very complex Cat make-up! I was sooooooo unbelievably excited for each of these to happen and literally couldn't keep the smile off my face as I saw myself transforming into Syllabub bit by bit! I haven't tried everything on all at once so I have had snippets of what I will look like eventually so cannot WAIT to put it all together :) and also I can't wait to see what the rest of my cast will look like once they're transformed into kitties too! I have a feeling it will be hard to recognise some of them :) Unfortunately I can't post any pictures of my time in wigs, costume or make up because I was never in them all at once and wouldn't want to ruin the full effect! Be assured that as soon as I can, you will be inundated with photos of me as a kitty! Bet you can't wait! 

Right! That's all for my recap on rehearsals! Will aim to get my food roundup on here soon too :) 

Meeeeeeow! :) 

Rum Tum Tucker #3

Wow... so it's been rather a long while since I last posted to my blog! I've had a very busy couple of weeks with rehearsals, an amazing week with my boyfriend, a trip to New York and more rehearsals! I have been taking lots of pictures to remind me what to write about though so I will attempt to catch up with myself today :) here goes! 

I'll start with my food blog from a few weeks back! 

Our Old Deuteronomy, Trent, had his birthday this week - this was his amazing birthday cake :) 

It was layered cake; vanilla and chocolate! Very light and fluffy, the icing was great too! 

While in Publix I came across a few varieties of lemonade and opted to try the Mango Lemonade variety! Very thirst-quenching and fresh! 

I also tried some french toast... I wasn't the biggest fan of this! It was a bit soggy and didn't really taste of much! Never mind :)

I also picked up my first lot of vegetables since I've been here! I felt like I was back at home with this meal :) chicken kiev, rice and veg! It was sooooo good though :) home comforts! 

When I was younger I always used to drink the powdered Nesquik milkshake but saw that they had it in syrup form here so decided to give it a try! It has the taste I remember but you don't have the powder stuck to the bottom of your glass - genius!  

*****

On Saturday we came into the break room to find a scrummy surprise from the office staff at Royal Caribbean :) lots of boxes of Dunkin' Donuts!

Here's Enric with one of the boxes! Such a nice treat :)  

This is donut I shared - had vanilla cream inside and powdered sugar on top! 

Me enjoying my donut :) 

*****

On Sunday I went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Enric and Kelsie... 

I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea...

...and a Macaroni and Cheese Burger with Sweet Potato Fries :) delicious!

And I couldn't eat at the Cheesecake Factory without ordering cheesecake! This week I opted for the Red Velvet Cheesecake! Cannot even tell you how good this was :) 

So that's it for my food craziness this week! 

Until next time, meow!