London Pride Parade 2011 Atmosphere

The Gay Pride Parade London was amazing. I felt a bit out of place at first, or like an onlooker because everyone around me had SOMETHING in a rainbow or was very, very clearly gay. It was interesting to rock up and felt strange to be overlooked because I seemed to be treated as someone who tey thought was "straight and not involved". I quickly bought a whistle with a rainbow strip and ended up getting heaved over the barrier by two guys and joined the other people dancing behind a bus all through Regent Street up to Trafalgar Square. Other than that I danced from 2pm to 7pm at the edge of the fountain... I think quite a lot of people took pictures of me but I just didn't care, I was having too much of a good time.

I love this picture I took because of the words and composition as well as the facial expression and just the entire situation... and that shirt!

Proud to be! Just to BE.

There's always one group... rowdy chavs raining on our parade with abusive behavior. The red head was later escorted by two security guards from Trafalgar Square in a brutal grip with his arms behind his back, it was quite shocking to witness.

It happened very suddenly, after one girl broke through a whole crowd jumped into the fountain leaving the crowd control guys helpless.

I didn't wear the heels most of the time...

Awesome outfit, those boots in particular!

Hnffh.

"WHOO I MADE IT HAHAHAHA" The cheers were deafening.

"Now get down!"

"Noo YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" First girl to break through gets escorted back out only to make it back inside within a few minutes.

Look at the crowd just LOVING the renegade fountain jumpers splashing the poor guy just trying to do his job. They were all pretty cool about it, though.

The second person to make it to the fountain promptly started stripping... applauded by everyone.

Cute couple dancing in the fountain, being all rebellious.

I love this comedian, I watch him online all the time.

Such a beautiful girl...

A group from the X-factor performing on stage...

I love this picture.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more.

Not sure who that is but everyone around me seemed to know...

And I see my reflection in the snow covered hills...

Apparently from a band called 2020...

They were so cute together

Glee aleeeert!

Hanging out with Jai'me of Boy meets Fashion.

That thing I miss doing

The Portmanteau reading come day or night - images courtesy of my sister Lua

I taught myself to read at the tender age of four. Even before going to kindergarten, I enthusiastically loved doing my three and a half years older sister's homework, which didn't change until she was 18 - my sentiment towards doing so may have changed, but you know how bigger siblings can be, even the nicest ones. I'm not complaining, though, it meant I was always ahead of class in every single subject for six years, which meant I was bored out of my mind in primary school and either bullying my class mates for being dumb (I was the worst kind of snob) or reading a book while others were pretending to pay attention with vacant looks. Being a child who cared more about Sherlock Holmes' explanation of reversed coat wetness than whether one girl called the other a bitch, I didn't have much to worry about whilst in school. In year six I finally got fed up and sat my teacher down and demanded (yes, I know. Horrible.) from my teacher that I either be jumped a class or two or I'd change schools into a completely different system which would equal jumping two classes if I wasn't put back. I ended up doing the latter and hence jumped two classes straight into Mandarin and Latin classes, which was lovely.

What I did lose from the move was my most precious childhood habit - that of reading in average three or four books per day over six years. Needless to say I can cherry pick the books I hadn't read in the entirety of the local library and that my trip home involved dropping off and picking up books. Heavily identifying with Matilda's library antics, I was allowed to move onto different sections of the library ahead of my age (they had age restrictions, I kid you not).

With the introduction of real life and growing up, having responsibilities and such, the amount of books I have had the pleasure to read are laughable, and I miss it. I miss literally devouring a 500 page books in a day and being utterly and truly no longer myself. When I read, my cynicism, hunger, tiredness or worries are all gone. I live a completely different life, think completely different thoughts. Whoever is satisfied with just their own?