Uptown.

A final post for 2025, and we decided to go up town to see if Japan centre were still doing their free Gyoza.  Turns out no, but did get canned coffee instead which was nice. 

Got some cheap CDs in the sale which includes the sublime Oneohtrix point never release on Editions Mego and a double pack with Kevin Saunderson (mixes and remixes) along with a Decius promo which looks like its essentially benders acid. 

Also went to Hamleys for the first time in absolutely ages and there is Harry Potter stuff in the basement so if you want to see a big Lego Hagrid and also some weird zombie witch thing (Wicked, also Lego).

But mostly they had Gundam Gunpla figures, which were cool.

I'll wrap it up by saying there was some chick dressed as a pirate singing out the front and leave you with some photos. 

I wIlL eAt yOuR SoUl

Nice

Romford

 A trip out to Romford for buying presents both for myself and for others, and a place I haven't been to in ages. I've never really done well there when it comes to junk hunting and this is no exception. Took my mum and dad along via Crossrail, and I got new slippers and the latest Reacher novel for xmas. 

Managed to pick up a top for mum and the latest Richard Osman novel for Dad. Which means my Xmas shopping is almost done.

I also got what must be the worst CD imaginable, some sort of holiday camp mascot sing along.

Reminding me a bit of Kanye West by the artwork, the tracks themselves are pure pub singer kiddy song fare, with Dream Squirrel being a kind of homage to Seasons in the Sun by Terry Nation  Jacks. Kinda wish Darryl Bullock was still alive from Worlds Worst Records. I'm sure he'd have lapped this up, it's that awful. 

On the other hand I managed to get the Meaning of Love / Oberkorn from Depeche Mode which I'd been after for ages as the only one I've seen was sleeve only at a bootsale. 

Finally a round up of nutters. Including a pensioner dressed as an elf which I'm sure was from the Santa's Grotto. A tramp necking a bottle of wine direct from a Sainsbury's bag, assorted God botherers and the Sally Army bloke who looked like the NAFO Dog in uniform.

The cream of the crop was some nutty bird on the train, who reckoned a woman was following her... in a nappy. The finisher, she had HIV. The best thing was, is that she was entirely alone. No one was following her, at all. 

Lucifer from Cinderella

EDIT. I also found this Disney Weedle. Which turns out to be a plush of Lucifer from Cinderella.  No me neither. 

Uptown 2 Electric Boogaloo

 A few things brought us back uptown for the second week running. The first being a store of all things, a Nintendo pop-up shop in Westfield, Shepherds Bush. The second is a McFlurry recommendation from my boss. 

First of all I've been to Shepherd's Bush before once or twice, and these big malls have nothing there for me. The shop itself isn't all that so if you want plushies of Toad and some Amibo you'll most certainly be in luck, so long as you have a *ticket to enter, and there was quite a queue to get in. Like I say you ain't missing much. Its opposite the Lego store or just down from WHSmiths (now alas W G Jones) on the other side. Runs to the 16th of Nov, so get in quick if its your bag. 

The other thing isn't that bad, its also limited edition and is part of the McDonalds world range of snacks, its the weird pretzel McFlurry from Malaysia  My boss reckons its the best McFlurry there is and I'd have to say its close, but no cigar. That would be the apple McFlurry from their Minecraft promo back in the summer, but I will say that the caramel one isn't half bad. Weird but nice.

We finished off with a walk down to Hammersmith and found that they had nerfed their Crisis shop to being a drop shop, which means that they don't do CDs or records much, which is a shame as they normally have a great selection. 

*Only the first week, now its queue only.