I'm starting to miss...

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... it's less than a week now" - not calling my mum, just an exclamation ;)

I'm not about to say "London" just in case you're wondering, yea probably I was about to go on about things in London, but I can't say it's London itself - is this contradicting??

I'm really starting to miss...
1. working life, it's routine (alright) but it makes days go by...
2. living with my housemates (where most are lovely people with the exception of one)...
3. the crazy shopping, I bet nowhere else I'm able to get so many brands in one location...
4. people speaking proper english (not singlish, not german)...
5. angela speaking mandarin to me, complaining about her work, bringing back freebies from her office ;)
6. all the carnivals, festivals, events going on - there is almost never nothing to do... then again, I'm looking forward to beautiful christmas markets (in Germany) :)
7. the wacky fashion sense, at least nobody looks at you with the "YOU'RE CRAZY IN THIS OUTFIT" kind of stare...
8. the biggest bath tub I ever used, and that's in our bathroom...
9. the scottish salmon which I've to eat at least once every month!!
10. the better asian food (yummy duck rice and japanese curry :D~ ) than in Germany, but not Singapore of course - no where is better than home...

Will I miss you, London?

Well, I hardly think so...

I said too many times that I don't love this place - like I don't hate it as well. It's just a big city, characterized by its cosmopolitan factor, which happened to be the only thing I'll definitely miss. And probably the reason that attracted me here the first place.

I'll be out of UK (and definitely London) by end October, supposedly to return back to Singapore. However, due to some reason, I am heading over to Germany and should be taking up a language course over there - if that is possible. In fact, just 3 more weeks to stay in london, I'm counting... Not that I look forward to leave, but time really is going fast.

My rent for September was due yesterday. No more money goes to rent;) In fact, I'm going to Germany for a 2 weeks holiday which is really silly to think of it now since I'll again go back soon for a much longer time. But I don't have much of a choice, I booked my flight long ago - you don't really get refund when you cancel these cheap flights - instead you might have to pay for administrative cost. So, heck it, just go...

I am planning quite a few destinations to go when I return to London from my holiday - no where to stay, so I should just hop about for another 2 weeks before.... yeahh going back to Germany again :S

p/s: But London, don't worry, you're always on my holiday destination list again :P

Nottinghill crazy

YES!!! This year's festival is much better than the last...

Reasons being:
1. Weather is superb - sunny, unlike the drizzle the year before.
2. Crazy companions. This time I didn't go alone, I have at least 2 friends ;)
3. Nok, my Thai friend lives in Nottinghill (off the carnival route), we can always go back up for a tea, and rest.
4. We got freebies from the carnival - even though they aren't really anything useful, they are something worth to preserve the memory.
5. Great music, great crowd, nice food and most importantly it didn't take us ages to get home!!! I'm surprised it's pretty orderly.
6. I managed to snap lot of beautiful close-up photographs *.*

One old hag

Hag (hăg) n. An old woman considered ugly or frightful. A witch; a sorceress. Obsolete. A female demon.

There is one living in my houseshare. Ugly. Old. Disgusting. Rude. Hostile. B****. The more I see her, that seed of hatred in me grew rapidly, almost like a Jack's bean stalk. I need to chop it down, and to do this, I need to deal with this evil old woman. I don't want to name her a witch, she's too fat to be one - too big of an ass to sit on that poor tiny broom!

Monday is supposed to be a nice start for work, however her charcoal black face has ruined my beginning. I tried to greet her nicely, and was taken invisible - how rude is that! Her words of "Hello" are miserably stingy and only to people whom she seems to want to share her very bad English with. Who cares - maybe she can't even understand my English and it would be such a waste of time/saliva to speak to her. Old hag!

This evening onwards, I shall make her invisible for the rest of my stay...

Short, sweet and Superb

Woohooo... yes yes yes, we watched free coldplay concert in London, everything was perfect except the weather and the nightmare of getting home...

Like a sour lemon sweet

Besides the transport I am complaining about... the weather being far too hot on some days... everything being so expensive...

This experience is like having a sour lemon sweet. Everything is so sour at the initial moment, it makes you wanting to pull your own hair, shutting your eyes and squeezing those tears at the corner of the eyes. That thrill of sourness however will only be this long - short-termed.

Once that is over, the sweet part lingers and it really feels wonderful. I am thinking I am really taking it easy now, a little more optimistic than I have expected myself to be.

Jobs are coming in really slow, I am beginning to lose a bit of hope every sunny day that passed by. I need a job, a summer job, a lousy job, a job that pays enough to let me survive till autumn... I have to say I am trying very hard, already!

Someone needs to pray for me...

Oyster sucks

I hate the london transport, I seriously hate it. It's horrible. Expensive, delays and not organized. Oyster is a very clever invention and I wish I can ask that person who invented it to "eat shit", yes, it's that stupid. I had this incident today where I used my oyster pre-pay (just like ez-link in Singapore), I alighted at the station, switched another train home... Upon alighting, there is no machine at the exit for me to tap my oyster card - IT IS NOT I AM AVOIDING TO TAP IT, THEY JUST FUCKING DON'T HAVE ONE AT THIS STATION!! So what now?? I returned home then I read that I have to pay a penalty if I did not tap out! Oh yah right, now it is not my fault, and I literally had to make a trip back to tap that damned card! What did I get? Yeah, a penalty plus waste of time, walking out there to take that damned train back to the next station and tapped it, paid 1/3 more than I should, and then go back home! London transport seriously... shitty!

How I wish for an air-conditioned room "^ ! ^

So hot... Angela is like my weather reporter, she told me it will be 32 degrees today!

Finally, things are turning for the better...

Tax refund for the previous tax year is here, so I'm rich enough to pay my upcoming rent, but... need more to survive :(

The postman has arrived with my long awaiting mobile number!

Yeaaaaa!! We found a room somewhere around the corner. In fact, it's the same area we are putting up for now, but it's nearer to the tube station. £300 per month and in fact it sounds reasonable enough, bundled with cool smoking housemates plus a domestic male cat as the freebie. Actually, the night before we were to get a confirmation about this room, I had a dream. In it, we got the room, each of us has our own double bed and one additional bed for our visiting guests! How great!! Mmmmm... for your information, we will only move next month.

On Saturday, we wore skirts out for shopping in the city, ooooooooo the weather is finally permitting us to wear lesser and lesser! I realized I did not bring much fanciful clothes and bag for the summer - so there, I spent £20. But hey, Angela is the shopaholic, I have no means of stopping her at all. So as long as I can spend within my limit, I feel lucky to buy! I think she might need to hire me as her financial controller ;)

Next for me, a cool summer job and some traveling will do... *crossed my finger*

I'm getting a bit sick of London already

Are you asking,"What, so fast?"

"Yes, indeed, already."

Nothing has changed for the better, with the only exception of the weather. Spring, or should I already named it summer?? Long daylight, this is wonderful. The new london transport fare is not making my mood better, the rise in the normal bus fare of 70p last year to £1.20 this year is already a dreadful nightmare! Thanks to Oyster, I'm saving at least 40p.

I yearn for Germany now, probably just because I have had a so much better time there, it is already making my stay seem 10 times longer than I have actually been here. I am losing my patience, I am somewhat hoping October arrives in a split second and I am back home again. Not that I really want to be back in Singapore, but just to get out of here!

"Horrible", are you thinking???

A consolation is now I have a friend here, Angela, so that makes a lot of things in pair and much easier. It will be an experience for us to live together, fortunately we had been on holidays together, so we know of each other's quirks! It will be easier as time goes by, but now I'm just as impatient as I am unsettled.

I believe that bad luck I encountered at home has been washed away by the rain pouring in the spring, I'm feeling hopeful. What I need now is just to rebuild my patience, get my motivation from somewhere and love my freedom. This will do!

Giggly

I should have posted this long ago... before I even came to Germany, yah, I'm bit lazy to complete it, no inspiration.. hehe... and no internet for past few busy days in London!

I find myself chuckling very often in scenarios like these:

1. Hearing someone in London speaking in Singlish (not the ang moh); it happened once in the office at lunch, at my table. This Asian chap was speaking to his ang moh mate in bit and pieces of Singlish phrases, I just couldn't help it.

2. I see something with a Playboy or rabbit logo; I nearly wanted to invest £10 just for a striking pink nice print undies (yes, real playboy!!). It reminds me of rabbit! Then again, how often can you show off the nice playboy.

3. Cooking my dinner at 1630, then realizing that the sky is dark but the night isn't here yet. But then again, that was my lunch as well!

4. Buying a weekly bus pass, and cheat the driver - I got away with it thrice, imagine! Heh, how?? I bought it with a starting date for the upcoming Thursday but already using it on the Tuesday! Wahaha..

5. Okay, now I really have lost all the inspirations about London, but yes, there was many good laughs about things back there - lovely memories! Shall I move on the Germany now ehh...

Londoner chick

I can't blame the fact that my contract job is ending soon, my first paycheck has encouraged more time for shopping (yah, budget shopping!), and having a bus pass makes me go around more of London! I want to save enough for my travel in Europe for coming spring and/or summer. Saving up from the cheap rent, cheap shopping, cheap transport, cheap food... I'm trying to live cheap in expensive city. Not so easy! And yes, if it means free to see a STAR in town, I'll be rushing down. Not for everyone though, I am lucky to say Jamie and Ewan are a rare catch for me - enough. I've seen Ronan at concert in Singapore. Maybe next on the list, Prince William for me.. he he he.

I'm mastering the art of survival in London - I can teach you how when any of you want to get here. Fortunate I should say I've met people whom have shared different parts of London with me; I went to a 2nd hand market held in some school compound on a Saturday afternoon (God's sake, I don't know what is it called!!). £3 for a winter coat - real! But I didn't get it, can't imagine how I can pack that in my luggage yet. But I'll return again to check out good bargains. Afterall I don't need one in Singapore, so 2nd hand works fine for me... unless I've extra £££ for a brand new one. Very tempting!!

I've been searching high and low for a perfect pair of glass slippers... Ah, I want to get a pair of shoes - a promise with my first salary! And a pretty skirt to go with it. First of all, I'm getting that shoes so I can wear my new stockings (its 5 socks now!!); in order to see that stockings, you need to wear something shorter of course; so now I end up having to buy a skirt too. Now I don't have a bag to go along - but I don't want to buy!!! Mmmm, I shouldn't be so fashion-conscious, but its REAL hard not to be here. Everything looks good - coats, shoes, dresses, stockings, sweaters, blouse, lingerie, scarfs, even gloves... I also love the books - I can't stress enough but its amazing! "Fuck"


I'm listing the things I bought for myself over here (not food, I can't remember them):

£ Hip Sharp GX 15 mobile phone
£ German-english dictionary (bargain!)
£ Stockings x 4 (1 black fish-net, 2 black patterned, 1 beige hold-up)
£ Love socks
£ Recycled-drink-packets bag
£ Black cool business jacket
£ Slightly over sized girlish dress (picked at the 2nd hand market)
£ Beads covered beautiful notebook
£ A box of jumbo color pencils (for my notebook if you wonder)


Shoes and skirt coming up!! Maybe a snow globe too, miniature if I've to bring home. I have always wanted to get a big pretty one, it isn't for kids, is it!! I'm fascinated by them. If you haven't got an idea what that is, look here for an example.

I'm enjoying London (alone even), see.

Brit's thumbs up

I've said so many disappointing things about London, I reckon it's fair enough to mention a few good things!!!

(1) First and foremost, there isn't an annual income limit to own a credit card. Yeah!!! So make sure you can afford one if you want one here, its free but not recommended to apply for one just for the sake of owning one. Actually I don't need one, I wanted to have a Visa (in case for emergency) because all my cards are Master Card debit. But then they gave me another Master Card :( Visa Platinum only for future upgrading, but whatever.

(2) You can get a decent Italian meal for £5, at least they are really Italian!! Many wide choices of food, e.g. the chef in my office restaurant plans a weekly menu ranging from Italian, Spanish, English, to whatever else. Well, you get all variety in Singapore too I have to admit, best for Asian food. But London's a good mix for European food! Besides cheap yogurt, many kinds of chocolates, and cheap pizza (for oven but good enough), best is I can get my Haribo gummy. Fruits are not cheap but reasonable!

(3) Cosmopolitan city

(4) Most/all public toilets are free to enter and supply toilet roll (no 10 cents entry or 20 cents for toilet paper)

(5) Seasonal weather, I seem to like it!


Wait till I find more...

Things to do in London

I was speaking to Guna, thanks to Angela for passing me his contact. Guna is currently on UK holidaymaker visa too, exactly what I want to do. He gets me all curious and eager to go back there. I have endless questions which I've flooded him with... and still a lot more popping up now!! Lucky Guna has friends there with him, at least they are dependable on each other and what more is his free accomodation. I doubt I've that kind of luck to stay for FREE. Anyway, it has provided me with another kind of encouragement and support that I know another person in london. Another Asian. Another Singaporean.

A list of things I want to do in London:
- Feed the pigeons at Trafalgar Square
- Feed the chipmunks / squirrels in Hyde Park
- Visit British Museum again
- Visit National Portrait Gallery
- Step inside St. Paul Cathedral
- See Portobello again
- Shop at Camden again
- Go partying / drinking

That's all for now.. till I have more ideas...