It is mid-August, and I have to say, the summer has just flown by. Not only has the weather been full of warmth and sunshine, my personal life has been so as well. I have found romance and been quite productive in terms of writing, so things are all good.
Although I have played around with a few script ideas, I have not been doing a lot of screenwriting. Instead, I wrote a short theatre play for the Little Pieces of Gold contest, which showcases new writing talent by choosing a handful of plays and showcases them at the Park Theatre in London. I'm not sure if my play, Shelter, was quite what they were looking for, but I am glad I managed to write it all the same. My first theatre play!
To conclude, here's a little song from the Doors to entertain you. It is playing in my head on repeat!
Time has
flown by at an incredible pace, and I find myself caught amidst the English
summer. As last Tuesday was the six-month anniversary of my London move, I
decided to write down a few lines about my experiences so far. Without further
adieu, let me present to you my observations.
Weather
Indeed, it
does rain a lot. Long periods of rain
and gloom have been interrupted by only a few warm and sunny days. This summer has been deemed as the rainiest one in years, yet the
weather in my home country is far worse than this with its extreme temperature changes. But dealing with the weather is
all about preparing: I check the weather forecast before I venture out and carry a
mini umbrella and a pair of sunglasses with me wherever I go.
Londoners The diverse
population of many different nationalities is one of the greatest things about
living in London. The motto for the city might as well be 'come as you are'. First of all, there's fashion. You can see the most interesting fashion choices here with no one questioning them. If you feel good about your choice of attire, chances are others are fine with it, too. I love the Old Spitalfields Market on Sundays - it is full of interesting (and cheap) frocks :-) Secondly, the diverse backgrounds of the Londoners is definitely a positive. You can always introduce yourself with new cultures or cuisines through restaurants, parties, get-togethers, or exhibitions. The current hip cuisines seem to be the Vietnamese and Scandinavian ones. I think it's safe to say that you can always find people and imported goods from your native country, which makes you miss home even less.
Tourists It is the short-term inhabitants that do my head in. The tourists make it hard to keep up the good
spirits. They walk at snail speed and then stop in the middle of the street to
take pictures ofliterally everything:
taxis, double-decker busses, telephone booths, street performers, famous buildings,
tacky shops, classic statues and structures – even post boxes.
Money
On my daily
walk to work, I join a
flood of businessmen and women on their walk across London Bridge and pass
half-a-dozen homeless people in the process. I have started to recognise some
of the homeless from the Big Issue saleswoman to the hobo man with the cute black
pup, and yet I walk pass them without ever giving them any money. The truth of
the matter is I have none to give.
Living in
London is expensive – even more expensive when you’re desperately trying to live on a budget and save money.
Because of my strict university fee saving regime, I find myself constantly
purchasing value-range groceries and walking instead of using public
transportation. But the temptations are there… and it is very hard to resist an
after work cocktail or a cheeky dinner with friends, and there you have it –
£50 gone with the wind. It’s way too easy to find a way to spend the
well-earned money. Temptations, baby, temptations.
Lifestyle
Lifestyle
in London is all about scheduling. I find myself obeying the stereotypical ‘9
to 5’ work hours and planning my days accordingly: I enter the office at 9am,
work until 1pm, take an hour for lunch, get back to work and leave at 5pm. Some
of my colleagues go to the gym, some commute home, and some go out for happy
hour cocktails with work colleagues. Understandably, the latter usually happens
on Fridays, as there is no pressure to appear sharp in the office next morning.
Scheduling is
important during weekends as well. It is completely normal to only see your friends
every few weeks or so, as everyone is busy and commuting within the city takes
a while. Speaking of which, I have to buy a nice watch...
Dating
Dating in London is tough. There are so many beautiful women and gorgeous men around that it is hard to make an impression on anyone. I recently wrote a blog entry about dating, and joined a dating website to see if that would help. Hardly, is the answer – the experiment did not produce any tangible results. I went on a few dates, all of which left me feeling nothing at all. Needless to say, I am no longer paying for such service. I will keep my eyes open and see if anyone eligible turns up... Surely they will, right? (And the Moon is made out of cheese...)
Today is the third day of my London adventure. Here comes a brief summary of what I have been up to during these first few days.
I landed at Heathrow on Wednesday afternoon. My landlady was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and after about an hours drive, we arrived at this village I am staying at. I spent the rest of the day unpacking my things and getting cosy in my new, single bedroom. It is a light little room in a former council house (insert your frown here), but it has been refurbished recently. Needless to say, it is perfect for me, as I don't have a lot of things and don't need a lot of space.
This village is about 40 minutes train ride away from the London Bridge station, so it's not too far away from the city centre. The area is quite leafy and airy, and I have to say, very idyllic! I never thought that a place this close to such a big cosmopolitan city could be so relaxing and... quiet!
However, as much as I enjoy this room and this area, I have to admit that I would like to experience the big city living and am looking for a room in a more central area. This desire is partially this is due to the fact that I need a job and most jobs I am interested in are in the central London area. Also, after spending a year in a town that was too quiet to my taste I am longing to have a bit of a cosmopolitan experience. So, we'll see how things go.
After unpacking and settling in on Wednesday, I hopped on to the train on Thursday and spent the whole day just walking around in Central London. I treated myself to a small salad lunch at Carnaby Street in a little Italian salad bar. It was a lovely little moment - just drinking coffee, eating salad and looking at people, who were mostly tourists. I had to pinch myself for I was feeling so happy. I am finally here, after all the hard work!
I was also asking around for jobs, but most stores said they want people to apply for the jobs online. So today, I am going to spend the day looking and applying for jobs online. At the moment I am not too picky - I could do waitressing, retail, an office job... Anything to earn me some pocket money, really.
Partially because of money issues, I might have to defer my university place until next year. I really want to do the MA course and I already have the tuition fees saved up, but if I can't get a job NOW I won't have anything to live on, really. That is why I might have to begin the course in January 2013 instead.
I have to say, I am not too worried if I start the course this year or the next year. After all, it's just one year. I think spending one year working and getting used to things could be beneficial for me. At the moment it seems like there's so many changes in my life, all happening at once, that I can hardly keep track. Maybe a "slowly but surely" approach would be better at this stage.
To conclude, I really do feel like I am "Melly In Wonderland". Everything is so exciting and new I can hardly contain myself. Here is a little music choice that kind of describes how I'm feeling at the moment:
Happy 2012 everyone! Let's hope that it is way better than 2011 was.
I am really looking forward to this year and am anxious to see what it will bring with it. In three days, I will be moving to London and starting a new life there. I am so excited and happy - I desperately need a change of scenery. New adventures and opportunities await, and I am anxious to see what will become of me there.
To quote Forrest Gump, everyone gets a second chance with the new year. It certainly feels that way to me now... I really needed a new beginning!
Finally, here is a classic U2 song to celebrate the event:
