I have some random things I want to achieve and one was them to go on stage at a major club in London and play the bongo drums. Here I am with 2 levels of people watching me play the bongo drums at Café de Paris! So happy!! PS. Im not at a strip club. London clubs have girl dancers dancing on podiums all the time
Since I had a small friendship base to start off with, I’ve found that I’ve adapted to make friends in lots of random ways. I contacted a distant relative that I hadn’t met before (something like Grandpa’s cousin’s daughter’s son) and he’s turned out to be the coolest Uncle ever!! (Chinese definition of ‘uncle’ is different).
My Uncle is a paparazzi photographer and takes pictures of celebrities. He gets invited to VIP parties and sees celebrities everyday. It’s cool because he sends me SMSes on things happening around town so that I might be able to see celebrities e.g. ‘7pm Berkeley Square. Agency has told me Sienna Miller, Beyonce, and Victoria Beckham will be there’. If a particular celebrity is in town, I can ask my Uncle where they are but that’s a bit too stalker like!
It’s a different world here in London compared to the North Shore. My Uncle certainly doesn’t fit the stereotype. He is asian and 45 and not married and is well … cool! He knows a lot of bouncers to major clubs and it’s a strange situation when your Uncle puts you and your friends on the guestlist and you all go out together! And it doesn’t feel strange or out of place at all.
I find it very refreshing as I’ve met a lot of people that don’t fit the stereotype and are just who they are as they are comfortable with it and not following certain paths just because everyone around them is. That’s because there are so many different types of people in London so you don’t feel like you have to fit in anywhere.
Probably the luckiest thing that has happened to me in London is getting to stay rent-free at an apartment by myself in one of best locations in London which would usually cost 800 pounds ($A2000 a week)! Yep that’s right… $8000 a month. How ridiculous is that.
A friend I met in Hong Kong off my cousin called Chester happened to have an empty apartment in Chancery Lane with no one living here which is right above the tube station with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, balcony, study, living room and massive kitchen. You must realize we are quite spoilt in Australia and this is really good in London! There is a porter downstairs to help me out with things (like when I didn’t know how to use a can opener!) and this place is like a hotel. I can walk Covent Garden or Oxford St back home.
Chester is the son of a past Miss Hong. The funny thing is he is going out with Janet who came 2nd in the current Miss Hong Kong. I had dinner with him and his friends once. Everyone seemed to be somebody like actors/singers/sons or daughters of prominent people and I was the random Australian.
Although everything I report seems fine and dandy, I actually went through a pretty tough week when I moved in but it is a challenge I wanted to face when coming here- HOUSEWORK! I had to ring 3 people about using the washing machine. I then broke out in a rash as I was allergic to something and then got sick. I feel like such a north shore princess when people ask me “Who did your cleaning for you in Australia?” as the answer is my Mum and that we had a cleaner. How embarrassing!! But I am very very proud of myself now as I can cook quite well (most of the time) and I can CLEAN!!! =)
Chester and his Miss HK number 2 girlfriend, Janet
Im freaking out!!! 6 single random shoe sightings so far! It’s a global phenomenon! Do you Sydney people still see random single shoes now that I’m gone? (Apologies to those who have no idea what I’m talking about… you don’t want to know about this conspiracy otherwise it might affect you too)
