Time to work out what I’m doing here!

Written 1st May and updated today

As most of you know, I sort of bought a one-way ticket and landed here not totally sure what I’m doing here. After 3 weeks of having fun in London, I suddenly thought, “Alright. Time to work out what I’m doing here!!”

When I was out with my cousin’s workmates one night, I met this stockbroker who is a South African girl (who also paid for our dinner and drinks as stockbrokers are meant to entertain investment bankers… cool!). I’ve never met such a determined person and she was very ambitious and successful. She was in the same situation as me a few years ago when she arrived from South Africa wondering what on earth she’s doing here! She was the one that gave me a kick in the butt and said “Right. First of all, you need to write down your goals for being here. Secondly….”

So this is what I did:

Main goals:
- To work on an island in Europe during summer before I die
- To be independent (learn to wash, clean, cook etc) whilst working and livig as a Londoner

It is very easy to start working to start earning the pound and then travelling isn’t the main focus anymore. There were some pretty cool job opportunities but decided I should focus on my main goal to work on an island so I won’t ever go ‘What if?” when I get older.

My Plan
- Find a 5 week temping job before I travel - DONE. Will update people on my interesting job in a future post
- Travel to France, Italy (especially Amalfi Coast), Spain – PLANNED
- Work on the Greek Islands – Will get one-way ticket there and see how I go finding a job
- Practice my German again – Pending… am thinking of going to Oktoberfest and visiting German friends
- Go to New York, Ibiza, Croatia, Amsterdam, Berlin – plan to do short trips in 2008 when working
- Live and work in Hong Kong for 6 months – plan to in 2009. Have got permanent residency. Practice my Cantonese and possibly take a course on writing Chinese.
- Do South America for approx 3 months – Plan to in 2010
- Go tribal and live in Vanuatu for 3 months – when I am married

The Clubs here are WICKED!!!

London clubbing is totally out of this world!

Sketch
I met up with Richard, a friend that I met in Hong Kong and his friend took us into this club called Sketch. His friend has this amazing house in Kensington like in the movies! It was really cool as instead of spotlights, they had laser beam lights (those red dots when you’re about to shoot someone). They had the maddest toilets that I have ever seen!! Yes I was being an embarrassment with the below pictures as posh people walked past me but I didn’t care!




Fabric
For once something cheaper than Sydney! Scratch Perverts, Krafty Kuts, Stanton Warriors and more for only ₤12 entry fee! Once again I was the token asian against a group of blonds. Scratch Perverts were amazing!




Egg
This was an interesting club as it was situated in Kings Cross. What was funny was when we were lost on how to get there, we asked someone in a van and it turned out to be the Egg bus! So we got a lift from the Egg bus there! I found the crowd there very interesting.




Silver
Kat was in London for the weekend so I got us on the guestlist to Silver. We had so much fun as we were such tourists at a posh club! There were celebrities there but we didn’t know who they were. We got into the VIP area which had beds as sofas which looked pretty cool! Last pic is funny- some friends we made on the street. They look like they're the black eyed peas and Kat is Fergie!




Wardour
I heard that Kate Moss went the week before so I went to check it out. Emily and I took photos in the bathrooms (where they have chuppa chups, perfume and all sorts of things). The people there were so good looking! The girls were all models and the guys looked like they were from 90210. I bet all guys reading this are jealous that I got to take a picture with the ‘cops’!


Medicine Bar
Jade had arrived in London so I called a few friends out as well. (Yes that is Tom Travers!). It turned out to be a birthday party and we had a nice table at the bar. We then went downstairs where I had a solo piece on the bongo drums.





Pangaea and Crystal
Anita (Katrina’s cousin), Jo (Chris’ friend who was for 2 weeks) and I went to Pangaea to check it out and then Crystal. Unfortunately Jo’s camera got stolen… you really have to watch out in London!!


Café de Paris
This was the club where I achieved one of my goals!! But I won’t write about it now, will write about it in a special post later!!!

My special friend is not my friend anymore

My special friend that I wrote about in my third post is not my friend anymore. How can you be friends with someone when they suddenly throw a pie at your face? I thought he was very British and polite so it was a surprise when somebody you meet up with for the second time throws a pie at your face.

Yes I admit I partly deserved it as I was whingeing. But it’s not nice having apple bits on your face! After the incident, we haven’t talked to each other for nearly a month. I will update you all if we ever start talking again.

The American vs The Brit vs The Australian

One night I went out to dinner with a new British friend and a new American friend to at curry at Brick Lane. British people perceive Americans as loud and a bit too upfront and funnily enough, I've had several experiences here where I've felt the same thing! This dinner was funny as everyone was so stereotypically British or American. I don't think I reflect the perceived stereotypical Australian (it would be someone like Steve Irwin) but the night went somehow like this...

Danny (British): (Turns politely to me) Do you fancy a spicy dish or something somewhat milder?
Don (American): (Exclaims loudly) Dude! Oh my God they've got Tikka Masala!! (Some heads turn in this quiet restaurant)
We order our meals and the waitor comes back with our drinks. Don has ordered a lemonade.
Don the American: (Takes a sip and nearly spits it out) Dude!! Jeez they gave me Sprite! Excuse me!!! (hails waitor). I ordered lemonade but you gave me Sprite!
Me the Australian: Mate! That IS lemonade! (Hehe I didn't say that but just want to chuck in something 'Australian')
Don the American: No it's Sprite! Lemonade is freshly squeezed lemon with sugar and soda
Danny and I explain that in Australia and England it is different. The food then comes
Danny the Brit: This curry is well good.
Don the American: Has a bite and his eyes open wide. He excitedly slaps the waitor near us and says DUDE! This curry is AWESOME! I thought I had good curry in Singapore but oh man! This curry rocks!!
The Indian waitor nods somewhat nervously, a bit overwhelmed with all the expression. More heads begin to turn around and look at us.
Don the American: You know what? I LOVE Indian people! Indian people are always so nice! Where abouts in India are you from?
He then makes some mistake about where the waitor is from, getting confused between India and a different country.
Me the Australian: CRIKEY Don! (Ok I did not say that again hehe but just wanted to chuck another 'Australian' thing in)

We then had a beer, gutter style, in Brick Lane (its cool to dress fashionably and drink beer sitting on the gutter looking like hobos). There were similar reactions from the bartenders when Don the American ordered drinks.

Here are some pics of us pretending to be hobos in Brick Lane!



Brick Lane is meant to be quite a cool place.... we were embarassing ourselves (actually the American was) by pretending to be hobos and lying on the street. I actually didn't drink any alcohol that night- I just picked up empty bottles and pretended to be a hobo drinking on the gutter!

My Cousin is like me!

My Uncle passed away when I was young and we therefore lost contact with my cousins here in London. We grew up not sharing each others lives and suddenly I'm here, staying with my 27 year old cousin Wai-yee.

All my cousins are really cool and a bit different in some way. I am glad to see that although Wai-yee and Peggy grew up in a different environment, they still have the same cool factor in them!

The funny thing is that a lot of people think Wai-yee and I are sisters or twins! Her ex boyfriend even mistook me for being her! We were out with her Morgan Stanley workmates one night and she started making her own dancefloor (it was not a club) and dancing around in someones big jacket she found going 'doo doo doo doo doo' (below pic). We are so similar! I'm very proud!!!!

Where I live

I am living with my cousin in the new business district, Canary Wharf at the moment. She lives next to work as there are a lot of investment banks in Canary Wharf.

When you arrive at Canary Wharf, you're in a massive tube station (fourth picture) and you instantly feel like you're in the future. Canary Wharf is like a futuristic city with massive, clean, shiny buildings and people race around like tiny ants in suits whilst stock prices roll across screens above their heads. Some people describe it as souless with no personality as it looks so sterile. It is like a well oiled, efficient machine churning out numbers and making money during the day but at night it is a ghost town and you just see big slabs of metal staring back at you. You see all the robots leave work in their porsches or their drivers drive them away in Mercedes hired cars by 9pm.

The reason why it looks so clean and new is because it used to be the Docklands and was then cleared out to be the new financial district.




(The last picture is not taken by me)