My Paparazzi Relative

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.