I can't really say if I have settled down or not ... but I think I am getting into the groove of London City Life. I don't know so much about getting around yet or the people very well, but everyday is a learning experience.
Incidentally most of the people I met in London ... surprise .. are not from London, or even UK for that matter. It's such a cosmo, vibrant place many people from all over the globe descend to seek their fortunes or perhaps find themselves in this urban jungle.
I can most def get around the city on my own from the day I got here, even though the Underground is a nightmare to take sometimes (imagine half the East West line from Kallang to Clementi shutting down over the weekend ... ). I guess Singaporeans are generally quite adaptable anyway around the world, except prob in really rural areas.
But anyway yes, this entry was meant to update my progress here on my BIG move to UK ... apart from those i keep in touch with regularly over MSN or Facebook. In order for it not to be so boring also, I will spice things up with some photos here and there. so now I am wondering how I should do this ... by chronological order ... or by areas I visited.
My Life in 34 kg + one golf bag (which I havent used yet!)
First day I got here at London Gatwick, Clement - my uni friend who has been here for 3 years - was terribly late and I had to wait and wait for him to arrive. He finally arrives in his dinky old car (which has no power steering), and we took another 2 hours to get back home due to the single lined roads (meant for horses) that was jammed with cars all the way to the north.
Fortunately Finchley Road (where I stay now) is a really nice area and rather fortunate for accmodations to be sorted out way in advance before I came. The previous guy just moved out the night before to somewhere else, so it's perfect timing. I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment block on top of Waitrose, which is like our Cold Storage back home ... expensive yummy food.
On the same street in one direction, there is a KFC, McDonalds, Boots, Superdrug, Woolworths, the post office ... and most importantly - Sainsbury which is like the NTUC here .. full of stuff you can buy. They hv so much stuff their slogan is "Try Something New Today".
Sainsbury sells all the brands we all know ... and they also hv their own housebrands called Sainsbury Basics ... the cost is ridiculously cheap sometimes! And that's really how I am feeding myself till today. A 500g of cornflakes cost only S$1.50 ... and I am not even half way thru the box yet till today. The gist is that if you dun go for the frills, grocery shopping is rather affordable here. I heard other brands (in 'poorer' parts of London) are even cheaper n better value). Of course, back home, we will not go for house brands la. Quite cheapo right?
Another fabulous aspect of staying here is the distance to the Underground. The apartments is literally above the lines - Roughly it's the distance between the toilets of Zouk's wine bar to Zouk entrance. 20 steps away - really good.
They operate like EZ link system called Oyster, and the most economical way is to get the monthly pass across the zones where you stay and the city. In my case, it's Zone 1 + 2. A monthly pass costs GBP80+ .. which allows you access to all stations in Zone 1-2 obviously as well as ALL buses in London AND Overground train .. which I think it's a super deal. The prices has actually fallen from what I remember when I first came in 2001. they were GBP4 a ride which was ridiculous.
The passes start the day you buy so in order to make the most of it .. I travel to the city just for the hell of it ... else lugi right?? I have become quite familiar with the Oxford, Regent, Liverpool St, as well as the River Thames area already. Hv been doing lotsa walking here.
From Interiors of City Hall
One of the rare pictures with me in them!
Bond St Area - the most expensive retail street in the world, more expensive than New York, Tokyo or Hong Kong
Job wise -- things are looking ok as of now. I'm on the brink of securing the job I have been interviewing for for the past 1.5 weeks. Which I guess it's a good thing since I am kinda feeling bored sitting at home sending out CVs to hundreds of recruitment companies for the past 3 weeks. It had got a bit demoralizing at times, and e next thing I know I get a call about a possible opportunity, so there're needs to be a lot of positive thinking required!
I am not sure if everyone goes thru the same route but I have been quite fortunate that I have been in touch with some of the best people in the HR business so far like Michael Page, Hudson, Adecco, pfj (which is quite a big one in UK). I think I can sell all these contacts to people coming here to find work ...
I must say some of the opportunies the agencies hv been calling me about have been really interesting. I'm gunning for a mkting mgr position or an events mgr position so but ideally the first, because I would like to move away from events for now. Anyway, tomorrow I shd be hearing news ... so hopefully it's a go and I shd be starting to be productive this week or so.
Well that's about it for now ... I am going to save this posting from the pits of self indulgent boredom by posting more photos ... so pls enjoy, and if you know anyone who's going to come to London to visit, I would be happy to meet them; and show them around whatever I know ...
Steamboat Dinner with Clement - super yummy!
City Hall, facing River Thames and Tower Bridge
Check out the horse stance of the typical china men!
Emirates Stadium, Arsenal (Went to check out on a non-match day)
Nike SuperSonic Run, Finsbury Park (Went to run 100m for the hell for it for a free T Shirt and chance to win party tickets!)
Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth .. commonly known as the big crack (kids having a field day trying to put themselves in, parents having a nightmare stopping them!)
Bourgeois "Spider" outside Tate Modern
St Paul's Cathedral
Clement ...
Natalia, Clement's Girlfriend ...
Underneath the Spider, Tate Modern
Everyone knows the London Eye ... At Night
Protest at Chinatown by the Association (apparantly they not happy police raid their restaurants for illegal workers ... amongst which some Singaporeans were actually caught!)
Diana Exhibition (10th Yr Death Anniversary) at the National Gallery
A giant flag spuring the England Rugby team on the day of the World Cup Finals (of which they lost eventually ...) atop Trafalgar Square
Chelsea Store at Stamford Bridge (went today but didn't realise they close so early!) No, I am not a Chelsea fan. Manchester is a bit far away ...
Anytime you feel moody, you look up at the sky .. the colour's are out of this world.
In my secret ambition to be a world renowned travel photographer, I have more photos here for you to enjoy ... =p
Have a great week!
