I arrived yesterday morning in London from a red eye flight, spent beautiful sunny Saturday there before whizzing off to Reading today.
It’s such a queer, wonderful experience to be meeting up with my friend at LSE right after touching down.
Almost like having taken a bus from my apartment in Singapore to her hostel, we had breakfast at the common kitchen with her still in P.J. at 8.30am, almost like this is the most normal thing that happens every other day. I simply love such experience – being in one city this moment and another hours later.
I totally enjoyed London – it’s typically Europe yet uniquely U.K. It’s so different from where I come from yet so strangely familiar.
Once colonized by England, Singapore shares the same left hand drive, the same plug, the same bus system and many more. In fact, over here, I don’t have to purposely stress my ‘R’s to make myself understood.
Yet at the same time – huge ancient monuments, colonial buildings, London Bridge, chic London fashion; Liverpool against Chelsea soccer matches; musical theatres littering along the streets that you simply won’t find in Singapore. You also get a lot more diversed people and culture here.
It’s so wonderful to be just walking in the streets of London, amongst its modern and historical buildings side by side.
It’s also blissful to be checking out the fresh produces in the open air marketplace, sipping mulled wine along with friends as I ‘window shop’ or taking a rest in one of the marketplace cafes.
Maybe it’s the companionship. You would never have gone to a wet market with friends in Singapore, then catch a morning coffee at the coffee shop in the compound.The last time I visited a flower market and wholesale fruit market, was in Shanghai. I really miss such activities. I would so do this over hanging out at some clubs with loud, pumping music.
I really like London, it really grows on you. At least I love what I’ve seen so far. I can imagine myself living here. Who knows? Perhaps I might really get the chance to work and live here in near future…I hope.
