Christmas in London

Right. Three more hours until Christmas so I best get myself sorted.

Well fed? Check.

Dessert? Check.

Warm? Check.

Watching movies? Check.

On the couch? Check.

Snacks? Check.

Family?

Oh.

That’s what I’m missing...

George

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was an early November morning. Cold, crisp and cloudy. Typical London weather. I was up at the crack of dawn for the arranged meeting. I’m not usually good at these things, I was anxious, nervous - slightly skeptical even. So I dragged my two housemates along for backup. I wont say there wasn’t any groaning, moaning or whinging on their part - because there was (and plenty of it!). In the end, I had to promise a nice warm breakfast to shut them up. It didn’t work.

When I first laid eyes on George I got the shivers. Not because it was love at first sight, more because he was really ugly (and also because it was really cold). He must have been a bit cold too because he was blue. I don’t think he liked me at first. He just wouldn’t cooperate, I had to use most of my strength to get him to move! But once he warmed up to me, he became my best friend and also my new housemate. We went home together that very day.

Now, one month later, George and I are like two peas in a pod. I couldn’t imagine traveling to Birmingham or around the city without George there with me. We have had many adventures together (mostly good, some bad). Along the way, we acquired Gary who gave both of us a hard time initially. He kept trying to tell us where to go! But I think it was just a matter of getting used to him because now I can’t see how I can ever live without Gary either.

Sometimes George can still kick up a fuss (especially when I get him to travel at 80mph/120kmh). Speaking of which - he is now giving me the silent treatment. I really can’t get him to start. Sigh. I tried threatening, kicking, yelling, begging etc but he refuses to budge. I am now waiting for the mechanic to come sort him out. That’ll teach him a lesson.

I still love him though.

Secret confession.

I have a secret to confess. I have never really enjoyed hot weather. Yep. That’s right. My skin cringes at the thought of hot, dry (or even humid) weather. Thank god my parents got out of Vietnam and into Australia before I was born. I'm not sure I could handle the humid weather 24/7. Even so, you will never catch me without my blanket/umbrella/sunscreen on a sunny day in Australia. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still have a clear blue sky with a bright yellow sun on the side please…but minus the heat if you wouldn’t mind.

When I first touched down in Perth (for my one month stay in OZ), it was a clear blue sky with the airplane captain reporting that it was roughly 24 - 25 degrees - a beautiful day in Perth. Nice weather I thought to myself, but by the time I got into my parents car from the airport I was perspiring profusely, red faced and blinded by the brightness. I guess you have to expect that after spending your last 6 months in grey and cooler (yes, I’ll say ‘grey’ and ‘cooler’ rather then just ‘shit’) weather.

In any case, the clear blue skies and bright bright sun really did have a positve effect on my mood. I was so happy to be home. Oh… and I guess seeing my family played a part in that too lol. For those of you who don’t know, I have since sold my car while I was in London - which meant I was carless. Which meant walking. Which meant sun. Which initially meant bliss since my skin was craving some vitamin D. Which then quickly turned into dread after the first hour of walking in the hot hot sun. Needless to say, my skin quickly got over the craving for vitamin D. It was only hour one of day one and I had nineteen days left of walking to work everyday. Slip slop slap became my best friends again.

When I touched back down in London, I was a bit scared when the captain of the plane announced that it would be 6 degrees. I noted that he did not mention that it was beautiful weather either. But my skin truly rejoiced when it felt the cold, crisp air as I was making my way up that bloody hill (with a 30kg suitcase I might add) to my home in Wimbledon. I felt so awake and so alive. When I got back to Birmingham for work the weather was even colder. Then lo and behold! It started to snow. Wonderful white snow. I know I have George now (my micra) but I still prefer my daily walk to work because I find it so refreshing. Even now as I am typing this blog - I am watching the snow fall outside my window. It is beautiful. The sky is clear. The ground is white. I'm looking forward to a white christmas.

How could you not prefer the snow over a stinkin’ hot sun?

Orrrstrayyyyliiiaa!

My one month in Australia was a blur because it really did pass in a blur. Working full time probably wasn’t a good idea and I think I had too many burgers at grilled. Never the less, it was good to be home and be reminded that you actually do have a family who loves you and that you actually do have more than 3 friends (and they are not your housemates either). Almost like being recharged for the next stint in London. But to be honest, I was ready to be back in London by the time that one month came around (By that stage I just had had one too many ‘”Minh, have you made your bed?” “Minh, clean up your room a bit” “Minh, you go out too much” etc).

Accomodation
Accomodation consisted of a single mattress on the floor at my parents place. I shared it with two cockroaches and a few spiders. I’m proud to say that I won when it came to who got the bed (I guess I should really thank my mum seeing as she helped me a little bit but I‘d still like to point out that I was the one who went to get mum to retrieve them from my room).

Family
It was like mum and dad were making up for lost time by overwhelming me with food, clothes, guilt trips and nagging. It’s no secret that my mum has a serious shopping issue - and this applies to anything and everything that is on sale. When I was still living in Australia, she bombarded me with hundreds of clothes from the bargain bin. They usually were the same design but different colours and ‘all under $5!’ (she would excitedly claim). You were screwed if you didn’t like the design. What am I to do with all these different colored shirts that have elvis imprinted on them? Apparently, this bargain clothing tradition still continued - even while I was away. Evident by my wardrobe (which takes up one whole side of my room) being completely overfilled with tens no make that hundreds of the same shirts/pants/shorts desgins but in all the colours of the rainbow. Dad, Mr. punctual, continued his ritual of waking me up at 6:30 am on the dot - something he used to do when I was still at school even though I had a perfectly good alarm to do the job. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I actually didn’t need to get up until 7:45 for work. That’s parents for you. But I soaked up all that parenting love like a sponge since it‘ll be awhile before I get the next lot.

Nephew
I don’t know what things I could say about my time with my nephew to make you guys laugh except that you can’t say the word ‘wiggles’ out loud otherwise he‘d be at the TV saying ‘more?’. All I can say is that he is beautiful.

Friends
I was a bit worried that I might be out of sync when it came to catching up with my old buddies again. But when I saw them all gathered around the Wii playing tetris ( while very dressed up in dressy clothes) I wondered what could have ever made me feel like I would ever be out of sync with these guys lol. This was further reinforced when my besties and I spent all night on the home karaoke in our pyjamas singing and dancing. A night out in town could never beat that.

So that was Orrrstrayylia in a nutshell. Gosh even this very blog sounded rushed - which is very appropriate for this topic as this is exactly how I felt during my whole time in Oz.

Ok I gotta go - Thankyoucomeagain!

Chapter 4: Missing the house. Forget the people.

We are once again moving, hopefully to a new place in Wimbledon by this weekend. I don’t even want to go into the amount of stress, anxiety, anger and delirium that both Thuy and I went through to get this place. We’re still slightly disbelieving until we actually walk into this house, plant our stuff down and then nail boards to the door of the house so that no land lord can Ever EVER drag us out!

The house it self is wonderfully located next to all the shops I like to shop at (I have on my big cheesy grin right now). It’s also close to a park where I can do my fitness thing AND close to Al forno, our favorite pasta place here in London. But it’s no place like home. As in home home.

I guess I might be a little bit more sick of the whole moving thing simply because I have made 4 moves in the last 6 months. First from Australia to a temporary 1 week stay with friends, then to Richmond, then to Birmingham (which I’m still half living at) and now Wimbledon. I hope this will be my last before I return back to Australia. I’m thinking I wont be so lucky.

I was flicking through FB the other day and saw photos of my friends partying it up at my home back in oz. I wanted to cry. There was my kitchen, small and neat and oh! my backyard patio with the 6 burner BBQ, and the brown sofa that I had got for so cheap at an auction, the amount of space! God. Even the bloody carpet bought tears to my eyes. And the people in the photos? Well forget the people, they could never shelter you the way a house can.

Anyway, the point is - I used to just miss everyone back home but now I miss everyone back home PLUS the bloody house too. Moving houses just exacerbates it all.

Cancer Research UK

As an occupational therapist, I get to work with various caseloads where my role is to essentially help patients to become independent so that they can go home, stay home and never come back (ideally I'd like to never see them again unless they come in as visitors). My work with oncology/palliative patients is quite similiar in the sense that I get them home as soon as possible and I try to maximise their independence at home. The only difference is, I'm getting them home so that they can die at home. But the worst part of living with terminal cancer does not start here.

It starts with the doctor telling them that their prognosis is not good, that treatment is not a guarantee, that it may prolong their time but at the cost of their quality of life. No matter how you look at it. It's not good. In any case, it then starts with hospital visits for symptom management. Short and sporadic vists which eventually turn into longer and more frequent hospital stays. Pain. Nausea. Loss of appetite. And the fatigue that comes with it! Hospital stays are never pleasant, there are so many pills, so many tests and so many health professionals to deal with. The worst is when they begin to lose their independence. Suddenly something that used to be so simple, like walking to the toilet, is like running a marathon. Through all of this, their family is suffering too. Then they meet me. I help the family to set up their home, I teach their family how to use the equipment and give advice to help them cope with caring for their loved one during their final days. Another person loses the battle to cancer. This happens way too often.

Wouldn't it be better if we could just find a prevention or cure to avoid all of this?
Which is what Cancer Research UK is all about - finding new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer to save more lives.

I have lost both my grandma and uncle to this disease. I am so sure that if not you directly, you will have known someone who is either living with it, passed away from it, is being affected by it or has been affected by it. Afterall, cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide (WHO 2004). So everyone please reach into your pockets and sponsor me by donating your money to Cancer Research UK.

Please click on the link below to sposnsor me:
http://www.run10ksponsorme.org/minhtran

Thank you Auntie

I used to call her Auntie every time I came around to hang with Jenny Tham and every time I did come - she would, without a doubt, be happy, cheery and always so welcome. Now that she is gone, all I could think about was how much I wish I had taken that extra step to get past that superficial chit chat, to be able to appreciate all the things that people have said about her, to really have just gotten to know her. But then I thought to myself, well…hang on a minute. Actually I do know her, I know her really well, I know her because I can see her in Jenny and Lisa Tham.

Those values and personality characteristics both women exhibit ? … family oriented, loving, caring, considerate, kind hearted, generous, easy going and many more… That was you Auntie. All of it. I just want you to know that you have left an incredible legacy behind. Not one, but two living and breathing representations of how a lot of us should be but are not. But that’s not all, you left us with one more gift - a reminder for us all to learn not to take our loved ones for granted, that time is not indefinite, to appreciate all that life has to offer and to love everything in it.

So thank you Auntie. You have left an amazing legacy behind, your two beautiful daughters. Through them you will always be remembered.

Chapter 3: Happy as a Chappy.

Ok so moving on from the setting up stage and moving even further past the making friends bit and getting me some moola. Where am I now? Well…my gorgeous room will no longer be affordable, I am slightly less friendless and I'm on holiday until further notice.

Gorgeous room becoming a bit of a high maintenance girlfriend
Sam, our questionable landlord, decided to drop in last Sunday. Thought he’d stop by to say hello and ramble on about his younger years and how awesome he was. Amidst all that useless chatter (and us kissing his butt so that he would extend our lease) he also briefly mentioned that the rent would increase an extra 115 pounds per person. I looked at Thuy and she looked back at me - I knew that look. We were both punching Sam in the face. Only in our minds though. Damn him. Time to house hunt again.

Just when I started to make it homey too

I’m only slightly less friendless
Making friends is hard work. I’d like to think of it as a three part process, quite similar to how men pick up women. Some boys label each stage as the “start game, middle game and end game“, which I think perfectly describes the process of friendship making. lol

Start game: This is where you either make or break. Your potential friendship heavily relies on this initial contact. Generally you would start socializing in a group. You would target the ones who you find interesting. Then, you need to make a good impression by conversing appropriately, maintaining their interest, looking like you’re interested, being funny, having a good fake laugh so that they think they’re funny, avoiding looking too eager, but most importantly being cool. Being very cool. No pressure at all. I think I have this stage down pat. I’m really good at it especially when I’m drunk. Although people do tell me that when you’re drunk your perception is greatly distorted. Ohhh maybe that’s why I never get past this stage Oh! So that's why Carmela never got back to me.

Middle game: This is where you move in for the kill. They’re interested, you’re interested. It’s time to build a foundation for the friendship to build. I think it’s at this stage you start to discuss interests and hobbies and find common ground so that you can connect without having to rely on the person who introduced you or on the group. Yes. kinda like making the cream between two biscuit bits to make a cookie. Like I said, I rarely get to this stage.

End game: Well according to boys this may mean sex is involved or getting a number. This is also the same for friendship making. Oh. Except for the sex. Have I been successful in friendship making? The answer is yes. Once. I have a friend from London and more importantly, she still is my friend today. What did I tell you? I’m only slightly less friendless.

You’re stuck now wing Lau.

On Holiday until further notice.

So my era of denying really old frail people wheelchairs is at end at the wheelchair service. Such a shame because I was, I feel, at the peak of my reign here. What? Don’t look at me like I’m cruel - you’d think that by their age (especially those 107 yr olds) they’d have learnt how to walk on their hands by now! So asking for a wheelchair is a bit much, don’t you think? Lol. I am so going to hell.

Ok, on a more serious note though. I was really lucky to have stayed here for so long. Generally, locum positions don’t last longer than 4 - 6 weeks and I was here for 4 whole months. A real blessing for my finances but damn it really sucks when you have to move on (especially when you actually start to like the people you work with). Give me enough time in a place and emotional attachment is bound to happen with me. Yuck. So… finding another locum position does not look too easy at the moment - the job market here for locums have slowed right down. Something to do with budget cuts and lack of finances - usual shit. Next plan of action? Well.. Because I have a shopping problem and because I am a bit of a pansy when I work in a place long enough, I have decided to opt for a permanent position as it will best meet my needs.

Well then. I guess I am on holiday until further notice

In summary…
I may be back in square 1 (jobless and soon to be homeless) but life has never been better :)

Chewbacca

My dog just died today (16/6/10).

Named after the ugly hairy wookiee beast on star wars because that's exactly what he looked like. We got him in 1996. An apricot coloured shihtzu. I remember we chose him because when they let him out he just ran around the pet store, completely ignored us and jumped into the toy bin. He was so naughty, always doing his own thing, always expecting US to crawl to him for cuddles. It's not that he didn't like cuddles, I think he was just lazy. He would just sit in front of us rolling around, stretching out and looking so cute until we would give in and go to him.

Dad let him get away with so much, when caught out being straight out naughty he would roll onto his back and stick all four paws up in the air. This worked everytime with my dad, but not with me. I tried to unsuccessfully discipline him with various forms of punishment, from smacking, yelling, stomping my feet to trying to reason with him (this one never worked). You name it, I tried it but he was still so naughty. Finally it was dishing out 'timeout' that was most effective. He hated sitting in a corner and would try all he could to get out of it (sneak off, look extremely cute etc) which would work if dad was giving him the time out. But it never worked with me.

He was such a chilled out dog, not a care in the world. When other dogs were around he'd be like 'whatever'. He'd rather hang with us then other dogs (probably because he knew we could give him food). But nonetheless he was so cool.
But now my beautiful, gorgeous and full of character pup has left our family. Thanks Chewii for all the joy and laughter you bought to us, we were lucky we had you for 14 years.

I’m above average

Did you know that it is a statistical fact that close friends are harder to find?

Apparently a study by sociologists at Duke University and the University of Arizona concluded that Americans had an average of ONLY 2 close friends as of 2004. Not that I’m American or anything, but I think this does highlight how precious close friends are.

So I wanted to take this opportunity

to brag,

to boast,

to show off,

to tell everyone just how lucky I am because I don’t have just 1, or 2 or even 3 close friends. I actually have 4. And not just 4 close friends, but 4 best friends.

For the first time in my life, I am actually above average for something.

***************************
Best friend 1: Jenny Tham

Nickname: Jenny Tham

Where did we meet? Highschool

First impression? I thought she was a bitch because she had a bitchy look

One word to describe? Lame

Why is she my best friend? There is noone like Jenny Tham. Jenny is the most beautiful, caring, generous and loyal person I have ever met. She really bends over backwards for her friends. If ever you were down, she’d find ways to cheer you up. She is a fantastic conversationalist and has a heart of gold. What you see is what you get with Jenny Tham.

Best friend 2: Rita Nsubuga

Nick name: Ri

Where did we meet? Highschool

First impression? Damn she's got nice hair!

One word to describe? Feisty

Why is she my best friend?
Whatever Jenny is, Rita is exactly opposite. Just kidding, but Ri is definitely something else. Full of attitude, determination, strong headedness, confident and oh so unique. She may come across as cold and hard but deep down she is unmistakably kind hearted, loving, and is the best person to speak to when you need to see your life in a different light. Most memorable advice? ‘Minh, don’t spend your life sleep walking - wake up and live it!’.

Best friend 3: Huong Le

Nickname: Huongie

Where did we meet? Tutoring classes (outside of high school)

First impression? Generous (she gave me 40c to make a phonecall to my bf at the time hehehe)

One word to describe? Sneaky

Why is she my best friend?
If anyone has a mouth on them, it is definitely Huong Le. You wont meet anyone else who is a fighter like Huong is. Nothing will be left unsaid if Huong is around, especially if it needs to be said (and I totally mean this in a good way). But on a more serious note, Huong has been there for me through everything, especially when I was at my lowest point. We’ve had funny times, cheeky times and some sneaky times. But they have all been good times!

Best friend 4: Thuy Danh

Nick name: Thuy Danh

First impression? Desperate to be my friend

Where did we meet? Master of occupational therapy course

One word to describe? Butch

Why is she my best friend?
Thuy is seriously the most practical and level headed person I have ever met, and she is younger than me. There hasn’t been a time when she couldn’t offer me some sort of solution to some sort of problem. She can come across as insensitive, blunt and straightforward but if you dig a bit deeper you will find that Thuy is one of the most thoughtful, considerate and caring person you will ever meet. 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

*********************************
If I was to ever win an award - this would be it.

Being vegetarian

So what is the big deal about being vego anyway? I pay my rent, I work hard at my job, sometimes I laugh at people who fall over, and yeah I eat things I drop on the ground when no one is looking but for the most part I consider myself a good citizen and at least I don’t bomb people. So what if I don’t want to eat cows, chicken and fish? It’s like the biggest insult to any meat eater here in London! What is the problem?!

According to ‘Living vegetarian for dummies’ I am a lacto ovo vegetarian, which means I still consume dairy products and eggs. But definitely no meat. To be honest, it hasn’t been that hard really - I don’t even miss meat. In fact, meat was never the issue, it’s the meat EATERS that are the issue. I almost dread every time a meat eater spots my fake meat (which pretty much looks like meat) at a BBQ or at a dinner party. I honestly don’t know how they know… but they know and before I know it they are on to me like a hound to a fox.

“What is THAT?”
“Oh you know, just some quorn sausages”
“You mean fake meat” (at this point they usually wrinkle their nose as if I am eating dog shit)
“Yes”
“You mean you are vegetarian” (here we go…)
“Yeah I am actually”
“But why? why would you do that to yourself??!!” (they say this like they're horrified... as if I am punching myself in the face right there and then!)

This is where I then have to calmly explain that I love animals and that I really don’t want to participate in killing them. Simple right? Wrong. This explanation is never enough. So I am always subject to one or two or three or even all of the following in one night:

“You‘re crazy, no really… there is something wrong with you” (this actually came from a guy who hunts for his meals as sport).

OR

“What do you mean WE are killing them? They live because of US! Animals are only bred for us to eat them! In fact, if you really loved animals you would be supporting them by eating them to ensure their survival . You‘re contributing to the extinction of animals! You actually hate animals” (I actually didn’t know what to say to this fucker at the time. I wish I had kicked him).

OR

“But meat is so tasty….mmmMMmm Chicken…smell the goodness, you know you want some. Look at me eating the chicken” (This is Thuy trying to tempt me to eat the bloody chicken)

OR ( and I have to say this is personally my favorite one so far)

“But what would pigs do without us to eat them? They would lead such meaningless lives, all they would do is live in their filth, eat their own filth and just be plain dirty. We give them purpose!” (Yes C, what would pigs do without us to eat them because without us they would definitely build themselves a pig pen with mud and then lock themselves in it to live in their own filth, eat their own filth and just be plain dirty).

OR

“No you may not cook your fake meat on our ‘BBQ for meat only!’ You’ll contaminate the meat!” (meat eaters can be so cruel)

OR

“Vegetarians are stupid” (Ok so no one has actually said this one yet, but I know you meat eaters are all thinking it!).

Being vegetarian is no piece of cake.

Chapter 2: Right. Down to business.

The holiday (short lived) is over. Now to get me a life here in London.

I thought I’d initially focus on sustainability and making new friends, two components which I feel are essential to having a successful life in London.

1. Sustainability

I guess having a source of income would be a good idea.

London is expensive and I am a girl who likes to spend. I can tell you a comprehensive list of things I need to buy (note the need, it isn’t ‘wants’ it’s ‘need‘) but unfortunately I can’t tell you a comprehensive list of occupational therapy assistant (OTA) positions going in London. Until my HPC goes through (to work as an OT), I am stuck in a rut. Fortunately, I managed to score an OTA position with the hounslow wheelchair service. This will do for now. (I know I don’t sound appreciative, but in reality I nearly cried with relief when I got the position and practically kissed their hands and feet! Phew! I can continue to financially support my eyelash extensions!).

2. Making new friends (housemates don’t count)
This might be problematic since I can be quite shy, not much of a talker and apparently when I do speak, my stories are not interesting (thanks C for the critique). I think I solved this problem by installing the shut up button on my iphone.

The second potential problem which I can foresee is the reliability of my ‘friend’ filter. When alcohol is involved, everyone is my friend. Yes. This includes the crazies too and there are plenty of crazies here in London. I obviously need to set up some sort of system to sort the crazies from the not so crazy from the normal. If only there was an iphone application which could do this in a second. Some sort of face scan. It would save the unnecessary investigative conversations ( ’Soooo… are you into killing people, like random oriental people you meet in pubs?’) . With the iphone scan I could just walk up to potentials and be like ‘Please look directly here. Now keep your head still and your eyes wide open, you might feel a burning sensation as the laser scans your eyes. Not so long now, just keep still a little longer…a little longer. Oh damnit I moved, I’m sorry we need to do that again’. All the application would then need to say out loud is either ‘Warning! Crazy person ahead!’ or ‘Safe for befriending!’. I guess for those of you (like me) who would like that extra bit of confidence in managing difficult situations (where a crazy person is involved) - you could opt for a deluxe version of the app where it could offer advice like ‘1. Wait until subject has his/her/its back turned. 2. Make your escape quickly, quietly and preferably with style through the back door. 3. Whatever you do, do not look back.’ I think this could be a potential niche market. But until that app is developed, I guess I’m going to have to rely on my not so reliable ‘friend’ filter. Lucky I have Thuy around.

Down below is a picture of the first friend I made at Clapham North pub. I found her on her own. She then followed me to the next bar and gave me her number. I think she was normal, she was just alone, dancing alone and I think I saw her talking alone. That’s normal right?

My first friend Carmela and me (obviously drunk happy)

Starting to miss home

I hate emotional stuff. It usually involves being serious, you generally look really sad, nothing is really funny, it sometimes can include a swollen, ugly, puffy face (from crying) and you often feel like shit. It definitely is not fun. A completely undesirable state of being if you ask me.

But nonetheless, I can’t escape it. WHAT THE HELL.

Up until today, I was living in bliss. Carrying out the usual work, eat, rest and play routine. Pretty much living the life I did back home except for the minor difference that I am in London and it is the most awesomeest city (yes I know that’s not a word), and that there are endless opportunities for fun and so many more people to meet and so many new places to explore and…well that’s just it! The list of things to do here never seems to end!!

Well…
Those thoughts and feelings of excitement died today. Actually, I’m surprised it survived for this long.

In any case, I now miss home.

I perhaps (just maybe) got a bit teary eyed. Ok so there might have been the rare tear drop or two… or three or four, alright I bawled my eyes out. I don’t suppose listening to ‘All by myself’ (by Eric Carmen) really helped things much either. But there you go I’ve said it.

I miss home.

Only 6 weeks in too.

What an emotional pussy I am :)

Big white house

Riddle:
There once was a big white house on paradise rd. Inside this big white house, there were four rooms. Inside these four rooms there lived...?

Answer:

***

Housemate one :Thi Cam Thuy Danh aliases Thuy Danh

Description: Very short
Well known for: aggression
Star sign: Sagittarius
Likes: Eating, meat, animals, Riley, seafood
Dislikes: Fake meat
Interesting fact: Thuy is secretly a oompa loompa. True story. I saw her dance like one.

***

Housemate two: Charith Davinda Gunawardena aliases Black man, C, Chazza

Oops sorry wrong photo... this is the real Charith (below)

Description: Very black (and very bald)
Well known for: body rolls
Star sign: Virgo
Likes: Talking, Steve
Dislikes: losing in scrabble, mint and dark chocolate (I might add that this is not normal)
Interesting fact:
Charith’s surname (‘Gun’ ‘a’ ‘war’‘den’ ‘a’) tells of a violent story: something to do with a gun, a war and quite possibly a den (which I‘m assuming was for hiding in).

***
　
Housemate three: Patrick Mann aka Paddy, giant

Description: Very tall
Well known for: incoherent speech (mumbles)
Star sign: Capricorn
Likes: Hanna
Dislikes: Losing in scrabble, when Hanna goes back to Sweden
Interesting fact:
Paddy can consume copious amounts of food in a very short amount of time. Record stands at 1 large Pizza in 3 minutes.

***

Housemate four: Minh Ngoc Tran aliases Minh Tran, Minhie

Description: Very cool
Well known for: Scrabble champion
Star sign: Scorpio
Likes: Thuy, eating, being regular, beating everyone in scrabble
Dislikes: Sam (our landlord)
Interesting fact:
Minh can eat all night.

Chapter 1: Independence

This week has been so busy for me, setting up things like bank accounts, oyster travel cards, sim cards, work interviews… the list goes on. The most exciting part of this journey so far was when I first walked into the room that will be my room for the next 6 months.

My room

Scared? No. Anxious? No. Sense of pride and independence? Hell yes. Sure, I have been free of my parents apron strings for at least 5 years now aswell as been self sufficient with a decent mortgage at home. Well… when I say self sufficient, I mean I have managed financially. I’m lucky to have a fantastic job and a boyfriend who is super smart and manages everything else, I just have to make sure I pay bills when he tells me too. But this is different. I am alone here. There is no one to guide me through this, no one to manage my finances or tell me where I should stay or even how to decorate my own room. I get to do it all myself and that is the most wonderful feeling.

Anyway, the house looked like shit when we first went to visit prior to moving in. It had recently undergone a big makeover …actually it still IS undergoing the makeover, which explained the mess it was in. Nothing was complete, no carpet, dust and dirt everywhere, no washing machine, tiny bathrooms and toilets (as in I could have a shower while going to the toilet at the same time).

My tiny but sufficient bathroom


I couldn’t even lock my room because the lock and hole were misaligned and to make things worse there was a gigantic spider residing at the front door.

Ok so it doesn't look that BIG here, but it was I swear.

But you know what? this place had me at hello.

In a nutshell, it is a two storey heritage house that is sitting directly across a church. Apparently, this house used to be a safe house for priests during King Henry VIII’s reign. At that time, there was an order to wipe out any religion that was not ‘Church of England‘. So the priests would then access a secret underground tunnel connected to this very house where they could hide. Interesting history hey?


So there are four bedrooms in total, with three being upstairs and one downstairs. I am sharing the house with one of my closest friends plus two other flat mates (who are both best mates with my friend). For those of you who know Thuy, she could easily be mistaken as a hobbit. So she got the dwarf room with a dwarf door (unfortunately, not by choice).

Dwarf Thuy

So here I am, finally settled, working and learning to become truly independent. How do I feel?
Freaking awesome.

A world in one city...

After 20 hours of very uncomfortable flying time with airasia plus a 10 hour stop over in KL (compliments of airasia again), I finally arrived in London. At Stansted airport. Only to wait another 3 hours because train lines and shuttle buses did not operate until 5:30am. That's cool, that's ok I didn't mind because I AM in london, a world in one city (and also because I had my trusty muesli snacks).

So plus another 1 and half hour bus trip later I am finally in the heart of the city. I am at Victoria station which is brimming with people, all heading to work and it feels amazing to be here. Well it should feel amazing but all I can bloody think about is how cold it is!!

London, so far, is everything I imagined it to be but more - I expected the gloomy, the wet,the grey, the crowds and the cold. But what I didn't expect was how friendly and helpful people have been or how many trees there are and that yes that the sun does shine here (just rarely).

Maybe I am still in the honey moon phase or more likely just delirious from lack of sleep but whatever it is I am in love with London, I have only been here 42 hours and 6 minutes and I already know I love it.