London, United Kingdom

I used to live in London. Now, London lives in me.

I am not sure whether I mean that or whether I just wanted to play with words.

Whenever one makes a big move from one city to another, he/she is inevitably brought to list down the pros and cons of places A and B.

Stuff I Miss:

-I miss riding the Tube. This isn't to say that every instance on the Underground was a pleasant one, but the London train system sure beats the one in Manila. Consider the history associated with the Tube and you've got a keeper.

-Surprisingly, I miss shopping in Tesco, Sainsbury, Aldi, Lidl, and Waitrose. Those supermarkets had a fun way of having everything one could possibly want for every occasion. Generally high quality goods available via all merchants (even Aldi and Lidl had some pretty good stuff...good deals and good stuff equal more purchases).

-I miss using a generally efficient bus system. Again, it beats the one we have in Manila- by leaps and bounds.

-This one is about the UK in general. I miss green spaces. I got my fair share of these in London, in Brighton, in Cambridge, in the Lake District, etc, etc, etc. Can't beat it. For someone who's grown old in a country that tends to be so crowded, being somewhere with so much open space was truly refreshing.

-Running in the UK. The weather allowed for a lot of flexibility in terms of when someone could run. In the tropics, running over lunch is practically unheard of. Not in the UK. The sun would be out, yes, but the wind would be cool. The heat would be offset. You'd be able to get a workout in a lot easier than if you lived in Manila or Singapore.

-Culture, culture, everywhere. London, Scotland, the UK- there was always so much history, so much culture, at every turn. A curious bloke's dream come true.

Stuff I Don't Miss:

-The winter sometimes became too inconvenient to deal with. Too cold. Even going to the grocery for five minutes became a huge chore. Layers. I am a tropical country kid. I may never get used to layers.

-The weirdos on London buses. Sometimes whimsical, sometimes, downright scary. Not fun.

-Really drunk people. Same as the weirdos on buses. Sometimes, funny and a hoot to be around. Sometimes, violent and will get you to put Scotland Yard on speed dial.

-The sometimes crappy sandwiches at Tesco. Eat at your own risk.

-Coffee from the big chain coffeehouses. Leagues under the sea from those from Asia. Sorry, but it's true. Costa coffee is...eck.

-As much as I loved taking the London Underground, I did not appreciate the dust and muck in the below ground train stations. Especially those in East London. Hey, this is something one should expect when travelling through a train system in a large city, right? Could've been worse, I'm certain. But still.

-Rowdy teenagers. Again, this is something that one can expect to come across anywhere, but the few run-ins I had with rowdy kids (especially in South East London) were especially annoying.

Stuff I Wish I Had Done

-The London Marathon. Eh. Lottery. Someday, I'll get in.

-I wish I had more time to go to the following places:

*Corrour. For so many scenic reasons.
*Oxford. I can't believe I missed going here.
*Stratford Upon Avon. I always found new reasons not to visit.
*The Isle of Man. I am curious about what there is to see here.
*Berney Arms. Train nerd alert.
*Penzance. Only because Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe began their 2017 "All The Stations" sojourn here.
*More of the Lake District- because why not?
*Northern Scotland. Places like John O' Groats and Thurso. Scotland is beautiful.

-I wish I had gotten to watch a play at the Globe Theatre. Again, I can't believe I missed doing this. I did live in Southwark for 11 months after all.

-I wish I had watched more Charlotte Campbell gigs. Because Charlotte is lovely and a great musician to boot.

-I wish I had joined one of those tours of Parliament.

-I wish I had spent more time with certain people from my graduate school class. It can be tough to maintain friendships when you find yourself half a world away.

-I wish I had joined more London Midnight Runners events.

-I wish I had gone to more of the "Magnificent 7" London cemeteries. I only managed to visit a portion of Highgate, and West Brompton.

Stuff I Want to Do When I Take My Wife to the UK:

-Actually enter Buckingham Palace.

-Stroll around St. James and Hyde Parks.

-Visit Paddington station.

-Visit my old university (UAL LCC).

-Visit my old university friends.

-Be tourist-y around Westminster Abbey and Westminster Bridge.

-Hop on a bus to Brighton. Visit Seven Sisters National Park.

-Spend a night or two in Corrour.

-Watch a play.

-Eat in Roti King. Hahaha.


And there we are.

MC