All Around the World (Reprise)

Greetings from London. Right now, I am typing this entry from the hotel bar in the Rubens Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road (that's near Buckingham Palace) in London. Dachoi in the UK, Anarchy! I am in London for work which will be followed with a trip to Germany, then to New York and then back home next week. I arrived in London yesterday morning after a long flight from Las Vegas. Apparently, it is cheaper to fly to Vegas from CA and then go London on Virgin and then to go straight to London from SFO. So we had a layover in Vegas which allowed time to go a casino, drink, relax, and lose money at roulette. I did make $7.50 on slots which I then promptly spent on beer. Las Vegas must collectively have the highest air conditioning expense of any US city because it was 100 degrees outside when we left. It was the first time I have flown to London and my first on Virgin Atlantic. An overall good airline but long flights, unless you're first class, are miserable. Breathing recycled air, close quarters, losing circulation in your legs yeah. I don't know how people do it on a regular basis. I did manage to sleep for a few hours and as a result, missed breakfast. Getting out of London Gathwick was uneventful other than I wrote "Researcher" on the immigration card as my occupation and then I got asked "What do I research?" And no, "Your Momma" wasn't an answer I was considering. The train ride to Victoria Station was quite miserable for me since I was starving, dehydrated, jet-lagged, and had a splitting headache. I did listen to Oasis and Travis on the ride in as a tribute to being in the UK. After that, I crashed at my hotel that somewhat curiously has a large portrait of Henry the XIII right next to the bed. Last night, I went to South London for dinner and some pubs. I had a fun time perhaps too fun. Travel tip to readers: Don't try riding the Tube for the first time drunk. Tonight I went to Soho and I passed through St. James park, Picadilly Circus, and Trafalgars square. So I am planning on seeing more of London, plus Berlin, and then New York. Lot of traveling for yours truly.

So what do I think of London? It is very British. It is kinda strange being the one with funky accent instead of the other way around. I do like the atmosphere of the places I have seen so far. I am slowly learning certain Britishisms such as "in stiches", "rubbish", "bollocks", "toilet" instead of bathroom, and "car" instead of taxi cab. Oh yeah, learning the different coins in the British currency system has been difficult. One thing I am enjoying is drinking proper beer according to some brits in my group at work. That means drinking ales, bitters, and lagers quite a bit. One thing I am not enjoying is the exchange which basically means I pay double for everything dollars when I see the amounts listed in pounds. So yeah London is way fab town. Tomorrow night I am going to see Modest Mouse and Royal Albert Hall so that will be fun.

So what else has been going on? Last week, I worked like a madman since i had to write reports, prepare for this trip, and also mentor my intern. Yup, they actually let me mentor an intern this summer. It's been cool since he goes to SI. I forgot to mention in my last entry that I turned 28 at the beginning of month. So I hosted party where I way over ordered on the pizza and had Sake bombs with Corona in honor of Cinco De Mayo. It was great having everyone come out for it. I had friends from high school, De Anza, Santa Clara, from after work, and from Michigan there. Turning 28 also definitely and most profoundly means that I am in my late 20's. You see when I was 27, I could still argue that I was mid-20's since 27 is a little closer to 25 than 30. But now I am in my late 20's so ideally, I should become more mature, responsible, and stable in my life. Ironically, that does not seem to be the case since I passed out for the last hour of my birthday party and, as mentioned before, somehow drunkenly took the tube back from Herne Hill to Victoria Station to my hotel without getting lost or killed. Granted it probably took longer to get there but I got there. Anyway, I wasn't one of those people who actually listed what I wanted to do in 10 years when I was 18. Well if you count being a FBI agent partnered with a hot red-headed female agent who solved paranormal mysteries and cases. But yeah I have to admit that looking back 10 years, I have to say that I did alright by myself. Sure I made some major stupid mistakes but I landed on my feet in a respectable job. I don't think I would have ever imagined that I would be in London for work when I was 18. But its a strange road life takes you.

To finish up this entry, I will take up the blog challenge that Jude and Serene have issued on their blog. So the challenge is to:

Top 5 Greatest Must-have Indispensable Mixed-tape Staple Love Songs. Songs to set the mood, songs to win that heart, songs about breaking up, songs about making up... These are the songs you would either put on a mixed-tape you were making or would like to listen to on a mixed-tape made for you.

So here is my go:

1. Wonderwall - Oasis
2. Let My Love - Pete Townsend
3. Love Untold - Paul Westerberg
4. Stay - Lisa Loeb
5. The Scientist - Coldplay

Laugh at me if you want. If you don't like the songs I picked, then as the Brits would say, "Bugger off!" Until next time, peace.