Wisdom, wages and waterfalls.

Like I said last time, life is really what you make of it. Being happy, or rather, feeling content and at peace is not determined by your circumstances, it's not about being lucky or unlucky. Living a joyfull and meaningful life is not a result of the gods smiling or frowning upon you. It's not about the things that 'happen to you', it's about the meaning you give to these things, your interpretation of it all, the pattern you see emerging from seemingly random events. In other words, it's about your mindset. With the right outlook you can find meaning and happiness in any situation, just like you can be unfulfilled and unhappy in 'perfect' circumstances. 'What brought on this sudden blurt of existential ramblings?' I can hear you ask. Well, as I am writing this, our landlord is downstairs with an industrial vacuum cleaner, sucking buckets full of water from the instant indoor water feature that, up to this morning, used to be our french housemate's room on the first floor. The toilet on the second floor that has been blocked for the last few days seemed fairly innocent until it turned out to be just a small symptom of a much bigger plumbing problem that caused a pipe in the roof to turn into a nice fountain, feeding a steady waterfall onto the frenchman's bed. Luckily, according to our landlord, it's just water from the shower outlet and not sewerage from the toilet. I doubt whether our french friend will be able to recognise the luck in the situation when he comes home tonight to his new waterbed... This same landlord is, interestingly enough, the same guy that 'accidently' got rid of all my roommate's earthly belongings (including his passport and documents) by taking it to the dump, thinking it was rubbish left by the previous tenants. He is also the same guy that I still owe a week's rent to, but that's not his fault, I have my employer to thank for that. When the payroll department eventually realised their mistake of paying a total of £0.00 (complete with payslip) into my account as monthly wages, they thought it was a good idea to correct the problem by immediatly mailing me a cheque. A cheque that takes four working days to be cleared by the bank, effectively leaving me penniless for close to a week. To top it all, I am reporting this unfortunate chain of events to you from my room/sauna on one of the hottest days of the year (yes, London can get hot!) after giving up trying to get some much needed sleep before working night shift again tonight. If you are getting tired of what seems to be me complaining, here's the point I'm actually trying to make: I can choose to be miserable or angry or curse the gods for the raw deal they have dealt me. Or I can say at least I sleep on the second floor, above the unlucky guy with the wet bed and at least my backpack is in my closet, unlike my roommate's. Or I can say: 'Hey, I'm in London, one of the greatest cities in the world, I have a full month's wages in the bank (even though I can't spend it yet), I have a job that pays enough to keep me comfortable (even though I'd like to earn more and work less) and I can keep doing this for at least another eleven months. I'm living the life I chose, whatever else happens is part of the adventure and I'm loving it!'

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Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

The World is a Mirror

(For a more recent, better quality version of this video, see On a Lighter Note) 14 October 2008

I was part of this little upside down scene on the tube late one night when I came to a realisation. Before I came to London I read a lot of books, articles and websites about the place and spoke to friends, travel agents and strangers that's been here. They all painted their own pictures, but the general idea I got was of a rather unfriendly, grey, depressing, highly developed place where you could make a lot of money and occasionally have a lot of fun if you don't mind losing yourself. I can see how people might see it that way, but my impression so far is very different. I'm experiencing something I think is rather accurately captured in this video: a friendly, diverse, entertaining, crowded, highly developed, sometimes a bit disorientating, vibrant place with a lot of strangers interacting with each other more than you would expect and a lot of dogs. You really do see a lot of dogs around here, watch the video till the end if you don't know what I'm talking about. What is important though, is not the question of what London is really like, but rather the fact that we all see it differently. The fact that when we look at the city (and actually everything else, for that matter) we not so much see London and the way it really is, but we see ourselves and the way we really are reflected in it. So whether you see something as threatening or inviting, a blessing or a curse, fate or coincidence, something to smile at or loose your temper over, depends more on you than on the actual situation you are experiencing. And once you realise that, everything changes. So when you read my blog, watch my videos and look at my pictures, don't expect to see an objective picture of London, but rather to see bits of me reflected in London. Or if that's too deep, you can just have fun looking at the pretty pictures if you want! By the way, if anybody can help me turn these videos the right way up, please let me know.

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Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

A Poor Man's Diet

Since my arrival in London I've been living off money I brought with me from home. There is of course a big difference in cost of living and income between here and SA, so my first pay cheque, which is due tomorrow will be very welcome! Watching my funds evaporate with each travel pass I buy and each pint I drink (not to mention paying rent including a huge deposit), I have been forced to become a master in budget shopping. Tesco value products (similar to pick-n-pay's no-name brand) are my new best friends. Have a look at my little display of a week's shopping (which cost me about £6), notice anything missing? Yip, no meat... I get my protein from canned food, nuts, milk and fish. But it's not really that bad, to tell the truth, I think it's actually a very healthy diet and with all the walking we have to do here without a car, I'm actually quite fit. For the first time in years I can see my six-pack again! But for now the holiday is definately over. As famous attractions become familiar scenery and buses become a way of commuting rather than sightseeing, as housemates and colleages become friends and a homeshare house a home and with each time I say 'yeah' in stead of 'ja', I'm becoming less tourist and more Londoner.

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Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone