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!'

--
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.

--
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.

--
Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

The Mayflower

Having a pint at The Mayflower on the Thames. Its already 19:20, but the sun is not even close to setting.

--
Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

More glimpses of London

Tower Bridge (not to be confused with London Bridge or Tower of London!), sunset over the Thames and Big Ben.

--
Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

Glimpses of London continued

The Tower of London.

--
Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

Glimpses of London

I've been here for exactly 4 weeks now. Instead of analysing and labeling everything I've seen and done so far, I'll rather just post a bunch of random photos and let you make up your own mind for now.

--
Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

Inside the Tube

Very bad quality video, but gives you an idea of what a tube ride is like whith all the repetitive noises. If you listen closely you might be able to hear the automatic voice announcements.

Waiting for the next one

A typical platform on an underground station, except for the fact that its not overcrowded. You can still hear the busker echoeing in the tunnels. The noise on the microphone is actually the wind created by the train as it rushes through the tunnel, almost scary. And then of course the 'Mind the Gap' as the doors open.

Underground busker

You will have to turn your head or your monitor sideways for this one. Buskers like this guy can apply for designated spots in the tube stations. Most of them are really good, and add to the underground vibe.

Mind the Gap

One of the first truely British things we were exposed to was the London Underground, or Tube as it is also known. It is a masterpiece of engineering, planning organisation, timing, overcrowding and very convenient and rather frustrating all at the same time. Our first trip was from Heathrow to the hostel in Kensal Green. You can follow on the map: Heathrow is on the blue Piccadilly line bottom left. We travelled up to Piccadilly Circus station where we changed to the brown Bakerloo line which took as to Kensal Green station. Not rocket science if you take the right train in the right direction (eastbound/westbound, northbound/southbound), the problem comes in when some of the lines are not working or are delayed. You can easily spend an extra hour underground. Even so, its still an amazing system, think about it:There's a station within walking distance to just about anywhere in the city and a train stops at every station every 5 to 10 minutes. This means that you can get from anywhere to anywhere within an hour or two using only public transport. If thats not enough, there's also the buses, which does more or less the same thing just a bit slower. And with a travel ticket you have unlimited access to both these services for as long as the ticket is valid! What does 'mind the gap' mean? All trains have an automatic voice talking to the passengers telling them what the next stop is, when the doors are closing etc. And at each stop it tells you to 'please mind the gap between the train and the platform' as if you cant see it! A perfect example of the British health and safety overconsciousness. The rhythm of the announcements, the beeps and doors opening and closing can be hypnotic and many people have fallen asleep on the tube, missing their stop. But even that is not a problem, since you can just get off at the next stop and take the next train back, as long as its before 1 in the morning when all trains stop running, in which case you will have to take a night bus, but thats another story all on its own...

--
Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

Wormwood Scrubs

Wormwood Scrubs park and recreational area close to Hostel 639. Nothing compared to the big parks like Hyde or Regents, but still great for a morning walk.

Typical Kensal Green street

Our second day in London, in front of the local library were we sent some emails to let everyone know we arrived safely.

Kensal Green

From the airport we took the tube to Kensal Green, Brent in the North West. We were booked into Hostel 639 for a week, sharing a 6 bedroom dormitory with strangers. At first we were a bit shocked at what we got ourselves into, but we soon got used to it and it turned out to be great fun, smelly rooms and all. And really cheap, which was the most important part. We met some great people (Hi Robbie!) and it was the perfect centre for our first week as backpackers in London, with a tube station and bus stop right across the road, Notting Hill to the south and a few pubs and restaurants within walking distance. Apart from lack of privacy, it was a great carefree week of exploration and adjustment.

--
Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

Our room, complete with roommates. That box in the corner to the left of the sink is the shower. All-in-one convenience!

Viva Mzansi!

A view from across the street. The coach was probably on its way to the cemetery next to the hostel. Nice neighbourhood...

At least an attempt was made to make the hostel look funky with murals on all the walls.

The entrance. This was no 5 star hotel!

Hostel 639

Welcome to my adventure!

On 20 June 2008, after months of anticipation and planning (or years, depending on how you see it) I landed on Heathrow Airport, London. I was hoping to have access to a computer as soon as possible to document my experiences and keep in touch with everybody back home, but it didn't work out that way, so I was forced to start exploring all the possibilities my mobile phone has to offer. This blog is the result of that adventure in technology. Thanks to a few brilliant products, including Sony Ericsson's K850i, Google Blogger, Opera Mini web browser, O2 mobile network and a few others, I am now able to blog from anywhere with 3G coverage using only my mobile phone. Even the photos and videos are captured with the phone's camera. The hardest part is typing these long posts... The first few posts will be material accumulated on my phone over the last three weeks, but hopefully after that I will be able to post material right after it was captured and you will have a semi-direct window into what I see, hear and think. Please leave your comments so we can make this a two-way experience!