Hey guys! I will be transferring my archives from my old Blogspot account here in WordPress. I will also be transferring memes from Facebook and Multiply, as I will be making this account my main and official one. I want to make use of this site, since I got hooked up ever since we did our CS 30 blog in WordPress. So, expect for more posts soon!
Trafalgar Square
4:56 PM, Trafalgar Square.
The sun’s gone. Ever since DST ended last Sunday, I can see the sun setting earlier each passing day. Good thing there’s still the Indian autumn, but things are about to change soon.
I arrived early… Work doesn’t start until 6…. I have a lot of time to kill, I thought.
I suddenly found myself making my way to the National Portrait Gallery, sliding through from the sea of commuters as they entered Charing Cross.
Suddenly, I saw myself in the middle of a majestic plaza, with people from all over the world taking pictures, walking with their loved ones, and studying the lions made of black marble.
With the Evening Standard in my hand, I quickly found a place to sit. Another day has passed.
With another day, comes another question. Three months after the adventure, what have I done? What things have I accomplished? With my source of inspiration and hope tucked away in the corners of my pocket, I can’t do anything but to sigh.
Sigh at the world. Sigh at the group of American teenagers taking their pictures by the fountain. Sigh at the man evading the splash of the fountain water. Sigh at the couple kissing a few metres away. Sigh at the girl who’s waiting for someone. Sigh at the businessmen passing by on their way home. Sigh at my hopelessness.
I thought of the good things… and the bad. Finally, after all the naivety, I finally experienced my first dissatisfaction.
Tick tock. Tick tock. 5 blocks away, the Big Ben tells me that I still have a few minutes to think about my plans. And I have thought of them actually.
One. Know London as if it’s at the back of my hand. I frown at the people who don’t know where Lewisham is, but I can point out where they live, take Putney or Swiss Cottage for example. I’ll also visit places where sources of inspiration sucked the normal life out of me.
Two. It might seem choosy of me, but getting a new job seems the best option. I like to meet and chat with new people, not with new containers or plates. Damn, why didn’t I practice to be a barista before. 
Three. Spending Review. Actually, it’s already finished, and I will be cutting costs of up to 40%, with implementation on the 24th. Hopefully, this would entail that greater things are yet to come.
5:45PM. Big Ben was screaming. Off you go to work. And off I was, having a fresh perspective in life.
Term break, I will kill you.
I have noticed two parallelisms during JTA 2008 and London 2010.
1) Bonfires. Ateneo won its first of its three-peats in 2008 while I was in Austria. Now, going to its third consecutive win, I am here in one of the most diverse cities in the world. Good thing I didn’t miss Bonfire 2009. Who knows in the upcoming years? This is really a big thing that mustn’t be missed!
2) David Archuleta. David Archuleta released his first ever album on Nov. 2008… I quickly downloaded it and was listening to it until Weinachten. Come 2010, and he releases his sophomore album “The Other Side of Down”… and I can’t stop myself from listening to it during my commute.
The importance of these parallelisms? Nothin’… Just a way of sayin’ I can’t let go of 2008. Lol
Mom just texted a while ago. “Do not collect na the 5 pounds from Uncle Rizal.”
WHAT. Are you freaking kidding me? 5 pounds?!? Letting it go? Are you kidding me? I mean, seriously, are you KIDDING ME? Like, didn’t you guys remember that wretched Elizabeth Lasquite, who ran off with about 1000 dollars, since both of you lent her the money needed to help her get to the UK just about a year ago?
And with recession still knocking on everyone’s front doors, how can you throw 5 quid on the streets? This is menace. After I got tricked last week in paying an extra fiver as “tip”, I can’t take it anymore. I am making ultimate sacrifices just to breakeven. I take my 3 hour commute to work 4 days a week… I don’t eat out, I take bentos with me. I just deal with the garments that I brought from Manila. I don’t want to buy new ones because that would just mean -£. I really can’t believe how some people can manage to deplete their weekly salary, and they aren’t even renting. Oh God Mon, try to live here.
I mean, if people are soooo keen on just throwing away banknotes, then so be it. Make sure to pay my rent and my monthly transport fare worth 448 pounds. That way, I can save up just to buy trench coats and an iPhone 4. Thanks guys 
This is insane. I am earning a measly sum of money, and yet, people are doing everything they can just to take something from my hard-earned pay. I was told off n times already by my supervisors. It seems that I can’t do anything right. I am tired and demotivated by the end of the week, knowing that a new hectic week will await, with more classes and shifts. Yet, I stick to my job, knowing that millions of people are still unemployed and thousands with their sleeping bags outside the cold harsh weather.
But then again, how can I pay my bills in peace, knowing that after covering all my fixed costs, and totally minimizing variable cost by as much as 80%, I would just be left with a change so small that I can literally throw it all on the Fontana di Trevi. But no, even with inflation pegged by the government at 3.1% it’s best to put it in a savings account.
So there. Life is unfair, and I am sick and tired of complaining, and I would just like to keep my mouth and money shut, to a place where even I wouldn’t have access to it.
It’s hard to get sick, especially if you are in a foreign land. With sudden weather change from warm summer to rainy and windy autumn, things will only get worse. *cough* As the days get colder and the nights longer, I need some warmth, and where can I get that? Through the central heating system?
And since winter is coming up, I can’t wait for my first pay. How does it feel to get paid and to spend it all to whichever way you want? I don’t know. To all of my friends, how did you spend your first salary? I need some feedback.
And note to self, I need to be more direct and assertive. That’s all. I have to say what I want, in a good and constructive way, I guess. Or else, I will never prosper here. Ever.
It’s haunting me every single day. I cannot imagine that this would take its toll on me.
The day that I declined the offer by not replying to the email by Macquarie keeps on playing in my head every single day. I’m still not sure how much I might possibly earn, but I knew that it will be big… really big. I was being offered a job a few weeks BEFORE graduation. In essence, I won’t be going through the process of roaming around Makati just to secure an interview.
I can’t believe that it will be this hard and painful. It didn’t even sink in the first time on how hard it was to refuse and decline a spoonful of opportunities right in front of your mouth. Wow. I’m now starting to doubt my intelligence at this point. Did I just decline something that will make most people die just to take that position? Gawd this is awful.
On a lighter mode, I really want to thank Glee for putting a smile on my face at this arduous moment. Charice is starting to grow on me. Gawd, that ‘Listen’ and ‘Telephone’ performance was just epic. Sam Evan’s ‘Billionaire’ just gave me the goosebumps. ‘Empire State of Mind’ made me yearn for next week’s Britney showdown. Thanks 
I know that the title just sounds so wrong, but I do have a reason in choosing that word, ‘coz it just encompasses that point I want to make.
Despedidas, and lots of ‘em. I’ve been seeing my friends being tagged in farewell parties for the past weeks in FB. They’ll be off to somewhere, I guess. After a quick chat with my friend Maica, I know that it’s not only me who will brave new foreign lands. I thought for a while that it was only me daring (or stupid) enough to leave everything behind to start a new life. Stability, friendships, bachelor’s degree of high caliber, all I left behind to go back to square one. I know a lot of friends who are already in the Czech Republic, France, and China taking up internships or further studies. Maica’s interesting report pointed out Batch 2010 peeps who are currently in Italy, Singapore, Canada, America, and Switzerland also starting out anew. Wow. It seems that globalization is the main viewpoint of people these days.
So, what makes people today venture out to new lands, even though they are fully aware of the consequences that might arise, such as un/underemployment, total independence, or culture shock? This will bring me back to my title: nakatikim kasi e. It meant that people (especially Junior Term Abroad participants) already tried and tasted life abroad. It was totally an eye-opener for us JTA-ers to have this totally new experience. I remember the chats I had with fellow participants, and we basically said more or less the same thing: “We don’t want to go back home.” or “I promise, I will definitely be back after graduation.”
Of course, I do have a perfect comparison to test my hypothesis. I have friends who haven’t made tikim at all. For the past 21 or so years, they either haven’t left the country or only visited places like HK or Thailand for just 4 days. When I laid out my plans for them hoping that one or two might hop in with me, I was met with apprehension.
“Why leave, I am very stable here right now!” “I don’t need it… my parents wouldn’t approve of it.” “It’s sooo damn scary.” Duh, wasn’t I scared? Of course! I constantly threatened the lot that I would tear up my visa just to end the palpitation! But of course, after 7 weeks and counting, my passport is well hidden at the back of my wardrobe, letting it sit there hopefully until 2012.
It can be looked the other way around. I’ve known foreigners wanting to live in Asia in due course. At first, my mind can’t seem to comprehend their logic of moving from a developed country to a developing country plagued with limited benefits and chaotic political environments. They all had the same reasons… They’re tired of the European cultures they grew up in, and when they managed to travel to these new countries and be immersed in the Eastern cultures, their eyes lighted up with excitement. It was a new life, and trying out something new would be nice.
Yes, there’s the main difference. Nakatikim vs. hindi pa nakatikim. It all makes sense. With the youth more immersed in the concept of globalization than the Generation X, we can see more of these world integrations in a few years’ time. I just hope that the world will be a better place, since I have this very bad feeling that World War 3 is not that far ahead… Fingers crossed.
Bank account. Check.
General Practitioner. Check.
Student 18+ Oyster Card. Check.
National Insurance Number. Check.
Job. Uh-oh.
I’ve basically coped up with the new life abroad. I’ve got almost everything I need to start a new life… except the most vital factor… Job.
Oh dear. For the past month, I’ve just been spending and spending and spending, with not even a pence coming in. If this continues, do not be surprised if you see me sleeping by the River Thames in the middle of winter.
This goes back to the question: What were those 4 years for? Those four years in supposedly one of the best universities in the Philippines just equated to the Western World’s high school education. If employers do not even recognize a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Asia, then it will be really hell looking for a good job. I’ve heard about Batch ’10 Ateneans becoming security guards in the US because apparently, our diplomas are not recognized in the Land of the Brave and Free. It will be up to connections, connections, and finally… more connections. The more you have, the easier it is. If you’re alone in a new foreign land, then uh oh indeed.
Oxford Circus
Let’s face it: metro rail in Manila sucks. It’s not extensive. It’s always overcrowded. It’s not easily accessible to disabled passengers. It doesn’t use smart cards. Ticket queues are endless. That is why no matter how affordable it is, people opt to take the bus or the FX or maximum comfort and convenience. The London Underground, on the other hand, is love. It might not be as new and sleek as the Barcelona Metro or the Munich U-Bahn, but the oldest metro system in the world has a lot to offer. It’s as extensive as it can be, with as much as 13 lines covering central London and its suburbs, in order to ease congestion. And still, people keep on complaining about rush hour woes as trains can get overcrowded. Trust me native Englishmen, once you’ve ridden the LRT/MRT, you’ll understand.
With its famous roundel that eventually found its way to each tourist’s mind and every Londoner’s heart, the Tube makes your commuting life even more enjoyable or depressing, whichever way you want to put it. As a new denizen in England’s capital, I have this secondary goal of riding all of the Tube lines and assess what it’s like riding with businessmen, housewives, tourists, students, au pairs, drunkards and the like. However, I do not use the Tube as much since I am a Southeastern guy, meaning that instead of the Underground, the ones serving my borough are National Rail services, much like Paris’ RER.
Central London Tube map
Ridden lines:
Piccadilly Line – First line I rode in London. From Heathrow, it took me to North Greenwich via Jubilee Line where my uncle picked me up. I took this line again to Park Royal where we played some pool.
Jubilee Line – Second line I experienced. It brought me to North Greenwich from Green Park. I use this occasionally when going to London Bridge, my campus’ location.
Northern Line – Used this line when transferring from London Bridge to Elephant and Castle, the other campus.
District Line – Took this line when I went to Earl’s Court, Notting Hill Gate, and Kensington High Street (places with Filipino banks and retail outlets).
Circle Line – Since this line shares tracks with the District Line, I took this line when transferring from the aforementioned places.
Bakerloo Line – Took this line when I was transferring from Charing Cross to Baker Street.
Metropolitan Line – From Baker Street, it’s a smooth ride to Uxbridge. The trains serving this line are huge… It can carry a lot of seating passengers.
Central Line – used this line to transfer to the Piccadilly Line via Holborn.
Not yet ridden:
Victoria Line – I might have a chance to ride in this line if I will be going to King’s Cross or St. Pancras.
Hammersmith and City – Color pink in the maps… Keila will like this.
Waterloo and City – The shortest Tube line, with only two stations: Waterloo, and Bank.
London Overground – I guess these lines are above ground…. Wait… most Underground tracks are also above ground.
Docklands Light Railway – These lines serve Canary Wharf, London’s Fort Bonifacio.
Then again, the Tube will be closed down on Monday because of the ongoing strikes. I wish all commuters the best for the next hectic week ahead.
I almost died last night as wind chill temperatures of about 12 degrees were piercing against my skin. We were waiting for a bus that came in after a gruelling 10 minutes. I had more than 10 bus trips yesterday for a visit to my uncle’s friend’s house, which was good for my Oyster card price cap. I arrived home at about 11pm already… good thing it’s a holiday that will greet everyone here at the start of the new week.
Britons are so obsessed with bank holidays. They keep on fussing about it in the telly and the papers, much like we make a fuss about Undas and Semana Santa. These are public holidays in the UK and Ireland, and its name traces back to the 1800s, where all the banks are closed, hence the colloquial term.
August 30 is their summer bank holiday, which means that Britons can enjoy there last few weeks of summer before the cold weeks ahead. They spend most of their hard earned money in trips to the south for sunbathing sessions. Top destinations include the countryside, particularly Southwest England, the Midlands, or Ibiza if they want to go international. I fancy the fact that Europeans prefer to take jobs that allow them to go on holidays than accept jobs that offer twice the amount of salary but don’t allow them to take leaves. Another thing is, Europeans have this notion of travelling and relaxation as means of lifting up their well-being and quality of life, rather than spending it all in new appliances or gadgets. According to my Managerial Communications class, the French would always push for more leaves rather than appraisals in their salaries.
And no, I’m stuck at home this bank holiday. Not advisable for me to spend my remaining money in a train ticket to Manchester when there is still no regularity in cash inflow. I just moved in to my new flat last Saturday (no, it’s another one, I’m too agitated to even tell the story about the swap/change). I’m tempted to decorate my flat with two posters: one with the map of the UK, and one with the portrait of David Archuleta. But we’ll see… I haven’t been to any music record stores yet.
And because I’ve been so busy moving in, I didn’t realise that Mockingjay is already out! It’s the last book of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’ve been reading the first two books during my long break last month. I do hope there is an affordable version here, so that I can read it whilst taking my commute. Team Peeta all the way, but I’m sensing the worst is yet to happen.
Tomorrow, I will be off to Earl’s Court to determine my fate. I will be passing CVs off to Filipino banks and retail shops, since the place is the aggulation of Filipino businesses. I haven’t done this in Makati, so the prospect is daunting to any person in a foreign land. Well, at least it’s the best thing rather than let your arse sit around the house all day.
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