Having lived in London for about 5 months now, there are few things I have come to notice about living here.
Firstly > You must have an oyster card, or people will tut and push you for getting in the way or taking up their commute time by stopping to buy a ticket. Also said oyster card will be draining your monthly funds almost as much as food.
However, staff working in the train stations will almost always be helpful if asked for advice on how to get somewhere.
Secondly > There is most likely a pigeon within 5 ft of you. They will fly unpredictably and very near your head. For some reason I seem to be the only person who will see sudden flapping out of the corner of my eye, or hear a quick burst of fluttering wings and suddenly duck or swat the air as if I'm suffering from some pathetic form of pigeon attack PTSD. (Not to to be taken too lightly, it was meant in good humour and not as an attempt to belittle actual sufferers.)
Thirdly > If you are in the position of looking for somewhere to live still, and aren't fortunate enough to afford your own place, my best advice is to go to one the spareroom hosted speed-flatmating events. This was my personal saviour, after months of of searching and not really finding what I was looking for or getting much response, I was able to go to a bar where about 80 other people were either looking or had rooms available. It sounds terrifying to some, but once you get there its actually not too bad, and if it weren't for that event I may not be living in the wonderful house I am now. So bite the bullet folks and just dive in.
Fourthly > There is no phone service on the underground! SHOCKING.... to some, and perhaps thought of as the end of the world. I like to look at it as a quick break from technology. The secret is to carry things in preparation for this hiatus, such as a book or an iPod so once can immerse themselves in other peoples creations and to go back to having a regular hand as opposed to a phone shaped one. If you are caught without your preparation objects I suggest, reading over someone's shoulder, or try daydreaming! I tell you it has become far too underrated, there's nothing like spending a good 15-30 mins with your own imagination.
Fifthly > Have a good pair of shoes. Treat yourself to a pair of shoes that doesn't come from primark or have a 6 inch heel, because one thing that they don't tell you about London is that it darn near kills your feet. This isn't something I've really heard people mention, but it can't just be me suffering. My feet have been very pissed off at me since I got here, namely because it took me a while to spring for a decent pair of shoes for my tootsies. You'll thank me later folks!
Todays little music awakening is a band called 'The Noisettes' - they are my recent love. Apparently it means hazelnut in french. They are a british indie rock band, composed of a female lead singer a bass and guitar player. They've been around since about 2003 I hear. Here is my favourite song called 'Ragtop Car' which was released in 2012 in their album Contact.
Firstly > You must have an oyster card, or people will tut and push you for getting in the way or taking up their commute time by stopping to buy a ticket. Also said oyster card will be draining your monthly funds almost as much as food.
However, staff working in the train stations will almost always be helpful if asked for advice on how to get somewhere.
Secondly > There is most likely a pigeon within 5 ft of you. They will fly unpredictably and very near your head. For some reason I seem to be the only person who will see sudden flapping out of the corner of my eye, or hear a quick burst of fluttering wings and suddenly duck or swat the air as if I'm suffering from some pathetic form of pigeon attack PTSD. (Not to to be taken too lightly, it was meant in good humour and not as an attempt to belittle actual sufferers.)
Thirdly > If you are in the position of looking for somewhere to live still, and aren't fortunate enough to afford your own place, my best advice is to go to one the spareroom hosted speed-flatmating events. This was my personal saviour, after months of of searching and not really finding what I was looking for or getting much response, I was able to go to a bar where about 80 other people were either looking or had rooms available. It sounds terrifying to some, but once you get there its actually not too bad, and if it weren't for that event I may not be living in the wonderful house I am now. So bite the bullet folks and just dive in.
Fourthly > There is no phone service on the underground! SHOCKING.... to some, and perhaps thought of as the end of the world. I like to look at it as a quick break from technology. The secret is to carry things in preparation for this hiatus, such as a book or an iPod so once can immerse themselves in other peoples creations and to go back to having a regular hand as opposed to a phone shaped one. If you are caught without your preparation objects I suggest, reading over someone's shoulder, or try daydreaming! I tell you it has become far too underrated, there's nothing like spending a good 15-30 mins with your own imagination.
Fifthly > Have a good pair of shoes. Treat yourself to a pair of shoes that doesn't come from primark or have a 6 inch heel, because one thing that they don't tell you about London is that it darn near kills your feet. This isn't something I've really heard people mention, but it can't just be me suffering. My feet have been very pissed off at me since I got here, namely because it took me a while to spring for a decent pair of shoes for my tootsies. You'll thank me later folks!
Todays little music awakening is a band called 'The Noisettes' - they are my recent love. Apparently it means hazelnut in french. They are a british indie rock band, composed of a female lead singer a bass and guitar player. They've been around since about 2003 I hear. Here is my favourite song called 'Ragtop Car' which was released in 2012 in their album Contact.
Peace and Love
xxx
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