Welcome back to rafiq's awesome weblog updated ~daily~ ~bidaily~ whenever I feel like it! Today I am writing from an AirBnB near Islington, and it's the first time in the city (cities?) of London :). We're here for my convocation on Monday, and currently are decompressing after a near 24 hour commute from Singapore.
First thoughts: thank god my convocation is in April! We landed amongst clear skies and a sunny day which I have been thoroughly assured is not normal. Still hoping it will be this way throughout the trip though. What struck me the most, really, was how familiar London is; I feel like this is weird to say, but it almost seems like Singapore to me. Of note is our obvious colonial roots but even their more modern constructions remind me of home and the amount of greenery is honestly astounding considering I have been sold Singapore as garden city for my whole life.
Also, it is so nice to see older alternative folks! It's rare to see any older people in Singapore with coloured hair let alone piercings and leather - very refreshing to see multiple in the span of a few hours. Also, on the topic of fashion, it's pretty surprising how other than the obvious extra layer needed for the weather, people here dress very similarly to home; we happened to book a place right next to today's Arsenal game so I got a veritable fashion show of the average Londoner.
We're going to go off to dinner soon, then I'll be splitting off to see my partner's sister who lives here - probably going to go out tonight but see how... Feeling really 25 right now. If anyone is reading this who's in London, Liverpool, Amsterdam, or Brussels, I'll be in and out of those cities in the following two weeks so email me at rafiq [at] rrv [dot] sh and let's hang!!! Anyway, see ya tomorrow