Live Life Loud!: hello england!

good morning, london! :)

how i wish i was back there. that buzzing, amazingly, awesomely magnificent city! i know a number of people who don't quite fancy london, but i honestly do quite like it. so much of life every minute of the day as compared to edinburgh. really. the first time i went to london was when i had to go to the malaysian embassy for you-know-why, so obviously the beauty of that place initially, were all masked by my desperation to get my things sorted out and my impenetrable urge to leave this god forsaken country.

so my proper visit to london was with mum when she arrived in the uk. the train ride was good. trains here are NOTHING like those at home. seats are comfortable (or at least a lot better than our poor ktm) and the scenery is just awesome. the countryside is such a tranquil and beautiful place to live in. those sheeps, cows and goats and fields of wheat, green grass, flowers everywhere! i don't think i can ever get that picture out of my memory even though i do have short term memory loss. but nothing, beats that kind of beauty :)

one of the things that i really like about uk is how efficient the public transport system is. ok, apart from the whole NHS system. it's just amazing how buses operate so frequently, with exceptionally perfect timing, no delays (maybe a few seconds or a minute or so, but who the heck cares?!) and it's just so disable friendly! i like :D and of course, needless to say, the underground tube stations are ze best although they can get quite jam packed at certain times of the day (or maybe like everyday haha)!

shopping in london is MADNESS! oxford street and regent street is psychotically money sucking. massive topshop buildings, banana republic the price of our padini (it's almost RIDICULOUS!), zara, next, clarks, H&M, dorothy perkins, bershka, urban outfitters, sportsdirect.com - it's insanity at its max! i mean the amount of things that i could buy if i were a millionaire! even after conversion, it's a lottttt cheaper than the exact same ones here at home. i, proudly, bought myself everything that i can wear from my head, down to my feet. hairbands, cosmetics, tops, belts, jeans, shoes and shoes. oh, and a handbag. haha. afterall, i'm only a girl - with, hopefully, a bit of fashion sense. haha. :)

but of course, my favourite moments here in london, would have to be watching the Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and the Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Opera House. there is no musical production in the world that beats my beloved phantom. it's just stunning. and wicked, went in with absolute zero expectations, came out feeling exceptionally pleased and satisfied. makes me feel like defying gravity as well! :) and oh my god, the bolshoi ballet was in 3 acts - petrushka, russian seasons and paquita. those pointes, that graceful poise with flawless technique and perfect expression and pretty little costumes and tutus. it was exceptionally breath taking and very, very impressive. i could spend all my life watching musicals i swear.

me and mum stayed for a brief 3 nights at the malaysian hall. cheap, and i'm not complaining because what you give is what you get really. and waking up to the smell of nasi lemak, mmmmm :) then again, some certain malaysians ought to learn to be a tad more polite and courteous. and be nice. and friendly. and a lot more approachable. seriously, the guy at the malaysian high commissioner needs to stop facebooking and checking some girl out, plus smoking in an air-conditioned room. and just because i'm not malay, or just because your ranks are higher than mine and that you drive a super duper uber macho sports car and live in london luxuriously, doesn't mean you can be rude and intimidating. now that ain't very nice. whoever says malaysians are friendly. bite my ass.

apart from london, mum and i went to bath, oxford, stratford upon avon and windermere. he and i went to nottingham and manchester. bath is just really beautiful. it's almost like rome literally. so old, yet so bold. we went to oxford only to see christchurch college where harry potter was filmed and to the university of oxford. i swear i felt daniel radcliffe on where i stood in the picture. hahaha! and stratford upon avon is where shakespeare was born. windermere is a must go! the clear waters of the lake and those little ducklings, swans, and birds all over. it's just phenomenal. thank god for a perfectly fine weather! nottingham was merely to visit our friends. teck jian, danis, edwina. and others. nottingham hospitality service (NHS) at its best! missing your cupcakes edwina :) and your early morning breakfast teck jian! and your car, danis the menace! manchester was awesome! thank you swee leen for bringing me around in such a short time. and for a really good thai food!! :D old trafford is just crazy! i can definitely feel the players all around me. oh, how ecstatic!!!

and i must say, my stay in london wouldn't have been planned more perfectly if not for my aunt and peter. aww, i love you both :) although your house at this very moment, really, literally, looks like a dump site (ok, it's a renovation site haha), but i enjoyed every minute at your place. i'm sure mum did too. don't we all just love the fact that her legs tremble when she goes up that ladder? haha. it's hilarious. thank you for those dinners (oh lord that steak and noodles and fried rice and truffleeeeeeee!), late night rides to see the city, free audio guided tours (haha did i mention that a lot of the tourist spots here offer audio guided tours?) and information on how to get some of the best deals. and those chocolates you bought me, nuts, hobnobsss! thank you sei yi for everything. EVERYTHING. i promise we'll have our dessert when you come home. can't wait to see you again!

sigh. i miss london even more now. i miss the uk. i've been back for 6 days. but the excitement still hasn't quite settle down. i want to be there. everything in malaysia suddenly doesn't seem quite right. except for the food, yes :) oh wells, i'll work on that. pictures?