Irony

The Victorian houses somewhere along Elmer's End Road, Penge, London.

 For eleven days now, I've been feasting my eyes on these old yet lovely buildings around Greater London.  Some of these houses have a year engraved on it's front wall and it says 1840, 1885, 1898, etc...  As a visitor, who grew up in the Philippines and have lived in Australia for six years now, these century-old historic houses seem to be gracefully and humbly displaying its inherent beauty to me despite the gloominess that have been pervading throughout London since my arrival last week.

The houses somewhere in Beckenham, London.

These houses were built in terraces and usually a mirror image of the structure next to it.  The walls are made of bricks (some have been covered with modern building materials, most are not) with sash windows having large glass panes and it's crowned with moss-covered slate roofing.  I am actually typing this blog post inside one of these houses and it has magically taken me straight to Privet Drive where Harry Potter once lived.

The buses on London Bridge.

I have also attended some Christmas parties and was also invited to a dinner which gave me an opportunity to enter some of these antique structures, it was then that I realised that these houses are relatively small, and even those 'bigger' houses that the locals would refer to are still relatively cramped (compared to most accommodations that I've seen in Australia).  These terraced houses have stairs with a small cupboard under it- these have instantly brought JK Rowling's description of Harry's room at the Dursley's to life! 

...at the city of Westminster, London.

Aside from the huge Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush, most of the things that I've seen in London reveal how limited the spaces are in this city!  London is big, but I have seen how this humming city has struggled to consistently meet its inadequacies...

...at King's Cross St. Pancras station.

They've carved the ground to create massive tunnels and railways so several lines of trains in six different travel zones can take thousands of passengers to their destination.  The King's Cross, Waterloo, Victoria and London Bridge stations are always very busy- two to four escalators are moving up and down to take the rushing passengers to the underground platforms or to their way out of the station.  Twice, I stood still and stayed motionless for two minutes and I observed how everybody (clothed in their dark, thick and furry coats or sweaters) moved in a hurry to catch the trains; they'd dash through the electronic card-controlled entrances and exits of the stations and would run up or down the escalators.  Inside the slithering trains or trams, some passengers (who had obviously just knocked off from work) read books, watch movies on their phone while the other hand was on the overhead handles... I've seen one eating a cupcake, and a lot of them were evidently tired and sleeping. 

...at Heathrow Airport.

Most of these London red buses are double-decked, probably to accommodate thousands of daily commuters around the city.

The tables are narrow and the chairs are slim in McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants or even in the pubs- honestly, I nearly had a muscle cramp because of the limited leg room there.

Space is not enough, time is not enough!  

The escalators at London Bridge station leading to the underground platforms.

They have a full-time job but most of the people I've met would get a part-time job to subsidize their bills or transport cost.  The value of a pound sterling is definitely higher than an Australian dollar and much more than a Philippine peso but I have this impression that their wages are not enough.

I still have more than six weeks to explore this place, and I can't wait to see what's in store for me.  

...at Leicester Square, near Charing Cross station.

.

Two in one...

I haven't seen the sun today...  

Thick and heavy clouds have been hovering over the city, and at times these condensed vapour would decide to drop in drizzle making the surroundings reasonably wet and cool.  From the upper floor of this unit where I'm typing right now, I could see vehicles (including these iconic, double-decker red buses) and a few locals in their coat and under their black umbrella rushing in opposite directions down the road.

Doin' some touristy things at Selby Rd., Penge, London.

My physique's been behaving so strange for the past twenty-eight hours.  My stomach complained as if requesting for some good tucker at dawn, I was terribly sleepy at four PM and felt the need to visit the loo at seven-thirty this evening!  I'm so glad that I don't have to report for my clinical placement today, or review for an exam and finish a thousand-word essay tonight, otherwise, I'll surely find myself lying unconscious on the floor! 

I'M SO THANKFUL TO HAVE safely landed after that thirteen-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to London yesterday afternoon.  I was honestly starved 'coz Malaysia Airlines served meals and a snack in longer intervals, and the flight attendants assigned at the cabin where I was sitting were not friendly.  Just like the airfare cost this season, it would take thousands of Australian dollar to obtain their smiles.  In fairness, that airbus A380 was impressive, and for the record- it was my first time to fly in a double-decker plane (I was seated on the upper deck).

My ever-supportive aunt, her husband, my cousin and a friend picked me up at Heathrow- I truly appreciate their effort and I felt the sincerity of their gestures... these have made the welcome and accommodation go beyond a seven-star service!

There's neither a palace nor parliament house for me today; but I've had countless red, double-decker buses.  And for me that's enough to prove that this isn't only a dream, this is for real!  It's holiday, finally!

Malaysia Airlines' airbus A380 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia.

       


.

Three in one

It's my first time to write a post using this electronic tablet...  I'm actually typing straight from Kuala Lumpur (my first time in this city, too!); I'm indebted to Edward-a friend I've met in the blogosphere, for welcoming and accommodating me here in Malaysia.

I left Adelaide early this morning and took a flight to Melbourne where I boarded another plane that lifted me to Singapore.  The second leg of my flight was relatively long- after finishing my pre-ordered lunch (which I didn't really enjoy) I had been aided by a collection of F. Sionil José's essays plus a series of intermittent naps.  I have regrets in choosing that seat on the last row 'coz the audible sound of a flushing toilet every time a passenger uses the cubicle was powerful enough to keep me half awake during that 8-hr flight. 

My brief transit in Singapore was a real gastronomic adventure.  My good friend Clarisse took me to a restaurant in Terminal 2 where we smashed a huge serving of chilli crab with mantou, tom yum soup and a perfectly-cooked steamed rice in 15 minutes.  We had limited time to savour it 'coz I needed to catch another flight to Kuala Lumpur, so with my crustacean-smelling fingers and some tomato sauce splatters that stained my white shirt, I was seen rushing through the immigration counter just to get to the boarding gate on time!

BACK IN Kuala Lumpur... The warmth and humidity didn't stop me from visiting the twin Petronas Towers.  With my baggage, Edward and I took the train to KLCC then I found myself photographed while deeply soaked with sweat.  I smiled despite the sticky feeling to at least give justice to the well-lit and famous lovely towers standing behind me. 

While writing this, I have munched two pieces of chilled Goldilock's polvoron that Edward has brought over from his weekend visit to Manila last week. And uh, it's time to hit the bed in preparation for another lengthy flight tomorrow.

.

Granted

I'd been trying to pretend that nothing's really happened lately but my heart was nearly exploding!  

I promised to myself three weeks ago to get a whole, juicy and crunchy roasted pork once I pass my Pharmacology and Toxicology course last semester; but just like most of the promises made in this world, I'm afraid I'll gonna break it.  Heaven must've noticed how tight were my fingers crossed while anxiously waiting for the marks and I'm glad that that was sufficient to convince the Celestial City to grant my prayers. 

I, honestly, felt like I was sucked by a vacuum upon seeing my Pharmacology and Toxicology grade but that was good enough than sitting for the uncertainties of the supplementary exam; my marks on the other three subjects turned out well, anyway.  So that was it, I have officially conquered the hurdles of DVM-1... 33.33% down, 66.66% more to go. 

I didn't have time to procure my lechon, though.  I've been flooded out for three weeks now to complete my four-week clinical placement.  So to stop my heart from exploding, I simply treated myself with a haircut and a relaxing massage yesterday (my haircut actually ended up awful but that's another story; yes, the hairdresser's still alive).




-----
The photos I've taken from the dairy farm the other day:

A portion of the herd of Jersey cows for pregnancy check.

A herdsman in a dairy farm somewhere in Eudanda, South Australia.

.