LDN - Either you love it, or hate it.

The weather in London yesterday had been it's best in weeks! The sun finally was out and the weather was cool, it felt like spring rather than a miserable winter's day. As it is my last few days in London, I decided to make the most of it and enjoy the day and see the sights.

I met a friend for lunch at Westminster, then I headed towards the Tate, snapping photos of the city. Wish I had a SLR or even just a better camera! haha! My mobile camera is quite good considering, but photos will never compare actually being there. Feeling the vibe of the city, strangers speaking to you, the sun and cold at the same time. As I was walking, I was aware I was having a wonderful day and enjoying myself, even if I was experiencing it alone. Sometimes having someone with you could make the experience worst, or better.

I started to think about how people feel about this city. I came to the conclusion that perhaps people react to London like how the would react to Marmite. "It's either you love it, or hate it". I personally loath the stuff, it tastes like feet! What is wrong with good ol' Jam? But back to London, I do love it. I see London as how some women have a man they can't fall out of love with. It's not perfect, it sometimes if not often will let you down, but it has a charm that you haven't found anywhere else. You try and get over it, but there is just something that feels so right when you are together. That's how I feel about London. It lacks the luxury of back home, but it makes up in other ways. It's not the cleanest, but which big city is? The only difference is that London, will let you meet people from all over the world without having to travel. It will let you go into shops and restaurants and make you feel like you have been teleported to Spain or Italy. I guess one will never really value this city, unless it is taken away from you.

Don't get me wrong, I know London isn't heven or perfect at all. Take for instance the controversy for the past 2 days about racism. I know, Big Brother is a load of bollocks. However, this news is relevant to me. One of the housemates is Indian and she is having to deal with racial comments within that group of people. I can totally relate as I have been there so many bloody times. But seeing it now, how this can happen in a very cosmopolitan city which has a huge population of Indians, makes me realise -- one is not spared! Having read that news article makes me think that the people who made those racial slurs were first of all a) very childish and insecure. b) completely brainless uneducated people. and c) how rubbish this show really is! I find it funny how it was said that her fellow housemates were making fun of her accent, when it is a hellova lot better and richer than those speaking. Also, how the comment of how Indian's are thin because of their unsanitary way of dealing of their food, how do they explain the French then? It's called MO-DE-RA-TION. Funny how they make comments like these and they will probably be the same people who will be out on a Friday night, pissed as hell and wanting what? "A Curry". Even then they bastardise the cuisine.

Anyhoo, yes my blood boils, but I honestly am calm about it. Because I think I have learned to deal with such racial comments. In the past I would take it to heart, but now I think I could just see it as someone who says it completely brainless and not worthy of my time and energy. I have better things to worry about, like when is my next wonderful meal going to be. However, just like Shetty, you just keep quite and you don't need to say anything. Good thing about us Indians is we believe in the best thing of all -- Karma.

Yesterday for instance, just when I thought my day couldn't have gotten any better. I walked into Foyles and I heard a familiar voice over at the tills. I turned and I saw this guy from my CELTA course. He had to be THE most obnoxious person I have met since I was in high school. As well as the biggest bigot in the class, and made fun of everyone's accent and how they taught. I thought he was really ill fitted to be teaching foreign people to speak English, since he was always making racial comments. He had a go at me too, but he was messing with the wrong person. I gave him a dose of his own medicine, and even worst was able to take the piss of him with British humour. The rest of the time I just ignored him blabbing of how great he was and how crap everyone else was. But low and behold, yesterday who was it being trained behind the tills of Foyles -- HIM! Nothing wrong working in a bookshop. But if you act like you are so great and end up working in Foyles, jokes on you. I didn't have to say a word or make it known that I saw him. Karma - what goes around, comes around.

The only way for me to end this post is to borrow the words of Lily Allen...

"You might laugh - you might frown,

Walkin round London town.

Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why

Would I wanna be anywhere else?

When you look with your eyes,

Everything seems nice...

But, if you look twice,

You can see it's all lies.

Life, yeah that's city life..."