London

L - R: Wen, Me & Parents on the boat to Greenwich

Parents & the London Eye
Aunty Dot, Wen & Parents in Greenwich

So I've been living in London since September 2001. And I guess like everyone else, it's sort of a love-hate relationship. I remember when I first stood in Leicester Square years ago I thought it was one of the most amazing places to be in; now I avoid Leicester Square and other tourist spots like the plague!

For the first 2 years or so, I was still getting my bearings and I would only hang out in Central London - Cheers bar, Tiger Tiger, Digress (I'm surprised I have not been barred from this place), those kind of places. And for the record, I have NEVER been to Equinox or the Hippodrome.

Then over the years I actually befriended proper Londoners (in case you didn't know, there aren't many Londoners in London, everyone's a bloody foreigner). And I started hanging away from Central London and discovered that the real London is not Central London. You have Old Street in the East with all sorts of clubs and bars that open till late that do not play cheesy pop, Plan B and the like in the South, the hip hop bars in Angel in the North and pubs, bars and clubs filled with characters in the West. Londoners hate everyone else and think everyone else is beneath them. This is quite hilarious.

But I would definitely rate London as an extremely dynamic city and there's always something to do (provided you can afford it, although there's loads of free stuff going round as well). I've lived in London for most of my 20s so if you want to hold something accountable for the way I am, blame it on London!

Things I like about London: The parks, the concerts, the exhibitions, Soho, the restaurants etc

Things I hate about London: Tourists, the fact that it's an expensive city, shopping (apart from places like Selfridges and Carnaby Street), the underground etc.

NB: Pictures above are from parents' and Wen's visit in 2001