Lemonnism

So here it is. My first entry on Lemonni's site.

We are writing a story together. The story basically goes like this: This one guy and this one girl went through lots and lots to be together. The girl sacrificed and suffered from what many people can hardly imagine. They have many happy moments. They travelled together to many places. And of course, they have been dealing with problems along the way. Not against each other though. They are mostly problems that come with growing up, transitioning to a new role, and having more responsibilities...

Anyways, this gril has been 100% supprotive to this guy. She always gives the guy encouragements and very clever insights. With the inspiration this girl gave him, this guy took the plunge and decided he would be a photographer.

To pursue his dream, this guy made a selfish move to London to study photography. As much as she hates it, she still supports the guy and gives him assurance when he isn't sure about himself.

The guy left. The girl stays in vancouver. But it's not the end of the story. In fact, it's the only the beginning chapter of the bigger story they are writing. They know the seperation is only temporary. They are determined they will be reunited in London and live the life they have always dreamed of. Together.

She bravely steps out her comfort zone and starts a new job in the fashion world. She knows for her to get to the top, she must put in the hard work and start from square one. He stumbles into a foreign city and swears he will make his mark right there. He has to. He owes her that.

So they are thousands of miles apart. Doesn't matter. They are too strong to be defeated by the distance. Plus, they still have a story to write. They've got to make sure the second half of the story is all about their lives and adventures in London.

There. That's what the story is going to be like. We have the big picture, but we aren't sure about the details yet. Oh oh, but we do know the ending! It's going to be a happy one.

Hey guys, I am doing good in London. Life has been very busy. Going to school and settling down in this new city have taken up pretty much all my time. I haven't had much opportunity to see London, execpt the route I take to go to school everyday....

Thank you guys for the awesome "surprise" farewell party, especially Lemonni for organizing it. I am still scratching my head. How come I never smelled anything at all beforehand!? I swear I was suprised. I am not sure why you guy expected me to get scared though. I mean, having know you all for such a long time, it's hard to get scared anymore. Anything is possible... including messing with my photoshoot. You guys, I will get back to each and every single one of you. Only I mess with people. People don't mess with me!

I got more photos from that day. Those who left early: don't worry. It's not that I care for you any less. It's just that my photo efficiency is at an all time low now...

So London is really not cold at all. But today was freaky. The wind was 80 MPH, and even I almost got blown away walking on the street. No. I did not lose any weight. It was that crazy.

but I guess comparing to the snow you guys have in Vancouver, it's really nothing. Be careful on the road, everyone.

So it's been almost 3 months since I got to London. Photo school is a really interesting experience. We have 25 arrogant students from around the world who see their photos as their babies, and a number of instructors from different fields whose goal is to talk down on the students as much as possible... I am loving it. I have never been in a classroom where everyone is so committed and competitive. Everyone is set on one goal. Quite a departure from my undergraduate program.

But I must say I am going through quite a confusing period in terms of my photographic style. Since it's a documentary photography degree, we have been looking at great photojournalism work by people such as Salgado, Alex Webb, Capa, Walker Evens, Bruce Davidson and etc. While I can appreciate their work a lot, I just can't seem to assimilate what I learned with how I actually shoot. Not until now have I realized how much the experience in LA and Santa Fe has influenced me....

Right now, I am at a cross road of two totally different photography paths. One is totally calculated, polished, and controlled. The other is impromptu, luck, and grit. I don't plan to choose any one path, thou. If possible, I want to combine these 2 schools and hopefully come up with my own look? Ain't gonna be easy. In fact, I can't say I am happy with anything I shot over the last 2.5 months... But I guess if I just keep on shooting, shooting, and shooting, chances are by the end of the year I may come up with something more defined? Keeping my fingers crossed...

So, here are bits of London. I haven't had anytime to visit the landmarks, but I have met tons of interesting people.

Chapter Two.

離開一個人這麼久, 又再次見面時是什麼感覺? 或許真的是太習慣已往彼此的存在, 再相逢時, 眼前的距離反而有種不真實感。

Overwhelming.

來倫敦第七天, 除了這兩天在家找工作外, 已經拜訪過許多地方: Poan 的學校 London College of Communication - 充滿活力朝氣, 孕育創作人才的寶地; London Bridge 附近的野味有機市場 (聽說有賣兔肉); 由發電廠改造成無敵雄偉之大的 TATE Modern Museum; 四周充滿劇院, 影城, 和五花八門街頭表演的 Covent Garden; 藝術家設計師麵包師傅收集古董怪腳雲集之超大市集 Spitalfield's Market; 和有英國的 Stanley Park 之稱*, 位於 West End 高級住宅區的 Hyde Park. 光這些地方就足以讓我移情別戀, 深怕自己不想離開了。

*Quote from Mr. Kang.

Cult of Design.

倫敦是個注重設計的城市。建築, 室內, 平面廣告, 產品包裝...等, 你能想到的層面這裡幾乎都加入了設計的元素。就連一個小小的超市裡頭賣的 yogurt, 三明治, 果汁...等的包裝都可以很有設計感, 整個架上望過去就是一個字: 美!

A Journey that won't Expire.

影像不定期更新, 請作好心理準備, 這是個目前沒有終點的路途。

原本想要先 update 有關倫敦的生活圖像記事, 但是這兩天為了工作的事徹底傷透了腦筋。其實我已經可以在下星期一開始工作安頓下來, 可是我最後還是決定回絕了。那是一個在律師事務所的工作, 他們多半是針對車禍或是意外傷害的客戶。而我應徵到的職位是行政助理, 簡單來說就是整理資料, 建立客戶檔案, 打文件報告, 接電話...等。薪水是一小時8.5英鎊, 跟其他同職位的來比這間公司算是很大方了。面談我的小姐人很好, 整個辦公室氣氛也不錯, 而且他們才剛搬進那新的四層樓辦公室。在這裡工作應該很不錯...

可是我最終還是選擇繼續找其他的工作機會。經過了一個下午一整個睡不好的夜晚加一個頭疼的早上, 我打電話去跟他們道歉。為什麼要這樣往未知下賭注？為什麼下放棄眼前的這塊餅？我這樣作好嗎？我總覺得好像還有更有趣的工作等著我...或許我太貪心？

煩也沒有用了。只希望下一個工作機會會好一些。

英國人好像很喜歡在室外喝酒聊天, 常常可以看到街角的一間 Pub 外站滿了拿著酒瓶談笑的紳士淑女, 乍看下還以為他們在排隊等候進餐廳。是只有倫敦人才這樣嗎? 是只有倫敦人才能在野獸咆哮的街道旁還可以陶醉在美酒香煙瀰漫的談話中?

我還沒機會處在那樣的斷層地帶, 不過倒是嚐到了在露天和一大夥人喝酒聊天的滋味。

那是個小頭 P 班上同學們藉著聚會(或是酒精?)釋放壓力的傍晚。來自世界各國的朋友, 在 London Bridge Station 旁的一間古老 pub "Gordon" 外頭圍了兩桌聯合國版圖, 紅酒為建立邦交的橋樑, 另外還有各國簽下平等享有條約的 French Bread & Cheese。

酒精開始在體內作祟, 是路燈剛亮起, 將樹枝投影在五層樓高牆壁上的時候。原本擺在一旁的蠟燭終於被拿來發揮它的作用, 在大家的臉上跳起光影之舞, 而談笑聲的音頻也隨之舞動得更厲害, 如果說壓力是一種能量的話, 那麼這些 photographers 已經藉著笑聲釋放了不少壓力。

我想應該是沒人發現我那早已被酒暈紅的臉龐, 我和小頭 P 硬是被邀著繼續去別的地方喝酒。於是, 大夥兒又來到了另一家叫 Cubana 的 lounge 來個不醉不歸。Cubana 也是個令人神魂顛倒的神祕空間, 除了佈滿異國情調的南美洲擺飾, 還有他們的招牌--現榨的新鮮熱帶水果 cocktail。我挺沒創意地點了獨鍾的 Pina Colada, 選了張沙發坐定之後慢慢啜飲著, 似乎忘了自己可以承受酒精的門檻有多低。

一直到店家打烊, 大家才甘願地走出那超現實的境界。現實世界的明天還得上早課呢, 各位同學們。

而我的夜晚就在和法國人的第一次臉碰臉打招呼方式後, 晚安, 再見。

A monthly break dance battle that takes place at Plan B, Brixton.

Plan B 聽說是倫敦排名數一數二, 聚集箇中 Break Dance 好手的超人氣地點, 也就是在這樣的場合之下, 小頭 P 結識了許多 Break Dance 武林高手。那天晚上的 DJ's 也不是亂唬爛的猛, 除了很會在混音唱盤用手指跳舞, 連在舞場上也可以像泥鰍般翻滾自如。在場的每一個人幾乎都是深藏不露的 Break Dance 好手, 白天可能是個穿著優雅舉止端莊的 OL, 或是開車送貨的運將小弟, 但到了舞場上便成了鬥志勃勃在竹林中等待出招的老虎。Break Dance 是在他們體內流的熱血, 不管是來自哪一個背景, 這是他們共同追求的目標, 願意做必要的犧牲而投入大量心血的目標。大概就像是小頭 P 班上的同學追求攝影這般的道理吧, 有人放棄了社會地位崇高的醫生職位, 有人放棄了 Stock Broker 多金多銀舒適的生活, 有人四五十歲了還是願意為攝影轉換跑道。

和一群熱血沸騰的男男女女圍繞在舞池旁, 我看了看他們, 再看了看自己腳上的粉紅色小花娃娃鞋, 感覺自己好格格不入...

On a Saturday afternoon. Lying down. With wine and cheese.

工作後的第三個星期, 我開始疑問自己為何要來塊面積只有台灣二十二分之一人口卻將近一半的土地上生存, 過著上班族每天在地鐵和陌生人 "磨膚擠乳" 外還要忍受刺鼻異味的生活? 然後倫敦人幾乎都很沒有禮貌, 愛插隊又愛推擠, 完全顛覆了以往 "英國有紳士淑女" 的印象。(還是真正的紳士淑女都不搭地鐵的?) 好吧, 就算我還可以忍受推擠防止自己被迅速關上的車廂門給夾到頭, 那上星期五在市中心被發現裝滿炸彈的車子, 和這星期四地鐵出軌的事件, 是我穿上盔甲戴護目鏡也無法預防的! 說穿了, 在倫敦隨時隨地都有可能發生意外...

居然是消極的想法, 讓我有了新的動力想趕快整理照片做 update: 去 South Bank Centre 看展覽, 去童話般的 Greenwich & Dockland Festival, 還有去 V&A Museum 的反覆讚嘆...然而, 不就是這些獨一無二的地方讓我當初愛慕倫敦嗎?

我想起來了。

* 圖為星期五晚上十點鐘難得一見持續不到 30 秒只有小貓一隻通往地鐵入口的地下道。

巴黎有左岸右岸, 倫敦則有北岸南岸。Thames River 便是分隔北岸南岸的河, 以北是全倫敦最熱鬧的 Soho 地帶, 以南的沿岸除了有巨大摩天倫 London Eye 外, 還有 Southbank Centre, Tate Modern, Borough Market, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre...等精神糧食充電中心。Southbank Centre 是我目前造訪過最多次的地方, 不管是參觀展覽也好, 聽聽現場轉播的交響樂也好, 就算什麼事都不做在河邊散步等待日落也好, 這裡對熱愛音樂文學攝影藝術美食的人絕對是個天堂。(咦, 這麼說來這裡還真像 LE 大本營...)

先前去看的一個展覽是 Antony Gormley 的 Blind Light. 最值得一提的作品是他在方圓幾十里內設置的30個真人大小雕像, 座落在大大小小的屋頂上方, 從 Southbank Centre 的展覽間向外看時, 可以發現這些雕像全部都是面對自己。還有一些雕像是在河的對岸, 有一個甚至是在連接南北岸的橋上, 前幾天才剛被我和小頭 P 發現。這是我看過第一個跨出界線從室內沿伸到室外的大規模展覽, 真是所謂的 "大開眼界"!

從 Southbank Centre 沿河岸往西邊走就可以通到 London Eye。在假日的時候, 這條步道上每十公尺就有一個街頭藝人, 說難聽點好像是在搶生意, 但其實就像一場嘉年華會, 各式各樣的表演都有, 而且每個人都很賣力, 連扮 The Pirates of Caribbean 裡的 Johny Depp 都像到可以去 LA Hollywood Blvd. 上工作了。London Eye 基本上是個觀光味濃厚的景點, 最佳搭乘時機應該是非假日的黃昏時刻吧。目前我還沒機會去搭乘, 只有從宿舍窗外每天遠遠地觀望著。

Borough Market 位於 London Bridge Station 附近, Southbank Centre 以東的方向。聽說英國有名的廚師 "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver 就是在此取材。市場內有手工的 yogurt, 麵食點心, 和氣味濃郁的 cheese & sausage. 聽說還有非常之野味的兔肉攤位, 還好沒被我撞見, 否則我一定當場昏倒。Borough 這一字在英國當地是 "neighborhood" 的意思, 所以這應該也是為什麼這個市場有特別平易近人的感覺?

南岸好去處官方網站︰

＊ Southbank Centre http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/

＊ Antony Gormley/Blind Light http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/gormley/light.html

＊ London Eye http://www.londoneye.com/

＊ Borough Market http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

Greenwich & Dockland International Festival 是個為期四天, 集合了來自世界各地表演的 festival. 第四天, 也就是我們造訪的這一天, 是在 London O2 Centre--一個很像在北美才會看到的巨大白色博覽中心--舉辦的。基本上這整個活動有點像是馬戲團, 只是少了一個主要的舞台, 觀眾們可以自由移動選擇自己想看的表演; 表演者各個穿著都很華麗誇張, 有的從頭到腳全身塗藍, 有的身穿氣球膨膨裙, 有的還會踩高蹺在人群中穿梭, 像極了一場嘉年華會。

像是闖入了愛莉絲的夢裡, 清醒後不太清楚自己在仙境裡做了什麼, 只有鮮豔的色彩還殘留在腦中...

＊ Greenwich & Dockland International Festival: http://www.festival.org/gdif07.html

V & A Museum, aka Victoria & Albert Museum. 這是倫敦眾多 museum 裡我最喜歡的一個, 已經拜訪過三次了, 但總還是捉摸不清她神祕的面貌, 每一次去都會看到之前沒發現的小細節 - 在玄關裡的燈飾或是門邊的雕像, 要不就是拐個彎, 來到了通往另一個展示廳的樓梯口...

可以古典, 可以摩登, V & A Museum 的氣質總是吸引著我。假如沒有天天上班, 我肯定會常帶著書來這裡, 在光線極佳, 擺設全白的咖啡廳裡喝杯下午茶, 坐上一整天; 或是到氣派點的 William Morris Room 聽鋼琴演奏, 捧著一杯紅酒慢慢啜。

V & A 的四百萬件展示品中涵蓋了來自英國和世界各地的珍品, 150 個展示廳中還有分為日本, 中國, 阿拉伯, 韓國...等區域。另外還有期限性的特別展覽像是之前的超現實 Surrealism 展 和 Kylie Minogue 的時尚展, 讓 150歲的 V & A 感覺還是很 upbeat.

星期五的傍晚應該是拜訪 V & A 的最佳時刻, 一來他們 10點鐘才關門, 二來是訪客很少。這時如果走在中古世紀的陳列廳中, 難免有種毛骨悚然的淒涼感...不過, 在這時常都是人潮擁擠的倫敦大城中還能如此寧靜, 你可要偷笑了!

＊ V & A Museum Website: http://www.vam.ac.uk/index.html
～歡迎參觀～

Wapping 是倫敦地鐵線中的一小站, 除非你住在那附近或者不小心坐錯站, 不然 Wapping 是個很容易被忽略的地方。就是在這樣隱密的地方, 我們來到了一間由水力發電廠改建而成的 Gallery Cafe -- The Wapping Project.

當時拜訪時正在展出的是 master printer Roy Snell 將 Andy Warhol 特寫鏡頭印製出大大小小的照片, 再以"重複"的方式排列展出, 正好反映了 Andy Warhol 的 signature : "the art of repetition." 展示的場地是個烏漆抹黑的空間, 只有一些些燈光打在 Andy Warhol 的臉上, 在瀏覽間的感覺好像進入了愛莉絲的夢般, 看到一堆影像飄來飄去.....

這裡食物走精緻路線, 價位想當然也很高級。不過聽說經營這 Wapping Project 地方的人並不是把 cafe 當作賺錢工具, 而是用 cafe 的收入來維持免費的 gallery.

＊ 化廢墟為藝術的 The Wapping Project : http://www.thewappingproject.com/

九月底了, 從 Barcelona 回來之後對 blog 並沒有很大的貢獻, 眼看著來 London 之後的照片已經快將 photo library 擠爆, 我 update 的速度在月曆上卻落後了 50 多格...頭疼啊頭疼, 我是不是也要來個條列式?

1. 下個月中即將搬離 party animals 集中營 aka 學生宿舍, 築愛的小窩去!

2. Barcelona 好玩好吃好愛! 是藝術家的殿堂, 是熱愛自由人士的樂園! 倫敦算什麼, 食物又貴又難吃, 滾到一邊去。

3. 終於比較習慣英國佬的腔調, 除此之外還有以下變化:
- 過馬路不看紅綠燈
- 走路超飛速, 小腿都練出肌肉來
- 對充斥著八卦垃圾新聞, 滿是 Victoria, 貝克漢 & Kate Moss 照片的 London Paper 視而不見
不習慣的還有:
- 搭地鐵時擠來擠去的人體肉戰
- 歐式見面禮: 親吻對方兩邊臉頰, 男女不分

4. 最近看的好書: The Kite Runner. 推!
最近看的好片: The Lives of Others. 推!

5. 還是沒有發現 Banksy 的真跡.

6. 冬天已經侵入倫敦, 10度以下的氣溫已經將我皮箱中的黑色 Zara trench coat 使喚出來。算了, 反正今年根本沒有夏天可言, 直接跳過秋天也無所謂吧。

7. 下個月中造訪義大利: Tuscany.

條列式到此告一段落, 朝九晚五模式下產生的週期性細胞又在督促我睡覺去了...

歐~親愛的各位, 沒有網路的生活有如與世隔絕, 我只想用這短短在 Internet Cafe 的時間探頭出來說哈囉!
好像每次旅行完回來都忙得沒時間 update...相片只是越積越多而已( 距離上次條列式又多了義大利的!!!) 又加上已經搬到新的地方住, 平均每天通勤時間由原來的 2 小時變為將近 3小時, 公車地鐵火車我通通包了! 現在想起來以前由 White Rock 搭公車到 downtown 的日子簡直只是一小片蛋糕...

來倫敦也已經 5 個月了, 剩下的三個月(?) 得好好計畫一下!

One thing that I do everyday in my current job (actually I have only few days left there), is to send out legal documents to clients. Having done this for over 4 months now, I have found some of the most ridiculous last names people have, which I really want to share with everyone, under the circumstance in which I have no obligation to keep their "surnames" confidential.

5-Star-the-Most-Outstanding award goes to:

Drinkwater
Duckhouse
Farraway
Curry-peace
Muchmore
* Timlin (for those who knows him, would know why)

5-Star-Name-it-like-You-Describe award goes to:

Lightfoot
Goodchild
Hardcastle
Proudfoot
Whitefoot
Whitehead
Whitelamb
Waterman
Blackman

5-Star-Ok-Now-I-am-Scared award goes to:

Tough
Slaughter
Moody
Openshaw

5-Star-I-Just-Don't-Get-it award goes to:

Office
Try
Kitchen
Nurse
Monks
Gay
Gamble
Purse
Rainbow
Fish
Bacon
Cousins
Box
Helps
Head
Fudge

I don't mean to be mean by no means...

歐是滴, 我又游回了失業的那一(疫?)區。交出辭呈後的一星期, 老闆大人居然問我有沒有興趣留下來, 他願意給我一個 permanent 的職位和豐厚薪水。當時我只心動了三秒, 頭還是給他搖了下去。要我回蜂窩？算了, 我好不容易已經下了決定, 要 "follow my heart", 而不是用臉貼金屁股。

Then what's my heart "thinking"?

我也說不上來...目前可能先找個 part time 餬口, 再來利用剩下來屬於我的時間。
在永遠都是快動作的火車站, 我終於可以以自己的步調好好享受早晨的時光; 再也不用每天花三小時和總是遲到的地鐵和火車過不去, 或是繼續忍受和陌生人零距離的接觸; 總算可以造訪每天早早關門週末又擠爆人的畫廊美術館, 用自己想要的角度看藝術......

然後在這些畫面中, 我想用相機和文字記錄下來...我已無藉口可以在這裡漫遊卻沒有留下影子和腳印。

怨婦的辛酸...在家還要被兩隻狗搗蛋.

Opening soon! 等不及想幫康 P 的畢業展宣傳一下。
請期待開幕後的更多照片~

* Richard Gere impersonator at the lookalikes convention, Orlando, Florida.
Photo by Marcus Dawes.

康 P 畢業了!! Right now he is known as Hubert Kang M.A.
But I know some of you don't feel quite...right about this whole "Hubert" transition. So please, help me think of some names.

Anyways, I have to say I'm really proud of 康 P.

第一次在耶誕感到有點冷清。家裡沒有聖誕樹, 唯一的植物是我們從超市買來的三個球根, 目前只發幾支小芽, 什麼名字我也不太清楚, 我只知道每次我養的植物都很難順利開花...
倫敦的聖誕氣氛頗重, 血拼人潮已達極限, 尤其是街上的燈飾, 比溫哥華來得耀眼許多; 各大百貨公司的櫥窗展示一家比一家猛, 華麗程度跟 Disneyland 有得拼。Christmas Fair 在這裡似乎很流行: 旋轉木馬, 小型 roller coaster, candy shop...等, 小型遊樂區就這樣在城市裡搭建起來。Hyde Park 的 Christmas Fair 還有一個小型 ice rink.

Merry Christmas my friends!

What I did this Christmas? Well, I ate lots of junkies and watched a movie "A Good Year" with Poan. The movie turned out to be a junky as well. It's about a man who has a successful career as a stock trader in London but faces a new dilemma as his uncle left him a vineyard in Provence after his death. He has to choose between a modern but busy life in London and a rural yet spiritual life in Provence. Which one would he choose?

Stupid movie, it's all very predictable. But thanks to that movie, which reminds me of a book I've bought a long time ago--"The South of France"--a fantastic, feels-good watercolor journal by an artist. It's sitting right there on our shelf.

All the sudden, I wanted to paint. I wanted to do something I've been thinking about for a long time: draw something out of that book. And it happens that we do have watercolor kits, which Poan bought in a small town 'San Gimignano' during our trip to Tuscany, Italy. The town looks just like the one appeared in the movie, and it feels just like what is described in the book.

So here it is, the first watercolor I have produced since I got out of what, elementary school? Oh I absolutely love the texture of it. How come I didn't like to paint before?

We didn't do anything special on Christmas Eve nor on New Year's Eve, but we went to a parade on January 1, 2008, which took place in central London. It wasn't too bad actually, but I don't know why there were so many cheerleaders from the states...We also saw Canadian and American flags...

Happy (belated?) New Year!!

終於又來造訪 Gordon, 而且這次很幸運地可以坐在窄小的"地窖"喝紅酒加 bread & cheese. 原本以為會超級浪漫無比, 但是坐久了才發現矮矮的天花板攀沿著不知打哪來的水 (該不會是從上面一層的馬路來的吧!!??), 還不時滴到頭髮,鼻子, 和我心愛的大衣。還好對方並不是第一次約會的情人(哈!)所以還不用裝作什麼事都ok. 除此之外, 由於空間矮小又塞滿了剛下班的上班族, 空氣間夾帶了汗水, 溼氣, 和 cheese 的味道...至於黑黑暗暗的角落有沒有吱吱叫的聲音, 我根本不敢去想.

不過這個隱密的空間不是每間 pub 都有, 有機會來倫敦的朋友絕對要去瞧瞧, 唯有歷史悠久的城市才有這樣的地方吧!? (不知道這地窖以前是做啥的...)
xxxxxx

上次來 Gordon 已經是半年前的事了, 總歸一句話: 時間過得真快, 真不敢相信自己已來倫敦8個月. 當初買機票時預定1/30的回程, 如今並沒有改變。原本以為會跟 Poan 待久一點, 但倫敦的許多醜陋面讓我想趕快離開。或許這裡只適合短期居住, 或許是我無法在這裡找到自己的一片天, 或許是我太想大家, 或許我只是想找藉口? 不管如何, 1/30 晚上我就悄悄地回溫哥華了!

Lemonni Schedule 預報:
目前狀況: 窮酸作家, 在家趕工製作 Lemonni 第一本書。這星期四交至印刷廠。
下星期一到四: Trip to Paris!!!
再來 1/30︰Farewell London! Hello Vancouver!
2/1: Application for Master in Publishing deadline.
2/5 半夜︰See you soon Vancouver! Hello Taiwan!
預計在台灣待3星期, 時差將會大亂特亂, 希望可以趁機瘦個3公斤...

Things I like about London - Top 10:

1. All-year-round musicals & shows.
2. Architecture.
3. Different kinds of markets.
4. History.
5. Convenient public transportation.
6. FREE galleries and museums!!
7. Great and easy-to-get desserts with ceramics in supermarkets.
8. Boots.
9. Many many many artists.
10. Top Shop.

Things I DON'T like about London - Top 10:

1. TOO CROWDED!
2. People don't line up for bus/tube/train.
3. People are rude and mean and selfish, e.g. few people would yield their seats to those in need.
4. BAD food.
5. Everything's bloody EXPENSIVE!
6. Absolutely NO customer service.
7. Banking system/public transit system/ticketing system/airline system are unreliable and stupid, e.g. you won't get your money until 3-5 days after you deposit your cheque; the staff blocked the entrance to the platform and you missed your train.
8. Classified society.
9. Dirty environment.
10. One pound is very heavy.

Like I've told many people already, I think London is great for short visits, but not ideal for living. Perhaps it was because working in London was so stressful for me, you may think that I have bias towards London. If I was studying there, maybe I'd love it more. However, I still valued my 8-month stay in London. It was a completely "超越自我" experience. I have seen a lot. I have learned a lot. I would still miss my time in London.

I love London, but I love Vancouver more. That's why I chose to come back.