Jason's Daily Notes

Nike had work/studying to do in the library, so I went with her. She graciously lent me her bike rental (Velo) card to get around with. She set me up with her login at the computer lab, and I got to it. I checked my emails, sent lots of messages to my friends all over this part of Europe, and did some job searching. I also ordered a SIM card from Mobile Vikings; I didn't want to pay egregious amoungs for roaming.

I took a break in the afternoon and walked around the city center. I explored many streets and took plenty of pictures. I walked through several nice plazas. I ended up buying food from a chip shop (fritur) on the corner. I got fries with stooflees sauce (which is an amazing beef gravy sauce - yum!).

I returned to the computer lab, messed up the login (but Nike texted it back to me), and then continued online for another hour or so. At 17:30 I met Nike and her boyfriend Guido and we got a drink (actually several drinks) at their local hangout, Kassa. Jan joined us. They taught me some new words. I learned that Guido is not only a musician in a band, but that he's starting his own music studio. Cool! Vet!

They had plans to meet another friend who was not keen on a stranger (me) joining, so I went home on my own. I walked back toward the central station, and there I bought some more fries and a bickyburger. It was a lot of food, so I took most of the burger home with me.

I was in a food coma, so I laid down and fell asleep really early, like 9:30pm. I got a text from Nike after midnight saying they were back at Kassa (inviting me to join them) but I was already knocked out and didn't want to get up. The floor and pad that I'm sleeping on is much more comfortable than my London bed was. I'm sleeping a lot better (or maybe I just have less of a reason to get up in the mornings now?).

It was the day. My train to Belgium was at 12:58.

But first - I had to ship the box of graduation photographs back to California. So I went to the Stockwell Post Office and took care of it - the girl helping me was very friendly and interested (because she also had family in California). It ended up costing 56 pounds. Ouch.

I rushed back to the apartment. Mike was awake. He had plans to visit his office in the morning, and then he said he would meet me at the train station. He accompanied me to the bus stop, helping me carry my bags (which were pretty heavy), but it looked like he wouldn't have enough time, so he just accompanied me all the way to St. Pancras.

I picked up my tickets, and there was still about an hour before the departure, so Mike and I got some coffee (when do we ever get coffee? I guess we just didn't know what else to do). We just hung out a little bit more. Before I knew it, it was time to go. We said our byes and I entered security. Mike was standing there waving bye to me the whole way as I passed through security. Aww.

My passport was stamped, and the train was boarding. I got a seat in a 4-seat group. Luckily, no one else sat down with me, so I had plenty of space for the entire train ride. The train zoomed away quickly. It darted all the way out of London mostly underground. Within 10 minutes I was in countryside. I was whatsapping most of the way until we went into the tunnel. I put on some music and just reflected. What interesting turns my life has taken to this point. And I really had no idea where I would go next.

Before I knew it, the train arrived in Brussels (after a stop in Calais and in Lille). I got off, carrying my bags down to the connecting trains. The train to Antwerp was to leave in 4 minutes - perfect! I took the lift there and got on that train. It did not have a luggage cart, and the train got pretty crowded. It was interesting to look at the people - they were simply different than those in London. A group of kids were horsing around loudly in the hallway between the compartments.

I arrived in Antwerp just past 17:30 (I had scheduled to meet Nike at 17:30). It took some time for me to find the Starbucks, so I withdrew some cash along the way. And we met! It was great to see her.

Interestingly, she made two observations quickly: (1) I seemed much less American than I did last year; and (2) I seemed sad. Both of which were obvious to me on the inside, but I didn't know that they were so externally visible too.

Anyway, we walked to her flat. I settled in. I joined her flatmates, Katrin and Jan, for dinner (roasted bell peppers).

In the evening, I met up with Laura at the Mechelese plein (Zeppos). No one else joined me because they were all brak (hungover). She was busy preparing to go to Guatemala, so I occupied myself talking with her friends. It was good to see her, making her now a 3-country friend!

I walked home, returning around midnight.

It was my last day in London.

I didn't feel like doing anything. I just stayed in the flat with Mike. We spent the day exchanging photos, music, etc. Demi showed the flat to two more people.

Mike made pancakes. We stayed in. Tossed out all the food. I finished most of my packing. I felt a deep sadness. I did not want tomorrow to come.

We returned the car in the morning with Bernadet. Along the way, a female cyclist appeared to have been hit by a car. We then went to Tesco to buy some breakfast/snacks. Mike and I then went to London Bridge, where he had a haircut and I returned the library books. He accompanied me back to Brixton, where I deposited my check (from TfL) into my bank account and we stopped by Tesco (bought milk, snacks, cheap ketchup, ice cream).

Most of the snow had gone.

Kayleen was still around in the afternoon. She left to meet up with Mel (to celebrate Australia Day).

In the evening was our goodbye party, but first, we had dinner - Angus beef burgers and potatoes, with steamed veggies on the side. We only had time/stomach space to eat one burger each before heading to The Miller.

Several people were already there - Kayleen, Mel, Tessa, and Philip; Bernadet and her friend (Sophie?). We moved to the back, where a space had been reserved for us. Bernadet's friends arrived, including Amondine from France. Cece and Abhi were there. Chieh soon came, and so did Asia, Kristi, Ken, and Kristine. Sandy also came. I made sure to take plenty of pictures. We played some pool.

Around 11 we all left; Chieh was really drunk and needed to be escorted to get the right train home - Bernadet helped. Those of us left - Ken, Kristine, Mike, Amandine, Cece, Asia, Abhi and I - went to Stockwell and to the Swan! Along the way, we changed at Waterloo because the Northern line's bank branch was closed. There, Mike, leaped over onto the moving sidewalk and fell SPLAT right on his face. He then got a big bruise, scratches all over his right cheek!

The Swan was 10 pounds to get in, and 2 pounds per item at coat check (I naturally checked my camera as well). The music was corny, pop/hard rock. We danced, downstairs, then upstairs, then back downstairs after the upstairs closed (around 4:30am). Abhi bought shots. Me and Amandine. Me and Asia. Mike and Kristi.

I left Mike, Kristi, and Ken around 5:30am.

Last day of the road trip. We made sure to get up earlier, around 8:30, to be out the door around 9. It was starting to snow. Bern drove us to Ambleside, where we had breakfast at the Apple Pie cafe. We then drove to Rydal lake, where we parked the car and hiked through the snow to Rydal Cave. It was cool. We almost missed the aves if not for Bern spotting it. We hopped over the water into the cave.

Back to the car, we drove past Langdale, headed toward the other side of the Lake District to see the other side of the region. However, the road conditions were not good. The roads were icy and not properly salted (or not salted at all). Bernadet was (rightfully) uncomfortable driving on such roads. So we turned around, and instead headed south to Coniston and instead explored there.

We stopped at the tourist information office and asked the woman for an easy and nearby hike. She directed us to tarn haws (?), which was like a 10 minute drive away. We parked the car on the road because it was also snowed in and started walking. The path was difficult to keep track of. We walked past nice views and we even spotted a deer.

We walked to the lake and took in the view. We found some inflatable tubes and slid down a hillside (and a bit more on the walk back to the car). It was already 3pm, and we wanted to get out of the lake district before dark, so we headed out. The road was small, though, so it was over an hour before we got to the motorway.

Bern drove us to Lancaster, where we stopped for food since we were hungry. We went to the first restaurant we saw - Pizza Hut. Mike and Bern shared a bottle of wine, which they didn't even charge us for. There were several birthday celebrations going on, and they kept asking Asia for a lighter.

Then came the treacherous drive back. Asia took over since Bern had been drinking. The weather was switching between rain and heavy snow. It was really difficult to see the road ahead of you. We just wanted to get home as quickly as possible but safely - we were driving 30-40 mph the whole way. Around Manchester, just after shopping at a service station, the whole motorway came to a stop. There was a big pileup right in front of us - at least 8 cars had collided. Five off to the left and another three to the right. A traffic officer closed the road right in front of us. Asia panicked as we sat there for over half an hour. She was too stressed to drive, so I took over.

When the traffic opened up, I took over with Mike as my copilot. I took it easy - it really was almost impossible driving conditions! We just needed to get past Birmingham, where the weather looked like it was clearing up. The snow changed to rain and I was able to drive faster. We reached the outskirts of London around 12:30 and soon dropped off Asia. Then I drove us home; Bernadet stayed over, so that we could come with her to return the car in the morning.

We left the hostel promptly around 9:30am, driving north to Keswick. Stopped along the way to take pictures of the lake. The day was nice, and the sun even came out for a bit! In Keswick, we ate at a cafe and walked around for a bit. We then drove down to the lakeside and took more pictures on the piers and jettys. Suddenly, a jet fighter boomed above us, flying really low! It came around a second time as we were getting back to the car.

Driving out of Keswick, we doubled back a bit, because Mike saw an awesome tree that we simply had to take a picture of. It was a cool tree.

We then picked up a hitchhiker! He was Paddy Rogan, a traveling musician going around northern England singing in pubs. We took him as far as Penrith, dropping him off by the motorway. We continued north on the M6 toward Carlisle (right before Scotland), turning off to see Hadrian's Wall.

It was another 30 minutes from the motorway to the part of the wall that I decided to take us to, Birdoswald. Another snowball fight as we walked around. It was hard to tell which wall was the wall.

We spontaneously decided to have lunch in Scotland, since we were so close to the Scottish border. We went to a pub - closed. Everything in the town was also closed. So we drove back onto the motorway and ate at a services stop. KFC for me and Mike; Papa Johns pizza for the girls.

Bern drove us back to the Lake District. We stopped for some quick pictures at Ullswater. Then, we spontaneously pulled into a parking lot because we saw that there was a trail leading to a waterfall. Night was falling as we made the half-mile hike. It was completely dark when I returned to the car (I had lost the others, so I just returned to the car directly, thinking they were already back, but no, I was first). We drove over through the hills and mountains in the darkness. Sheep blocked the road.

Stopped in Ambleside to buy some supplies to make dinner (pancakes). I got some Cumberland Ale. Back at the hostel, we (basically just Mike) got straight to making pancakes. We had to switch our key cards to get access to the other building of the hostel. We stayed in the hostel after dinner. Mike, Asia and I played pool and some foosball in the games room. Then, of course, with the pancakes we had a smoke.

Day 2 of the road trip. We got up around 8:30; Asia practiced driving in the car park before we set off. She took us to Sheffield, where we stopped for breakfast/coffee at the shopping centre (M&S). Then, we drove to the other side of the shopping centre where Bernadet bought some hiking shoes.

Finally, we were off, through Sheffield and into the Peak District. The landscape was beautiful, snow-covered. But, as we began our drive around, suddenly a racketing noise came from the back of the car. We pulled over, and discovered that the tire was flat. Ouch. So time to put in the spare, which was slightly more difficult because we were on a slope in a driveway in the snow. Mike got right on changing the tire right away. I called the rental company to coordinate what we could do - they said that we could bring the car in to a tyre centre in the nearby town of Chesterfield.

So Bernadet drove (on the spare tyre) to Chesterfield. We waited for while for them to approve the tyre work, so we walked to Burger King and had some food. I challenged them to pronounce a challenging poem about the English language pronunciation by B Shaw. We walked back to the tyre centre (dead pigeons!) and the car was done and ready to go.

The day was almost over; so much for seeing most of the peak district! Instead, we headed straight for the snake pass and drove over to Manchester, taking in the view along the way.

Around 5:30pm we arrived in Manchester. We drove in circles before finding a parking garage near the city center/cathedral and walked around. I took a box of cereal with me to munch on. We saw the cathedral. Walked down toward the town hall, and back to Piccadilly gardens.

We left Manchester. Got stuck in traffic. Took a detour. More traffic. Played 2 truths and a lie. Finally got on the motorway. Went to Preston. Had dinner at a chain-looking pub serving American/pub food. I had a bbq chicken sizzler plate. Mike and I also ordered lots of starters to share.

Drove on into the lake district, (along the way I learned to open a bottle from another bottle and with a lighter), got to our hostel and checked in. We arrived about 14 minutes after the reception closed, but luckily the guy stayed open for us. We chilled in the lounge for a little bit, and I played connect four with Bern as Mike watched Family Guy/American Dad on TV.

The road trip to northern England begins!

Mike had his final meeting for work in the morning (which, as usual, he pulled off very well), and then he biked to Oxford Street to buy some wellies and swimming trunks.

I left around 10 to meet Bernadet at the car rental place in Battersea. The road was closed near Vauxhall, so my bus took a diversion which made me a little late. The rental place did not have a car available in the size we reserved; they wanted to give us a Golf (too small) or a 7-seat van (too big). Eventually we learned that they had a Focus available - just right! We added Asia as an additional driver (but not me). Bernadet picked up some stuff from her place then we went to our place. Mike was there; we hung out for a few minutes, having breakfast and snacks, since Asia wouldn't be ready until 1:30pm.

We drove across London to Asia's place and picked her up. The road trip was on! We kept my iphone plugged in and played songs on shuffle, which worked out really well.

It took us about 3-4 hours to get to Nottingham. It was already dark. We parked and walked around near Nottingham castle. Asia and Mike then began the first of many snowball fights.

We had some drinks and snacks at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, "the oldest Inn in England." There was a game that involved tossing a ring onto a small horn. Mike got it quickly, getting a sticker as a prize, then I was all like, "aww, I want a sticker." So I did. Booyah.

We then walked to the city center, bought some drinks at Tesco and headed onward to our hotel in Rotherham. We got there around 7:30pm, and learned that the fitness center/pool/sauna had last entry at 9. So we quickly went to the nearby pub for food, but they were sold out for the day! (Wtf?!) Whatever, we snacked a little bit (peanuts for me) and then went to the aquatic center. It was great - I swam a few laps (discovered that I am really out of shape), sat in the hot tub and the saunas. I felt so relaxed in the jacuzzi. Awww yeah. We stayed until they closed (10pm), then ordered lots of Chinese food and ate in the hotel room.

I didn't sleep well again. I just have too much on my mind. So when I wake up in the middle of the night, my mind starts racing and I keep worrying, and nearly an hour goes by before I get back to sleep. (And why the hell am I worrying so much? Just because of the uncertainty in my future, and my envy of everyone else who has a more stable future? Doesn't make sense. I'm trying to apply some meditation techniques to calm my mind but they didn't really work.)

Anyway, personal rants aside, I was awoken my mike leaving for his last day at the office, around 8:20. Felix got up by 10 and got ready to leave. We said bye/see you soon and I basically promised that I'd visit him in Stuttgart soon.

I wrote a greeting letter to Ragnhild and sent it off. Then, I continued to sort through the things in my room and packing them up, and throwing away unnecessary things. Packing is an emotional process.

In the afternoon, I went to Borough to return a couple library books and to register my Oyster card with my railcard discount.

Mike returned from work. We had dinner (faux chicken). In the evening, we went to Covent Garden to have one last drink with Fernanda. Svein was there. It was bittersweet. Tears were shed.

After going to bed at 5pm, I naturally slept in until around midday. I was half awake when I got a text message from Demi: "Please are you home. I am hoping you can show the flat. Around 12:30pm. Snow is made me stuck in Kent."

About 15-30 minutes later, the doorbell rang. Kayleen answered; there were two women to view the flat. I was not happy! Another guy arrived, John, and Mike started showing him around. Felix was getting up at this time. John seemed likely to take my room. The girl, Sarah or something like that, was interested in Mike's room. Whatever - it's not really our problem anyway.

Mel arrived, to move more of her stuff to her new apartment in Canada Water.

Mike, Felix and I then went out to Brick Lane, walking slower than normal thanks to the snow that was falling. I was "mesmerized." We immediately grabbed food and met Fernanda and Svein. After our meal, Felix, Fern and I bought chocolate cupcakes. Mike wanted to buy gloves, but there were no stalls on the street. We then went to the playground and played in the snow! It was fun; but then a group of kids, all boys aged 10-12 came and attacked us. We had a proper snowball fight with them! But when we were done and stopped, they kept pelting us. It was annoying at first, as if they wouldn't get the hint. Immaturity. Whatever. I was covered with snow, which is still really awesome.

We made another snowman, this one much more easily because there was fresh light snow everywhere.  Felix was tired, and we all needed to warm up and dry off so we went to Dirty Dicks and got some drinks (coffee, Bailey's, mulled cider). After that, we went home, taking the tube and saying bye to Fern and Svein.

At home, I cooked chili (to the best extent that I could given the limited ingredients we had). I also baked cornbread. It took like an hour. Mike left to meet his girls :)

Felix and I watched a little bit of TV and then decided to go out for some night sightseeing, since it was his last night in London. We took the bus to Parliament square and walked around there and Trafalgar Square. We ended up at the Sports Cafe, where there were lots of Americans watching the NFL playoffs. Felix and I watched the end of the 49ers-Falcons game (49ers won). I bought the second round of drinks, and they had an option for cashback, which I selected. But they guy said he couldn't give me any cashback and that I needed to talk to the manager! WTF. No way. I angrily demanded my money, and after about 20 minutes he sheepishly came up to me and gave me my money. Mike arrived with his friend Kim (the Dutchie) and they had a drink as we watched the Patriots-Ravens game. We left at halftime, walking Kim to her bus stop.

Back home, bed time. Felix slept in Mel's room.

I woke up around 9:30 and browsed on my laptop while Felix was still sleeping on the floor. Eventually, we both got up and had some coffee/tea. Fern was gong to Camden with her friend Svein and I said that we would meet up there.

Felix and I got ready and headed out. Mike was still asleep. As Felix and I left, Demi was just arriving. He had more viewings set up for today. Mike was not happy about it.

Arrived at Camden, we met Fern and Svein at the Camden Eye pub. Hungry, we got a kebab from the nearby kebab shop which was delicious! Mike was up and heard that we were going to Primrose hill, so I told him to meet us at the market and we would walk together. We stalked Kane at the pancake stall. Felix and I bought Brazilian churros. Time was running short, so we rushed ahead to Primrose Hill and told Mike to just meet us there. There was a lot of snow, and we started playing and built a snowman, whom we named Kane! Mike arrived, and we played in the snow some more.

We climbed to the top of the hill; there were lots of kids (and adults) riding plastic sleds down the hillside. And a guy selling the sleds - a great business idea!

Fern and i were the only ones who were enchanted by the snow. My shoes had too much grip for me to slide on the snow/ice. We walked to St. John's Wood, throwing snowballs across the street at each other the whole way. Fern was not a good shot. It was a long walk to the tube, and we were right by Abbey Road, so we decided to do the crossing, something of an afterthought.

Hopped on the tube. Kristi msged me that she wouldn't make dinner but wanted us to go out clubbing. Fern and Svein alighted at Waterloo to go on the London Eye; Mike, Felix and I went to Southwark. Hungry, we grabbed snacks from M&S and walked to the Tate, which we explored. Felix's friend was nowhere to be found.

We went home (buying beer for dinner) to rest for a bit before going out. Around 7:15 we were dressed and traveled to Bond Street to finally eat at the Golden Hind. We were seated promptly and had our dinner. A hind is a female deer. We then headed to Old Street to meet everyone (including Mike's girls).

The pub I had chosen (the Angel) was closed; instead, we went to a tapas bar across the street. Felix and Mike had coffees; i drank whiskey colas. Everyone else was slow to arrive. We were making up text messages one word at a time, like an improv game. It was last call when Kristi, Kristine, and Ken arrived. Mike's girls soon arrived - Thora, Kim, and ?. Another group of girls arrived as we were leaving, including Wiebke.

It was around midnight when we got to the club. Mike's girls did not want to pay the entrance, so they left to find a pub. It was XOYO, which was actually the exact place I was for Silicon Drinkabout. We coat checked and then hit the dance floor; downstairs was much more happening than upstairs. It was pretty good. We were having a good time. Dancing as friends. No one hooked up or anything. The music was loud electronic, but it was good. I got on stage to dance.

The club shut down around 3 and we were then on a mission to find another place. We took a bus to Holborn, and Kristi got food at McDonalds. Kristine took that bus home. Ken and Kristi led us to a place allegedly called The Den, hidden in a dodgy alleyway off High Holborn. It was £15 to enter, no deal. We parted ways; Kristi took a taxi. Ken joined us on the first bus to E&C; from there, 2 more buses took us home. It was 5 am. Goodnight!

I woke up somewhat early, around 8:00, and couldn't go back to bed. I made myself some coffee and said good-bye to Mike as he went to work (for the last day). I went to my room and began to write more cover letters. Job-searching is exhausting and emotionally draining too.

Around this time, snow started falling! And it started accumulating. Everything outside was getting covered in snow and becoming white. It was simply magical.

I made plans to meet Kristi in the afternoon. I wanted to give her a card and play in the snow :) But first, I mailed a card to Ziva, and then I went to Tesco to return the cable (I found the other ones that I had already). I then had a few hours, so I went to Green Park to take picture of London in the snow. But guess what - I forgot that I was charging the battery for my camera, so I couldn't take any pictures! I immediately returned home to get my battery. There was no way I could miss taking pictures in the snow.

I then went to Oxford Circus, walking down Oxford Street and taking pictures of the snow falling. I made it to Marble Arch, then tubed it to Queensway to meet Kristi. She was a bit late, because of tube delays (thanks to the snow). We then frolicked and played in the snow! We made snow angels, threw snowballs around, etc. We also caught up, which was good. And then we went inside Kensington Palace (my first time) and warmed up with some hot chocolate and a cappuccino.

It got dark, and we walked to High Street Kensington, where we parted ways.

Back home, Demi was showing the flat to potential renters. I was somewhat surprised by this. It's a weird feeling; it's already time to leave London and I'm so unprepared.

It was a clear and sunny day. I sent out a few job applications (just to not feel guilty) in the morning, then met up with Fernanda at 11:30 (I was slightly late, of course). We met at Canada Water, got some food at the mall, and walked to Stave Hill.

It was really nice. We took pictures along the way - we were really impressed with the weather; the frost; the water was frozen over with a sheet of ice. After the hill, I walked her to the Mayflower, and then over to the Angel. We talked and bonded. She was meeting a guy who was moving to Brazil at 3:30 (but it was actually scheduled for 2:30; oops).

I returned home, with a solid list of about 12 things to do. Things like calling the Oyster Card office, messaging friends, and  I simply did them, one after the other, without hesitation. It felt good to be so productive. Also, to check how much space I had to travel with, I packed all my clothes into my luggage. Remarkably, they all fit (pretty much). So I likely won't need to ship boxes of stuff home.

Mike returned; we made dinner (sauteed chicken in pasta) and watched some of the snooker championships; Mike taught me how snooker works. Then, we walked to Tesco, to buy an ipod cable and a thank-you card for Mike's coworkers (since it was officially his last day the next day).

The month is already half over. Fuck!

I woke up early, because I had a job! I was to help out Mike with his market research project. It basically involved going to supermarkets in the city and observing buying behavior. It was not bad at all, and it didn't take much time. And Mike paid me £40. :)

A helicopter had crashed in Vauxhall. It was all over the news. 2 people died. The streets were all closed west of Oval. My uncle called me from LA (calling at 5am California time) because he couldn't sleep and saw the helicopter crash on the news. Also in the news, they have discovered horse meat in Tesco burgers.

Back home, I continued to search for and apply for jobs, but I have become increasingly disenchanted. The chances of me landing a job in London at this point are very close to zero. It looks like I'll be going to Europe and back the US. :( But that's mostly my fault - I want a job that I like and that keeps me energized. I want that as much as I want to live in Europe. But I want it both. I am not willing to compromise, and that is what has created my situation.

It is cold. Electricians came by to check for the smoke alarm installation.

I went to Tesco, bought some stuff, including veg stuff for Felix this weekend. Mike came home, having nailed it at his meeting with senior management (which he initiated himself - seriously, impressive!), and we made chicken coconut curry with rice.

We went out for drinks in Leciester Square, meeting up with Marie, the Canadian girl who couchsurfed with Mike while I was in LA. She's nice, kind of quiet, and living in London working at a restaurant. O'Neill's was full, so we went to De Hems, the famous Dutch pub in London. Mike loved it! We drank Lindeboom and ate Kasesouffle. Yum! We also talked about what alternative names we would have. Mike wants to call me Ricardo; I tried to get Sean to stick to him, but he wants Frederick. Took the 159 bus home, a loud drunk woman got on, who we though was the same as the girl from several weeks before. But it wasn't. She was hilarious though!

I uploaded pictures from our Barcelona trip to Facebook. I spent much of the day removing extraneous photos of me from fb as well. I continued to send out job applications.

Around noon, I went to Baker Street to check on my lost Oyster card. No luck. They told me that they would have notified my bank already. So I was then told to call the Oyster hotline and just transfer my balance to my new Oyster. Oh well. At least I won't have a monetary loss, just the sentimental value gone.

Then, I deposited some cash into my bank account (paid-in). I then walked over to Marylebone, down Marylebone High Street (which is really nice) and took the tube home from Bond Street.

In the evening, Mike returned home from work. Fern had invited us out to burgers in Brixton, so we went out to join her. Mike was really really excited and giddy; he had a great day at work. His boss said that he was a great worker and that they needed more people like him. Good for him! (Seriously, how does Mike do everything so well?!) He also told me that he would pay me to help him out with some work tomorrow - hell yes!

Dinner was great, even though we sat outside because inside was full. Mike's energy cheered up Fernanda. We were carrying her down the street toward the tube station.

I was going to return Sandeep's beanie, but he didn't respond.

Back home, I strummed the guitar then went down and hung out with Mike until after midnight. It was chill but great. I'm going to miss these nights.

The work week began. There was snow!!! (But just a light dusting.) In the morning, Pawn and I went outside to play in it; the only place that had enough accumulation to actually look interesting was at the playground across the street (Slade Gardens). There we tossed a couple snowballs back and forth, drew in the snow, and Pawn made a tiny snowman.

I made eggs for breakfast. Pawn said goodbye around 11am (her flight was at 3pm). I then continued applying for jobs in the afternoon. Snow began falling from the sky, but it was melting when it hit the ground. I got a few applications out, including one for Heineken's graduate programme.

In the evening, we had plans to go to Bernadet's for a gourmette (communal cooking/grilling dinner). I took 3 buses, stopping in Brixton to buy some beers along the way. Asia was late. We met Bern's flatmate, Ashley from South Africa who now works as a business analyst for a hospital in London. We chatted and enjoyed dinner (including pulling Christmas crackers) until around 11pm. We agreed that I would do the planning for our upcoming road trip, then cleaned up. Mike rode his bike back home, while Asia and I took a bus to Vauxhall, where we parted ways.

It was cold. Even with my hat on.

My job search continues. I'm desperately applying for jobs, but nothing has come up so far, so I'm beginning to lose faith.

It was Mari's last day in London, so Mike and I met her and Fern at Surrey Quays (the Wetherspoons) for Sunday Roast. (This was after Fern whined about not going to the Islington.) Good times.

After our meal and drinks, Mike and I walked over to the Odeon and watched Les Miserables. The volume was really loud! But the movie was good (Mike was much more impressed with it than I was; I took some time to get used to the fact that it was a musical and they would sing throughout.)

Returned home with Mike. It was cold. Mike had work to do (for his big project) but ended up procrastinating with it. Some of my friends in LA were hung over from the last night (Les' bday?!), and I was giving them (specifically Jenn!) advice. :D

Pawn returned in the evening, just for one night before her flight the next day. I cooked eggs for dinner. I pumped up the air mattress. We went to bed pretty early (around 11pm).

It was a slow and lazy day. Mike and I ended up staying home all day. We made Dutch pancakes for lunch. It was great.

Made dinner. Hung out in Mike's room. We watched bloopers from The Big Bang Theory and 2 and a Half Men and then like 5 episodes of New Girl.

We were just too lazy to go out.

I spent the day at home, re-writing my CV and applying to jobs. With only about 2.5 weeks left, I have to go down swinging and trying for every job opening that I can.

I went to the library in the afternoon to return the Barcelona guide book. I borrowed two other books; hopefully they'll help with my job search.

Returned home. Had dinner with Mike (sauteed chicken with tagliatele pasta). We watched some TV - Mr. Bean was on. Mike had a massage scheduled, so he left for that. I was excited about having a big night out, because when else would we be able to do it?

After Mike's massage (which was delayed but still apparently worth it), we got ready and headed out. It was late - around midnight - when we finally headed out. We walked to Clapham, and we went to Revolution. It cost £5 to enter, and £2 for the coat check. It took a little bit of time, but before long we had made some friends. Oonagh (we would later learn her name), and Susie, and their friends Tom, a girl from Newcastle (she was big and would fit in on the Geordie Shore), Susie's old friend Kristen who was really sleepy, and a couple that rode in the taxi with Mike.

We went to SoHo, an adventure of a taxi ride. The foreigners (Mike and I) had to guide the locals to our destination. We ended up at O Bar around 2:30am. They closed at 2:45am, which meant just one beer down quickly.

After that, some confusion as to where to go next. We somehow walked all the way to Trafalgar Square, where we caught a bus to Borough and their dorm. They don't allow visitors in at this time, so I tried to make a spectacle to sneak Mike and Oonagh in. Didn't work. We parted ways and took the night bus home. Why didn't I kiss Susie?

Woke up with mom and uncle at the hotel in Earl's Court. We had some time (their flight was at 3pm). So we took our time getting ready. We had breakfast downstairs in the hotel's nice dining area. They brought out bread and slices of meat for us, along with coffee.

Checked out at 11am, and we took the tube together to Heathrow. I was on WhatsApp along the way.
At Heathrow, I found out that the luggage weight allowances were different than expected (and they were limiting the weight of the carry-on hand luggage too (!?). So we had to re-pack each of the bags, which was annoying at the least.

We then searched fo the VAT refund office, which was outside. The wait was insane, so after 10 minutes in the queue, we gave up and I told them to just do it after security. We had food at Leon.

I said goodbye.

Returned home. Mike had called me and said that I might be able to help him with his work, but that didn't materialize. (He had gotten a promotion, and he was heading up a big new project, and he was getting paid much more now. Incredible!)

I made dinner. I baked the vegetarian pies that were left in the freezer. Together with some peas.

After dinner I met Fernanda for drinks. She was at the Cittie of Yorke pub, near Holborn, for her friend Mia's goodbye drinks. I arrived there around 10pm, just as everyone (Emi, Melanie, Margarita, etc.) were leaving! Fern and I finished everyone's beers. We then went to McDonald's. Then, we went to the Wetherspoons (Shakespeare's Head) to meet Mari, who had just had a date with an Australian named Kane (whom they had met selling Dutch pancakes in Camden). We had a cider, and then they kicked us out. Home around 12:30.

Flight from Barcelona to London in the morning. We were up at 7am. It was still completely dark outside. The cafés were still closed.

We took the metro, having to buy single tickets since our travel passes had expired. We walked out at Passeig de Gracia and then got on the train to the airport (having to wait 15 minutes). At the airport, I discovered that our terminal was on the other side of the airport from the train station. So, we had to walk, outside, in the chilly morning air, for like 15 minutes! And check-in took some time too. Frustrating. Luckily, security was relaxed and quick.

We got to the gate, having our passports exit stamped, just as the plane was already boarding. We bought some food from the café (we hadn't eaten anything!) to eat on the plane. We boarded a bus that took us 30 seconds to the plane. We sat in the very last row of the plane.

Since we had such a late start yesterday, I wanted us to start earlier today. It sort of worked.

Our first stop: Park Güell, a fantastic display of Gaudi landscape architecture and design. We were a little early (it didn't open until 10), so we had breakfast at a cafe/bar near Joanic metro station. The deportes newspaper was dedicated entirely to Lionel Messi having just won the Bal d'Or for the 4th year in a row. We then took a bus (another small bus) up to the park. There was already a large group of Chinese tourists by the entrance. But we got to go in and see much of the park before it got too crowded.

We took plenty of pictures. My mom stayed in the open-air balcony/plaza area while my uncle and I explored uphill. There were lots of makeshift souvenir sellers pushing their goods in blankets on the pathway. I may have damaged my eyes by staring into the sun as I took pictures :X

After the park, we took the bus to Lessps station, and then we returned to the city center, where we explored the central market. The Mercat de la Boqeria was really nice; I was looking for a maracunya popsicle, which had been recommended by one of my friends, but no luck. Instead, we opted for fruit smoothies: I got the banana coconut, which was creamy and delicious. Next, we went to search for the Filipino restaurant. Although we had the directions written down, I had left it in the hotel room, so we relied upon my memory to figure out its location. I got us close, and my uncle found a group of Filipinos who pointed us to the right direction. And there we were: Manila something restaurant. We were the only ones eating there, and the emplyee was not very friendly. I had a chicken curry, which isn't too Filipino but was still decent to eat.

We then returned to the hotel. It was our last full day in Barcelona, and I wanted to spend time at the pool and the beach. So back at the hotel room, we called housekeeping to freshen up the room (ugh!) and hung out by the pool on the roof. It was chilly but sunny. No one else was up there. Then, my uncle and I set off on our own to see the beach and actually touch the Mediterranean :)

Dinner was in El Raval, which we hadn't explored yet. We went to a bar/tavern that didn't seem very touristy. Nice, hearty food for dinner with sangria de cava and cake for dessert. Yum.

And back to the hotel. Our flight to London was in the morning.

We woke up too late, again. It was already 10am. I wish that we had had an earlier start to see more of the city. Oh well.

We started with a walk to the water. The sun was too bright, and the beach too far away, so I insisted  that I shop for some sunglasses (gafas del sol?) in the nearby shopping centre (Diagonal Mar). For 11am on a Monday, it was really crowded. Was today a holiday? (Later, I learned that there were lots of big sales going on everywhere for this week only.)

We spent about 20 minutes wandering through the mall without finding anything reasonably affordable (I would only need the sunnys for like 2 days so there was no point in spending more than €5 on them). We then caught the tram into the city (while waiting 12 minutes, I ran back inside the mall and bought 3 empanadas).

Our sightseeing day thus commenced. We got off at Plaça de Catalunya, where we took some pictures and peered into the ice skating rink that was going on. We then walked down La Rambla (I began shopping for a Catalonian flag) and around Barri Gotic. We saw the ancient Roman burial ground (Plaça de la Villa de Madrid) and walked down the narrow medeiveal streets to the Cathedral (La Catedral). It was already 1pm, so they were charging €6 to enter. I balked and continued our walking tour. We ended up at the Plaça de Sant Jaume, home to Barcelona's Ajuntament and the Palau de la Generalitat. I looked up places to eat for lunch, which took some time to decide. We just walked down until my mom spotted a not-touristy and nearly empty bar/cafe that was selling tapas. So we sat and had tapas. I ordered a jug of sangria to wash down our plate of meats and cheeses and bread.

The sun rises late in Barcelona in January, largely due to Spain's time zone offset (it is set one hour ahead of where it should be). Thus, when we awoke and the sun was just rising, it was a surprise to discover that it was already close to 10am. Oops.

I looked out the window and saw a glorious church/cathedral on top of a mountain in the distance (it was Temple de Sagre Cor, atop Tibidabo). I decided that we would go there today. The hotel didn't offer complementary breakfast, so instead we consumed the coffee in the hotel room. We set off on the tram (were we supposed to validate our tickets?) and took the metro L1. When we changed trains at Catalunya, we bought donuts from the Dunkin Donuts in the metro station. We took a train all the way to plaza de Tibidabo, and were going to get on the bus to take us to the funicular, when we learned that the funicular was closed. Disappointed, we decided to take a bus back into the city. (I turned on the data on my phone and learned that the funicular was closed for all of January.) I could feel myself becoming upset, so my mom and I agreed that we should just take a taxi up the mountain (because when I decide to do/get something, I do/get it!). It was like a 7km drive uphill, costing us only €12, but the views were spectacular the whole way.

We were dropped off atop the entire city of Barcelona! The view was amazing, and the sun was brilliant. In fact, my eyes were straining without the protection of sunglasses. There were a few other visitors around, but not nearly as many as I imagine would be there if the funicular and the amusement park were open. We explored the temple, walked onto its large balcony and took in the spectacular view. It was simply ah-mazing!

My mom and uncle called me at 5:30am, and again at 06:30, to tell me that they were on their way to the flat. It was around 07:30 when they arrived. We had to to a bit of re-packing (I did my best to keep the noise down, so as not to awaken Mike, Roy, and Nienke downstairs) and soon we were on our way to the airport.

End of the week. Last day in London before we were to fly to Barcelona.

I spent the morning re-writing my CV and sent out 2 job applications. Around lunchtime I arranged to meet my mom and uncle in Camden Town. (They were touring the Naval museum in Greenwich and would call me when they were on their way to Camden.) They were delayed a bit, and so we didn't meet until 1:30pm. We walked a bit through Camden Market, and up and down Chalk Farm Road before settling on Vietnamese food for lunch. (Fernanda and Mari were also at Camden market, but we didn't have time to meet. Merlin and Pawn were also there, but we had no way to contact them.) However, I had to leave - I wanted to borrow a Barcelona guide book from the library and be back home to let Merlin and Pawn into the house. And so I did. Pawn and Merlin were waiting for me right when I got back.

Mike returned from work shorty (he got off early, like 4pm). Soon, Merlin had his stuff packed and said good-bye; he had a flight to catch. About an hour later, Mike left to meet his brother and his friend who were just arriving at Victoria Coach Station!

I chose to take the responsibility for making dinner. I decided to make a batch of the pumpkin bread. Pawn and I went to Tesco Express and bought some cheap dinner ingredients for what would be 5 people. Mike soon returned with Roy and Nienke (they were waiting for us at the door - Mike had forgotten his keys). We made pasta with chicken, and sides of garlic bread. The house smelled amazing.

Soon we were off to Yager Bar to celebrate Amanda's going away. The event had started at 18:00 but we didn't arrive until 21:30. Amanda was already well out of it. But there were several people there that I hadn't seen in a while - Heidi, Amanda's friend Hasim, Craig, Asia (back from Poland!), Ludo, Marie, and Sandee! They guys were glad to see me, and they demanded that I stay in London. Trust me, I'm trying! We danced a little; Pawn simply wasn't into it at all. She's a dive bar kind of girl (and I totally understand - I simply don't go dancing in LA. Like, ever.). Anyway, Amanda was worrisomely drunk but we let her be (hopefully she remembers my goodbye) and returned home. I said goodnight and goodbye to Mike, Roy, and Nienke. I wish I could stay and hang out with them over the weekend, but unfortunately Spain was calling.

Got up and met mom and uncle at LSE. They were shopping for sweatshirts and t-shirts to bring back as souvenirs. We bought some, then we walked a little bit around campus; I showed them the library and the NAB. Then, we walked to Covent Garden. We explored and looked for a place serving lunch at 11:30am. Food for Thought was still closed, and the salad bar at Neal's Yard looked empty and depressing. We ended up going to a steakhouse (Steak & Co.) that served pretty good food at a reasonable price. I had the sirloin lunch platter, in which cuts of sirloin were served on a hot stone, so that I cooked the meat myself - cool!

Then, we parted ways - I returned home to get a head start on my job applications. (The pressure to find a job is pushing on me, and it doesn't help that I have so many other things going on.) My mom and uncle went to Notting Hill. I was supposed to meet Pawn by 6pm, but I had gone out to Tesco (to buy supplies for dinner). Pawn was outside waiting for me (but luckily she had connected to the flat's wifi).

I made Swag's recipe of curry for dinner. Merlin came home (Merlin couldn't remember the flat number, and he couldn't call/text, so after 20 minutes, he just snuck in with a guy and knocked on the window!). I was still cooking, and Mike also came home and helped set up dinner.

We had our meal and then all headed out to Winter Wonderland. There, we met Kristi and started walking around, buying £12 worth of tokens for rides. They all went on the spinning barrel ride, which I did not want to do, so I sat it out. Next was Show Time, a big rotating spider/claw on a stick that swung back and forth while you spun around. It was unexpectedly intense and left us slightly spinning (but it was fun nonetheless)! Craig then met us, and a minute later, Fern and Mari arrived. We (Kristi, Mike, Craig and I) went on another ride - the Christmas Coaster (aka the Euro Coaster). Kristi and Merlin went on the more intense ride across from it.

We then went to the attraction I was most looking forward to - the carousel bar! I had a mulled wine because they were out of dunkel beer. We had a few drinks, danced around the carousel, then sat down at a table. The place closed, and the lights turned off in the park - it was sad. I picked up a tiny finger mitten/christmas stocking. We then walked to The Back Room, just behind the Hard Rock Cafe, for one last drink. I spilled a beer all over my iPhone and Pawn's jeans. But it was ok, I think!

Woke up; Mike and Mel had gone to work. My mom and uncle came over (taking the Victoria line because they didn't realize that they could also have taken the Northern!), and we booked tickets to go to Spain! I couldn't actually believe that we were going.

Then, Merlin joined us as we went to the Museum of London. They went on ahead, and I met up with Fern and Mari who were also there. We walked around. Fern, Mari, and I took our time, while Merlin went straight through quickly. It was interesting, but all stuff I had seen before. I lost my mom. Merlin, Fern, and Mari went off to do more sightseeing - the British Museum, and the oldest pub in London (The Mitre).

My mom, my uncle, and I walked to St. Pauls and took the tube home. I had to be back at 4pm, for Pawn was just arriving from Heathrow. She arrived 10 minutes after we did! We rested (Pawn napped in my bed).

I rushed (walked/jogged!) to the post office to mail some cards before 5pm. The queue there was insane.

I put some pizzas in the oven, and Pawn joined my family for dinner. She took the salami off her slices. Mike had his tuna/chicken/mushroom pizza.

In the evening, we went to the Big Chill, near Kings Cross. Because there was little time left to see Amanda. There was Fern, Mari, Craig, and (slightly later) Amanda. It was good to see them all. We had a couple rounds of drinks then they closed down. Pawn and I got some late night food from a nearby chicken take-away and we all took the tube home.

After having my 8am drink to celebrate Californian new year, I returned to bed and slept until around 1pm.
It was a sunny day outside. A perfect opportunity to enjoy the outdoors of London. And although I wasn't retching from a painful hangover, I was still really tired. So I stayed inside all day.

In the evening, I went to Greenwich to meet my mom and uncle. They had spent the day exploring Greenwich park, the Royal Observatory, and parts of the Naval Museum. (But there was a fire alarm that forced them to evacuate.) We had dinner at the Wetherspoons by the station. I had a gourmet burger which was alright, but not as mind-blowing as some other burgers I have had (such as in Wales, or even in Long Beach).

I returned home. Mike and Merlin had stayed in the whole day, and they had ordered two large pizzas for themselves. Hung out, then slept again.

NEW YEARS EVE.
It's also Mel's birthday.
I met Mel and Fernanda and Mari for lunch at My Old Dutch. I was a little late coming there. They did not have the £5 special. We stayed for lunch for a while. Midnight had struck in Australia, Japan, and China. Then we walked to the British Museum area for Mari to exchange cash (but she didn't there). We split; Mel and I walked to Primark then SportsDirect to buy umbrellas.

Returned home around 16:15. Mike said that he, Merlin, and I should leave by 16:45. We had to buy drinks and snacks before getting dinner and then heading to Westminster Bridge to view the fireworks! So we stopped by the Kennington Tesco, then we took another bus to Lambeth North, where we walked to Duke Thai (at the exact time we had dinner there 1 year ago!). It was midnight in India - we all greeted Swag. There was a group of Germans there who thought I also spoke German (they must have vaguely heard Mike and Merlin talking). Hahah.

We got to the bridge around 6:45-7pm. It was already filling up - there were no more spaces available at the railing itself. We chose a spot behind some relatively short Chinese people :P We ate our food (which was difficult for me because my food came in two boxes, and I didn't want to let anything touch the wet and dirty ground). We continued snacking, drinking a little bit from the ginger beer/vodka mix (but not too much - we really wanted to avoid having to pee).

I met my mom and uncle at Green Park station at 11:15am. We went to the Changing of the Guard, because my uncle really wanted to go. It was crowded (we had arrived too late to get a good spot). We let my uncle stand closer. But we couldn't really see anything at all. It was disappointed.

Then, we returned to the tube station and traveled to Abbey Road. There were a lot of tourists there, and naturally we couldn't get many good photos. But fuck it, I just jumped in the middle of the road and started taking picturs as my uncle and mom walked back and forth. We also took pictures at the other zebra crossing down the street.

Then, we were tired but also hungry so we went to Baker Street (via bus) and had some pretty high quality Sunday roast at The Volunteer. The queue to the Sherlock Holmes Museum was really long. We then returned home and rested for a bit. For dinner, we went to London Bridge and had some Indian food at City Tandoori. The service was pushy.

My mom and uncle left back to their hotel in Greenwich; I went to meet Mike and Merlin at the Walkabout Temple. We watched some of the World Championships of Darts (which is apparently really big in the UK and the Netherlands). Then, we stayed to finish watching the NFL game that was on (Vikings vs Packers). There was a group of loud Americans there. Mike and I were laughing so much at them!

Retuning back home was also a bit of an adventure. We just missed the last 59 bus (because we both agreed that the last bus had already gone).