London

i've lived in London for just under two years, and i constantly change my mind about loving it and hating it. i'm not going to live here forever - it's too expensive, stressful and full of tossers, the weather is shit and my family and friends are on the other side of the world. but it is an enormously entertaining place to live, i love my job, i like being able to travel to Europe easily and cheaply, i like it when people from home visit and I can show them around. I like hearing English cricket fans earnestly trying to convince me that England will win the Ashes, then in the next breath admitting they don't believe it for a second. I like the music and the feeling that you're in the middle of things. I like being able to buy cheap lager from the offie across the street, or go to a proper pub and drink seven kinds of real ale. I hate the fact that you can't tell if a restaurant is going to be good or fucking awful before you go in, and they are awful far too often. The standard of oriental and chinese food is generally rubbish. As is the coffee. For food and coffee you have to know the right places to go. Learning the right places is pretty fun. The city seems to have emotions. I love the sense of freedom you have when you cycle here, and the sense that people who only catch public transport will never understand it. i hate how much people drink. i love getting drunk with my mates. this is london, my friend. it's a headfuck of a place.