I’ve put up a few photos taken during a parkour trip down to the South Bank. I didn’t have much time to take photos while we were walking, so some of the pictures may be slightly sub-par. There is a few interesting action shots, though.

These are the words of two Malaysian fellows, standing just outside the hall at 10:30 PM last night, shivering in the cold in their plain tshirts, but refusing to move. Point and shoot camera held high and proud, the guys were taking one photo after another of the lamp outside and the things it illuminated: there, flying through the air, was a little bit of snow mixed with the rain.

“We’re from the equator! It never snows in Malaysia!” They were smiling like kids at Christmas.

To be honest, I got a little bit excited as well. And throwing a few snowballs is always nice.

A proper English Sunday began with a proper English breakfast – eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, chips – which we got at a proper English breakfast joint after a proper walk past Stamford Bridge, where proper English football fans were getting ready for a proper English football game – Chelsea v. Liverpool.

But we had a game of our own – a proper football match in proper rainy football weather, on a proper English park pitch – this being a pitch where a few parts indicate that perfect grass had once grown there, but now, and more so with every passing minute, it was half grass, half mudpit. The centre circle was all mud. And upon this field we recorded two glorious victories.

After the match we went back to the res hall, and, quite properly, watched Arsenal play West Ham on the telly. Now there is only one thing left. But fear not, a team gathering is on for tonight. I have complete confidence that it will be as proper as the rest of the day.

***

On another note, I posted a few photos from around Battersea, taken on one day and one night. Drop a comment if you recognize the album in the appropriate picture; it might score you some class points in my book.

Greetings Earthling,

I have put up a few pictures – and I do mean FEW – from a pleasant three hour stroll I took around Kensington the other day. Perhaps you recognize some of the things in the pictures?

I didn’t have a tripod yet again, so some of the photos were taken hand-held while I was leaning against something, and for some I found a relatively convenient place to put the camera for the picture. I intend to join the PhotoSoc here; hopefully I will meet someone who could occasionally lend me a tripod there. Among other things, I’ve decided not to play football for Imperial – people take it very seriously here, and I’d much rather just kick the ball about half-lazily for a while. I still might have a look at the Floorball, Gaelic Football, and Parkour clubs in addition to the PhotoSoc.

Yup, here it is, I am in London, settled in nicely in South Kensington. It’s a nice area, and, in fact, some influential people live here, we’ve been told. To underscore this, we were told to consider the cars we see around here: I have yet to make my 15-minute walk to school and see fewer than 5 Porsches. Jags, Aston Martins, Maserattis, to some degree even Ferrarris are not an uncommon sight. So don’t piss off the neigbours, they told us (notice the proper English spelling!).

I like London so far, except the prices, which seem as ridiculous to someone from America as they say. Oh well. I like being able to get around without a car. The streets are never empty of people, which is nice. And the it seems there is no such thing as jaywalking here, which is also nicer than the sort of robotic obedience to lights in Cali. This might only be possible becuase there are fewer cars here – which is a result of some annoyingly-high “Congestion Fee”, it seems. I’m slowly starting to look the right way when crossing the street.

Ah, what else? There will be pictures eventually, but I haven’t had the time to take many or look at the ones that I have taken. Classes start tomorrow for me, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m picking up an English accent, with a few early successes and one person – foreigner, but still – fooled.

And that is all for now. Hope the post didn’t disappoint too much.

I have returned. No parades, no celebrations, no fireworks – never any fireworks, not in So Cal. But I’m back. This gets one wondering in reflection. What am I coming back from? And where am I going?

I am coming from China, Beijing, fantastic places I’d only seen in pictures, smiling strangers, watchful Big Brother, keeping the crayon between the lines, dozens of people each with a life and a story that’s worth listening to, endless nights, senseless regulations, crowded subways with TVs showing the Olympics, late-night cab rides, a tireless mass forever striding forward, millions who can never be lost but must struggle to be found, people who want to enjoy their lives just like everyone else in the world, late night pancake breakfasts, my pointing fingers as a means of communication, answering 98% of questions with “yeah” or “dway” though I haven’t a clue what I’m being asked, great food and cheap beer, pretty Chinese girls, other pretty girls, Olympic medals and medalists, having a blast haggling, a great many forms that must be signed and stamped and picture attached and seal added and signed by official, a city that never sleeps, guards and volunteers, stark contrasts, official deceptions, intertwining and blending cultures, and a very, very fun summer.

I have a few weeks of sun-soaked afternoons.

I go to new challenges in life and school, rainy weather, FOOTBALL!, possible acquaintances, possible acquaintances of acquaintances, small places with big stories, bad food, fish and chips, cars on strange sides of the road, big red buses, hot old subways, my financial destruction, awakenings, and my future man, my future.

But let’s not overdo this. Too much thinking is a terrible, wasteful thing, Humphrey van Weyden.