The Cosmopolitan Blog

Alright, alright, berate me for not writing, you have every right. I’ve been busy, and… well, i seem to have gotten a life recently, kinda gets in the way on sitting in front of my computer all day…

Well, i’m here now. Actually, i’m not. I’m in London, UK. Currently sitting in Heathrow Airport. Connecting to Spain… yes, people, this IS the life! i had 7 hours to spare at Heathrow, and since London happens to be where my parents live (coincidence? i think not!), i took the Heathrow Express and voila! i was in my mom’s kitchen having lunch.

So here’s the plan. I’m gonna be away for 10 days, some in Spain (Malaga) and some in London (again, yes). And so i figure, let’s go back to one of the main uses for blogging… travel… i’ll do my best to give you an update everyday. At the very least, i promise to twitter, and you’ll see the updates on the righthand side here.

So, 1st impressions of London? (well, for those who don’t know, i lived there for 22 years, but it’ s been 6 years since i left, hehehe, no, adding the 2 won’t reveal my age). Anyway, London has changed A LOT since i left. I left because i found people lazy and complacent, mainly in the business world. Since then, things have improved, let’s give credit where credit is due. I left, and it was just at the beginning of Blair’s 1st term, before 9/11, before Bush even (i.e. before the US had the UK in it’s pocket). So, somewhere between Blair and Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, the city’s been pushed into the 21st century). Streets look modern, technology is as advanced, be it media, communications… High streets seem to have gotten a facelift, even Heathrow Airport looks spiffy (to use a good ‘ol british expression).

Customer service has finally come into existence, people are more polite, and understand the concept of “the customer is always right”, however begrudgingly. On the other hand, as things improve, other things get worse. Traffic is HORENDOUS. I mean, i get that i’ve moved to small town Montreal and all, but seriously! This city is crazy! The traffic is insane, it’s so busy, congestion everywhere, cars and vans whizzing by, police/fire sirens constantly, pollution you can practically touch. And seriously, could the streets get any narrower? You have to be a seriously talented driver to figure the streets out, and as a now-North-American-pedestrian, i’ve lost all instincts of looking on the wrong side of the road, couldn’t they just learn to drive on the right side of the road like the rest of us?

Anyway, i’ll be back to London next Monday, i’m hoping to get some more shots (i was there last December and took pictures of my “hood”, this time, gonna find some more interesting architecture).

ok, 10 minutes left on my airport wifi plan, better go check email or sum’mink (that’s “something”, with a very bad northern british accent).

Tood-a-loo!! (another very weird british expression, sounds like i wanna go to the washroom or sum’mink.