Did I mention I get a bit nervous underground?

Well, I do.

If yesterday taught me anything it is these things;

-I could never be a miner, or a cave explorer. ( I knew this trip would give me insight into what sort of careers I should eliminate from my list of careers to pursue. The money on the ticket is obviously paying for itself with such deep insights. Let's hope they come to me daily.)I hate the idea of underground tunnels, caves, darkness, lack of fresh air.

I worked out the tube system all by myself, without asking anyone where to stop, where to get off to transfer lines, eastbound vs westbound (Look, i know it doesn't make me Einstein, but it's a triumph for the first time traveller.) I went from Hammersmith to Oxford Circus, to Carnaby Street for lunch, to Marble Arch for a Chiropractic/Applied Kinesiology session with my friend Ben (random, I know, but he fixed my back for me, bless his sweet soul!), to Liverpool street station for a drink at The Light( a cool warehouse style bar in the middle of a serious Wall street type area). All without a hitch.

Having said this, I don't like the tube. I thought the trains would be like they were in Singapore - wide, clean, airconditioned. I was wrong. They are tiny, narrow, and stinky and hot. I hate the descent into what seems to be the steaming dungeon of torture. Lauren said that when her line has a bad day due to a '"fatality" or electrical fault or whatever, she can be stuck in a tunnel for hours on end. I think I would scream and die in that instance. She said she just tries not to think about it, by reading one of the free papers. I thought that was a good idea, and have adopted that strategy. However, kudos for the trains that run pretty much every 2 minutes. It makes me feel somewhat better that I won't be standing around with sketchy strangers around me for ages on end, with no idea of how to escape should I need to.
(PS> Meta, you would be proud, I haven't touched a handrail since I got here.)

-Always go to the toilet before you attempt to ride public transport. I fear wanting to wee when I am stuck on a train and having no idea when I will be let off.

- Always carry tissues wherever you go, for spills, toilets, wiping food off mouth and other stuff.

- I have a fear of taking photos, in fear of standing out like a tourist. Even though I am one. I am trying not to care about it so much, learning to be brave and pull the camera out whenever I feel the urge.Hence, to date, I don't have many good photos. Will work on that.

- London is actually comparably cheap for eating out, and asian food can be decent. I had lunch off Carnaby street at Cha Cha Moon yesterday with my friend Jordie and her friend Lilly. Yummy and only cost me about £12 for a drink, noodles and a plate of dumplings, and I was full to the brim for the rest of the evening. I was amused that my waitress was a Thai he-she. A very pleasant one at that. But amused all the same.

-You don't need to pay the lady in the toilet anything unless you use her perfume or deoderant, or take a lollipop. What a relief. I rarely carry change with me to the toilet, because I have never been accosted by a scary large woman trying to clean me. At first I thought she was trying to take on a mother role, by pumping the soap in my hands, and offering me a towel. I looked at her blankly and almost wanted to say "I'm a big girl now", then I realised what was going on. I scurried off without paying her, only to be told by others that she gets paid a wage and it's fine not to make eye contact and just to leave without paying.

- London is full of schizophrenic people talking to themselves.
Tuesday: One sat next to one, with blaring earphones. At first I thought he was screaming at someone on a blue tooth mobile thing, but then I saw his headphones and heard his music, and put two and two together. I didn't make any sudden movements, but slunk away like a phantom and blended into the crowd as quick as I could. I then walked past a sweet looking muslim woman in her fifties, carrying Tesco bags full of groceries, but muttering complaints about butter on the road. When we walked to Westfield yesterday, another guy was shouting at noone.
Aggressively.
Wednesday: 1, opposite me on the road.

- Londoners are not afraid to tell other people what they really think. On Tuesday, I was one of 30 people in the Mac Store, using their laptops to check facebook. I was told off, and asked to move to another section of the store where I could do that because "these computers are used to exhibit our new software." I looked around to see about 29 other kids using facebook and bebo, and wondered why I was isolated. Perhaps he thought I was old enough to know better. I apologised and slunk away again (getting good at this). Then I noticed the sales guy pick on another girl who was about 15, with about 3 of her friends.

She got in his face and said "What about all these other people,yeah? They are all doin' the same thing, why you just pickin on me? Get lost." and she turned around and kept playing on the laptop. Sassy.

A woman was walking behind a 20 something young man that was smoking, and she was getting frustrated at the foot traffic in her and shoved past him, and said "That bleedin stinks, get away from me." and he shoved her back and told her to get fucked. Scary.