It's good to be back + London

Finally got back from Italy yesterday morning.

Took 11 hour nap from 4pm-3am.

Woke up, ate instant noodles+ egg, read about the upcoming tri-elections back home.

No mood to string sentences together.

I'll upload some of the photos I took (not many, as the bulk of the trip's snapshots were taken by our 2 SLR-ers: Jun Sheng and Caleb).

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Pre-departure - London Daytrip (29/3/2009)

After the long bus ride (in which I spent 90% of the time in that bus in dreamland), I arrived at London's Victoria coach station. Guess who greeted me...

Good-ol' sunshine!

Relying on the google map I studied the night before, I explored my way to the Victoria tube station, basking in the tinge of sunshine warmth and letting the morning breeze wrap around me and my bulging backpack. Good combination, those two. After topping up my Oyster card (a benefit gained through the courtesy of my cousin Ghost a.k.a. Cass, who's currently back in the US with the common enemy- procrastination), I took the bus to UCL very much UNDERDRESSED for the UKEC's Malaysian Careers Fair. Blergh. Wasn't up for any careers related business that morning at all. Hence, I only sat through a boring talk (about the perks of joining the civil service), visited a few engineering-related companies, i.e. Sime Darby, Shell, Petronas, and met up with wei hao and Ika (who was manning her booth at the Securities Commission Malaysia - Seccom) and later, jun sheng.  Being underdressed wasn't the main stab though, it was the fact that I didn't even print out my CV. Meh..  So anyways, I left the careers fair accompanied by Jun sheng and some of his friends. Bought my water-proof raincoat at Lillywhites, Piccadilly Circus due to all the online predictions indicating rain throughout our planned trip to Italy.

Jun sheng doing what he does best- fiddle around with Naomi.

Piccadilly Circus

The streets in London aren't THAT different compared to any other city in the UK, just more hectic with those famous crimson double-deckers. One thing I love about London (after only two stays here) would be their parks. 

Below are some photos I took back in early December(8th I think) during a stroll at the Kensington Gardens. It is pretty close to the Malaysian High-com and also the Tube station from what I remember.

The park itself held a peaceful silence when I went there alone while waiting for time to pass. This was after Cass and her family had left London for home. The serene beauty pulled me further into the heart of Kensington Gardens- one of the few green lungs in London's busy city center. One does not have to venture too far before coming upon the man-made lake in the middle of the park. I took my time, ambling along the cement pavement by the shore of the water mass while watching people and birds of London go through their daily lives. Jogging, taking the kids out, reading a book on the park bench and..

...grabbing attention (of our feathered friends)

Pre-bird feeding

Post (Birds: We want MORE!)

This one's a children playground that was opened as the Princess Diana Memorial Playground.

According to them, quote, "...This children's wonderland opened on the 30th June 2000, in memory of the late Princess. Located next to her Kensington Palace home, the playground is a fitting tribute for a Princess who loved the innocence of childhood..... The design has created an area where less able and able-bodied children can play together and seeks to provide for the physical, creative, social and educational development of children" unquote. A memorial befitting for a princes known for her kindness. May she rest in peace.

Asked a couple of backpackers to help me take a photo :P Tak malu.

Of course, this was 4 months ago, the leaves on the trees are probably back in full lush of green now.

More posts on the Italy trip soon.