thoughts on rain.

hmm..today's a pretty rainy day..go figure..i live in london, right?!?

..and it got me thinking..i asked my friend riaz if he was going out anywhere last wkknd...and do you know his response, "no, it's raining..don't think i'll be heading out."

WTF?? are you kidding me?!? it's LONDON. that's what happens. it rains...and i don't mean, soFla thunderstorms that last hours on end..i mean annoying just-rain-damnit-if-you're going-to-rain type of rain. some would call that mist.

..and besides dealing with rain in london, one is also subject to the tube...
..and it got me thinking..there's this little button that lights up when the tube doors are about to open. this little button is usually controlled by the tube conductor. everyday, at LEAST one idiot pushes the poor little button with aaalll their might as if they have 'the magic touch' that will open the tube doors upon arrival. sorry, IDIOT you are not the chosen one.

anyway, once off the tube, you must push past this same IDIOT who happens to be pulling 2 heavy ass suitcases, who has no idea where he/she is going, and stops on the middle of the platform blocking you and the "hardworking" citizens or other students from getting to work or uni.
..and yes, i'm still thinking...ppl, myself included, morph into this wretched soul pushing past ppl, and nearly tripping over strollers, and the geriatrics to get to these "stairways to heaven' to only be greeted by...gray skies (or sometimes blue ones)
but, by this time you have morphed back into your proper self and actually are friendly with that IDIOT..

a game of clue: slightly resolved

aaah. 2 am friday morning i hear someone vomiting..i'm thinkin - oh well, ill just check on my flatmates when i really wake up.
ha! i exit my room to find vomit not only in the hallway, but splattered on another flatmate's door, in front of her room, and in the kitchen.
yum! so, some, NOTICE, some flatmates and i convene in the hallway wondering where this sh*t came from b/c none of the 4 of us did it...

that only leaves one culprit- caitlin
*****************************************
so, this wknd was really a game of clue - whodunit? who threw the f*ck up all over our apt and left in the middle of the nite? who dared to apologize by fcbk 3 whole days later b/c they were told to?
---and in order to facilitate this drunken vomiting, erica,debbie, and whoever the hell else were dwnstrs took another flatmates shot glasses AND MY GLASSES without asking. who does that? how do you jus come into someone else's place you don't know..and take their shit?? and don't return it?
***************************************
sigh.. had to vent..back to the story:

we all turn to look at caitlin as she emerges from her room with her friend.. we ask her where the vomit came from ALL OVER OUR F*ckin apt?!?

nope. wasn't caitlin, but her friend debbie (debbie is really better friends with erica who lives dwnstrs)
oh wait, convo interrupted by a FIRE ALARM?

so we leave our hot, now-smelly apt to go out in the freezing cold to walk 2 blocks for no DAMN reason.
guess who we see during the fire drill? erica...we tell her what her friend debbie did, and she was jus too nonchalant about it...hmmm!?? sumpthin is funny...

so upon returning to our humble flat, caitlin dares ask the cleaning lady to clean the vomit?! heeeell no?!?
so caitlin and her friend ended up "cleaning" up the vomit.
-the smell lasted aaaall wknd!!

and we hear nothing of debbie..so, this b*tch vomited all over our apt from being drunk, and just up-n-left...
..this case remains slightly resolved b/c debbie has no apologized in person. FCBK my ass?!?

"the london- duna weekly"

ok..ok..cheesy..but sooo what?!?

just randomness as usual, kinda like when ddNTP's bind to ssDNA during gene sequencing, or, when....
i just really wanted to let you know i really do attend uni.
*******************************

what the heeell is going on with mr.wannabe from kingston?! a box of crayola?! are you serious?
p.s - i'm just helping bossip.com out by spreading the word.
guess he really is "taking it to another level."

ooh oh..and yyyy was this staaaaank, extremely smelly homeless guy in my tube?? and more importantly, yy was he smoking?? it clearly states.....

te con leche

hmm..this morning i wake up to a lil 'spanish fiesta/tea party' going on in MY kitchen. wtf?!?
ok,
i hear: "insert loud spanish here".
so, since I live there, i'm gonna go into MY kitchen..
.no offence, but it was the CLEANING CREW all up in our kitchen?!?

so, i pretend like I need some damn tea, and since i'm half asleep, it took me awhile to realize i was trying to put the wrong tea pot on the wrong base..
granted, if i didn't have the WHOLE CLEANING crew in my kitchen to mumble to themselves in spanish ,"ooh, she's still sleeping, maybe she needs to switch the bases.."
noo, maybe YOU cleaning crew needs to switch sh*t since it was fine last nite, like everything else..the cleaning crew is aaalways rearranging our things...
aaand why are you using OUR utensils and plates?? uuum...hiya? can i get a croissant
too?

thinking of changing my name to omarosa...

on my way to regent campus, i hear this, "well, no, i've seen some good looking black ppl, but, they're not..."

hmm..i was close enough to reach out n smack this ignorant, prejudice, racist..b*tch right across the face..or pull an 'omarosa'.

she sure did want to pull her foot out of her mouth when she saw i heard her.

instead i gave her this wicked glare, entered campus, and as i walked by her obviously ignorant, prejudice, and racist friends they laughed to themselves.

wow. once again, i didn't want to start a fight because once again, i don't want to be deported today.

guess you can't stop racism/prejudice one person at a time.
p.s - for the slow ppl, "pull an omarosa" -- to say "what did you say about black ppl?1?"

pro black.

this blog is brought to you by c-murda!
who?!?
thaaaaaat's meeee...

i thought today was going to be a good day...started off with a little
new black music lugged the laptop to the library and spent my day on my paper...apparently, after wasting my whole wknd and more hrs today, i have to rewrite my paper. it's all wrong. f*ck!

soooo....is blue hair in style? just a question b/c i saw this lady today with blue hair conveniently matching her blue sweater. i would've dismissed her, but...i'm at the tube station and i see 'thing 1' and 'thing 2'...grown ass dr.seuss characters. thing 1 had blue hair. hmmmm...

after wasting time at the library, i'm jetting home cuz for some reason, not only did i not receive the 'blue hair memo', but i didn't know it was going to be 8 degrees outside. i wasn't prepared...anywho this guy walks up to me, here's the convo:

man: you're beautiful.
me: thanks.
man: wot are you studyin?
me: biology
man: oh, im studyin chematography, yah, and i studied nutrition, and all that, you know? i try to study my blackness as well...
....WTF? first of all...i dont even think i was listenin beyond this point..i think he even asked me on a date. wow...did this black guy use the word 'date'?? more importantly, wtf is chematography? i dont even know what that is...i mean it sounded like 'chematography' but sh*t..maybe he meant 'chromatography'..
sigh.. then at some point he was saying how he's from st.lucia..with his ancestry being ghanan...
i just had to go. .
pz out.
dinner!

WORSHIP

I went out for lynn' s bday last nite @ WORSHIP bar...didn't expect to meet anyone intriguing nor almost get in a 'fight/argument'..but always expect the unexpected.

there's this guy, let's call him - joe*. joe is from bangladesh and a friend of lynn's . he's cute and funny, but may still have ties to his ex-gf. but yea, he passed round 1 of the personality screening. i guess i'm easy?? ha.

fast forward to the almost-an-argument:
i was wearing one of my '2hr shoes'. you know, my black pumps with a 2 hr limit. i spot this stool, get comfy, and at the point of comfort, this b*tch walks up to me like "that's my seat." i say, "oh, sorry, didn't know." i move to give the b*tch her seat, she sits on it for literally 2min, then gets up n walks well across to the other side of the club.

so i go and reposition myself on the stool, because now i have really passed my 2hr limit...i got up for 30 sec, and within that 30 sec the b*tch walks back over, drags the stool away from me, and puts her sh*t on the stool and gives me the ugliest look EVER?!? uuuh. how old are we?

then again i shouldn't be surprised. the b*tch's friend nearly started a fight in the loo. ignorance.

reflect.

*sigh*

damn.the week is over. AGAIN. I'd like to take this time to reflect on the foolishness that london sometimes offers and the bright sides of the week.



tues. - early am- yyyy can't i go to sleep? i mean, it's not like it ever takes me less than an hr to be in dreamland anyway, but this particular nite this chick is singing 'silent night' at the TOP of her lungs outside my window..preceding the crushing of glass bottles. really, how often per week can you recycle?

took my exam..i presume a low 'B' mark. grr.that tricky bastard! then on my way home from class, i'm followed throughout the tube station by this african guy swearing i'm familiar, and then changes his story to 'i'm lost in london..can you help me?' why me?

wed. --happy halloween! and happy bday iris!(12:01 am) - the 1st attempt to say 'happy bday iris!' my flatmates n i get together, with a cake n everything to surprise iris - and she was literally dead asleep. boo!
2nd attempt - 7am- iris is awake! yay! eat cake...back to sleep til 11am. off to class til 2pm.

...8pm until? - dinner @ sugar reef - yum! and "inexpensive", then off to whack club storm..(note to self: no more clubs in covent garden/leicester sq.). then my first ride in the infamous blackcab!

thurs. - skipped mol. therapeutics. (2nd note to self: no more late outings b4 thurs.)...guest lecturer in mol. diagnostics! yes! - 2-5:15pm.lawd but that sh*t was 4ever! and if betty asks one more stupid question in class, she WILL start paying my tuition!

--tata for now!--

my 1st perm-- in LONDON

*sigh* i knew it was going to be a looong day. i was getting my hair done on a saturday...in a black salon..so, technically i shouldn't be complaining EXCEPT...

i take my ass to south london to get my perm b/c, well, that's where most of the black, or , wha'ever salons are located..now, i went w/ a friend who recommended the salon.

step 1. the relaxer:

ooooo lawd!! the worst part. my head started 'tingling' so i tell dear OLIVIA that it's tingling and maybe she should rinse out the perm. do you know...this b*tch clearly ignored me, and proceeded to comb through the part that was now burning??! so....i moved my head so she couldn't continue...

do you know OLIVIA said, "wha' are you doin'? i'm tryna wurk?"

weeeell, h'excuse me, OLIVIA..but i just told you 2 min ago that my head was burning..i kept hinting to this b*tch, then the salon owner came over and that b*tch OLIViA finally led me to the sink (i was about to cry at this point!) to be rinse/shampoo by dis older lady.

step 2. rinse

what da hell? so, the lady rinsing me was humming some song while the water is splashin all in my ears and face n sh*t wtf? heeello!?? leavin my shirt-back wet

-ok, well at least the perm is out, right? ha.

step 3. style

oh my jeezus! if i only knew...

i asked for a roller-set. what was i thinkin? OLIVIA wasn't havin that apparently.

so she says, "wha'? rollers? wha' yuh wan' rollers fo'?" (my thoughts: b*tch cuz that's what i want!)

the whooole salon stopped..i mean, ppl peeked out from under the dryers, it was like a scene from a movie. i just wanted to leave at this point.

so, after my roller set, the salon owner styled me, and collected 50 raaass pounds for this sh*t.

so friggin unprofessional.

i'm sorry south london, but im takin my ass to the high street...

school daze

this morning:
doo ta doo, walkin' to the tube as usual, and what do i see? this man literally 'scoots' up to the garbage, er, rubbish bin, and starts fishin' around. he was on one of those motorized, seated scooters they give older ppl in the supermarket. wtf?
***************
ok, sooo...you're really just going to stand there reading 'the london paper' from left to right, slooowly, blockin' the damn tube doors so i can't get off the damn tube?!?

MOOVE..idiot, i need to get to class..cuz if you're late you don't get let in...damn! guest lecturer on immunology today..booo! i completely forgot, and i hate immunology so today's lecture was a bore.
...decided to skip LJ's class today cuz i REALLY couldn't deal with his stutters today...and this is where the fun begins:
i go to meet iris for lunch in chinatown..uuh our badd? AAAALL the restaurants in chinatown were closed b/c they were protesting about migrant workers in london! wtf? this strike sh*t needs to stop. 1st royal mail? now chinese? are you kidding? anyway, we find scrounge for food and then hit up priimark! or "pree- mawk" as they say. ..a fight nearly broke out in the store btw 2 salespersons.

this indian guy drops some clothes on the fitting room attendant's desk..she got mad, picked up the clothes and dropped that sh*t right back on the area indian man was arranging. tsk tsk - he called 'her' a b*tch and damn near started a fight. woops!
i spent 20 quid @ that damn store...then back to the tube to hear polka music and the 'man w/o a face' beg for change. knew i should've taken my ass to class.
p.s- i got my dissertation project title yesterday! and it's bioinformatics- based..well, sh*t i''m excited.

the potion bar

last nite was savernaz's bday..(who's that? - iris' classmate - who's iris? - my flatmate)

so...we go to this spot called 'potion bar' ---ooh sounds trendy, huh? sure was!

aaand they knew how to make cocktails!! sooo i was h'extra excited to be there.

i was eyeing this guy aalll nite - he was fine..tall, indian, bald head<--i think they're makin a comeback?> anyway, he was fyine...i just needed a game plan to talk to him.

plan A - i tried going upstairs to the private party, whizzing by the hella obvious sign that read "private party" ..that didnt work. i got stopped @ the top of the stairs, but i lied n said i needed to pee so... i get inside and there's all these good looking men, and only men, and all this indian food! soo i pee, and go back dwnstrs to the crew.

plan B - indian guy comes dwnstrs and i grab him, ask yyy he's holding all the men upstairs? and soo he invites me, and my girlfriends upstairs. plan b - successful.

we're popping bottles of champagne, free drinks on the house..and..oh, what are we celebrating??? mr.dao, my indian friend, just had a baby..and not his 1st, but 2nd baby! and yy arent there women here? b/c "they're at home taking care of the babies.."...what the hell? i'm telliing you, i felt like we were at a bachelor party!

and yyy did u not tell me, mr.dao, that YOU were married when i first spoke to you? you knew the deal...and get this, dwnstrs where i 1st spoke to him, he tells me "oh, we're celebrating b/c my friend jus had a baby," not that HE just had the baby..

and they didnt even name the baby yet, not for religious reasons, but just cuz they didnt think of a name, so for now, the baby's name is 'baby x'....

ok.back to the party, er celebration...

******************************

mr.dao and his male entourage invite me and my crew to the basement for hey, another party - there's lil caves and a dance floor and everything..more free drinks, like real drinks- cocktails, beer, shots...whatever u want..so we're all partyin it up w/about 20 guys, who by the way, most of which are married/dating...?!? ugh, whatever, by this point, their status doesn't matter.

jammin to that indian/hip hop...fun times!

then mr.dao hailed us some cabs home, but didnt pay for them..what a gentleman? i guess he was REALLY trying to tell me there he's married...then we go for kebabs @ 3am to just be harrassed by some guys that don't get the point that IM NOT INTERESTED!

..but mr.dao has my #..eh, i dont expect him to call, but fun times were had by all =)

p.s - dao owned the club, probably drives that red porsche that was sitting outside, and owns 9 properties on ocean drive..daaaamn!

chocolate.beer.wafels.

before i start, let me just say that the biosciencces director sat in on mr.lumberjack's lecture last thursday since sooo many ppl had been complaining about his "sheep-like" lecture style. i say sheep-like b/c he 'baaa's' or 'uuum's' between saying 'actual' words...but, i guess his sit-in meant nothing because he is STILL my professor! *sigh*

ok...now on to belgium 5-7 oct!!
brugge:
a little romantic city of cobblestone streets and cyclists everywhere..not many drive unless necessary... i stayed in a hostel while there, not too bad - but, the girls in my room were a bit...hmm..dull?!? they were younger than i, and got home early both nites(1am ish) and got drunk on beer? aaah, lightweights!

anyway, on the first day, as soon as i leave the hostel, walkin down the street...this african man pulls up alongside me in his car, shouts to me "WHAT'S UP MY SISTER?!" ..i'm like..what the ---?!
he continues on asking me if i want to hear some black music, i should go to his club - doowop he owns..uh, wow?! (meanwhile, cars are honking cuz he's holding up 'traffic' - only 3 cars on the road)
p.s- i knoow he's african b/c of the accent...and i am not 'ur sister'...
i guess it wouldnt have been that bad, but i was the only black female in my group..embarrassing?
that night my flatmate and i hit up this club -pretty cool-house,techno, dance..
the 2nd nite- we actually set out to find the doowop club.i know..but we happen upon this hip-hop club that played str8 dancehall?? and the DJ was congolese/belgian..wtf? but he had the patois down though..and, yea, they played current tunes...

brussels:
gr8 for shopping, more my speed than brugge, NATO headquarters, notre dame cathedral...
but the highlight of this trip has to be one of two moroccan waiters i had!
the man spoke 8 languages..and i'm not even joking..
so, delia and i sit down to order..he of course speaks english, then asks wbere we're from..after delia replies mexico..he busts out with spanish..ok, im not impressed yet... then he's trying to pull ppl into his restautant and spots this couple who speak deustche..he starts with the deutsche..ok, 3 languages...then korean..then italian..french..arabic...
then , this deaf couple walk by, and the man speaks sign language too?!?! heeell nah, but he was pullin ppl in though!
the waiter even hooked us up with a free tequila shot. =)
aah..belgium was lovely, but i am not eating fries w/mayo ever again! uuugh.

not everywhere you want to be.

visa logo my ass!
i was starving so decided to go into friendly subway 2 steps across campus.
i know i didn't have cash, but it's subway.. now, you know i stood in that loong-ass-lunch-hr subway line, took my time 'creating' my sub when the indian guy at the front tells me they are cash only. EXCUSE ME? this is subway, and i'm starving. he says, "natwest bank, a 2min walk, yah.." - in that lovely british accent. dont 'yah' me.
uugh.he was lucky i was starving..so i walk to natwest bank on the corner -- all ATMs outside are out of order. ok, i go inside..um, out of order too? whaat..it's ok, ill just stand in line- 4 ppl in front of me.. cant take long, right? HA..not in london.
(let me set the scene: this lil nice-british-woman-chime comes on saying "cashier 4 is ready, please proceed to cashier 4") REALLY? seeing as how that's the ONLY damn cashier open at lunch - wtf? there can't be any other cashier to proceed to.
so of course the lady in front of me is withdrawing 39472700 pounds and she only wants 5 and 10 pound notes. b*tch! my subway sandwich is chillin @ subway. grr..

yes! i get to the teller, she tells me i coulda done this outside, i said, well the tellers were out of order.
she says, "o, they are, hmm.didnt know," -in her lovely british accent sounding all concerned. lying ass. she knew they were outta order..and she made me stand in that damn line, just like everyone else behind me...a
oooh...and then she tells me she cant do MY TRANSACTION..oooh so after alla dis, i go across the street from natwest to hsbc, pull my funds, and head back to subway.
at least the "nice" man at subway gave me a 50 pence discount for my troubles.

uuuugh british ppl are a trip!
..but that sub was good though. =P

the elbow room & tigertiger

pic #1-it's me and everyone in iris' major!

pic #2 -pat, iris, me

(more pics via fcbk)

...so 'the elbow room' is where we went..a chill-out pool hall with a small dance floor..that of course we eventually overtook after a couple rounds of tequila shots n beer.

quotes of the nite:

"is that your GF?" - pat's stalker while giving dirty looks to iris ALL nite (iris BTW has a BF)

convo in trying to get my #:

"i need to find my coat!" - cute-but-drunk welsh guy

"y?" - me

"it has my phone..i NEED my coat. do u have ur phone?" -cute-but-drunk welsh guy

"no, do you have a pen?" - me

"no...but just kiss me!?"-cute-but-drunk welsh guy

"whaaat? i'm not kissing u! i dont know u!" - me

**mind u, this convo took about 15 min and the bouncer was gettin a good laugh outside the club before welsh guy's friends nearly left him.**

---------------

bkgrnd: mr.wales was supposedly going to come up to me when he saw me near pat* but chickened out... pat is someone that's makin' me say hmmm??? right now. he's a friend of iris' who is interested in me, but i hear he has enuff girl drama already. soooh, we'll see. i know u guys were waiting for some juice/gossip/sumpthin' sumpthin' but u're just gonna have to wait..just like me.

---------------

tigertiger.- 29 sept.

whaaaaaaaack! club. it's kinda like spirits..HUGE..mixed crowd...but plays house music mainly all nite, tooo many ppl, de whole of london, and can't make COCKTAILS worth shit..

(note to self: i have sincerely given london 3 different drinks to make on 3 separate occasions and they can't seem to get it right. tigertiger is noo exception. ) i simply asked for a grey goose and vodka. yyy camille yy?!? now, this whack bartendress added a 'clear liquid' to cranberry juice. i taste it. nothing, no buzz.nada. i asked if she can add more vodka, she looks at me like i'm crazy? tastes my drink, and tells me there's vodka in there. c'mon now?!

grr..im done. i can't take this whack non-mixology skills.

the lumberjack before the elbow room, & tigertiger.

now, really, the only way i can describe this professor is as a lumbjerjack. yes, lumberjack..he's tall, stocky, tight-pants wearing, and just odd. but, YOU WILL NOT give a 3 hr lecture on molecular diagnostics saying 'um, uh..um.' for the ENTIRE 3 hr period!! i was hella pissed, rightfully so, but i couldn't leave the damn lecture. anyways, during his "presentation" the lumberjack uses his kid as some genetics example.(hold up- your kid? u mean u have a child? u really mean that someone actually..?!? ok, that sounds harsh..but uuuuuuh.MAYBE she can explain yy u are up here lookin like an idiot?!) and besides your damn "um..uh", and being unable to answer simple genetics questions, YOU have the nerve to SQUINT @ the damn powerpoint slides? are u shittin' me? DEH GLASSEES,or SPECS as you say in the UK, are in your hands.PUT THEM ON! i don't get it..@ induction 2 wks ago when all the professors were 'selling', yes, 'selling' their modules to us students you FORGOT your specs and kept apologizing to the crowd for not being able to see..but you're CLEARLY holding ur specs while u lecture NOW and dont want to wear them?! heell nah..
p.s- i wrote a letter to the course director. dr.pam letting her know that you are a hot mess and need to be replaced. dr.pam needs to find someone else to fill in for her lectures since she is unavailable.
***********************
ok. continuing with friday - 28 sept...
soo..waaay back at induction 2wks ago, similar to enrollment in the US..i was pretty sure i didn't have lectures on fridays...but on thurs. nite i check blackboard and it states i have lecture..so, like an idiot, i wake up EARLY tek train n transfer n ting to arrive RIGHT ON TIME, to meet face-to-face w/ someone else's professor...damnit, coulda slept in late, but it ended up ok seeing as how i took the opportunity to chit-chat w/my course director..dr.pam =)

so, 15 min into our convo, i was like, oooh sh*t!, she's going to remember that i was the one who wrote her the email.YEP. now she can 'put a face with a name' damn.

oh well, dr.pam was cool..she's looking out for jobs for me, told me about this bar made of ice?! in oxford circus, and told me all the cheap indian/chinese/thai spots to hit up. we're mos def on good terms.

ON MY WAY HOME: "MADNESS! This is SPARTA!!" only in london...i am tryna make my way thru oxford circus when *BAM* these fools are dressed up in full SPARTA attire. wtf? yyyy are u blockin' the footpath? aka sidewalk? they are takin pics w/ppl and their kids-- this IS NOT disney world. and they were pointing their spears at ppl. wow?? but u know, i had my camera phone so..ill upload that pic soon. never leave home w/o your camera in london.

home.rest up n pre-drink b4 going to 'the elbow room'

PRIMARK it out.

ok...so, in the midst of running errands, yet again (don't ask), i meet up with my flatmates @ PRIMARK. first of all, i am going into PRIMARK in oxford circus b/c that's where one of the school campuses is located and therefore it was convenient. i know oxford circus is a tourist-y area, but still.....

now, i'll jus meet my flatmates there, no biggie. WRONG! let me tell you, how de whooole of london was in this PRIMARK dept. store which had all of 2 floors?!? i know the shirts for £1.50 or jackets for £15 are enticing..but de whole of london in this one store?! let's see what i can compare this to in the US-- hmmm...target? wal-mart even? but oon steroids! mind you, ppl of all ages were in there shopping - and this is at 14:00..so it's not lunch time nor is it after work! kids are in there, teenagers, wtf?! GO TO WORK or SCHOOL or sumpthin..i'm telling you, the only ppl that work in this country are retail salespersons and restaurateurs. yy? b/c everyone is either shopping/eating/ppl watching while they're eating/maybe-if-they-feel-like-it-working.

something is amiss with the work ethic here.

speaking of which..
everyday i take the tube there's always some hopeful w/ a guitar or piano waiting to be discovered..yuh know?! someone desperately showcasing their true TALENT while receiving a pittance, as opposed to this handicapped (leg-less) man "blowing" into a whistle blocking my way in the middle of oxford st. begging for my spare change on my way home..now, i know this man was cripple, but he had NO REAL TALENT..he's jus 'blowing hot air' (literally and figuratively) into this whistle expecting me to pay him..when he's not really working for his pay. hell no!

the shoppers @ PRIMARK (besides us students and real laborers) and this "whistle-blowing" cripple need to get their sh*t together!

babblings

1. there are some REALLY angry muslims walkikng around london. don't get mad at me b/c it's ramadan and you can't eat till sundown. i am not converting.

2. are mint leaves meant for eating? i can swear they're just for garnishing purposes - yuh know...kinda like uh. parsley? you don't eat parsley.it just looks nice on the plate. guess this brit chik didn't get the memo cuz she was chomping on the mint leaves after she downed her drink.hmmmm...?!?

3. not that i don't appreciate the cleaning crew, but how do you just 'roll up' in my apt whenever you feel like it? the schedule says you come on wed., y are you here tues, thurs, anyday u want? and then, since you only speak spanish you look @ me dumbofunded, b/c you didn't get the memo that i speak spanish, yet..

4. yyyy is everything open for only 3 hrs a day, closed an hr for lunch, and then establishments have the nerve to close early?!? wtf?

duuude: my unproductively productive day.

ok..last nite i'm on google talk trying activate this web cam, and da sh*t just doesn't want to work continually....at least i 'saw' nadia and petagae for a quick minute =) and after wasting an hr n half trying to download extra webcam software i just went to bed...
NOW, i am claiming the above instance is the reason yyyy i did not wake up until 12:30 in the afternoon today..and then for some reason i ended up leaving the house at 15:15 and all i did was eat, and shower?! oh well.

now, my to-do list was as follows: westminster, fed ex, argos, sainsbury's, home. yyy did it take me 4 hrs to do all of this?

doo-ta-doo making my way on the tube to baker st where the westminster -marylebone campus is. there's a 'fresher's fair' there and i need some student info. um...get off the tube and it's RAINING! good thing i'm wearing my scully...anywho walk to the school, and of course they're taking down tables b/c the fair is over..i'm like wtf?

(now, i know you're thinking i shouldn't be surprised it's raining in london, but it has not rained and has seriously been hoot every afternoon for the past wk)

ok, fine, no fresher's fair.it's all gravy, right?!? i make my way back on the hot ass tube since now i have on sweater + jacket...get off at tottenham ct rd, take the bus, and get to fedex.yes! i'm here, right? wrong..the server's are down at fedex.?!? wtf? again. the attendant is like, 'yah, we're not doing ne work, the servers are down.'...oh gr8. now, mind you, the attendant tells me another fed ex near oxford circus i can go to. yes! finally get there and actually mail my financial aid check to US to bank of america so that i can have $ in about a wk.
(i know you were wondering y i had to go to fed ex instead of the post office.fedex is supposedly more reliable..hmm)

now, walking back to where i think is oxford st. tube, and i end up in holborn.wtf? now, im lost, had to make my way to holborn st. tube to get home...after walking around for oo 30min. go to sainsbury's supermarket, across from holborn tube station, bought some flowers to fill my NEW vase (that's another story).

soo, i mean can i get on the tube? nooo....yyy u ask? b/c this fool is protesting w/a bullhorn @ 19:00 in the middle of rush hr in front of tube station about the iraq war n how we need to send the troops home and blah iran -vs- bush..and im like..u need to get out the way cuz everyone is tryna get home...he is drawing a huge ass crowd by now...

ne way, i finally get home @ 19:30 with flowers + food in hand.
this 3rd floor apt. is no joke. i get enough exercise everyday.

baaaartender!

day three <13> river thames - party boat.

i mean, the boat was fun..considering i damn near missed the damn boat.
now, on the flyer it says the nearest tube was monument, ooo only 1/2 mile from the damn pier. ..as i approach the pier i see tower hill tube station, friggin directly across from the pier.. anyway, i get on the boat, hot n sweaty, out of breath, to meet Agnes(polish/NY) and Susanne(holland)..had soo much fun!

and the first song the 50 yrs old?/white english guy plays?? t-payne- bartender.
yup, american influence..gotta love it! he was killin that dutty wine and 'dollar song',
'80's whitney houston....alla dat. met this african, i mean nigerian guy named.....i forget.. who lived in sweden for 10yrs b4 coming here..speaks about 3 languages..cool...and nope, not attracted to him...BUT..I was attracted to this french cutie on the tube on the way home..aaah. oh well...but london is gr8 for the eyecandy..men everywhere! =0)
good nite.

14 sept./15 sept.
Soooo yyyyyyyyyy....would there be a check out time of 1030am @ wigram house, when check-in time @ my permanent hall, 30 min away by bus, is @ 2pm...hmmm, DOESN'T MAKE SENSE...so of course more chaos....

ok. there's about 25 of us int'l students waiting outside fleming hall ..the hall mgr says he needs 'a couple minutes' to get sorrted....he was just in the middle of organizing room assignments..umm..excuse me?!? yyyyy wasn't this done b4 we got here..yyy am i waiting along with other students, for my damn keys? o, but you can cash my security deposit, but you technically didn't allocate a room for me, i mean us, yet?!? i dont have time for this..

WAIT...here's the best part..im on the THIRD friggin floor...which really is more like 6 'flights' of stairs..and yuh know there's no elevator or 'lift' as so its called here...so it was gonna be even more fun moving in..luckily i only had one bag, and left the others with hector in south london. =) ....
i took the train down south back to south london to get my things, but yuh know it's fri nite..and i really didnt move ALL of my things in until now, sat evening....yay.
unpacking.

welcome to westminster - drink up!!

Haven't been writing here b/c I couldn't get internet in this cheap ass hostel i was staying in..aah!! now im in my likkle room in north london - completely surrounded by....bARs! gr8!!

day one. <12>

in any case, today was the first day of the welcome program - met some crazy ass ppl!: Hedvig from Sweden-real cool, Agnes-Polish from NY, Victoria from Germany, Haley - from USA -ohio....AND THEN there's Arpel - from Turkey. this guy is a trip-- he's gay, left his 'gooorgeous, handsome," boyfriend back in turkey....he brought up 'teabagging'..within 2 hrs of me meeting him.wow! then mr.arpel starts telling me how he wants to be a male prostitute.literally.and he's serious?!?

Anyway, after the meet-n-greet we go to one of the many campus bars dwnstrs for some more meeting n greeting. I'm telling u, I will be a beer connossieur b4 i graduate. i meet shoni - yes! FINALLY a black woman with DECENT hair..she's colombian/jamaican. and she gives me her contact info for her male Bajan stylist...women, esp. jamaican women stylists are envious n will chop off ur hair..hmmm..go figure? guess that practice is worldwide. the rest of the nite @ the bar goes well...

day two. <13>

wkshps galore @ this damn welcome program..amidst sanwich lunches & wine...some more wkshps..and then WALKING to the bus stop as i usually do, minding my business when this lil hoodlum youth purposely bumps into me @ the bus stop. i turned, looked at her, and she snickers w/ the rest of the hood youths...maan, i wanted to knock that gurl..she only must've been 12? but then i remembered i didn't want to get deported so i had to let it slide...but, i'm just saying what hood youth NEEDS to do is go home and get her mum to put a brush to her head!
these youths are seriously rude.

anyway, a 'peaceful' bus ride as usual back to victoria station ---> wigram house <--the whack, CHEAP, hostel. and when i say cheap, i mean paint patches on the wall, dingy carpet, but i guess at 17 quid a nite u shouldn't complain. i take a nap til about 8pm and make my way dwnstrs....
i pass a GROUP of painters..hispanic..yuh know..(i thought i left this in mia??i think to myself! yes...it's about damn time they painted..and since the painters were near the elevator i stupidly decided to walk up 5 flights of stairs to my room. i watch tv listen to some tunes...make my way BACK dwnstrs @ 12 am ppl, and these lame ass painters have managed to 4 HRS later only put up wet paint signs on some clearly dry ass walls!! who are they fooling??

i'm like, "it smells like paint, but wtf were they doing all this time?" anyway, back up the 5 flights of stairs AGAIN.
bedtime.

"gimme five"

"gimme five, up away, down slow, too slow!"

i sweaar i must've heard this little girl on the bus sing this song 10x over in a matter of 15 minutes...ugh..mind u, i was just out of breath having walked up 2 hills to get to the bus stop in south london...now, while on the bus i notice NOOO BLACK WOMEN with decent hair! this shit is soo true! i mean one lady had a blonde mop weave plastered to her head, another well in need of a relaxer, and some others with braids...in any case, i am on a mission damnit - find ONE black woman with decent hair and TRY OUT her salon....
anyway, we, meaning my dad, his friend hector, and i go on a 'hunt' literally to find my damn school -uni westminster..after taking the bus to the train station, i swear we walked around for an 1hr to find this place..y?? b/c i was with 2 men! and men don't ask questions, no matter what i suggest..so we just walk around in circles..grr..anyway, after we find the main campus-- we have to walk to another bldg 15 min. away to find the dorm i'm temporarily staying in for the week..after that we make our way to the friendly sainsbury's supermarket....we are about to walk in, minding our own business, when bam, fight bruk out in de front of the store, spills out into the street.that was fun..

Afterwards i get a lil snack b4 dinner, drink half-a-pint of some fruli beer (yummy!) @ 'the slug and lettuce' - cute restaurant...@ 4pm...damn these brits drink early...then go back to hector's via the train and bus. LAWD let me tell u about the bus ride home..ok this 'picky head, chubby tattooed arm-gyal' starts arguing with her friend about a PIECE OF CORN??!? ugh..no offense, but y did they have to be black? man. looking greedy....
more later

day one:SE19

Depart MIA 8:05pm on 9/8/07--Arrive LHR 9:35 am on 9/9/07.

Did you really think I could fly to London without aaany problems?? yeah right.
Anywho, the whole clan drops me off at the airport (pics to follow), my dad and i check luggage, go through security and *bam*.

Ordeal #1. i have liquids in my carry-on. now, you know the security attendant asked me about 3x if i have liquids and each damn time i answer no. then of course, my dad is arguing with me in front of the security personnel like i told u not to bring liquids and blah blahh. im like, how da hell did liquids get in there? oh yah. i put them there after i took a shower this morning..grrr8..so i was pissed i had to toss my good keracare shampoo,face care products, lotion...i was UPSET...but it beats checkin in xtra luggage for $100.

Ordeal #2.
While waiting at the gate before boarding, my dad of course calls my mom, tells her this blown up, overly exaggerated story that I was arguing with the security personnel and that i had to toss my liquids...now,stop. please. I was arguing with YOU dad b/c you clearly were embarrassing me in front of the security checkpoint area...but of course my mom doesn't hear that story. the truth is never told. at this point i wish i came solo. we board the plane and i receive a couple of last goodbye calls and well wishes before the plane takes off.

Ordeal #3
Since the nite was going oh-so well- why not expect more issues?
so, now i'm on the plane all comfy with mini pillow and 'blanket' given to coach class. i'm sitting next to a chunky version of 'elian gonzales' and his mother...except elian and his mom were brazilian. how do i know this? WEEEELLL. im sitting all comfy and this mother redirects the cold ass air vent on to me. i hate being cold! so, i nicely redirect that redirected airvent right back to the middle. she starts gesticulating and speaking to me in str8 portugues. do i speak portugues?!? nooo, but i just nod and smile like i know what she says. all i know is that my ass is cold and if you touch that vent one more time...

Ordeal#4
mannnn...i dunno what i ate, but i was feeling queasy after dinner. i drank ginger ale, relaxed for a little, but then still felt queasy. this cycle went on for about 3 hrs. at one point i was going for the ale and spilled that ish all over my pants and 'blanket' , so you know i spilled that ginger ale all over myself. LITERALLY. the nice male stewardess gave me a real comforter and real pillow from business class...i guess i felt a lil better.oh and if i got up to walk around i felt dizzy so the flight was kinda a flop..

in any case we arrive safely @ heathrow..head out to SE19..an area just north of brixton.lol. i forget the name.
****************
pz out.