Excerpts from my diary over the past week:

25 Sept 2003
Plane full of juveniles. Heathrow looks like the back alley of Changi Airport, why have they not heard of WALKALATORS? And they call us a third world country. Health Control treats us (Asian and Africaan students) like barn animals being lined up for the slaughter house. It's a federal offence not to have an x-ray with you... or at least they make it seem like it.
First glimpse of London at night: Very starry! Wonder for a few minutes why the stars in London seem to traverse the night sky... oh wait... they're airplanes and hellicopters.
Second glimpse of London at night: Old and spooky, where ghosts and ghoulies and three legged beasties and things that go bump in the night are creeping in the shadows and Jack the Ripper is lurking at an unlit doorway
My German godma cooks us German duck for dinner. Uncle Jimmy says: "There's no such thing as German duck! Only Peking duck!". I think he's right.
Dinner and wine are knock outs. I'm asleep by 9pm.

26 Sept 2003
4 am and I'm up wondering why the hell I'm sweating in 15 degrees weather. No point in struggling to sleep so get up and repack all 11 pieces of luggage. By 8am I am setting up a full fledged pasar malam in my godma's living room.
After bath, get dressed in baby tee and jeans. Get scolded for wearing too little clothes and am sent back upstairs to change. Don't think I'll be able to get used to wearing so many clothes.
Head over to South Kensington to do boring stuff mostly involving transaction of money. Then head over to Chinatown... find it very peculiar that Chinese MUST visit Chinatown in any part of the world that they go to. I see a big GAP store at the entrance to Chinatown, tell mummy that Chinatown isn't Chinese enough. Mum gets offended as if her Grandpa built this place and drags me down to the real heart of Chinatown where I suddenly feel as if I've been transported back to Singapore. Except with the airconditioning on the outside instead of in. Which brings to mind the fact that I miss actual aircond in buildings! Stuffy old buildings with no flow of fresh air really sucks.

27 Sept 2003
Woke up sweating again. Just cannot get the hang of wearing the right amount of clothes. Find it very ironic that I don't have enough clothes on during the day and too many at night. Decide to call the whole of Malaysia and Singapore. Call Sugi first and whine to her about the "bodoh Brits" and the "susah health control" and it feels great to have someone understand me perfectly in Malaysian accent. Call Greg next, whine somemore. Call Charm, *squeal* *scream* *whine*. Call Sherene, talked to her voicemail. Call Xiaokai, got insulted. Call Greg again to complain about xiaokai (I'm kidding!).
Went shopping for winter coats. Prices here should be listed as factors of death.

28 Sept 2003
Important day, Sunday is! Westminster Cathedral we are to attend. Many many old architectural designs will we see. Stop talking like Yoda, I must. Cathedral is breathtaking. Reminds me of the old KL KTM station. Gregorian chanting choir is just wonderful. And mass is short, surprisingly!
Mummy's friends come over to ooh and aah at me. Starting to feel like a prized donkey. I bring out my laptop to show my precious photos of my JC days. Everyone starts asking about Greg which then continues to discussions about young love and long distance relationships, bla bla bla... No one seems to think I haven't pondered about the pros and cons myself and that for all the brains in my head I am lacking some when it comes to my own personal life.
Head over to Hyde Park to look for paintings. I could spend an entire afternoon there just looking at paintings. Just like I could spend a whole day or more at the Tate. Try me!

29 Sept 2003
Lost mummy in the underground. Waited for half and hour at Marble Arch and even though it was mummy's fault to have dashed into a carriage when the doors were closing and leaving me outside, mummy still managed to make it all MY fault!
Watched Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Joseph is amazing! And I don't just mean the play, I mean Joseph himself! Imagine one sweaty blond guy with a hot bod and mesmerizing grin who can dance, sing AND act standing just 3 feet away from you! So glad for seats right in the centre where it just seems as if Joseph is performing JUST for you!

30 Sept 2003
Shop, shop, shop some more. Then theatre at night again. This time it's Tell Me On A Sunday. Lovely musical monologue. Denise Van Outen is amazing to be able to sing for 1 and half hour non-stop! Realise that I've become the London girl mum has always wanted me to become... in my black boots and black stockings, sophisticated air, going to theatres every other night, well educated... I'm losing the Malaysian in me. I've got to find a mamak here soon!

1 Oct 2003
Third theatre show in 3 days. Today it's Bombay Dreams! Just watching it made me so homesick! So it was a typical Hindi movie (baddie villain, lovetorn lovers, tragic murders, happy endings)... but you feel so connected to it! The dancing, the colours, the women! Pizzazz!