Archy 'n' Askin

I want you to know my friends in LDN, we share many things, and we some have kind of special connections. It's amazing how people from totally differents cultures, languages and backgrounds can become good friends in a couple of months. She is from Thailand and her name means "angel". I believe names have some meaning refering to the person who holds it, and in this case I think it is absolutely like that. She helped me when the auditions weren't very well, she came to visit me when I had a little cold adn she even brought me food when I was hungry...how cannot she be an angel? An she's always so sweet and kind!
He is from Turkey, and he makes me laugh every time I feel blue, he has this point of view of life "when it's bad, just make it a joke". He's also an artists since his photos are some of the best I've ever seen. He's so out going that it's very easy to meet new people with him. But he also has this spiritual/religious side going on that makes him sort of mysterious.
I feel I can know all the world with them, since they never come up with silly excuses to go out, they always come to me if I need them and they've been quite honest with me at all times. And you'd never believe how many experiences we shared in our lifes that make us feel or think the same things at the same time.
So, this is my way to honour them. I'd love you to meet Archy and Askin, by Matu.

Weekend at LDN

All began last Friday night when I got out of work early cause the restaurant was quiet. I was so tired yet so happy!!! I went to an Italian restaurant and then to a pub in Central London and had a couple of Guiness, chat with some guys, got finally home at 1am. I got up at 10am for the first time in months, stayed in bed until 4pm, ate a salad, took a shower and then I jumped on the overgorund to Brick Lane where I met my Spanish friend from work and his friend from childhood. Brick lane is great place in East London, near Liverpool St, where rock n roll reigns, with a bit of punk and Indian restaurants. We had three or four beers relaxed on an old sofa of a punk pub, like an old warehouse with strange things and wired people, impossible to describe, it's something to be experienced. Then we picked up a friend at Liverpool St and had a barbecue on the street, yes on the street with more beer, chicken, saussages, chips, salad, more beer...
Then ths Spanish guys left and Archy arrived. we went to a club nearby and had more beers and vodka, dancing on the third floor of an old warehouse. When we got out we met a friend from Colombia and her two roommates andm went to another pub and had some mojitos, tequilas and dancing salsa in spite of listening to electronic music o.O
At 4am we where all in a Colombian flat drinking wine with cinnamon and talking nonesence. I woke up with a my Turquish friend next to me, Archy on the sofa and wine on my white shirt from Zara (noooo!!!! whyyyy????!!!!) Don't ask, cause I'm not able to answer. That morning I made brunch for everyone and we split our roads. However, Askin (my friend from Turkey) and I went to the Tower of London to take soem pictures, I felt asleep on the grass under the sun and then we had a humb with chips. We crossed London Bridge and walked all the way from Bank to Covent Garden where we took some pictures and enjoyed the shows on the square.
after that we ended in Soho having a couple (four may be five) beers, Guiness and London Pride at a pub, talking for hours...and I think Askin and I are taking dancing classes together...o.O I'm not sure.
What I do remember after that is tha a guy on a bike drop my friend Archy in Soho Sq and we went for something to eat at little cafe. So small that didn't even have a toilet, after those beers i had to go....so? I ended up in a gay bar asking for toilet, and for the first time in my life they asked me ID, which I didn't have so I shew him my "Miles and More" card of Lufthansa Airlines, he laughed and I could use the toilet. Then I don't know, we walked a lot talking nonsence, taken the three of us huged at Oxford Circus.
I have no idea how I got home or at what time, the only thing I know is that I have a terrible headache and in one hour I'm suppoused to be at work and be the best waiter around St Paul's.
Anyway, if I remember anything else, I'll let you know...or may be not!

The Rabbit's hole

Finally the fiery rabbit has found its home, a little hole in West Kilburn/North Paddington, within five-minute walk from Queen's Park tube station. The area is very nice, quiet, there's school nearby, a public library, shops from Lebanon and other interesting facilities. I really like it since is all mine, private bathroom and a little space to cook for those I love. It costs just £650,- pcm, bills incl plus cleaning once a week, cool, right? Everyone tells me that I won the lottery with this comfortable place in North-west London.

I have everything I need here! Just waiting for guests to arrive!!

Friends will be friends

Now that we have the stage, let the actors come in!
It's well known that it's very hard to make friends in London, everybody can tell you that, especially londoners themselfs. During my second week in LDN, I met a nice chap on the street, we laughed about a mad woman driving and singing aloud. We spent three hours talking and we ended up having dinner together in a local restaurant. His name is Jon, tall, blond, blue eyes, and as a perfect English gentleman, he is very polite, quite formal, agrees with Her Magesty, drinks hot black tea with a drop of cold milk, shakes hands to say hello, uses words such as "bloody", "indeed" and "lovely"  and of course, he loves his city. When we ended dinner, he gave me his phone number in a piece of paper that says "if you need a friend in London, text me". So I was lucky, but that's kind of an exception actually, and let me tell you that in spite of that, it is very hard to contact him, and when I do, there's always a formal and rather cold answer at the other side. That's just the way they are, polite, friendly, formal and private. That's why it is hard to make friends in LDN, and Jon was the first one to teach me that, a 100% pure Londoner.
So, what can we do about it? An Indian told me: "This is London my friend! there're lost of other things out there." He was talking about restaurants actually, but it applies to many things, such as nationalities!

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you to my first friend in LDN Town: Archy Than, a very nice, sweet and friendly girl from Thailand. We met at the family house and "pegamos onda" from the very beginning and we've been going out couple of times since then. NO, she is not my girlfriend! She has her own business going on, we are NOT dating, and we'll NEVER be a couple. Stop those gossips! We are just in the same situation, foreigners in the same city, we've been here for the same period of time and for the reason I already explained above about friends in LDN, we share time in pubs and chat about living here, getting used to different stuff, looking for work, etc.

You can see I'm not alone here, in fact I have good company indeed. And even if I was by myself, I could never feel lonely with such warm, beautiful and lovely letters you gave me before I left, and all your emails and messages in FB you send me every day. Thank you very much indeed. I always think about you and I wish you could be here to share things and moments that remind me of each of you every time I pass by a theatre, a comics shop, a book shop, a restaurant, a museum, etc. And I think to myself, "oh, x'd like this" or "uh if x was here he/she would enjoy it so much!" or "mmm x should try this...".

I love you my dearest friends. See you soon.

He works hard for the money!

Yeaiiiii Tengo trabajo! Finally I got a job...let's see for how long though...
Si, tener un trabajo es muy importante, porque lo quieras o no, el dinero da muchas cosas, y ningun dinero da tanto como las pounds sterling. Deben saber que cuando uno viene a Londres desde otro pais, tiene la constante sensacion de que se es muy pobre, porque vengas con euros o dolares, ni hablemos de pesos argentinos (que en cualquier momento se empiezan a imprimir con la cara de Moyano o.O), uno siempre recibe menos libras que el numero incial, y cuando vas comprar se van tan rapido!! Londres es cara, si, aceptemoslo.
Estuve un poco al borde del freak out las ultimas semanas porque no encontraba trabajo y el tiempo (pero sobretodo las £££) se me iban. Fortunately, me dieron una oportunidad como camarero en un resto pleno centro de la ciudad en Paternoster Sq, a pasos literalmente de St Paul's Cathedral. Es un trabajo dificil, mucha gente piensa que cualqueira puede ser camarero o que es una tarea facil...y no, no lo es. "No es moco de pavo" como diria mi amiga la Lic. Laura Silva. Especialmente aca que son MUY exigentes, hay muchas cosas para saber, mil y un detalles a jamas olvidar, etc. Es un trabajo dificil y estresante, mucho mas de lo que te estas imaginando ahora. Hay que ir de camisa blanca, pantalon negro, zapatos lustrados y corbata, presentacion impecable, es alto resto.
Lo importante es que me alcanza para pagar el alquiler que incluye todas las cuentas, y comida. O sea, vivo bien.
Mis colegas, como podran imaginarse si vienen leyendo el blog, son de todas las nacionalidades imaginables. Y me dijeron que en realidad, tuve mucha suerte con el trabajo, ellos han estado al menos dos o tres meses buscando trabajo, siendo europeos y todo, quiero decir, no es un tema de discriminacion para nada, aca todos pueden conseguir un lugar. Conmigo Londres fue gentil y solo me dejo esperando 3 semanas y media.
Crisis tambien hay aca, y en menos o mayor medida, un poco se siente. En mas de una entrevista me hablaron de los cortes de presupuesto que han tenido que hacer algunas empresas. Pero debo decir que se esta bien, en mi primer mes aca, no he escuchado quejas sociales ni nada que se le parezca. Y en una encuesta reciente se determino que la pobalcion del Reino Unido esta dentro de las 15 poblaciones mas felices del mundo despues de Dinamarca, Suiza, Suecia, Canada y gran elenco. Conclusion: el frio hace bien. Mientras mas metros de nieve tengas encima, mejor para tu pais O.o   ponele.......