Stopping to smell the roses

Today (Tuesday) was the first time I've left my apartment since early Saturday evening! Don't worry, I've still kept some semblance of civility and showered almost everyday...gulp. I performed a self diagnosis (using WebMD) and determined I came down with the flu. I seriously cannot remember the last time I had the flu, guess this is my body performing a check up to make sure the good ol' immune system is still working as it should! Note to self - get my flu shot from now on so I don't have to go through this again. Anyways, it has TKO'ed me without compassion until I finally mustered the strength this morning to go get some stronger medicine. Having taken that during the day, I felt some renewed energy in the evening and decided to go get some groceries. The alternative would have been to start eating boiled pasta (with no sauce), or cardboard boxes, or start flipping through my trash can for leftover grains of rice and rotten curry sauce.

Now, I've always been a big believer in looking at the bright side of things, so let me tell you what I've taken away from all of this...besides the need to get a flu shot. For me, being sick and frail offered one of the most peaceful walks I've had in a long time! True, it may because I was still achy and couldn't walk as half as I normally do, BUT let me try to explain: every morning, I am in such a rush to get to the office on time. My main goal is to (1) see how many people I can speed walk past while (2) not tripping over what I'll call 'brick monsters' that seem to always stick out JUST as you pass by only to disappear again when you look back at what caused you to almost face plant so that I can (3) board the tube in hopes that I won't be standing next to a huge smelly dude who insists on inching his armpit towards my nose the entire ride. Four weeks in, and I can honestly say I've barely stopped to "smell the roses" along such a quaint neighborhood that I am calling 'home'.

Tonight though, I got to do that. Let me tell you, being deathly sick brings you back to the simple pleasures that we take for granted! I looked at and appreciated all the houses as I walked by (fine, I'll admit that I paid special attention to those neighbors that don't close their blinds in hopes to see something good haha), noticed and smelled the flowers that are blooming along the sidewalk, admired the runners who were out for an evening jog while I was bundled up in a sweater and a fleece, and (unfortunately) also caught a few whiffs of second hand smoke. That is a whole different topic...but man, so many more people smoke here than back in New York. What's up with that? For the ladies out there - smoking is a huge turn off. Please stop smoking, NOW!

Now, I wouldn't wish anyone to get as sick as I am right now (I'm on the mend though, thanks for your concern!), but I do wish everyone could take a moment out of your busy day to put away your iPods / iPads / iPhones / iAnythingElse, slow down just a bit from that power walk, and just, enjoy it all for one second. Watch as all the hectic things in life zooms right by, and just take in the sights, sounds, and smells around you (assuming you didn't just stop by a landfill of course). Isn't it great?!

Tomorrow, I'll be back to my power walk, but tonight was so peaceful as I dragged my achy body around the neighborhood.

PS - this post was brought to you by 2 non drowsy flu pills, half a roll of toilet paper from my runny nose, and a dirty Nike DriFit shirt that I've been wearing for two days now...let's just say when you get the sweats, moisture wicking material feels so much better than a damp cotton shirt. I hope what I've said above isn't just a delirious and incoherent rambling! If it is, I blame the medicine.

My body hates me

In all of 2010, I may have been sick one time. So far in 2011 though, I've already come across my second illness. I had a nagging cough that I FINALLY got rid of after getting to London. However, I've now got something super nasty that has knocked me on my arse. Yesterday, I went running in the morning (marathon training has started!), but after I got back home, I felt super exhausted and incredibly cold. I took a nap for 2 hours and then felt much better...however, later in the day, after the Oxford vs. Cambridge boat race (which by the way we didn't even see the boats since we were busy drinking at the pub), I was DONE and DONE.

Today, I've been sideways on the couch at best. I was supposed to head up to Cambridge to go golfing but I knew that wasn't happening as soon as I woke up and could barely get out of bed. Have you ever had the sweats one minute, but then been super cold another? Is that a fever or something? Either way, I cannot remember the last time I've felt this bad physically...

Let us hope that I can shake this off once and for all very soon. Since I only have three total months abroad, I have this desire to maximize every weekend and not sit around being a bum! I plan to spend next weekend exploring London...do you have any 'must see and must do' things I should tackle?

Time flies, faster than a speeding bullet shot out of a gun by Superman...

I cannot believe that it has almost been three weeks since I first arrived in London! If you ask me, I'd tell you that I JUST got here a few days ago, but then when I look at a calendar, I realize that TIME FLIES! The concept of time is so strange if you think about it. As a kid and a young adult, school determines your length of time and is measured in semesters and in school years. Each semester, you are in a new class, with new classmates, a new curriculum, and new homework. This starts from the preschool days and goes all the way until university graduation. For most of us, this encompasses the majority of our lives! However, since work has started (wow, almost 4 years ago), the whole concept of time has shifted. There aren't any more spring breaks to look forward to, no summer vacations lounging by the pool, and not as many big changes that used to occur at the turn of each semester! This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but causes to you evaluate what time even means. Anyways, back to the point I was making - in no time, I'll have been living and working in London for one month, two, three...

...I must make the most of the opportunity!

On that note, last weekend, I went on a quick weekend trip to Amsterdam. When I got to the airport, I bought a train ticket to Amsterdam Central train station, but I couldn't get figure out how to pay using the ticket machine...no, not because I'm retarded or anything, but because US credit cards and debit cards don't have a chip that European machines require. After attempting for a few minutes, a very nice Dutch girl tried to help me out but to no avail. I'll be honest, at first, I thought she was going to steal my credit card, and only found out much later that the Dutch are known to be very friendly and helpful. So, after both of us couldn't figure it out, I went to the counter, bought a ticket, and specifically asked, 'what platform and what time'. I swear the person told me, 'platform 3 at 11:37am'. I went to platform 3, boarded the 11:37am train, and sat back to relax, waiting to arrive in Amsterdam city center within 20 minutes. 10 minutes into the ride, I'm very excited and looking ahead to see if I can catch any glimpses of the city. 15 minutes in, I start to get a little bit worried because I don't see much happening. 20 minutes in, I remember that I should already be there but don't think too much about it, thinking, 'meh, the train is probably just running a bit late'. 25 minutes in, out of curiosity, I pull out my blackberry and look at Google maps...to see that my location icon tells me I'm heading further and further AWAY from the city! Long story short, I end up in Aimere. I'll chalk up this first adventure as the 'scenic route' to Amsterdam. No worries, when these things happen, I just take an opportunity to laugh at myself, and then tell the world about my stupidity!

While in Amsterdam, I met up with Andrew (childhood friend and old roommate from New York) and met a few of his friends. (I can't remember her name, but he called her J-Lo, so I'll call that too...) J-Lo had been living there for 1.5 years now and is on her way to learn Dutch. She said, Dutch is somewhat like English. However, it is as if you taught a five year old how to speak English, and as soon as they started to grasp it, you forced them to live in isolation in the woods, only to allow them back once they were there for 15 years. Then, you ask them to speak, and that is what Dutch sounds like. I thought, 'no way', but then she told us a couple of phrases, immediately all of us said, 'YEP, I now know what you mean'!

Also while in Amsterdam, Andrew and I hung out with another one of his friends (Stephen) who is there doing his PhD program. While visiting his 'real dutch apartment', he explained that there is very few options for housing for a foreigner. The first way that Dutch people get housing is through the social system (?) but the wait line is incredibly long. As a matter of fact, most Dutch parents will sign up their children before they are even born. Then, 18+ years later, they have a chance to get a low cost piece of real estate. The other way to get housing is through the private system (?), but this costs significantly more. As a reference point, Stephen's apartment would cost around 250 Euros / month through the social system but somewhere around 2000 Euros / month on the private market! Unfortunately, this means the real losers are the foreigners =(

Aside from that, Amsterdam was a blur. And no, not because of what you think. All throughout college, when people talked about going to Europe, it was viewed as a 'big trip'. I've held Europe in the same light, yet found myself in flying over on Saturday morning, and flying back on a Sunday night. Living in Europe must be so great because you could do these weekend jaunts whenever you wanted to. No big plans, travel guides, 'see everything and do everything' mentality needed!

I'm hooked and already planning some other trips. Croatia? Portugal? Poland? So many choices!

What can I say, life is good. No, I take that back, life is GREAT!

London town, first week fini!

Just to recap, I've now spent an entire week living and working in London! Here are some of my first impressions, thoughts, and realizations:

• I have a flat in Chelsea, and this neighborhood is way too posh for me. Wow, I've just used flat and posh, two words that I did not possess in my vocabulary one week ago! Speaking of which, their are so many terms here that you should know if you ever visit. I'll be continuously adding to this list, worry not.

1. What Americans call 'suspenders' (for pants) are known here as 'braces' here. This should never be confused. Suspenders in the UK are what we call garter belts. I brought this up in conversation at work, and my teammates just stared at me disapprovingly. Let's just say I made a great first impression. To make it clear - women wear suspenders, men wear braces. Got it? Well, thinking more about it, I guess women could also wear braces...but men should never wear suspenders. Did I just blow your mind?
2. A co-worker mentioned very causally that this short and muscular guy (on another team) would make a great 'hooker'. If you know me, you'll know that I'm quite immature. I looked around the room to make sure I wasn't the only one who heard that before bursting out laughing to notice that everyone took it in stride. I bit my tongue, sitting there quite confused why no one thought it was hilarious. I only later found out they were talking about a rugby position, and not a...profession.
3. Don't say 'fanny'. While such an innocent word in the States, 'fanny' refers to something completely different. You can look it up if you don't believe me!
4. Don't say 'double fisting' a beer (ie. holding two beers at the same time) at a team happy hour. Double fisting does only has one meaning here, and it doesn't mean to hold two beers. Again, you can look this up and entertain yourself.
5. They have 'rocket' salad, which as cool as it sounds, is just arugula salad. What a disappointment!

• Not only do the British drive on the left (aka wrong) side of the road, they also walk on the left (aka wrong) side of the road. For whatever reason this blows my mind! I just can't seem to grasp it naturally and always find myself swimming up river like salmon do during migration season. The worst comes when crossing the street. I have to say this out loud each time to 'look right, then look left' but yet I'll instinctively turn left first, then right. I'm trying to keep a tally of the number of times I've been ALMOST run over, and right now, its at 3. That's not too bad, right?
• I think the best way to see the city is to run through it. I logged my first run of the season along the Thames River (which for some unknown reason is actually pronounced 'temz') Saturday afternoon and it was fantastic. What a good double whammy: I will get to explore all the cool neighborhoods street-by-street and I'll be able to slowly get back into running shape while I'm here.
• The weather in London has been FANTASTIC (with the exception of today). Every single day, it has been bright and sunny so far, and I cannot complain. Then, I hear back that its cold, windy, and there were floods in some parts of New York? What is happening?!
• The food in London is not half as bad as people make it out to be! Well, I will admit, I've eaten lunch from the cafeteria each day, but I've been impressed by the selection. If you know me, you'll also know that I'm also always impressed by quantity, and 2 out of 5 days, I could not even finish my lunch because it had so much food in it. AWESOME! Sadly, I've learned there are quite a few things that they are missing here. The most evident is good pizza. My mind instantly begins to wonder how I can bring a Grimaldi's Pizzeria here. It would make a KILLING! I thought Chipotle would be missing here too, but heard that they've opened a location here. PHEW. Other weird things that you can't find me: graham crackers. Supposedly ex-pats will bring over boxes of graham crackers and freeze them to preserve the shelf life. I can't remember the last time I've made s'mores, but now that one of the key ingredients is gone, I really really want one.
• What is it about British accents that are so attractive? I haven't decided if British girls are better looking than American girls just yet. I don't think I'll ever be able to conclude. The biggest problem is, I give at least one point on the scale to the girls here just because of their accents!

Okay, hope you've had enough of the brain vomit I've just provided. Next weekend, I'm headed off on my first continental Europe trip to Amsterdam. I'm really looking forward to all the museums and architecture that it has to offer. Then, the following weekend, its off to Cambridge for some golf.

Life is good!

My life, summarized in a few boxes…

I’ve been getting ready for London and packing all my possessions into boxes over the last week or so. I find that clothes are the easiest to pack, but the random trinkets and cards related to some very rich memories and experiences over the past year that are lying around are a bit more challenging to just ‘box up’ or throw away. First of all, let it be known that I don’t belong on that TLC show, “Hoarders”! But as an example, do I toss out the movie ticket stub that means way more than just the movie that was seen? I mean, it really is just a piece of paper, right? Or how about the two lollipops that I found in my change jar from one of a favorite restaurant? Elsewhere, these would be two very simple pieces of candy. However, both items represent much more. I feel like my room is an entire collection of these things!

I think it all stems from the self awareness that I have a horrible memory. Without these little tokens, I fear that in a few short weeks / months, I’ll just forget. It’ll be as good as none of those things ever happening…sad.

Fast forward to today: my room has been flipped upside down, not much has been sorted out just yet, and I find myself procrastinating even though I have a flight to catch on Saturday night. Secretly, I guess I’m just a bit nervous about leaving my comfort zone (New York) that I’ve called home for the last 3.5 years.

For those who don’t already know, I’ll be relocating to London for work for three months! I’ve been set up with a wonderful ‘flat’ (http://chelsea.frasershospitality.com/ ) in Chelsea and will be riding the ‘tube’ to work everyday in March, April, and May. I hope you’ll follow along on this blog as I’ll provide periodic updates on my new life across the pond. I’ll try my best to entertain you with some of the funnier, more exotic, and interesting things I come across. Who knows, maybe I’ll even pick up an accent! Cheerio! *I wonder if people actually say, Cheerio?* Random fact, but I really only have two rules put in place by my manager: (1) bring back good chocolate, and (2) don’t fall in love with a British girl. How awesome, eh!

I expect to maximize my weekends and take flights throughout to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell all of Europe that I didn’t make it to during my first go-around (see below for info on that trip). Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Final point for tonight before I get back to packing – if you are my friend, and you are thinking about going to London, or already plan to, you are MORE than welcome to come crash with me. Just look at my cool ‘flat’, there will be lots of space, so go ahead and pull the trigger and buy that plane ticket already!

Hmmm, what should I do with that sea shell that was put into my suitcase when I last went to the beach?...maybe I should apply to be the next person on ‘Hoarders’…

See you on the flip side. Cheers!