I’ll be honest. A huge chunk of me was pissed off that I wasn’t going to stay in central London right away. I was going to live with an aunt in Fareham, England for a bit before taking the plunge. There was something so ho-hum, humdrum about it. I wanted to pull my hair or… even my hamstring.

Why Dad Why??

I wanted to be right smack in the action. It’s like telling me I’d be staying in New Jersey while vacationing in New York, or perhaps residing in the outskirts of France while touring Paris. I wanted to immerse myself in London this time around. I was one clueless kid haphazardly navigating my way before. I promised myself I’d be better at it this time.

Come to think of it, I should probably stop myself lest I whine too much. I’m already here. And in a few days, I’ll be there. So why not just explore the rest of England while I’ve got the time? And why not shut my trap while I’m at it?I’ll be in London in the next few days anyway, so why waste time harping on matters so trivial and selfish.

Here’s to feeling foolish… Why is it that I, or we, focus on the bits and pieces, while completely missing the bigger picture? Why do we gravitate towards complaining and cursing the world when we might as well look around and see what’s beyond the I, me and mine. And does it not always happen that we forget to be grateful, to thank the heavens for life and its perks, especially when things don’t go our way?

Here I am, living the realization of a dream and yet still unconvinced that I’m one lucky bitch/bastard (pardon the cussing).

I should seriously smack myself sometimes.

Anyway! On to Day 2.

Day 2 was one spent purchasing some necessities—pounds, an international sim and the universal plug. I still can’t believe I was able to buy a sim and a PHONE for just 20 pounds. The phone is pretty fancy and to be honest, I think the guy selling it might have made a major booboo giving it to me at that price. Oh well. His name was Ash by the way. Ha-ha.

Afterwards, we spent some time exploring Porchester Castle and some cliff views overlooking the city and the Isle of White.

Later that day, I had the pleasure of meeting this incredibly outspoken and toothless Brit-Fil boy named Justin. He was adorably talkative and despite my knowledge of him not having brushed his teeth for an entire day, (“Yuck kadiri ka” as his Mom had told him. To which, he replied, I did “Yestahday”.)…I was glad to just be near this bundle of joy—him in all his youth, innocence and vigor.

He, among other things and people, make me realize that you can find happiness in the most spontaneous spots and specs, that life has its yin and yang, that I should keep reminding myself of the possibility or fact that…