I had a chance to stop by London, England for a few hours on my way back from Dubai.

Unlike most 2 or 3 hour stop overs, this layover was for 12 hours. From 9-9. The only shitty part was it from 9pm-9am. lol

I found out a friend of mine from Toronto had moved out to London 3 months ago, so we decided to meet up and just hang out for a few hours.

I landed just before 9 and walked through Heathrow airport, through customs and asked for instructions to get to Oxford Circus Station. Luckily, the train station is attached to their airport. I bought my ticket and hopped on the trains also known as a “tube” which in a British accent would be called the “chuybe”. lol. One thing Ive always wondered is, if English was actually created by the English, how come I cant understand a word theyre saying. Lets take this “chuybe” thing for example, if its pronounced “chuybe”, why dont we just spell it like that. Why spell it with a T? So if T sounds like “ch” then what does the actual ch sound like? lol Ive never understood it. lol.

I actually love the British accent. Its always been one of my most favorite accents to impersonate, especially after watching S Club 7 (lol, dont ask me why the hell Id ever admit that. lol. Well, to be honest, its because Rachel Stirling was really hot and she looked part Asian and I always believed I had a chance with her if I met her. Im such a dreamer. lol) I kept on asking people for directions even if I didnt have to, just so I could hear the accents. lol.

The trains were really small and reminded me of the Scarborough RT line. A lot of the stations were outdoors and looked pretty run down and ghetto. I kept imagining those punk bands from the 90′s hanging out on the platforms. The train tracks were filled with garbage and it made it hard for the trains to ride through at its regular speed.

Coincidentally, there were a whole bunch of Asians who got on the train when I did, and I ended up standing beside the crew of old Asian ladies for my 30 minute ride to Oxford Circus.

I expected some sort of circus when I got off the trains.

Of course, there was no circus.

lol.

I walked up the stairs out of the station and still…no circus.

Well, thats because circus in the British language means an open circular area where several roads join. So dont worry, there arent any clowns. lol.

I remember how amazed I was when I got out of the station. The buildings were so old and….English. lol Every single bus, and I mean every single bus was red and a double decker! Just like that poster in Ikea! (lol) All the taxi’s reminded me of Mr. Bean’s car. lol. But everyone wasnt in peacoats. I didnt see that British guard in the tall furry hat, with the royal red jacket guarding anything. There wasnt any fog and it wasnt raining. It was actually quite clear and the temperate was quite mild. I felt as if I was on Yonge St in Toronto except I was in England. Well, the obvious reason for that is that we were once a British Colony and a lot of architecture was a product of that era. There were Asians, Black people, Muslims and South Asians everywhere. I really didnt feel that far away from home or feel too foreign.

I stood there and waited for my homie, Mila to arrive.

She arrived shortly after I got there. Seeing her was such an amazing feeling. To see a friend from home when your thousands of miles away from home is so awesome. We hugged each other and she gave me a little tour of the area. We walked down Regent St, which is the equivalent of Yonge St back home. Its the main downtown road for anyone who isnt from Toronto. We strolled through Carnaby Street and all down to Picadilly Circus which is basically the London equivalent to Yonge – Dundas Square or Times Square in New York. Its by no means on the same scale, but its their equivalent.

We walked and talked about our lives, our careers, our relationships, English and Cockney accents and her experience since moving out here to pursue make up and photography.

As a kid, Ive always dreamed of moving somewhere far away to live and work. I think Toronto’s a beautiful place, it will always be home, but I also didnt see myself living in one city for my whole life. Our lives are too short to be confined to one space. Mila picked up her bags and moved out to London, just like that. Without friends or a job. She found a “flat” (thats British for an apartment). She also a job at a higher end make up store and still continues doing free lance work for magazines and celebrities. I have a great respect for Mila and admire her immensely for having the balls to move. Id be so scared of being homesick. I think Id miss my family and worry about them too much. And the idea of starting all over again scares me, because you dont know how much of what you did was luck. You know?

She was doing so amazing in Toronto, but like everyone in our city, she hit the glass ceiling. Glass because it looks like theres still a path, and ceiling because theres no where else to go. At some point, we all leave. Some of us come back. But most of us just go.

We hung out until about 1am. She had an early call time for her gig the next day, so I didnt want to hold her up. We hugged and bid our farewell’s.

Shitty thing is the tube stations close just before midnight, so I had to find an alternate route back to the airport. Taxi’s are pretty expensive out there and the most economical choice was for me to take the bus back. It was only a matter of which buses.

I did a bit of walking from where I left Mila to find the bus that took me to the airport. For anyone who ever needs to know how to get to the airport from Picadilly Circus, its the N9. lol. figured Id tell you since I spent 20 minutes walking and another 10 minutes trying to find someone who would actually point me in the right direction of the bus stop I needed to stand at. lol

I remember while standing at the bus stop, I saw an Asian dude with a British accent. I was so fascinated. I kept on imagining myself with that accent. I mean it wouldnt have been a big deal if I had that in London, but damn, imagine an Asian dude with a British accent back in Toronto?! Damn, I woulda been a real hot commodity. Id have to get a pimp. lol.

Anyhow, I sat on that bus for a bloody 40 minutes until I finally reached the airport again. It was around 3ish when I arrived and to make a long story short, the night felt super long. Sleeping while sitting upwards with your face in your hands isnt easy, especially when you gotta stay semi-conscious in your sleep to watch your luggage and the clock.

If you guys ever fly anywhere and get a chance to stop over somewhere cool, make sure to go explore. The world’s a beautiful place. Get familiar.

Shout outs to the homie, Mila. I know it was late and you were tired, but thank you for taking the time to take me around and make me feel a lil bit more at home. Goodluck with everything you’re doing out there and I hope to see you soon. Much love to ya.