It's A Nice Place, But Not Really Home

Those words were spoken by a colleague of mine who was also sent here to London for a month. I have the same feeling. I'd like to stay but...

The Bath trip last weekend probably capped the entire trip to the U.K. I'm done visiting, and I'm ready to go home.

Home for me is Singapore. I'm flying from Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 on Saturday, 11PM GMT, and ETA at Changi is 6:30 PM Sunday, +0800. I'm taking a cab home, get my night's sleep and report back to our beautiful office down at Orchard Road.

So what did I think of London?

London has the history and culture that welcomes visitors and immigrants from around the globe. True enough, it was once the center of the world, and it still is, if we're talking about time zones. Old world charm juxtaposed with 21st century progress. London is the result of many ideas, almost two millenia worth. In contrast, Singapore has generally one idea, which could be a good thing or a bad thing.

It can't be said enough that London is an expensive place to live in, even more expensive to visit. Transportation, food, and entertainment. The general and practical setup for work probably is to get a nice apartment outside the city, and commute at least an hour to the office. I just learned that London Underground trains are NOT airconditioned, which must be hell during the summer. I personally don't like what I hear of my colleagues commuting experiences such as bad train services, weird commuters, drunk people sleeping on the platform...

If given a chance to live and work in London, I might give it a try, but it'll be a challenge.

I am going to miss London. I hope they send me back again in the future. For now, it's back to the predictable efficiency of the Lion City, my home.