Winter has arrived--BRRRR!!

Although it's not quite the Solstice yet, London is rather chilly! Last night I was supposed to go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, but sadly there were long queues to enter.

Instead, I went to the next best thing, the Natural History Museum's Ice Rink in South Kensington. In the summer the Museum lawn is home to over 40 tropical butterfly species. But in winter it transforms into a 950-square-meter ice rink complete with a 'Cafe Bar' and 'Balcony' selling my favorites of mulled wine, hot apple cider, Viennese coffee with whipped cream, and of course hot chocolate!

Where does the time go?

Ok, I'm very intermittent when I do update this blog, but perhaps I will add more updates as a New Year's resolution with photos! So my cash-in-hand endeavors were super difficult and nerve-racking. The life of an anthropologist is never dull. I was offered a house cleaning job, but it fell through because the old lady whose house I was supposed to clean said I was too well spoken for the job! That would have been great 'fieldwork experience' because I could've interviewed the lady on her thoughts about employing Filipinos as housekeepers and why she preferred Filipino candidates (so I was told) over others. Well that's for another project I suppose.

On a different note, this Coke Ad really made me well up. It depicts what Coca-Cola is doing for overseas Filpinos abroad and touches upon the issues I discuss in my research.

Lastly, London autumny/wintery things!! I love London in winter, so what better place to spend the day than in Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park?! I'm going to eat carnival food, like bratwurst with sauerkraut paired with mulled wine. Yum, yum. I'll post pics. Promise. :P

Odd jobs and missing home

As an anthropologist-in-the-making in London, I'm really homesick for the conveniences of America. Actually it's not that bad, I live in a flat on top of a college building. The view from my bedroom is the new Olympic stadium. What Olympic organizers aren't telling people is that the Olympic village is in the not-so-nice part of town. Well I guess it's an ok part of town, just more out of the way. Organizers are hoping that the new Olympic village will revitalize the surrounding area. So fingers crossed for them...

This week my anthropological fieldwork consists of working cash-in-hand type jobs. The only rule I set for myself is that I will not do anything sex related, period! The point is to see what it's like to work and survive as an illegal immigrant in London. (As a side note, my research deals with Filipina immigrants in London and how they negotiate shame/debt and duty to their families and social networks in the Philippines and in England). This fieldwork takes a lot of guts and stamina, I've also realized that most days, you come home feeling defeated. Luckily for me, I have my regular documented work to fall back on unlike some of my 'informants'. But all my experiences have made for interesting ethnography.

Random odd jobs I've had this week include (remember it's all cash in hand):
1. Working at a hospital for the day as an ultrasound 'patient' for anaesthetists to practice on.
Six hours of laying on a hospital table = £100 for the day with lunch
2. Ushering a design and architecture event in London = £65 for five hours of work.
3. Participating in a communications study for three hours £10.
4. Pitching and selling electronic cigarettes at a busy London rail and underground station: £26
for seven hours. (This one was the toughest one so far!)

Six days have gone by and it's been really stressful.

Hoxton Hotel for 1 Pound!

This weekend I went to London's East End to stay in a four-star hotel called, The Hoxton, for just one pound! That's approximately $1.60! Every four months the hotel has a 1 pound room sale. I managed to nab one in January. The catch is you'll like your stay so much that you might return again or perhaps even spread the word to your friends. Really.

There were many perks such as free continental breakfast from Pret A Manger delivered to your room in the morning, consisting of yoghurt with fresh fruit compote and granola, a banana, and freshly squeezed orange juice! The room's mini fridge is stocked with free bottled water courtesy of Pret A Manger, and fresh milk for coffee and tea. Downstairs in the lobby, you can get a dental kit, shaving kit, international plugs, and candy bars for just 50p. or 1 pound!

On top of that you get FREE phone calls for one hour to the US, Europe, and Australia. Free wifi is also included and if you didn't bring your laptop/computer, you can log on from your room, using the television flat screen and the wireless keyboard provided to check your emails.

The lobby has TWO giant fireplaces to keep my freezing little body WARM! Considering that it was 32F/0C degrees outside, I sat beside one in a comfortable, plush crimson leather sofa, as D and I ordered a bottle of white wine, a dish with scallops, and calamari from one of the many merry wait staff milling about to serve guests!



The only thing keeping this hotel from its fifth star, I believe, are extra little perks such as 'free' room slippers, bath robes in each room, and 24 hour room service (they only offer it until midnight).

Great hotel with a very vibrant, urban, and young feel. It felt like a lovely 'get-away' even though it was in the heart of the East London. This place is a bargain without the 'bargain' feel.

Let it snow!

Snow is forecasted for tomorrow! I think snow goes well with a cold London. It makes everything look pretty for awhile before things turn ugly. I'm looking forward to the lazy snowflakes falling idly by and falling faintly, faintly falling to blanket the capital. (<--This is a *James Joyce reference by the way)

(*As an aside, James Joyce was writing about Ireland. But he described snow as such:
'His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end..' Isn't that one of the best lines of prose you've ever read about snow?!!? It is in my opinion and from one of my favorite short stories! You'll have to Google the line yourself to find out which story it came from.)

Ok back to London and marvelous snowy and wintry thoughts...

On Tuesday evening, E (one of my best London girl friends from America) and I are going ice skating at Somerset House. We asked all our British friends to join us but all of them weren't interested. We're excited because it's sponsored by Tiffany & Co. They'll have hot chocolate in special Tiffany blue cups! The falling snow should be the perfect back drop! I'm excited.

P.S. London Complaint of the Day:
Tube strikes cause looooong delays for my morning commute. I left at 7:45 and didn't get to work until 10am today. Normally this is a 14 minute journey on the train. Evil.

London Complaint of the Day No.3

London Complaint No.3
Public transport smells! On any given day, my sensitive nose rates the 'odor' in my train carriage. Some days it smells like urine, most days like cumin, sweat, or a mixture of the two, or like vomit on some late nights. During rush hour, when we're all smooshed together like sardines, someone taller is usually breathing on me. Usually this breathing smells like morning breath, alcohol, cigarettes, cumin, or the odd kimchee (that's very rare though). I'd have to rate cumin as being the 'usual' smell since many people here like to eat tons of curry! Stinkeroo!

Good thing about London No.3
This city is the portal to many other European destinations! I'm off to Barcelona for the weekend. www.ryanair.com is fab! I leave Friday night and come back on Sunday afternoon. Alas, I can escape the 35-40 degree weather for a couple of days and be in 60-50 degree weather in Spain! Perhaps I'll post pictures.

London Complaint of the Day No.2

Complaint no. 2 of 7:
Why must people who walk ahead of me in rush hour or any time of day for that matter decide to stop suddenly without warning? They should really 'pull over' to the side so that others or myself do not run into them. Usually when people stop suddenly, I stop right next to them until they move so I can proceed. Creepy, yes, but that's so they know not to do it again. Half the time people from the countryside and tourists do this. This happens to my friend, E, and I all the time. It's very frustrating.

Good thing about London no. 2 of 7:
I really enjoy the 'buskers' in the London Underground. From saxophonists, classical guitarists, opera singers, blind whistler-man, violinists, heavy metal rock wannabes', jazz musicians, these performance artists provide the everyday soundtrack to my London life. For some reason they always capture my mood, whether I feel down or blue, or light on my feet, they always lift my spirits.