last time I was in London for a long period of time was in the year 2003. I had landed up in London on September 27th and like this time celebrated my bday in London... and I remember I had left London on my bday as well....

I have been liking London so much this time round that I am compelled to think back to what it was like when I came to London 7 years back..... I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed.... and quite stressed... for some reason it was drilled into my head that London is really expensive (it is ofcourse)and as a student I should be careful to not spend so much... I think I spoke to the wrong people.... cos with the stipend I was receiving from the British Council I would have had a very comfortable living... I didnt ofcourse have money to spend on designer clothes but nevertheless I could have done a fair bit of indulging.... I was extra careful about my money at that in London... I would not eat out, i would not buy too many things, I would not go for movies, all thinking it is too expensive... I did a fair bit of sight seeing though because in my mind if you dont spend on travel then there is no point in existence.... so all in all I remember feeling a little restricted in my capacity to enjoy the city.... and this city is all about enjoyment and money comes as a large part of that enjoyment...and when I could not enjoy the city, I really longed to go back to the comfortable days when I was not a student and I was getting a monthly salary...and to me this city began to get a bit stifling...and I felt like I didnt belong here.....

this time round ofcourse I have come on work and I do not have to be that cautious about money.. ofcourse London is expensive but now I have some amount of flexibility in planning my life here... so I do go out fairly often, I do go for shows that I think are interesting and unlike last time I have joined up for weekend classes! so all in all I feel like I am getting a feel of the city, living the city like it should be lived in, enjoying the city the way it should be enjoyed.... in short I am LIVING in London rather than just existing in London... and that makes all the difference... like someone asked me in Washington "is this your first time in London?" and my response was "the first time with money"...

this may seem like a post to show that money is the only way to enjoy london...but it is not... it is more to show how a city as fantastic as London can also become boring if you really dont take the effort to enjoy yourself ... like I should have 7 years back... but better late than never...

I also remember feeling very pressured when I came to London.... the pressure was ofcourse more internal than external but somehow I used to worry a lot.... I used to worry about money, about my future, about what i would do if I went back to India and how I would feel about not finding a job in London.... At that time I came to London to get away from India and all its pressures.... and my London sojourn was something that I had hoped would change my life... and while I didnt see it at that time, London did change my life... in a MAJOR way... and that change has not left me even today... and this time round I cant wait to go back to India... not because I dont like London but because the last time I was in London, I learned to love my own country a bit more... and now I cant change that ....I want to go back to India.... ofcourse the fact that my Boss in India constantly calls me to remind me that he is expecting me to be back in office by mid December also a reason why I feel India is waiting for me....

But it is all about the present and now - now I am in London and I absolutely love it ... no pressure, no expectation, no adulteration, no worries.... London, unadulterated... and trust me it is absolutely fantastic to be here!!