Day 12: Finding Connections And Winning Beans

Today I learned that capitalism emerged from the growth of the merchant class within the European feudal system. While nearly everyone else was stuck in their social class positions, due to the relative autonomy of city-states and the need for mobile merchants, a money economy began to develop and the businessmen began their slow but sure climb towards the top. Seeing as the emphasis on individuality also grew out of the collapse of the feudal system and people no longer based their identity on the aforementioned hierarchy, I don’t think it’s unfounded to suppose that consumerism, or expression of identity through material things, grew out of these two shifts.

When people asked me why I chose international relations, or peace studies, both before and after coming to England, though I usually tried to give some semi-standard response, really the most honest answer I could ever give was ‘to find out how the world works’. That could mean so many things, and I mean it in every sense of the phrase. So the book I began today which included that bit of historical insight was fantastic for me. Exactly what I came here to find out – how everything is connected, not just in the present but spanning over centuries.

Everything, everything is connected, and my whole purpose for studying is to find out exactly how it’s connected, whether it be through history, geography, politics, philosophy, psychology, science, social science, sport, or art. Logic would point to the impossibility of learning everything about everything, but I’m going to put off narrowing choices for as long as possible.

That’s probably the main reason I didn’t pursue one of my more explicit loves as a major. I love music, but I never really considered going for it as a career. I love writing, and maybe someday I’ll even put something proper out, and though I’d absolutely love to study it full-time, that’s not been a serious consideration for me at this stage of my life. I guess that’s because if I love something I know I’ll continue to do it even if it’s not what all my deadlines consist of. This way, I’ll have a day job and plenty of hobbies, and won’t turn myself off what I love by overdoing it. Oh, yes, many would question the availability of post-graduation employment for scholars of a field as vague as peace studies, but being as broad as it is, if I do it right, I’ll have no problem securing work. Not worried about that. Just trying to read/take in/learn as much as possible.

Pity I have to skip over so much interesting reading to pick out relevant information for my uber-short 1500 word essay, er, both of them.

What does all this have to do with Christmas in London? Well, my dear, as I believe I’ve quoted before, all shall be revealed in Chapter 33. Or as Ryan Higa (a.k.a. nigahiga) would say, “All shall be revealed in about thirty minutes (you do realise we’ll have to edit that part, right?)”.

Oh, we won beans at Pub Quiz tonight for having the best name, so we partied late with eggs, bacon, and beans. English breakfast. First time we won anything at Pub Quiz. I think the MC likes us, and feels sorry for us.

He’s cool.

You’re cool.

G’night.

Day 5: What’s London To You?

Oh, dear Internet, how much there is that I want to share with you that my drooping eyelids just won’t let me. It’s a funny and inconvenient phenomenon, but it seems that it’s always the times that I’m most busy that I have the most I want to do; the most I can let myself be distracted with. I suppose that’s because busyness gets my brain active on multiple levels, whereas when I’m on vacation and actually have time to write on all manner of thing my brain slows to a slow…just a second; Thesaurus…circumgyration. Yes. No. Whatever. It gets lazy.

That said, I intend to be productive this Christmas (never mind that I’ve said the exact same thing before all the major breaks in the past few years and have generally failed). The surroundings will stimulate me. And I have a list of topics to flesh out that’s longer than…well, let’s put it this way for digital era’s sake, the scroll bar’s getting awfully short.

I think I did a lot today. I think I can go to sleep feeling satisfied in my usage of this day’s time allotment (that is, after watching an episode of Spooks, a show I’ve really gotten into recently – how do I get it? Well, that’s quite a valuable piece of information that I do  happen to be planning to divulge to you, just not tonight. I’ve got plenty of other websites for you tonight). I went to a new church, I was my usual critical self but tried to suppress it and found myself pleasantly moved; I worked on my essay and, despite once again having collected far too much information, got about halfway through shaping a considerably more concise outline; I felt my brain getting frazzled so I decided to try to make some Christmas decorations out of sweets wrappers; I watched Ryan Higa’s “medium film” on YouTube; I sent more requests out to CouchSurfers; I once again participated in a valiant effort but disappointing result at the weekly Pub Quiz. Curse you, Mr. Flibbles. But I’m not gonna go into any of that right now, except to ask what you think of upside-down trees. Don’t try to make sense of it, just answer. All shall be revealed in Chapter 33.

Oh, before we go on, you need some music, don’t you? Well, you shouldn’t, seeing as I already told you about Spotify and Pandora and even how you can cheat the system to get them where you shouldn’t, but regardless here’s a gold nugget to accompany your reading:

No, instead of talking about my day which may or may not have anything to do with you or interest you, I’m going to be selfish and ask something of you. But I’ll trade you for it. Here are the websites I’ve found related to exploring London (and possibly other places) for cheap. Have at it.

• http://www.generatorhostels.com/ – I’ve never stayed in a hostel, but that’s going to change this month. Some of them are honestly dirt cheap. Probably for good reason. But that’s what reviewing systems are for.
• http://www.hostelworld.com/ – If any of you have hostel experience, tell me what to watch out for, that would be great.
• http://walkit.com/ – I do a lot of walking exploration. It usually ends up being more than I originally intended, and much less on the beaten path. But it reveals a wealth of seld0m-seen sights. I suppose it’s worth mentioning at this point that if any of you are looking to tour Shinjuku, I spent the better part of last year getting acquainted with all its nooks and crannies, so be my guest (next summer).
• http://londonforfree.net/ – This has been a rubbish list explanation, hasn’t it? I’ve just talking the entire time. But I figured it was safe to assume most of these sites are self-explanatory from the URLs. What do you think this one’s about?
• http://www.visitthecity.co.uk/ – And of course the official website is useful, too. I like how it’s just “the city”. As if there’s only one important city in all of the UK. Oh, wait…haha. (Oo, did you see the quote at the top of the London For Free page? Love it!)

Okay, that’s what I’ve found so far and it’s yours for the taking. But I need your help. Websites are useful to a point (I chose two fantastic universities on the strength of online information alone) but an inside perspective would be even better. So what should I see in London? How’s the best way to go about it? What are the nook-and-cranny places that no one knows about but you? And even if you’ve never been, what are some perceptions of London that you’d like me to prove or disprove? I’ll take all suggestions; I’m there for more than two weeks, after all.

I’ll also be in Manchester for a chunk of January, so I guess all these questions apply to there too. What’s Manchester famous for, other than Old Trafford? Really don’t know, come to think of it. It’s the third largest city in the UK, below Birmingham, I believe. Know absolutely nothing about Birmingham.

Okay, I’m gonna go get my daily dosage of espionage now, but thanks for sticking with me this far. The pace is picking up and things will soon be developing faster than either of us can handle.

See ya!