![shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann](/files/avatars/2007/51852-shaftwhore.gif "shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann"){kind=small}
For those that have used the London Underground they will know that it is not the best subway in the world, in fact its down right terrible at times, but yesterday I had to brave it. Not only would I have to take several tubes, but a couple of trains too over a 400 mile round trip and why would I decide to do such a thing, knowing the pitfalls that await me?
A visa or to be more precise a Chinese visa. It was back in Singapore, 3 weeks ago that we learnt we (iTG) would be covering the Chinese Internet Gaming Finals in Shanghai over the 17-18th December but only recently did we discover the need for a visa. Its not something you can merely send off for either, you have to turn up with your passport in hand, together with a completed application and queue. You also have to have a booked flight, so we needed to get that done before going as well.
Stu (TosspoT) had already been in London a day longer than he wanted, having attempted unsuccesfully to obtain his visa the day before I arrived.
My journey set out from Cardiff central station at 5:15am having already been up for over an hour. At 7.45am we rolled into Paddington, London and from there I got a tube to Regents Park and the short walk to the chinese Embassy in Portland Place. Id arrived a little early, so time for a quick coffee in starbucks and then finally meeting up with Stu at the embassy at 9am. We queued for what seemed like hours bu in all honesty was around 45 minutes before handing over our docs and then had a 3 hour wait before the visa would be issued.
To kill some time we ate in a local cafe and it was here that my troubles really started for the day. A typical english breakfast, sausage, bacon, beans, toast and a couple of eggs. You see, a few weeks ago I discovered I had an alergy to eggs that made me feel terrible when I ate them, but being so tired and not remembering, I ate the eggs on my plate without a care in the world.
By the time we left the cafe a few hours later to collect our visas and get our passports returned I was feeling a little odd. Another 45 minute queue waiting for our visa's ensued and I felt worse by the minute. By the time we left the embassy I was feeling decidely rough and thought I would puke any moment.
The tube ride to harrow (to visit Sujoy) really took its toll on me and we had to get off as I felt lilke I would pass out at any moment, heart pounding one minute, near silent the next, my veins seemingly bereft of any blood in them and my stomach feeling as if it would explode any moment, the pain was excruciating.
Luckily I had Stu with me and he found a toilet in a bar just outside the station we had jumped off at. A bottle of water and a long time in the toilet made me feel a little better, but it was not until we reached the net cafe in Harrow that I had finally stopped having "pass out" moments. Three fruther trips to the bathroom and I felt a lot better, phew. It was pretty scarey for a while, I must say, but I have only myself to blame. I will think more about what I eat in future, especially when it comes to eggs.
We spent an hour or so with Sujoy and then got another tube back to Baker Street, although by then Stu had headed off in the other direction and I then had to change tubes to get to paddington. The tube then broke down at the next stop and we were stranded for 20 minutes, eventually getting on another tube which took me back to Baker Street, i then got off again and got on the next one to Paddington, this time there was a signal fault! so off I get again and join another tube heading towards wimbledon, safe in the knowledge that it would be stopping at Paddington on the way. 1 hour after i should have arrived in Paddington I finally had arrived, only now a new problem occured and one I hadnt foreseen.
I had arrived back, well after my train was due to leave and therefore would have to catch the 4.15 to Cardiff. My ticket however did not allow this (even though it was an open ticket) and I was therefore asked to get a new ticket at the ticket office. I rushed to the ticket office, explained I had been sold the ticket on the train at 5.15am that day and that id missed my train this afternoon because of a set of tube problems. I had to pay an extra £9, not too bad I guess, but still irritating. More irritating when I found they didnt accept my credit card. A dash to the cash machine only to find i had no money left in the account! wtf!
I quickly made some calls and got money transferred to the account (thanks to my wife) and then went back to the ticket office to pay the extra amount, missing the train in the process and eventually getting home at 7.30pm from a long, stressful, ill and very tiring day.
This reminded me why I hate the UK so much. Nothing is ever simple, nothing is ever easy and if you dare to question any of these issues, you are ridiculed for believing that anything else could be better anywhere else in the world. Frankly, the tubes are better in Singapore, the trains are better in Sweden and Holland and the people are nicer almost everywhere than here. Patriotic? you bet when it comes to supporting my national football team (even though they are the most over hyped, under-achievers in sport) but do I like my own country?, definately not. We have a lot to learn about public services and transport, but I doubt we will ever take notice of "foreigners" who we seem to think are somehow inferior to us.
A new conservative Leader was ellected yesterday, a man called David Cameron and a man I am sure many in the world will come to know over the next 10 years, because for the first time in a very long time (maybe, ever?) we have someone who is young enough and cleverer enough to see how others do things better and then "borrow" from them to make this country better. He also seems to want to avoid the mud-slinging politics of the last 10 years and actually concentrate on making this country a better place. God help Tony Blair at the next election because I am certain its not just me who is pissed off with the way this country is and here, just might be, a guy who can help change it. David Cameron is not yet Prime Minister, but it cant be long before he is elected so and that from someone who voted Labour at the last election...
So, visa obtained, China here we come, just better mind the egg fried rice I guess :/
A visa or to be more precise a Chinese visa. It was back in Singapore, 3 weeks ago that we learnt we (iTG) would be covering the Chinese Internet Gaming Finals in Shanghai over the 17-18th December but only recently did we discover the need for a visa. Its not something you can merely send off for either, you have to turn up with your passport in hand, together with a completed application and queue. You also have to have a booked flight, so we needed to get that done before going as well.
Stu (TosspoT) had already been in London a day longer than he wanted, having attempted unsuccesfully to obtain his visa the day before I arrived.
My journey set out from Cardiff central station at 5:15am having already been up for over an hour. At 7.45am we rolled into Paddington, London and from there I got a tube to Regents Park and the short walk to the chinese Embassy in Portland Place. Id arrived a little early, so time for a quick coffee in starbucks and then finally meeting up with Stu at the embassy at 9am. We queued for what seemed like hours bu in all honesty was around 45 minutes before handing over our docs and then had a 3 hour wait before the visa would be issued.
To kill some time we ate in a local cafe and it was here that my troubles really started for the day. A typical english breakfast, sausage, bacon, beans, toast and a couple of eggs. You see, a few weeks ago I discovered I had an alergy to eggs that made me feel terrible when I ate them, but being so tired and not remembering, I ate the eggs on my plate without a care in the world.
By the time we left the cafe a few hours later to collect our visas and get our passports returned I was feeling a little odd. Another 45 minute queue waiting for our visa's ensued and I felt worse by the minute. By the time we left the embassy I was feeling decidely rough and thought I would puke any moment.
The tube ride to harrow (to visit Sujoy) really took its toll on me and we had to get off as I felt lilke I would pass out at any moment, heart pounding one minute, near silent the next, my veins seemingly bereft of any blood in them and my stomach feeling as if it would explode any moment, the pain was excruciating.
Luckily I had Stu with me and he found a toilet in a bar just outside the station we had jumped off at. A bottle of water and a long time in the toilet made me feel a little better, but it was not until we reached the net cafe in Harrow that I had finally stopped having "pass out" moments. Three fruther trips to the bathroom and I felt a lot better, phew. It was pretty scarey for a while, I must say, but I have only myself to blame. I will think more about what I eat in future, especially when it comes to eggs.
We spent an hour or so with Sujoy and then got another tube back to Baker Street, although by then Stu had headed off in the other direction and I then had to change tubes to get to paddington. The tube then broke down at the next stop and we were stranded for 20 minutes, eventually getting on another tube which took me back to Baker Street, i then got off again and got on the next one to Paddington, this time there was a signal fault! so off I get again and join another tube heading towards wimbledon, safe in the knowledge that it would be stopping at Paddington on the way. 1 hour after i should have arrived in Paddington I finally had arrived, only now a new problem occured and one I hadnt foreseen.
I had arrived back, well after my train was due to leave and therefore would have to catch the 4.15 to Cardiff. My ticket however did not allow this (even though it was an open ticket) and I was therefore asked to get a new ticket at the ticket office. I rushed to the ticket office, explained I had been sold the ticket on the train at 5.15am that day and that id missed my train this afternoon because of a set of tube problems. I had to pay an extra £9, not too bad I guess, but still irritating. More irritating when I found they didnt accept my credit card. A dash to the cash machine only to find i had no money left in the account! wtf!
I quickly made some calls and got money transferred to the account (thanks to my wife) and then went back to the ticket office to pay the extra amount, missing the train in the process and eventually getting home at 7.30pm from a long, stressful, ill and very tiring day.
This reminded me why I hate the UK so much. Nothing is ever simple, nothing is ever easy and if you dare to question any of these issues, you are ridiculed for believing that anything else could be better anywhere else in the world. Frankly, the tubes are better in Singapore, the trains are better in Sweden and Holland and the people are nicer almost everywhere than here. Patriotic? you bet when it comes to supporting my national football team (even though they are the most over hyped, under-achievers in sport) but do I like my own country?, definately not. We have a lot to learn about public services and transport, but I doubt we will ever take notice of "foreigners" who we seem to think are somehow inferior to us.
A new conservative Leader was ellected yesterday, a man called David Cameron and a man I am sure many in the world will come to know over the next 10 years, because for the first time in a very long time (maybe, ever?) we have someone who is young enough and cleverer enough to see how others do things better and then "borrow" from them to make this country better. He also seems to want to avoid the mud-slinging politics of the last 10 years and actually concentrate on making this country a better place. God help Tony Blair at the next election because I am certain its not just me who is pissed off with the way this country is and here, just might be, a guy who can help change it. David Cameron is not yet Prime Minister, but it cant be long before he is elected so and that from someone who voted Labour at the last election...
So, visa obtained, China here we come, just better mind the egg fried rice I guess :/
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/me gives red some hot coco