The Tricky 2nd Post: The Paralympic Hangover

You'd be forgiven for thinking this title refers to alcohol-induced suffering, but what I'm really talking about is the slightly empty feeling London has now the Paralympics-and general Olympian fiesta-are over. Ever since I moved here in late June the Olympics has been like an elephant in the room, a massive event looming over the city which no-one was entirely sure they looked forward to. In tube stations and popular tourism spots, massive posters or nifty electronic adverts were everywhere, cheerfully yet sternly reminding people to "Get Ahead of the Games". Once or twice the dulcet tones of Boris Johnson, Mayor of London rang out in a pre-recorded message to a captive audience of tube passengers, offering the same warning about how crowded the London transport system was going to be. British governmental advertising has come a long way since "Loose Lips Sink Ships", but you were still left with the impression that going anywhere was going to be impossible; and if you were late for anything important that was your fault. As the opening of the Olympics drew near, London tabloid coverage of the Games became increasingly negative and so did people's attitudes: bitterness over lack of tickets, empty seats food and drink prices were often used as a coversation icebreaker.

And then a miracle happened. First, the Opening Ceremony was actually quite good. Taking the most pessimistic view we didn't completely embarass ourselves, and from the most optimistic of standpoints it was a stirring, humorous and heartfelt and tribute to an array of British institutions. These of course included the NHS, agriculture, Her Majesty the Queen, and this fellow:

But the fun didn't stop there. Team GB went on to win tons and tons of shiny medals at the Olympics and Paralympics, and suddenly an influx of people from across the globe to the British capital didn't seem such a bad thing. There was a great (if sweaty) atmosphere in bars, restaurants and open spaces around the city. The tourists inevitably brought with them the usual bugbears: an inherent oblivion to the Great British Queue, an insistence on walking 3 abreast slowly through King's Cross station, and lots of bags of tat from the Hard Rock Cafe to trip over on the tube. Yes, at certain stations and certain times public transport was even more packed to the rafters than usual, but the extra traffic meant record levels of hilarious incidents involving people and their belongings getting squished in the tube's automatic doors (resulting in grunts, squeaks and squeals that have to be heard to be believed). And strangely, the citizens of London took it all rather well. I didn't see anyone looking any sourer than usual during their travels around town, despite the travails of having the city taken over by an extra million people with poor navigation skills. I was really amazed by the sight of everyone managing to be gracious, and there did seem to be a special atmosphere of excitement and acceptance in the air this Summer.

Boris Johnson certainly seemed to agree in his speech at the Olympic and Paralympic victory parade, throwing in some quintessentially British innuendo when discussing the "tear-sodden juddering climax" of London's 2012 Olympics. And as darling Boris wisecracked and thanked our athletes, gamesmakers, public transport workers and the Great British people, I couldn't help but feel proud to be British and to have been in the capital for this massive experience. If you'd told my sports-hating, crowd-loathing self that I would enjoy the Olympics back in June I would have laughed and had a whinge like everyone else. But the 2012 Games illustrated a new lesson for me perfectly: sometimes even the biggest of challenges and disruptions can throw you new things to be grateful for. And sometimes, you just have to smile through life's little inconveniences to see the bigger, brighter picture. I leave you with the Mayor of London....

The inaugural First Post!

Well, time to christen my shiny new blog with a first post. As an eternal procrastinator, the only thing harder than starting something is carrying on with it, so blogging will be something of an uphill battle for me at first.

Why here, why now? I'm a blog fanatic, on a constant search for the internet's best writing. I devour my favourite blogs like a net-literate grinch, and then feel major cognitive dissonance about the fact that I munch my way through other people's creativity without putting anything out there in return. It feels like I'm a black hole, hoovering up people's juiciest thoughts and words. Time to change that!

Life is pretty great for me right now. I have moved to the city of London, Great Britain's capital, to work and generally enjoy life. So far, so good; hence the blog's title; I AM loving London living, and I want to shout it from the rooftops. However, given my lack of access to a good rooftop for a George of the Jungle moment, I'll settle for shouting it into nothingness the internet.

Before moving to London I got all sorts of advice from family and friends which generally hinged on the idea that this city is a) Scary b) Lonely and/or c) Dangerous. This included such gems as:

"Never sit on the top deck of a bus!" and "Don't look strangers in the eye, just keep your head down and keep moving".

Despite having lived both in Japan and Deepest Darkest Birmingham, I have to confess that this barrage of advice had me slightly apprehensive. Could London and it's inhabitants really be that bad?

Skip to the present day and my feelings on that issue are a resounding "No Way!". For every strange or intimidating encounter I've had, there have been 3 great ones. I have never met so many friendly, interesting and intelligent people in such a short space of time. Yes, I said the F-word: "friendly"! Natives and newbies alike look startled when I describe London citizens in that way. I hope that when people read about my experiences, they'll be reminded of what great opportunities are on their doorstep here, and the amazing people that could be waiting to share them.

Which brings me to my next point: Carpe Diem. I'm out here trying to seize the day, to reach for dreams, and sometimes it's difficult. So often we downgrade our expectations of life to avoid disappointment, disparage our hopes and ambitions because we're scared of what people will think, and talk ourselves out of doing things that appeal to us because we're just too chicken. I'm trying to break these habits, and I'll be honest: I fail 99% of the time. But this blog is going to help me unleash my new mega-weapon against negativity: GRATEFULNESS. I am going to be GRATEFUL for something every time I post here. I may always write GRATEFUL in caps just because we should be GRATEFUL for the chance to feel GRATEFUL...just kidding :) But seriously, I think taking stock of the things I'm loving about London living and putting them out here just might tip the positivity-scales, which can only lead to good things. And I hope that people who read this blog will get a little bit of gratefulness-karma too.

I think this post should end with us raising a glass, mug, ashtray or pet and making a toast: To London, and to Loving Life. Cheers!