That’s what I wanted to talk about. I knew there was something I needed to write a post about, but I only remembered once I was going to Bar Tok. I’m not going to talk about Bar Tok…yet, that’s for another installment, but I’m going to talk about general life in London. I don’t intend to stay here for the rest of my life, however I think it would be good to have a few posts that actually remind me of this particular period of my life and what sort of places were around at the time.

So for the first installment I’m going to talk about sales shopping in London. Now anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a very big fan of shopping for myself, especially trousers. The reason being I’m very particular about trousers and well the current styles in London really generally don’t suit my needs. However for sales shopping in London I think it’s very very important for people to KNOW what they’re after before going out in those ridiculously busy and messy streets. This might seem very girly, but believe it or not guys need to get clothes and stuff as well. You can either get stuff YOU actually want, or stuff your girlfriend/wife chooses for you, depending on her style, it’s anyone’s guess what you’ll end up wearing to work. Think about that.

Leave the house early. We're talking out the house by at least 9 o'clock, this way you miss most of the rush, and believe me you'd think these people have never seen clothes before, new rules, no manners, pushing shoving, pulling, grabbing. Know exactly what you want. Don't go out thinking something is going to jump out at you. You'll end up running about like a moron for 3 hours, get really annoyed and frustrated and get nothing of use for neither man nor beast. We had a saying in University which if analysed doesn't make sense, however it's got wisdom in it's flawed wording:

The definition of a bargain is something you can't possibly use, at a price you CAN'T resist.

Try and avoid this kind of bargain. Go into the stores, SCAN, if you don’t find what it is you’re looking for, get out. Don’t browse casually.

In between the long walks between stores make sure you get something hot to drink. Trust me me it'll make things more pleasant. Always have some form of music-player with you. Important. You don't have one, borrow one, rent one, buy one before you do anything else, and hey you can use it again after the sales are over ^_^. Avoid Oxford St. Yeah, that's where all the tourists go, and generally speaking all those stores can be found not too far away from the hell hole of a street. Oh sure some parts of it are good. Certain stores are bigger, but I think the amount of hassle you get on those roads might not warrent it. Concentrate on Covent Garden, King's Road, Camden. If I find any other decent areas I'll be sure to update this post. If there are any Londoners reading this, please post your favourite areas.