Monday 27th November, 2023
13:45, ARRO COFFEE, OXFORD STREET
Greetings. So, this Monday morning dawned bright and early (not really, the sun rose well past 7:30am) but I arose from my bed at 10:30am. Given the fact that I slept at 6:30am, I consider this a win.
Before I even left the bed, I called my GP and booked an appointment because I’d been putting that off for 2 months. Jesus, what kind of anxiety do you call this? It wasn’t even a big deal. But anyway, with that ticked off the list, I finally got up and made the bed.
I got ready to go to central. Exciting! Haven’t been shopping in ages. I’m not even shopping for me! It’s Christmas prezzie shopping day and nothing’s better than giving gifts (except maybe receiving them hehe).
Then I dashed out the door. Winter jacket on, North Face fleece underneath (great item!), gloves, water bottle, and finally, my laptop and charger, because I can’t go anywhere without them and I’m going to class after shopping. Oxford street and my university are literally walking distance. I’ve got a really late class this evening so I’ll be heading there no doubt.
Anyway, my first stop was at that multi-level Primark right by Tottenham Court Station. Not the one at the start of Oxford Street – that one’s mayhem. I stay away. Actually, I haven’t been to Primark in an age. I used to go when I was in high school to buy tights and socks and such. Ah, those were the days. Anyway, I was looking for kids clothes. I get my niece and nephew a jumper each for Christmas, every year, without fail. (Except last year, which we will not discuss). They always expect the hot-young-rich-international-flyer-favourite-auntie (AKA, me) to return bearing gifts. Lol.
I got the nephew a Batman jumper and the niece a super soft purple butterfly one. I feel like clothing texture is so important for girls. Soft materials make you feel pretty and cosy. It’s a win-win.
It was raining heavily, by the way. Very cloudy. Very grey. Very London. With no umbrella in my possession I turned to my jackets hood, which pretty much ruined my hair but we move on.
Also, can I voice an unpopular opinion? You know that artsy advertisement walk-in-exhibit-thing you see right after you exit Tottenham Court station? You know the one that has screens everywhere, the ceiling too, so it’s like walking into a 3D film experience. Well, it’s a big tourist pull, right? People stop to take pictures and whatnot. It was showing this cute cartoony Christmas scene, ok? I thought it was cute. I went over to take pictures like everyone else. I was pretty much ogling like the kids. A little choo-choo train drove by the wall. It was adorable.
Then out of no-where, the scene cuts and theres dark moody colours and a grown ass naked women, writhing with metal tentacle wires connected to her bare nipples snaking down her body. It was like a mix between Alien vs Predators and a porno. Like, what the fuck? It was an advertisement of course, interrupting the cartoon Uniqlo exhibit.
Also, it looked like Beyonce? Maybe, Charli XCX? Or some model. I don’t know because I quickly left. Made me so uncomfortable and I literally thought to myself, those poor kids that were watching the cute Christmas elves or whatever are probably traumatised now. I mean, I’m traumatised and i’m a grown woman. Look, I know we see provocative and sexual advertisements all the time, but this, this was almost like a sneak attack, inserted somewhere that draws a child’s gaze and like, seared into their eyes. Damn.
If I was a parent I’d go full-on Karen. Not acceptable and theres no way the parents and tourists could know such a disturbing and sexual advert would pop up. Plus there was no way to avoid looking as the whole room is an immersive experience. Left me a bit shaken. Not sure if i’m overreacting but those are my thoughts on that. Just the advert itself, even in a different context, would still be disturbing. Ugh, feel nauseous recalling it as I type.
Anyway, after that was the aforementioned Primark stop (they have a Greggs in there now?! When did that happen?), then I went to Rituals to check if my perfume is still there. It’s still there. Then I went to Tiger to get a pack of those spicy red snack things my sister likes. I’ll take it to her as an additional present but her main present is yet to be bought (stay tuned for Waterstones). Then I was chatting with mum on the phone but I couldn’t juggle my bag and the phone and the umbrella, so I ducked into a cafe called Arro.
Which brings us to the current timeline. I’m sitting in Arro as I type this. I got a latte and the spinach & ricotta pie. They forgot to warm it, and me being British, refused to call them out on it, haha. So I ate the cold pie, which was surprisingly tasty, considering how bland the main ingredients tend to be on their own. I imagine this pie filling inside a ravioli would be an absolute killer. It has a nice pesto-y flavour. Almost too salty. Very dense. Pastry flakiness is ok, definitely crispy, even the bottom was good, not soggy at all. Price for the pie slice and latte was £9. Beats Starbucks by a mile. Starbucks is overpriced garbage at this point. (I still frequent Starbucks FYI lol).
After this, I’ve got to continue down Oxford street for a bit till I get to TKMax. I just want to check out what they have to see if I can spot any presents for mum or my aunt. I’m also hoping to buy my friend something cute, maybe fuzzy socks, something along those lines. Then I’ll head back. Probably walk till Goodge Street and check out the Waterstones near there for my sisters gift. Then head to the library to wait for class. Gift buying is so fun!
15:54, UNIVERSITY
She is back. She is I.
I’m out of the rain now, nice and cosy at a table I grabbed in my university building. Would have grabbed a coffee but I had one recently so never mind that. I did fill up my water bottle though.
I’d say the shopping trip was a success. I managed to find my friend a cute gift at TKMax in the form of some jewellery. Then I started walking to uni, popping into M&S at the halfway point, ending at Waterstones to grab the new Britney Spears book for my sister. Now everyone’s sorted except my mum, and maybe my aunt. Not sure what to get them. I’m not even traveling to Toronto with checked-in baggage, only a carry on, so God knows how I’m taking all of this plus my own personal items.
As soon as I got here I went to the bathroom – which was blessedly empty – to sort myself out. Washed my hands, fixed my hair, and removed the now boiling hot jacket. I’ve got around 3.5 hours to kill before class and I’d best fill that time studying.
Also, can I just say, bringing this re-usable plastic Lululemon bag was the best decision of the day. It’s raining and my purchases would have gotten soaked otherwise. Especially the book, since Waterstones only does paperbags (for 25p!) or more expensive tote bags (still not waterproof are they). I’ve got enough of those at home.
The plan, which I will immediately enact after this, is to study this week’s Commercial Law lectures. I’ll do that, then do the readings. How’s that? My friends are going to come but I prefer to get as much done while I’m alone as possible. Also, how am I hungry? I ate 2 hours ago. Carbs make you crave I guess. The spinach and ricotta pie had barely any protein or healthy fats, which is what satiates you. Carbs are empty calories. Mainstream science is honestly the worst these days. Carbohydrates and sugars are not what we’re supposed to eat, I don’t care how they twist the data. All you have to ask yourself is this, what can we not survive without? Protein, which is made of amino acids.
What food source has all the nutrients and amino acids we need in one place? Animals – which we are designed to eat. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs (and dairy, if you can). Agriculture is relatively new (10,000 years give or take). Our bodies? Not new. We took hundreds of thousands (millions?) of years of evolution to get to this stage. Remember, carbs are broken down into simple sugars in the body. So to simplify, carbohydrates = sugars.
Just because you can eat something (e.g. carbs) doesn’t mean you should. You could give a bird or a dog a piece of candy and it would happily eat it, doesn’t mean it should. It may not even die, but over a long period, it will suffer the consequences. Kind of like how virtually every disease (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, dementia, cancers etc) has risen in numbers in the last few decades, following the rise of mass accessibility to cheap and cheerful carbs and sugars on the supermarket shelves. It’s actually incredible how they’ve warped the data to the point where they can confidently say heart disease is due to red meat, when meat consumption is the lowest it’s ever been. Anyway, I don’t practice what I preach so I’ll just shut up. Slave to the system I guess. For now.
16:39, UNIVERSITY
I’ve finished watching the commercial lecture, downloading the materials, and created my notes page. Gosh, studying is hard. I need to get into better habits. My mind was wondering 10 minutes into the lecture. But that’s ok, we still got it done. Today, I studied, however little. Tomorrow I will do the same, plus a little more. Studying is a skill, so naturally, you have to practice to improve. Or so I tell myself. In high school, I didn’t really study. Just the day before the exams. Top marks across the board too, which lulls one into a false sense of confidence. That kind of behaviour doesn’t fly in the big leagues. Just ADHD things. Whenever I try to quit cold turkey with my bad habits, I end up reverting. So we take it slow and make it stick. I will also try to wake up a little earlier each day till I reach the optimum wake-up time.
At 5pm the university restaurant opens. I’m thinking I might go and grab dinner before class but I don’t want to be sleepy for class (which I often feel after a meal – specifically a meal with carbs). I’ll go investigate and if nothing looks good, I’ll go to the library till it’s time. Toodles.
17:44, UNIVERSITY
Hello. I went to the restaurant/canteen a little early but it was open, which makes me think the posted times are wrong. They’d ran out of chicken Katsu curry so I got the jerk chicken instead. Came with 2 pieces of chicken, one thigh and one drumstick, and also 2 sides. I got the veggie mix and golden rice and the guy was nice enough to add leftover Katsu curry sauce on my rice per my request. All that for £6. Pretty good for a hot meal. I might go more often.
On my way there I saw my friend from class. I asked about the Commercial Law quiz which we recently did. She got 70%, which is great, that’s a 1st (in the UK we have tiers for marks, 1st being the highest). I’m got 92% on that quiz, which I’m grateful for. It could help me if my final grade is on the borderline. Told her she got a good grade and the quiz is only worth 10% of the total course anyway.
Now I’m back in the building where my class will be. Friends have arrived. I’m using the time to charge my laptop and phone and will just wait here till class starts. Too much hassle to move building to building because I have to pack up and get my heavy jacket on each time. What should I buy mum for Christmas? Ok, over and out.
