Day Eleven

Too tired to type...went to a BBE party at this nice place called AKA...I didn't know that place before but it will be one of my regular chill out spots...It really has a nice 70's NYC type of vibe...dope music, gorgeous women...we just chilled there, had a couple of rasberry shots, watch people dance to swing music...





and then i just wanted to make you guys mad so i bought two apples pies at mc donald's...delicious !!! i can't believe they took that away from us in France just because a couple of jerks burned their tongues with the content...

Day Ten (Devil's Pie Instrumental)

Steph's workmates love her. As a proof, one dude from his creative studio drew her portrait on her hand...quite lovely isn't it?

Day Ten

Okay, i admit that today i was weak...very weak...why? because after 9 days of holding on, it got me...what got me? this...



So after this great interview with this very cool recruiter named Abi, i joined Angelo in an HMV next to Picadilly cuz some friends from Italy came over for a video games tournament...yes they are pro video games players ... yes they travel the world and make quite a lot of money with it...crazy isn't it? when i arrived they just had sushis so just the thought of food got me to think about how much i was resisting BK since i arrived...but anyway, i think someone is holding me off to go this way cuz here's the conversation i had with the lady at the counter...

"Hi, can i have a number 2 : double whooper meal to go with chips and sprite please?"
"yes, 9£88 please..."
"huh? i just want one meal, not two..."
"you said two !"
"no i said i wanted a number 2 which is the double whooper meal..."
"ok wait..."
she went to get my burger...
"4.39£ please..."
(me mubbling) "that's a regular whooper you're giving me not a double but nevermind..."
"...and here's your coke...enjoy your meal ! "
"hummm ok thanks"

so i went back home...and everytime i take bus 13, it drops me to Dorset Square, just a min from Balcombe street...here's what it looks like...



So you're prolly wondering why the heck is he showing us a square just like the thousands of other squares in LDN...because according a some believers (i.e Steph and Sandrine) Dorset Square inspired the set of one of our fav animations "Princess Sarah"...ok, i admit it looks kinda similar but let's not push it that far, it looked like any other square in LDN...i'll let you make the call !

Day Nine

Right after sending a dozen cv's and right before going to my second interview, Angelo got me a present...a book for me to read on the tube...yeah you guessed it "How to mow the lawn" !!!! but see, it's not just a book about mowing the law, as the tagline stresses, it's about "The Lost Art Of Being A Man"...Apart from all the cool tricks about lawn mowing like changing a tyre or mending a leak, there are also great lessons for your everyday life as a modern man. such as "Chapter 5 : How to gain points with the fairer sex"
and i especially dug this part..."Getting Your Foot In The Bedroom Door"



Tonight we had a sushis party...Steph and Angelo picked them up at the Japan Centre which is a dope japanese food complex next to Picadilly...very fresh and very cheap...for example all the stuffs on the table cost about 25£...



and then Claudine had a chat with God on a laptop...crazy isn't it?

Day Eight

Today was...



yeah another road sign story...at the same time, if you're dead, you're not slow. you're NOT moving AT ALL...
So today i had an interview at 2.30pm and i arrived...late. yeah, that's a good move isn't it? i was stuck in traffic and some jerk pulled the alarm from inside the bus. The interview went pretty well so we'll see if it turns into something interresting. At one moment, the recruiter told me "you're a very credible candidate but you should wear a tie at interviews..." so i spent part of the afternoon trying to remember how to nod a tie...and as this blog is not only about me but it is also a public service provider, all guys in the same situation as me will find this useful...



Alright, one week in London. Time to Stop for a second, make my first money counts and pull out some conclusions don't you think? so here's what i spent over the last 7 days... The part i covered is Talib Kweli's email..i couldn't let that go public ;p



So grand total is 253£ for the past week...on that, you need to pull off two things that i could have bought in Paris and didn't really needed here : althought magnificent, the trench (119£) ... and the hoodie (15£) so substract 134£ and you get 119£...
so that means you need at least 160£/week (rent excluded) to SURVIVE in London since you have to remember that living with my friends, i share meals, i don't pay for things like laundry, soap, etc. I hope these info will help some of y'all who think about moving here and how financially prepared you need to be in here. After all, it all comes down to what Seiji told me last time, "Never underestimate London".

Day Seven (Paul Anka cover)

So tonight was my second trip of the day in the East. Angelo and I met my fake sister Sandrine and her nice friend Kim at Plastic People...well re-named Pla... People since someone stole de "stic" part of the front sign...



Tonight was Co-Op which is the Mecca of Broken Beat and happens twice a month (second and last sunday's) at Plastic...Domu, IG, Orin, Adam Rock, Kay Suzuki were there to hype the crowd and make people dance to some very dope tracks...I remember the first time i went to plastic about two years ago, i thought it was weird cuz even tho the bar got lights, people dance in the dark...now i think it's kinda cool cuz it takes away the show off factor that ruins most parisian clubs, tho it's hard to take pics in these conditions...



We stayed there until 11.30pm on some perfect sunday chill out night and went back to Old street to catch our bus. And what do you do while waiting 19 minutes for your 205 to come??? you take pics of cool people who do the same...

Day Seven

So Today Steph and I went on a little journey to the East side of town...Everytime i walk around there, i always dig the way they integrate street art into their environment...Here are a couple of examples (i especially like the restaurant/bus)







We had lunch in a dope vietnamnese restaurant and then went to Bricklane, one of my fav spot in LDN, where the sunday up market takes place every sunday...it's very funky tho super crowded...



and do you know many places where it looks like they sell 45" by the pound??? haha



i got myself a couple of bootleg DVD's...it's crazy they're selling movies that are not even out yet for 2£...got "The great debaters" and "american gangster"... and i spotted a couple of awesome shirts that imma get as soon as i find a job...
Before heading back home, we made a stop at this bagel place that i love...it's open 24/7, you get 12 bagels for 2£ and they're fresh so tonight is a bagel special..i bought some salad, some turkey, mustard and nutella !!! after walking all these miles, someone was tired ;p

Day Six

Nothing much today. It was the last day of sales in most places and i didn't feel like being in the busy crowd so i just took a walk around the Marylebone neighbourhood...a thought popped up in my mind...we tend to underestimate the roadsigns differences when we're here cuz i almost got hit by cars and buses a half a dozen times and that...



saved my life many times...plus it's always cool to have a road telling you that you look right...haha

so tonight, Angelo, Claudine, Marissa and I went out...In England, Smokes are 5,50£ a pack which is crazy. Plus when i wanted to buy a pack today, dude asked for my ID...i fronted on that of course. Since i'm a grown ass man, i don't need to be monitored like a kid...so my italian cookmate took me to this place on Edgware Road where they sell malboro light packs for 3£ only...named Zam Zam Market...



I'm gonna miss my dunhill menthol but until i completely stop smoking (soon hopefully), i think imma stick to the cheap malboro light's...from there, we took the bus and met this group of teenage girls singin in the back...it was funny cuz they looked 16 but sang all the 90's hip hop party anthems like "Insane in the brain" or "Baby got back"... they had weird tribal paintings on their face so i made them pose for me...they were super nice to accept...




Then we went to this super dope pizza place next to Tottenham where they have great pizza's for 4£ only which is a mind blowing deal in LDN...so to all the people who will come to visit me, we'll hit that spot for sure...the rest of the night was just lame...your typical "what are we doing now?" "let's go to that place..." "oh no let's try another one..."...well, we all had a huge L printed on our forehead...Tomorrow should be better...

Day Five (Lord Finesse remix)

Ok so tonight, Angelo and I got ***beeep*** and then i was craving for chocolate so i bought a snickers bar and guess what was on the package ! well, excluding the fact that mister T.'s face was on it which makes it waaaaay cooler than french snikers bars, there was a personnal message for Marissa (remember the US girl from day 3???) !!!



Then we went for a walk...I came across the best book i've ever seen !!!



We continued on Marylebone High street where i noticed that the traffic signs painted on the road where kinda weird so i wanted to shoot them and i almost ended up taking shots of my own traggic death...yeah it would have been traggic considering the fact that i bought my new super fly trench today...haha





Ended up on Regent street for the second time today and took the bus back home...Now's time to sleep...

Day Five

After spending the entire morning sending cv's, Angelo and I went to the west end to find some clothes...of course, i had my coat in mind...so i went to Zara to try it again, and it wasn't 170£ like i said but 170€ which makes it 119£...Angelo said it looked nice but then at the uniqlo next door, i found a dope but more classic coat for 50£...after a couple more stores where Angelo tried on some suits (he just got a job at Cisco...yeah congrats to him..no !!! not the dru hill guy but the computer company so he needs suits...), he told me "you know, nothing will match the happiness of putting on your Zara coat every morning..." that was so stoopid that it convinced me to buy it so we went to 4 different Zara's but they were sold out, i felt like someone was puttin me through a test to see if i really wanted it...but now, I GOT IT !!! who's the flyest dude in LDN now??? ME !!! hahahahhahahahah

while on Regent street, i remember that my sister took a pic of the street in the early 90's and it was probably my first photography shock...just perfect...so i tried to take my version of it but it kinda sucks...



Then on the tube back to the flat, i turned my head and saw this !



Just when i forgot about this midget, he comes hunting me all the way in LDN !!! yurk !!!

Day Four (Afronaught Re-Edit)

Ok so i just got back from jazz re:freshed. This gig takes place at Mau Mau, one of the coolest bar i know in the west part of town and if you ever happen to go there on a thursday, you'll get to hear some dope music no matter what. Even if it's a band i never heard of, i know that if they're down at jazz re:freshed, it'll be some quality time. For example : tonight, Angelo, Stef, Claudine (who's like the 4th unofficial roomate of the Balcombe Street flat) and I went to see Gianni Quartet, a dope jazz band, for 3£ only. So props to Adam Rock and his crew...(www.myspace.com/jazzrefreshed for more info)





during the set, i took what i believe to be my nicest pic so far...



so everyone was chillin', happy to be here...isn't it Sir?



Now my back kinda hurts and i don't know why so imma get some sleep...

Day Four

Morning Quizz...So three people live in this flat on a daily basis...Andrew, Angelo and Stef...
How many toothbrushes do they use???
See for yourself !



As soon as i woke up, i got a call from a recruiting agency and got a meeting with them on monday which is pretty cool...now Angelo, Andrew and i are gonna have a nice and healthy lunch..fried potatoes and fried salmon...and then it'll be all about sending cv's again...
Today is thursday so tonight i'm going to Jazz re:freshed in Porto Bello, it's one of the dopest live/Dj gig in town...

Day Three (Extra P remix)

Ok so i just got back from the US people reunion...check the time and you'll figure it wasn't all that...
At about 6pm, Angelo's friend Marissa got here...I pretended i was from LA and she wasn't sure if i was telling the truth or not which was cool cuz i'm starting to question my english skills since i don't understand all of what people are sayin' here...well she's from the US tho so i actually my statement is pretty wack...
anyway, she was really cool...but while we were talking, all of a sudden she went..."I really want some nuts !!!" which sounded a bit weird to me...but she was talking about actual nuts and not the things i had in mind...
we had a nice meal..Angelo and I are slowly but surely becoming the kings of the delicious cheap meal...
then we had to get rid of the food smell...Marissa got fresh cuz she wanted to meet some cool US people to hang out with...



then we were on the tube and this ad caught my attention



so between that and the "I want some nuts !!!" scream...i got some weird signals tonight...

then we got to the place and it was...well...kinda empty...on some MJ Billie Jean type of floor...


people were having dinner so it pretty hard to socialize in those conditions...i left before Angelo and Marissa so i hope she found some friends to eat nuts with...

Day Three

Nothing much today...woke up, had lunch with Angelo...well basically eating last night dinner's leftovers consisting of coconut rice and chinese vegetables...
been online all afternoon to post my cv on all recruitment websites and contact agencies i talked to from paris about two months ago...
plans for tonight? Angelo is taking me to some London based Americans reunion...should be fun..i'll take some pics...

Day Two (Puff Daddy remix)

Ok so i just got back from my little run in the west end. got the hoddie at h&m which was easy but couldn't find the coat...tried at least 6 stores : h&m, urban outfitters, uniqlo, gap, some no name stores...and it all takes me back to that super xtra fly trench i saw at zara in paris...saw it again today, tried it on for the 3rd time in 2 weeks, was close to buying it for the 4th time...but i had put it back because now that i'm here, i need to have some sense...it's thin, it's 170£...but i think if i smoke some good weed, i'll be high enough to buy it...wait til you see it !
The good thing is that i found a record i've been looking for a long ass time..ok i know i swore i wouldn't buy any wax for a couple of weeks but Boyz II Men's Thank You Eddie F. & The Untouchables remix??!!! Couldn't let that one go...2£ my friends, now cry me a river...

Day Two

Things i saw when i woke up...For a second i thought i was not in LDN but in Montmartre with a nice view of the top of Le Sacré Coeur...



then i thought i was outterspace cuz when i looked up and i saw Mars...



..and looked down and saw some kind of moon sand...



Anyway, since my friends are fancy, they have a very cool maid who comes in every week to clean...so i had to leave the flat for 45 mins...so i decided to go for a run in Regent's park...but after a couple of kms i got....lost...
took me about 20 mins to figure out my way back...
aiight, imma go downtown now cuz i still need to find my coat, buy another hoodie to replace the one i got stolen at the july broken vibes and some food cuz it's my turn to cook tonight...

Day One

Ok so my dear friend Palina picked me and my heavy suitcases at 10am, considering i watched the giants defeat the packers until 5 in the morn, you have a ruff idea of how fresh i looked...
she took me straight to the eurostar gate which was super kind of her since she only made a back and forth trip from her place to drop me off...
ok this eurostar trip might have been the second worse after the one from Disneyland where the coaches were filled with 80% of kids runnin all over the place...
i ended up next to an asian guy who took of his shoes and whistled the songs he was listening to...me and some other dude gave him the "what a fuck" look but he didn't seem to get our point...
so i took a short nap...woke up in the channel...dude had fell asleep and had his head next to my shoulder but i didn't feel like punching him in front of everyone...
got to LDN and it felt super weird to end up in St Pancras when for the past 2 years and 12 trips, it was Waterloo...fortunately, my friend Angelo picked me up and helped me out with the lugages...

Angelo



man, it was so heavy that i wondered if some chinese kid named Chang didn't end up in my suitcase so he could illegally immigrate in the UK...
Ever since it's raining (not really a surprise tho), i spent the rest of the day gettin a sim card (my temporary number is +44.79.42.52.04.65) and openin a bank account at HSBC...and that's about it for now...

Westside view of Balcombe street


Eastside view of Balcombe street