USA and Japan

I've not written a post in a while, mainly because I've not been inspired by anything but I have found something that I find unfair.

A while ago, I read an article on the BBC about how after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, as many Japanese as possible were rounded up in the USA and put into very basic camps....

This startled me, as why are these people being punished for no reason whatsoever? It was essentially following the same line as the Germans (who they were fighting!), and made me think that the USA was no better than them. Ok, they weren't going around killing people, but that's not the point. They were still singling out a group of people, and placing them all together in very spartan conditions for a long period of time.

These people were treated as if they were subhumans, just the same way the Jews were. Communities turned against them, and lives destroyed.

The USA has since apologized and paid compensation, but in my opinon that's not enough. Money doesn't change the fact that the USA denounced a whole group of people in a similiar fashion to the Germans, and I am sure it goes against a lot of the rights that the Declaration of  Independance laid down.

Life as we know it.

I live in a small town called Forest Gate. It's pretty humble, and full of chicken shops... I have spent my entire life in this town, and a lot of my memories have evolved from here. Up until secondary school, all my educational needs were taken care of in this rather grey town...

As you can imagine, a lot of the people that I see around everyday are people I have seen around for years. These aren't people I know, and these are people I will probably never know. That suits me fine.

A lot of the time I see people that I was at one time very good friends with, people that I grew up with, but then when secondary school came, we drifted apart. There are a few people I see around all the time.... when we pass each other in the street, we don't acknowledge each other... it's as if our paths have never at all been interwined.

These are people that I use to spend every day with, hanging out with, laughing with, growing with, sleeping over at each others houses type-of-thing... now we walk past each other and none of that is acknowledged...

For instance, I see many former best friends around town a lot. There is only one person from my past who always stops me to say hello and has a chat with me. It makes me feel like although I may not be in their life now, they at least acknowledge that at one time I was, that at one time I affected them.

Yesturday I was coming home from somewhere, and a kid got on the train that I use to go to army cadets with, I instantly recognised him from 6 years ago. My how time flies.... and I thought of saying hi, but why should I?

Afterall, that chapter on my life has ended, and I feel that it is somehow wrong to dig it up. We are told to always move forward, keep ourselves looking ahead.... so why bother digging up the past?

It does sadden me, when I see old friends who I was once very close with, but that's what happens. Times change and people grow up, and although I see the same person physically.... I doubt they are the same person from what I remember, so it would be like being introduced to someone new for the very first time if I was to strike up a conversation.

URBEX

Yay I had my first urban exploration today. Was rather kool, and I will admit I was very scared!

Managed to gain access to an old abandoned asylum called St.Clements on Mile End Road... involved climbing and getting dirty to get in :-) Anyways I was with someone who had spent probably a good 10 hours in the asylum, I only stayed just over an hour. Mostly because I was frozen, and well if you know me personally, when I am cold, I just pretty much refuse to do anything. I massively can't stand the cold, I refuse to accept it. Also, I heard a police car and just paniked and was like.. I'm going... my heart was going like crazy.. but I would of loved to of stayed longer.. I had fun... just must make sure I am dressed a lot more better... I even had thermals on and I was bloody cold! Anyways I am included a few pics (I didn't take loads.. on the account of that would mean taking my hands out of my pockets.

Anyways, St.Clements is an old abandoned hospital for mental patients, and another group of urban explorers had also ventured in a few years ago, and this is their report 28 days later

Here are some of my photos.. nowhere near as good... but when you are cold, and you are me... well..

Anyways the asylum is made up of lots of buildings, and we were in just one of the buildings... it was flippin huge though... most of it I didn't see cos I was scared :-).. I think we checked out a couple of the floors of one of the buildings... I would of loved to of seen more. I hope to go back one day as it was very beautiful.

I recommend this article: Mail Rail   and this website for loads of kool info: Silent Uk

Yay!!

Usually all I want to do is rant and rave about how rubbish the trains are... but today I do have something positive...

My heart sank when I saw that the central line platform at Liverpool Street was about 6 people deep.. it was packed, and I started having a guessing game with myself over how many trains I would have to wait for, until I could get on one... luckily they are every minute, but each one is still rammed beyond belief...

However, it seems someone was shining down on us... there was a bit of a wait, and then a completely empty train turned up!. Everyone was happy and smiling and chatting away at how lovely it was... one American commented that it doesn't take much to please us commuters... but who cares... it got everyone talking for a moment or two...

But then of course, the second we boarded the train, it was back to ignoring each other, and looking in just about every other direction to avoid eye contact with anyone...

Oh well, it's made my day :-)

Bitter Regrets

So today has already been rather arduous and I have yet to even have a lecture. Mostly because I am frozen beyond belief and believe that if you were to stab my feet right now, I doubt I would notice as they are frozen blocks of ice right now.

I did not prepare for this cold snap, and indeed could of gone out with no shoes on, and my feet would not be any colder than they are. So I am wearing a flimsy dress and not much else as I am going to the theatre tonight and sadly put style before practicality... damn me!

I had to stand in the cold today for nearly 30 minutes waiting for my brother to come to Stratford in the car as I had left my purse at home and was therefore stranded.. I looked like I was having a fit for most of that time, my teeth were chattering away like crazy, my entire body seemingly doing some weird dance as I was soo cold.

And the annoying thing is, I can only blame myself.

bubbly boo

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my cat Diana. I can't stop going on about her :-) She's my beautiful little baby.

I had to take her to the vets today.... the vet took her out of her cage and gushed and was like omg she's so cute I smiled like crazy..... and then commented on how it's soo rare to see such a good natured cat, she was very surprised..... make me even more happy. The vet also said she was ridiculously tiny for her age.... she gets bullied by all the bigger cats :-(

I love her like crazy...but she sadly may have an overactive thyroid... finger's crossed she turns out to be ok.

So I had an epic fail yesturday. I was in my lecture class a tad early, and so underneath this pull down projector screen I wrote, "Your gay if you lift this up", and obviously pulled the projector screen back down. Towards the end of the three hour lecture (sigh), the professor lifted it up.... and of course saw the message... to my horror (and his insults) he commented on how it was the wrong your used, and should of been you're.... this is a grammer mistake I make ALL the time... I didn't notice it most of the time until someone messages me back with the correct version... eurgh... so my lil bit of fun just went flat on my face.....

Rant rant rant

Now I don't know about you, but in every country I have been to, there is a simple unwritten rule.

1) Stand on the right of the escalator if your not going to walk down them
2) Walk down the left
3) Don't fuck with the system


Now in every country I have been to that has a subway of sorts, this exists. Which makes me think, that foreigners that come to this country should be totally aware of this.

A lot it seems aren't.

I get massively pissed off when trying to get quickly down the escalators (come on I am a Londoner, rushing is built into my DNA), and you find some moron standing on the wrong side of the escalators.... have they not noticed the angry queue forming behind them as they stand there in ignorant bliss!?!??!


Seriously I always get images of pushing them down the stairs so that they may learn, and once they have been taught this lesson, I imagine they won't forget it any time soon...