A Mañileno's London Odyssey : 1

I've contemplated on this major decision for a while. And by the last month of 2014, I formally started my new work at the heart of the Big Smoke.
I am part of the pulsating life in London.

Frankly, I have seen it coming. Not that all signs were clearly pointed to that road, I envisioned it happening. I did not create the routes nor explored randomly, but it took me great guts to pursue this career decision and life event.

I've heard loads of nays, no's, negative feedbacks prior to this move. High Cost of Living, the danger, stressful lifestyle, the unforgiving travel, the fear of the unknown.

Guess what that sounds familiar in comparison with? Metro Manila.

Okay, let's tone it down a bit. It is whimsical to compare a 3rd world country capital to a leading global city. This is not a pro vs con comparison of a tropical city to a city that a Queen resides in.

Even though I haven't gone 'full-London' mode since it'll be by next month that I transfer flats there, I can say I'm halfway there.

It is safe to say you can take a Mañileno out of Manila, but you can't take 'Manila' out from the Mañileno. I may have called the 'Gates of Hell' in a blogpost called Mordor Manila, but for me it is my preciouuuuuuus.

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These are just some of the mostly used statements given to me by people I've come across.

'Travelling must be terrible and tiring, huh?'

I agree to this statement. I guess any form of public transport will be stressful given the various factors. I take the bus, the overground train, and the underground train (tube) from my residence in Essex to my workplace. I start my day work at 8 in the morning, finish by 9 in the evening. The night shift pattern is the same, starting at 8 PM ending by 9 in the morning the next day. My target time for departure must be at least by 6:30 AM.

That would be at least 2 hours for travel back and forth.

In Manila, that would be roughly just 1 way. If you're lucky. And if it doesn't fall on a rush hour 6-7AM, or on a weekend Friday sale payday on the 15th or 30th of the month.

Lesson: I am trained and made for hard travel from Manila. At least the chances of going to work/school in a waist-deep flood in London, or battling in queues for jeeps/fx/mrt would be very slim.

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'The cost of living there is pretty high.'

True. Very true. Thanks for the tip, Sherlock. In comparison, the flat's rate that we have here in Essex (outside of London) is almost half the price of the flat we are moving into in London. Yes, I might have a bit of a pay increase in terms due to the added allowance for workers in London, but it almost cancels out the net pay over-all. The cost for travel isn't cheap as well. Unless I decide to ride a bike to work, which might lead to numerous cases of passing out.

What this lead me to is to: 1.) Work harder, get extra shifts and overtimes. 2.) Save more, and better discipline in spending.

So far, it will be tough to make end's meet. But if my math works okay, it would cancel out the dreaded fear of 'high-cost living.' Not that I would be spilling out excess money, but I would have enough for comfortable living and at the same time enjoy my hard-earned earnings.

In Manila, I once travelled to work with no money except for my bus fare from Quezon City to Makati. All 18 Pesos of it. The only saving grace for me that day was it was payday, but I had to wait for noon time! I was quick as a cat in lining up in the ATM machine that day, and I almost cried when the ATM screen showed me my hard-earned money.

Lesson: Better discipline in money management will lead you to places. That experience of just having a bus fare on my pocket taught me invaluable lessons and laughable moments in my life. We may fail, but let's learn from them.

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'It's dangerous out there! Too many crazy people living around you.'

I value safety with utmost seriousness and regard. Despite surrounded by CCTVs and the police, you can only be more safe if you take care of your self first.

Do I even have to mention how 'thrilling' it is in Manila? Not that I am trying to throw my mother city under the bus, but I honestly feel 'unsafe' on a consistent basis. As I have blogged about it many times, like this one years ago, the muggers have a weird attraction to me. I've been more or less mugged 5-6 times back in Manila.

Lesson: Not that I am paranoid, but it's better to trust your instincts most of the time. If I feel some place is not safe for a certain time, I better avoid it. That's what my elders taught me, so that's how I roll. 

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This is just the beginning. I will attempt to provide a unique perspective of a young man from Manila, that struggles to find which winter clothes are NOT proper for autumn, that craves for San Mig Light beer, that waits for the magbabalut to shout out from the streets.

For the next blog episode of A Mañileno's London Odyssey, 'Things Why Manila > London.'

Yes, MANILA > LONDON is possible!

Any suggestions?