From the UK to the US of A - US to UK

I was just thinking the other day that perceptions are really guided by what we hear and what we see. Whilst i'm here in the US wondering why so many people think the UK is a cool place with cool accents, where everyone drinks tea and crumpets and says toodle pip, they have no idea that in the UK we think the US is a really cool place with cool accents too.  Why is that?  What pictures come to mind, when you think of London/England?  Well let me help you how about this?:

Or is it what we see on TV and read about.  Funny question I'm always asked, "I didn't realize there were black people in London"; to which I reply,  "There are Black, Asian, Indian, Mediterranean, Eastern European, etc, etc.  London is a melting pot of diversity in people foods and cultures". The next question I'm asked is, "Have you met the Queen?": to which I reply "Have you met the President?". To which they reply "Oh don't be silly"….to which I reply…..actually, I don't reply, point made.  I laugh, because guess what? Here's another secret; see if you can spot me:

Yes, I was invited to the Palace by appointment of Her Majesty the Queen, to perform with my colleagues for Prince Charles' event at the Palace.  Not many people get to say that.

Well I say all of this to simply say this; I had a dream to sing and travel the world, to do things that others told me could not be done, because so many people have the same dream.  I was told to do something more conventional become a doctor or a lawyer (which I would have made a good one, because I love a good debate), however, that wasn't were my heart was. Music and traveling the world was.  But guess who thought you shouldn't get your hopes up?:

Sad thing was, sometimes it was people that were close to you, family, friends etc. 

I've travelled all of the world and now I'm here in the US to find, that we ALL, face the same challenges, doubts, fears, obstacles etc, regardless of race, gender, religion, class, economic status….(yes I said economic status…the rich have peer pressure, doubts and fears too).

So I ask again, you said you wanted to ONE day go to London, what's stopping you?  Stick and pin and hold that thought.  Now I know you might have wondered about the youtube above and maybe didn't even listen to it.  So let's pretend, that I wrote this song for YOU. In fact, let's not pretend, because I did, I truly did write this song for you.  Now go listen to it and come back to me with your answer - WHAT'S STOPPING YOU FROM COMING TO LONDON?

www.cdbaby.com/cd/idodoyou

So you want to go to London? When?

If I were given a $1for everytime someone told me that they would love to go to London, I'd be rich. So what is it about London? Why do so many people want to go and why haven't they?
So I thought I'd do a survey, tell me who you are and why you want to go to London and when?  That's the question 'When'? It's a bit like people saying, 'I wanna win the lottery' and yet they never play.  Well, guess what, you've got to be in it, to win it.  Well, so is planning a trip to London, what's stopping you?
 Ok there's cost, and what else? I guess it is a long, long way regardless of where in the States you are coming from, although East Coast is nearer. What other reasons? None, right?

Have you done any research on flights, accommodation, and tourist attractions?  So I'm here to answer all those questions. Let me be your virtual tour guide.  Then we need to start a budget plan and prepare, after all, don't you do that for other vacations? So let's stop making excuses and start preparing for the journey.

Let's start with the Houses of Parliament.

We could take trip to Buckingham Palace or visit Madame Tussaud's famous Wax Museum, then we'll go have some good ole fashioned fish 'n' chips.

So here's your checklist: A) Flights approximately $700-$1200 depending on when you travel some cheaper flights available; B) Accommodation maybe $100 to the sky's the limits depending on what you want; C) Travel around London.  We have one of the best public transport systems in the World (my opinion).  You can get a 1 day travel card to take you on the buses and underground trains from one end of London to the other up until midnight for approximately $20 upwards.  Check http://www.londonpass.com/london-pass-prices.php. D) Currency exchange is very accessible in the UK as well as the airports, a lot of the banks and hotels, change US $.  To find out the exchange rate a good site is www.xe.com. E) My top 10 suggestions for tourist attractions are 1) Buckingham Palace 2) Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum 3) Houses of Parliament 4) Trafalgar Square 5) London Dungeons 6) Piccadilly Circus 7) West End Theatres 8) The Embankment London Eye 9) 10 Downing Street 10) London Bridge.  Believe it was hard not to add to this list because there is so much to see and do.

I wonder if I were to charter a plane, and be the tour guide, how many of you would come.  If you budget $4000 you could definitely have a great time. Tell me if it's worth it, "So you want to go to London? When?

References:

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.royal.gov.uk/theroyalresidences/buckinghampalace/buckinghampalace.aspx

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-1209516-paper-wrap-packet-of-traditional-english-fish-and-chips.php

Cheaters and Beaters - Why Do I Attract Them

Once upon a time there lived a young woman called Girlie.  Girlie grew up with her mother and stepfather and for the most part had a normal life. She started to see violence between her mother and stepfather and soon tired of it, as she too would get involved, so she ran away at the age of 15.

Her first real love at the age of 15 Guy (seemed like a nice guy) but cheated on her.  When she confronted him, he slapped her and told her that it was her fault and if she wanted him back, she had better start doing right.  Needless to say she left him and fell into the arms (very quickly) of John.  John was a little older and she really looked up to him, was it his car, or his fine clothes, or just his swag…she was in love, until she caught him cheating.  She left him for a minute until he persuaded her that the other girls weren't serious, so she took him back, after the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  By the 5th girl, she figured it was time to do something about it…..so what do you think she did?

Toyin 2nd

Why do we fail

Why do we think we've failed?  Why do we stop following our dreams?  At what point do we quit?  Why do we quit?  I've been bombarded with these thoughts.  Am I hitting my head against a wall if I keep pursuing something, I've failed at 13 times? What if the 14th time is successful...Do I give it one more try...just one more try...