Gone are the greens and pinks of the old site. They were from a different era. The new colour scheme of grey-on-grey reflects the recessionary days that we live in. A lot of the content has been updated:

• Articles – The longer writings
• Photos – I have a new camera, so expect some better photos in the future
• Activities – What I do with my time
• About – Who I am and where my background

What will I write about? I want to tap the under-represented market of London accountants.

Liverpool One Wheel

Liverpool was the end of a frantic week’s holiday. It started with a weekend trip to the South coast of England. I saw the channel for the first time. The calm white rolling waves can’t be found in the city.

The South Coast

Several friends commented that they would like to live in such a place. But not me, I’d be bored after a day. As annoying as London can be – the frantic pace and impersonal nature, it is addictively exciting. I do want to stay for a few more years at least. Friends have complained that London has caused them to feel abandoned in the North West. It’s a shame that the UK is so capital-centric, but the fact that it is London is compensation enough.

Let’s hope I don’t get burnt out soon.

I’ve had two weekends without needing to study. It’s been great to spend the time reading, playing computer games and cooking proper meals. I spend time in some very esteemed company – five junior doctors shooting zombies at the arcade. This is why no-one makes shows about auditors.

I’m already looking towards the next milestone. I’m relearning the website building skills that I never actually had. Once again, I feel like I have to squeeze every productive second out of the day.

 
I’ve displayed a photo of the Sequoia tree at the Natural History Museum because it is 1500+ yeas old. Our lives are horribly slight in comparison. All that we aim for will not last and probably won’t deserve a place in the Natural History Museum.

However, please forget the trees because each day is important. With every second that passes we loose the chance to practice our audit skills by counting the tree rings.

I’ve been reading a book called “Killing Rommel” by Steven Pressfield. It’s a WWII fiction about the exploits of a crack British unit. There’s a line which says that the most important factor in winning or losing a war is morale. Yes, I am comparing accountancy exams to armed combat. I’m bloody hacked off and I feel like waving the white flag.

So I’m impelled to take a break, regroup and finish writing this long overdue blog post.

Water
All great cities are situated near some natural water feature. Beijing goes against this by being in the middle of a desert, but is still a great city. London has the River Thames and Toronto has Lake Ontario. Both are equally polluted. So the only way to judge which is better is to time how long you would survive a swim. In the River Thames you would be instantly killed by the River Boat. I’d take my chances against the radiation emanating from the nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Ontario.

London 0 – Toronto 1

Number of Chinese People
For some reason, vast numbers of Chinese have made Toronto their home. The Chinatowns of both cities are pretty dire. However, Toronto wins because they sell cheaper bubble (tapioca) tea. 

London 0 – Toronto 1 – Liverpool 1 (because we have a better Chinatown with a much bigger arch)

Transport
Toronto’s roads are designed in an idiot-proof grid system. London’s roads require a Tom Tom to navigate, or a well trained black taxi driver. All Londoners moan about the tube, but the network is so extensive that two different shades of blue are needed for the map. Toronto has three lines and is crap.

London 1 – Toronto 1 – Liverpool -1 (I’ve just remembered how bad Merseyrail is)

Culture
Seriously? London hands down.

London 2 – Toronto 1 – Liverpool 0 (European Capital of Culture 2008 remember)

Global Warming Prospects
How would each city fare if the crackpot prophecies came true and the ice caps started to melt?

• Liverpool – floods
• Toronto – Also floods, and you will be attacked by radioactive moose
• London – Floods, unless you keep working in the office on the 17th floor while civilisation collapses around you. At least there won’t be a cooling problem on the Underground
• Beijing – is safe! Those ancient Chinese City planners were actually geniuses.

Final score

London 1 – Toronto 0 – Liverpool -1

And a million Scousers demand a recount.

Some highlights

Transport

• The railcard system is ridiculously complicated because Oyster Pay-As-You Go does not work on the Mainline trains South of the River Thames.
• Transport for 2 Danes for 4 days ended up costing over a hundred pounds.
• Half the Underground lines were closed for engineering works. It turns out that constantly changing trains is quite exhausting.
• Bank station shows that you can change from the Central Line to the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). It’s actually a good 10 minute walk.

Exchange Rate
The Danish Kroner is killing poor Pound Sterling.

Museums
Free = Fantastic.
I really enjoyed the old classics at the National Art Gallery and the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum.

Starbucks
They wanted to visit Starbucks because they don’t have them in Denmark. We passed over 30 in three days.

Greenwich Park
Magnificent views. Really steep hills. The novelty of standing between East and West. Deer.

Me with Danish friends in Greenwich

As my friends left, they planted a Danish flag and proclaimed sovereignty over this bankrupt nation.

1. Liverpool One – A new shopping development that opened during the time I was in China. It looks good but I have heard complaints that it takes too much walking to do your shopping. After three weeks of fruitlessly exploring every shop to find brown shoes that I liked, I would agree with that view.
2. The Polish food store – Also opened in the time I was gone. I’ve only seen it once and I didn’t go inside.
3. The Chinese Badminton Club – I came here every Friday night that I could make for 7 years. I really loved coming here. A place for Mainland Chinese, BBCs and Brits to come together and play badminton. If you want to join, go to Garston Sports Centre on a Friday from 8pm to 10pm. Bring money.

But after a four hour journey with a car’s worth of my possessions, I have moved to London. I am still far far away from Scouseland.