154- The Revival

This blog is not dead. I'm not dead. 

Well,that much is obvious. 

Despite the fact that I have gone domestic for the last few months, I have not lost ny passion for travelling. I guess I've just had to be more wary of a shrinking financial cache, and have had to allot time to adjusting to a new job. 

Whenever I harken back to my days in London,the first place I think of is the Elephant and Castle. I remember the place to be old, somewhat grimy, and in need of repair. From what I have managed to read,the Southwark council has made attempts to kick start full scale redevelopment in what was once dubbed as "Picadilly Circus South". These efforts have been stop-and-start at best, mainly because of opposition from residents and local business owners. 

My presence at the E&C represented this South London transport hub opening its arms to an international audience,as it had always done. I did notice while I was there,though, that the locality had begun to get younger and hipper while in the process of welcoming visitors from all over the globe. The infamous Heygate Estate had been knocked down between 2011 and 2014, ushering in the first major signs of gentrification. 

The Elephant and Castle is a reminder of the resistance that has long met efforts to embrace the future. The brutalist box type building is dilapidated, highlighted by a Tesco and a Peacocks,and connected to the E&C's tube and Thameslink lines. I spent a lot of time in this antiquated consumer paradise, often restocking my pantry after days of eating while slaving over coursework. 

Across the Shopping Centre, we have the London College of Communication. Mi casa. The site of many a fond memory, a heated debate, and second, minute,and hour spent studying. Renovating LCC- and putting in new, more reliable lifts- would be very much welcome. Sometimes though, we cling onto things from the old world not necessarily because we like what we see. We hold on, perhaps, because these types of aged monoliths remind us of simpler times, and emotions and sensations you will never find in their original incarnations anywhere else. 

My heart still has a firm grasp on London, nearly six months after flying out of Heathrow and back to the Philippines.

Like a forlorn lover, how I long to dash into the arms of London again- sooner rather than later. Tomorrow. At a moment's notice. As quick as a dream that makes you feel like the world shines, and like the hymns of angels line your fondest days past.

MC