It's good to find out that a flat white and great conversation with the proprietors of Wild & Wood (first mentioned here) makes me feel as good - or even better than - when I engage in a spot of retail therapy.  My happy mood lasted for quite a while until the various aches I suffer from - a sore back which tends to kick in whenever my stomach hurts (and exacerbated by my attempting to clean very dried egg off my window - damn scamps) and the ankle which seems to be suffering either because I've thrown myself back into dance too quickly or because I have started to wear footwear heavier than flip-flops - kicked in, turning me into a still somewhat happy but very much in pain girl.

I do love London, warts and all. I'm so very happy to be back, and enjoying myself even though I managed to miss all the sunshine and returned to rain and cold. The only problem with having two homes is that I'm always a little homesick, missing the people I left behind, while doing my best to experience the life I have here.

I know some people don't understand why I can still get homesick, no matter how much London I have to offer. It's simple, really. I have a lot of good friends in Singapore. And while I'm the sort of person who can have a great conversation with almost anyone even if I haven't seen them in ages, I still do miss being able to see them and just hang out. And in the case of my parents, I will confess to this: they're growing older - as are we all - and I am always afraid that I may not see them again because that's just how life is.