Today was the end of a week long
hikikomori stint.. brought to a peak by the arrival of my PS3 from Korea, and subsequent disregard for any social life apart from that within
Little Big Planet.
It was brought to it's end by a message from a childhood friend of mine inviting me out for Friday night merriment.. I really wanted to catch this guy because he is always in and out of the country flying planes and looking cool, and it had been a whole since I had seen him. However having a shower and peeling off the pyjamas I had worn for a week straight was such a daunting task that I stared at the sweaty controller in my hand, and seriously weighed up the pros and cons of being social... I was assured we would get the last train back, which took a good deal of the 'cant be bothered' factor out of it, and spurred me into action.
After I had washed off my layer of hermit dirt I was ready to hit the town;
Sexy outfit: check
Oyster card: check
Beautiful but incredibly painful heels: check
Pair of converse in bag for inevitable removal of said shoes: check!!
This was the first time I had been wandering alone in London since I came back.. and I realised when I was walking from Oxford Circus to Leicester Square that the average London man has upped his street game. I was stopped three times on my way there.. although by this time I couldn't stop and one middle aged business man followed me for a while before giving up.. i was wearing jeans, an over sized black shirt..n leather jacket. Nothing too extreme.. I wonder what changed because that didn't really happen to me before.. isn't this a city where women outnumber the men?
Finally arrived and it was a whole flock of pilots. Is there a word for a group of pilots?..
After a few drinks we hit the casino.. it has been a while since I went to a casino.. and in Seoul I rarely went, the longest time I was there was to film a publicity video.. where we were told to look happy.. happy!! Even happier!!! To the point where our smiles became almost manic and mine hid the tears I wanted to cry because the chips I was holding alone would pay my rent for a year buy a nice car..
Anyway back to London, I had to register for this
casino and they took my name and address..! If anyone knows why I'd like to know.. they took a photo of me and I got a shiny new membership card.. I'm not a gambler so this is all kind of wasted on me.. but whatever..
We hit the Black Jack table and with £5 someone gave me I managed to win over £100.. and lost it all immediately after... :'( only reinforcing the reason I didn't frequent casinos in the first place... anyway.. hours passed and drinks kept flowing.. I realised if you want to drink into the morning the casino is the place to be..!
As I wasn't playing I decided to quiz the dealers.
"Has anyone ever cried at your table..??"
"Only because they won.."
"Won? How much?"
"£100...
....oh....
I had visited a casino in Seoul with some pro baseball players who were playing with a lot of money and I never saw any tears win or lose.. tbh I was concentrating on the main reason I was there, free alcohol! Which was clearly absent in this casino.. :'(
Our last train was gone long before we actually got to the casino so for me the last hour was waiting for the first train.. haven't done that since I was a teenager.. because I lived in central London since I was 18 and cabs in Seoul are reasonable.. It was a fun adventure though, and I am glad I managed to get out of the house!
I haven't been so exhausted from a night out that didn't even involve dancing before.
I need to get my car fixed. I'd gladly trade a hangover for a warm fast journey home..!!
