Random photos taken in Central London during the lockdown (raw).​

Minimalism is owning fewer possessions. Simple as that.

Like many of those who got converted to the minimalist lifestyle, I used to own exuberant amount of clothes, shoes, books, useless paperworks, among others. I perfectly recalled the days I was itching for my salary to reflect on my bank account so I could shop for brand new tees and trainers. No purpose, I just needed to buy new things. The incessant urge was merely driven by want than the reason of necessity. Nothing more.


However, my viewpoint changed when I was contemplating of moving in London a year before my work contract expired in 2019. Years passed, I have actually accumulated a mountain of clothes and useless stuff I had no intention hauling with me to the capital. To add, the idea of travelling alone with 3 luggages and 2 backpacks did not interest me at all.


Pursuit.  Searching the internet for tips on how to organise my stuff, I stumbled upon minimalism; I read about it and read more. Intrigued, I bought a book, "The More of Less" by J. Decker seeking for guidance on how I could implement it in real life.



Give, Donate, Bin, Sell Segregating everything that I own into groups (with the help of bin bags) was tiresome but productive experience.

Bin - stained and overstretched clothes, broken gadgets, old learning materials, insignificant documents, etc
Donate - Shoes, Training Gears, Books
Sell - Mostly shoes
Give - Mostly clothes


By the way, this process took me roughly 3 months to complete until I ended up with two luggage-full of stuff. This did not end here, however. A month before I moved in London, I decided to  just bring with me enough clothes and shoes to fit in my small travel bag and my all-purpose backpack. The rest I would leave to my friend's.


What I brought in London early last year.

4 tees
2 pants
1 raincoat
3 jackets
6 sleeping-wear
1 trainers (pair)
1 lifting shoes (pair)
1 formal/casual shoes
4 socks (pairs)
5 underwear
5 books
2 journals
10 gym-wears
1 gym bag
Assorted important documents
Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, etc)

That same year, my major purchases were:

1 running windbreaker
1 towel
3 pillows and pillow cases
2 bedsheets
2 sleeping blankets
5 books
2 perfumes
1 electric fan
1 kettle
1 pair of pants (changed the old one; ripped off lol)

Today, the rest of the stuff that I left are long forgotten. Good riddance.


Psychology.  Detaching myself from at least 90% of what I previously owned was shockingly effortless. I did not miss any of those stuff. I think this is because I don't complicate the way I make decisions. If I want something, I do it with grand enthusiasm. Also, in retrospect, I actually hated shopping believe it or not. Shopping is a painfully stressful experience for me especially if I spend too much time and effort looking for things that I want but couldn't.


This entire exercise, although still a work in progress has rippled towards many positive effects in my life e.g. buy with purpose, increased productivity, renewed focus, positivism.  My life became way easier to live than before overall.


End note.  Minimalism is one of the best things that ever happened to me. And I could only hope that many Filipinos will reap the merits of this lifestyle should they attempt it.

For more info visit:

The Minimalists
Becoming Minimalist

End.

Route

Start: BT Tower, Marylebone Rd, Edgware Rd, Little Venice, Paddington Central, Regent's Canal, Feng Shang Princess, Regent's Park Broadwalk, End: BT Tower

Goal

Explore Little Venice.

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Places of Interest

Photos taken using Samsung 9+ - uploaded raw.

Takeaways

The Little Venice was a lovely place to visit but would not take your breath away. Possibly better experience during summer. 

Paddington Central is a hidden gem. Grand architecture with plenty of restaurants.

Regent's Canal offers a well maintained path for a lazy stroll or a sprightly jog.
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Easy, straightforward walk. Planning not needed.

Alternative route is to start from Little Venice and end at Camden Market for a much needed after-walk munchies.

​End.

​I like to walk, and run; long distance not the mundane boring short ones that could be completed in less than an hour (okay, I'm bragging). I like the pain it incurs and the euphoria it provides when completed, especially when I break rusty personal records. 

Today, I did a circular walk with occasional run in Central London; a route I have been eyeing, for quite sometime now. This is the inner ring you will see on google map as seen on the photo above.
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Route

Start: Great Portland Street Station, Marylebone Rd to Edgware Road Station, Edgware Rd to Marble Arch, Hyde Park to Hyde Park Corner Tube Station, Grosvenor PI (A302) to Victoria St Little Ben Clock, Vauxhall Bridge Road to Vauxhall Bridge, Vauxhall Overground, Kennington Ln to Newington Butts, Elephant & Castle Station, A201 to New Kent Rd to Tower Bridge Rd, Tower Bridge, A1210 to Aldgate East Tube Station, Commercial St, Great Eastern St, City St (A501), Pentonville Rd, Kingscross St Pancras Station, End: Great Portland Street Station.

​Goal

The ultimate goal of this walk is to get to know the streets in Central London (moved here 8 months ago), and boy, was I in for a treat. My strategy was simple, easy walk on interesting streets, snap photos on aesthetic and fantastic landmarks, run like a gazelle on boring streets (lol) and take note on likeable streets for future visits.

​Marble Arch
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Discoveries

Edgware Road vibe is Middle Eastern, Indian, Lebanese and Turkish. There is one Turkish restaurant I want to try out, unfortunately, I forgot the establishment's name. Shame.

I've been missing out on what the Old Spitalfields Market has to offer. I should go check it out next month.

The Tower Bridge Rd is the kind of block I would want to live in. It has all the amenities I want to have access without travelling far, like, barbershops, coop, coffee shops, pubs and restaurants.

Takeaways

Excellent walk/run, like a mini Half-Marathon. Put on your headset to down vehicular noise. I played the Energetic Run 160-165BPM playlist on Spotify.

The stop lights and pedestrian traffic are momentum killer. Have patience.

Snap a photo of interesting places you are keen to visit like pubs or restaurants.

This route is best on summer - like early morning or late evening, to minimise interruptions (see takeaway 2).

Downhill from City Rd to Pentonville Rd; uphill on Euston Rd.


End.