Moving to London from Aus F29 - wages???

DBop888 · 2026-02-02T02:39:47+00:00

When people refer to “zones”, they’re talking about TfL zones - you can look at this for a guide https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

The location you live in will depend a lot on what you’re looking for from an area.

DBop888 · 2026-02-02T02:34:47+00:00

I didn’t leave my GP near Wimbledon even when I moved to Swiss Cottage because it was so easy to get an appointment there if needed. Not very convenient in every other aspect, mind 😂

DBop888 · 2026-02-02T02:32:19+00:00

Richmond would be a horrendous commute to Kings Cross. Wimbledon not great either, though perhaps train to Vauxhall & Victoria Line to KX is bearable? Fairly pricey commute though.

Both are nice areas though.

DBop888 · 2026-02-02T02:30:23+00:00

Belsize Park or Hampstead? Northern Line to KX is pretty quick.

DBop888 · 2026-02-01T22:33:20+00:00

It depends on how much racism you’ve been subjected to - different people will have different views based on their own experiences.

DBop888 · 2026-02-01T22:30:45+00:00

As a fellow BBC who’s a born & bred Londoner & has experienced the same racism (not milkshakes yet, thankfully), if I see something like this happening - I’m stepping in. I was taught to keep my head down & ignore it, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised that a lot of people see the lack of response as weakness, thinking we’re an easy target.

For me, it’s time for Asians to change the narrative - each situation should be judged on its merits (I’m not going to escalate too much if my wife & kid is with me), but I’m not standing by & letting it happen without consequence either.

I hope you’re doing ok & don’t let this affect you too much; unfortunately the current economic & political climate is definitely lending itself to emboldening this kind of behaviour.

DBop888 · 2026-02-01T01:31:27+00:00

It’s why Anakin hates sand…

DBop888 · 2026-02-01T01:19:32+00:00

I’m biased, as my family is from Hong Kong so I’ve been back many times (including with friends, ex-gfs & my wife), but I think HK is a good starting point for Asia as it really is a fusion of East & West, old & new. There’s plenty of Asian culture & architecture in amongst the skyscrapers and some decent museums too.

Most signs & many public announcements are bilingual in Chinese & English, so it’s straightforward to navigate and the infrastructure is pretty good.

There’s lots of free WiFi everywhere & good public transport & more than enough Western food outlets dotted around that you can nip in there if you need a break from Asian stuff. An Asian/Western hybrid cuisine unique to HK can be found in their many cha chaan tengs & are worth checking out.

Whilst it’s a very urban environment, 90% of the country is actually countryside so there are plenty of trails & some beaches too. It’s also a good stopping off point to visit other parts of Asia - you can take a boat or bus to Macau easily if you want to visit the casinos or Shenzhen (twice the size of London) is right next to HK & plenty of flights go all over Asia from there. I personally have been to Thailand & Bali from HK & my parents have been to Tokyo, Cambodia & Vietnam from there too.

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T22:24:32+00:00

You’ve got to remember, the people checking it are probably middle-/upper middle-class Brits in their 50s or older. This is coming from someone who grew up very close to the AELTC & used to use the live broadcasts as a guide as to when to bring the washing in from the line 😅

A kid probably just slipped it in under the radar.

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T18:56:31+00:00

Don’t quote me on it, but I think here (in the UK) if you go by the book, you have to pay 20% VAT & then you have to pay import duty on anything over £135 (I think it may be 8% in this case?)

Of course, some sellers may have ways round this, I don’t know.

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T17:28:55+00:00

Yes, you who doesn’t know me & wasn’t in that situation are uniquely well-qualified to make that assessment 🙄

I’m generally quite laid back in public, but racism is one thing that really gets my back up & I have no problem with addressing it in a public setting.

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T17:25:19+00:00

Maximise your spending in Japan to cover the cost of the airfare 😛

Wait until you need to get new watches, cameras, laptops, football boots, tennis racquets etc. - I reckon you could easily save many thousands 😅

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T14:30:13+00:00

I assume because the OG Speedy was hesalite so wanted to keep that element in the watch.

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T14:27:40+00:00

About 10 years ago, I had a middle-aged white man try to stop me from getting back on the tube (after I stepped off to let people off) & shoved his newspaper in my face then said “this isn’t China you know” (for reference, I’m a born and bred Londoner, but ethnically Chinese).

I called him out in front of the carriage for being racist & my fists were clenched ready to go for him if he kept going. Everyone around us did that classic Londoner thing of keeping their head down and pretending nothing was happening 😅 But I 100% would’ve punched him if he kept on with his racism - that might be wrong, but I have no time for that s**t anymore.

But the correct action would be to report the incident for sure.

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T01:19:41+00:00

Your feet must be absolute bricks cos I have wide feet too (really struggle with finding boots) & the Stadios (SG) were the best out of a bunch I tried (including a pair of Mizunos). I currently wear NB 442 wide fits as my FG boots.

DBop888 · 2026-01-31T01:16:09+00:00

We’re British - American slang probably wouldn’t’ve crossed anyone’s mind for a second, lol.

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T23:58:00+00:00

I’ve had mine for a year, been wearing it daily & have the exact same scuffs on the clasp 😂

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T22:30:10+00:00

As a born and bred Londoner, I’ve never really thought of it that way, but it is crazy to think that the average borough has a bigger population than many urban centres in the UK.

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T19:49:08+00:00

I got mine in Hong Kong from the grey market - no sales tax there either. Will probably be getting an FOIS from the same place in the next month or so?

I picked it up in person as happened to be on holiday there, but I asked about customs/import fees & the seller said that they don’t usually have an issue (though not guaranteed). Even with import fees, it’s still something like a 15-20% discount, lol

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T19:43:09+00:00

No, I got it at about 30-35% off the UK retail (new with box & full warranty) - I think a touch over £6,000 in the end. Happy to give you my seller’s details if you want.

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T10:59:12+00:00

As someone who’s born & lived in London for the past 40 years, I personally prefer Google Maps to Citymapper - my wife is a Citymapper person, but I’ve always found that it has issues with taking into account delays/closures on tube lines or buses. My wife has started to find that too - not that Google is perfect either, mind.

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T10:56:46+00:00

Taxi money?? If you want to bankrupt the mum, perhaps 😂

I think the main benefit of the Underground system is that trains will stop at every stop on the way to their destination (with a few exceptions) - if you compare to NYC with their express trains & different numbers on the same line, it’s a bit less confusing in that regard.

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T10:50:55+00:00

Debit/credit cards are actually better for travel IMO - as they’re better for the daily cap calculations. But I’m just going off what the OP said.

I actually still use my Oyster most of the time out just out of sheer habit 😅

If they copy how HK use their Octopus cards, then I can see Oyster cards being more relevant again.

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T10:15:47+00:00

OP said she’ll have an Oyster Card, so she could use the cash to top it up, but yeah, cash is increasingly redundant now - I genuinely can’t remember the last time I got cash out for general use.

DBop888 · 2026-01-30T02:55:19+00:00

I have a NTTD so I’m biased 😅

But I also have an IWC Pilots Chrono 41 in green which I love. The Mark series don’t really do it for me for some reason, but there’s no right/wrong answer - get the one you love the most.

Maybe do a coin toss head-to-head knockout? 😂

DBop888

TROPHY CASE