Rich List.

Just a little update on my London life.

I'm currently working on a campaign called 'This Foreigner Can'. It has been quite an interesting project so far but of course as with all new projects there are bumps on the road. While most people are quite receptive to the concept of the campaign, it is the funding that is proving to be the biggest road block to success.

Anyways, what I wanted to blog about is about my thoughts on the Sunday Times Rich List. Every year, the Sunday Times releases a list of the 1,000 richest people in the UK. I had to go through the list to find the richest migrants who made the list and after going through 1,000 names I think I have detected the trends for getting rich.

Some of the common trends are:

1. Come from a rich family: Many of those on the list may be really great CEO's and leaders of their companies, but they have just taken over their family business which has been established for quite some time.

2. Work in an investment bank: While you may not make the top 200, there are quite a number of investment bankers who are rich by power of their salary/bonus alone. On the other hand, there are a few ex-hedge fund managers who then came out to start their own businesses.

3. There are so few women: Sad to say that many women to did make the list are listed jointly with their husbands.

4. Divorce/Inheritance: There are so many individuals who are worth hundreds of millions just because they got a divorce who a really good inheritance. WHATTTT. I've also observed that unfortunately women who do come into a windfall decide then to be a socialite whereas quite a number of the men go on to use that money to start a business (it may not be a very profitable business, but it's something).

5. Politics: Pretty much all the mega rich are Tory supporters who donate millions. I think there were only two significant Labour donors on the list. There is also the odd Liberal Democrat.

6. Live in another country: If you are super rich, you will be a resident in Switzerland, Monaco or Gibraltar. All the tax havens.

7. Property: Just buy property.

Okay that's all I really wanted to note down. 

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health kick.

It's weird how I'm actually in my mid-twenties now. Turning 24 this year just sounds so surreal.

At times I do feel like age is catching up to me. Like how I really can't do long nights out anymore. Well I can, but not as often. From going out a few nights every week in uni and still making it to class despite only having gone to bed at 4am is something that is unthinkable now. Now it would be more preferable for me to go out one night a month because I need like a week to recover. Not only from the drinking but from the amount of effort of dressing up and wearing heels all night long.

However, I can safely say that at this point in time, I am healthier and fitter than I have ever been before in my life.

Anyone who knows me will know that I abhor exercising. While everyone back in school was busy doing team sports or running about I was quite content to sit in class and do absolutely no physical activity. It's the fast pace and all the sweating I can't stand. But having discovered yoga and pole I am much more motivated to do some sort of activity.

Yoga I like because it's slow but you still get quite a full workout. And all the stretching is really good cause I don't want to end up creaking when I'm older. I remember my first yoga class and how I thought it was too "touchy-feely" with all the "empty your mind. release your negative thoughts", but now I am more accepting of it. I do like how you can't let your mind wander and have to fully focus on your practice.

Pole was a surprising discovery. Starting out was hard as I had no upper body much less any core strength. So there was a lot of struggle when I first started out. But for some reason despite all the pain and torture, I still love it. One year on and I have built up quite a bit of strength compared to before. The amount of bruises you get from it though are no joke. Sometimes my whole leg can be bruised from trying to learn new tricks. Despite all that, the satisfaction of getting a new trick is more than worth it.

In terms of healthy eating, I haven't drastically changed my diet. But I have tried to avoid sugary drinks, unhealthy snacks and whatnot. Of course I still snack on crisps sometimes but overall my eating regime is much better. I have also developed a love for making smoothies. And most of the time it's green smoothies. It's a great way of getting loads of vegetables into your system while still drinking something tasty and the frozen fruits usually mask the taste of the vegetables.

So yes, I might be getting older and my metabolism may be dropping but I hopefully "crosses fingers" won't be getting fat and saggy anytime soon.

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