LONDON is one refreshing place to visit in 2008. There are two modern structures in London that I love to visit every time I come here – the London Eye and the London City Hall. The London Eye has been the subject of at least two Hollywood movies – Rise of the Silver Surfer and Thunderbirds. They may all be stuff ripped out of comics and may be the subject of heavy CGI effects but in a way, they accurately portray the towering architectures of the city. Of course, London was devastated by a huge fire centuries back and was ruined in World War II by German air bombers yet it rose from the ashes and continue to be one of the world’s most powerful cities with both the royals and the seat of government located in the city. The royals have their Buckingham and Westminster Palaces while the government has No. 10 Downing Street. On the other hand, London City Hall is also a new piece of structure in the city only inaugurated in 2002 and its unique shape is a piece of architectural marvel even by people from other continents.

From time immemorial ever since the turn of the 20th century, a lot of pop culture stuff have references to London from Harry Potter to James Bond. Certainly, not all of them can be contained and compressed into this tiny piece of article but I’ll just attempt to enumerate some of them. Let’s start off with the London Eye which was portrayed in Rise of the Silver Surfer and Thunderbirds. Last Christmas, I was in London and London Eye was really an awesome sight to behold along the River Thames. It was glittering with those holiday lights reserved only for that part of the year. Of course, most Londoners are Roman Catholics who already have overtaken the Anglicans from the number one spot as the most widely used faith in the city. In a way, it is an exoneration of Roman Catholics in the past who were sort of dethroned when King Henry VIII established the Church of England. This re-blossoming of the Catholic faith in London is now spearheaded by former Prime Minister Tony Blair who has converted to Catholicism by New Year’s Eve from being an Anglican. By the way, if you are wondering where Blair is living in right now, he’s actually living in a fully-secured property in London.

Despite being a city inhabited by religious folks, London also has its share of the more liberated residents. The International Gay and Lesbian Football Championship will come your way to London this August. It’s actually a combination of being liberated and sports-minded all rolled into one. Another world event that will take place in London will be held closer, this March, the QCon conference. It is actually a convocation of computer experts in the United Kingdom so this will be an opportune time to assess your software skills.