Before I came to the UK, I had 3 goals – watch Les Mis (check!), Watch Would I Lie To You (my favourite British panel show) live, and go for an EPL football match. I didn’t make concrete plans for that last one though, and that seemed to have put the nail on the coffin- all the popular matches were either sold out for non-members or going at extortionate rates, and I wasn’t about to drop 150+ pounds for one match.

And then, I was hit by a stroke of luck- a friend suddenly messaged me he that was able to get tickets. They were still slightly expensive, 60 pounds, but I jumped at the chance. It’s no 200 pounds, at least. When the day finally arrived, I knew I had made the right decision- this was a real experience.

From the moment we got onto the tube, we knew everyone else was also going for the match, mostly because everyone was yelling out the Tottenham chants, stomping their feet and literally banging on the train’s walls. This match was against Arsenal, and they were just next to each other on the rankings. Plus, Tottenham was playing at home ground, Wembly Stadium- as you can imagine, the fans were out in full force.

I would often watch these EPL matches with my dad, and this one was no exception! While I was there at the stadium, he was at home watching it live, and we messaged back and forth when something exciting happened. And oh boy, a lot of exciting things happened.

The match was pretty insane. First, Arsenal started off with a really early goal- silence and dread on our side. Then, it looked like Tottenham scored, but it was offside, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. People were booing, loudly. Then, someone (I can’t remember) went down in the penalty box! Cheers erupted as the penalty was awarded.

Who better to take the pen than the captain, Harry Kane? Of course, the man with the golden boot scores, and with style. But then, at 90 minutes, the unbelievable happened- an Arsenal player went down in the box, and another penalty was awarded! Everyone was at the edge of their seats and, we couldn’t believe it – it was saved! Everyone was losing their minds. As the match drew to a close, a red card was handed out to Torreira, and that was it. The match ended in a draw, 1-1, but it felt like way more. I was completely satisfied, especially since I got to see Harry Kane score in the best way he knows how. Also Son.

Now that we had some time to kill, we decided to go down to Camden Market. But first, we were absolutely starving (it was nearly 4 pm by now and we hadn’t had lunch), and so it was time to find some food. We were close to Poppie’s, which is quite a famous fish and chips place, so we thought why not.

Now that lunch was out of the way, we could explore Camden in peace. It has quite the hipster vibe, with an added “we sell fakes!” atmosphere.

Hipster because of all the cool food and vintage shops around. Fake because there were definitely some shops selling dupes. It depends on which shop though. Also, this is definitely the place for alternative fashion, I saw actual goths for the first time in my life.

The place reminded me of a cooler version of Bugis street back at home in Singapore. Though it was a lot more expensive- I was looking for a vintage jean jacket, but they were all going for 45+ pounds.

Also, this is the place where Amy Winehouse lived and died, so there was a statue dedicated to her. A true talent wasted, gone too soon. Rest in peace, Amy.

Another one of my favourite days. And I assure you, there’s more.