Oh, what a month!!

Well, I don't know where to begin...

Because this last month really has been a whirlwind of change!!

Basically, I got offered my DREAM job! I am now working in promotions and marketing - for an international media company!!!

In an ironic coincidence, I started on November 14th - one year to the week that I left Trends and life as I had known it (seemingly my whole life!) changed in an instant...

The same has happened again, one year on. Except this change is so positive and amazing; I am so proud and so excited to have got this position!!

So now I'm working in the hustle and bustle of inner city London. No more 33 minute tube ride to work, no more hour-long lunch breaks; it's 55 minutes door to door with a 9 minute walk from the tube to the office. But it's a fast-paced place and constantly buzzing, and that's contagious! The strong personalities and work ethics show and it really is a joy to be around such like-minded people.

My team is pretty wicked - my boss is American, my neighbor is an Aussie, and the two girls opposite are English and Scotish and oh so adorable!

There is a gym which I have joined for only £10/month; there is a canteen which makes yummy food which is subsidized by the company (my two poached eggs on a bagel is £1.50 every morning, my flat white is £1.25!) and there is a great ethos of the company as a whole.

My role is based on a newly-launched digital strategy, which is growing and changing as we learn of all the possibilities it has. As we all work together and I take over the responsibilities of what the job needs, we are falling into a good step and are making one kick-ass team. It's very exciting :)

And I am still keeping up my dancing and netball (although the season ended on a massive sour note, I will not elaborate BUT will seek revenge next season!) Greek dancing finishes next Tuesday and we have our final class - performing the Hasapiko and the Hasaposerviko (I think that's how it is spelt!) - wish me luck!!!

Anyway - this may explain why my blog has been a little light, but it certainly has been the most exciting whirlwind!!!

The daily commute

Working in London is really quite an experience. I don’t know how many places in the world it is really like this...

I remember once upon a time, I never wanted to be ‘one of those people’ – they act like Lemmings, hustling and bustling in the stations, pushing and cramming onto the Tube, reading papers in awkward angles while nearly intimately bumping up against strangers.

Surprisingly, it’s not as awkward as it sounds.

Being a commuter, getting on a full train, going into a smelly and hot underground tunnel, surviving the ride without breaking a sweat (like some men clearly do…) and coming up above ground into the day, miles from your home, is actually pretty cool.

What I noticed today

On my lunchtime walk today, I found another gem. In amongst the hideous 1980s architecture of box-like office spaces, one building managed to survive on Picadilly…

This is a beautiful but derelict building on the corner near The Hilton Hotel… It looks so grand and wise, but it’s boarded up and dusty.

I wonder and hope they are making it into something beautiful. I’m going to watch, and wait…

The job hunt is over!!

It goes like this:

After 1 month, 20 days, 3 hours and 56 minutes...
After applying for nearly 100 jobs, and hours trolling through job websites until my eyes blurred...
After repeating to many people - including my bank! - that I was 'currently unemployed' (which hasn't happened since I started working at 15)
After meeting with four recruitment agencies...
After interviews, offers, doing my budget, and knowing what I wanted...
After so many frustrations...

The job of finding a job is finally over!

I am happy to report that I received a phone call yesterday afternoon, offering me a job at The Kennel Club - the job I really did want and was quite excited by...

I start on Monday 21 October! Yay!!!

Working in Acton

This week I have been temping for Laura (flatmate) while she is away at the Circus. She works for Construct Recruitment, based in Acton, which has been awesome - I'm surrounded by Kiwis!!!

However, hightlight/my downfall is the delicious bakery next door... Great coffee, amazing sandwiches, cakes and slices and macaroons... There is really no hope for me while I am here!

Tube tales - 15 October

Situation: sitting on the Central line tube from Tottenham Court Road, on my way home from Greek Dancing lessons.

A guy comes in the next stop after I get on, sits across from me, and starts eating his McDonalds fries.

Next stop, an old fella - in a tweed coat, umbrella round his wrist, brown pants - gets on and sits down next to McDonalds guy. He starts texting (one-fingered) and the train starts moving.

The old fella then starts looking at the guy eating McD's, then down to his phone, then back to McD's guy - with the most disgusted look on his face. Does a few grumpy man huffs for a minute or so, then the train arrives at the next station.

Old fella huffs, looks at McD's guy, gets up, and walks down to the next set of seats, where he sits back down.

The McD's guy and I catch eyes and share a bit of a chuckle.

Thanks grumpy old fella...

Economies of scale...

May not always be the best thing for the world.

However it does mean that I get delicious raspberries whenever I want... I'm obsessed!

Lunch with a netballer

My lovely Jen Jen is on holiday in London with her family; her hubby is British and therefore the grandparents want to see their grandson!

Going back a few years now, we played indoor netball together for Sunshine Family, until she got pregnant (a trend in that team, it seems!! 6 girls now, is it?) so we just became friends. We've had a few big nights - one notorious Wednesday in Kingsland, and her Disney-themed 30th birthday party, where I dressed up as Snow White...

We met at Waterloo station 'underneath the clock' - which was quite a good checkpoint, considering there really is only one clock there.

It was a freezing, grey day, and the wind went straight through your clothes. We had a brisk walk down to the Thames, basically straight to the Eye on the boardwalk. Standing beneath it, you realise just how big it is...

We found a sign for Chinese Restaurant, and as that seemed to be the only available place (and we were too cold to keep looking) we went up the stairs, past a gorgeous Chinese garden, and inside.

We chatted, ate chicken and corn soup to warm us up, sipped on Chinese tea, and nibbled on prawn crackers (these may become my downfall.) I had Prawn Stirfry for my main, and Jen had Sweet & Sour Chicken. Nom nom nom!

However, the best part about this restaurant has to be the view... Enjoy!

Nets And The City!

So, I have joined a netball team...

I was looking around for a league or fill-in games, and found a place just down the road (by the prison and hospital) that has a league - inside!! Perfect for when it begins to freeze/snow/rain/generally crappy winter weather...

On Monday night I took myself off to the school where we're playing, arrived early to practice some shots (which didn't feel as unco as I thought it would - bonus!) and met my teammates as they showed up. I remember there was Holly, Jess(?), Meredith, Sarah(?), Emma and... The other ones... Hailing from Wellington and South Sydney, to just up the road in Camden! A nice mix of girls, either way...

We all got given a sexy, bright red t-shirt to wear, chose the red bibs (I played in GA) and lost the toss, and the game began!

And I can tell you, it was awesome! We began to gel together within the first two quarters, we were up by 7 in the first half and with some awesome passing and driving, we came away with a 23-11 victory!

We had a little team chat after which was great, then I jogged home and collapsed on the couch in one sweaaaaaty mess. Ahh, so happy to get some netball back in my life!!!

Only downside is our dorky team name, "Nets And The City"... But aah well!

Can't wait for next Monday - bring it on!!!

Flat life

I realised that, having been here over a month, I haven't mentioned much about the living quarters!

The little flat where I live is occupied by some awesome chicks. Emma, her friend Nadia from NZ, Nadia's friend from the circus - Laura, and (another) Zoe. Occasionally we get boyfriends come to visit; Laura has GRTH (name is actually Gareth, but he's Irish and forgets his vowels) and Zoe has Jasper, who is Australian and has a fantastic ginger beard.

Em's room is the first at the top of the stairs, and I am sleeping on her floor - it's not as bad as it sounds, I swear! I have a fold-up foam mattress and blankets and a pillow from Argos, with enough space to flail (as I do when I sleep...) And we have a little routine now; when she wakes up at 6:10am I jump up and get in her bed! Her room overlooks the back garden, and into about five other neighbors gardens, too...

Our kitchen is a bit rubbish - it's not really big enough for more than one person to be cooking at any given time; there's not really enough space between the two benches (unless you squeeze, and even then your bums still touch), and if one person is by the door to the lounge, they need to move if we want to get into the fridge... Having come from working with New Zealand's best kitchen and bathroom designers, it's a bit of a shock to the old system.

So I won't even mention the bathroom. Although I did just buy a new (purple, £4 from Primark) bathmat, so that's greatly enhanced the space...

The lounge is pretty cool, it's big and sunny and we have a nice big couch and two armchairs and a decent stereo. We don't have a TV so we actually have some decent dinner conversations (not that we have all been home at the same time to eat together, but still!) There are two windows so we get loads of sun inside. And even though that's roadside, it's quite private.

Our back garden is a bit overgrown, even though I managed to weed it and reposition the table to utilize the little bit of sunlight that hits the patio. We have a cat (Emma named him Fred) who hangs out in our garden. We have semi-adopted him, except he doesn't like humans and stares blankly at us if we interrupt his cleaning. He's very odd, is Fred; spent three consecutive days staring at the fence. On day three he was up on the fence, so I sent Emma a snapchat saying Fred was in the midst of a very important decision...

(Fred in the background, staring at the fence. My handy weeding work and subsequent newly rearranged patio)

And - that's about it!!

Primark Christmas...

I'm getting excited about Christmas for one reason and one reason only: This year, there will be Primark.

I went for lunch today with Giorgos (we went to Wasabi for sushi and it was delicious) and following eating a LOT of salmon, we went into Primark to kill the lunch hour. 

With great success. Shopping with George may be my favourite pastime so far discovered in London.

Here is why...

This is George, dressed in a Santa beanie, complete with knitted beard, and a Christmas Pudding jumper...

And this is George, dressed in his nice work clothes, wth a turkey on his head - à la Miranda in her Christmas special.

My face hurt so much from this wee trip, I want to make it a weekly thing; even when I am employed full-time...

Yay for winter Chrismas, silly jumpers and funny hats!!!!

My daily affirmation

Everyone in London has an Oyster card holder that means something to them... This is mine :)
  

OPA!!!

At Nathalie and Pavlos' wedding, I had the best time watching (and even participating in) the Greek dancing. It was fun, it was fast, it was tricky... And I felt like a failure Greek because I didn't know any of them!

So when I arrived in London, I found a Greek dance class, signed up and then had very bad second thoughts - what if I sucked?! I'm terrible at remembering dance moves, what if I kick someone or stand on their toes??

What if, indeed... Tonight, I attended my first class. And it was AWESOME!!!

Ok, I can't remember any of the names of the songs, and I probably won't remember most of the steps next week, but it was great! Lots of steps and hopping and going round in circles. One dance was all skipping and hopping WITH linked arms, and I didn't fail miserably... And not too many mistakes; I didn't stand on anyone's toes, and I think I only kicked one or two people. I'll call that a success!

The teacher, Jack, is very good, and there were a lot of people who attended, so it was really lively! 

So that's every Tuesday night, 7pm at RADA for the next 12 weeks.

OPA!!

Men's socks

It has to be my favourite observation of the businessmen in London.

It's the little pop of personality and flair in an otherwise pretty standard sense of dress.

These businessmen strut around in their fancy suits, nice shirts, well-chosen ties and shoes, cufflinks! And then you see the choice of sock...

So far I have seen bright red or stripes - standard wackiness. I chuckled at some guy with polkadots on his socks, because he had matching polkadots cuff links. 

However, these ones take the cake so far. I even asked permission to take a photo, that's how impressed I was with the sock choice!

So thanks London businessmen, for my daily chuckle :)

Jam Tart

This may be the coolest thing I have done in London thus far.

In a bar called Floripa on Old Street, every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, there is a little musical jamboree called Jam Tart...

Jam Tart is for any musician or singer to come along, put your name on the list, and get up and sing!! The Jam Tart Band - a guitarist, drummer, bassist and keyboarder - literally 'jam' the whole session; they pick up the song or the beat and just go for it, or improv if it's someone's original... AMAZING!!! They served us complimentary jam tarts (yummy!) and the MC told us to go 'ape-shit crazy' on the clapping and cheering, which I did, then lost my voice...

We saw some ridiculously talented people there... A girl who looked like an African rag-doll, had a baby-doll dress on, hair in pigtails. Then belted out Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'...!!! Another girl sung an original and played the guitar (the band then picked up the beat and began playing in the background - v. cool) The song was so beautiful, great lyrics... (Will write them in when I get the chance) One guy got up with his long-haired friend, played guitars and sang some indie-hipster song. Best part was his finish - it was as if he was channeling Freddie Mercury, performing at Wembley or the O2 Arena!

In a break in performers, the band jammed a little and it became Open Mic on the floor - which brought up a bunch of jazzy singers, freestyle rappers, a beatboxer, and some epic harmonies.

Jam Tart, you rock! I can't wait to go back for a second installment... And third, and probably fouth and fifth...

Bed party

Nadia got back from her trip to Italy with her sister late last night, so we didn't see them to hear all their tales from Rome and the Amalfi Coast...

Nadia came in our room to say hi when she got home from work, as I was sitting in bed/my workstation, applying for jobs. 

She jumped in and we were having a grand old chat; when Em got home from work, came upstairs, and also jumped in bed. When Lucie (Nadia's sister) got home from her day about town, she too joined us in bed.

Then the suggestion of wine got brought up - Em had a rather old bottle in the fridge, and I had bought a bottle of Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc the other day from Sainsbury's...

So we got four glasses, two bottles of wine, four chocolate-covered rice crackers and some raspberries (it was really all we had, snack wise) and had a small party in the bed!

Topped off with dinner delivered from YouMe Sushi and some dorky dancing to cheesy music (which we made Laura and Zoe dance to when they came in to check what was going on) it was a fun night all round :)

(Em's wine that has been sitting in the fridge since I arrived, and fizzed when she opened it...)

Running

I have found a fantastic route to run, it's about 4kms through Wormwood Scrubs, past the Burlington Danes Academy (for mathematics and dance, if I read correctly??) and the hospital. And a prison. Just for good measure!

The first time I went, I tried to use my GPS run tracker app on my phone. Epic fail...

Apparently I ran through the hospital, school and then some houses. Oh! And over the rail lines... Call me Superman :)

In other news, I have done this route twice running and once jogging with Em; so getting into this whole running business!!

Lunch with Giorgos

One of my newest yet bestest friends in London, Giorgos knew Helen from France, and I have adopted him as my token Greek bestie!

He landed an amazing job at an English Language school, based in Tottenham Court Road - directly opposite We Will Rock You and above Primark (how he resists daily temptation is beyond me...)

There is a gorgeous little green square just across from his work, so we went and sat in the park, had a yummy lunch (his mum packed his; I had Pret, obviously!) and we chatted about life and work and the weather and what not... 

I feel like this should be a regular thing, if not until I am employed, at least! And especially while the sun is shining and there is blue sky in London!!

(He had a mouthful of sandwich)

Fun Run

In lieu of going to the gym (which I really do miss!) I have been running.

Em and I did this route the other day, and I got bored of walking so I started jogging. And it felt good!

So today I tried to 'track my run' via GPS and some stupid app, which told me I had run directly through/over the hospital, a school, and a block of houses...

So I mapped it using a handy website, and found I ran 4km in 35 minutes - woohoo!

So now I know this distance, I'm going to make it my little track and see if I can better my time :)

Who needs the gym when I can now run around!! (And did some silly side-steps while running, too, just to get my body back into 'netball' thinking)

Also a note to point out - there are netball courts just by #2 - which is where I will be playing soon!! Wee!!!!

Munich, you gorgeous thing you...

What an amazing trip.

The sun shone, the raspberries were fresh and the dogs can go on public transport. Man, I love this city!!!

Coming above ground from the airport into Marienplatz felt like coming home. It reminds me of old reunions, of past visits when I felt like a stranger in this city. Now, I am no stranger.

I visited Dallmayr, an amazing delicatessen with the most delicious varieties of fresh hors d'oeuvre, cured meats, fresh fish and a chocolate counter that makes my mouth water... 

Strolling the prestigious Maximillianstraße, I pretended to be rich enough to step foot in a shop. Jimmy Choo, Dior, Prada. Ahh, perhaps one day I will...

Anna and I had a delicious leberkäse semmel at the Viktualienmarkt and wandered through the various stalls selling flowers, cheeses, liqueurs and so on.

Walking through the streets in my dirndl made me feel more local than ever before, and I cannot wait to wear it again!

Today, happily sober (or at least, still sobering up) we walked through the Oktoberfest and watched all the crazy rides. We walked up to the Bavaria statue and saw the masses of people below. We went through the Oide Wiesn, with it's carnival rides from years ago a- merry-go-rounds, swinging chairs, short roller coasters and a small ferris wheel. 

We strolled the quiet streets of Munich and window shopped for shoes, bar stools, postcards, an old pipe from an antique shop, even a toaster from a comic book store. We had strawberries on a stick, coffee then juice, and sausages for dinner. We found a great little bar called Frenzy, where all the chandeliers were odd and they had candles on the table. It was so gorgeous; we had a cup of tea...

This place will forever feel comfortable and homely to me. I hope, maybe one day, I could live here for a while...

The Wiesn

I always know I will have a good time when a bunch of FH students come together. Especially if it includes copious amounts of alcohol, which any good Oktoberfest reunion should...

Five years ago I met some amazing people on my semester in Austria, and through them I am fortunate to continue meeting other amazing people!

It was so great to see Andi, Tobi, Kathi, Kathrin and Laura again; and to meet Claudia, another Kathrin, Mattias and Karsten... For Anna and I to be together in Munich again was the best!!

We dressed in our dirndl and lederhosen, ate pretzels for breakfast and braided our hair. We caught the U-Bahn to Theresienwiese and made it to the Hacker-Pschorr tent to meet Andi at 9:30am - so early because we are THAT dedicated. 

Anna, Claudia and I had a front row view of the procession of brass bands, the horses and carriages for each beer tent. Then we were on camera as the Mayor of Munich arrived at our tent; he opens the first keg, thereby officially announcing the start of Oktoberfest!

From midday the veer flowed and we had a great afternoon in the biergarten; then Andi managed to get us inside (he knows people...) 

So we got a fresh beer and slowly took over a table, then proceeded to dance, sing and drink the night away, up on the chairs (and occasionally the table!)

Conversation of the day...

Kathrin Frey: "Do you think we will still do this in 20 years?"

Me: "Of course we will!! We will just have to leave our kids with our partners, and get them to collect us at 11pm!"

Long may our Wiesn reunions continue... Thank you to my wonderful friends for a wonderful time! (Even if my head did not agree this morning...)

And as they say a picture paints a thousand words, I will end this with photos only

One for the road

So normal :)

Our home for the next 12 hours

Drums, flutes and a glockenspiel in the procession band!

Pretty sure we were on Bavarian TV...

First beers!!!

 

PROST!

Crazy foreigners...

Reenacting our first pretzel moment...

I don't know what was up with this lady.............

He has Kathrin's initials on his lederhosen!!!! He he he...

He stumbled into our group. Giving Kiwi's a bad name...

Thankfully from here, the cameras died...

Furry friends

I have made fast friends with Polly, Petra's cat. She has amazingly soft fur and a little white mustache and loves cuddles!!

I am trying to figure out a way to steal her an take her back to the UK, so the whole flat can enjoy her cuddles...

Watch this space!

And goodnight from Zoe & Polly, spooning in Munich

On the road again

Well, being so close to Europe has it's perks.

I'm just popping over to Munich for the weekend! I hear there is some beer festival (no big deal, right?) and some of my friends are going... 

Cue excitement:
YAYYY OKTOBERFEST!!!!

Added bonuses of Munich include visits to the Viktualienmarkt, perhaps my favourite food market in all the world; leberkäse sandwiches and my German Aunty are all there too!

Zoe are we ready ready?

YES WE ARE READY READY!

(For 5kgs in 5 days...!)

And hopefully some sunshine and not incredibly terrible hangovers!

One small step for Zoe...

I think this is the first bank account I have ever opened myself!

With the assistance and direction of my fair Helen, today I opened both a Current AND Savings account at NatWest! Woohoo!

It all seems pretty straightforward... Lots of numbers and stuff, transfer blah, and what was that thing about an app?

#overwhelming // sense of achievement!

After 'work' drinks in Holburn

How exciting is this!! I don't even have a job yet, but I am going for after work drinks with Em's work people! (Emma is coming along, too. Otherwise that would be a bit odd.)

What to wear........!!!!

--- Later that night ---

Well, that was amusing!

First thing I noticed - everyone in suits! Then they take their ties off, while still clutching the pint, like they've had a hard week in the office.

Second thing I noticed - men buy the rounds! Thankfully I stuck to gin & tonics, but if I drank beer as fast as they did I would turn into a keg in no time...

Third thing - Emma's coworkers are lovely, once they get the work talk out of the way :) It's the same with any work environment though, and they do seem to enjoy what they do. I'm envious -- I WANT A JOB TO TALK ABOUT!! We had a great laugh about a dodgy guy in the bathroom, staring at Michael. There was also a moment where all three men in the conversation were rubbing their nipples...

And then we finished the night with overpriced kebabs... Delicious :)

Almost a legit citizen!

Today, I took the long and arduous trip to Tooting Bec to get my National Insurance number.

Aside from the fact the trip felt like I travelled a million miles away from East Acton (THREE different tube lines!) the suburb wasn't too bad; I found a decent coffee to help me through...

When I arrived, I noticed an 'interesting' selection of people waiting at this place. A mix of Eastern Europeans in trackies, young professionals in suits or with nice handbags, and a great variety of other ages in various states of presentation (Mohawk, dreads, baldies, t-shirts, ripped jeans, stripper heels.) The line was out the door, but thankfully my 9:50am appointment got me up the stairs on time.

I met with some lady who took my details, assumed I was entering the UK with savings (which I am) and got me to sign on the dotted line. She stole my passport for about 10 minutes, then returned it and I was free to go!

A week later, I have my NI Number, and am one step closer to being a legit, working class citizen of the United Kingdom!

(this is my excited face...!)