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...)