Saturday, July 24, 2004 
House - Check! Job - Check!
Done and dusted. I am moving into my new place on Saturday morning and start my new job as a Web Producer (Project Manager with a little more hands on). Phase Two complete.
The House.
Three bedrooms, sharing with an Aussie girl (Kristen) and an Irish couple (Stephen and Kathryn). The couple are upstairs with their own ensuite so I share the bathroom with Kristen. The place is all new inside and has a huge lounge and a big kitchen for my gourmet cooking talents to be rediscovered. My bedroom was the big seller along with the previously mentioned bonuses - double bed, chest of drawers, built in cupboard and broadband internet in the room (note that most places come furnished). So everything is excellent. Going to get a laptop this week hopefully....which brings me to...
The Job
Web Producer. A new title for me and most definitely a career development step. I start Monday and will be managing a few projects and working closely with a lot of the staff. The company is medium size and has majority of Aussies there, which is wierd, but also really cool. This company is a Microsoft Partner just like my previous job, and they create sites and Intranets using Microsoft's Content Management System and SharePoint 2003. Now I can hear people from my old job giggle at the SharePoint mention -- but this is 2003 which is pretty damn good. And another spot of goodness - casual clothes for day to day work. Hello t-shirts, jeans, no ties and suits unless client-side. Awesome.
So I'm now looking ahead to Phase 3 which is some short holidays - weekend trips up north (Ireland or Scotland) and over the Channel (Europe). But I'll need to settle a little more, but there's time for that. Also went to my first concert last night - suitably [?] it was the Resin Dogs from Queensland. Absolutely packed full of sweaty Aussies groovin' their butts off -- me included. It was a great gig that went for 100 minutes for £10. And bumped into an old work client who was the one guy I knew in London (even thought I'd met him only once). He warned me of the fun in Amsterdam he had.....
Posted by Nick @ 1:35 pm
0 comments
Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Phase Two Nearing Completion and Web Cams
OK -- I have an interview tomorrow, and probably another one this week (awaiting contact). I'm looking at two places tonight and one more Thursday. So its all looking up today for Phase Two completion -- Phase One was getting here and settling in some sort of way > which has been done, especially with all of the alcohol and great mates I've met at Belushis, along with the calls and emails everyone has been sending. Fantastic.
Speaking of contact. Web Cams + Messenger rock my world!!!!! Best. Chat. Ever.
Hopefully have some good news next post.
Posted by Nick @ 5:29 pm
0 comments
Monday, July 19, 2004 Beautiful Windsor
Just a quick post. Interview went well - lovely blokes. And I got the opportunity to wander around Windsor. Such a beautiful part of the country - poles apart from London's hustle and bustle and into another stylish, slower world. I could live there I'm sure.
Got to Windsor early (it was an hour travel from where I'm staying), so found the place I was going for the interview, and then did the tourist thing and wander thru Windsor Castle. Absolutely incredible. Biggest house I've ever been thru! And the amount of history is astounding in that place; all of the paintings and armour and the beautiful St George's Chapel. I have the church goers praying for my beautiful grandmother tomorrow (you can leave a name and a description of who you want to be prayed for). Even posed my Batman toy with one of those Royal Guards like all of the tourists (or at least my bent version of photography). I will definitely be going back to the Castle and the town.
Posted by Nick @ 5:13 pm
0 comments
Friday, July 16, 2004 Time To Put The Suit On
Internet Cafes are some what of a challenge for me - they are hot (no one here has air con, its just all heating - which I'm sure I'll praise in a few months), they have English keyboards (slightly different layout - always fun to touch type then spend the next 30 secs finding the doubles quotes and the @ symbol), and the seats are crap for the man with the bad back. But.... you can't live without them and they bring such fun messages from loved ones. And you get all excited when you apply for two jobs and within an hour you have been contacted by both as they want to chat.
Yesterday started average, missing people - so I rang Mum and some friends, and then I looked around for jobs and I'm off to Windsor Monday or Tuesday for an interview as a Web Developer and also have another option in London (City) as a Web Producer - this role being very close to what I did back home. So the day very much improved, followed by looking thru my first place -- nice place with a room to myself with an ensuite just down the road from where I'm staying - a good option but I still want to look at some more. Back to the bar, and got offered another room with some people I've met - haven't looked at the place yet, but the girls who live there (I'll be sharing with another guy when they find a suitable person) were pretty impressed with it all -> so should know more about that soon.
So with a big smile, I sat at the bar with my friends and drank. And then wandered down to another bar with a few, talked to a guy who was in a theatre show I saw the night before - Damages at Bush Theatre (will try and find a review somewhere) - and was bought two Hoegaarden pints. And my friends who would frequent the Belguim Beer Cafe with me on Fridays know how big these things are and how much I like them. These went down way too quickly and I find myself this morning a little unfresh. But I have one of the pint glasses as a trophy which was smuggled out.
I've done a few tourist things too - Tate Britain, been to a Walkabout pub (Stella in a plastic pint glass!! WRONG!), went to the theatre as above, and have just cruised around the place a bit (I can't remember what else at the moment -- very unfreshly now). Still in love with the city, and hopefully doing some touristy things again today. I also have a phone now and can be contacted - there's a few people around who have the number, so email them and get it if you want -- i can return smses. And if you can't find someone to give you the number -- ask my Mum nicely.
Posted by Nick @ 11:31 am
0 comments
Monday, July 12, 2004 No Beer and Finding Employment
It seems that everyone is "up for a quiet one" tonight. Beers are being devoured too quickly, and everyone is just wandering around looking pretty stuffed - myself included. Even my room mate Tim was still in bed around 1pm today. I've done some washing and curled up with my new comic - The Matrix Comics -- a collection of the web comics found on the matrix web site. Been waiting for it and wanted something light to read -- e.g not a book...
Went to a recruitment agency today, and came out feeling a little confused, but reasonably confident that I'll be working soon. These guys add me to a list that goes out to other agencies and they call them up if I fit the bill. Only 5% of my wage goes to them and they work out all my expenses, taxes etc etc -- which from what I've heard is a real nightmare. Another bonus is that I now have free access to their Internet from 9-5 work days so I can search for jobs instead of blowing pounds all day on Net access -- more pints I guess.
Looks like I'll be staying here at the hostel for a bit longer. Pretty cruisey and easy to get everywhere. So until I find a place I want to live in, Belushis will be my home. And you can all have a look at us and play Where's Nick on their web cam off their web site. I'm down at the bar around 430pm Adelaide time for breakfast and sitting at the bar at night from around 4am - 9am AEST.
Posted by Nick @ 7:15 pm
1 comments
Sunday, July 11, 2004 Incredible London and Beers with Aussie Legends
OK, I think I have a little more time to blab tonight. I've had a few beers at the pub and am sitting in front of a computer recalling all of my antics over the last few days.
Friday night I sat in the pub below my hostel and drank too many Kronenburg pints with an English lad (Eddie) and remember vaguely returning to my 4 bed room reasonably drunk desperately trying to find my padlock keys to my bags, gave up and just passed out. I awoke in the morning next to my backpack and found my keys in the place I'd left them.
Saturday was awesome. I buddied up with a guy who was in my room - Barry, who was in London for really only one day - and we decided to be true tourists. We got the the Tube and asked some English lass where we should get off to be in the shopping district -- she said Bank, so we followed instructions. Bank was empty. Like no one. Nadda. Freaking out that London was not anything like we expected we headed to St Pauls to check it out. Oh. My. God. Unbelievable place it is. Ginormous big church. We wentup to all of the areas you could and got awesome views inside and outside -- it ends up about 350 feet in the air so you can look all over London from the top. Bloody lot of stairs tho -- including annoying small people stairs and spiral staircases... ahh the pains of being 6" 2'.... But it blew me away.
Next we continued thru the deadness of London to the London Bridge and walked over that and then along the Thames to the HMS Belfast - a battleship from World War II that is "parked" in the Thames. Awesome boat with a grealy set up tour that we went thru -- took about 2 hours so we (Barry and I) got our £7 worth. Dad - I'm sure you are proud, and I'll take you thru it when you come over.
Next was cruising the Thames (I want to live in Butlers Wharf) and then across the Tower Bridge, followed by ogling at the Tower of London -- big arse castle on the Thames that is really old and very cool looking, yet incredibly expensive to go thru. We stayed outside.
Next we decided to be true tourists and hit the double deckers for tours around the place. These things are great -- you cruise around the tourist points of London and can get on and off at any time for 24 hours (how long the ticket lasts) and its only £16. Well worth it -- you see it all. We stopped off at Buckingham Palace and sat in awe, then walked down to Trafalguar Square and hopped on another bus and saw more places of interest. You come over, get on one of these!
We'd started at 9am and returned to the hostel at 715pm, so it was a massive day where both of us just revelled in the tourist thing and really enjoyed London for how amazing it is. We also found the shopping district while on the bus trip; the girl at the station was way off -- Leicester Square, Picadilly, Oxford St etc are the places...which brings me to today.
Today (Sunday), I hopped on the Tube and scoured the town for the comic book shop I saw on the tour. Got there and waited outside for 15 minutes until it opened -- it seems that regardless of which country your are in, there are still freaks going to the comic shops. Phew -- wierd dudes out there today.
Next was a walk to Oxford Street (and Regent, Bond [green on the monopoly board] and Carnaby) and from there I just wandered for about 4 hoursthru the streets looking at the amazing amount of shops around the place. Incredible amount and sooooo many people around. Think Christmas Eve shopping everyday its open. Crazy place. But I can say I've been to the Diesel (Bart) and Ben Sherman (Thommo) shops -- very cool -- along with soo many more. Must say I could've spent about £1000 today but left only with buying lunch. I'll wait for a while until I buy some clothes.
So I returned with incredibly sore feet to the pub and sat down for a few pints. And as the rumours had spread, and I'd seen him around last night, Sam (Aussie Legend One) was staying in the hostel. Along with Mike (Aussie Legend Two) who I had a few Coronas with (Ange -- 2 coronas for £3!!!) and we talked girls/relationships and the challenges they bring. Then I was introduced to Sam and gave him a stir about shaving as he'd made a purchasing mistake regarding deodrant vs shaving cream..... even away from the likes of my ex-workmates I can cause havoc regarding my hairiness vs others! Habit obviously -- Sam laughed along. Great guys and good drinking mates.
So you can see I'm having a blast and tomorrow its job hunting time. The suits out, the shirts ironed andI'm going to attempt to dazzle some recruiters.
Songs on iPOD: Potentially being copied all to the hostel's laptop to add to their nightly playlists :)
Posted by Nick @ 7:30 pm
1 comments
Friday, July 09, 2004 Still alive
For all you out there looking at this to see if the plane(s) landed correctly...yes they did and I'm now in London with head buzzing.
I will detail everything from last Wednesday week back so you can all understand what occurred prior to landing here in the UK sometime soon. Because I know you all love my rants :P
Thankyou to everyone who's sent emails thru, and for everyone who came along to my farewell drinks and all of the support I've had in the last week or two. And big hi to all my single serving friends I've met in the last two days -- Tracey, Hugh, Katrina, Steve and the two guys off to Contiki touring. Fight Club is so correct in its definiton.
Oh and screw you MUSE for leaving your home (my new home) and deciding to tour my old home town in September. F£&kers!
Posted by Nick @ 6:13 pm
1 comments
