My Blue Heaven

I said ‘Brrr’ its FREEZING out here

Literally! It has been absolutely frrreezing over here this week… must be at least 0 degrees at night and rarely goes over 10 degrees during the day. I get up in the morning and I walk to the station past cars that are frozen over with a layer of frost on top. Sometimes when I walk home at night, the cars are already frozen over… and it’s only like 10pm. I am so thankful for my big shopping expedition in Brussels.. these puffy winter coats are proving VERY useful! Have made good use of the gloves and scarfs I bought too! The days are sooo short too. I get up at about 6:45am and its still dark. The sun starts setting at 4pm and its definitely dark by 5pm. At least it’s not raining – clear blue skies and sunshine almost every day… looks deceptively warm from inside, but when you step out… brrrr!

Anyway, yes, new job and new flat. I’m settling in quite nicely to both. The flat is very comfortable and warms up very well with its central heating. The shower and bath are really good too – lots of hot water for me to take nice long relaxing baths. 🙂

The job is going pretty good so far. My manager seems to be quite impressed with my work – he told me so on Friday. 🙂 I found and fixed a few bugs in their layout that they didn’t know of / had been stuck on. I’ve also just started developing the front end pages for the new redesigned e.s.p.a.r.e.s website. Gonna be a tight deadline for release at beginning Dec – plus the added pressure that this is the most important website to develop, being their main site with the most hits. But the busyness makes the day go faster.

My hours are 9-6pm, which means I have to leave home by around 7:30am (coz it takes me an hour and half to get in.. Kinda sucks). The people at work are cool – two aussie brothers from Melbourne are the two IT directors.. the developers behind the system. Then there’s the graphics designer and his girlfriend who handles the content. And there’s me now. Quite a small team, but all young and get along well – its like working with friends. I just wish it was located in a more central place – its a 20 min walk from Earls Court station, which is 10 mins from central london. All this walking is surely good for me.. making me fitter hopefully!

In other news

So what else. Other than work and settling into the new flat, I’ve watched 2 movies – FINALLY got around to watching Serenity today! Yay! Damn those reevers are kinda scary. Not at all like starcraft reevers. Hehe. 😛 And I also saw Howls Moving Castle (finally) the other night. I really enjoyed it.. it was not as wierd as his previous movies.. (eg Spirited Away).. and I thought it was rather romantic too. 🙂 Harry Potter came out here on Friday.. Leciester Square has turned into a huge Harry Potter promotion… with big spotlights shining down onto the trees and this huuge Triwizard tournament cup fixture out the front balcony of the cinema. I’ve booked myself a ticket for next friday night… yes you gotta buy in advanced coz first few nights were sold out.

I also went to dance class for the first time in 5/6 weeks yesterday. And boy is my body paying for it today! I. Am. In. Pain. My entire back is in pain everytime I move any muscle in it. Didn’t know the back had so many muscles that could hurt like this. My left inner thigh is slightly.. hurt/injured. Nothing serious… just probably a minor strain coz my legs aren’t used to being used like that. My knees even buckled slightly once during the routine coz my thigh muscles just couldn’t get my body back up again that quickly. I am seriously out of shape. And it sucks lemons. Really gotta get back into shape. I hate being weak and unfit. I want the strength and flexibility you get from dancing. I’m thinking of doing ballet too actually. Its my posture. Its gotten really bad… so bad that my left shoulder is hurting all the time now coz I’m constantly hunching over and tensing my shoulders. I don’t stand up straight and its becoming a chronic problem.


Ok time for me to go home and take that bath I’ve been waiting for! (I’m at an internet cafe… still no internet.. heck not even a connected phone line at home yet!) Sorry about the rather long update. Not having net at home kinda sucks.

Back in town!

Hello again from chilly London town. Yep, I’m back in London now. Lots to say, but no time now. In short, I’m now renting, just moved into my own studio flat up north in Finchley. Also got a new job which I’m starting on Wed. Will update you all with details later, but I’m in a net cafe atm and my time is gonna run out in 2 mins so gotta go! Will modify this post later. Ciao!

ps Special shout out to my melbournite homie schfuller Doonks. 😉

Something old, something new

The old:

• Still job hunting, dealing with agents, applying online, and playing the waiting game
• Still in Frankurt
• Going to the Kino (cinema) tonight for our weekly monday night movie mystery night again.. *pleeeeeease show us Serenity!!*

The new:

• I can’t believe how early it gets dark now! It’s full-on night now, and its only 5:45pm!!! It starts getting dark by like 5pm. Crazy.
• Plus temps are seriously dropping now – today averaged 10 degs tops, and later this week its forecast to get down to 2 degrees!
• Lack of opportunities to dance or go to dance class has forced me to start bustin’ out the moves when I’ve found myself home alone.. hehe.. in a way it’s good coz its forcing me to make up my own stuff and be more creative with my dancing.. will be good for next time I go clubbing. 😉
• I visited the only english speaking church in Frankfurt on Sunday (only just found out about its existence!) Its called ICF-Taunus. Pretty nice, smallish congregation.. with quite a family closeness feel, which you tend to only find in smaller churches. Kinda reminded me a bit of ES back home.
• For those who care, or may have already suspected, I have a boyfriend. His name is Kwai. He is contracting out here in Frankfurt till Dec which is why I’m staying out here whilst I don’t have work (free accom – definitely beats trying to rent in london!)

Current listening :: When I Look In Your Eyes – Diana Krall

Hooked..

.. on WoW and Stargate Atlantis. Particularly the latter. Can I just say that Stargate Atlantis is absolutely awesome. I think it is fast becoming my favourite TV Series of all time. Overtaking even Stargate SG-1!! I’m up to episode 19 of Season 1… yep… the season finale double episode. How is Atlantis gonna survive the massive wraith onslaught? Eeep! (Never fear, Major Shepherd will save the day! Plus he’s kinda cute too. Hehe.) Anyways, this is gonna be awesome! Am I saying the word awesome too much in this post? 😛

And for those who aren’t part of the species class ‘Geek’ – WoW is World Of Warcraft. I’m currently a level 9 night elf Druid. Half way to level 10… when I gain the ability to turn into a bear. Yay! Levelling a druid is pretty slow going though. And I keep dying too much… darned low stamina.

Anyways. Err.. waay too much geek talk in this post. On the job front. I am back in the game of job-hunting and agent-dealings. The CV has gone out to a number of contract roles.. (none of which match even half what that Derby job offered.. actually one comes close).. and now I’m just waiting to hear back and see if I get any interviews. *crosses fingers*

Ok I’m outtie. Ciao for now.

Current listening :: “Body and Soul” – Ella Fitzgerald

Fiasco

So there I was, at Frankfurt International Airport, looking smart in my black Mango suit and white shirt. I’d just checked in my bag and was all ready to fly to London for my first meeting with Cassium – with an hour to spare too! Then my mobile rings and I answer. It is Stephen from Cassium. He doesn’t sound too happy. I get a sneaking suspicion that he’s about to tell me something I don’t want to hear. And he speaks “I really don’t know how to tell you this… but the project has been cancelled.” After a short explanation (the client company cancelled the project.. well not quite, they wanted to shorten the project and only use one of Cassium’s consultants plus a few of their own people, to which Cassium refused – this has apparently never happened to them before) and a profuse amount of appologising, I told him it was ok, and asked if that other opportunity with their telco department was still available. He’s gonna get back to my by the end of the day. Here’s hoping.. *crosses fingers*

Ok. So this sorta disappointment thing has happened to me too much for my liking since arriving here. To get dumped on my arse, so to speak. Happened with my first flat-hunting fiasco, then the Adgistics fiasco, and now with Cassium. (Watch Elizabethtown and you’ll understand why I’m using the word “fiasco” so much). I guess it seemed almost too good to be true. Me, earning that much money? Getting a contract that easily? With all the amazingly good luck I’ve had with things… maybe it stands to reason that I’d have equally amazing bad luck. But at least I know this time it wasn’t my fault. I got the job with my skills.. the skills that Cassium even believed were worth paying loads for. And just maybe I can do it again. I have to think that way otherwise I’m gonna start wondering if I’m ever going to find work again, and that doesn’t help things. It is frustrating though. I wonder why this is happening?? I really needed this job… financially it would have helped a lot.. and well, I never thought I would say this, but I just want to work again!!

Fuck. Can I just say that? Sorry if it offends.

*sigh* Anyways. As they say… stuff happens (stargate atlantis ref :P). One must chug along. It’s back to the drawing board.. or rather jobsite.co.uk and contractoruk.com.

Current listening :: “Fighter” – Christina Aguilera (how appropriate)