Well, there are some developments at this end of the globe, and they begin with the fat man...
Christmas (Stuffing the face when it’s not 40°C)
Well, I have clocked up a year in London, and approaching another Christmas abroad. This year, the Christmas meal will extend beyond a cob of corn and guacamole on crackers! Having drilled in some extra holes in my belt in preparation, I am ready for a proper festive feed this time round!
Christmas will be spent with some good friends of mine, both of the human, and of the beverage variety. We will be working our way through copious amounts of Mulled Wine, Eggnog, Roasts (required a capitol R), Turkey, Puddings, Apple Pies, Beers, Board Games, Rum and Trifle, with a de-fibrillating machine on standby for the mornings. It will be nice to be eating the Christmas spread when it is...
Weather (English for COLD!)
Life in London of late, has been two things. Cold and Dark. The sun comes up at 9am, and disappears at 3pm. I am therefore working longer hours than the sun, and as such have made a note of this in my CV. This of course means 5 days of the week, I do not see daylight. Its not that I don’t have a window at work I do, but it faces a brick wall! I try and judge the daylight outside by the reflection off the bricks…this is a skill developed to a high standard, and as such, I have made a note of it on my CV. The CV is looking mighty fine now, which is always good when...
Credit Crunching (Where dreams become reality)
The last couple of months have certainly been interesting times in London. The credit crunch really is a noticeable force. One quiet Friday at work, 14 people were tapped on the shoulder, and told to hang there head, collect their belongings, and Vamuse! It was an eerie day, with deafening silence, pierced by the sounds of footsteps. You just had to hope they were not coming in your direction! One of my colleagues opposite was shown the door, with an impressive straight armed point. We bid him farewell and good luck, before I returned to my desk to watch a drunken squirrel try and climb a tree on YouTube. But a few weeks later, I made the call myself, and as such...
Sacked for Resigning (Well the latter anyway)
The great news (excuse me while I do a small jig and down a shot of celebratory Absinthe....dry retches), is that I have quit my job! No more pinging Wi-Fi internet routers for me. Meaning no more explaining to old geezers using Wi-Fi internet at McDonalds, why they can’t view hardcore lesbian pornography whilst having a Big Mac (once a day task!). I must admit, I am proud of my work there; my phone was off the hook for the last three months...I have some super clean stats; no news is good news, that’s my motto!
So the job hunt begins, nearly 12 months to the day from when it first started. As to what I will do now, well I have no idea! It is a Europe wide search for a bread winner now, and it is exciting to imagine where I might end up…hopefully it’s not as a broke bum scraping chewy off the footpath in Romania for a couple of jingling coins! But hopefully it won’t come to that, and Ill find a few months of work, because of...
Tour De Europe 2009 (Converting legs to a tree trunk like state)
2009 is very exciting, as me and two friends will be doing the trip of a lifetime. We will be cycling through 19 countries around Europe next summer (finally I’ll get a summer after 2 years). Nothing but pedal power, the open road, cool little villages and towns, and that constant voice in the head saying “are we there yet are we there yet are we there yet...”.
Lots of planning has already been done, taking us through 19 countries from France across to Greece, up the Balkans to Germany and across to Holland.
I have already started training for it in earnest. I now no longer use the TV remote (on Mondays and Thursdays), and if I want a cup of tea at work, I no longer get the weaker, more feeble staff to make it for me! With six months to prepare, we are well on track. The route is sorted, now we need the equipment, i.e. bikes! It will be an amazing trip, and May cannot come soon enough! More information to follow...
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Thursday, 2 October 2008
The Brother Still Has a Pulse
Greetings to the land down under...
Yes, it is true, I still exist, and am alive and kicking. It has been a while since my last email, and due to popular demand, I am collating the last few months and coming right back at you with another update!
Well my Cockney East End existence continues to roll on….init (the customary way to end any sentence here)! I have been mastering my shiftiness, gaining an appreciation for simpletons, trying to model my life on one of the characters from East Enders, and becoming fluent in Cockney Rhyming slang. For the moment, it remains my Pope in Rome (means Home...there's your slang)!
The job is still rollicking along! A brief rundown of my day (actually this is also a detailed description). I turn up at least 15 minutes late, turn on the computer, turn on facebook, turn on messenger, turn on skype, open my hotmail, and commence movie downloading…and there you have it, the ball is rolling! I am in the process of looking for a real job, which reminds me, I also open up the classifieds websites! I am quite the artful dodger it would seem!
Well what have I been up to when I am not flat out at “work”, lets see…
I went to Wimbledon (on a work day no less). After joining the queue at the crack of dawn, me (along with 200 odd others), quickly went to hide behind cars or trees and make the sick call to work. I strategically called my boss when I knew she would be on the tube, and left a message. However this was later brought undone when she called me at 4pm to see how I was. Of course, with a roar from the crowd in the background, and the umpire shouting “thirty-forty”, my game plan fell apart…the lesson is never to answer private numbers! It was a great day all round, which ended with us sneaking into the famous centre court to watch four jokers play doubles. I even came away from the day with sunburn…another bit of evidence that worked against my “sick day” orchestration the next day at work!
Now that I am more settled over here, I have been able to crack on with the travels. Most of the last few months have seen me gallivanting around Europe. In fact, weekends in London have become a rarity. Stops in Cardiff, Dublin, Devon, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm and Prague have catapulted me back onto the backpacking circuit. Being back on the road has been great, and has made me hungry to do more travelling, and less loitering.
Some of the highlights have been…
Doing the Jameson’s Whisky and Guinness Brewery tours…both before midday, then staggering around Dublin in daylight like a true fuelled up Irishmen!
Spending a weekend in Manchester, staying in a pub playing darts, drinking pints, and arguing with two friends about who truly is the most mediocre AFL football player ever…it was agreed Jason Danilchenko and Brett Spinks were both the most ordinary, but the meeting was adjourned pending more research…
Doing a tour of Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, which was great. Have also managed to see games at Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) and Emirates Stadium (Arsenal), which all provide a great atmosphere, who would have thought it in amongst buffoons!
Visiting my old home town of Totnes, where I lived when I was 13. It rained the whole time, so we sat in a pub, discussing who truly is the most mediocre AFL player ever…this time we all mutually agreed Stephen Jurica was fairly woeful, and although Greg Anderson’s name was also raised, by sporting such a great mullet and fringe for so long, it was decided we would cut him some slack…
Being guided by our satellite navigation mate Tom Tom…who almost produced a faultless display with his soothing James Bond like voice, taking us down to Devon. Only once did Tom Tom lead us into a dead end street…and only once did he take us to an old cattle yard!
Going to Berlin and being called a child killer for jay-walking! Apparently it is a big no-no in Germany, and I was not setting a good example for the kids. I considered this over a bratwurst whilst a Gypsy tried to research whether I was a gullible tourist of not!
Hitting some nightclubs in Berlin that have sound systems that rattle your rib cages. Awesome nightlife in Berlin, with well priced beers, great music, and an appreciation for the Melbourne Shuffle I was able to contribute!
Heading to Stockholm and taking a mortgage out each time I wanted I pint! A great city, with some great sites…some of them landscape and architectural, most of them homo-sapiens of the female variety!
Exploring the meandering alleys of Prague, particularly at night in a ratty little pub crawl that ended in cigar smoking either side of Absinthe shots. After waking up to the cleaners hoovering at 2pm the next day, I carried my sore head outside, only to be stung in the back of the head by a wasp that had gotten stuck in my luscious head of hair! After cursing about it for an hour or so, I dulled the pain with more beers, and more Absinthe….and into the vicious cycle I found myself re-entering!
And last, but not least…
Getting up at 4am on Saturday morning, getting on the bus (of which someone had been kind enough to vomit on), and going to the pub for the Grand Final! That’s right, I was drinking pints for breakfast at a pub, and it was socially acceptable too! And what a game, my Hawks got up, and after soaking the whole pub with a massive spray of the champagne bottle, I was out and hitting London town in celebration, full of song!
How does it go again……”We’re a happy team at Hawthorn……
Well, more of the same coming up for me, hope everyone is well back in Oz, send me emails peoples...entertain me at work!
Speak to y’all soon
Mossy out.....
Yes, it is true, I still exist, and am alive and kicking. It has been a while since my last email, and due to popular demand, I am collating the last few months and coming right back at you with another update!
Well my Cockney East End existence continues to roll on….init (the customary way to end any sentence here)! I have been mastering my shiftiness, gaining an appreciation for simpletons, trying to model my life on one of the characters from East Enders, and becoming fluent in Cockney Rhyming slang. For the moment, it remains my Pope in Rome (means Home...there's your slang)!
The job is still rollicking along! A brief rundown of my day (actually this is also a detailed description). I turn up at least 15 minutes late, turn on the computer, turn on facebook, turn on messenger, turn on skype, open my hotmail, and commence movie downloading…and there you have it, the ball is rolling! I am in the process of looking for a real job, which reminds me, I also open up the classifieds websites! I am quite the artful dodger it would seem!
Well what have I been up to when I am not flat out at “work”, lets see…
I went to Wimbledon (on a work day no less). After joining the queue at the crack of dawn, me (along with 200 odd others), quickly went to hide behind cars or trees and make the sick call to work. I strategically called my boss when I knew she would be on the tube, and left a message. However this was later brought undone when she called me at 4pm to see how I was. Of course, with a roar from the crowd in the background, and the umpire shouting “thirty-forty”, my game plan fell apart…the lesson is never to answer private numbers! It was a great day all round, which ended with us sneaking into the famous centre court to watch four jokers play doubles. I even came away from the day with sunburn…another bit of evidence that worked against my “sick day” orchestration the next day at work!
Now that I am more settled over here, I have been able to crack on with the travels. Most of the last few months have seen me gallivanting around Europe. In fact, weekends in London have become a rarity. Stops in Cardiff, Dublin, Devon, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm and Prague have catapulted me back onto the backpacking circuit. Being back on the road has been great, and has made me hungry to do more travelling, and less loitering.
Some of the highlights have been…
Doing the Jameson’s Whisky and Guinness Brewery tours…both before midday, then staggering around Dublin in daylight like a true fuelled up Irishmen!
Spending a weekend in Manchester, staying in a pub playing darts, drinking pints, and arguing with two friends about who truly is the most mediocre AFL football player ever…it was agreed Jason Danilchenko and Brett Spinks were both the most ordinary, but the meeting was adjourned pending more research…
Doing a tour of Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, which was great. Have also managed to see games at Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) and Emirates Stadium (Arsenal), which all provide a great atmosphere, who would have thought it in amongst buffoons!
Visiting my old home town of Totnes, where I lived when I was 13. It rained the whole time, so we sat in a pub, discussing who truly is the most mediocre AFL player ever…this time we all mutually agreed Stephen Jurica was fairly woeful, and although Greg Anderson’s name was also raised, by sporting such a great mullet and fringe for so long, it was decided we would cut him some slack…
Being guided by our satellite navigation mate Tom Tom…who almost produced a faultless display with his soothing James Bond like voice, taking us down to Devon. Only once did Tom Tom lead us into a dead end street…and only once did he take us to an old cattle yard!
Going to Berlin and being called a child killer for jay-walking! Apparently it is a big no-no in Germany, and I was not setting a good example for the kids. I considered this over a bratwurst whilst a Gypsy tried to research whether I was a gullible tourist of not!
Hitting some nightclubs in Berlin that have sound systems that rattle your rib cages. Awesome nightlife in Berlin, with well priced beers, great music, and an appreciation for the Melbourne Shuffle I was able to contribute!
Heading to Stockholm and taking a mortgage out each time I wanted I pint! A great city, with some great sites…some of them landscape and architectural, most of them homo-sapiens of the female variety!
Exploring the meandering alleys of Prague, particularly at night in a ratty little pub crawl that ended in cigar smoking either side of Absinthe shots. After waking up to the cleaners hoovering at 2pm the next day, I carried my sore head outside, only to be stung in the back of the head by a wasp that had gotten stuck in my luscious head of hair! After cursing about it for an hour or so, I dulled the pain with more beers, and more Absinthe….and into the vicious cycle I found myself re-entering!
And last, but not least…
Getting up at 4am on Saturday morning, getting on the bus (of which someone had been kind enough to vomit on), and going to the pub for the Grand Final! That’s right, I was drinking pints for breakfast at a pub, and it was socially acceptable too! And what a game, my Hawks got up, and after soaking the whole pub with a massive spray of the champagne bottle, I was out and hitting London town in celebration, full of song!
How does it go again……”We’re a happy team at Hawthorn……
Well, more of the same coming up for me, hope everyone is well back in Oz, send me emails peoples...entertain me at work!
Speak to y’all soon
Mossy out.....
Thursday, 12 June 2008
London Update
Well, it has been a while since the last update, and due to badgering from some pests out there, here is another!
The last time I sent out an update, I had just recently lapsed again into unemployment. I guess my idea was that one DOOR would close, and another would open. Did it pan out that way....not quite!
A DOOR did open. My bedroom door...at around 11am each day for the next month. It spurning out a scruffy(ier) version of myself in singlet and boxers, already armed with the remote control. My next month would not be spent back into another job, but following the peaks and troughs of Kevin Arnold and family on The Wonder Years each day! Joining me in this life was my mate Hardsy, also unable to get work, and when Wonder Years would finish, we would hold in depth discussions on the episodes of the day, even giving them a rating out of ten, and comparing them to internet reviews! (By the way, Wayne, Kevin's brother, married a porn star in real life....modern day hero!)
After a tough and stressful month, in which a return home was a distinct possibility, I finally hit the jackpot, a recruitment agency that....(deep breath peoples)......called me back, AND answered my calls.....AND got me a job!
THE JOB
The job was nothing special. Talking calls for a recruitment agency. After 2 days of training, I was set, and ready to go! I had just been given my desk, and was all set to put a photo of my family up (well, a photo of The Wonder Years family) and engage in some water cooler talk with colleagues.
The BANG.....sacked! Laid off after 2 days due 'budget cuts' (not that I was on good pay!). So I cleared my desk (consisting of one piece of white A4 paper.....blank), and left !
The next day, I was called with another job offer...which somehow ended in a job after some Mossy charm at the interview!
THE JOB 2
This job was (actually...fortunately I can use the present tense now)....the job is working at a Wireless Internet provider, who provide wireless to Mcdonalds, Starbucks, Nintendo, Apple iphones and airports etc. What do I know about Wireless Internet you say?....let me sum it up in two words....FUCK ALL! And yet they have me taking calls from people who need support and help. This is how a regular call goes...
CALLER: Yes, my wireless modem is not connecting to access point or the router ??????..................................................(I start dreaming at this point, having tuned out to whatever they are waffling on about)....(they stop talking...this must be a sign to talk)
ME: ehh, oh right, well have you turned it (I use the ambiguous term "it" to cover my lack of knowledge) on and off again? (at this point I am feeling quite satisfied with my advice to the person...confidant it will fix everything!)
CALLER: Yes, but it is still not working
It is at this point I realise we have passed the extent of my knowledge in this field, and my heart sinks as I access an empty room in my brain for the answer!
ME: Oh, I see...........................................(an awkward silence is created)............................if you will give me your details............(a smaller awkward silence as I plot my next line).............I... will...liase..with...a...technician (hang on I have something here)....and I will get back to you with a resolution (yes, success!)
So while my new job is a lot better than my old job at the gym, I actually have absolutely no idea what I am doing. But they are praising my work, so whatever it is I do, I will keep doing it. I just cant help but feel this is another Seinfeld episode! And my famous stubbornness is still in tact, I have refused to make coffee for my boss!
Hope everyone is well, things are a lot more relaxed here, and I am a lot more settled, and enjoying myself a lot more now. Managed to get to Ireland for St. Patricks day, and just got back from Newcastle and Sunderland, where I saw Sunderland play Arsenal in the soccer and met up with some mates I met in New York...so things starting to roll along over here....time for some of you jokers to come and visit!
Well I'm off to get some sleep, big day at the office tomorrow...doing whatever it is I do!
Mossy Out
The last time I sent out an update, I had just recently lapsed again into unemployment. I guess my idea was that one DOOR would close, and another would open. Did it pan out that way....not quite!
A DOOR did open. My bedroom door...at around 11am each day for the next month. It spurning out a scruffy(ier) version of myself in singlet and boxers, already armed with the remote control. My next month would not be spent back into another job, but following the peaks and troughs of Kevin Arnold and family on The Wonder Years each day! Joining me in this life was my mate Hardsy, also unable to get work, and when Wonder Years would finish, we would hold in depth discussions on the episodes of the day, even giving them a rating out of ten, and comparing them to internet reviews! (By the way, Wayne, Kevin's brother, married a porn star in real life....modern day hero!)
After a tough and stressful month, in which a return home was a distinct possibility, I finally hit the jackpot, a recruitment agency that....(deep breath peoples)......called me back, AND answered my calls.....AND got me a job!
THE JOB
The job was nothing special. Talking calls for a recruitment agency. After 2 days of training, I was set, and ready to go! I had just been given my desk, and was all set to put a photo of my family up (well, a photo of The Wonder Years family) and engage in some water cooler talk with colleagues.
The BANG.....sacked! Laid off after 2 days due 'budget cuts' (not that I was on good pay!). So I cleared my desk (consisting of one piece of white A4 paper.....blank), and left !
The next day, I was called with another job offer...which somehow ended in a job after some Mossy charm at the interview!
THE JOB 2
This job was (actually...fortunately I can use the present tense now)....the job is working at a Wireless Internet provider, who provide wireless to Mcdonalds, Starbucks, Nintendo, Apple iphones and airports etc. What do I know about Wireless Internet you say?....let me sum it up in two words....FUCK ALL! And yet they have me taking calls from people who need support and help. This is how a regular call goes...
CALLER: Yes, my wireless modem is not connecting to access point or the router ??????....................
ME: ehh, oh right, well have you turned it (I use the ambiguous term "it" to cover my lack of knowledge) on and off again? (at this point I am feeling quite satisfied with my advice to the person...confidant it will fix everything!)
CALLER: Yes, but it is still not working
It is at this point I realise we have passed the extent of my knowledge in this field, and my heart sinks as I access an empty room in my brain for the answer!
ME: Oh, I see.......................
So while my new job is a lot better than my old job at the gym, I actually have absolutely no idea what I am doing. But they are praising my work, so whatever it is I do, I will keep doing it. I just cant help but feel this is another Seinfeld episode! And my famous stubbornness is still in tact, I have refused to make coffee for my boss!
Hope everyone is well, things are a lot more relaxed here, and I am a lot more settled, and enjoying myself a lot more now. Managed to get to Ireland for St. Patricks day, and just got back from Newcastle and Sunderland, where I saw Sunderland play Arsenal in the soccer and met up with some mates I met in New York...so things starting to roll along over here....time for some of you jokers to come and visit!
Well I'm off to get some sleep, big day at the office tomorrow...doing whatever it is I do!
Mossy Out
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
London - The Job, The Raid, The Humanity!
The plot thickens here in London, as the last few weeks have thrown up some interesting moments. By far the most interesting times have come from my first job, which as of 12 hours ago, I quit, making it the shortest length of employment I have had since my two hour shift stacking shelves at the local convenience store when I was 16! The other unique moment has involved having a restaurant raided by police while we were dining….a moment best summed up by the phrase Welcome to London!
THE JOB
Having made the return to top flight leisure centre duty managing in the crooked East End of London, I was instantly presented with that familiar feeling of…well…not fulfilment, not satisfaction, not excitement of the challenge ahead….more a feeling or fuck, eject eject!
Let me just run through a normal day at work in this stellar job I managed to land (and dump).
I wake up at 4:30am, and catch the night bus to work. The tubes are not yet running, so I ride to work amongst the intoxicated making their ways home! I get to my bus stop and walk for 10 minutes to the centre. As I walk, freezing from the bitter cold, on each corner, a working girl hitchhikes for trade in a fur coat that must be so warm, she can get away with the miniest of mini skirts. I finally reach the centre and get out of the rough streets of the east and into a kickarse invention called heating, as a car stops at a corner, a door quickly opens and closes, and then the car speeds off!
It is not long before the other staff arrive. Most of the lifeguards are Eastern Europeans, and are straight out of a Working in England course. They refer to me as Boss, because it has been drummed into them to say this…I have no problem with this however, what is good for Bruce Springsteen is good for me! There are also two English lifeguards as well. Once is in prison and is allowed out especially to do his shifts, while the other one supplements his income with armed robbery, life guarding as a cover to his young family (they are quite open about all this after I walked in on a conversation!). I was actually asked if I was a good driver! On top of that, my boss is a cage fighter in his own time, and comes into work with a new black eye or freshly broken nose each day. He loves his sport though, where the only rule is No Head butting allowed! As it would seem, I was the only employee relying solely on the Leisure pay packet to live!
No one can really swim at the centre. Everyone swims sidestroke and survival backstroke…the strokes you swim when you have a stitch! It does seem to be a case of survival at all times whenever someone is in the water there…and is only a matter of time before I would have to have gotten in, or thrown out a kickboard!
But by far THE MOST disconcerting thing I have witnessed, is in the basement, where there is a massive Sauna, Steam Room and Spa. This section is only ever reserved for Male of Female sessions, never mixed. One trip down there one day alerted me to a disturbing social activity. Naked men, sitting around a coffee table, casually eating apples whilst they discussed local politics! It seems eating food in a steam room if acceptable these days!
Definitely a unique workplace, but perhaps not the best fit for me. And this area is to be the home of the Olympics in 2012! Well, according to the countdown clock already in place, they have 1589 days to get it together!
THE RESTAURANT
With my good buddies Kahu and Hardsy having joined me over here in London, what better way to inaugurate them into London than with a famous Brick Lane curry! So down we went to Brick Lane, haggling with several restaurants before coming up with the ripper deal of 35% off the bill and 2 rounds of drinks free.
As we sip on our first beer and crunch down some pappadams, who should pop in but the old bill….10-15 of them. This restaurant is now closed….but finish your beers we hear. So as we sip on our beers and continue to munch on pappadams (which are now serving the same purpose as popcorn at the movies…a snack in front of a live show!), police slap handcuffs on the staff and are questioned by immigration police. How’s the serenity!
Can’t wait for the next Brick Lane curry, just have to remember to bring my camera…..and get more rounds of drinks included…mouth was getting a bit dry towards the end!
Well that’s all I have for now….back to square one…the job hunt/midday television
THE JOB
Having made the return to top flight leisure centre duty managing in the crooked East End of London, I was instantly presented with that familiar feeling of…well…not fulfilment, not satisfaction, not excitement of the challenge ahead….more a feeling or fuck, eject eject!
Let me just run through a normal day at work in this stellar job I managed to land (and dump).
I wake up at 4:30am, and catch the night bus to work. The tubes are not yet running, so I ride to work amongst the intoxicated making their ways home! I get to my bus stop and walk for 10 minutes to the centre. As I walk, freezing from the bitter cold, on each corner, a working girl hitchhikes for trade in a fur coat that must be so warm, she can get away with the miniest of mini skirts. I finally reach the centre and get out of the rough streets of the east and into a kickarse invention called heating, as a car stops at a corner, a door quickly opens and closes, and then the car speeds off!
It is not long before the other staff arrive. Most of the lifeguards are Eastern Europeans, and are straight out of a Working in England course. They refer to me as Boss, because it has been drummed into them to say this…I have no problem with this however, what is good for Bruce Springsteen is good for me! There are also two English lifeguards as well. Once is in prison and is allowed out especially to do his shifts, while the other one supplements his income with armed robbery, life guarding as a cover to his young family (they are quite open about all this after I walked in on a conversation!). I was actually asked if I was a good driver! On top of that, my boss is a cage fighter in his own time, and comes into work with a new black eye or freshly broken nose each day. He loves his sport though, where the only rule is No Head butting allowed! As it would seem, I was the only employee relying solely on the Leisure pay packet to live!
No one can really swim at the centre. Everyone swims sidestroke and survival backstroke…the strokes you swim when you have a stitch! It does seem to be a case of survival at all times whenever someone is in the water there…and is only a matter of time before I would have to have gotten in, or thrown out a kickboard!
But by far THE MOST disconcerting thing I have witnessed, is in the basement, where there is a massive Sauna, Steam Room and Spa. This section is only ever reserved for Male of Female sessions, never mixed. One trip down there one day alerted me to a disturbing social activity. Naked men, sitting around a coffee table, casually eating apples whilst they discussed local politics! It seems eating food in a steam room if acceptable these days!
Definitely a unique workplace, but perhaps not the best fit for me. And this area is to be the home of the Olympics in 2012! Well, according to the countdown clock already in place, they have 1589 days to get it together!
THE RESTAURANT
With my good buddies Kahu and Hardsy having joined me over here in London, what better way to inaugurate them into London than with a famous Brick Lane curry! So down we went to Brick Lane, haggling with several restaurants before coming up with the ripper deal of 35% off the bill and 2 rounds of drinks free.
As we sip on our first beer and crunch down some pappadams, who should pop in but the old bill….10-15 of them. This restaurant is now closed….but finish your beers we hear. So as we sip on our beers and continue to munch on pappadams (which are now serving the same purpose as popcorn at the movies…a snack in front of a live show!), police slap handcuffs on the staff and are questioned by immigration police. How’s the serenity!
Can’t wait for the next Brick Lane curry, just have to remember to bring my camera…..and get more rounds of drinks included…mouth was getting a bit dry towards the end!
Well that’s all I have for now….back to square one…the job hunt/midday television
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Brrrrrrr........hello.....brrrrr
Well after nearly two months of searching, I have finally achieved my goal of becoming an employee! And three days into the new job...the blues have well and truly set in...I don’t want to be an employee after all!
With the stresses of the job hunt gone (for now), travelling is back on the agenda. First stop, a weekend in Amsterdam! Having decided to go on the day, I boarded another beloved overnighter, and got to Amsterdam in a super quick 12 hours! Hard decision, pay 200 pounds to go on the train, or 55 pounds to go on the bus (which drives onto that same train)...hmmm! Amsterdam is an amazing city. Now I am sure you already have some perceptions about exactly what one gets up to in Amsterdam...I say, run with it! In what other city can you walk past vibrator supermarkets, see super hot ladies being sold in red light shop windows and go and make a purchase at a coffee shop that melts you into your chair for the next 8 hours! Another city I can highly recommend!
Life in London is.....I am going to use the word unique! It is a great city, with a great beat to it, but some interesting inhabitants! People here are quite simply nuts! A few clowns short of a circus! Not playing with the full deck of cards! The wheel is spinning, but the mouse is often very much dead! I am sure you get the picture! People work so hard here that it sends them bonkers. Everywhere I walk, people are having conversations with themselves...their voices often operating at high decibels! Often talk is about some guy called Jesus, a guy called Satan, or a guy called Charlie! The classic is when they pretend they are on the phone in the tube...despite it being widely known that the tube has no mobile phone coverage! Being back in an English speaking environment is interesting. From not being able to understand people, but listening anyway and trying to pick out words, now I am suddenly bombarded by chatter all around me...and being England, most of it whinging! I think I preferred the mystery behind peoples mindless banter! No more self satisfaction from succesfully getting by with ten words!
The Tube is a wonderful system for getting around London, but in peak hours...its every man for themselves! Trains are packed so tightly your nose ends up buried in some blokes armpit! Its okay though, he is usually reading a London paper...usually page 3, which is pretty much porn! That’s right, open a London paper to page 3, and you will see Melons, and I am not talking about a Safeway’s fruit and veg specials ad!
Public toilets in London are a cut throat business! Thirty pence to take a slash...so very frustrating when your busting and your 5 pence short! You only go when your busting, I guess sub-consciously you want to get your moneys worth from the experience! Try cheat the system and jump the gate, you will get a tap on the shoulder...mid stream!
Mossy out...
With the stresses of the job hunt gone (for now), travelling is back on the agenda. First stop, a weekend in Amsterdam! Having decided to go on the day, I boarded another beloved overnighter, and got to Amsterdam in a super quick 12 hours! Hard decision, pay 200 pounds to go on the train, or 55 pounds to go on the bus (which drives onto that same train)...hmmm! Amsterdam is an amazing city. Now I am sure you already have some perceptions about exactly what one gets up to in Amsterdam...I say, run with it! In what other city can you walk past vibrator supermarkets, see super hot ladies being sold in red light shop windows and go and make a purchase at a coffee shop that melts you into your chair for the next 8 hours! Another city I can highly recommend!
Life in London is.....I am going to use the word unique! It is a great city, with a great beat to it, but some interesting inhabitants! People here are quite simply nuts! A few clowns short of a circus! Not playing with the full deck of cards! The wheel is spinning, but the mouse is often very much dead! I am sure you get the picture! People work so hard here that it sends them bonkers. Everywhere I walk, people are having conversations with themselves...their voices often operating at high decibels! Often talk is about some guy called Jesus, a guy called Satan, or a guy called Charlie! The classic is when they pretend they are on the phone in the tube...despite it being widely known that the tube has no mobile phone coverage! Being back in an English speaking environment is interesting. From not being able to understand people, but listening anyway and trying to pick out words, now I am suddenly bombarded by chatter all around me...and being England, most of it whinging! I think I preferred the mystery behind peoples mindless banter! No more self satisfaction from succesfully getting by with ten words!
The Tube is a wonderful system for getting around London, but in peak hours...its every man for themselves! Trains are packed so tightly your nose ends up buried in some blokes armpit! Its okay though, he is usually reading a London paper...usually page 3, which is pretty much porn! That’s right, open a London paper to page 3, and you will see Melons, and I am not talking about a Safeway’s fruit and veg specials ad!
Public toilets in London are a cut throat business! Thirty pence to take a slash...so very frustrating when your busting and your 5 pence short! You only go when your busting, I guess sub-consciously you want to get your moneys worth from the experience! Try cheat the system and jump the gate, you will get a tap on the shoulder...mid stream!
Mossy out...
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
London Renting
So apparently it is the middle of February...where the fuck did that go! Time certainly has flown in the fast paced hustle and bustle of London Town. Have copped more bumps in the streets here than on the footy field back home...which makes sense I guess seeing as I spent a fair portion of last season on the bench!
London is starting to come together after a very frustrating start searching for jobs and accommodation. I finally have a place, so the search is narrowed! Of course the day I moved in...the hot water moved out, so I am a real POM now...unshowered! We rang our agent, but she was away sick, so we spoke to the boss of the company, after the third day of having no hot water. We were subjected to the following (my housemate was representing US): (this is pretty much word for word)
US: Yes hello we haven’t had any hot water in three days now, whats going on?
AGENT: Dunno......(silence)
US: Its been three days, this is not acceptable
AGENT: Don’t care, not my problem, cant help you
US: Excuse me...are you not in charge down there?
AGENT: Yes, but this is not my property, not my problem (WAIT FOR IT!!!)......stop being a baby (he seriously said this!)
US: Excuse me sir (housemate remained calm), we have not had hot water for 3 days, its unacceptable, and its your responsibility to fix it, you have to fix this
AGENT: No....stop being a baby
US: You are being incredibly rude and unprofessional, we have a right to have our hot water working, we pay good rent for it
AGENT: excuse me (apparently holds up the phone...and says to his colleagues) does anyone think I am being rude....no (back on the phone) no one here thinks I am being rude.....(then he hangs up)
US: (ring back, someone else answers) we just want our hot water fixed, and your manager was incredibly rude to me, is there anything you can do
AGENTS COLLEAGUE: no.....and he wasn’t rude......(hangs up on us again)
Yes, welcome to English customer service! Tenants don’t have a leg to stand on over here! Fortunately our landlord is fixing our hot water and changing agents! According to our Croatian landlord, he described the agents like this, please forgive my bad language, but those agents are bullshits...!
Its certainly nice to have a bed anyway....glorious in fact, hot water is a second behind finally getting a good nights sleep after 3 weeks on a couch!
Well gotta run, interviews to prepare for, and heading to Amsterdam for the weekend for a bit of a laugh (or slow giggle...that never ends!)
London is starting to come together after a very frustrating start searching for jobs and accommodation. I finally have a place, so the search is narrowed! Of course the day I moved in...the hot water moved out, so I am a real POM now...unshowered! We rang our agent, but she was away sick, so we spoke to the boss of the company, after the third day of having no hot water. We were subjected to the following (my housemate was representing US): (this is pretty much word for word)
US: Yes hello we haven’t had any hot water in three days now, whats going on?
AGENT: Dunno......(silence)
US: Its been three days, this is not acceptable
AGENT: Don’t care, not my problem, cant help you
US: Excuse me...are you not in charge down there?
AGENT: Yes, but this is not my property, not my problem (WAIT FOR IT!!!)......stop being a baby (he seriously said this!)
US: Excuse me sir (housemate remained calm), we have not had hot water for 3 days, its unacceptable, and its your responsibility to fix it, you have to fix this
AGENT: No....stop being a baby
US: You are being incredibly rude and unprofessional, we have a right to have our hot water working, we pay good rent for it
AGENT: excuse me (apparently holds up the phone...and says to his colleagues) does anyone think I am being rude....no (back on the phone) no one here thinks I am being rude.....(then he hangs up)
US: (ring back, someone else answers) we just want our hot water fixed, and your manager was incredibly rude to me, is there anything you can do
AGENTS COLLEAGUE: no.....and he wasn’t rude......(hangs up on us again)
Yes, welcome to English customer service! Tenants don’t have a leg to stand on over here! Fortunately our landlord is fixing our hot water and changing agents! According to our Croatian landlord, he described the agents like this, please forgive my bad language, but those agents are bullshits...!
Its certainly nice to have a bed anyway....glorious in fact, hot water is a second behind finally getting a good nights sleep after 3 weeks on a couch!
Well gotta run, interviews to prepare for, and heading to Amsterdam for the weekend for a bit of a laugh (or slow giggle...that never ends!)
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
French Frogs, Belgium Belly Building & London Life
Yo yo troopers, from under my overworked umbrella in London Town!
After 3 months on the road, I have finally reached the end point (for now) of my travels…and the start of living on the mighty pound (mighty being the sting it packs!)
What has been happening over the last few weeks….well…
After celebrating the New Year pretty hard in San Sebastian, I checked into another of the luxurious overnighters, Casa Del Coach, that dumped me in Paris at 6AM with severe cramp, and limited feeling in my legs. In France, they have this logical system whereby you cant check into a hostel till after the lockout at 4pm…so 10 hours of twiddling my thumbs and singing in my head 10000 Green Bottles Sitting on the Wall…and I was in! Great day all-round...a happy day...real happy!
Soldiers carrying semi automatic weapons under the Eiffel Tower seems to keep the pickpockets at bay, such tactics seem not to have been adopted outside Notre Dame however…shame, seems a perfect fit! Gypsies are always asking you if you speak English though (so they can scam you)…my standard response was pardon…Ingles, no, no parlez-vous Ingles….sorry mate!
My trip in Paris was capped off with a solid little pub crawl! To beat the cold in between pubs, they ply you with orange vodka to keep warm! After the third bar, we were cooked and had lost everyone (as well as my vision!). We partook in a spot of hurdles at the subway gates due to a lack of money, and boarded the train…before security could finish their croissants and catch us (priorities I guess!). Awesome city though, I highly recommend it....except do some stretches before hurdling at the subway! Wheres that ice...
I was only in Brussels for a day, but the land of Chocolate, Beer, Mussels, Waffles and plain looking female Tennis players did not disappoint! All the chocolate shops have chocolate fountains in the windows, and you cant help but dream of sticking you gob underneath and keeping it there! One pub had 1000 different types of beer…unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they were closed the day I was there! You only need a day here....which should be enough to pack on a good 10KG's!
London Town. The budget plane ride that cost me 1 Cent, was not so budget after all! My bag was 4kg over the limit….and at 8 EURO per KG, they should be able to have a pretty good staff Christmas party next year! Of course, the plane was only a third full, so I'm sure we weren't't in any danger of being too heavy! A half hour flight, the plane goes up, they come around and give you tea or coffee, then the plane goes down, and they come and collect the tea and coffee before you have had a chance to finish it!
Life in London is slowly coming together. At the moment, I am living in a mixture of hostels and friends' couches as I search for work and a place to live. I have invested in a map and an umbrella and bought some shoes without holes in the bottom, so things are looking up!
Anyways…I'm off to loiter…
Later
Mossy
After 3 months on the road, I have finally reached the end point (for now) of my travels…and the start of living on the mighty pound (mighty being the sting it packs!)
What has been happening over the last few weeks….well…
After celebrating the New Year pretty hard in San Sebastian, I checked into another of the luxurious overnighters, Casa Del Coach, that dumped me in Paris at 6AM with severe cramp, and limited feeling in my legs. In France, they have this logical system whereby you cant check into a hostel till after the lockout at 4pm…so 10 hours of twiddling my thumbs and singing in my head 10000 Green Bottles Sitting on the Wall…and I was in! Great day all-round...a happy day...real happy!
Soldiers carrying semi automatic weapons under the Eiffel Tower seems to keep the pickpockets at bay, such tactics seem not to have been adopted outside Notre Dame however…shame, seems a perfect fit! Gypsies are always asking you if you speak English though (so they can scam you)…my standard response was pardon…Ingles, no, no parlez-vous Ingles….sorry mate!
My trip in Paris was capped off with a solid little pub crawl! To beat the cold in between pubs, they ply you with orange vodka to keep warm! After the third bar, we were cooked and had lost everyone (as well as my vision!). We partook in a spot of hurdles at the subway gates due to a lack of money, and boarded the train…before security could finish their croissants and catch us (priorities I guess!). Awesome city though, I highly recommend it....except do some stretches before hurdling at the subway! Wheres that ice...
I was only in Brussels for a day, but the land of Chocolate, Beer, Mussels, Waffles and plain looking female Tennis players did not disappoint! All the chocolate shops have chocolate fountains in the windows, and you cant help but dream of sticking you gob underneath and keeping it there! One pub had 1000 different types of beer…unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they were closed the day I was there! You only need a day here....which should be enough to pack on a good 10KG's!
London Town. The budget plane ride that cost me 1 Cent, was not so budget after all! My bag was 4kg over the limit….and at 8 EURO per KG, they should be able to have a pretty good staff Christmas party next year! Of course, the plane was only a third full, so I'm sure we weren't't in any danger of being too heavy! A half hour flight, the plane goes up, they come around and give you tea or coffee, then the plane goes down, and they come and collect the tea and coffee before you have had a chance to finish it!
Life in London is slowly coming together. At the moment, I am living in a mixture of hostels and friends' couches as I search for work and a place to live. I have invested in a map and an umbrella and bought some shoes without holes in the bottom, so things are looking up!
Anyways…I'm off to loiter…
Later
Mossy
Friday, 4 January 2008
Spanish Spain
Buenos Dies Amigos!
Well I am drawing to an end of my travels for now in Europe, and off to London in a few days! Great that means work after 3 months of being a bum! The last 3 weeks in Spain have been awesome! I have covered a lot of ground, having made stops in Madrid, Granada, Valencia, Barcelona and San Sebastian. All the cities were so different from each other, that it is hard to pick a favourite! What have been the highlights, and the stories I hear you say....well....
MADRID
An overnight bus ride to Madrid saw me arrive with severe cramp, and a need to get my body flat on a mattress for at least 12 hours! After navigating my way to the hostel through the metro (I am becoming a master of this...despite the looks!), I was finally able to conform to this awesome Spanish custom known as the Siesta! I got woken up briefly by cleaners who were having a loud conversation despite me sleeping, but that's alright, Ill get there address and go have a conversation in there rooms at 4 am....fuckheads! Madrid is a very different city, with no skyscrapers, lots of parks, lots of amputee beggars, and streets lined with 70 year old hookers in fur coats (and probably not much else...eww!). Don't let that put you off though!
GRANADA
Granada is an awesome little town down south in the mountains, surrounded by snow capped mountains. It is hugely populated by Arabs, Hippies and Gypsies (although deciphering a gypsy from a hippy can be a tricky!). They have kebab shops everywhere...kind of like taking a wonder down Sydney Rd...kind of nothing like it too! No need to go to them though, Tapas is free down in this part of Spain, buy a pot of beer for like a buck, and get a plate of food! So far, Tapas and Siestas are warmly welcomed appointments by me! There were a lot of stray cats in Granada too for some reason (not sure if there is a relation between that and all the kebab joints...some of that meat looked suspect!). Not sure why, but tourists seemed to love patting these dirty old cats...it seems to me they are no different to rats on a New York subway...don't see anyone patting them!
VALENCIA
Orange and Paella country here. I got myself some Paella (rice and fish and vegetables...and in my case, a chickens head!). You heard right, a chickens head in my paella...and with it, a lost appetite! Matter of fact, animal body parts are all too familier here, in the markets. Its like a war zone there, Pigs heads sitting on tables (in some cases wearing sunnies!), chickens hanging from hooks (from the eyeball...still feathered in some cases), and the fish section is pretty much like an Aquarium...every species you can think off...but without the pulse! The trees in the street are all orange trees and date palm trees...so if you are turned off by the meat, go shake a tree!
BARCELONA
Barcelona was an awesome city, with funky buildings, a cool beach and a vibrant nightlife. Unfortunelty I got there for Christmas, and it was dead! The city didn't start jumping for a couple of days really! Pickpockets ply their trade in this city. A nice heavy duty chain connecting my wallet to my belt avoided trouble, but there were many a variety of finger prints lining my pockets! Several occasions you will see someone bolt suddenly, with some poor saps wallet or handbag tucked under their wing...they can move too...perhaps they should compete in athletics...then again, they probably make more doing what they know best! Awesome city though, it has everything!
SAN SEBASTIAN
My start to the San Sebastian adventure was anything but smooth! After catching an overnight bus and arriving at 6:30 AM...I went to my hostel only to find it was closed! So I waited outside for it to open...(did I mention it was raining...no....well it was!). First one bloke approached me asking for a smoke...and would not believe me when I said I had none. Then he grabbed my bag, but I put my arm accross his chest and pushed him away (in a nice way as not to incite anything!). Then he went for my wallet, but I already had a good grip on it! I finally got rid of him (although he was loitering around the corner keeping an eye on me!), only to get another bloke hassle me 30 minutes later. He started showing me soccer moves and got in close and bumped against my hip...and in went his hand to my pocket! I grabbed his hand and pushed him away, and eventually got rid of him too. Fair to say I was getting pissed off, and slightly unnerved, so I picked up my stuff and moved around. It was starting to get light, and some more people were about...and eventually, after two and a half hours, I finally got in.
From there, my San Sebastian stay was great. its a cool little surfing town. It was here I spent NYE. A weird NYE, no one was out till 2am, not even for the turn of the year. People were interested in it though, as the fireworks being shot out of random apartment windows would suggest! Seemed like most the crowd were French. Funny thing is they don't even bother speaking Spanish...they order their drinks and everything in French, the bar staff hate them. You do that in France and you get no where (arrogance...bloody Frenchies!). Awesome party town though...no bouncers keeping tabs on numbers, so the bars are crammed and you literally cannot move! But with 250 bars in the area, there is no shortage of options if its too packed!
All in all though, absolutley loved Spain, and am very keen to learn the language and go back and be able to, you know, communicate! I did manage to pick up a bit though, and was able to understand a little by joining the dots, ie familiar words and numbers (could have played Bingo at one of their many halls...I had the numbers down pat!)
Off to the land of arrogance now...Paris, then the land of Chocolate, Beers, Mussells and Waffles, Belgium...then my 1 cent flight to London...cant wait!
Happy New Year Peoples....hope it was a belter
Mossy out...
Well I am drawing to an end of my travels for now in Europe, and off to London in a few days! Great that means work after 3 months of being a bum! The last 3 weeks in Spain have been awesome! I have covered a lot of ground, having made stops in Madrid, Granada, Valencia, Barcelona and San Sebastian. All the cities were so different from each other, that it is hard to pick a favourite! What have been the highlights, and the stories I hear you say....well....
MADRID
An overnight bus ride to Madrid saw me arrive with severe cramp, and a need to get my body flat on a mattress for at least 12 hours! After navigating my way to the hostel through the metro (I am becoming a master of this...despite the looks!), I was finally able to conform to this awesome Spanish custom known as the Siesta! I got woken up briefly by cleaners who were having a loud conversation despite me sleeping, but that's alright, Ill get there address and go have a conversation in there rooms at 4 am....fuckheads! Madrid is a very different city, with no skyscrapers, lots of parks, lots of amputee beggars, and streets lined with 70 year old hookers in fur coats (and probably not much else...eww!). Don't let that put you off though!
GRANADA
Granada is an awesome little town down south in the mountains, surrounded by snow capped mountains. It is hugely populated by Arabs, Hippies and Gypsies (although deciphering a gypsy from a hippy can be a tricky!). They have kebab shops everywhere...kind of like taking a wonder down Sydney Rd...kind of nothing like it too! No need to go to them though, Tapas is free down in this part of Spain, buy a pot of beer for like a buck, and get a plate of food! So far, Tapas and Siestas are warmly welcomed appointments by me! There were a lot of stray cats in Granada too for some reason (not sure if there is a relation between that and all the kebab joints...some of that meat looked suspect!). Not sure why, but tourists seemed to love patting these dirty old cats...it seems to me they are no different to rats on a New York subway...don't see anyone patting them!
VALENCIA
Orange and Paella country here. I got myself some Paella (rice and fish and vegetables...and in my case, a chickens head!). You heard right, a chickens head in my paella...and with it, a lost appetite! Matter of fact, animal body parts are all too familier here, in the markets. Its like a war zone there, Pigs heads sitting on tables (in some cases wearing sunnies!), chickens hanging from hooks (from the eyeball...still feathered in some cases), and the fish section is pretty much like an Aquarium...every species you can think off...but without the pulse! The trees in the street are all orange trees and date palm trees...so if you are turned off by the meat, go shake a tree!
BARCELONA
Barcelona was an awesome city, with funky buildings, a cool beach and a vibrant nightlife. Unfortunelty I got there for Christmas, and it was dead! The city didn't start jumping for a couple of days really! Pickpockets ply their trade in this city. A nice heavy duty chain connecting my wallet to my belt avoided trouble, but there were many a variety of finger prints lining my pockets! Several occasions you will see someone bolt suddenly, with some poor saps wallet or handbag tucked under their wing...they can move too...perhaps they should compete in athletics...then again, they probably make more doing what they know best! Awesome city though, it has everything!
SAN SEBASTIAN
My start to the San Sebastian adventure was anything but smooth! After catching an overnight bus and arriving at 6:30 AM...I went to my hostel only to find it was closed! So I waited outside for it to open...(did I mention it was raining...no....well it was!). First one bloke approached me asking for a smoke...and would not believe me when I said I had none. Then he grabbed my bag, but I put my arm accross his chest and pushed him away (in a nice way as not to incite anything!). Then he went for my wallet, but I already had a good grip on it! I finally got rid of him (although he was loitering around the corner keeping an eye on me!), only to get another bloke hassle me 30 minutes later. He started showing me soccer moves and got in close and bumped against my hip...and in went his hand to my pocket! I grabbed his hand and pushed him away, and eventually got rid of him too. Fair to say I was getting pissed off, and slightly unnerved, so I picked up my stuff and moved around. It was starting to get light, and some more people were about...and eventually, after two and a half hours, I finally got in.
From there, my San Sebastian stay was great. its a cool little surfing town. It was here I spent NYE. A weird NYE, no one was out till 2am, not even for the turn of the year. People were interested in it though, as the fireworks being shot out of random apartment windows would suggest! Seemed like most the crowd were French. Funny thing is they don't even bother speaking Spanish...they order their drinks and everything in French, the bar staff hate them. You do that in France and you get no where (arrogance...bloody Frenchies!). Awesome party town though...no bouncers keeping tabs on numbers, so the bars are crammed and you literally cannot move! But with 250 bars in the area, there is no shortage of options if its too packed!
All in all though, absolutley loved Spain, and am very keen to learn the language and go back and be able to, you know, communicate! I did manage to pick up a bit though, and was able to understand a little by joining the dots, ie familiar words and numbers (could have played Bingo at one of their many halls...I had the numbers down pat!)
Off to the land of arrogance now...Paris, then the land of Chocolate, Beers, Mussells and Waffles, Belgium...then my 1 cent flight to London...cant wait!
Happy New Year Peoples....hope it was a belter
Mossy out...
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