Drama drama

Well crikey I havent posted in a while as the goings havent been too good lately. I had some cool comments about the blog being like a window into my mind (thanks by the way!). Well if you could look in at the moment it would be raining. Possibly thunderstorms. Bah. The stupid NHS cut my job so I am unemployed at the end of the week! Its a disaster as there is a lot I want to see and do here in London but now I cant as none of it is free. Bummer. I can't decide what to do next either. I dont think I want to stay in my current line of work but I dont know what else I want to do. I did have it pointed out to me by a flatmate though that lapdancing is still an option. Oh hurrah. There is a job opening in Birmingham but I am not ready to move there just at the moment...too much is happening here and all the friends I have made live here! Oh see, raining in my head again. I don't know what to do. Luckily I was getting paid quite well while it lasted so I have some time to find something else and use my savings for rent. But I would prefer to use my savings on shoes. Thems the breaks I guess. I still love it here...the other day I found out I can see the London Eye from my bedroom. I am unreasonably excited about that. Its made me really cheesy in a 'I am so lucky to live in London' kind of a way. Oh I make myself sick!

Otherwise, before potential destitution threatened (isn't it funny how destitution and prostitution have a similar ring to them?) I managed a trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was a giant yawn. You cant get anywhere near the stones and most of the other tourists there looked like about the same vintage of some of the rocks. It was something that I thought must be done though (at least lonely planet seemed to think so). Bath was next and I really really liked it a lot. Went into the Roman baths (bit boring after Rome itself) and managed to push my way around. I had a little listening commentary thingy like a mobile phone that you put to your ear and get a commentary after putting in certain numbers depending where you are standing. My first handset alarmed when I first put a number in. I had to traipse all the way through the baths with it screaming, getting very dirty looks. My second one didnt want to work at all which although irritating, let me get out of there faster. I am sure some of the commentaries were "now are you looking at the relics? Now stop where you are and stand still. Yes thats right, block the path for everyone and irritate the people behind you. Ignore them bumping into you". It was mad full of people.

My cousins are coming soon so am looking forward to that...hopefully I will have a job so we can do some wild and crazy things. Like go shopping. And also to the ministry of sound. That one I cannot wait for. Ah I need a job!!

Dooo deee doooo

Well I am pretty settled in London now....working and finding a flat with a decent room made all the difference!! I am near enough to my work to walk, so I do, but after a week I am really over walking everywhere and I want a car now. Its not so much the walking as the carrying the things I have bought that annoys me. I am thinking of getting one of those cart things you see old ladies with as I think it would be great!
Well I am still supporting England in the world cup....especially now that Australia are out! My new workmates and I watched the England game (I forget against who) and it was thrilling. Otherwise I have been keeping in with Kiwi tradition and went to the Red Back on Saturday night with my flatmates. One of them warned me to wear dark colours and just as well she did as I had snakebite all over me by the end of the night. I was a big sticky mess but so was everyone. I guess you have to visit one antipodean pub while you are here so now I have done my dash thats it....even though its just up the road I wont be back! I had a surreal moment in there where I thought I had become a bogan since I got to London as I was in the Red Back, drinking snakebite and listening to a cover band play Metallica wiuth a bunch of Australians. I think I need to do something classy this weekend to get over that!!
Actually this weekend I am off to Glasgow so that should be good.....I never managed to get cheap flights on lastminute.com so I am taking the bus!! I don't care I am an expert on long bus journeys now! Thanks Contiki you are good for something.
Anyway still dont have a chance to put pics on but will be getting my laptop over soon now I have an address so will connect it to the internet and do it all then! Hurrah!

Con con contiki

OK how GAY is the foreign internet!! I swear that I have written about 14 blogs (well 3) and the stupid computers cant connect to blogger or some crap and I have lost them all!! Grrrr
Anyway Contiki was ultra fabbo. I had the greatest time ever and I wish I was still on it!! I have seen so many things and been so many places now its amazing. The night I got back there was a thing about Italy on the TV and they had a bit on Verona and the balcony of Juliet and I was all amazed as I had been there, was a bit surreal.
Otherwise I will try and update what I did and the like when I am able to with pics and everything else. I am currently in a hostel and while the internet is free, I am not sure how to add pics on without saving them to this very dodgy computer. Hmm.
Anyway, I am all settled in London now....I got a job before I left on the Contiki (thankfully or that would have been another worry) and just a couple of days ago I got a flat sorted out too. Its close enough to my work that I can walk to work (obviously not when it is raining though!) and is in a kind of residential area so I wont be tempted to go out drinking every night. Phew. After contiki I was thinking that I may have become an alcoholic....thats thanks to all the Sangria in Spain....that stuff was like sweet sweet alcholic juice, mmmmmmm.
Anyway nothing much else to report here.....I love getting e-mails telling me whats been happening so keep me updated! I start work on Monday so I will have to have something to keep me entertained at work and replying to e-mails is perfect. I have only had one bout of home-sickness and that was more just missing familiar faces rather than New Zealand itself!! Sorry!!
Oh well, England is in the grip of world cup fever and thankfully they won tonight so I expect everyone to be in a good mood tomorrow....fingers crossed. Oh and I am supporting England too by the way!

London Town!!

Well it has been a while since I have been here and this is my first update...how slack am I?? I arrived in London yesterday and so far its very big and a bit scary but otherwise OK. I have been up in Scoatland until yesterday...kinda all over the place but it has been cool. Very relaxing. Who would have thought that today I am sitting in an uber modern internet cafe and just a few days ago I was feeding lambs with a bottle!!
I have been spending a lot of time with one of my cousins and she has managed to get me into a fair bit of drunken trouble so that has been fun. We went out on Thursday night in Glasgow and went to about 8 different bars. The funniest part of the night was that I could understand what everyone was saying very well (thanks mum) but no one could understand me. I think sometimes however that may have been a ruse to just get closer to my face. At one point this dude I was talking to had so much trouble understanding me that he asked the barmaid for a bit of paper so I could write it down!! I am sure I am not that foreighn but apparently so. Went out last night here in London and no one had any problems understanding me but that might be because I didnt speak to any actual English people.
I dont have much planned for the few days I am here...have to get my bearings today and figure out where I have to go on Monday and Tuesday to meet the job recruiters I have been in contact with. Will need to buy an A-Z for that.
I have just noticed that this internet cafe is full of really old couples. Mental I am like the youngest person here.
Nothing much else to report....I have a ton of really nice pictures but since I can't figure out how to get them onto this computer I will have to leave them for the moment...shame as they are all really nice sunny ones!
I am actually feeling quite crap today but that has just been since I arrived in London so I think it might be something about getting used to the atmosphere here. I think I am off aout again tonight but will see as I am not overkeen about figuring out the underground by myself in the dark...especially as I have no idea which areas are the dodgy ones.
Oh well on Wed morning I am off on my trip....I am excited but also a bit nervous....I doubt I will be able to update much from there as I wont know the languages but I can try!

Last Minute..

I cannot believe that I leave today....I am just so excited! Packing has been a total living nightmare...just shows that I am not that hot at Tetris. In the end I had to go and buy another suitacase so I have 2 giant suitcases, both fully expanded, both around 30kgs. I did have a idea of having a backpack for hand luggage to leave my hands free but that hasnt worked out either and I have a holdall. This only means that I am going to have to buy not only a sleeping bag when I get there (for the Contiki) but a bag and a backpack as well! Thats so annoying as I have so many here!
Otherwise my last day at work was good....barely got much work done but did feel very celebrity like as everyone wanted to talk to me and wish me well which was really nice. They gave me a greenstone pendant which I LOVE (but sadly I am not able to fit the lovely box into my bag!!) and some vouchers....if anyone from work reads this I bought a merino wool jumper from Esprit which I love.
Seeing everyone and seaying goodbye has been a bit strange as I dont feel like there is no one I am not going to see again! Especially as so manypeople seem to have travel plans at the moment...if you all follow through 6 of you will be with me before the end of the year and 4 of you will be here in NZ! So mentalist.
I promised you all fame so here are farewell party pics so now you know you are on the internet (in a good way)

Saying Goodbyes....

Well time to leave is getting closer and closer and already I have had to say some goodbyes! I bid adieu to Clare the other week which was sad but also my first proper goodbye so it felt a bit weird. We went for lunch at The Penny Black where Clare very kindly treated me! Thanks chick! (and now you get to see your name in internet glory)
Otherwise I have finally begun packing. For awhile now I have been buying bits and pieces to take with me and have been just putting them in my wardrobe. To say I have totally underestimated how much I have bought would be an understatement. I have SOOOOOOO much stuff, I have no idea how I am going to fit it all into 2 suitcases (thank god I am going the US route). I seem to have gone a bit mad at Kathmandu also, buying many more packing cells than one person would ever need. Hmmm oh well.
Well its still Easter so I am off to have more yummy eggs after a relaxing day (doing nothing!) at Waiheke....felt quite touristy with all my pics but was a great day all the same (and now Craig and Amy your names get internet glory also...thanks again for inviting me). Oh and the Easter egg hunt was great!

Happy Easter!

Cheap Thrills

I finally have my tickets!!!! SO exciting. I collected them and then went home and looked at them and immediately felt like a bit of a dick as there isnt any actually tickets (so was in a panic) until was pointed out to me that they are e-tickets. hmmm.
I am flying from Auckland to Los Angeles with Qantas, then on to London with British Airways, then another flight to Glasgow from London. I just found out that you can find out what movies will be on before you go..however, they change at the start of the month and as I am leaving on the 1st, I wont find out till the day I am flying anyway.
It's a bit weird as all my plans just end on June 10th....nothing booked or anything after then. Is slightly freaky but sure it will be more freaky when I am actually there.
Also I have finally resigned from work. It wasnt much of a shock to anyone as its kind of a hard thing to hide when half the people you work with are references for you. Is a bit final though, and not so good when I realise that I only have 2 pay-days left. Thats more than a bit freaky. I worry constantly that I wont have enough money! Hopefully selling my car will help me along a bit there.
Until it gets closer and I have to tidy up my act a bit and get packing, I am just reading up on everywhere I will be staying in Europe. Its so exciting! Still a few little things to pick up...and countdown into the twenties now......

Special Congratulations to Alex and Kelvin on their nuptuals last
weekend! It was awesome guys!!
Also Congratulations to Marie and Shane on their engagement...will see you
guys soon!

I havent been up to much lately, am on call ALL THE FREAKIN TIME! I would never have accepted this much call but its all more $$ for the UK. I have been list making. Obsessively. I think I may have an obsessive-compulsive thing with lists. Lately, (especially as I have so much on my mind) I will forget something unless its on my list. What a mentalist.
Otherwise, time is ticking down slowly still. I think I will feel better when I resign as that will seem more final. It will also be the most terror-filled part as I dont cope well with no job and no money coming in regularly. I do worry about things like getting a flat as how can I know what I can afford if I am earning nothing and have no idea what my earning potential is??

Weatherwise, NZ has entered autumn well and truly as of March 1st. I have been freezing....real 'I-am-not-getting-up-bed-is-so-warm-in-my-flannel-pijamas' kind of weather. I have been trying hard to be brave about it though as I realise I am going to colder than the pitiful 13 degrees I am complaining about (well 9 one morning).

As you can tell I really have no news, just felt I was due to update.
Oh, I have been in contact with 2 of the other people booked on the same contiki trip as me. One is a 19 year old Canadian girl and the other is a 26 year old Aussie/ Indonesian. I havent heard much from Lauren (the Canadian) but Melissa (the Aussie/ Indonesian) seems really nice. She is going to be in London before the tour starts so might try and meet up with her then. In between activating my bank account, meeting recruitment consultants, getting and NI number, doing one of the podcast walking tours and buying a sleeping bag! (Yes, I have a list to remind me of all of that)

56 days to go!

....ho hum....

Time seems to be dragging sooooooooo slowly at the moment. I suppose thats the same for all travellers....takes ages till its holiday time then the holiday flies by.
At the moment tho the last thing I feel like thinking about is leaving. I stil have heaps to do but I just can be arsed at the moment so am just leaving it all......the job agencies will be thrilled with me. Its just too much to think about this week, and last week.
In the meanwhile, I have been playing a lot with my iPod and found out you can download all kinds of podcasts on all different things....I geekily have downloaded a couple of walking tour ones for London and some other travel and UK related ones but more interestingly there are audio blogs, like this only people rambling about whatever they like. Weird!! I am yet to listen to any of these but will try to as might be amusing in some sense.....one is called '101 uses for babywipes' hmmm, but there is over 2500 other ones.
Otherwise YAY I won tickets to go see Girls Aloud tomorrow so could NOT be more excited. I love the Girls Aloud!! (more the clothes and style than the music it must be said)

Lantern Festival

Tonight I went to the Chinese Lantern Festival in Albert Park in Auckland. It was wicked! All the beautiful lanterns and soooooooo many people! Heaps and heaps of stuff for sale, like little lanterns etc etc but I was very restrained seeing as I cant take any of it with me! Or I could but it leaves less space for shoes!
Otherwise I just have some pics of the festival, not sure if they reflect the atmosphere but it was great.

It has not escaped my attention that altho this was designed to be a blog detailing my exploits overseas, it has become a blog about what I am doing in NZ. Hmm Altho, in preparation for going I have bought an iPod which I LOVE! I have spent so long putting songs and album art on, to the point that if I loose it I dont think I would get another, would be too much work to recreate all that! Oh well, on to lantern pics.....pics of an ipod prob arent exciting.

Music and Fun-times

Oh so much music and sunshine lately! I have only got 11 weekends left in the country so it has been all out and about in the sunshine while it lasts.
January 20th was the Big Day Out.....oh Franz Ferdinand I love you!! Was a very good day, the silent disco being another standout.....so funny, all wearing headphones tuned into the one DJ, all dancing and in many cases also singing and clapping. For the ultimate in amusement take the headphones off and hear how out of tune and time people are. Hysterical.
Today was the George FM Groove in the Park, at the Domain in Auckland. Was a stunning day.....spent under the trees in the sunshine. Was quite far from the stage but could hear Salmonella Dub and they were wicked. I just felt like falling asleep, was very relaxing. Instead I just sat and ate and read.
I am going to try and make a plan for something to do every weekend before I go...hopefully involving seeing a lot of friends. I have so much yet to do that I am becoming very forgetful! Is a souce of anusement for people who realise I am usually terribly organised.
11 weekends to go! I cant believe it!

Holiday holiday

Woohoo the weather has just been fabbo lately, so fabbo infact that I am all burnt.
In light of being back at work today (and on call! boohoo!) I am posting some nice hot looking holiday pics, ironic considering it rained today, all day.

This is Andrea and I posing outside our handiwork, yes we erected the tent all by our clever selves.......Andrea while wearing heels! Aah camping is not really for us!

This is at Waipu for the Highland games but the above one is Rangitoto Island in the Waitemata harbour, Auckland. How tropical looking!

Spookily Accurate Analysis

I just found this, you must try it if your bored....analysis of handwriting. Yeah is all a bit non-scientific, which I hate, but read what it said about me.....creepy accurate I think!

You plan ahead, and are interested in beauty, design, outward
appearance, and symmetry. You are a person who thinks before acting, intelligent
and thorough. You are diplomatic, objective, and live in the present. You are a
talkative person, maybe even a busybody! You enjoy life in your own way and do
not depend on the opinions of others.

Probably the only thing it missed is 'Totally Anal". See http://handwriting.feedbucket.com//
I am really getting into this blogging now!

Countdown!

How cute it this little countdown timer?? I just had to add it on so right now. Its from www.tickerfactory.com. I have added it to my title so you can see the time and dates right at the top without having to scroll down to this post (because I know you will be wanting to hmm)

Ooh I am Bloggin' it

Well how exciting is this, my very own blog. After my very hesitant first attempt at a posting (well I was at work!) I have gained some confidence and here I am now, havent I come so far!

Well as of today, I have exactly 126 days till I am up up and away. Freaky pete much. Altho I have all my tickets and stuff organised (praise be) and most of my travel-esq type things that I will need (thanks santa), I still feel like I need something else. Any of you will know however that I usually have that soft spot towards shopping. Well Boxing day today, all the sales have started so I should be able to get more stuff I need in the sales. Of course 'need' is a very broad definition!
One of my fav things I got for Christmas was a St Christopher medallion. Not being at all religious it is a strange thing for me to want but him being the patron saint of travellers I wanted one. I like to know all about things so here is some guff about him from the Patron Saints index:

St Christopher: Third Century Martyr. His fame derives from the pious legend of
him being a "Christ-bearer" (= Christopher). He was a powerfully built man who
wandered the world in search of novelty and adventure. He came upon a hermit who
lived beside a dangerous stream and served others by guiding them to safe places
to cross. He gave Offero (Christopher) instruction in the truth of God. Offero
took the hermit's place, but instead of guiding travellers, he carried them
safely across the stream. One day he carried a small child across the stream;
the child's weight nearly crushed him. When they arrived on the other side, the
child revealed himself as Christ, and he was so heavy because he bore the weight
of the world on himself. He then baptised Offero with water from the stream.
Christopher's service at the stream led to his patronage of things related to
travel and travellers, people who carry things, etc.

As you can see Christmas was excellent otherwise! These are some pics of me and some family members in various ststes of inebriation. Yay for Christmas!

I cant believe my next Christmas will be in the cold (snow?? Fingers crossed!) and may well resemble a Christmas card!

First Post!

How exciting! My first post!

Well, truly its not that exciting, but it is all new
and strange for me and I am bored at work so it kinda is.