Life, oh life...

I generally don't think I'll keep this blog going, but I'm at work and it's very quiet at the moment. I do feel like I need to write down my going-ons for future reflection and reference, so I'll blog it. I'd be gutted if the blog disappeared as I've been meaning copy and all the entries off and save them in case this blog does die sometime, but still haven't gotten around to it.

I've been in London now for over 5 months. The time has passed super fast. It's getting to the staff that I will have to start thinking about my visa applications to be able to continue to work here. I'm not (nor was I) paid enough or highly-skilled enough to get the Highly-skilled Visa so I am going to try and get sponsored by my work. I mentioned this being the case when I had my interview. So when I discuss it in a month or two, hopefully they will be responsive and positive about it. I don't know if I'll get sponsored easily though. You're meant to be able to show that you are bring skills to your job that they couldn't get someone to do from the UK and that you've brought those skills from previous work experiences outside the UK. I am working as a travel consultant which I've learnt entirely in this job. Obviously though, they had the opportunity to employ a British person or any one else, but they didn't. They must have thought I was bringing skills and knowledge to the job that other applicants couldn't. When it comes time to apply, I'll just have to talk up the parts of the job description which include skills that I did outside of the UK. The other issue is my pay. I can't afford to stay on the salary I get. It's fine for now, but if I am going to continue I need to know that my salary is going to increase to a level that I can save some for my loan and travel. Some friends have been saying I should start looking elsewhere and that I shouldn't feel that I have to be loyal to the company etc etc. But I am enjoying the job generally, and I've always thought it's an area I'd like to get into, especially since you can work anywhere as a travel consultant. I'll just have to see what happens when I have a chat with management in a couple of months about the visa issue and go from there...

Regarding London and England in general. It's good. I love seeing friends from Japan all the time. I love seeing friends from uni and home lots too, especially since I hadn't seen them much since before I left NZ the first in 2003. It's brilliant living around the corner from Paul and Jenny and being able to feel right at home both at my place and their's. Stoke Newington is cool, it's diverse and so different from NZ and even where NZ friends live in London. Last night I was at Finchley and we were at this O2 Shopping Centre thing, I was in culture-shock at how cool and modern it was compared to SN! It can be a bit smelly but on good sunny days, it's so nice wandering up Church Street and through the park. I like that London always has something going on, and often for free or cheap. Or you can just walk around and look at people and buildings and take in all the sights I've seen on TV and movies for years. Yesterday I met up with Jem and Phil who were in town for the night before going on their Europe tour. I met them at Green Park after walking past the Ritz Hotel, then we wandered through the park past Buckingham Palace and up to Piccadilly Circus with it's neon billboards. We didn't even plan to take in sights, it was just a random walk to the pub to enjoy the sun (and avoid the tube). I like working at Piccadilly Circus and when I go down to the tube after work, there is often a busker of varying skill and talent. Sometimes I have to try not to laugh at them as I pass. I like that. One time there was a guy standing there and I thought he was a cleaner cos it looked like he had a mop in a bucket. He was swaying away, whistling. When I got closed I realised it was a blind guy busking! Or there's a guy who's not talented at all, but bless him for having a go! Or the ones that really put on a performance and are having a right good time, even though people don't stand and watch them. London frustrates me too. I get annoyed by people sometimes, when it's particularly crowded and people are pushy and a rude. It can be dirty too, rubbish and scum on the footpaths all the time. Never seen so much dog shit left everywhere. People blatantly just throw their rubbish on the ground even when there are bins near. Maybe it was like that at home and I just didn't see it, but it annoys me. I think I get frustrated by other things, but nothing comes to mind at the minute.

I miss NZ more here than I did in the whole 2 years I was in Japan. Not miss it so much that I want to go home now. But I know when I do look to go home, I think I'll be super excited. I've pondered why it is that I miss home more now than I did in Japan. I think it's partly because the UK has similarities to NZ so I compare it more. In Japan it was so different, I didn't have things that reminded me as home as much. That goes for the people as well. Here I have friends from home around so that reminds me of other mates or family that are at home. In Japan I didn't have that, so although I missed friends and fam in NZ, it was different. Since I've been here also, there has been sad news from home, and different things happening to people I care for which makes it harder too. In Japan, thankfully nothing major happened at home, but I knew if I had to shoot home quick, I could afford to and it was only a 12 hour flight. UK is twice that away, and I earn heaps less so if anything major happened I'd have to rely on family to get me home. I also hate missing out of fun or memorable occasions, so none of my family better not start getting engaged or pregnant!

This has turned a bit epic, so I should stop. Life is good, even if this started to sound like the contrary, I'm happy. I'm looking forward to going to Last night of the Proms concert thing at Hyde Park on Saturday, watching the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup over the next month, going to a few shows including The Lion King with Jem when I take a week off work in October. I'll hang out with Jem and Phil before they head home to NZ. Am going to try go to Edinburgh soonish to see Shanna and have a wee trip around some other places in England too. Fun times!

Just out of interest...

I just want to see if and who may still visit this blog!? I haven't obviously written on it for quite sometime. I thought I might start again now that I'm living in London and may have some more insightful observations and get up to more than I did in Christchurch, but I'm not sure if I want to or not..! I may just put notes on facebook so friends can read what I'm up to there...

So yeah, leave a comment if you do visit this blog and I'll see if I will resume..!

My new glasses

Akaroa

Sleepy, seaside village on the Banks Peninsula settled by French, about an hour from Christchurch. It was pretty, good for a day trip, would be a bit bored if there for more!

Some Photos...Kaikoura in April

Quad biking

View from farmland we were biking over
Casey, Shaun and I at Tropical B'day party

Random afternoon..!

The other week on a Friday off work, Masato and I went to a mall to have some sushi at a kiosk where his mate works. We were sitting there eating our sushi when this old guy comes along and sits at the next table. We looked over and he pulls out a piece of paper with A, B, C… X, Y, Z written on it, and underneath the letters are z, y, x…c, b, a. Then he started to write something on another piece of paper. Obviously a code, very odd but I stopped watching as I thought it must just be another kooky Christchurch person! When he was done though, he got up, put the paper in a plastic bag and walked over to the post box, looked around, then hid the bag under it!?? I was cracking up, and Masato starts insisting that the guy put $100 in the bag. I didn’t see what he put in there, but he was certain that there was $100 in the bag.

It was all very weird. I told Masato that he should go and get it, but he said I’d have to help to keep watch. There was this other random guy standing around, then Masato was sure he was keeping watch! I thought he would have just been waiting for his wife shopping at the supermarket, but he did look quite dodgy. Finally, it turned out that he was just waiting for wife at the supermarket! Then the coast was clear, so we got up, and while I stood semi-watching, semi just thinking, ‘what the f*#k are we doing, this could be drug money or something!’, Masato got the plastic bag and we quickly walked out to the car!

Once in the car, Masato opened the bag, and sure there was a $100 note in there – a $100 notepad page – with a code message on it!! I was cracking up eh, so close to finding money, but so far! We decided we should work out the code over coffee, so we went back in got coffee and deciphered the code, it said “the next clue is on the palm near the food”. There are a whole lot of palm trees in the food court in the centre of the mall, so off we went looking… quite hard to look inconspicuous while walking around looking in and around plants! Then we saw a $100 in a plastic bag in the planter box. So we tried to act natural, while stealthily taking a plastic bag out from under some plants, and we headed off again to work out the next clue! The clue said, “The last clue is in the plant next to the escalator”. It also had a note, not in code, saying “if you can’t find the clue, meet me at McDonalds at 4.45pm”!! So off we went searching the plants around the escalators. There was nothing at the first escalator so headed to the next one… Then we saw it, an empty bag the same as we’d been finding on the ground. Gutted, thinking that someone else had thought they’d seen $100, and stolen our clue – now we were never to know what the last clue would be. We decided to search the wee gardens around the escalators anyway, and then we found another $100 in a plastic bag! Was very exciting! So we went back down and worked out the clue. This one was a bit cryptic – can’t quite remember what it was, but something about “The man who needs rescuing is in…” Then again it said, ‘if you can’t find him meet me at McDonald’s at 4.45pm’!

We had no idea what that was all about so we decided to call it quits. Before we left though, we wrote a message back to the guy. It said (obviously in code), “Hi, how are you? We are too busy to rescue the man. Gomen ne.” We put it in a bag with a piece of Japanese gum (wee present for him), and hid it back under the palm in the food court closest to McDs. Then we left. The most bizarre thing ever! Imagine if we had found $300 for real!!? We wandered around the mall for 2 hours following clues that we don’t even know who they were meant for, or anything. I felt like we were part of some social experiment and somewhere there were people laughing at us! After all that, I have no idea why the guy had planted clues thru the mall, who they were meant for, whether he was back there at 4.45pm, or if he even found the message we left for him..! Crazy, crazy, crazy! Novel way to fill in a Friday afternoon though!

One year on....

I haven't blogged for ages...in fact I haven't looked at my blog for ages (hence I just saw Jo's where are you? comment from the 12th), but seeing as today it's one year since I left Japan I thought I'd write something... I just read back a couple of blogs, one from the 28/7/04 when I was in the office and busy going to farewell parties of people leaving, recalling my arrival to Japan the previous year. I read my blogs from last year, my final Japan blog and the one after arriving in Thailand. Just so crazy to think 3 years have passed since I was preparing to go to Japan in the first place. The memories are so fresh, but it feels like I have been gone for so long too.

To reflect on my post-Japan life... I've done the CELTA course, but haven't done anything with it (I hope the day doesn't come where I try to and am told it's too late!). I've moved to Christchurch and am working in a call centre for a telecommunication company (not what I was thinking I'd be doing), I'm happy enough and only count down for the day to leave out of excitement for going overseas again. I joined a gym for the first time which I enjoy for the most part...if I had more self control with food I'm sure the results would be amazing by now! Would like to say I've been keeping up my Japanese, but not much... could probably still apply for the JLPT and start studying but that may be too much of a commitment!

I have though been thinking and speaking more Japanese of late cos I've been hanging out with a mate Masato. Some may remember him from Jo's b'day trip to Fukuoka last year when Abra was over. Masato had lived in NZ for quite a few years and at the time I was convinced he sounded like a Maori... I'm not so sure now that he did, I could have just thought that since I'd been away for so long and he probably had more of a Kiwi accent than I did. Anway, we've kept in touch and he came back to Christchurch about 6 weeks ago. He's trying to find a flat and a job. Prob is he needs to be sponsored because he's used his visas for NZ, so if he can't he'll be gone at end of September. It's been fun hanging out. I took him down the Timaru on my days off on Tuesday and Wednesday - showed him the big smoke and all that! We walked to town on Tuesday morning, thru the Bay, to the art gallery (couldn't go to the museum since it didn't open til 1.30pm!), then back home. The tour took all of 2 hours! We then drove back to town for lunch, went for a tiki-tour before I had an appointment at optometrist. Poor Masato got stuck for ages while I tried on glasses and he had to help decide which were keepers for taking home to check with everyone else! I've realised how awful my old glasses are now!

Yesterday, Masato, Mum and I drove up to Lake Tekapo. It was so beautiful up there and after 3 years it has developed so much. It was a perfect day though, lots of snow around on the hills and mountains, blue skies and the water was it's usual glassy self. Love that place.

That's about me for now... Nothing too exciting but I'm content. I miss parts of what I had in Japan, but you're going to get that with any change. I miss my friends I have scattered over the world, but that's also going to happen wherever I am. Thankfully I did end up in a job that always me to call people more frequently than I would if I wasn't working in telecommunications! Hope everyone's well, and I'll be blogging again soon cos have a really random story to tell, but I won't get into it now (thought you'd be thinking this blog is long enough by now Jo!).

Drama on Hagley Ave...

Last Wednesday, at the end of my two days off work, I went to get Brenda from the airport. When we got back, the person in the car in front of us decided to use our drive as a turning bay, or wait for someone at the netball across the road. Anyway, we were sitting there waiting to turn in on the street and next thing we know, we are rammed from behind and scooting a good few metres forward.

I moved the car to the side of the road, and we got out. I was worried that I didn't have my foot on the brake still, so the person could see that I was waiting. It turned out though, that the guy in a nice, brand-new Peugoet behind me was waiting. It was the guy behind him that ploughed into us both. He must have been going at a decent pace to do the damage he did to my car as well.

Longer story short. The police ended up coming, partly because the middle guy felt a bit whiplashed, and partly because the guy that pranged into us though old and a bit dottery seeming, also appeared to have had a few drinks. The policeman breath tested him, and he was well over the limit. He said, "I only had one, and one for the road!" - Not quite the appropriate comment when he has just written off 3 cars including his own!

I thought I was fine, but when I went to be that night I could feel a bit of a crick in the neck. The next morning, I was rather whiplashed, and after considering pulling a sickie, I got the bus to work. Once there, my boss insisted that I had to go to the doctor just to have it documented in case in the future a problem arises and it can be tied back to the accident. So I left work at lunch time, and borrowed Brenda's car. Incidently, when a bus braked behind me with it's squeaky brakes, I cringed and had a slight freak out! I went to the doctor, and turns out he thought I should have the next day off work, and since I had work over the weekend, he said minimal work, with full return to work for Monday! Who would have thought!? So I had a boring day on Friday, was feeling bit better on Saturday, but decided to milk it, and have to day off! I went back to work on Sunday. Way to get out of working the weekend eh!

So yeah, bit of excitement, and slightly gutted that my car is a goner - though it was timed quite well with warrant of fitness due this week, and rego is up at the end of the month! Dad is bringing me up a new car on Thursday - a mitsubishi mirage 1985, in poo green! Ahh sounds like it's going to be another beautiful car!

Here's a pic of the damage:

Auckland weekend...

I took two days off work when it was Anzac day on the 25th to make a 5 day weekend. With those five days I decided to fly up to Auckland and catch up with some friends. I stayed with my mate from school, Shanna. Had a great time checking out a bit of the city. On Friday we went with her cousin to Rainbow’s End. This is NZ’s one and only amusement park. I have to say I was mildly surprised that it was quite decent! I even conquered the scary rides, in fact even embraced them! Shan and I went on the ‘Fear Fall’ 3 times. This ride goes up 18 storeys and then you hear a click, then it pauses more and you fall to the ground again! One of those weird things that you (well I) hate, but you like it for some reason and have to do it again! The other big attraction is the rollercoaster, with full circle loop and cork screw section. I was freaking before hand, and wouldn’t have been too shamed to get out after once round (it goes round twice with a pause in the middle for people to get out if they aren’t happy). But that too was awesome. I think we clocked up 8 turns on that! So all in all, a fun day out.

On Saturday we went to Otara Market. Otara is in South Auckland, and mostly populated by Pacific Islanders. Was good to see, and we also caught a cool break-dance battle competition. After we went into town to Aotea Market which was much more classier with arts, clothes and jewellery. Later Shan gave me a lift back into town to my mate, Mark’s apartment. Mark is my Japanese buddy from uni, and I discovered at a family friend’s wedding in March that he is going out with a friend of a friend from Timaru, Richard. So the 3 of us caught up, had a few drinks before going to a farewell party of Richard’s friend at a club in town. Then onto a few more clubs. Ended up being a decently late night, and in turn a very lazy Sunday not leaving Mark’s til 3pm after lounging on the couch since getting up.

Monday, Shanna had to go to school (she's a teacher) and do some prep for the start of the school year so she dropped me in town and I went to the Auckland Art Gallery. Was good. There was an exhibition of 60s British Art from the Tate London. The NZ art collection was cool too. After wandering around I got the bus back out to where Shan lives. That night we went out for dinner with my Dad who was up for car racing and work, my uncle Richard who lives in Auckland, Nikki my cousin, and Dad’s bro Phil. Was a funny night. Shanna and my dad get on fabulously and are always giving each other shit. Much wine and beer was consumed and by the time we’d gone back to Richard’s, him and Dad were rather boozed!

Tuesday was very chilled, didn’t get up to much, and then Shan dropped me at the airport. After the flight being delayed an hour and a half I flew home! All good times…