London Times

The new plan

2011-09-11T02:15:00.001-07:00

Today I had the genius idea of making a To-Do list of all the important/exciting things that I would like to do whilst I am in London. Met up with a couple of friends for food yesterday afternoon and they had some great suggestions.. By the time I write them all down, I'll have run out of time here! haha.

As of this evening, this is the list so far:-

London Zoo

Tate Modern

Madame Tussauds & the Planetarium

Comedy act

Theatre show

A ballet

Anyone with other suggestions?

Caught a different tube!

2011-09-08T13:02:00.001-07:00

Having worked out that today we had a whole day of Excel training in yet another location, GoogleMaps suggested that I get a new bus to a different tube station. Sometimes I hate GoogleMaps. Other times it can be a lifesaver, like the time I drove round and round the centre of Oxford trying to find a café that my cousin works in and it eventually turned out that I had to drive through a no-entry sign, which Google actually realised. Ok, boring anecdote/Google-plug over, sorry. I mean, apart from that excitement (the black - sorry, Northern - line) today, it has been particularly non-eventful. A day full of Excel is nothing to write home about. You'll have to wait for some, hopefully exciting, weekend shenanigans.

Exam Day

2011-09-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I had my exam today.. I was up until 2am last night cramming. Not a good revision strategy I know, but life has been hectic the last week or so. I was determined to have at least read all the notes that I had for the module, although I actually manage to learn over half of it, so I was quite pleased with myself.

After the last couple of early-start mornings, I was really pleased to be able to lie in. (Although I set an alarm just in case - I did have a train to catch after all!) It occurred to me that having a day-off mid-week might be the way forward.. Unfortunately however, I woke up in that horribly grey, fuzzy state where you can't really see straight, let alone have your brain function. It is on mornings like this that I send an immeasurable amount of happy karma towards the person who invented the shower. Or the people that inspired him. Or the plumbers who installed it. Or the trainers that taught them how to plumb. Or the mothers that gave birth to them. (You get the picture - it really depends on how long i'm in the shower that the positive thoughts get sent.) At least after a shower I can normally open my eyes all the way.

I made it down on the train (for the fifth time in a week, ugh) on-time and with no problems. Wow. Maybe this week was looking up! I got into the exam room, again on-time and problem-free. Opened the paper. OK, first impressions - can answer question 1, yes! Question 2 - hmm, 3 - err, what? Question 4 - ah yes I did this at 1.30 this morning and 5 - no problem. Wicked, this might actually go well considering I only have to answer 3 out of 5. Questions 1 and 5 later I was pondering question 4. If it was possible to write 10 words when 1 would do, this question was full of it. No good karma sent there. But I pottered through and made it out feeling relieved-ish. I hadn't ever really been nervous. It might have been better if I had because then I might have worked a bit harder, but never mind. I went and had my haircut as a little treat and then took myself back up to London.

So not ready for work again tomorrow, but you never know, we might have something exciting to do!

Day 2 - More Disasters

2011-09-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

Today went well. Once I had got there! Having found my way early enough yesterday, the silly HR girls decided that the rest of the week we were not going to be in the same place. Ugh. I was asleep on my feet last night, but still managed to plan my journey - it should have taken 20 minutes on the bus and then 20 on the tube. Muppet here managed to get on the right bus. In the wrong direction. Cue me being 45 minutes late, missing breakfast and the world and their mother glaring at me when I arrived. Geez Louise. I nearly spontaneously combusted with embarrassment. More on this later I'm too tired.

End of the day, thank goodness!

2011-09-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

It's seven o'clock. I'm finally home after an interesting first day. Much to my dismay the magnetic draw of the sofa caught me before I can even make it up the first flight of stairs let alone up to my room on the second floor. Also on the bus home I realised I forgot to put deodorant on so I smell. Really smell. A combination of stressed, travel, first-day nerves and damp new clothes. The poor woman sitting next to me nearly fainted when I took my jacket off. Never mind, I'll probably never see her again.

One thing I have noticed I do as I rush - the only acceptable pace in this massive rat-race-ridden city - somewhat madly from place to place, is look for familiar faces. Quite strangely, I catch myself doing it nearly everywhere. Given the likelihood of seeing someone I actually know is nigh on impossible - trust me I thought I'd do the maths for fun (freak, yes, I know) - I wonder how long it will take me to get out of the habit..

Well, I got through my first day. Let's hope nothing goes wrong tomorrow.

D-day drama

2011-09-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well they say every day's an adventure. Having had my meltdown yesterday (sorry B, thanks for being at the end of my teary phone call), I thought I was ready to face anything that they told me this morning - from saying "don't worry about it, just get it on Wednesday" to actually firing me (however unlikely). The reality of it was I couldn't not turn up.

I was the first one there at quarter to eight, milling around nervously outside. Having been expressly told 'do not turn up before eight, the room will not be ready', I was going nowhere near the place until eight. Whatever. I'd rather be mega early than late!! In lectures at uni it was always the same, If I was 10 mins late I'd almost rather go back home or hide in a coffee shop than scuttle in under all the eyes of what felt like everybody in the world. Not that it ever stopped me from being late. I think it's genetic; my mother always found something to do 2 mins before we were due out the front door.

Arriving early worked well, I spotted another nervous looking guy who seemed to be checking out door numbers. There was an awkward half a minute whilst I eyed him - should I say hi? Could I say hi? I'm reserved with people at the best of times. Come on dear, just open your mouth and say hi - ask him if he's here for the same thing you are. The worst he can say is no.. "E-e-excuse me?" I accosted him. Gosh you'd think I'd crept up on him, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Bless. Maybe he's more nervous than me! So he's here for the same thing. Fantastic. Somebody to make uninspiring business and background chat with. Do you think if I mention my passport he'll reassure me? It doesn't crop up in conversation, but we're quickly joined by another guy who seems much less nervous and more laid back. Turns out he's on his gap year (geez that makes him so young), but he's quite cute and much easier to talk to. For the next 20 minutes, people flock to join our little group until all of a sudden there's 3 cliques spread down the pavement. Somebody makes the executive decision at about five to eight to go in and about 50 of us troop in like sheep.

So, after all that they sent me away to get my passport from where I've left it in storage miles and miles away, fine its a legal requirement, but crikey what a hassle. And a bloody expensive one! They suggested I get it couriered up to them. Honestly, don't they know how much it costs to courier something?? Where I worked part-time before it cost £100's to send something same-day delivery! It's only (?!) gonna cost me £50 to travel down to where it is, find it and return. I hope.

Day -1..

2011-09-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

The day before I start my first real job and I've already messed up. I thought I was doing really well! I managed the big move up to London, got all my luggage, books, clothes and handbags hidden away before my sister returned from Italy, only to find I have forgotten my passport.

In the grand scheme of things, forgetting one's passport doesn't sound too big a problem. It's not life or death. I'm not at the airport trying to fly out for my wedding or even being taken in for a brain transplant. But. I start my dream job tomorrow and I need the stupid little book with my ridiculous photo in at 8am tomorrow morning to prove I am allowed to work in this country. Otherwise there will be no starting. Oh dear.

I have just moved up to London from university down South. From living with 6 of my very best friends to living with my eldest sister and her husband, this "slight change of circumstances" (thanks dad!) or complete culture-shock as I like to refer to it, is for 12 months.. And crikey, isn't London just so full of people?!

Anyway, I digress.. As well as starting my new job tomorrow, I also have an exam to take on Wednesday. Damn university hunting me down just when I thought I'd escaped! Which, incidentally, I am supposed to be revising for now. There's nothing more pointless than learning something that you will never think about again. Saying that, I thought the same about school and that got me surprisingly far! Hmph. Enough procrastinating, I must go back to work.