Life in the UK..

Well I cannot tell you about the test exactly as I did sign a disclaimer to say that I would not discuss the question there within. After having done the actual test though I am thinking they want people to read the book and learn about life in the Uk before they actually do the test. Sort of scare them into thinking the test is quite something that it is not. Funny now, but while I was up late three night last week cramming to ready chapters 2-6 ready for the test, whilst writing copious notes, no not so funny right about then!!

However it is over with now, and having done the 45 minute, 45 question test in just 4 minutes, I feel my studying was worth the while and I am now a person endowed with the wealth of knowledge about what it is for one to be British. Quite hilarious really.

So just as a humorous example I will impart some of my found knowledge with you all.

1) The Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street (seems its imperative that you know this!!)

2) 51% of the population is women and 45% of them work (no I am not reading the book I did read it all and scarily enough my brain has actually retained these pointless statistics)

3) There are about 60 million people in the UK, 50.1 in England, 5.1 in Scotland, 2.9 in Wales and the rest in Northern Ireland

4) Ethnic minority is 9% of the population, made up of peoples mainly from the Caribbean and Asia (being mostly India) and of the 9%, 45% of them live in London and make up 1/3rd of the London population.

5) Schools are free in the UK and the council tax pays for schools, police, and rubbish removal

6) National Insurance pays for your pension when you are old (60 for women and 65 for men) and it also pays for the free healthcare by way of the NHS

7) The Queen is the Head of State and the Head of the Commonwealth (there are 53 members of the Commonwealth too), but she does not elect the Prime Minister, he is elected via his own party and they by general election.

8) The Uk will only adopted the Euro, by public referendum - yah like that is gonna happen.

9) Scotland and Wales have their own Parliaments, and Northern Ireland occasionally do, but its suspended as they are still fighting over who is allowed to sit in the speakers chair....well not really but its for some disagreement of sorts.

10) Georgies are from Newcastle, Scousers from Liverpool, and Cockney is from London

11) 71% of the poplulation are of some sort of Christian denomination, and this is followed by 2.7% Muslim and 1% Hindu.

12) St Davids day (Wales) is 1st March, St Patricks Day is 17th March, St Georges Day is 23rd April and St Andrews day is 30th November (yes ... this is in the book) .... so the Scotts celebrate my birthday....

13) The Uk does not have a constitution

14) The Uk joined the EU in 1973, even though it was orginally formed with the Treaty of Rome in 1957

15) Popular sports in the UK are football, tennis, cricket and rugby...hmmmm... they are not any good at them though

16) In the 1980's most of the migrants came from the US, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand - well really!!!

So now you are decently educated and you too might be able to apply to be British!! Though seriously Australia Rocks....

Another year has just whizzed by .... alas I turned 31

Yes it was my birthday on Friday and thankfully I was spoilt as I don't think my 1st Birthday in London (does that make me only 1 in London years....) would not have been such fun. I got lots of lovely texts, emails and cards from home, thanks Laura, Amy, Av, Jenni, Mel, Michelle, Tasha, Rosanna, Renee, Mum and Mum, Scott, Michael, Chris and Saroeun.

Av and Jenni sent me some gorgeous lillies, which arrived on my birthday and are just starting to open up today. They look lovely with my roses, that I brought myself to celebrate my passing the "Life in the UK" test, more on that later, so step one to my next Visa is done.

I have a nice selection of cards too, most of which arrived in time for my birthday too. Royal mail was on form for a change, so feeling more hopeful they have cleaned up their act I actually went down to the post office the other day and got a few things posted off (fingers crossed). Hopefully they get there prior to Xmas along with a few Xmas cards that got sent out too.

At work, I did try to hide when my birthday was and I nearly got away with it. However, I must have let it slip a couple of weeks ago to one of the girls who actually made a note on her calendar! Damn it. So I got the standard work place humiliation which consisted of the entire office of around 40 people turning up at my desk (well my bosses, whilst I was in the middle of a heated discussion with him) with cake, donuts and lolllies, all belting out Happy Birthday to me. Well you can imagine that despite my knowing it was going to happen I was still stunned, and blushed a fabulous shade of red, that a lobster would be proud to show. I also got a box of chocolates and a card signed by everyone in the office.

It's an amazing cultural change from where I used to work, that is for sure - but you gotta love it, as it is moral boosting. There was talk of taking it away as it costs about 20 quid for each persons birthday, but seriously, I think the birthday extravagance of this company is imbedded in the company charter, much like the constitution, so would cause mass outrage, uproar, and possibly a full office revolt if it was taken away.

At lunchtime we had a casual lunch out at a local restaurant, very last minute and only just a few of us, but when time came to pay the bill, they would not let me pay. Lovely, very spoilt.

Friday night saw me meander out the door at a little before 6pm, which seriously in that office is an early minute on a Friday!! A few of us headed to Roundhouse, a pub in Covent Garden - in the pouring rain I might add (and its never ever rained on my birthday) - for a couple before heading to Doon Bar in the Albanach Pub on Trafagar Square for the proper celebrations. Lots of my lovely English friends were there so I was a very happy camper for the night and managed to get in lots of chats, drinks, presents, dancing and even a Tequila.

Alas it had to end and after much dancing and chatting the night was over and a cab was hailed. There was no hangover fortunately, lots of water and stuffing my face at 3am with cream cheese with ham and sundried tomatoes on crackers, saw to that.
The next morning I was a bit slow, a bit tired, but happier that I had moved to being 31 years old with a good time had!! Plus I was off to Worthing to see Anne so more fun was going to ensue.... the bonus was that it was brilliantly sunny too.

Relax, don't do it....

Just an update for you, I am the usual social butterfly, but making sure I have plenty of time to myself too.

This photo I took on the day of the once off Roberto Cavalli launch at the H&M on Oxford Street. It just so happened that I was doing a site audit at 9:30am that morning at one of my company's offices nearby, on Great Portland Street. I didn't queue up from 5am or anything like that, not a chance! But i walked straight in at 9:05pm (after the rush about 5 minutes before) and had my pick of whatever I wanted, as they were bringing out stuff left right and centre. No dramas, I just wanted one top! I got it and left them to the chaos!

The last couple of weeks have been crazy, I don't think I have ever had such a busy time in my life before. If its not work, CPD hours, its work drinks (though just a couple...last time I snuck in some waters that looked to the untrained eye like vodka and sodas, so I got away with that!! ahaha), or out with friends, or hair appointments. I swear I see my hair dresser more often than some of my friends. However, the great thing in London, is that we can catch up any night of the week and we do.

Tomorrow night is my big 31st Birthday bash and it should be a good night out. I have organised to go to a bar called Doon in Leiscester Square, and have reserved a spot there, it will be busy as the upstairs pub is Scottish and the 30th is St Andrews Day, so Scots will be out in full force upstairs.

Today also calls for a celebration as I did my "Life in the UK test" so I now can officially apply for my next Visa (whopping cost of 750 pounds - ouch on my pocket too), which allows me to live and work here for longer. Woo hoo.

I am missing all back home, but my travelling days are far from over just yet, there has been a minor (major...well yes ok major) set back during the second half of this year in relation to travel, but I am moving on and will do lots next year. Plus there is so much to look forward to with so many visitors. Chris, Michael, Scott, and Saroeun in April and, fingers crossed, Mum and Dad in June - hopefully I can get them up to Scotland, Ireland and over to New York too.

I also have a ski trip lined up - come hell or high water (though preferably high snow) I will be going - and also there is a Wedding for Mari and Barns in Korcula (Croatia) in early June. Oh and the treasure hunt, this one is a driving one in Holland in April. Then there is a Champagne weekend away in May that I am considering......ok I will stop now, don't want you all getting jealous and not reading anymore. Though seriously I will have to stop shopping, and think about saving better too (though again I mention stupid visa costs....urghghh).

Ok well just to say hello and I do think of writing on here, but I then just do not get a chance and end up on here writing random stuff when I do. Its my birthday today, tomorrow and I am really going to have a great day! So there! :-)

Who goes here?

Autumn View....

My trees are losing their leaves and soon you will be able to see the houses and the road where I live....watch this space, because when it snows...and it will, there will be a beautiful snowy photo of this same tree lined street and it will be beautiful!

Taken 7th November 2007
Taken 21st October 2007
And remember....this is what it looked like in the Summer (well the warmer part of the year!)

OXO Tower

Meredith was lovely enough to take Kurt and myself out to dinner for our final leaving do after finishing up with GrantRail. We went to one of the top restaurants in London, well its a very well known one at that. The food was lovely, so was the company and check out the view!!! Ps the one where you can see the tower was taken from near Blackfriars on the bridge...where I made Kurt stand in the cold while I took pictures!!

The view towards St Pauls Cathedral
View towards Somerset House
Oxo and the blue wheel is the London Eye at Waterloo

Photo Frenzy!

Ok I went a bit mad tonight and have uploaded a whole wad of photos from the very random things that we have done around London recently...

Click here to go to the link... and enjoy!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/WeekendTourists/

Editors, Brixton Academy

Lisa gets Coutured.....at the V&A

Saturday was a bit of a decent day, so I really wanted to be out and about in London. First and most importantly I finally got around to putting the Spain holiday films in at my favourite photo developer in Covent Garden. I didn't hang around there, just too chaotic. But still for something to do I was going to suggest some window shopping on Kensington High street.

That would have required money, something that pay day must bring me....grrr. However, my decision was helped by the fact that neither the District or Circle lines were running on the weekend, and I would have had to walk there from South Kensington.

So when stranded by the Piccadilly line on a school holiday weekend...(ugh)....in the museum district and the fancy French part of London, no less, do as a fancy French person would do and.... go to a Museum. Not just any museum, the V&A, the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they were having an exhibition for The Golden Age of Couture:Paris and London 1947 - 1957.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1486_couture/index.php

I had no idea this would be so popular, I got there at 3pm and managed to get the last ticket for the 4:30pm opening. I got to wander around the Museum for a while, exploring British culture through the years and different periods, like Georgian and Baroque. How some of these exquisite pieces of clothing, tapestries, jewellery, silverware, and fine china make it from around the 1600's till now in one piece I will never know!!

At 4'ish I was ready for couture and snuck in early....shhh... It was absolutely packed, but fortunately, as with the British, orderly queues formed around the various exhibition cases. So it was more meaningful when you finally got to see such beautiful clothing up close. Oh I believe, with my tiny waist and curvy hips, that was soooo my period.

I should have been obscenely wealthy around that time, everything would have fitted like a dream. They even had videos showing them putting on their waist cinching corsets...and then padding up their hips, can you believe it....no girl would pad out their hips these days. Then it was all about the curves, tiny waist, and the curves over the hips, with lots of flowey fabrics. It wasn't all Marilyn girls though, the models in the videos they showed of fashion shows back then were still sticks....sticks wearing super tight corsets to make them look curvey.

The dresses were so well preserved and beautiful, many from the private collections of wealthy London and Parisian ladies. There were suits, jackets, shoes....they just never date..., corsetry, day dresses, hats, gloves, ball gowns and more. Lots of Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Hardy Aimes, Viver, and Balenciaga....they also showed a bit of Audrey Hepburn after all in a few of her movies she was wearing some of these clothes.

It was well worth going and its just a pitty that...I may never own such beautiful clothes... and if I did I would wear them to death, no museum for them.... hahahaaa....

Winter becomes us

Well its getting colder, slowly does it, and its not too bad. It's really nice to know that it really is cold and you do have to dress for it properly, rather than it being sort of warm/cool and not really knowing what warmth level you need to dress for, i.e. Spring coat with a scarf, Winter coat but without scarf, short coat with scarf and gloves..... ah the dilemmas. Then having to strip it all off when you get on the tube so you don't melt on the way to work....

I actually got my winter coat out the other day and while it was required on Thursday because it was quite cold when I left home, around 3-4, and with a chilly wind, Saturday I forgot it was going to be warmer and proceed to roast myself in it whilst wandering around Covent Garden and South Kensington. In the end I carried it...Oh well.

But it was nice and cosy having a day in today with DVD's and books to read, Bridget Jones got another watch, as did The Devil Wears Prada *sigh*....I have no idea where my interest in clothes came from, but I am pretty sure I wasn't this obsessed before I came to London....damn this place!!

Haaa hahha, I would not give up having been here, being here and the rest of my stay here for the world. I truely do love it here, it has so much to offer and its a shame that so many people I know don't realise what a fabulous city that they live in or near. Or they live too far away (Australia) to come visit me so I can show them around.

I would love to play tour guide and drag people around to all my favourite spots...like; the view of St Pauls from the Tate, Southbank, Borough Markets, Tower Bridge (I work right near it now - i still love the view from here), Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill, Marylebone High street, Battersea Park, my own street, Hampstead, Belsize village, Trafalgar Square, Regent Street, Brick lane, The National Gallery, the view from London Bridge, the London Eye, the houses of Parliament, Kensington High street, Selfridges, Portobello Road markets, Camden Markets, Harrods, St James Park, the V&A, Canary Wharf and so much more.

The best thing about these places, is that most of them are free to see and you get a good taste of what London has to offer without paying a cent. So if your reading this and want to come to London....I will happily show you around and hopefully you'd love it as much as I do.