Hi Everyone,
I'm currently writing to you all, from a Starbucks in Central London. The reason for this, you ask?
Well, to be completely honest, I'm procrastinating on job applications. I've been sitting here for the past 30 minutes, looking at various jobsites and jobspecs and have found NOTHING suitable. I know 30 minutes doesn't sound particularly long, but it is when all you're doing is looking at job specs!
I thought, therefore, I'd write a little philosophical/thought provoking something.
Now, due to the fact that I live in London, I will be relating this post to my "tube" journeys. However for all you other readers, you've got public transport systems such as the Subway (in NYC), the S- and U-bahn in Munich, the Tram/underground system in Milan and Moscow, or other types of public transportation throughout the world, which you can relate this post to.
Have you ever read about other people's frustrations of sitting on the tube, and constantly being stared at by other people? I know I have. The reason why I ask is, it really is difficult to NOT look at other people, and what is going on around you.
In my experience, I especially love people watching for things such as fashion advice, what's in, what's not, what looks good, and even what looks bad on people with a similar body shape to me. It really can be a very helpful fashion guide. However, I've often been subjected to angry stares, probably because people think I'm judging them or something, but it really is frustrating.
Then again, I've got a little contradiction in the sense that I tend to "dish out" angry and annoyed stares myself, because I feel judged too by people staring at me. The only way to "break the ice" here, really, is to smile and look away.
Now here's the point to my post - why do some of us feel so uncomfortable and uneasy in our own skin, that we think others are judging us just by looking at us? Is this what the media teaches us? Or is it just a general feeling of not wanting to interact with strangers, in case something bad might happen to us?
I know I just read an awful report the other day on the Daily Mail website, here, about a young woman being thrown onto the tube tracks at Leicester Square (!!!) just for having short row with a man, about his hat! The perp, unfortunately, got away as well, and has not been caught! This incident happened over 6 months ago, and only now, has the footage been released to the public!
It makes me wonder what the world has come to, and why people are so vile and aggressive, just because they feel attacked by somebody's words. Whatever happened to "Sticks and Stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me"?
The day before yesterday, I also read a short article about a young man throwing a brick at somebody's head! I cannot remember the "reasoning" behind this, but again, aggressive behaviour occurs, due to...well not really any reason at all!
I just can't understand why people feel the need to resort to violence for every little issue!
Anyway, enough of my ramblings on the worlds "anger issues"! I will get back to my application process now!
Hoping you are all having an awesome weekend.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Sunday 26 February 2012
Saturday 25 February 2012
Saturday Night Blues
Hi Everyone,
It's Saturday evening and I'm at home, alone, sitting in bed! I've decided this would be a good time to write to you all, as I currently have a fear of "overusing" the internet data allowance for this month, due to my frequent watching of Nikita. I'm waiting until Midnight, so I can watch it for free, 1 and 3/4 hours left to go!
I've had a fairly busy, yet uninteresting day today - I went out to pick up the boyfriend's dry-cleaning, bought some milk and vegetables and came back home. I hovered, applied for a few more jobs, and did my exercise. I've been good again, the last few days, making sure I do my exercise. I've been doing 30 minutes of weight lifts, 22 minutes of Pilates, and at least 45 minutes of Zumba every day for the past three days, and am planning on continuing this way. I need to scale up again after all, and now is the perfect time to do so as my boyfriend is working all weekend long, and I have to find some way to occupy myself!
Yesterday, I had a pretty boring day. I spent most of the day applying for jobs, and talking to my best friend on the phone. He, just like me, doesn't have a job at the moment. He actually might have an offer impending, however his references are taking a while to get sorted, so he is, of course, in a bit of panic. I do have to say though, that I feel a little overwhelmed with other people's problems when I have so many of my own. I don't have the heart to tell people that, because I believe that true friends should be there for one another, no matter what, but it is aggravating when you're trying to dig yourself out of your own hole and somebody comes and dumps some more dirt on top of you.
On Thursday, I went to see my old housemates. I went to the old house (the same as always I must say) and we had some wine and talked for three hours. It was just three of us, as unfortunately two of them were working/had other plans, but I will be visiting again, so hopefully I'll catch them next time. Whilst I had a great time there, I do realise I'm quite glad I moved out of there. Apparently landlord and tenant relationships have broken down, and the landlords are getting more and more annoyed at certain people within the house (one of which I can actually kind of understand). One of the girls has suffered heartbreak although all of us agree it's for the best for everyone involved, another one of the girls is moving to Australia in a few months (which is pretty awesome if you ask me!!) and I met the new housemate, who seems fairly bubbly and nice. According to the other girls, however, they aren't getting along too well, but I've always found a problem in that house (or any house where there are only girls living) is the fact that bitching ALWAYS happens behind people's backs. I don't know why girls can't just be honest and up front with others, it really shouldn't be that big of a deal, and it would really help in terms of stopping things from escalating into unnecessary arguments.
I know we all do it (myself included!), but if everybody just stopped bitching and putting other people down, we'd probably find a lot more people who we have things in common with, and never thought we'd be friends with them. Unfortunately, it's not how the world works, but here's hoping!
In terms of the job situation, it's get more and more difficult. I find myself applying to jobs at all hours of the day, but I'm also trying to find a balance between applying for jobs, and not driving myself completely insane by doing so. The pressure from my boyfriend isn't helping either. I know he's only trying to help but I do feel like I'm giving it my best shot and he's not appreciating it as much as I'd hoped.
I've also begun to branch out completely from what I want to do. I realise that I turned a job down because it wasn't what I wanted, but at this point I'm thinking, I do prefer an office job to a bar job, so even if I have to go into some kind of corporate sales, it's better than standing behind a bar for hours on end, especially because I have a bad back (yeah yeah I sound like a bit of a granny!). I know the back thing is my own fault - it was just considered "cool" to wear your school bag down to your bum during high school! Now I wish I'd listened to my dad when he warned me about messing up my back. Hindsight eh?!
Anyway, I need to get the last bit of my exercise done for the day, and then find something to do for another hour and a bit.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
It's Saturday evening and I'm at home, alone, sitting in bed! I've decided this would be a good time to write to you all, as I currently have a fear of "overusing" the internet data allowance for this month, due to my frequent watching of Nikita. I'm waiting until Midnight, so I can watch it for free, 1 and 3/4 hours left to go!
I've had a fairly busy, yet uninteresting day today - I went out to pick up the boyfriend's dry-cleaning, bought some milk and vegetables and came back home. I hovered, applied for a few more jobs, and did my exercise. I've been good again, the last few days, making sure I do my exercise. I've been doing 30 minutes of weight lifts, 22 minutes of Pilates, and at least 45 minutes of Zumba every day for the past three days, and am planning on continuing this way. I need to scale up again after all, and now is the perfect time to do so as my boyfriend is working all weekend long, and I have to find some way to occupy myself!
Yesterday, I had a pretty boring day. I spent most of the day applying for jobs, and talking to my best friend on the phone. He, just like me, doesn't have a job at the moment. He actually might have an offer impending, however his references are taking a while to get sorted, so he is, of course, in a bit of panic. I do have to say though, that I feel a little overwhelmed with other people's problems when I have so many of my own. I don't have the heart to tell people that, because I believe that true friends should be there for one another, no matter what, but it is aggravating when you're trying to dig yourself out of your own hole and somebody comes and dumps some more dirt on top of you.
On Thursday, I went to see my old housemates. I went to the old house (the same as always I must say) and we had some wine and talked for three hours. It was just three of us, as unfortunately two of them were working/had other plans, but I will be visiting again, so hopefully I'll catch them next time. Whilst I had a great time there, I do realise I'm quite glad I moved out of there. Apparently landlord and tenant relationships have broken down, and the landlords are getting more and more annoyed at certain people within the house (one of which I can actually kind of understand). One of the girls has suffered heartbreak although all of us agree it's for the best for everyone involved, another one of the girls is moving to Australia in a few months (which is pretty awesome if you ask me!!) and I met the new housemate, who seems fairly bubbly and nice. According to the other girls, however, they aren't getting along too well, but I've always found a problem in that house (or any house where there are only girls living) is the fact that bitching ALWAYS happens behind people's backs. I don't know why girls can't just be honest and up front with others, it really shouldn't be that big of a deal, and it would really help in terms of stopping things from escalating into unnecessary arguments.
I know we all do it (myself included!), but if everybody just stopped bitching and putting other people down, we'd probably find a lot more people who we have things in common with, and never thought we'd be friends with them. Unfortunately, it's not how the world works, but here's hoping!
In terms of the job situation, it's get more and more difficult. I find myself applying to jobs at all hours of the day, but I'm also trying to find a balance between applying for jobs, and not driving myself completely insane by doing so. The pressure from my boyfriend isn't helping either. I know he's only trying to help but I do feel like I'm giving it my best shot and he's not appreciating it as much as I'd hoped.
I've also begun to branch out completely from what I want to do. I realise that I turned a job down because it wasn't what I wanted, but at this point I'm thinking, I do prefer an office job to a bar job, so even if I have to go into some kind of corporate sales, it's better than standing behind a bar for hours on end, especially because I have a bad back (yeah yeah I sound like a bit of a granny!). I know the back thing is my own fault - it was just considered "cool" to wear your school bag down to your bum during high school! Now I wish I'd listened to my dad when he warned me about messing up my back. Hindsight eh?!
Anyway, I need to get the last bit of my exercise done for the day, and then find something to do for another hour and a bit.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Applications, Interviews, and still no Job!
Hi Everyone,
It's been a while, again, and I've got a few things to share with you all.
First and foremost, the job hunt! I've had two interviews this week, both Marketing related.
The first interview was yesterday, at a non-profit organisation. I don't want to give away too much just yet, but I have to say the cause that this organisation works for has me awestruck. It's been up and running for nearly 13 years now, and has achieved a lot! I think the interview itself went fairly well, I really got on with the interviewer, and the rest of the team is fairly young (aged between 20 and 25). I was told that I'd find out, if I get through to round two of interviews, by the end of this week or beginning of next, which is great.
On to interview two. Here's the deal, the company sounds great, apparently it is one of the biggest fashion photo and video production company's in the UK, working with top brands, and I'd be able to get an excellent portfolio here. The position is part Marketing based, but mostly Production based, which I'm happy with, it sounds exciting. However, when I was asked a few competency questions based on production, I had no idea how to answer. The interviewers (3 of them!!) had to practically answer the questions for me. I was able to ace the Marketing part of it all, but that doesn't help much. At the end of the interview I was told that if I got the job, I'd be working on a freelance basis with a lot of over time. The problem here is whatever I work, I get £60 a day, which in London terms, is not a lot, and that sum is the amount I'd get before tax comes off. I'd have to do my own tax as I'd essentially be self employed. Up until this point I'd wanted the job... now I don't really want it so much, as the pay is awful, and there is no contract or anything involved, meaning the job is really unstable. The interviewers said I'd find out if I got the job by the beginning of next week. I'm hoping for a miracle and hoping I'll get the first job I went for, the second one is not ideal... at all!!
I'm still applying for loads of jobs but there isn't a lot out there now, and after reading an article about the 10 best cities and 10 worst cities to find jobs in the UK, I was left feeling angry and irritated. Not by the article itself, but by the comments left underneath it. People that had jobs were complaining about not having something good enough (here I am thinking at least you have a job) and other people were complaining about having too many immigrants and basically pulling the racism card. I was pretty angry at these comments as I thought, there are so many people out there, with nothing at all, and here are all these people, complaining they have no job etc, and yet they have a roof over their heads, food and heating. So many people died in the recent freezing temperatures, due to lack of food, heating and shelter. Those are the people I really feel sorry for! Anyway, rant over!
I'm still holding out, hoping I'll find a job soon, otherwise it's pub work or retail for me. I'm not complaining really, but I would definitely prefer retail to pub work. Serving drunk people alcohol is not really my cup of tea.
Otherwise, it was pancake day yesterday and I did NOT have any! My boyfriend, lovely as he is, said he'd bring home some pancake mix tonight so we could catch up on it - yay for me :)
One last piece of news: I recently visited Camden again. I've only been there three times (including this last visit) but I have to say, I love it there. I love the quirky interesting people you meet, and I really love the different styles of fashion that people wear in this part of London. You get really interesting ideas from all angles. Also, for the first time in a VERY long time I walked into a shop (H&M) and actually found a lot of clothes I'd love to buy! For the longest time I've had trouble finding interesting clothes. I've had to ransack whole rails of clothing and haven't been able to find anything. Even when I went to Westfield's I didn't find that much. But this particular H&M had a lot of stuff from hot pink, faux leather pencil skirts to bright yellow or blue jeans to bright blue blazers, to imprinted tops with beautiful designs to gorgeous bright blue sandal wedges and much MUCH more! I think the next time I go shopping, I'll stop by here as it is absolutely amazing!
Anyway, that's all for today!
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
It's been a while, again, and I've got a few things to share with you all.
First and foremost, the job hunt! I've had two interviews this week, both Marketing related.
The first interview was yesterday, at a non-profit organisation. I don't want to give away too much just yet, but I have to say the cause that this organisation works for has me awestruck. It's been up and running for nearly 13 years now, and has achieved a lot! I think the interview itself went fairly well, I really got on with the interviewer, and the rest of the team is fairly young (aged between 20 and 25). I was told that I'd find out, if I get through to round two of interviews, by the end of this week or beginning of next, which is great.
On to interview two. Here's the deal, the company sounds great, apparently it is one of the biggest fashion photo and video production company's in the UK, working with top brands, and I'd be able to get an excellent portfolio here. The position is part Marketing based, but mostly Production based, which I'm happy with, it sounds exciting. However, when I was asked a few competency questions based on production, I had no idea how to answer. The interviewers (3 of them!!) had to practically answer the questions for me. I was able to ace the Marketing part of it all, but that doesn't help much. At the end of the interview I was told that if I got the job, I'd be working on a freelance basis with a lot of over time. The problem here is whatever I work, I get £60 a day, which in London terms, is not a lot, and that sum is the amount I'd get before tax comes off. I'd have to do my own tax as I'd essentially be self employed. Up until this point I'd wanted the job... now I don't really want it so much, as the pay is awful, and there is no contract or anything involved, meaning the job is really unstable. The interviewers said I'd find out if I got the job by the beginning of next week. I'm hoping for a miracle and hoping I'll get the first job I went for, the second one is not ideal... at all!!
I'm still applying for loads of jobs but there isn't a lot out there now, and after reading an article about the 10 best cities and 10 worst cities to find jobs in the UK, I was left feeling angry and irritated. Not by the article itself, but by the comments left underneath it. People that had jobs were complaining about not having something good enough (here I am thinking at least you have a job) and other people were complaining about having too many immigrants and basically pulling the racism card. I was pretty angry at these comments as I thought, there are so many people out there, with nothing at all, and here are all these people, complaining they have no job etc, and yet they have a roof over their heads, food and heating. So many people died in the recent freezing temperatures, due to lack of food, heating and shelter. Those are the people I really feel sorry for! Anyway, rant over!
I'm still holding out, hoping I'll find a job soon, otherwise it's pub work or retail for me. I'm not complaining really, but I would definitely prefer retail to pub work. Serving drunk people alcohol is not really my cup of tea.
Otherwise, it was pancake day yesterday and I did NOT have any! My boyfriend, lovely as he is, said he'd bring home some pancake mix tonight so we could catch up on it - yay for me :)
One last piece of news: I recently visited Camden again. I've only been there three times (including this last visit) but I have to say, I love it there. I love the quirky interesting people you meet, and I really love the different styles of fashion that people wear in this part of London. You get really interesting ideas from all angles. Also, for the first time in a VERY long time I walked into a shop (H&M) and actually found a lot of clothes I'd love to buy! For the longest time I've had trouble finding interesting clothes. I've had to ransack whole rails of clothing and haven't been able to find anything. Even when I went to Westfield's I didn't find that much. But this particular H&M had a lot of stuff from hot pink, faux leather pencil skirts to bright yellow or blue jeans to bright blue blazers, to imprinted tops with beautiful designs to gorgeous bright blue sandal wedges and much MUCH more! I think the next time I go shopping, I'll stop by here as it is absolutely amazing!
Anyway, that's all for today!
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Saturday 18 February 2012
Adventures!
Hi Everyone,
So I've been up and running for over a month now, have 20 blog followers on my GFC, and a few more through websites such as Bloggers and BlogCatalog! Therefore, to start off my post today, I'd just like to say thank you to all you lovely readers, and also thank you to those of you that have left comments. I love your honesty, kind words, and words of wisdom!
Now on to my actual post!
Three days have passed since my last post, and I've been applying for jobs left right and centre. The exercise front, however, is not looking great. I have to admit since I moved to London, I've missed out on 4 days of Zumba. Not good, I know. I really need to get on track if I want to keep losing weight, because eating loads of carbs and not doing enough exercise is not helping at all!! I know I'm the only one to blame for all this, so I better get back to it!
In terms of my London adventures, I went to Westfield today. I love Westfield, it is my all-time favourite shopping centre, and I've spent many days there, meeting up with friends, shopping for suits with my boyfriend, etc. Today, however, no shopping was done! Due to my lack of money, I resorted to browsing through shops, looking for work shoes for my boyfriend, having a browse through clothes I'd love to buy, and of course having a cheeky look at all the lovely branded shops. After a long day walking around the shops, my boyfriend treated me to a meal at my favourite Thai restaurant. I ate a Red Beef Curry with Jasmine Rice, which was excellent. Afterwards we decided to go home, as the cinema was fully booked (we wanted to go see "Man on the Ledge").
Other than my adventure at Westfield, I haven't had much time to get out of the house. I've been trying to score some interviews, but there has been a major lack of contact by recruiters, and the rejections are piling up in my email inbox. Encouraging? I think not! Motivation has not slowed, however, so I am staying hopeful and upbeat about the situation, it can only get better from here, right?
Anyway, lovely readers, it's only a short one for today.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
So I've been up and running for over a month now, have 20 blog followers on my GFC, and a few more through websites such as Bloggers and BlogCatalog! Therefore, to start off my post today, I'd just like to say thank you to all you lovely readers, and also thank you to those of you that have left comments. I love your honesty, kind words, and words of wisdom!
Now on to my actual post!
Three days have passed since my last post, and I've been applying for jobs left right and centre. The exercise front, however, is not looking great. I have to admit since I moved to London, I've missed out on 4 days of Zumba. Not good, I know. I really need to get on track if I want to keep losing weight, because eating loads of carbs and not doing enough exercise is not helping at all!! I know I'm the only one to blame for all this, so I better get back to it!
In terms of my London adventures, I went to Westfield today. I love Westfield, it is my all-time favourite shopping centre, and I've spent many days there, meeting up with friends, shopping for suits with my boyfriend, etc. Today, however, no shopping was done! Due to my lack of money, I resorted to browsing through shops, looking for work shoes for my boyfriend, having a browse through clothes I'd love to buy, and of course having a cheeky look at all the lovely branded shops. After a long day walking around the shops, my boyfriend treated me to a meal at my favourite Thai restaurant. I ate a Red Beef Curry with Jasmine Rice, which was excellent. Afterwards we decided to go home, as the cinema was fully booked (we wanted to go see "Man on the Ledge").
Other than my adventure at Westfield, I haven't had much time to get out of the house. I've been trying to score some interviews, but there has been a major lack of contact by recruiters, and the rejections are piling up in my email inbox. Encouraging? I think not! Motivation has not slowed, however, so I am staying hopeful and upbeat about the situation, it can only get better from here, right?
Anyway, lovely readers, it's only a short one for today.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Wednesday 15 February 2012
Valentine's Day
Hi Everyone,
Valentine's Day has come and gone for another year, and I have to say, I've had yet another good day.
My boyfriend and I went to a Michelin Star restaurant for an early lunch, and it was amazing! 3 courses of gorgeous food, and a few complimentary bits from the chef later, and I was absolutely stuffed.
My Starter was the best: Ravioli of Quail leg, with a mushroom and white wine sauce. That sauce was like an explosion of flavours in my mouth. Best food I've EVER eaten!
I also had my first macaroon ever (passion fruit flavour), which was really good, for some reason I always thought I wouldn't like them very much, but this one was pretty good I must say.
After eating, we went and had a look at Harrods, now I've never been there before, but both Harrods and Selfridges are probably my two favourite department stores! I just love the beautiful bags and shoes you can find there. I also had a look at the art gallery inside Harrods, there were a few nice pieces there, even one by my favourite artist: Salvador Dali!
It was pretty amazing to see the great art displayed there. There wasn't a lot, but the pieces displayed were amazing.
Speaking of art, my all time favourite painting is (of course) also by Dali:
I love the abstractness of this painting so much, the first time I saw it (about 8 years ago) I just thought it was so cool, it's almost like a symbol of how time is melting away.
I never used to be much of an art fan at school, but I do like sketching and drawing, and I do enjoy pieces of abstract art, or paintings from the Renaissance. Abstract art is just quirky, and cool to look at. It's really fun to interpret as well. Renaissance art, however, is so beautiful, and trying to interpret it and take it all in can be really fun too.
Anyway, back to my updates!
In terms of the job front, I decided to cancel all of my job interviews for this week and start over. The jobs were either too far away, or some sort of sales related jobs. I don't want to end up in the same fiasco as before, with a job that I hate, and the dread of having to look for yet another one. I decided it's time to find a job I'm good and and one I actually want. Hoping something comes along soon but it's not looking to great right now. I've had no calls in the last 2 days, and emails have been slowing down too. I'm really hoping it's just one of those "mid-week busy periods" rather than a lack of interest. I have had a few rejection emails (which is of course normal) but thankfully only about 3 or 4. I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow on the job front.
Of course the regret of turning down my job offer has now begun to set in too. I know it's for the best because it's not what I want to do, but at the same time I'm angry because it was still a job.
I was supposed to speak to the two employers about it on Monday, but got an email saying "We've decided to look for someone new, sorry." This infuriated in two ways:
- One: I was the one turning the job down and they made it sound like they were turning me down.
- Two: my weekend was ruined due to the fact that I was worrying about the conversation I was going to have with them, and it didn't end up happening.
Other than these few things, I've started watching 24! I think it's brilliant, haven't really seen much of it, but so far it's pretty good. I'll be sure to review it at a later point in time, when I've watched more than half of the first season and can be more objective.
I'm hoping you've all had a good Valentine's day too. It's another short one for now as I've got to get back to those job apps.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Valentine's Day has come and gone for another year, and I have to say, I've had yet another good day.
My boyfriend and I went to a Michelin Star restaurant for an early lunch, and it was amazing! 3 courses of gorgeous food, and a few complimentary bits from the chef later, and I was absolutely stuffed.
My Starter was the best: Ravioli of Quail leg, with a mushroom and white wine sauce. That sauce was like an explosion of flavours in my mouth. Best food I've EVER eaten!
I also had my first macaroon ever (passion fruit flavour), which was really good, for some reason I always thought I wouldn't like them very much, but this one was pretty good I must say.
After eating, we went and had a look at Harrods, now I've never been there before, but both Harrods and Selfridges are probably my two favourite department stores! I just love the beautiful bags and shoes you can find there. I also had a look at the art gallery inside Harrods, there were a few nice pieces there, even one by my favourite artist: Salvador Dali!
It was pretty amazing to see the great art displayed there. There wasn't a lot, but the pieces displayed were amazing.
Speaking of art, my all time favourite painting is (of course) also by Dali:
The Famous Melting Clocks Painting
I love the abstractness of this painting so much, the first time I saw it (about 8 years ago) I just thought it was so cool, it's almost like a symbol of how time is melting away.
I never used to be much of an art fan at school, but I do like sketching and drawing, and I do enjoy pieces of abstract art, or paintings from the Renaissance. Abstract art is just quirky, and cool to look at. It's really fun to interpret as well. Renaissance art, however, is so beautiful, and trying to interpret it and take it all in can be really fun too.
Anyway, back to my updates!
In terms of the job front, I decided to cancel all of my job interviews for this week and start over. The jobs were either too far away, or some sort of sales related jobs. I don't want to end up in the same fiasco as before, with a job that I hate, and the dread of having to look for yet another one. I decided it's time to find a job I'm good and and one I actually want. Hoping something comes along soon but it's not looking to great right now. I've had no calls in the last 2 days, and emails have been slowing down too. I'm really hoping it's just one of those "mid-week busy periods" rather than a lack of interest. I have had a few rejection emails (which is of course normal) but thankfully only about 3 or 4. I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow on the job front.
Of course the regret of turning down my job offer has now begun to set in too. I know it's for the best because it's not what I want to do, but at the same time I'm angry because it was still a job.
I was supposed to speak to the two employers about it on Monday, but got an email saying "We've decided to look for someone new, sorry." This infuriated in two ways:
- One: I was the one turning the job down and they made it sound like they were turning me down.
- Two: my weekend was ruined due to the fact that I was worrying about the conversation I was going to have with them, and it didn't end up happening.
Other than these few things, I've started watching 24! I think it's brilliant, haven't really seen much of it, but so far it's pretty good. I'll be sure to review it at a later point in time, when I've watched more than half of the first season and can be more objective.
I'm hoping you've all had a good Valentine's day too. It's another short one for now as I've got to get back to those job apps.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Saturday 11 February 2012
Jobs and Flats!
Hi Everyone,
So it's been a while (yet again!!), and I've got a fair bit to chat about!
Firstly, I had a group interview on Friday for a 3 month internship, which then leads onto a full time, permanent position once the internship has been completed. The interview took place in the company's office outside of London, in the town where my boyfriend works. There were five of us altogether, and the interview lasted about 2.5 hours.
First we were asked to talk about any topic we wanted to for one minute, just off the top of our heads, in front of everybody. I talked about moving abroad, and how the experience has changed me and has proven to be the best decision I've made in my life. After this, we were asked to write a synopsis on one of the company's clients websites, which was fairly easy too, as we were asked about a Digital agency (which is what I've been applying to for quite some time, job wise).
After the synopsis exercise, we were asked to attend 3 different one-on-one interviews (lasting 5-10 minutes each), in order for the interviewers to ask us competency based questions. After these interviews had been completed, we attended another quick question and answer session for us interviewees to find out more about the company and job itself. Once completed, we were free to leave.
I believe I left at about 12.25. At 12.40 I received a call from one of the company directors, offering me the job. I was very pleased at first, however after reading over the job spec one more time to ensure I was completely happy with it, I discovered some elements which I wasn't keen on at all - telesales!! I hate telesales and field sales! I am not one to shy away from making a simple telephone call, or strike up a conversation, however I don't like it when it involves sales!
I ended up letting the director know that the position was not quite what I had in mind, however he asked me to discuss it all further on Monday, so I will let you all know what happens then.
In other news, my boyfriend and I have been viewing flats for the past few days and I have to say, every single one we've viewed has been really nice. We took a while to make a decision, but we did end up deciding on the flat we had initially picked out, as it is closest to my boyfriend's work, and once I have a job, I'll make do with what I have and sort out my travel time/expenses then.
Other than that, I've had a few more people contact me about jobs (all sales or outside of London!!), but I'm hoping something will come up soon. Staying positive is the key to being happy!
Now I do realise this isn't a particularly long post, however I'm rather tipsy at this point in time, and I can't remember every piece of information I wanted to relay.
I promise to keep you all posted on further adventures in London.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
So it's been a while (yet again!!), and I've got a fair bit to chat about!
Firstly, I had a group interview on Friday for a 3 month internship, which then leads onto a full time, permanent position once the internship has been completed. The interview took place in the company's office outside of London, in the town where my boyfriend works. There were five of us altogether, and the interview lasted about 2.5 hours.
First we were asked to talk about any topic we wanted to for one minute, just off the top of our heads, in front of everybody. I talked about moving abroad, and how the experience has changed me and has proven to be the best decision I've made in my life. After this, we were asked to write a synopsis on one of the company's clients websites, which was fairly easy too, as we were asked about a Digital agency (which is what I've been applying to for quite some time, job wise).
After the synopsis exercise, we were asked to attend 3 different one-on-one interviews (lasting 5-10 minutes each), in order for the interviewers to ask us competency based questions. After these interviews had been completed, we attended another quick question and answer session for us interviewees to find out more about the company and job itself. Once completed, we were free to leave.
I believe I left at about 12.25. At 12.40 I received a call from one of the company directors, offering me the job. I was very pleased at first, however after reading over the job spec one more time to ensure I was completely happy with it, I discovered some elements which I wasn't keen on at all - telesales!! I hate telesales and field sales! I am not one to shy away from making a simple telephone call, or strike up a conversation, however I don't like it when it involves sales!
I ended up letting the director know that the position was not quite what I had in mind, however he asked me to discuss it all further on Monday, so I will let you all know what happens then.
In other news, my boyfriend and I have been viewing flats for the past few days and I have to say, every single one we've viewed has been really nice. We took a while to make a decision, but we did end up deciding on the flat we had initially picked out, as it is closest to my boyfriend's work, and once I have a job, I'll make do with what I have and sort out my travel time/expenses then.
Other than that, I've had a few more people contact me about jobs (all sales or outside of London!!), but I'm hoping something will come up soon. Staying positive is the key to being happy!
Now I do realise this isn't a particularly long post, however I'm rather tipsy at this point in time, and I can't remember every piece of information I wanted to relay.
I promise to keep you all posted on further adventures in London.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Things are Looking Up
Hi Everyone,
Yet another eventful day today! My boyfriend didn't have to get up until 8.40am today, and I was so confused by that, that I kept waking up thinking he was going to be late for work. Eventually he left, and I myself couldn't really sleep but stayed in bed until 10.15am.
I finally had my phone interview at 11am, but was a little annoyed by the fact that it lasted 7 minutes flat! I was told that I have a good voice on the phone, ie. a good selling voice, but that I have no experience in selling, which may be a problem compared to other candidates. I will find out by the end of the week, what's going to happen next. The woman said she will keep me in mind, and may want to see me for a face-to-face interview next week. Fingers crossed.
I then spoke to the same recruitment agent that got me this interview, and he is currently trying to get me an interview for another selling position. The interview will be a group interview (always enjoyable) and will not happen until Feb. 16th, which is good as my boyfriend has booked some time off from Feb. 9 till Feb. 14, so the interview won't come in the middle of that.
I also spoke to two other recruitment agents about possible Marketing or Media related positions. Hopefully I'll get some interviews scheduled in for those too. I really just want to be able to start working again, it's been too long since I've been at work, and I'm starting to feel a bit lazy.
In other news, my boyfriend managed to break his laptop yesterday (by break I mean possibly download a virus!). So I will need to take a look at that as well at some point to see if I can fix it.
I still haven't managed to complete my new layout for this blog, and I've been working on it for a while now! I'll try and find some time to do so in the next few days, I hope.
Other than that, I am going to view a flat tomorrow, with my boyfriend. This is the flat that my boyfriend viewed whilst I was still abroad, and was told the owners would hold it for us. I'm hoping it's a good one as I really want to get the whole flat thing sorted and out of the way so I can focus on finding a job!
It's only a short one for today as I must get back to applying for jobs, my boyfriend isn't back until at least 11pm, so I better use my time wisely.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Yet another eventful day today! My boyfriend didn't have to get up until 8.40am today, and I was so confused by that, that I kept waking up thinking he was going to be late for work. Eventually he left, and I myself couldn't really sleep but stayed in bed until 10.15am.
I finally had my phone interview at 11am, but was a little annoyed by the fact that it lasted 7 minutes flat! I was told that I have a good voice on the phone, ie. a good selling voice, but that I have no experience in selling, which may be a problem compared to other candidates. I will find out by the end of the week, what's going to happen next. The woman said she will keep me in mind, and may want to see me for a face-to-face interview next week. Fingers crossed.
I then spoke to the same recruitment agent that got me this interview, and he is currently trying to get me an interview for another selling position. The interview will be a group interview (always enjoyable) and will not happen until Feb. 16th, which is good as my boyfriend has booked some time off from Feb. 9 till Feb. 14, so the interview won't come in the middle of that.
I also spoke to two other recruitment agents about possible Marketing or Media related positions. Hopefully I'll get some interviews scheduled in for those too. I really just want to be able to start working again, it's been too long since I've been at work, and I'm starting to feel a bit lazy.
In other news, my boyfriend managed to break his laptop yesterday (by break I mean possibly download a virus!). So I will need to take a look at that as well at some point to see if I can fix it.
I still haven't managed to complete my new layout for this blog, and I've been working on it for a while now! I'll try and find some time to do so in the next few days, I hope.
Other than that, I am going to view a flat tomorrow, with my boyfriend. This is the flat that my boyfriend viewed whilst I was still abroad, and was told the owners would hold it for us. I'm hoping it's a good one as I really want to get the whole flat thing sorted and out of the way so I can focus on finding a job!
It's only a short one for today as I must get back to applying for jobs, my boyfriend isn't back until at least 11pm, so I better use my time wisely.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Monday 6 February 2012
The New Life Begins
Hi Everyone,
So I haven't been active since Friday - my apologies! But I can now safely say, that I am once more a Londoner! It feels good to be back, I must say.
I was quite surprised about the fact that my flight took off on time, landed on time, and there were no troubles whatsoever! As we landed, we flew through a load of clouds, which I found rather freaky as I couldn't see anything around me, it was quite scary. But other than that, it was all good!
I got back yesterday evening, and my boyfriend waited for me at the airport, with a lovely bunch of flowers. I've never gotten flowers from him before, so I felt extra special :)
The train ride home was a typical London journey, surprisingly again, with no disruptions (I say surprisingly as it had snowed and it's unusual for London to not have any problems with public transport in those kinds of weather conditions). Walking back to the flat was an adventure because (me being clever as always) I was wearing high heeled boots. I thought I was being clever because I was wearing them, rather than adding the extra weight to my suitcase. If only I'd taken a second pair of warm shoes to change into on the plane because walking home in the snow, I was slipping and sliding everywhere....fail!
I then decided to put dinner off until 8 - which the boyfriend was fine with - because I was waiting for a call from a recruitment agent. My boyfriend kept telling me not to bother waiting, as they'd never bother calling on a Sunday. I didn't listen but was disappointed when he was right. I got an email 2 hours later apologising that he wasn't going to call until 9am in the morning.
Going out to dinner at 7.30ish, I yet again put on the heeled boots (because I have no other warm shoes) and was sliding around again. We walked to a pub just down the road (down hill!!!) as they serve a really good Sunday Roast dinner. I was all excited because I hadn't had a roast in a while and was really looking forward to one. When we got to the pub, however, the bar staff told us that due to the lack of customers that day, no roasts were being served. We sat down with a menu and just decided to have a burger (for me) and a steak (for my boyfriend) instead. I was happy, and probably was the most stuffed I've been in a while!
I got back, setting my alarm for 8.45 this morning, so I'd be up in time for the call I was expecting from that recruitment agent. I overslept, due to the fact that I had forgotten to turn my (very old!!) phone on loud and so the alarm didn't ring, and I didn't hear the call! I only overslept my 45 minutes, which is all good, got the call out of the way and waited for the next one at 11am, which was an actual phone interview. 11am came and went (I'd put my exercise on hold till after, gotten a coffee etc.). 11.30 came and went... at 11.45 I still hadn't received a call, I'd gotten very annoyed and decided to do my exercise, send an email to the recruitment agent and ask what was going on. 1 hour later, he replies saying "she sends her apologies but she was unexpectedly out of the office this morning, can we reschedule for tomorrow?". I didn't reply until at least 4 hours later as I was very annoyed. I didn't care that the woman was unexpectedly out of the office, but she should have the decency to let me know if she wasn't going to make it BEFORE our appointment, not 2 hours later! I rescheduled for tomorrow, but for the fact that I don't even really want this job, it's safe to say that I'm utterly annoyed and can't see the point any more.
Other than that, I've been applying for more jobs today, so fingers crossed. I had another recruitment agent call me at exactly 11am this morning, told her to please call me back at 11.45, which she never did, and am now even more annoyed because I have no credit or phone number to call her back, meaning I may have missed another opportunity because of this incompetent woman from this morning.
To top everything off, I've been holed up all day in a very cold flat today (as I have no idea how to work the radiator) and am feeling a sore throat coming on.
Hoping for a better day tomorrow!
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
So I haven't been active since Friday - my apologies! But I can now safely say, that I am once more a Londoner! It feels good to be back, I must say.
I was quite surprised about the fact that my flight took off on time, landed on time, and there were no troubles whatsoever! As we landed, we flew through a load of clouds, which I found rather freaky as I couldn't see anything around me, it was quite scary. But other than that, it was all good!
I got back yesterday evening, and my boyfriend waited for me at the airport, with a lovely bunch of flowers. I've never gotten flowers from him before, so I felt extra special :)
The train ride home was a typical London journey, surprisingly again, with no disruptions (I say surprisingly as it had snowed and it's unusual for London to not have any problems with public transport in those kinds of weather conditions). Walking back to the flat was an adventure because (me being clever as always) I was wearing high heeled boots. I thought I was being clever because I was wearing them, rather than adding the extra weight to my suitcase. If only I'd taken a second pair of warm shoes to change into on the plane because walking home in the snow, I was slipping and sliding everywhere....fail!
I then decided to put dinner off until 8 - which the boyfriend was fine with - because I was waiting for a call from a recruitment agent. My boyfriend kept telling me not to bother waiting, as they'd never bother calling on a Sunday. I didn't listen but was disappointed when he was right. I got an email 2 hours later apologising that he wasn't going to call until 9am in the morning.
Going out to dinner at 7.30ish, I yet again put on the heeled boots (because I have no other warm shoes) and was sliding around again. We walked to a pub just down the road (down hill!!!) as they serve a really good Sunday Roast dinner. I was all excited because I hadn't had a roast in a while and was really looking forward to one. When we got to the pub, however, the bar staff told us that due to the lack of customers that day, no roasts were being served. We sat down with a menu and just decided to have a burger (for me) and a steak (for my boyfriend) instead. I was happy, and probably was the most stuffed I've been in a while!
I got back, setting my alarm for 8.45 this morning, so I'd be up in time for the call I was expecting from that recruitment agent. I overslept, due to the fact that I had forgotten to turn my (very old!!) phone on loud and so the alarm didn't ring, and I didn't hear the call! I only overslept my 45 minutes, which is all good, got the call out of the way and waited for the next one at 11am, which was an actual phone interview. 11am came and went (I'd put my exercise on hold till after, gotten a coffee etc.). 11.30 came and went... at 11.45 I still hadn't received a call, I'd gotten very annoyed and decided to do my exercise, send an email to the recruitment agent and ask what was going on. 1 hour later, he replies saying "she sends her apologies but she was unexpectedly out of the office this morning, can we reschedule for tomorrow?". I didn't reply until at least 4 hours later as I was very annoyed. I didn't care that the woman was unexpectedly out of the office, but she should have the decency to let me know if she wasn't going to make it BEFORE our appointment, not 2 hours later! I rescheduled for tomorrow, but for the fact that I don't even really want this job, it's safe to say that I'm utterly annoyed and can't see the point any more.
Other than that, I've been applying for more jobs today, so fingers crossed. I had another recruitment agent call me at exactly 11am this morning, told her to please call me back at 11.45, which she never did, and am now even more annoyed because I have no credit or phone number to call her back, meaning I may have missed another opportunity because of this incompetent woman from this morning.
To top everything off, I've been holed up all day in a very cold flat today (as I have no idea how to work the radiator) and am feeling a sore throat coming on.
Hoping for a better day tomorrow!
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Friday 3 February 2012
Short, and to the Point!
Hi Everyone,
So I've finally done it, I've finished packing! My room is a mess full of bags and boxes, but everything's ready to be brought to me at some point over the next few months. I've got a few more things to put into my suitcase for Sunday, but other than that, I'm done with more than a day to spare!!
I am so excited to be leaving in less than 2 days, but I'm getting a little worried. The weather forecast is starting to tell me it will be snowing!! Very bad news as I'm flying to the UK - they don't know how to handle snow and everything stops at the first sight of it! Ahhh!!
Fingers crossed the snow doesn't start till Monday!
I haven't started preparing for my job interview yet either, but I figure now that I'm done packing, I can use all day tomorrow to prepare, hopefully something will come of this interview. It's only a phone interview for now, but I'm still hoping it goes well, of course!
I've had a few more responses to my CV, but everyone keeps wanting to speak to me over the phone. Why people don't seem to understand that I'm abroad with no credit on my phone is beyond me! Unfortunately it also means that jobs are slipping away and so is people's interest in me. Hoping it'll pick up once I'm actually back in London though!
I've managed to lose another 2.5 Kilos over the last week as well, which is surprising, as all of a sudden it all just kind of dropped off! Pretty happy about that! Haven't got long to go - another 6.5(ish) Kilos until I reach my goal weight!!
Other than that, nothing exciting has happened recently. I know I've managed to write yet another short post, but as I said before, once in London, that will change!
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
So I've finally done it, I've finished packing! My room is a mess full of bags and boxes, but everything's ready to be brought to me at some point over the next few months. I've got a few more things to put into my suitcase for Sunday, but other than that, I'm done with more than a day to spare!!
I am so excited to be leaving in less than 2 days, but I'm getting a little worried. The weather forecast is starting to tell me it will be snowing!! Very bad news as I'm flying to the UK - they don't know how to handle snow and everything stops at the first sight of it! Ahhh!!
Fingers crossed the snow doesn't start till Monday!
I haven't started preparing for my job interview yet either, but I figure now that I'm done packing, I can use all day tomorrow to prepare, hopefully something will come of this interview. It's only a phone interview for now, but I'm still hoping it goes well, of course!
I've had a few more responses to my CV, but everyone keeps wanting to speak to me over the phone. Why people don't seem to understand that I'm abroad with no credit on my phone is beyond me! Unfortunately it also means that jobs are slipping away and so is people's interest in me. Hoping it'll pick up once I'm actually back in London though!
I've managed to lose another 2.5 Kilos over the last week as well, which is surprising, as all of a sudden it all just kind of dropped off! Pretty happy about that! Haven't got long to go - another 6.5(ish) Kilos until I reach my goal weight!!
Other than that, nothing exciting has happened recently. I know I've managed to write yet another short post, but as I said before, once in London, that will change!
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
Thursday 2 February 2012
Catching up...Again!
Hi Everyone,
so I've been bad again, I've missed another day of blogging!
I've had a lot going on since Sunday, it's a long and personal story which I don't really want to get into right this minute, but it's really stopped me from doing very much. The problem is I'm moving in 3 days (!!) and I've got to get ready.
I finished most of my packing today, but everywhere I turn I see more stuff I've forgotten to pack, it's like a never ending sea of stuff! I actually feel like I've got double the amount of stuff now than I did when I moved here three months ago, and I've actually scaled it down!
Having to pack only 2 suitcases (and 28Kgs in total) of stuff actually sent me into a huge waterfall of tears today (it's an emotional time so don't laugh - lol). I weighed my suitcases (before adding the laptop, hair dryer, straighteners etc. to them).
The result:
- Hand-luggage: 7Kgs
- Suitcase: 20 Kgs
Hence the cascading of tears... After packing the above mentioned electrics, my suitcase was 21 and my Hand-luggage 12 Kgs. Hand-luggage only allows for 8!! I decided to take some stuff out, and an hour later I was faced with frustration. Suitcase = 20Kgs, Hand-luggage = 10 Kgs.
I decided to take out so much stuff (some of which I actually need) managed to fit my laptop in my suitcase and get everything down to regulation weight when I read this online: you're allowed to take 23 Kgs in your big suitcase and you can actually take an extra, smaller bag on top of your hand luggage. So after re-packing again, I now have no idea how much everything weighs and I'm determined to take two bits of hand luggage. I'm just gonna have to be rebellious!
In other news - I have a telephone interview scheduled for the sales job I mentioned a few posts ago! This has brightened my spirits, I just hope I have enough time to prepare in the next two days, as the interview is on Monday, and I still have to finish getting ready, as well as actually move!
Anyway, now that I've caught you all up I will finish my post for the day. I realise I said I was going to review books/films for the next few days, but I haven't got the energy to write a proper review after all the back and forth of packing.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
so I've been bad again, I've missed another day of blogging!
I've had a lot going on since Sunday, it's a long and personal story which I don't really want to get into right this minute, but it's really stopped me from doing very much. The problem is I'm moving in 3 days (!!) and I've got to get ready.
I finished most of my packing today, but everywhere I turn I see more stuff I've forgotten to pack, it's like a never ending sea of stuff! I actually feel like I've got double the amount of stuff now than I did when I moved here three months ago, and I've actually scaled it down!
Having to pack only 2 suitcases (and 28Kgs in total) of stuff actually sent me into a huge waterfall of tears today (it's an emotional time so don't laugh - lol). I weighed my suitcases (before adding the laptop, hair dryer, straighteners etc. to them).
The result:
- Hand-luggage: 7Kgs
- Suitcase: 20 Kgs
Hence the cascading of tears... After packing the above mentioned electrics, my suitcase was 21 and my Hand-luggage 12 Kgs. Hand-luggage only allows for 8!! I decided to take some stuff out, and an hour later I was faced with frustration. Suitcase = 20Kgs, Hand-luggage = 10 Kgs.
I decided to take out so much stuff (some of which I actually need) managed to fit my laptop in my suitcase and get everything down to regulation weight when I read this online: you're allowed to take 23 Kgs in your big suitcase and you can actually take an extra, smaller bag on top of your hand luggage. So after re-packing again, I now have no idea how much everything weighs and I'm determined to take two bits of hand luggage. I'm just gonna have to be rebellious!
In other news - I have a telephone interview scheduled for the sales job I mentioned a few posts ago! This has brightened my spirits, I just hope I have enough time to prepare in the next two days, as the interview is on Monday, and I still have to finish getting ready, as well as actually move!
Anyway, now that I've caught you all up I will finish my post for the day. I realise I said I was going to review books/films for the next few days, but I haven't got the energy to write a proper review after all the back and forth of packing.
As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A
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