Yerp.. today was our first payday in London.. felt pretty good to be honest, we’ve been here one month and three days, doesn’t really feel like it I guess.. It’s certainly a cool feeling to look at the bank account and convert it back into NZ dollars hehe - not something you wanted to do before earning pounds. There will definitely be some celebration this weekend, and some Rugby watching (the tri-nations of course).

The America’s Cup has also been exciting to follow, we lost again today, so it’s all very much on edge.. considering spending the 20 quid for the virtual spectator stuff now, we shall see. I’m definitely following a lot more sport over here - unsure why.. maybe it’s just an easy way to feel in touch with home.

And for the second part of the title.. the bomb scare today.. I normally get out at Piccadilly circus to go to work.. so imagine my suprise when they say the station is closed due to a “suspicious car outside”. Imagine (even more) my suprise when I hear said car is full of petrol, tanks of gas, and nails. Amusingly enough, first thing I though of was Swordfish the movie… All credit to the police/anti terror squads here however, they diffused the situation and the bomb, and everyone pretty much went about their daily business. It’s wierd.. I don’t feel scared about it at all (as one might think), it has been very interesting though, back in New Zealand it was very easy to pretend the stuff we saw on TV was just that, a TV show. Actually  living here has shown the reality of all this so much more - very very valuable in itself.

It’s actually been one of the things I’ve loved the most about being here, is the realisation of just how sheltered life in the south pacific is. Hell - I’m finally getting used to the idea that just because they have white skin, english isn’t necessarily gong to come out of their mouths! It sounds so stupid.. but it’s just something you assume really if you haven’t left NZ.

Bwaahahahaahahah, so couldn’t resist the title.

So I have a job too amusingly enough, working for a media/search type company here in central London (in the west end even - swanky) Waiting for the paperwork to come through nowish, and apparently _now_ the recruiter wants to meet me in person.. wonder if I should shave

Recruiters here are wierd.. I could have a rant, but I won’t.. Marie could do it far better I’m sure.

So.. Beers for lunch today I think, and Bollinger for Dinner - Marie and I bought a bottle when we were in Thailand for this very day.. little did we know it would be so soon, and that we would also have a flat to live in at the time. I’m clearly stoked..

Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen - in the city of the tiny double bed and huge commutes, we have tin-arsed our way into a flat in Zone 1 - Marylebone - with a NEW KING SIZE BED, somewhere I can walk to work in about 5mins more than what I was in Auckland, or 2 tube stops if I am lazy as hell.

We moved in today, on the third (top) floor of a terrace house, sharing with a french, a spanish, an english and a taiwanese. The lounge also sold it for me, the entire wall is glass sliding doors with a baby balcony outside. It’s lovely, has a bbq area as well. We win!

So I am celebrating my last weekend of freedom - I start work on Monday….. we are off to a drum’n'bass party on a boat tonight

I have accepted a fantastic job today, so I am the new International Resourcing Manager for a company called Witan Jardine. - Not exactly what I came to London to look for, but I am very much looking forward to starting.

Which will be on Monday. 5 days and 12 interviews later, countless muppet recruitment agents and some very good ones - and I am employed. Overall, it has been a very interesting experience, and has actually taught me a lot about the UK market and also about my own career and the way I should behave with future candidates. Like actually listening and not making bizzare assumptions, for a start.
I had to negotiate my own comp package, as this role was direct, which was fun, given the candidate in question was, well, me and I had to pull on all my training in a face to face negotiation with the person who will be my boss. Fun, fun.
London has been fantastic, which is great considering I have seen all of NOTHING of it, I have only seen the places on the way to my interviews. So, the next few days, I will be trying to see as much as possible of the city. The tube, and the public transport is amazing - even getting to interviews on time has been no problem at all.

I am loving: Marks and Spencers, Pret a Manger, Selfridges, BBC, people not understanding me, cheap elderflower cordial, british strawberries, Twiglets (weird marmite cheese stick snacks), Pimms in big jugs with fruit and mint and stuff, and the sunshine (I know, who would have thought).

So: onwards and upwards - gah, I have to go back to work, and we have to find somewhere to live. Looking forward to having a few days to look for places,  and I am really looking forward to having my own bed.

Hopefully that will be soon

So.. a week of job hunting has finished, man time flies. Marie’s had a pretty good run, turning down one recruitment offer today because it’s really not what she wants to do, and getting a third interview with the job that she does want - much awesome.

My week had been really quiet till yesterday, when I got a call from a recruiter wanting to put my CV forward for a job with what could be described as a “new media” company here. I interviewed with them today, and it was really cool, definitely seemed like a good place to work and good things to work on, which would provide the challenge and cool environment that I want. The interview went pretty well I thought, and I managed to answer all his questions (including what one essential difference between HTTP 1.0 and 1.1 was - who knows that?!), and I came out feeling great.

Lunch consisted of a pint of amstel and fish and chips I waited till Marie finished her last interview this afternoon and we headed back to L’s together. I’m still loving the public transport here, being able to get places is fabulous.

Then… I got a phonecall at about 5:40pm from the recruiter - they liked me apparently So now I have a second interview next Thursday at 3pm.. no idea what I’m going to do till then, probably rinse out my unlimited travel train pass, and go see things, whilst still applying for other jobs that I see come up.

Best thing ever however… rss feeds from job sites.. you can set up a search for jobs that you like, and instead of having them emailled to you (pain), or checking the site daily (pain), you just hurl the rss feed url into your favourite reader (even http://www.google.com/reader is great), and check it daily for new listings. Much better than checking websites. I also have the gumtree accomodation listings fed via rss, it’s great.

Right.. rants over, bbq at the flat tonight with friends, Hayden Smart and Michael Reynolds are coming over, and it’ll be great to catch up with these people. It’s been awesome staying here, and catching up with Leighton and Cam Mouat.. missed these guys heaps, more than I realised. (cue cutting )