Sorry I haven't really posted in a while. On the positive side, I finally have a job and I am working in Ealing. Excuse 1) I am working a real job finally, and my commute is almost two hours therefore I have been much busier and I have less time for fun things. And excuse 2) I have been sick since the last day I wrote, and I am pretty sure that the simple cold has developed into a sinus infection. Yuck. I persevere none the less. So there is lots of updating to do.
Well since we last came together in this little cyber meeting spot there has been quite a lot of sleeping in a feeble attempt to turn my health around. The remainder of Wednesday and all day Thursday were spent in bed, either sleeping or watching movies. Thursday evening was spent at the White Swan, a new tradition, for Curry Night. Unfortunately my stuffy nose kept me from enjoying the beauty of the Chicken Tikka Masala. But I will be seeking redemption later tonight. Friday was slightly more interesting as there was a birthday party to execute! My flatmate Raquel celebrated her 22nd birthday Saturday, and I gave her a party in typical Harbin fashion. Details are to come. I had class Friday morning, discussing pre-World War I England and the problems the country was facing, followed by an extensive trip to Sainsbury's grocery for the dinner supplies to feed 7 (later 8) people. Raquel the Mexican requested tacos for her birthday dinner (Raquel is actually from El Salvador, but it has become a bit of an inside joke to refer to her as Mexican). After class I alternated between napping and cooking, both dinner for Ellen and I, and for the following night's dinner extravaganza. The non-sick kids (also known as all of the boys in our friend group and Raquel) went on a bar crawl beginning around 6:30. As I was cooking there was what we have labeled a "D-Dubs Attack." I know that I have mentioned Davidson as the most annoying person in existence (at least within the context of the TWC world). Well he secretly strolled into our flat as I was busy cooking on Friday night. He snuck up on me in the kitchen until I turned around and he was directly behind me, startling me enough to nearly spill a VERY hot tea down my chest. Fortunately, all parties made it out alive. Unfortunately I was forced to survive through a 45 minute talk with D-Dubs, because I am such a polite person. All the while Ellen was sitting in her room with the door open, knowing what was going on, and she left me out to dry. Brat. After all of that slaving away in the kitchen, Ellen and I settled into my bed and watched Sin City, only to be later accompanied by a very drunk RJ. Overall, a satisfying night.
Saturday there were many birthdays to be celebrating. Ellen and I started off the day with a visit to Buckingham Palace to see the Queen's Birthday Parade and Trooping of the Colours (gotta have the British spelling). We saw a large portion of the British Military, dressed in the traditional red uniforms with furry hats, either march or ride by on horseback. I was actually quite impressed as a approximately 100 person band rode by on horseback, playing their instruments. I definitely think that they deserve major props for that kind of control (and the horses too for being so calm, despite someone blasting a trumpet in their ears). The Queen rode by in a carriage, wearing sexy little green number. Unfortunately we couldn't see very well because there were hordes of people standing in front of us. The crowd thinned out quite a bit after she rode past, and Ellen and I took that opportunity to find better seats to wait 2 hours for her return. When she finally came back, we had slightly better seating, but still not ideal. Thinking that all the action was over after Liz returned, we started to walk away, only to remember that Elizabeth was set to stand out on her balcony and watch the Royal Air Force fly by. Fortunately for us, our attempts to leave found us in a much better position to see the action. Quite amusingly, right as the first plane passed over Buckingham it started downpouring out of nowhere. Equipped with umbrellas we were just fine. We continued to watch all of the different planes fly over, in various formations, crescendoing to the Grand Finale with the final planes giving off trails of red, white and blue smoke. Just as the last plane flew over, the rain stopped. Gotta love London weather. After yet another extensive commute home, Ellen and I returned to do some more cooking. We made/finished making beef taco meat, chicken taco meat, pico de gallo, guacamole, rice, beans, and nachos, all the time juggling getting ready for a night out and cooking. Dinner was a smash, hosting Ellen, Raquel, RJ, Carter, Tomas, Ray and Michael. After Mexican, we sang Raquel "Feliz Cumpleanos" equipped with a very cute cake, ice cream and a video camera (operated by yours truly). I really felt like a mom. After dinner we walked down to the Tube station to go to the Milk & Honey. The Milk & Honey is a speak-easy themed bar, members only, unless you plan ahead and make a reservation. The atmosphere was great, and everyone really enjoyed themselves. The drinks were slightly pricey, but hey, we were celebrating. After a few hours of relaxed drinks by candlelight, we headed to a more energetic atmosphere, the Floridita. Initially I was a little pissed that we were going to this place, mostly because there was a 15GBP cover charge, and I was still very sick, and therefore miserable with my stuffy nose. But, in the long run it was well worth it. The Floridita is a salsa club, with live bands, a dance floor and a wicked Mai Tai. Since we were celebrating, Raquel bought us girls a round of shots. Working my very well developed flirting skills, I convinced the very attractive bartender to give Raquel a birthday kiss with our shots. Overall, the Floridita experience was great. I would definitely go back.
Sunday was spent in the new tradition, a late wake up, a very filling breakfast (I cooked sausage, eggs, bacon, pico de gallo, and cheese in addition to some impromptu quesadillas made with left overs), and a recap of the previous night's more humorous events. After our team meeting we retreated to the bedroom once again to discover a new dirty little secret, High School Musical, a Disney Channel made for TV movie. I downloaded this off of iTunes for a well invested $10. To date I think that I have watched in about 6 times. In two days. While it is VERY cheesy, we love it. By the end of the trip we hope to have all of the songs memorized, and have at least one of the many dance numbers memorized (possibly making an appearance at a local disco).
Monday began the monotony of the 9 to 5 work day. But, it has not been monotonous. I have recently lifted getting lost to an art form. Now, I am working for a doctor who is trying to become a Member of Parliament. I find my job can get really frustrating, because a lot of the time I am at work, I sit at the computer waiting for my next task, usually because Dr. Onkar is in a meeting, so there is no one to assign me anything. Also, like many doctors, Onkar Sahota is HORRIBLE at timeliness. For example, Tuesday we were supposed to be meeting at 10:30 to discuss some of the things that I had done on Monday, and to let me know what I needed to do for the rest of the day. He FINALLY showed up around 11:45, then left again at 12:30. We were supposed to be meeting with some potential printers at 1:30 to talk out some designs and prices for some fliers we needed, and he didn't even come back to the attic (Yes, I work in an attic) until almost 2, then we still had to drive to the printers. Not only that, but I sometimes have to do the same thing over and over again because he is not here in the first place to ask questions. Basically yesterday I was writing up and little Q and A for the flier. I had to do it all by hand (because when I got to work I couldn't log in to the computer), then I typed it all out, and then when he was finally in the room, I had him dictate basically the whole thing over again to me.
Overall Tuesday was just not my day. I couldn't really get moving in the morning, so I ended up missing the bus (to the point that I saw it leave the stop, but I was still too far away to get there--I probably missed it by less than a minute). Then I have an hour commute by Underground, only to get on another bus. When I finally got to work I couldn't log into the computer (Like I said), and Onkar was late (like I said). The day was slightly frustrating but manageable. Then I missed my bus going home too (and its raining now- so I am waiting for a bus in the rain). When I finally get to the Tube station, I just barely caught the train (phew). I have to transfer trains during my commute, so I thought I would transfer at a different station to see if I could get home any faster. Well that was a terrible idea, because I ended up getting on a train that didn't go all the way to the station that I needed to catch the bus. However, I did not notice this until I felt the train switch directions (I had been listening to music and didn't hear the train driver announce that that would be the last stop for that train). So I get on another train, and finally make it back to the station to catch the bus (and it's still raining). Then I realized that I didn't have my room key, and therefore couldn't get into the building. To make matters worse, I also realized that my phone was dead, so I couldn't even call to see if anyone was home to let me in, or call the front desk to have THEM let me in. I remembered that a bunch of people were going to a pub not too far away for dinner, so I figured that I would just meet up with them there and grab a bite to eat(This is at about 7:45, and I left work at 5:15). Of course when I get within a block of the pub (still raining) I see the group heading back to the flat, and they tell me that my roommates were all home. Fabulous. I was supposed to be meeting up with Sonya (my professor's daughter), but I just ended up calling her and rescheduling to yesterday. I settled for a local kebab place and a doner for my dinner. Meanwhile, Raquel, RJ and I were looking to find a hostel or hotel for us to crash at for our upcoming weekend adventures to Barcelona. After our arrangements at a hotel were settled, I retreated to my room for a bit of High School Musical therapy.
Yesterday, however, shaped up much better. I finished up work around 1:30, and went to the Student Travel Agency to try to settle out some details in my research regarding a solo trip to Scotland for a weekend. After hearing everything I wanted to hear, I walked back to the Tube and went home (It was a beautiful day). After getting home for a little bit of ice cream and a shortbread cookie, I turned around and headed back to the Tube, this time going to the Highbury Islington station choosing to walk rather than take the bus to King's Cross. I met up with my dearest little Sonya Williams, daughter of Paddy Scannell-- legend of the Michigan Communications department, at the Earl's Court Tube station. We returned to her borrowed flat for a bit of cheap wine. After killing the wine, we headed to Mihiki, an absolutely fabulous little bar, themed in a Hawaiian luau fashion. Again, the drinks were pricey, but it was a great experience, and I had great company. Every drink was made with fresh juice and nice liquor, and each drink had a different type of container, everything from a fresh pineapple to an antique style iron underwater helmet. The service was great, the music was great, and the seating area was really cute. A definite 10. After a few drinks and a solid 3 hours of laughing about everything under the sun (including my attempts to have a British accent, and Sonya's attempts to sound American), Sonya and I parted ways and returned to our respective homes. Great night.
Today was another relatively good day, I got to work around 10, only to be sent home at 1. Not a bad deal. And I was given 20GBP to cover all of my travel expenses out to Ealing (which is in Zone 3, on the opposite side of London, hence my hour and a half to two hour commute). Before hopping on the Tube I grabbed a little bit of Burger King, sampling the British menu. When I finally got home to Islington, I took a nice long nap, had some more ice cream, this time accompanied by graham crackers, and motivated myself to take on updating our lovely meeting place.
Things for me to look forward to coming up:
Tonight, in 30 minutes: Curry Night
Tomorrow through Sunday: Barcelona (and possibly booking my trip to Scotland)
Monday: Dinner and Drinks with Brett's friends from Australia who live in Ealing
Tuesday: REGINALD PROUD BROWN IV COMES TO LONDON!! (randomly on Sunday night, my friend from school, Reggie, informed me that all of my pestering had broken him down and he had bought a ticket to London to come visit me. So next week will be quiet lovely.)
Great Times are ahead, so tune in for more adventures!
Well since we last came together in this little cyber meeting spot there has been quite a lot of sleeping in a feeble attempt to turn my health around. The remainder of Wednesday and all day Thursday were spent in bed, either sleeping or watching movies. Thursday evening was spent at the White Swan, a new tradition, for Curry Night. Unfortunately my stuffy nose kept me from enjoying the beauty of the Chicken Tikka Masala. But I will be seeking redemption later tonight. Friday was slightly more interesting as there was a birthday party to execute! My flatmate Raquel celebrated her 22nd birthday Saturday, and I gave her a party in typical Harbin fashion. Details are to come. I had class Friday morning, discussing pre-World War I England and the problems the country was facing, followed by an extensive trip to Sainsbury's grocery for the dinner supplies to feed 7 (later 8) people. Raquel the Mexican requested tacos for her birthday dinner (Raquel is actually from El Salvador, but it has become a bit of an inside joke to refer to her as Mexican). After class I alternated between napping and cooking, both dinner for Ellen and I, and for the following night's dinner extravaganza. The non-sick kids (also known as all of the boys in our friend group and Raquel) went on a bar crawl beginning around 6:30. As I was cooking there was what we have labeled a "D-Dubs Attack." I know that I have mentioned Davidson as the most annoying person in existence (at least within the context of the TWC world). Well he secretly strolled into our flat as I was busy cooking on Friday night. He snuck up on me in the kitchen until I turned around and he was directly behind me, startling me enough to nearly spill a VERY hot tea down my chest. Fortunately, all parties made it out alive. Unfortunately I was forced to survive through a 45 minute talk with D-Dubs, because I am such a polite person. All the while Ellen was sitting in her room with the door open, knowing what was going on, and she left me out to dry. Brat. After all of that slaving away in the kitchen, Ellen and I settled into my bed and watched Sin City, only to be later accompanied by a very drunk RJ. Overall, a satisfying night.
Saturday there were many birthdays to be celebrating. Ellen and I started off the day with a visit to Buckingham Palace to see the Queen's Birthday Parade and Trooping of the Colours (gotta have the British spelling). We saw a large portion of the British Military, dressed in the traditional red uniforms with furry hats, either march or ride by on horseback. I was actually quite impressed as a approximately 100 person band rode by on horseback, playing their instruments. I definitely think that they deserve major props for that kind of control (and the horses too for being so calm, despite someone blasting a trumpet in their ears). The Queen rode by in a carriage, wearing sexy little green number. Unfortunately we couldn't see very well because there were hordes of people standing in front of us. The crowd thinned out quite a bit after she rode past, and Ellen and I took that opportunity to find better seats to wait 2 hours for her return. When she finally came back, we had slightly better seating, but still not ideal. Thinking that all the action was over after Liz returned, we started to walk away, only to remember that Elizabeth was set to stand out on her balcony and watch the Royal Air Force fly by. Fortunately for us, our attempts to leave found us in a much better position to see the action. Quite amusingly, right as the first plane passed over Buckingham it started downpouring out of nowhere. Equipped with umbrellas we were just fine. We continued to watch all of the different planes fly over, in various formations, crescendoing to the Grand Finale with the final planes giving off trails of red, white and blue smoke. Just as the last plane flew over, the rain stopped. Gotta love London weather. After yet another extensive commute home, Ellen and I returned to do some more cooking. We made/finished making beef taco meat, chicken taco meat, pico de gallo, guacamole, rice, beans, and nachos, all the time juggling getting ready for a night out and cooking. Dinner was a smash, hosting Ellen, Raquel, RJ, Carter, Tomas, Ray and Michael. After Mexican, we sang Raquel "Feliz Cumpleanos" equipped with a very cute cake, ice cream and a video camera (operated by yours truly). I really felt like a mom. After dinner we walked down to the Tube station to go to the Milk & Honey. The Milk & Honey is a speak-easy themed bar, members only, unless you plan ahead and make a reservation. The atmosphere was great, and everyone really enjoyed themselves. The drinks were slightly pricey, but hey, we were celebrating. After a few hours of relaxed drinks by candlelight, we headed to a more energetic atmosphere, the Floridita. Initially I was a little pissed that we were going to this place, mostly because there was a 15GBP cover charge, and I was still very sick, and therefore miserable with my stuffy nose. But, in the long run it was well worth it. The Floridita is a salsa club, with live bands, a dance floor and a wicked Mai Tai. Since we were celebrating, Raquel bought us girls a round of shots. Working my very well developed flirting skills, I convinced the very attractive bartender to give Raquel a birthday kiss with our shots. Overall, the Floridita experience was great. I would definitely go back.
Sunday was spent in the new tradition, a late wake up, a very filling breakfast (I cooked sausage, eggs, bacon, pico de gallo, and cheese in addition to some impromptu quesadillas made with left overs), and a recap of the previous night's more humorous events. After our team meeting we retreated to the bedroom once again to discover a new dirty little secret, High School Musical, a Disney Channel made for TV movie. I downloaded this off of iTunes for a well invested $10. To date I think that I have watched in about 6 times. In two days. While it is VERY cheesy, we love it. By the end of the trip we hope to have all of the songs memorized, and have at least one of the many dance numbers memorized (possibly making an appearance at a local disco).
Monday began the monotony of the 9 to 5 work day. But, it has not been monotonous. I have recently lifted getting lost to an art form. Now, I am working for a doctor who is trying to become a Member of Parliament. I find my job can get really frustrating, because a lot of the time I am at work, I sit at the computer waiting for my next task, usually because Dr. Onkar is in a meeting, so there is no one to assign me anything. Also, like many doctors, Onkar Sahota is HORRIBLE at timeliness. For example, Tuesday we were supposed to be meeting at 10:30 to discuss some of the things that I had done on Monday, and to let me know what I needed to do for the rest of the day. He FINALLY showed up around 11:45, then left again at 12:30. We were supposed to be meeting with some potential printers at 1:30 to talk out some designs and prices for some fliers we needed, and he didn't even come back to the attic (Yes, I work in an attic) until almost 2, then we still had to drive to the printers. Not only that, but I sometimes have to do the same thing over and over again because he is not here in the first place to ask questions. Basically yesterday I was writing up and little Q and A for the flier. I had to do it all by hand (because when I got to work I couldn't log in to the computer), then I typed it all out, and then when he was finally in the room, I had him dictate basically the whole thing over again to me.
Overall Tuesday was just not my day. I couldn't really get moving in the morning, so I ended up missing the bus (to the point that I saw it leave the stop, but I was still too far away to get there--I probably missed it by less than a minute). Then I have an hour commute by Underground, only to get on another bus. When I finally got to work I couldn't log into the computer (Like I said), and Onkar was late (like I said). The day was slightly frustrating but manageable. Then I missed my bus going home too (and its raining now- so I am waiting for a bus in the rain). When I finally get to the Tube station, I just barely caught the train (phew). I have to transfer trains during my commute, so I thought I would transfer at a different station to see if I could get home any faster. Well that was a terrible idea, because I ended up getting on a train that didn't go all the way to the station that I needed to catch the bus. However, I did not notice this until I felt the train switch directions (I had been listening to music and didn't hear the train driver announce that that would be the last stop for that train). So I get on another train, and finally make it back to the station to catch the bus (and it's still raining). Then I realized that I didn't have my room key, and therefore couldn't get into the building. To make matters worse, I also realized that my phone was dead, so I couldn't even call to see if anyone was home to let me in, or call the front desk to have THEM let me in. I remembered that a bunch of people were going to a pub not too far away for dinner, so I figured that I would just meet up with them there and grab a bite to eat(This is at about 7:45, and I left work at 5:15). Of course when I get within a block of the pub (still raining) I see the group heading back to the flat, and they tell me that my roommates were all home. Fabulous. I was supposed to be meeting up with Sonya (my professor's daughter), but I just ended up calling her and rescheduling to yesterday. I settled for a local kebab place and a doner for my dinner. Meanwhile, Raquel, RJ and I were looking to find a hostel or hotel for us to crash at for our upcoming weekend adventures to Barcelona. After our arrangements at a hotel were settled, I retreated to my room for a bit of High School Musical therapy.
Yesterday, however, shaped up much better. I finished up work around 1:30, and went to the Student Travel Agency to try to settle out some details in my research regarding a solo trip to Scotland for a weekend. After hearing everything I wanted to hear, I walked back to the Tube and went home (It was a beautiful day). After getting home for a little bit of ice cream and a shortbread cookie, I turned around and headed back to the Tube, this time going to the Highbury Islington station choosing to walk rather than take the bus to King's Cross. I met up with my dearest little Sonya Williams, daughter of Paddy Scannell-- legend of the Michigan Communications department, at the Earl's Court Tube station. We returned to her borrowed flat for a bit of cheap wine. After killing the wine, we headed to Mihiki, an absolutely fabulous little bar, themed in a Hawaiian luau fashion. Again, the drinks were pricey, but it was a great experience, and I had great company. Every drink was made with fresh juice and nice liquor, and each drink had a different type of container, everything from a fresh pineapple to an antique style iron underwater helmet. The service was great, the music was great, and the seating area was really cute. A definite 10. After a few drinks and a solid 3 hours of laughing about everything under the sun (including my attempts to have a British accent, and Sonya's attempts to sound American), Sonya and I parted ways and returned to our respective homes. Great night.
Today was another relatively good day, I got to work around 10, only to be sent home at 1. Not a bad deal. And I was given 20GBP to cover all of my travel expenses out to Ealing (which is in Zone 3, on the opposite side of London, hence my hour and a half to two hour commute). Before hopping on the Tube I grabbed a little bit of Burger King, sampling the British menu. When I finally got home to Islington, I took a nice long nap, had some more ice cream, this time accompanied by graham crackers, and motivated myself to take on updating our lovely meeting place.
Things for me to look forward to coming up:
Tonight, in 30 minutes: Curry Night
Tomorrow through Sunday: Barcelona (and possibly booking my trip to Scotland)
Monday: Dinner and Drinks with Brett's friends from Australia who live in Ealing
Tuesday: REGINALD PROUD BROWN IV COMES TO LONDON!! (randomly on Sunday night, my friend from school, Reggie, informed me that all of my pestering had broken him down and he had bought a ticket to London to come visit me. So next week will be quiet lovely.)
Great Times are ahead, so tune in for more adventures!
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