First week almost gone

Still at Town Hall

Town Hall

Post office box

China Town aka the carpark

I've been here nearly a week now.

I can't say i've been up to much. Last Friday was my first day in Manchester on my own. Apart from getting lost for a whole hour I did end up trying England Version of the Big Mac, my opinion would be that ours is 10x better, their fries are super greasy and the Big mac lacked flavor (like many of Englands food). Highlight of the day: ordering my medium Big Mac meal and a donut i had to repeat my order at least 3 times and she still only got that i was ording a big mac and i have to repeat donut 3 or 4 times. she then asked me what drink i wanted so i said "coke" her response "what" so i say it slower "i'll have a COKE" she still didnt get me so i look at her and repeat myself so what can she possibly say now "WE DONT HAVE THAT HERE" i look behind her with a puzzled look and say "i'll have a coke you know coca cola?!?!?!" and then she finally says ohhhh "coke"!!!! as she's getting my order im thinking to myself am i not speaking english, do i sound asian? my accents not that thick... after telling quiet a few people (people being Darren, Richard and Ali cos we all know how many friends i have here) they assure me that it was her and she was retarded and it wasnt me. ooo Highlight of the day number two would be I FOUND AN ASIAN GROCERY STORE that sell mi goreng and lots of filippino stuff :)

Saturday was spent at home and i finally unpacked and put all my things away we also went to the movies and watched The final destination in 3D. I tried their hotdog and drink meal and it was so POOR i took one bite and had to throw it away... it was definatly not greater union... the bread was rock hard and the hot dog tasted like what i imagine dog food would taste like but the icecream i bought definatly made up for it mmm cookie dough flavoured icecream. The movie was pretty good except that it was slightly annoying that i had to wear two glasses on my head because i forgot it was 3D and didnt wear contacts...oops... i recommend people watch it if they enjoyed the other Final Destination movies.

Sunday = SHOPPING now that is definatly something Manchester has over Sydney!!! the shopping is amazing soooo many different stores that are just MASSIVE and lots and lots and lots of shoes from sneaker to heels (omg the heels) to ugg boots!!! my body was all tingly and i just wanted to go nuts and also wishing that jess was with me because she'd be going nuts too we'd be a pair of hyper active kids in Toys R Us. My two purchases were a hat (because mine is not Manchester friendly and make my ears freeze which = brain freeze not cool) and some ballet flats which took about 3 hours to find for a total of 18GBP hmm i guess thats ok. Darren also took me to have my first pub lunch chicken keiv with chips and peas i'd say it was ok not the best but better than alot of things i've eaten lately. I also went to the Walkabout lol Australian Pub... with Authentic Australian Tucker lol had a pint of cider and i now remember why i dont like drinking!!!

Monday: What a depressing day... I started to question what the hell i was doing here, I sat next to a bum under the escalator and just watched the world go by for a while. I also tried KFC well at least they got something right the chicken was good i got wicked wings but the chips were NO WHERE near as good as our im pretty sure there wasnt any salt at all on them and the zinger burger was shite! no flavor... so self pity led me to purchasing my new swatch watch :) its lime green with a crazy green monster printed all over it saw it and knew it was for me. The girl in the shop also happened to be Australian and was from Melbourne she put me back in my spirits and I photocopied my resumes and started handing it out to different shops who were hiring for christmas. I also started going around to job agencies and stopped into one where i ended up getting interviewed. Finaly a good start because she's referred me onto Barclays which is a bank here. I also set up and interview for tuesday and an interview with another recruiter on wednesday.

and My day today Tuesday: i went in for my interview and while i was crossing the road which is currently barricaded because some political thing is going on i stepped in a HUGE puddle of water! well at least i gave the police officers a bit of laugh because they all saw me do it haha. The interview went well i think and they've referred me onto their client. I also got a call from the recruiter from the day before and I have a Phone interview with Barclays tomorrow yay!

I miss home alot... and i've had so much doubts these past few days but i refuse to give in. i miss everybody and everything (except the weather manchester weather has been a lot better than sydney weather since i left) i hope it gets easier soon...

Love you all and miss you
Lovely

First Day out and about in Manchester

City hall but I forgot what it was called

The Manchester Wheel

Piccadilly Village

View from the apartment balcony Man City Stadium

I had a brilliant day today... First day going around Manchester. Weather was excellent sunny, a little crisp but once i started walking was very warm.

First stop Asda which is like walmart where the employees look like little Irish people wearing bright green and white uniform. From the apartment its about a 20 minute walk, on the way is the Man city stadium which looks a lot like the Telstra stadium... I was like a little girl giggling away and laughing at groups of teenage boys talking with a funny accent. I felt like i was in willy wonka and the chocolate factory movie with the houses looking just like the houses in Willy wonka and in Harry Potter.

After Asda came back home cooked up some spag bol than headed out into town.

Right from dot i already thought Manchester was beautiful on the walk we pass a canal thats lined with old looking kinda houses I think it was Piccadilly Village the canal is there for the narrow boats to go through, Darren showed me the killer ducks that I have to watch out for when im going on my own because they bite when they are out of the water.

We're on the outskirt of the city and already you can tell the difference in architecture between Sydney and Manchester. Manchester is a contrast of old and modern. I would describe Man city as a photographers play ground theres just so many buildings that have such detailed characters from gargoyle looking engravings to the colour... Its all just beautiful.

Darren took me to china town and I was so amazed because all it was was pretty much a parking lot with a few shops around it i could see the whole of china town from one corner. Needless to say the search for Mi Goreng noodles was an epic fail :(

Im also finding it funny right now that the movie im watching has a lady in the corner doing sign language lol

Enjoy the Pics...

More pics to follow when i dont have to hurry up because im being left behind :)

29 hours of sleeeep!!! well close enough

Have you ever seen Sydney from an aerial view... its amazing. As i was leaving i looked out the window and all i could think was how beautiful sydney was, it reminded me of the artwork that painter did who used maps as inspration for his paintings, Brad would know who he is. Lines were defined by the street lights and the whole place was tinkleing from cars passing treelined streets or buildings... I thought somewhere out that way all my friends and family are there and it made me a tad bit sad... but in the end i just thought I'll be back and it made me feel just that much better.

I wasnt excited and or nervous but i was scared... i was thinking this is crazy but thats me crazy never really think things through i just do it...

After waking up from a 7 hour or so flight i walk out of the plane and im hit with the humidity that Hong Kong has and I swear at myself for wearing a long sleeve shirt, pants and a really warm jumper... my bags are heavy and im still amazed at how i got through the gate with what feels like 15kg of clothes and things.

I find my terminal and gate and just when i thought i'd had enough sleep I end up falling asleep at the gate waking every few minutes as i was paranoid I'd sleep through and miss my flight.

My flight from Hong Kong to London was delayed by 40 mins and all i could think of was "I'm going to miss my flight". With my luck after we finally boarded the plane, I'm stuck in the only area where the TV and all the system ie lights weren't working on a 12 hour flight, so i stuck to sleeping, lucky enough i was sleeping in 4 hour blocks only waking to have something to eat.

An hour before landing I get moved to the front as the flight attendants were told that i had a connecting flight that was going to be very tight to get to and in the last hour i was watching girlfriends of the past haha im going to have to somehow get my hands on that and watch the rest cos it seemed good.

I'm landed in Heathrow and all i can think of is "shit im going to miss my flight" so I'm the first one off the plane and bolt up and I have no idea where im headed, I find a board and start making my way to terminal 5, my legs and arms are burning from the weight of my carry ons but i dont let myself slow down I run up the escalator and my legs are killing me and im wishing that i spent more time at the gym... im half way there and im on the bus headed to terminal 5... next stop immigration than security i manage to get myself up all the way to the front apologizing for pushing in... once i get through i have roughly 10 mins before the gates close so once again i start running im nearly white washed at this point and im dry reaching forcing myself to keep any vomit down my throat.... and there it was just around the corner gate A5...

I'd made it! im sitting in my seat all smelly and sweating my shirt is drenched in sweat and i felt like just ran 5 km with weights. I felt soooo ill from the amount of excercise i just did.

FINALLY landing in manchester... im in no rush to get off the plane and im one of the last to get off i have no idea where my bag was but than i spot a big red bag and i rush over grab it and nearly dropped it on some person feet lol yeah they weren't to impressed.

I walk out of the terminal and no one is there I look around and Darrens looking into space... we walk out and I'm greeted with the lovely weather Manchester has to offer... Clouds and rain, and im thinking "wheres the ac isnt England suppose to be cold???"

but it doesnt end there... we get to the apartment and just when i thought all the torture of lugging my 15kg carry ons were over the elevators are BROKEN!!!! so fire escape stairs it was... a whole 10 or so flights of stairs!!! my legs are about to give way and finally the last level is there...

First thing i do in the apartment get a drink and have the BEST SHOWER i have ever taken and sit on facebook haha...