Traditional Christmas in Amsterdam

Seems I don't enjoy regular Christmas festivities...

Last year there was the Mexican Feast, and this year I spent Christmas in Amsterdam.
It was a nice, easy, 1 hour flight and then voila - I was in another country ready to party.

The weather was very much the same as in London - wet and windy. No white Christmas this year... but I've got high hopes for next year.

We visited the red light district, a few coffee shops, the erotica museum, the Ice bar & Heineken brewery and even Anne Frank's house. We even went on a canal tour the first evening to see the city lights.

The last day was spent shopping and trying to locate the "I AMSTERDAM" sign.. which we did stumble upon on the way back to the hotel.

This year I received a few lovely gifts that I'm very thankful for - especially since friends and family are on the other side of the world. All except 2 were practical gifts - I received several hair accessories/products, a beanie, a new wallet.. and then there was the HotS pre-order (which isn't released until March) and also money towards fixing my tattoo.

Christmas Day was a chilled affair - at least for me. We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (pretty much everything else was booked out or closed) - which was nice - and then spent the rest of the day sleeping/relaxing.

Back in the country now, getting ready for the new year. I believe I get to set off my own fireworks - so I'm super excited about that.

The best place to eat in Amsterdam - I think we all agreed - was either the floating Chinese restaurant or a little cafe in the main street (I think it was called B&B or something like that). SO GOOD!! Just thought I'd let you all know, just in case you ever get to go.

The World Continues Spinning

So...

It seems the world continues to spin. No Apocalypse - surprise, surprise.

I have to say, I haven't posted in a while & there's a whole lot that's been going on, so let's see if I can recall it all.

1. I went to an EVE meet up in Paris.
2. I visited SortDragon in Norwich.
3. We went ice-skating in Hyde Park & strolled around the Winter Wonderland.
4. I went to Copenhagen, saw my first snow - and all that entails.
5. Started a new job

That's the main bits anyway.

I fly out tomorrow (bright & early) to Amsterdam to spend Christmas with Em & SortDragon. That is going to be a painful holiday. They are like 2 peas in a pod. *SIGH*  Well, at least I will have fun and gain a few stories along the way.

I will eventually sit down & write more for all those points & everything in between.. but for the moment I have to pack & get ready to fly.

Alton Towers, Guy Fawkes & everything in between

November is looking to be an action-packed month!

We are one week in & already our weekends are almost fully booked out....

Oblivion! One of the bigger thrill rides of the day.

This weekend just passed we went to Alton Towers with some of Em's workmates. For those who don't know - it's a theme park at a castle. Really cool!

Being that it is on castle grounds, you can safely assume Alton Towers is in the middle of nowhere - and you'd be correct. We drove for approx. 3hrs to get to this tourist attraction.

Highlights of the weekend would have been (in no particular order)...
- Oblivion. A roller coaster that sees you free fall into a gaping hole in the ground only to resurface about 5 seconds later. For a more thrilling experience, I would definitely recommend sitting at the front of this ride & keeping your hands off the grips. I slipped off the seat and was hanging over the edge looking into the black abyss below - the only thing holding me there was the chest support. Adrenaline overload!

- Nemesis Sub-Terra. A walk-through with actors there to guide/scare you. A little bit of a roller coaster drop part way through, but this is definitely more on the psychological side of things. Em was not a fan of this one. A few ideas to make this a bit more scary - it needed something to drop from the ceiling in the 2nd elevator ride & it needed to close the elevator doors after the self-destruct countdown.. even for a few seconds - really get the blood pumping. Loved it! Would do this one again (and really want to film inside)

- Air. A quick roller coaster that sees you flying through the park with your feet dangling below you. Keep your hands out for that authentic feel and get ready for the loop-de-loops.

There were so many rides we got to try & each had their own unique feel but these were ones I would do again in a heartbeat.

It's Guy Fawkes Day today. "Remember, remember, the 5th of November." Now, in Australia, we don't celebrate this - we unfortunately don't have any recognition/special calendar days set aside for pyromaniacs. I really think there is a market for this though.

Fireworks have been going off all weekend and I have been told that most of the councils will be arranging massive bonfires as well as fireworks displays.

However, tonight - Em & I will be heading to a movie/seminar guest starring Richard Ayoade (best known for his role in the IT Crowd - Moss). Exciting!

I'm not sure what to expect but it beats sitting at home all night.

Next Saturday, we will be venturing to Harry Potter world (I'm sure there will be a separate blog post about that) and then I may be lucky enough to head to Copenhagen for a weekend retreat (there will definitely be a post about that trip)

For now, this will have to suffice. Let me know if there is anything you would all like me to report on while I am here.

I have just received news that Psy (Gangnam style singer) is coming to London on Wednesday. I will most likely be heading to see him and will take many photos I'm sure.

Halloween 2012 is coming...

So, as many of you will know, my birthday is on October 31st (Halloween)... and before you get all "I don't celebrate Halloween, it's a silly American tradition".. you may want to get your facts straight, else you'll sound like an idiot.

Halloween is a CELTIC tradition (meaning it originated in Ireland - a Pagan festival) - America just commercialized it.

Besides, coming from Australia, there's not a great opportunity to celebrate it. Which makes me a little sad...

(Also, I've just realized that this will be the 2nd year I am out of the country for my birthday - last year I was in Beijing, China - and they know how to throw a party. Your move London)

Anyway, this year - seeing as though I am in a country that celebrates it - I am going all out. There's a boat cruise this Friday - 4hrs down the Thames (not to mention the pre & post parties). Also on Friday, I will be heading to MCM expo (it's like Brisbane Supanova, or Comic-con).

I'll get to walk around ALL DAY dressed up! How exciting.

My birthday isn't until Wednesday (1 week to go) and so far no plans. I am stocking up on candy just in case we get any trick-or-treaters. If we don't.. well, I'll make all my housemates knock on the door & pretend like a don't know them HAHA! It's my birthday, they'll do what I tell them (jks)

Turns out carving a pumpkin is hard! Who would have thought it required some skill.. *sigh* So we can't do that this year, you need a specific kind of knife. Not to mention the type of pumpkin you have to use, doesn't taste very good. I think you can really only use it to make pumpkin pie... but I may be incorrect.

I have to say, Cracked got it right: The 9 Stages of Halloween Appreciation Throughout Life | Cracked ... - check it out if you have enough time. It's exactly as described... and you all know it! So don't be getting all BA-HUMBUG on my birthday!

So, tell me... what are your Halloween plans?

1 Month

SO... we've made it to 1 month. 23 to go!

The last month has been rather cruise-y for me. More of a holiday than anything - mostly because I have yet to start working.

(Em started work two weeks ago)

Bear Surfing! That's how they roll in Oxford.

I've been filling my days with setting up my VLOG. Still getting everything sorted out & haven't uploaded any HIGH QUALITY videos yet - mostly just stuff to keep people up to date at the moment. I'll probably upload more frequently & (hopefully) better content soon.

To recap the last month:
- went to the London Zoo & saw a freakin' LORIS.
(That is definitely the highlight of the trip so far. If I have to go home tomorrow, I'd be happy.. I got to see a LORIS!)
- went to various markets: Camden, Portobello Rd, Picadilly... and on the weekend we will be heading to Borough Markets if the weather holds out.
- travelled to Oxford
- Have seen at least 8 different museums & walked countless miles
- went to the Tower of London & took many sneaky photos of the crown jewels etc
- went out drinking with mates & ended up consuming many buckets (literally) of alcohol.

Crown Jewels - Sneaky photo!

All in all, it was a fairly productive month. Our housemates (who have been here longer than us) have said that we have seen more than they have in the short amount of time we have been here. VICTORY!!!

Out of the ~30 days (or so), there has only been 2 or 3 rainy days. Much less than I expected. There have been a few days when the weather just couldn't make up it's mind & proceeded to parade sun-showers before us (most annoying!). However, the only difference between the weather here & back home, is that it is incredibly windy here.

Not missing home yet. We tend to Skype every Sunday morning (London time) to keep everyone up to date. Having a jolly old time! I'm off now to find my local Starbucks so I can drink a giant cup of coffee & continue writing my book.

SO YOU'RE MOVING OVERSEAS?

I've been meaning to write this for a while now. Just a general overview of what it actually takes to move overseas. I'm no expert on the matter... I'm winging it over here. However, there is a list of things that you need to get sorted before you will even be let into the country.

(I should also mention this IS NOT written with a family in mind. These are the steps I had to take to come over BY MYSELF - will definitely be more involved with children)

First & foremost. Get a passport. 

I'm not going to go into how much everything costs - the specifics will change year to year. Obviously, if too many people request the info I will put it up - websites, costs etc.

For a passport, you will need to fill out a bunch of forms. They will need to be signed by a JP & you will require a photo of yourself. I got mine done at a local post office a few years ago (I look like a mob boss - quite an achievement). As far as I am aware - you are STILL not allowed to smile in your photos... something to do with cheerful terrorists (???)



Second step - once you've received your passport back is to organise your visa. You can go through a company (I did this because I was too lazy to figure it out for myself - also I thought they would do more than they actually did)... the alternative is to print your visa documents off from the country's immigration website.

The company I went through wasn't all that bad. They did set my bank account up, organised a sim card for my phone & also a NI number (which is equivalent to an Australian tax file number) .. so that was a plus.

Once you've filled out all your documents, you have to take them (and a photo of yourself - I used the post office one again as they gave me about 10 copies) to your local consulate. Being that I was intending to move to London meant going to the British consulate.

They will also need a copy of a recent bank statement proving you have enough funds to support yourself overseas. Again, depends on where you are going as to how much money you are going to need.

There they will set up your biometrics - which is a fancy way of saying they take your fingerprints, log it into their system & make sure you aren't a serial killer with an outstanding warrant. Also I guess they keep it in a database in case you decide to go all Jack the Ripper in their country. BAD NEWS if you burnt all your prints off hoping to get away with that robbery last Christmas... you are probably more easy to catch than someone WITH fingerprints.

Once that's all done you send away those documents, with your passport, and wait to hear back. Mine took about 10 days to come back to me with the Visa attached to one of the pages. Very exciting stuff.

I would recommend sorting out accommodation & work before leaving your country - or at least scheduling job interviews. Researching the country's employment expectations & rate of unemployment is probably a good idea too... just so you know what you are getting yourself into.

Travel insurance can normally be purchased at the same time as your flights.. so speak to your travel agent about this. Alternatively, you can go through banks & other financial institutions. Shop around to get a good deal. Normally, they can only sell you insurance for 1 year - then you would have to renew when it was getting close to running out (depending on how long you plan to stay).

My mate set up (before she left) her will, executor of her estate and other various legal documents just in case anything happened over here. I don't really own anything for people to inherit so I didn't do this. I might look into it while I'm here though - you never know.

Then all that's really left (that I can think of anyway) is to get suitable clothing. If, like me, you are coming from a fairly hot/tropical climate to a cold climate - don't bother buying clothes before you leave. They ARE NOT going to be warm enough.

I mean - we all remember (those of us who saw it) the movie "COOL RUNNINGS". Obviously, they were going from one extreme to the other - but when they got to the airport and saw the snow outside - they were not prepared (even after all that freezer training).

Also if you purchase clothing when you get overseas there is less chance of going over your check-in baggage allowance, and you will get to explore the area you are going to be living almost straight away - good to get your bearings. You can pick clothing up cheap while you are living - take some so that you don't freeze within the first 24hrs of landing but don't stress too much.

Greetings, Proposals & Solitude

Much has happened since we last spoke.

Em has started her job - I believe she is enjoying it. I've had an interview and am feeling fairly optimistic about the outcome. We have seen the Tower of London, travelled to Oxford & Camden, and spent even more time walking around exploring.

Saturday night was spent out in the town - with no wingman... Em hadn't been feeling well so it was up to me to have an awesome time. I ended up drinking out of a "bucket" - it wasn't too bad.

What I believe they called "POS FUEL"

Met up with an old friend from Australia, made a bunch of new friends and had a great time.

A total of 3 marriage proposals flew at me that night. I was feeling amazing after that! I also received a job offer if I feel like moving to Iceland - so there's always that option.

Saturday night also had me being hit on by a really hot guy who'd been married for 2wks - he and his wife "have an open relationship"... No thank you. I've been there and don't want to repeat past mistakes. Shame! Other than that it was a great night.

This week's highlight would have to be getting all the sneaky photos from various places we've travelled. They are very anti-photography here in the UK - just a heads up for all you hipsters wanting to travel.

I believe the focus of this week will be on the more practical side of things - setting up doctor's registration etc.

I just want the fun, travel stuff to start. Maybe it's time to scout a sugar daddy... I hear the money is good :D

Glasgow Cathedral & Necropolis

Pretty sure I'm going to be creating a "Gangnam Style" music video clip of my own.. it's going to be epic... me dancing around the UK/Europe - beats the pants off a typical photo slide night when I eventually return home.

My hairdresser friend (who moved to Scotland around the same time we came over to London) is heading back home already. She's having issues finding jobs in Scotland, and dislikes London.. so the plan is for her to head home, save more money & then come back early next year. She's invited us to visit here this weekend... so that could be our first long-distance adventure. Otherwise, I don't know what we will end up doing - there's no other plans at this point.

I've been invited to Norwich for my birthday - depending on funds (and if I have a job or not). Also could be in Iceland for New Years - but again depends on funds.

What have I learnt this week: Some guys are sleazes.. when they get alcohol in their system they are total douches. Not really a new concept to me, but after Hottie McDrunk last weekend, the idea is cemented in my consciousness. Many of the guys at the bar were nice... but there's always one that is going to ruin the night for everyone else.

First week overseas

Just a quick side note: this blog page is now going to be travel related, rather than language learning.

We made it overseas, with a lot less tears than we'd expected. So far, so good.

Our first week has been spent getting to know the area we are living in and seeing all the free tourist attractions/museums. Have to save money until I have a job lined up.

We have seen Portobello road markets - cheap clothes and antiques, Natural History Museum, British Museum, walked practically the length of Oxford St and yesterday went to the London zoo - our first paid adventure.

The zoo would by far be my favorite thing so far, for one reason and one reason only - the Loris!

I was losing my shit over this tiny, furry animal that I could barely hold the camera steady. Being in the nocturnal habitat and having such sensitive large eyes meant no flash photography.

Only downside to the trip was no loris toys in the gift shop - well no loris anything :(

We've been on countless trains and 1 bus so far. Public transport here is quiet easy to manage and the trains come around every 2-5mins. It's quite amusing watching Brits get angry when they miss the train and have to wait 3 mins for the next one. They would not survive back home.

Tomorrow the house is having a roast. We are sharing the house with 4 kiwis - 3 girls and 1 guy. The place is small and seems to be falling apart but it's a good starting mark until we get our bearings.

So as to avoid the "Heathrow Injection" we are walking everywhere. Yes, you read correctly I am walking places. In fact, I am going to need new walking shoes very soon & have already invested in more socks as well.

I have a job interview lined up next week - I've got a new outfit ready for that so hopefully it'll be a breeze just walk in and get the job :)

Thats all I've got for the first week of living. I'd recommend all the places we've seen so far - free entry is always a plus.

What I've learned while being over here: it's ok to get a little lost and stay away from touristy areas when it comes to food.

I've enjoyed getting challenges from people back home - makes the day that little more interesting & get a load of great stories out of it.

General update.

So laptop has arrived back from the shop - it's been back for a while.
However - I have a lack of internet at my current house & have had a lack of motivation to update anywhere else.

I am still super keen to have this going - in fact I am still regularly updating my other blog... I think this one is just a little bit more academic & takes a little bit more concentration / thought.

Quick update: I have 2 months until I relocate overseas - quite exciting. I had my Biometrics appointment last Friday. I will be sending my Visa application away this week. I'm so incredibly pumped to get going.

I have been scouring work for some pen pals or something along those lines. I want to be practising my languages - in return for English practice...

I think I will just do a few Swedish words of the day.
So today is:
1. himmel - which means sky or heaven (pronounced him-el)
2. solsken - sunshine (pronounced sool-sh-ehn).
3. gurka - cucumber/gherkin (pronounced ger-kha)
4. frukt - fruit (pronounced frew-kt)

Pre-dinner snack.... it's good for you!

I have been watching some "Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time" on YouTube. I think Niclas is cute - he's the main guy with the beard. I don't think my mother would want me to bring him home but he's funny & the food looks edible.

It's also a great way to learn the Swedish words for random food stuffs.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SwedishMealTime
Scroll down until you see some recipes... I am going to attempt to make the Stroganoff tomorrow night. It'll be interesting. Perhaps less screaming - but who knows.

I've tried the pre-dinner snack & can confirm - it IS good for you!

French alphabet

 The French Alphabet is the same 26 characters in the Latin alphabet - both upper & lower case... just pronounced a little differently. There is also 5 diacritics & 2 orthographic ligatures.

NOTE: the letters "W" & "K" are rarely used, except in loan words or regional words. Also the vowels are A, E, I, O, U & Y.

Also the French seem to pronounce the vowels more than the consonants. Whereas English speakers normally say the consonants more so than the vowels.

A - ah

B - beh

C - seh

D - deh

E - eh

F - eff

G - zheh

H - ahsh

I - ee

J - zhee

K - kah

L - ell

M - em

N - en

O - oh

P - peh

Q - koo

R - air

S - ess

T - teh

U - ooh

V - veh

W - doe-blah-veh

X - eeks

Y - ee-grek

Z - zed

Diacritics:

acute ( ´ ), 

grave  ( ` ),

and circumflex  ( ˆ ) accents, 

the diaeresis (tréma)( ¨ ), 

and the cedilla ( ¸ )

Ligatures:

The two ligatures are œ and æ.These ligatures are treated like the sequences oe & ae.

More on the Ligatures & Diacritics later.

French (Directions & Around the house)

Today we are going to branch into directions... always useful & simple enough to add into everyday conversation at work or with friends and family.

While I'm sure many males (sorry for the stereotype) would find this post completely useless, I have been lost in Paris in the middle of the night & needed to lead a group of Aussies back to our hotel - so this came in handy.

To get someone's attention:

Excusez-moi, Monsieur = Excuse me, Mister

Pardon, madame/mademoiselle = Sorry, madam/miss

This is a good starting ground.

Then you could say:

Où est l'hôtel ____? = Where is the hotel _______?

à gauche = to the left

à droite = to the right

So between left & right I always had trouble. The only way I could get to know them was to learn "right" droite - which had the letter "R" in it. "R" for right. Gauche doesn't have an "R" so I knew that was left. There may be a better, easier way to learn it but that worked for me.

tout droit = straight ahead

tournez = Turn

Sounds similar, easy enough.

continuez = Continue

une maison = a house

un appartement = an apartment

un immeuble = an apartment building

en haut = upstairs

en bas = downstairs

The memory hook I used for bas (downstairs) was that a bass singer had a low, deep voice - he was at the bottom of the scale - bit of a stretch, but I knew that it had to be down.

AROUND THE HOME:

le garage = the garage

Again, easy enough to remember.

une chambre = a bedroom

une salle de bains = a bathroom (sink & tub)

les toilettes = the toilet

la cuisine = the kitchen

This is where you make all the authentic French cuisine.

la salle à manger = the dining room

le salon = the dining room

le jardin = the garden

The task for this lesson is to try using the directions in your everyday speech... or even if you just start thinking these words when someone asks. If you can't add some of the words into your conversations, perhaps try the rooms of the house instead.

Perhaps you have to go down to le jardin to water your plats? Or surprise your partner by cooking up a storm in la cuisine.

Give it a go. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results. If need be, come up with your own memory hooks to help memorize the vocabulary.

BONNE NUIT!

Swedish - Body Parts

Time for some Swedish (YAY!!)

So, I tried to think of what I wanted to post today. I didn't want boring grammar as I've been reading that all day - so today is just going to be a mindless, simple post... but helpful nonetheless.

ENGLISH - SWEDISH

Arm - arm

Hand - hand

Foot - fot

Blood - blod

Neck - nacke (this refers to the back of your neck only - not the throat area).

Throat - strupe

Nose - näsa

Finger - finger

Heel - häl

Toe - tå

knee - knä

tongue - tunga

lip - läpp

navel - navel

health - hälsa

I really need to get some audio/video up to demonstrate pronunciation etc but this will at least jog my memory when looking over notes. Obviously there are more body parts but these are the first few I have learnt.

Basic Phrases - French.

Bienvenue! Welcome to Lesson 2. 

Hello - Bonjour

Good evening - Bonsoir

Good night - Bonne Nuit

This is probably a good time to mention that "bonne" or "bon" translates to GOOD.

Hi - Salut

Goodbye - Au Revoir

I am - Je suis

Stylish!

Please - S'il vous plaît
  
Thank you - Merci

You're welcome - De Rien

Excuse me - Pardon

A fairly straight forward translation.

I'm sorry - Je regrette

You feel regretful of your actions - literal translation: I regret.

Yes - oui

No - non

This is a fantastic word to learn if you are going to visit France; especially Paris, as there are gypsies all over the city. You must say this forcefully or they will keep trying to sell things to you - even following you half way to your hotel. True story.
  
Good luck - bonne chance

Again, here is the word "bonne". 

What's your name?  - Comment tu t'appelles?

There are a few ways to ask someone their name. This is a more informal way of asking but I find it is the easiest. 

My name is ______ - Je m'appelle _________

Pleased to meet you - Enchanté

How are you? - Comment ça va ?

Very good - Très bien

Not bad - pas mal

And you? - Et toi?

 See you soon - A bientôt

Today's challenge: Try adding a few of these phrases into your conversations today. Meeting someone new -  Enchanté. Bump into someone near the water cooler - Pardon. Even saying Au Revoir at the end of a catch-up with your friends.

You can do it, or you can pretend to do it. The only real difference is you'll be cheating yourself out of great practice.

I will try to put up some audio for pronunciation/practice as soon as I can.

Bon Voyage!  I will see you again soon.

Friends jumping onboard

Android Complex 2.0 is a go!

One of my friends is keen to learn a language - French, specifically - so I've said I'll help her out.

This will keep me focused on my learning at the same time.

We have had lesson one. Colors.

ENGLISH-FRENCH:

1. Red - Rouge.
Think "rouge your cheeks" like to put on blush. Blush is usually red. Ergo - Rouge.

2. Orange - Orange.
Easy. You know 2 French words already. Well done.

3. Blue - Bleu.

4. Pink - Rose.

5. Purple - Violet.
Simple enough.

6. Grey - Gris.

7. White - Blanc.
Think Sauvignon Blanc - white wine. Or you could think blanc .. like blank... blank piece of white paper.

8. Black - Noir.

9. Yellow - Jaune.
You can think jaundice - turns your skin yellow.

10. Green - Vert.

11. Brown - Marron.



Now ENGLISH-SWEDISH:

1. Red - röd.

2. Orange - Orange.

3. Blue - blå.

4. Pink - rosa.

5. Purple - lila.

6. Grey - grå.

7. White - vit.


8. Black - svart.

9. Yellow - gul.

10. Green - grön.

11. Brown - brun.

 Now to come up with my own memory hooks for Swedish.

Hope Lesson 1 helps you out. Perhaps gets you interested in learning a language -whether it be French or Swedish. Feel free to jump on the bandwagon and learn with us.

Just One

The number of languages I'm fluent in.

One.

My native language. I'm incredibly embarrassed.

Now there's nothing wrong with only knowing 1 language. However, for someone who wants to be a translator/linguist... or someone who loves to travel... or someone who is going to be living overseas in the next 4 months - it's not acceptable.

So this blog is going to be my way of compiling my thoughts into one place. Everything I learn will be put here (hopefully I remember to post fairly frequently or this is going to look embarrassing).

By the time I get overseas I'm going to hopefully have a bit of knowledge under my belt & then this will probably turn into a travel blog.

You can check out my other blog here. Hopefully I don't repeat myself too much between the two.