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.