Long weekend: Madrid

There are particular words or phrases that transcend countries and cultures. Take for example, "Hot summer". For many Londoners this is regarded as any temperature that takes the mercury past 24 degrees Celsius. It should be noted that any sunshine is enough for a local to rip off their t-shirt and head to the park for some much needed vitamin D. Another example would be the phrase "Summer Bank Holiday Long Weekend". This on the other hand only means one thing in London: "Get out of London for 3 days!". So naturally we did that. The destination? Madrid, Spain.


I raced home after work, that's right folks, I'm employed and at this moment in time not enjoying it (but that's for another post). Did my laundry and turned in for an early night a couple of hours later I was up and out of the flat by 3:30 am. At 4:00 am I caught the Easybus 757 from Gloucester Place and was shuttled off to Luton airport.

The flight was bearable and allowed me to catch up on some much needed sleep for the weekend ahead. I awoke 30 minutes before landing to find my neighbour eagerly looking my way. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you, do you mind if I go to the toilet?". Such manners, makes me wonder what would have happened if I had said "no" and gone back to sleep.


Disembarking from the plane we were greeted by our host at Madrid Barajas International Airport. It should be noted that the person we're staying with I have only met once in my life. Immediately we were whisked away back to her place in Getafe. Upon entering the house we were exposed to a beautiful house with modern decor and an adorable 1 year old baby with a knack of calling everybody "baba". Congee was served for lunch followed by a quick car wash and our afternoon spent absorbing European Art at Museo del Prado.



The 2 hour stroll through the museum with our lack of sleep had finally caught up to us. Taking it upon ourselves we indulged in a little afternoon Spanish ritual known as a siesta. At 10 pm we headed out for dinner (normal time apparently). On the menu tonight was Japanese/Chinese cuisine at the delightfully and delicious Jade Colonial. After many months living in London, the freshness of the food was welcomed by all. With all members sporting sizable bags underneath the eyes we sucked it up and hit the town for a spot of partying. We were driven to Buddha del mar which oddly reminded me a little of Tao in Vegas. The night ended in a blur: €200 for a bottle of vodka. Drinking games. Intoxication. Sleep.

Despite having little to no sleep the previous night we awoke scattered about the house wanting more sleep. In Spain "Hot summer" represents 35 degrees of unadulterated warmth framed by cloudless skies and 9:00 pm sunsets. Given the nature of our previous day we lazed about the pool for the majority of the day. Water tests had revealed that the pools PH levels were fine but the chlorine levels left much to be desired. Which meant a lot of water watching but that was fine by us. The next couple of hours we sat in the shaded area of the local Mc Donalds followed by more water watching and chatting until sunset. Traditional Spanish cuisine for dinner: Tapas and cerveza.

Without a doubt the underlying theme of the holiday has been relaxation and laziness. Monday was no different, I was awoken to the sound of Usher blasting through the hallways. I suspect this was no coincidence but more of a polite way of waking the guests. Given our previous days efforts (or lack there of) it was decided we take a train into Madrid downtown and walk about the shopping district. Urgency was required as we raced home, packed and headed back to the airport only to be advised that our flight be delayed. Work is going to be a struggle this week ...

Scotland

During the course of my adventures I've come to realise that new cities fall into one of two categories. The first are those places which are distinctly unique. These are the places which scream individuality and ooze a distinct culture. The other, are places which lack the redeeming feature that sets is apart from the rest. Descriptions of such places usually begin with "This kind of reminds me of...". Glasgow, is one of those cities. Of the 15 hours of so spent in Glasgow I couldn't help but make comparisons to other cities, more specifically Australian cities. It would be best to describe Glasgow as Melbourne populated with people from Penrith.


After an interesting night out in the town we awoke to gray skies and rain. Our Glasgow sightseeing was severely limited to indoor activities, more specifically the Museum of Modern Art or shopping. With those two options we jumped on the first train and headed east to Edinburgh.

Edinburgh falls into the latter category of destinations. Immediately stepping off the train you're greeted by cobbled streets and medieval architecture. The city of Edinburgh was bustling with tourists and locals, many of shops, pubs and restaurants were overflowing with festival go-getters. We dumped our luggage at the hostel and headed to a traditional Scottish pub for some local cuisine.

It would be decided that our afternoon agenda be spent with a leisurely trek up Arthur's Seat (Despite protest from the girls). The ascent was cardiovascular workout, the descent provided comical relief in the form of wrong-footed slips and falls accompanied by plenty of groaning (Again, the girls). Feeling extremely exhausted I headed back to the hostel to sneak in some shut eye before our evening ghost tour.

The ghost tour of Edinburgh would be better classified as entertaining as opposed to scary. Our over-exuberant tour guide took us through the underground vaults or Edinburgh, through the narrow alleyways and finally to the cemetery. One particular eerie moment occurred with the group huddled together in the underground room. We were told by our host that "Behind that wall bodies were buried. Visitors to this particular room have reported the sensation of warm breath with the lingering smell of stale rum against the back of their necks". Then somebody farted. It was then, I knew I would not be scared.

Feeling drained and uninspired we opted for a quiet Saturday night. Turns out we were sharing our hostel room with a one Natasha Lea Jones of Pooka fame. The following day we explored Edinburgh Castle and treated ourselves to some free Fringe Festival entertainment.

Oscar Nominations

It's an art. Part actor, part enthusiast, part luck. The interview stage is just that, a stage; an audition for your career. It's about learning the lines, knowing the body language and delivering a compelling enough performance. Compelling enough to convince a company that you are the right person for the job. Practice makes perfect, the answers roll off the tongue, I know when to nod, when to smile and when to laugh.

"So walk me through your career to date"
"Why did you leave your last job?"
"Why did you move to London?"
"What is it about this role that attracts you?"
"Why do you want to work for this company?"
"What is a static variable?"
"What is a virtual function?"
"What are the principles of Object Oriented Design?"
"When are copy constructors used in C++?"
"What is a Singleton Design Pattern?"
"Name a time you had conflict with a colleague?"
"Describe to me a time when you took initiative"
"How do you prioritise?"
"You're currently on a Working Holiday Visa, what are your plans?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"Congratulations, they want to offer you a job."

Monthly Update:

• 3 Job offers
• 1 decision

Amstel dam

The cold crisp breeze stirs through the park. A path of wavering grass and the rustle of leaves is left in its wake. Occasionally the sun will steal through the clouds, the rays warm the skin and the goosebumps subside. It's already quite late in the morning and the locals are awake. They are occupied with their usual Sunday morning park activities; exercising, walking the dog, strolling with kids or on their way to somewhere important. Then of course there's me. In a defiant protest I sit in the park for other reasons not so common to theirs. I've just woken up. In the middle of a park. In Amsterdam. I have stooped to a new level of homelessness.

In my defence, I was only asleep for 10 minutes but what a glorious 10 minutes it was. Rewind 24 hours. 3:30 am, my house mates are still out partying as I gather my backpack and head off to Baker Street to catch the National Express to Stansted Airport. One of the reasons for the relocation to London was having the luxury and opportunity to travel around Europe. This would be my first of (hopefully) many weekend adventures. This weekend's destination as you may have already figured out is Amsterdam.

The flight from London to Amsterdam took a little under 50 minutes. We were immediately greeted by a cooler than London climate, plenty of canals and the biggest collection of bicycles I have seen in my life. Our day was spent visiting the major tourist destinations each reached by tram: The Van Gough Museum, Anne Frank House, shopping around Kalverstraat and finally an early evening tour of the infamous Red Light District. The evening was capped off with the Sensation Black 2008 party held at Amsterdam Arena where we partied into the early morning.


Fast forward to 11 am Sunday, so having been awake for an unhealthy 31 hours I find myself sitting in Vondelpark. It should be noted that, some of us did not organise accommodation for this weekend adventure. Our lazy afternoon was spent in one of Amsterdam's traditional Coffee Houses before boarding our flight back home. I haven't quite got used to the fact that "home" is now London and have on many times re-corrected myself "I'm from Sydney, well London".

Waiting on the river

Over the course of the last couple of weeks I have invested the majority of my time sitting exams, participating in phone and on-site interviews with three main companies. The roles that I have been interviewing for are roles I probably wouldn't apply for if I were back home in Sydney but something a little different. Put simply, my current job situation is analogous to a game of Texas Hold'em Poker.

Thursday 3rd July:

9 am: Final round Interview with Company 1.

1 pm: Final round interview with Company 2.

5 pm: Job offer from Company 2.

I receive a call from one of my recruiters "Congratulations, company 2 wants to offer you the job, do you want it?". Awesome, my first employment offer. Still waiting for feedback from the other two companies I tried to buy myself some extra time: "Great, would it be possible to get back to the company at the beginning of next week with my decision". Couple of minutes later I receive a call back from the same recruiter "They want a decision by 3:30 tomorrow, they have another candidate that they want to offer your role to".

Friday 4th July:

9 am: Call my respective recruitment agents from Companies 1 and 3 to find out what's going on.
They both tell me that Company 1 recruiter is bluffing and that they just want to make a placement for the week. It's unreasonable for any company to force you to make a decision within 24 hours, or is it?

12:30 pm: Company 3 recruiter tells me they want to speed up interview period in reaction to the offer that was made. I'm called in for an immediate interview.

1:00 pm: Company 1 recruiter tells me that my application was unsuccessful. 1 potential offer remaining.

1:35 pm: Rushed over to Company 3, was 5 minutes late due to late notice. Interview wasn't crash hot, I'm not so confident about progressing.

3:00 pm: Get a call from recruiter representing Company 2.

"So what's your decision, they need to know". I thought about perhaps verbally agreeing and then waiting for the contract to buy myself more time. Conscious kicked in and I called his bluff. "I don't want it". Those four words escaped my mouth in slow motion, 7 weeks of job hunting and within the space of 24 hours I had gone from having an offer to having none. I've eliminated 2 of the 3 companies, now I wait for the river...

Walking my dog

Closing the backdoor behind me I grab the dog leash and casually I yell back into the house "I'm taking the dog for a walk!", this statement is received by raised eyebrows and wry smiles. Lets admit it, walking my dog isn't one of my more regular events. The main hindrance being laziness on my behalf. So what exactly prompted the decision to take him out? Well, my dog is starting to age and by dog standards he is quite sheltered. He occasionally gets to explore but I've seen him standing at the edge of our driveway on too many occasions him peering down the road with a look of curiosity on his face. So with that being said, today I've decided to take him out for a walk and let him dictate the route and direction.

I generally take him for walks in the early to late evening, he's reckless, he's inquisitive and he's extremely determined so the less people on the street the better. I exit through the garage with nothing in my possession bar the leash, a torch light and my keys. The sky is splashed with a purple-hue that melts into darkness as the sun retires for another day. Passing through the streets you can't help but pick up on the different cuisines being served for dinner, passing each house you catch a whiff of a difference aroma. Audibly the sound of cars pulling up into driveways and the clamouring of kitchens can be heard in the foreground over a base line of birds chattering. It's a senses wonderland.

Being completely absorbed by my surrounds I haven't really been paying attention to where my dog is taking me. It would appear that I'm being led purely on animal instinct or attention span as my dog guides me through the neighbourhood streets. A smell, a hazy object in the distance even a whim is reason enough to either go straight, left or right. Soon enough we're in a local park, he's curiously sniffing at a bush growing against a rock face. It's quite normal for dogs with their keen sense of smell and astute hearing to be completely captivated by things that humans just can't comprehend. Without warning he viciously begins to stamp at the bush with his front legs closely followed by a soft growl. Curiosity piqued, I shine the torch in the direction of his attention. The light from my torch disappears, there's nothing behind the bush except a small opening, it's a small cavity. A cave.

I push aside the branches to make a small clearing, unexpectedly my dog rushes into the now apparent crevice I get pulled along. It's considerably cooler in the cave, in the distance the sound of dripping water can be heard and it takes my eyes a while to get used to the darker settings. Unrelenting my dog with his nose pinned to the ground continues to pull me in onwards. I pull back on the leash and flash the torch around the face. There's a small tunnel which appears to extend far down. Suddenly the leash snaps free from my dog's collar and he escapes. Within seconds he darts off down the tunnel and disappears into the darkness. Shit, what just happened? Part of me had hoped for an excuse to explore this cave the other part now wanted to be at home.

I make my way down the tunnel, I can hear my dog in the distance panting eagerly. Desperately I call out to him, the only response is patter of his paws and the rattling of his leash. The torch does little to help me, the cave floor is slippery and littered with rocks, I stumble about feeling completely disorientated. My foot makes contact with a loose rock and I tumble face down into a puddle. Great! I pull myself up and continue down the now pitch black tunnel. How does my dog even know where he's going? After what felt like 20 minutes I eventually find my dog sniffing yet another foreign object, reattaching the leash I start to make my way for the exit. My clearly disobedient dog has other ideas wanting to explore more of this new found area. My decision to let the dog dictate the adventure remains fixed in my head. Stupidity on my behalf? Perhaps.

When you're put in a constant environment things begin to become monotonous to the extent you just can't wait until it's over. Your mind begins to play tricks on you, you think you see light, you think you hear sounds. Hope and expectation can be driving forces that have no substance. Most of all you start to question your decisions which got you into this situation. The fixture of time in a constant environment also warps your perceptions, it merely becomes a metric of concern.

I've lost track of how long we've been walking in this tunnel. It feels like it's only been 10 minutes but when I check the time it's been hours. Doubt creeps in yet I still have faith in my dog. His stride isn't as consistent or purposeful as it used to be and there are times he'll stop momentarily and look back at me for encouragement. Confidently he marches on.

How much battery does my torch have left? The last thing I want to be is stuck in the middle of a tunnel with no light. A plethora of feelings and emotions are rushing through my head: concern, hope, excitement, regret, anxiety and stupidity. When you cast aside all these feelings it really boils down to two options. Continue down the dark tunnel hoping to find light at the end or turn around and go back the way I came.

My dog wants to keep going...

Monthly balance sheet

"What's going on with your blog?" or less discreetly, "What's your current situation?". As you may have guessed there is a correlation between my blogging and my London experience. Unfortunately this update comes as an exception, I really have nothing to report other than the fact that I'm alive and still kicking. It has been just over a month of living in the United Kingdom. I don't even think 'living' is the appropriate term to describe my situation. Surviving is probably a better way to put it.

For those curious to know how my time has been spent here is a daily breakdown of a typical London weekday. Each morning I optimistically wake up at around 9 am, eat breakfast and check my email. The early morning is generally spent answering phone calls from HR and recruiters responding to the applications from the night before. 11 am rolls by which signals morning tea. Being in London I have become accustomed to have a cup of tea with either toast or biscuits. I then head down to the local shops for some groceries and fresh air. Being the only unemployed person in the flat share I've unintentionally assumed the housekeeper status. After lunch, I'll do the dishes and clean the kitchen (also the communal living quarters in the house).

The afternoon is house hunting time. I'll scour the Gumtree/ classifieds looking for a place to live making appointments for viewings for that evening. For the rest of my afternoon I'm usually studying or brushing up on my technical skills or pondering what to cook for dinner. Post dinner I either head off to any house/ flat inspections or apply for the interesting jobs that have accumulated throughout the day. For 5 minutes before I sleep, I worry my ass off and speculate worst case outcomes of my London experience; then I doze off.

That, essentially is all that has been happening in my life. I guess it's only a matter of time until I'll be able to publish something worthy. I can't believe an entire month has passed and I have made a more conscious effort to keep track of all things including time. Here is a list of numbers that bear significance over the last month.

• 600 pounds is the amount of money that I have so far spent in the UK.
• 490 days I have not washed my jeans.
• 100 phone calls I've received from Recruitment Agents and HR Consultants.
• 77 days since I've been away from Sydney.
• 50 Litres of Spring water I have consumed.
• 31 days I have been in London.
• 20 minutes is how long my laptop will last without a power cable.
• 12 viewings for flats and houses.
• 10 hours of actual sightseeing that I've done.
• 8 complete days of sunshine I've enjoyed.
• 7 loaves of bread I have eaten while being in London.
• 5 face to face interviews with recruiters.
• 4 days since I last shaved.
• 2 offers I've had to move in with existing tenants.
• 2 face to face interviews with companies.
• 2 times I've wanted to punch somebody in the face.
• 1 time that person was me.
• 1 time I have been drunk.
• 1 book that I have read since being here.
• 0 places I've seen I want to live in.
• 0 job offers.

I hope next month's report card is more promising...