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...