No, not those kind of pounds. I'm talking Sterling. Saturday, after getting the new TV all sorted and Sky hooked up, Simon and I thought it be best we get outta the house and hit the town. We both like shopping, so we were off to Oxford Circus. I was on a mission for new shirt (i need more casual long sleeve shirts for day-to-day wear), Simon for a tattoo (a canada leaf on the back). Straight outta the tube was a Top Man and an H&M -- sweet.
We needed a cable to hook up Simon's laptop (with the downloaded movies such as Knocked Up) so we jumped into a Curry's to price one out. We didnt end up with a cable, but Simon did drop a few hundred on an Xbox 360 and games. And then I dropped a couple hundred on Xbox 360 accessories for Gerula, who has purchased a device earlier that day -- also on an impulse.
Needless to say I'm enjoying playing the new Xbox 360 in my new shirt :)
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
TV's on the subway
Tuesday we ordered 3 tv's online from Pixmania, a pretty cheap place for electronics. Friday the first of 3 32" LCDs arrived at the office in Canary Wharf. It was interesting tag-teaming to carry one of these puppies down the escalators and onto the tube... but relatively painless. So much so that I did it over again on Monday helping Shiffman carry home his sweet Samsung one. Kim was kind enough to invite me for dinner, which was tasty!
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Eclipse
Last Wednesday Shiffman told us we should check out Eclipse for drinks after dinner. Turns out, the place is super close to our flat and awesome. Wednesday was a little slow, but the DJ was good (note: this is a small place, dominated by the bar in the center, sans dancefloor, but has a DJ spinning good music). Thursday my flatmates Simon and Mike made a night of Eclipse and raved how amazing it was. Friday we did a pub tour in West Hampstead, starting at Nandos (an inexpensive chicken place), moving to Lion (which has a great, somewhat hidden, back patio (err, Beer Garden as they are called here), then back to Eclipse for a 3rd night in a row. Most of the West Hampstead Infusion crew (which is ~50% of Infusion London) came out for the excesses. Saturday was low key, but we did try and meet Shelina at Eclipse (she was there with her man Ali) but they had taken off before our dinner was done.
Anyhow, we're on a break from Eclipse after 4 nights in a row -- though I'm sure it will be a staple moving forward.
Anyhow, we're on a break from Eclipse after 4 nights in a row -- though I'm sure it will be a staple moving forward.
Sunday, 22 July 2007
Tonsillitis
Tuesday at work I started to feel pretty crap. Left early to come home to bed with what felt like a fever or a cold. Took Wednesday off work, and felt better Thursday morning so headed into the office. By Thursday afternoon my fever was mostly gone but my throat killed to swallow. I found a free walk in clinic near work to see a doctor (they call them GP's here) which was sweet -- they have an average wait time of 8 minutes and a huge 46" plasma in the waiting room showing music videos -- I couldd waited longer :) Anyhow, doc immediately told me I had tonsillitis, prescribed me some penicillin, and told me to rest until Monday. I hoped I'd been better by yesterday to head to Oxford for Mark's Go Karting for his stag, but I wasn't. I've been on 24 pills a day since Thursday, and they're working. Today has shown signs of improvement and I should be back to near 100% for tomorrow.
Fingers crossed.
Observations (I'm stealing this section from Katrina's blog): What we call Acetaminophin is called Paracetamol over here -- apparently the names are used interchangably, although acetaminophin is generally the north american version.
Fingers crossed.
Observations (I'm stealing this section from Katrina's blog): What we call Acetaminophin is called Paracetamol over here -- apparently the names are used interchangably, although acetaminophin is generally the north american version.
Guitar
As Astrid mentioned in her last post, I bought a guitar. My housemate, Mike, brought his guitar from Canada and has been teaching me a thing or two. The day we hit the guitar stores, he picked up a sweet electric guitar and amp -- something that I'm sure our neighbours will enjoy :)
Saturday, 21 July 2007
Condo: Rented!
Astrid came back from the UK with a few people wanting to see the condo. Last Monday she showed it to two people, both who liked it. That night the one called back saying he'd take it. Sweet! I'll be meeting him and signing the lease the week I'm back packing up the place. We've also arranged for a local property manager to be on call in case our tenant has any issues while we're over in the UK. Renting this place was probably our most stressful event of the whole move -- so we're super excited to have it out of the way. And hopefully this is just the first of many tenants as our long term plan is to hang onto the condo when we move out into a house.
Now its just a matter of packing up our entire life in a few short days :)
Now its just a matter of packing up our entire life in a few short days :)
Astrid's Week in London
Hey All,
Astrid here! I just wanted to provide an update on the brief week I spent in Ldn (July 11 - 16). It was fabulous! I think the weather was on my side too b/c even though I carried an umbrella around everyday I hardly used it as there was a mix of sun and cloud most days. I definitely didn't bring enough 'warm' clothes though b/c I packed for Toronto summers...silly.
Anyhoo, it was quite a challenge to take the different subway lines and lug heavy suitcases up flights of stairs to get to Syd's the first day(with subways being so old here it means they are rarely wheelchair accessible). But once I got to his neighbourhood in West Hampstead I was so happy because it is so quaint and beautiful there! So homey that you forget you are only 5 tube stops from central london!
During my stay I went to multiple pubs and restaurants with Syd in the area after work. I also went to the British museum on my own to check out the Egypt floor and the Living/Dying exhibit. They were so neat, especially the mummies! I'm so pumped that its free so I can go back again and again to see the rest of it. I also went to the Freud museum in West Hampstead (how convenient eh?) and it was 10X better than the museum in Vienna. Freud lived the last year of his life in London after the Nazis forced him out of his home/practice in Vienna. His entire collection of greek, roman and egyptian antiquities came with him so his entire house was laden with them so it gave a much more personal feel than the flat in Vienna. The 'psychoanalysis couch' was also set up in the study so that was really neat. Otherwise I spent my days enjoying lunches in squares (parks) with sainsbury meals (it is this wicked grocery chain that has meals to go for pretty cheap).
On the weekend, Syd took me to Borough Market, which is in the oldest part of the city so the market was very historical...and packed! It was just enough to buy homemade apple juice and a pork burger with stilton cheese and a block of lovely irish cheese before we decided to escape the crowds. We went to a brewery beside the market to try some local ales. Very fun to sit in the sun and enjoy fine english brew. Of course I liked the most expensive one! Syd then surprised me by taking me to the Globe Theatre, the place where all of the Shakespearean plays were performed since the niddle ages. It was absolutely fantastic! They still have plays there for 5 pound each and I want to go see EVERY one! The two shows that day were sold out so we vow to come back. I was so excited to be there. The big wooden doors were so medieval looking and I can't WAIT to come back. We bought a cute souvenir or two to mark our passing.
Syd has been doing really great at learning how to play the acoustic guitar, so he decided he wanted to buy one. We went to Denmark street off Tottenham Court Road that is all guitar shops and looked through each one with Syd's roommate before Syd found the one he wanted. I'm looking forward to learning to play myself once I move over there. woo hoo! How did he know that I have ALWAYS wanted to learn? Karma I tell ya. Then Syd thought it might be nice to buy a bottle of wine so that we could enjoy our cheese in a park. He used the GPS system on his new blackberry and found a cute little square nearby. It was packed with people having picnics, so we found a spot on the grass and enjoyed a baguette with syrah and cheese! It is so amazing that you can just walk around with open alcohol here. A polka band started playing in the square as well so we had some entertainment to match the ambience. Very neat. At the end of the day we saw the new Harry Potter, which was really great btw!
On Sunday we grabbed a bus to Oxford. It rained pretty much all day but it didn't matter because the town was so cute! I loved it! Syd was excited to show me his old haunts and we tried cider and ale in a couple of his favourite pubs (the Turf Tavern -- also a favourite of JRR Tolkein). He showed me where he used to live and then we walked along the river for a bit and took some great pics. That night we met up with his friends for chinese food and then watched them play a gig with their rock band at a pub before grabbing the 10:30 bus home. I really got along with both Mark's and Alex's wives and really look forward to going back to Oxford soon.
That's the extent of my trip. I hope you enjoyed my first blog. BYE! Astrid
Astrid here! I just wanted to provide an update on the brief week I spent in Ldn (July 11 - 16). It was fabulous! I think the weather was on my side too b/c even though I carried an umbrella around everyday I hardly used it as there was a mix of sun and cloud most days. I definitely didn't bring enough 'warm' clothes though b/c I packed for Toronto summers...silly.
Anyhoo, it was quite a challenge to take the different subway lines and lug heavy suitcases up flights of stairs to get to Syd's the first day(with subways being so old here it means they are rarely wheelchair accessible). But once I got to his neighbourhood in West Hampstead I was so happy because it is so quaint and beautiful there! So homey that you forget you are only 5 tube stops from central london!
During my stay I went to multiple pubs and restaurants with Syd in the area after work. I also went to the British museum on my own to check out the Egypt floor and the Living/Dying exhibit. They were so neat, especially the mummies! I'm so pumped that its free so I can go back again and again to see the rest of it. I also went to the Freud museum in West Hampstead (how convenient eh?) and it was 10X better than the museum in Vienna. Freud lived the last year of his life in London after the Nazis forced him out of his home/practice in Vienna. His entire collection of greek, roman and egyptian antiquities came with him so his entire house was laden with them so it gave a much more personal feel than the flat in Vienna. The 'psychoanalysis couch' was also set up in the study so that was really neat. Otherwise I spent my days enjoying lunches in squares (parks) with sainsbury meals (it is this wicked grocery chain that has meals to go for pretty cheap).
On the weekend, Syd took me to Borough Market, which is in the oldest part of the city so the market was very historical...and packed! It was just enough to buy homemade apple juice and a pork burger with stilton cheese and a block of lovely irish cheese before we decided to escape the crowds. We went to a brewery beside the market to try some local ales. Very fun to sit in the sun and enjoy fine english brew. Of course I liked the most expensive one! Syd then surprised me by taking me to the Globe Theatre, the place where all of the Shakespearean plays were performed since the niddle ages. It was absolutely fantastic! They still have plays there for 5 pound each and I want to go see EVERY one! The two shows that day were sold out so we vow to come back. I was so excited to be there. The big wooden doors were so medieval looking and I can't WAIT to come back. We bought a cute souvenir or two to mark our passing.
Syd has been doing really great at learning how to play the acoustic guitar, so he decided he wanted to buy one. We went to Denmark street off Tottenham Court Road that is all guitar shops and looked through each one with Syd's roommate before Syd found the one he wanted. I'm looking forward to learning to play myself once I move over there. woo hoo! How did he know that I have ALWAYS wanted to learn? Karma I tell ya. Then Syd thought it might be nice to buy a bottle of wine so that we could enjoy our cheese in a park. He used the GPS system on his new blackberry and found a cute little square nearby. It was packed with people having picnics, so we found a spot on the grass and enjoyed a baguette with syrah and cheese! It is so amazing that you can just walk around with open alcohol here. A polka band started playing in the square as well so we had some entertainment to match the ambience. Very neat. At the end of the day we saw the new Harry Potter, which was really great btw!
On Sunday we grabbed a bus to Oxford. It rained pretty much all day but it didn't matter because the town was so cute! I loved it! Syd was excited to show me his old haunts and we tried cider and ale in a couple of his favourite pubs (the Turf Tavern -- also a favourite of JRR Tolkein). He showed me where he used to live and then we walked along the river for a bit and took some great pics. That night we met up with his friends for chinese food and then watched them play a gig with their rock band at a pub before grabbing the 10:30 bus home. I really got along with both Mark's and Alex's wives and really look forward to going back to Oxford soon.
That's the extent of my trip. I hope you enjoyed my first blog. BYE! Astrid
The Flat
The corporate flat I'm in is pretty sweet. It's a 3 bedroom, occupying the top 2 floors of a rowhouse (likely built in late 1800s). There's a basement flat downstairs (which has access to the back garden), a main level flat (which they call the garden flat), and the the top floor flat (which is ours, and is actually 2 floors). We've got a great back balcony overlooking the yard, but unfortunately do not have access to use the yard.
Huge Staircase:
Back Garden:
My Bedroom & Ensuite:
Bedroom View:
The flat itself has a central staircase with all the rooms popping off it at different levels. The kitchen is on the lowest level, the living/dinning room/bathroom/laundry room a few stairs up, Mike's bedroom several more stairs up, and finall Simon's and my bedroom (with ensuite) on the top level.
Here's some pictures:
House Front:
Living Room:
Dinning Room & Balcony:
Kitchen:
Huge Staircase:
Back Garden:
My Bedroom & Ensuite:
Bedroom View:
First Few Weeks
I flew over June 18th on the 11pm flight with a collegaue, John G. In addition to allowing maximum time in Canada, I thought the 11pm would be sweet since it would shorten the sleep-deprived day that would be Sunday when we arrive. I was wrong. The 11pm flight means you dont get airborn and fed your drink/snack and ready for sleep until almost 2am... and then you get woken up only a few hours later for breakfast -- not that I was able to sleep that much (and in John's case, not at all). Customs was smooth and John and I were off to stay at a "Yacht Hotel". That's right -- its a boat. We call it the botel. :)
On Wednesday I was able to move into the new 3 bedroom flat in West Hampstead. It came 'partially furnished', which in this country doesn't mean what you would think. Essentially it included appliances, a coffee table, a dinning table and chairs, and a bed in the master bedroom -- the rest of the place was completely empty. The first weekend centered around an Ikea trip to outfit most of the flat. Simon, the first housemate arrived Sunday but since the beds wouldnt be delivered until Tuesday he didn't move in just yet. Mike, the other housemate also arrived Tuesday.
The weeks consisted of work and getting to know the neighbourhood around work and around home -- both nice areas. By Friday June 29th it was time to celebrate Canada Day in London in Trafalgar Square! Moosehead was on draft, and Sam Roberts gave a great performance to maybe 500 onlookers. Saturday we did some shopping on Oxford Street and Sunday a 2nd Ikea trip to outfit the 2nd corporate apartment (also 3 bedrooms, also in West Hampstead).
John and I were the 5th and 6th Infusion folks to come over to the new office. During my first few weeks here we brought over an additional 6 people and since I had more free time than Shelina & Bryan, I took the task of ensuring their apartments had what was needed, and showing them around their new surroundings.
Astrid flew over on Tuesday night, July 10th, arriving Wednesday morning. My next post will cover he first adventures in the land of rain :)
On Wednesday I was able to move into the new 3 bedroom flat in West Hampstead. It came 'partially furnished', which in this country doesn't mean what you would think. Essentially it included appliances, a coffee table, a dinning table and chairs, and a bed in the master bedroom -- the rest of the place was completely empty. The first weekend centered around an Ikea trip to outfit most of the flat. Simon, the first housemate arrived Sunday but since the beds wouldnt be delivered until Tuesday he didn't move in just yet. Mike, the other housemate also arrived Tuesday.
The weeks consisted of work and getting to know the neighbourhood around work and around home -- both nice areas. By Friday June 29th it was time to celebrate Canada Day in London in Trafalgar Square! Moosehead was on draft, and Sam Roberts gave a great performance to maybe 500 onlookers. Saturday we did some shopping on Oxford Street and Sunday a 2nd Ikea trip to outfit the 2nd corporate apartment (also 3 bedrooms, also in West Hampstead).
John and I were the 5th and 6th Infusion folks to come over to the new office. During my first few weeks here we brought over an additional 6 people and since I had more free time than Shelina & Bryan, I took the task of ensuring their apartments had what was needed, and showing them around their new surroundings.
Astrid flew over on Tuesday night, July 10th, arriving Wednesday morning. My next post will cover he first adventures in the land of rain :)
Friday, 20 July 2007
Mobile Blogging is Great
So get this: I can blog with my blackberry! And you can also do it from a mobile phone, and if you had a camera phone could also attach pictures. I expect Astrid is going to love this feature :)
Welcome to our UK Adventure!
Yes yes, I've been meaning to get this blog for several weeks now. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) I've been off sick the past couple of days (more on this later) and given the fact I have ADD, I can't just lie in bed and rest up. So, here we are.
Astrid & I toyed with moving to the UK for several months -- we loved our life in TO and it was hard to leave, but we knew we'd regret not jumping on the opportunity while we're young and still not overly responsible :)
We're going to make an effort to try and post at least 2 or 3 times weekly so that all of our friends and family back across the pond can stay connected to what we're up to.
After a slight delay sorting out my work contract, I moved over on June 18th. Astrid is still back in Canada, but is expecting to join me full time towards the end of August. I'm currently living in a corporate 'flat' (it's gorgeous -- a separate post with pictures to follow), and once Astrid is over here we'll ramp up our housing search and move out into our own place, likely around the end of September. We've already starting looking at places and since I've been involved in renting the 3 or so corporate flats we have here, I have a reasonable idea of the market. And I know what you are thinking: expensive. You are certainly correct. Rent here is insane.
I try not to think about the cost of living too much as it can't do any good. But for everyone's benefit I'll give a bit of a rundown. Generally things here are about 30-40% more expensive than Toronto, with the exception of of rent/housing, of which London is in a Real Estate bubble right now. There are some upsides though and some things are actually cheaper over here. Namely: beer, wine, bread (and baguettes!), cheese (3x cheaper than back home for high quality -- if you know Astrid & I, we love our cheese), milk (1 pound for a 2L), curry sauces(for stir fry and stuff -- 69p for a jar that makes 3 meals). So its not all bad. Pizza is expensive, although I have a dominos nearby, I've only been once. I'm ok with transitioning away from pizza and making lots of curry & rice dishes tho. :)
Here's our contact details until we sort out our own place:
56 Dennington Park Road (google map)
London, UK
NW6 1BD
Home phone: 0207 317 7143
(from Canada, dial: 011 44 207 317 7143)
Syd's mobile: 07920 008 035
(from Canada, dial: 011 44 7920 008 035)
Note: phones here are different. It never costs money to receive a call here, even on a mobile. If you dial a mobile instead of a landline, it costs roughly 5x more. I'll be on skype soon if you want to chat that way, and its completely free if you sign up for skype as well.
Anyhow, the next few posts are going to backfill the past month I've been in the UK so everyone can get caught up.
Enjoy!
Syd & Astrid
Astrid & I toyed with moving to the UK for several months -- we loved our life in TO and it was hard to leave, but we knew we'd regret not jumping on the opportunity while we're young and still not overly responsible :)
We're going to make an effort to try and post at least 2 or 3 times weekly so that all of our friends and family back across the pond can stay connected to what we're up to.
After a slight delay sorting out my work contract, I moved over on June 18th. Astrid is still back in Canada, but is expecting to join me full time towards the end of August. I'm currently living in a corporate 'flat' (it's gorgeous -- a separate post with pictures to follow), and once Astrid is over here we'll ramp up our housing search and move out into our own place, likely around the end of September. We've already starting looking at places and since I've been involved in renting the 3 or so corporate flats we have here, I have a reasonable idea of the market. And I know what you are thinking: expensive. You are certainly correct. Rent here is insane.
I try not to think about the cost of living too much as it can't do any good. But for everyone's benefit I'll give a bit of a rundown. Generally things here are about 30-40% more expensive than Toronto, with the exception of of rent/housing, of which London is in a Real Estate bubble right now. There are some upsides though and some things are actually cheaper over here. Namely: beer, wine, bread (and baguettes!), cheese (3x cheaper than back home for high quality -- if you know Astrid & I, we love our cheese), milk (1 pound for a 2L), curry sauces(for stir fry and stuff -- 69p for a jar that makes 3 meals). So its not all bad. Pizza is expensive, although I have a dominos nearby, I've only been once. I'm ok with transitioning away from pizza and making lots of curry & rice dishes tho. :)
Here's our contact details until we sort out our own place:
56 Dennington Park Road (google map)
London, UK
NW6 1BD
Home phone: 0207 317 7143
(from Canada, dial: 011 44 207 317 7143)
Syd's mobile: 07920 008 035
(from Canada, dial: 011 44 7920 008 035)
Note: phones here are different. It never costs money to receive a call here, even on a mobile. If you dial a mobile instead of a landline, it costs roughly 5x more. I'll be on skype soon if you want to chat that way, and its completely free if you sign up for skype as well.
Anyhow, the next few posts are going to backfill the past month I've been in the UK so everyone can get caught up.
Enjoy!
Syd & Astrid
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