Calm down people, I'm not dead. You try moving to another country.

So, its only been 2 months, but I suppose a fair bit has happened in my little life over here in the UK. It takes time to set up your life in a new country, be it securing a job, trying to meet new people, decorate your new house with things other than Ikea and still remain a little healthy. However, finally, I seem to have begun a routine.








So... lets break it down. Let's start with the main reason I'm here:



MY WORK... IT HAS A BALL PIT.

I had never actually had to look for a job before in my life, so why not start looking for one in London. Armed with my beautiful new portfolio, a bagful of youthful exuberance and a commemorative plate we gave to them once the interview was over, Siobhan (my writer) and I started seeing agency after agency. Digital ones, tiny financial services ones, automotive agencies (I cant even drive a car), big ones, far too uber-cool ones for their own good, and one which we used to watch from our office in Sydney over their web cams and always dreamt about working for. This last one was most exciting... we went for the interview and totally hit it off with the Creative Director. He offered us a job, we said we had got other offers (which we had) and so began two weeks of him wooo-ing us. We agreed to a few month freelance work with them. And now, three weeks in, I am a full-time working art director for an agency called CRAYON. Clients include brands like BT (British Telecom), Arsenal Football Club, a British weight-loss program. Check the agency out at www.crayonlondon.com The offices are really cool, we have a pool table, cocktails mixed by the managing director on friday evening and best of all, we have a ball pit. One of the photos is of our view from our rooftop terrace.








3 AVENUE HOUSE, CLAPHAM

My house is going well, we're keeping it clean and getting on well. My original flatmates were Chris (my mate from uni), his Swedish girlfriend Malin, Tom (a guy Chris met at a catering job), and Linnea (Malin's friend from Sweden). However, Tom effectively lives with his girlfriend and is a bit of a psycho so he decided to move out and Linnea went back to Sweden, so we had to find two new people. They have come in the form of 2 brits named Mike and Katrina. They are both Bar managers in London and seem really nice, relaxed people. They usually work nights or midday to 9, so it means the bathroom doesnt get bombarded and the kitchen packed, all wanting to use them at the same time. Its a bit bland at the moment, but give us a bit more time and we will spruce the place up. We do have a few special features.... possibly the best shower in London, a reclining seat we call Red Boy that Chris found on the street, a swinging elvis clock, a souvenier plate of Sydney we found in a charity store, and digital television - the easiest way to waste hours watching bad british reality tv and two years worth of Home and Away. Chris and Mailin are visiting Australia at the moment so two of his friends from back home have moved into their room. Two really fun Aussie girls named Jess and Lisa, been out a few times already with them and had some great nights. So, in all, a good flat in a good location (opposite and cheese and cask wine factory) and hopefully some great new flat mates.












A NEW BAR (ALMOST), EVERY NIGHT

London is definitely not just about Royalty and tea.... its also about beer. Its so cool when you go out, because every place is new and a night out always has a good structure that keeps you moving. In Sydney, you get bored because you stay in one place the whole night really, but it works differently here...
Generally, we start drinking at home, few beers, glass of wine over chicken burgers. We take a few drinks for the ride on possibly the world's fastest bar, the Underground! You'd be amazed how much socialising and drinking goes on on the tube, meet people, make new friends, get propositioned. Once you get into town, you go to a pub first (stand around drinking and chatting) until it shuts at midnight. Then you go out to a bar for a while (more drinking, some music). Then you head to a club where generally you either start drinking a Jamaican canned beer called Red Stripe, because it is cheap or Jagermeister and Red Bull because you need a bit more energy. Then, if you are still up you could end up drinking Jacob's Creek out of the bottle at sunrise on the banks of the Thames.

Another cool thing is Sunday roast. Most pubs serve you up a massive roast dinner on sundays, so good. Few beers, big feed, great way to end the weekend.
















SO, I'M STILL A TOURIST

Essentially, Im still a tourist in this big old town. So every weekend we try and do something 'London'. Be it go to Borough Markets, the Tate Modern, Portabello Rd, or running through Battersea Park (Chris tended to walk more than run). I figure that if I do one london thing a weekend, by the time my visa expires and i have to move on, then i will have seen everything.







So yeah. That's it. Hopefully now I will start posting properly about specific things I do. Hope this brings you up to speed on it all! WooooOOOOOooooo.

PS. I'm having a great time. Sometimes I just walk around and go... "how cool is this? I live in London". Its friday night Im at work and had a few drinks. Later, I'm off to party with Aitken now.

Angus