After these 3 weeks that I was so busy finding first a room and than a job, during the last few days I was a little bit bored. Considering that Monday was holiday here in London it went even worst because all the shops were closed!
So nowhere interesting to go, no people to go out and have a drink. You start thinking: I need to make some new friends! So I googled around and found a website, citysocialising.co.uk. This website is full of people with my same problem: big city, lot of things and places to go but no one to go with. So I registered and the day after I went to my first city socialising event. I've been in the past to something similar so I found myself quite comfortable. Instead most of the other people were some kind worried at least in the first couple of minutes. But after that couple of minutes everybody start talking with each other without any limitation or problem even the most shy ones. I tried to speak with everybody even if some people formed closed groups where it was difficult to enter the conversation if not jumping in the middle of the group screaming: "please talk to me!!!". In the end I can say I found two or three people that really interested me. Is something that you don't actually decide: is just something that happens or not.
Anyway you meet these people and than what? This is a good question! Hope to find an answer and post it here soon!
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Friday, May 04, 2012
Looking for a Job in London
This week I started my search for a job.
On Monday I had my first interview. It was a really really long interview lasting 3 hours! I had 2 programming tests and after that a chat with 2 guys, an Italian and an English guy.
I was worried about my English because it's not perfect. But I managed to speak and understand almost everything they asked me. I was quite successful on the interview because the day after the agent called me back because they wanted to see me again for a second interview. So we scheduled a meeting for Thursday.
Meanwhile I kept receiving this calls from other agents. I also had to cancel an application because of the distance.
So yesterday I had this second interview: so another test! Really! I don't like tests! Luckily this was a shorter one even if a question or two put me on a little trouble. Anyway I answered all of them. The manager read the test and without asking me anything he started to call all the other developers. So I met almost the entire development team. They asked few questions about my skills and experience.
Then they started talking to me about the company rules. Here in UK you work 7.5 hours per day and 7 on Friday. They have a dress code from Monday to Thursday but Fridays are casual. Work starts at 9am and ends at 5.30pm. One hour launch break: there are a few places where you can eat hamburgers or some indian or japanese food if you feel brave. I like the company: it's not far from home, there is also an italian guy to have launch together and they have a pool on the rest room: amazing!
I think I made a good impression and they will likely.... no, they will! made me an offer. Let's see what will happen.
This week I also met few people. Actually friends of friends. It feels wierd to have a contact list on your phone of people you do not really know. Anyway you start talking to people and speak about everything and it feels like you have been friends since ages. So I discovered that monday here will be off cause of the bank holiday. And that there will be other two bank holidays at the end of may and in june. I need to start planning holidays!
On Monday I had my first interview. It was a really really long interview lasting 3 hours! I had 2 programming tests and after that a chat with 2 guys, an Italian and an English guy.
I was worried about my English because it's not perfect. But I managed to speak and understand almost everything they asked me. I was quite successful on the interview because the day after the agent called me back because they wanted to see me again for a second interview. So we scheduled a meeting for Thursday.
Meanwhile I kept receiving this calls from other agents. I also had to cancel an application because of the distance.
So yesterday I had this second interview: so another test! Really! I don't like tests! Luckily this was a shorter one even if a question or two put me on a little trouble. Anyway I answered all of them. The manager read the test and without asking me anything he started to call all the other developers. So I met almost the entire development team. They asked few questions about my skills and experience.
Then they started talking to me about the company rules. Here in UK you work 7.5 hours per day and 7 on Friday. They have a dress code from Monday to Thursday but Fridays are casual. Work starts at 9am and ends at 5.30pm. One hour launch break: there are a few places where you can eat hamburgers or some indian or japanese food if you feel brave. I like the company: it's not far from home, there is also an italian guy to have launch together and they have a pool on the rest room: amazing!
I think I made a good impression and they will likely.... no, they will! made me an offer. Let's see what will happen.
This week I also met few people. Actually friends of friends. It feels wierd to have a contact list on your phone of people you do not really know. Anyway you start talking to people and speak about everything and it feels like you have been friends since ages. So I discovered that monday here will be off cause of the bank holiday. And that there will be other two bank holidays at the end of may and in june. I need to start planning holidays!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Home sweet home
Today I finally entered my brand new room. It's in Acton town. The room is not bad. It is quite spacious with a really fast Internet connection, really fast! The guy who manage the house is smart and really helpful: you call him and he fixes things!
These days have been a real nightmare. I travelled with all kind of public transports London can offer, from the underground of course to the buses to the DLR and finally also with the overground! Is there an overground there in London??? Yes there is! I saw most of the areas of London in this research. I think that I found one not so central and not so amazingly well connected with the transports but it's a nice area and on the opposite side of the Olympics games: I think that on that days it will be impossible to travel here. Anyway you see different places and things and you end up adapting your initial perspective to the real world.
So this afternoon I went buy all the dishes, pillows, duvet and all the staff for the house. Because they really don't give you nothing. Now I'm really tired and I just want to sleep. Yawn yawn
These days have been a real nightmare. I travelled with all kind of public transports London can offer, from the underground of course to the buses to the DLR and finally also with the overground! Is there an overground there in London??? Yes there is! I saw most of the areas of London in this research. I think that I found one not so central and not so amazingly well connected with the transports but it's a nice area and on the opposite side of the Olympics games: I think that on that days it will be impossible to travel here. Anyway you see different places and things and you end up adapting your initial perspective to the real world.
So this afternoon I went buy all the dishes, pillows, duvet and all the staff for the house. Because they really don't give you nothing. Now I'm really tired and I just want to sleep. Yawn yawn
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Baby on board
You see a lot of funny strange things on the tube. For example someone like me sitting alone and laughing. I was looking at my name on the receipt and thinking: this guy has really strange way to write the "i". It's more like an "e". Than suddenly I understood: I spelled my name in Italian!!!! But only the vocals! Stupid boy! It was so funny and I was so tired so I laugh to cry.
Anyway the best for today was this woman sitting in front of me. She had a pin with the underground logo and a notice you usually find beside cars: "Baby on board". I staid a little bit astonished in the first place. Than I understood: she was pregnant! Oh she was so amazing :-)
My research for a room is hopefully coming to an end. I won't say anything until I have the house keys but I hope for best, always expecting the worst of course. Tonight I will sleep in this 12 beds shared room. I already met some interesting people but it won't be a pleasant and quiet night...
Anyway the best for today was this woman sitting in front of me. She had a pin with the underground logo and a notice you usually find beside cars: "Baby on board". I staid a little bit astonished in the first place. Than I understood: she was pregnant! Oh she was so amazing :-)
My research for a room is hopefully coming to an end. I won't say anything until I have the house keys but I hope for best, always expecting the worst of course. Tonight I will sleep in this 12 beds shared room. I already met some interesting people but it won't be a pleasant and quiet night...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Bad day
Today has been a really bad day. I should have go to see 3 places in the painful research for a room in London. Each of the people I had an appointment with, texted me that they couldn't make it. Argh! Ok I think that you just need to relax and take it easy, or keep calm as they say.
There are some days like this in life that anything you do works and this is exactly one of that days. So I went back to the hostel had dinner and planned to have some relax. Instead I found this model guy I met this morning that is sharing the room with me. He is from Greece really funny. He showed me also his book: I just can't avoid to think about Zoolander (the film). So I ended up going down to the dinner room with him to do some computer staff and have some English chat. So again looking for a room!
Now I'm really tired and the research is over, at least for today. Tomorrow will be another day. Unfortunately I will need to leave this fantastic Palmers Loundge hostel for another that... oh I don't want to think about this now.
Let's hope to find soon a room and finally have the time to relax a little bit.
There are some days like this in life that anything you do works and this is exactly one of that days. So I went back to the hostel had dinner and planned to have some relax. Instead I found this model guy I met this morning that is sharing the room with me. He is from Greece really funny. He showed me also his book: I just can't avoid to think about Zoolander (the film). So I ended up going down to the dinner room with him to do some computer staff and have some English chat. So again looking for a room!
Now I'm really tired and the research is over, at least for today. Tomorrow will be another day. Unfortunately I will need to leave this fantastic Palmers Loundge hostel for another that... oh I don't want to think about this now.
Let's hope to find soon a room and finally have the time to relax a little bit.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The origin of Love by Mika
I really just can't wait to listen the new Mika album, the 3rd one. There are some unreleased songs on youtube that you can listen to like "You made me" and "Underwater". They are so amazing and really ...oh I have no words to describe that.
I think that an extract from underwater lyric can say everything:
"Cause all I need
Is the love you breathe
put your lips on me
and I can live
under water, under water,
under water!
Under water!"
These are probably two of the songs that there will be on the album but no one can say that apart from the author of course. Anyway the album theme is "love" as Mika said in some interview or on his blog. Hope to find both songs there and really can't wait to listen to the other ones.
Just listen to this song. It's amazing!
I think that an extract from underwater lyric can say everything:
"Cause all I need
Is the love you breathe
put your lips on me
and I can live
under water, under water,
under water!
Under water!"
These are probably two of the songs that there will be on the album but no one can say that apart from the author of course. Anyway the album theme is "love" as Mika said in some interview or on his blog. Hope to find both songs there and really can't wait to listen to the other ones.
Just listen to this song. It's amazing!
Finding a room in London
Yeah, finding a room in London is A PAIN!!!
First you need to find a website to look for the room. In the Internet era there's no better way and probably the only one.
So I subscribed to uk.easyroommate.com. I also paid to be a premier member and see people's phone number. Wasted money! I never had a reply from anyone on the website and really I spent quite a few hours writing messages email sms and whatever. No way.
So I went to gumtree.com as more than one person suggested to me. This is really the way go. You get the latest advertisements inserted directly from the people renting the rooms. Of course you need to read carefully and pay attention because lot of the ads are from agents. I have no idea what can happen to you with an agent but really, I don't want to pay someone to find a room I can find myself. Of course if you are busy and have a job, than it can be helpful.
Anyway I started calling them by phone. No answers! Argh! What the hell they want me to do? I felt kind of disappointed. Then after some try and fail I finally understood: you need to send them an sms! Probably they have really a lot of people calling them and they can't answer all. Probably they are working and can't answer. With text I started getting replies and now I'm starting to see (or viewing as they say) some rooms. Yesterday I went to see a room near Elephant and Castle. Ok not so near depending if you consider 20 minutes walk "near". The house outside and also the area itself wasn't something you call nice. Anyway the flat and the room inside where really nice and also the landlord was really a kind person.
Today I'm going to see some others rooms and then I will decide. Booking an hostel here during the weekends seems something like a mission impossible. If I won't find a room before Thursday, I will sleep in a 15 beds shared room in some touristic area near some crowded touristic place. I really hope to not need to do this!
First you need to find a website to look for the room. In the Internet era there's no better way and probably the only one.
So I subscribed to uk.easyroommate.com. I also paid to be a premier member and see people's phone number. Wasted money! I never had a reply from anyone on the website and really I spent quite a few hours writing messages email sms and whatever. No way.
So I went to gumtree.com as more than one person suggested to me. This is really the way go. You get the latest advertisements inserted directly from the people renting the rooms. Of course you need to read carefully and pay attention because lot of the ads are from agents. I have no idea what can happen to you with an agent but really, I don't want to pay someone to find a room I can find myself. Of course if you are busy and have a job, than it can be helpful.
Anyway I started calling them by phone. No answers! Argh! What the hell they want me to do? I felt kind of disappointed. Then after some try and fail I finally understood: you need to send them an sms! Probably they have really a lot of people calling them and they can't answer all. Probably they are working and can't answer. With text I started getting replies and now I'm starting to see (or viewing as they say) some rooms. Yesterday I went to see a room near Elephant and Castle. Ok not so near depending if you consider 20 minutes walk "near". The house outside and also the area itself wasn't something you call nice. Anyway the flat and the room inside where really nice and also the landlord was really a kind person.
Today I'm going to see some others rooms and then I will decide. Booking an hostel here during the weekends seems something like a mission impossible. If I won't find a room before Thursday, I will sleep in a 15 beds shared room in some touristic area near some crowded touristic place. I really hope to not need to do this!
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