Job Search: Phase 1.5

They called to let me know, they are still having trouble deciding between me and the other candidate. They are going to give us each a little website to make. It should take about a week to finish and they'll pay us for the time, which is much appreciated. I only find out the details for the site on Monday but it will be fun to work on my first international project. For this part I'll be able to work from home but I will be going in to the office to discuss it when I finish which is a two hour commute (each way). They are moving to a new office mid-December and it's about 45 minutes to 1 hour closer. I'm sure there will be more news next week once things are under way.

Job Search: Phase 1.0 (and Freeview!)

Wow, another week-long gap. I've been avoiding writing updates because I've been waiting to hear about another job. I went for an interview last week and I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I had a second one at the same company this morning.

On my way back from that interview I stopped at a Maplin (similar to Radio Shack/The Source) and bought a USB add-on that lets me watch TV on my computer. British free TV is a lot better than Montreal's. There are a lot more channels and (so far) better content. I was reading up on these little TV-USB things last night and all of them had at least one bad review saying the included aerial was rubbish but it's working perfectly for me. I must be near the transmitter. To get an idea of what sort of programming I get with Freeview you can check out their website. I saw somewhere that I might be able to watch The Daily Show but I'll have to double check that.

I'll post another update later this afternoon once I find out about the job.

Update: I'm watching Top Gear right now. Live! Amazing!

Hot Dogs

I had to eat five of them instead of three but they were acceptable. I don't really have anything else to say about them. So...ya. Acceptable.

Jam (Round 2)

I got a different kind of jam today because I couldn't believe that England would produce such an awful product and leave that to be the only option. I was disappointed when I opened the jar and saw that it looked very synthetic and more like JELLO than jam. I decided to applying common sense and general logic and forge ahead by making not one but four sandwiches. My heart sank as I scooped out the globs, it looked like another failure. Thankfully, by some miracle, it tasted great. Maybe it was because my expectations were so low at that point. I don't care as long as it's good.

In conclusion, the UK's PB&J comes close ours but they need to work on the overall UX. It feels like you're eating a play dough and month-old JELLO sandwich but it tastes right.

Tomorrow I'm going to test hot dogs, unfortunately I couldn't find chicken ones. They didn't have much choice and they seem skinnier than American ones.

Another Update Gap

I'm still alive, I just haven't had anything interesting to write or complain about. I'm sure that will change all too soon. I've been doing a lot of waiting and killing time but I've tried to kill it semi-productively, if that's possible. There are a couple of potential jobs that I'm waiting to hear back from. I don't want to write about them until I know if they will work out or not.

I saw a flier for an Italian pizza delivery place pretty close to my house. They talk about how the pizzas are cooked in wood ovens or something like that, but the real selling point for me was that they deliver Häagen Dazs ice cream. I can't tell if it's overpriced but I plan to give it a try this coming weekend.

The weather isn't too great today (cloudy and chilly) but it isn't raining so that's always nice. I have to go to the store to get more food. Among other things, I need to get more peanut butter, but I think I'll try the other brand this time. I'm going to test out their hot dogs, hopefully you can't mess those up. I actually had a dream about making hot dogs last night, it was pretty creepy and thankfully I can't remember it very well so I won't even try. I also need to get a plate, I've been eating out of plastic containers and bowls for the past while and it would be a nice change.

I've had pretty good luck with my TV dinner-type meals. Last night was probably the best and most complete one I've had (at home) since I got here. I had two piece of chicken garlic Kiev and a potato/cheese/broccoli melty thing.

Anyways, I'm going to go get that shopping done before people in Montreal get into work, in case they need me.

Mint Digital

As you may or may not have noticed I haven't posted anything new for a few days. That's because I had an interview with a really interesting company called Mint Digital. They put together social networking sites centered around TV shows (although it could be applied to other things) using a platform they developed called BloomBox.

As it is now, there isn't much room for viewers to interact with television because, by itself, it isn't a very interactive medium. Right now it's limited mainly to voting online or by phone. What these sites will allow people to do is become part of the production of shows, which opens the door for many more possibilities than "vote one week, see it the next."

They all seemed like really nice people and it was interesting to see how they ran their office. I was interviewed by four people (separately) and it went really well, mostly because they were so easy going. Unfortunately there isn't a fairy-tale ending. The next day they sent me a very kind email to let me know I wasn't quite what they were looking. I suspect that there were more reasons than the one they gave but I appreciate that they kept it to one.

In the end, I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet them and I plan to apply some of their ideas to Farsk.

My view

Sky line (of my neighbourhood) at dusk.

Jam

While London's attempt at peanut butter ultimately succeeds, their jam falls short. It's pretty much offensive to all five senses (only Lisa and Alex will realize what I just did). Maybe it's just a bad brand. I can barely put into words what it's like, the closest I could come up with was: Imagine eating a glob of chilled, artificial-raspberry squid. I should apply for a job doing quality control for this company, they need it desperately. Unfortunately I bought two jars. I guess having to eat them is an appropriate punishment. On the bright side I didn't get the same flavour so maybe strawberry will be better. I hope I was just in the wrong aisle and got 'tea jams' or something because I think I might miss PB&J.

Peanut Butter

It exists! I went to buy a jar today but it looked disgusting and grey, so I bought two jars instead.

Update:
I made some peanut butter and banana sandwiches to test out my morning shopping. I have discovered that ASDA brand peanut butter is to KRAFT brand peanut butter as to infomercials are to prime time TV. They are similar in appearance, smell and even taste. Unfortunately, the magic is missing. (Not the kind of magic you can buy for limited time only for three easy payments for $19.99 plus shipping and handling. Certain conditions apply. Offer not valid outside of the continental United States of America. And if you place your order in the next 60 seconds you get this 15 piece stainless steel knife set absolutely FREE...59...58...57....) The kind of magic I'm talking about is the experience of having smooth, soft peanut butter in your mouth. Instead it it feels like I'm eating paste made out of ground up peanut-flavoured crayons mixed with peanut-flavoured white glue. It isn't that bad it just feels wrong, like Tom Selleck without a mustache. Anyways, I'm going to go back to eating my arts and crafts sandwiches. I have to get through a whole loaf of bread by Monday because I forgot that "reduced" doesn't necessarily mean "on sale" it is more like "we found this in the back and it expires tomorrow, enjoy."

Update (again):
As an added bonus, if you let it sit for a little while it seems to turn into peanut-flavoured construction paper.

Mini America

I took this just outside the ASDA near my place. It feels just like home! The reason this picture is bigger (when you click to enlarge) is that it was a test to set up posting directly from my phone. Now I can post pictures of fun things while I'm seeing them. Real-time reality blogging! I probably won't do it very often because it costs money and because it isn't that useful now that I have internet. On the plus side, if I get kidnapped I can still keep you posted.

The London Dungeons

Going to The London Dungeons was the single biggest disappointment of my life (and that's actually a generous understatement). It doesn't even merit a paragraph detailing why it was so awful so I'm just going to leave it at that.

What I will write about is how much better the advertisements made it seem. They really did a good job. There are posters all around London Bridge station, some try to depict how scary the rides are and some are clever and make you smile. The clever posters were much less deceiving because they, like the dungeons, were a joke.

One of the rides in a 'scary' poster shows a bunch of people in a log-flumesque ride shrieking as they tip forward over the edge of a huge drop. In reality, this ride actually goes 2km/h up a 10 foot incline, turns you around, moves you 20 feet to the left and you plummet backwards into a pitch-black, never-ending abyss (10 foot drop) at a heart-stopping 4km/h. It also comes with a complementary "get mechanically burped on by the animatronic guy heckling you" right before the drop. The ride is actually shorter than the safety lecture they give you before hand.

The other ride shown in a 'scary' poster (and alleged "climax" of the journey) is another 10 foot drop, only this time it's vertical. What makes this so much better than the other one is that it is significantly shorter, although still half as long as the safety lecture. Unfortunately they take your picture so that drops it down a few notches. There are a few conditions to be eligible to go on this ride. One, you have to be at least 1.2 meters tall. Two, you have to have a spinal column (or similar substitute). I think that's all of them. Maybe they should add "cannot be afraid of cameras" or "must not be allergic to plastic" or something else along those lines. I have my own warnings for those of you that are brave enough to venture on the 20 foot journey (up, then down). One, don't bother. Go directly to the gift shop and buy an over-priced Cherry Coke and enjoy it while you wait. If you really want to go on the ride but don't think you have the wits to survive the rest of grueling 1.5 hour tour, I have taken the time to come up with a cost-effective alternative. You can simulate the experience by having your friend push you off the sidewalk when you're sort of already expecting it, then take a picture of you (but if you want the picture you have to pay him $10).

To answer my question from yesterday when I said:

You can try to find out more about it here http://www.thedungeons.com/ but their website doesn't seem to be too useful (an opportunity?).

Now I understand that the website serves the only purpose it can, to take money from people. If they actually explained what the dungeons were then it would be counter-productive.

Looking back on it, I could have been the scariest thing in there. I was standing near the entrance reading a sign when a woman walked around the corner. I moved a little (because I'm alive) and she jumped back in surprise. Apparently there a few ghosts and ghouls around London that wear reflective blue fall jackets, jeans and glasses. The scariest part for me was seeing some of the actors in the tube station trying to withdraw money from a cash point (ATM) and complaining that they could only take out 100 pounds at a time. They should never be seen in properly lit areas, ever. It's for the greater good.

But, it seems, there is always that silver lining. I got to complain and make fun of something, which are two of the things I do best. Hopefully it was as entertaining for you to read as it was for me to write.

Curiosity & Advertising: 1 | Scot: 0

Although, to be fair, it was two versus one.

Tomorrow's To-Do's

Today was pretty good. I worked on my presentation all afternoon and I think it turned out pretty well. I might post a link after I finish having it proof read. I conquered the washing machine. And the rainy morning turned into a beautiful, clear afternoon. One of the contacts that the owners of Artifact-Software set me up with got in touch with me and his friend is going to give my CV to his boss. If I do find work, I still plan on applying for a web internship at The Design Museum once I know my availability. If that time falls towards the end of my stay instead of now that might even work out better. I don't have any expectations but I feel like everything is under control now and I should be happy however all of this turns out.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm going to The London Dungeons. I'm not exactly sure if it's a ride or a tour or something else but I booked my ticket on Sunday so I'm committed. You can try to find out more about it here http://www.thedungeons.com/ but their website doesn't seem to be too useful (an opportunity?). Tonight I had a disgusting amount of unflavoured rice for supper, I guess it was a little healthier than Best Chicken but my stomach still hurts.

The Design Museum

Timely procrastination forces creativity at the expense of deadlines.

I was working on a concept for my 'special' application for an internship at The Design Museum (www.designmuseum.org) all night. I was happy that I would have something wonderful to send off in the morning. Something SO wonderful they would call me up within the hour begging me to work for them for the rest my time here, all expenses paid. Sadly, when I 'woke up' around midnight and realized that I hadn't done anything, I forced myself to get started. About 10 minutes ago (2:30 AM) I had a much better idea so I'm going to call it a night. At least the hard part is done, all I have left is to actually do it. Actually, the hardest part will be not having a better idea and starting over again. If all else fails, I can apply with a normal cover letter and CV but I want to do this as much for the job as to prove (to myself) that I can express myself creatively.

As for letting all of you in on my plans for the future, that will be put off until (hint) I hear back from the museum, because I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. Until then, feel free to guess.

Neighbourhood Photos

I was finally able to get a real pillow today (two actually - they come in pairs). I'm not sure how they managed to be out of stock on them for two days. Here are some pictures of my neighbourhood.

This is a picture of my building and the store downstairs owned by the landlord's relatives. There are actually several buildings in a row so I'm not actually sharing 1 bathroom and 1 kitchen with 16 people, just 3+me.


Here's a picture of the tavern across the street. I went in there today to see if they would serve me food and I saw a toothless granny and a bunch of elderly men. The waitress was not particularly interested in serving me and needless to say I didn't get any lunch (from here).

A picture of the other houses in my area.


I got take-away from this place yesterday. It was amazing and the price is good too. It's probably awful for me but I'm sure I will be back there quite a bit. Sorry Mom.


The nearest tube station. The trolleys come above-ground here so when you get on it's more like a train than a metro but it dips underground shortly after departing so you don't get to see much of the city while you're traveling.


Here's a picture of the main street, taken from almost the same spot as the picture of Leyton station except looking into town. You can't tell from the photo but I'm standing on an overpass (over a highway) so there's is more town behind me. Just off to the left is what I've come to think of as "mini-America" which is a series of chain stores (ASDA, Pizza Hut, Fitness First, KFC and some place that looked like BureauEnGros) that wouldn't be out of place back home even if the names are slightly different..


I'm going to watch some American TV but I may be posting again later to explain what I want to do and how I plan to do it.

Flat Photos

Hi! I am feeling a lot better than I was earlier this afternoon. Before, I felt so isolated without the internet. Actually saying that is pretty pathetic, but it is so many things to me (TV, radio, mail, newspaper, phone, phone book, information, map, store, job, job search). Without it, my room felt like a cage instead of a home.

Now things have changed. I fixed up my bed today and it will be a lot more comfortable. The store still didn't have any actual pillows so I'm stuck with the three little ones I got the other day. Anyways, here are the pictures.

Here's a picture of my bed (they still didn't have any actual pillows).

Here's a picture of my computer desk (WITH INTERNET).

Here's my dresser and mirror and some kitchen/bathroom stuff i bought.

On a nicer day I'll post some pictures of my view. Right now it's too cloudy/smoggy for a decent photo but I can see the tops of some of the buildings I took pictures near Tower Bridge.

Note to Alex: Yes, that's British Fanta on the corner of my dresser. I just finished it, it was amazing.

Design Museum

The highlight of my trip so far - and the only touristy thing I've allowed myself to do, incase I still don't have a job next month.

The Design Museum borders the Thames. This is a giant head with the outside of the museum in the background (you can see the writing on the wall).

They had a section about some company that created theme fonts. This one is called "Expletive Script" and I can't remember what it was based on. The picture is really awful but I still wanted to put it up.

They had a section making politcal statements about current events. This was one about consumerism and North Korea.

I felt really good after going there. There was a really amazing architectural exhibit and it made me realize how "in the box" my designs have become. I bought a book about web portfolios so I could see what other people have been doing. I'm planning to redesign mine next week to keep busy while I wait for them to install my internet. Maybe being disconnected from everything and everyone will make me go crazy and thus become an artist instead of a designer.

I plan to get a membership there, it's really cheap for people under 26. Something like £20 instead of £150. (The bonus to being at an internet cafe is that I can make the symbol for pounds.)

Pictures

I was able to get the pictures off my phone at the internet cafe. I'm going to try to get them in chronological order but if I don't you probably won't be able to tell anyways! So here it goes.

A basketball court with a lot of colourful graffiti.

Some castle-y looking across from the Tower Bridge station.

Slightly different angle of the same thing.

Just a little further down that street there's Tower Bridge.

Here's a sign proving it.

This one is actually out of order but it's a closer view of Tower Bridge.

Looking to the right down the thames.

I wasn't looking at the screen but I thought it gave a better idea of how much detail was put into the stone work.

Looking right down the thames again. I thougt the glass building looked cool.

I took a creative route to the design museum and passed this event poster. I thought Alex would like the style the DJ was going to be playing.

Pictures from the Design Museum will follow in the next post. This last one is walking from the museum back to the underground to meet the guy about my new flat.

Feeling A Bit Better

It feels a lot better to be able to take a shower in a place where you can lock the bathroom door but I'm going to feel lonely and lost until I have internet there and stressed until I have a job. I found an internet cafe with OK prices that's fairly close to my place so I should be able to stay in touch. I didn't bring my phone's wire so I can't post any pictures but maybe I'll be able to do that next time.

Design Museum

Today was good but it had a bit of a rough ending so I am a little stressed. I got the place, but I didn't get bedding. Apparently it isn't in a very good neighbourhood and now I'm locked in for at least six months. The landlord is really nice and it is in a fairly good spot but I have a sinking feeling about it. I only have 6 minutes left on my internet timer and I didn't get to talk to all the people I wanted to. I want to get back to my place before it's too late. Maybe I'll be able to get dialup tomorrow. The high point of my day was walking across Tower Bridge and going to The Design Museum. There was a really cool architecture exhibit. Apparently they offer internships for web designers, I don't know if I would be able to afford that though but I would love to apply. Only 3 minutes left now so I better wrap this up. Pictures will come tomorrow, hopefully. No time to check for typos, I'll get to that tomorrow too.

Flat Share

I move in today. I hope I'll be able to pick up someone else's internet signal. If I can't it's going to be really inconvenient. I'm going to try to sign up as soon as possible. Some ISPs provide temporary dial-up while you're waiting for high speed. I can't do much research ahead of time because I don't know which company (if any) the land line is with. I'll try to post pictures tonight if I can still get on the hostel's wireless.

Bad Internet

It shows that I'm connected and have good signal strength but neglects to send any of my MSN or Skype messages and will randomly disconnected me from either of those programs. That isn't so terrible considering I can just see who is online, incoming messages don't work either. It was working fine earlier today but go progressively worse. (As more people came back to the hostel to use it?) Either way it's really annoying and I doubt I'll have internet at my place until later next week.

I Hate Banks

Today wasn't very fun. By the end I couldn't even enjoy getting lost. Ironically I got lost trying to find a place to buy a London A-Z (map book). Thankfully, the weather was great.

Courtesy of the banks I'm spending another night at a hostel. Tomorrow I'm supposed to move into my apartment but I won't have internet there, at least not right away. I'll still be able to get free internet at the BUNAC building but I don't think they have any open power plugs so I'll have to use my laptop sparingly. I'll try to be online (Skype and MSN) in the late morning - Montreal time.

I hope tomorrow is better. I'll finish on a happier note: the pictures I took earlier in the day.

A shot of the street (also gives a little bit of context to the next two pictures).


An old looking building.


A statue and a nice rounded glass building.

London Streets

I took the scenic route to orientation and explored the areas in the opposite direction. I'm not sure what I've taken pictures of but I thought the places looked nice.

A bridge, a bus and a cab.


A church.


An official looking building.

Vending Machine Meal

I took a nap and when I woke up I was pretty hungry so I decided to check out the vending machines. One of them sold hot meals. The pepsi bottles seem to be skinnier too (500mL). Aside from that it feels pretty close to home (when I'm left to cooking for myself).

Hostel Room

I arrived safely and didn't get lost on the underground/tube/subway/metro. I have my room and I paid for internet for the week so I should be able to stay in touch - at least for now.

I'm going to resize my pictures down to 500px wide so that I can post more of them (click to enlarge).

Here is a picture of my room for tonight and tomorrow.


It has a nice view of Regent's Park.


I got my cellphone SIM but I'm still trying to figure out the number. Tomorrow I go to orientation and hopefully they'll have a job for me. The only things I have left to do tonight are: switch my phone's preset radio stations to London's ones; eat; and sleep.