Author: sylvia

Seriously, what’s to film?


This guy in the seat beside me has been filming out the window of the eurostar for the last 15 min. Seriously, why? Its northen France, pretty enough, but not spectacular. And I can see his video, bouncy and blury. Why tourist, why?

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32 deg today!

It was hot today, like Spain hot. Time to celebrate with some sangria. All this sunny weather I can almost compete with my friend Adrienne’s unemployment tan. Almost.

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Ultimate in London

Played my first game of Ultimate today since I moved here.  I found a pick up team that meets every Sunday in Green Park.  I lasted 2 hours, it was very hot today.  Well, London hot.  Also, it’s quite amusing that right behind me is Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard.  We must be amusing to watch too, we pulled quite the tourist crowd.  Although we don’t wear the fancy hats the palace guards do.

 

Green Park pickup

Borough market

Can’t believe we haven’t been until now! Amazing food market selling just about any food product you can imagine Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

A good guiness deserves a rest

I’m at a pub that specialises in guiness, called toucan actually, appreciate that they understand that when pouring a guiness a break must be made.
The Irish would be proud. And after 2 weekends in Ireland, so am I.
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it’a still just a Wednesday

This is in russel square. In soho square closer to work at lunch today the parkette was packed, barely a scratch of grass free. I don’t seem to remember Canadians embracing outdoor weather so much, but they don’t have to put up with the same amount of abusive rain we have here . Canadians do embrace the patio though. Cultural difference. Since public drinking is not only legal but socially acceptable (perhaps even expected here) the park scene flourishes.
Right now, i’d say well over half the people here are lounging in the grass sipping on cans of beer and bottles of cider. There are even a group of 6 kicking around a football in the sun, beers of heineken in hand. It all seems so casual and carefree.
The Aussies and kiwis I work with don’t marvel in this fact, but they are from countries with similar public drinking policies and attitudes.
I wonder why I didn’t notice this as much last year. Maybe i’ve had to endure my fair share of rain to really appreciate it.
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Can I really relate to people who have no clue who Mr. Rogers is?

still haven’t gotten around to writing my 2 year post.  sure, i’ve been busy during the week.  But this weekend is a slow weekend and i just can’t seem to get past the procrastination.

With Jason on a business trip i had the opportunity for a long quiet day with the city. Coffee, long walks, a trip to the Tate.  I also met up with 2 Canadian friends today, one for coffee and another for pints.  There is definetely a feeling of mass exodious of expats.  Layoffs, new visa rules… people are starting to head home.  It made me remember a conversation i had with a Canadian at my old company’s chrsitmas party. He’d been living here for almost 10 years, and after telling him that we had just moved over 8 months earlier his advice was:  make friends with locals.  Expats come and go, and if you rely on our Canadian network the day will come when they’ve all gone home.

There are still quite a few Canadian friends, but i see the trend forming.

anyway, read this very amusing article about moving to the UK by a writer at the Guardian.

re number 38, i did a quick poll, british, Aussie, Kiwi, Welsh…. all have no clue who Mr. Rogers is.  I was gobsmacked for a week.

Cheers to 2 years.

Yup, 2 years to this day I arrived in the UK. As i’m on the eurostar coming back from Brussels, I can drink a glass of champagne and reflect upon the years that have passed.
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Something is up with visa laws in the UK

I’ve already heard from a few concerned Canadians that the HIghly Skilled Migrant Worker visa is changing. It’s now manditory to have a masters degree.
But this morning, around 7.40am I walk past this visa application centre to find a massive queue of people waiting to get in. I bet the centre doesn’t open until 9.30 at the earliest and there are already over a hundred people here. Very strange.

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