Say about Terminal 5 what you want, but it has the fastest check in possible. No queues at the luggage drop off points, a tiny queue at the security check. So that meant I was very early, so what do you do? Indeed, have a warm waffle with fresh berries with a cup of love tea for breakfast. One and a half hour to take off, time for some shopping.
New York - the plan
Plans are there to go and do something completely different – but this is the basic idea I have.
As you can see, Sunday is still open for suggestions. I might need a quiet day there, but any suggestions on what to do there are appreciated. I might take the free IKEA ferry and go and visit a part of Brooklyn.
Some news from the job front:
I have my first non-recruiter interview on Wednesday (next week). I have had loads of interviews with recruiters the last couple of weeks, but this is the first concrete job interview. I am exited and look forward to it. My CV has also been send to a couple of other interesting companies, I am waiting to hear if they are interested to see me.
My biggest problem is to convince both recruiters and companies that my split back ground (I am 50% techie – 50% creative – but 100% nice) is in fact a good thing. Some of them seem to get it, and hopefully in the end the right (and open minded) company is going to offer me a job.
So it is not a bad time to have a short getaway trip. I can’t really force things to go faster, I have put an enormous amount of energy into job hunting the last weeks and I think it will be good for me to have a short break from it.
I will get back to the this-is-not-an-xmas-card exchange, but there seem people enough to have a go at it again so let’s do it! I have to admit that I currently have no idea for a card yet, but maybe I will find some ideas in New York (While watching Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman perhaps? Ok probably not …).
I will make the official announcement for the card exchange when I am back. And seeing as I am a bit late this year, I might move it to January. Hey it wasn’t a Christmas card anyway right?
I will take camera and laptop and such to New York, (I need to keep an eye on my job emails) so I might post from there. Be good while I am gone!
Notecards and envelopes
I have distracted my brain a bit and designed four small notecards and envelopes to go with it. (See the not so great photo above, they look better in real life!)
I kept the design simple (I like simple designs) and am quite happy with the result.
If you like them, you can download them here for free and print them on your printer, they are free for personal use.
There are four different cards, and they both come as a single card and as a double card. And there are two types of small envelopes to go with it.
Envelopes
You could use them as a card to go with a present, or you can hide them in the lunch box of the person you love, or hide them inside a book the next time you swap one! The possibilities are endless really!
All files are in PDF format and can be printed on most (colour) printers.
You can download all files in one handy zip file :
download the zip file (ca. 800k).
I can recommend to print them on a little bit thicker paper. If you are making the envelopes, fold the foldable parts along a ruler or even better, first carefully cut (carefully, don’t cut through the paper!) along the fold marks with a hobby knife or pair of scissors for a sharper cut.
Use a bit of glue or double sided tape to put the envelope together.
Let me know if you like them!
Here is what I have learned the last two weeks.
When you are looking for a job and desperate for recruiters or job people to call you:
It drives me mental at times.
Other things I have learned – job hunting takes time. It also takes time for people to get back to me, it is just the way it is and I need to get used to it.
And here is something someone told me in an email yesterday:
The more little bits of paper you push in a tube the sooner one pops out the other end.
So I will continue to push little bits of paper in the tube (god knows how many applications I have sent already, but new jobs keep popping up every day so that is a good thing right?).
It still is up and down, but when I hit a low point the phone rings, and if I actually am lucky to get the call (see above) it is a recruiter and I have hope again. At some point in time, there will be a job for me, I just need to be patient.
I am actually looking forward to New York now. I will bring my laptop to be able to check up on email but I will try to not think to much about it those days I am away. I am quite sure that seeing both James Bond and Wolverine on the same stage will somehow enable me to do that. Not sure why …
I am taking the afternoon off. Will take the bus to Chelsea, have a tea and a read, and will then watch Michael Caine’s Harry Brown. It is supposed to be one of his finest works. (And I loved him on This Morning yesterday).
May your Friday be funky.
It is not going that well with the job hunting, and I had a bit of bugger of a day today, so instead of words – here are a couple of photos I took yesterday night and today.
Soutbank Christmas lights
Lovely worn down
Imagination
And this was the t-shirt I stared at while sipping my tea after disaster recruiter meeting number one today:
“Imagination is more important than knowledge”
~ Albert Einstein
I feel so connected to that statement.
Tomorrow I will straighten my back and get on with my job hunting project.
(Update: two new opportunities are bubbling at the moment. Hope is back again – and it really is up and down in London town!)
(If you like the above Sondre Lerche – Good Luck song, download it free and legal in MP3 format here)
Latest news from the find-a-job-rollercoaster-ride:
I have not heard back from the recruiter I visited yesterday, so either the jobs were already gone or she didn’t like me. I will send her an email tomorrow to check up on it.
And after a very long day of waiting for things to happen today (ok I admit that I did stare at my phone for some time today!) – I got a phone call (really like it when they call, I like to think that they are genuinly interested when they do) from two new recruiters, and an email from a third.
So here is the plan:
1. I will meet with recruiter one at 10am tomorrow for an introduction interview (that’s them trying to figure me out)
2. At 12.00pm I will meet recruiter two. Now recruiter two is incredibly interesting as in one hand she holds my CV and in her other hand she holds my dream job. I have seen the job description and checked out the website of the company where the job is at, and oh my – how I would want that job! She will interview me to get to know me and to hear more about my work experience and after that she will decide if she is going to propose me as a candidate. I am not counting on anything, but fingers crossed here.
3. On Monday I will have another introduction meeting with recruiter three.
So that will keep me occupied the next couple of days, and the recruiter interest is kind of a good thing. Of course I am also still sending of job applications and I am amazed by the number of recruitment agencies in London. One of them surely must have a job for me?
Five very random notes to end this post with:
Here are experiences from the last couple of days:
The more positive side – I have been called by two recruiters who have expressed some interest in my CV. That is positive isn’t it?
Sitting behind your computer screen all day staring at your email inbox waiting for something to come in does not do you any good. It drives you crazy.
My schedule now is:
Simple, but it works. There are also a couple of museums in London that are long due to be visited. The London Transport Museum is definitely on the list for this week. I might as well take advantage of the fact that I have some time on my hands.
And I don’t mind leaving London for a great job.
The cinema cheers me up. I am able to forget all about job hunting while sitting in the dark for 2 hours.
In between the long list of boring block busters I recently saw two different films that I highly recommend:
An Education is directed by Danish director Lone Scherfig who you might know from Italian for Beginners. I love her work. The Education has been well received, so let’s hope she gets to make more films for an international audience.
Go see them if they come to a theatre near you.
Ready for battle
Hello world.
I have returned to London after a nice weekend in Devon. The weekend was great in good company of my best friend, two dogs, and lovely weather. But being back in London feels as nice as a cold shower in the morning. Not good.
I will have to try to get into some sort of working schedule at home, and I also need to get out of my room every now and then, otherwise I will go mad. Or madder.
I have spent this day fine tuning my CV and registering on websites like Reed and the Guardian. And have send off about 15 applications for various roles from programmer to project manager to content producer.
Registering your CV is a majorly time consuming activity because all those websites have their own specific formats. And worse – if you decide to apply for a job you might be transferred to the company’s website and fill in a complete new form with all your details. Can someone please develop a standard CV format that everybody can use from now on? It will make life a little easier for us job seekers.
My biggest challenges at the moment are:
How do I market myself? Am I a project manager with creative experience? Or a web developer with project manager experience? Or a creative with programming experience?
I am worried that my slightly split background is making it harder for me to get a job.
I am also not quite sure what I am looking for – but if it could just be a little bit creative it would be great.
What I do know is that I have a healthy and good working set of brain cells, and also that I am a quick learner. But how to convince any potential employers that they should give me a chance?
I also think I am willing to relocate (within reason). I am prepared to take a break from London.
And lastly a practical thing – my trip to New York – will it be a good idea to go away a whole week in November. Will I be able to enjoy it? Or will I be thinking about jobs I am missing out on because of me being away?
Decisions, decisions. Am having a major headache about it all at the moment.
I will leave you with another view from my window, taken around 15.24 (London time) today. Not bad, eh?
A room with a view
It looks a bit cloudy at the moment
Thanks a lot for all the encouraging comments on my previous post, it really makes me feel less alone with this.
I had the talk with my boss this morning. He basically confirmed it all, I will get paid until the end of January after that I am on my own. And I don’t have to return to my office, so I bascially have three months to go job hunting in.
My head is a bit frazzled at the moment, and I don’t think I have quite gotten over the shock yet but I am OK. My good friend in Devon has invited me over for a couple of days. My first reaction was, no, can’t do that, I need to update my Cv, I need to call agencies, I need to send applications, I need to … I was stressed basically.
But even my (now ex) boss thought it would be a good idea to just take some days at the coast and clear my head. That way I will be rested and ready to face the music when I get back on Tuesday. So I am away for a couple of days.
It is the weirdest feeling. Yesterday I cycled in to work. Today I know that I am not going to return there ever again. I will really try to stay focused and devote all my time to finding a job. I might escape for a tea to my local Starbucks now and then though, as sitting in my room all day on my own will drive me crazy. I need some people around me and hopefully there will be a good job out there somewhere with some nice colleagues.
I am trying not to panic.
Have a nice weekend everyone. I will be back soon enough.
This definitely wasn’t the post I was planning on writing today.
There is nothing quite like a phone call from your boss just when you are about to enter the theatre to see a play you have looked forward to.
The fact that he called to tell me that I was fired kind of took the fun out of going to the theatre completely.
I lost my job. I have until January to find a new one, then I will be without income and in trouble, as London is a bit too expensive to live in without having a job to pay the rent. I would lie if I said I wasn’t worried about all this, I am. Very worried. The credit crunch is still very much present in London (and the reason I lost my job) and I really hope there is a job for me out there because I am not ready to leave London yet.
Did I see it coming? Not this fast no. I knew the company was having a hard time, but I didn’t know it was this bad and I definitely did not expect to get fired this year. How wrong I was.
When I think back about the persistence and motivation I had when I came to London 3.5 years ago I can’t believe it was me just quitting my job and moving to London. Where did I get that courage from then? The job situation is definitely different now and it is going to be hard work the coming months. The timing is not very fortunate either. Nothing much will happen in December on the job market I am sure.
It is back to writing job applications, updating my CV and crossing my fingers in the hope that somewhere out there there is a job for someone like me. Wish me luck, I will need it.
I guess this blog will turn into a job hunting diary for a while. And if you happen to know someone who knows someone who can use someone like me (a creative multi skilled project manager with a very solid IT background) then, you know, I am right here.
In an hour I have a meeting with my boss in a Starbucks where I will hear when exactly my employment ends and if I am expected to come to the office for the remaining time.
That’s the girl in the cafe for all the wrong reasons.
Michael Jackson - This Is It
I am from the generation where Thriller was a must have item in your LP collection. And even though I won’t consider myself a hardcore fan, I think Michael Jackson has made some fantastic music.
I saw This Is It , not because I am a huge fan still but more because I was interested to see what it was all about. The film has been compiled from footage that has been shot at rehearsals in the O2 in London and gives a fairly complete view of what kind of concert could have been expected. It luckily steers clear from over the top sentiment.
A couple of observations:
Of course I needed to dig up my Michael Jackson albums after having seen this film.
Here are my 5 favourite MJ songs (in no particular order):
What are yours? (If any?) Will you go and see the film?
Glorious 39
Of course I booked a ticket when I saw that Glorious 39 was going to be screened at the London Film Festival. I love Stephen Poliakoff dramas (Gideon’s Daughter, The Lost Prince are great) and he always seems to be able to assemble a fantastic cast.
And Glorious 39 does have the most fantastic cast: Bill Nighy, Charley Cox, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, David Tennant, Romola Garai, Julie Andrews, Christopher Lee, Hugh Bonneville just to name a few.
In the gorgeous summer of 1939, Anne (Romola Garai) seems to live a gilded life – a budding young actress, she’s the adopted daughter of Tory grandee Alexander (Bill Nighy) and head-over-heels in love with Foreign Office official Lawrence (Charlie Cox). She discovers some innocent-seeming recordings of meetings – but as she begins to understand quite what her discoveries mean, a tangled web of dark secrets begins to unfurl. People who have come into contact with the recordings are threatened and even die. The innocent certainties on which her life has been based dramatically unravel and amidst a growing sense of menace and betrayal, she has to confront the bitter choice she will be forced to make.
I didn’t know this part of British history, and the whole appeasement process that has taken place. It is rather shocking to think what might have happened if things had gone differently in the UK.
The film starts out showing the happy family of Anne but soon turns into a thriller that will glue you to your seat. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomache at the end of the film, only the best films do that. I recommend you to see it (UK premiere around the 20th of November, Europe and US hopefully later) as it is a fantastic (but shocking) film. The cinematography is amazing (it is partly shot in Norfolk) and the acting outstanding.
It was also fantastic to see Bill Nighy take on a role like this (after having seen him fighting guinea pigs (G-Force) and doing the voice of a somewhat short professor with a huge nose (Astroboy) as this is what he does best. I have never seen him turn this nasty in a film before, a great and memorable performance.
As the icing on the cake, the (nearly complete) cast and director Stephen Poliakoff showed up both before and after the film to do a short round of Q&A. I had no idea this was planned but how cool to not only see Bill but also David Tennant answering questions about this film.
Did I tell you you should go and see this film? Oh I did.
Sondre Lerche in The Slaughtered Lamb
I admit that I had my doubts about a concert in a place called The Slaughtered Lamb. Even more when I entered the pub and saw that the concert was in the cellar. In the cellar – come on!
But my doubt completely disappeared when I entered the space, it was cosy and better it was filled with comfortable sofas in all shapes and sizes. I found the perfect place on a comfy leather sofa close to the performing spot, read my newspaper as I was a bit early and suddenly there was Sondre.
It was definitely the definition of less is more, it was just him and his guitar but he played for ten. If there is one comment to make about this concert it must be that he dis not play “To be surprised”. Surprisingly enough. On the other hand – he gave such a kick ass performance of Two Way Monologue that I quickly forgave him.
He plays the Royal Albert Hall tonight, a place that could not be more apart from the Slaughtered Lamb cellar, but I am sure he will be entertaining there as well. If you ever get the chance to see him, please do, he is adorable. And a great guitar player with a lot of boyish charm.
To be Surprised is here.
More Sondre Lerche on his website.
Life is indeed a beach sometimes
As promised here are some photos I took when we were in Southwold last weekend. It was a lovely day, with a lighthouse, and a pier where they served perfect cream tea.
Southwold has a nice atmosphere, at this time of the year it is not crowded by tourists, and when the weather is like this it is a perfect place to be. (The UK just has the most wonderful coast).
And here is another light painting experiment. Here is what we (me and my mum) did: a camera with a slow shutterspeed (15 seconds), a tripod, two small torches, and a room as dark as possible. Start drawing and be surprised at how much fun it is. This is a slideshow of a couple of our drawings. I liked the second last one best, it’s one my mum made, I don’t know how she fiddles the red colour in as the light was yellow, but it looks cool. And yes the girl is in there somewhere too
I had a nice weekend in the Netherlands, we had a nice meal with with my grandparents, we saw Paul the Leeuw which was entertaining, we cycled one of my favourite trips in my home area and I ate boerenkool with worst for dinner. What more could you want?
I hope your weekend was as good.
Now that little girl on the photo could be me. Actually she looks a lot like me when I was that age (what is she, 4-5 years old?). It is not a surprise that she looks like me as this is my grandmother, holding something that looks like a sheep (or is it a rabbit) on wheels.
And the photo of the little guy chilling on his dog is indeed my grandfather. (I wonder where that hat came from!)
I think Twitter is dividing the world in two: people who absolutely don’t get it and people who do understand that Twitter is indeed pointless babble most of the time, but it’s also useful at times.
It took me a while before I understood the usefullness of Twitter. I mean, what could possible be useful about shooting off short 140 characters long messages in cyberspace right? And do I really need to know about what people have for lunch and what the weather is like where they live.
But maybe I can explain why Twitter is becoming more useful to me by giving you some recent examples.
Read more »
How about a post that actually does justice to the title of this blog?
I was a little early for my Saturday film and on my way to the cinema I passed The Chelsea Teapot. It is a relatively new cafe (they have been around for 3 months now) and it looked so lovely I had to step inside and have a tea there.
The Chelsea Teapot
A final wrap up post with the very last photos of San Francisco.
Archie - the wonder dog
No further comment needed, this is indeed a very cute dog!
The Elmwood cinema in Berkeley
I had plans to both visit cinemas in LA and San Francisco, but the weather has been so marvelous that I better liked to be outside. I also found the cinemas in LA a bit too touristy. The Elwood cinema in Berkeley however looked so wonderful that I simply had to check it out.
A seal trying to imitate a whale
And on my very last morning I had the choice between trying to get on a cable car or saying goodbye to the seals. Well that was not a hard choice, who needs cable cars!
Here are a couple more photos.
Things I liked in LA:
Things I did not like so much about LA:
Things I liked in San Francisco:
There wasn’t anything I didn’t like in San Francisco.
And if you have the patience I can highly recommend you the train ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco on the Coast Starlight. The price for a seat (which lots of legroom) to SF was $52 and the views along the coast were fantastic. If you have more time you can continue to Seattle on this train.
It’s back in London now, where the weather is still perfect and where I had a lovely bicycle ride into work. And I am not complaining, in about 53 days I am off to New York to see a thing or two. Like, on stage. Phew, I like the poster! Let it rain!
Today I spent together with the lovely bloglily who invited me over to Berkeley. Berkeley is about 25 minutes by BART train (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and I had a great day. We had tea in a lovely cafe, walked around in the city, and Lily was friendly enough to lend me her bicycle, so I cycled to Berkeley University campus and had a bicycle ride in that area – the weather has just been amazing, and still is.
And I met Archie, the wonder dog, he is so so cute!
I also visited the charming Elmwood cinema in Berkeley where I both had a very first look at the US trailer for Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked!) with Bill and I saw Julia and Julie with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep (sweet film!).
I bought the mandatory pairs of Levi’s jeans and have started packing my suitcase. It feels like I have been away for ages, and it also feels very wrong to go home. Life here has been very good.
I do have some photos from today, I will post them when I am back in London as it is late, and I need some sleep. My flight tomorrow is 16.55 from San Francisco International airport – arrival Wednesday, 11am at Heathrow.
Bye bye USA. For now-uh!
If you want to do a whale watching trip you have to get up early, we had to be there at 7.30am, the boat left at 8am. There are some other things you need to consider: it can be freezingly cold (like on our trip), you get very far out on the ocean, and the waves there are huge!
I did not have any problems being sea sick, but being out this far with those waved did intimidate me. Until we saw – our first whale. The captain of the ship told us that they had seen 40 whales yesterday, which was extraordinary.
On our trip we saw … 64 whales!! 62 hump back whales (they are big), 1 blue whale (you won’t believe how big those are, much longer than our boat!) and one Orca. All in all I have been amazed about the amount of whales we saw, at some point we were in the middle of a group of 10-12 whales who were having lunch and it was an astonishing sight. They didn’t really seem to care that we were there too.
I recommend everyone (if you can handle the boat trip) to at least once do a whale watching trip. You will never forget the sight of those huge huge animals.
We haven’t seen any jumping whales, so it’s mostly backs, fins and tale photos, and the photos in no way can give you an idea of how fantastic it is to see them in their environment. But it gives some sort of idea – Photos here.
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