What a crazy week it has been. Things have moved very quickly and I am now up to the final round on 3 jobs with another couple in the pipeline. There were phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, skills tests on the phone and an online Fluid Intelligence (read IQ) test.
The IQ test was of note. Scored very highly on speed and accuracy on 3 of the tests and very average on the other 2. The worst was the spatial test - how many of the pairs are of the same figure? I don't know. I freely admit to being a girl on this and being bad at judging shapes, distances, reading maps etc. : ) The insights they were able to glean from me doing 5 sets of tests were amazing. They said that I can process information quickly, may find it easy to hold information in my short-term memory (hey, Tee Yiap!), like my work to be challenging & fast-paced or can get bored easily & can manipulate numbers quickly. The one thing they weren't able to determine from the test was my gender. Got that wrong on the report! : P
Arrived 45 minutes early for an interview on Thursday morning, so, instead of loitering around like the suspicious character I know I appear to be from my airport experiences, I went for a wander in the rain down to the London Eye. I must say, it looks a lot better at night with the lights than on an overcast morning.
Something else to report - drum roll, please...I overtook my first couple of fellow pedestrians the other day who weren't octogenarians with walking frames! Londoners walk tremendously quickly, especially the ones with stilettos. I, in my jeans and sneakers walking at 1m/s, am swept/bumped/jostled past wherever I go. What a boost to the ego that was!
Anyway, a quiet weekend planned, perhaps a stroll along Southbank before 2 interviews next week and 2 assessment centres (one of them is in Brussels! Cool!) the week after.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Job Hunting
Ellemarie remarked the other day that I didn't seem to be doing much job hunting and was just talking about what places I had been to and seen...
So, let me begin by telling you about my outings on the weekend! : )
Finally met up with Phaik on Saturday. We went to yum cha in Bayswater with some of her Aussie friends (all ABCs except for her BF). They don't have trolleys here! You have to order from a menu. What sort of yum cha place doesn't have trolleys? The food is all right but I still think Melbourne yum cha is pretty good. Afterwards, we went back to her place and played Wii - virtual games like Play Station but you actually stand and swing. I suck. Lost a tennis game against one of the guys and then had the mercy rule inflicted on me in baseball against the system - the other side scored 5 runs to my nothing and they ended the game so as I wouldn't be subject to further humiliation.
Was to move to my new place in the afternoon on Sunday. However, my landlady didn't get back till 7.30pm so I had to wait. Spent the day at the British Museum and participated in 3 of their free tours - Ancient Greece, India & Ancient Egypt. As a relative idiot who doesn't know what she is looking at, the guided tours are a great way to get all the cool stuff pointed out to you. The overwhelming theme is that almost all art was created for religious purposes be it Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam or Christianity.
Anyway, something on the job front. Crashed a Six Sigma conference on Thursday and got a bunch of contacts there. Cool. Have received calls from several recruitment agencies interested in me and have an interview tomorrow. Only frustration at the moment is that several people have been very interested and we talk for a while until they find out I have a working holiday visa. Oh, they say. Even when I explain that I can get a Highly Skilled Migrant Programme visa once I have worked for a couple of months they still say it is a no-go as there is no guarantee I would be hanging around longer than 12 months. When is there ever a guarantee that a person will be hanging around for longer than 12 months? : (
On a lower note, my grandma is going to have palliative radiotherapy for her cancer. The tumour to too large and close to the aortic arch to operate and due to her age, they are reluctant to do more aggressive things.
To end on a brighter note, I made contact with Kong Suk Por's sister and she has invited me up to her place in Stratford-Upon-Avon for a weekend visit. We are determining a suitable weekend at the moment and then I will visit Shakespeare's hometown.
So, let me begin by telling you about my outings on the weekend! : )
Finally met up with Phaik on Saturday. We went to yum cha in Bayswater with some of her Aussie friends (all ABCs except for her BF). They don't have trolleys here! You have to order from a menu. What sort of yum cha place doesn't have trolleys? The food is all right but I still think Melbourne yum cha is pretty good. Afterwards, we went back to her place and played Wii - virtual games like Play Station but you actually stand and swing. I suck. Lost a tennis game against one of the guys and then had the mercy rule inflicted on me in baseball against the system - the other side scored 5 runs to my nothing and they ended the game so as I wouldn't be subject to further humiliation.
Was to move to my new place in the afternoon on Sunday. However, my landlady didn't get back till 7.30pm so I had to wait. Spent the day at the British Museum and participated in 3 of their free tours - Ancient Greece, India & Ancient Egypt. As a relative idiot who doesn't know what she is looking at, the guided tours are a great way to get all the cool stuff pointed out to you. The overwhelming theme is that almost all art was created for religious purposes be it Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam or Christianity.
Anyway, something on the job front. Crashed a Six Sigma conference on Thursday and got a bunch of contacts there. Cool. Have received calls from several recruitment agencies interested in me and have an interview tomorrow. Only frustration at the moment is that several people have been very interested and we talk for a while until they find out I have a working holiday visa. Oh, they say. Even when I explain that I can get a Highly Skilled Migrant Programme visa once I have worked for a couple of months they still say it is a no-go as there is no guarantee I would be hanging around longer than 12 months. When is there ever a guarantee that a person will be hanging around for longer than 12 months? : (
On a lower note, my grandma is going to have palliative radiotherapy for her cancer. The tumour to too large and close to the aortic arch to operate and due to her age, they are reluctant to do more aggressive things.
To end on a brighter note, I made contact with Kong Suk Por's sister and she has invited me up to her place in Stratford-Upon-Avon for a weekend visit. We are determining a suitable weekend at the moment and then I will visit Shakespeare's hometown.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Homeless no longer
Have found a place to stay for the next few weeks in Cricklewood (NW London)! Load off the mind for the timebeing. Nice 2 bedroom house sharing with the owner. Moving on Sunday.
Went to see Les Miserables yesterday afternoon. My favourite musical. What a gorgeous Marius they had! I could never really work out why Cosette and Eponine both liked Marius as he came across as being quite wimpy in the show I watched 9 years ago. This one on the other hand was like Orlando Bloom but can sing and act... : )
I got the seat on the end in the front row. The guy at the box office suggested it and said that all I would miss out on was some of the actors' feet. Well, maybe for a tall person but for this short-arse here, everytime someone knelt down, died (quite often as almost everyone dies) or stood at the back of the stage, I couldn't see them. Sat on my jumper after the intermission but it only helped a little bit. Still loved it, though.
The couple next to me were from Scotland and in London for a holiday. This was the 5th of 8 shows they are seeing in 1 week! The tremendous stamina! She said that their record is 12 shows in a week! Ridiculous! That's about 6 hours a day everyday for a week. I can barely cope with 1 show. Work isn't that tough.
Went to see Les Miserables yesterday afternoon. My favourite musical. What a gorgeous Marius they had! I could never really work out why Cosette and Eponine both liked Marius as he came across as being quite wimpy in the show I watched 9 years ago. This one on the other hand was like Orlando Bloom but can sing and act... : )
I got the seat on the end in the front row. The guy at the box office suggested it and said that all I would miss out on was some of the actors' feet. Well, maybe for a tall person but for this short-arse here, everytime someone knelt down, died (quite often as almost everyone dies) or stood at the back of the stage, I couldn't see them. Sat on my jumper after the intermission but it only helped a little bit. Still loved it, though.
The couple next to me were from Scotland and in London for a holiday. This was the 5th of 8 shows they are seeing in 1 week! The tremendous stamina! She said that their record is 12 shows in a week! Ridiculous! That's about 6 hours a day everyday for a week. I can barely cope with 1 show. Work isn't that tough.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Photos at last!
Yay! Finally able to post some of my photos. Please see link...
http://picasaweb.google.com/frances.ip/
Unfortunately, due to my crappy posting skills and an attack of the 'can't be bothereds' to fix them, some of the photos are not in order so they don't make too much sense. Will endeavour to do better next time.
I must recommend the verger led tours of the Westminster Abbey to anyone who is thinking of visiting London. Expensive but soooo worth it! Go to the 2pm session & then stay for Evensong afterwards. We had a psycho guide taking us around, which made the whole thing so much more entertaining. Holy place of worship? I think not. He ran around, waving his arms, waving an English flag & pulling photos, sticks and artifacts from his cassock. He saved us some seats for Evensong so we got to sit in the front row of the Quire, next to the choir. BTW, the vergers assist the priests at the Abbey with all the odds and ends - putting out chairs in the right places, organising rehearsals for the choirs, leading the processions into and out of the church and, of course, taking tours around.
I must also give a big thank you to Steve Cousland at this point. I've been meaning to mention that his idea of getting me an Oyster Card was the best idea ever. It has been most handy and has saved me a lot of hassle.
http://picasaweb.google.com/frances.ip/
Unfortunately, due to my crappy posting skills and an attack of the 'can't be bothereds' to fix them, some of the photos are not in order so they don't make too much sense. Will endeavour to do better next time.
I must recommend the verger led tours of the Westminster Abbey to anyone who is thinking of visiting London. Expensive but soooo worth it! Go to the 2pm session & then stay for Evensong afterwards. We had a psycho guide taking us around, which made the whole thing so much more entertaining. Holy place of worship? I think not. He ran around, waving his arms, waving an English flag & pulling photos, sticks and artifacts from his cassock. He saved us some seats for Evensong so we got to sit in the front row of the Quire, next to the choir. BTW, the vergers assist the priests at the Abbey with all the odds and ends - putting out chairs in the right places, organising rehearsals for the choirs, leading the processions into and out of the church and, of course, taking tours around.
I must also give a big thank you to Steve Cousland at this point. I've been meaning to mention that his idea of getting me an Oyster Card was the best idea ever. It has been most handy and has saved me a lot of hassle.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Roast Duck & Rice Noodle Soup
Well, the last few days have been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least.
Looks like grandma has lung cancer. I am the only naughty grandchild who hasn't called her yet. Seems that grandsons are reliable and granddaughters are not.
Have visited St Paul's (went on a short talk that lasted for almost an hour! Beautiful.), Tate Modern (oh my God, I don't understand modern art! How do several lumps of bronze represent a goat and his journey?!), Covent Garden (hustle, bustle), Regent's Park (completely lost my sense of direction and missed key areas of the garden), Lord's (only looked at the outside as the tour timing wasn't right for me), Leceister Square (how many 'official' half price ticket agencies can there be?), Oxford St (lots of bookstores, which are more interesting to me than the clothing etc.) & Chinatown.
It was in Chinatown that I had my best meal of my time here - roast duck & rice noodle soup. It seems that such meals cost the same regardless of which country or currency you are in - £5 in London, A$5 in Australia, HK$5 in Hong Kong... : )
Lye Seng rang me yesterday, which was a pleasant surprise. I think the loneliness is my biggest problem. Not having the usual emotional support around me.
Submitted applications for 2 jobs this morning and am now off to see the Queen at Buckingham Palace & Westminster Abbey.
Spending Saturday with Yvette Barrett (Kevin's daughter) for lunch at Clapham Common and then a bbq at her place in the evening. Visiting with Jon Morcom (Auntie Joy's son) and his family on Sunday, probably going to Richmond Park for the afternoon. 24 degrees forecast for both days!
Still not able to load my photos. Between the internet going down at the B&B and my card reader not being acknowledged by the computer at the Quaker house (yes, I'm back there), my photos are staying resolutely in my camera for the timebeing. Bugger.
Looks like grandma has lung cancer. I am the only naughty grandchild who hasn't called her yet. Seems that grandsons are reliable and granddaughters are not.
Have visited St Paul's (went on a short talk that lasted for almost an hour! Beautiful.), Tate Modern (oh my God, I don't understand modern art! How do several lumps of bronze represent a goat and his journey?!), Covent Garden (hustle, bustle), Regent's Park (completely lost my sense of direction and missed key areas of the garden), Lord's (only looked at the outside as the tour timing wasn't right for me), Leceister Square (how many 'official' half price ticket agencies can there be?), Oxford St (lots of bookstores, which are more interesting to me than the clothing etc.) & Chinatown.
It was in Chinatown that I had my best meal of my time here - roast duck & rice noodle soup. It seems that such meals cost the same regardless of which country or currency you are in - £5 in London, A$5 in Australia, HK$5 in Hong Kong... : )
Lye Seng rang me yesterday, which was a pleasant surprise. I think the loneliness is my biggest problem. Not having the usual emotional support around me.
Submitted applications for 2 jobs this morning and am now off to see the Queen at Buckingham Palace & Westminster Abbey.
Spending Saturday with Yvette Barrett (Kevin's daughter) for lunch at Clapham Common and then a bbq at her place in the evening. Visiting with Jon Morcom (Auntie Joy's son) and his family on Sunday, probably going to Richmond Park for the afternoon. 24 degrees forecast for both days!
Still not able to load my photos. Between the internet going down at the B&B and my card reader not being acknowledged by the computer at the Quaker house (yes, I'm back there), my photos are staying resolutely in my camera for the timebeing. Bugger.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Cymru visit
Back in London after visiting Rosey and Mick for Easter. Went up to Derby on Thursday. Had some trauma with getting my tickets for the train from the self service terminal as my credit card is not rectangular. Apparently, a card with a curve cut out of it is not cool, it is not a credit card. Crap!
Anyway, at last update, we were to head up to the Lake District. Well, like Elizabeth Bennett, I made it to Derby but not the Lake District. We ended up in Northern Wales (Cymru is Welsh for Wales). We stayed in Cemaes, the northern most town in Wales on the Isle of Anglesey.
My first castle visit of this trip was to Caernarfon Castle, the one that Prince Charles was invested in as the Prince of Wales. Much more impressive on the inside than the out. Also visited the lighthouse at Holyhead, Beaumaris Castle (the most technically perfect medieval castle - this means that it's design was the best for defence with moat, outer wall, offset gates and inner walls with perfectly circular towers), the town with the longest name in Britain (it is just a huge bunch of consonants!) and the smallest house in Britain in Conwy (6 feet x 6 feet).
Met up with Lye Seng's brother today. He has been really great. I've been able to leave one of my bags at his hotel for the timebeing so I only have to lug around one heavy thing.
Will need to post some photos soon when I get my act together...
Anyway, at last update, we were to head up to the Lake District. Well, like Elizabeth Bennett, I made it to Derby but not the Lake District. We ended up in Northern Wales (Cymru is Welsh for Wales). We stayed in Cemaes, the northern most town in Wales on the Isle of Anglesey.
My first castle visit of this trip was to Caernarfon Castle, the one that Prince Charles was invested in as the Prince of Wales. Much more impressive on the inside than the out. Also visited the lighthouse at Holyhead, Beaumaris Castle (the most technically perfect medieval castle - this means that it's design was the best for defence with moat, outer wall, offset gates and inner walls with perfectly circular towers), the town with the longest name in Britain (it is just a huge bunch of consonants!) and the smallest house in Britain in Conwy (6 feet x 6 feet).
Met up with Lye Seng's brother today. He has been really great. I've been able to leave one of my bags at his hotel for the timebeing so I only have to lug around one heavy thing.
Will need to post some photos soon when I get my act together...
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Quaker Conversion
Forgot to mention yesterday that I found this free internet place in a Quaker bookstore near where I am staying. Maybe I'll get converted. : )
Was very hot last night! I don't know what they use to heat the place but it was way too much for me.
Visited the British Library today, which is down the road. Saw the Magna Carta and some original manuscripts, prints & letters by people such as Mozart, Chopin, Handel, Newton, da Vinci, Jane Austen, Shakespeare's 'maybe real' signature, Gutenberg's bible etc. Very interesting.
Will be going to the Lake District over the Easter break now.
Hoping to visit the British museum tomorrow.
Was very hot last night! I don't know what they use to heat the place but it was way too much for me.
Visited the British Library today, which is down the road. Saw the Magna Carta and some original manuscripts, prints & letters by people such as Mozart, Chopin, Handel, Newton, da Vinci, Jane Austen, Shakespeare's 'maybe real' signature, Gutenberg's bible etc. Very interesting.
Will be going to the Lake District over the Easter break now.
Hoping to visit the British museum tomorrow.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Suspicious Character
Well, the suspicious character has shown through again. I was bomb tested at San Francisco airport, the whole deal: the machine you stand in that blows air at you, x-ray, two people searching and sampling my bags inside and out. Why am I such a suspicious character in Australia and the US that I get 'randomly chosen' for testing almost every time I travel alone? One time, one guy had the audacity to say that it wasn't how I looked. Yeah, right.
Anyway, got through the test, as usual, got an empty seat next to me on the plane and have arrived in London. Have lost about 1 litre in sweat over the last few hours hauling my luggage up stairs (only some London stations have full wheelchair access). At least I have an opportunity to get fit with all the walking and dragging. : )
Hoping to catch up with Judy and Steve Spence in the next couple of days as they are here for a few days and then I'm off to visit Rosey in Derby and onto Scotland with her and Mick for Easter.
Anyway, got through the test, as usual, got an empty seat next to me on the plane and have arrived in London. Have lost about 1 litre in sweat over the last few hours hauling my luggage up stairs (only some London stations have full wheelchair access). At least I have an opportunity to get fit with all the walking and dragging. : )
Hoping to catch up with Judy and Steve Spence in the next couple of days as they are here for a few days and then I'm off to visit Rosey in Derby and onto Scotland with her and Mick for Easter.
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