Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!

I'm having a surreal kinda day, realising that back home it's already 2008! And warm. Sip having my first cold christmas - it didn't even snow-  but my first cold New Year's is making me crazy. I miss my beach parties and sitting on couches in the sun all afternoon on New Year's eve drinking beer. Ugh, weird.

I looked at getting a flight home earlier yesterday, cos I'm sick of the cold and want some beaches! unfortunately AirNZ has no flights in my fare class, so I guess it's not meant to be! Staying in Vancouver it is. Maybe I'll get more work and be able to afford a bond for a flat when I get home. Whatever, I am going to Seattle tomorrow, then Whistler on the weekend, and maybe Vernon the weekend after.  So I'll travel around, have a look, and make myself not so homesick.

I think the homesickness is also to do with the fact I miss people I have met this year, esp when they are all posting parties and things they are going to tonight (and last night), Makes me wanna be in London, or NYC, or Toronto tonight!

Oh well, off to a CS party, I'm sure it'll be fun too, if not London or New York.

Happy 2008 everyone!! Come visit me soon :)

Pre Christmas update

Soo. I have been in Vancouver for a couple of weeks now, and it's going well. I was a bit sad the first few days I was here, because after Europe, and London where I was last, it's a bit small. And quiet. And cold. haha.

But, I have friends here who I have been hanging out with. I saw Fi and Micah last week and caught up with them for the first time in ages. It's amazing that it's been 4 years since I lived with Fi, and they've been married for about 2 or 3 years now I guess! I also caught up with Simon and managed to convince him to come to the CS meeting with me here in Vancouver last week. He's coming again this week. If I get him to sign up, that'll be 4 of my friends I have converted, first Tim in China way back when, then Hayley and Nick in Edinburgh, and now Simon in Vancouver! haha, it's a total cult.

I have been working too, today was my 3rd day of work in the last 2 weeks. Pretty good I thought! My temp lady is pretty awesome, always ringing me up with stuff. Although today she rang about an assignment that lasts until Feb and I had to tell her I am leaving before then, so we'll see if she gives up on me now. Oh well, I managed to get 6 days work out of her, which is better than nothing!

So yeah, Vancouver is growing on me. It's smaller than London, but probably a step on the way to Welly. At least it has mountains, and my PACIFIC ocean (I made Si take me down on sunday to touch it), and a lot more independent cafes and restaurants than Toronto. I quite like it here, but yeah, sometimes I just wish I was home and in Summer. I need sun!

Mum is here tomorrow, and I'm excited. Bring on Christmas!

The UK

I was in the UK all of November. I arrived after 2 months on the continent glad to be back somewhere where everything makes sense, beer is more expensive than coke, you can buy hot chips in the pubs, and people speak English! lol, not that I didn't love Europe, but a bit of a rest was great.

After a week in London recovering, catching up with family, doing my washing etc, I then flew to Belfast where I caught up with Sheree and Marty and saw a bit of the Irish contryside as well as rested a bit more. I even took a tour of the murals from the Troubles, which although the tour guide talked about it being way past them, was really only less than 15 years ago. Belfast seems nice, but it was freezing and not so much of a tourist town i think!

After that I went to Edinburgh. I had a great time in Edinburgh, catching up with Hayley and Nicky, doing two tours, one a bus tour and one a walking tour of the old town, and also going to a scottish dance called a Ceilidh (this rhymes with Hayley.. work that one out!) where we flung each other around, and having a mexican night with couchsurfers where we watched Flight of the Conchords on dvd (their season one of the tv series was just released). Altogether I had a great time and I wish I could have stayed there longer, Edinburgh is a great city!

Last week I went to Manchester where I fell ill with a annoying cold. So I caught up with Penny (who used to work at VUW when I was there) at night, and then slept all day with my head cold. Ugh. I still have a cough a week later! In Manchester we went Ice Skating, to the Christmas markets and saw lots of pretty lights (a lit up christmas tree and huge santa claus) and it felt all cold and wintery and like christmas in the movies. I bet all you people in NZ are laughing now because I heard it's extra warm there right now. Oh well, winter for christmas is a bit different I guess and I have to do it once!

So manchester was fun, even if I did only see it at night. Lastly I it Coventry for a weekend to see family and then went back to London for my final 10 days.

In London, I caught up with family, caught up with friends, partied a lot, went to the Tate Modern, We will rock you (the show - which was AWESOME, GO if you can), shopped a bit and took photos of Hyde park in Autumn. Mmm leaves. This is such a novelty to this Wellingtonian that I HAD to kick them hehe. One day I even went to Stonehenge, which btw, is tiny and miles out. The best part was the bus ride really, and the Americans complaining about smelling cows. Umm, it's the country? It made me laugh.

London was awesome as always and I met some cool people. From the dinner I had the 2nd night I was back where I spent the whole night talking to a guy called Brendan who got ditched by his gf, to the last night where it was Bex's flattie's birthday and we had a yummy homecooked dinner followed by the thickest cake ever, it was all good. Totally makes me wish I had my career sorted so I could be working there instead of trying to start again back home! Oh well, one day.

Next - to Vancouver on Dec5, and am staying with the lovely Rayna for a bit. Some of my family is nearby, so I will meet up with them for christmas and then I am coming back to NZ on Jan 22!