Now then, now then! I feel I must apologise for not having made a significant contribution on here for over two whole months! Come to it, I haven't made any contribution on here for over two whole months! I could blame laziness, I could blame NZ's crappy dial up connection that I use, I could even go so far as to make stuff up in the form of excuses. But I won't.
Ah heck, I will. I'll blame laziness. And the dial up. And then I'll tell you that the reason the rest of my diary has not been posted on here is because I have been in talks about making it a book. Swap the word 'talks' for 'thoughts' and you're pretty much there. I'm trying find time amongst all the excitement of living in a new country, looking for somewhere to live in this new country, as well as somewhere to work, to try and write some stuff down and then attempt to sell it.
The other main reason for my absence from my own site is the lack of hatred and loathing I feel for my former employers. I have simply forgotten all about them. Maybe I'll post some excerpts from the final emails I received from them up here soon. That could be good for Christmas, what do you think?
Anyway, apologies again for the lack of content. I'll try and continue the trip diary where it left off soon. Before Christmas! But just in case I don't: have a good Christmas, won't you?
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Berlin and Warsaw
15th August 2008 - 14.55 - Moscow Time
Writing location: Somewhere between East Belarus and West Russia
Upon arriving in Berlin, we were glad to be free of our apartment (for those not aware of the meaning of ‘couchette’ – think 6 bunks, 3 high, strangers snoring and not much room for luggage!). We quickly washed in the Hbf’s WC and caught the S-Bahn to Berlin Lichtenberg, in the old East, where we were to catch our train to Warsaw later that evening. Making use of the station’s lockers, we headed straight to the TV Tower, as we had incorrectly read its closing time as 1pm! We spent some time viewing the city from up high, then took the pleasant walk to Checkpoint Charlie. Feeling quite tired, now, we grabbed a coffee and jumped on the U-Bahn to Potsdamer Platz. It had been nearly ten years since I visited Berlin and I saw a lot of change around the area of Potsdamer Platz – cosmopolitan being the word. We took a walk through the park (and rain!) to the Brandenburg Gate, where we witnessed a protest march against Russia’s actions in Georgia. Great! Just where we’re headed! We finished the evening in the Zoologischer Garten with a bad pizza and a display from some rather aged men on skateboards outside the church. One had quite scaly biceps, one was very thin and weedy and needed my Euro Cents to go get a meal and the third was rather obviously trying to cover up a few greys up top!
The train out of there that evening was quite a few steps above the couchette on the way in, only I was still getting used to sleeping at high (!) speed, so I didn’t feel great when we found ourselves in the dark, rust-stained confines of Warsaw Centralna station at 5.45am, having jumped off the early-arriving train in a moment of panic. Still, the attendant’s look of bewilderedness through the open window as the train just sat there for a good ten minutes longer made it a lasting memory!
The dodgy-looking taxi dropped us at the foot of the old town and we walked into our hotel at approximately 6.15am, a little early for our 2pm check in. After a couple of hours in ‘Coffee Heaven’, we made our way down towards a bridge we could see in the distance. It turned out to be the Mermaid Bridge, over the River Wisla. We then took a walk up into town, before tucking in to a Pizza Hut next door to the hotel. We checked in at about 1.59pm and were asleep by 2.03pm. Only for an hour, though!
We spent the warm, sunny evening wandering the old town, which included a trip up the viewing terrace and a walk to the Post Office, which we were told was open 24-7. It was!
Later, we settled down to a dinner in the main square where I had easily the best fillet steak and peppercorn sauce I have ever had. It didn’t cost a lot, either. We sat in the pub adjoining the restaurant after and wrote postcards to our family before returning to bed.
Next day, we opted to have breakfast out and trundled through the old town, trying to find somewhere to eat. One girl wouldn’t show us the breakfast menu for a while, insisting that we took a seat before she would show us it! When we told her that we wanted to look around a bit first, she just replied “Welcome to our restaurant!” After eventually finding somewhere open and reasonably priced (bacon toast and omelette), we headed back down to the river to see if we could take a trip on a boat we had seen yesterday. On the walk there, we found a place called ‘Hula Kula’ which seemed to be a giant mall and library, only with the most amazing garden built onto its roof – which you could walk around. Upon arriving at the river front, we enquired about the next river boat trip, but they told us “Not today”, presumably because there were no other takers. We sat by the Mermaid Bridge and statue and watched people bathing in the fountain beneath the statue. They were getting a bit carried away and it wasn’t long until a pair of Community Support Officers (Polish equivalent!) came and told them to stop. We took the mass exodus as our opportunity to take some photos, before walking up into town for a ‘Fresh Point’ sandwich and a piece of Warsaw Friend Chicken, although they were continuing their adamance that it was from Kentucky for some reason. We then sat in the park and watched the guards guarding the thing that had burning flames and therefore really needed guarding, before heading to the Museum of Caricature.
Back in the old town after that, we watched this amazing artist creating ‘Space Paintings’ with only a handful of spray cans and about three tools – it was truly amazing stuff! After a drink on the old wall, we visited a Mongolian restaurant we had seen before for dinner. Unfortunately, the ‘Mongolian’ part seemed to just be an advert for a restaurant elsewhere in town, so we enjoyed our Chinese dinner.
We returned to the Castle Inn hotel where we had been staying and collected our bags and bought bus tickets. The same girl who provided us with bus times and sold us the tickets ended up catching the bus with us and chatting with us about our journey. She happened to mention that she felt Warsaw train station was a sorry sight, left over from communism, and that with Euro 2012 just 4 years away, they would definitely have to change it. We left Warsaw in agreement of her statement: Amazing city; shame about the station! She also managed to drop in her bit for the Polish Tourist Board by saying: “I hope that you will come over and see us in Warsaw again soon.” Along with a quick “Hello!” as she got off the bus. I’ll remember that!
Writing location: Somewhere between East Belarus and West Russia
Upon arriving in Berlin, we were glad to be free of our apartment (for those not aware of the meaning of ‘couchette’ – think 6 bunks, 3 high, strangers snoring and not much room for luggage!). We quickly washed in the Hbf’s WC and caught the S-Bahn to Berlin Lichtenberg, in the old East, where we were to catch our train to Warsaw later that evening. Making use of the station’s lockers, we headed straight to the TV Tower, as we had incorrectly read its closing time as 1pm! We spent some time viewing the city from up high, then took the pleasant walk to Checkpoint Charlie. Feeling quite tired, now, we grabbed a coffee and jumped on the U-Bahn to Potsdamer Platz. It had been nearly ten years since I visited Berlin and I saw a lot of change around the area of Potsdamer Platz – cosmopolitan being the word. We took a walk through the park (and rain!) to the Brandenburg Gate, where we witnessed a protest march against Russia’s actions in Georgia. Great! Just where we’re headed! We finished the evening in the Zoologischer Garten with a bad pizza and a display from some rather aged men on skateboards outside the church. One had quite scaly biceps, one was very thin and weedy and needed my Euro Cents to go get a meal and the third was rather obviously trying to cover up a few greys up top!
The train out of there that evening was quite a few steps above the couchette on the way in, only I was still getting used to sleeping at high (!) speed, so I didn’t feel great when we found ourselves in the dark, rust-stained confines of Warsaw Centralna station at 5.45am, having jumped off the early-arriving train in a moment of panic. Still, the attendant’s look of bewilderedness through the open window as the train just sat there for a good ten minutes longer made it a lasting memory!
The dodgy-looking taxi dropped us at the foot of the old town and we walked into our hotel at approximately 6.15am, a little early for our 2pm check in. After a couple of hours in ‘Coffee Heaven’, we made our way down towards a bridge we could see in the distance. It turned out to be the Mermaid Bridge, over the River Wisla. We then took a walk up into town, before tucking in to a Pizza Hut next door to the hotel. We checked in at about 1.59pm and were asleep by 2.03pm. Only for an hour, though!
We spent the warm, sunny evening wandering the old town, which included a trip up the viewing terrace and a walk to the Post Office, which we were told was open 24-7. It was!
Later, we settled down to a dinner in the main square where I had easily the best fillet steak and peppercorn sauce I have ever had. It didn’t cost a lot, either. We sat in the pub adjoining the restaurant after and wrote postcards to our family before returning to bed.
Next day, we opted to have breakfast out and trundled through the old town, trying to find somewhere to eat. One girl wouldn’t show us the breakfast menu for a while, insisting that we took a seat before she would show us it! When we told her that we wanted to look around a bit first, she just replied “Welcome to our restaurant!” After eventually finding somewhere open and reasonably priced (bacon toast and omelette), we headed back down to the river to see if we could take a trip on a boat we had seen yesterday. On the walk there, we found a place called ‘Hula Kula’ which seemed to be a giant mall and library, only with the most amazing garden built onto its roof – which you could walk around. Upon arriving at the river front, we enquired about the next river boat trip, but they told us “Not today”, presumably because there were no other takers. We sat by the Mermaid Bridge and statue and watched people bathing in the fountain beneath the statue. They were getting a bit carried away and it wasn’t long until a pair of Community Support Officers (Polish equivalent!) came and told them to stop. We took the mass exodus as our opportunity to take some photos, before walking up into town for a ‘Fresh Point’ sandwich and a piece of Warsaw Friend Chicken, although they were continuing their adamance that it was from Kentucky for some reason. We then sat in the park and watched the guards guarding the thing that had burning flames and therefore really needed guarding, before heading to the Museum of Caricature.
Back in the old town after that, we watched this amazing artist creating ‘Space Paintings’ with only a handful of spray cans and about three tools – it was truly amazing stuff! After a drink on the old wall, we visited a Mongolian restaurant we had seen before for dinner. Unfortunately, the ‘Mongolian’ part seemed to just be an advert for a restaurant elsewhere in town, so we enjoyed our Chinese dinner.
We returned to the Castle Inn hotel where we had been staying and collected our bags and bought bus tickets. The same girl who provided us with bus times and sold us the tickets ended up catching the bus with us and chatting with us about our journey. She happened to mention that she felt Warsaw train station was a sorry sight, left over from communism, and that with Euro 2012 just 4 years away, they would definitely have to change it. We left Warsaw in agreement of her statement: Amazing city; shame about the station! She also managed to drop in her bit for the Polish Tourist Board by saying: “I hope that you will come over and see us in Warsaw again soon.” Along with a quick “Hello!” as she got off the bus. I’ll remember that!
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
First Entry
15th August 2008 - 12.53
Writing location: Somewhere between Warsaw and Belarus
I'll skip out all the bits about how saying goodbye to my family at London St. Pancras wasn't an easy thing to do and how the past few days have been full of thoughts about how the move could have been planned a bit better. Yeah. I won't mention that.
It's been a whirlwind few days as we have made our way across Europe, from London to Warsaw and now we're on to Moscow already!
First stop was Brussels: a friendly, though smelly town. At least the part where Brussels-Midi station is found is not that nice! Fortunately there was a fun fair on, so the district was lit up nicely and had plenty of fun and joy on display! After a good few miles traipsing round town, we decided on a Leffe and a Maes in (or outside, rather!) a bar opposite this curious, recent-looking castle. We then headed to the station to check that our luggage was actually stowed for the 24 hours we had dealt at, then tucked in for an omellette and pasta over the square from the station. The food was pretty good and the service wasn't bad. Oh, and 31euros for a meal for two, including drinks and service, right opposite an international rail station seems pretty reasonable for 2008!
We hung out at the station, making full use of the Haegan Daaz provided sofas, until several hefty men just came along and closed them down for the night by simply chucking them back into the shop! After that, we moved up to the platform and waited with the multinational congregation of passengers. The train arrived right on time (the delayed time!) and we scrambled aboard. Our boarding wasn't helped by the unorthodox method of ordering the coaches - a system that sent two older ladies, whom we had overhead praising the Eurostar for all manner of things, into quite a spin. A few shouts of words like 'Ridiculous' and 'Absolutely' in various orders followed. This was the only part of the trip where we didn't have double occupancy and this midnight madness was rounded off with our discovery of what, exactly, 'couchette' means...
Writing location: Somewhere between Warsaw and Belarus
I'll skip out all the bits about how saying goodbye to my family at London St. Pancras wasn't an easy thing to do and how the past few days have been full of thoughts about how the move could have been planned a bit better. Yeah. I won't mention that.
It's been a whirlwind few days as we have made our way across Europe, from London to Warsaw and now we're on to Moscow already!
First stop was Brussels: a friendly, though smelly town. At least the part where Brussels-Midi station is found is not that nice! Fortunately there was a fun fair on, so the district was lit up nicely and had plenty of fun and joy on display! After a good few miles traipsing round town, we decided on a Leffe and a Maes in (or outside, rather!) a bar opposite this curious, recent-looking castle. We then headed to the station to check that our luggage was actually stowed for the 24 hours we had dealt at, then tucked in for an omellette and pasta over the square from the station. The food was pretty good and the service wasn't bad. Oh, and 31euros for a meal for two, including drinks and service, right opposite an international rail station seems pretty reasonable for 2008!
We hung out at the station, making full use of the Haegan Daaz provided sofas, until several hefty men just came along and closed them down for the night by simply chucking them back into the shop! After that, we moved up to the platform and waited with the multinational congregation of passengers. The train arrived right on time (the delayed time!) and we scrambled aboard. Our boarding wasn't helped by the unorthodox method of ordering the coaches - a system that sent two older ladies, whom we had overhead praising the Eurostar for all manner of things, into quite a spin. A few shouts of words like 'Ridiculous' and 'Absolutely' in various orders followed. This was the only part of the trip where we didn't have double occupancy and this midnight madness was rounded off with our discovery of what, exactly, 'couchette' means...
The Trip begins...
Firstly: apologies to anyone who's been watching this blog intently over the last two months, hoping for a post to appear. The lack of internet providers along the way meant I took the decision to simply keep a journal of the trip and then later post it up here once the journey was over. I'm taking a risk here. I'm going to start to publish the best bits without us having a reliable internet connection to keep it up regularly and, if the truth be known, before I've properly finished my journal.
All in good time, though, all in good time...
All in good time, though, all in good time...
Friday, 5 September 2008
Update! At last!
Apologies if I appear to have taken a train off the edge of the earth. Some parts of Russia, and indeed the world, don't have easy or decent access to ol' Mother Internet, so the blog has failed in any kind of 'travel sense' to be a travel blog.
Rest assured, I have been keeping written copy of all that's gone on on our travels and this will be available, here, upon our arrival in NZ.
Yippee.
Rest assured, I have been keeping written copy of all that's gone on on our travels and this will be available, here, upon our arrival in NZ.
Yippee.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Quiet times?
I just thought I would write a quicky after what has been a physically and mentally tiring week which consisted of moving out of our flat, arguing with a pair of plonkers who I (used to) work for, visiting Cardiff for two days and a stag do...
I won't say much more for now, as I'm incredibly tired, but expect a proper proper proper update on here very soon! We leave on Monday...
I won't say much more for now, as I'm incredibly tired, but expect a proper proper proper update on here very soon! We leave on Monday...
Friday, 1 August 2008
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Well, that didn't go to plan!
We didn't exactly fit in the accomodation booking last night! By the time we'd had dinner and chilled out a bit, it was time to go to bed! Pretty pathetic excuse, I know, considering how much we have to get done over the next few days!
My girlfriend found an excellent looking log cabin by Lake Baikal, which is surely going to be an excellent place to stay. She has emailed them to see if it's available during our stay. Also, we have decided on our hotel for the two nights in Moscow earlier on in the trip, we just have to book it now, so we have done a little towards it!
I mentioned in a previous post about wanting to stay in a traditional Mongolian ger along the way. We think we have found a good looking place, with very reasonable rates too, only trouble is the transfers from Ulan Bator to it are not cheap. Still, a decision will have to be made on this very soon!
I best get on with my work now...
My girlfriend found an excellent looking log cabin by Lake Baikal, which is surely going to be an excellent place to stay. She has emailed them to see if it's available during our stay. Also, we have decided on our hotel for the two nights in Moscow earlier on in the trip, we just have to book it now, so we have done a little towards it!
I mentioned in a previous post about wanting to stay in a traditional Mongolian ger along the way. We think we have found a good looking place, with very reasonable rates too, only trouble is the transfers from Ulan Bator to it are not cheap. Still, a decision will have to be made on this very soon!
I best get on with my work now...
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Second day in the final week...
All ok today! The only issue seems to be that one of them has something very important of mine. I'm apparently getting it back tomorrow, but we shall see!
With everything that is going on, I have realised that I haven't made any proper approaches for work once we get to New Zealand. I think I will spend the latter part of this week and part of the weekend on that (although just writing about it has made me go and have a look!)
We're both really excited about the trip now and are going to spend the evening booking up the rest of the accomodation we need!
With everything that is going on, I have realised that I haven't made any proper approaches for work once we get to New Zealand. I think I will spend the latter part of this week and part of the weekend on that (although just writing about it has made me go and have a look!)
We're both really excited about the trip now and are going to spend the evening booking up the rest of the accomodation we need!
Monday, 28 July 2008
Into the final working week...
It's Monday and it's time to get on with things, as I head into my final week working for these plonkers! Well, final four days...
Since I am not strictly working with the 'bosses' this week, I am hoping I will be able to do quite a good avoidance act for most of the week. If not, then I'll get a chance to say goodbye, won't I?
Look out Thursday for a celebratory post, although, being freelance, the real celebrations will only begin once the final invoice has cleared! Believe me, the way these two have run around like destitute pheasants for the last month, that really will be a result!
Since I am not strictly working with the 'bosses' this week, I am hoping I will be able to do quite a good avoidance act for most of the week. If not, then I'll get a chance to say goodbye, won't I?
Look out Thursday for a celebratory post, although, being freelance, the real celebrations will only begin once the final invoice has cleared! Believe me, the way these two have run around like destitute pheasants for the last month, that really will be a result!
Friday, 25 July 2008
Another work clanger!
I was busy yesterday clearing out a room full of my old primary school work, videos (!) and rubbish CDs. It's always a difficult task, throwing away those little things that didn't cost anything, are worthless, but you claim have a significant part in your building as a person (obviously, I don't mean 'throw away' literally, I mean 'take to a charity shop' - the ONLY way to get rid of old stuff!). A Mountain Biking Action Man, countless Red Dwarf videos, little cast iron soldiers.... the list is nearly endless! It's tough! I'm glad I had my ruthless little sister on hand to help me break the emotional barriers with this stuff and let it go to a home where it will probably make a child very happy!
In the middle of this tremendous effort, I noticed I had yet another missed call from 'Boss' number 1. He left his stupid trademark voicemail asking if I would give him a call back, but for what? Just so I could re-iterate the contents of an email I sent to him last week! I won't lie: I wasn't surprised. But you can guess who received a 'forward' in their email this morning... and no call back, either!
On with the room clearing...
In the middle of this tremendous effort, I noticed I had yet another missed call from 'Boss' number 1. He left his stupid trademark voicemail asking if I would give him a call back, but for what? Just so I could re-iterate the contents of an email I sent to him last week! I won't lie: I wasn't surprised. But you can guess who received a 'forward' in their email this morning... and no call back, either!
On with the room clearing...
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Trains, train, railways, railway, we're going round the world on a train!
As the title suggests, things are good here! I have just spoken to Intourist and our new representative there is just waiting on the final confirmation of our tickets, which should happen in the next two days! We are so almost on the train, I can feel the dust from the seats in my nostrils!
Why lie to me?
I mentioned in my last post that 'boss' number 1 lied in a voicemail to me last week. I found this out on Monday morning and I thought 'What a twat!'. It just goes to underline the poor working relationship they have managed to forge with me by lying and cheating their way through things. I know some people might tell me to just roll through it and expect that sort of crap from places of work throughout my entire life, but I feel slightly different about it. I can understand a little bit of witholding the truth, maybe because it is not appropriate to let a certain piece of information go public just yet, but to just ring me up and lie on the message, just to get me to call you straight back!? That's downright childishness! I'll call you back after I get the message, at my earliest convenience, thank you!
As a payment for that, I am holding some work leaving drinks after I finish on my last day next week. Pity no one from my work will be invited!
As a payment for that, I am holding some work leaving drinks after I finish on my last day next week. Pity no one from my work will be invited!
Friday, 18 July 2008
Bosses?? Arses, more like!
Oh my life. What a ridiculous couple of days it has been! Considering that I have not even been working for these guys these last two days, they have managed to make a real mockery of the terms 'director', 'business' and, indeed, 'boss'.
Now, correct me if I am wrong, but I always thought that as a freelance worker you worked the time and then you charged for the time you worked? Not so if you work for these dicks! I got a phone call yesterday evening from 'Boss' number 2 (he is MOST DEFINITELY number 2!) asking if it was alright for me to "not charge them for some work that I have done"! I reeled back. He's a pretty weedy fart, this guy, and I could hear in his voice that he'd required a trip to the pub and an awful lot of courage to ask me this, so I did his worst nightmare and said: "I'm sorry. Could you say that again please?" He squealed the words out again, this time with even less conviction. What could possibly be the excuse for them asking this of me? I was gasping in horror. Was this company seriously asking this? Not a very professional way of running things, now, I don't think. I told him that I would definitely be charging for the work carried out and that was that. Soppy loser.
I may have mentioned before, but my job involves the running of a short project for young people. The company have taken a lump sum payment to run the project and then pay their staff from that. Since the company is non-profit making neither of the directors are allowed to take anything like a dividend at the end of a financial year. They are, however, allowed to reward any member of staff with a 'bonus' if they like. There. That's it! That's the reason they don't want to pay me too much for doing the work that needs to be done! The money is running low now and me being at work eats into their bonus!
Moving on to 'Boss' number 1, I got a phone call today. I was working elsewhere at the time so I ignored it. He left a voicemail (in which there was a total lie!) and I called him back. Because I couldn't be arsed to speak to him for long, I popped outside and stood next to the noisy road to ensure the call would be as short as possible. It worked and I carried on with my (more important) work towards other things. Another half an hour passed and he called back again! I was pretty annoyed by now: I'd worked Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday for him and it had taken until Friday for him to get his brain into gear to ask me to do something! I ignored the call again and called him back a few minutes later - I just love making him leave voicemails like a bitch! This time he had a job for me. No, not any new work, just something for me to do there and then for him while I was working for someone else. Twonk. No idea how it works, I tell you!
I sat around for a bit before making the calls he needed me to make and then just text him the results of my call. Maybe I am too nice? Or maybe I have my sights set on receiving this last pay packet before disappearing off and never talking to them again? One thing is for sure: I am going to name and shame this wretched hole of a company in the not-so-distant-future. This pair of chumps need all the advice they can get...
I may have mentioned before, but my job involves the running of a short project for young people. The company have taken a lump sum payment to run the project and then pay their staff from that. Since the company is non-profit making neither of the directors are allowed to take anything like a dividend at the end of a financial year. They are, however, allowed to reward any member of staff with a 'bonus' if they like. There. That's it! That's the reason they don't want to pay me too much for doing the work that needs to be done! The money is running low now and me being at work eats into their bonus!
Moving on to 'Boss' number 1, I got a phone call today. I was working elsewhere at the time so I ignored it. He left a voicemail (in which there was a total lie!) and I called him back. Because I couldn't be arsed to speak to him for long, I popped outside and stood next to the noisy road to ensure the call would be as short as possible. It worked and I carried on with my (more important) work towards other things. Another half an hour passed and he called back again! I was pretty annoyed by now: I'd worked Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday for him and it had taken until Friday for him to get his brain into gear to ask me to do something! I ignored the call again and called him back a few minutes later - I just love making him leave voicemails like a bitch! This time he had a job for me. No, not any new work, just something for me to do there and then for him while I was working for someone else. Twonk. No idea how it works, I tell you!
I sat around for a bit before making the calls he needed me to make and then just text him the results of my call. Maybe I am too nice? Or maybe I have my sights set on receiving this last pay packet before disappearing off and never talking to them again? One thing is for sure: I am going to name and shame this wretched hole of a company in the not-so-distant-future. This pair of chumps need all the advice they can get...
Friday, 11 July 2008
Paid.
I have in my hand one of the most exciting documents I have ever touched. I am physically shaking with excitement when I touch this thing. Our train tickets have arrived from Trainseurope! We only paid for them on Wednesday and they were with us Thursday. Good going!
I got a bit of a tingle down my spine when Bob, our man on the inside, was reading back the itinerary to me on Wednesday, but that was nothing compared with the tingle I get when holding the tickets in my hands!
All the months of rubbish from the bosses at work. All the crap phone calls on days off. All the pressure not to have a day off (due to sickness etc). All the time spent answering to their pathetic needless demands. All the time WASTED answering their pathetic knowledgeless questions. All the times I felt a hit of deflation every time I saw one of their names pop up on the mobile phone screen. All of the crap I've felt from them for the last 15 months. All suddenly worth it!
I got a bit of a tingle down my spine when Bob, our man on the inside, was reading back the itinerary to me on Wednesday, but that was nothing compared with the tingle I get when holding the tickets in my hands!
All the months of rubbish from the bosses at work. All the crap phone calls on days off. All the pressure not to have a day off (due to sickness etc). All the time spent answering to their pathetic needless demands. All the time WASTED answering their pathetic knowledgeless questions. All the times I felt a hit of deflation every time I saw one of their names pop up on the mobile phone screen. All of the crap I've felt from them for the last 15 months. All suddenly worth it!
Thursday, 10 July 2008
The First Train Booking!
So we have literally just over a month until we depart from St. Pancras International. And we've only just booked and paid for our first train! Such is the way with most trains, you simply cannot book them that far in advance! A couple of months really is your maximum, even less for the type of journey we're going on! As I mentioned before, we turned to a company called Trainseurope to book our journey from London to Moscow, and a great job we did! One of their top men, Bob, has sorted us both a single journey from London to Brussels to Berlin (for the day) to Warsaw (for the night) to Moscow all for the 'Easyrail' price of £300! You couldn't get from London to Blackpool for less than that!
I have just realised that I forgot to give a detailed report on how my medical in Thornton Heath went. Basically, early one Saturday morning last month, my partner and I went to the very hospital where my Grandpa was born and had a chest x-ray. Which would have lasted a whole five seconds, but for the fact I have 'long lungs' (due, apparently, to my great height!) and the nurse had to take two shots of them. Ten seconds passed and we left. That was that.
The following Thursday I popped back to another part of Thornton Heath and had the remainder of my medical examination. Which was excellent. I completely take back moaning about the cost of it, given the results. There probably isn't a soul on the earth who would take issue with paying a few hundred pounds to a medical professional and, in return, being told they are completely healthy!
Needless to say, I passed. Both in medical eyes and immigration eyes, because approximately one week later I was issued with a 23 month visa for New Zealand and 12 month work permit! It's all on!
So there we are, all pretty much up to date. We leave the UK on 11th August, in just over one month's time; My employers are still completely clueless (they think I am going on another vacation there!); My partner is getting very excited about her home country and discovering parts of it with me; We've cancelled the TV licence; it's all go!
I have just realised that I forgot to give a detailed report on how my medical in Thornton Heath went. Basically, early one Saturday morning last month, my partner and I went to the very hospital where my Grandpa was born and had a chest x-ray. Which would have lasted a whole five seconds, but for the fact I have 'long lungs' (due, apparently, to my great height!) and the nurse had to take two shots of them. Ten seconds passed and we left. That was that.
The following Thursday I popped back to another part of Thornton Heath and had the remainder of my medical examination. Which was excellent. I completely take back moaning about the cost of it, given the results. There probably isn't a soul on the earth who would take issue with paying a few hundred pounds to a medical professional and, in return, being told they are completely healthy!
Needless to say, I passed. Both in medical eyes and immigration eyes, because approximately one week later I was issued with a 23 month visa for New Zealand and 12 month work permit! It's all on!
So there we are, all pretty much up to date. We leave the UK on 11th August, in just over one month's time; My employers are still completely clueless (they think I am going on another vacation there!); My partner is getting very excited about her home country and discovering parts of it with me; We've cancelled the TV licence; it's all go!
Thursday, 3 July 2008
The Final Month...
So into my last month of working for these bozos I go! All the threats of me leaving the project early and the like seem like a thing of the past. Since one half of the project I work on finished in early June, I have had quite a bit of time away from the two dicks who run the company (and the company as well!) and life has been returned to an almost peaceful state. Except for last Monday...
Last Monday saw me have a run in with the toss, I mean boss, over the phone naturally. He was ranting and raving about the fact that I hadn't told him something prior to him going and having a go at a client (His words: "Bit her ear off!") when what I hadn't told him was hardly relevant and would not have stopped him going for her in any rate! Willy...
With only a few weeks left working for them now, I am going to start lifting the lid on what it exactly is that I do, with who and where. I look forward to revealing all soon!
Last Monday saw me have a run in with the toss, I mean boss, over the phone naturally. He was ranting and raving about the fact that I hadn't told him something prior to him going and having a go at a client (His words: "Bit her ear off!") when what I hadn't told him was hardly relevant and would not have stopped him going for her in any rate! Willy...
With only a few weeks left working for them now, I am going to start lifting the lid on what it exactly is that I do, with who and where. I look forward to revealing all soon!
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Train-wise
On the Trans-Siberian Railway front, we are still waiting for the 45 day window to open for our tickets to be booked. That means that although we have our deposits in and we're on the list for the first class tickets we want, we may not yet get them, so we can't really book anything else firmly yet.
We've enlisted the help of Trainseurope to get us from London to Moscow and the guy seemed very helpful about it all, especially as I had lost the dates that we wanted to travel just as the call connected and he had to listen to me pad for a bit while I found them. This company seem clued up with Intourist, our Trans-Siberian guys, so I think they get the 45 day window thing and don't think they're going to book our tickets without calling me first. I don't know, it's going to be amazing, but booking trains ain't as easy as booking a flight! That is definitely one major difference I've noticed: booking a ticket for a regular working train you can only do 45 days before. Some flights can, apparently, now be booked TWO YEARS in advance!
I enquired about the much-talked about transit visa to allow us to pass through Belarus (arrest-free) and we are well on the case to getting all of our visas fixed up. One geniously designed bit of frugalness that I came up with was to make our own passport photos. It makes sense to me, given that we have a nice big white wall in our flat, a digital camera, tonnes of photo paper and photoshop. Oh, and the fact that all photo machines have been removed from The London Underground (meaning that our nearest tube-based photo machine is in Paris...), makes getting a 'proper' one taken very hard these days! I remember when they were in Boots, Sainsburys, Woolworths AND the Co-Op!!! In any case, I don't think the Belarusianados are going to notice the difference between a machine taken passport photo and my homemade jam. No offence, like!
We've enlisted the help of Trainseurope to get us from London to Moscow and the guy seemed very helpful about it all, especially as I had lost the dates that we wanted to travel just as the call connected and he had to listen to me pad for a bit while I found them. This company seem clued up with Intourist, our Trans-Siberian guys, so I think they get the 45 day window thing and don't think they're going to book our tickets without calling me first. I don't know, it's going to be amazing, but booking trains ain't as easy as booking a flight! That is definitely one major difference I've noticed: booking a ticket for a regular working train you can only do 45 days before. Some flights can, apparently, now be booked TWO YEARS in advance!
I enquired about the much-talked about transit visa to allow us to pass through Belarus (arrest-free) and we are well on the case to getting all of our visas fixed up. One geniously designed bit of frugalness that I came up with was to make our own passport photos. It makes sense to me, given that we have a nice big white wall in our flat, a digital camera, tonnes of photo paper and photoshop. Oh, and the fact that all photo machines have been removed from The London Underground (meaning that our nearest tube-based photo machine is in Paris...), makes getting a 'proper' one taken very hard these days! I remember when they were in Boots, Sainsburys, Woolworths AND the Co-Op!!! In any case, I don't think the Belarusianados are going to notice the difference between a machine taken passport photo and my homemade jam. No offence, like!
On the NZ front...
Following a nice lapse since I last posted on this subject (in order to save up for it!) I have now booked my medical to claim a working holiday in New Zealand. The second part, the chest x-ray, is this Saturday morning at 10.15am in Mayday Hospital in Croydon, which, funnily enough, is where my Grandpa was born. Mum was impressed at my choice (I didn't tell her it was the cheapest choice). The first part, the BMI, blood test, blood pressure, nipples-out-for-the-nurse bit, is next Thursday in a nearby hospital in Thornton Heath, which sounds like a really fine, tasty, melt-in-your-mouth town. Until you go there. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to trust the needle to remain sterilised long enough to reach me from the packet round that way (but, once again, they were the cheapest option!).
Full, gross, in depth details of how the medical went will be posted here soon...
Full, gross, in depth details of how the medical went will be posted here soon...
It's now June!?
Wow! I have been busy! I carried on at work, despite my boss really annoying me the other day (well, at the start of May). He then asked me to go down for a needless meeting and I refused point blank. Next, he sent me a text message threatening to come and visit me at the site, which I ignored. He promptly forgot about the visit (which is a pain, really, because a visit from him was well needed and long overdue, but hey, the guy's an idiot!)
Following that little debacle, he arranged for his bumbling wally partner to come and visit. The one who really knows NOTHING about the project I work on. Looking like a mixture of Brains (from Thunderbirds) and Penfold (from Dangermouse - doesn't every company have one??) he rolled in looking very nervous indeed. Far from doing a crazy dance whilst clutching a bottle of mineral water, he peered nervously at the figures on my desk, which he knew nothing about, and asked questions that, quite frankly, the other boss would have scolded his little bottom for asking. This guy was a wreck.
Given the tragic accident outside our flat window the night before, I had had about two hours sleep and could not have cared less for the accuracy of my answers to his questions. Nor my manner in answering them (that, at least, turned out to be craftily good: answering a question with another question!), so the whole two hours turned out to be rather pointless.
This, of course, was confirmed when I more recently spoke to boss number 1 and he absolutely nothing that I had told boss number 99...
Following that little debacle, he arranged for his bumbling wally partner to come and visit. The one who really knows NOTHING about the project I work on. Looking like a mixture of Brains (from Thunderbirds) and Penfold (from Dangermouse - doesn't every company have one??) he rolled in looking very nervous indeed. Far from doing a crazy dance whilst clutching a bottle of mineral water, he peered nervously at the figures on my desk, which he knew nothing about, and asked questions that, quite frankly, the other boss would have scolded his little bottom for asking. This guy was a wreck.
Given the tragic accident outside our flat window the night before, I had had about two hours sleep and could not have cared less for the accuracy of my answers to his questions. Nor my manner in answering them (that, at least, turned out to be craftily good: answering a question with another question!), so the whole two hours turned out to be rather pointless.
This, of course, was confirmed when I more recently spoke to boss number 1 and he absolutely nothing that I had told boss number 99...
Monday, 12 May 2008
As you may have guessed...
...I have NOT yet quit! I don't think I'll allow myself to, either. I did come very close the other day. It was my birthday and my boss phoned me up, moaning about this, that, the other and the other's brother! It was past my finishing time and I just wanted to go and enjoy my evening. He rattled me so much that I was very irate for the next hour or so, eventually calming down and getting on with what was a very good evening (ending with a 200 metre ride on a Rickshaw, which abruptly ended in a puncture: a metaphor for my job I do wonder?)
Before the evening, a colleague gave me a very useful piece of advice which I took and it seems to have changed the way this guy works with me. He said "Just ignore him. You've got him by the ball sacks and he can't afford to lose you." So I did. Just a little. And it seems the message got through.
Before he would get stressed and would use force or pressure to get his own way, often requesting needless 'meetings' where anything but the necessary would be discussed. Since taking this advice, however, he seems to appreciate what I am doing a bit more. He's also remained very calm when talking to me on the phone. Could he be changing for the better? Or is he simply a drug addict?
Before the evening, a colleague gave me a very useful piece of advice which I took and it seems to have changed the way this guy works with me. He said "Just ignore him. You've got him by the ball sacks and he can't afford to lose you." So I did. Just a little. And it seems the message got through.
Before he would get stressed and would use force or pressure to get his own way, often requesting needless 'meetings' where anything but the necessary would be discussed. Since taking this advice, however, he seems to appreciate what I am doing a bit more. He's also remained very calm when talking to me on the phone. Could he be changing for the better? Or is he simply a drug addict?
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
One visa for New Zealand, please...
I put in my Kiwi working holiday application the other day. Basically, because of my relationship with my girlfriend, I can apply to stay and work in New Zealand, but only once we've lived together for more than a year. As we haven't yet co-habited for longer than a year, it was recommended I apply to go out there and work under the working holiday scheme. We can then gather the rest of the evidence of our relationship while we are there, make the immigration officials gasp an almighty 'Ahhhhhhhhhh!' at our affections for one another and live happily ever after. That is, at least, the hope...
I initially applied for a 23 month visa, which allows me to work in NZ for 12 of those 23 months. I paid my £48 application fee and then went on to see the (hidden) cost of the medical examination I will have to go through if I am to head there for that amount of time. Some of them cost literally hundreds of pounds! It's not the blood test, chest x-ray or even the urinanalysisosisasosis that's scaring me, it's the dent in my savings! I have since enquired about the possibility of changing my application (the 12 month working holiday does not require a medical; merely for you to be a nice person in the eyes of the law), but I have to wait three working days for an answer because, strangely, it's not on their list of FAQs. I would have thought the FAQ department would have been flooded from the tears of thousands of 'wannabe adventurous poms' looking for a new thing out in NZ and backing down the minute they hear they have to have a needle stuck in their arm! Still, that's not why I may have changed my mind... Honest.
I initially applied for a 23 month visa, which allows me to work in NZ for 12 of those 23 months. I paid my £48 application fee and then went on to see the (hidden) cost of the medical examination I will have to go through if I am to head there for that amount of time. Some of them cost literally hundreds of pounds! It's not the blood test, chest x-ray or even the urinanalysisosisasosis that's scaring me, it's the dent in my savings! I have since enquired about the possibility of changing my application (the 12 month working holiday does not require a medical; merely for you to be a nice person in the eyes of the law), but I have to wait three working days for an answer because, strangely, it's not on their list of FAQs. I would have thought the FAQ department would have been flooded from the tears of thousands of 'wannabe adventurous poms' looking for a new thing out in NZ and backing down the minute they hear they have to have a needle stuck in their arm! Still, that's not why I may have changed my mind... Honest.
Pop Rivals
I have been really busy these last few weeks. Alongside my (really amazingly fun and enjoyable) work, I have been in talks with people from my local area regarding the set up of a rival company to these idiots. I say rival, but the extent of these guys' moroseness will result in them being squeezed out pretty quickly. Nice eh?
So, I think it's summary time! In short and thus far, the story looks like this:
1. Move to New Zealand and start a new life working on a beach somewhere;
2. String one of my current employers along for as long as possible, ensuring they hold the current job they've offered me for as long as possible;
3. Remain a director of the company which takes away a large part of their future plans.
Great. May the next few months travel swiftly...
So, I think it's summary time! In short and thus far, the story looks like this:
1. Move to New Zealand and start a new life working on a beach somewhere;
2. String one of my current employers along for as long as possible, ensuring they hold the current job they've offered me for as long as possible;
3. Remain a director of the company which takes away a large part of their future plans.
Great. May the next few months travel swiftly...
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
The Top Ten Don'ts of Working at ******** ***********
I can't reveal the company name now, but here are my 'Top Ten Don'ts' if you ever should wind up working with these dozey, moronic gimps:
10. Don't expect *****'s humour to be funny, mildly amusing or even worth paying attention to. He really is a sad, pathetic, power-hungry little man.
9. Don't expect your invoices to not be scrutinised and questioned.
8. Don't expect **** to know what you are talking about, even if the subject is 'Sub-ten integer addition' or 'How to make tea with just hot water and a tea bag'.
7. Don't expect a full week to expire without hearing the word 'meeting'. You will probably have to go to one of these 'meetings'.
6. Don't expect not to feel a slight glint of depression in your heart every time you see *****.
5. Don't expect a thing. Unless it's bad.
4. Don't expect a day away from the company to go by without a string of phone calls from ***** having a ridiculous, stupid panic in his ridiculous, stupid accent. Ear Ache.
3. Don't expect any kind of freelance privacy. Expect to be asked questions like "Where else are you working?", "How much do they pay you there?" on a very regular basis.
2. Don't expect either ***** or **** to understand what freelance actually means. You will be asked to carry out work tasks, unpaid, for free from home. Best advice from me is to say "Yes" and then not do it.
1. Don't ever ever ever expect any praise for any work you carry out, unless:
a) It follows one of their 'pep-talks' (telling offs) so that they can then claim the credit for your improvement;
b) It follows around ten complaints about the quality of your work.
That really is the beginners guide. Believe me, at this point in time, I can't wait to name and shame my personal 'Company of the Year', but I will.
10. Don't expect *****'s humour to be funny, mildly amusing or even worth paying attention to. He really is a sad, pathetic, power-hungry little man.
9. Don't expect your invoices to not be scrutinised and questioned.
8. Don't expect **** to know what you are talking about, even if the subject is 'Sub-ten integer addition' or 'How to make tea with just hot water and a tea bag'.
7. Don't expect a full week to expire without hearing the word 'meeting'. You will probably have to go to one of these 'meetings'.
6. Don't expect not to feel a slight glint of depression in your heart every time you see *****.
5. Don't expect a thing. Unless it's bad.
4. Don't expect a day away from the company to go by without a string of phone calls from ***** having a ridiculous, stupid panic in his ridiculous, stupid accent. Ear Ache.
3. Don't expect any kind of freelance privacy. Expect to be asked questions like "Where else are you working?", "How much do they pay you there?" on a very regular basis.
2. Don't expect either ***** or **** to understand what freelance actually means. You will be asked to carry out work tasks, unpaid, for free from home. Best advice from me is to say "Yes" and then not do it.
1. Don't ever ever ever expect any praise for any work you carry out, unless:
a) It follows one of their 'pep-talks' (telling offs) so that they can then claim the credit for your improvement;
b) It follows around ten complaints about the quality of your work.
That really is the beginners guide. Believe me, at this point in time, I can't wait to name and shame my personal 'Company of the Year', but I will.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Big Lakes
The planning of our trip is going very well. We've decided on an itinerary for the (mostly rail) journey to New Zealand:
London-Brussels-Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow-Irkutsk-Ulan Ude-Ulan Bator-Beijing-Shanghai-Auckland.
How fun does that look? We seem to have found a good price for the Moscow-Beijing leg of the journey, first class, through Intourist who specialise in Trans-Siberian journeys, both packages and self-made. We have been dealing by email with them and they seem very good indeed.
My first memory of hearing the name Irkutsk is in the Red Dwarf episode where Rimmer is banging on about a really old game of Risk and, bizarrely, remembers each dice throw he made. Lister queries the interest of each dice throw and he responds with: "Well it was interesting to me, it got me into Irkutsk." (Red Dwarf, Season 4, Episode 6: "Meltdown")
After some research, it seems that Irkutsk is a very interesting place indeed. For one, it is a few kilometres from Lake Baikal (Buy-karl), the world's largest freshwater lake. Having been brought up on many Lake District and North Wales holidays, I naively expected Baikal to be a little bit bigger than, say, Coniston or Bala. No! Lake Baikal's rought dimensions are 40 X 400... Miles! That's the distance from Glasgow to London, long! It is so big it features its own indigenous fish, some of which apparently give birth to their young fully formed and ready to go! Man, I can't wait to 'lout-it-out' around this place in my England shirt...
London-Brussels-Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow-Irkutsk-Ulan Ude-Ulan Bator-Beijing-Shanghai-Auckland.
How fun does that look? We seem to have found a good price for the Moscow-Beijing leg of the journey, first class, through Intourist who specialise in Trans-Siberian journeys, both packages and self-made. We have been dealing by email with them and they seem very good indeed.
My first memory of hearing the name Irkutsk is in the Red Dwarf episode where Rimmer is banging on about a really old game of Risk and, bizarrely, remembers each dice throw he made. Lister queries the interest of each dice throw and he responds with: "Well it was interesting to me, it got me into Irkutsk." (Red Dwarf, Season 4, Episode 6: "Meltdown")
After some research, it seems that Irkutsk is a very interesting place indeed. For one, it is a few kilometres from Lake Baikal (Buy-karl), the world's largest freshwater lake. Having been brought up on many Lake District and North Wales holidays, I naively expected Baikal to be a little bit bigger than, say, Coniston or Bala. No! Lake Baikal's rought dimensions are 40 X 400... Miles! That's the distance from Glasgow to London, long! It is so big it features its own indigenous fish, some of which apparently give birth to their young fully formed and ready to go! Man, I can't wait to 'lout-it-out' around this place in my England shirt...
Back...!
Well, what a fantastic week away that was! The weather was a little colder down there than I would have liked, but an awesome time was had! We even made it on to an old steam railway for a trip, which really started gearing me up for the big journey!
Not a huge amount to report work-wise. I had a ridiculous meeting with my boss the other day. Basically, it involved him complaining about something I had done for a bit and then ending it with a really false-sounding compliment that he may as well have scripted and read off the page to make it sound more convincing! Wally...
I left that day feeling very angry and annoyed with him, but my time away has made me realise actually how little he matters in the grand scheme of things. Also, as I have said before, a lot of people are depending on my work and this means he needs me. A hell of a lot. Being away helped me to separate my work from my life, something which I have always had difficulty with as I love most aspects of my work so much. I agree that it is important to be able to do this, but the industry I am in requires a certain amount of real affection for each individual job. I love my profession and want to go on loving it, but this job at the moment is something I really must keep separate. For my own sanity...
Will update the travel situation very soon...
Not a huge amount to report work-wise. I had a ridiculous meeting with my boss the other day. Basically, it involved him complaining about something I had done for a bit and then ending it with a really false-sounding compliment that he may as well have scripted and read off the page to make it sound more convincing! Wally...
I left that day feeling very angry and annoyed with him, but my time away has made me realise actually how little he matters in the grand scheme of things. Also, as I have said before, a lot of people are depending on my work and this means he needs me. A hell of a lot. Being away helped me to separate my work from my life, something which I have always had difficulty with as I love most aspects of my work so much. I agree that it is important to be able to do this, but the industry I am in requires a certain amount of real affection for each individual job. I love my profession and want to go on loving it, but this job at the moment is something I really must keep separate. For my own sanity...
Will update the travel situation very soon...
Friday, 4 April 2008
Out of Town
I am going out of town for a few days. I need some relaxation and enjoyment. Please feel free to wind up my boss, bug or annoy him while I am gone. Just don't tell him I told you to do it. Thanking you...
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
A new aftershave... It's called 'Ger'...
Since the Trans-Siberian Railway calls at Mongolia, we've been thinking we should get off there and soak up some former-communist-now-US-friendly atmos (not that communism always has problems with the US, but there's been a slight theme). I use the term US-friendly as it is one of the few places so far away from The States that I have come across that welcomes US citizens in without a visa, but no one else. That's right, us English still need one of them!
Ever since Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, I've been fascinated by Genghis Khan and his most excellent lifestyle. So a trip to his home country seems like fun! Pity none of the Genghis Khan exhibits in Mongolia seem to have any rave reviews. Also, I read somewhere recently that a guy recently pitched up in Ulan Bator (Mongolia's capital) claiming to be long-descended from Genghis himself. His claims attracted a fair bit of attention (as would anybody's!), until somebody from the crowd pointed out he couldn't actually speak Mongolian, rendering him as naked as the stupid emperor in his 'new clothes'.
A neat thing Mongolian's seem to do is live in felt tents, called Gers. I want to spend the night in one. That said, if Ewan and Charlie's experience in Long Way Round is anything to go by, I may be taking a packed lunch from King's Cross (Think sheep brain!). Although, a kind Mongolian lady at the recent Destinations Travel Show in Earl's Court did ensure me that Mexican food is available in some parts, so I'm not despairing. I LOVE food that ends in 'os' and 'as'...
Ever since Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, I've been fascinated by Genghis Khan and his most excellent lifestyle. So a trip to his home country seems like fun! Pity none of the Genghis Khan exhibits in Mongolia seem to have any rave reviews. Also, I read somewhere recently that a guy recently pitched up in Ulan Bator (Mongolia's capital) claiming to be long-descended from Genghis himself. His claims attracted a fair bit of attention (as would anybody's!), until somebody from the crowd pointed out he couldn't actually speak Mongolian, rendering him as naked as the stupid emperor in his 'new clothes'.
A neat thing Mongolian's seem to do is live in felt tents, called Gers. I want to spend the night in one. That said, if Ewan and Charlie's experience in Long Way Round is anything to go by, I may be taking a packed lunch from King's Cross (Think sheep brain!). Although, a kind Mongolian lady at the recent Destinations Travel Show in Earl's Court did ensure me that Mexican food is available in some parts, so I'm not despairing. I LOVE food that ends in 'os' and 'as'...
Monday, 31 March 2008
Can it really be done?
I'm really not an expert on these things, but I believe I may have sussed out a way to leave my job when I want to, screw them over by not coming back AND still keep them as a reference! Will elaborate more on this when the time comes!
There is certainly a nice buzz of excitement in our house right now. The Trans-Siberian is really an option, provided our journey doesn't collide with the Beijing Olympics (if anyone's even going??) and my girlfriend and I are really geared up for a change. We're both massively in 'save mode' right now. I can't believe it's taken me the best part of 25 years to figure out the best way to save money is to pocket a lump straight after pay day, and then try and make do with what is left! I've saved thousands already this way!
For help with booking a trip on the Trans Siberian, we've been using this really really great website: The Man in Seat Sixty-One... It's seriously useful and really up to date. It also gives directions on how to organise train travel to Moscow from London ("Flying to Moscow to pick up the Trans-Siberian Railway is like agreeing to run a marathon then accepting a lift in someone's car for the first mile...") and onward once you reach Beijing! Since there are no direct flights from Beijing to Auckland, the plan is to pick up a train to Shanghai and fly from there. All in all, I am now looking forward to a fun-packed few months while we begin to plan our trip!
There is certainly a nice buzz of excitement in our house right now. The Trans-Siberian is really an option, provided our journey doesn't collide with the Beijing Olympics (if anyone's even going??) and my girlfriend and I are really geared up for a change. We're both massively in 'save mode' right now. I can't believe it's taken me the best part of 25 years to figure out the best way to save money is to pocket a lump straight after pay day, and then try and make do with what is left! I've saved thousands already this way!
For help with booking a trip on the Trans Siberian, we've been using this really really great website: The Man in Seat Sixty-One... It's seriously useful and really up to date. It also gives directions on how to organise train travel to Moscow from London ("Flying to Moscow to pick up the Trans-Siberian Railway is like agreeing to run a marathon then accepting a lift in someone's car for the first mile...") and onward once you reach Beijing! Since there are no direct flights from Beijing to Auckland, the plan is to pick up a train to Shanghai and fly from there. All in all, I am now looking forward to a fun-packed few months while we begin to plan our trip!
Saturday, 29 March 2008
How to travel to the other side of the world?
Further inter-relationship discussions with my girlfriend have also yielded another transport possibility, known as the Trans-Siberian Railway! I've always had it tucked somewhere at the back of my head as existing, but have never really given it much thought. We've chatted about it over the last few days, done a small amount of research and I have to say I love the idea!
Using the Trans-Siberian Railway, it is possible to travel some 1/3 of the way round the world - by train! Add on the journey from the UK to Russia and you increase that figure even more! The basic ticket price from Moscow to Beijing, provided you travel non-stop, is incredibly reasonable (From $250 if bought at the ticket office in Moscow), especially when you consider the scale of the planet the thing takes you across. The entertainment value of a trip like this must be high. You can consider it a kind of 'on-rail movie', constantly rolling, depicting parts of Europe and parts of Asia on a glass screen next to you. Things are all getting a bit exciting now: It really looks like we're leaving for New Zealand and are going to be travelling most of the journey by rail...
Using the Trans-Siberian Railway, it is possible to travel some 1/3 of the way round the world - by train! Add on the journey from the UK to Russia and you increase that figure even more! The basic ticket price from Moscow to Beijing, provided you travel non-stop, is incredibly reasonable (From $250 if bought at the ticket office in Moscow), especially when you consider the scale of the planet the thing takes you across. The entertainment value of a trip like this must be high. You can consider it a kind of 'on-rail movie', constantly rolling, depicting parts of Europe and parts of Asia on a glass screen next to you. Things are all getting a bit exciting now: It really looks like we're leaving for New Zealand and are going to be travelling most of the journey by rail...
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Work in New Zealand
I mentioned before that there appears to be a wealth of job vacancies in my field across the continents and the ponds. There is also, rather interestingly, a number of options that would allow me to supplement my income of NZDs with a few GBPs. I am currently looking into applying for an internet based job, which I have confirmed I could definitely take with me to NZ. I'll keep you updated on this...
Disbelief
Today I am a little shocked about a little something that has come out about the company I work for. I will reveal more at a more suitable date.
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Why don't I just leave and get a new job here?
You may by now be asking 'Why don't you just fob this job off and find something new?' Good question, glad you asked! The simple answer is that my work involves a number of third parties who are quite heavily dependent on my personal presence within the job right now. Basically, the answer is that I am going to, only there is too much for others at stake right now, so I won't just yet. Aren't I nice?
The girlfriend and I have started looking at transport costs to our chosen land. We want to arrive around September time, near the start of the Southern Hemisphere's summer. Surprisingly flights are coming out pretty reasonable at that time of year, Air New Zealand, which I am told are quite nice to fly with, are going non stop via Hong Kong for £472. I have to admit though, flying all that way non-stop isn't exactly enthralling either of us, so I think we'll keep checking for stop off options on the flight front. Or maybe even another transport method? I wonder if passenger ships still go that far? Wouldn't it be great getting the ferry from Southampton to Auckland? Liverpool to Wellington. That would be amazing!
The girlfriend and I have started looking at transport costs to our chosen land. We want to arrive around September time, near the start of the Southern Hemisphere's summer. Surprisingly flights are coming out pretty reasonable at that time of year, Air New Zealand, which I am told are quite nice to fly with, are going non stop via Hong Kong for £472. I have to admit though, flying all that way non-stop isn't exactly enthralling either of us, so I think we'll keep checking for stop off options on the flight front. Or maybe even another transport method? I wonder if passenger ships still go that far? Wouldn't it be great getting the ferry from Southampton to Auckland? Liverpool to Wellington. That would be amazing!
As much as I dare tell you about my work...
Now, I'm not the sort of person who would put up with the way things are for a year and then just leave without trying to right things first. I've held countless discussions with my bosses in a subtle attempt to work them out. Countless. I feel I'm a pretty good analyser of behaviour and tried I have with these guys. Oh, I have! The only answer seems to be that they harbour issues within. More issues than a comments box in a branch of Northern Rock. The main pointer towards this is the demoralising methods they employ when issuing their commands. I have always, well, since school at least, taken great pride in my work and have such often been complimented on its standards and my professionalism. Boast over. This don't happen with these guys! Oh no. The past year has seen me suffer many a verbal dig regarding, well, regarding nothing really. Just little ones here and there, as if they're frightened of a revolution or something.
The way I understand it, the management's role, to a varying extent, mainly involves the organisation of the staff and ensuring they are aware of their role. Not here. These are a right pair of spare parts! Honestly. They may have the ability to sweet talk all four legs and the tail off a donkey, but when it comes to them having a day to day input into the company, they may as well stay at home. Which they almost do, I mean 10.30 is hardly an appropriate start time for a director, now is it? Maybe once a week, but all five times? I wouldn't mind so much if the office was full of ridiculously happy staff and their arrival wasn't met with a slight glint of disappointment in the eyes of everyone. I wouldn't at all mind if their arrival in my field of senses wasn't the sh*tt*st part of my day. Even if it was second sh*tt*st, that would resemble some improvement.
No, I don't like it when they arrive. Not least because I suddenly see a list of pointless assignments arrive on my 'to do' list; some of which they could easily do themselves, rather than get me to do it then edit it (literally) five times (they could even, at least, do the editing!); and some of which they could easily give to admin, seeing as that's why they employ admin staff (at least, so I naively thought!). In summary, I begin to feel very down when I see one of them walking towards me...
On a positive note, however, it looks like New Zealand is a viable option for my new location. There appears to be loads of jobs advertised in my field, which for my security's sake I won't mention right now on here. (Rest assured I will though, once the AWOL stunt goes down later this year). I also happen to know from a trip to New Zealand House that a working holiday visa is fairly easily obtainable, provided you are fit and healthy (which I reckon I am) and are of good character (never been in trouble, me). I also doubt very much that NZ's more laid back lifestyle will have churned up any monsters similar to those whom I currently work with. Fingers crossed on that one, however...
The way I understand it, the management's role, to a varying extent, mainly involves the organisation of the staff and ensuring they are aware of their role. Not here. These are a right pair of spare parts! Honestly. They may have the ability to sweet talk all four legs and the tail off a donkey, but when it comes to them having a day to day input into the company, they may as well stay at home. Which they almost do, I mean 10.30 is hardly an appropriate start time for a director, now is it? Maybe once a week, but all five times? I wouldn't mind so much if the office was full of ridiculously happy staff and their arrival wasn't met with a slight glint of disappointment in the eyes of everyone. I wouldn't at all mind if their arrival in my field of senses wasn't the sh*tt*st part of my day. Even if it was second sh*tt*st, that would resemble some improvement.
No, I don't like it when they arrive. Not least because I suddenly see a list of pointless assignments arrive on my 'to do' list; some of which they could easily do themselves, rather than get me to do it then edit it (literally) five times (they could even, at least, do the editing!); and some of which they could easily give to admin, seeing as that's why they employ admin staff (at least, so I naively thought!). In summary, I begin to feel very down when I see one of them walking towards me...
On a positive note, however, it looks like New Zealand is a viable option for my new location. There appears to be loads of jobs advertised in my field, which for my security's sake I won't mention right now on here. (Rest assured I will though, once the AWOL stunt goes down later this year). I also happen to know from a trip to New Zealand House that a working holiday visa is fairly easily obtainable, provided you are fit and healthy (which I reckon I am) and are of good character (never been in trouble, me). I also doubt very much that NZ's more laid back lifestyle will have churned up any monsters similar to those whom I currently work with. Fingers crossed on that one, however...
Monday, 24 March 2008
I am definitely serious!
I've given it a few more days to mull over. Just to make sure I am making the right decision. As if I need to make sure! This is the best decision ever! I am going to 'disappear' off to New Zealand, saying goodbye only to my family and friends. To my employers, my mobile phone will suddenly be 'off'. They will ring it constantly for a while, leaving stupid voicemail after stupid voicemail. I may even record an impersonation of my boss onto the voicemail. What do you reckon? Stick a few of his ridiculous catchphrases on it, so he can really hear how he sounds. Sadly for my parents, they also have their number (I lived with them when I first started working there), so I will have to pre-warn my Mother to shout at them when they call. And they will call. A lot. So my Mother will have to shout. A lot. I'm not a huge grudge bearer, but I do delight in dishing out comeuppances when I feel they are particularly deserved. And these wallies have truly earnt theirs! I've only worked with them for a year, but I can count the number of curries I've had in that time more easily than the number of times they've p*ss*d me off! I'll write more about them in a later post, but for now I'll leave with the thought that they are THE MOST RIDICULOUS people I have ever come across attempting to run a company...
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Decision making and me
I came to a decision earlier this week. I'm not the type of person who struggles with decisions, so you could argue that it was more an idea, which I'm going to go ahead with. In fact, it's not like it's a million miles away from an idea I've had before. This week I decided not only that another country is the ideal home for me, but also that I'm going to walk clean away from my job. Without telling them.
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