England Diaries: Day 49

James loves his pudding, and I love making the sweetest stuff for him! :D

This London number that has been ringing me mobile three days ago rang again, and I decided to answer it to satisfy my curiosity. It turns out, it's this make-over modelling agency I randomly browsed online ages ago. The woman said i came second, and I have just won a make-over package, including a session with their professional photographer. She just rabbited on and I was completely lost, until she got to the part where I have to pay £30 as "insurance", and that I will get it back on the day of my scheduled appointment. She put me on hold to "check her diary", I decided to hang up. First of all, I am not travelling to London for something like that. And I'd rather send 30 quid home that give it to some make-over BS. I probably would have gave in if she had told me I came first haha.

I've been busy today. Did laundry, ironing, vacuumed the kitchen, fed the birds (and a mouse in the garden!) and made a nice creamy dessert for James for later. It is chilling in the fridge at the moment and should be ready after we have tea - I'm making honey-glazed gammon with potatoes and some salad. And I need to start making it now if it is to be ready when he comes home in about an hour :D Maybe I will eat some as well, since the practice nurse at Brim Clinic told me I only have a BMI of 15 and should consider eating more. How could she weigh me with all the layers of clothes on me... instant two pounds, zomg!
I don't really care what my BMI is as long as I feel healthy, and my jeans fit me ass!

England Diaries: About Day 48

Yesterday was James's day off and we spent the whole day out. Well, actually, two and a half hours of it in the cinema. I know he wanted to watch Indiana Jones instead but he knew I am a Sex and The City fan so that is what we watched. Man, it cost us £21 for one movie, 2 cokes, a packet of chocolates and a (too) big bucket of popcorn. We both don't like popcorn, but they didn't seem to sell any type of crisps, and I don't like chocolates, so popcorn it was. We managed to eat half of the popcorn bucket, and after that, I thought 'no more popcorn for this year anyway'. No cinema, either, I think. Back home, James and I spam the cinema. We'd watch two-three movies, one after the other. And movie snack certainly didn't cost £9! We usually pay about PhP120 for our food, and PhP180 for our movie tickets. It's amusing how warm it was inside the cinema. Back home, going to the cinema is just one of our excuses to cool off from the discomforting heat.

In all fairness, yesterday was not a bad day. It was quite mild, and not very windy, so it was a nice and comfortable 20 degrees. It wasn't sunny, but it wasn't windy either, so it was quite nice. The cinema was an 8-minute walk from the town, and apart from the honking the horn at me, and unintelligible comments from men in their cars (who, to be honest, should really be concentrating on the road), the walk was fun. I understand when it happens back home, because in all relativity, I wear less clothes. But yesterday, I was wearing just my skinny jeans, black boots, a white top and yes I had a coat on. So, I don't get it. I still think it is rude, and now I know that even in a first world country like England, there exists a lot of rude motorists.

So, about the movie, for a fan like me, I'd say it is quite entertaining. It's almost like watching another DVD (I have them all) of SATC. I was wacthing News Night last night where they were discussing (more like criticising) the movie. They were clueless. One said "the star of the movie is Vivienne Westwood". They just gave the movie high points for that. Because it is indeed a movie about fashion. In fact, Carrie made that clear at the very start when she said "people come to New York to find 2 L's: Labels and Love". Did they walk into the cinema and expected something Shindler's List-y? The guests on the show also said the girls haven't grown up at all. They are wrong, in my honest opinion. Carrie was never childish, it's just she struggled with finding the right love for her, but every time she was in a relationship, she always tries to make it work. And the fact that she fell big time for Big, made it harder for her to have a complete relationship with anyone else. Miranda, has also grown up. She realised that as strong a woman as she is, it is NOT wrong to love someone, even if that someone is a lot less successful and does not meet the standard she set for herself. She has grown up by realising and accepting that sometimes, she is at fault, or partly in fault. Samantha, despite how other people may perceive the phrase "I love you, but I love myself more" as self-centered, is just being true to her character. She has grown up by not getting tempted to have sex with her next-door neighbour (who I think is ugly, by the way) and being unfaithful to Smith. She tried being that kind of woman to stay at home and make a lovely tea for her partner, but it just was not that type of woman. And by telling Smith exactly that, she had grown up. Lastly, Charlotte, has grown up many seasons ago. For one, her only flaw was being this kind of girl who believes in fairy tales. But after her first marriage going down the drain, and ended up marrying her divorce lawyer Harry, she realised that it is not all 'happiliy -ever-after'. I like what she said in the movie when she was asked by her mates if she is happy, she said "I am happy. I mean not happy all day every day, but I am happy every day". I remember when she got married to Harry, who is far from the charming and handsome knight in armour what she imagined all her life, she soon realised that being a wife and building a family is not a bed of roses like she thought it was going to be. It's just the "reality" that the four women are privileged enough to buy the designer stuff that they want, and it's not like they had not worked hard for every thing they bought for themselves. It was their choice to be single for a long time and enjoy themselves, and spending on desginer clothes, shoes and bags is not wrong. If I had a great job like these girls, I would probably do the same. Given their familial situation, of course. What I love about this movie is how their friendship is showcased. Watching it made me miss my three bessys back home - well actually, Karen is not in Sweden :D

<

15:41GMT
the beauty of today
lies in the hope of tomorrow
and the chance to say
goodbye to all of yesterday's sorrow
the sun might not be shining
and it may feel cold
but the birds never stop singing
stop, and let the silence unfold.

¬ Vei ¬

The Naughty Magpie. I love the magnificent colours on them but they are very very naughty and greedy!

Bleeding Heart is my favourite flower in the garden.

England Diaries: Day 47

It's a lovely day again today. The past two days had been miserable, and yesterday it was raining. Although James and Maddie both described the rain as "heavy", back home, we call that drizzle. James know what I mean since he'd always loved the rain back home, but Maddie couldn't believe it when I said back home, our heavy rain will flood England.

It's so adorable to watch the birds in the garden. I have never really thought of birds as interesting until I got here. Back in the Philippines, all they did was annoy me. But those were the caged birds our neighbour kept as pets. He's dead now, God bless his soul. But seriously, his pet birds made such loud noises at 3AM! But I do remember feeding the sparrows at the back part of our house when I was younger. I was amazed at how they come from out of nowhere a second after u chuck a chunk of bread out. I checked the nestbox beside our bedroom this morning and waited for a bit until I saw a sparrow hover beside the box with bits of bread in it's mouth, and I heard the chicks chirping, and I was relieved. I had a dream last night that James told me they are gone.

I meant to write yesterday but I somehow didn't find the time. I was just getting up at 10:45AM yesterday morning (late night, don't ask) when Maddie knocked on the door and told me someone's on the phone for me. And it was my Auntie Julie in New Zealand! I didn't realise how concerned she is about me. I mean, of course we've always been close because when my mother was in New Zealand, Auntie Julie was one of those who looked after me. I call her "mama", and my other auntie (Auntie Sylvia) in NZ "mommy". As you have probably figured out, I am very close to them. It's really good to hear from Auntie Julie. I think she is mostly concerned about me missing home, and she told me that I will always miss home, but I should think of James and I and our life together and that I should think of the future. She said I will start to like it when I am making lots of money what I won't earn if I were back home still. She's got a point and I know she knows what she is talking about having moved to New Zealand in 1990. She realises that my situation is much harder than hers, or my mum's for that matter. They both had husbands who were in the right age (tried not to say old ^^) and settled. As Auntie Julie told me, she never had to take the coach because she always had her own transport, and she reminded me to learn how to drive as soon as I can. It was funny how she said "Beng, if this cuts off, you know that the card run out cos this is only a NZ$10 phone card" and we ended up talking for two hours! Since the phone card did not seem to be running out anytime soon, she decided to say goodbye because she had work at 6AM, and it was already past midnight when we realised we've been talking forever. She said that phone card would have only lasted twenty minutes if she rang the Philippines. Shame I am not in the Philippines when they go there this Christmas. Rubbish.

England Diaries: The CPP Experience

I woke up feeling grumpy this morning... James doesn't care much anymore, he's used to it. If you wake me up before 9AM, I'd either hit you or swear at you. That is when I ain't working. I would get up to go to work with no problem.
James and I left the house at around 9:30, and got to CCP fifteen minutes later. To my surprise, there were only three of us there for what they called the "Experience Day". Louis, who gave us a tour of the place was very very nice, and soft spoken. I was quite impressed with the place, to say the least. The mood room where a casual interview was held was chilly, but very cozy. Another bloke called Ben ran us through what CPP is all about, and allowed us to ask some questions. I didn't ask any because I have read the basic info on their website and Aiden already explained to me the ROTA and I already know how much a CPP agent gets paid. One of the girls kept asking semi-stupid questions, like "would I be able to drink my coffee and eat at my desk", "would I get a break if I were only working for 3 hours since I only want a part-time job here" or "what is the assessment test like" and a laughable "if I entered the wrong card number details on the computer, will I be able to re-type it?" And as expected, Ben's answer to it was "the computer will prompt you if you have entered the wrong card number". The other girl only had one question to ask which was the work hours, which I already know the answer to, as Aiden already explained it to me on the phone on Tuesday. In fact, I butt in when Louis was just about to say what the work hours would be on Saturdays. When the most chatty (by far) of us three asked when she will hear from CPP whether she's been successful on her application or not, Louis said that she needs to pass the written test first, because myself and the other girl had already taken the test online. Actually, I thought it was a different test he is on about so I said I have not taken the written test (he did not say it's the online assessment test), and he said I have and in fact he's got my results and I did "very very good" on it, as he put it. I like what he said after that "I could get you an interview today, if you are still interested, that is". I laughed my ass off (inside my head of course). I know I did not seem too enthusiastic in that room... because I am not. I just think I am not cut out for a contact centre.

From the mood room, Louis showed us the work stations, the gym and the cafeteria. He said the gym is open 24 hours a day... What kind of a loser would be at the gym at 3AM? The cafeteria had a little terrace, but I think I'd rather stay in one of the warm coffee lounges in the corner, thankyouverymuch. When the two girls went into the ladies room, Louis and I got to talk to each other alone. He asked me how long I have been in England for, and I said I have only been here for five weeks. He said he absolutely loves the terrace, and I said it would be nice to sit out there... if it wasn't raining. Then I told him of my rather traumatic experience about the English weather. How when I arrived here it was 3 degrees, freezing for someone who's just left 35 degrees. I said the English weather is what made my stepdad leave England. Then he asked a question I wasn't expecting: "so, are you here in England now for a bit f adventure?" Haha. He didn't expect the answer either.

He said he could give me a 2:00 1-on-1 final interview today but since James had to go to work at 1, I asked him if it could be tomorrow instead, and he said that's all right, so I've got to go back there tomorrow at 9:15. Whilst he was walking me to the reception, he said that I should not be nervous at my interview tomorrow, and I should let my personality show and that I should show my enthusiasm more. The thing is, how do I show something I don't feel? I guess I will just have to try my very best tomorrow at the interview. I don't really get nervous on 1-on1 interview. In fact, the group tour today made me more nervous because I thought we were going to be with twenty people. But even with only five of us in the mood room, I was still uneasy. I am not a teamplayer. I am at my best when I work alone, behind a computer. Until now, I am still wondering how the heck did I pass the telephone interview, the personality assessment test and the casual interview. I wouldn't say I wouldn't want a job with CPP though because the place is absolutely amazing. I dread needles and injections, but I am not scared to get piercings. In fact I had to have to belly button pierced three times, and I wasn't scared at all. I can dance or sing in front of a crowd which I did a lot when I was still in school, and I loved the attention, I wasn't shy in the least bit. But here I am scared to speak with three people and no one else around. I wouldn't say I am shy but maybe intimidated because I have not been here for long, and even though I understand English perfectly and speak it just as well, in the back of my head the voice what tells me English is not my first language so I probably suck at it just won't leave me alone. So that is the CPP Experience Day experience is like :p

___________________________________________
6:20PM
My father-in-law bullied me into going to Sainsbury's on my own, so I thought what the heck. I went and bought tomatoes, and as a punishment to him, I picked up a pack of strawberries and I know this is not the best time to buy them :D But for the first time, I was out on my own. It felt good, yes, but I already know I CAN do it. I just did it to make my in-laws happy, and James as well. I'm sure he'll give me a huge hug and a loud "well done love!" when he comes home from work tonight.

Champion's League Winner!

Moscow 2008. An absolutely exciting match. I thought we were going to lose when Ronaldo missed a penalty... But wait, "the heart and soul of Chealsea" has missed as well. I don't have time to get into the juicy details of the match, but ManU won on sudden death. There were raising hands, gay slapping, red card for Drogba, sudden death penalties and my husband watching it with me, there could not be a more exciting match. The King of the Woods is going to Future Walk with me tomorrow as he'd asked someone at work to cover the first two hours of his shift for him. I couldn't ask for more. Apart from some sleep right now. Gotta get up at 8 tomorrow :-(

England Diaries: Noisy Day 39

I'm supposed to be writing a detailed explanation as to why I have not been working for two years to attach to the application pack that CPP has sent me yesterday, but I find it incredibly impossible to even start. Not because I don't know what to say or how to begin with the letter but because it's so bloody noisy here. Every one is at work today, and as usual I am left alone in the house. Well, not really alone today because there are builders changing the windows in the entire house. They started yesterday and did the upstairs bedrooms first and now they are doing the patio door and kitchen and garage windows today. The kitchen is a complete mess and I have a headache from the noise of the drill and the hammering and slamming. Not to mention its freezing downstairs because all the windows and doors are open, so I am here in the most quiet spot I could find in the house at the moment. But even in this room I can still hear the drill and the hammering. At least it's not cold up here.


UPDATES:
So a couple of day ago, someone left me an answer phone message but even after listening to the message ten times, I still couldn't make out who the caller said he is or from what agency. I know it has got to be someone from one of the job vacancies I've applied for, but feeling really thick, I just took the number he left and I did not delete the answer phone message so Maddie or James could tell me what they make out of what the caller said in his message. I couldn't exactly ring a number not knowing who I am ringing, or which job vacancy it was that I applied for.
When Maddie came home, I immediately informed her of my dilemma. And I was surprised to see her listen to the message twenty times, and she still could not make out what the caller said. She faults the answering machine. I felt a huge relief and pride to learn that I am not being stupid for not understanding a local accent, which if I didn't wouldn't be so bad since I've only been living here for a month. My stepfather is a British himself and I lived with him since I was little, but still. After giving up, Maddie rung the number and asked them politely what company they are, and there we found out that it was CPP Recruitment what wanted me. But the person who rang me, called Aiden, was no longer there because it was past office hours so we decided I just have to wait to ring him in the morning.


ME AND MY CUP OF COFEE
Morning came and it wasn't a very good one. James was ill, so he stayed at home and phoned-in sick at work. I was having my morning coffee and every one was trying to tell me stuff I should do: primarily ring CPP. I'm just not a morning person. I hate being talked to in the morning before I finish my cuppa, or breakfast if I am having any, which is rare. I hate being told what I should do for the day before I finish my coffee. And to be honest, I just want some peace and quiet in the morning. I know it's not James's parents fault because they don't know me and since I am living in THEIR house, I just have to follow their rules and how they do things. It just makes me miss home more because back home, I can have my cup of coffee in the lounge in utter peace and quiet.
I know they are used to reminding James what he should do because he tends to forget... sometimes he choose to forget, really. But they should respect the fact that I am not like James. So, after Chris popped in the lounge to remind me that I should ring CPP (after Maddie has reminded me first thing in the morning), I decided to ring Aiden before I finish my cup of coffee, because I was sure I am going to kill myself if I get reminded another time before 11 o'clock. James was ill and I was on my cup of coffee which they know is all I have for breakfast, but CPP, I guess is more important.


SURPRISE PHONE INTERVIEW
I thought I was only going to book an interview when I rang Aiden back, but apparently he was going to conduct a phone interview right there and then. I was annoyed and nervous, and I wanted my coffee (yes, shut it.) so I didn't think I'd pass the phone interview. At the start of the conversation, he told me that if I am successful with the phone interview, he will send me more details by email. He was very nice and polite as he explained the two-week ROTA to me, and asked me what my work schedule preferences are, etc. And after asking me some situational questions, he said I am successful with my phone interview. I am not a phone person, to be honest. I hate talking on the phone if it wasn't important, so I was quite surprised when he told me that. I found out that the next stage is the "Experience Day" where I will take a tour of the building and see their facilities, and I asked for Friday, because that is James's day off so I thought he could come with me. But an hour later, Aiden rang and said Friday's full, and asked me if I could do Thursday or next week. I like to get things done and over with so I opt for Thursday even though I know I would have to find my own way back, and I know I'd probably get lost, but I have to do it.


I NEVER DID LIKE THURSDAYS...
I know I should keep a positive attitude, but I just don't think I am a contact centre material. I am not good on the phone, and I don't enjoy talking on the phone. Maddie said this may be a really good opportunity for me and a suitable job because she said my English is good and I have a Queen's (speech?) accent which is very intelligible on the phone which is what contact centres here look for. I am not convinced but I will go just for the experience... Tomorrow should be an interesting day...

My mother-in-law got me WineGums and even put my name on it. That means James, hands off me winegums!

Starlings in the Garden on Day 37