Jason's Daily Notes

I woke up feeling paranoid, worried, and guilty. Not a good way to start the day. I realize that I have been going out and drinking almost every night and I needed to take some time to organize myself, because I honestly have been regretting a lot of things that I have been doing.

I spent the day at home, continuing the job search, which was boring, frustrating, and depressing. I feel like I have no goal and that I'm lost drifting in a sea of uncertainty, while my classmates have already gotten themselves onto a proper career path. (Anyway, I have way too much time to wallow in worry and self-pity, which no one should ever do! I need to snap out of it.) Needless to say, I was having a negative day. I called home and talked with my uncle for nearly an hour. We are both lonely at home by ourselves (my mom is still in Brazil/Argentina).

I had an appointment to regiester with the local GP, so I went there at 4:45pm. Swag texted me to come to the pub at 6pm, he had some good news to celebrate! I rushed over, texting Mike and Amanda to come too. I took the bus to Monument and walked over to Bank, finding Swag after a couple minutes, and Amanda right after that. I managed to avoid drinking, sticking to water with the burger I ordered. (While checking in at the GP, the nurse told me that I had high blood pressure, so I need to cut down on my salt intake.) Mike came shortly thereafter, biking from his work; Amanda had to leave to meet a friend at the Tate Britain; and Fernanda arrive after half an hour or so. (We always invite Fernanda out and end up going home right after). Mike was tired, so he went home. Sandy arrived and we chatted for an hour or two, trying to convince him to hire me (or to start a web series based on me).

Went home, and Mike and I stayed up for a little bit making the eyebands for our costume. I was still feeling pretty negative, so Mike ended up doing most of the work. I feel bad about it - I feel like I'm being a bad friend.

It was Fernanda's birthday.

I went to Brixton during the day to buy fabric for our Ninja Turtle costumes. There were several fabric stores, and I visited all of them to compare prices and to find the best shades of red, blue, purple, and orange (which wasn't easy).

I was pretty much free for most of the afternoon, so I tried to meet up with Fernanda, but she was busy shopping and getting ready for the evening.

Mike returned and we made some dinner (vegetable stir fry - for which I accidentally used Kayleen's sauce!). And then we headed out to Shoreditch, meeting Amanda on the bus. We walked to the Old Blue Last, sort of getting lost due to the construction by Liverpool Street, and there was a big queue outside! Luckily the queue was for the music upstairs, not the bar downstairs. So we found Fernanda and company sitting in the side room. We had a chill evening, no one getting too drunk or dancing, but it was good nonetheless. Giulia (Fernanda's friend) had a Vice discount card thanks to her boyfriend. We all left around 11-ish, as the bar closed down. Mike, Amanda, Ludo, and I took the bus home together, grabbing some food on the way at Liverpool Street.

I spent the day nursing a hangover. Laura stuck around with me, staying at home as I was trying to go about my business. It was somewhat annoying.

I had thought that I had lost my camera at Walkabout, but it was at home the whole time! I also received a phone call from a recruiter, saying that there was a possible opening at another big company that I was very interested in. We walked over toward Oval, where we got some Indian food at Oval Tandoori, which was really delicious, even though the restaurant was completely empty at lunchtime. We walked back, and as I was washing my bedsheets, she fell asleep on my bed. I needed to do something, so I just went for a walk to and around Brixton, discovering much of the market and the neighborhood itself. I returned maybe two hours later, and Laura was still there. She woke up and discovered that she was pretty late to meet her friend in Greenwich. So she finally rushed out. She also had plans to have dinner with some wealthy American friend from Connecticut, so she did.

That evening, I met up with Mike at Primark on Oxford Street. We had finally decided on a costume (TMNT) and were going to buy the parts of the costume itself. We didn't find anything in the right color at Primark, nor at Uni Qlo, Topshop, or JD Sports. Swag met up with us at H&M, where we found a matching green outfit (shirt and pants, which Mike tried on and modeled for us) and decided to buy the pants. Then, Swag suggested we go to Sports Direct, which was just down the street. There, we found lots of brightly colored clothes for much cheaper than at any other store! It was perfect! We rushed around, and Mike took the lead in finding the best clothes, and within half an hour, we had a full outfit selected, shorts, socks, shirt, and some funny boxers to wear over. Awesome!

Swag and I grabbed some food (roti rolls) at a shop on the way home. Swag went back to Sandy's, and Mike bought some kebab from the store near our house.

Laura messaged me around 11pm saying that she was still at her friend's place, far away (beyond Greenwich) and that it would take her some time to come home and pick up her bags (she was going to the airport overnight). What the fuck!? I wanted to sleep. Her phone was out of credit too, so she couldn't even call me. She used a stranger's phone to call me at 1:30am, because she was (yet again) lost. Needless to say, I was unhappy.

After another night of drinking, I woke up tired as usual. I haven't been getting enough sleep. After a slow start, Laura and I went to Oxford Circus to do some shopping (I returned my coat to H&M, and ordered the same coat online, saving nearly £30!). Laura loves to shop. We grabbed some coffee/hot chocolate at the Starbucks inside New Look. Then, we took a bus to Trafalgar Square, from where we walked over to Westminster and checked out the Houses of Parliament, etc.

We hopped on a bus to get to Piccadilly, where we met Fernanda. We then walked over through St. James's area, where I took care of some business at a Lloyds bank, and Laura and Fernanda had some "girl talk." Fernanda was contacted by a recruiter offering a potentially very high-paying job. Then, we headed to Buckingham Palace, took some pictures. Hungry, but poor, we decided to return home to cook some dinner.

The plan for the evening was to go to Walkabout. There was free entry before 8pm, which I really wanted to make. So, I became rushed and stressed, and it began to stress everyone else out. This was bad, and I felt really guilty about it. Fernanda and Laura bought ingredients for spaghetti bolognese, and we rushed home and started cooking immediately. It was only 5:30 or so. The girls cooked, the food was ready soon, and we scarfed down our portions. We finished our food just a few minutes before Mike arrived. And then, I realized that we didn't leave any food for Mike to eat! I thought that we had, but Laura didn't even think of it. I had eaten too much food; that should have been Mike's! It was partly my fault for not telling her, but nevertheless, Mike had to cook his own food, and he was not happy. I was not happy. Fernanda left, to go home. But I ran out, talked to her at the bus stop, and got her to return.

We then all went out to the Walkabout, making it just in time. (Mike, Laura, and Fernanda ran there, but I was too full from all the food.) I met Amanda right in the queue. There were £2 drinks all night, so needless to say, plenty was drank. Including tequila shots. I don't think I need to go into details. It ended up crazy, and we enjoyed dancing. Luis was there. Laura's friend Jessica from Peru arrived. Mike and Fernanda left. I ended up going home with Laura, not too late (we still got the tube), but thanks to tequila, we were totally smashed. Passed out.

Saturday, 20 October 2012
I recovered a bit from Friday night's Rockaoke. Swag, Mike, Fernanda, Laura, Mel, and I left the house together and went to Borough market. we got some lunch (Springbok burgers, except for Fernanda, who loves zebras and couldn't eat such weird meat). Mike left soon; he had to meet his mom and stepdad.

The rest of us finished our food and, after buying some coffee (and a canned G&T for Laura). We walked over to the Tate Modern (to use the toilets!) while Swag picked up some things from the M&S. Then, after a bit of a wait, we caught the RV1 bus to Tower Bridge and walked back along the river to London Bridge, where we caught the tube. We then went to Camden Town. We strolled through the markets, and then met up with Mike, his mom, and his stepdad (Wim) for a couple minutes. They split off, to have dinner near Leicester Square, whereas the rest of us sat down at a pub (Fernanda's feet were killing her). There, we had some drinks and I introduced everyone to the game "psychiatrist," which was pretty fun! We ended up staying there for a while, so we skipped walking through the rest of Camden Market and the Stables.

We walked up the high street, because I suggested that we get dim sum at the delicious place that I went to. We passed by a costume shop, which had a lot of costumes. (We still had no idea what to be for Halloween, and it was really racking my brain.) We headed back to the dim sum place, and ordered food (but I couldn't remember exactly what we had that was so delicious). Mike joined us.

Exhausted, we all returned home. Laura went out to the Ministry of Sound.

Sunday, 21 October 2012
Mike left to meet his mom and stepdad for Sunday services at Westminster Abbey. Swag and I took some time to get up, but by 12 I had woken up Laura (who managed to make it home alright around 6:30am). The three of us then went over to Brick Lane, where we met Fernanda. Very hungry, Swag and I each had the large order of Tibetan food. Laura had a plate of Ethiopian and an order of Vietnamese ginger chicken, while Fernanda had pad thai. Mike and his family were also there; they joined us with their own orders of pad thai! (And then they left on their own; Mike seemed somewhat stressed and rushed. He wasn't as enthusiastic about showing his mom around as he was with his dad.)

The four of us then went to the park near Brick Lane, which we really enjoyed! Then, we returned home. Swag had to finish packing his stuff and move over to Sandy's that evening.

In the evening, we went to "Bedlam," an underground art exhibition at the Old Vic Tunnels just below Waterloo. Laura and I got on the bus, and Amanda and Ludo got on with us too. At the station, we met Fernanda and Mike (with his mom and stepdad) at the McDonald's. Amanda met her friend (Hazim?) and we walked around together (getting somewhat lost) to the exhibition. It was very cool, and surreal. There was an "electrocution" chair and a swing. It was all-around great. Mike and his mom + stepdad left for dinner at Walkabout Temple. The rest of us went to a pub (The Wellington) for some food (I had pretty good fish and chips) and drinks. Fernanda's friend Luis joined us too.

ROCKARAOKE tonight! It was rainy, so I stayed inside. In the late afternoon, I walked over to Tesco to buy some pizzas and drinks for the pre drinking at our place. Kayleen was there before I was. Lilly and her friend Bernadette (from Netherlands) arrived. Lilly invited me to drive with her to Belgium! Then, Ludo came. Fernanda was lost in the rain, but somehow we found her. Then, after a little bit, Swag arrived, fresh on the train from Belgium! He brought packs of cheap Belgian beer. It was already 7:45, so time to go! I rustled everyone together, already tipsy, and we made our way over to Stockwell to tube it to Kensington. Fun times. Kristine met us at the tube station. We made to the pub just in time, around 8:45. There were signups for songs. Philip was there - cool! I was THE FIRST ONE TO SING. Holy shit! I blasted out a moderately drunken version of "Livin' on a Prayer". Most of our group got to sing, but not Fernanda! They didn't give a free drink for singers :/ There was a random girl who grabbed me and started making out with me. After everyone had already sang, Mike arrived with our couchsurfer, Laura from Finland. Soon the night ended, people parted ways, and although the girls wanted to keep the night going, Mike, Swag, Ludo and I were all going home. Swag got his jacket stolen :( so instead, he took another guy's jacket. In the pocket, was a fleshlight - yuck! But it made for a hilarious journey home on the night bus. Fernanda slept over, with Laura.

I went to Waterloo and picked up Mike's bike from the bike racks outside the station. He had left his bike there after hi date with Kristi. It was nice to ride a bike through the streets of London; the traffic wasn't too bad, but the road itself was cracked and broken. I cooked mashed potatoes and haggis for lunch. Yucky yum. To travel to Annika's for dinner, Mike and I met outside London Bridge at 18:15. (While walking there from the station, i talked on the phone with my mom, who was about to leave for Brazil.) We bought a bottle of wine and took the Jubilee Line and DLR to Lewisham, then a bus to Annika's. (We had seen how long the trip would normally take, so we gave ourselves ample travel time.) We arrived there about 25 minutes early, so we just grabbed a half pint of beer at the pub across the street. At 19:30 sharp, we went to Annika's place. She made a fresh leek soup, and we cooked several "German pizzas" with tortillas and sour cream topped with either bacon or onions/leek. We met her flatmates, all of whom were Italian - Mo and Po and the girl. We finished the wine, and another bottle of wine and some cider too. It was fun, Annika kept mentioning how she wished she had lived with us instead! :) Oh well. Mike and I left around midnight. We went to the New Cross Gate Overground station but didn't get the Overground. Instead, we got a national rail train to London Bridge, where we missed the last tube home. So we ran to get the bus home.

I spent the day at home. Unemployment. Blah. In the evening, I went to the Gaslight Anthem concert at the O2. It was cool, but a little lonely being there by myself. Whatever, honey badger don't care. I just danced by myself. Mike had a date with Kristi. It was nice. Nothing happened. He came home as I was on the laptop at home.

I'm now fully unemployed. I decided to focus on building my website, because as Fernanda said, I "know what I want to do." And it's true. I just need to fucking do it. But, wow, building a whole website from scratch with no previous experience is really daunting! In the early afternoon, I went to the nearby NHS centre to register. There was only a small reception window (and you had to be buzzed in to actually enter the centre). I asked to register, and I learned that you needed an appointment to register with their practice?! What the fuck? So I made an appointment for next week, when I'll need to bring some sort of proof of address. What the fuck. Anyway, I returned home and debated whether to return the coat I had bought from H&M. Instead, I decided to return the scarf from Topshop. So I set off around 4:30 to Oxford Circus. I had to go to three different tills, because there was only one till that processed returns. (There was also a 50% sale going on, but I managed to resist). I returned, taking the tube to Brixton and stopping by Tesco Express on the way home to buy some bread and milk. I arrived at exactly the same time that Mike was biking back home! Mike had made another amazing accomplishment at work - he scored a TV interview for one of the firm's clients! He and his brother have just chosen a design for their company's logo. It's incredible what he's accomplishing, especially at his young age! I had no idea what I was doing when I was his age; I was just taking life as it come. And even more amazing, Mike is so modest about it. It's hard for me not to be jealous. We made dinner - a motley stir fry of vegetarian mince seasoned primarily with soy sauce. It tasted ok with the leftover rice, but it was even better with some sriracha sauce. I did not drink any alcohol, which capped my streak off at 13 days. The Netherlands was playing Romania in a World Cup qualifying match, which Mike managed to find streaming online (apparently our TV setup doesn't include sports channels). We then watched some Fresh Meat, which Mike didn't care much for aside from one Dutch actress who was there. I was tired and fell asleep early, like, 11:45pm. I tried calling home, to tell my mom that I ended my internship, but no answer.

I ended my internship today. I say "ended" because it's a combination of me quitting and my boss deciding that I wouldn't fit there anymore. After the decision was made, around 10am, I felt instantly happy. I spent the afternoon with Fernanda. We got a late lunch at My Old Dutch - 1 big pancake each, plus a sweet pancake to share, and some cider for each of us (which makes it 13 days straight that I've been drinking alcohol). We then walked around, making our way eventually to Russell Square, where we just chatted for some time. It felt good to have someone to really talk to. We walked away, in no particular directions. Our feet led us to a part of London that neither of us had discovered. We were somewhere around Finsbury, between Clerkenwell, Islington, Kings Cross, and Farringdon. It was really cool. We got on a bus that took us to Blackfriars, where we walked across the bridge. I realized that I didn't have my umbrella with me - I must have left it at the restaurant! Fernanda had to go home; I said goodbye at Southwark station (where I bumped into Sam from Houston (whom I had met at the language exchange last week). I then rushed over to Holborn to pick up my umbrella - it was still there, yes! And then back home, where Mike was preparing salmon, rice and broccoli for dinner. We had an intimate candlelit dinner with some of the wine I had gotten from France :) Lovely. Was a good day.

Saturday, 13 October
Swag was back in London. Swag, Mike, and I spent the day taking care of a few errands and shopping for Mike. I sent an email to Beau, whom I met on Friday at the Silicon Drinkabout, since I might get a job from it! (It really felt great to get good feedback on my startup idea; I think I need to buckle down and focus on it.)
We started off from the house in the early afternoon, walking to Brixton, where we checked out the market, which was cool, and then bought a couple patties (Swag was particularly hungry). Then a quick pop inside H&M.
The Victoria line was closed the weekend. So we then took the 133 bus to Borough, where I returned my library books (from Paris). Then, we walked to London Bridge station, where Mike successfully got his 16-25 railcard. I got a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Then, we accompanied Swag to the M&S near the Tate Modern, where he had to pick up something to bring to India.
Then, we caught the RV1 bus to Waterloo station (it does a loop around by the London Eye), where we got on the tube as the rain started to fall, traveling to Shepherd's Bush. There, we explored the Westfield. We did a full loop around the 1st (ground?) floor, checking out lots of shops, primarily for Mike.
We went to next, where Mike found some shoes that looked great but were not available in his size, so he ended up having to order them from the other store on Oxford Street. We continued around, then up to Gap, H&M, Hollister, and Topshop. In Topshop, Swag had 2 things to buy for Nike, which he did. And then, since the purchase was large enough, it qualified for tax-free shopping, which would be a substantial rebate to Swag, so we went for it. But the store's system wasn't working, and they didn't have the manual rebate forms; so they sent us downstairs to the mall concierge. He couldn't do anything (but he did lend Mike a pen to fill out his Oyster card registration form); he sent us to the currency exchange by the tube station. But they couldn't help Swag without the original form from Topshop! At this point, Mike realized that he also had forgotten his Oyster registration form. So we returned to the mall, where Swag dealt with Topshop, Mike got his form, and I used the toilet. All the while, their phone batteries were dying (I found a phone charging station, but it was all in use). So fail on the tax-free forms.
We were hungry, but still had to go to Oxford Street to pick up Mike's shoes, which we did AFTER going to Primark first! It was crowded, but we each bought some things, so it wasn't a waste. We then stopped by the 3 store for Mike and Swag to unlock the adult content block on their phones, but they couldn't do it because it was already too late. Unfortunately Next was also closed by the time we got there. Nevermind - time for food! We went to ASK Italian (to use our Tesco vouchers) and had an amazing dinner: Swag and Mike got mushroom chicken pasta (unfortunately the chicken marsala was unavailable!) and I had a spicy pepper and sausage calzone. Amazing!
We took the 159 bus all the way back home. It was Saturday night, but we were exhausted. So we stayed in.

Sunday, 14 October 2012
We continued the shopping from the previous day. We had considered going to Brick Lane market, but instead we went to Trafalgar Square, where we met Sandeep. I was starving so I rushed into Tesco to buy a maple syrup donut - yum! We had Sunday Roast at a very very touristy Wetherspoons. Then we took a bus to Oxford Circus and walked over to Next for Mike to pick up his shoes. Done. Then, to the 3 store to unlock their phones. Done. Then, back to Topshop to do more shopping. I lost the guys as we left Topshop. We then had no idea where to go, so I suggested bus roulette, but no. Then I suggested we go to Little Venice, which we did.
We walked around, then took the tube one more stop to visit Abbey Road. There were a few groups of American toursits there, and they asked me to help them coordinate their pictures. Silly Americans.
We then parted ways, with Mike, Swag and I going to the live jazz meetup near Holborn. Vladimir (?) was there, but no Alec. And no sign of Amanda or Asia. So we each had a beer, enjoyed some music, made some polite conversation and then left for home. Dinner was a hodgepodge of oven chips and pizza. Meh.

Monday, 8 October
Work. It wasn't so bad.
Helene and Severine arrived. We all walked to Tesco to buy some food, and back at the flat, Sev cooked food for us (mushroom omelette). We had some beers.

Tuesday, 9 October
Work. It's the same.
Sev and Helene found a flat to live in - in Camden! Sev made her wonderful chocolate cake. I bought ice cream (Bailey's) to have with it. I rushedly made some pasta (penne bolognese) to serve with it. We had more beers and watched a lot of YouTube videos as Mel joined us and we planned rock karaoke.

Wednesday, 10 October
The French girls left in the morning, as I was starting work in the dining room.
I got "good news" (well, hopeful news) from a recruiter regarding a potentially perfect job.
I followed up with some personal business, which might be hopeful for me but is still sad.
Dinner was fishsticks and waffle chips; not the best.
The language exchange was not that great. I suddenly fell into a bad mood and didn't want to drink or socialise. Amanda got really drunk (which I found out the next day). I made an American friend - Sam from Houston, he's studying at Kingston University. Fernanda was annoyed that we didn't tell her that we were going there (even though I said that I would be there!).

Thursday, 11 October
Demi came over with a cleaner.
Amanda came over in the evening.
Mike had a meeting with the CEO of the big umbrella company for the PR agency. The CEO really liked him (of course) and basically offered him a job with the big time agency!
It was raining hard for about an hour in the evening, so Mike arrived completely drenched. Therefore, he undressed in the hallway, haha! He, Amanda and I finished the pizza that Amanda brought over and we watched an episode of New Girl (in which Jess loses her job! What irony!).
I left around 7:30 to meet Raghvendra at LSE. We went to the Wetherspoons by Holborn and caught up. It was surprisingly less awkward than I thought it would be, and it made me feel better about my own situation. (It was weird to see all the LSE students, living the exact life that I had a year ago.)

Friday, 12 October
I helped Mike with his washing (while he was at work) and helped email himself a copy of his CV. I cooked eggs (onion and peppers) and went for a small midday walk. It was about 13˚ today, chilly but I could handle it. I called back Chris (the recruiter) to learn that there was no news from the job opportunity, and that the hiring manager would be away all next week. Sigh.
I then walked to Tesco in the afternoon, carrying my groceries back in clearer new plastic bags. Mike's drawers were supposed to be delivered, but no didn't happen (at least by 5:30pm).

The French couchsurfers (Helene and Severine) left this morning.
I found out that Brian's mom has had a brain tumor and had surgery for it recently.
Iain (my "boss") called me out for not doing enough work on my internship. So I spent the morning submitting lots of links to the site. A bit of productivity indeed!

I got a call from a recruiter (whom I sent my CV last night), informing me about a job opportunity that fits very well with what I want to do! AWESOME! It's in London, and it's with a company large enough to sponsor a visa for me. And I would get paid. Well, I don't have the interview yet - so no promises, but it's exciting! I now have hope for potentially staying in London.

The repairman for the washing machine came around. He recommended replacing the whole machine. The leak wasn't actually coming from the machine itself; it was coming from the pipe behind the machine.

Mailed in my ballot request form. Soon I'll be voting as a North Carolinian.
Called home. My uncle Violey has been recovering from his stroke; he can now talk a little bit, but he has been refusing to take his medication. :(

Fernanda was bothering me all afternoon with incessant messages.
I cooked fishsticks and waffle fries for dinner. They stuck to the foil in the oven.
Time to go to the Language Exchange. I told Amanda I'd be there at 7:30. So much for that. I told Fernanda I'd be there soon. So much for that. But we'll be there. Just not for too long.

Friday, 5 October 2012
It was my third day of work.
I was tired and just laying on my bed, but after some prodding to go out by Fernanda and Mike (of course), I met up with Mike and his friend Rory (who works serving coffee at a high-end restaurant) for drinks. Gordon's Wine Bar by Embankment was closing, so we ended up walking to Covent Garden, where the other bar had a cover charge. So, fuck it, we just walked to the Wetherspoons (Shakespeare's Head) by Holborn station.

Saturday, 6 October 2012
Mike's dad arrived in the morning from the Netherlands. They soon headed off to explore Camden town and Primrose Hill, since it was a nice sunny day.

I spent the day shopping. I went to Oxford Circus and just went in to store after store - Gap, Mango, Zara, Next, Uni Qlo, H&M, and Topman. I ended up bying a whole new wardrobe: a pair of corduroy pants, 1 heavy coat, a scarf, some underwear, a button-down shirt, a turtleneck sweater, some burt orange slacks, and a regular fuchsia sweater.

I was pretty tired by the time I got home.

The evening's plan: KOKO in Camden. It was the 10th anniversary of the club night, which meant that it was a big, big event. The Northern Line (Charing Cross branch) had no service, so I met Fernanda, Emi, Alex, Julia (?), and Melanie at Euston and we walked over around 9:30 (it was free entry before 10pm. The queue wrapped all the way around the block! At least 200 people were in front of us! More people arrived. Emi went and bought beers for us as we waited. But the queue suddenly moved faster (of course, right after 10pm). So we each had to chug at least 2 beers within 5 minutes. Burp! Bloated, I paid the £10 entry and entered into the spectacular and legendary Camden Town venue.

What an amazing night it turned out to be. The music was fantastic, and the drinks kept flowing. It was mainly hit/pop music with some classic oldies mixed together just Around 1am I just had to leave, so I gave up looking for everyone else (and Emi was already making out with Melanie anyway) and just left. I got on a night bus to Trafalgar Square (luckily) and ran to catch the N3 home. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, the bus was 2 stops past Brixton already! Ugh, so I had to walk back.

Sunday, 7 October 2012
Went to Brick Lane together with Mike and his dad. Well, we actually split up at Liverpool Street station, where I waited to meet the French girls who would be couchsurfing with me, Helene and Severine. They enjoyed the market, and as we sat down to eat our food, who should suddenly appear but Mike and his dad!

The girls then left, when I arranged to meet with Fernanda at Shoreditch. But the Overground wasn't working, so I met her near Liverpool Street also. She had some food at Brick Lane Market, and then we went to the park with the playground equipment and had a great time! We got some fresh fruit juice and walked back to Shoreditch, looking for the flats that we had each viewed on separate occasions in the area.

Then we caught 2 buses to Holborn, where there was a CS meetup. It was organized by Alec (the kiwi who was Amanda's friend and whom I had met at a previous meetup). It was live jazz at a small pub. We got drinks. There was Vladimir from Bulgaria, and two French people from Montpellier. Also, Evelyn from Lucerne, Switzerland. Soon, Amanda arrived, fresh from her time in Singapore and Thailand. She had a great time, and we spent the whole time making inappropriately sexual jokes! Asia soon arrived, and she joined in the fun. Somehow I had mentioned (half-jokingly) that I needed someone to marry so I could stay in Europe. Asia responded saying that she would gladly marry me. So, for the rest of the night, we were hubby and wifey. She was very cool to talk to, though, very cool-headed and compassionate and understanding. She seemed very genuine, which I appreciated.

We then headed around the corner to the Wetherspoons (again!) and continued with some food and drinks there (I had a veggie burger). Amanda was desperately trying to get Mike and his dad to come join us, and after about 45 minutes, Mike did arrive. We then moved; I led everyone to Adventure Bar! (But Amanda met her friend and they left to the casino to charge their phones; since my phone was also out of battery, I gave it to her to charge.) At Adventure Bar, we drank Duff beer! "Take on Me" came on, and Asia and I sung. They played Gangnam Style. I danced. Nicki Minaj, and Fernanda joined me on the dance floor. It was good, I was having fun, and everyone there was also having fun. This is how days should be :)

...another day, more beers drank. I'm going through the daily cycle of hangover, detox, drinking! Life is good, despite the fact that I don't have a set career path yet :)

I started the week, and the month for that matter, in Paris. My trip there was amazing, and the weather was gorgeous. I could not have planned a better trip (and of course I didn't really plan anything at all!).

Anyway, what happened in Paris is more a subject for my travel blog, which I'll surely update eventually. So now, I'll just pick up with my return to London this Tuesday:

Tuesday, 2 October 2012
The bus ride back from Paris gave us the same bus driver, a Spanish guy who seemed to be in a rush, urging us all off the bus when we arrived anywhere. We were scheduled to have a snack break somewhere 2 hours before leaving France, but as he pulled into the service area, he stopped the bus, kept the doors closed, spoke on the phone for a minute, and then announced to the bus that the snack break was cancelled because "there is a problem with the ferry. We now will try to make it to take the train in time." Apparently the only trains we could take were at 14:30 or at 19:30! So we rushed to the Eurotunnel terminal, where we were herded out of the bus and through passport control (twice, once for France and once for Britain). There was one Korean woman who held up the entire queue at British immigration because she couldn't answer all the questions straightforward. Bleh.

Anyway, somehow we made it onto the train around 15:00. (?!) On the other side, England was cold and rainy. I was sending WhatsApp messages with Mike and Swag. Apparently Swag was put on a last-minute assignment in Belgium, and he was getting on the train that very afternoon. So I wouldn't see him. So when I arrived home, around 17:50, no one was there. I went around the corner and bought some juice and a chicken sandwich from the kebab shop. Mike arrived at 18:15, having rushed home really quickly on his bike. He was really excited to go to the Bond screening tonight (Swag had gotten free tickets to a Bond 007 screening). So excited that he insisted we both suit up! So we did, and we hurried over to Leicester Square to see the movie - which wasn't the new Bond movie (Skyfall) but a documentary about the 50 years that the James Bond franchise has been active. Interesting.

Wednesday, 3 October 2012
It was the first day of my work-at-home internship. I put my Skype on, anticipating a 9am start, and before I could get ready, Iain called me at 8:40 and begun briefing me on what to do. So I was off, submitting content to the site, and taking peeks at the Facebook and Twitter accounts.

After a few hours, I found it already pretty boring and repetitive. Was this what my next month was going to be like? I couldn't stand it.

Oh yeah, and the gas was out in the flat again. So that meant a cold shower for me, and only the microwave and toaster to cook with. I microwaved a pack of the pork faggots and microwaved some frozen vegetables for dinner. I was gonna go out to top up the card, but Kayleen returned home early and did it instead.

Mike and I walked to Tesco. We bought some food and beers, which we drank in the evening while watching some TV.

Thursday, 4 October 2012
Second day on the job. I was told to go at it some more, giving a little more emphasis on the social media. So I did. It was ok, but still it was hard to motivate me to do the work. I should be getting paid for this kind of work, honestly.

Fernanda was messaging me all day, saying how she wanted to go out to cheer her up (she had been down since losing her job a few days prior). So I planned that we go out to the 80s night in Camden town.

In the evening, Mike returned and we spent some time planning our trip to Cornwall. We chatted with Swag and Sandy. We would have set the trip for next weekend but Mike didn't want to rush the trip so he decided against it, arguing we should go the following weekend. So the plans completely collapsed.

We went to Camden around 10pm for the 80s night. It was shitty. There were maybe 15 people there, and there was a bad cover band playing somewhat obscure songs. Not stuff to dance to. It would have been better if they just hooked up someone's iTunes. Fernanda arrived, and we just sat awkwardly complaining about the place and how few people were there. So, fuck it, I just got up and danced by myself. Honey Badger don't care. Mike eventually joined me, and so did Fernanda. I tried to make it fun. But they still wanted to go somewhere else, so we did - to the Blues Kitchen, just down the street. The band was just finishing its set as we arrived. There was a really drunk guy there who was excessively friendly with me. And a bitch of a woman. I was not in the best mood as we left, but I kept it to myself.

Since Wednesday, I have been working full-time as a work-at-home unpaid intern for a website, Competition Hunter. The goal of my internship is to increase traffic to the site, whether though increased search ranking or through social media outreach. Why did I take an unpaid internship? Because I need experience in web technology and online marketing. I feel that it will give me more tangible skills as I try to find other jobs. It remains to be seen just how much that will actually go through in reality. For now, I'm just getting by. And trying to stay warm as the days get colder and colder (and shorter and shorter) in London...

Wow, it's already the 26th of September?! The time is just flying by.

Last night, the internet router was delivered, but it was too late to call, so I spent an hour in the morning setting up the internet connection, having to call Virgin Media 3 times (and I despaired a bit when the online registration wouldn't go through). But finally, it worked! WE FINALLY HAVE INTERNET!

Then, our landlord gave me an address to go to for me to pick up the gas payment card. It was all the way beyond Brixton, towards Clapham a bit. So I went there, gave the card details and PIN, and the card was denied! I called the landlord to ask what was up, and apparently the card wouldn't be activated until 12pm! Since it was like 11:50 I just went for a little walk and returned around 12:20 to try again. But no luck! Fuck this. I chided Demi, telling him to call the gas company now and sort it out while I was at the store, but he didn't call back for a couple hours. I figured this out and just returned home.

In the afternoon, Demi returned with a crew of two guys to (1) clean [mop] the common spaces in the house and (2) fix my bed. Instead of replacing the base, he just hammered a piece of plywood onto the existing base. And it didn't fit perfectly, so there's still a small gap in the base. Unbelievable! But I don't care; I can live with it. He also installed a crappy little suction-based shower head holder. So that's being resolved. And as for the gas, apparently it wasn't activated until 4pm! And he couldn't even take care of it himself, so he asked me to return there. The audacity! But fuck, we needed gas, so I gladly made the trek over there to pick up the card and top it up with £20 (even though he told me not to add credit). And I returned, put it in the reader, and voila! It worked. We had gas again! (Although only £6 of credit.)

Since it was my last day of having a weekly travelcard, I asked Swag if he wanted to meet somewhere for dinner. He suggested a cheap place on Brick Lane. Mike and I went there (having to walk to Stockwell station for him to buy a new travelcard) and met Swag and Sandy. The food was ok, largely fish-based, but not really strongly flavored. We bought a couple sweets on our way out, and Sandy wanted us to try paan, which is a leaf filled with ground nuts, sweets, sugars, and chewing tobacco that is supposed to get you mildly high. It was hilarious, because we had to keep these large leaf things wedged in the corner of our mouths and slowly chew on them. We were laughing about the whole way as we went on the tube (randomly, I decided that we should go to King's Cross). As I mentioned, the paan "tasted like car wash" or "a grassy field without the grass." Not exactly the best. And I think the hallucinogenic properties was mostly a placebo effect. So Swag and Mike spit theirs out, while Sandy and I chewed and swallowed it all.

Sandy and I got beers at O'Neills on Euston road to wash down the taste in our mouths. Then, we went on a quest to find a photobooth for Swag and Mike to take pics for their visa application and railcard, respectively. We wandered all the way through St. Pancras and Kings Cross stations before finding a photobooth hidden in King's Cross. The guys were having fun messing with Swag or Mike while they were trying to take their picture. I suddenly felt very bored. We then just parted ways and went home. I meditated on the tube ride home, suddenly feeling very content and introspective. Maybe it was the relaxing effects of the paan? Either way, I didn't feel nervous for the first time in a while. It felt good. And I slept pretty well, because for the first night in a while we had heating :)

(However, I did knock over a mostly full glass of water on my desk, so I frantically tried to save all the papers and electronic chargers that got wet. I think I did well enough. Still - D'oh!)

Still no internet in the apartment, so I returned to LSE in the morning. I took the bus, and on my iPhone came "With a Little Help from My Friends" by the Beatles, which made me tear up a little bit with love for all my great friends. At LSE, I called Iain to confirm that I was going forward with the internship. As I was following up with other emails, I got a call from Demi (our landlord) asking if I would be home soon to let the plumber/electrician in. So I took the bus back around 2pm and let him in.

The handyman confirmed what I had suspected about the gas - the bill hadn't been paid! Next, the electrical socket for the oven, which wasn't working. He discovered that the neutral wiring had been burnt off, which meant there was no current. He re-terminated all the wirings, and the electricity was flowing again! That's one small victory for the flat. Next, the washing machine. There was no where to plug it in to! So, we just simply need an extension cord to reach it over to the wall plug. (Seriously, why are there so few electrical outlets in buildings here? I have nowhere to plug my laptop into in the dining room, which really sucks! Finally, he checked the toilet, which is continuously flushing. He said he could fix it tomorrow, since all that's needed is to replace one of the valves; he just needs the landlord to approve it (greeeeeaaat...).

I followed up with the landlord to tell him what to do, and he was again hesitant. I mean, c'mon, just call the fucking gas company and tell them to activate it now! (Apparently you have to pay by inserting a gas card into the meter.) And the plumbing issue should have been resolved asap. But no! UGH.

As a flat, we all agreed that we deserve some sort of refund on our rent.

Dinner was microwaved shepherd's pie for me, and then we tried to make guacamole to go with the remaining tortilla chips, but it became a massive fail as the avocado was still hard and wouldn't mash. It turned out to have an awful texture.

In the evening, Mike was dead set on cheering me up, so we went to the cinema and watched Untouchable, a remarkably feel-good film about a man helping another man who is paralyzed. It's such a simple concept, but the characters are brilliantly executed and you can't help but cheer up when you watch it. :)

Monday, the start of the work week, but it was already my second day going to LSE to use the internet. Our landlord promised that the internet would be installed tomorrow (Tuesday), but given his track record so far, I didn't expect much.

I followed up with Iain regarding the unpaid internship, calling him from the LSE library lobby, where we talked for almost 45 minutes. The site has a lot of problems and things to look after, which means that I would be very busy as an intern. It does seem to provide me with precisely the experience I need - working hands-on in a startup, managing social media, reaching out to blog partners to drive traffic to the site, touching a bit on SEO. I can do it. At least I'll get a good recommendation out of it and something to put on my CV. I told Iain that I'd get back to him tomorrow to confirm.

I told Swag about the internship, and he said "go for it!"; I told Mike about the internship, and he said "don't do it!"

Got a phone call from Fernanda, who was having a horrible day at work. She was ready to quit right then and there. I did my best to console her and keep her going. We made arrangements to meet for dinner.

Since I had internet, I called home, but mom wasn't there, so I just spoke with my uncle, who has apparently gotten into Mahjong, which seems good for him.

I came home then went to dinner with Fernanda. We met at Canada Water and walked over to the Angel pub, which unfortunately wasn't serving food on Mondays! :X So we had a beer, and hungry, we walked over to Bermondsey and had sushi at Poppy Hana. I almost died walking in front of a bus. We talked, but it turned somewhat awkward as you could feel the tension in the air.

While I was at dinner, our landlord came to the flat to fix my bed and Kayleen's bed. But he brought the wrong size base for my bed, which Mike was texting me. I told Fernanda about it and she was like, "go, go!" It was pretty awkward.

So I went home; Mike had made his room into a romantic candlelit cave, and we chatted. Apparently it's a cultural thing - in the Netherlands people are just naturally upfront and honest with their emotions, not keeping anything inside or trying to protect others' feelings. Just say what you feel and what you think. How awesome is that? Anyway, Mike encouraged me to get my feelings out, which was pretty awesome.

Still no internet in the flat. I went to LSE in the morning to send out more job applications and to download some shows to watch in the evening (primarily Game of Thrones and Californication). Mike apparently slept in until 3pm!

Anyway, one job application responded right away - Competition Hunter, which is a UK website that aggregates online competitions in which people can enter and win stuff. The founder was impressed by my qualifications and wanted to bring me on as an intern. But (as I would soon discover) it would be a one-month unpaid internship, and I would be working from home. So it's not ideal but it would give me exposure to a lot of areas that I want to learn about.

The weather has turned colder and damper. Summer is definitely over now :(

I returned home to learn that the gas boiler in the house was not working, and as a result, neither was the oven/stove, the hot water, or the heating in the house! WTF?!?!?!

We called the landlord, but he was hesitant to reply. The problems in the house are simply becoming too much. The toilet continues to leak, there is no shower fixture, neither Mike nor I have a working wardrobe rod, there are piles of wood just laying in the upstairs hallway, and my bed is still broken! Unbelievable.

So, unable to cook food (except for the microwave, which we weren't prepared for), Mike and I walked to Brixton and had some take away food from two fried chicken joints. Meh.