London-isms

• They don't lay-by here.  Fullstop.  They don't even understand what the concept is.
• Poundland only sells things for £1, unlike the Dollar Shops in Aus
• "Hi, how are you going?" is ALWAYS met with a blank stare and silence.  They don't know what you're asking.  Try "Are you alright?" instead
• UK gogglebox is terribly unfunny compared to the Aussie version.  Also no eye candy.
• Online shopping here is set up so well.  You can buy online and pick up instore, you can have it delivered next day or elect a specific time and date for delivery.  You can get your groceries delivered.  You can get refunds for most things no questions asked.  If you need to return anything there are multiple ways of doing this and they are all free for the consumer.
• For someone who is petite with wide feet, I can actually buy clothes and shoes that fit me well here.  A number of retailers have petite lines of clothing and wide fit shoes.
• Food in general is pretty bland.  For a good feed I'll choose an ethnic restaurant (any ethnic restaurant from Chinese to Lebanese to Thai).
• Coffee is rubbish.  I'm trying (slowly) to switch to tea
• I know I've said it before but public transport here is reallllllly good and efficient and quick
• You can pay for public transport by just tapping your credit card instead of tapping your Oyster card on the card reader things
• Always take an umbrella.  Always. Take. An. Umbrella.
• There is so much on - every day.  I absolutely love that.  I've always been a big city person, can't ever imagine myself living in the country.  And I often felt like even Sydney wasn't big enough.  On a rainy weekend there wasn't much to do.
• Oreos taste better in London.

London shopping list

I'm not buying anything at the moment because I would have to pay for it I AUD at the current horrendous exchange rate, but I've been collecting a list of things to buy once I'm earning £ (please employment gods let that be soon).

Parka:

New Look Faux Fur Parka £39

Asos Petite Ultimate Parka $55

Miss Selfridge Khaki Parka Coat £69

Black wedge sneakers:

Nike Dunk Sky Hi - £85 but seems to be sold out in London so I might have to stalk ebay

Ash Bowie suede wedge trainers £175

Long down jacket:

Uniqlo long down jacket $79

Long wool coat:

No idea yet - just a standard long wool coat in a boring neutral colour

PS - it seems we can finally post non square photos to Instagram. As much as I've been waiting for this day, now that it's come my OCD has kicked in and I want them all to be square #ocdlife

London: the good, the bad and the downright ugly

First impressions count.  And unfortunately my first impression of London is lukewarm at best.

The Good:

• Public transport - between all the different modes of transport London has got this down pat.  You can literally get anywhere in London using public transport.  It's easy, quick, reliable and reasonably-priced
• Consumer's dream - customer service is much better here than Australia.  With most online retailers you can get free shipping or pickup from one of their stores.  Their sales are more impressive too.  Not to mention a lot more variety/options.
• Public spaces - they have loads of parks and public spaces where you can sit and eat lunch/read a book/people watch.  Just a shame that it's not park weather for most of the year :(

The Bad:

• At the current AUD/GBP exchange rate everything is soooooo expensive.  From my AUD$7 small takeaway coffee to my AUD$850 500 thread count sheet set (also - bedding is hideously expensive here - no idea why).
• It's cold.  Yes I'm being a baby about it.  But I caught a cold one week after summer ended.  What is up with that.

The Ugly:

• Ok.  Where do I start.  I am currently living in a room in a flatshare.  I'm paying £330/week for a room that's half furnished, about 3m x 4m, in a flat that doesn't have hot water or wifi, has a broken (ie warm) fridge and broken furniture.  Oh I forgot to mention the toilet that's blocked/when you flush it, it comes back up the shower drain into the shower.  A fortnightly cleaner was promised who hasn't come in 6 weeks.  The door to my room is broken and I can't close my bedroom door.  I'm sharing the flat with an inconsiderate couple who have not washed their dishes in about 5 days, who leave yoghurt and ham out for days on end, who have made the floors in the flat black with god knows what.  Not loving real estate agents right now.

New City, New Hair

If I'm honest, I'd been wanting bright pink hair for some time. And what better time than when you move country and have a month off in between (so your investment banker manager doesn't have to reprimand you for the inappropriateness of your hair colour).

It was a DIY job and by that I mean I have an awesome sister who DIYed it for me. 2 rounds of peroxide and a jar of Manic Panic later....

Of course the colour faded after only a few days. By the time I reached the end of my month off, it looked like this:

As much as the pastel pink and peach hair was actually growing on me, I knew it was time for the chop.

Had an interesting experience at the hairdresser. In London if you don't make a reservation you can just walk in and ask for the next standby appointment. I only waited a hour or so (went shopping and came back). Instead of paying the full £66 (haircuts in London are fucking expensive) I just paid £28. Not bad for a consult, wash, head massage, blow dry, cut and style.

Fresh to death and ready to attend job interviews with my lob!