Are you ready for some futbol??

I warned you guys my posts would be few and far in between due to my new living arrangements. You didn't miss much this week. Here's a quick update:

- All settled into my flat, it's feeling like home
- I got a horrible case of food poisoning from bad scallops at a pub- rule #1 in London; never eat seafood at a pub
- It rained everyday this week and it's gotten cold, apparentely winter has decided to come early. I guess that's supposed to be nice little gift for me:)
- I had my traditional weekend outing with "V". I helped him buy a new wintercoat and then we had dinner at this new mexican restaurant in Covent Garden. You know, the kind of thing you do with your girlfriend except she lives in Turkey.
-Woking is still a shithole!

Ok, on to more exiciting news. I attended my first futbol match this weekend. I was invited to go to the Chelsea vs. Fulham match by some friends I have meet here through my friend Sahana. Chelsea vs. Fulham are home town rivals so it would be like the Lakers playing the Clippers. Being someone who doesn't care much for going to sporting events, unless I'm guaranteed a star sighting, I could have turned down the offer easily but thought I should experience a true London past time. Plus, I figured the stadium would be full of men, so the odds would be in my favor. So, off we went to the game, but not before a stop at the local pub (where I stayed away from any type of shellfish) for a drink and some food. The stadium's here don't offer much in the way of food and you can't drink in the stands due to security reasons, so everyone goes to the pub first, then the game.


Suprisingly, the game was really entertaining. Futbol (soccer for you Americans) is a really fast paced gamed so you really can't get bored. And the best part is they only play 2 rounds, each 45 minutes long with a 15 minute intermission. I'm convinced that a women made these rules. It's the perfect amount of time to watch a game without getting bored. I'd have to say the best part of the game was the fans. People here LOVE their futbol. The term "fan" is taken to a whole another level. The spirit these people have for their teams is amazing. The entire game they are chanting, singing, on their feet, rooting for the team. I attempted to capture the magic on a short video using my camera. It is like this the whole game, they don't quit!

I definitely plan on going back to watch another game. Maybe next time I can figure out what the hell they're saying and join in on the singing! I did understand all the foul language though, I've never heard the f bomb used so creatively in my life.

Eight Weeks and Counting!

I've arrived in home #2 as my first month in London comes to a close. It was hard saying goodbye to my place in Chelsea. I had grown quite accustomed to my little flat and the 10 flight of stairs it took to get up to my front door everyday. The hardest part was saying goodbye to the area. I feel in love with Chelsea from day one, hence the reason I'm living their permanently! My flat was right behind Kings Rd, which was the main drag in Chelsea. I had already established my favorite stores, restaurants and hangouts. Before the cab came to pick me up I took one more stroll down Kings Rd. The nice thing is I'll be back eight weeks from now to enjoy it all again.

My new digs are located in Woking, the town where my offices are located. It wasn't my first choice to come to Woking but it turned out to be the best option. The biggest draw back was going to be how far away I was from the city. I would probably liken Woking to living in Bakersfield, sorry T if you're reading this! When the cab driver tells you that the place you're about to spend eight weeks in is a shithole you know it's not good.

While the town itself blows my apartment is great! I was pleasantly suprised when we pulled up to the complex. It's a brand new complex, built last year with all the modern amenities. Here a few pics of the inside.

Not too shabby. The best part of my apartment is the balcony pictured above. The view is beautiful. I love sitting outside and just staring at the trees. Good thing, considering that's the most exciting thing to do here! Here's my view.

And they say the sun doesn't shine here. Let's just say I plan on spending the least amount of time in Woking, aside from work, these next eight weeks. I still can catch a train into London it just requires more of an effort and planning on my part then it did when I was in Chelsea. I already went back last night and had dinner with "V". We seem to be doing that a lot, I keep asking him when we're going to go to a club! He promises me we will next weekend.

Since my life may be a little tame these next eight weeks I probably won't be blogging as frequently. Wish me luck in Woking.

Liquid Lunch

Nothing like drinking from 1 until 10 at night. Yesterday my work threw a going away lunch for the girl whose job I'm taking over. We went to this private club called the Soho House, that my boss Jennelle belongs to. It's a members only restaurant/bar. We ordered a couple of bottles of wine at lunch and after lunch was over the team decided to grab a drink at a bar near by. Soho is the gay area of London full of great shopping, bars and restaurants- go figure. We sat down at a bar called La Boheme and the bottles of wine just kept coming. I couldn't keep up with my co-workers. They were puttin it down like I've never seen. The best part of the night was bonding with the girls on my team. They reminded me a lot of the girls at Taco Bell. We had a lot in common, more than I realized. They are really fun and we've already made plans to do a ton of fun things in the coming weeks. After our sixth bottle of wine, yes six, I stumbled home on the tube. The only bummer of the whole night is I didn't pull. New term for the week by the way. It's british slang for talking to a guy and getting his number. When you're hanging out in gay town there's a ton of browsing but no purchasing to be done :)

I move to my new flat today, in Woking. Far from the city but close to work. I'll post some pics of my new digs tomorrow.

There is a God!!!

The last couple of days I've been working from our ad agency's office in the heart of London rather than in the burbs' where our offices are located. Our ad agency is what most of you would imagine an ad agency to look like. The office is extremely modern with very cool furniture, an open layout with flatscreen after flatscreen, the inside is all glass walls so you can stand in the lobby and see all three floors. They even have a free coffee bar inside. I'll have to take some pictures, I'm not doing it justice.

Today, we finished up early and I had some time to kill in order to wait out traffic on the tube. Because the offices are in the heart of London it happens to be on the most famous shopping street in London- Oxford Circus. I figured shopping would be a good way to kill time :) I'm not sure how many of you have heard of a store called TopShop, I hadn't until I came here. It's similar to H&M. Everyone kept telling me I had to go the TopShop on Oxford St. I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. NOW I DO! This place is my mecca. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. I spent four hours in there tonight and I barely scratched the surface. This is there flagship store so it's got everything. When I say everything I don't mean accessories, shoes, and clothes, that's childs play. I mean a nail bar, a place to get a blow out, a candy shop, a grooming salon, a concierge, and a restaurant. I was amazed, this place was a one stop shop! You could get your nail dones, get your hair done and find a fabalous outfit all in one place. Whoever designed this store is a genius! It's every girls fantasy, including mine. Don't even get me started on the clothes. Four levels of the most fashionable coats, dresses, pants, shirts, shoes I've ever seen. It took all the will power I had to not max out out my credit card in this place. I walked away with only a scarf (cause it's getting colder each day) and a pair of tights. But give me two months and I'll be the poster child for this store. Bye Bye Banana hello TopShop!

Brrr!!!!

Today was officially cold in my book! I walked out of my flat this morning and saw the air coming out of my breath. All I could think of was the warm California sun. Everyone was bundled up and ready to brave the cold except me. All I have right now is a thin jacket. All of my stuff is still in storage damn it! I would have given anything for my wool coat, scarf, and gloves. To top it off when I get to work everyone tells me this is nothing?? Help me!!!!!

Sunday Funday!

This was one the best weekends since I've been here. The weekend started out dim since I had no plans to speak of. Then Saturday night around 8ish I got a text message from this guy Neel who my friend Tenielle (girl i went to UCSB with) had introduced me to. He and I went out in an area called Balham/Clapham South. Very young, fun crowd and tons of bars! My kind of town. Our first pub was called George. Nothing special as far as pubs go but it was a good place to start the night. We watched a little rugby, which is quite the violent sport! From here we headed to a great bar called Clarence. It was voted Bar of the Year. It was very vintage looking, had great music playing with tons of people inside and out. Four vodka tonics in I noticed Neel and I starting to flirt. Funny, what a couple of drinks can make you do. I kept thinking I'm in this bar in London, flirting with someone who is practically a stranger, and having the best time. This is exactly why I came here! After the bar kicked us out I was ready to head home but not before Neel and I partoke in some late night munchies. At home, that would consist of Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, whatever fast food joint is open. In London, people go to these really shady fried chicken and kebab houses for their fix. Let's just say a kebab is a sure fire cure for a hangover.

Today, (Sunday) I spent the entire day with "V". It was the perfect day- dim sum, shopping, a walk in park. What else could a girl ask for! We started out with dim sum in the Baker St. area of London. This place had delicious dim sum, it reminded me a lot of the places I've been to San Francisco, which in my opinion is the best dim sum ever! From here we decided to catch a movie. Whatever you do, do not go see Shoot Em' Up. It has got to be one of the worst movies I'v ever seen in my life. I blame "V". I wanted to see Bourne Ultimatum. "V" then suggested we go shopping so I forgave him for his bad movie choice. We walked along Regent and Oxford Streets which are the major shopping areas in London. Every store you can imagine is on these two streets. I was loving it. The day ended with a walk through Hyde Park. We walked by this one area of the park called Speakers Corner. Basically, it's a forum for people to speak their minds. They get up on a stool and start saying whatever they want. It could be about religion, government, entertainment, war, whatever.. It was fascinating to watch. And then, we feed squirrels. Who does that?

It was a bit of a surreal moment for me, as I was walking through the park with "V" today. I'm not sure why but this feeling came over me that my life was beginnning to change and I was starting to change as a person. I guess I should feed squirrels more often :)

Fried to the Bone!

I don't think I've ever worked harder in my life then I did this week! Whoever said frying chicken was easy, was wrong! Did anyone even say that? Maybe it was me...?? I was assigned a KFC restaurant inside one of the biggest train stations in London- Victoria Station. It's essentially in a giant food court with a ton of other eateries. Naturally, we're next to a McDonalds. Here's a picture of the outside.

The goal is for me to train on every facet of the restaurant for the next two weeks. Day one was centered around what we in the biz call the back of the house. Basically, where all the magic happens. If you've ever wondered what it looks like in a back of a restaurant here's a glimpse.

After getting a brief overview of the Back of the House I learned to make all the sandwiches on the menu. Here in the UK they call them burgers even though they're all made with chicken not beef. By the end of the day I was master at making Zingers, Fillet Towers, and Mini Fillets. See I can cook! After day one I was ready to pass out by the time I got home and I did. Being on my feet for 8 hours straight was no small feat. I'm so used to sitting at a desk all day that my entire body was drained of all energy.

The next couple of days were focused on the chicken, the bread and butter of the business. They prepare the chicken from scratch everyday from start to finish. After I was trained on quite an extensive process of how to prepare the chicken, beginning with how to make the seasoning to using the fryer I was ready to do my own batch. By the way I'm now privy to the Colonel's secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices! Let's just say it was 10x harder than it looked. Look at me go!

My batch turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. After one batch I was ready to turn in the towel. I personally didn't enjoy handling raw chicken, having to break bones, and dealing with the blood. I was ready to move onto something new. Their is one crew member in the restaurant who does this every single day(M-F) for 8 hours. What amazed me was how much he geniunely enjoyed his job. He takes pride in making the chicken and wants the customer to get the best chicken possible. I really admired him for his attitude and work ethic.

By weeks end I was exhausted. I still have one more week to go. Monday, I tackle the front counter. It's all about serving the customer and learning the cash register. Let's hope I don't screw it up.

P.S. A lot of you have been asking me what's going on with "V". We went out to dinner earlier this week and tonight we're going out again. He's been a great friend, I'll leave it at that.