hello London!

✯ WOW- too much has happened to even write about in a blog!! I wish i'd had time to write daily updates but we've been crazy busy!
...London rocks!!
ever since we arrived, its been glorious, sunny and hot, like a proper summer should be and like i didn't expect of london!

i've had so many requests for job interviews that i cant even keep up with them all!
i had my first interview and trial at 'the lanesbourough', a super snobby 5 star hotel in the city, a sea of marble floors, butlers in white gloves and bowler hats who open the door for you and where only millionaire hoighty toighties go.
my trial was as cocktail waitress in the garden bar, where guests come to sip expensive cognac and smoke cuban cigars. one bottle of cognac in the cabinet was from the 1700s and sells for £4000 per shot!!!! regular guests include CEO's, big bankers, hollywood celebrities and royalty.

the designer uniform fit me as if the tailor had sewn it onto me and although i was only a lowly cocktail waitress, i felt like a million dollars in that dress!
all the staff were italian guys except one chatterbox scottish girl who took me aside immediately and warned me that if i have other interviews i should go for them. although the italian guys were all friendly and fun to work with, she warned me 'you expect to get a lot of tips here but you don't because they pocket it all themselves.' the only reason i would act like a servant and suck up to all those rich people, stifling my entire personality like that would be for good tips. the boss loved me and asked me to start the next day... and i decided not to...

we'd spent the first 3 days in london searching for apartments, in the meanwhile staying at jerry's friend balloon's house. balloon, who's away in miami, has a luxurious pad overlooking hyde park, interior decorated with plasma TV's in every room, including over the bath!
the flats we were inspecting were not quite as snazzy ;o)... after a few apartment viewings, we decided on a cosy 2 bedroom apartment in islington, very close to the city, renovated with modern furniture and nice city views. we signed the deal and had to cough up £9000 deposit since we have no credit history or references in london... but the place is nice and we're moving in on wednesday! yay, finally our own home!!!

i had my second interview for 'The Phene' a classy place in chelsea thats been taken over by new owners, renovated and turned into a gastro pub. the manager interviewed me in the pub with construction men working all around us. although it's 2 weeks away from opening, i could see that the place will be beautiful, the concept is really cool and the manager is a good one. I agreed to join the new team and start training on monday!

we met up with my old friend dan, who was one of my best friends and colleagues when i lived in japan. i hadn't seen him since japan, 5 years ago, but he was exactly the same and as with all good friendships, we just clicked back into place like no time had passed. he took us on a pub crawl through islington and over a few pints we caught up on 5 years of news.

i knew i would love london but its even exceeded my expectations! jerry, who'd had a bad experience last time he lived here ten years ago, loves it now as much as i do. he's gotten every job he's applied for including as bartender in a gordon ramsay michelin star restaurant. jerry's friend world's, who's moving in with us, did a trial as a bartender and was offered a bar manager position on the spot!...
welcome to london, the city of opportunities! i'm gonna run to meet the boys in the park before the sun goes down!

love you all! xxxxx