SNOW!

LOOK GUYS- ITS SNOWING!!!!!


today was the day it finally happened!!!!

yep.

it snowed.

it was really beautiful the way it floated down to the street.

i wish i had my camera with me- but i guess there will be \PLENTY more oppurtunities.

just a quick note to say that tonight as i made my way to the bus stop to the bus stop at 1.30am it was a nice jiffy -10'C.

yeah.

MINUS ten degrees.

insane.

i had the most bizarre thing happen to me today....................


on christmas eve because the owner of the club is holidaying in miami with the 18 year old of the week my manager bought everyone at work a little bottle of champagne for christmas ( what a sweetheart)

(the commer button on this computer is refusong to work so i will have to use ¬ that symbol in stead!

anyway- starting the shift off with a little bottle of champers kind of set the tone for the rest of the night......suffice to say that by the time it came to closing we were all SHIT FACED¬

i realise that that is a quite vulger term but i really do feel that it is the only accurate way to describe all of our enibriated conditoins.

the bar was paying for us to all car pool home in taxis as there is NO public transport that day¬ and if they didnt pay¬no-one would have been able to work!

We had four people in my cab and it went for about half an hour and as i was the last one out¬i paid him the £95 fee!!!!!!!

that is THE most expensive cab ride i have ever had!

anyway¬ when i woke in the morning i had a quick run to the toilet and did the whole "hug the bowel for 15min thing" - it was the classic " IM NEVER DRINKING AGAIN!" moment.

suffice to say i could barely make my way back to bed- let alone going to help all the marmie women taht would be cooking at the homeless shelter St.Vincent de Paul place.

and to be totally honest i just wanted to stay in bed all day and christmas quietly pass. it is so cold that it doesnt really feel like christmas anyway- everyone here thinks i am a completely WIERDO when i say that!

anyway i did wake to a heap of great christas messages from engalnd veitnam and austraila and i had something like 16 missed calls!

someone loves me!
YAY!!!


i appreciate everyones thoughts and well wishes!

ANYWAY- on to the bizarre thing that happened to me today-

i decieded to brave not only the cold but also the insane amount of people who would be trying to grab some boxing day bargains.

Hailea- you will loove this -

i found a designer store that had a huge sign that said "70% off"¬ and you know how much i love a bargain¬ out the front was the coolest Dolche and Gabba brown leather jacket. it was really funky and retro and i was like "YES!" that is my christmas present to myself. i went inside and tried it on.

fit perfeclty. that NEVER happens to me.

then i was even more stoked.

then i looked down at the tag...

REDUCED TO ONLY £379

WTF.

as you can imagine i quickly put it back on the shelf and remonded my self why i own no gucci and d&g or calvin clein or armani stuff.

stick it with the op shops i say.

So i went back to my original plan- go to a bookshop and buy auntie jayne the book she asked me to get that you cant buy in oz and i thought i would buy "brokeback Mountain" by annie Proulx which has been made into a movie. i have read it before but i am going to see the movie with some friends so i thought i would read through it again.

i couldnt find a.jaynes book but i did find my one- but it was made into a collection of short stories instead of the one and it wqas too expensive so i left it there.

i then made my way to a coffee shop tp warm myself up with a hot chocalte before heading home when i sat on the chair you would never guess what i found there.....

a original copy of brokeback mountain.

just sitting there on a chair.

it was like someone had left it there for me.

it was surreal.

i dont really believe in hocus pocus stuff- but i will say maybe JUST maybe- there is a christmas spirit after all.....

i am off to bed now- hope everyone had a great boxing day. i am off to read my book.

merry christmas

Love xO

FINALLY I HAVE A HOUSE

well it took a while and was one hell of a drama but at least i have finally got a place to live.


me and laura went to have a look at the house yesterday before work and before we even got off the t ube we looked at each other and said "you know what..... i dont care if it has broken windows and is rat infested- lets just take it."

when we arrived at the house it is in a block of council estate flats ( housing commision flats) and there were two or four black guys who looked liked druggies meadering out the front ( it is about 30 meters from a main road to the elevator)

over to our left there as a mosque.

when we hopped in the elevator we had to cover our mouthes and noses from the smell of piss.

and i thought to myself- i have lived in housing commision in wollongong and sydney and i have lived in rough areas in austraila- but its not london- maybe i am out of my depth here....

then as the levator doors opened we walked out onto the 7th flood and turned around to the balcony and we both just gasped..........

there in front of us was a view of the entire city of london.

big ben.

the london eye.

the thames.

all the buildings in canay wharf.

it was a majical view.

we both jumped up and down and hugged each other.

after jumping around squeeling like little kids we calmed ourselfs down with lots oif deep calm breathes, we go and knock on the front door to meet the owner, still expecting a trashy little housing unit.

when he opens the door we see possibly one of the nicest flats i have EVER seen.

new paint. new carpet. new kitchen. new bathroom. designer furniture. central gas heating. double glazed windows. and because the flat is on the corner of the building we have 360 degree view of london from 7 floors up.

in london all of the buildaings are so old that they are pretty much all 4 or stories high. its not like in sydney where most of the buildings are quite new so they have heaps of sky scrapers. to have a flat that high up is rare. all this and it is in zone 1.
the tube is set out as inner city is zone 1 then there further out you go the further the zone ( it goes up to like 3 or 4 - after that you are leaving london)

its about a half hour walk from the west end.

AMAZING.

cannot wait to move in. the owner is moving to spain and he wants to keep his flat incase he wants to come back - we are signing a six month lease which suits me fine.

i am soooooo excited you have no idea!

we move in on the 3rd of january.

wwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooo

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

only two sleeps till christmas and i still havent sent everybodys presents.

i have bought them ( i shopped early this year in thailand mostly) but be rest assuered they will be on there way.

the hostel i am staying at is the same one as before but it is really quiet now as most people are home for christmas, which is GREAT.

one of the rooms with four bunk beds in it is empty and i spoke to the owner and he is letting me have that room to myself because i have bben ther eos long now they all know me. its nice to have my own space. if more people come though i will loose that privacy but it is only tempoary now so that is GREAT.

merry christmas/happy hannuka everyone and stay safe.

more up dates next year.....


btw- am am off to but the new usb cord RIGHT NOW.

so stop nagging me mum. when you nag me it only make s me procrastinate more.

:-)


xO

phew.



what a weekend man!

talk about your drama!

well we were all set to move into the house on saturday, when phillipa, one of the girls that was moving in- starts stressing out and getting all worked up...

it seems we had to supply a bank statement that showed the last three months of transactions.

this is easy to obtain if you do internet banking- which nether i or laura the other girl do- and we could only get "mini statements"

so we spoke to the real estate agent who was like " yeah look they are fine- we just need to see that you have an income coming in basically. the mini statement will do for now, and just fax us over the three month ones when they arrive in the post."

so cool, right?


WRONG.


phillipa some how had it in her head that the real estate agents were just after our money and were going to not let us get the house and not return our bond money-

i tell you what- it was surreal-

does anyone remember when Mariah Carey had her nervous break down? THAT is what phillipa was like.

she was saying stuff like "oh! i have to drive over to the other side of london and they wont let us get the house"

"phillipa, i have spoken to the real estat agent- they are fine- they are waiting for us to go and get the keys"

"oh but i have to drive to the other side of london to get there!!!!"

"yes phillipa. thats where the real estate agent is remember- we were there yesterday. you already know that we have tp pick up the keys for the house. what is the problem"

she was just HYSERTICAL. IRRATIONAL. it was a full on freak out.

Her sister and mother rang me up trying to tell me that "phillipa is very upset. you dont understand owen, if you and laura dont get a three month statemnet to them on monday you will loose all your money."

i was trying to explain that i had actully spoken to the real estat agent who assured me that this was not the case. it wouldn't belegal and no-one could work out why phillipa was carring on. bu ther mother was pandering to her instead of slapping her face and saying "SNAP OUT OF IT AND WAKE UP TO YOURSELF"

i mean, th e agent even rang us and said "tell phillip to calm down."

and so she rebooked the picking up of the keys to monday.

me and laura were left flabbergasted.

you think i would be used to "phillips" carrying on but it seems i havent!!!

lol.

anyway- the whole bloody expereience just made me and laura look at each other and go

"you know what? i dont think i want to live with her now."

so we arnt.

i am a 23 year old man and i havce plenty of experience renting property and i didnt appreciate phillips mother and sister on my phone talking to me like i was a child.

i mean how would she carry on when we left our wet towels on the floor?
or we wanted to listen to music intead of watching tv?
or someone used the last bit of milk for a coffee?

it means we loose the holding deposit for the house, and the real state agent called me again to day and wanted me to explain what was phillipas problem.

which i couldnt because she was just being an irrational head case.

i told the agent me and laura were no longer comfortable moving in with her to which the agent replied " i can complately understand"

it sucks that we lost about £100 each but when i think of the drama it will save us- me and laura consider it a bargain.

i am having trouble explaning exactly how hyserical she was.

at one stage said " look we have had to calm phillipa down because she is quiet distressed."

and the whole time i was thinking "who is this woman? why is she talking to me like this?"

so yeah....#



back to where we began.

me and laura are going to get a place together instead.

we are looking at a place tommorow that sounds o.k

but we are more excited about a place in Elephant & CAstle ( yes that is what the suburb is called FOR REAL!!! "elephant and castle" how bloody wierd)

anyway is a two bedroom place on the seventh floor of an old council estat buiding and it includes counicl tax and electricity and it is £185/week. it is right in the middle of the city and in zone1 which will save us heaps on transport.

( isnt that funny hailea- it sounds just like the place in surrey hills doesnt it?!)
so yeah.

the worst thing is i guess that i will be stying at a hostel for christmas.

:-(


not to worry.

if it all goes well we can move into this place on th e3rd of jan.

love you all.

have a merry christmas.

xO

POST No57................................


well i have been blogging on this for a while now...

almost running out of things to say....


yeah right!!!!!


well last night i thought i left my wallet on the bus and thank god i had just left it at the office at work!

i know this might surprise you all but i have actully NOT LOST MY WALLET SINCE I WAS 15 YEARS OLD.

(yeah i might of lost a few phones- but NO wallets)

anyway here is a few little tibits of updates....

havent heard back form the real estate agent as yet....

have decided that i am NEVER again posting about wether i am seeing someone or not as it seems as soon as i do it goes from hot to cold the exact INSTANT i write about i. wtf. god so annoying. i really liked this one too. nothing dramatic has happened. the last text message i got was rather, i dunno, it wasnt exactly bad, it was "good night, going to sleep now, see you around". which is not exactly great.

i would have instead preferd, "wow, i had an amazing time hanging out with you and cant wait to see you again."

was hoping to catch up for lunch to day but doubt that will happen now.

they did say they would be busy monday and tuesday- but today is wednesday! C'Mon!!!

i am being dramatic i know. cant help it. i need to chill out or i wil come off sounding desperate.

lol.


other news is.....


it seems safer to be in london then sydney these days!

jeez louise!!!!

i guess it was only a matter of time before all the underlying tension between the surfers and lebs bubbled away to boiling point.

i think they all need to stick to their own areas. dont go to a mosque in lakembla to start trouble and dont go to cronulla beach to start trouble.

bad bad bad.

where is all the christmas spirit?

i havent bought the usb cord yet as i am having to save all my pounds ££££ for my bond money- dont want to have to borrow any $ so am saving my arse off.

anyway- everything else is as it should be so happy with that.

am really just counting down the days untill i get to move into my own house.

i know sara and raya the girls i am staying with probably cant waot to have thier lounge room back as well!

i owe them so much. dont think i could have survived in a hostel all this time.

well i am off to have lunch now, hope all is well and everyone is staying safe and away from roits.

xO

ITS GOOD NEWS WEEK (remember that show?)



o.k



i have been bloody busy.


GOOD NEWS ITEM No.1
yes. i got the promotion at work, and it has been go go go go go go.

i had a few hiccups getting all the stuff worked out but its all running smoothly now thank god.

some of the staff who had been there a while were a bit miffed that i got the position, but they are all really good now. i am not sure if i am enjoying being the boss again, i enjoyed just having fun and not having too much responsiblity but i will do it until christmas then re asses it.

its oretty good on the resume-- supervising on eof the biggist clubs in europe.

GOOD NEWS WEEK ITEM No.2
i have found a place- as long as all of our references check out, we will be moving into a house in brixton - right next door basically to the brixton academy ( do your london map web searches for the brixton academy now kids!)

i can see the venue from my window. it is in zone two i think so that should save me cash with travel.

i will be paying about £70/ week. it is a really nice place and is spacious and we are converting the attict in to a lounge room! how cool!!!!!

i really cant wait, i loved living with hailea but i am excited about finaly getting my own place.

i am fully stoked and JUST CANT WAIT to move in.

i am hanging out to unpack my suitcase.

GOOD NEWS WEEK ITEM No3
dont want to jinx things too much like i did last time, but i think its safe to say i am no longer single.....

i will tel you all breifly though, the lucky one taht has to put up with me is....
24 years old.
tall.
dark hair.
blue eyes.
works as a PA in a london media PR firm.

thats all that i am saying as i REALLY like this one and i am terrified i will jinx things and make them dissapear.

we met through my boss, who introduced us.

we have met for lunch and in my lunch break everyday since we met....( thus the lack of time on the net...)



GOOD NEWS WEEK ITEM No4
my bout of homesickness has finally eased away.

i was at one stage for about two weeks after angela left, ready to come home.
i was like- this is shit. its cold. every thing cost a million £££££ and i want to go home.

i am glad i stuck it out- now i have a good job... good partner.... good house...

chrsitmas is looking better everyday.


BAD NEWS ITEM No1

why is it one of my best friends decideds to have a baby while i am away...? jasons and sarah are expecting a baby in 7 months,

BAD NEWS ITEM No2
why is on of my best friends decideds to get marreid while i am away.....? nicolle and jack getting hitched on jan 14th,

why cant everyone just stay in frozen and not do anything till i get home.

i missed pops 60th, an d i will miss megans 18th as well.

its so unfair!!!!!


miss you all.


i want everyone to send me an email to say hello and merry christmas.

thats on order!

owenkungfoomaster@hotmail.com


love

xO