finally get to update. Im staying at an old high school friend's (Eric) flat in East London tonight with Corie. His apartment is really nice. Its a semi-studio/apartment near Canary Wharf. So good to have internet access at home and not at an internet cafe.

my sterling is being swallowed up in London. Everything is more expensive than Australia....by a lot. A coffee in a cafe in lets say Leceister Square is £3.50. Thats around AUD 8!! last night I went to Funky Buddha in Mayfair (Monopoly!l lols...Im told Park Lane is not nearby) and my friend Chris ordered vodka orange which costed £8.00...multiply that by 2.5! psycho yea? and the entrance fee to the club is I think £15..although we got it £5 cheaper..but still. so I dont think ill be clubbing much here. While the venue was really nice..the music was old school.

tomorrow marks the end of my first week in London. I feel I have been here a lot longer because I have been going out every day. Ill just blame Corie for that...lols j/k. But really, I need to mellow down next week, because Im not going to last long in London (money-wise). Its pretty bad..I have already been to three theatres (two plays and a musical - The Producers by Mel Brooks which was hilarious). The comedy play was called 'What the Butler Saw' which was a bit of a disappointment. Im going to stop watching theatre for a while....but after one more! haha - The Woman in White which I heard is really good. well its by Andrew Lloys Webber, so it should be! Hopefully there is some student tickets available. There are so many theatres in London scattered around Covent Garden and Leceister Square and so many shows each day.

I started interning @ Save the Children office two days ago (Thursday). The office is quite big, but after restructuring it is going to downsize because they are shifting human resources to regional and country offices. Im positioned at the human resources department and the stuff Im doing is research, filing, and helping with the restructuring process. So far its been interesting. On Friday, I sat in on a training session given by my menor to three human resources mangagers (from Pakistan, Mozambique and Angola) who flew in to London to be trained in setting up local recruitment systems. So it was really cool meeting these representatives. I guess the best thing is Im working with people who are passionate about children and having their rights voiced. My hours so far is 9.30 to 5pm but that will change when Uni starts at the end of this month. The office is only a station away by tube from Kings Cross but Im avoiding the tube because its more expensive than the bus. I really really need a bike. The problem with the tube (well two problems) is one, the cost of a journey from one station to the next is the same price as if you are traveling a longer distance but within the same zone..which is a bit silly; and two, there is no mobile reception underground..ahhh

Today, Corie and I met up with Eric and Chris (another old Island School friend - so far in London I have met 4 old high school friends and bumped into 1..Im surprised because I thought everyone has graduated. but that doesn't seem to be the case) in Chinatown for yum cha! It was quite a good meal...actually better than all the cafes/restaurants I have been to so far. including the one last night called Balans. while the decor was nice, the food was mediocre (the drinks were better). and clueless me, I didnt realize that it was a gay cafe/bar. Chris informed me after I finished my meal and only then I studied the people around me and noticed all the tables around me were male diners. Im so silly. Anyways, after yum cha we went to a pub. it isn't one of those traditional looking ones (oh, I heard from somewhere that Australians are known to have a huge beer drinking culture...but I honestly think Britons are more extreme...at lunchtime, I see people having pints of beer. and pubs are like every corner)...but a modern one equipped with huge TV screens (one huge screen and a half dozen smaller screens...all serving the one purpose...for people to watch football matches. Chris is a football fanatic and so watched the England vs. Wales match. I thought Ill sit for a while and leave them there and go shopping but suprisingly, I was drawn to the game! The atmosphere was really good. Everyone was cheering and pumping up whenever England 'nearly' scored and when it finally did the crowed erupted. We got there early, thankfully, because by the time the match started, all the tables were full and people were just standing around. The result was 1:0 England won! Apparently this game is important because it goes towards the points in deciding if England can participate in the World Cup next year in Germany. Afterwards we walked around Regent and Oxford St, went to HMV to buy a DVD, and then hit up Marks & Spencer for junk food. We are now at Eric's place...just had Dominos Pizza delivery (it was rather nasty) and Im now stuffed.

Not sure what plans are tomorrow, but will most likely visit Canary Wharf since we are so near. So finally I will get to see the Thames River. I also would like to visit some markets. I hear there are a lot of markets around central London that sells pretty funky alternative clothes as well as vintage items.

I will try and update soon (prehaps not wise to do so in the office)

Bye