The self esteem lowering experience that is.... shopping

Well, I hit the sales today, and I can confirm: I am between sizes, neither one nor the other, so I have the twin mortifying experiences of trying to squeeze myself into the lower size, or trying on the larger size, and watching it swim depressingly around me, which somehow also serves to make me look fat. Depressing. Then you have to stand in the changing room wearing your bad bra (because shopping is always an impulse is it not) listening to 15 year old girls scream about how FAT their arms are. Compared to barbie, perhaps. Compared to normals? No. In the end I purchased two dresses (different sizes, naturally) and came scurrying home to try on some of my OLD clothes, satisfying myself that they still fit. This leads me to conclude that the sizes are getting smaller since last year I fit perfectly well into the lower size, and I still fit them perfectly well. SO this year, the sizes are a tiny bit smaller. Poor me.

In other news, I have been working, not studying and applying for jobs. Joyous. Tomorrow is the new financial year though, and Monday my sister arrives. Can't wait!

Summer unemployment rears its ugly head.

Well, technically I have a job. But, in a manner frighteningly synonymous with this time last year, I am sat at my computer searching and applying for billions and billions of jobs. Only this time, the stakes are higher, because after September I am no longer a student: I'm just unemployed. Shudder. Although I think I could handle it. Anyway, with the job searching comes the questions: where should I go? How much money do I need to live? Should I do an internship first? Do I want to be a lawyer? And on and on and on. And in the end, life is so confusing and difficult, you just have to switch off the computer and watch some television. Which is exactly what I plan to do once I have posted this entry.

In other news, today is my half birthday (woo! 22.5!) and also one year and one day since I moved away from the lucky country. How sad. I'm sitting here trying to take stock and decide what I've learned and how I've grown, but I think I am probably the wrong person to judge that. However, in the interest of learning, here is a list of the five best things about living in London, followed by the five worst.

Best things:
1) You can wear whatever you want and no one bats an eyelid.
2) Plenty of good looking men everywhere.
3) Easy access to Europe.
4) Cultural sights etc.
5) Even though for legal reasons you don't, you always know that if you wanted to, you could stalk a celebrity.

Worst things:
1) You can wear whatever you want and no one bats an eyelid. I mean really, it's the social pressure that prevent fashion errors!
2)All the good looking men are gay/taken/ass holes.
3) You can't afford to go to Europe.
4) After the first few cultural sights, you get bored, go to the movies, then realise that in the last 12 months, most of the icons of London you've seen have been at the cinema.
5) Family being so far away :(

It really has been a while.

Well I took a break from you, study, life in general while I was in Australia, but now that blissful time is over and I am back in London, where the sun is beaming weakly down from above making a half hearted attempt to instil a sense of summer into us all. Ah well.

Yes AUstralia was lovely and my interviews went fine, I think, although I'm not holding out a lot of hope for either of them. It was great to spend time with my family, eat way too much and be generally lazy. Perfect holiday! On my way back I even got a free flight to use within six months and a free upgrade, because my flight has been overbooked. Score! So the flight was good too. Shockingly.

And now I am back in London, and reality is setting back in. The following concerns jump to mind: I have to write my dissertation!!! I have to earn some money!!! I have to find a job!!! The last one is clearly the most pressing. Mid August would be the preferred starting date. So if anyone has anything...... call!

Also, I have moved flats. Yes, I now live above my church, so no more excuses for being late or missing meetings, ever. Oh well. The price you pay for location, haha. But it's a nice flat, although I am hearing horror stories about nosy neighbours.... better not try anything with me!

So that's all. Three weeks boils down into a few paragraphs. I will try and be more entertaining tomorrow!

I'm hungry, but not to worry, my mother is cooking for me.

So I am at home, as promised, and have only just recovered from what was easily the WORST jet lag of my life. This is because I flew from London to Singapore to Sydney to Canberra (where I stopped off for an 8 hour interview) then Perth. So I left Tuesday evening and got into Perth Thursday evening. No sleep in between. It was hell. But the good news is I made my interview, against all the odds. This meant taking a taxi, running, not checking luggage and being very rude by pushing in front of people. But i made it! Just. Then I had to sit through hours of aptitude tests and psychological evaluations. Since I am probably crazy, I doubt that I will get the job. Hopefully they will let me know if I am a time bomb waiting to explode insanity all over the world though. That would be top.

And now I am home, back in the familial embrace, being fed by my mother, and mocked by my father. Ah, the wonders of home. It's nice though. The odd thing is that it is around the same temperature here as it is in London. Hmmm....

Another interview on Wednesday (tomorrow). Fingers crossed!