Shopping Prices

I thought a few of y'll might like to know what I'm spending on the average item... Now remember South Africans times the amounts below by 15 to get an aprox as to what this would be costing in direct exchange and then find out how much the amount is. Not forgetting I earn on average: R3225 per week.

Shopping done today at Tesco:

Peperami Individually Packaged Salami Hot Sticks (5 pack) - £2.18 (on special buy 1 get 1 free)
Digital Photo Magazine - £4.99
Pc Advisor Magazine - £4.99
Serrated Kitchen Knife - £0.78
2L Evian Water - £0.75
British Style Ready Meals (Cumberland Sausage Pie + Cumberland Pie + Roast Chicken Pie) - £4.00 (special buy 3 for £4)
British Style Ready Meal (Beef and Mash) - £1.75
White Seedless Grapes - £1.35 (£1.97 per kg)
Dove Gradual Tan 200ml Body Lotion - £4.98 (on special buy 1 get 1 free)
Travelers First Aid Kit - £4.99
Mud Face Mask (2 applications) - £0.99
Airwick Gel Freshner (lasts 4 weeks) - £1.98
Can of Fizzy Passion Fruit Drink 340ml - £0.35
Vit C Chewable Tabs 500mg - £0.86 (on special buy 1 get 1 free)
Colgate Total Toothpaste 100ml - £1.67
Heinz Spaghetti Hoops - £0.38

Snowy

I want to share my experience of snow for all those who've never had it or don't fully appreciate it.

I have seen snow before when I was 10 or 11 while on a camp in Howick on a farm. We traveled there in our bakkie (US: truck, UK: Flat Bed) and it was so muddy we were lucky that it didn't get stuck *good driving mom* . While there on I think the 3rd day or so it started to sleet one day and we thought that was gonna be it. The next day we woke I can only assume that the camp leaders had gotten a message on their radios coz after breakfast we were pilling up in the vans and went off to see the snow. There were limited pairs of gum boots (UK: wellingtons) and only one size 7 which was my size of course this boy grabs them and refuses to do the gentlemanly thing by letting me use them. So I was "playing" in the snow with my old holey takkies (UK/US: trainers) on. Needless to say that wasn't the best first experience of snow for me. Crappy shoes, no gloves and only track pants. I do remember sitting in front of the fire when we got back thou, to thaw my feet out.

Anyway so one of the reasons that I was so excited to come to England was to experience the snow. It had been bloody cold for 2 months and all I had seen was true frost for about 2 days. I was like a head light when I first saw the frost, it was magical and so so beautiful. If I wasn't going to work I would've taken photos. That was only around for 2 or 3 days and there was no sign of the snow.

After moving to London I was hoping that there was finally going to be some snow. But the lightly hood of that happening was nil, as London is warmer and the seasons were supposed to be changing around now. There were however ppl who were saying that the weather was supposed to just be getting colder.
After being in London for 1 week and getting a job I was off to work for my 3rd day of training. After getting ready for work the sun was just coming up at 8am while I was checking I had all of my things I looked up and saw that it had snowed. First thing out of my mouth? OH MY GOD . I was in total shock, I never say those words. I honestly thought I was dreaming because I had had dreams of it snowing before all which were of course not true. I was so so so happy, I grabbed my cam and found a bag to carry it in. While walking to work I was smiling my head of like a loony person. It was very very clear that I hadn't experienced this before. Fresh snow!!! AWESOME. I missed the first train to work coz I was standing on the platform taking pictures and had a Russian woman ask me to take a photo. I didn't care tht I missed it, I was so happy to finally have the snow. Enduring all of those cold days was really worth it!!!
Unfortunetly it all melted before 11am, the spread was too thin, so that meant no photo's during lunch.

The newspapers were reporting even heavier falls for the next day - and honestly I believed it. Woke the next morning, of course the first thing I did was look outside. No snow. Oh well I thought, one day was better than none.
I was plesantly surprised thou, as while on the bus to the tube I was looking outside and it started to snow. And what did I do? Yip, get that goofy smile on my face, I could actually feel my brain getting happy. I didn't wanna get into the tube, I wanted to get snowed on. I stood outside the entrance for a while with my hand out stretched letting the snow land on me as I watched. When I got out of the tube and onto the train platform at Islington the snow had stopped. I was still happy that I got to experience it snowing on me.

My next experience was to be in 2 weeks.

Again the weather man predicted snow. This time I didn't believe. But sure as rain the next morning, there was fresh snow all over. And guess what? It was still snowing. I stood at the window and watched, amazed at how it was floating down and the ways the wind was blowing it. When I left for work it was still snowing, pretty hard now. And me again, I was beaming with light. Smiling as I was walking to the bus. 15 mins walking in the snow and then 10 mins waiting at the bus stop, yippee, I was so so happy. My gloves, cap and jacket were dripping as the snow landed on me and then melting. I didn't care, I wanted it to snow until lunch time so I could get some photos. While I was sitting at work looking at the snow outside I was saddened to see it melting so fast but then it started to snow again and my hope of a lunch time photo shoot was revived. Alas all but a little had melted by 2pm which was my lunch time.

I will never forget seeing that first day of snow and the joy I got will the new experience of walking in the snow and watching the drops falling off the brim of my hat peek. It was truly wondrous what mother nature had created and I felt privileged to have experienced it. Coming from a sunny, hot, sticky climate I was truly blessed.

Thank you northern airflow from bringing the snow.

National Insurance

I went for my NI Interview. I wasn't stressing too much I was just worried that I was gonna give some inappropriate answer that would screw up my chances of getting the number. Or even worse would get me in big trouble and I would have to go back home... I haven't earned nearly enough money to go back home or done enough touring!!!

I was told by the agent that I called to book the interview "Get there at least 10 mins early coz if you don't they won't consider seeing you". So I plan to get there 15mins early. Knowing me I leave earlier and actually wind up getting there 30mins early.

After researching which bus to catch and how long it would take to get there I get off at the stop, walk up the wrong street, look at my map and find the right street. Ah ha I see the building. What the hell?!?!? IT ONLY OPENS AT 9!!! Why tell me to get there early?! So I went to find a sunny spot and sat down, lucky me the two ppl next to me decide to light up and puff away. There's nothing worse than ppl that smoke and that's ppl that smoke in their cars and worse than that is ppl who feel the need to smoke at 7am as soon as they wake up! I sat there for about 5 mins thinking, okay their cigs will finish just now... THEY DIDN'T. It was really bugging me coz being the smoke attracting machine I am, the damn wind is blowing my way!!! I tell you the fire brigade should hire me to stand in a certain place for all the smoke to come towards me so they can see to fight the fires!!! It's ridiculous.
What was I saying?...
So I was getting pissed off but didn't wanna move coz the sun was warming me up and I'd made myself comfortable. The smoke proved too much and I got up and tried to storm off to show my disgust (I don't think it worked). I then stood in what looked like the next best sunny place, but I was leaning against a stone wall, cold very very cold. Still it was in the sun at leadt. As I waited I saw the pile of ppl outside the doors growing, I'll be damned if they were gonna get in before I was!!! Eventually at 8:55 I walsed my way past the ppl and stood in front of the door. It was like the January sales when the security guard opened the doors (2 mins late I might add). The front of house person announced that NI applications are on the 5th floor, next thing everyone turns like sheep being herded by a sheep dog and walking to the lifts. Four of us get in the first lift and then 3 more ppl decide to cram in, hee hee hee, the voice says - this lift is over crowded so the 3 get back off. 2 dudes get off on the 3rd floor and there is me and a chinese woman left. YIPPEE, now I'm thinking about beating her out the lift and hoping that the other lift hasn't beaten ours.
Well I never beat her out the lift (she was too large for me to push past). But at least we beat the other lift. We both handed our reservation letters in and were told to sit and wait. We only waited for about 2 mins and the ppl called out our names.
I got someone by the name of Ruth. She was nice enough. I was now waiting for all these questions. I handed over my paper work (letters, payslips, proof of address, visa details etc). Ruth photocopied everything and then went on filling in the forms. All she asked me was if I had family in the UK and how I arrived in the country as well as when I started work...
The Spanish woman getting interviewed next to me was getting grilled!!! 40 mins later and all the paperwork was filled out. Ruth gave my passport and ID to go to data entry. As I sat waiting for the docs to be returned I saw Ruth interviewing her next person. A Polish man with a woman to interpret. Ruth wasn't impressed that he had been working since August and hadn't made the NI application earlier nor had he learnt any more English than hello and kiss my arse (not literally). I've gotta say Ruth had it easy thou, the lady behind me was interviewing a Polish man too and he didn't speak a word of English but understood it, she was having a really hard time. That dude then came around to ask the girl that was at Ruth's desk if she can come help him... Ha, I wonder how long she was going to be there for... To be very honest, I can't understand how ppl can come and live in a country and they don't know the language, I holiday is okay, but actually living and getting by day to day on no English is just stupid to me. I mean at to not have even learnt any at all, that's crazy...

I sat for the next 30 mins waiting for my documents to came back. I wasn't worried about the waiting, but I did have a monster pee on board!!!
EISH, WENNA how can I publish that?! well I just did...
And I was beginning to wonder how I got off so easily. Coz the foreign language speaking ppl were getting grilled, mother's maiden names, first thru to current addresses, how long are they staying, why are they here, are they going for English lessons - and more...

And that was that, it was off to find the bus out of this dodgy town and then off to work. ARGH, wake at 6am and only get home at 11pm wind up sleeping at 1am or so after watching a movie.

Life is tough I tell you but it's all worth it in the end!

No Jacket Day

Today was the first day without a jacket for me, granted it was midday and the sun was shining. Still thou that's saying something!
This dude called me think on the phone t work today and started swearing at me, bloody wanker... He'll get what's coming to him, in fact I have it on good authority that he is gonna drive into a pole in the near future, cutting his head on the steering wheel leaving a nasty scar. Yip, karma is a killer.

So my question for toady is: why is it called soft ice?
I saw an ice cream van while getting on the bus after work this afternoon and it had soft ice written on the front and sides, of course with the pictures of products all over the outside. And ice isn't soft so why call it soft ice? Ice is hard and not that tasty (even thou I love eating it) so how did soft ice come along? It's soft serve and ice cream as far as I know and the English mate I have from work whom catches the bus with me couldn't explain it either... MMMM, me thinks it don't make sense.

The latest topic that I'm seeing in papers most of the time is "Child Poverty". The parents of kids who are living in one roomed places that include the kitchen and bathroom in that one room are complaining that the government isn't doing anything for them. You know what I think? Stop having children DAMNIT! If you know you can't support yourself properly use a condom, take the pill, both of those are free. Should you get pregnant after using those two, learn from your mistakes and close your legs!!! The thing is a lot of girls are having r have had kids coz of the governments arse about face policy that they would give houses to all the single girls under 18 and older than 16 if they were moms. Now look what take that funding away and what have you got? A problem of too many kids, poverty and a vicious cycle. But on the same token, it takes two to tango and I believe if the mother know who the father is she should report him and then extra taxs should come out of the fathers pay cheque, that would surely encourage a hard penis to go abit softer more often?

What did I do this evening after making my supper, oven cooked ready meal? I proceeded to spill it on my hand and burn it. God, I'm a numbnut!!! I burnt myself with tea once and that lasted like 4 days, at least I didn't have to work for 2 days. Now I have no choice. Lucky I click with the right hand... But I'll really need to go to the pharmacy and buy some medical supplies now. Funny how I thought about it a few weeks ago and now look. Well they do say always follow your instincts.

Another Nations rugby match was played today and where I work in Richmond, Twickenham Stadium is just a 30 min walk away. So all the fans come by train to Richmond and then catch buses for 50p to the stadium. What does this mean at lunch time? Over crowded pavements, roads and shops. Not to mention full buses going home and drunk ppl leaving the pubs just when you wanna go home. The matches usually finish at 5pm so ppl stay for that final beer and leave at 6pm when we leave work. There are of course the good things. The feel of the English patriotism. And even ppl dressed up. In the first match the England vs Scotland match there were ppl all over in white shirts and other ppl in kilts. It was totally awesome, seeing really Scottish ppl in there dress, socks, shoes and lack of underwear too I'm sure.

Check: another experience off my list.

I really wanted to go and watch the England vs France match today. Little old me goes and looks for internet prices thinking innocently, ja they'll be like £70 or so. NO FREEKY WAYS, £270 at the cheapest are you bloody mad?! So that was no no, maybe I can find a special package for the world cup, question is would I go by myself that is?