"Hmmmm….. looks like the storm has passed…"

This is the last weekend of my time at Palgrave gardens and man, what a drastic change from the hostel!

First…….. Lets give it to the immigrants!! 

The weekend started with me running around like a headless chook trying to send my passport to get my new visa from the home office. This is the third time I sent my passport to the home office to get them to switch my visa over. The passed 2 attempted failed because the bank account details are either wrong or the payment of my credit card was declined because it went over the limit.

I find the Home Office one of the worst government bureaucracy I have dealt with. They rather send you a 2 page letter rejecting your application than giving you a call about the wrong card details! :(  The Australian High Commission did when I re-applied my passport!! I think this will be the last application I be making in the UK before they change the rule on 29th Feb. Once the new rules come in I will have to leave the country to re-apply for an entrance clearence, itprobably means I have to come back to Australia a bit earlier to reapply for a new visa.

To be honest I spent most of my life as an immigrant and I know how unhelpful immigration office can get,just like Australia they have to pender to the middle Britian’s delusion that they are tough on illegal aliens and upholding “British” values. It will take me  6 years before I can become an British citizen and obtain any benefits and the irony is that my tax during these 6 years would be enough to support 6 Britons. IMO government departments really need to stop seeing us as “applicants” and start seeing us more as “potential customers” that will enrich this country, but I guess the voting public needs to be reassure and I am not part of that voting public. *Sigh* I hate socail myopia in people!

End of the Bachelor life (Sort of)

This is the last weekend I am house sitting Eugene’s apartment, would loved to go out on a bang but what I intended to be full on house party kind of turned out to be quiet small “gatherings”. After dealing with my visa issue on saturday, met up with Padriag, Angus and Peter for lunch. The boys bought themselves a kite and we spend most of the afternoon flying the kite in Regents park and it was money well spent! We never ventured into Regents park and it was quite a sight to have such a big park in the middle of this city! Theres easily like 50 soccer fields in the park itself.

Have the boys over for a quiet drink after flying the kite and went out to SIN nightclub that night. TBH the club itself wasn’t that fantastic but we still have a great time. Incidentally the following video is Warrick’s idea.

  
Man does guys like to hang their arses out in front of random’s camera?

Sunday: Have a quick shopping trip down Marks and Spencers for some beddings for my new place and realised I never bought any beddings before!! So do I still need a mattress protector when I have bed sheets? And should I get duck feather, goose down or cotton duvets? All the beddings set me back like 80 quip and I haven’t even got a duvet yet, Ouch! My new place is in Angel and its London version of Newtown in Sydney. Lots of bars and trendy restaurants, close to the city and pack full of shops for all my needs! All of these are just 5 mins walk from my new place. Sarah is also only like 10 mins walk away as well!!

Have the boys back at my place for pizza, Wii and DVD afternoon. Theres definitely perks in having your own flat like all your friends over with one phonecall, however it can get a bit lonely and it takes a bit of effort to get out to socialise with your friends. Six months in the hostel with no privacy and one month in an apartment with nobody else but myself, I think I will be happy to settle for the happy medium of a house share for now! But this weekend, I will just settle having a bit of a boys weekend for now!!

Hmmm…….. Tarkan gave me a quick call on friday and say hes back in town, but there is no sign of him this weekend. Maybe its time for a search party!     

“Hmmmm….. looks like the storm has passed…”

This is the last weekend of my time at Palgrave gardens and man, what a drastic change from the hostel!

First…….. Lets give it to the immigrants!! 

The weekend started with me running around like a headless chook trying to send my passport to get my new visa from the home office. This is the third time I sent my passport to the home office to get them to switch my visa over. The passed 2 attempted failed because the bank account details are either wrong or the payment of my credit card was declined because it went over the limit.

I find the Home Office one of the worst government bureaucracy I have dealt with. They rather send you a 2 page letter rejecting your application than giving you a call about the wrong card details! :(  The Australian High Commission did when I re-applied my passport!! I think this will be the last application I be making in the UK before they change the rule on 29th Feb. Once the new rules come in I will have to leave the country to re-apply for an entrance clearence, itprobably means I have to come back to Australia a bit earlier to reapply for a new visa.

To be honest I spent most of my life as an immigrant and I know how unhelpful immigration office can get,just like Australia they have to pender to the middle Britian’s delusion that they are tough on illegal aliens and upholding “British” values. It will take me  6 years before I can become an British citizen and obtain any benefits and the irony is that my tax during these 6 years would be enough to support 6 Britons. IMO government departments really need to stop seeing us as “applicants” and start seeing us more as “potential customers” that will enrich this country, but I guess the voting public needs to be reassure and I am not part of that voting public. *Sigh* I hate socail myopia in people!

End of the Bachelor life (Sort of)

This is the last weekend I am house sitting Eugene’s apartment, would loved to go out on a bang but what I intended to be full on house party kind of turned out to be quiet small “gatherings”. After dealing with my visa issue on saturday, met up with Padriag, Angus and Peter for lunch. The boys bought themselves a kite and we spend most of the afternoon flying the kite in Regents park and it was money well spent! We never ventured into Regents park and it was quite a sight to have such a big park in the middle of this city! Theres easily like 50 soccer fields in the park itself.

Have the boys over for a quiet drink after flying the kite and went out to SIN nightclub that night. TBH the club itself wasn’t that fantastic but we still have a great time. Incidentally the following video is Warrick’s idea.

  
Man does guys like to hang their arses out in front of random’s camera?

Sunday: Have a quick shopping trip down Marks and Spencers for some beddings for my new place and realised I never bought any beddings before!! So do I still need a mattress protector when I have bed sheets? And should I get duck feather, goose down or cotton duvets? All the beddings set me back like 80 quip and I haven’t even got a duvet yet, Ouch! My new place is in Angel and its London version of Newtown in Sydney. Lots of bars and trendy restaurants, close to the city and pack full of shops for all my needs! All of these are just 5 mins walk from my new place. Sarah is also only like 10 mins walk away as well!!

Have the boys back at my place for pizza, Wii and DVD afternoon. Theres definitely perks in having your own flat like all your friends over with one phonecall, however it can get a bit lonely and it takes a bit of effort to get out to socialise with your friends. Six months in the hostel with no privacy and one month in an apartment with nobody else but myself, I think I will be happy to settle for the happy medium of a house share for now! But this weekend, I will just settle having a bit of a boys weekend for now!!

Hmmm…….. Tarkan gave me a quick call on friday and say hes back in town, but there is no sign of him this weekend. Maybe its time for a search party!     

And there is light at the end of the tunnel

Everything happens in Feb! What a month!

First thing first, I have a place to stay now! Signed a lease on Wednesday on a place at Angel so no more stress and run around trying to secure a house share! The place is nice with a big kitchen/lounge room and a really nice garden! I be getting the keys to the house on saturday and considered as “Moved in” than. So thats definitely good news! 

Since this is the last weekend in Eugene’s aprtment, I have lined  up the house for a house party. Bit of a celebration for a new job and now a new place to live. So hopefully I see a few people there having few drinks, music and some good times playing the Wii as well. I have this party planned since last week and determined to have everyone over whether I have a place to stay or not. Now that resolved I definitely in alot happier mood. 

_______________________________

On a sad note, my Grandma passed away this week. It was in a way expected but its never easy when it happens.

Its almost the weekend! Lots of things to look forward to!!!

The finest hour of my life

I know I been putting alot of negatives on this blog. I really wanted to put something positive on these pages. Believe me I tried and I almost have something positive to put on these pages today. Instead I can just have to put a positive “spin” on the current situation.

No, the Baliff didn’t came and I am not typing this in my cardboard box. Eugene called the Baliff and all is ok, not sign of them so one less thing on my hand.

The positive thing I tried to share with you is that I find a place over the weekend and put a deposit down for it. Unfortunately I was gazumped on this offer so I now back on the trail of look out for a flatshare. I was absolutely gutted and felt like getting hit by freight train, I just like to find a place and put this to bed.

So instead of telling you guys that I have a great place to live and a new job to look forward to, I will now say that my spirit is hi and confident that this will sort itself out over the next 2 weeks. Its a big life challenge to me, I am not going to moan about it and will say that this is one of the few things that life throw at you to prove your worth i.e. this is my finest hour.

I am determined to have everyone over my place next saturday and share a drink with my friends. I might have to duck out and see a few places in the afternoon but I am determine not let this undermine this saturday.

Stay tuned! I should have some good news to update you by next update.

   

Guide to Flatshares.

Went back to the hostel last night (Wednesday night) and they organised pre-Valentines Day dinner/party and it was amazing! They put even more effort into it than the Halloween party from a few months ago. Got speed dating and dinner organised! I was really impressed, shame that I missed it and by the time I come back everyone left the party already.  Damn this flatshare makes me envy and sad that I am not part of the hostel family, life and it demands!

After 6 weeks of searching for a flat and viewing 50+ properties and around 20+ rejections, I think I have something to contribute to this world.

Villiageidioit’s guide to flat shares

Part one of one (Hopefully)

Tools of the trade:

Like Pierce Brosnan and his trusty visa card paying for his way around the world, the villiageidioit will never be completed without a few handy tools of his:

• Gumtree – You can try Moveflat or Spareroom.co.uk, but no where matches the mighty Gumtree;
• Google map – The best way to pre-plan;
• Nokia N82 – phone GPS might be a gimmicky but it save my ass numerous times;
• Weekly Z1/Z2 Oyster card – Saves you a bucket load of cash for sure!!

If you have ever look for a flatshare before you might be able to related to some of my experience. You are either absolutely lucky and find the flat first go or you ended up spending like months trying to find a place to live. Rather than examine who is ideal flatmates, lets examine some who WILL not get a flat.

Profile of a flatshare reject:

• Single Male;
• Over 30s;
• Smokers 
• Fat, Balding but yet you are hairy like gorillia;
• Dislike pets; (Epsecially CATS!!!)
• Unemployed;
• BO;
• Lacking GSOH; (Please take note of  the “G”)
• You have a habit; (Even your potential flatmates have their own) 
• From a less desirable ethnic group. (Unless said flatshare is of that ethnic group)

Now lets take a closer examination of the terminology used in your gumtree adverts:

1. “Double Room…..”: A common terms find in ads, if a double bed fits in the room, its a DOUBLE room;

2. “Stone throw away…..”: What? You don’t have trebuchet??

3. “Equally close to Angel and Islington…..”: Should really read “Equally FAR AWAY from Angel and Islington”;

4. “Looking for laid back, friendly people to share….”: Even Charles Manson, Joseph Stalin and Pol Pot think they nice guys, so whats your point??

5. “Seeking female flatmate to complete female household….”:So you enjoy a house filled with Bitchiness and Back-stabbing? At least the toilet seat can stay down!

6. “Seeking male flatmate to complete male household….”: So you enjoy a house with no clean clothes and share with various species of vermins?

7. “Short walk to …..”: Its never too late training for powerwalking in the Beijing Olympics.

8. “Generous…”: Please sir, can I have some more?

9. “Funky household…”: Yep! They are all Big Brother housemates in training!

10. “Live in landlord/landlady”:  And you thought Margaret Thacher was a nightmare to live under, you aren’t seen nothing yet!

11. “Commission Housing”:  Ever live in an area where you don’t quite fit in and the house feels like build by a drunk!

12. “Student household”:  Your life is going to take parrallel to two movies- Old School or Fight Club. Maybe even both.

Viewing can also be a funny event. During the last month I have to say most people I met are ok and I will quite gladly live with. The only one that tended to fell in the wierdo basket tended to be females where the guys seen to be pretty cool. Hmm…… Wonder why?

Some interesting thing that happened during viewings:

Me: “So tell me why you moving out the flat?”

Outgoing flatmates: “Oh! I broke up with Gabby… (Gabby is one of the other flatmates)”

Me: *Oops….*

——————————–

Me: “I wondered where all the over 30s male smokers going to live?”

Potential flatmates: “….I am over 30 smokers….”

Me: *Hmmm…..guess I blew it…..”

———————————

Me: “You know the England football teams are old, they are all over 30s and were good players in their time but not now. People have unrealistic expectation of the side and they really should build from the ground up, bring some new blood in and just write off the next 3 international tournaments.”

Potential flatmate in English Football Jersey: “….Ummm…….. Yeah I agree…….”

Me: *…..Note to self: Don’t bagged out someone’s football team until you became their flatmate……….*   

——————————– 

On a more serious note I needed to find a place by end of this month. Jamie and Eugene and his brother and sister in-law are all coming to this flat in London so I literally have no where to live in Palgrave Gardens in March. I am confident that I should find a place in the next week or 2. *cross fingers*

"Dude! We been SERVED!!!……"

Literally!

I know Feb is the month where everything happens, new job, new place, than I received this in the mail.

Damn! I guess now I know why I have the house for free.

Stay tune! We getting on top of it! Life and its challenges.

“Dude! We been SERVED!!!……”

Literally!

I know Feb is the month where everything happens, new job, new place, than I received this in the mail.

Damn! I guess now I know why I have the house for free.

Stay tune! We getting on top of it! Life and its challenges.

Life of a Londoner

Now that I get a lounge room I can do something that I haven’t done for a while – Watch TV!

Moving out of the hostel has its perks: Its quiet, I have the whole place to my own, I can play with the hamster if I wanted and I have a place to do my push-ups and sit-ups in peace. There are pitfalls: You can so easily become a social hermit if you have internet and TV. So I make it a point to venture back to the hostel at weekend to spend some time with others.

Friday night – It was Nicole’s b’day (Karin’s flatmate) so drop by to Karin’s new place for a house visit. Pimlico is on the Northside of the Thames but it does have “SW1″ as the prefix in the post code. In general anything that consider as South or East is not as good as North or West in London.

  

£1,500 pounds per month for a 2 bed flat view like this? Pretty good value!

Now the flat is in the middle of a big housing commission so the area is not as nice as else where but it still considered as a pretty safe area at night. I am happy that they now moved out of the hostel too and living a life of their own! Also to my surprise Simon moved out of the hostel and now moved in with Karin! I honestly thought that boy will never leave Astor!  So as I been saying all along: Its easier to find a girlfriend with a place than find a place of your own! Here are a few more pics of the cool kids!

 

Saturday - Waitangi Day is basically “New Zeadland Day” where the Brit signed the treaty with the Maoris back in 1840. The long honored traditions of Waitangi Day is to do the Waitangi day pub crawl where you follow the Underground Circle Line and stop at every station to find a pub. All the Kiwis are out in force and unfortunately I cannot join them. I spent my afternoon looking for a flat and it starting to look a bit dire in that department. (I will write another post later on my flat hunting stories.)

Sunday – Chinese new year festival/parade

     

 Australians and Kiwis might prided themselves as an intrepid race and have footprints all over this globe but they are dwarfed by the Chinese in all departments. (Sorry guys! The Chinese been doing it for the last 200 years!)  There is a large Chinese community here in London, I am not sure if London has the oldest Chinatown in the world but it must be pretty close. Chinese new year is a big day on the London calendar with parades and fireworks in Licester Square and stage show on Trafalgar square. I have to say I am a bit underwhelmed as there are way too many people turned out for an event that resembled more as a “Fete” than a fetival for the city of London! There are too many people and there are not enough stalls for the amount of people that turned out.  

Cool thing is that they wired up Leicester Square with firecrackers and blew it all up in one go! Always like the smell of burnt gunpowder and the noise they made! Also bought a few boxes of popers and “poping” them! I haven’t been playing with poppers since I was like 8!

* I will try to update as much as I can. Been running around like a headless chook trying to find a flat by the end of the month! 

"Roots"

Hi all, I see you guys are still here! I am going to be a little behind on the hostel goss from now on.

With the Villiageidioit is in between chapters at the moment (the hostel life to the Londoner life) its good time to write something different, something close to my heart….

“Roots” – The past that shape the way we are today

Spoke to my dad and my extended family, they are all in Hong Kong at the moment gathering for Chinese New Year. Have a chance to speak to my dad, mum, brother, aunties, uncle, my cousin and his girlfriend all in one phone call is a rare occasion. Unfortunately grandma has cancer and the doctor say shes too old to be operate on (Shes 85) means that her time is near. Its one of those happy, warm and fuzzy occasion with a sad undertone.

Thinking about this makes me think about how I ended up in London – In part its the decision of my father and his father. If they choose differently, my life would turned out different and will not meet the people that I wrote about on these pages.

So gather around people! I am going to tell you a brief story of the Lee Family………..

*This is an oral history of family so you have to excuse me if it have “gaps” in the history.*

The Lee family started in the Mei County of the Guangdong province, both my Grandma and Grandpa was borned there and they are of the Hakka ethnic groups. The Hakka has their own dialect of spoken chinese which most mandarin or cantonese speakers cannot understand. My grandma don’t speak cantonese like most of the family, she spoke mostly in Hakka and its difficult to understand. I still remembered that everyone thought I understood Hakka because I was raised by my grandma but in reality most of the time I just make out what she was saying by her tone, body language and picking out a few words in her sentence.

My grandma and grandpa married in my gandpa’s villiage in Moi-Yen. I am not sure how long they live there for or what my grandpa was doing at the time, I wished I knew but I was never told about those times. Than one day the world changed…………

The Japanese invaded China……….

My Grandpa fled his villiage and headed for the British controlled Hong Kong with the views the Brits can hold off the Japanese, but I guess the Brits see Singapore as more valuable port than Hong Kong is so the Japanese occupied Hong Kong with very little resistance. Those times were tough on both my grandma and grandpa. My dad was the eldest in the family but hes not the first born. My grandma has 2 daughters before my dad and neither of them survived the war. My dad was born close to the end of the war. In a way this is the main reason why Chinese have a deep seeded mistrust and hatred for the Japanese – you are hard pressed to find a Chinese family that didn’t suffer in the hands of the Japanese.

My father is a tough cookie: He was tempered in the forges of life at a young age. My dad survived the war and went to primary school till he was 12, than he picked up an apprenticeship with an electronic shop before joining the than Cable & Wireless in radio repairs. (On a side note I doubt any of you guys heard of the days when the whole family will sit around a radio that they rented from Cable & Wireless, very nostalgic.) For reason unknown to me my grandpa decided to retired from work and leave my dad as the sole bread-winner for his parents and his 2 brothers and 2 sisters

My dad has a tough upbringing. He has to step up at such a young age giving up his childhood to upkeep the whole family. He spent his whole life to upkeep others and through this life experience instilled a sense of conservatism and risk averseness in his life outlook. Once he finished with his brother and sisters he pretty much rolled straight onto me, than my brother later on.

I was born at St Teresa’s hospital in Kowloon. Although many of you known me as William Lee, my name at birth is actually Lee Chun Kit. Chinese names have their family name come first. The word “Chun” means handsome/princely and is a common middle word between me, my brother and my cousin. The word “Kit” means outstanding/successful is unique to me. My name was given to me by my grandpa.

Life was pretty good for my family between 1980s and 1990s. Things are stabilising, all my father’s brothers and sisters are grown up now raising their own family and in terms upkeeping grandpa and grandma as well. All looks well even considering Margaret Thatcher ceded Hong Kong back to Deng Xiaoping’s China. Than it all changed again in 1989……..

4th of June in Tiananmen Square………..

With the imminent hand-over of Hong Kong back to China and the fear that the Communist China will be oppressive in handling the colony, my father decided that leaving Hong Kong is the best cause of action. I think my dad thought about emigrating to Canada or the US (Can you imagine me with an American accent??) but in the end decided to migrate to Australia. Let me tell you something that I told nobody before: I wasn’t willing to goto Australia! But as a 12 year old with both his parents wanting to come to Australia I really see no choice but to leave behind my friends and family and step forward into the unknown. I guess that makes me a “reluctant” Australia.

I guess I can tell you more about my time growing up in Australia but I think I will save that for another time………………………… Let just say I grew up fond of my new home country and proud to call myself “Australian”. And now I am here in London on my “rite of passage”.

 

Three generation of the Lee family, through the winds of fortune and twist of fate winded up in corners of this globe. The choices each generation made lay the stepping stones for the subsequent generation to come. I wondered how the choices I made will impact on my children!

Thanks for reading! In the traditional Chinese greeting for the new year, Gong hua feng cho!! Now send me those red packets!!!

“Roots”

Hi all, I see you guys are still here! I am going to be a little behind on the hostel goss from now on.

With the Villiageidioit is in between chapters at the moment (the hostel life to the Londoner life) its good time to write something different, something close to my heart….

“Roots” – The past that shape the way we are today

Spoke to my dad and my extended family, they are all in Hong Kong at the moment gathering for Chinese New Year. Have a chance to speak to my dad, mum, brother, aunties, uncle, my cousin and his girlfriend all in one phone call is a rare occasion. Unfortunately grandma has cancer and the doctor say shes too old to be operate on (Shes 85) means that her time is near. Its one of those happy, warm and fuzzy occasion with a sad undertone.

Thinking about this makes me think about how I ended up in London – In part its the decision of my father and his father. If they choose differently, my life would turned out different and will not meet the people that I wrote about on these pages.

So gather around people! I am going to tell you a brief story of the Lee Family………..

*This is an oral history of family so you have to excuse me if it have “gaps” in the history.*

The Lee family started in the Mei County of the Guangdong province, both my Grandma and Grandpa was borned there and they are of the Hakka ethnic groups. The Hakka has their own dialect of spoken chinese which most mandarin or cantonese speakers cannot understand. My grandma don’t speak cantonese like most of the family, she spoke mostly in Hakka and its difficult to understand. I still remembered that everyone thought I understood Hakka because I was raised by my grandma but in reality most of the time I just make out what she was saying by her tone, body language and picking out a few words in her sentence.

My grandma and grandpa married in my gandpa’s villiage in Moi-Yen. I am not sure how long they live there for or what my grandpa was doing at the time, I wished I knew but I was never told about those times. Than one day the world changed…………

The Japanese invaded China……….

My Grandpa fled his villiage and headed for the British controlled Hong Kong with the views the Brits can hold off the Japanese, but I guess the Brits see Singapore as more valuable port than Hong Kong is so the Japanese occupied Hong Kong with very little resistance. Those times were tough on both my grandma and grandpa. My dad was the eldest in the family but hes not the first born. My grandma has 2 daughters before my dad and neither of them survived the war. My dad was born close to the end of the war. In a way this is the main reason why Chinese have a deep seeded mistrust and hatred for the Japanese – you are hard pressed to find a Chinese family that didn’t suffer in the hands of the Japanese.

My father is a tough cookie: He was tempered in the forges of life at a young age. My dad survived the war and went to primary school till he was 12, than he picked up an apprenticeship with an electronic shop before joining the than Cable & Wireless in radio repairs. (On a side note I doubt any of you guys heard of the days when the whole family will sit around a radio that they rented from Cable & Wireless, very nostalgic.) For reason unknown to me my grandpa decided to retired from work and leave my dad as the sole bread-winner for his parents and his 2 brothers and 2 sisters

My dad has a tough upbringing. He has to step up at such a young age giving up his childhood to upkeep the whole family. He spent his whole life to upkeep others and through this life experience instilled a sense of conservatism and risk averseness in his life outlook. Once he finished with his brother and sisters he pretty much rolled straight onto me, than my brother later on.

I was born at St Teresa’s hospital in Kowloon. Although many of you known me as William Lee, my name at birth is actually Lee Chun Kit. Chinese names have their family name come first. The word “Chun” means handsome/princely and is a common middle word between me, my brother and my cousin. The word “Kit” means outstanding/successful is unique to me. My name was given to me by my grandpa.

Life was pretty good for my family between 1980s and 1990s. Things are stabilising, all my father’s brothers and sisters are grown up now raising their own family and in terms upkeeping grandpa and grandma as well. All looks well even considering Margaret Thatcher ceded Hong Kong back to Deng Xiaoping’s China. Than it all changed again in 1989……..

4th of June in Tiananmen Square………..

With the imminent hand-over of Hong Kong back to China and the fear that the Communist China will be oppressive in handling the colony, my father decided that leaving Hong Kong is the best cause of action. I think my dad thought about emigrating to Canada or the US (Can you imagine me with an American accent??) but in the end decided to migrate to Australia. Let me tell you something that I told nobody before: I wasn’t willing to goto Australia! But as a 12 year old with both his parents wanting to come to Australia I really see no choice but to leave behind my friends and family and step forward into the unknown. I guess that makes me a “reluctant” Australia.

I guess I can tell you more about my time growing up in Australia but I think I will save that for another time………………………… Let just say I grew up fond of my new home country and proud to call myself “Australian”. And now I am here in London on my “rite of passage”.

 

Three generation of the Lee family, through the winds of fortune and twist of fate winded up in corners of this globe. The choices each generation made lay the stepping stones for the subsequent generation to come. I wondered how the choices I made will impact on my children!

Thanks for reading! In the traditional Chinese greeting for the new year, Gong hua feng cho!! Now send me those red packets!!!