last days in London

I'm so sad to be leaving!!! I've had such a good summer this year, I've done so much, met so many great people, and I've really gotten into the swing of living in this city. I'll be glad to see home, but I'm not ready to leave here yet. Fingers crossed I can find my way back across sometime soon.

These past few days have been rather busy - it's good!! Since my Maple Leaf Pub celebrations I've stayed on my high of passing my LLB (dang it my paper results better mimic what the online results said!!). I did take it easy on Wednesday night, chilling at my flat - hadn't done that in quite a while so it felt great!! On Thursday I treated myself to an exciting event - seeing a Shakespeare production at the The Globe! I've always wanted to see something and I just went for it! I saw The Merry Wives of Windsor, a comedy which I rather enjoyed. Something about the open air theatre, pooring rain, and Elizabethan speach...oh it was cool!

Friday was my last day working for WilmerHale this summer. It actually was a bit of a non-event at work, but I suppose it was the last friday before a Bank Holiday weekend, so people weren't too focused on the random intern LOL!! I did go out for dinner and drinks with Simran, one of my friends at WH from last summer... bit of a bender night, but did manage to catch the last tube home LOL!!

Saturday was a proper tourist day. I went to Westminster Cathedral (not Abbey, Cathedral) which is about 100 years old, but actually really cool. Great views of the city from the top of the tower (if you build it, I will climb it... except when you install an elevator, then I will ride it....). I also went to see the Secret War Rooms of WWII, where Churchill ran the war effort from 1940 - 1945... pretty cool stuff in there!!

Later I met up with Marta and her Texan friend for a bit of tour-guiding - took them around Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, SouthBank etc (just walking). We grabbed some snacks by the Royal Festival Hall... lots of walking, lots of fun!

Sunday I went up to Kathryn's place for Brunch.. it was more a brunch party, as it was the pre-party for going to Notting Hill Festival, the largest street festival in Europe. So we ate croissants and fruit salad and drank bubbly, and then eventually made our way into the festival. WOW crazy madness. Cool to see, but not really my scene. Parades, sound systems, booze, and about a million people.  we hung out there a couple hours, then slowly made our escape.  Then last night, sadly, I began packing.

Today I've mostly completed my packing - just a few last minute things to go in for the morning. This afternoon I'm meeting up with a friend to go on a walk in the Putney area, along the Thames. Tonight I'm having my final London dinner with Kathryn in the heart of the city to say farewell. 

I fly tomorrow to New York for 4 nights sight seeing with my friend Colleen. Then I fly home and go directly to a family reunion... so after tomorrow morning, no more internet or contact from me until after Sept 6...

Oh London, you have been sooo good to me. I will miss you.

The Fate of the University of Orkney.....

Well, I am pleased to announce that after months of waiting, hoping, crossing fingers and sacrificing mars bars to the examiner gods, I have my results.

I'VE PASSED!!!!!!

I have my LLB! I have my law degree!!  HORRAH!!!!!!!

There is still a long road ahead before I'll be a fully fledged/robed & wigged lawyer, but this is one pretty monumental step to have behind me!!

If anyone has been following this blog the past 3 years, you will know the trials, tribulation and extreme self doubt that has been my life.... it is such a relief to have it over!

As I take my next steps, I'll be sure to post about it! :)

last couple'a weeks

I've been rather naughty with my blogging... I realise I haven't posted anything in weeks!! My sincere appologies!

What have I been up too... hrm....

Well two weekends ago I was a 'market' tourist - I visited Borough Market, Portobello Market and Greenwich Market!! each were so very different from each other, I couldn't get over it! I think my favourite was Greenwich, as it had the most crafty stuff, whereas Borough was just food (yummy yummy food) and Portobello (Notting Hill) is just packed with people, antiques and food.

I actually went out clubbing on that Saturday night with some work friends, and while I did have fun, I know I'm not a die-hard clubber. Not much to report from it.  The Sunday I spent with another work friend out in Greenwich, strolling around, having a drink at a pub - all good stuff!!

Last week was a pretty typical work week (you know, working, hanging out with friends, seeing a movie etc), with the exception that I took thursday afternoon off as Mum was in town!! We went to see Billy Elliot (the Musical) - it was really good! I struggled with the Northerner's accents, but the dancing was fantastic!  Also got to show mum my flat, and feed her one of my Gor Met microwave dinners... LOL!

This past weekend was a very family oriented weekend. I met my Dad at Heathrow and hopped into our rental car (a golf!) and met up with mum... on Sunday we drove up to Leeds/Bradford, on the way stopping off at Kenilworth, an old but very important castle site (aka a Katherine Swynford/ John of Gaunt location). So cool to see it!!!

We were up in Leeds for my cousin Charlene's wedding! It was a lovely day.. or rather, the event was nice, Charls and Paul were both so happy.. too bad it was drenching rain, so the lovely out-door wedding had to be changed at the very very last minute to an indoor wedding. Still, Charls looked lovely, Paul was glowing with happiness, and everyone seemed to have a good time. It was a lot of fun to be submerged into the 'Brown' side of my heritage...!!!

This is my last week in England. I can't quite get over how fast this summer has gone. I mean, I left home in MAY!! I've got a pretty busy week going on - last night I was out at the Maple Leaf pub celebrating.. see my next blog post for why... tomorrow I'm giong to see a play at the Globe, this weekend is fulled up with 'good bye' events....

I honestly am struggling with the concept of leaving. I've really gotten used to living over here, it's really become a second home. I've made some fantastic friends who I am loath to leave and now there are even more temptations to come back!  Who know's what the future holds for me!!!!

(photos to come).

A weekend in Paris

Oh it is such a fun thing to be living in London and jet over to Paris for the weekend.... (owch! stop hitting me everyone!!).

Had a fantastic weekend in Paris. It really is a lovely city - the architecture is so different to the UK, it is rather refreshing. Although it was August, and therefore the 'quiet' time for Europe, there were still gazillions of tourists all around.  But Kathryn and I still managed to find lots of places to sit and relax, which was part of the point of the weekend.

We took the Eurostar over which was nice and efficient . Our hotel was right next to the Arch de Triomphe, and I have to say, it was pretty rough getting up every morning and seeing it. The hotel was remarkably really nice - quiet, roomy, comfortable, clean and, all things considered, cheap! I'd recomend it - Les Trois Courennes (3 crowns).

On Saturday we went straight to La Isle de la Cite in search of breakfast (pain au chocolat) and to get in the line to see St. Chappelle - you need to get there early or else you are waiting forever. I am pleased I'd seen this before, as the marvelous cathedral had a lot of scafolding inside, ruining it's kalidescope effect. Can't always win. We also visited la Concierege, which was both a royal palace, and the main prison during the Revolution.

We said 'hi' to Notre Dame and strolled through the gardens, and ate a baguette sitting on one of the bridges crossing the Seine, people watching. There was some sort of summer festival going on, and I swear Ashley McIssac was playing...

After lunch we strolled down the Seine a bit looking at street art, before heading over to the base of the Eiffel Tower to catch a river cruise. Again I'd done this before, but it was a lot nicer in the sunshine!! (plus I got a bonus sun-burn!!).

That evening we went to see the Moulin Rouge!! It was really expensive, but I am pleased I've seen it. I was a little disapointed at it's lack of historical references - it was bascially a vegas/cruise ship style show - but being in the building, drinking champagne (the real stuff) and watching the spectacle will stay with me always.

On Sunday we ate breakfast at the foot of the Arch before climbing to the top of the for some wonderful views of Paris (despite the clouds - sigh). We then walked down the Champs Elysses, admired la Place de la Concorde, and into the Tuilleries, where we found some chairs and hung out people watching for a chunk of time. Nice and peaceful, despite the throngs of tourists. 

We then crossed the Pont Royal by the Louvre and found another Boulangerie and bought some Brie Baguettes. We found a low road right next to the seine (pedestrian only) and took of our shoes and relaxed, watching boats and time go by. It was perfect.

Then we walked down to les Invalides, but elected not to go in as time was getting tight. Instead we went into the Rodin museum, which I loved back when I was 16. It is still lovely and the house and garden is amazing!!  Then we rushed back to our hotel and started our epic journey home.

 

Epic? you ask... well, it was supposed to be a quick flight home but unfortunately due to a number of delays (human and train), we got to the airport check-in counter 1 minute after they closed check in, and they had already reallocated out seats to standby passengers. So instead we had to scramble around (making some international phone calls) and booked some more tickets with a different airline to get us back to the UK. It sent us to Luton, which is north of London, so once we actually got to England we had to travel back into the city. I was supposed to be home around 8:30, instead I got home at 1, and significantly 'broker' than before.

Despite the bad end, I had a really lovely weekend! Thanks Kathryn!!

Black Pool

DUBLIN!!!! oh Dublin!!!

I had a great great fantastic fun time in Dublin!!!

Quick summary - went on a walking tour which took us ALL OVER the city - in to the Castle, by the Church, down some important lanes, by another church, through Temple Bar, over the Liffy River, into Trinity College, up Grafton Street (shopping galore) and through St. Stephens Park.. really lovely! Only bad thing = extremely temptermental weather.. grrr!!!.

Post tour we went to see the Book of Kells (wikipedia is your friend, this is a very important manuscript), and then went back through the heart of the town and into Christ Church Cathedral (where Strongbow is burried and where most church scenes of the Tudors were filmed)..

Then we hiked and hiked and got to the Guiness Storehouse, THE place that Guiness was invented and is brewed to this day. We did the full tour there, seeing all the old factory sections along with the new, and Kathryn learned how to 'pull' the perfect pint... and I sampled my first Guiness...ewwww!!!!

That night we went out for dinner in an area which a bar-tender (from earlier in the day... we were in Ireland..).. told us that the real locals went to - and got to listen to a local guy sing at the piano - really nice. Then we went up to Temple Bar for a glass of overpriced Champagne... and then retreated to some other areas for dancing and a generally fun evening!

On Sunday Kathryn wanted to attend Mass at the main Catholic Cathedral in Dublin, so we hiked to the northern side of the city for that. Then we caught a train out of Dublin! Yup, I left the city to see the country, to feel like I'd actually done a bit more of Ireland. We went to the seaside resort of Bray - lovely little town, so nice to be by the sea again. We went for a sunday roast and then a coastal hike.

Then we made our way back into the city and did some shopping on Grafton Street before slowly making our way back to London....

oh it was fun!!!

This week I've started at my new/old office... I'm back with the Corporate Department of WilmerHale (I spent the last two months with their International Arbitration department across town). Now I'm back where I was last summer, working right next to St. Pauls Cathedral. It's amazing how familiar everything is - felt like coming home a bit.  Different work over here for sure, but nice.

No huge plans this week - will probably go to a movie with some 'Park Lane' friends (other office), maybe out for a drink another night.  I'm saving money, and energy for this weekend....

I'm off to PARIS!!!!

Look at me go!

Long time no post...

Whoops!!! Forgot to post last week and this week is half way over! yikes!

Hrm. What has happened?

Well I went over to the Island of Jersey, which is between England and France. LOVELY!!!  I met up with a friend from school (Cambridge buddy Jane) and we toured the island and went on hikes and went to a BBQ and overall just had a great time. Nice to be in the heat as well, and be by the proper ocean with proper waves! oh! Lovely!

Last week was another typical week - working and being social. On Thursday night I managed to fulfill a life-long dream - I saw a ballet at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden!! OH!!! I was just giddy with excitement. I bought myself a glass of wine and explored all over. The theatre is lovely and even though I was up in the nose bleeds (expensive nose bleeds at that) I still had a great view.

This past weekend I was up in Bradford (near Leeds/Manchester) for my cousin's Hen Day. What is a Hen Day you ask? Well it's our version of a Bridal Shower combined with a Bachelorette party... except focused on the kitchen. Or at least Charlene's was - it was a Kitchen Tea - all the gifts were for the kitchen/ kitchen themed. It was actually loads of fun! We went to a pub in the evening for some drinks, but it wasn't a wild night.  On the Sunday I spent time with family (went to their church) and had lunch at Trafford Center, a major shopping mall for the north. Crazy.

This week is my last week at Park Lane - I move over to the City next week to do more corporate work. To top off my star sitings at the Dorchester, yesterday I saw the cast of the new A-Team flick - lots of fun!! No huge plans this week - meeting up with some friends on Thursday night, possible intern drinks tonight.

This weekend, however, will be fun. Kathryn and I are off to Dublin!! WOOT!! We are going to do all sorts of irish things - Guiness Factory, Trinity Chapel, Cathedrals, Temple Bar area... I'm very excited about it!

I'll try update properly next week! Hope everyone is well! I'm really enjoying my time over here this year - footloose and fancy free! :)

half way..

I just realized I'm at the 'half way point' of my time over here... that's scary!! I've got so much more to do before I get home, I'd better get moving!!!

Busy Bee

I must say, since my last post I've been a busy little bee!  And not with work! Well, no, work has been busy, but I've also been rather social...

My land lady is out of town, so last wednesday night one of her friends looked in on me and took me out for dinner to 'make sure I was eating right'.. cute. Had a nice steak dinner on their tab, which is always a bonus.

Then on Thursday I had dinner with my half-brother Adam. He lives in Hong Kong but was flying through London (he's a pilot) and we met for a few hours of reconnecting. This was the third time in my life meeting him. We had a lot of fun and a lot of wine... connected?  Anyway, nice to catch up!

Over the weekend I went visiting more family - my Mum's cousin Anne and her Husband Mike. They live down in Southampton near the coast. We spent the weekend driving around Hampshire, visiting lots of little villages. We went to the church where Florence Nightingale is burried, drove through an 'Area of Outstanding Beauty' (official title, but well earned), and poked around the shops of a small village called Selborne. On Sunday we drove down to Bornemouth via the New Forest and visited the Russell-Coates museum and gallery, which I must say was pretty insane - so well stocked!!!

Last night a group of interns celebrated one of their birthday's - we had drinks in Hyde Park and then dinner at a Lebanese restaurant. Tonight I'm having dinner with an acquaintence from home, and tomorrow night I'm meeting up with my new Kiwi friend to watch a movie!!

Very exciting will be this coming weekend - I'm catching a flight over to Jersey, one of the Chanel Islands between England and France. A friend from my law degree (met at Cambridge) lives on the island and invited me to come stay... so I'm leaving work a tad early to get out to Gatwick and will be MIA all weekend... I'm really looking forward to it as I've heard Jersey is really nice.

How is everyone at home? I hope well. Dunno if anyone is actually reading it... if you are, please end the radio silence because even though I'm having fun, it's nice to hear from home!! (begging much?!?!)

quick update

I'm sorry, I've been bad, I haven't updated in a while...

Nothing much to report actually.  Work is the same, with minor changes - after I got sick I decided I was going to be more firm with the hours I was willing to work, so am not staying quite as late as before in an effort to get more 'me' time. The work itself has also improved - more complicated stuff, some actual real legal research. all good stuff. 

On Monday 6 new interns joined the firm, making our total up to 12 now. A real mix bag still, all from various parts of the globe. I haven't interacted with them much, so can't really say too much about them.

Last weekend I went to Maidenhead to visit my Aunt and Uncle. Oh so nice! Didn't do a whole lot, which was just what I needed. Relaxed, slept in, watched some football, went on a country walk and a country drive through Ascot and Windsor, had an afternoon tea - all the good casual English stuff.

Have some exciting weekends on the horizon tho.. but I won't drop hints, I'll just say... stay tuned!

from Pall Mall to Park Lane

I am writing this from my new offices - the firm moved to new diggs on Park Lane, right next to the Dorchester Hotel, one of the most expensive in London. If I went and looked out the window, I'd see some Bentleys, Lambourghinis's... you know, that sort of thing. We are right across from Hyde Park, so I've gone to each my packed lunch there already. The new offices are really nice and fancy - all white and glass and modern, very posh.

Hrm, what have I been up to the past week or so? Well last week at work had some very late nights (post midnight) due to a brief submission. I got pretty run down with it all, and by Thursday knew I wasn't well. Fortunately due to the office move we Interns were given Friday off, so when I woke up feeling ill I didn't have to phone in sick!

But being the consumate tourist I am, I didn't let a little thing like a cold get in the way of seeing the countryside! On Friday I took a trip out to an old manor named Knole, which is in the heart of an ancient deer park, where the Kings used to go hunting. It was soooo lovely!! I really enjoyed it. The weather in London has also been fantastic recently - every day has been between 27 and 30, so there was some good 'bone warming' time in teh sunshine.

Saturday I joined up with other members of the Katherine Swynford Society for a walk around London looking at what remains of the 14th century. Not many (but some) of the buildings exist anymore, but we were still able to use our imagination, and I got to learn a few new areas of the city which, remarkably, I hadn't discovered yet. If you are interested, check out my Flickr site for photos, and if you are interested, look up Katherine and become as obsessed as me!

On Sunday my new friend Kathryn and I went on a journey up to Hatfield, where Elizabeth I was raised and later imprisioned. It is also where she found out she had become Queen, and she later gave the property to her Prime Minister - Lord Burley (Cecil), and it has remained in his direct line ever since. It has always been a dream of mine to see Hatfield and it really lived up to my expectations - it was fantastic! After our visit we stopped off at a local pub to watch the tragedy which was the England/Germany football match. I have a feeling the curse I have with hockey has transposed onto football, as I had a England jersey on me for the first time and they got thumped... so who should I go for and who should I officially support, as we move forward?!

No big plans for this coming week, other than to go to Trafalgar Square on Canada Day... I'd really like to get over the cold I've got - I lost my voice completely on Saturday and have sounded terrible ever since. I'm not sick enough to hit up a doctor, but am still sick enough to not feel great! Stupid foreign colds!!

hugs to all back home. hope you are well.

The Past Week

I've been trying to come up with some sort of exciting blog update for the past week, but I don't have much to say about it.

Work kept me late every day of the week, average again being 8pm, sometimes later. The work itself isn't too strenuous and it's not 'full on', because the work we do has to be reviewed before they send us more work, so there is down time as well. Still, working so much puts a real downer on the extra curricular activites (like running....) because it takes an hour to get home.  Ah well.

Interesting things:

On June 18 it was the 70th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's French resistence speach, and because he'd set up his french resistance at my work offices, we had a visit from the President of France - Mr. Sarkozy and his supermodel wife Carla Bruni, and Prince Charles. The security for it was interesting - we weren't allowed out on our balcony but were able to open windows... After all the important people left us Interns were allowed downstairs and I took some photos of the boardrooms etc - I've had meetings in them already, but it felt cooler now that the people had been in them LOL!



On Saturday I went out to Newbury, in zone 4, to have a BBQ with the interns at one intern's home. It was pretty fun, all things considered... our grill was pretty epic:



My half-aunt Terri was back in town this weekend after a 2 week whirlwind tour of Europe, so I saw her both on Friday night out in Richmond, and then on Sunday.  That day we took a Thames River Cruise up to Greenwich and spent some fun hours in the market and sitting on the grass outside the Observatory, as well as getting the standard 'feet on each side of the meridian' photos.

This week my Firm is moving from Carlton Gardens to Park Lane, across from Hyde Park. I'm not sure how the week is going to be, work wise, as most of the office is getting packed up for the move. Next Monday I'll start a new commute!

Hopefully this weekend I can do some real tourist stuff! :) Hope all is well with everyone back home.

photos online

I've managed to post my photos (to date) up on Flickr, so enjoy if you've got some time.

I have a generic 'London' set, which will have every photo taken in it. It's manageable right now, but may get big as the summer goes.

To manage that, I'm going to set up 'special' sets for things I do to make it easier for the casual observer...  They will also be in 'better' order, as if I take any video, they don't mesh nicely with the 'sort by date taken' requests.

anyway, that's that. back to work.

A Royal Day Out and then a Royal Home

So this past Sunday was the Trooping of the Colours, part of the events recognizing the Queens birthday. I went down to the Mall to watch it all - wow was it super cool! I saw gazillions of marching bands, red-coats, all sorts of pagentry and 'britishness'.  Also got to see quite a few of the Royals!!! I saw the Queen, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenies, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and then probably some others that I don't know their name. It was AWESOME!!!  I also got to participate in that epic sceen from TV - the crowd spilling into the Mall, going down to the plaza infront of Buckingham Palace, and cheer when the Royal Family comes out on the balconey to wave and watch a royal fly over by the military.  Oh WOW was it cool!!!!

I also watched the USA v England football game at a pub near Kings Cross.... with a bunch of Americans... man was I playing with fire!!! But it was all good-hearted fun (probably because of how the game ended up...)

On Sunday I went out to Hever, the birthplace and home of Anne Boleyn and divorce settlement home of Anne of Cleaves, as well as the later home of the famous Astor Family.  The park land and house were just lovely!!! I definitely reccomend it, even though it took me 4 trains to get to it (not a regular tourist attraction from London, but lots of coach tours go there).

Otherwise London is treating me well. I'm starting to upload on to Flickr, so check there for photos if you wish.  I'm working most nights until 8pm, sometimes later. This week we've been told to clear both work and personal schedules as there is a major brief which needs filing. I think that means I'll be at work until midnight most nights, but nothing is confirmed yet. 

I hope everyone at home is well. Feel free to send me an email or whatever.. I also accept care packages!! heheheeheh!!!!

ok - some photos...

Princess Anne

Dutchess Camilla and Prince William

Princesses Eugiene and Beatrice and Prince Andrew

14.5 years later...

I haven't seen my half-aunt Terri since she was 13 and I was 14, when I went to South Africa (only time I've been back since coming to Canada)...

So here we are, in London, each having flown half way around the world, to meet up in a pub called the Bountiful Cow..... I'd come straight from work (left work at 8pm... the new London life).. and she'd just landed 3 hours earlier!

some pics

A few pic's from today - we had sunshine so I whipped out my 'purse' camera...

my desk at work:

me just outside my desk area

and a better view of what I look at while eating lunch...

first few days

Figured I should try be more on top of my blog this year, so here's my first go at it!

First few days have been pretty low key. Weather has been typical London stuff - grim, grey and wet. I look forward to some sunny days in the future, but right now it feels like the damp has just set in!

I did manage to stay awake upon arrival until 9:30pm, and followed that with a 12 hour sleep, which is crazy impressive for me! Yesterday I was a bit of a tourist, in a 'local' kind of way. First I went shopping on Oxford Street (hehehe) and bought a new mobile, some suit pants, and a few other household items only found on that street. I then went to the Tate Britain - I hadn't been in years and I must say I was very impressed. I'd recommend it for sure, if you get a few tube stops out of the 'main' tourist circle.

Today was my first day of work. Now, here's some googling for you - I'm at 4 Carlton Gardens. Look it up. You'll notice that I'm a stones throw from Buckingham Palace... on the Mall, across from St. James Park. It's CRAZY!!! From my office window I can see the Palace to my right, and straight ahead I can see Parliament (Big Ben) and Westminster Abbey, along with all sorts of other London sites... the only downer of it all is that I have to share my office with 8 other interns LOL!!!!!!  And, oh shucks, I have to walk through Trafalgar Square to get to my tube station (Charring Cross), or alternatively go up to Piccadilly Circus....

jealous yet? heheheheheh Don't worry, I'm totally appreciating every second of this!

Work itself hasn't been to strenuous so far. Not sure what's ahead, but right now I'm checking and finding citations for a text book one of the lawyers is writing. Kind of amusing seeing how often he is quoting himself from his other text books.... HA!

Anyway, that's all for now. Time for some microwave dinner and a look at the Tele... =P

I'm here!

Well I'm here, and it feels like I never left.. its kind of crazy how much of everything just feels like I was just here, not so long ago!  The flat is just the same as last year (with improved shower...) and Clapham South is the same and London seemed the same from the air!

Not much to report so far. The flight would have been fine but for the really whiny and smelly baby sitting next to me... getting to my flat on the tube was fine - much better having only checked one bag this year, for all the hassles it caused me at home.  Have unpacked and picked up some groceries to get me going for a few days.  I'm determined to stay up until around 9 tonight to try beat this jet-lag!

Tomorrow is a bank holiday in England, so I'll have the day to do whatever - kind of nice, all things considered. Then Tuesday is the start of the work I'm here to do!

Well if anyone care's to have info, feel free to email, otherwise stay tuned on here and I'll update as I find time!

Hugs!

DONE!!!!!!!!

Figured I'd update this seeing as I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WWWWWOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and now I've got 1 week till London....

weeee!!!!!!!!!!

too soon

the countdown clock on my igoogle tells me I have 5 day, 4 hours and 40 minutes until my first exam.

I am no where near ready. UGH. Then it's 2 days until the next one, 3 days till the 3rd, and 2 days after that for the final one.

who needs sleep, right?!

The good news is, I've been accepted for an internship in London for the summer, so I'll be gone for June, July and August!  I'll be staying at the same place as last year, so I know what I'm getting into.  I leave 1 week after my last exam.

Ok, back to work. 

Routine

In case anyone is checking, a rather brief update: I am studying hard every day for approx 12 hours, sometimes more.  I try take time off at night, but that seems to be drying up recently, so I don't expect any 'fun' for another month or so. Actually, in 1 month I'll be done! Now to get through the next 4 weeks. Breathe.

Farwell Cambridge

My time at Cambridge is over. :(  I'm really quite sad, as I won't be back next year, even if the worst happens come exam time.  It has truly been an amazing experience being able to come and study here, being part of the atmosphere of such an historic place. Oh it's been fantastic.

This week has flown by. My 3 classes have each been quite helpful, atlhough I must admit the best was EU law - the teacher was phenomenal and the class notes will really help set things straight re Treaty of Lisbon.  It's been fun to reconnect with my friends from previous years, and make some new ones. I've spent time wandering the city, going into colleges, looking at the Cam, and even had a little R&R at some of the local night time watering holes.

Tomorrow I head down to Maidenhead to see my Aunt and Uncle, and then I fly home Sunday afternoon.  This trip has just flown by and I come home to the chaos of exams. I won't really exist for the next few months, but that's pretty normal for March, April and May it seems.

Thank you, Cambridge, you've been fantastic. I will miss you.

Glastonbury on the Solstice!!

Yesterday I hit up Buckfast Abbey (working monestary, cool church), Dartmouth Castle (everything about that place was awesome, the town is so pretty!), Cockington (wicked crafts village with mideval buildings all over the place) and Kents Caverns (oldest caves with human habitation going waaaay back).  It was a grim day again, weather wise, but a nice slower pace day to end the trip.

Today, March 21, was the spring solstice, and I got to be at Glastonbury, climbing the Tor!! How cool is that?! I went to the Abbey first which was very lovely and peaceful, and said hi to King Arthurs burrial sites (funny how within a 3 days span I visited his birth place and burrial site...). I saw the chalice well, where the holy grail is supposedly burried, and then climbed way up the Tor (ie Island of Avalon). It was all pretty awesome, and it was heightened by all the pagan/druid/alternative people around! 

I also visited Wells Cathderal and Cheddar Gorge today, both were very cool as well.

I'm now settled in my room at Cambridge. Over the past week I drove over 2000KM's and saw so much!! I still want to see more, so Devon and Cornwall will have to put up with me again in the future. Now that I'm here with more sturdy internet, I'll try upload photos to flickr, classes permitting.

Tintagel!

Yesterday I spent time in Exeter (awesome cathedral), Honiton (didn't find lace, but did find pottery), the Blackdown Hills (complete with Canadian memorial), Beer (picturesque) and Ottery St. Mary (a mini replica church of Exeter's cathedral). It was a slower paced day, but still really cool.

Today was the huge highlight - Tintagel Castle!!! I've wanted to go there since I was really small, and it's a true dream come true that I've finally been. It lived up, and surpassed my expectations, I was really pleased. Plus I was all alone at the site, so I really got to get into the magic of the place. Photos will be posted later. I also visited the port town of Bude, and a really cool Victorian mansion called Lanhydrock - I would totally recomend it to anyone in the area - even though it was expensive, it was worth it!

So that's the super quick update for now! :)

Dartmoor and West Cornwall

Dartmoor
Saw: Holne, Hound Tor, Castle Drogo, Fingle Bridge, Okehampton Castle, Lydford Castle & Church, the road to Merrivale, Buckland Abby. Favourites = Hound Tor and Buckland Abby. The moor is just beautiful, peaceful, remote and impossible to drive with any sense of direction. One way streets, but they're actually two way streets, so having an SUV is great, sometimes, but terrible other times. 

West Cornwall
Saw: Penzance (arr), Lands End, Ballowall Burrow, Levant Mine, scenic drive to St. Ives, St. Ives, St. Michaels Mount (from distance), LONG drives (2.5 hours each way to get to West Cornwall). Best was being at Lands End (ignoring the junk in the area), and then the lovely drive to St. Ives - so beautiful! I waved to Canada - the closest I'll ever be to it, while in England.

I'll try post some photos next week when I have better internet access.  I'll also try describe things better, but I'm tired and lazy and sleeping.

Dorset Day

Today my adventure involved picking up my rental car (now an SUV ack!) from Heathrow and making my way down to Torquay, in Devon, with some tourism in between.

As I drove through Wiltshire I stumbled upon an old friend - Stonehenge! I didn't realize I was in the area until I was driving past it. I gave it a big wave!

Then came Sherborne, where I saw an old Castle, which was built on top of an Iron Age fort, as well as the 'new' castle, build by Sir Walter Raleigh back in Lizzy 1's day.

On the way to Dorchester I saw the Cerne Abbas giant - google him, he's a little xxx...  Then I climbed up Maiden Castle, a HUGE Iron Age fort, I can't describe how big, but you could easily land a plane on it.

The disapointment of the day was Nine Stones, which, remarkably, was 9 stones in a circle, next to the road, with a chopped down tree in the middle. Most exciting part was the wickan praying to/at the tree and giving me 'frustrated tranquility' looks while I snapped photos.

Had a look at the Abby ruins and St. Catherines Chapel at Abbotsbury, and then drove along the Jurassic Coast for while - the south coast is beautiful!!!  Then hit the motorway through Exeter and eventually arrived in Torquay.  My hotel is fantastic, very welcoming and homelike, I'd really reccomend it (the Aveland Hotel, Torquay).

I walked around town for a late dinner, and now I'm researching tomorrow adventure in Dartmoor. Hope all is well at home!

I came, I studied, I eventually slept...

Day 1 - it was a 32 hour day, involving 2 flights, 8 hours of school and 3 cups of caffiene tea. But, I'm here, I've been mildly educated and after a long day, I eventually pulled a 10 hour sleep!

Arriving in London has felt, in many ways, like arriving at home. This is my second city, I know it really well, and as I was living here just last July and August, it doesn't really feel like I've been gone that long.

School was interesting and made me wish I had more in person instruction in general, as one of the professors was absolutely fantastic. I hope my class today is as exciting.

Tomorrow I pick up my rental car at Heathrow and start my journey to Devon/Cornwall. I'm very excited about the trip, it's been a dream of mine for ages. I'll try keep this updated with my impressions, and depending on the internet there, will also post photos. Worst case, I'll update these posts with photos when I'm settled at Cambridge next week.

For now, London awaits.

time's run out

sigh.

Well, not quite sigh. There's still hope.

I leave in just over a week. I have more than a weeks worth of work to do, but I've got a plan to get the bare bones of it done before I get on the plane. Hopefully that is enough.

I wouldn't trade my Olympic experience for anything, so I shall accept the consequences of all this in May.

For one more time "GO CANADA GO!!!"

first countdown

Being sick has set me back a lot, and I leave in 27 days. Accounting for Olympic events I'm attending, I have about 22 workable days (not counting watching TV events). I have AT LEAST 20 full days of work to do, probably being overly optimistic about how much work I can get done in a day...

Somehow I'll have to make it work. The sad part is that I'd like to really enjoy the Olympic being in town - go see pavillions, enjoy the atmosphere. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that I don't want to miss.

I'll just have to be uber efficient with my time and try knock my 'work days' down a few to get in some Olympic days. I'll be getting up earlier and staying up later and I'll just make it work. ROAR!

(I have no idea if I'll make it work, but I have faith in myself, I can do it.)

Then I'll just have to rally again when I'm back from Cambridge for the final massive sprint to the exams in May.

setback

ugh, so for the past week or so I've had a nasty sinus infection/cold which has set me back quite a bit. Not fun! I'm still not over it but I I'm slowly on the mend? I sure hope so.  The most irritating part is that I get really bad headaches with it, if I concentrate too hard on something. So, like, law, well, that requires some concentration... hence the set-back. 

I'm also anticipating some set backs over the next few weeks, with the 2010 Olympics being in town. I'm a big fan so will be trying to participate as much as is possible. I really hope I manage to balance everything, as I leave for England shortly after the Olympics leave us!!! ahhh!!!

anyway, feel free to send positive 'get well' energy in my direction - I don't get sick often (once every few years) so I'm a total wimp when it happens.

Still at it

Still slogging through the mush of work.  Have had some unhappy moments recently, like discovering the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon, which totally effects my studies of EU law (ie changes the entire thing)...  and am re-reading a lot of my Jurisprudence stuff on the side, in addition to the regular readings, in hopes that the second review might make some of it logical???

Otherwise not much to report. Life is pretty much the same every day, with the odd fun break of seeing my niece and nephew, or friends, or watching a movie or something.

I have to get everything finished by the first 10 days of March as then I head over to England for my boot-camp. Yikes, thats not as far away to me as it is to most people!

Expensive 24 hours

So the last 24 hour or so have been expensive simply because I applied for a bunch of things all at once!

So I have signed up for:

1. U of London weekend course next March (taking classes the day I land, that should be fun...)
   
2. A week's accommodation in Devon/Cornwall (this part IS fun...)
   
3. Cambridge LLB revision week, also next March (after the week of touristing)
   
4. EXAMS!!! This year they are all happening in a 2 week span, the middle two weeks of May.

AHHH!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, a fire has suddenly been lit under me. And it's a hot one. So much for the 'holiday season'.... too much work to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, still not much!

What to report... well my nice and nephew are 3 days away from being 3 months old... the snow is falling outside my office window right now... I've been reconnecting with some old friends and making new ones... I've joined up with a yoga studio and am taking 5 or 6 classes a week (2 per time).

Oh.. you want to know about school?? Hrm..

Well I'm trudging along with it. It's more difficult this year, as I've already said. Hard to explain. Bascially I procrastinate, then freak out and dive in head first. I duno.

I've got Cambridge in March, and I always get all my studies done before then, so the schedule is set. I'm actually doing a pretty good job sticking to the schedule, but yet, sometimes I cheat and don't read some things which I should.. but isn't that always the case at uni??

Anyway, there's my update for now. I'll try be more regular, perhaps throwing in the odd tidbit from my studies. Right now I'm not a fan of any of my courses!

Not much to report

Not much to report over the past month, study wise.  Well, that's not true: I'm getting very good at wasting time and procrastinating, and not very good at understanding the in's and out's of Jurisprudence, EU, Company and Evidence law...

So far Company and Evidence are pretty straight forward. EU will probably become that way once I get my head around all the different Councils, Commissions, Parlaiments and such... too many bureaucrats! The big toughy for me is Jurisprudence and all those annoying philosophers. yuck.

ah well, I'll keep at it as always. Otherwise I'm cooking about once a week, more if I can fit it in, and just being 'me' as much as I can. Hope everyone else is too! :)

3rd year starters

It's been hard starting school this year. It's hard to switch from the summer fun and September ups and downs to a focused and scheduled life. There have been some huge changes and I'm slowly adjusting.

So I haven't had much success yet with getting into my routine, but I'm working on it. All of my classes seem to have 50% more work than last year. I think I'll have an average of about 1000 pages of reading a week.  I guess it's good I'll have extra time on my hands now? yikes! and sigh.

On a side note, I've started another blog to document my escapades in cooking - I've decided that there is no time like the present to start learning, and I've got some guinea pigs at home willing to suffer the consequences of me wearing the chef's hat! So the link is on the side...

London sends its regards...

09/09/09

Today is a mathematically awesome day.

9's are cool.

so is my birthday!

I decided to be extra corny and stay in bed until 9am (yes, as a student, I can accomplish this)...

And whilst I have lots I could be doing today (like tidying up a massive mess I made by emptying the attic of 28 years of 'treasures')... I think I shall do NOTHING!!

Hope today is treating everyone else well too!

random musings

Well it's now 2 sleeps until I fly home. 2 sleeps after 2 months... went so fast.

Change is in the air in London. Granted July was very cold and grim, but 2 weeks of August have been nice weather. Today, suddenly, the rain is back, and its quite chilly and cold.

The changes are elsewhere too - it's the last long weekend for the UK until Christmas and people are heading out of town. There's a sense of impatience, of 'last chance for summer'. Little changes have occured - all the double-decker bus advertisments have changed from displaying summer movies to fall ones. The stores have suddenly changed to fall clothing. I don't know. Maybe I'm looking for it, but I definitely feel that summer, here, is over, and it's time to move along...

My last week here has been strange. I met up with a close family friend on Monday after work for drinks - hadn't seen him in about 2 years so it was a nice time to chat. Tuesday was my real 'busy' day as I met up with Lars and Patricia for the last time in London (Team 2 for 1!)... and later I met up with my landlady and she took me on a tour of London by night. The super cool thing there was being allowed backstage at Covent Garden, a dancer's dream!

Wednesday was my first attempt at packing. GROAN! I've bought too much and have no space!! I think I'll be wearing 10 layers to get everything in... well, maybe not that bad, but I fully expect an 'overweight' charge on my bags.

My other plans for this week fell through, so I've been pretty low-key, just chilling and getting ready for being at home. My internet at my flat is down to my last £0.25, so I'm pretty silent.. this will be the last blog entry until I'm back home again.

Once I've settled at home I intend on chosing a few select photos to add to my blog, and the rest will go up on Flickr.

Until then, well, pip pip, jolley good show and all that...
AKA
Toodles!

and in other news...

I PASSED!!!! (my 2nd year law exams)

Horrah!! Farewell to the horrors of second year, welcome to the chaos of my final year of the UK LLB....

What a relief.

winding down

Since my last entry I’ve been based in a different part of London – Oxford Street. This is a must-see place for tourists, so as you can imagine, its busier than Metrotown on Boxing Week. And.. you can imagine how much this frustrates me! Arugh!! I’m getting good at the side-streets!

Last week my cousin Perdi was in town for a few days so I was playing tour-guide! It was quite fun getting back into the tourist mode in the City, while at the same time knowing my way around way better than ever before – no maps required and hours upon hours of walking! I felt a little bad with how much walking I made her do straight off the flight, but whatever, you’re only here while you’re here!! She got the grand tour of London, some yummy food and drinks at a pub – standard!

This past weekend I was down visiting family who live in Southampton, right on the south coast of England. It was a far slower pace weekend than most of my others have been but still a nice time. We spent Saturday in the ‘New Forest’ which is a chunk of land King John designated as ‘protected’ (ie for him) back in the 1200’s – which means some pretty big trees and untouched scenery. We were driving around looking at Art galleries an exhibitions – the one family member I was visiting is a fantastic artist so we were sussing out her competition! Sunday we visited a cool roman site called Fishbourne and then bumbled around the edges of Portsmouth were there is loads of water traffic to ogle at.

It’s now my last week in London and I’m amazed at how time has flown by. I feel I haven’t even scraped the surface over here, let alone started to use the location for Europe jumping – I had too many people to see and places and such to even consider the other side of the Channel!. Perhaps I’ll come back next summer and do more? We’ll see. I will admit, I’m starting to look forward to the comforts of home.

This final week is stacking up to be pretty busy – have quite a few dinner/drinks lined up as well as a trip to Betty Windsor’s abode (Buckingham Palace)… and somewhere in there I have to pack up 2 months worth of junk into my suitcases! Not gonna be fun!

whoops! long time, no blog!

sorry! I've been busy and forgot to update!

Work has been work, random amounts of interesting material mixed with mundane whatever stuff. Regardless of interest, it's all valuable experience.

The fun stuff, of course, has been touristing on the weekends.

So I spent a weekend in Kent. One one day I met up with a co-worker who lives out in Rochester and she drove me around there, as well as took me to Leeds Castle (WOW!!!) and dropped me in Canterbury to visit that myself. So yes, Leeds was beautifully situated, so cool! Canterbury has always been on my lists of places to visit. I think that had I not been to so many of the worlds amazing cathedrals this year I would have been more impressed but alas. I was definitely able to put myself into the 'wow cool' headspace, but it wasn't as awe-inspiring as others have been. It was cool to see where Beckett was taken-out, as well as the tombs of HenryIV and the Black Prince.

I have also been down to Dover Castle now - another dream of mine to see. It was so awesome to be back at the sea, I didn't realize how much I missed the salty air. I spent the entire day in the castle, exploring tunnels and keeps and climbing mounds, all very cool stuff!

This past week had more interesting stuff to report on as I went to two shows! I met up with my old friend Lars and we went to see Avenue Q, and then later in the week I went to see Pricilla, Queen of the Desert (look them both up online if you are interested).

Friday night some co-workers and I went out for some drinks - it was so strange to be at a bar and seeing people in suits dancing around.. such a different scene to home (I think, I don't really get out much)...

This past weekend I was closer to home. On Saturday I met up with Lars again and went to the Tower of London. I'd been before but he hadn't, so we totally explored all over. It was a nice day. That night I went to a party one of the lawyers at work was hosting... such a different kind of house party, and those who know my lack of small talking abilities would have been proud of me!!

Yesterday I journeyed out to Brighton, a big beach party town. I'm glad I've been but I doubt I'll go back. The coolest thing was the Brighton Pavillion - google it.

So now I continue on getting experience and trying to be a tourist. My little cousin Perdi shows up for a few nights tomorrow so that should be loads of fun. I'll try update again soon!!

Further Adventures

Last week had a lot more going on for me, work wise. This is a good thing – I’d much rather be busy and learning material than sitting trying to find interesting news stories on the BBC! That being said, some of my research has been quite grim – one lawyer has me researching the proper ways to secure permission to burry someone in a field… ahem.

I did managed to finally see Harry Potter last week and despite all the missing plot points, I quite enjoyed it. It was also quite fun to see it in London, especially the opening scene where the Millenium foot bridge is destroyed – I often walk onto/across that on my lunchtime break!

Last Thursday night I finally got a real ‘introduction’ to the business world in London – a number of the lawyers here took me out for a drink. Or two. Or 6. Ahem. It was a nice place we went and I had a pretty good time, picking peoples brains and just relaxing. I must say, there were a few hung-over people the next morning (I’m good at keeping my glass looking full, stopping the top-ups).

I went down to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Maidenhead (near Heathrow) for the weekend and it was very nice to see some familiar faces. Saturday took us to a rainy Oxford where it happened to be graduation day. I didn’t get to explore too much as most of the town was closed, but I did go into Christ Church, their big famous one… It’s where Alice in Wonderland was written and set, and also known for it’s hall and staircases as seen in Harry Potter..

Sunday took us on a traditional English road-trip, up to the Cotswolds. Now this is only a 2 hour drive from London, but the reactions I’ve got from co-workers (many who have never been) make it seem like it was a few days drive away. It’s a lovely scenic area of rolling hills, sheep and very old but really cute cottages. Anyone looking for some random English driving and quaint towns should hit up the Cotswolds.

This week doesn’t seem to hold much excitement for me, so therefore I must try make my own. I’m having dinner with my Land-lady tonight, drinks with one of Guy’s friends on Wednesday, and will try go to a show or something if cheap tickets exist. This coming weekend shall take me to Kent and Dover. Watch for updates later!

not half way yet...

Well last week had some really dull days, and then some really busy ones. By the end of the week I had 3 projects on the go! I was thrilled when work was over on Friday as I needed a break.

Of course, it being me, I didn't exactly have a 'break'. I caught a train into Essex/ Suffolk and was a tourist all weekend! I stayed with my mum's old school friends who graciously drove me around all day Saturday and Sunday. I visited Colchester (first city in the UK), Dedham (location of John Constables famous paintings), Billericay (English Peasents Revolt), Sutton Hoo (Anglo-Saxon burial mounds), Framlingham (castle of the Howards), Bury St. Edmunds (ruins of a HUGE abbey/shrine), Lavenham (awesome little town of crooked houses).... loads of driving on little English roads and probably up to 10 miles of walking, all combined.

The weather even held out for me, it was quite warm! Of course now I'm back in London with the usual temperamental stuff.

Not sure what the week ahead holds for me, but hopefully it's going to be good!

me again

Well I think I'm fairly well settled in now - some of the days are feeling like 'the daily grind', which is a good thing? I am still thrilled to be here - there is something amazing about walking past St. Paul's Cathedral every morning on my way to work: it's kind of surreal!

I've been puttering around at work on a number of different projects, all of which are fairly straight forward but take time. It's all fascinating stuff and has shown this trip to be really worth every penny I'm spending. Hopefully the interesting work will continue!

In my time off I've been doing a variety of things. I was quite busy last week seeing tourist stuff in the evenings, or meeting people for dinner. I hope this continues! This past weekend I went up to the historic town of St. Albans (roman, anglo-saxon and norman histories) which was a lovely day out, and then took a 4 hour cruise down the Thames to Hampton Court, where I explored and saw Henry VIII (the actor was the spitting image!).

The frustrating thing about my trip is the hours - I work until 5:30 every day, and with the crush of people, I often only get home between 6:30 and 7pm. All tourist sites are closed at 5, so my weeknights are devoted to either seeing people or, more frequently, going home, making a microwave dinner and reading my books or watching BBC.

I'm starting to make some connections here, though it's a slow process. I've discovered an old friend of mine is living in the city, so hope to meet up with him in the coming days/weeks. Otherwise I'll continue to use my weekends thoroughly! This coming weekend I plan to go up to the Colchester area, where the artist Constable did much of his work. It's apparently a lovely area.

Alright, off again!

Epic work!

Wow, this week has been full of 'epic work'. well, one day at least. When I got to work on Monday I was put on a team working on a crazy important submission to the US Securities and Exchange Commission - a HUGE deal and I was a key player in making it happen. Well, I was at least very helpful - I was the 'fresh eyes' on a number of documents and liaised with the publisher on all the edits and nit-picky stuff. It was a really interesting process and gave me a lot of insite... the 'epic' part was the fact that on Wednesday I worked from 9:30am until 4:00am... and was back at work the next morning at 9:30. It was intense.

Otherwise I'm still keeping happy and enjoying myself. The past weekend I explore Hampstead Heath, went out to see where my grandfather was born in Eltham, and went to the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum - all was well worth the visits.

This weekend I plan to see St. Albans (an historic town) and take a Thames river cruise out to Hampton Court.. I just hope the weather is nice to me. Right now there's thunder and Vancouver-style rain. sigh.

Hope everyone is well. Please feel free to email - it's nice to hear from home!

The First Week

I survived it! Horrah!

After a few days if induction meetings they threw me in the deep end, giving me a massive research project on topics I have yet to study at school. I bought a text book guide to try learn quickly, and did as best a job I could. The lawyers seemed happy enough with the results, but I don't know if the big cheese liked it - that will come Monday.

It's been strange being a London commuter, especially with work ending at 530. I'm starting to get used to getting home late and eating dinner even later... I don't like it, but that's what it is.

I haven't done anything too touristy yet as it all closes at 5pm. Today I plan to go to Hampstead Heath, a big park and village within the city, and then maybe just hit down town again. Tomorrow is open for now.

Well I hope all is well with everyone. I'm mostly alright, though I do get lonely at times. Hugs to everyone.

Getting Here & First Day

It was a tiny bit stressful getting here due to all potential flight mishaps, but in the end it worked out alright. My flight was delayed leaving Vancouver but made up time in the air. The plane gods were smiling on me in Newark as my connecting flight turned out to be in the gate right next to where I landed. And my bags made it to Heathrow with me! Best outcome!

One cool thing about my journey: I got to see hundreds of American 4th of July Fireworks display’s from the air. It was so cool seeing all the twinkling – not often you see fireworks from above!

My place here in London seems like it’ll be good – I have a fridge, microwave, hot-plate and some tools to use with them. There are 3 grocery stores within a minutes walk, as is the underground and a huge park. My Landlady seems like a lovely lady – an ex-professional ballet dancer no less!

My first day at work was a bit overwhelming but overall pretty good. Met loads of people and had a bunch of training, all of which will continue tomorrow. The office is located near St. Paul’s Cathedral, so I’ll probably pop into it for lunch one of these days. I’ll slowly explore the area over lunches and shall report back my findings. I did pick up a mobile phone and an internet dongle, so I’ll be more connected than at first thought.

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted as things happen!