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Just a quick story today to demonstrate how behind the times my fellow HR co-workers are:
1. The HR Director here began our larger staff meeting two days ago declaring she was terribly hungover and hoped to get through our large agenda without passing out on us.
2. Some of the HR Business Partners (equivalent in the US- our HR managers, or at EY, the People Consultants) were making fun of a blind employee and his dog during said meeting. I have little sense of humour for that- so inappropriate. Makes me wonder what the people who don't have the same cultural training as us say!
3. I've been asked to make proposals and suggestions based upon the US HR model- seems the UK model isn't working here. But, remember, they are superior to all others, so I don't know how that is all going to work out!
That is enough from me, I've had an interesting week that makes me appreciate my old job in the US so much more than I ever did when I had it!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Couple time
With all the excitement of the last few weeks, we settled down this weekend for a low key and one-on-one weekend. It is so easy to have plans every day of the week with our friends and the natural inclination for everyone is to explore/try/see/taste together. That is great for 90% of the time. However, this weekend we just needed some Angie & JP time.
Our weekend started a little early on Friday after work when we decided to join a new gym. Our old gym was perfectly fine- but we found another one that has two locations- one literally at the end of our block, and one directly next door to our office. It is called 37 degrees (which, 37 degrees celcius is body temperature) http://www.thirtysevendegrees.co.uk/. I love this place. I love nice gyms period- but this gym is just so nice, and coincidentally cheaper and closer to us.
So, our weekend started yesterday with JP's first spinning class that I dragged him to. He did great and we had a great workout. We then went home and ran some errands (I got a haircut- finally found a great hairdresser here!) and JP went to do his own thing. We then went to dinner at a little Italian restaurant right by our house that was run by a 72 year-old Argentine lady who took to us. We enjoyed our pasta and chatted with her about the old days in Buenos Aires. Then, we went to see the movie Juno. If you haven't seen this movie, I would recommend it- we both liked it.
Today we went back to the gym to work out and then showered up and headed to East London. There is a street there called Brick Lane- it has a bunch of curry houses and great markets. http://www.britannia.com/travel/london/cockney/brick.html
We had a ton of fun here, the markets were fun, we bargain shopped for a couple little things and walked around the whole afternoon. This is a fun place to go back to, I can't wait to make the trip back out to try another fun restaurant in the area and eat more Indian/Bangledeshi food.
JP has another week of terrible hours before going back to normalcy. For me, just more of the same-just working and playing at the new gym!
Until next time, enjoy the week!
Our weekend started a little early on Friday after work when we decided to join a new gym. Our old gym was perfectly fine- but we found another one that has two locations- one literally at the end of our block, and one directly next door to our office. It is called 37 degrees (which, 37 degrees celcius is body temperature) http://www.thirtysevendegrees.co.uk/. I love this place. I love nice gyms period- but this gym is just so nice, and coincidentally cheaper and closer to us.
So, our weekend started yesterday with JP's first spinning class that I dragged him to. He did great and we had a great workout. We then went home and ran some errands (I got a haircut- finally found a great hairdresser here!) and JP went to do his own thing. We then went to dinner at a little Italian restaurant right by our house that was run by a 72 year-old Argentine lady who took to us. We enjoyed our pasta and chatted with her about the old days in Buenos Aires. Then, we went to see the movie Juno. If you haven't seen this movie, I would recommend it- we both liked it.
Today we went back to the gym to work out and then showered up and headed to East London. There is a street there called Brick Lane- it has a bunch of curry houses and great markets. http://www.britannia.com/travel/london/cockney/brick.html
We had a ton of fun here, the markets were fun, we bargain shopped for a couple little things and walked around the whole afternoon. This is a fun place to go back to, I can't wait to make the trip back out to try another fun restaurant in the area and eat more Indian/Bangledeshi food.
JP has another week of terrible hours before going back to normalcy. For me, just more of the same-just working and playing at the new gym!
Until next time, enjoy the week!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Surveying the damage...
Our first big party in the flat was so fun! We had 30 of our friends over for a super mellow and relaxing get together. Well, at least that is what I told my poor downstairs neighbour in advance. What resulted was a very fun affair that included some smartly dressed expats, food, booze, friends, couples dancing to Boyz II Men, and an enormous mess. The last of us standing at 4am proved to, well, nobody that we are indeed not too old for this!
The highlights of the night include a gorgeous flat decorated with almost $100 of streamers, hearts, confetti, and candles. JP worked all week on a playlist that included some old school classics with Color Me Badd, Boyz II Men, Skid Row, Guns N Roses. We had a picture corner so you could take a picture with your date. We had old school valentines sent from the US so that people could fill them out and give them to a special someone. The dancing was kicked off by our friend Stuart who bravely told the crowd of revelers that it was time to boogy. Thankfully there was no drama, just a lot of drinking and dancing. JP and I threw out 7 bags of bottles and cans this morning- and I'm sure our neighbours won't be talking with us much after this, but it was well worth it. We are all 30 years old and acting like we were in college! The mess we had this afternoon to clean was not terrible- but boy am I glad that Ernst & Young pays all the deposits and such on our flat. It won't be the same again.
If you'd like to see pictures of everthing, feel free to click on our picture link and use the password London to see the Valentine's party album.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Pictures made easy
Two posts in one day!
JP is out of town for work- leaving me to find things to do to stay busy. I created one place for all of our pictures that we've been taking since we moved here.
You can visit our collection site at: angiejptravel.shutterfly.com
The password is: London
Add it to your bookmarks and check back every month to see more stuff! On the agenda in the next six months: San Francisco (ok, not so exotic, but we can't wait!!), Portugal, Olso (Norway), Spain, OC (another exotic trip to the US for a wedding!), and Iceland!
Enjoy!
JP is out of town for work- leaving me to find things to do to stay busy. I created one place for all of our pictures that we've been taking since we moved here.
You can visit our collection site at: angiejptravel.shutterfly.com
The password is: London
Add it to your bookmarks and check back every month to see more stuff! On the agenda in the next six months: San Francisco (ok, not so exotic, but we can't wait!!), Portugal, Olso (Norway), Spain, OC (another exotic trip to the US for a wedding!), and Iceland!
Enjoy!
PG-13 Rated
I’ve made no secret that one of the things I thoroughly enjoy about life in London is the pub culture. It is part of so many aspects of life here- I’ve have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a pub. I’ve gone to the pub when I’m bored, before meeting friends, after walking around, to escape the rain, to escape the cold, even to a baby shower at the pub.
Last week I was more or less introduced to the after work culture here. Until last week, if I did go out after work it was to meet my other expat GEP friends. Upon entering my 5th week with the UK firm, I finally made it out after work with my new team for a drink.
The night started out much of the same, a bunch of nice looking ladies, all in HR, all with fun war stories, all looking to blow off some steam head to the bar next to the office. We settle into the comfy couches and chairs and start ordering bottles of wine. I was enjoying myself, getting to know the others. A few people rambled in and out of the bar through the night to catch a train or get home to their kids. There were a small group of us that were in it for the long haul. The group mainly consisted of some senior level people in my group. The night turned funny when the highest ranking professional in the group announced that her nether regions had started to turn gray. This wasn’t one of my female compadres in the office with whom I’ll go grab tea or coffee with once a day. This was a leader, a director no less! I won’t give away too much in terms of this person’s identity- but nonetheless, it was the last person I expected to hear such a thing from. I’m all for raunchy talk on occasion, truly I love to shock others and love it when somebody surprises me with an off the cuff remark. I have to admit though- this one threw me off a bit. The best part was that because of the noise and the accents- I didn’t hear this person at first. I actually leaned in and said “excuse me, what did you say?” To which, the announcement was repeated, this time with more vigor. Isn’t that grand? The conversation took some fun turns from there- and ended with a bit of a comparison of sorts among the older people in the group. I held my ground, smiled, laughed when appropriate… what else could I do? And they say Americans are the obnoxious ones.
This weekend was one of those weekends you hear about from your friends or family in the Midwest or the East coast- we got a freak warm weather front that rolled through that produced very sunny skies, and mild weather- and it drove everyone outdoors! I rocked the flip flops both days and didn’t even wear my overcoat out at night. The best part was that the whole city basically comes from hiding on these rare days. JP and I went to the park yesterday and brought with us our softball gloves and a ball to throw around. Half of London was there with their dogs, bikes, skates, soccer balls. It felt so good to feel the sun on our face and be outside without scarves and jackets. I thought to myself that if it was in the low 60’s at home, I would have not ventured outside, I would have stayed in and complained that it was freezing. It is so different when day in and day out it is cloudy, cold, and windy. We didn’t do much of significance this weekend, just enjoyed the weather and being with our friends.
This week will be the same as previous- with work and JP hanging in there for busy season and a pretty bad commute. We’ll be getting ready for the biggest party of 2008, our Valentine ’s Day dance on Saturday. Can’t wait!
Last week I was more or less introduced to the after work culture here. Until last week, if I did go out after work it was to meet my other expat GEP friends. Upon entering my 5th week with the UK firm, I finally made it out after work with my new team for a drink.
The night started out much of the same, a bunch of nice looking ladies, all in HR, all with fun war stories, all looking to blow off some steam head to the bar next to the office. We settle into the comfy couches and chairs and start ordering bottles of wine. I was enjoying myself, getting to know the others. A few people rambled in and out of the bar through the night to catch a train or get home to their kids. There were a small group of us that were in it for the long haul. The group mainly consisted of some senior level people in my group. The night turned funny when the highest ranking professional in the group announced that her nether regions had started to turn gray. This wasn’t one of my female compadres in the office with whom I’ll go grab tea or coffee with once a day. This was a leader, a director no less! I won’t give away too much in terms of this person’s identity- but nonetheless, it was the last person I expected to hear such a thing from. I’m all for raunchy talk on occasion, truly I love to shock others and love it when somebody surprises me with an off the cuff remark. I have to admit though- this one threw me off a bit. The best part was that because of the noise and the accents- I didn’t hear this person at first. I actually leaned in and said “excuse me, what did you say?” To which, the announcement was repeated, this time with more vigor. Isn’t that grand? The conversation took some fun turns from there- and ended with a bit of a comparison of sorts among the older people in the group. I held my ground, smiled, laughed when appropriate… what else could I do? And they say Americans are the obnoxious ones.
This weekend was one of those weekends you hear about from your friends or family in the Midwest or the East coast- we got a freak warm weather front that rolled through that produced very sunny skies, and mild weather- and it drove everyone outdoors! I rocked the flip flops both days and didn’t even wear my overcoat out at night. The best part was that the whole city basically comes from hiding on these rare days. JP and I went to the park yesterday and brought with us our softball gloves and a ball to throw around. Half of London was there with their dogs, bikes, skates, soccer balls. It felt so good to feel the sun on our face and be outside without scarves and jackets. I thought to myself that if it was in the low 60’s at home, I would have not ventured outside, I would have stayed in and complained that it was freezing. It is so different when day in and day out it is cloudy, cold, and windy. We didn’t do much of significance this weekend, just enjoyed the weather and being with our friends.
This week will be the same as previous- with work and JP hanging in there for busy season and a pretty bad commute. We’ll be getting ready for the biggest party of 2008, our Valentine ’s Day dance on Saturday. Can’t wait!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Brussels & Brugge
Our trip to Brussels and Brugge over the weekend was super fun. Let me start off by saying that the Eurostar is the best way to travel... so much more relaxing and efficient than flying! I wish it went to more destinations, because we loved the ease of this mode of transport.
Friday night after work we jammed out of the office, picked up a quick pop up map of Brugge, and then headed to the train station. Two hours later, we arrived in Brussels. We spent Friday night in a bar, just hanging out, excited to be out of the city. The bar we went to was a Brussels staple, and our friend Matt who was celebrating his birthday was excited to ring it in there.
We spent Saturday in Brugge. http://www.visit-bruges.com/ The city was so cute, we loved the picturesque streets, the beautiful buildings, the gorgeous sights. We spent the day with Will and Em, Will who is on exchange in Amsterdam and from California. They drove out from Amsterdam to meet us and go on a walking tour. Through the day we walked through the town, spent awhile at a museum that showcased old Flemish paintings that were interesting. We went to the Our Ladys Church to see one of the few Michaelangelo sculptures outside of Italy. We went to a brewery to sample some of the beers. After our tour we ended the day by walking through a convent. It was beautiful. The picture at the top of the post is of JP and I in front of one of the many canal streets.
This picture is just a pretty shot of the landscape of the city...
Here is JP with our friends Will and Em as we are trying to figure out where to go on the map! Will's face captures our overall feeling of how easy it is to find your way around the streets of Brugge and Brussels...After a quick drive back to Brussels with Will and Em in their super cool semi-automatic car, we got dressed and went out with the larger group to dinner. We had dinner at a fun restaurant in the center of town that specialized in one of Brussels key culinary treats - mussels and french fries. http://uk.chezleon.be/index.asp?ID=476 After dinner, the whole group of us (12 in all) headed down the street a bar called Delirium. http://www.deliriumcafe.be/ This place was incredible- with over 600 beers offered, it was like candyland for the boys. If you could think up a beer, more than likely they had it here. It made for an interesting Sunday morning to say the least.
Here is my yummy dinner- mussels with tomatoes and parmesan cheese with some fries and beer. It is figure flattering in all the wrong ways!Sunday started at noon with some traditional waffles for breakfast/lunch and a walk through the town. Some of the group headed to Brugge and some of us stayed behind in Brussels to hang out. The weather was very cold, not conducive to walking around much so we holed up in the Museum of Instruments which proved to be a very fun way spend time and stay warm. After that we enjoyed some last beers before we went off to catch our train.
All in all, I would recommend a weekend in Brugge definitely. Some people really liked Brussels. I didn't not like it, but I don't have plans to return. If anything though, a trip to taste the beers (there are so many to chose from!) and sample the cuisine is worth it! Well, that is when you eat in London all the time....
To see all the pics we took you can visit our album online: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AaOWLNy4bN2O0 Remember you don't need to sign in to see these.
Our next trip will probably be Stonehenge at the end of the month- just a quick day trip from the city. The next week will be more or less getting ready for the biggest event yet in 2008, our Valentine's Day Dance on Saturday the 16! :) Enjoy the week everyone.
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