So, You Say I Should Go to a Concert, Huh?

Hey all my rocking fam!!!

Well, i had been told by all to go to a concert or the theatre while i'm here in London. So i have taken all of your wonderful advice and just booked me and Adam some concert tickets!

i'm going to give you a few clues as to the main act:

1. It's on the 28th of July (which is so ironic!)
2. This band was my mothers favourite band as a teenager
3. The lead singer is a woman, and is BLONDE
4. They are the picture of Old School Punk
5. They made the songs 'Eat to the Beat' 'Heart of Glass' and 'Call Me'

can you guess???

That's right!!! BLONDIE!!!!

Just had to tell you all, in particular, my mum! I'm doing this for you mum! and i'm gonna have a blast! not so sure about Adam though, but i'll drag him into the mosh! and i think he'll be happy that the ticket comes with a free pass to the Motor Show during the day!

the supporting acts are pretty damn impressive too! Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper and Status Quo!

WOOHOO!!!

love you all,
ashinlondon.x

Got It Sorted

hey all again,


Well, i had my first shift today! I am now an employee at the Central Hostel in Bayswater, London! I live at West Two Hostel, which is just around the corner (literally) and things are just cruisy. The work is very simple, I basically watch TV for most of it though. I guess cos I'm only here for a few more weeks, an easy job is good simply to make ends meet. I am disappointed that i didn't find this job when i first got here, because it is really perfect. I get free accommodation, free breakfast (and i can help myself to the breakfast goods throughout the day if i want) and some cash in hand. So i really cant complain. my boss is just awesome too. Really down to earth and is very kind. He bought me an orange juice today cos he thought i might be thirsty. And he's French so he said he'd try and teach me French, which i guess is a little daunting cos now he basically only talks to me in French! hysterical! He was very cool with my travel plans and my working situation for when Adam arrives. I told him i could only work for about 4 weeks or so until Adam gets here, and he still took me on. basically we help each out in that i need a bit of work and he is short on staff. I will still be working when Adam arrives, but only the morning shift from 6am to 10am so i can still support free accommodation while I'm in London. I'm hoping if i work while Adam is here, maybe they'll be kind enough to give Adam free accommodation too! but we'll see.

(Moroccan Desert)
I'm keeping this one short as usual, but we have made some amendments to our itinerary. We're going to Morocco as well! It has been a huge dream of mine to go to Africa, so i thought if Kenya was a little too unstable, then Morocco will fulfil my Africa dream. We have a fantastic tour in Morocco. We ride camels through the desert and stop in tribal villages, and then camp under the stars, and ride our camels back at sunrise. Amazing! We have so much planned! I can't wait. When Adam gets here I will be hysterical because i am just so excited! things are going to be great!

(Marrakech, Morocco - Where we're going!!!)

well, i actually kept this one short this time!

love u all! send me some emails will you? haven't had any in about a week guys?!?!

ashinlondon.x

Kick Start Your Engines!!!

Hey all,

just gonna post a quick one again today! Things are going well. I start work tomorrow at the hostel...only down side is i am relocating to the sister hostel down the road to work there. its a really nice hostel though and only about a 2 min walk from the one i am in now, but it's stressful packing up and relocating all the time. however i intend to be there for the duration of my London trip. and i guess the hostel is better that it has security lockers - this one doesn't. My food got stolen today (a regular thing in hostels) so at least if i have a locker i can keep my food in there, along with all my valuables. Oh, and i got a fine for not taking back DVD's even though they didn't bloody work, and its like 52 pounds cos it was a week late! 52 fucking pounds! that is ridiculous. not paying that - for a week!?!?! what the? not too sure what to do about that. hmm..

(me at...you get the point)

but anyways moving on. I am very excited about Adam coming to London! it has been basically the only thing on my mind lately! We have so much planned and so much to do! and guess what! I just booked our flights to Ireland and our accommodation! So i have kick started the travelling plans! i have also booked our trip to Bath and Stonehenge! and we are slowly getting through our itinerary - but we'll do all that when he gets here! Adam will be leaving Australia on the 16th July and arriving on the 18th July! its gonna be jam packed from day one, but i have a really nice relaxing day planned for his arrival - I'm not that cruel!

(Me, Jess and Nikki waiting for our train in the Underground)

So, Jess and Nik are now in Amsterdam, and have also kick started their travels. I am so excited for them! so its just me now, haaanging out, in London. it has been nice actually. i have been getting familiar with the area and i have become pro at budget shopping. today i went to Tesco's and got 3 bananas, 2 sesame bread rolls, and a tub or rice pudding, and i squished it all into the roll and it was SOOO nice, and so filling! and all for 1 pound 55! Pro i tell you! Spaghetti Hoops and Sausages for dinner tonight. I think i can comfortably say i have found my feet.

(me at Trafalgar Square!)

well, i have a lot of planning to do! i miss you all and i can't wait to get out of London! it's a nice city, but not for me.

love u all,

ashinlondon.x

Settling Inn Comfortably...

hey all,

well, as per my previous blog, alot has been happening...for a change. I'll start from the beginning. Last week i completed my exams! congrats to me for kicking arse - i'm sure my parents will be relieved to hear that. I was fortunate enough to flick through my books on the tube on the way to the exam, and happened to read the exact topic that was on the exam. i was so thankful because i simply could not study where i was. at the time, i was living in a hostel in Kennington. The hostel was ok, but not great. I had a full room full of dickheads mostly but made friends with some Dutch guys. this guy Rein was a recovering addict and had spent quite a few months in rehab. he was not overly enthused about snorting cocaine on the kitchen counter with my fellow roommates, so most of the time we hung out watching dvd's on my laptop. he was good company in that i had no one around with me - the girls were still at the flat in bermondsey.

(this is me at the tower of london, standing in the exact same spot from 10 years ago! - there used to be a chopping block here - replaced with a memorial)

The other roommates were very noisy and inconsiderate. I spent many hours on the phone with Adam telling him about it. so i could not possibly study with these hoodrats in my room. and that's not to mention that freaky guy with chronic flatulence. the room just stank the entire time - sooooo bad. every 5 mins he's let another one rip, and man did they rip. I think he may have actually been ill cos he spent quite a while on the toilets and rumour has it that the second floor toilet was majorly blocked and overflowed with shit and god knows what all over the floor. the entire level STANK!!! so bad. in the morning i woke up to get myself some breakfast (which was probably the best part of staying at the hostel) and noticed the fart guy had shit on his back and the back of his arm. actual shit. this was not a healthy fellow. the hostel was really quite hysterical, i found myself amused more times than not. i found sitting up in my room looking out the window down to the bitch fights out on the road to be quite amusing. on regular occasions, groups of girls would gang up on one girl and beat her up. quite sad really for the poor girl trying to get away, but you see it so often here in London it kinda becomes routine. but that also meant that i couldn't leave the hostel after about 6pm. indoors didn't phase me too much cos it was quite cosy, but when the guy sleeping on the bunk beneath me brought random girls into his bed, i often dreamt i was on a boat or something...gross (bed rocking in case u didn't make that link). but none the less, i had a pretty good bed, good sleep, good breakfast and I'm still in one piece.

(Nikki and Jess walking down Bermondsey Street)

i headed back to bermondsey for a night, but then was told we had to shift cos one of the chefs complained about us - woohoo! basically this happened the day after Jess arrived. but we headed off to a hostel which was pretty exciting cos they can be alot of fun. and this week has been awesome. me Jess and nik have done alot of touristy stuff - The London Tombs, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, Thorpe Park, and went to Camden Town and spent alot of time on the tube, probably more than most would in a visit to London. It was really awesome to spend time going out and seeing stuff with nik and jess, cos it reminded me alot of old times. you often forget where u come from when surrounded by your friends cos it becomes so comfortable. but being here in London with nikki and jess is like, wow, we grew up together and now we are in London together. i think its pretty damn amazing and nikki and jess are two amazing girls that i am proud to know. i think what they have both done and achieved would make any mother proud - Jo, you really do have two amazing and beautiful daughters! I have had such a good time in London and i am sad to see them go tomorrow!

(Me and Jess at Trafalgar Square)

Now onto my job situation just to clear things up. I got a job at a pub near Liverpool Street, and all seemed well. the pay was better than average but that's not to say average is any good. I was working basically 12 - 13 hours straight, wake up at 9 for breakfast. eat, scurry and get dressed then rush off to work to be there by 10:30am, then working on my feet ALLLL day till around midnight, 1am, in an underground pub so no windows or natural light (was sickening) and serving sleazy businessmen while the soccer is on. My boss was a nice enough guy but had no fucking clue. he was the most arrogant person i have ever met and a total fucking wanker! but he was good when the patrons inappropriately sleazed onto me. it got to the point where my boss nearly got into a brawl because of it, and one particular guy wouldn't leave the pub so was forced out and waited out the front for me. my boss walked me to the station safely, but i think he only did that cos he felt all superior and blah blah blah - he liked to talk himself up alot. oh and apparently he's on 880 pounds per week as the manager, but seriously he did sweet fuck all. most of the time he was sitting down, playing poker with customers, demanding drinks and by the end of the night was too drunk so he was 'working, but not working' as he so put it. actually i dont recall him working at all. that seriously pissed me off, cos i'd be working 13 hours shifts a day, every day mon to friday, on my feet working flat out for a measly 6 pounds an hour. that's right, 6 pounds. so in total, i'd be bringing in no more than 200 pounds per week. shit shit shit. so i was outa there in a flash. i felt awful cos i couldn't contact my family. my phone was dead, i had no credit and literally had zero time to even charge my phone or send one of my awesome 'super quick' emails. it was sooo depressing not hearing from my family in like 3 days. it was an awful ordeal, but you live, you learn. however, is this fate or what? the same day i quit my job, i was offered a new one out of the blue. I was downstairs at reception at my hostel and began chatting with the Australian girls working there. i mentioned my brief stint in the pub and they asked me if i wanted a job. the job is just ace. i haven't started yet, but basically i get free accommodation, free breakfast and 120 pounds cash per week. and the area is just so nice, safe and opposite a park, and a stone throw away from Hyde park and strips of nice shops and boutiques. woohoo! such a pleasant feeling. So, this is my new home for the next 5 or 6 weeks!

(and this is where i live!!! SWEEET!)

i went grocery shopping today which should last me a couple of weeks so I'm saving money by not eating out. I'll do this job and live here and absorb as much as i can from London until Adam arrives in 4 weeks!!! sooo excited. we have a lot of plans and i am thrilled to have a home to bring him to when he gets here.

I'm sorry this blog was so 'updatey' and i hope to bring you all some great stories soon! Life is hard no doubt, but as usual, I'm pulling through. I'm one tough cookie!

I'll keep you all updated with my plans, but for now, this seems to be my home. I have come to the decision that Kenya is something i really wanna do, but for a myriad of reasons, I'm gonna pass. I just hope i don't regret this decision.

love u all so much, miss you and love ur emails, so send more and more and more!!!

ashinlondon.x

Purely An Update...

hey all,
just a low-down on what i'm doing cos i think i worried some people this week (sorry). I moved to a hostel in Kensington (really nice area) with nikki and jess, got a job at a pub near liverpool street - quit that job today. was working 13 hours straight (11am to 12:30, 1am, and working again the next day at 11am same hours) and was getting stalked and harrassed by the patrons. and had literally zero time to even check my emails or charge my phone, hence why no-one has heard from me the past couple of days, so i am very sorry for worrying you all. the job was just awful and so demanding. so i quit that. then i got offered a job here at the hostel providing free accommodation, breakfast and 120 pounds per week cash as a receptionist. BUT then i was thinking alot about my situation and i am thinking i might head over to Mombasa in Kenya, Africa to volunteer at the orphanage for a couple of weeks until adam arrives. i know this is going to worry many people, but it is something quite close to my heart and something i have wanted to do for a long time. i'm still having a think about it cos the flight is like 450 pounds! verrry expensive! anyone wanna pay for it for me? well, if i'm gonna do that i have a lot to do over the next week - get myself a doctor and all vaccinated up, dont wanna get malaria or anything do i?
had a fantastic week with nikki and jess, will inform in my next blog!
love u all,
ashinlondon.x

The Philosophy Of Travel - Open Your Eyes

Hey all!

well, i have some good time to just sit down and write out a big blog - i think i could not describe the beauty and wonders of Prague and Berlin in 2 short blogs. i have just so much going on at the moment its hard to keep up!

I am now back in London and i have found London is essentially my base for now, so i'm in the mode of simply making ends meet. I am on the road to a job and sorting my living arrangements out. things seem to be (as Nikki would put it) just flopping into place. I have alot to look forward to in this crazy city of London. I hope to gain some invaluable work experience, and a sense of independence above what i have already achieved. being here in London and just trying to get through each day is entirely self dependant. sometimes i feel like i'm two people, collaborating and delegating with each other, asking the other if this is the right thing to do, where should i go, what should i eat today, what do i need and how do i feel. its an odd sensation. but one thing that has been on my mind for so long if my family - and as an added bonus - Adam is coming to Europe! this will be the journey of a lifetime and i am so excited and blessed to be given the opportunity to experience this world with him as i intend to share the rest of my life with him.

Prague was so amazing. it really makes you feel like you have two feet on the ground, in a place on this giant earth of ours. it was a very grounding experience. everywhere you turn there is so much beauty. the old style of buildings were just amazing and interesting as to what it housed. the streets were lined with designer boutiques - much out of my price range. me and em had a peep in the 'Cartier' window. I'm not entirely sure how to describe the demographics of Prague, but i can only assume the various 'towns' i.e. old town, new town, have quite a economic segregation. I think i mentioned in my previous blog that shopping is not fantastic in Prague, clearly there is very little import/export so all the products are identical in every shop. However Prague has a very good silver and gold industry so there are alot of jewelery shops with amazing stones and designs. I don't think anyone could hate Prague. it has an amazing night life and the city is so well preserved and clean. you walk down one of the many alley ways that create the maze of the city that is Prague, and the streets come alive with culture. there is stalls of hand made craft (very expensive tho), musicians playing the day away, puppeteers on the streets which is good old fashioned fun, and the weather was just amazing. not a day under 30 degrees, even though it usually rained in the mornings. i think Prague is in such a brilliant place on this earth, in summer it is hot and the sun shines, and so does the city. but in winter, it snows and lightly covers the tops of the magnificent buildings that bring a shimmer to the city, a glow that fills you with life. its breathtaking. i have only seen photos of the snow, but i can't imagine anything more peaceful.

The people in Prague, however, we not the nicest people. they appeared to be very drained and hard at work, and clearly do not like tourists. you often feel like a pest, but none the less, wondering around the gorgeous city is free and is more valuable than buying souvenirs from grumpy Czech sales people. On the one hand tho, me Paul and em went to Plzen (where they make the Pilsen Urquell Beer - so we went to the brewery) and on the train there we were in a carriage with this lovely old Czech lady. she was a cack! so funny! she spoke moderate English so it was quite a challenge to establish a conversation, but she told us of all the places we should go see and things to do in Czech Republic (if only it wasn't my last day there!) and she also gave us some traditional Czech apple cake. it was surprisingly nice. she made it herself and told us she was quite the chef having two grandsons. We named her Nanna Czech cos we couldn't pronounce her name.

The Pilsner Urquell brewery was awesome too! i think it would be Tom's heaven, even if he doesn't like the beer, it was just so cool. we learnt how beer was made, and saw all the machinery and an amazing fact of the day: they make 60,000 bottles of beer an HOUR! wow! We got a chance to try unfiltered beer straight from the barrel. i nearly threw up it was foul, but i was told it was good for skin, nails and hair, so i drank up! Paul seemed to love it tho! the brewery itself was awesome too cos it was in like a mini city. it reminded me so much of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Also, the food in Czech was very strange. i had a traditional meat dish for lunch on the first day. Get this! it was beef with potato dumplings with a mustard creamy sauce...with JAM AND WHIPPED CREAM!!! tasted awesome! one of the many wonders of the Czech Republic.

Berlin, much the same, only has a very deep and moving history. there is alot to be learnt and told of berlin. It is a beautiful city and the people are very friendly. i learnt so much in Berlin, the majority of which was about the war, but alot were things you dont know or hear about in books or school. i think you have to go there to really understand and appreciate what happened there for the past century or so. it makes you really appreciate living in such an amazing country such as Australia. and it makes you appreciate having your family there every day. i cannot fathom what it would have been like to live in Berlin during the wars, to never see my father or brother again, to only see Adam 3 times a year on strict regulations, to be separated by a wall that was built in the dark night - to wake up and know i may never see the people i love on the other side of the wall. to know i could be shot dead at any given time, or to watch my family be murdered or taken away in the night never to be seen again. i don't think people realise how tragic the situation was in Berlin. people see the Berlin wall and think it is merely a tourist attraction, but what it represents is something that most people will never experience in their entire lives. and something that should never ever happen again - the monuments around Berlin are beautiful and moving and a reminder to us all that history really can repeat itself, its up to us to stop these monstrosities from ever happening again.

i have such an appreciation for the good people in my life. for the people i love and care for, and who love and care for me in return. you just cant buy that, and they're not something that can easily be replaced, if at all. I now hate the saying 'you don't know what you got till its gone' cos it is such a common thing to say, but in essence, it simply means you did not realise what you had when you had it. i will never say that. i know what i have - i know what i value in my life, and i will always appreciate the good people in my life. humans are born to interact and to grow together, to build positive foundations and to share a life of compassion, excitement and happiness. i know that the people in my life mean more to me than anything in this whole world, and i do not doubt, nor neglect this for one second. know what you have when you have it. don't wait till its gone.

I am so appreciative of where i am right now in my life. for once, i am not fretting about my next job, my career and university and all the rest, because things just seem so much clearer. just by travelling i have found myself. i have found a sense of harmony in how i feel about my future, my goals and aspirations and for some reason, i truly think it will all just fall into place. if you think about it, we can make so many plans in life, but how often do those plans follow through? life truly has a set plan for you, so no matter what, you'll end up where you need to be, its called fate. its just a life lesson to not worry so much about the destination, rather, enjoy the journey, otherwise what is the point of it all? I just think that we should live for ourselves, cos this is our life, and our only one. if we're always guided by other's thoughts, then what's the point in having our own?

and i have learnt to find comfort in my own skin and in my own sense of self. i have learnt that if you can be comfortable in your own skin, and to be truly comfortable, then where you are, what misery surrounds you, or negative forces will not matter. just find harmony in yourself and positivity will find its way to you. we just need to learn to love being who we are, and if we can do that, we can learn to love others - two halves cannot become whole unless each half is whole within itself.

I miss you all so much and i hope i have made an impact in your lives as you have mine.

love u all,

ashinlondon.x

PRAGUE...Jealous?

hey guys,
have to be super quick as usual. travelling has made using the internet a luxury! but never the less, i will give you guys a good update of what i'm doing and to reassure you i am still alive and having a ball!
me, paul and em have made our way down to the beautiful city of Prague. i'll have to say i enjoyed Berlin more cos it just had so much to offer, and prague is a little boring - BUT! you just can't hate prague because it is so beautiful and nothing like you will ever see elsewhere! i can understand why people fall in love with it. we went on a walking tour and covered most of the city - the city is actually quite small compared to other european cities. and we also went up to prague castle. look it up on the net it is simply spectacular! we learnt a little about the history, however the whole communism, revolutions etc was a little confusing as there is centuries of history to be told. but a very interesting fact i found was that the city it divided into 3 by religion, time and revolution. there is a jewish part that is completely separate from the rest, and it is very interesting and full of culture and what do you know?... that's where the city cemetary is! of course. the jewish people really hard it hard in the past couple of hundred years! but all in all, the city is divided into the 'new city', the 'old city' and the 'gothic city'. prague, to descibe it best, is really gothic meets baroq. but the truly amazing fact of it all, is that the gothic city is UNDERNEATH the other 2 cities. basically over time, and revolution, the old and new cities were built ON TOP of the gothic city. we got to experience all cities - i must say my favourite is the gothic city. Me, paul and em, and a few fellow travellers that we have met along the way and have become quite close friends, went to a live jazz bar last night in the gothic city - so underground. the music was amazing and the feel to the place was like nothing i had ever experienced, and the fact that we were in a room that was over 1000 years old was pretty awesome. we had a really great night. Czech Republic is such an interesting place. it feels like a hidden treasure, having their very distinct language, culture and history, it feels quite isolated, like its a place that is no where in the world, kinda reminds me of the hidden paradise from the movie 'the beach'. a well kept secret. also, it is very spiritual - very astrological - the town clock is in the zodiac code and the like the astrological chart. you'd have to see the photos to see what i mean. i have unfortunatley not been able to pick up any of the language because it is fair to say it is the most difficult language on this planet! but for anyone thinking of coming to prague, it is a must in life! you will never see such intriguing beauty. but let me inform you, it is not a place for shopping! me and the girls hit the town for some good old shopping. Prague is actually 'Bohemia' so i thought i would get some really awesome and interesting boho items, but no! there is an abundance of bohemian crystals, and lots of souvenier shops, but no shopping! none! and most people think that czeck republic is cheap cos they're not on the euro, so the CZ Krown is 14 to 1 aus dollar, but the cost of things is realllllllllly expensive! we were really shocked. but despite which, beer is cheaper than water here, hence why we have been hitting the bars. but paul is adament that is purely educational, he's tried like over 50 different kinds of beer! i think Em has found out that this trip is actually the european beer tour.
there is much to be said about this place, but as i said i am really on a limit here. i hope you are all enjoying reading about my travels! i will put up all the photos soon - they are amazing so they are sure to impress. i just dont have access to uploading the photos. but i'm back in london on saturday for my uni exams. i then have a job interview which is offering realllllly good pay so i'm not gonna miss this one. i think i'll work for about 3 months, save as much as i can, and then recommence my travells. here is a rundown of my travel plans: from mid august, i will be spending anywhere from 3 to 7 days in each of these places in this order: from london to Bath and stonehenge, to Birmingham - seeing my old house and school! i'll get photos. then up to Edinborough for 3 days, off to Ireland for the Shamrocker for 5 days, back to london for a bit, then going to do the Balkan Treck going from Croatia through to Montenagro and Instanbul for about 5 days over my birthday! woohoo! then back to london for about a week to set me up for my massive travelling....then flying back over to pargue for a night, heading down to Cesky Krumlov for a bit, over to Vienna in Austria, through salzburg to Munich (fun fun) then down to Luternbrunnen in Switzerland (adventure capital - going paragliding or something! woohoo!) then heading down the the south of France in Nice for a couple of days, heading over to Italy to do the 3 day adventure, then across to the Greek Islands, island hopping for 9 days!!! then back to Nice to go to St Tropez for a boat cruize, then through Avignon to Barcelona for about a week, down to Valencia for a day, hopping over toIbiza for a few days, back to Valencia and up to Madrid, then over to San Sebastian for a couple of nights, then travelling through Bordeaux and Tours in France up to PARIS for a good week! then over to Bruges in Belgium, then off to Amsterdam for about 5 days, then back to london for a bit to pack and whatnot, then all the way over to Thailand and Cambodia for 24 days!!! then i'll be home sweet home! Jealous?
so, i have alot planned. i write another blog about my spiritual journey - i have learnt alot here and i am really finding myself. and another bonus, my weight has stabilised so i am less worried about coming back emaciated - so not to worry dad!
love you all so much and i hope you are all happy and healthy!
ashinprague.x