The National - Fake Empire

A little sample from the concert

Swedish Birthday of a Portuguese in London

Seems like an odd thing but the truth is that the celebrations of the day my mother put me out in the world included a surprise concert of The National, in the O2 Brixton Academy, with a forbidden croud-surfing from Matt Berninger and an intimist moment with the croud. I'm definitely a fan!

Not having cake and champagne, what do you use for a treat? Of course! You use "Daim", a delicious swedish caramel & chocolat sweet; and Glogg, an aromatized wine, drank hot to warm your body and soul.

Well, that's the way I celebrated the midnight of the 30th November, with specialties from IKEA (always this in the way...), at the candle light and with a smiling Joao! Lucky me...:)

All day in Hospital!!!!!!! God!!!

Today I had to go to the Hospital very early in the morning, it was terrible. What happened? I'll explain.
Last week I went to an agency to look for another job to occupy my free hours during day (in the bar is only after 18). So I went to an agency specialized in administrative and restaurant work. I went inside the agency asking for part time job with no experience, which they did not have, and I came out with an interview for a management job in one of the biggest hospitals trust in the UK.
Could life be crazier?
I was in the right moment at the right place said the agent. They were going to advertise the job, and because I was there with my CV I was the first. Amazing luck!!!
I went to the interview and yes I got the job, and I started today as the Materials Management Supervisor. (http://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/home.aspx )
And I that thought I was saying goodbye to hospitals in July...
We'll make more money in two months than we planned to do in 4.
No I'm not giving up my bartending carreer... :D
At least for now, it will be hospital from 8 to 4.30 and bar from 6.30 to 23 on weekedays. And bar only  of course on weekends. I'll be a bartender and waiter at night and a manager during day.
When you are not looking for things, they just fall from the sky...

Here you can see how well located it is, right in the centre of London (4 tube stops from my house! damn I'm lucky)

Jesus and a Bloody Mary please!!!! I lost my virginity!!!

Yes, I'm not a bartending virgin anymore. Yesterday I got the real freshman treatment (we call it praxe) for a bartender. It was very well done by the bar staff and I didn't have any idea what was going to happen, so when the moment come I was all alone. (all my colleagues dissipated)
It was a party of 40/50 English people, and suddenly I realized I was alone and they were coming to me with those thirsty crazy looks!!!! Give me Alcohol!!!!!!!
I did more drinks yesterday than in all my short bartending life, and did so many mistakes that I don't even remember, but it was a glorious night. After the initial cold feet I got confident and started entering the groove.  Mojitos were the night success!!
One thing that was amazing is that this guys don't care about the money, I realized that when I run out of coins and went to the boss to get more. He told me to forget the coins and start rounding up, (3.50 to 4 or 5 for example) and the thing is, that it worked. The same people that were buying for 3.50 were paying 4 or 5 and not even one single complain. Next time I'll try to charge tap water to see if it works...



P.S.- got 15 pounds of tips.(low amount) 3 nights per week like this is 230 euros free of taxes! Nice...

Sentence of the day: "Sou mt bixa mas na cozinha sou Homem"

Said the Sous Chef (second in command) to my boss who was grumbling unfairly with him. It means "I'm very gay but at work I'm a man"!!!!!! So respect me!!! Awesome! ! :D

My boss is a grumbler but deeply he is a good guy. He just talks to me like he's going to fire me everyday. I just don't care that much!! I need the experience and the money.

The bad think of my work is knowing that tomorrow morning (Sunday) I'm going to wake up early to clean the bathrooms and the floor of the place. Can't wait for lunchtime to start serving the customers and making some simple cocktails!

Smells like X-mas!

The society's general idea that women can't be given the credit card, otherwise the money would run out in a few minutes isn't totally correct, or complete. Indeed, there is an exception to the main rule: Joao!

In my sweet innocence, I let Joao on his own to IKEA to buy a desk to our new room in Clapham. Imagine the result...Yep! Not only he brought the desk but several other stuff, as candles, lamps,...and a X-mas tree!! Well, not everything is lost! We are really lucky that IKEA has really great prices. So, the final result is a totally new look and for a bargain :-)

Dinner with old friends

Yesterday night we had a wonderfull evening with my friend Ana who I met in Sweden while studing. It was nice to rememeber those old times and also to meet her sweethearth, Sam, a great British chap. The venue was Wagamama a japanese restaurant chain very famous and with tasty food. A night to remember indeed.

I sell beers and...health advice!

I thought I came to London to take a little break from my work as a pharmacist but yesterday my sweet "vacations" were disturbed... Yes, even here, on the island, people ask me for advice! My boss at the restaurant revealed my disguise and told some costumers to tell me their doubts. Imagine what they were...Yes, one of them was holding a Viagra and asked me if he could take it!! oh god... Well, if I don't get many tips, at least I can charge for the appointments ;-)


(just for the record: today I got a £10 tip too!)

First tip!!!!!

Today even though having worked 10 strait hours feeling sick, I enjoyed a lot serving directly the customers. It was nice to see them happy with my service and specially getting a 10 pounds bill in my pocket. My first direct tip (we have tips in half the tables, but generic ones).
I celebrated making a Special Frozen Strawberry Daikiri which the boss took from my hand, but no regrets. :D
Well it was for this why we came here, right?. To earn money, salary and tips to travel around the world. So here we have, the beginning.
I did put the money in the tips box, which will be divided by all employees (meaning less than 2 pounds to me) but I'm happy to confirm the nice profitable (for us) culture of the British.

First casualty!

I've got the flu!!!!!!  Some symptoms !!! Is London to hard for me? (Joao) It was not easy to work today, specially being a busy night!!
Well thank god I brought a Pharmacist with me. :D Tomorrow I'll try to buy Nimesulide without prescription! (Sara  says it is not necessary but I like to have some around) I'm sure that in UK is easy...
Tomorrow I'll feel much better being so well treated!!! :D

Ops no more electricity! Forgot to top-up!

Yes, the title is true! Today I was having a shower and the electricity was cut. What the hell happened, I thought? Well, now we know that in the UK they also have top-up system for electricity like we have for mobile phones.
So the number you can see on the display is the ammount of credit we still have to spend in energy. (5.75 pounds)
We are still recovering from the shock...
We're going to send the receipt of ten pounds to the landslord to discount the rent...
Bloody English!!!!!

Sara's Job

This is where Sara has started to work here in London, she's an all-around-work waitress(in portuguese 'pau para toda a obra'). As you can see it is a Portuguese restaurant based on the football club Nacional da Madeira. And it is mainly used by... 'Madeirenses'!!!! The idea was not to come to London to listen to Portuguese all the time, but for now we consider this a starter. Good for some work experience in the UK. This oppurtunity was provided by the Portuguese master in London... Neto's Agency... we'll talk about it later!!!!

The Room

This is our room in Clapham North. Yes we have no bed, but... we do have a mattress !!! Think it like a Japanese bed!!
500 pounds a month, all included and 150 yards from the tube!!
The other house mates are from Ecuador and Colombia. They look nice and quiet... we'll see...

Better than expected

Bonfire and Fireworks celebrating Guy Fawkes attempt to blow up the government. (shouldn't we try in Portugal?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

So even the most optimistic person in the world (that would be me) would not suspect that after 7 days we would have:

• A house in a great place: Clapham North (2 min from Underground Station) A dynamic area full of bars and nightlife.
• 2 jobs: Sara in a Portuguese from Madeira restaurant in Stockwell and I in a brazilian bar and restaurant in classy Putney
• Bank account in Barclays, without job, residence and free of charges
• 2 weekly football matches to play
• Gym

Thank you London

Arrival

So we arrived! Amazing Liverpool Station! London here we go...

The beginning

Welcome!!!!

This is the manual for dummies to survive in London.


1st Rule - Don't plan before
2nd Rule - Contact Neto's Agency
3rd Rule - Look for signs, and wait for a sign!