Apr
13
That was how long I had to wait for the bus to come today on my way back. It was wet, cold and windy! I was miserable. I need to find the 39 bus stop, the 38 is way to slow and not frequent enough. I spent 80 Euros on a pair of waterproof shoes, HI-TECH, my expensive running shoes got wet everyday. I am loving the new ones, very warm and comfy. I also managed to find bus tickets, I was tired of worrying about how much coins I have left to pay the bus. The tickets are cheaper and easier to manage.
Apr
11
Waiting for Godot!
Filed Under Daily
I am just waiting for the dumb PPS letter to come. I had strange dreams yesterday, I got two post-docs positions, I only remember the one in Singapore. Strange since I do not want any post-docs positions. I woke up happy…that was my night.
I had a delicious frozen meal for lunch. I will never say bad things about frozen meals, they are very nice these days. I think they are better than the meal I had in Australia at the refectory. I like the Lidle store around here… many things at a very decent price even though I do not check the prices myself! It is a bit closer than Dunestores, these are better but more pricey I think. I started to accumulate lots of useless things already. Next week, hopefully a bank account and then I will buy nice clothes! Weeeeeeeeee!
Apr
10
Waste of time!
Filed Under Daily
I really hate it when other people’s mistakes make me loose precious time. Because of the landlord’s mistake on the lease agreement, I got an incomplete postal address. I had to go back to the Social Welfare Office to correct it today. I should have been more careful. My flatmates made it sound so easy that I thought it was easy. There is nothing easy about administration or banking. One need to double check on internet. I will have to wait another week for the bank. I have at least the PPS number but I need the official form to do anything. At least I have a number to refer to when I call people.
Apr
9
WordPress 2.5
Filed Under Daily
My blog got an update. It is almost invisible except that the thumbnails have their dimensions changed! With a colder weather, I have to put on 2-3 layers of clothes. It makes me feel weird after many years in short and T-shirt. I have the impression of being heavier and that I can not move my arms the way I want; I have added few stretching session to my evening routine.
I am targeting many financial institutions for my job hunt. Let’s keep fingers crossed. I am sure I will find one. Today is payday in Australia :). I will receive my salary regularly until the beginning of June! I am very happy I could manage that. That means about 5300 AUD to come and more in my super funds. Without cash at hands, I doubt I could do what I am doing. I will always keep that in mind concerning my next move. TONS of cash that is the only way to ensure a total independence!!!!
Apr
8
When will this weather get better?
Filed Under Daily
This is depressing, it rains almost every single day here in Ireland. The temperature has dropped also and we had some hail the last two days! I discovered that the address in my lease contract isn’t complete, I needed to add the street. That means I will have some delays for my PPS number since I will have to call them next week and get the address corrected. Same thing for ma paperwork from France…annoying! What is more annoying is that I have to be cautious with my cash since I cannot transfer money yet. I could always use my ANZ visa/debit card but then it will cost in fees. I still have 700 Euros left so it should be fine until the end of the months. The fact that I cannot buy new clothes is sad though! I do not have many left. Lucky me! I only kept the warm clothes :/
I sent my first job applications today. It is always the hardest thing to do: GETTING STARTED! Soon it will just be a routine. I am very happy I bought a mobile.
Apr
7
Extremely good show! I am watching ep3 as I am writing this post. I knew I recognised the main character, Dexter, but I had to read on IMDB that he was in “Six Feet Under”. I met more people at the pool. The world is small at the pool but here in this HUGE high class pool, the world is even smaller. I am working on my CV right now and I will post it on Monster. I also spotted few sites for an actuary position. I do not think it will be easy to find a job quickly because I am picky this time. I do not want any type of job. I will need a car as soon as I get a job. It would make life more comfortable.
Internet here is really fast! I had speeds between 500 and 600 kbs/sec. Very impressive indeed! And it came with the cable TV. I am loving both. I talked to Coura the other day and she said her contract in Chicago will end in August. I think she worries a bit since she will have to return to Senegal. I thought she had the french citizenship, in fact, she doesn’t. One reason why I left Australia and came to Ireland is the visa… same problem for every foreigner working abroad.
Apr
6
My New Apartment!
Filed Under Daily
Apr
4
After one week in Ireland, I am pretty much settled. I have a nice apartment I share with two other professionals. I got back to my swimming routine, and, I also applied for a PPS number. Everything should be smooth from now on. I bought some food and other things for the bathroom. As soon as I have an bank account, which will happen sometimes next week. I will transfer my money from my French bank. I will leave my Australian dollars where they are. I do not need them for now and I will wait for the best time to convert them into Euros. In two months and half, I will be able to withdraw my superannuation funds if I want to since my contract in Australia will end as well as my visa. In fact, I will probably leave my “super” funds where they are. According to my plan, If I get a job within 6 months or a year, I really do not need them. As soon as all my banks are connected together, I will buy some new clothes since I threw away 90% of the ones I had in Australia.
It is very nice to join a fully furnished apartment like this one, Claire and Ralez, have pretty much everything I need. It is just little things that are not very costly but that would take me weeks to buy and bring home. Even if the shopping center is only 15 min away, carrying heavy stuffs home in an empty place would be painful. My room has everything and the bed is awesome! We also have fast internet and cable TV. I am the only one in the house watching TV. Claire prefers to watch TV shows on her laptop. Ralez has his own “special card” to watch special channels. In fact, we are equipped with the latest fancy technology and no one seems really interested in using them. I guess that is one nice side of professionals with money, they have everything but do not really use them. This place has 4 TVs and only 2 are being used! The cupboards in the kitchen are full and we have so many utensils. There is a nice washing machine and a dish washer with many programming options. There are tons of herbs and curry pastes to do some fancy cooking!
Apr
3
…stands for Personal Public Service Number. It is a number everyone needs to work in Ireland. As an EU citizen member, I needed to provide my French passport and my rental agreement. I will get it next week or so. Then I can apply for a bank account. In order to open a bank account I would need either a PPS number or a phone/electricity bill. Strangely the rental contract isn’t accepted as a proof of address. I think the woman working at the bank did not know what she is talking about. Anyway, I will need this PPS number in order to work here. That is I think how everything official will start.
I had to change my swimming style since I do not have the nice pull-buoy I had in Australia anymore. My shoulders hurt as hell after these 6 kms. I am sure I will be much faster than I was in Australia now. I spent a lot of time looking for a swim cap. I had 6 in Australia, but I forgot to bring one with me. A 6 months membership to the pool only costs me 195 Euros. Which is the same thing in Brisbane, but there, I have to share my lane with at least 2 other people.
Apr
2
First time!
Filed Under Daily
Today I swam for the very first time in the national Olympic swimming pool in Dublin. THAT WAS GREAT! One hour and half of pure pleasure ALONE in my own lane. The pool is FANTASTIC! Brand new, perfectly clean and beautiful. It is indoor and it is heated. I can swim all year long! I have been immediately spotted by a master swim member, Dan. He gave me all the info about the master team. I doubt I will join them because their time does not fit mine and they only have two sessions. I am sure more of them will talk to me soon and we might have our own training session in the morning. Hehe! I am smiling because I did not know it was that nice until I made the move and came here. So far my first move was very rewarding. I tried and got lucky! Now I enjoy.
So today I will go to the bank and open my Irish bank account with my rental contract. My apartment is a 3 bedroom, fully furnished apartment. Luxury style! I am sharing it with Ralez and Claire, two professionals in their 30’s like me. QUIET AND CLEAN! It costs me only 500 euros per month + bills. It is currently cheaper than my place in Australia. It is only 10 min away from the pool and 15 min away from a brand new shopping center with cinemas…Did I mention my room is enormous with a king size bed! :).
Life looks very promising from now on :). I will keep smiling until I get a decent well paid job.
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