This weekend I say goodbye to the Aldgate flat and quietly freak out that I don't have anywhere to go ... well, I do, but only in the short term. (Note to self - find a house! :P) So it seems only fair I give my first London home the proper treatment:

I'M DOWN WITH THAT: Things I Love About the Aldgate Flat
* Alex' s Cooking - Big 'ups to Alex, for making sure I got my 5+ a day, and that was only in the evening meals. It was bliss come home & not have to cook, even if it did make me the dishes bitch! :p
* Easy-access V - yes, the nectar of the Gods, located just across the street! Ahhh, there is a heaven & it is the Costcutter selling V!
* Mike, my tea bitch - yes, the joys of sitting at home unemployed means that its the simple things like someone who always makes you a cuppa when you want one!

WHAT'S WITH THAT: Things I Loathe About the Aldgate Flat
* Flatmates (who shall remain nameless, but they know who they are) who use all the milk - I'm British, I drink tea, is it too much for ask for you NOT to use all MY milk in YOUR drinks?!
* Basic Levels of Cleanliness - YES, I am tidier than your average bear, but I really don't think it is too much to ask that you rinse your plates before you leave them to be washed about three months from now. When food remnants start to grow mould, you need to pick up your game!
* The world's most tempermental DVD player - there's no rhyme or reason, sometimes it will play your DVD and sometimes it won't. Except the ones that it WON'T play are always the ones you are dying to watch.
* Flatmates (who shall remain nameless) who take overly long showers - nothing I enjoy more than being late for the train because my stupid flatmate takes 20-30 minutes in the bathroom every morning!
* The l-o-n-g walk to the supermarket – it never seems that long on the way there, but wait until you have to lug back your entire body weight in groceries
* Couches from hell – certainly designed so you can never sit comfortably on them for long periods of time, without killing your back and/or your neck!
* Crazy neighbours – who like to yell at each other, bang their roller-doors, scream every time a delivery arrives … the joys of having the room that backs onto the alleyway!

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT:
* I am a neat freak – at least by everyone else’s standards. Or rather, I now know that my limits for living in mess are very low indeed!
* A recipe for a tasty beetroot salad - not hard, but oh so yummy!

I'm definitely in a holding pattern at the moment, unsure what to do about looking for a place to live - whether to live with people I know, live alone, or embrace living with strangers. I guess I really have to think about why I am here in London, and it really is about a lifestyle choice for me. Its not just about money or travel, I want to enjoy London while I'm here. So I've ruled some things out, like living with other Kiwis as its hardly the "authentic" experience I'll be getting. So I'm hitting that "flatmates wanted" section of the paper - I'm sure there will be plenty of weirdos out there, but I'm sure there will be a few weirdos just right for me, and I'll end up with new friends!

I’M DOWN WITH THAT: Things I Love About Cardiff
* Welsh singing – Ok, not so "wowed" by Delilah, but the Welsh hymns sung pre-match were fantastic
* The gracious Welsh fans – Given that they got absolutely thrashed by the All Blacks (41-3 for those who live under a rock) it all could have gone horribly wrong. They were just gracious in defeat.
* Millennium Stadium - for once in my life I was stoked about bad weather. It meant they shut the roof, so it created such a wonderful atmosphere.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT:
* Never, EVER book a trip through Wanderers World again. Although we were lucky enough to get tickets to the rugby, over 400 fellow Kiwis did miss out. All those promises of "the tickets are just coming" were evidently complete lies

This installment comes from Milno, who obviously doesn't get the concept of this whole dare-malarky. He dared me to start an "Oohh Ahhh Umanga!" chant at this week's Wales vs All Blacks rugby match. Consider it done!!

A real dare would have been asking me to take my life into my own hands by doing the same chant at the Irish game ... who are still smarting from the O'Driscoll debacle. Now THAT would be a challenge!