Friday 24 April 2015

A fools guide to minding the gap



I’ve been talking about it for years. So much so that most of family and practically all of my friends never think it’s going to happen. Oh yeah, classic Ezza, all talk and no action. Have you done it yet? How about now? Just do it already! What about now? I always tried to come up with a legitimate excuse – well it doesn’t seem like the right time. I’m not sure if I’m ready yet. I’ve got responsibilities etc. Looking back on it now, it is clear to me that there is no perfect time to do it. You just have to take a deep breath and…hop on a plane to London!

I’m not quite sure what it is about the Old Town that attracts so many people from all corners of the world. Is it the history? Maybe. Is it the job prospects? Possibly. Is it that you can fly a few hours and be on the other side of Europe, in North Africa or well on your way to the good old USA? Could be. For whatever reason, there are seems to be a magnetic attraction to the city which is felt right around the world.

I’m not sure if I can really pinpoint the exact moment that I decided I would finally give in to its pull and take the plunge but it would probably have been around the time I met Monica. Naturally I’ve tried to avoid using real names in this blog as a means of anonymity so, in this case, I’ve called on one of my favourite shows during my formative years as a means of reference – Friends.

Monica in the show is known as the “Mother Hen” of the group. She is very tidy, to the point of obsessive. She is highly competitive and she is depicted throughout the show as wanting to have children. The Monica I’m introducing you to now is a carbon copy – right down to the beautiful long flowing brunette locks.

I met Monica during the Spring Racing Carnival in my home city of Melbourne. Having had not much luck at the track with the fillies both on and off the racecourse I decided to head back into town to meet up with my brother (who’ll you’ll hear more about later) and a few of our mates. Making it back to the city after a day at the races is usually no mean feat – I’ve often found myself stranded at the racecourse due to a traditional race day public transport issue or probably more often due to the excessive consumption of the amber ale. Having usually broken the seal quite early in the day, the half hour trip back into the city on a train without a toilet can seem like a lifetime. This time, however, the journey was relative smooth (from what I can remember) and I was back in the city in no time.

It didn’t take me long to spot the lads as I walked up to the queue that inevitably forms outside most Melbourne nightspots that have some form of reputation in the city. My brother, Ed, his mate German and my best friend, Prince (due to his self-proclaimed resemblance to a certain Royal) had coincidently stumbled across a Japanese Hens Party in the line and had started to try to make some form of conversation. Now I can’t really describe Japanese as one of my fortes but I knew that if we could somehow engage these lovely ladies then we might be half a shot of skipping the queue and getting straight into the club.

I’m not really sure how we did it. I can re-call a vague memory of German trying out some very basic Japanese which sounded more offensive then pleasant. Of course the Prince was trying his usual trick of asking the girls who they thought he looked like. And I’m pretty sure I tried some sort of Gangham Style dancing. Amazingly it worked and when the big brut of a bouncer walked down the line and asked our culturally diverse group whether we’d like to come in we gleefully accepted. We didn’t see the Japanese girls after that but I can say now that if it wasn’t for them I may never have met Monica, and I may still be sitting in Melbourne dreaming of life in the greatest city on Earth.

Fool's Gold

My fool's gold tip for my first blog entry is the extremely helpful people at 1st Contact who specialise in assistance with individuals before and after they migrate to the UK. I'm lucky enough to be a British passport holder, however, I have had numerous friends who have been particularly complementary of their VISA assistance service. 

I did, however, sign up for their Kickstart Package before I left for the UK which enabled me to set up a UK bank account, transfer money easily and securely and basically hit the ground running once I arrived in London. See the link below for more details:


Until next time,

ACE