Indeed, the hunt is on, Jobs are not just lying around on the street anymore. Apparently there was a time that the UK valued the South Africans as hard workers and we were sought after laborers. I think in the financial and market place crisis now, it is unfortunately not so. People are hanging onto their jobs by the end of their toenails, and if you do spot a job, you are more than likely competing with a couple of thousand other applicants. Apparently, well, that's the excuse they use for not getting back to you to say yes or no...
Not to worry though, it just means we need to look harder, and do a few things to make our CV look better, and that is not just printing it on a finer grade paper. No, it means learning some new packages, not a bad idea, something I must say I have been putting off for some time, but now, I have to get stuck into Flash and Illustrator, as well as dreamweaver and more photoshop. Its all MAC here, I am happy to say, because after acquiring my new IMAC, I love everything MAC, and am happilly attending my 52 courses for the year, I must say, APPLE is just amazing, I used to be the biggest naysayer, but... they really have their game together, what a machine. In the meantime though, I might just stick to something I know how to do, and that is to make pictures. I think i may do some investigative work into the costs of canvas printing and hit the baby world with portrait offerings, like above. (CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE THE FULL SIZE) Not the normal click click, please print this on canvas for me, I am talking about turning the pictures into REAL artworks, and just seeing if there is a market for it, you never know, and in the meantime, I have nothing to lose.
Trey is busy going through the Microsoft Professional Developers course books, and will begin writing her 5 exams soon to get certified, this is promising, and will be a good inclusion for her CV. Although she is constantly attached to her phone and agents, interviews loom all over the UK, one person wants us to move to... wait for it... EXETER! HA Ha ha... we just frikkin came from there, she has my CV too and says she will find us both jobs there. Thinking back, it was a really beautiful place, I could work there. I guess. The time has come to really broaden our search, as there seems to be not much going on in Milton Keynes, and I have started to wonder exactly how great this city is. I am beginning to be lured to the windier roads, the more social cities, the coffee shops on street corners and lack of parking because they want you to use public transportation instead.
Dont get me wrong, I love where we live, the little village is great, but, the center of MK has lost it's appeal, very much so. It is just a large room with people wandering around looking for earings. Other than that, its just turns and roundabouts. And more roundabouts. People keep to themselves, weekends remind me of JHB, the mall, the beehive of activity, shoppers, trolleys etc. With many job prospects being further afield, we HAVE to be able to move around a little in the first few years, until we get settled. Birmingham really looks like a nice place actually, and the more I think of it, the more I could work in an Oxford environment. Or Reading. Oh I dont know, if I was offered a Job in MK I would take it tomorrow and swear by the seat of my panties that it is the best town to live in. Things are getting tight... but I wont lose hope, never, even if it does mean taking a job filling envelopes or dismantling new BMW's that cant sell and using parts as paperweights. They would have to drag me kicking and screaming back to the long drive up louis botha, and even then, I would be back on the next plane like a dutch MP.
In other n
ews, we celebrated the little monsters FIRST Birthday on the 11th of Feb! Cant believe how time goes, we have not slept properly for a full year, ha! But every moment has been worth it. Every day now is a suprise of sorts, she is learning so fast, and pulling herself up onto her little feet, and exploring. She is still so small compared to other babies her age, but as cute as the cutest little pink monkey, stuck to the underside of its mothers belly. Thank you to the people that called, and the family for the wonderful gifts and things. She really was spoiled. She is going to love the spongebob live show at the MK Theater. One years old and going to the theater, I do say...wot. Hope she naps before and is not too cranky. She still has her hundred pounds to spend, maybe she should save it for babyfood and nappies. Heh. And buying her mom and dad Sainsburies® Vanilla Cheescake. Keith will have to take a bagfull of that back to SA!
The weather is getting better, it was a balmy 12 degrees today. I wore a T-Shirt. I think I am going quite pale too. Have to find a pool of sorts so we can take Zoey swimming, she must miss that. Mkay, well, I will write more soon... thanks for reading it :)
Lucky it is warm out this evening, I say warm, I mean 8 degrees, which is not bad considering it is 9pm. We just got home from the Magniferousillent Spongebob Squarepants Live theater show at MK central. I cannot believe how good Z was, she sat on my lap, three rows from the front, transfixed the whole 2 hours, except for an ice cream break halway through. Aye Aye Cap'n, from the moment it started, and the pirate walked out onto the stage, and we all sang along to the Spongebob Squarepants song, to the moment where Patrick and Spongebob flew off with the hypnotic jellyfish, she didnt budge, well a little, but that was only to clap when the giant ghost boat came rolling in, 10 foot skeletons and all. I think her pro-longed exposure to the nightmare before christmas has given her that darker edge, and then of course, she is Treys and my baby, it would figure, having a mom who loves B-Grades and a dad who loves loud music and comics... She even clapped, and was the only one, when Plankton tried to get Spongebob to take him to steal the Krabby Patty formula. I think we have hatched a little evil genius.
