ellewriteslies

[ellewriteslies]

23.04.17

Hey there. Currently sitting on Ai Ling's sofa with her and her flattie Alex. We're just having quite a chill Saturday night. David Attenborough, a bit of wine and coke. I was thinking I would go out with Ai Ling's other flattie Chris, but his phone has no battery and I don't want to go out by myself. Ai Ling didn't want to go out which was a shame. It would have been great. But it's 1:40 now and I'm glad I'll get a nice sleep tonight and not have to worry about a huge night out. And then maybe I can bang Chris tomorrow. I met him last night at a party here and he's hot and lovely. I slept in his bed last night but we didn't bang because I've decide one night stands aren't necessarily productive. But I figure tonight I may as well.

[ellewriteslies]

18.04.17

<p>HAY. So I didn’t really finish my last entry detailing the beginning of my arrival in Berlin. But long story short after A LOT of stress and panic and a changed flight and waiting outside a government building from 2am I got a visa. So that’s all good.<br> Right now I’m on a tram home from having drinks with David after a flat viewing. They offered me the flat but I turned it down because it was €615 a month and I really can’t afford that. But it’s made me hope that I can find something slightly less nice but cheaper and with potentially more fun lovely people (girls, hopefully!)<br> So I’m going back to where I’m living at the moment, at Florian’s house in his tiny little spare room (which is bigger than my room in London). He’s got a really comfy bed and everything’s lovely so hopefully I can stay there a bit until I find something great.<br> Until then, I had my first day at work today and you know, it was actually really great. Very chill vibes, cool office, fun people, all the rest. I’m looking forward to working there.<br> And remember, over Easter I went back to London to hang out with my parents who’ve just arrived in England to live in Cambridge. So that was lovely and relaxing and fun!<br> This is quite a boring and rushed little update but something’s better than nothing, I hope! Maybe the next update I can spend a little time detailing the last few weeks. Or not!<br> Anyway, tschüss!

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[ellewriteslies]

13.04.17

Hallo aus Flughafen Schönefeld! I’m just about to fly back to London for the Easter weekend after 2 stressful but also fun weeks in Berlin, during which time I miraculously made my way through German bureaucracy in order to get a working holiday visa. Last night I camped overnight (or, well, more accurately, I lined up from 1am) outside the Auslanderbehorde in Berlin to get my visa. I was probably the fifteenth person there, and it got up to a few hundred by the early hours. With a registration (that took three tries to get), insurance, and everything in place, it ended up being a very quick process once I was in the doors to get my working holiday visa. Done! All the relief! Now I’m heading back to London where in under 24 hours I’ll be seeing my parents! Both of them, at once! We’re spending the entire Easter Weekend together and I’m so happy and excited for some good PG fun where we can eat loads and drink a bit and just chill out a lot! I’m planning to take them to the V&A and the Barbican - note to self, look up opening hours and what’s on - as well as to an afternoon tea (on Dr Bottle, of course!) Then I’m sure we’ll wander a fair bit and just relax. I’ll have to look into fun quirky dinners we can go to (that also won’t break the bank, considering Mumma is declared unemployed after September, if she has her way!) Then on Monday night I’ll fly back to Berlin and start my new job on Tuesday, wahoo! I am actually excited to start, I’m sure it’ll be fun! So, Berlin. On Wednesday I met up with Dave, Florian and Kalle. Dave is Aussie guy studying engineering, son of mum’s colleague, and generally just all-round nice guy. Like, nice guy. Florian, German with a strong American accent from time spent working for a start-up in San Francisco, is also just a really great guy. And Kalle, who I haven’t seen since then, is another decent Deutsche dude. The four of us had beers at Klunkerkranich, a rooftop bar with a sick view that had a jazz band playing on Thursday night. Highlight of the night was probably the pretentious guy sitting right next to the jazz band, smoking and reading a book. As Dave said, “Welcome to Berlin.”

[ellewriteslies]

05.04.17

Hallo from Berlin. Last night I landed at Schönefeld and came to my beautiful little airbnb near Ostbahnhof, owned by a lovely Frau named Lenka. I’m currently sitting at a desk (yes, a real desk, like a grown up), looking out at trees and German buildings and being like, yep, I’m legit in Berlin now, for real.

The visa sitch has got me most nervy so I’m trying to work that out asap so I don’t suddenly lose my job and have nowhere to go/live, no funds, etc. Ya know, just the normal things to worry about when moving to a brand new country where you don’t speak the language.

I’m planning to go into Babbel today, chat to Melina in HR and work out the health care situation. Then tonight I’ll meet David and possibly Florian and try to organise to get registered at Florian’s house so I can have a proof of residence. Once I’ve got all that I should be able to apply for the visa, hopefully on Friday, or maybe early next week. Fingers crossed it all works out.

My last few days in London were kinda stressful. Oh, almost forgot that on Saturday night I went to Noni’s house party, which was intended to be kinda my “last night out in London, let’s give it all we’ve got” deal, but didn’t quite work out that way. Earlier in the day we went to Emma’s Nanny house (amaze, wow, spectacular) to have a very late brunch and pre drinks, which was so nice, all girly with nail-painting and Prosecco and everything.

Then we went to Noni’s which was wild from the get-go. In typical aussie/kiwi house party style, the house was packed, and us girls kind of just stuck to ourselves. It was me, Kristen, Jenna and Emma (as well as Noni, but she knew loads of people). We did some coke to start off, and then I was just going to stick to md for the rest of the night, but while sitting in Noni’s room surrounded by loads of people I suddenly started to feel really sick, and felt the signs of a panic attack coming on (mostly due to having the coke and feeling my heart racing, I think). And fuck, that was basically me done for the night. I spent pretty much the whole night just standing outside, trying to get air and calm down, because I felt so panicked. I knew it was a panic attack the whole time but I just couldn’t contain it. I went and got coke (the drink, not the drug) to give me some sugar, and I had some md to try to make me a bit happier, but by that stage it was like 2:30am, I hadn’t been drunk or high the whole night (mostly just a bit excited and then panicked), and I was a bit over it. Emma felt a bit sick too, so the four of us girls just decided to bail. So that was a pretty shit final night in London.

I felt better when I got home and slept fine. It was annoying because I knew it was a panic attack but because I was panicked I just couldn’t force myself to drink or do more and have a good time because I was just not feeling it. And it probably would have made it worse.

The next day was so sunny and warm and we went to the boat race. Ali, Chris, Keziah, Jack, Helen, Kristen, Emma, Jenna, Noni, her flatty Lucy and friend Shae all came, and we had a few drinks by the river at Hammersmith. It was soo packed because of how sunny and warm it was. That made it the perfect last day/weekend in London, really! And then after we went out for Thai at Busaba Eatthai at Westfield. Sweet!

[ellewriteslies]

25.03.17

This is probably the 3032nd time I’ve tried to start a diary/journal/hilarious memoir, but it’d be nice if I stuck to this one since I’m about to move to Berlin and I’ll no doubt be making (and promptly forgetting) some incred memories. I’ve been living in London for two years and didn’t think to write down anything that’s happened so by the time I’m 40 I’ll have probably forgotten everything in London. 40-year-old Ellen, if you’re reading this, London was the best time of your life and you’re going to miss it loads.

Well, it’s my last week at work this week. I’m bloody going to miss MADE. The people I’ve worked with have been great. Biggest shout out to my boss, Pat, who is a bit of a mad rabbit lady, but is very cool and knows heaps, and I feel like I’ll end up a lot like her. Cari, my co copywriter and all around standout in terms of fashion and general coolness, also known as my black friend who calls me the “woke-est Australian” (which is hands down the most impressive compliment this little cis white feminist could receive). I’m #woke, guys.

Lately I’ve been super close to Lottie, marathon-runner extraordinare who seems like this sweet and sophisticated (and talented) girl, until she starts divulging how she got drunk and threw up and ended up in so-and-so’s bed, and she still can’t shake the guy she’s been almost-dating, even though he moved up North and doesn’t even live in London.

Lottie introduced me to her friend Jordan, because apparently the two of us would get along. Not entirely sure what to think about Jordan. The impression he’s given me so far is of this slightly dorky android developer who powers through fantasy novels and books on world war II and flies planes in his spare time. Not exactly the wildest guy, although I haven’t felt like his conversations are dull (re: a certain Matt). But Lottie’s also divulged certain things that Jordan has told her, such as that he’s been trying (successfully? not sure) to set up threesomes with (straight?) couples, and that he gets around a lot, etc..

Actually, he did tell me a story of when he was in uni and he had a threesome. I was like, okay, cool, until he told me that what started it was his lesbian friend who suggested a threesome between her, Jordan, and this other (presumably straight), dude. And I just find it weird because why the fuck would a lesbian want to set up a threesome with straight dudes. Is Jordan just making it up and telling this story because he somehow things that either a. all lesbians are slutty and up for anything or b. there’s not reaaally such thing as a lesbian, they’re just saying it to get dudes? Or maybe he legit has a lesbian friend who is very experimental. Either way I kinda just ignored it.

Anyway, I met up with Jordan for dinner on Wednesday and we came back to mine, did the usual charade, and then he asked if I was free on Thursday night. I kinda said that I didn’t have plans and then bang all of a sudden we were hanging out two nights in a row. And now it’s Saturday and he’s suggested we hang out tomorrow. He then sent me a text saying “How do you feel about being tied up?” which I’ve just ignored because man, it was 9:30am on a Saturday and I was not in the mood to start sexting this dude that I’m not super sure about.

I’m kind of just going along with it because I’m moving to Berlin soon and I can start #fresh with some German sausage. Going to have to give tinder and bumble a solid swiping when I get to Deutschland.

Well, as with any diary I attempt to write, it’s turned into more of a sex diary, but that’s my life, isn’t it? Anyhoo, I might try to get some sleep and pick this up when something interesting’s happened.

Anyway I got my hair done today so here’s some snaps of fresh hair, and the picnic I had with Jenna and Emma.