Karl B

Last weekend I spent four days in Wellington visiting with friends and giving them time to mourn over the fact that they wont see me again for quite some time. I enjoyed my time as I caught up with some people I hadn’t see in far too long and who I really had wanted to catch up with in a general not just to say I’m leaving.

I made sure to take pictures of almost everyone I visited. Some of them were taken surreptitiously, as people didn’t want them taken, so I’ll be kind enough to not put them up on the inter tubes for everyone to see (maybe).

On the other preparing to leave front I’ve been busy changing addresses, signing over accounts etc for the flat I was living at, buying a gorillapod and suitcase and pretty much slacking at work.

I expect I’ll start “travel blogging” fairly shortly. With so many giggle bytes of photos being taken I suppose I have to show off the ones I like and explain where I’ve been, it will also be a way for people to see where I am.

So here I am and I just had my last exam today, yay, it’s also the first post I’ve made since I started university. I’m so amazed that the below prediction came true.

Anyway, if by some chance you stumble across this epic blog you’ll probably notice a flurry of postings in the next couple of weeks and then it will die off as a realise I don’t really want to tell the whole world what I’m doing.

Anyway, as an update on my plans:

1. I’ve handed in my resignation at work and I finish some time August, the finish date is a little hazy as it depends on whether they can’t live without me want me back for awhile as a contractor.
2. I’ve applied for my Visa to travel to the UK, I should have a done so earlier but it should still arrive before I leave my job.

This post is mostly a collection of information for myself about the UK to which I am planning to travel to later this year.

Which bank to go with: Pretty much everyone I’ve asked says HSBC so I’ll look into creating an account with them in a few months, I don’t really want to create one now as UK bank fees look somewhat more substantial than NZ ones and their interest rates quite the opposite.

One person did mention though that it took him over a month to get a bank account so I’ll definitely have to be at least slightly proactive, you know, like before I get there, right, good.

Another pressing question is to or HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant programme or not, I’ve been told that it would look good on my CV and it can be extended where as a working holiday makers visa can’t be (I’d have to apply for a HSMP basically).

I can’t actually apply for the HSMP yet because I don’t have my degree but at the end of this semester I will (I’m going back to uni to do two papers to get my degree).

Everyone loves links:

www.moveflat.co.uk – Accommodation
www.fisher-consulting.biz/it_jobs.cfm – An IT job finding site
www.nzgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77292&page=5 – The opinions of random kiwis in the UK on a gaming forum.