London is just that little bit closer as another week rolls by! I should really knuckle down and start preparations for the big relocation. However, the big tick for the week is that i've got a departure date locked in. T-minus four weeks and counting... i'll be skipping the country on the morning of the 9th of August.
So the first item of news is a visa update, specifically continuing on from where I left off - biometrics collection. On Monday I headed down to the British Consulate down at the Gateway to get my fingerprints recorded. I rocked up, sat down, and waited to be called. As I was the only person there, the wait was extremely brief. I've never had my fingerprints taken before so this was a novel experience - something which will be a regular feature once my adventures begin in the Northern Hemisphere! Strange note: the only thing that I seem to recall whilst waiting was the slogan "Better Work, Better Britain" emblazoned against the wall alongside a silhouette of the United Kindom and the national flag.
Fingerprint collection was quick and easy, even though there were a few minor complications. Normally, all you would have to do is press down hard onto an electronic touch pad, and the prints get recorded. However, as it was an unusually cold Sydney day the first attempted read of my fingerprints was not successful. After rubbing the tips of my fingers (to warm them up), the second attempt still came up with a blank. Apparently my fingers were too dry, as well as being too cold. So, out comes the dettol hand sanitiser. After some sanitiser and kinetic therapy on the fingertips - success! Mugshot, stamp, stamp and i'm out the door. The whole process was done inside of 15 minutes. Easy.
As I prepared all of the supporting documentation for the visa prior to trekking down to the British Consulate, I immediately sent my visa off for processing post-fingerprinting. A couple of days pass by and I get an email confirming that my visa application has been successfully lodged. Hopefully, this means that i'll be getting my visa back sometime this week. Exciting times!
I've got a departure date locked in, Monday 9 August. Well actually, a first day at work is locked in for Wednesday 11 August - just working back from there! After doing a quick internet search on flights, i've settled with Singapore Airlines. I probably could have gotten a cheaper deal in the end, but i'm partial towards Singapore Airlines. I'll be flying on A380s for both legs (Syd->Sing and Sing->Lon), and staying overnight in Singapore. I will figure out where to stay later on! Now, "why are you stopping over in Singapore?" is a question that you may ask... well... i'm thinking that 24 hours in transit is just way too long!
Finally, what have I got to do over the week ahead? I'll need to organise short-stay accomodation in London (temporary place to stay until I find a proper place to live) and i'll need to get myself sorted for an upcoming NZ ski trip (27 Jul - 03 Aug) that I signed up for before I even knew about the UK offer. Plenty to do, so I had better stop writing!
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