things I miss and things I like

Things I miss!!



- the sun in general

- beaches

- pies

- scenery

- the sea

- actual weather (not just perpetual cloud)

- people that understand what vowels your pronouncing

- shops and banks that actually upgrade their counters every year. my bank has 50 year old marks in their wooden counters and tartan carpet.

- customer serivce! (instead of constantly improving customer service techniques these guys are in an effort to be the grumpiest and most uncaring)

- eftpos

- fresh fruit and vegatables

- farmbake cookies

- decent nz meat

- decent tv shows

- big modern supermarkets- here they are all like little 4 squares with archaic range of products and store layout

- westfield malls

- glassons and max

- not hearing anything about any other country except britain

- modern anything - buildings, carpet, concrete, any operating process.



OK now things I like about the UK:



- the tubes and trains and buses - the range and frequency of these services means that means 8million people can go anywhere at anytime, every minute and that is cool

- the way the city is built around advising you what tube or bus to take to an event, to work, to see your friends, to that restaurant - and no information about driving or parking.

- the proximity to europe and more countries in general

- theatres

- more shops, and way more funky and exciting range

- 24/7 'off licences' that sell anything you could need from your breakfast to your alchahol.

- how cheap everything is.

- a cosy pub and a stodgy feed on a freezing cold day

- countless pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, etc

- multiple happening areas of town that buzz with activity every night of the week

- the way theres books and magazines devoted to listings of whats happening in town every night - and there's a lot.

- more of everything- more niche industry magazines, more options, more stores, more companys than you can poke a big phone book at..



Things I find interesting:



- the feeling that everything is so old that processes and mind sets and buildings progress is generally slower than the fast changing, cutting edge, modern, NZ way of being.

- guys go shopping. by themselves, and willingly. and their clothes are as funky as the girls. and they're not gay.

- its still very much a cash society. every day people can be seen stopping at a 'hole in the wall'. many shops do not even have a card terminal. no-one pays by card here. feels like your constantly handing over cash left right and centre.

- tv adverts. british use cosy, pretty, warm feeling ads with cartoon characters or kids. no funky bravia adds for these guys.

- the labelling on packaging. our dishcloth is more than just a sponge - its an aerated lineament surface buffer scrub. really.