Tero Pikala

OneSE8 is development I live in now… but only for 3 more weeks until moving to semi-detached house in Rotherhithe.  It has informal, funny and sometimes strange residents forum at http://www.onese8residents.com/forum/ - you need to register and I guess it’s not THAT funny if you don’t live in the area.

Anyway, here’s something I posted there before going away. I guess I’m just interested what the replies are (if any).

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After I moved to UK last summer I rented apartment in Indiana Building.

First I kind a thought that I would get used to DLR going past only 5 meters (15 feet?) from my windows - and in a way I did. Now I’m only annoyed by it every morning when I’m trying to sleep that another 5 minutes before going to work. And if I’m watching a movie that I wouldn’t like to be interrupted every 2 minutes by noise way louder than I would consider listening to a movie.

I’m happy that I don’t own flat here. Every time someone uses toilet somewhere in the higher floors hoses wobble inside the wall. I have woken up quite a few times for that - it’s really loud. When I’m away I’ll keep my eyes open for news about flooded Indiana Building since it can’t be more than couple of years until that happens. That will be expensive as hell - who thinks St James will pay for it?

I’m also happy that I don’t have to live under those chain-smokers above me. I finally did use some really nasty words last Saturday when I was eating a sandwich at my “balcony” and huge piece of ash landed on it. It was kind a funny as well but I really hated cleaning your stuff pretty much every time I opened door to my “balcony”.

Not all the posts about concierges have been positive here but I am leaving with positive feelings. Yes, they almost insisted to give me wrong parcel some time ago and yes, sometimes they aren’t there but nothing really beats that feeling when someone says you “Good morning” really meaning it when you are still trying to wake up to get yourself to office in the morning.

Thanks for Dynamic Turtle for a nice telly; it’s not latests HDTV plasma but boy it has nice picture. I hope I can get in one piece to my next apartment - and without anyone breaking their backs.

Thanks for people at The Retreat and new shop; I have always felt welcome to both places. Maybe I’ll even come down to Retreat for a pint or two again - I’m only moving to Rotherhithe anyway.

Tero

Tags: London by tero
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Overall my relocation to London has been quite OK and actually biggest surprises have usually been related to banks! One would think that one of financial capitals of the world would also have the most advanced banking systems in the world. How wrong I was?

I did knew about checks before coming over; I recall last time checks were accepted in shops was sometime mid 90’s in Finland. If I remember right nobody really used them anyway and they were just pieces of paper anyway. I did use check around 1994 to pay for 5000€ worth of computer equipment we mail ordered and did receive some as a graduation gift from relatives (thanks!) in 1992. Those were only times in my life I had seen a check ever.

Back to London in August 2006: My landlord would prefer to get rent paid with check. I tell him that I don’t want to use checks - now I have to send him SMS every time I’ve paid my rent. I also did most of the times.
Couple of weeks ago I decided to move to another flat and needed to pay 350 pounds to property agency. I could only get 300 with my Maestro and went to my local bank to get rest of it. I got some strange response about flooding and couldn’t get money. No prob, I just paid remaining next day.

Today I walked past my bank and decided to confirm that I can get remaining 2k out of my account when I am to pay it to get my keys for new flat. Friendly woman explained to me that to withdraw money from my own account I have to bring my withdrawal/deposit book with me. They did send me one but actually I couldn’t understand why on earth I would need one so I promptly shredded it.  Anyway here any paper with any personal details in it has to be shredded because otherwise it can be used as an evidence of identity - that another story.

I suppose I can get new book from HSBC when I call them but what they should really do is to hire more people from Finnish banks to explain them how to do 21st century banking

Tags: London by tero
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