From looking at the list of my previous diary entries here...it would appear that the last diary entry I made was during July 2014; now, however, the date is July 2015...which is a whole entire year on! Time to add some of the latest updates...
FINANCES
First, I'm totally flat broke; with, basically, no money coming in...; just loads and loads of endlessly mounting bills to pay...?!
In particular, Streatham Job Center, where I'm meant to go and 'sign on', regularly; every single fortnight to receive JSA/Job Seekers Allowance of, approximately, £70.00 per week; has sent me to go on a Work Program training scheme at, Ixion Business Center, Tooting, Bickersteth Road.
Now, the problems I'm having are...if I 'sign on' at Streatham Job Center 'late'...then, they completely cut off my benefits for the next 3 months! Also, if I arrive at the Work Program 'late' they choose to cut my benefits off for a further 3 months! Too, if the Work Program people send you for a job interview; and, you either didn't go/or else, were 'late'; then, the penalty is they stop your benefit for a further 3 months long.
Only I'm in the habit of arriving at all of my appointments 'late'; as I suffer from 'lifelong' ADD/Attention Deficit Disorder; therefore, currently, I do have no benefit money coming in at all; as they've gone and cut it off for how long...I'm not even sure; as I've made far too many offences.
SEEKING WORK/TRYING TO BUILD A C.V WITH WORK REFERENCES
Since I have no benefit money to look forwards to receiving; therefore, I have had to go out and try to find 'paid' work, instead.
PAID WORK: CLEANING AT OVAL CRICKET GROUND
Currently, I'm doing one day per week; night shift on Fridays, 9PM- a cleaning job at Oval Cricket Grounds. The wage is the minimum pay: £6.50 per hour. To date, I've worked there for only 2 weeks/meaning 2 x Friday nights...my first night shift was for 5 hours long: 9PM-2:30AM/and, the next Friday which was just, yesterday...I got there late...was meant to be there at 9PM...but, left home at 9:11 PM...and, reached there around 10PM...worked until 12PM...and, then, came back home, again.
The cleaning work involves...checking if the bins are full; if full, then, tie up the full black liner and place it inside of a large metal dustcart with 4 wheels; next, replace the removed black liner with a fresh new empty black dustbin liner. Then, move on to checking if other bins are full...and, so on.
It's dirty/smell/disgusting work; and, frankly, I do absolutely 'hate' it! However, I need to do this work...in order to gain a cleaning reference to put on my C.V.; which would allow me to work as a cleaner anywhere I please. Though, honestly, I'm not in the least bit interested in working as a cleaner, regularly; instead, I just do such a 'detestable' job if I'm absolutely desperate to gain some money.
UNPAID WORK: ADMIN/WEST NORWOOD/FIRST STEP TRUST
The actual work I'd like to do is 'admin'; and, working inside of offices. For this purpose I recently went and attended an interview last week to do admin work in West Norwood...-the place is located near to West Norwood GPO Parcel depot/which is where I first saw the advert-; the interviewer, a black woman called: Gail Dawson, said I must come in to start work on Tuesday 9AM-5PM.
I look forwards to going there, and, gaining actual work experience in office based skills. However, this work, most unfortunately, is 'unpaid'; though they do give you £1.50 morning shift/£1.50 evening shift...for travel expenses; amounting to just £3.00 daily!
My intention in going there to work for them is not the money, of course; but, instead, just so that I can say I have had some 'recent' work experience in 'admin'; the which reference I can put down on my C.V.
MY CURRENT TIME TABLE IS FAIRLY BUSY 5 DAYS PER WEEK
Mon: Ixion, Tooting, 10AM-1PM
Tue: First Step Trust: 9AM-5PM
Wed: Ixion, Tooting, 10AM-1PM
Thu: Ixion, London Bridge, 2:30 PM-
Fri: Ixion, Tooting, 10AM-1PM
Fri: OCS Cleaning: Oval: 9PM-
PGTB/VOLUNTARY WORK
I've been a member of Paxton Green Time Bank for around 3 years, now. The Time Bank is a voluntary scheme where they exchange 'Time credits'. Basically, you give up 1 hour of your time to say teach somebody a skill you know; then, you are entitled to have somebody teach you a skill they know, in return. Sometimes, you don't even need to share skills; it might just be somebody needs to share some company; or, they need you to clean for them; or, play games such as Chess together; or, -etc. It all counts towards your amount of Time Credits.
All last week PGTB had an Arts Installation show; and, I was there for each and every single day; sometimes, I played with children; other times, I was doing art on my own; or else, taking part in FREE art classes being given by French teacher, Fabienne. I also helped them to clean up, after the Arts Installation was done.
MY INTERNET WENT DOWN FOR A WEEK AND A HALF; AND, JUST CAME BACK ON TODAY, SATURDAY
My current telephone/broadband(internet) provider is Talk Talk. Only, the internet went down for around 1 1/2 weeks long; and, has only just come back on again, today; because they sent me an engineer to come and fix it inside of the home. What was really weird, though, was it was very simple and easy to fix; as soon as he gave me a new 'gray' lead...-the old lead got broken; accidentally, I went and stepped on it!-.,..it just worked.
However, I had reported it as not working before the lead got broken; there were only 2 lights appearing on the Router...Power/WLAN...all of the other lights were off...including, Internet; so, it honestly surprises me that the engineer was able to fix the problem so very quickly and easily...when I myself had tried doing everything I could possibly think of before, and, it still wouldn't work?! Anyway, I'm just hoping that Talk Talk won't charge me for calling out their engineer quite unnecessarily.
