Sorry to anyone who follows this blog on a regular basis (you know if you exist) - I have been somewhat preoccupied with the changes at work and impending homelessness so have not been as good as I should at regular updates.
Not that there's been that much to say. Was meant to go to a 30th birthday and a housewarming at the same time on the same night this past weekend. I tried in vain to do both but it turns out Heather lives on a street that does not appear in my A-Z. Then my phone battery died, meaning I couldn't call her for directions. So I stayed at Guanabara and viruously sipped Mojitos for the rest of the evening, then took the tube home at a reasonable hour.
Hurrah for spirits and cocktails and not waking up feeling like something the cat dragged in. (I love that phrase but am curious to know what exactly cats drag in. And why cats? Are they renowned for dragging things in? In where?). A further hurrah for July when smoking gets banned in pubs in England.
Made a conscious effort to get into work early this morning so I could catch up on the surprisingly long list of things I have to do this week. By 'made a conscious effort' I mean that I got out of bed early and left the house about 45 minutes earlier than usual. The tube did nothing but deter me and my good intentions by getting stuck in a tunnel for about 20 minutes.
Making dinner for Mustafa tonight and getting my new phone from him - yay! Lasagna - another yay!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
A sidebar about the tube and its tendency to react to any sort of weather like a neurotic Valium-dependent, constantly on the verge of hysteria.
In the summer it's hot so the trains don't run properly, in the autumn there are leaves on the track so the trains don't run properly, in the winter it's cold and it might snow so the trains don't run properly, in the spring it rains so the trains don't run properly.
What planet were these trains designed on?
In the summer it's hot so the trains don't run properly, in the autumn there are leaves on the track so the trains don't run properly, in the winter it's cold and it might snow so the trains don't run properly, in the spring it rains so the trains don't run properly.
What planet were these trains designed on?
It snowed last night.
Which possibly explains why I was FREEZING in bed last night (the heating normally turns off at 10.30pm and the house is pretty toasty by then).
Had an interesting sort of start to the day, chipping chunks of ice to ensure the freezer door could shut properly and the food within wouldn't go off while we were at work. Apparently Dianne dropped and smashed a bottle of beer after I left so some amount of chaos might still remain when I get home tonight.
Add this to our broken phone-line and the intermittent disobedience from the Sky box and the stove and the homestead is really falling apart these days.
Still, it snowed last night. Proper crunchy snow that didn't melt at first light.
You can imagine the effect the weather had on the tube, so I settled for a bus-ride into Blackfriars this morning, which gave me the chance to take in some of the wintery scenery. The streets were pretty slushy but other parts, like Clapham Common (and our back garden) had a picture postcard quality that I haven't seen in about five years.
Yay!
Which possibly explains why I was FREEZING in bed last night (the heating normally turns off at 10.30pm and the house is pretty toasty by then).
Had an interesting sort of start to the day, chipping chunks of ice to ensure the freezer door could shut properly and the food within wouldn't go off while we were at work. Apparently Dianne dropped and smashed a bottle of beer after I left so some amount of chaos might still remain when I get home tonight.
Add this to our broken phone-line and the intermittent disobedience from the Sky box and the stove and the homestead is really falling apart these days.
Still, it snowed last night. Proper crunchy snow that didn't melt at first light.
You can imagine the effect the weather had on the tube, so I settled for a bus-ride into Blackfriars this morning, which gave me the chance to take in some of the wintery scenery. The streets were pretty slushy but other parts, like Clapham Common (and our back garden) had a picture postcard quality that I haven't seen in about five years.
Yay!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
World in chaos.
I should have known when I unwillingly rolled out of bed yesterday morning that this was going to be one of those weeks.
On the plus side, am reading The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie and am really enjoying it.
I should have known when I unwillingly rolled out of bed yesterday morning that this was going to be one of those weeks.
- My Account Manager at work (who I really like and who is part of the reason I was so keen to get this job when I interviewed for it) has resigned and will be leaving us by March
- A good friend from Dubai who was meant to be moving to London by March/April is now no longer doing so
- Dianne has put in a bid for a flat and has won it, meaning she will be moving out and thus, so will I have to, in the next month or two
I was already not looking forward to turning 27 - this is NOT HELPING!!
In addition to all this, I am a broken woman - over-zealous lunging and squatting at an aerobics class over the weekend has left me hobbling around like an arthiritic rhinocerous for the last couple of days, with no immediate end to the pain in sight.On the plus side, am reading The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie and am really enjoying it.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Oooh, nearly forgot the other highlight of yesterday evening!
Before catching up with James, Kristen and I went to some sort of social networking thing - they called it social networking anyway but it had a strong, ill-concealed singles networking vibe to it. The website should have been a dead giveaway from the start but it seemed promising for giggle value - www.thesupperclublondon.com - it was all a bit contrived and too much like a Quintessentially party but worth it for the sake of this one story alone.
Anyway, upon arrival we were given a token for a free drink - which we redeemed to get the house cocktail. Which tasted absolutely vile and which we rapidly spurned in favour of paying for less tastebud-torturing drinks. The conversation at the bar went like this:
Kristen: Hello, we'd like to buy some drinks please?
Bartender: Do you have your tokens?
K: No, we've used them, we'd like to buy some more drinks
B: (looking puzzled) But you don't have tokens
K: Yes, we'd like to PAY for these ones
B: (still confused) Ok, let me go check
Bartender disappears, apparently overwhelmed by the novel idea that people in a bar would be willing to trade money for alcoholic beverages.
Second Bartender: Sorry, can I help?
Kristen: Sure, we were trying to buy some drinks but that seems to have confused your colleague
SB: Oh? Well, what would you like, and do you have tokens?
K: No, we've already used them up, so we'll pay for this round
SB: Didn't they give you tokens at the door? They should have...
First Bartender returns
FB: It's ok for you to have drinks but you'll have to pay for them because you don't have tokens
First Bartender walks away
True story.
Before catching up with James, Kristen and I went to some sort of social networking thing - they called it social networking anyway but it had a strong, ill-concealed singles networking vibe to it. The website should have been a dead giveaway from the start but it seemed promising for giggle value - www.thesupperclublondon.com - it was all a bit contrived and too much like a Quintessentially party but worth it for the sake of this one story alone.
Anyway, upon arrival we were given a token for a free drink - which we redeemed to get the house cocktail. Which tasted absolutely vile and which we rapidly spurned in favour of paying for less tastebud-torturing drinks. The conversation at the bar went like this:
Kristen: Hello, we'd like to buy some drinks please?
Bartender: Do you have your tokens?
K: No, we've used them, we'd like to buy some more drinks
B: (looking puzzled) But you don't have tokens
K: Yes, we'd like to PAY for these ones
B: (still confused) Ok, let me go check
Bartender disappears, apparently overwhelmed by the novel idea that people in a bar would be willing to trade money for alcoholic beverages.
Second Bartender: Sorry, can I help?
Kristen: Sure, we were trying to buy some drinks but that seems to have confused your colleague
SB: Oh? Well, what would you like, and do you have tokens?
K: No, we've already used them up, so we'll pay for this round
SB: Didn't they give you tokens at the door? They should have...
First Bartender returns
FB: It's ok for you to have drinks but you'll have to pay for them because you don't have tokens
First Bartender walks away
True story.
Today has been an odd sort of day.
James is in London for work this week so KY and I met up with him last night for what should have been a civilised drink in the Covent Garden area. Which for the most part it was, except that I, in my ever-infinite wisdom, decided to go without dinner and drink red wine. Which was fine while I was seated but standing up to leave and go home proved more challenging - especially in high heeled strappy shoes (all the better to show off lovely pedicured toes with). Found I couldn't walk straight (and not just because of the heels), my head was spinning by the time I got out of the bar and in between the deep and meaningful conversation I had with my cab driver, I apparently made several random phone call and texting attempts, for reasons unknown.
All of which implies that I should be feeling decidedly less than average today - but in fact I have wavered between feeling incredibly rough and perking up enough to drink champagne at 4.30 in the afternoon. I am now contemplating whether to risk going to the gym or take the safe route and go home to comfy slippers and the fifth disc of season 2 of House.
(Side note, Hugh Laurie won the Golden Globe for Best Actor - hurrah! I love him!)
Then again, option number 3 for the evening is joining everyone from work at El Vino downstairs for someone's leaving drinks thing.
No, overall, I think Hugh will probably win out.
Anyway, today has been additionally odd because in spite of feeling at death's door for large parts of the day, I have been really productive and checked off all the points on my to-do list. I'm not sure what this tells me about my skills. Or my constitution.
James is in London for work this week so KY and I met up with him last night for what should have been a civilised drink in the Covent Garden area. Which for the most part it was, except that I, in my ever-infinite wisdom, decided to go without dinner and drink red wine. Which was fine while I was seated but standing up to leave and go home proved more challenging - especially in high heeled strappy shoes (all the better to show off lovely pedicured toes with). Found I couldn't walk straight (and not just because of the heels), my head was spinning by the time I got out of the bar and in between the deep and meaningful conversation I had with my cab driver, I apparently made several random phone call and texting attempts, for reasons unknown.
All of which implies that I should be feeling decidedly less than average today - but in fact I have wavered between feeling incredibly rough and perking up enough to drink champagne at 4.30 in the afternoon. I am now contemplating whether to risk going to the gym or take the safe route and go home to comfy slippers and the fifth disc of season 2 of House.
(Side note, Hugh Laurie won the Golden Globe for Best Actor - hurrah! I love him!)
Then again, option number 3 for the evening is joining everyone from work at El Vino downstairs for someone's leaving drinks thing.
No, overall, I think Hugh will probably win out.
Anyway, today has been additionally odd because in spite of feeling at death's door for large parts of the day, I have been really productive and checked off all the points on my to-do list. I'm not sure what this tells me about my skills. Or my constitution.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
A friend sent me this link the other day - I didn't look into it until today and now I am powerless against its hypnotic appeal...
http://www.hentaigroup.com/flash/pirate.htm
http://www.hentaigroup.com/flash/pirate.htm
Monday, January 15, 2007
This has been bothering me for some time but I'd forgotten about it, then was suddenly reminded of it again when I went to the gym this afternoon - naked women.
Specifically, naked women in the changing room at the gym. I've never thought of myself nor, as far as I know, been referred to by other people as a prude, but I find myself perturbed by all these naked women who think that just because they're sweaty and in a hurry they must strip off and parade around.
So really, the getting naked in order to change clothes I have no objection to - you do have to take clothes off to put others on, I accept that - it's really the walking around. And it's not just the hot girls either - it's any and all of them, young, old, thin, chubby, saggy, toned, you name it, they're all naked. And walking around.
While I'm sure I'm privileged to be a living witness to a scene that most boys spend a large proportion of their adult life fantasising about, I find myself asking why.
Why? Why? Why?
Specifically, naked women in the changing room at the gym. I've never thought of myself nor, as far as I know, been referred to by other people as a prude, but I find myself perturbed by all these naked women who think that just because they're sweaty and in a hurry they must strip off and parade around.
So really, the getting naked in order to change clothes I have no objection to - you do have to take clothes off to put others on, I accept that - it's really the walking around. And it's not just the hot girls either - it's any and all of them, young, old, thin, chubby, saggy, toned, you name it, they're all naked. And walking around.
While I'm sure I'm privileged to be a living witness to a scene that most boys spend a large proportion of their adult life fantasising about, I find myself asking why.
Why? Why? Why?
Another new week and just as little motivation from my side... all thoughts very disjointed at the moment, so I'll just spill them out here and hope they make sense.
Attempted shopping again this weekend - I was looking for a new mobile phone. I bought a black vest top (£7 in the Massimo Dutti sale, hurrah!) . I'm going to have to persevere if I ever intend to get better at this.
In a slight departure from the norm, I choose to do my weekend travel by bus instead of tube and it really does make all the difference in the world for keeping your spirits up. While I know the tube is often quicker (although not always) it really does suck out your soul a little to be cooped up in a tin can underground. The bus is much nicer, especially for trying to get your head round where things are located in relation to each other.
Anyway, after all this bus riding and random shopping, I feel as though Kensington might be my alternative spiritual home - admittedly West Dulwich feels more like an actual spiritual home but it's less easy to get to. You have to examine these things from every angle - sadly I just don't have the income to live there.
Both The Mummy and Jurassic Park were on the Sci-Fi channel over the weekend - I'm never going out on Saturday nights again
The highlight of my weekend was the luxury pedicure KY got me for Christmas. Being ruinously expensive as they are, I haven't managed any sort of nail treatment since I got to London, so I was long overdue for this one. There was this gross but cool tool, kind of like a grater, that they use to trim all the excess hardened skin off your feet - it was revolting but I was mesmerised and couldn't help watching all these layers of skin they were just peeling off. I was convinced the girl was going to hit an artery of some kind but apparently there was just that much disgusting old hard skin on my feet. Eww... Moving along swiftly... then there was a paraffin wrap bit, which I highly recommend to anyone who hasn't tried it yet. They lather up your feet in liquid paraffin (which has the consistency of warm, runny candle wax) and then stick them into these heated sock things and about 10 minutes later they pull it all off and your feet are as smooth as a baby's bottom. All a bit strange, but fab.
Speaking of babies, spoke to Christina over the weekend - she is due in 12 weeks. I am SO not ready for this...
Attempted shopping again this weekend - I was looking for a new mobile phone. I bought a black vest top (£7 in the Massimo Dutti sale, hurrah!) . I'm going to have to persevere if I ever intend to get better at this.
In a slight departure from the norm, I choose to do my weekend travel by bus instead of tube and it really does make all the difference in the world for keeping your spirits up. While I know the tube is often quicker (although not always) it really does suck out your soul a little to be cooped up in a tin can underground. The bus is much nicer, especially for trying to get your head round where things are located in relation to each other.
Anyway, after all this bus riding and random shopping, I feel as though Kensington might be my alternative spiritual home - admittedly West Dulwich feels more like an actual spiritual home but it's less easy to get to. You have to examine these things from every angle - sadly I just don't have the income to live there.
Both The Mummy and Jurassic Park were on the Sci-Fi channel over the weekend - I'm never going out on Saturday nights again
The highlight of my weekend was the luxury pedicure KY got me for Christmas. Being ruinously expensive as they are, I haven't managed any sort of nail treatment since I got to London, so I was long overdue for this one. There was this gross but cool tool, kind of like a grater, that they use to trim all the excess hardened skin off your feet - it was revolting but I was mesmerised and couldn't help watching all these layers of skin they were just peeling off. I was convinced the girl was going to hit an artery of some kind but apparently there was just that much disgusting old hard skin on my feet. Eww... Moving along swiftly... then there was a paraffin wrap bit, which I highly recommend to anyone who hasn't tried it yet. They lather up your feet in liquid paraffin (which has the consistency of warm, runny candle wax) and then stick them into these heated sock things and about 10 minutes later they pull it all off and your feet are as smooth as a baby's bottom. All a bit strange, but fab.
Speaking of babies, spoke to Christina over the weekend - she is due in 12 weeks. I am SO not ready for this...
Thursday, January 11, 2007
By the way, have realised that I’ve lived in England for six months now and have not yet complained about the weather – well, except for complaining that it was too hot in the summer and surely that doesn’t count? – so today might be the day.
Well, comment on rather than complain about.
It has been unseasonably warm in London this winter – well, it’s not WARM but I’m told that it’s usually a lot colder at this time of the year. Today it suddenly got freezing cold and the wind was blowing so hard it actually made me stagger and veer off my path. If it hadn’t been 7.30am, people would have thought I was drunk. That said, this is England, so maybe they still did.
At least it wasn’t raining, because after waking up to an unfamiliar and annoying alarm on the hideous pink phone, I’m not sure I have the emotional strength to battle with my temperamental umbrella as well…
Well, comment on rather than complain about.
It has been unseasonably warm in London this winter – well, it’s not WARM but I’m told that it’s usually a lot colder at this time of the year. Today it suddenly got freezing cold and the wind was blowing so hard it actually made me stagger and veer off my path. If it hadn’t been 7.30am, people would have thought I was drunk. That said, this is England, so maybe they still did.
At least it wasn’t raining, because after waking up to an unfamiliar and annoying alarm on the hideous pink phone, I’m not sure I have the emotional strength to battle with my temperamental umbrella as well…
I had a particularly manic day yesterday so this post has had time both to fester and to heal.
My morning started reasonably well, even though all Eastbound service on both the District and Circle lines was suspended, because it gave me a chance to walk along Victoria Embankment and get some fresh air first thing in the morning. Oh yes, it helps that I was wearing trainers and the weather was pleasant – I doubt I’d have been quite so grateful for the walk if I’d been hobbling around in pouring rain and high heels.
Anyway, shortly before 10.00am, disaster struck as the battery on my phone dug its heels in and refused to play ball. Although I fairly distinctly remember the time before mobile phones, it’s safe to say that I am now too far along the addiction process to return to that simpler time.
Fortunately, thanks to an office clear-out some weeks ago, I had a spare mobile in my desk drawer. However, it is a Panasonic and it is pink. I have not the words.
On the plus side, my phone packing it in yesterday allowed me to demonstrate a valuable point to those who haven’t worked out why the Apple iPhone (www.apple.com/iphone) is not a practical purchase. Price point aside (because I don’t think pricing significantly impacts brand-loyal purchases), surely anyone can see that bundling all your communication and entertainment devices into one, admittedly pretty, package is just disaster waiting to happen when the battery fails.
Although it took me a while to jump on that particular wagon, most people know how addicted I now am to my iPod. Apart from my Nokia mobile phone it is my most valued possession (and sadly I don’t own anything that cost more than them) but I cannot help thinking how lost I’d be if I had both of them packaged together and then had the battery blow on both simultaneously.
On a tangential note, for those who might be interested: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?CFID=6369840&CFTOKEN=37764706&ucidparam=20060825113025&MenuPoint=D-C - I like to mix it up, keep it fresh, you know, keep the body guessing when it comes to where my brand loyalties lie on the conscience scale…
My morning started reasonably well, even though all Eastbound service on both the District and Circle lines was suspended, because it gave me a chance to walk along Victoria Embankment and get some fresh air first thing in the morning. Oh yes, it helps that I was wearing trainers and the weather was pleasant – I doubt I’d have been quite so grateful for the walk if I’d been hobbling around in pouring rain and high heels.
Anyway, shortly before 10.00am, disaster struck as the battery on my phone dug its heels in and refused to play ball. Although I fairly distinctly remember the time before mobile phones, it’s safe to say that I am now too far along the addiction process to return to that simpler time.
Fortunately, thanks to an office clear-out some weeks ago, I had a spare mobile in my desk drawer. However, it is a Panasonic and it is pink. I have not the words.
On the plus side, my phone packing it in yesterday allowed me to demonstrate a valuable point to those who haven’t worked out why the Apple iPhone (www.apple.com/iphone) is not a practical purchase. Price point aside (because I don’t think pricing significantly impacts brand-loyal purchases), surely anyone can see that bundling all your communication and entertainment devices into one, admittedly pretty, package is just disaster waiting to happen when the battery fails.
Although it took me a while to jump on that particular wagon, most people know how addicted I now am to my iPod. Apart from my Nokia mobile phone it is my most valued possession (and sadly I don’t own anything that cost more than them) but I cannot help thinking how lost I’d be if I had both of them packaged together and then had the battery blow on both simultaneously.
On a tangential note, for those who might be interested: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?CFID=6369840&CFTOKEN=37764706&ucidparam=20060825113025&MenuPoint=D-C - I like to mix it up, keep it fresh, you know, keep the body guessing when it comes to where my brand loyalties lie on the conscience scale…
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
This weekend I went on a shopping mission. I was looking for the following:
- Duvet Cover
- Pillowcases
- Towels
- A full-length mirror
After about six hours of shopping I had purchased the following:
- Black strappy shoes
- A handbag
- Underwear
- A black v-necked jumper
Clearly my shopping skills surpass those of mere mortals...
Friday, January 05, 2007
I just took a call from someone at the Farmer's Union who was ringing here in hope of locating a farmer. This follows fairly closely on the time my colleague Margarita took a call from a woman at a supermarket who was apparently 'following up on her message about the pumpkins'.
It appears many people in England have an erroneous grasp of what PR agencies do...
It appears many people in England have an erroneous grasp of what PR agencies do...
Thursday, January 04, 2007
P.S. Credit to Ian for an explanation of why the times on these posts are not as they should be:
Your blog is hosted by Google, based on the west coast of the US and with an 8-hour time difference. That's why the posting times on your blog are out.
Perhaps this kind of superior knowledge of the intricacies of the technology industry goes a long way towards explaining why he has a much nicer house and car than I do...
Your blog is hosted by Google, based on the west coast of the US and with an 8-hour time difference. That's why the posting times on your blog are out.
Perhaps this kind of superior knowledge of the intricacies of the technology industry goes a long way towards explaining why he has a much nicer house and car than I do...
Places afar, plans afoot.
Well sort of.
As part of my resolutions for 2007, I've been giving thought to where I'd like to travel this year - so far the diary contains a trip to USA in order to cock an eye at Baby Neukam (exact city TBC), to visit Toosy in Boston and to give New York the opportunity to exchange pleasantries with the adult Lakshmi.
In September I've pencilled in the Scorza/Wade wedding and if I don't make it home to Dubai at some point, there might be some sort of disownment involved with la mamma. That and my fingernails might just fall off from N-Style manicure withdrawal symptoms.
With all those in mind, it doesn't seem to leave much time (or budget) for any additional destinations, but thanks to Tiina (and Ryanair), a long weekend in Finland is sounding like a good solid prospect. Or at least it was, until Cam sent through pictures of Moscow (and his beautiful apartment) and now I find myself uncertain about limiting 2007 travel to solely one additional city.
While we're at it, does anyone else have cool ideas about where I should go? Since everyone who knows me is aware of my stellar decision-making abilities, I figure I might as well get as many elements into the equation as possible - you know, just to keep it exciting.
On a tangential note, why does everyone seem to have a nicer house than me? I used to think my place was quite sweet until I saw what I was missing. Admittedly the places I'm thinking of are those belonging to friends slightly older than me - but surely a few years and significantly better jobs shouldn't cause this kind of differential?
D'oh!
Well sort of.
As part of my resolutions for 2007, I've been giving thought to where I'd like to travel this year - so far the diary contains a trip to USA in order to cock an eye at Baby Neukam (exact city TBC), to visit Toosy in Boston and to give New York the opportunity to exchange pleasantries with the adult Lakshmi.
In September I've pencilled in the Scorza/Wade wedding and if I don't make it home to Dubai at some point, there might be some sort of disownment involved with la mamma. That and my fingernails might just fall off from N-Style manicure withdrawal symptoms.
With all those in mind, it doesn't seem to leave much time (or budget) for any additional destinations, but thanks to Tiina (and Ryanair), a long weekend in Finland is sounding like a good solid prospect. Or at least it was, until Cam sent through pictures of Moscow (and his beautiful apartment) and now I find myself uncertain about limiting 2007 travel to solely one additional city.
While we're at it, does anyone else have cool ideas about where I should go? Since everyone who knows me is aware of my stellar decision-making abilities, I figure I might as well get as many elements into the equation as possible - you know, just to keep it exciting.
On a tangential note, why does everyone seem to have a nicer house than me? I used to think my place was quite sweet until I saw what I was missing. Admittedly the places I'm thinking of are those belonging to friends slightly older than me - but surely a few years and significantly better jobs shouldn't cause this kind of differential?
D'oh!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Hard. Rock. Hallelujah.
It's official, Lordi's Eurovision entry was my favourite song of 2006. Admittedly I only heard it for the first time on 31 December, but I don't believe those lovable Finns should be discriminated against simply because Dubai tv/radio stations don't broadcast Eurovision. In fact, in this matter I mostly applaud Dubai's broadcasters for their sound thinking and good sense.
Anyway, since then I have made it a point to wake up and listen to Hard Rock Hallelujah every morning and I sincerely hope that some day I speak another language so well that I can come up with puns as good as 'the arockalypse', 'the day of rockening' and 'the rock's about to roll' in a tongue other than English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIeCw1tiFbI
Given the usual level of drivel showcased at Eurovision, I can't imagine a world in which they wouldn't have won...
It's official, Lordi's Eurovision entry was my favourite song of 2006. Admittedly I only heard it for the first time on 31 December, but I don't believe those lovable Finns should be discriminated against simply because Dubai tv/radio stations don't broadcast Eurovision. In fact, in this matter I mostly applaud Dubai's broadcasters for their sound thinking and good sense.
Anyway, since then I have made it a point to wake up and listen to Hard Rock Hallelujah every morning and I sincerely hope that some day I speak another language so well that I can come up with puns as good as 'the arockalypse', 'the day of rockening' and 'the rock's about to roll' in a tongue other than English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIeCw1tiFbI
Given the usual level of drivel showcased at Eurovision, I can't imagine a world in which they wouldn't have won...
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
So it's January 2007 and if I don't get my ass in gear this blogging malarkey is going to get away from me...
Right, so quick rundown of Christmas and New Year shenanigans - mostly I don't remember the days in terms of activities but rather in terms of meals eaten. Still, let it not be said that I keep things from my nearest and dearest:
23 Dec - Dinner at Ian's house - me making my first Gordon Ramsay meal and Ian (Lewis, Marc's brother) humouring me enough to let me use his kitchen (which is waaaaaaaaay nicer than mine - as is pretty much all of his flat). I don't think Ian was sufficiently prepared for quite all the chaos that ensued but he is the stoic sort, so he coped well with the surprising quantities of havoc I wreaked. Bless him.
24 Dec - Christmas Eve Lebanese meal - fantastic home-made spread of loads of stuff I've been craving, including real hummous, tahina salad, fried aubergines and cauliflower with lemon. Can't talk about this anymore as am missing it already.
25 Dec - Christmas dinner - I passed on the brussels sprouts (not even their mother could love them) but otherwise stuffed myself on the standard meal. Was reminded of how good parsnips are. And oh yes, there were presents too. Can't remember much else.
26 Dec - lots of leftovers and a knitting lesson from Marc's aunt. Oh and chocolate biscuits from M&S.
27 Dec - back to London on a shocking 5 HOUR train journey, which I embarked upon in order to avoid the 4 hour coach journey. Fortunately Austin met up with me when I eventually got there and bought me pizza, which put me in a sufficiently good mood to prepare for the arrival of the Peters.
28 Dec - Aimee arrived at some ungodly hour of the morning and we promptly began our day with bucks fizz and fried breakfast. This combination worked so well that we didn't eat again until about 9.30pm. Walked what seemed like the entire length and breadth of London, met up with some of AP's friends and got all the goss from the sandy city.
29 Dec - Got out of bed in time to shovel some food into AP and chuck her onto a train, then spent the rest of the day watching Season 2 of House and wondering whether Hugh Laurie might be a contender for the spot on my Friends 5 list which was recently vacated by Jason Lee.
30 Dec - back to Cardiff in preparation for NYE. Had dinner at a Chinese restaurant where the staff tried to kid me about what Szechuan duck should look and taste like. Admittedly I am no expert but surely there is a distinct difference between chilli-garlic sauce and hoi-sin sauce?
31 Dec - Gentle shopping during the day and a reasonably well-behaved New Years Eve celebration. Meant to go to the pub for midnight but got involved in a game of Humm Bug and somehow missed the boat on leaving the house that night =) Still, very pleasant evening, so no real complaints on not going to a crowded smoky pub instead.
1 Jan - Had a surprisingly uneventful journey back to London. I admit, I was expecting some sort of debacle but none ensued. I have the sneaking suspicion that the transport industry is saving up something horrible to spring on me at some as yet unspecified future date.
And that was my holiday in a nutshell. A rather large and mildly longwinded nutshell, but a nutshell nonetheless.
Right, so quick rundown of Christmas and New Year shenanigans - mostly I don't remember the days in terms of activities but rather in terms of meals eaten. Still, let it not be said that I keep things from my nearest and dearest:
23 Dec - Dinner at Ian's house - me making my first Gordon Ramsay meal and Ian (Lewis, Marc's brother) humouring me enough to let me use his kitchen (which is waaaaaaaaay nicer than mine - as is pretty much all of his flat). I don't think Ian was sufficiently prepared for quite all the chaos that ensued but he is the stoic sort, so he coped well with the surprising quantities of havoc I wreaked. Bless him.
24 Dec - Christmas Eve Lebanese meal - fantastic home-made spread of loads of stuff I've been craving, including real hummous, tahina salad, fried aubergines and cauliflower with lemon. Can't talk about this anymore as am missing it already.
25 Dec - Christmas dinner - I passed on the brussels sprouts (not even their mother could love them) but otherwise stuffed myself on the standard meal. Was reminded of how good parsnips are. And oh yes, there were presents too. Can't remember much else.
26 Dec - lots of leftovers and a knitting lesson from Marc's aunt. Oh and chocolate biscuits from M&S.
27 Dec - back to London on a shocking 5 HOUR train journey, which I embarked upon in order to avoid the 4 hour coach journey. Fortunately Austin met up with me when I eventually got there and bought me pizza, which put me in a sufficiently good mood to prepare for the arrival of the Peters.
28 Dec - Aimee arrived at some ungodly hour of the morning and we promptly began our day with bucks fizz and fried breakfast. This combination worked so well that we didn't eat again until about 9.30pm. Walked what seemed like the entire length and breadth of London, met up with some of AP's friends and got all the goss from the sandy city.
29 Dec - Got out of bed in time to shovel some food into AP and chuck her onto a train, then spent the rest of the day watching Season 2 of House and wondering whether Hugh Laurie might be a contender for the spot on my Friends 5 list which was recently vacated by Jason Lee.
30 Dec - back to Cardiff in preparation for NYE. Had dinner at a Chinese restaurant where the staff tried to kid me about what Szechuan duck should look and taste like. Admittedly I am no expert but surely there is a distinct difference between chilli-garlic sauce and hoi-sin sauce?
31 Dec - Gentle shopping during the day and a reasonably well-behaved New Years Eve celebration. Meant to go to the pub for midnight but got involved in a game of Humm Bug and somehow missed the boat on leaving the house that night =) Still, very pleasant evening, so no real complaints on not going to a crowded smoky pub instead.
1 Jan - Had a surprisingly uneventful journey back to London. I admit, I was expecting some sort of debacle but none ensued. I have the sneaking suspicion that the transport industry is saving up something horrible to spring on me at some as yet unspecified future date.
And that was my holiday in a nutshell. A rather large and mildly longwinded nutshell, but a nutshell nonetheless.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
