I'll think about it in bed

2010-01-06T07:50:00.002Z

Heavy snow came indeed but not as madly and long as last year's in April. The snow didn't settle enough to build snowmen. Many trains this morning were already delayed or cancelled.

HEAVY SNOOOOOOOOOW!

2010-01-05T22:11:00.003Z

Weather forecasted again another round of snow on Wednesday. This would be heavy snow! Woo hoo! There were articles about UK having it's coldest winter in 100 years. I haven't seen forecast in London where everyday for the next 5 days will be snow showers. Lovely! I shall worry about travelling to work tomorrow morning :P

Body Combat workout

2010-01-05T22:04:00.001Z

For the first time in gawd damn years, I left office to attend a gym workout. It was a friend's suggestion and I feared having to lie down at the corner after a mere 10 minutes. I thought I would be utterly shattered that everyone could continue except me. Hence I didn't attend any class for the longest time. But ho ho ho no, I survived the entire 45-min Body Combat class. I felt fantastic!

Started wearing my outdoor boots, to work

2010-01-04T22:31:00.000Z

Ah huh, it was so cold anything THICK would do the warm trick. It was utterly comforting that I could stand in the freezing platform with warm foot well protected.

I want this- Golf GTI

2010-01-04T22:16:00.000Z

Love the review of the car from Best New Cars of 2010:
Volkswagen introduced America to the concept of the hot hatchback, and with the all-new 2010 GTI, they're still setting the standards. The new GTI doesn't lead the pack in terms of power, but it sets the pace for the fun-to-drive factor thanks to its excellent handling, tolerable ride, and remarkable lack of front-wheel-drive bugaboos like torque steer and corner-exit wheelspin. And with a price tag of $24,000 -- which includes three years of free maintenance -- and ever-improving build quality, it takes the lead in a category where I never expected a Volkswagen to excel: Value.

More reviews, like from Auto Express here.

COLD COOOOOOOOOOLD

2010-01-04T21:29:00.003Z

FUCKING COOOOOOOOLD!!!
Radiator was on since gawd knows when and I am still freezing in the house! Friday is gonna to be minus 6! Kah Nee Nah!

Cold expressions:
It was so cold that we bumped into a brass monkey looking for a welder
It's colder than an Eskimo's chuff
As cold as a witches tit
It's colder than a nun's fanny
It's colder than a penguin's bollocks
It's colder than a grave diggers bum
It was so cold the one armed bandit had a glove on

Q: What sits on the bottom of the cold Arctic Ocean and shakes?
A: A nervous wreck.
Q: Getting a job in the Arctic in the winter is great! Why?
A: When the days get short, you only have to work a 30 minute work week.
Q: How do you know if there's a snowman in your bed?
A: You wake up wet!

I returned to work on 4th January 2010

2010-01-04T21:15:00.001Z

Everyone was hugging to wish each other Happy New Year and sharing holiday experiences. Eww, I couldn't do to all and quickly settled at my desk. I was the first to whine that I wasn't too keen to return to work. Oddly no one echoed my view! All behaved politically correct...blah. By late morning, I was sinking into the work mood and getting more done. If only there are more days in a month like today - manageable load of work, decent 30 min lunchtime and able to count down to end of the working day! 3 hours more, 1 hour more, 30min, 15 min, 14min....3min DONK! When clocked strike 5.30pm, I was almost packed and left the office quite swiftly.

I read The Guardian - UK first mobile phone in 1985

2010-01-04T21:05:00.001Z

Stick out points of the article from The Guardian.

1985 mobile phone was first made by Racal Electronics: £12000, had 20 minutes talktime and damn heavy.

I read The Guardian G2 supplement - laughing surreptitiously

2010-01-04T20:37:00.000Z

I laughed quietly to myself as I read G2 of The Guardian.

Pass Notes 2,704 Centenarians
Age: What a stupid question. I know you've only just got back to work, but try to wake up.

Sorry, the answer must be 100. Spot on.

And, let me guess, it's that old – very old – chestnut, their numbers are growing?
There are almost 12,000 centenarians in the UK. New government projections suggest that will double by 2020 and reach an astonishing 280,000 by 2050, even though the UK lags way behind the US, France and Japan in the centenarian stakes.

I suppose everyone in Japan will be living to 100 by 2050. More or less. It's estimated they will have more than one million centenarians by then. Bad news for the Japanese government, as it sends each of them a silver cup.

What do centenarians get in the UK? A rather dull birthday card with a picture of the Queen on the front. After the age of 105 they get the same card every year.

No cup? Times are tough at the palace.

Why do the Japanese live so long? Raw fish and close families.

Americans? State-of-the-art medical care for the very rich.

And the French? Copious quantities of red wine.

So if you're a millionaire dipso- maniac with a mother complex and a taste for sushi, you can look forward to a long life? That seems to be the recipe.

What to say to a centenarian: "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." (Mark Twain)

What not to say to a centenarian: "Old age isn't a battle, it's a massacre." (Philip Roth)

Advice regardless of what you say to a centenarian: Say it loudly.

I went running on the freezing cold

2010-01-03T20:04:00.002Z

I think I did quite well from the Christmas break - pig-out meals where two of them were vegetarian, shopping, quad biking, country walk, basic snowboarding lesson, golf at the driving range, running out in the open and of course, driving around :)
Christmas gifts for myself:
Outdoor tracking pair of high cut shoes from Saloman sale
Fleece from Oakley sale
Snowboarding lesson at Milton Keynes
I had no qualms sinking into the holiday mood quickly. Holidays finally ended after 11 days from 24 Dec 2009. I am soooo not excited about going back to work. So not keen, not desperate and missing the Christmas break already.

Was it a cheat - winner for Wildlife Photography 2009

2010-01-03T19:50:00.001Z

I wondered what's the verdict. Shortly after announcing the winners, claims were out to disqualify José Luis Rodríguez and his winning shot Storybook Wolf. Last year's winner also had a similar style of photography - patiently waiting night after night for months on the same spot with set-up camera. I hope next year's winning shot has nothing to do with this bloody hardwork but contrived style. My favourite shots from the exhibition here.

One of Britain's coldest winters in 100 years

2010-01-03T12:46:00.001Z

Britain facing one of the coldest winters in 100 years, experts predict - Telegraph UK.

Britain is bracing itself for one of the coldest winters for a century with temperatures hitting minus 16 degrees Celsius, forecasters have warned. They predicted no let up in the freezing snap until at least mid-January, with snow, ice and severe frosts dominating. And the likelihood is that the second half of the month will be even colder. Weather patterns were more like those in the late 1970s, experts said, while Met Office figures released on Monday are expected to show that the country is experiencing the coldest winter for up to 25 years. On New Year's Day 10 extreme weather warnings were in place, with heavy snow expected in northern England and Scotland. Despite New Year celebrations passing off mostly unaffected by the weather, drivers in parts of the country, particularly areas of Northumberland, Cumbria and the Scottish Highlands, were warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

Woo hoo! More snow please, I am not driving for another long haul!! Last few days we experienced sunny and clear weather but it was freezing, colder than wet days. We couldn't stay outdoors for long.

I took pictures - Brockwell Park, Brixton

2010-01-03T00:16:00.001Z

Hitting balls in the winter

2010-01-01T19:36:00.022Z

I wanted to hit some balls, so we drove to Croydon's driving range. After 40 balls or so I stopped. I could count the number of straight shots with a borrowed 7 iron. The rest of the shots were utterly rubbish, most skewed too much to the right. My thighs were still sore from the snowboarding lesson yesterday and my toes were painfully cold. I gave up the great opportunity to hit more balls in the freezing outdoors, apparently as cold as minus 4 degrees today. It was still pretty bright, sunny and dry. Three foxes turned up at the side of the range and basked in the sun, a nice distraction. Lucy had a great session although I believed my dad would have taught her much better than me. She has the right determination. She focused on a net about 40m away and kept hitting until one golf ball finally entered the net.

We went off to Sainsbury's for food shopping and I paid a very expensive bill - £96.00. There were more bottles of wine than anything else. I picked two dessert wines since they were 50% off. The rest were all Lucy's.

Back home we began to prepare dinner early at 6 as the Ang Moh way always takes longer :p Baked vegetables - parsnips, carrots, onions, garlic and butternut squash all spread with extra virgin olive oil. Baked chicken wings seasoned with hot piri piri sauce, dark soy sauce and chili oil. At 7.50pm food was ready to be served. Yummy yum yum. I had a glass of dessert wine, right from the start :)

Snowboarding

2009-12-31T23:37:00.003Z

Finally I did it! Lucy was very sweet to accompany me to take up beginner's snowboarding lessons at Milton Keynes' Sno!zone - the lesson was my xmas gift to her. We drove for almost two hours from London and made our way pretty smoothly.

I had to eat first before the lesson started at 4pm. I had MacDonalds in mind right from the start - fast, easy and tasty fish burger meal! Lucy wasn't too keen but surrendered after realising the next convenient and time-saving food place was KFC :P

A tall kid about 15 years strolled into MacDonalds with his handset firmly on one side of his head. He sat down and soon joined by his parents (I supposed). Shopping bags all looking pretty much his, parents eating burgers where I rarely know any parents keen to eat junk food at all. I wondered if this was his day because on the first day of Christmas he behaved. "Stay indoors with your grandparents and be nice. If we get your present in time you would only get one but if you wait until Boxing Day 50% sale you get two." Hmm, a practical negotiation. A few hours of skiing or snowboarding session coupled with great valued choice of gifts, all lovely sponsored by parents. And of course he only wanted to eat at the world's favourite pretentious healthy place.

The snowboarding lesson was fucking hard work. I felt couldn't go on, after three times of falling down the slope and the heavy toil of climbing up again in chunky boots. I puffed and huffed. I sweated like a cow and had to remove my fleece before descending to another fall down the slope. I felt the pressure, six (of seven) newbies managed well, at least two were in their early 20s. I used to be sporty. I couldn't be bloody bad at picking up a new sport now!

The lesson had two main parts - facing backward (toe edge), facing forward (heel edge) down the slope. I thought I faired better facing forward, I had far lesser help from David the 20-yr old instructor. He was patient, enthusiastic and gave the right instructions for newbies like me. I wasn't afraid to fall, more afraid when I went faster so I broke the speed by falling. Soon I learnt not to land fully on my butt, instead to share the weight of the fall with my back to reduce the pain :( We had a 20-min break and after that it was all about confidence and being re-energised. I could balance much better and climbing up was not as hard as before the break. Nice!!! Twice I felt I was like a pro sliding down the slope, fast!

After the three-hour session, Lucy and I went back to the junk food place for hot drinks and some snacks to curb our hunger. We were finally home three hours later. As I blogged, I already felt my thighs and back aching. Blah.

Slow traffic and pissing rain

2009-12-29T22:32:00.001Z

I had to give up shopping at Westfield today. I was damn disappointed. A mile from Westfield, 30 minutes on the road and tons of vehicles on the road - all thinking alike. On a rainy day, let's all stay indoors in a huge place like Westfield where we choose a myriad of services and products to give up our incomes on. In the future, going to this mega place has to be a proper plan - be there by 9am or earlier to beat the traffic on a non-working day! Sleep earlier the night before to be ready for the bloody shopping exercise :c

I decided to stop waiting and diverted to High Street Kensington instead. Absolutely a bliss to drive to, no congestion charges today (in fact this Christmas week) but a bit more costly parking fee at £8 for every two hours. We stayed til 7.40pm, for three hours and 35 minutes. Some shops were still opened then.

Bought:
A lovely gold and flowery printed dress matched with hand and hair accessories for M;
A lovely flowery printed dress for E;
A pair of ski trousers for me. I looked stunted in it but it's cheap and I really cannot guarantee my regular commitment to the sport.

Wish List - more shopping on the same things blogged before

2009-12-29T12:28:00.000Z

White bathrobe for a friend as Xmas gift
Presents for J, M, J and M's birthday presents, esp. J and M
Outdoor boots
Office-like boots
Black jeans, bit stretchable

Any major wake-up calls in 2009?

2009-12-29T12:21:00.000Z

While walking at Ashdown Forest, Lucy asked if I have experienced anything that would be considered a major wake-up call in 2009. Immediately I couldn't, I would take a while to recall. If there were any, I tend to try to forget at the point when I got the experience.

My space cadet moments have to go during work. I paid high price(s), yes again and again, time after time. I spaced out sometimes and ended not being seen as "blur like sotong".

I need to be sensitive to work politics. Lots went on and sometimes I just took things quite literally on the surface levels, therefore missing out the key connotations. Simplicity is not Politics' friend.

The wise words on relationships - all about giving and taking - means more to me as the years go by. I get bothered if I am getting northing in return for giving. Yet when I give, I get very satisfied if I see a smile and moments of emotional boost. I'm far easily pleased with instant gratification.

Xmas songs and carols after 25th Dec

2009-12-29T12:08:00.000Z

I was very conscious and even hesitated playing Christmas songs this morning. I felt it's over and therefore unsuitable. Yet I would happily play them at least 10 days before Christmas. I know there's 12 days of Christmas, still first week of January just like every year. Anyone I talked to by then would ask what presents did we get, as if there wouldn't be any other days after 25th Dec to get presents.

Today if we leave the house at all, I will search for a friend's Christmas present. Sales always go crazier from Boxing Day and since she returns from her Paris trip in January, why not get the present at a cheaper prize? :P

I got down and dirty this Christmas

2009-12-28T19:59:00.003Z

27 Dec - Tulleys Farm in Turner's Hill has a serious amount of mud. Enough for the world's mud bath. I feared more about falling into any of the pool of mud than riding the power 320cc quad bikes. At one point I got stucked. Athena who was riding behind me came over to help. "Sit right back, reverse and then just accelerate more" she said and I obeyed. She was already back on her bike as I pressed the accelerator all the way. Mud from the back came splashing fast and furious at her. Oh blimey, I only realised what I done after hearing laughter. I felt bad yet it was hilarious.

The operation team for the session weren't really into customer service. Two of our friends were late and ended missing the entire session after a few unsatisfied conversations with the crew. Our friends weren't given another opportunity, so not sure what did they eventually negotiated for. They left the place after 90 minutes drive and went elsewhere... shopping.

Level of mud stains - High, my collar and helmet got mud stains

28 Dec - Bank Holiday - Another land of mud, just more variety in Ashdown Forest. Dry, sticky, watery and mixed (from horses, dogs and whatever animals living there). It felt like a field walk instead of country walk though it seemed to be much "safer" in case I got lost - just follow the wide path back to the car park. There weren't many trees and there were wide paths with deep muddy trenches. We came across many small chilly ponds with thin layers of ice on top. We could only break the top layer of ice if we threw stones aggressively. Many sticks and stones were found on the surface of the ice. Most of our stones ended bouncing on the ice, pretty fun to watch.

Interesting trivia - Winnie-the-Pooh's forest and Ashdown Forest are identical.

Level of mud stains - Low-medium from waist down

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T00:13:00.000Z

I received:
e2 book
Dessert wine, Lenz Moser from Austria
Quad biking and clay pigeon shooting (a wonderful surprise which led me to cancel a plan to meet a friend from uni days)
Dessert wine 2 from M&S
Shower gel and body puff from M&S
Kathmandu method rucksack (yeah!)
Hot water bottle - except it's filled with some kind of gel, though not gel called Micro Hottie

Pictures I took:

Christmas day started at 4am

2009-12-25T22:18:00.001Z

Skype with family who were 8 hrs ahead. Lucy and I exchanged presents, got a lovely surprise trip to quarkbiking.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T20:26:00.003Z

Potong jalan from ophice, went to pick up car instead.
We then went to fill up the car and shopped at Sainsbury's hypermart, the mothership. I love the hypermart, more choices and more family-sized things to buy. I got the biggest olive oil bottle and two unusual flavoured honeys.
We also ended up with a lot of chicken because I thought we could contribute a Christmas dinner at a vegetarian's home. Nope I didn't get the rejection, Lucy did. Poor Lucy.
For the afternoon, we veg'd at home (yawn)
I coaxed Lucy from under the duvet, convincing her we could fix her hard disk - to enable her to transfer files from our mac to her hard drive. It took a while and finally we got it fixed (quite interesting for us, sorry not really for you).
At the same time, I baked - yes you guessed it - chicken with honey, mustard and teriyaki sauce. Mmmmm... dinner was delicious.
We had a nice drink called Elderflower mixed with fresh mint leaves. Ooh that's lovely.
TV programmes were mainly reruns (sorry, are you still awake?) and lots of animations.

We watched Christmas rerun from Creature Comforts

And read some news, one of them really stand out - about HP camera unable to recognise black people.

Susan and Tim break up

2009-12-23T21:47:00.003Z

I decided to post this because I worry. All the best to Susan and Tim. Why a 23-year relationship is still not sustainable, no sex? How many of us in the long term can hang on like our parents together no matter how we fuck kup?

To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'til death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness. My ass.

2009-12-23T21:44:00.000Z

Even if probation is over, I still worry not being as good as the Past. Confidence is such a rarity.