I signed up for this JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 5k run. Just for the fun of it, and also for the free T-shirt that the company is sponsoring =). When I signed up, I felt pretty confident about it - not to win the race la, to complete it in a reasonable time.
But I haven't been running for the past 2 months? Since my toenail turned black, I had several excuses not to go running. House-moving for example, my back ached for the next two days. And then I got struck down with a cold. Slight fever, then coughing and mucus and pleghm. And then the world cup. Its like the world is against me running!
I decided that if i'm going to leave some face for myself, I'd better start moving. So on Tuesday I ran on the treadmill. I started a little too ambitious, and gave up at 2.5k. Today I ran again, and managed to complete the run, though about a minute more than my best time.
ah.. boring post eh. guess nobody's interested in me going to the gym.
But wait! interesting part comes up. I went to the gym at about 4.30pm today. The gym was quite empty. Of 10 or so treadmills only 2 were taken. However, while I was at 2.5k, this plump middle aged indian man comes to the treadmill right next to me. At first it was alright yeah, until he raised his arms to press on the buttons...
* a waft of wind catches the odour under his arm and brings it straight to me *
*breathing heavily.. puff pant... then gag...*
worse still, once he starts running, he rests his arms on top of the treadmill panel! the treadmill is pretty big, the panel comes up all the way to the chest - so his arms were f88king raised!
now, imagine a plump middle aged indian man. arms raised. sweating more heavily than you who still has another 2.5k to go. less than 1m away. with the wind from the cooler blowing air from him to you. with you not being able to help but breathe heavily.
its a nightmare i tell you.
thankfully though, the nose works in magical ways. It gets desensitised after continued exposure to the same smell... and I survived the run.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
House Season 2 finale
I just finished watching House, M.D., this TV serial that is really pretty good. If you haven't seen it, its about this super brilliant doctor that's arrogant and makes himself miserable. Its a fantastic show.
I was most impressed by its season 2 finale. Dr House is shot by someone. I sort-of expected that, him being the arrogant jerk, moreover this being the finale, of course something dramatic like that will happen. But I never expected the plot to develop into something else. Can't reveal too much, otherwise it'll take the fun out of the show. But, I can tell you, straight after watching it, I went online to search out a review/ critic for that episode. Its quite simply the best TV episode I ever watched.
Watch it, you won't regret it.
P.S. Its better than the action-packed Portugal vs Netherlands match.
I was most impressed by its season 2 finale. Dr House is shot by someone. I sort-of expected that, him being the arrogant jerk, moreover this being the finale, of course something dramatic like that will happen. But I never expected the plot to develop into something else. Can't reveal too much, otherwise it'll take the fun out of the show. But, I can tell you, straight after watching it, I went online to search out a review/ critic for that episode. Its quite simply the best TV episode I ever watched.
Watch it, you won't regret it.
P.S. Its better than the action-packed Portugal vs Netherlands match.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
I blame the world cup
1. For turning me into a couch potato. I've been confined indoors, with a lounge chair, a TV and a remote.
2. For distracting me at work. I can't seem to do much between 2-4, 5-7 and 8-10 for many days and more recently from 3-5, 8-10. It seems starting today my un-productive periods will be from 4-6 and 8-10.
3. For reminding me that footballers earn shitloads of money, that some girls actually dream of becoming a footballer's wife.
4. For making me pick up spread betting. Don't mean to advertise here, but do check out betfair.com. Its like trading stocks on an exchange - the prices move up or down depending on supply/demand and of course during the current match. Being careful not to get too engrossed in gambling, I'm limiting my maximum bet size to 2 pounds, which unfortunately is also the minimum bet size on the site.
2. For distracting me at work. I can't seem to do much between 2-4, 5-7 and 8-10 for many days and more recently from 3-5, 8-10. It seems starting today my un-productive periods will be from 4-6 and 8-10.
3. For reminding me that footballers earn shitloads of money, that some girls actually dream of becoming a footballer's wife.
4. For making me pick up spread betting. Don't mean to advertise here, but do check out betfair.com. Its like trading stocks on an exchange - the prices move up or down depending on supply/demand and of course during the current match. Being careful not to get too engrossed in gambling, I'm limiting my maximum bet size to 2 pounds, which unfortunately is also the minimum bet size on the site.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
British Peculiarity
When I first came to the UK, I noticed a couple of things that was just so unusual. Most unusual of all, has to be the water taps. Every toilet you go to, on each sink, there will be two faucets - one for cold water and one for hot.
Now that doesn't make any sense to me at all. If I was to wash my face, my hands, or anything for that matter, it has to be EITHER scalding hot or icy cold. No in-between. Of course you can plug up the sink and fill it up with water - but how hygenic is that?
My current flat, though looking relatively modern, still has separate faucets. Its summer now so I'm not really complaining. But I imagine I will be quite fustrated in the winter.
Never quite understanding the difficulty in combining the two taps into one, and never quite getting used to the idea that two separate taps IS NORMAL, I looked up the net to see if at least somebody agrees with me. Here's what I found.
------------------------------------
Old-Fashioned Faucets:
Unique British Standard
By JAMES R. HAGERTY
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
From The Wall Street Journal Online
LONDON (Oct. 31, 2002) — During a wartime visit to Moscow in 1942, Winston S. Churchill discovered a marvel of modern technology: hot and cold water flowing from the same faucet.
The plumbing in the villa where he stayed as a guest of Stalin was unlike the primitive British standard of separate taps for hot and cold. Rather than having to fill up the sink to achieve the right blend, the British leader could wash his hands under gushing water "mingled to exactly the temperature one desired," as he put it in his memoirs. From then on, he resolved to use this method whenever possible.
His countrymen have been slow to take up the single-spigot cause. Most bathroom sinks in Britain still have separate hot and cold taps today, 60 years after Mr. Churchill's conversion and decades after nearly all dual taps were scrapped in the U.S. and most vanished from continental Europe. For reasons of thrift, regulations and a stubborn attachment to tradition, the British have resisted the tide of plumbing history. Even when they renovate old homes, many choose two-tap systems, and builders often install them in new, low-end housing. Separate taps account for an estimated 40% of all bathroom-faucet sales in the U.K.
"It's very strange to me," says Ayelet Langer, who moved to London from Israel last year and found two faucets mounted on the newly installed bathroom sink in her apartment. "I thought I couldn't really cope with it at first, but now I do." Worried that the water from the hot tap will scald the fingers of her one-year-old son, she washes his hands in the kitchen sink, which has a single spout.
Britons don't understand why foreigners raise a fuss over this issue. "The British are quite happy to wash their hands with cold water. Maybe it's character-building," says Simon Kirby, managing director of Thomas Crapper & Co., a maker of bathroom equipment in Stratford-on-Avon.
Boris Johnson, a Conservative Party member of Parliament representing Henley, congratulates "the higher civilizations" that have adopted advanced plumbing technology. But he argues that having the choice of either hot or cold for washing hands "is an incentive to get it over and done with and not waste water."
Separate faucets are only one of the peculiarities of the British bathroom. Another is electricity — or rather the lack of it. Regulations aimed at preventing shocks forbid the installation in bathrooms of electrical outlets, except those designed for shavers. One more antishock measure bans standard on/off switches in bathrooms. The lights are controlled by pull cords hanging from the ceiling.
None of these eccentricities causes as much annoyance among foreigners as separate taps. Renee Guinivan of Bath, N.C., a retired secretary whose daughter lives in London, finds them "unsanitary." Ms. Guinivan could fill the sink with a mixture of hot and cold before washing. But what if the last person who used the sink brushed his teeth and spat? "I hate to be fussy," she says, though she is tempted to tote around a small package of Ajax cleaning powder and a sponge when she visits Britain.
"Perhaps it's something Puritanical about the English" that inclines them to shun modern luxuries, says Pam Carter, a spokeswoman for the Savoy Hotel.
In keeping with the grand style of a luxury hotel opened in 1889, the Savoy's vast white-tile bathrooms retain a Victorian look. The huge shower heads, resembling upside-down pie tins, dump cascades of water on guests. Call buttons above the tubs read "valet" and "maid" (though the buttons no longer function and guests are expected to use the telephone if they want help). To appease its largely American clientele, the Savoy has converted many of its sinks to single hot-and-cold taps, but some of the sinks retain separate faucets. Ms. Carter points to a gleaming white double-tap sink from the 1950s, large enough to bathe a midsize dog. "It would be a crime to get rid of something like that," she says.
Many in Britain keep separate bathroom taps to preserve the authenticity of Victorian homes. The force of habit also plays a role. As the commercial director of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, Yvonne Orgill might be expected to favor frequent renovations, yet she is completely satisfied with the separate taps on her bathtub and sees no reason to replace them. "I can turn them on and off with my toes, being a lazy person" she says.
In their defense, some British cite red tape. Older British homes often have storage tanks in their attics that feed water heaters. Under certain conditions, those tanks could be contaminated — for instance, by the intrusion of a rat — and tainted hot water that flows into a mixer tap might get sucked into a cold-water pipe leading back to the public water supply, endangering the whole neighborhood. So regulations forbid mixing of hot and cold water streams inside a tap unless the tank meets strict standards or protective valves are installed.
Separate taps are also a bit cheaper. A midprice pair of chrome bathroom-sink taps from Pegler Ltd. costs about $87, or half the price of a hot-and-cold "mixer" tap of similar quality.
Even so, modernity is slowly imposing itself. British people who travel overseas often are impressed by single taps, not to mention the "lovely shower systems that blow your head off," says Kevin Wellman, operations director at the British Institute of Plumbing. A U.S. company, American Standard Cos., is now the largest supplier of bathroom equipment in Britain and promotes modern fittings, including mixer taps.
Martin Phillips, a Londoner who sells car-industry forecasts and is married to an American, says his wife has converted him. Now when he encounters a sink with separate taps, he says, "it drives me potty."
But there are many holdouts. One is Mr. Kirby, the managing director at Thomas Crapper. Of the mixer tap, he says, "I wouldn't even consider it as a modernization — just a different way of doing it."
Of course, he has a professional interest in the matter. Founded in 1861 by Thomas Crapper, the firm he runs makes replicas of Victorian bathroom equipment, including bathroom "basins," or sinks, ranging from about $1,320 to $1,875. In a rare compromise with authenticity, the company does provide some sinks with mixer taps, but those are sold mainly to overseas customers.
Mr. Kirby says he doesn't find separate taps inconvenient. He dunks his hands under the cold water tap when he wants a quick wash. "If I want to wash them properly, I put the plug in" and fill the basin, he says. Isn't that less hygienic than washing under running water? "It's a cultural difference," Mr. Kirby says. "We're less bothered about that."
Despite their clashing views on hand-washing, Mr. Kirby keeps portraits of Winston Churchill in his home and office. He isn't surprised that the prime minister liked fancy plumbing. "You have to remember that Churchill was half-American," Mr. Kirby says, "so he was probably a bit more open to some of these innovations.
--------------------------------------------
Now that doesn't make any sense to me at all. If I was to wash my face, my hands, or anything for that matter, it has to be EITHER scalding hot or icy cold. No in-between. Of course you can plug up the sink and fill it up with water - but how hygenic is that?
My current flat, though looking relatively modern, still has separate faucets. Its summer now so I'm not really complaining. But I imagine I will be quite fustrated in the winter.
Never quite understanding the difficulty in combining the two taps into one, and never quite getting used to the idea that two separate taps IS NORMAL, I looked up the net to see if at least somebody agrees with me. Here's what I found.
------------------------------------
Old-Fashioned Faucets:
Unique British Standard
By JAMES R. HAGERTY
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
From The Wall Street Journal Online
LONDON (Oct. 31, 2002) — During a wartime visit to Moscow in 1942, Winston S. Churchill discovered a marvel of modern technology: hot and cold water flowing from the same faucet.
The plumbing in the villa where he stayed as a guest of Stalin was unlike the primitive British standard of separate taps for hot and cold. Rather than having to fill up the sink to achieve the right blend, the British leader could wash his hands under gushing water "mingled to exactly the temperature one desired," as he put it in his memoirs. From then on, he resolved to use this method whenever possible.
His countrymen have been slow to take up the single-spigot cause. Most bathroom sinks in Britain still have separate hot and cold taps today, 60 years after Mr. Churchill's conversion and decades after nearly all dual taps were scrapped in the U.S. and most vanished from continental Europe. For reasons of thrift, regulations and a stubborn attachment to tradition, the British have resisted the tide of plumbing history. Even when they renovate old homes, many choose two-tap systems, and builders often install them in new, low-end housing. Separate taps account for an estimated 40% of all bathroom-faucet sales in the U.K.
"It's very strange to me," says Ayelet Langer, who moved to London from Israel last year and found two faucets mounted on the newly installed bathroom sink in her apartment. "I thought I couldn't really cope with it at first, but now I do." Worried that the water from the hot tap will scald the fingers of her one-year-old son, she washes his hands in the kitchen sink, which has a single spout.
Britons don't understand why foreigners raise a fuss over this issue. "The British are quite happy to wash their hands with cold water. Maybe it's character-building," says Simon Kirby, managing director of Thomas Crapper & Co., a maker of bathroom equipment in Stratford-on-Avon.
Boris Johnson, a Conservative Party member of Parliament representing Henley, congratulates "the higher civilizations" that have adopted advanced plumbing technology. But he argues that having the choice of either hot or cold for washing hands "is an incentive to get it over and done with and not waste water."
Separate faucets are only one of the peculiarities of the British bathroom. Another is electricity — or rather the lack of it. Regulations aimed at preventing shocks forbid the installation in bathrooms of electrical outlets, except those designed for shavers. One more antishock measure bans standard on/off switches in bathrooms. The lights are controlled by pull cords hanging from the ceiling.
None of these eccentricities causes as much annoyance among foreigners as separate taps. Renee Guinivan of Bath, N.C., a retired secretary whose daughter lives in London, finds them "unsanitary." Ms. Guinivan could fill the sink with a mixture of hot and cold before washing. But what if the last person who used the sink brushed his teeth and spat? "I hate to be fussy," she says, though she is tempted to tote around a small package of Ajax cleaning powder and a sponge when she visits Britain.
"Perhaps it's something Puritanical about the English" that inclines them to shun modern luxuries, says Pam Carter, a spokeswoman for the Savoy Hotel.
In keeping with the grand style of a luxury hotel opened in 1889, the Savoy's vast white-tile bathrooms retain a Victorian look. The huge shower heads, resembling upside-down pie tins, dump cascades of water on guests. Call buttons above the tubs read "valet" and "maid" (though the buttons no longer function and guests are expected to use the telephone if they want help). To appease its largely American clientele, the Savoy has converted many of its sinks to single hot-and-cold taps, but some of the sinks retain separate faucets. Ms. Carter points to a gleaming white double-tap sink from the 1950s, large enough to bathe a midsize dog. "It would be a crime to get rid of something like that," she says.
Many in Britain keep separate bathroom taps to preserve the authenticity of Victorian homes. The force of habit also plays a role. As the commercial director of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, Yvonne Orgill might be expected to favor frequent renovations, yet she is completely satisfied with the separate taps on her bathtub and sees no reason to replace them. "I can turn them on and off with my toes, being a lazy person" she says.
In their defense, some British cite red tape. Older British homes often have storage tanks in their attics that feed water heaters. Under certain conditions, those tanks could be contaminated — for instance, by the intrusion of a rat — and tainted hot water that flows into a mixer tap might get sucked into a cold-water pipe leading back to the public water supply, endangering the whole neighborhood. So regulations forbid mixing of hot and cold water streams inside a tap unless the tank meets strict standards or protective valves are installed.
Separate taps are also a bit cheaper. A midprice pair of chrome bathroom-sink taps from Pegler Ltd. costs about $87, or half the price of a hot-and-cold "mixer" tap of similar quality.
Even so, modernity is slowly imposing itself. British people who travel overseas often are impressed by single taps, not to mention the "lovely shower systems that blow your head off," says Kevin Wellman, operations director at the British Institute of Plumbing. A U.S. company, American Standard Cos., is now the largest supplier of bathroom equipment in Britain and promotes modern fittings, including mixer taps.
Martin Phillips, a Londoner who sells car-industry forecasts and is married to an American, says his wife has converted him. Now when he encounters a sink with separate taps, he says, "it drives me potty."
But there are many holdouts. One is Mr. Kirby, the managing director at Thomas Crapper. Of the mixer tap, he says, "I wouldn't even consider it as a modernization — just a different way of doing it."
Of course, he has a professional interest in the matter. Founded in 1861 by Thomas Crapper, the firm he runs makes replicas of Victorian bathroom equipment, including bathroom "basins," or sinks, ranging from about $1,320 to $1,875. In a rare compromise with authenticity, the company does provide some sinks with mixer taps, but those are sold mainly to overseas customers.
Mr. Kirby says he doesn't find separate taps inconvenient. He dunks his hands under the cold water tap when he wants a quick wash. "If I want to wash them properly, I put the plug in" and fill the basin, he says. Isn't that less hygienic than washing under running water? "It's a cultural difference," Mr. Kirby says. "We're less bothered about that."
Despite their clashing views on hand-washing, Mr. Kirby keeps portraits of Winston Churchill in his home and office. He isn't surprised that the prime minister liked fancy plumbing. "You have to remember that Churchill was half-American," Mr. Kirby says, "so he was probably a bit more open to some of these innovations.
--------------------------------------------
Monday, June 12, 2006
A week without Internet
Sorry about the absence. You see, after I moved, I had no access to internet. The whole process of subscribing for a line, then signing up an ISP usually took 3 or more weeks - we fast-tracked the process because there was already a line set up and we signed up for the ISP a week before we moved in.
Anyway, just to let you know I'll be updating my blog again. Soon.
A week without the internet wasn't that bad, to be honest. I guess since I had internet in the office and also since unpacking, and more recently the world cup, had me pretty busy.
Check back again soon, I promise I'll post something in the next few days.
Anyway, just to let you know I'll be updating my blog again. Soon.
A week without the internet wasn't that bad, to be honest. I guess since I had internet in the office and also since unpacking, and more recently the world cup, had me pretty busy.
Check back again soon, I promise I'll post something in the next few days.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Moving house!
Every year in London, we move house. I've lived in 4 different places already, in the 4 years that I've been in London. Come June, the tally will be 5.
When I was a student, in my first year, housing was guaranteed by the college. i.e., we had a dorm (also called a house or hall) to live in. It was relatively cheap, about 85 pounds a week - but we had to share toilet and kitchen. Living in a dorm was definitely a great experience.... but lets not digress.
In my second year I lived with four other flatmates. We rented a flat from an Egyptian landlord. The place was relatively cheap, at 400 per week, but the place was fairly run-down. The carpet and the curtains were very dirty, the heater wasn't working when we moved in, even the beds, tables, chairs were all the cheapest furniture from Argos. Worst of all, the landlord would say "Anything you want, I will give you..." But nothing he promised ever happens. We learnt not to trust dodgy Egyptians from then on. We decided to shift house the next year.
For the third year, L and I very luckily found a superbly cheap place at 325 per week (for 4pple). The landlord was British, owned a few other units along the road, and didn't go through an agent to let out the flat - thus saving us the agency fee. The furniture was old, but good quality, and we pretty much loved the flat. Unfortunately, my third year was to be my last year in London...
And then as you know I went to the States for 1 year... and found a job back in London.
I didn't have much of a choice over the place I'd live for my fourth year in London. Thankfully I had a friend who'd be working in London too, so I asked him if he would accept me as a housemate. The househunting basically involved me looking at photographs of the place over email and agreeing on the conditions... I'm pretty happy with the place I'm living now, though I'm paying about 130 a week.
My newest home would be pretty good too! My rent will go up by 5 pounds a week, but I guess its worth it, for the nicer toilet, kitchen, and humongous lounge. I'll post some pictures when I move in.
When I was a student, in my first year, housing was guaranteed by the college. i.e., we had a dorm (also called a house or hall) to live in. It was relatively cheap, about 85 pounds a week - but we had to share toilet and kitchen. Living in a dorm was definitely a great experience.... but lets not digress.
In my second year I lived with four other flatmates. We rented a flat from an Egyptian landlord. The place was relatively cheap, at 400 per week, but the place was fairly run-down. The carpet and the curtains were very dirty, the heater wasn't working when we moved in, even the beds, tables, chairs were all the cheapest furniture from Argos. Worst of all, the landlord would say "Anything you want, I will give you..." But nothing he promised ever happens. We learnt not to trust dodgy Egyptians from then on. We decided to shift house the next year.
For the third year, L and I very luckily found a superbly cheap place at 325 per week (for 4pple). The landlord was British, owned a few other units along the road, and didn't go through an agent to let out the flat - thus saving us the agency fee. The furniture was old, but good quality, and we pretty much loved the flat. Unfortunately, my third year was to be my last year in London...
And then as you know I went to the States for 1 year... and found a job back in London.
I didn't have much of a choice over the place I'd live for my fourth year in London. Thankfully I had a friend who'd be working in London too, so I asked him if he would accept me as a housemate. The househunting basically involved me looking at photographs of the place over email and agreeing on the conditions... I'm pretty happy with the place I'm living now, though I'm paying about 130 a week.
My newest home would be pretty good too! My rent will go up by 5 pounds a week, but I guess its worth it, for the nicer toilet, kitchen, and humongous lounge. I'll post some pictures when I move in.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Answers to the personality quiz...
If you haven't done the quiz yet, please see this post first.
** Warning! Spoiler for the quiz in question ahead. If you really don't want to do the quiz before reading, its your own fault! **
The rabbit in the quiz represents love, and the key represents your career. the bridge/river is an obstacle. thats it.
My story was that I was holding a key and crossing the bridge when a cute rabbit jumped up, took the key away from me and hopped across the bridge. You can interpret it either as I gave up my career for love, or that my love interest helped me with my career. haha.
I got another friend whose bf told her the story was: He was holding this very cute rabbit, crossed the bridge, and exchanged the rabbit for the key. haha, upon being informed that the rabbit represents her, he changed his answer and said he exchanged the key for the rabbit. glib tongue neh?
Yet another story I heard was that she was carrying the key across the bridge, when she saw this cute bunny swimming in the river. She ignored the rabbit and walked on. haha.
i think this quiz is so cute.
** Warning! Spoiler for the quiz in question ahead. If you really don't want to do the quiz before reading, its your own fault! **
The rabbit in the quiz represents love, and the key represents your career. the bridge/river is an obstacle. thats it.
My story was that I was holding a key and crossing the bridge when a cute rabbit jumped up, took the key away from me and hopped across the bridge. You can interpret it either as I gave up my career for love, or that my love interest helped me with my career. haha.
I got another friend whose bf told her the story was: He was holding this very cute rabbit, crossed the bridge, and exchanged the rabbit for the key. haha, upon being informed that the rabbit represents her, he changed his answer and said he exchanged the key for the rabbit. glib tongue neh?
Yet another story I heard was that she was carrying the key across the bridge, when she saw this cute bunny swimming in the river. She ignored the rabbit and walked on. haha.
i think this quiz is so cute.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Soccer, after one whole year.
Never thought I'll get a chance to play football (soccer) again, but yesterday my colleague asked me to join him and his HK friends to play. I was so happy that I went down to Lillywhites and bought a brand new pair of astro turf boots just for that.
I thought it was a 40min game initially. We all thought it was. So we went all out.
40 mins later, nobody chased us away so we continued playing. Before we knew it, we had played almost 3 hours! At the end we were so tired we couldn't even walk properly. I suffered several blisters (blame it on the new shoes), and a black toe.
Before the game:
After the game:
Actually I took the above pictures at the same time. The top picture is my right foot. Yeah, I know I have two left feet...
I thought it was a 40min game initially. We all thought it was. So we went all out.
40 mins later, nobody chased us away so we continued playing. Before we knew it, we had played almost 3 hours! At the end we were so tired we couldn't even walk properly. I suffered several blisters (blame it on the new shoes), and a black toe.
Before the game:
After the game:
Actually I took the above pictures at the same time. The top picture is my right foot. Yeah, I know I have two left feet...
Monday, May 15, 2006
Little personality/life quiz...
I don't know if we can call it a quiz. You know when somebody asks you this sort of question "you're walking along a path in a forest when the path branches into two. do you take the left fork or the right fork?" if you answer left you're so and so and if you answer right you're so and so...
well i've got a similar question. you can either jot your answers down in the comments or mentally. i'll reveal the answers in about a week.
Question.
Form a story using your imagination and creativity using the following nouns:
River
Bridge
Rabbit
Key
Yourself (i.e., "Me" or "I")
Have fun!
well i've got a similar question. you can either jot your answers down in the comments or mentally. i'll reveal the answers in about a week.
Question.
Form a story using your imagination and creativity using the following nouns:
River
Bridge
Rabbit
Key
Yourself (i.e., "Me" or "I")
Have fun!
Ba1-Shi2
Ba1 shi2 means eighty in Mandarin. its also a very complicated bridge-like game.
You know how people like to modify games when it gets too boring? well, i think bridge has the most modifications... lets see, besides the normal fixed partner bridge, there's floating partner bridge, german bridge, spades, and now bashi...
its damn complicated. i will not be able to note down all the rules here. like bridge, there are 4 players, 4 suits, and the same kind of trumping process. but thats where the similarity ends. Besides playing with 2 sets of cards instead of 1, there's a trump number (that changes almost every round) in addition to the trump suit, there're jokers, and you can play more than one card at a time. further, you don't just try to win sets, you neet to win "points", and points are just 5s, 10s and Ks.
thats just the gist of it. of course there's more to it, including the number of points you need to "shang4 tai2" (climb onto the platform)... it took me 15 minutes of listening and two/three rounds before i could manage to play it - but even then I was still very blur and inexperienced and caused my partner to lose a few times...
anyway, i played with a bunch of friends from 6pm. and the game wasn't completed until 11pm. and we didn't have dinner. so i'm starving right now.
but its very fun. i don't mind spending my sundays playing cards...
You know how people like to modify games when it gets too boring? well, i think bridge has the most modifications... lets see, besides the normal fixed partner bridge, there's floating partner bridge, german bridge, spades, and now bashi...
its damn complicated. i will not be able to note down all the rules here. like bridge, there are 4 players, 4 suits, and the same kind of trumping process. but thats where the similarity ends. Besides playing with 2 sets of cards instead of 1, there's a trump number (that changes almost every round) in addition to the trump suit, there're jokers, and you can play more than one card at a time. further, you don't just try to win sets, you neet to win "points", and points are just 5s, 10s and Ks.
thats just the gist of it. of course there's more to it, including the number of points you need to "shang4 tai2" (climb onto the platform)... it took me 15 minutes of listening and two/three rounds before i could manage to play it - but even then I was still very blur and inexperienced and caused my partner to lose a few times...
anyway, i played with a bunch of friends from 6pm. and the game wasn't completed until 11pm. and we didn't have dinner. so i'm starving right now.
but its very fun. i don't mind spending my sundays playing cards...
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The cutest girl I met, ever.
I'm risking making my gf jealous with this post...
*****************************
Today I had dinner with a super cute girl. She pointed at my head and said, "Your hair, your hair..."
uh huh?
"so messeeeeeeee!"
haha, i guess its true, my hair was a little messy. But the way she said it was soo cute, I didn't feel upset at all.
"Very messy meh?" I asked her seriously...
She shook her head this time. haha.
Throughout the whole dinner she'd keep me smiling: like when she pointed at the fish and said, "I don't like that"; or when she told me she went up to tower bridge (didn't actually go up, as I found out in the end).
The best part of all, was when we left dinner. She said, looking coyly at my feet, "Thank you for joining me."
*oh* , so cute.
****************************
she's 3 years old, by the way, and I had dinner with her parents.
*****************************
Today I had dinner with a super cute girl. She pointed at my head and said, "Your hair, your hair..."
uh huh?
"so messeeeeeeee!"
haha, i guess its true, my hair was a little messy. But the way she said it was soo cute, I didn't feel upset at all.
"Very messy meh?" I asked her seriously...
She shook her head this time. haha.
Throughout the whole dinner she'd keep me smiling: like when she pointed at the fish and said, "I don't like that"; or when she told me she went up to tower bridge (didn't actually go up, as I found out in the end).
The best part of all, was when we left dinner. She said, looking coyly at my feet, "Thank you for joining me."
*oh* , so cute.
****************************
she's 3 years old, by the way, and I had dinner with her parents.
Monday, May 08, 2006
I think I hate myself.
I'm such a lazy bum. Given the time and space, I'll just sit at home and rot all day. I'll consider doing laundry as doing something.
I'm such a bad socialite. I can't keep up conversations for long, and I'm super damn uninteresting, i think. If you put two of me together, they'd probably run out of things to say in 3 minutes...
I give up easily. I don't fight for the things I want... which brings me to another point...
I don't really know what I want.
I think I'm in a quarter-century crisis...
I'm such a bad socialite. I can't keep up conversations for long, and I'm super damn uninteresting, i think. If you put two of me together, they'd probably run out of things to say in 3 minutes...
I give up easily. I don't fight for the things I want... which brings me to another point...
I don't really know what I want.
I think I'm in a quarter-century crisis...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Pros and Cons of 24 degree celcius weather
Pros:
- It feels warm enough to not wear a jacket.
- The sun is usually shining. I love the sun.
- The surface area of female skin exposed usually goes up in correlation with the weather. This is never a bad thing.
Cons:
- The gym stinks...
- It feels warm enough to not wear a jacket.
- The sun is usually shining. I love the sun.
- The surface area of female skin exposed usually goes up in correlation with the weather. This is never a bad thing.
Cons:
- The gym stinks...
Monday, May 01, 2006
New York Trip
I was at NY for a week, on a "business" trip. It wasn't really a business trip of course, since I didn't do any business, but it was paid for by my bank. Cool huh?
For the first time in my 26 years of life, I sat First Class on a long-haul flight (not exactly that long either, cus it was only about 7 hr flying time...). Man, it was so exciting. Now I know what priviledged means...
But enough about the flight, lest you people start thinking I'm bragging... haha..
New York was s-p-l-e-n-d-i-d!
You know how it snows in NY but not London? So I assumed that NY would be colder than London. The weather over here was starting to get warmer, but still required a fleece jacket. Naturally I thought I should bring an overcoat to NY.
BUT, when I exited the airport, instead of the dreary cold weather I was expecting, I found sunshine and a nice cool breeze! Yoohoo!
The good weather persisted all the time for the entire 7 days I was there. How can the weather be so good for so long? Had I gotten so used to London???
I spent the weekend by myself in Manhattan. And guess what I did?
I walked down to Central Park, found a nice patch of green grass, took off my shirt and photosynthesized (vitamin D and melanin that is).
There were a couple of times when I thought to myself "life is good...". Once was when I was in the California sunshine, driving this huge-ass SUV with my gf beside me.
This time in Central Park, I found myself thinking again, "life is good". In case I hadn't told you before, that was one of the most pleasurable things in life (in my opinion of course): Lie in the sun on a patch of green grass with a Jamba Juice (really nice fruit smoothie) in hand.
== on a side note ==
there are a couple of things which I deem to be really enjoyable (not exhaustive list)
- hanging out with a bunch of good friends at a beach BBQ.
- lying on the sand/grass/air mattress at a beach/park/pool under the sun with a nice cool drink. a partner to share the joy would be highly desired as well...
- soaking in a hot tub / jacuzzi (again the cool drink and partner would be nice to have) at a spa or resort
- snowboarding followed by a nice hearty steak and wine
===
hmm.. come to think of it, I've sort of done all of the above. Except the air mattress part...
The only regret in that trip was that I was alone.
"Rone-ry, I'm so rone-ry..." (its one funny song from the show Team America)
Man, I could go on and on about the trip, I think I'll reserve more for later. Seeya!
For the first time in my 26 years of life, I sat First Class on a long-haul flight (not exactly that long either, cus it was only about 7 hr flying time...). Man, it was so exciting. Now I know what priviledged means...
But enough about the flight, lest you people start thinking I'm bragging... haha..
New York was s-p-l-e-n-d-i-d!
You know how it snows in NY but not London? So I assumed that NY would be colder than London. The weather over here was starting to get warmer, but still required a fleece jacket. Naturally I thought I should bring an overcoat to NY.
BUT, when I exited the airport, instead of the dreary cold weather I was expecting, I found sunshine and a nice cool breeze! Yoohoo!
The good weather persisted all the time for the entire 7 days I was there. How can the weather be so good for so long? Had I gotten so used to London???
I spent the weekend by myself in Manhattan. And guess what I did?
I walked down to Central Park, found a nice patch of green grass, took off my shirt and photosynthesized (vitamin D and melanin that is).
There were a couple of times when I thought to myself "life is good...". Once was when I was in the California sunshine, driving this huge-ass SUV with my gf beside me.
This time in Central Park, I found myself thinking again, "life is good". In case I hadn't told you before, that was one of the most pleasurable things in life (in my opinion of course): Lie in the sun on a patch of green grass with a Jamba Juice (really nice fruit smoothie) in hand.
== on a side note ==
there are a couple of things which I deem to be really enjoyable (not exhaustive list)
- hanging out with a bunch of good friends at a beach BBQ.
- lying on the sand/grass/air mattress at a beach/park/pool under the sun with a nice cool drink. a partner to share the joy would be highly desired as well...
- soaking in a hot tub / jacuzzi (again the cool drink and partner would be nice to have) at a spa or resort
- snowboarding followed by a nice hearty steak and wine
===
hmm.. come to think of it, I've sort of done all of the above. Except the air mattress part...
The only regret in that trip was that I was alone.
"Rone-ry, I'm so rone-ry..." (its one funny song from the show Team America)
Man, I could go on and on about the trip, I think I'll reserve more for later. Seeya!
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Will be gone for a week.
Just so you know that I might not be updating my blog... Hopefully I'll post some pictures when I get back.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Did you know that HSBC prints HK notes?
I didn't know that. I always thought it was the "Bank of Hong Kong" or the "Monetary Authority of Hong Kong" or some Govt organisation/authority that printed the notes. Today though, I got a chance to see a 10,20 and 50 denominated HKD.
"Why are there Lions on all of them?" I asked.
"Oh, because these are HSBC notes." was the reply I got.
"HSBC notes? they print notes??"
"Yes."
"WHAT?!?! they really print notes? thats amazing! its like the government of HK then!"
"Yeah, I suppose."
-- at this point i was really stunned. I am imagining myself being the Chair of HSBC and ordering them to print a million, HECK, a trillion HKD and then declare the bank as having a profit of a trillion. my bonus will be FAT... ---
"so are there any other banks that print notes in HK?"
"yup, there are three, HSBC, Bank of China and Standard Chartered"
!!!
At once I made a mental note to blog this down and share this new exciting information with you all.
"So, do they all look different?"
"Yes, they are all different." he looks through his bag of notes to find an example, but he doesn't have any non HSBC HKD.
----
but now back home, i did a bit of research on the web (amazing isn't it, the net?) and found out that the three banks are called Note Issuing Banks. They have some agreement with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), and under some fixed exchange rate policy, they can redeem or issue HKD at the price of 1 USD for 7.8 HKD... So unfortunately, there's no free money here..
But the hard peg sounds a bit dodgy, and another look on the web tells me that that policy was true before May 2005, but it has been recently unpegged from the USD.. hmm.. why don't somebody explain that?
"Why are there Lions on all of them?" I asked.
"Oh, because these are HSBC notes." was the reply I got.
"HSBC notes? they print notes??"
"Yes."
"WHAT?!?! they really print notes? thats amazing! its like the government of HK then!"
"Yeah, I suppose."
-- at this point i was really stunned. I am imagining myself being the Chair of HSBC and ordering them to print a million, HECK, a trillion HKD and then declare the bank as having a profit of a trillion. my bonus will be FAT... ---
"so are there any other banks that print notes in HK?"
"yup, there are three, HSBC, Bank of China and Standard Chartered"
!!!
At once I made a mental note to blog this down and share this new exciting information with you all.
"So, do they all look different?"
"Yes, they are all different." he looks through his bag of notes to find an example, but he doesn't have any non HSBC HKD.
----
but now back home, i did a bit of research on the web (amazing isn't it, the net?) and found out that the three banks are called Note Issuing Banks. They have some agreement with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), and under some fixed exchange rate policy, they can redeem or issue HKD at the price of 1 USD for 7.8 HKD... So unfortunately, there's no free money here..
But the hard peg sounds a bit dodgy, and another look on the web tells me that that policy was true before May 2005, but it has been recently unpegged from the USD.. hmm.. why don't somebody explain that?
Monday, April 17, 2006
The silver lining
If you've read my previous blog post, you'll know I had a failed Brighton trip. So instead of going back home and crying out our eyes, we decided to not let that incident spoil our day and have our own fun.
We went to West Hampstead for lunch. There's this small but nice little cafe, called the "Wet Fish Cafe" that XP recommended. The food and drinks were unique, to say the least.
We shared crab omelette, lemongrass sea-bream, chorizo with mash, some kinda pancake thing, and tomato lentil soup. There was also this nice fizzly beer that's made with champagne yeast (don't ask me how different yeasts affect the taste), and a wide variety of smoothies.
There was a kiwi mango and loganberry one, and a banana blueberrry lychee one... I wanted the lychee, but with kiwi and mango, so I asked if that was possible. The waitress didn't even bat an eyelid. Now, thats service...
After lunch we took a bus down to Regent's Park and walked along the canal passing through the park all the way to Camden Town. It was great! Perfect sunshine, nice green grass, walking along the canal...
We popped up to street level (the canal was like a storey down from the street) at one point and discovered this watering hole that had a huge private garden. With benches, shelters, heaters and all. On a bright sunny day like that, drinking a beer with friends in a garden is definitely a fine way to relax and to enjoy.
Then we walked back down to the canal, and within a minute we emerged at Camden Town.... You know along the way I saw a signboard, "waterways of London". I can imagine in the 1800s, one major transportation around London was the canals...
We went around shopping in Camden before we headed back, but not before we settled our dinner at Belgo's. Yep, there's a Belgos near Camden.
Pretty flowers at Regent's Park!
This is NOT the canal. Its just a pond in Regent's Park with lots of birds (ducks, swans, pigeons... think bird flu). BEAUTIFUL.
The canal that we walked along. There were lots of houses by the canal side, and lots of small canal boats were parked along the side. Saw this house with a porch facing the canal - then thought about how nice it would be to have a BBQ right there.
We went to West Hampstead for lunch. There's this small but nice little cafe, called the "Wet Fish Cafe" that XP recommended. The food and drinks were unique, to say the least.
We shared crab omelette, lemongrass sea-bream, chorizo with mash, some kinda pancake thing, and tomato lentil soup. There was also this nice fizzly beer that's made with champagne yeast (don't ask me how different yeasts affect the taste), and a wide variety of smoothies.
There was a kiwi mango and loganberry one, and a banana blueberrry lychee one... I wanted the lychee, but with kiwi and mango, so I asked if that was possible. The waitress didn't even bat an eyelid. Now, thats service...
After lunch we took a bus down to Regent's Park and walked along the canal passing through the park all the way to Camden Town. It was great! Perfect sunshine, nice green grass, walking along the canal...
We popped up to street level (the canal was like a storey down from the street) at one point and discovered this watering hole that had a huge private garden. With benches, shelters, heaters and all. On a bright sunny day like that, drinking a beer with friends in a garden is definitely a fine way to relax and to enjoy.
Then we walked back down to the canal, and within a minute we emerged at Camden Town.... You know along the way I saw a signboard, "waterways of London". I can imagine in the 1800s, one major transportation around London was the canals...
We went around shopping in Camden before we headed back, but not before we settled our dinner at Belgo's. Yep, there's a Belgos near Camden.
Pretty flowers at Regent's Park!
This is NOT the canal. Its just a pond in Regent's Park with lots of birds (ducks, swans, pigeons... think bird flu). BEAUTIFUL.
The canal that we walked along. There were lots of houses by the canal side, and lots of small canal boats were parked along the side. Saw this house with a porch facing the canal - then thought about how nice it would be to have a BBQ right there.
The angry-est day of my life..
Friday. Good friday, it was a holiday, a supposedly perfectly fine day. I had booked a car, reserved tables at popular restaurants for lunch and dinner at Brighton, and planned a perfectly wonderful car trip down.
The trip was planned to perfection, collect the car at 11 sharp, drive down about 1hr 45 min, arrive for lunch at 1pm, spend an hour an a half there, before walking around The Lanes enjoying the atmosphere, the small cobbled streets, the shopping experience, before heading up to the Royal Pavillion for some touristy stuff, and ending the walkabout with a sumptous dinner at Gingerman's, supposedly the best restaurant in Brighton.
The trip was planned to perfection, but alas, unexpected things always crop up.
First the queue was very long. I arrived at 1030, expecting to collect the car by 11. But in the end I was at the counter at 12pm.
Then the bloody agent told me that I needed my passport.
I pointed at the booking voucher and said that nowhere is it printed I need my passport.
He went behind and spoke to his manager, then came back out and said that a proof of address will do, like a utility bill of sorts.
Does anyone go around with a utility bill of sorts in your bag or wallet? Well, I obviously didn't have a proof of address, and once more explained its not printed on the booking voucher. The voucher said to bring
- Printout of the booking voucher
- Driving license
- Photographic identification
Of which I had all of them. But they still wanted a passport or a utility bill.
I was angry of course, and I tried all sorts of means to convince them. Call my bank, I suggested, here's my friend's bill, I suggested. I'll pay more for my deposit. The manager refused to budge.
I asked her why she was so obstinate.
She said she'll lose her job if she allowed me to take the car.
I asked her, "do you think I'll steal the car?"
She said, in a very patronising tone, "I don't mean to be derogatory, sir, but there's such thing as theft."
F**king b*tch. It was an incredible feat I managed to keep my cool and not give her one tight slap.
I complained about waiting an 90 minutes just to get told that I don't have the documentation.
She said her agents have been working here since 8am.
I said thats their job.
She said don't interrupt. She said I held back her agent and I'm wasting their time when they could serve other customers.
I said I only held her agent for 5 minutes, and how long have they been holding me up?
She said she and her team have turned back many people without the proper documentation, that people like that have been wasting their time and holding the queue.
I said perhaps thats because it isn't properly specified that we need a passport or a proof of address. If that was so then everything would run smoothly.
She said that its specified in the terms and conditions.
I said it was fine print, who would read it.
She said its not fine print. Its 8 pages long.
8 pages long! who'll read 8 pages of terms and conditions to rent a car, I said.
She said if I read it I would have brought the documents.
Anyway, by then I was so exasperated at her and her obstinate logic that I decided to stop talking to her. Talking to her was like talking to a wall, except that this wall made your blood boil.
In the end we called off the whole trip. Went for lunch at west hamstead and walked around regent's park and camden town instead. I didn't get a refund of course.
I've never been so pissed with somebody in my life. Never been met with such rubbish customer service.
I swear I'll write in to complain. I'll keep up the complaints until something satisfactory is done. I don't even want my money back. I've got her name down. She's going down...
The trip was planned to perfection, collect the car at 11 sharp, drive down about 1hr 45 min, arrive for lunch at 1pm, spend an hour an a half there, before walking around The Lanes enjoying the atmosphere, the small cobbled streets, the shopping experience, before heading up to the Royal Pavillion for some touristy stuff, and ending the walkabout with a sumptous dinner at Gingerman's, supposedly the best restaurant in Brighton.
The trip was planned to perfection, but alas, unexpected things always crop up.
First the queue was very long. I arrived at 1030, expecting to collect the car by 11. But in the end I was at the counter at 12pm.
Then the bloody agent told me that I needed my passport.
I pointed at the booking voucher and said that nowhere is it printed I need my passport.
He went behind and spoke to his manager, then came back out and said that a proof of address will do, like a utility bill of sorts.
Does anyone go around with a utility bill of sorts in your bag or wallet? Well, I obviously didn't have a proof of address, and once more explained its not printed on the booking voucher. The voucher said to bring
- Printout of the booking voucher
- Driving license
- Photographic identification
Of which I had all of them. But they still wanted a passport or a utility bill.
I was angry of course, and I tried all sorts of means to convince them. Call my bank, I suggested, here's my friend's bill, I suggested. I'll pay more for my deposit. The manager refused to budge.
I asked her why she was so obstinate.
She said she'll lose her job if she allowed me to take the car.
I asked her, "do you think I'll steal the car?"
She said, in a very patronising tone, "I don't mean to be derogatory, sir, but there's such thing as theft."
F**king b*tch. It was an incredible feat I managed to keep my cool and not give her one tight slap.
I complained about waiting an 90 minutes just to get told that I don't have the documentation.
She said her agents have been working here since 8am.
I said thats their job.
She said don't interrupt. She said I held back her agent and I'm wasting their time when they could serve other customers.
I said I only held her agent for 5 minutes, and how long have they been holding me up?
She said she and her team have turned back many people without the proper documentation, that people like that have been wasting their time and holding the queue.
I said perhaps thats because it isn't properly specified that we need a passport or a proof of address. If that was so then everything would run smoothly.
She said that its specified in the terms and conditions.
I said it was fine print, who would read it.
She said its not fine print. Its 8 pages long.
8 pages long! who'll read 8 pages of terms and conditions to rent a car, I said.
She said if I read it I would have brought the documents.
Anyway, by then I was so exasperated at her and her obstinate logic that I decided to stop talking to her. Talking to her was like talking to a wall, except that this wall made your blood boil.
In the end we called off the whole trip. Went for lunch at west hamstead and walked around regent's park and camden town instead. I didn't get a refund of course.
I've never been so pissed with somebody in my life. Never been met with such rubbish customer service.
I swear I'll write in to complain. I'll keep up the complaints until something satisfactory is done. I don't even want my money back. I've got her name down. She's going down...
Thursday, April 13, 2006
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