Singapore2: the power of the blog

well thanks to the joys of free internet at singapore airport I can blog again...
the last 12 hours have been cool... and the blog has prooved its power by helpping me find marky boy!

after phaffing around for ages at the airport they finally sorted me some accomodation in a nice hotel in chinatown, i checked in and had a shower and tried to call mark, but no luck - I had his old number... so i went for a wander about chinatown, had diner and went to bed about 10ish as i was knackered... then about 11 i get a call from mark. he had seen my blog entry. wicked. so i got up and he gave me a bit of a tour... went to his office on the 50something floor - nice view... went to a jazz bar on the river for a cocktail... went to see his condo... then i went back to the hotel to sleep. it was so good to see him, especially after i thought i wouldnt be seeing him... caught up with all the gossip about the lovely angeleec (im sure thats not how you spell her name)...

anyways i should go and get on my plane... the adventure begins

ps i bought an exciting Swatch watch.. i think it is for children bearing in mind the strap is made up of multicoloured plastic fish... lets hope Cambodge arent expecting an executive type...

Singapore

well i did consider wirtting this up in the plane as excitments of excitments there was free wireless internet, but then i remembered my computer is so old the battery would have died after about 2min... and so i watched the constant gardener instead... mucho goodo film.
now i have ages to kill in singapore, due to the fire before Christmas at an oil refinery (?) in hertfordshire, there isnt enough fuel at Heathrow so we stopped to re-fuel in Frankfurt, which extended the flying time and so i missed my connection to PP... now i am off to a hotel until tomorrow morning and I'm going to see if I can find Markyboy and his ladies somewhere in the land of singapore...
its 30degrees... no more cold yayaya

Dissarry

Time of writing: 2100 hours Sunday
Time of departure: 18.30 hours Monday (tomorrow)
Level of preparedness:

Yes the above is blank for a reason…. I AM NOT READY
If you are thinking I am procrastinating writing this blog entry you would indeed be very correct… if you could see my bedroom and in fact various other areas of my parents house that I have turned into a storage facility for my mountains of ‘things’ you would probably be rather concerned…
La lee la

However I suppose I am slowly resigning myself to the fact that I’m a last minute junkie… every time I’m in this situation I think ‘never again’ but good intentions are never enough… on the positive side I’ll be so shleeepie I’ll sleep all the way on the horrid nasty plane!

Oh yes other things to mention are that I sold the car to some lovely grannies and I believe its now residing somewhere near Leister. I fear it will have to endure a rather large dog jumping around in it (understatement it was the biggest dog I’ve ever seen) but otherwise I think it went to a good home.
I managed to move out of the flat and back home… with the help of some very very amazing lovely jublee fandabulous cake-munching people who I am eternally grateful too…
I went to Wagamamas for the first time ever and it was yumo
I spoke to my bestest most lovliest grannie and she advised me not to go into dodgy massage parlours in Cambodge (she is wise)… I went to see the other (step) grannie and although I tried to avoid the conversation we had our usual disagreement about asylum seekers… unfortunately this time it degenerated to the point where she was telling me I was brainwashed and I got properly mad and did a poor job at not showing it… which is kind of bad considering she is 90… but grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr her bigoted opinions make me more than madmadmadmadmad

Humdidlioooo I think it may be time to consider what to take to Cambodia…
X x X

Vaguely awake

It’s 7.44 not exactly early but I’m only just awake. Last night stayed up late doing some packing and washing… unfortunately there is still much more more more packing and washing to do before I’m ready for the white van man.

I think I’m still in denial about leaving… I guess it might all hit me when I arrive out there or something… either that or I’ll wake up and this will be a very bizarre dream… a dream which smells a bit like the Thai curry paste smell wafting from my kitchen. Note to self wash up after eating Thai curry.

A small realisation… an obvious one really… as I have started to give people the link to this site potentially I’m no longer drivelling to myself… perhaps I should write something more exciting… or less exciting… I think I should also devise some sort of disclaimer… I just had a look at some other web disclaimers and they have lots of long words like manifestation and strategy… however this blog is really just my random thoughts and photos, I have no idea how long I’ll keep it up… but it does not represent the thoughts, opinions, strategies (got it in) of anyone employing me and I think it’s really just a very brief snapshot of what I’m thinking at a certain time, so I have the right to change my thoughts and opinions on any subject at any time… and the chances are I will do this… so basically I wouldn’t take anything on this site too seriously… hmmm I suppose that might do as a disclaimer… now I should work out someway of putting it on the right hand side of my blog… and then I can start talking about politics, religion, hamas winning the Palestinian elections, my love affair with George Bush and all sorts of other exciting topics… hmmm perhaps I should also add something about sarcasm in my disclaimer.

Ok 20min of procrastination is up. Time to pack… oh the joy.

Princess Petra and the Pink Palace

Perhaps due to a certain degree of sleep deprivation, and a full on onslaught of nasty goodbyes, I am feeling particularly melancholy today.

I have a thing about patterns in life… I think there are all sorts of them, particularly circles… and if you can complete a circle then I find it’s quite satisfying. Re-reading this sentence I see that it could read in a way that is different from what I actually mean… but now is not really the time to chug through telf philosophies... The reason for this train of thought is that the first time I came to MK I sat in a park having a picnic on a manmade slope overlooking a manmade pond… and in between thoughts relating to how nice the Waitrose cheese was, thought: this place is weird, full of dual carriageways and seemingly no people, not particularly attractive and why on earth am I going to move here? 18 months latter, my last weekend in MK, I find myself by chance walking in the same park, passing the same pond and reflecting back to the first time I was in this place… pondering the things that have changed in my life and the things that have stayed the same... I’m not sure if anyone sees/understands the circle thing, but I like it that by accident I was in the same place at the start and end of my MK experience. Now in my mind there are many many MK memories encircled by a line that started and ended at a pond in a park.

Sorry if that sounds random, but I attach a photo of the pond… not the most beautiful site in MK it is probably fair to say.

On a different note the reason for being in the park was a walk with assorted family members, one of whom is Petra. After passing the pond we went past the MK gallery which is bright pink. Alliteration is great and so the title of my first children’s book (should I ever write it) will be Princess Petra and the Pink Palace. I quite like the photo below, especially the way the pink wall makes her brown hair look a bit red and the fact that she looks like she is featuring in a children’s clothes catalogue.

Spearsy 's last day

Well yesterday was Spearsy's last day... for those who don’t know Spearsy he is a total legend and my trainee partner in crime... he's off to Senegal where I am sure he shall acquire many brides (its legal there) but mostly he shall become most wise and probably take over the known (World Vision) world... we had a sort of presentation at work where we both got these amazing gifts - a huge red spotted wash bag full of everything you could possibly ever need when in foreign lands... like mini pink maglights, universal plug hole, hand wash, water purification tablets, hairbands, chocolate, mini everything on the earth... seriously there are so many things it twas amazing... and then there was a lovely book full of photos and then i almost cried (fairly predictable I suppose)...

anyways the title of this post reminds me of a ben folds 5 song 'stephens last night in town'.. not sure that the lyrics remind me of Spearsy but its kind of entertaining...

Everyone gather round now, sing us a song
Just in case by tomorrow, it happens he's gone
For two weeks and seven days our fair foreign friend
I have this feeling we might never see Steven again

But we thought he was gone
And now he's come back again
Last week it was funny
And now the joke's wearing thin
'Cause everyone knows now, that every night now
Will be Steven's last night in town

He's charmed everyone here, except Tamara Easter
Who later revealed to him her innermost secrets
Won us over with stories about Linda McCartney
Lost points with the ladies for saying he couldn't
Love a woman with cellulite

We were talking 'bout something, seems like was funny
And then Steven got quiet, I think Steven was mad
Maybe he wasn't mad, but we felt very strange
In the moment, but the moment was passed
And forgotten about

On another note, packing has commenced albeit at an exceedingly slow pace... the car has stalled at about £1,000 on ebay...
now off to Kew Gardens rah rah

Progress?

Today some progress was made:

• I managed to put my car on ebay in an attempt to sell it... more updates will follow.
• I have a pile of exciting brown boxes to pack full of posessions courtesy of Geoff, and the largest role of bubble wrap ever courtesy of Swapnil... the bubble wrap looks like there is enough for several days of serious popping fun, im really going to have to restrain myself.
  

In denial

I am moving to Cambodia in hmmm let me count... 11 days, and I have to be out of this flat in 7 days and I haven’t thought much further than buying Lonely Planet and having a few injections. I have so much stuff which I need to box up, drag down 4 flights of stairs and transport back home to my parent’s garage... and there doesn’t really seem to be any time...

Things I currently think I should do quite soon:

1. Book a removals van. No way my sofas, futon, chest of drawers and assorted junk will fit in my fiesta, that’s assuming I don’t sell the fiesta (see point 3)
2. Assess the 'nail' damage to the walls caused by my passion for excessive picture hanging,
3. Try and sell my car... its getting late... I’m thinking a 3 day listing on ebay?
4. Buy a suitcase... but that just leads to more decisions, such as do I need a hard suitcase or a soft one? and what colour? (you know it must match my travel outfit darling).
5. Perhaps set up a Nationwide bank account (apparently it’s the only bank you can withdraw cash for free overseas)... eeek but I think I left that one too late. Other bank related tasks might also be useful, like changing my address, giving my Mum power of attorney, setting up a direct debit to my ISA…
6. Also apparently I should write a proper will as the yellow piece of paper on which (amongst other things) I leave my Mongolian wrestling pants to Anton, doesn’t count apparently... not that I own much of value... but possibly it could be a plan...

However I seem instead to be spending an inordinate amount of time ruminating over 'which MP3 player to buy?'... and eating too much food... and zooming round the country trying to see people... and making this blog… nice but not particularly constructive...

I'm not particularly worried... but seeing as I set up this blog in part to record my time in Cambodia I thought perhaps I should mention now how disorganised I am...
I think a bit of it is that if I don’t do anything very constructive in the line of packing etc then perhaps it will mean I don’t have to say goodbye to anyone... horrid horrid horrid... if this is true then its an illogical thought process because I want to go to Cambodia, and I know that I am going to Cambodia, therefore I will have to say goodbye to people… but I think I just want to be in denial about how much I will miss people… and how I’ll probably cry (I hate being sad)… hopefully I’ll be better than on my way to Mongoland tho… when I spent pretty much the whole 3 hour flight to Moscow crying. However this was in part due to my fear of dying at the hands of Aeroflot, and failing that dying at the hands of the Mongolian winter… however as neither of these are likely to be problems in Cambodia things should be better…

12.36… time for bed

This one's for Jack

Hey Jack, Here is the photo of Auntie Carolyn I told you about... I can't say much about her skiing abilities as I think Mely has a similar photo of me with my face in a snow drift ;o)

x x x

Cycling dans le Isle of Wight

This weekend Ed, Gaz, Nadj and I went cycling on the Isle of Wight: a smallish island about 50min ferry ride from Southampton. As usual British weather was more than a bit crap, but we still managed a couple of good rides. One to Carisbrooke Castle and Newtown Marsh, and another down to Sandown and the arcades... a real thrill, especially when Nadj won a plastic cat keyring on the 2p slot machines... I had only ever dreamed of owning such a thing but somehow Nadj found it in herself to give it to me... its something to really treasure...

One question that still needs answering: Does Ed still have that bin bag he was wearing?

Anyhoo pictures are better than my drivel... I will now try and attach some of them... this is my first attempt at such a feat so we shall see how it goes!





saturday night we went to Oxford (possibly the worst place to park in the world?) for Issy's birthday, but I didnt take any photos of that :o(
over and out x

An uneventful day

today i mostly went to work and worked...

then there was a short debate over whether to go and see 'cheaper by the dozen 2'... what I am sure is a quality movie...
"A cinematic Bataan death march of pratfalls, kicks to the crotch, leg-humping dogs, psuedo- adorable rugrats who a collective menace to society, and stomach turning schmaltz...' or so says one impressed reviewer...

however in the end I ended up dry cleaning the carpet in our flat... it's cream or at least it should be if it wasnt dirty (note to self never buy a cream carpet)... as we are moving out at the end of this month I decided to address the dirt with some special cleaning stuff... it kind of looks better, but i fear for the vacume cleaner, its smelling like its just about to burn out... perhaps I over did it...

thats enough methinks

a first attempt

OK, here goes, my first blog... tra la la...

oh the dilemmas of what to write on my first entry... something deep and profound perhaps? or an explanation of why I have decided to write random things on a computer and put it on t'internet for all to see? or a description of what the many avid readers of this site can expect in posts to come? or indeed a long and detailed history charting every moment of my exceedingly exciting life ... hmmmm ponder ponder... brain cells clunking...

I really don't know much about blog blog blogging, and I've probably only read about 6 different blogs in my life, which likely makes me a somewhat technologically backward person in 2006... however I think I am going to attempt to learn all about it, become most wise, and win a weblog award... if such a thing exists...
hang on..... yup yup yup google, source of all information informs me that such a thing really does exist http://2005.bloggies.com/
wow... it appears i can also insesrt hyperlinks... the award is starting to look achievable... hmmm

there is something quite random about this blog malarky... at least when you write emails or letters they are at directed at someone, but here, well anyone can read it which must in some ways constrain/ influence what you write... do we live in a world where no one minds their Grannie, boss, and potential psycho stalker knowing their every action, location and opinion? or perhaps the more you write the less you care about what other people might be thinking about what youre writing... until your family disown you, you're sacked and dumped... but then i guess you would no longer be able to afford the internet to blog anyways...

this is getting far too complicated and could be verging on the philosophical... however the fact that people can spy on my published life and know all about what i want them to know about me is highly exciting.

over and out...


PS any guesses as to how long I can keep this blogging up?