You certainly should not feel the need to respond so curtly and, to top it all off, blame it on your wife! You know who you are.
Still, it is a beautiful day here in Sydney. :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Please, let's be polite
You certainly should not feel the need to respond so curtly and, to top it all off, blame it on your wife! You know who you are.
Still, it is a beautiful day here in Sydney. :)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Boracay
The eagle-eyed among you may have already spotted the photos I've been uploading to the Flickr site over the past few days and I apologize that I'm only just getting round to writing about the weekend trip to Boracay now. What with work commitments and getting sick for the past 36 hours - M has all the details - I've been a bit busy and haven't had the chance to provide my usual journalistic update on my activities. I have a few minutes here at the Manila airport before I get on my flight to Sydney via Bangkok so I'll see if I can remedy that.
I arrived here in Manila at close to midnight on Thursday last week and once we'd gotten to the hotel and checked in we only had about 4 hours before we had to get up and head to the airport to catch our flight to Boracay island. And, with my jetlag from the trip to Tokyo still in full-flight I was ready to wake up anyway. So, Kamlesh (my UK-based employee) decided to use the time constructively and experience the Martinis they prepare in the, um, Martini bar at the hotel instead of going to bed.
The journey down to Boracay was smooth - we met up with the local development team (a great bunch of people) at the airport, flew down to Caticlan, transferred over to Boracay island on a boat that played live Journey and Eagles songs over the tannoy en route (they played the same ones on the way back, too), journeyed to the hotel in a Jeep-ney and then promptly went to bed for a couple of hours. The rest of the day was very relaxed and involved lunch, a meeting in Starbucks, a massage and pedicure on the beach (sorry Christina!) and a quick shower before heading out to dinner. By then I was exhausted and went to bed at around 9:30.
It was just as well as Saturday was a full day - after breakfast we rented a boat and headed out to do some snorkelling around the island (they provide you with bread rolls to feed the fish with) and drinking fresh Buko juice (baby coconut) before stopping off at a beach at the northern end of the island where they barbeque fresh fish, crab and other local delicacies to order. From there we jumped back on the boat and headed south to get a different boat over to the Helmet Diving location. This was my favorite part of the entire day - theye give you a large helmet that is connected to the surface via an air hose and you climb down into the water and hang out there checking out the local scene and feeding the fish. One of the team didn't want to do it so I was able to go down twice. I would have happily spent all day down there getting to know the local piscine population better, but by then the sea was getting a bit rough and so we had to head back to the mainland.
Late afternoon meant a short nap before heading out for Indian food and then on to a local club for dancing on the internal dry sand dance floor our out on the beach with the tide lapping over your feet. It really was quite an amazing experience and, yes, the local team convinced me to show them my 'moves' - of which, just as in most other places around the world in which they get unveiled, they were in awe.
Sunday saw us heading back to a different airport for our flight back to Manila which meant we had a couple of hours bus ride across the island and a chance to check out the local scenery in a more rural part of the Philippines. That in itself was quite incredible too - it certainly humbles you to see how people live and work in these parts of the world.
I arrived here in Manila at close to midnight on Thursday last week and once we'd gotten to the hotel and checked in we only had about 4 hours before we had to get up and head to the airport to catch our flight to Boracay island. And, with my jetlag from the trip to Tokyo still in full-flight I was ready to wake up anyway. So, Kamlesh (my UK-based employee) decided to use the time constructively and experience the Martinis they prepare in the, um, Martini bar at the hotel instead of going to bed.The journey down to Boracay was smooth - we met up with the local development team (a great bunch of people) at the airport, flew down to Caticlan, transferred over to Boracay island on a boat that played live Journey and Eagles songs over the tannoy en route (they played the same ones on the way back, too), journeyed to the hotel in a Jeep-ney and then promptly went to bed for a couple of hours. The rest of the day was very relaxed and involved lunch, a meeting in Starbucks, a massage and pedicure on the beach (sorry Christina!) and a quick shower before heading out to dinner. By then I was exhausted and went to bed at around 9:30.
It was just as well as Saturday was a full day - after breakfast we rented a boat and headed out to do some snorkelling around the island (they provide you with bread rolls to feed the fish with) and drinking fresh Buko juice (baby coconut) before stopping off at a beach at the northern end of the island where they barbeque fresh fish, crab and other local delicacies to order. From there we jumped back on the boat and headed south to get a different boat over to the Helmet Diving location. This was my favorite part of the entire day - theye give you a large helmet that is connected to the surface via an air hose and you climb down into the water and hang out there checking out the local scene and feeding the fish. One of the team didn't want to do it so I was able to go down twice. I would have happily spent all day down there getting to know the local piscine population better, but by then the sea was getting a bit rough and so we had to head back to the mainland.Late afternoon meant a short nap before heading out for Indian food and then on to a local club for dancing on the internal dry sand dance floor our out on the beach with the tide lapping over your feet. It really was quite an amazing experience and, yes, the local team convinced me to show them my 'moves' - of which, just as in most other places around the world in which they get unveiled, they were in awe.Sunday saw us heading back to a different airport for our flight back to Manila which meant we had a couple of hours bus ride across the island and a chance to check out the local scenery in a more rural part of the Philippines. That in itself was quite incredible too - it certainly humbles you to see how people live and work in these parts of the world.Friday, January 15, 2010
Do you work in a Piggery?
Perhaps I was tired at the time, but this question on the Health Declaration Checklist for entry in to The Philippines just seemed plain funny.
I wonder what would have happened if I'd said yes.
I wonder what would have happened if I'd said yes.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
If you need me...
... I'll be in Boracay for the weekend.
I think my cell phone should work while I'm lounging around on the beach. ;)
I think my cell phone should work while I'm lounging around on the beach. ;)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Cornie's Leg
We're not sure if she's faking it - in an attempt to win some sympathy after Sunny started eating her food while we sleep at night - but it seems that our dear Cornie has developed something of a limp.
Johnny graciously took her to the vet for M today (as I'm not around) to make sure that there wasn't anything serious going on and she has been given some painkillers to help her get through whatever it is the she did.
At this point I'm not sure if it his her left leg (seen her sprawled across JLO's thigh on Christmas Eve) or her right leg. Whichever it is I'm sure she'll put her best foot forward and be feeling better soon.
Johnny graciously took her to the vet for M today (as I'm not around) to make sure that there wasn't anything serious going on and she has been given some painkillers to help her get through whatever it is the she did.
At this point I'm not sure if it his her left leg (seen her sprawled across JLO's thigh on Christmas Eve) or her right leg. Whichever it is I'm sure she'll put her best foot forward and be feeling better soon.
Friday, January 8, 2010
And Yet More Snow in the UK
Not sure if Toby is laughing or crying in this one.
Paul looks very serious.
And Nick and Kate could melt the snow in a jiffy with that monster outdoor heater!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Not to be outdone...
... it seems, following the photos and videos of our recent Snow Day trip, I started to receive IM messages and photos in my email yesterday showing me that they have snow in the UK, too. And, more importantly, that they don't have to drive an hour up into the mountains to go and see it.
This is a rather majestic photo of the tree in Mum and Dad's back garden on Tuesday evening just as the snow-fest had begun.
Below is a photo of the scene in Reading, Berkshire the following morning.
In order to get a sense of what this much snow means to daily life in the UK I did a quick search of the results on Google News for 'Snow UK' and saw the following headlines:
UK crippled by Snow, Freezing temperatures - CNN
UK snow freezes transport links and thousands of schools - The Guardian
Arctic blast brings parts of UK to icy standstill - Reuters
and, my personal favourite,
Snow in the UK, A Good Time for Sex (go find the link yourself)
Darn it! Now I really wish M and I were there! ;)
This is a rather majestic photo of the tree in Mum and Dad's back garden on Tuesday evening just as the snow-fest had begun.
Below is a photo of the scene in Reading, Berkshire the following morning.
In order to get a sense of what this much snow means to daily life in the UK I did a quick search of the results on Google News for 'Snow UK' and saw the following headlines:
UK crippled by Snow, Freezing temperatures - CNN
UK snow freezes transport links and thousands of schools - The Guardian
Arctic blast brings parts of UK to icy standstill - Reuters
and, my personal favourite,
Snow in the UK, A Good Time for Sex (go find the link yourself)
Darn it! Now I really wish M and I were there! ;)
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year / New Music
It looks like the one and only Blue Guitar Guy has finally gotten around to recording some new music over the Xmas break and has agreed to share a new track for his long awaited new album 'Feeling Blue' that he plans to release in the Spring. The new album will feature all new recordings in addition to recent favorites 'U're a Jerk' - a hit in Japan in 2008 - and 'What Would David Tennant Say?' - as featured on the TennantCast podcast last year.
To download the song as an MP3 (to add to iTunes and keep it forever) click here. Note that you'll need to scroll down and click the Download Now button near the bottom and then, on the next page, scroll down again and wait for 30 seconds. Sorry - there's no such thing as a free service. :-]
Whether you listen to it online here or download it and listen to it on your iPhone or iPod later, please leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
But for now, lets just concentrate on answering the question he asks in his new song - are we ready for him?
To download the song as an MP3 (to add to iTunes and keep it forever) click here. Note that you'll need to scroll down and click the Download Now button near the bottom and then, on the next page, scroll down again and wait for 30 seconds. Sorry - there's no such thing as a free service. :-]
Whether you listen to it online here or download it and listen to it on your iPhone or iPod later, please leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year's Snow Day
After taking New Years Eve fairly steady - we had been partying pretty much non-stop for the entire month of December (with good cause, mind you) - we were in fine fettle come the morning of Jan 1st 2010 to head on up to the mountains and have some fun in the snow. That it was also what Meleena had suggested as her treat for getting selected for the MedPathway program gave us that little extra Oomph! to dig out all the gear and jump in the car.
After a quick stop in Dinuba to pick up Meleena, Ronni and the homemade breakfast burittos from Rita, and a rendezvous with the rest of the gang in Reedley, we headed on up into the mountains. It turned out that we weren't the only ones who had had the idea to go up there that day and we had to drive just a little deeper into the Park in order to find the spot for the sled'ing fun. But once we'd found our spot there was plenty of fun to be had - check out the sample of videos below and click over to the Flickr site for some more glimpses of the action.
After a quick stop in Dinuba to pick up Meleena, Ronni and the homemade breakfast burittos from Rita, and a rendezvous with the rest of the gang in Reedley, we headed on up into the mountains. It turned out that we weren't the only ones who had had the idea to go up there that day and we had to drive just a little deeper into the Park in order to find the spot for the sled'ing fun. But once we'd found our spot there was plenty of fun to be had - check out the sample of videos below and click over to the Flickr site for some more glimpses of the action.
It is worth noting that, in spite of the high speeds and the amount of 'air' that was achieved during the course of the day there were very few injuries. Lizz's scrape on her wrist notwithstanding. Although, we suspect she might have done that to herself when opening a can of Pepsi.
Of course, that didn't prevent her making a big deal of it when she stopped by for Lasagne later that evening.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
Cornflake and Sunny got all dressed up this year in order to ensure they looked their best when delivering our wishes for the best of health, love, fun and happiness in 2010.
Wherever you are, whatever you do, make it a good one!