Happy New Year everyone!!!!
Here's wishing you every success, happiness, joy and your wishes true (as long as they're legal and doesn't hurt anyone!!! :) )!!!! To a fab 2006!!!!!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
Highlights of 2005
As 2005 draws to a close, I look back and am amazed at how much God had in store for me to make it a great year. There have been times where things may not have gone the way I'd like them to, but I am not complaining for the amount of things I have been able to do. Below are just some...
Jan:
My 25th birthday! Received lovely presents, and the best ones are B's surprise pressies of necklace and 25 roses (to mark my age - awwww....) and Bri cleaning up the flat before and after my birthday dinner. Bri says I've got to wait till my 50th birthday before I get this fantastic present again!
My first trip to Canada(for business); I had never seen so much snow before! We landed in a 'light flurry of snow' in Canadian terms, which is equivalent to a blizzard in UK. The Canadians were super-efficient; roads and train tracks were gritted and cleared of snow. We trudged through about 3 ft of snow whilst walking out for some dinner. Of course, being the tourists we were, we had to intentionally walk through snow piles although there was a perfectly ploughed pathway next to us. Fun making snow angels (see pic on left!) and having snowball fights on the way home from dinner one day too! Was spoilt with the hotel breakfast, where choices included pancakes with maple syrup (yummy)! For some reason, Canadian bacon tastes really good! I was also able to tag a trip to Toronto at the weekend. Trained it from Windsor to Toronto, which took approx four hours. Louise had flown into Toronto from NY for the weekend, so it was great to be able to meet up with her (haven't seen her in three years!) and meet her fiance Alan. I love Toronto - felt really safe walking around at night, although I guess it helped that 6-foot-plus Jon was there too! Took the chance to go up CN Tower the next day. We stood over the Glass Floor, 342m above ground. Definitely not for altophobics or acrophobics! See the pictures via this link.
Feb:
Spent the weekend in Glasgow en route to Loch Lomond on business. Great hotel (has a sauna room in each room!). Spent CNY in Loch Lomond.
Another trip to Canada; where the client treated us to an ice hockey game where Windsor
Spitfires were playing at home. During half time, little kids (must have been less than six years old?) had a little game (you may be able to just about see them on picture on the right). So cute! They were better skaters than I can ever hope to be! At the end of the week, I made a trip to Niagara Falls. It was incredibly cold. Took a walk to the Falls at night when I arrived. It was raining and I realised that parts of my hat and coat, where it had been wet, had frozen. How cool is that? The Falls were soooo beautiful. With the snow all around, it felt like winter wonderland! Niagara Falls pictures here.
March:
A business trip to Bilbao and San Sebastien. The view I remember best about San Sebastien was walking over the bridge, looking to my right where I could see the Pyrenees covered with snow and to my right, one of San Sebastien's three beaches. We were treated to proper siestas during lunch too. Never have I had three-hour lunches before, and boy, were the food scrumptious! Fresh seafood, very simply prepared yet tastes incredibly good! The downsides of that were having to work till 11pm to complete the work and obviously, trying to lose the weight gained during my visit!
Second visit to Hong Kong, where I visited Ocean Park and Shenzhen too. Yet again, indulged in scrumptious desserts (mango pudding, mango pancakes, etc etc!), dim sum, wonton noodles, roast duck, and the list is endless. More pictures here....
April:
Completed the assignment that took me to Canada, Glasgow and Spain. Started another assignment that would be a fantastic learning experience and as a plus, a great credential to add to my CV.
May:
Meal with my new team at The Square. We had the ten-course Tasting Menu and for some reason, the dishes seemed to revolve around spleen!
June:
Presented a talk at the National Graduate Recruitment exhibition - signed up when I was brave, but before my talk began, I started thinking twice. Too late! It turned out ok in the end, and hopefully some have applied successfully for places.
Attended my first ballet class in about three years, and more than seven years since I stopped regular ballet classes. Really enjoyed the class and my pirouttes, developpes and grand battements were a lot better than I thought they would be. Of course, it was rather painful the next two days as I nursed my sore limbs! Not that I did anything strenuous during the class, but it just shows the lack of exercise I have had (despite eating loads when abroad!).
South Firebreak Day saw us having fun duck herding and trying our hand at archery. There were some interesting antics from fellow team members during drinks at the bar the night before, all of which I will not repeat here!
Also had a trip to the Hague for a two day client offsite meeting. It was interesting to hear how the project was going, especially how most clients faced the same issues, which I believe is mostly due to changes in attitudes towards regulation (ie more efficient to stop moaning/looking for ways out and actually do something about it!). In the evening, we had a teaming event in the kitchen. Sounds weird? In five groups of ten, we cooked a three course meal and were judged on quality, team and presentation. It was like Ready Steady Cook!
I attended City Women's Conference held at Lees Chapel. We studied chapters from Deuteronomy. I was encouraged to hear many experiences from others which weren't that different to mine, and realised how easy it is to walk away from God, then how difficult to rediscover the faith.
July:
Amongst the great meals we tried this month were at Passione and Ramsays Royal Hospital Rd restaurant. Watched Saturday Night Fever with some colleagues - very very good!
Our Away Day in Amsterdam. The second day coincided with 7th July bombings, which was a scary time for some as at least half the attendees were from London and were frantically trying to contact loved ones to confirm they are ok. The three-day Away Day was planned as a celebration of our achievements in 2004-5. Due to this tragic circumstance, our Managing Partner asked if we wanted the event to be more sombre or to continue with the well-deserved celebrations. Everyone gamely decided to continue the celebrations whilst humbly remembering how lucky that we were not in London when this happened, and that it did not affect our loved ones. I must say, however, cycling under influence of alcohol is a no-no! Especially when you're cycling on the different side of the road than you're used to! It was surreal returning to London the week after, seeing the bomb scenes which I had only seen on the news a few days before. Although I was lucky that none of my family or friends had been affected, it touched me to see how many lives were lost and really, how life is so fragile.
Aug:
A busy month with Anoup's wedding in Hitchin then Aston Villa, B's and Bri's 27th Bday BBQ, trips to Prague, Stockholm and Stonehenge. Probably easier if you check out the photos rather than me rambling on (more than I have done so far!):
B's and Bri's 27th Bday BBQ
Prague food
Prague castle
Prague LQ
Prague New Town
Prague Jewish Quarter
Prague Old Town
Prague Petrin Park
Prague Charles Bridge
Stockholm
Stonehenge
Sept:
Moi tagged along to B's conference in Paris. It was meant to be a holiday for me but thanks to a far-from-good hotel, I ended up feeling rather tired and needing another holiday when we got back to UK. Some of our Paris photos available here.
B decided that he was ready for long term commitment and proposed!!!! We haven't set a date yet, but it will likely be in 2007. A date will hopefully be confirmed in summer 2006.
Our quarterly Firebreak Day was spent canoeing. The other half went cycling, thinking it would be an easier activity and boy, did they regret it!!! We were entertained with tales of people losing controls of the bicycles, falling off the bicycles, controlling the bike whilst having a conference call.....
Our last Development Programme workshop. DP has now been replaced with Accelerated Leadership Programme (ALP) which, I was told, is more selective. I was privileged to have been nominated and selected for the ALP. Not much news about what is expected at this stage yet, but will soon hear more....
Indulged in food at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons. Can these pictures tempt you to visit?
Oct:
At the offsite meeting at Lensbury, I had to give a talk on a specialist subject to 70 people! Again, rather scary especially because these people would know if I'm talking nonsense since they work in the industry. Turned out ok in the end though - phew!
Watched Blood Brothers with Anne and Beverly. I expected it to be a musical, but felt that it was a balance of play and musical. Very interesting experience.
Attended the London Women's Convention. A day of praise and worship, and learning how to understand God's word in our lives. Very useful talks on friendship and bringing up children. I find these conventions such a great way to be closer to God again, to reflect yet again on His blessings.
Nov:
The ALP launch event was very enthusiastic and energetic. Expectations are high and I hope I will be able to meet them well.
Work took me to Philippines, stopping by HK on the way there and back. Pictures on this link.
Another trip to the theatre to watch High Society with Beverly. Despite the cinema being very empty and Jerry Hall absent from the cast list for this performance (not sure if this is a good thing), I didn't find the musical too bad. Having said this, I would not watch it again and was glad I got the 2-4-1 offer for this musical.
Dec:
Rest assured, I won't repeat everything again - see December 2005 posting. In "bullet point form",
Germany (Dresden and Leipzig)
Beauty & the Beast
Various Xmas dos
Lin's Xmas carol service
Absolut Ice Bar
Fat Duck
Milan
Christmas
All in all, I was lucky to travel both for leisure and business, to ten countries (Canada, Spain, Netherlands, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Czech Republic, Sweden and Italy), or twelve if you count stopovers (above + US (Detroit en route to Windsor) and China (day trip to Shenzhen).
Let us not forget the sufferings that many have endured in 2005 too. Whilst I look back at 2005 with happy memories, 2005 may not have been a year of joy for those who were affected by the Boxing Day tsunami, London bombings, Kashmir earthquake, the floods, plane crashes, car accidents, illnesses; whether they had lost loved ones in these tragedies or they experience physical/mental scars as a result of surviving these tragedies. May we learn from our mistakes in 2005 and make 2006 a better year, not just for ourselves but for our friends, neighbours, community and enemies.
Jan:
My 25th birthday! Received lovely presents, and the best ones are B's surprise pressies of necklace and 25 roses (to mark my age - awwww....) and Bri cleaning up the flat before and after my birthday dinner. Bri says I've got to wait till my 50th birthday before I get this fantastic present again!
My first trip to Canada(for business); I had never seen so much snow before! We landed in a 'light flurry of snow' in Canadian terms, which is equivalent to a blizzard in UK. The Canadians were super-efficient; roads and train tracks were gritted and cleared of snow. We trudged through about 3 ft of snow whilst walking out for some dinner. Of course, being the tourists we were, we had to intentionally walk through snow piles although there was a perfectly ploughed pathway next to us. Fun making snow angels (see pic on left!) and having snowball fights on the way home from dinner one day too! Was spoilt with the hotel breakfast, where choices included pancakes with maple syrup (yummy)! For some reason, Canadian bacon tastes really good! I was also able to tag a trip to Toronto at the weekend. Trained it from Windsor to Toronto, which took approx four hours. Louise had flown into Toronto from NY for the weekend, so it was great to be able to meet up with her (haven't seen her in three years!) and meet her fiance Alan. I love Toronto - felt really safe walking around at night, although I guess it helped that 6-foot-plus Jon was there too! Took the chance to go up CN Tower the next day. We stood over the Glass Floor, 342m above ground. Definitely not for altophobics or acrophobics! See the pictures via this link.Feb:
Spent the weekend in Glasgow en route to Loch Lomond on business. Great hotel (has a sauna room in each room!). Spent CNY in Loch Lomond.
Another trip to Canada; where the client treated us to an ice hockey game where Windsor
Spitfires were playing at home. During half time, little kids (must have been less than six years old?) had a little game (you may be able to just about see them on picture on the right). So cute! They were better skaters than I can ever hope to be! At the end of the week, I made a trip to Niagara Falls. It was incredibly cold. Took a walk to the Falls at night when I arrived. It was raining and I realised that parts of my hat and coat, where it had been wet, had frozen. How cool is that? The Falls were soooo beautiful. With the snow all around, it felt like winter wonderland! Niagara Falls pictures here. March:
A business trip to Bilbao and San Sebastien. The view I remember best about San Sebastien was walking over the bridge, looking to my right where I could see the Pyrenees covered with snow and to my right, one of San Sebastien's three beaches. We were treated to proper siestas during lunch too. Never have I had three-hour lunches before, and boy, were the food scrumptious! Fresh seafood, very simply prepared yet tastes incredibly good! The downsides of that were having to work till 11pm to complete the work and obviously, trying to lose the weight gained during my visit!
Second visit to Hong Kong, where I visited Ocean Park and Shenzhen too. Yet again, indulged in scrumptious desserts (mango pudding, mango pancakes, etc etc!), dim sum, wonton noodles, roast duck, and the list is endless. More pictures here....
April:
Completed the assignment that took me to Canada, Glasgow and Spain. Started another assignment that would be a fantastic learning experience and as a plus, a great credential to add to my CV.
May:
Meal with my new team at The Square. We had the ten-course Tasting Menu and for some reason, the dishes seemed to revolve around spleen!
June:
Presented a talk at the National Graduate Recruitment exhibition - signed up when I was brave, but before my talk began, I started thinking twice. Too late! It turned out ok in the end, and hopefully some have applied successfully for places.
Attended my first ballet class in about three years, and more than seven years since I stopped regular ballet classes. Really enjoyed the class and my pirouttes, developpes and grand battements were a lot better than I thought they would be. Of course, it was rather painful the next two days as I nursed my sore limbs! Not that I did anything strenuous during the class, but it just shows the lack of exercise I have had (despite eating loads when abroad!).
South Firebreak Day saw us having fun duck herding and trying our hand at archery. There were some interesting antics from fellow team members during drinks at the bar the night before, all of which I will not repeat here!
Also had a trip to the Hague for a two day client offsite meeting. It was interesting to hear how the project was going, especially how most clients faced the same issues, which I believe is mostly due to changes in attitudes towards regulation (ie more efficient to stop moaning/looking for ways out and actually do something about it!). In the evening, we had a teaming event in the kitchen. Sounds weird? In five groups of ten, we cooked a three course meal and were judged on quality, team and presentation. It was like Ready Steady Cook!
I attended City Women's Conference held at Lees Chapel. We studied chapters from Deuteronomy. I was encouraged to hear many experiences from others which weren't that different to mine, and realised how easy it is to walk away from God, then how difficult to rediscover the faith.
July:
Amongst the great meals we tried this month were at Passione and Ramsays Royal Hospital Rd restaurant. Watched Saturday Night Fever with some colleagues - very very good!
Our Away Day in Amsterdam. The second day coincided with 7th July bombings, which was a scary time for some as at least half the attendees were from London and were frantically trying to contact loved ones to confirm they are ok. The three-day Away Day was planned as a celebration of our achievements in 2004-5. Due to this tragic circumstance, our Managing Partner asked if we wanted the event to be more sombre or to continue with the well-deserved celebrations. Everyone gamely decided to continue the celebrations whilst humbly remembering how lucky that we were not in London when this happened, and that it did not affect our loved ones. I must say, however, cycling under influence of alcohol is a no-no! Especially when you're cycling on the different side of the road than you're used to! It was surreal returning to London the week after, seeing the bomb scenes which I had only seen on the news a few days before. Although I was lucky that none of my family or friends had been affected, it touched me to see how many lives were lost and really, how life is so fragile.
Aug:
A busy month with Anoup's wedding in Hitchin then Aston Villa, B's and Bri's 27th Bday BBQ, trips to Prague, Stockholm and Stonehenge. Probably easier if you check out the photos rather than me rambling on (more than I have done so far!):B's and Bri's 27th Bday BBQ
Prague food
Prague castle
Prague LQ
Prague New Town
Prague Jewish Quarter
Prague Old Town
Prague Petrin Park
Prague Charles Bridge
Stockholm
Stonehenge
Sept:
Moi tagged along to B's conference in Paris. It was meant to be a holiday for me but thanks to a far-from-good hotel, I ended up feeling rather tired and needing another holiday when we got back to UK. Some of our Paris photos available here.
B decided that he was ready for long term commitment and proposed!!!! We haven't set a date yet, but it will likely be in 2007. A date will hopefully be confirmed in summer 2006.
Our quarterly Firebreak Day was spent canoeing. The other half went cycling, thinking it would be an easier activity and boy, did they regret it!!! We were entertained with tales of people losing controls of the bicycles, falling off the bicycles, controlling the bike whilst having a conference call.....
Our last Development Programme workshop. DP has now been replaced with Accelerated Leadership Programme (ALP) which, I was told, is more selective. I was privileged to have been nominated and selected for the ALP. Not much news about what is expected at this stage yet, but will soon hear more....
Indulged in food at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons. Can these pictures tempt you to visit?
Oct:
At the offsite meeting at Lensbury, I had to give a talk on a specialist subject to 70 people! Again, rather scary especially because these people would know if I'm talking nonsense since they work in the industry. Turned out ok in the end though - phew!
Watched Blood Brothers with Anne and Beverly. I expected it to be a musical, but felt that it was a balance of play and musical. Very interesting experience.
Attended the London Women's Convention. A day of praise and worship, and learning how to understand God's word in our lives. Very useful talks on friendship and bringing up children. I find these conventions such a great way to be closer to God again, to reflect yet again on His blessings.
Nov:
The ALP launch event was very enthusiastic and energetic. Expectations are high and I hope I will be able to meet them well.
Work took me to Philippines, stopping by HK on the way there and back. Pictures on this link.
Another trip to the theatre to watch High Society with Beverly. Despite the cinema being very empty and Jerry Hall absent from the cast list for this performance (not sure if this is a good thing), I didn't find the musical too bad. Having said this, I would not watch it again and was glad I got the 2-4-1 offer for this musical.
Dec:
Rest assured, I won't repeat everything again - see December 2005 posting. In "bullet point form",Germany (Dresden and Leipzig)
Beauty & the Beast
Various Xmas dos
Lin's Xmas carol service
Absolut Ice Bar
Fat Duck
Milan
Christmas
All in all, I was lucky to travel both for leisure and business, to ten countries (Canada, Spain, Netherlands, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Czech Republic, Sweden and Italy), or twelve if you count stopovers (above + US (Detroit en route to Windsor) and China (day trip to Shenzhen).Let us not forget the sufferings that many have endured in 2005 too. Whilst I look back at 2005 with happy memories, 2005 may not have been a year of joy for those who were affected by the Boxing Day tsunami, London bombings, Kashmir earthquake, the floods, plane crashes, car accidents, illnesses; whether they had lost loved ones in these tragedies or they experience physical/mental scars as a result of surviving these tragedies. May we learn from our mistakes in 2005 and make 2006 a better year, not just for ourselves but for our friends, neighbours, community and enemies.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
December 2005
I have been rather rubbish at keeping this updated with my comings and goings, so thought I'll do a summary of what I've been doing in December. December 05 was an exceptionally busy month for me, so when you read this, don't think I usually have such an active social life! :)
3 -5 Dec: Germany
Bri and I trooped off to Germany, taking advantage of Steph's generous offer more than two years ago for us to visit her. I was also keen to visit a real Christmas market; we always have the Frankfurt Xmas market here in Brum and the sceptical side of me always wondered whether this is a real German Xmas market, as opposed to one they have just put up just for the Brits. Steph told us to visit Dresden, as the Xmas market there was the oldest (541 this year!) and Karsten (Steph's boyfriend) was living there (very convenient!) :).
Despite us landing at a remote airport (joys of taking budget airlines), Steph was eventually able to find us after driving round in circles at one point to look for this airport. Arrived at Dresden and left our bags at the YHA, then off we went to see the market. The Dresden Xmas market was huge! I wasn't disappointed with it! Stalls and stalls of mulled wine, wooden figurines from Erzgebirge mountain, handmade lace, pottery, bratwurst, etc. Even the mulled wine had different flavours - cherry, blueberry, honey. Christmas carols blaring from loudspeakers - it was lovely! Steph and Karsten were a great help in showing us what's typically German and translating menus and prices for us. They introduced us to spaghetti ice icream - yum yum yum! See my photos link for this.
On Sunday, both of them showed us around Dresden - it's such a beautiful city! And I say this despite the rainy weather we encountered throughout our visit (we brought the British weather with us). Imagine what it would be like if it didn't rain or if we visit in summer, which thanks to Steph's and Karsten's tremendous hospitality, we are now very tempted to do! Steph may regret extending her offer already! :) Our Dresden photos are here....
Steph dropped us off at Leipzig on Sunday afternoon. After checking in at Ibis, we went walking round Leipzig. Thank goodness the British weather was left in Dresden (ironic as this may sound). Leipzig's Xmas markets were spread out through the city. The ones in front of the Opera House were the most beautiful, I thought, especially when four men came out in full band costume to play the trumpet, etc. Click this link for our Leipzig photos.
6 Dec: St Nicklaus
In line with multicultural teaming, etc etc, we celebrated St Nicklaus as Dutch custom. Usually celebrated on 5 Dec, children have to leave shiny boots outside their doors for St Nicklaus to leave presents in (if they were good). If they had been naughty, they were supposedly going to be sent to Spain. (Not that bad a punishment, surely?) Those from Holland in our team couldn't tell us why naughty children were sent to Spain.
Anyway, our team had previously chosen Secret Santa names for whom to buy presents. We followed the 'older' version of the celebration (so no Spain trips for us!). We had to wrap our presents creatively and write a poem about the person/gift, then present it to them. Tho I dreaded writing the poem as I lack such creativity, Bri was a great help when I decided to write the poem whilst waiting for our flight in Leipzig. Was good fun overall.
8 Dec: Ballet
Watched BRB's Beauty and the Beast at Hippodrome with Christina. This is the first ballet I've watched in a while and I went away rather disappointed. Clara and the lady playing the squirrel had superb expression and strength. I felt the remaining dancers had rather sloppy techniques, which had I done them during my oh-so-younger days in ballet class, I would have earned the wrath of Ms Tan. David Bintley's choreography was a little too modern for my liking too. For example, his choreography to express anger was demonstrated through use of arms rather than strong jetes, pirouttes and grand battements, which I prefer. I guess this is subjective and I do prefer classical styles to modern ones.
9 Dec: First of the Xmas dos
ISAAS South had our first Xmas lunch as a 'combined' region. Exciting and scary at the same time, to see how big our team has expanded. Having eaten at Prana's before, I was disappointed in the Xmas lunch. It started out well as the duck breast I ordered was scrumptious. My main course and desert were not very nice. We had Secret Santa present time too, although it was a more general Secret Santa, if that makes sense. Girls bought presents for girls, boys for boys - then we just chose one of ourselves, rather than buying a present for a specific person.
As a result of a bigger team, it was more difficult to speak to everyone. As we proceeded to the clubs after, groups started forming anyways and we ended the night with two groups - the party animals :) went to Reflex to show off their dancing skills whilst another group stayed on at Hyatt's Praha bar where it was quieter. Since I've mainly been London-based for eight months, it was nice to be able to catch up with South again, especially after a tremendous year of record breaking achievements!
12 Dec: Another Xmas do
Our client team in London threw a Xmas do for the central project team, a black tie affair which most team members were able to make, coming from US, Netherlands and of course, UK . I am also a proud owner of an iPod Nano now! Each of us received one as a thank you for our work over the past year. By far, the most generous present I ever received. Definitely beats the Easter egg I received from another client!
Three pods on the London Eye were rented out for us, so we had a lovely 30mins ride watching the night lights of London sipping champagne and having snacks. This is the life! Then proceeded to have dinner on a restaurant-cruise type thingie. Food and entertainment were surprisingly good. As we passed certain landmarks, the band would start playing specific songs, eg Royal Britannia as we passed Houses of Parliament. When we approached Tower Bridge (my fav!), the boat turned round about three times. That can be dizzying on its own, what more with the influence of alcohol too!
13 Dec: Yet Another Xmas Do
This time, it was for my firm's team members working on this client, so it was pretty much cross-business-unit. We were treated to the tasting menu at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. Food was good, although I didn't think the quality of the food matched up to the price that we would have paid. It is a good cause though, as I believe the restaurant is effectively a non-profit organisation. The money received would go back into providing opportunities for the children on the streets.
17 Dec: Carol Service
B arrived for a two week and a bit holiday. Yay!!!!
We were back in Birmingham in time for Lin's carol service. The service was in aid of Cruse. I have not heard of Cruse previously. It is an organisation that provides bereavement aid and counselling to those who have lost loved ones. It was really touching hearing them read out the accounts of some of those affected. It is easy in this festive season to think everyone else is also having a good time....such times are especially difficult for those who have lost loved ones. At a time when most families and friends would get together for a celebration, they would be alone... For more information on Cruse, visit www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk
18 Dec: Family Carol Service and Ice Bar
City had its Family Carol Service a week before Christmas. It was great to hear the purpose of Christmas and really praising Jesus's birth.
In the evening, we went down to London and visited the Absolut Ice Bar. Fantastic place, albeit rather cold! Even the 'glasses' were purely ice. How cool is that? This was my consolation since I couldn't go to Sweden's Ice Hotel. If it helps, the wall at the Ice Bar was obtained from the same river where they got the ice bricks for the Ice Hotel. (Just go with me for this one, ok?) After 30mins in the -6 degrees Celsius room, walking outside in the 2 degrees Celsius weather made it seem like spring rather than winter! One day, I will go to the Ice Hotel....! Absolut Ice Bar pics via this link.
19 Dec: The Fat Duck
Indulged in luxurious food at the Fat Duck, voted the World's Best Restaurant 2005. We had the Degustation Menu, which had funny sounding names like Snail Porridge and Bacon and Eggs Ice Cream. Highlight was the Green tea and lime mousse dipped in liquid nitrogen. Weird but fantastic! We reckon most of the dishes had funny sounding names but were actually combinations of simple things. Snail porridge was really escargot! Credit due to Helson Blumenthal, though, for using these ingredients so creatively! Photos of our meal here.
20 - 23 Dec: Milan
Fashion, food, football! Home to (amongst many) Prada, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ferrari, AC Milan, Inter Milan and not forgetting good food - pasta, pizza, espresso, cappuccino, gelati, tiramisu. Surprisingly, we only saw one Ferrari the whole four days we were there! Anyway, pictures speak louder than words, so here is the link to our Milan pictures.
25 Dec: Christmas Day!
Church service then off to Ari's and Lin's for Christmas lunch. See previous posts; I won't bore you again! Pictures via this link.
26 Dec: Boxing Day
Most shops are already open on Boxing Day and started the Boxing Day sales. We wondered what the origin of Boxing Day sales was.... No exciting purchases by moi....
27 Dec: London
Braved London for Boxing Day sales. It was crazy! With the crowds there, you'd think that shops were giving out things for free! Having heard about the legendary Next sales, where people start queueing at 2am for the 5am opening, I ventured into the shop on Oxford St. (No, I wasn't that stupid to go in at 5am, it was more like 3pm!). To be honest, I didn't see what the big deal was. Things weren't that cheap! I definintely value my sleep a lot more!
That brings us to 31 Dec - New Year's Eve. Haven't decided where we would be yet, but will keep you posted.....
3 -5 Dec: Germany
Bri and I trooped off to Germany, taking advantage of Steph's generous offer more than two years ago for us to visit her. I was also keen to visit a real Christmas market; we always have the Frankfurt Xmas market here in Brum and the sceptical side of me always wondered whether this is a real German Xmas market, as opposed to one they have just put up just for the Brits. Steph told us to visit Dresden, as the Xmas market there was the oldest (541 this year!) and Karsten (Steph's boyfriend) was living there (very convenient!) :).
Despite us landing at a remote airport (joys of taking budget airlines), Steph was eventually able to find us after driving round in circles at one point to look for this airport. Arrived at Dresden and left our bags at the YHA, then off we went to see the market. The Dresden Xmas market was huge! I wasn't disappointed with it! Stalls and stalls of mulled wine, wooden figurines from Erzgebirge mountain, handmade lace, pottery, bratwurst, etc. Even the mulled wine had different flavours - cherry, blueberry, honey. Christmas carols blaring from loudspeakers - it was lovely! Steph and Karsten were a great help in showing us what's typically German and translating menus and prices for us. They introduced us to spaghetti ice icream - yum yum yum! See my photos link for this.
On Sunday, both of them showed us around Dresden - it's such a beautiful city! And I say this despite the rainy weather we encountered throughout our visit (we brought the British weather with us). Imagine what it would be like if it didn't rain or if we visit in summer, which thanks to Steph's and Karsten's tremendous hospitality, we are now very tempted to do! Steph may regret extending her offer already! :) Our Dresden photos are here....
Steph dropped us off at Leipzig on Sunday afternoon. After checking in at Ibis, we went walking round Leipzig. Thank goodness the British weather was left in Dresden (ironic as this may sound). Leipzig's Xmas markets were spread out through the city. The ones in front of the Opera House were the most beautiful, I thought, especially when four men came out in full band costume to play the trumpet, etc. Click this link for our Leipzig photos.
6 Dec: St Nicklaus
In line with multicultural teaming, etc etc, we celebrated St Nicklaus as Dutch custom. Usually celebrated on 5 Dec, children have to leave shiny boots outside their doors for St Nicklaus to leave presents in (if they were good). If they had been naughty, they were supposedly going to be sent to Spain. (Not that bad a punishment, surely?) Those from Holland in our team couldn't tell us why naughty children were sent to Spain.
Anyway, our team had previously chosen Secret Santa names for whom to buy presents. We followed the 'older' version of the celebration (so no Spain trips for us!). We had to wrap our presents creatively and write a poem about the person/gift, then present it to them. Tho I dreaded writing the poem as I lack such creativity, Bri was a great help when I decided to write the poem whilst waiting for our flight in Leipzig. Was good fun overall.
8 Dec: Ballet
Watched BRB's Beauty and the Beast at Hippodrome with Christina. This is the first ballet I've watched in a while and I went away rather disappointed. Clara and the lady playing the squirrel had superb expression and strength. I felt the remaining dancers had rather sloppy techniques, which had I done them during my oh-so-younger days in ballet class, I would have earned the wrath of Ms Tan. David Bintley's choreography was a little too modern for my liking too. For example, his choreography to express anger was demonstrated through use of arms rather than strong jetes, pirouttes and grand battements, which I prefer. I guess this is subjective and I do prefer classical styles to modern ones.
9 Dec: First of the Xmas dos
ISAAS South had our first Xmas lunch as a 'combined' region. Exciting and scary at the same time, to see how big our team has expanded. Having eaten at Prana's before, I was disappointed in the Xmas lunch. It started out well as the duck breast I ordered was scrumptious. My main course and desert were not very nice. We had Secret Santa present time too, although it was a more general Secret Santa, if that makes sense. Girls bought presents for girls, boys for boys - then we just chose one of ourselves, rather than buying a present for a specific person.
As a result of a bigger team, it was more difficult to speak to everyone. As we proceeded to the clubs after, groups started forming anyways and we ended the night with two groups - the party animals :) went to Reflex to show off their dancing skills whilst another group stayed on at Hyatt's Praha bar where it was quieter. Since I've mainly been London-based for eight months, it was nice to be able to catch up with South again, especially after a tremendous year of record breaking achievements!
12 Dec: Another Xmas do
Our client team in London threw a Xmas do for the central project team, a black tie affair which most team members were able to make, coming from US, Netherlands and of course, UK . I am also a proud owner of an iPod Nano now! Each of us received one as a thank you for our work over the past year. By far, the most generous present I ever received. Definitely beats the Easter egg I received from another client!
Three pods on the London Eye were rented out for us, so we had a lovely 30mins ride watching the night lights of London sipping champagne and having snacks. This is the life! Then proceeded to have dinner on a restaurant-cruise type thingie. Food and entertainment were surprisingly good. As we passed certain landmarks, the band would start playing specific songs, eg Royal Britannia as we passed Houses of Parliament. When we approached Tower Bridge (my fav!), the boat turned round about three times. That can be dizzying on its own, what more with the influence of alcohol too!
13 Dec: Yet Another Xmas Do
This time, it was for my firm's team members working on this client, so it was pretty much cross-business-unit. We were treated to the tasting menu at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. Food was good, although I didn't think the quality of the food matched up to the price that we would have paid. It is a good cause though, as I believe the restaurant is effectively a non-profit organisation. The money received would go back into providing opportunities for the children on the streets.
17 Dec: Carol Service
B arrived for a two week and a bit holiday. Yay!!!!
We were back in Birmingham in time for Lin's carol service. The service was in aid of Cruse. I have not heard of Cruse previously. It is an organisation that provides bereavement aid and counselling to those who have lost loved ones. It was really touching hearing them read out the accounts of some of those affected. It is easy in this festive season to think everyone else is also having a good time....such times are especially difficult for those who have lost loved ones. At a time when most families and friends would get together for a celebration, they would be alone... For more information on Cruse, visit www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk
18 Dec: Family Carol Service and Ice Bar
City had its Family Carol Service a week before Christmas. It was great to hear the purpose of Christmas and really praising Jesus's birth.
In the evening, we went down to London and visited the Absolut Ice Bar. Fantastic place, albeit rather cold! Even the 'glasses' were purely ice. How cool is that? This was my consolation since I couldn't go to Sweden's Ice Hotel. If it helps, the wall at the Ice Bar was obtained from the same river where they got the ice bricks for the Ice Hotel. (Just go with me for this one, ok?) After 30mins in the -6 degrees Celsius room, walking outside in the 2 degrees Celsius weather made it seem like spring rather than winter! One day, I will go to the Ice Hotel....! Absolut Ice Bar pics via this link.
19 Dec: The Fat Duck
Indulged in luxurious food at the Fat Duck, voted the World's Best Restaurant 2005. We had the Degustation Menu, which had funny sounding names like Snail Porridge and Bacon and Eggs Ice Cream. Highlight was the Green tea and lime mousse dipped in liquid nitrogen. Weird but fantastic! We reckon most of the dishes had funny sounding names but were actually combinations of simple things. Snail porridge was really escargot! Credit due to Helson Blumenthal, though, for using these ingredients so creatively! Photos of our meal here.
20 - 23 Dec: Milan
Fashion, food, football! Home to (amongst many) Prada, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ferrari, AC Milan, Inter Milan and not forgetting good food - pasta, pizza, espresso, cappuccino, gelati, tiramisu. Surprisingly, we only saw one Ferrari the whole four days we were there! Anyway, pictures speak louder than words, so here is the link to our Milan pictures.
25 Dec: Christmas Day!
Church service then off to Ari's and Lin's for Christmas lunch. See previous posts; I won't bore you again! Pictures via this link.
26 Dec: Boxing Day
Most shops are already open on Boxing Day and started the Boxing Day sales. We wondered what the origin of Boxing Day sales was.... No exciting purchases by moi....
27 Dec: London
Braved London for Boxing Day sales. It was crazy! With the crowds there, you'd think that shops were giving out things for free! Having heard about the legendary Next sales, where people start queueing at 2am for the 5am opening, I ventured into the shop on Oxford St. (No, I wasn't that stupid to go in at 5am, it was more like 3pm!). To be honest, I didn't see what the big deal was. Things weren't that cheap! I definintely value my sleep a lot more!
That brings us to 31 Dec - New Year's Eve. Haven't decided where we would be yet, but will keep you posted.....
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
King Kong
Went to watch King Kong today. I enjoyed it overall. The start was rather slow, however, and I felt that there were parts that were there for the sake of putting in some special effects. A rather long movie (3 hours) which could have been condensed into 2 1/2 hours.
To me, the movie showcased how wrong people can be when they say humans are superior to animals in every aspect. How humans are actually driven by greed and superficiality. It made me sad watching the movie, as it reminded me of how loving and loyal my dogs were (Laddie and Fraulern are sadly no longer with us anymore *sob&*) and how they would very adorably guard us (maybe more Laddie, Fraulern was a lot more....'laid-back', shall we say).
Some argue that humans are the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom, mainly because we can think and express emotions. But is that really true? Maybe we are just cunning? Does loyalty mean anything to the human race these days? The wars that are going on - could they have been avoided if we had gone back to our basic principles?
At the end of the movie, one of the quotes was "Beauty killed the beast". I beg to differ. I think it was more "Human greed killed the beast" - not just in this movie, but in real life too.
To me, the movie showcased how wrong people can be when they say humans are superior to animals in every aspect. How humans are actually driven by greed and superficiality. It made me sad watching the movie, as it reminded me of how loving and loyal my dogs were (Laddie and Fraulern are sadly no longer with us anymore *sob&*) and how they would very adorably guard us (maybe more Laddie, Fraulern was a lot more....'laid-back', shall we say).
Some argue that humans are the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom, mainly because we can think and express emotions. But is that really true? Maybe we are just cunning? Does loyalty mean anything to the human race these days? The wars that are going on - could they have been avoided if we had gone back to our basic principles?
At the end of the movie, one of the quotes was "Beauty killed the beast". I beg to differ. I think it was more "Human greed killed the beast" - not just in this movie, but in real life too.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Merry Christmas!!!!
As Christmas passes, it is interesting to note once again how well everyone gets into the festive mood. This is of course, great, but not many has stopped to think about the significance of Christmas. How Christmas came about.... Because of the love of God and the willing sacrifice of one to pay for all our wrong.
I love Christmas and all (in case you think I'm a bah-humbug scrooge person!). I love all the Christmas 'customs' as it were.... Xmas lunch, the various Xmas puddings (British Xmas pud, stollen, pannetone....), pressies (of course!), Xmas tree, decorations, Xmas music....
But isn't it sad how commercial Christmas has become? How many have reflected on God's limitless love for us? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). How encouraging it is to know that despite the countless times we have betrayed God's love throughout history as a human race and in our short lives, God still loves us so much to the extent that he was willing to sacrifice his Son to save us. I doubt many would be able to declare love to this level.
In this day and age, it has always been me me me..... Selflessness is not a common word in one's vocabulary. Even simple things like giving way to others on the road or ensuring that the door doesn't slam on the person behind you, would be basic manners but which many have forgotten. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:48). Shouldn't we come off our own self-made pedestals now and realise that it's not always ourselves to be focused on? It is especially sad when tragedies or disasters occur only for one to immediately focus on how it can benefit himself/herself? I hear of many scams after the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami, 2005 floods or earthquake in Pakistan, where individuals go round to collect money, claiming to be for charity? Or those that went round Thai hospitals after the tsunami to kidnap helpless vulnerable children?
Christmas should be a time of celebration of Jesus's birth. That he was born to save our lives. We should rejoice in this! Instead of rejoicing that we were able to tick off most of the presents received off our 'Wanted' list.
We spent Christmas Day going to Christmas service, where John Stevens preached on Luke 2. John noted that Jesus, despite being King of Kings, was born in a stable (not a castle) and to a virgin. Such humble beginnings and life although He was destined to be our Healer, our Salvation.
We then headed to Ari's and Lin's, where we spent the rest of the day. Lin cooked a yummy yummy Christmas lunch before it was present-opening time! Check out the photos here!
Had Christmas pud and continued eating a little here and there throughout the day. Time to diet in the New Year (we'll see how long that lasts!).
As Christmas passes, it is interesting to note once again how well everyone gets into the festive mood. This is of course, great, but not many has stopped to think about the significance of Christmas. How Christmas came about.... Because of the love of God and the willing sacrifice of one to pay for all our wrong.
I love Christmas and all (in case you think I'm a bah-humbug scrooge person!). I love all the Christmas 'customs' as it were.... Xmas lunch, the various Xmas puddings (British Xmas pud, stollen, pannetone....), pressies (of course!), Xmas tree, decorations, Xmas music....
But isn't it sad how commercial Christmas has become? How many have reflected on God's limitless love for us? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). How encouraging it is to know that despite the countless times we have betrayed God's love throughout history as a human race and in our short lives, God still loves us so much to the extent that he was willing to sacrifice his Son to save us. I doubt many would be able to declare love to this level.
In this day and age, it has always been me me me..... Selflessness is not a common word in one's vocabulary. Even simple things like giving way to others on the road or ensuring that the door doesn't slam on the person behind you, would be basic manners but which many have forgotten. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:48). Shouldn't we come off our own self-made pedestals now and realise that it's not always ourselves to be focused on? It is especially sad when tragedies or disasters occur only for one to immediately focus on how it can benefit himself/herself? I hear of many scams after the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami, 2005 floods or earthquake in Pakistan, where individuals go round to collect money, claiming to be for charity? Or those that went round Thai hospitals after the tsunami to kidnap helpless vulnerable children?
Christmas should be a time of celebration of Jesus's birth. That he was born to save our lives. We should rejoice in this! Instead of rejoicing that we were able to tick off most of the presents received off our 'Wanted' list.
We spent Christmas Day going to Christmas service, where John Stevens preached on Luke 2. John noted that Jesus, despite being King of Kings, was born in a stable (not a castle) and to a virgin. Such humble beginnings and life although He was destined to be our Healer, our Salvation.
We then headed to Ari's and Lin's, where we spent the rest of the day. Lin cooked a yummy yummy Christmas lunch before it was present-opening time! Check out the photos here!
Had Christmas pud and continued eating a little here and there throughout the day. Time to diet in the New Year (we'll see how long that lasts!).
Friday, December 02, 2005
Snow!
It snowed in Birmingham on Monday!!!! Wasn't around when it happened as I was in London but got back in time to see a good inch on snow on the ground. I love snow - it makes everything look so pretty.,...
Am looking forward to more snow and hopefully we'll get a lovely white Xmas!
Am looking forward to more snow and hopefully we'll get a lovely white Xmas!
View from outside our house.,...
My car covered in snow....
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Philippines
Work took me to Philippines from 13th to 18th November 2005. It was a very surreal trip, partly because it was quite last-minute as the person originally meant to go couldn't for reasons I shall not go into here. Anyways, two days before leaving was spent getting vaccinations, booking flights, hotels, etc. I usually like to get these sorted several months before a trip, so having to do it so last-minute made me slightly jumpy.
Manila and Batangas City, where I spent my five/six days there reminded me a lot of Malaysia - which I found rather strange. Manila was so like KL with its buildings, traffic, chaos.... Batangas City was like my parents' hometown albeit bigger (Batangas City). Places, people, traffic, food all seemed so familiar yet I couldn't understand the language! I kept expecting them to speak languages that I know!
I didn't get to see much of Philippines as we were trying to complete 8 days of testing into 5 days (and were successful - yay!). The plus side of it was being able to spend the weekend in Hong Kong before flying back to UK. All in all, it was a great trip and I wouldn't mind making another trip there for leisure purposes. Hospitality there was second to none. Follow this link for some pics: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2117071428
Took the night flight back to London, arriving at about 5am. Had a massage and coffee in the lounge before heading into work. I was surprised that I wasn't as knackered as I thought I would be, considering I was actually awake from 3am. Managed to get through the whole working day feeling fairly awake. I'm sure the two cups of coffee in the morning helped, though!
Manila and Batangas City, where I spent my five/six days there reminded me a lot of Malaysia - which I found rather strange. Manila was so like KL with its buildings, traffic, chaos.... Batangas City was like my parents' hometown albeit bigger (Batangas City). Places, people, traffic, food all seemed so familiar yet I couldn't understand the language! I kept expecting them to speak languages that I know!
I didn't get to see much of Philippines as we were trying to complete 8 days of testing into 5 days (and were successful - yay!). The plus side of it was being able to spend the weekend in Hong Kong before flying back to UK. All in all, it was a great trip and I wouldn't mind making another trip there for leisure purposes. Hospitality there was second to none. Follow this link for some pics: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2117071428
Took the night flight back to London, arriving at about 5am. Had a massage and coffee in the lounge before heading into work. I was surprised that I wasn't as knackered as I thought I would be, considering I was actually awake from 3am. Managed to get through the whole working day feeling fairly awake. I'm sure the two cups of coffee in the morning helped, though!
Wintertime!
Arrived from humid weather in Philippines and Hong Kong to near-zero temperatures in London! The Brits think I'm mad for loving winter... Lovely crisp cold air... With the cold, you can put on as many layers of clothes to keep warm but with heat and humidity, there's only so many layers of clothes you can take off before you're indecent.
Took this picture on my way to work on Wednesday. I love the route taken to work - walking along the Thames, passing Houses of Parliament, Big Ben.... It was foggy on Wednesday which made London look dreamy...
Took this picture on my way to work on Wednesday. I love the route taken to work - walking along the Thames, passing Houses of Parliament, Big Ben.... It was foggy on Wednesday which made London look dreamy...
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Musings
Have been trying to think of a more suitable name for this blog. In case I change the name later on and you're wondering what I'm on about, the blog is currently called "Miscellaneous Ramblings". It is true in terms of misc ramblings in content, but surely there is a better name than that?
Anyway, am back home mid-week to attend our Counselling Tree Dinner. It was a good turnout - about 16 to 18 people there. Not bad. Main discussion topics around current chairman hustings, performance at our next Away Day and event for Firebreak day. Rather different to the ALP dinner yesterday where there was a more serious tone about the firm's strategy. What was quite similar was how discussions and conversation tend to focus on one or a few particular people. Perhaps more to be said on my own impact?
Anyway, am back home mid-week to attend our Counselling Tree Dinner. It was a good turnout - about 16 to 18 people there. Not bad. Main discussion topics around current chairman hustings, performance at our next Away Day and event for Firebreak day. Rather different to the ALP dinner yesterday where there was a more serious tone about the firm's strategy. What was quite similar was how discussions and conversation tend to focus on one or a few particular people. Perhaps more to be said on my own impact?
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
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