Birstol Day 33

Well, the title should be London Day 1 as I am typing this blog in London right now.

Frankly, I prefer Bristol to London because London is just so crowded and messy. The weather wasn't very friendly in the later part of the day because it rained but of course I have to be thankful that the sun was out in the morning.

We started our journey by bus at 650am and arrived in London at about 910am. Pretty good traffic and the ride was pretty fast because I slept in the bus with the help of my MP3 player. It is not even an IPOD because I don't own one but it serves me well and that is the main importance.

London is indeed a bustling city and surely a place which sees people of different races and nationalities visiting. It is afterall the gateway to Europe and imagine the number of flights flying in from all over the world. Just the London Eye itself has seen 33 million visitors since its opening. If only Singapore can attain such numbers but then again, with such high figures of visitors, there will be traffic jams and a very populated city just like London.

From the photo I took of the London Eye, I see a resemblance to that of Singapore's new icon - Singapore Flyer. Just imagine the ferris wheel to be the Singapore Flyer and the building behind it as Fullerton Hotel. Not forgetting the Singapore River. :)

Frankly, the buildings in London were magnificient in architecture but were really old and surely a lot of history to them. Basically if you enjoy history, then Europe would be the place to visit but for me, I don't really fancy history thus didn't really find the commentary provided on the bus and river tour enjoyable. The scenic landscape was of course attractive to the eye and really unfortunate that the battery in my camera wasn't efficient enough to sustain throughout the day. I blame it on the cold weather.

Breakfast was bacon, sunny side up and baked beans at the Victoria station thus didn't think it was worthwhile to upload the photos but dinner was pretty interesting. I had an Italian curry puff with tomato soup. The Calzone wasn't really that tasty because I have tasted better ones in Singapore many years back. It is basically a pizza folded and thus looking like an Old Chang Kee curry puff.

A lot of traveling was done today because the hotel we are staying in is a little far from the city.We couldn't get any hotels in town as they were all full. Maybe because we didn't book it earlier and it was a last minute decision that we visited London. Hectic but pretty worthwhile. I might arrange to visit again in the next two weeks and hope to get a hotel in the city as that will surely make things easier or maybe visit for a day trip but let's see.

Photos will need to be uploaded tomorrow because the internet connection here isn't very stable so bear with me. I will visit Harrods, Muji and maybe LV tomorrow to help buy some stuff for friends. People, no promises because if is crowded, I won't even consider going near it. It is really stressful fighting through the streets especially so when it is raining.

Update you again tomorrow. :)

Bristol Day 32

It's a shock. I am heading to London tomorrow with Angela and family for a night. I wonder why I aren't excited at all. Maybe there is no mental preparation to make a long trip out of Bristol.

We will leave the apartment at 615am. Early? It's ok only that I have little time to Skype this weekend. Sigh but I'll wake up at 4am to say hello to my darling. :)

So it seems I am really half way there now. Half the long journey has been traveled. I can't believe that I think of going home everyday. Really. So to rid off such thoughts, what do I do especially on Fridays? Head to the casino of course. Won some money today. Nice isn't it? 10 pounds. :) What's so funny? It is still a win right?

Besides the casino, there is always another way to make myself a little happier and that is to pamper myself to some nice dinner.

Visited a rather posh restaurant again and this time I had a complete four course meal. Goat cheese with tomato and olive, a don't know what soup, a ribeye steak and for dessert cheese and biscuit. A really rich meal which cost me approximately forty eight pounds. Oh I forgot. Had an orange juice too.

The restaurant was quiet and not many customers. I was asked to choose where I wanted to be seated so I pointed at a table. I realised I was silly to choose that table when I settled down because it was in a corner and I chose the wrong seat. I thought I was facing the street but then there was a damn advertisement banner that blocked my view thus the whole night I was just staring at the stupid banner and not knowing what was happening behind me. As usual, didn't want to request a change of seat because of face. Chinese really want face. Everything else missing never mind but face is so important.

Well, before I headed to the casino I was actually roaming the street not knowing what to do then this short little poem came up in my head;

"I was roaming down the street
Thinking what was there to eat

I didn't think I could win much chips
But never mind let's just make the trip

In front of me stood a spinner ( more often called a dealer)
And I wonder if I'll end up a winner"

It sure sounds silly but if you were in my shoes here all alone for so long, I am sure your brains would think even sillier.

It is 11pm now and it is time for me to prepare my sleep. In five hours I'll be up again to speak to my darling. I wonder if she would have read my blog by then but I doubt it because she isn't really a fan of my writings and rantings. Sigh.

Did I forget to mention Nasi Goreng for lunch? Weird they served it with half a hard boiled egg.

Bristol Day 31

London trip has been postponed till the last weekend before I leave for Changi. My my my. Can't wait really.

Angela and family has been urging me to visit Edinburgh with them. I turned them down because I don't really fancy the travel. I find it a hassle. And perhaps because they are one family on a trip. But frankly, they are nice especially Chelsea.

It is Friday tomorrow and the weekend is filled with plans already. We'll be visiting Bath and Stonehenge on Saturday. Looks like I won't get a chance to Skype unless I wake up really early to do so. Ok. I have decided that I will wake up early on Saturday so I can see family on Skype.

Sandy went to the gynae this morning for a scan. Guess what? Our baby remains shy and refuses to let us look between the legs because the legs were crossed. Cute isn't it? Just thinking of the baby brings a wide smile to my face. Surely going to be a gem in our hearts. My heart just melts thinking of the baby. It is like falling in love all over again. That feeling and excitement is just indescribable. Stay tuned and we'll let you know if it is Baby Mark or Baby Sandy.

Today's lunch was a Ham, Cheese and Tomato Panini with a ginger beer. Not too bad but the bread was really dry.

Dinner was surely more extravagant in a posh Italian restaurant. Ordered a Funghi, Garlic Risotto. Italian mui fan. Yummy. We also ordered Italian garlic and cheese bread which surprisingly came in a shape of a pizza. Can you see the yellow and red pizza looking thingy? The crust was super thin. Just like chips.

Angela and Thomas ordered a ham, bacon, mushroom pizza and a seafood risotto. It was a sumptuous feast. I had a beer while Chelsea ordered a dark chocolate ice cream for dessert. I might just return to the restaurant some time again but let's see because I have not tried all the restaurants yet. There are just so many other restaurants I want to try so let's see.

After dinner, Thomas invited me over to his apartment for a drink. Well, it was only 645pm then thus I went for awhile. Had a white wine and washed half an episode of some Korean drama. Have to find out what is the name of the series because the actress was quite pretty. I liked her with her spectacles on.

Looks like there isn't much to catch on TV tonight except Babel. A Brad Pitt movie. Beggars can't choose huh? Will make do with this and sleep by midnight, after Family Guy. :0

Sandy is going to catch 2012 on Friday night before heading back to Melville. Miss my bed really much. Miss everything at home. Home is still the best place to be. Singapore is the best.

Bristol Day 30

Oh no. The laundry man hasn't called me to collect my clothes yet. I hope my working clothes aren't lost because they are pretty expensive. I wonder if such losses can be claimed through the insurance company.

Amy Leung will be heading to Singapore next week with her beau. Unfortunately I will not be there to welcome them and show them around. What a pity. I also heard Carol and Queenie will be in Singapore during the same period too. Looks like everyone is visiting when I aren't in Singapore. Is it me that the people are avoiding? I wonder.

TV is showing a Steven Seagull movie and I remembered Sandy telling me that Steven was one of her favourite Hollywood actors. Funny why she chose me as her husband when I don't look a bit like him. Well, maybe when I kick I look like him and that't the closest I can imitate. I still prefer Chow Yun Fatt or Jet Li.

So did anyone guess correctly what was in the bowl yesterday? Sandy said onion rings. Can't believe her answer. It is garlic mashed potato. Very filling. Very very.

Lunch this afternoon was again at Shanghai Nights. I had sea bass fillet congee. Sick man's meal. Yes, I have a sore throat and have been drinking lots of juices, eating fruit and making my own ginseng tea at work too. Eu Yan Sang, the answer to heat expulsion.

Dinner wasn't any thing interesting. I had ramen again. This time it sure was ramen. Not udon. Nothing beats a bowl of Asian soup noodle. Had a few pieces of normal sushi roll. Not Dragon Roll. Normal salmon maki and crabstick maki.

I told the boss of the Japanese restaurant that I will throw a mini party for me myself before I left Bristol for Singapore. I might just buy them sweets etc as they have been very nice to me and have provided me company when I head there alone. Guess I will miss them a little. Same for Adrian. I will buy them some little cookie box or chocolate packs just to show them my appreciation for what they have done - sold me food and drinks.

Tonight's dinner was with Thomas, Angela and Chelsea. Nice to be dining with my favourite team isn't it? After dinner, we headed to Chophouse for drinks and I only took an orange juice. Good boy ya?

While having drinks, I played hangman and tic tac toe with Chelsea. It has been ages since I last drew x and o. Like all kids, she didn't want to stop playing. :)

She drew me a picture. Family of four. One boy. One girl. She named the children Thomas and Angela. I laughed. The children's name will not be Thomas and Angela. I will think of a pretty unique and meaningful name. Not too foreign though.

Sandy will be going for her third scan tomorrow. Second time without me present. I am going to miss it once more and hopefully the last time I will miss the gynae appointment. I wonder if they can tell the sex tomorrow or do we need to wait another couple of months but never mind if it is a boy or a girl because Sandy and I will love our child very much. :) I can see a spoilt brat in the family - a resemblance of me.

Hmm.. a baby Mark or a baby Sandy runny around pulling hair and doing graffiti at home. Phew. A real handful and surely a earful too but we'll enjoy it. Enjoy it much.

Bristol Day 29

Am I halfway through the ordeal of being away from family? Yes. Almost there. Almost halfway through. One more cycle and I'll be drinking Newater.

Last night I caught a movie titled Crocs on one of the tv channels. Some B-grade movie about some huge crocodile terrifying a village. Same old story line. Right now I am watching Baby's Day Out, some comedy about a baby kidnap. Pretty hilarious and definitely distracting me from writing this blog entry.

Did some grocery shopping this evening. Juices, biscuits, milk, slices of ham and eggs. Yes. Raw eggs in their shells. Stop laughing. I know how to make hard boiled eggs and that will be the only thing I guess I will be cooking. As for the ham, they are those pre-packed ones. Don't fancy them but better than nothing. I totally forgot to buy slices of bread to go with my ham. Forgetful I am. I also got some disposable cutlery and will try finding disposable bowls tomorrow. :)

Tomorrow is Wednesday and that means lottery day. Did I tell you I won 5 pounds in a UK lottery draw last week? Nice isn't it? I shall try my luck again tomorrow. Who knows I might just get a Christmas windfall.

Waking up in the morning is becoming a little difficult for me these days. I wonder why. Could it be the weather which is suitable for hibernating or have I been sleeping a little later due to my tv watching habit?

Right now it is a Sylvester Stallone movie titled Lock Up. Don't remember watching it before thus let's hope it entertains me through the night before I go to bed. I was a huge fan of Sly when I was younger. Remember John Rambo or Cobra? My parents used to take me to the movies to watch the Rambo series. I guess the last time we caught a movie was a long long time ago. Was it Star Wars (the recent one) or James Bond 007?

While at dinner last night, I spoke to the Japanese restaurant owner and he told me a little about his past. Before heading to the UK, he was working in Singapore. He wanted to make more money thus decided to head down to the UK. He started off as a waiter and later on to a manager for a chain of Japanese restaurant. At his peak, he made 3,000 pounds a week. 12,000 pounds a month for a restaurant manager. That is a lot of money isn't it?

But a sad story unfolded. He was an addictive gambler just like most Chinese and no matter how much he made, it was never enough to sustain his gambling habits. He could win 50,000 pounds in a day or lost 100,000 pounds on bad days. He got addicted and even with his last 10 pounds, he had to bet them all hoping to win some money. Bad.

It took him a number of years before he realised he was falling into a bottomless pit and thus he left London and turned over a new leaf and headed to Bristol. Even though there are three casinos here, he hardly visited because he understands the whippings these casinos can cause.

For three months he never stepped into a casino and he realised how much he could save. He is now a happy man and has started his own business with massive savings.

I wonder how many Singaporeans will get hit by the casino fever next year. For one who cannot control, it is going to be a huge punishment not only for himself but for the family. Luckily for me, I am disciplined because I am going to be a father next May and there is no way I want to compromise the good life I want my kid to have however that does not mean that I won't visit the Integrated Resort but I will know how to manage my limits and maintain composure. I guess a real gambler knows when to walk away with winnings and scram when on a losing streak so as to minimize losses. That sure is one important rule because the casino will never turn you away nor go bust in the near future thus leaving you with another day to return for another round of fight. True? Very true.

Enough of gambling principle. I had a beef burger this evening and again it was disappointing. Carl's Junior is still the best! Wanna make a guess what is in the bowl? :)

Monica

Happy belated Birthday to Monica who happens to have the same name as this Leslie Cheung hit in the late '80s.

This is quite a catchy song and am always amazed with the dance moves. I can just imagine Baya dancing to this tune. Easy but outdated.

Maybe I will need to teach my kid to dance to this tune when he is older. Haha.

You Win Again.

I first listened to this song while I stayed at Ah Hood Road and that was donkey years ago.

I always felt the title of the song made the singer seem like a loser because whoever he is competing with, the singer tends to lose. But looking further into the lyrics, I guess the meaning is a little different.

I won't comment further on the lyrics but let's just hear the song if you are interested.

If you are reading this from Facebook, you might not be able to watch the video thus you can catch it direct at my blog.

You Win Again - Bee Gees


I couldn't figure why
You couldn't give me what everybody needs
I shouldn't let you kick me when I'm down
My baby
I find out everybody know that
You've been using me
I'm surprised you
Let me stay around you
One day I'm gonna lift the cover
And look inside your heart
We gotta level before we go
And tear this love apart

There's no fight you can't fight
This battle of love with me
You win again
So little time
We do nothing but compete
There's no life on earth
No other could see me through
You win again
Some never try
But if anybody can, we can
And I'll be, I'll be
Following you

Oh baby I shake you from now on
I'm gonna break down your defenses
One by one
I'm gonna hit you from all sides
Lay your fortress open wide
Nobody stops this body from
Taking you

You better beware, I swear
I'm gonna be there one day when you fall
I could never let you cast aside
The greatest love of all

Bristol Day 28

Throat is sore and voice sounding very sexy. I need some liang teh.

Since I have been here I catch tv series like Ugly Betty, Scrubs and Friends. Nothing else for entertainment on tv other than British Cops;Zero Tolerance. It is about cops in the UK and how they manage crimes here. Seems like crime rate is pretty high here.

This afternoon skipped lunch and dinner was a ramen soup. Well, it was supposed to be ramen but the dude who took my order sent me an udon instead. Never mind. I just ate it all. No photos because I forgot to take a picture of it.

Proud to mention that I have stayed alcohol free for 24 hours. Ok. Less than that but didn't take alcohol today as I wanted the throat to get well before downing another pint of Guinness. Too much heaty stuff thus looks like the ginseng tea is going to come in handy tomorrow at work.

I blame the weather actually. The sun comes out but refuses to stay up longer than it should then comes rain. Hot and cold causes the body system to go crazy. Sigh.

I won't whine anymore but another 5 weeks is going to be long long long. Haven't made up my mind on whether or not to visit London this weekend or another. Let's see what happens.

By the way, managed to catch Robin Williams in Bristol. Cool?

Bristol Day 27

Finally the weekemd is over and that would mean another five weeks before I get home to see my family. Really can't wait for that to happen.

Started the morning lazy and did the usual webcam with family back home in Singapore. Really miss them. Sigh.

Had dim sum this afternoon with Juliana and family who travelled from Swindon to meet up with me. Was nice to see her and her family. It is the first time we met and their children were gorgeous. Pretty well behaved I would say.

Order the normal dim sum stuff like carrot cake, siew mai, ha gou, beef balls and my favourite fish congee. Pretty not bad really.

After lunch we had a walk at Werburgh's City Farm where I took pictures of foreign looking cows and foreign ducks too. Can you see the picture of the playground? It is a playground in its natural state and surely not like what we have in Singapore - carpet rubber mats to protect the children from falls. Which is better? I don't know but I am sure it is cleaner using rubber mats. :) You can ask Juliana the stains it causes on the clothes after they are done with the fun.

After the walk, I took another walk alone through the not-so-pleasant streets of St Paul's. Seems intimidating but other wise it is fine. Maybe at night it'll be worst. Never mind the night because I sure won't walk through in the night.

Took a short nap before heading to Adrian's place for a glass of cider and then headed to meet Angela and family at the Spanish restaurant El Puerco. This time we ordered slightly different dishes but still a pitcher of Sangria. The best was probably the mussels and I might just head back there once more for it.Yummy.

I missed the sunday roast today and hope to be able to try some roast beef next weekend. It seems roast is served widely in pubs and I believe I did mention how tasty the roast beef was the last time I tried. I am salivating now.

Not sure if I should head down to London this coming weekend but let's see what happens. Really a little lazy to take trains or planes to get around and travelling without my wife is no fun at all. Again, can't wait to head home.

Monday comes and another week awaits me. I seldom get excited to head to work because I know after another 25 visits to the office, I'll be back home in Melville Park. Really can't wait.

Bristol Day 26 - Part 2

Just got home from the boxing game. Very interesting and surely exciting.

Imagine following a foreign friend you just got to know some place you aren't familiar with. We travelled on pitch dark highways, lamp-less small roads and into some unknown town called Durgley.Scary isn't it?

When I entered the boxing hall, I realised it was an illegal underground boxing venue. Smoke everywhere and drunkards staggering across the hall. People were trading packets of white powder and the men were mostly tatooed with sleazy looking women standing next to them. Shocking wasn't it?

Dream on. That was what I was expecting but it was totally different.

I walked into the Lister and Social Club which looked very much like our community centres and there was a boxing ring in the middle of the hall ( just imagine our badminton halls at CCs having a boxing ring in the centre). It was pretty crowded and people of all ages stood around waiting for the boxing game to start. It wasn't a professional boxing game but an amateur league rather.

As usual, there was a bar by the side of the hall (something which we don't have at our badminton halls) and almost every adult held a pint of beer in their hand. I was no different. Adrain bought me two pints of beer. His girlfriend and an old guy named Lester came along too.

I got seats right in front of the ring and I was told those were expensive seats if it was a profesional game but in an amateur game like what I watched tonight, I paid 7 pounds.

Adrain offered to buy me some fish and chips but after my previous experience, I didn't think a takeaway was suitable for me. Anyway, before I met up with the gang, I had a clam chowder and a rump steak that was yummy but not as good as the roast beef I had at Clifton. Argh. Just thinking of it makes me feel hungry.

Am off to bed now at 1am .... another late night for me. Good night.

And yes, that was my breakfast which was a huge portion. I loved the tomatoes which was really sweet. So was the juice but the bacon was oily and fat. Bad.

Bristol Day 26

It is 6pm in the evening and I have an appointment with Adrain to catch a boxing game at 7pm. Pretty excited because it is afterall the first time I am attending such.

Woke up a little later this morning and did nothing much today except for having three glasses of beer by 2pm this afternoon.

The weather was pretty unfriendly and the wind was really strong.

Got to meet Angela's husband, Thomas and Chelsea, their daughter. Daughter at the age of 8 is pretty inquisitive and rather attentive.

Will write a little more tonight after I return from the match and share the experience with you.

Earth In The Dark

I bought this single when I was in Tokyo back in June 2008. Definitely an unforgetable honeymoon I had and if given a chance, I sure would want to go back there for a long vacation. I hope to do it with my parents and brothers some time soon. In fact, there were plans to do it in June next year but with our precious baby due in May, it is very unlikely this would take place unless someone is willing to take care of the baby.

In fact, I sort of promised my youngest brother that if he gets good results for his 'O' Levels, I will surely take him there. Aren't I bad to break this promise? Maybe we'll still go but later into the year when Wei Sheng completes his army. Three brothers on a holiday is something I always wanted. If Japan isn't feasible, maybe Hong Kong first. Sandy can come along too. Let's try to aim it for HK in Jan or Feb. Let's see.

Anyway, this song is Earth in the Dark sung by Toshi, vocalist for X-Japan on one of his own projects. Pretty nice and surely a song that will bring me memories of my honeymoon. It'll never be forgotten for many reasons. Many.

Without You

Here I share yet another X-Japan song, a song written by Yoshiki for his dear friend who passed away many years back - hide.

I don't know what the lyrics meant but I can tell from the melody the pain the composer felt. It is an emotional showdown deep inside that allowed such a beautiful melody. It is a sad song and when one is down, sad songs can bring you down even further.

X-Japan has been my favourite band all these so many years. I never regretted buying their cds and laser discs. I have to thank my father for all the massive amounts of money on the music collection. I am grateful he asked his Japanese friends to buy me the concert videos and disc and I know it isn't cheap at all but because he dotes on me so much, he lets me have it.

It is weird but I do link X-Japan to my father and perhaps it is for the above reasons that when I listen to X-Japan, I think of my roots on how I got to learn about them so much.

Anyway, forget the mushy stuff. Now take a listen and tell me if tear drops are forming round the eyes. If only hide was still around to share his music ... but too bad, all these can only be memories. Memories of my teenage years and very much memories of Green Meadows.

Tears

This is one of my favourite X-Japan songs. I was really glad that I attended their concert in HK earlier this year and I still hold lots of memories of the concert and I won't want to erase it from my head.

Tears is a really sad song. I guess it is about the death of a person close to the heart. The melody somewhat touches the heart deeply and the song never fails to move me even though I hear it pretty often.

Take some time to enjoy the song as this is a shorter version. Didn't want to bore you to tears. :)


Tears ( English translation )

Where do we go after we're separated
Now that hanging question has passed
On an endless night, I dreamt of a journey
I gazed at the foreign skies
and embraced the loneliness
Tears always flow with the winds of time
It's not over, feel your sigh.

* Dry your tears with love

Loneliness, your silent whisper
fills a river of tears through the night
Memory, you never let me cry
and you, you never said good-bye
Sometimes our tears blinded the love
We lost our dreams along the way
But I never thought
you'd trade your soul to the fates,
never thought you'd leave me alone

Time through the rain has set me free
Sands of time will keep your memory
Love everlasting fades away
Alive within your beatless heart

Close Every Door

Many years back Sandy and I watched Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Sandy likes this song pretty much and it too has meaningful lyrics and I somehow relate it to my position and the reason why I am here.

Close Every Door -

Close every door to me,
Hide all the world from me
Bar all the windows
And shut out the light
Do what you want with me,
Hate me and laugh at me
Darken my daytime
And toture my night
If my life were important I
Would ask will I live or die
But I know the answers lie
Far from this world
Close every door to me,
Keep those I love from me
Children of Israel
Are never alone
For I know I shall find
My own peace of mind
For I have been promised
A land of my own

Children

Close every door to me,
Hide all the world from me
Bar all the windows
And shut out the light
Joseph

Just give me a number
Instead of my name
Forget all about me
And let me decay
I do not matter,
I'm only one person
Destroy me completely
Then throw me away
If my life were important I
Would ask will I live or die
But I know the answers lie
Far from this world

Joseph, Ensemble & Children

Close every door to me,
Keep those I love from me
Children of Israel
Are never alone
For we know we shall find
Our own peace of mind
For we have been promised
A land of our own

Home

I was never a Michael Buble fan but when I thought of home I decided to find the song on youtube to hear it. It caused tears to well up a little. Just a little. Frankly I am getting used to being away from home now. I have been away for 25 days thereabouts but still no place beats being at home and on familiar grounds, familiar faces and familiar language. I miss home. I miss Singapore. I want to go home.

Home -

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home

May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
'Cause this was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

Bristol Day 25

It is the weekend and I wonder what is going to happen. Angela's family will arrive tomorrow morning and they'll be a happy family. Sigh. If only Sandy and the baby can join me here .... never mind. It is another 40 days or so but you can tell I aren't even half way there yet.

So what's the weekend for me? I might join Adrian for a boxing match tomorrow night and then on Sunday will be meeting Juliana for dim sum lunch. Other than this I have nothing else to do.

Visited the casino this evening and didn't lose pounds. Didn't win either. Square.

Sandy complained about my short blog last night but I was truly having a spinning head. Had too much to drink. 4 ciders, one Guinness and some Courage Bitter. 6 glasses in total. I was warned by Adrian and the rest of the guys not to mix cider and stout but I didn't believe and yes, it hit my head hard but no worries because I made it to work as per normal.I even prepared a plastic bag next to me just in case I needed to puke but no, didn't use it. Was only freaking hungry.

Tonight I only took one pint of Guinness. The Guinness here is really different and much better than those in Singapore. I really wonder why. Here it is smooth and less bitter. It has a very milky after taste. Rich and creamy.

Now, let me tell you the horrible lunch I had yesterday. Seafood noodles for 6 pounds at the same foodcourt where I tried the first jacket potato with baked beans. Bad noodles. Tasteless.

Thankfully I decided to go for lagsane at Cafe Amore today. A very busy lunch cafe near the work place and a whole meal with hot chocolate cost 6 pounds. Worth it wasn't it? You bet.

Angela decided to go eat Thai food thus we walked towards Whiteladies and settled at Yum Thai. I had a green curry with rice and an apple juice. Wanted a Thai Ice Tea but they don't serve that. Only green tea was available. I kind of thought it was outrageous to serve Green Tea at a Thai restaurant. Where is the Thai Ice Tea? Singapore don't serve that too. Why I wonder.

Last stop was Adrian's pub. Quiet tonight with not many people around. Even Adrian wasn't around. My purpose was to find the chap to confirm tomorrow's outing to catch a boxing game but he wasn't available. Looks like I have to visit him at noon tomorrow.

I have laid out quite a number of plans for the coming weekends. Catch a musical in London, visit some cider farms and catch a local orchestra perform some Mozart piece. Let's see how many I can complete within the next 5 more weekends. As for shopping, I have to start buying gifts for family and friends. I wonder how much more stuff can I put in my already filled luggage. For myself, it is going to be cds and dvds. I believe there would be a huge collection here.

Tonight Mimi invited me for karaoke as it is her birthday and I don't know how am I going to get there in the rain. Party starts at 1130pm and it'll end in the wee hours I am sure. Looks like I'll have to skip it and apologise for not turning up. It is also weird that I didn't have a present for her because I was notified only last night. Maybe I should get her out one of the weekends for lunch or dinner whichever is better for her.

Ice kachang and chicken rice ... can't wait to eat them back in Singapore. Getting really bored with the food here now. Sigh.

Bristol Day 25

Am typing this blog tipsy. Had a lot to drink at Adrian's pub - the first time Angel is visiting.

Angela's family is coming to town and it was all for a surprise. Never mind her.

I had a lot to drink at Coach & Horses. At Adrain's pub. Feeling intoxicaed thus keeping this blog really short.

Had Italian for dinner and the pizza was huge. Fantastic but too much for one person to finish.

All for Love.

A good friend's birthday is coming round the corner but I won't be able to buy him a meal thus I thought days before he turns 30, I should wish him a Happy Birthday. You know who you are.

This song brings me memories of school days and it sure was whole loads of fun. I remember singing this song with two other chaps in class and both their birthdays are round the corner. The other song we usually sang together was a song by Color Me Badd.

Enjoy the song Andy ...

Bristol Day 24

It rained cats and dogs this evening. Trousers wet so was laptop bag but thankfully things in the bag weren't wet - all thanks to Samsonite.

Day started busy at work as my Director returned back from the US. He told me how much he missed his family just after one week and I moaned about my many more weeks to come. About 40 days more.

Lunch was jacket potato filled with bacon. Not bacon bits but slices of thick bacon. The potato was huge, the size of two fists combined. Carbo. Lots of it with no exercise. Well, brisk walking helps doesn't it? Maybe not enough. Should do some skipping since I brought the ropes.

Left the office at 530pm this evening and headed to try a hand at lottery. Bought a few tickets and hoping to win 2 million pounds. Yahoo!! Just few days back a few chaps aged between 19 to 57 shared 45 million pounds and had about 6.7 million pounds there about. Saw the whole group of them posing in photos that made headlines. Their smiles were really wide. I would do the same if I hit 2 million pounds but I was later told that non-EU citizens cannot claim the prize money. Sad huh? Never mind.If I won, I'll find my way to collect the money even if I needed to split the winnings.

Enough dreaming. A little too early to dream now because it is only 830pm while typing this blog.

Dinner was Spanish food with Angela. Good food. Nice alcohol. Ordered a Sangria, a Spanish cocktail. Feeling so full now because we ordered a pitcher and I was shocked that the pitcher contained 1.5 litres of liquid. Here they don't stinge on the alcohol. Here aren't Singapore.

So we ordered about 5 dishes comprising of prawns, mushrooms, potato & eggs, ham slices and calamari. It was a Spanish feast. Wanted to order a plate of paella (rice) but didn't think we could finish the food. Wasting aren't good but we really couldn't finish the sangria thus we left a little behind.

Angela's family who was supposed to arrive this Friday made changes to their trip. They aren't coming over anymore and that leaves only two of us for company. Well, I miss those carefree days where I could do anything or eat anything. Now it is mutual respect but company is good sometimes. 40 days together is going to be a long time and she has plans to visit Spain, France and Scotland. I don't think I am going to be that adventurous. Maybe somewhere by train that is closeby will suit me fine. I believe she is very disappointed that her hubby didn't make it here but decided to head to Melbourne instead. I guess it is for the daughter because I heard she fell sick and they are afraid she cannot adapt to the cold weather here. Anyway, Angela is going to be my shadow the next one over month.

Will be meeting up with Juliana, Heidi's friend who lives in Swindon. We'll do dim sum on Sunday. New company. Can't wait to meet her children. Am sure it is going to be fun with kids playing around.

Just find something to do every weekend and time will fly. Hopefully so.