I hate this city...and I think it hates me back...

Yesterday was not a good day. Heck, today is not a good day either. Depends on what perspective I'm looking at I guess. Michael got stabbed last night. Some kid grabbed his phone and he decided in his alcohol driven stupor that it was a good idea to chase after the hoodie. He got the kid by the shirt, the kid threatened to stab him and he thought that was that. When he got back to our flat he was telling me what happened and as he took off his top shirt there was blood everywhere. I can't explain what kind of panic set it, or what freak out actually means until you're there. I remained calm on the outside but my insides turned into jelly. It's like wanting to scream and knowing that it won't do you any good. The wound didn't look too deep but it was just weeping. By the time we realized that he'd been stabbed we were done calling the police and reported the theft. We called the cab to go hospital but by the time the cab came the paramedics were already here. There were a couple of police officers taking statements and it was all so surreal. The things that popped into my head were...

1. The flat is a mess what must they think?
2. Oh my god I have underwear lying around.
3. Why didn't I wash the dishes before going to bed?
4. They must think we're chavs.
5. If they see my husband's weed we're doomed.
6. They must think I'm a refugee from China.
7. I want to cry but I don't want to seem like a blubbering idiot.

It's true...when you're in a stressful situation you end up thinking about the zaniest things. Case in point...who the hell cares if you're underwear is on display when you're husband's trying to explain to the police how he got mugged and stabbed in the process? I just can't get that image of my underwear hanging on display for all the paramedics to see.

After all that hoo ha the paramedic guy took us for a ride to the hospital. My husband then decided it was a good time for a little chit chat. *Honey? Have you ever been on the inside of an ambulance?* *Are the ambulances in the Philippines as complete as this?* Now, I know he was just trying to calm me down but it was just not the time to engage me mindless banter. Breathe deep...relax...calm down.

We got to the hospital and waited...and waited...and waited... I finally found a Filipina nurse and talked to her about Mike. She was kind enough to call one of the doctors who were too busy to spare a few minutes. She poked and prodded the wound and told us that it didn't seem like it was anything to worry about. And then we waited again. You know that feeling where you want to freak out just to get someone's attention but you know it won't really do you any good? The thought of grabbing one of the nurses and holding them hostage until my husband was seen was just running around in my head. After 1 hour this bitch doctor comes in and promptly says to us... *You just cost the council 500 pounds to take you to the hospital in an ambulance. You should've taken a cab if you felt fit enough to do so.* Right. Bedside manner...zero. We had a cab...the paramedic said they'll take us to the hospital instead. What do I do? Be a hero and say no we can manage? She poked my husband for a bit and left to do something more important. After 15 minutes she came back and said everything was ok. I asked her how to stop the bleeding and she rolled her eyes. *It's just a small wound. Just put plaster on it. OH ALL RIGHT I'LL GIVE YOU SOME PLASTER* Great...don't sound too concerned now. After all it's just your job. Damn bitch doctor.

We took a cab home, but not before Michael puked his guts out. I was starting to feel panic again by this point. Why was he vomiting? Was it because of the alcohol or something else? He got up at the middle of the night and puked some more. Graphic details not included.

Today there were 2 detectives who came to the house. They called in advance to tell us they were in the area and would be stopping by. That's more like it, call before you actually come so I can sort out my underwear.

Wet and windy

I just got back from Taste of London at Regent's Park. I'm having a think if I'd want to go back next year. Previously it was all about the food, and it was nice food. In recent years however, it's become more of where to be seen. Am I being too snooty? In the first few years, it was mostly people who had a passion for food just wanting to see what other chefs were up to. Hmmm...yeah I guess that's being a bit snooty.

The food is still great and the old chefs are still there. Although I don't think I saw Rhodes anywhere this time around. Ramsey had a big tent in the middle for his F word series complete with an area for all the groupies to take pictures with the uber chef himself. I must admit I was giddy with delight when I saw him. My husband didn't see why. I wanted to queue up and have his book signed by him saying *To my one and only bitch...* Fitting I think.

I wanted to take my brand new camera with me but I had a tiff with Mike before we left so I didn't really feel up to doing anything else. Luckily for me I didn't. It started pissing and by the time we left we were all wet and muddy. I got to try some good things though don't get me wrong. I had Marcus Wareing's beer and ale pie which was absolutely gorgeous. An oyster topped with poached quail egg with apple caviar...yummmm. Asparagus with hollandaise foam...yawn. Rump steak and chicken heart which the server fantasticaly topped with some sort of a pole dancing routine. I had beer made with coffee beans called the London Porter and a banana flavored beer. Yum.

The whole thing was just dampened by the rain. Tick tick tock little April shower...except it's not April anymore.

My Camera has Arrived!

I got my new Canon Rebel XTI yesterday. Woohoo! I've had loads of fun on my first day with the camera. I went to the house blessing party thrown by Beth and Cathy. We had tons of food, loads of fun and karaoke. My husband spent a good few hours drinking beer by the corner and smoking tons of cigarettes, but by the time evening came I think he was so sloshed that he had couple of rounds with the singing! Vanilla Ice Ice Baby! Wahahahahahahaha!


I took Michael out for dinner on is birthday. He loved the food and the whole evening was going well sans for me getting drunk on a glass and a half of wine. It got so bad I had to keep propping my head up on the table. I had that familiar feeling of passing out so we took an early night home. I just can't hold my wine for some reason. It just doesn't agree with me. Winnie said I just need to build my tolerance level to it but I think I'm getting too old for this.


My first shot with the camera....

Thank you for farting

To the old man shopping at Sainsbury's...thanks for making my day. I was pissed off today because my day off was cut short. Lyn called in sick and she was supposed to cover for me today so... I was in a very bad mood. Dark clouds hanging over the horizon and all that. I went grocery shopping and I was still miffed until... I walked past an OAP (old age pensioner is what the term they use for senior citizens) who was getting his groceries. Out of the blue he let out this tiny fart. Tiny but unmistakable. It made me laugh. It's great how you throw away your inhibitions as you get older. Or maybe it's just a bit harder to keep it all in. Hmmm...this is not the first time that I've been farted at publicly. Is it me? I was at Windsor Castle (no not formally, I bought a ticket just like everyone else) on tour with my cousin. We were looking for directions to the cathedral (my mind is not that clear on where we were going...I have a mind of a goldfish according to a lot of my friends...but that's another blog in itself.) Ok, I digress. Windsor castle...looking for the cathedral. I was walking towards the exit and looking at the map and then this guy just let out this almighty woop of a fart like you wouldn't believe. *Hey Sharon I think it's this...did-he-just-fart-in-front-of-my-face?!?!?!* I turned around and saw Sharon laughing hysterically. What else can you do right?

I stumbled across two blogs today. The other one was an offshoot of a blog. I think it got so much nasty comments that the author decided to open another one. Either you love it or you hate it. Most people would say the latter. I think it's brilliant. The concept is to make everyone hate you so that your site gets so much hits that it can take. To anyone who will go and satisfy their curiosities, tread carefully. It hits lots of nerves.

http://www.kantuterongatenista.blogspot.com
http://www.blurty.com/~caffeinerush
http://www.cofibean.blogspot.com

Grumpy Morning

I woke up today to the sound of my phone. I'm pretty good at sounding wide awake when I answer a call...probably stemming from my days as 24 hour tech support. But today is my day off, so I assumed (wrongly) that no one from the office will be calling me. They know my day off is sacred. I haven't had a decent day off in months. Turns out the person who's supposed to handle some stuff at work can't make it in today. Guess what dear...you've got the booby prize. Dang. I sometimes feel like a hostage.

Dying of stress

I didn't think stress could literally kill you... a friend forwarded an email the other day. Now normally it'd go straight to deleted items but the subject caught my eye. *To all you workaholics out there* it said. It was about a girl from Singapore called May Leong. She worked in a fortune 500 company (search and you'll find it) spending long hours at work and then taking home more work just to catch up. Sounds familiar...I pratically spent everyday for the past 4 years at my previous company staying in the office and working. I went home every 3-4 days to sleep in my own bed. Except in her case, she formed blood clot in her legs that led to her demise. I googled her blog...and kept on rereading it. Something about her words struck me...it was very very sad. She sounded so confused...on whether she was doing the right thing with spending so much time from work. It just struck me as really sad...how she was only trying to work to give her mom the best things in life. I can probably relate that's why it had such an impact on me.

Public Transport

I've been going home fairly early for the past few weeks. We've finally been able to sort out stuff at work to allow us to get home at a respectable hour. Don't get me wrong....there's still loads more to do. I'm estimating another year of hard labor and then things will be back to normal...with major improvements. I've been wondering lately why I keep on getting jobs where I have to go through so much in my first year. A friend commented that I seem to be getting jobs where there's a lot of fixing involved. Well, better I fix it than cause it eh?

Yesterday I left work at 8pm. Yeah...that's respectable for us. I got on the bus at half past and had the worst ride to date. Usually it's just a matter of the bus driver revving and putting on the brakes too hard at every stop. That I've gotten myself used to. What made this one particularly bad was the constant beeping. Every corner turn and stop the sensors would beep. I understand that it's for the visually impaired, but really...the whole trip was just one constant beep. *Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep* It'd start as soon as the signal to turn right or left was activated and stop 3 seconds after the turn was completed. As you can see I had loads of time on my hands...plus it annoyed the hell out of me. Add to that the beeping each time the doors opened. The guy sitting in front of me actually started tapping his fingers to the rhythm of the beep. Ten minutes on I saw him put his hands over his ears and left it like that for the rest of the journey. At the stop before I got off the bus we had a bit of a crisis. The back doors jammed. The driver tried closing the doors once....twice...three times...four...five.... WTF?! I counted...a total of 12 tries before he finally gave up and realized that any more attempts and he'd get himself killed by the passengers. Luckily there was a bus driver hitching a ride on the same bus and pressed a button and voila... beep gone, doors closed....crisis over. We actually thought there was a respite from the beeping...2 minutes and no beep. The guy in front of me put down his hands and gave a huge sigh of relief...and then the beeping started again. What fun.

I am no politician

I now remember the one thing I hated about working in a corporate environment...politics. People who have a hidden agenda will always make themselves look good while shirking the responsibilities that come with the job. I don't play well in this type of setting. I say it as it is...my mom always told me that it'll get me in trouble. The thing is if you don't say it as it is someone who has ulterior motives will always try to get the upper hand. A simple yes or no will do.

30 and hating it

My mom always said that if you're fat at 30 you'll be fat forever. Well, I guess I'm screwed. I gained back all of the weight that I lost so I feel very very shitty. I've been staying late in the office to clean up other people's mess. I'm tired and grumpy and feeling ugly. I'm back to cigarettes. I just woke up one day and realized that I'm back where I started. Geez, old habits do die hard.

I'm tired

It's been more than a month since my last post. I've been working my butt off since I started work. There are a lot of things that need fixing in the office. It's tiring but I'm still ok. No day off yet since I started. I'm starting to feel the strain. My back is starting to hurt (I feel old). Hopefully I'll be able to take a day off soon. I won't be able to stay long in this job if I don't get some rest.

My husband has been so understanding for the past month. We haven't seen each other in quite a while. It's been so bad that whenever I want to call home I mistakenly dial the office number. The other week, when Mike and I were talking, I told him that I was going to go to the office early next day, but I told him *I'll be going to the house early tomorrow.* Dang. Not a good sign.

I like my job though. It's challenging....cleaning up the mess of other people. Hopefully it'll be rewarding too.

What are you saying ba?

Today was my first day in the office. It was a bit overwhelming but I think I made it through the day. My head didn't start thumping until about 4pm. It was a combination of all the stuff I needed to learn and the problems I needed to fix plus the fact that all day I was hearing *Why like that ba?* Hmmm...I've forgotten about that kind of taglish. The way *posh* people try to speak when they come from one of the exclusive schools back in Manila. Why nga ba? Are your english lessons a combination of english and tagalog formed into one sentence? *Paki pulot naman thiiiis* (Emphasis on the thiiis...you have to drag it a little bit and curl your voice when you say it haaaa...) No, I'm not making patawa you...naman eh...would I do that baaa? It was a bit tiring when we got to the part where I was being endorsed 2 mobile phones...

Her: Oh yah by the way, we have 2 cellphones here in the office...
Me: Ok. What are they currently being used for? Are they for incoming or outgoing calls?
Her: Well...to call the clients...kasi sometimes when there's too many calls then we have to make tawag the clients. Or else they get mad...as in galeeeet talaga.
Me: Ok.
Her: Oh yah...so this one (pointing to the phone) we call her Britney.
Me: You what...
Her: Yaaah...kase it's like this. A lot of times like I have to ask them when I want to hiram it. So I'll tell them can I borrow the cellphone? Then they'll say which one. So it's nakakalito diba?
Me: No, not really but go ahead...
Her: So I gave the cellphone names nalang...
Me: (At this point my headache gets worse) Ok...
Her: So you've met Britney na....
Me: And what...pray tell...is the name of the other one?
Her: Paris

Cute diba? The kind of cute that you just want to squeeeeeeze until it pops out cute.

Oh joy oh joy oh joy

I start my new job today! In another ten hours. Hoooray!!! Si mi amigos (ok that's as far as my spanish goes) I have a job! Like they say on Perfect Strangers...Let's do the dance of joy! (dadaaadaaadadadadaaaa)

Thanks to you who prayed for me (sana magkatrabaho na si robs para di na ko kinukulit sa chat). Yes thank you to you too (sana magkatrabaho na si robs nababaliw na sya sa bahay). And to my mom (what? hindi ka pwede umuwi! papakainin nanaman kita???) Hehehehe.

Bored bored bored

Have you ever felt like there was something missing in your life? Like everything's here but not quite? I've been feeling like this for a few days. Maybe it's the nicotine patch or I'm just bored out of my wits staying at home.

Never leave your laundry to pile up

I finally moved my ass today and did the tons of ironing left from over 3 weeks ago. I always do this until the last minute, I don't really like ironing. Geez...I feel so domesticated. So I've finally finished all the clothes. Yipee. Well, at least it kept me busy and stopped me going nuts from not having a cigarette.

How can 2 people have so much clothes????

Newcastle v. Tottenham Part II

The train trip on the way to Newcastle, even the aisles were packed full of people.

We finally arrived at Newcastle and Professor Astronomer kindly gave us directions to the stadium. One thing on my mind was what Ray told me as soon as he handed me the tickets. *Remember, Newcastle fans are a bit hardcore, so be careful.* We stopped at a pub, we had an hour to kill plus I needed to use the loo (the train was too packed to do anything). The pub was full of Newcastle fans in their customary black and white jerseys. Michael whispered *Whatever you do, don't let them know we're going to the stadium to watch the game* Right. I wanted to take a picture of the pub full of fans but my paranoia kicked in. What if they suddenly run amuck because of the flash? What if they notice the camera? Heheheh...I know it was a bit farfetched.




We headed off to the stadium. When we got to the room (I forgot the name) there were tables laid out for the companies that sponsor the tickets. We had our meal (normal buffet, with really good gravy) and then it was time for us to go. I had 3 cups of coffee and a gooey desert to keep me awake during the game. I was already woozy from lack of sleep, maybe the coffee will help. I shouldn't have worried. As soon as the game started Michael went bananas. He started cheering (loudly, ignoring Ray's insightful reminder about Newcastle fans) and I thought we were going to get bottled by the fans above us. I was wired up from the coffee and the whole time kept on going *shhh! You're going to get us killed!*



Kickoff!


That's my husband's hand...

The stadium was packed! No empty seats in sight. 57,600 fans were there, a small number up in the corner (waaaay up) were the Tottenham fans. They were flanked by police wearing reflector tops. What could they do if a riot started? I didn't want to know. At halftime we went back to the room to get our drinks and curiously (or predictably) the other people sitting beside us stayed away. Probably cause they didn't like us for cheering on Tottenham or because they didn't want to be associated with us and get killed. After our drinks we went back to the game. The men sitting in front kept on looking at Michael (menacingly) and one of them uttered something that we both didn't understand. It sounded like he wanted to get a piece of Michael after the game *Gulp*.





Tottenham lost. Darn. They were crap. Newcastle definitely deserved to win. After the last whistle, some of the Newcastle fans shook hands with my husband (he did have the guts to cheer his team on afterall, with the threat of getting maimed).


Mike at the start of the game (Hi Ray!)



and after we lost...

The trip home was uneventful. I sat beside a guy on his way home to Thailand. He got bumped off his flight, had a whole day to go before his replacement flight left for Thailand. I got into a conversation with him (he was a bit drunk and I was scared to say no) and he proceeded to show me pictures of his wife and kid. I also found out that he worked in an oil rig (Wow, I've never met someone who worked in an oil rig) Interesting! Apparently it's very hard work. His face registered it when I asked what he did at work. *It's just pure hard work...you can't imagine how hard it is.*

Afterwards I transferred seats (there was one free beside Mike, finally) and fell asleep. ZZZZZ.

It was a great day. I can't wait to see my next football match.

Resolutions...

Turning 30 has to have it's milestones...mine is growing up...and growing old-er. It's time to quit smoking *cough cough cough* before it's too late. I'll be posting at robs-is-quitting.blogspot.com. I'm sure there'll be a lot of funny moments involving the patches.

I wish, I dream, I hope, I pray

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy Winter Holidays!

EU has come up with a rule ordering all religious content in holiday greetings to be removed. All holiday greetings must be generic. Hmm...ok...here goes...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

*grin*

Newcastle v. Tottenham Part 1

I watched my first ever live football game today. I don't think I've had so many things happen to me in one single day. I didn't get any sleep the night before and at 7am I dragged myself to the shower. We took a cab to the train station as it was too cold to take the tube. The whole place was packed by the time we got there. Everyone who couldn't get a flight out went to the station to take the trains home. I was still hoping we could get seats until I saw the reserved seating tickets. All seats were reserved and there were lines at every entrance. We walked along the platform towards the end of the train and back. All entrances already had a group of people huddled together with the minimum amount of space possible before you get the urge to say *Please stop breathing my oxygen...* After getting on the train we made our way to find somewhere to stand. We ended up in the buffet cart (I don't think they knew what "buffet" meant. At least there was still a bit of space there to stand and hold on sor some sort of support.

I was standing beside the buffet cart. It stayed there the entire journey, the server didn't attempt to serve drinks. The whole place was just crammed with people those without seats blocking places where the cart could go. The couple who got the best standing only room were deep in coversation (I confess, I did listen in to the converstaion). In my weak attempt at my defense they were talking loud enough for me to be distracted from reading the paper. Right. Anyway, the guy was an astronomer on his last year at PHD. Amazing, professors really do look like the way they get described in books. Another couple from Edinburgh settled in our tiny but not yet cramped space. They joined in the conversation. Professor Astronomer just got off the plane from South Africa. He was there for work fixing a telescope in an observatory. That is amazing...a totally different world for me.

Professor Astronomer: It took us 10 days to figure out the problem and it was a simple one that we overlooked.
Edinburgh lady: What do you do exactly when you say *fix the telescope*?
Professor Astronomer: Well, we check that the coordinates are correct, program settings, magnification...
Edinburgh lady: Oh ok. I thought you guys were just like plumbers and technicians.
Professor Astronomer: What do you mean?
Edinburgh lady: I thought you just had a spanner with you and tightened some bolts.

This is going to be an interesting trip. Cool, at least I have entertainment.

The lady with Professor Astronomer worked as a tax researcher (whatchamacallit) for a bank. Basically they find loopholes in tax rules and use them to lower their tax payments. She's been with them for 6 years eversince she came to England. She is also a gemologist, mainly as a hobby but she hopes to make it full time in the future. It takes two years to complete a gemology course and she did this while working full time at the bank. By this time couple from Edinburgh had already moved on and were replaced by a couple from North Carolina. It's always interesting when you mix Brits with Americans. They typically don't get each other. Brits find Americans a bit dim. The lady and the professor were talking about their funny (another word for idiotic) experiences with Americans just before North Carolina couple came. After introductions, all four made conversation.

North Carolina lady: Wow you're an astronomer (pointing to Professor Astronomer) and you're a gemologist (to Lady Gemologist)???
PA and Lady Gemologist: Yeah
North Carolina lady: That's amazing cause back home we have this gem that actually uses the two principles!
Lady Gemologist: What's it called?
North Carolina lady: It's g something I forgot. But anyway, it goes like this. Meteor showers pass through the galaxy and the universe and as they pass through it they go through the stars. Particles in the stars stick to the meteors then the meteors fall in a crater on Earth. The people mine the crater then they use these particles to grow the gems!

At this point I had to look away when I saw Professor Astronomer's face...This is getting so good that I can actually forget about my aching feet.

Creature of habit

I can't sleep. It's been going on for 2 weeks now. Since I don't have a routine I can pretty much laze around the whole day and when it's time to sleep I just can't shut off. Tsk. I realize that there has to be structure in my days before I can get a good night's sleep. Why is it that?

On another note...Mike and I are going to watch a live football game. We're going up north to Newcastle to watch Tottenham v Newcastle. I can't wait! Thanks for the christmas present Winnie and Ray. Well it's really Mike's present but I get to tag along! Whoopee!