Moving apartment…

Everybody knows of the hassle of moving from an apartment to another… Well it’s a nightmare and I know no one who will not agree!

So we moved apartment – we found the old one too small and too expensive. I was in charge of finding the new place – being the one who wanted most to move out.

I found one: bigger and less expensive.

The new flat is a one bedroom flat in Balham, but still walking distance from clapham south, on the ground floor and with a decked garden! A bit shabby compared to the old one but bigger, brighter and… cheaper (a little)! ahah. It was worth the move.

I can’t wait to really settle and tidy everything and find new place for my stuff. The moving was epic though, it took us 2 days or more precisely 2 evenings as it was during the week and we were both working.

First evening was horrible. We kept arguing the whole evening and moving heavy bags from the old place to the new one walking and by bus… From 6 o’clock to 11 o’clock pm. Well I did most of the work because someone refused to carry too much heavy stuff…

Fortunately a friend was there to help on the second day and we met a very nice mini-cab driver who helped us carry all the boxes and move the big stuff (i.e. coffee table, book shelves, etc.) in his boot. Really nice guy!

So there it is – we were done with the moving and now the tidying was starting. I wanted to have as much as possible done before going to China, I was obviously completely deluded. I’ve now been back for 5 days and still live in a mess of bags and cardboard everywhere… I know! But I couldn’t be bothered to tidy the mess, I’m alone home, BF doesn’t cme back from Peru before the 1st May.

PS: I know the picture doesn’t have anything to do with the topic but I particularly like this view of London, picture I took myself…

How Time Flies By!

I‘m back from China. After spending the last three days basically sleeping I went back to work this morning.

Tough.

Those last two weeks have been hectic: I moved flat, I got sick, I went to China, and now I’m back and it’s already the 20th April… Can’t be. Soon will be summer and then winter again!

I will tell you all about the trip to China later. Now I’m off playing the Sims

Happy birthday!!

I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself. Not only I’m still posting to this blog very regularly, but it has been so for 1 YEAR!!! It’s my blog’s first birthday. I’m getting all emotional inside right now, but I’m proud and happy and wish this blog years and years of prosperity.

Yay me!

1 year in figures:

50 posts
8 categories
103 tags
21 comments
21 spams

3 Top Posts are:

Looking for the best excuse: “pull the perfect sickie” - Not very surprising, isn’t it?

Recipe 1: Crêpes* – My best success in the kitchen: crepes and waffles!

New Google Street View application – surfing on the actuality is what a good blog should do! (“a bit pretentious” you say? I say “yes, you’re right but it’s my Birthday!”)

So if I understand well, my average reader is a lazy work dodger, who eats crepes while spying on his / her neighbours. Ah, it’s always good to know. Now in a next post I could put all three concepts together and this will be a real hit!

Search engine terms used to arrive to my blog: obviously in relation with the Top Posts, it does make sense, so far.

A good year all in all!

Search	Views
something about london	108
crepe receipe	36
crepes receipe	26
google’s new street view application	20
biz speak	19
street view application	19
recipe for crepes	19
google street view application	18
sicky excuses	16
paris hilton	14
sickie excuses	12
there is something about london	11 – This would be my mother
google street application	10
pulling a sickie excuses	10

Friday forever

I am gazing into the emptiness, this day is lasting forever! It’s Friday, 15h24, the phone has been silent for the last 5 hours and I have been looking at my spreadsheet for the last 3hours. The phone rang; it is one of the directors’ wife. I want to go home!

To keep myself busy and my hangover at bay, I’ve just started a small translation work: write a letter in French. Pfffiu I’m already exhausted at the thought of it. Today will never end.

New Google Street View application

I want to hear your opinion:

Yesterday Google and the launch of its new application, Google Street London, was making the headlines of every national newspaper.

Today it appears that some area of London will be blanked out over fears for privacy breach. Allegedly the face of a man walking out from a sex shop has been recognised.

What do you think? I personnally had quite a bit of fun trying to locate my sister’s apartment in Paris, but I guess wrong-doers can always find a much  dodgier use to this otherwise really cool application.

Please feel free to tell me what you think, I’ll put the results together and publish it in a next post.

Check out the link on bbc.co.uk: Google View snapshots of people’s everyday life and their surprise and comments at finding themselves on Google Street.

Business Trip

Tomorrow i’m off to Switzerland until Tuesday evening. We are to expect fresh snow and good weather, and accommodation in a 5-star hotel.

It is hard to remember that I will be working about 16 hours a day for the next 4 days- “Have fun!” said my boss. Hmm.. tough one. She probably means enjoy the skiing. That I will do!! No obligation to chat and make conversation to anyone while sliding down the slopes. I am dreading meal time though. I hope nobody will have any crazy requests.

It actually started already, one person asked if there were any way to watch Chelsea v Liverpool on Sunday afternoon – unbelievable! Well I don’t think it is possible, so problem solved!

Ok, well, have to pack now… Chusss!

“Shoop, shoop, shoop…”

New Year, New things

I know 2009 has already started for 3 weeks or more, but yet it’s still time to wish everybody a very Happy New Year 2009!

So what’s different in 2009?

First of all, I didn’t get drunk on New Year’s Eve, and that is a sure sign of growing up. I did have a very nice evening though, amazing food, nice conversation, good wine, small presents to exchange – very adult, very pleasant. So why am I nostalgic of my boozy New Year’s Eves?? Is 2009 meant to be they year of maturity then? Who knows when it’s ones time to grow up.

Even though I am now working and supposed to be an expert at communications, while socialising, entertaining clients, or during meetings, I still find it very hard to shake off the shy teenager who is not allowed to interrupt the adults talking. I definitely don’t feel like one yet but again, what’s the definition of adulthood?

The first half of January was pretty tough, very depressing work-wise, money-wise and personal-wise. According to the newspapers that was a shared feeling among the UK population. It is always good to know you’re not the only one feeling crap!

And then it started getting better.

In January, my favourite activity is to start planning all my breaks and holidays ahead. I did quite a good job so far. In January you have the whole year ahead to plan romantic getaways, exotic holidays, to visit friends and new cities. Bath, South West of France, Beijing, Dublin?, Portugal?, Brittany – I need more ideas as I have more days to take. I am opened to any suggestions, especially sun destinations.
January is also the month when you take so-called “life-changing” decisions, such as: sign up to a gym, lose weight, take Italian classes, move house, write a book… some sensible, some very optimistic – anything to keep you going.

And then January is also when the Depression was first evoked – what a big word!! It is now on every body’s lips and even though we cannot say it came as a surprised! Recession / depression, abstract words with very tangible consequences. In the Telegraph last week: “Take a pay cut or lose your job!” is now a reality for numerous employees; unemployment rate in London is frightfully high and all we can do is just keep working, do the job as good as possible, bow the head and pray not to be laid off! Welcome to 2009 guys, and think what you will tell your children / grand-children when times are better – hopefully we are going to make it through, and build a stronger world, even fairer maybe!

Merry Christmas!!

I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Aquatic Eulogy

Please say goodbye to Horatio. He finally joined Padraig in Goldfish Heaven after three days spent in a painful agony. I was sad, but I’m sure he is much better where he is now.

I didn’t forget brave Horatio and pretty Padraig but after a few weeks, it was time to introduce Fyero to new goldfish.

It was for his own good.

Hence came Sergio (a completely white goldfish) and Harry (orange with large white spots), a bridge and a plastic aquatic plant. The first couple of days were tough for Fyero and he rejected both Sergio and Harry and spent his time hiding under the bridge.

Now a couple of weeks later the three of them get on very well together and everything is for the best in their tank-house.

Edit for the little curious: Horatio was named after Lieutenant Horatio Caine from CSI Miami. Padraig was named after Padraig Harrington, an Irish golfer. Fyero is named after the male love interest in the musical Wicked.

Sergio is named after Sergio Garcia, a Spanish golfer and Harry, well it’s a long story. I wanted to name my new orange goldfish: O’Hara – like Ronan O’Hara, an Irish rugby player I like. But I was absolutely forbidden to do so. As, somehow O’Hara reminds me of Prince Harry, the fish just became Harry – officially.

Here is my story: Chapter 3 – Office Christmas Party

I finally came back safe from Switzerland last Wednesday and directly from City Airport to work.

Parenthesis: I absolutely loved flying to City Airport. It was my first time. Then we rode the DLR at the very front, just beside the “driver”, and that was even better.

On Thursday then was our office Christmas Party – sorry: Christmas Lunch although it started at 3.30pm. Well, let’s just say I came back home at 3.30am and called sick on the following morning. No need for more details: my Mum is reading this blog…

I spent a miserable Friday and felt very fragile until about 6pm… I watched TV: Arabesque, the show with Dick Van Dyke as a Doctor and his son as a Detective, Charmed (2 episodes!). I absolutely adore Arabesque, I used to watch it with my grandmother. And she probably still watches it! This and Morse.

Saturday morning I woke up much too early for a Saturday, to go Christmas shopping. It rained the whole day through, it was great! Streets and shops were relatively empty and this time nobody pushed me and/or called me names, which was a serious improvement. But then I had to get ready for the … Christmas Ball

Said like that it sounds great, doesn’t it?

First, BF had completely forgotten about it despite my numerous reminders - but big mistake not in the last three days before the event unfortunately, and he had also forgotten about a very little detail: he had to wear/rent a tux. So while I was trying to figure out if it was better for me to put the dress first (long dress!) or do my hair first and what about the make up, BF went to get his tux. Miraculously he got one.

But we’ve hardly sorted one problem that another one raises: is it really sensible to wear a long dress in the Tube? especially when we have an hour and a half journey and 2 changes? The answer is NO. And what about my hair and my make up?

Too much thinking, we were already late so I did my hair, I put on my make up and packed the dress in a bag – almost forgot the shoes by the way!

In the bag I probably had enough different stuff to face any more alea. I had a hair brush with loads of hair-clips and hair bands and hairspray for hair emergency. I also had my complete pouch of make up: mascara, black and brown pencil, 3 types of brown eye shadows for make up emergency. I also had a toothbrush and deodorant. I was prepared

Obviously I didn’t use any of these, everything was perfect, the evening was perfect.

Before finishing up this third – and last chapter (for the moment only) of the story of my life I would like to submit a petition: everybody who wants to enforce the wearing of tuxedo for men at random occasions, please leave a comment. I vote for the tuxedo being mandatory at least once a month!!

Thank you.