Day of the dead

THE oldest religion has finally been given the status of officially the newest(?) religion in this country. How refreshing after reading about the ever so boring couple of the main stream religions for eternity who only fight, wage holy war, bash gays and make women unequal. And that goes for all the big ones *shaking my head*

Pagans live by the rule: HARM NONE. Simples! Weigh all your actions before so that you won't hurt anyone with them. And the best part is that the nature that is all around us is the place of worship.

But which ever way you celebrate this time of clocks turning back, have a happy Día de los Muertos!

Strictly brilliant!

Oh my stars! Last night in Strictly Come Dancing my favorites Kara & Artem really showed why they are my favorites. They bagged three 9's and a one 10 from the judges. Effing brilliant!

October Friday

Yesterday EasyJet published their next summer 2011 flight schedules and I managed to crab two really good flight bargains before the dreaded air tax increase happens on Monday.

I will be off to Finland in July for a road trip with Heavy to visit friends and relatives and to attend a 40 year old rock festival. Then we meet again on the island of Corfu for two weeks of good life in Arillas in August. Good times!

Today is my favourite work day Friday, so there will be red vino tonight (Thank you Ang!) and life is good :)

"I know a song that will get on your nerves..."

Ad's have a way of sticking music to your head like nothing else. The last one that I find my self reluctanly singing is from the IKEA kitchens advert and it is driving me potty.

How ever, I do LOVE the other IKEA ad where the cats roam around the Wembley store and settle in comfortably where ever they fancy. Purrrfect!

Cat nap

Rainy cold day in London town but this news warmed my heart. She is called Sweet Pea and she likes nothing better than to catch 40 winks up a tree in Long Leat Safari Park. All together now: Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh........

It'z Monday

Srictly flapper!

Quality performances in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend! Sadly the legend that is Peter Shilton crashed out but what a competition it will be when it starts to get going! Can't wait!

My favorites delivered once again and here they are doing the Charleston. Good stuff!

Where you are is who you are

After reading two James Patterson books in a row during my daily tube journeys, I needed something less gruesome and slow paced. So I picked up Francis Mayes's Under The Tuscan Sun and have enjoyed her gentle descriptions of life in Italy and cooking.

But one sentence really caught my attention and got me thinking deep:

"Where you are is who you are."

How true that is actually! I am me everywhere I have been, but the different parts of personality get an outing depending on the location. At this point in my life if I have to choose who I am best and where I am best the choice is quite easy: I like me best in Arillas.

"The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave."

-Frances Mayes, Under The Tuscan Sun-

Friday

Is you CYP2E1 working?

In the news today was the article regarding the "tipsy" gene, which is a version of CYP2E1 gene.

Most of the alcohol people consume is broken down in the liver, but some is metabolised in the brain by an enzyme which the CYP2E1 gene provides coded instructions for.

I believe that my CYP2E1 is working, at least sometimes it makes me tipsy quick but sometimes I tolerate long sessions of alcohol usage. Interesting...

The totally deluded Mr Osborne

The news about government cuts are this mornings are hardly surprising. First the wan...bankers broke the system, then they greedily accepted the public tax money and went back to more or less exactly what they were doing to get this almighty recession egged on more and more on it's way. Surprised, not really...

But now Mr Osborne is giving the boot to 500,000 public sector workers, expects the disable people to get off benefits and get to work and somehow compete in the pitiful job market with the now already 1.47 million (August 2010) unemployed people in this country.

Call me a blondie but how the hell is this going to work??? It simply can't in my view and once again we are going straight to hell in hand cart with increasing speed *shaking my head*

Tax the banks and wealthy people and get the money from where the money is and don't just take it off the people who do not have it in the first place.

And that is all I got to say about that.

Bye bye Facebook!

I decided, mainly for the hell of it to leg it from the Facebook. I went ahead with deleting my account and I got an email from the admin:

"We have received a request to permanently delete your account. Your account has been deactivated from the site and will be permanently deleted within 14 days.

If you did not request to permanently delete your account, please login to Facebook to cancel this request.

Thanks,The Facebook Team"

I was tired of the advertising bombardment, people announcing trivial things about their daily lives and having to oblige friend requests from people who really are not friends at all. So if you have one friend less, that would be me ;)

It is a handy tool for remembering birthdays, but that is only thing I can think of. My real friends know where to find me, and email is a marvellous tool to send and receive information regarding happenings and events.

I am feeling strangely liberated and I can tell you it feels good :)

RANT OR ROSES?: IN A BASEMENT?

This post is borrowed from the Rant or Roses blog. I have to agree...

RANT OR ROSES?: IN A 
 BASEMENT ?
According to Andrew Marr a lot o...: "IN A   BASEMENT ? According to Andrew Marr a lot of blogges are: Let's see. Socially inadequate? Maybe. 'Hell is other people' as Jean-Pa..."

Chilean wine

Strictly quickening

Last night Strictly Come Dancing did not disappoint and there was some nifty foot work and surprising moves. My favorite couple the gorgeous East of Finland Artem Chigvintsev and Kara Tointon did what was expected and did not disappoint.




Matt Baker, Pamela Stephenson and Scott Maslen also looked brilliant and let's see what happens tonight and who leaves the competition. Good stuff!

Extreme maintenance

Today I have been mostly doing extreme maintenance in the form of clearing the gutters of our house. The biggest feat was to get the ladder high enough and then as the lightest and shortest person in the house I was elected to make the climb up and scoop the crap out. And we managed to do it without breaking my bedroom window. Good stuff!

Min took the photos and Mr S was the strong man. Here are the pictures (click on them to make them bigger) of the joint effort that tell more than a thousand words...

I haz a Fridaiiii!

Colder and greyer

The weather has turned cold and grey here in London town. Since yesterday I have been wearing my leather gloves and found them to be great. Looking at the forecast the tights will have to come out as well latest tomorrow morning, as my gammy knees have started to creak with the cold. Every little helps ;)

Work this week has felt like 3 weeks in one day for some reason and I am soooooo looking forward to the weekend. On the upside, Paris trip is creaping up slowly but surely and it is nice to have something to look forward to. But first, roll on Friday...

The Greatest Show on Earth

The greatest show on earth has been unfolding this morning. I was just watching it from the corner of my eye happen whilst applying mascara, but when the Bolivian dude (no 4) came up I did have a little cry. What an amazing feat of engineering this whole rescue operation has been and true respect to all involved!

Brighton memories

This weekend I got the big photo box out from under the bed and went through some of the old photos and got ever so nostalgic about the past, especially the Brighton years. There were pictures of Min and I cavorting around Europe, old boy friends and significant others, dead pets and dubious hair styles and clothing, not to mention a cigarette in my hand in every picture. Here are few of them. *deep sigh*

This is Nigel from Brighton whom I loved dearly but I have predictably lost all contact over the years. He was the first bloke ever to buy me a Valentines card. Good times!

This was part of Min's college project.
I can't believe how high I could jump without wardrobe malfuntion!

This is me at Brighton station on my way to somewhere.
Notice the Ivana Trump like hairdo *LOL*

Hangover day on Brighton seafront. Not looking very bright...

October Sunday in SW19

Sun came out today so I did mostly....

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Strictly from Russia with Love

Well the game is on! Strictly Come Dancing this year has more good dancers than ever and there is even room for the two left foot dancers. Last night saw a lot of improvement in some couples where as few couples kept the standard they set last week, good and bad.

Artem Chigvintsev and Kara Tointon proved themselves again to be able to dance and look gorgeous at the same time so they are now my firm favorites for this season. This East of Finland young man is just such a treat to my optic nerve that I can't get enough ;)

Other ones to watch in no particular order are Matt Baker, Pamela Stephenson and Scott Maslen, who all threw some excellent shapes around the dance floor last night. Jimi Mistry looked reasonably good as well but I don't think hen can pull the necessary tricks out of his bag to stay in the competition. Or maybe he can...

Tonight the first couple will leave and the competition gets cranked up a notch. Good stuff!

October Saturday in SW19

Nice and warm bonus weekend in October here in London town. As you can see today I have been mostly....

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I Like To Move It

Happy Friday ;)

Dreams of possible future

My friend Penny was pondering about her dreams of being a writer and living in New York in her blog and it got me thinking.

When I was younger I never had a clear picture of my future professionally or personally. But I do remember sitting in my cousin Min's attick room (approximately 9 or 11 years young or there abouts) and we thought it would be so cool to live in a shared apartment in town. As it turns out, I am indeed living in a shared house with friends in London town. Funny eh?

Another kind of dream in my teens was to marry a rockstar (Billy Idol or another 80's blonde rock singer) and live the rock'n'roll life to excess. As turns out, I work in corporate enviroment wearing a black suit and go to bed around 22.00. Not very rock'n'roll but that is just as well and I concider it a lucky escape ;)

My adult dream is more documented and I am still trying to get my head around how best to achieve it. The good news on medication today give a glimmering hope that I might actually be able to make it come true with my faculties somewhat intact ;)

We kan orderz pizza?

Moneys too tight to mention

A right old kerfuffle has happened and child benefits in this country are going to be capped. Too right in my opinion! Why should the people who earn reasonable money get the same benefit as people who are unemployed/sick (or cannot work for any other reason) and are really in need of those benefits?

These politicians have their work cut out trying to convince the public that this is a good thing. Maybe after the initial outrage the great British beneficiary receiving public (who have made a serious career of claiming benefits) will see the method behind the madness and put up and shut up. Maybe I am expecting too much? Remains to be seen...

I grew up with single mum as a sole provider for me and my Big Brother, and she really had to rely on the state benefits in Finland to survive and keep us fed and clothed on a teachers salary. This was because my news paper editor dad (who went awol when I was 3) drank all his money and gave no assistance what so ever financially during our up bringing. Where would we have been without those benefits? Does not bare thinking about really...

Blonde Island

To my delight I managed to get home yesterday the same way I got to work and this stupid strike did not bother me. Well, if the London commute ever gets too much I might apply for a job in the Blonde Island in Maldives. I would most look forward to consorting with the Blonde male pilots who fly the guests to the resort. Stupid idea? Of course it is but oh how funny ;)

Bob Crow 0 - 1 getting to work

Once again two fingers to Bob Crow and his striking cronies as I made it to work with no difficulty. Bus to Wimbledon, train to Waterloo and then a brisk 15 min walk to Covent Garden. HA!

All together now:

"Bob Crow is a w**ker, Bob Crow is a w**ker
La laa laa la hey , la laa la la hey!
Bob Crow is a w**ker, Bob Crow is a w**ker,
La laa laa la hey, la laa la la hey!"

Strictly phwarrrrr

This weekend the annual tv hulabaloo that is Strictly Come Dancing started with a two part show on Friday and Saturday.

This years uber eye candy is the gorgeous Artem Chigvintsev. As for the celebrity dancers, jury is till out who will be my favorite. Artem's partner Kara Tointon (Dawn from East Enders) is looking really good despite the falling over part in her dance. Game on!

Curtain call

Tony Curtis moved on to the big canvas in the sky yesterday. I had a humongous little girl crush on him as Danny Wilde in The Persuaders with Roger Moore. When I was little older I loved him in Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. He made numerous movies and apparently was a decent artist.

Danny Wilde:
OK, come on, give me the map, let me be the navigator.

Lord Brett Sinclair: Thank you, Daniel,
I remember the last time we went to Berlin.

Danny Wilde: So?

Lord Brett Sinclair:
We were supposed to be going to Madrid.

Danny Wilde: Well, nobody's perfect, kid!

Lord Brett Sinclair: Certainly not you.

The Persuaders 1971