monkeytravel

Blogging Again

2008-04-18T09:55:00.001Z

Well, Haven't blogged for a long time .... years now I think, but the
time is right to start again. What better way to start than to announce
that myself an Helen will be running the BUPA great south !. I'll be
running in aid of cancer research and Hels for the firefighters charity.
Both worthy causes I'm sure you'll agree.

More details to follow, including progress along the journey!

Glastonbury – Part 1, Survival and Summery

2007-06-25T19:30:00.000Z

As is perhaps tradition, Glastonbury was wet again this year. Back after
a two year break the festival took up its showpiece position as the king
of the festival circuit. However this year will probably be remembered
as one of, if not the wettest on record. This is of course irrespective
of the efforts of those that rocked the show, and believe me some really
did rock!. Nevertheless it was tormentingly wet, unrelentingly muddy and
increasingly claustrophobic, especially for an ageing festivalite like
me. But the burning question arises, did I enjoy this years adventure in
the fields of Somerset as much as previous years, especially as Hels
failed to make it at the last minute?.

The answer to this was initially a tough one, since as I left site I
wasn't really sure if I'd had a good time or not. This may seem like a
strange statement, but let me elaborate. I arrived in the rain, I left
in the rain, I sat in the rain and mud for several days … so spirits
were a little low. The festival food also took its toll on me, giving me
the worst case of festival belly I've ever encountered, which again
kicked me sideways into next week (and for once I can't put this down to
ale!). So when it's cold, wet, miserably and your food is reappearing
from both ends at mac 3 is it possibly to have a good time?. Well the
answer is yes, and hindsight allows me see why. Yes my apathy is driven
by the conditions and sickness, but really this is a just a sideline.
The real answer is a lot simpler; I just wasn't properly prepared for
the Glastonbury this year. It's as simple as that!.

Now, by not prepared I don't mean I lacked wellies, a tent or proper
sleeping bag … Nope I mean I'd not done my homework. I had simply failed
to spend the time to research who were playing – thereby identifying
bands who should be the focus of attention, and which gem would reward
my efforts. Let me give you an example, in 2004 I spent weeks following
the press, radio 1, borrowing and buying cd's looking for what was hot
etc prior to festival weekend. That year I was reward with amongst
others The Killers on the John Peel tent, who have since gone on to
great things – including a fantastic/amazing headline set on the Pyramid
stage this year. Sure I could just turn up wonder round, focusing on
headline acts, which I did. But this kind of miss's the point a little
especially as it proved so bloody difficult to get around site this
year. The point is Glastonbury is in my opinion a voyage of discovery
which starts before the gates even open and I simply failed to realise
that this year. So what is the message here, did I miss something?.
Well, a little yes and there are lots of excuses for this. My MBA hardly
leaves me any free time to relax let alone anything else. The bloody
exams finished only two weeks before Glasto, and the fact I commute to
Copenhagen to work every week must also become a facture. But the real
observation is that my life is just plainly shit out of kilter!. So the
Glastonbury voyage this year was a different one, and one that is
probably as valuable as the chance to see the bands I did see.

So, yes with hindsight I did have a good time, despite the weather etc.
So thanks to those that I went with, those also in the crowd, as well as
those who didn't make it in the end!. The value of Glastonbury for me
this is year is that I need to actively do something to get my life back
into some form of balance. For this reason alone, the wakeup call, the
festival was worth it. However, all that said I did manage to catch some
great bands, artists and comedians, as well as see one of my friends
dressed a horse. More of all this in part two!

So come rain or shine, Glastonbury is still the king of festivals
…..

Congrats

2007-01-18T13:25:00.000Z

Congratulations to Helen, she's now passed all the pre req's to join the
fire brigade. I believe she's in the training hot seat from May ... I
must confess to wondering if they have uniforms in stock for little
people?...

Anyways congratulations and the best of luck firefighter Helen

Snow Patrol

2006-11-30T12:37:00.000Z

Hel's and I hit the wilds of Brum on Tuesday night to catch Snow Patrol
@ the NIA. On the plus side the band were fantastic, played all the
favourites as far as I am concerned. The downside, if there is one, is
that the NIA is far to big for a band like Snow Patrol. The gig, whilst
good lacked some 'atmosphere' due to the shear size of the location.
This I don't think was helped by the fact that the 'standing' area was
limited, and to be honest looked half empty!. I was also surprised to
see people leaving before the oncore, old people concerned about missing
the last bus I'd guess!.

Negatives aside, I really enjoyed the gig and look forward to seeing
them again. Next on the gig super highway is My Chemical Romance!.

MBA

2006-11-01T19:33:00.000Z

Hey Good news today, I've passed the first 3rd of my MBA. Still a long
way to go, but a large chunk now behind me!

MI6 operative truth or fiction?

2006-09-19T08:47:00.000Z

I've just been reading the blog of a former MI6 operative .... Very interesting stuff. However, I think you have to take this sort of stuff with a pinch of salt. You know in a way the chap needs to make a living, but in trying to do so is he enriching his stories?. I don't know, and sure we'll never know ... But I'm sure he signed the official secrets act for a reason!

another bloody essay

2006-08-11T16:02:00.000Z

You know I could have sworn a few years ago I was never going to write
another essay. Well here I am doing just that all over again. Good news
is the latest one is done and dusted ... only another 6 more to do :)

CISSP

2006-08-08T07:37:00.000Z

I've not blogged for what seems to be an age, what with my various
studies I've just not had time (well thats my excuse anyway). So I thought I
endevour to try again, and what better way than with some good news.

I've passed the CISSP*, which I can honestly say was one of the toughest
things I've ever done. So its well done me!

*CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional,

Rome

2006-04-26T14:23:00.000Z

Well not blogged for a while, so thought it was about time for an
update. I then realised that I've far to much to be getting on with, so
the update will be very short...... I'm going to Rome tomorrow! ...

Super League returns, as does the Olympics

2006-02-10T17:55:00.000Z

Today is the first day of the super league season, bring on the rugby
league!. It also marks the return of Castleford to top flight rugby
..... good to see them back!. I must confess to being keen to see how
Leeds go with there new and improved squad.

Also its the start of the winter Olympics, so sport overload on tv. You
can guess then what I'm going to be doing for the next few weeks,
drinking beers and watching sport!

ps ... Good luck to Scotland as they try to maintain the momentum, I
think they can turn over the welsh!

Its my birthday

2006-01-29T22:01:00.000Z

Its my birthday today, I'm the grand old age of 31. Both my parents and
my brother have been staying with me, which has been very nice - good to
have company. A full update of activities to follow ....

Anyways, I'm the proud owner of a new microwave!

20 days

2006-01-20T16:46:00.000Z

Well done me ... its now been 20 days since I've had a beer!!!!.
Think that deserves a pat on the back!

Magic Numbers

2006-01-14T11:31:00.000Z

Yeah! the Magic Numbers CD arrived in the post today ... There kind of
Deacon Blue meets Beautiful South ......... which probably doesn't do
them justice. But back to the point, the cd is fantastic!

Also got the Strokes new album ... will report back when I've listen to it!

nearly two weeks

2006-01-12T20:32:00.000Z

Its fast approaching two weeks since I've had a drink, and to be honest not really missing it at the moment. It was actually quite strange to wake up over the weekend without a hangover ... but all good!.

On another note, it my birthday soon... Yeah!. Not going to say how old I am, other than to say its another year older :). I've also been reviewing the remainder of my climbing gear, with a view to the next trip (probably to the Atlas Mountains). As a result figured out the only thing I don't have is a suitable insulation layer (the Berguas down jacket I've got won't cut the mustard) to compliment the wind proof my brother got me for xmas. Therefore , I want to get myself a Rab Photon Smock (black, size large!). Fingers crossed someone will give me some money for the old birthday by way of a contribution :)

ps I could also do with some Clinique M lotion if anyone is reading (or feeling generous)

weekend

2006-01-12T13:33:00.000Z

The drink free life, well, it continues .... 9 days now without a drop.
On paper this would appear to be an ideal cost saving prospect, however
I went shopping in the sales in Saturday and spent the weekends beer
money. I bought a) a new suit from Ted Baker, b) some new shoes (sound
like such a girl) c) a new book (learning to breath - a story of a first
ascent in Nepal) and d) a shiny new juicer!

The juicer is great, I made some apple and carrot juice when I gone home
from the shops .... how much of an energy buzz?, was practically
climbing the walls afterwards :). Anyways, this I feel will contribute
significantly to the health drive. Hopefully this will help me finally
suppress what seems to be a never ending cold.

Sunday went out to lunch with a friend after I'd finished my MBA
homework. That was nice, then trotted off to Leeds ... so there you go,
my weekend, gone in a flash!.

ps Finally watched Layer Cake all the way through, great film!!!!

GoPod

2006-01-11T21:44:00.000Z

A friend today sent on a link today to GoPod .... Which appears pretty cool. By all accounts IPods in the EU have a soft coded limit to the volume (something to do with health and safety). I didn't know this!. Anyways, GoPod once downloaded give you the ability to remove this limit!.

So crack on, have your Itunes, or Podcast's well, just about as loud as you like!

ps don't blame me if you go deaf!!!

Good News

2006-01-11T17:04:00.000Z

Good news at work today, finally had my work place indicator changed to
be fully mobile. What does this mean, well nothing to anyone outside of
the company ... but quite a lot for me!. Realistically it means I'm now
officially mobile and based at home, with the option to work anywhere
(something I've be doing for a while already). This ultimately gives me
options to look at where I choose to live and work in the future, again
something that I've been thinking about for sometime now. Its really
good news for me, as I can now officially work from anywhere with broadband!

So it looks all change for me in the new year!. As I say, I've have been
thinking about some changes for a while. This may mean I move closer to
the family at some stage, but we'll see!.

Kilimanjaro

2006-01-05T18:10:00.000Z

On the subject of climbing, I was reading the BBC new website today and seems tragedy has struck on Kilimanjaro. No one likes to hear of lost lives, but it appears 3 fellow climbers lost theirs on the mountain today. Apparently bad weather caused a rock slide, killing the climbers below.

As I was only there 3 months ago, my thoughts go out to the families of those lost ....

cutting the rope

2006-01-05T13:03:00.000Z

I've been reading 'Touching the Void' over the last few weeks, so was
pleasantly surprised to see the film version on TV again last week. To
my surprise I really enjoyed it, as it was more of a documentary than
anything else (I was expecting Hollywood glitz and someone like
Sylvester Stallone trying to look all macho!). It was even better timing
in a way, as I went to see a talk presented by Simon Yates in Oxford a
little before Christmas. Simon is a very good speaker, funny and full of
vigor for climbing. Whats more amazing is the lite he makes of cutting
the rope. Anyways, that aside as a climber both the book and film raise
some interesting questions - namely would you, or would you not 'cut the
rope' to in a bid to stay alive?.

This is a question I've thought about a few times, and probably more
recently than I have done for a while. And well if I'm honest I don't
know the answer. Climbing (and all outdoor pursuits) are in many
respects very sociable, but are also inherently dangerous - perhaps the
reason why people participate?. But more importantly they promote
teamwork, and controlled determination. On the other hand mountaineering
is arguably far more selfish in nature, its less about the journey and
more about whats accomplished (reaching the top). So I guess given that
as a backdrop the answer becomes simple, in your pursuit to achieve you
will do whatever it takes - or will you?. Me, well I still don't know,
and fingers crossed I am never faced with the choice.

Sin City

2006-01-03T22:21:00.000Z

My friend and I just watched the film Sin City. Maybe I'm missing
something terribly important, intellectual even.... but its s**te. It is
just plain rubbish!. Can someone explain what the hell its supposed to
be about... because, well I'm clueless!.

All over for another year

2006-01-03T17:00:00.000Z

Its all over, at least for another year. Yep Christmas and new years has
once again come to an end. I spent Christmas at home with the folks in
Leeds trying to catch up with some rest was the plan. I slept loads, as
to if this was more related to the fact I partied too hard, or was just
because I had a cold, well not sure .... but boy did I sleep. Anyways,
it was a surreal occasion, more due to the absence of my older brother
(who's still in Iraq) than anything else. Does seem strange to have
Christmas without him ....

Anyways, pre Christmas eve was dinner with the folk (in lou of big bro's
birthday - happy birthday bro!). Christmas eve itself was spent in the
pub in Bramley, and crap nightclub in Leeds. It was a good night though,
good to catch up with my mates.

Christmas day itself was spent at my aunties, drinking far to much as it
turned out - which probably explained some rather random behavior on my
part. I did however spend quite a long time playing with my little
cousin and all his new toys.... Not sure he found the JCB stuff as fun
as I did, but nevermind. :)

Due to the aforementioned over indulgence in beer I missed the boxing
day clash at Headingly, stayed in bed. I then stayed off the ale, so the
first beer I had was new years. New year again was perhaps a party too
far I feel. Simon, Chris, Leander, Daina and Angie popped down from
Leeds, so had a full house. Midnight was spent in Mumbia Blue (which was
good) after a few in the fox and then Slug. It was then onto to John and
Debbie's annual Canal House party.... thanks to them for agreeing to let
myself and my friends gatecrash. Hopefully no one disgraced themselves
to much (myself specifically). The gang went home around 3ish on new
years day, and me, well surprise, surprise I went to sleep .... again!
(been doing a lot of that recently). So there we are bang up to date!

As its now January, its annual off the beer time!. So from now until at
least my birthday in 26 days time, its no beer for me!. I think my body
might like me again then :)

Picasa

2005-12-20T11:52:00.000Z

Downloaded Picasa yesterday, under the advise of one of the chaps from work (thanks Russ!). Initially all I wanted to do was created a screen savers for my parents new PC from some pictures my brother gave me of his holidays (he's not coming home for xmas so thought would be a nice touch).

Well, anyways, I'm very pleased and dare I say surprised with the capabilities of Picasa. I think its fantastic!. It takes the indexing and clever location finding functions of google desktop and mix's them with some of the neat functions of photoshop, all for free!.

Well worth a play, if like me you've lots of holiday snaps from distant shores....

Editors

2005-12-18T16:51:00.000Z

Jumping on the band wagon as I am, finally got round to buying the
'Editors' cd yesterday. 'The Black Room', in my humble opinion is
fantastic.... a dead cert for the Ipod play list over the coming months.

The Editors are kinda reminiscent of the high speed, guitar orientated
India that's doing the rounds at the moments. This places them firmly in
the same arena as Hard Fi, Kaiser Chiefs, and Kasabian. Unlike some of
the aforementioned the boys hail from middle england, which includes
Stroud no less!. Anyways now based in Brum, after at spell at Stafford
Uni its good to support local talent.

ps ... on the Ipod front. The Ipod mini I have is getting far more of a
hammering now I'm taking it running. Helps the motivation on these cold
nights I'm finding. As a result the average 5 miles I've been doing now
simply while away :).

Work

2005-12-01T18:09:00.000Z

Its that time of year to grumble about work ... if I'm really honest
I'm fed up!. I suppose I should consider myself grateful to have a job
given the upheavals this years, but I don't really. If anything my
career has come full circle again, and I'm now doing little more than I
was a year ago, only under less advantageous conditions. So really,
nothing but a giant leap backwards in my view.

Whilst I have to be sensitive to the needs of the business (as my salary
pays my mortgage), its frustrating to say the least. I've always tried
hard to push the envelope of were I am, push the comfort zone if you
like. The rationale being that by doing so it will thereby lead to
hopefully a degree of advancement. But, when that advancement is, and
has become cyclical in nature it hard to motivate myself to bother.

As an example, I've started to study for an MBA, the challenge to me at
the moment is not the study itself (although am sure this will be a
challenge at some stage), its more around finding a true application for
anything I learn. Its therefore making me ask why am I investing the
time and effort, equally why is someone else investing, as its currently
obvious little practical benefit will be felt.

In addition, I, like many of my peers are feeling the inequity of
work/life balance. The pendulum has swing truly in the favor of work,
and I can't honestly see this changing. The result is increased stress,
which I guess raises the question how long will I absorb this inequality?.

Ah well, I guess I am like thousands of other people, thoroughly p**d
off at work. Not sure I have an answer, but one to think about. Watch
this space ....

Its that time of year!

2005-11-18T15:55:00.000Z

Well its that time of year were colds and bugs spread like wild fire.
Whilst I can't complaining of having bird flu just yet, I do feel bloody
terrible!. For those girls out there, no this is not man flu - this is
the genuine article. Therefore sympathy is clearly expected.

I'm going back to bed! Not happy, not happy at all.

A little trip to spain

2005-11-13T19:36:00.000Z

After lots of deep and considered thinking (unusual for me I know),
I finally decided to accept my place on the work sponsored MBA program.
As a result, I found myself in Spain this weekend attending the 'kick
off' session. The session itself was held in a small and very pretty
town (although didn't get to see much of it) called El Escorial, roughly
around 50km from Madrid.

I must say, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the session. I've
what can only be described as an over developed degree of blatant
disregard for management theory, and as a result am usually quite
condescending toward sessions that include it. This is perhaps
surprising given that this will be the cornerstone of my studies, but
herein lies the interest for me - the opportunity to be critical!.
Anyways, thats somethings for a another day, suffice to say I had a
informative and enjoyable time getting to know other member's of the
program. This culminated in lots of group work, with members
of my 'learning team'. Its of great pleasure to me that this consists of a
diverse European group, with Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland,
Portugal, Belgium and Austria all represented. So all looks good moving
forward!

So its all go from here, the 'real' work starts in earnest next week!.

ps having had some 'down time' to relax in the hotel this evening, 3
things have occurred to me:

1. Henley Management College has been ranked 27th in the world for MBA's
(not bad eh)

2. Its a little over a year since I handed in the last of my Criminology
course work - my Masters 'Dissertation'!. After which I believe I swore I
would never again do anything remotely approaching academia (the 9
months of pain this caused can never be underestimated). Yet here I am
again!!!!. Am I mad?

3. It was about this time a year ago I was fortunate enough to be a
guest as AJ and Iciar's wedding @ Sanctuary of El Henar, Cuellar here in
Spain (apologies if you read this, that I can't remember the exact
date). So here's a well over due happy anniversary (my guess is this is
late!).

Would you know it, tax man generosity?

2005-10-22T18:20:00.000Z

Would you know it, the tax man is in fact a generous man!. This I know,
as he kindly gave me a rebate yesterday ... OK, so its not a massive
sum, and I'll not be retiring on it. But its better in my pocket than in
the coffers of the treasury ...

Happy today I am :)

weekend

2005-10-17T13:11:00.000Z

What a messy weekend this last one was. Lots of options were open to
me for a change, all of which included vast quantity's of alcohol. I
decided in the end to venture home, to watch Leeds play in the Super
League grand final at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, they lost, but the
day was so chaotic I've still a hangover today.

The downside of course is that in order to watch the lads play I had to
forgo a night on the tiles in Leamington in celebration of John H's
birthday. So happy birthday John, hope you have a good one!

Serenity

2005-10-14T09:15:00.000Z

Myself and a few past and present member's of the 'firm' took the opportunity last night to go and see Serenity.

Its a spin off from a sci-fi tv series called firefly, which to be honest I'd never seen. However, to say I'm not really into space/scifi type things (just a little to geeky for me), I really enjoyed it. There was an evident element of whit in the production, which you just don't get in star-trek .... so all in all was pleasantly surprised. Worth the price of the ticket and I might now watch the series rerun on the Sci-fi channel.

Might add, went to pizzahut before hand, had a veggia 'hot one' which was anything but hot ... nevermind.

MBA

2005-10-02T19:54:00.000Z

You know an MBA is not something I ever really considered, that is with
any great seriousness anyway. This is probably especially true if you
view that my 'academic' background is in social sciences (sports
Science and Criminology) rather than anything business orientated. Sure,
I've an Msc, so pretty confident I've the required academic acumen to
complete, but thats probably only part of the question.

So therefore before I ventured off on holiday I was surprised to be
offered the opportunity to 'apply' for our corporate MBA program,
(sponsored by work), I was even more surprised to come back, to find a
confirmed place awaiting me. To be honest at the back of my mind I only
really agreed to apply based on my own assumption I wouldn't be
successful. So a quandary now arises, do I really want to go down this
route?. The clear plus side is its free, its regarded quite highly I
guess and probably will do lots to accelerate my career. Downside, lots
and lots of work - especially as its an area in which I've little or no
background. Sure, I studied economics as part of my first degree, but
this is long forgotten and was only done in a pathetic attempt to make
my degree appear less Micky Mouse to prospective employers.

So what do I do?, this is the question to ask myself. The prospect of
the challenge interests me, especially as I'm bound to learn something
new. On the other hand, do I really want to pursue all that study again
.... the quandary, any thoughts anyone?

Grand Final

2005-10-01T12:30:00.000Z

Leeds achieved what it has to be said no one expected last night, and
booked a place in the Rugby League Grand final. Old Trafford is in there
sights for the second successive year, as they aim to defend the
champions tag.

It was a great game last night, as Saints very nearly snatched a win the
dieing seconds. Who'll we'll play is open for grabs, with Saints, Hull
and Bradford still in the running. My money is on Bradford, as the
current form team. Eitherway, its another big day out in store for me
and the boys - tickets have been secured ....

grass roots footie

2005-09-24T20:26:00.000Z

Fresh from a good nights sleep, I took the opportunity to go and watch some grass roots footie this afternoon. I joined John, Debbie, Steve, and Steve @ the new 'windmill' home of 'the brakes' (Leamington Town) as they battled to progress in the FA cup. Sadly for them, a draw was all
that could be mustered on this outing, so the road to Wembly continues. Fun afternoon in the sun all the same...

On the downside, I've been feeling gradually worse today as the days progressed. Hopefully this is nothing more than jet lag and a cold, and not the hints of something worse (malaria) coming my way.

Summit Again :)

2005-09-18T13:40:00.000Z

Jambo,

Quick update, just to let you know I summited Mt Kiliminjaro (a little under 6000m) at 8.45am on Friday. We were blessed with fantastic sunshine as dawn broke, however the wind gusted to about 35mph with a wind chill of about -30. Suffice to say it was cold.....

Its probably the toughest thing I've done to press, and I'll be posting some pics as soon as I get back. Being at the roof of Africa really was an amazing experience. I'm chilling now in Zanzibar until I come home at the end of the week. Gotta dash a beer is calling me :)

Mt Kenya

2005-09-11T05:59:00.000Z

Jambo!

Good news!. @ approx 6.45am (4.45 gmt) on Friday, in the middle of a manic snow storm I (and the team) sucessfully summited mount kenya (5000m). The guides told us it was the first time in years the mountain had been snow covered in september, but I can tell you it was bloody cold!. I'd like to tell you the view was fantastic from the top, but visibility was down to 2 meters, so could see nowt .... so trust me I wasn't sticking around.

So thats Africa's second highest mountain 'bagged', time to move on to number one. Kenya was only ever a training run anyways, so mount killiminjaro here we come. Hope however, that the weather will hold a little better, as kenya in the dry season is anything but dry!.

No ill health to report with the exception of cronic tooth ache, but there's no way I'm hitting a local dentist :) .... hope to see you soon .... laters!

Africa here we go!

2005-09-01T16:33:00.000Z

Well its here, Africa here I (and my friend Rosie) come, I can't wait.
You know I think I'm ready, fitness is on the whole good, despite the
fact I've had a hangover all week. I'm still carrying a little extra
weight right now which was the plan, so have a some spare to loose!.
Better than weight watchers this hill climbing lark!. Oh and to top
things off me thinks I've now had every drug known to man. So the
preparation is over, African mountains here I come.

Not sure what updates will be like, but I'll try and make some.....
Watch this space :)

Wales

2005-08-25T19:17:00.000Z

The weekend see's a trip to Wales on the cards ... Cardiff to be exact.
Now I've been before, but only for the day so I'm looking forward to the
opportunity to test the night life. The main reason for going however,
is that Leeds made the final of the Challenge Cup. Fingers crossed for
the Rhino's as they take on Hull ..... it should be a cake walk!.

So me, 8 of my mates from back home, a tent (yes we're camping) are
making the trip tomorrow. I suspect it could get messy!. But hey ho ...
only young after all.

Its been a while!

2005-08-22T21:40:00.000Z

OK so its been a while since I've posted an update, so given that I'm
away to Africa next week I figured its time to catch up. So what's
Monkey been up to?.

Well lots of things really, came back from Oz (highlights and pictures
to follow) .... got dispatched to London with work (narrowly missing
terrorist activities), celebrated a couple of birthdays and a wedding.
Not to mention the odd trip back to Leeds, brief interludes with girls,
a kiss and cuddle here and there ... Oh and a beer or two!

So basically, work, wine, women and song - brings you bang up to date.
However, the good news is the fitness level is still high. Putting
myself 'through the mill' the other day indicated I'm only about 5% off
target .... which I should be able to make up in the 10 days or so I've
got till I leave ... Bring on the mountains :)

Glastonbury survival ….. Finally recovered!

2005-07-04T22:37:00.000Z

Fresh from the long trip back from the southern hemisphere, and with no real time to get over jet lag Tom and Abbi picked me up bright and early …. This marked the beginning of our annual pilgrimage to the fields of Glastonbury (although this year John H was a no show due to wedding commitments). For once I was ready on time, however I venture this was due more to the fact that my body was still running in a different time zone. Anyways, after what seemed an age of horrendous traffic, we arrived safe and sound ….to be greeted with a glorious sunny day, a perfect day for camping I would venture. Oh how things would change! Glastonbury Thursday is traditionally a simple day – have a toby around and enjoy the sun chilling with a beer is for many the plan. I must make a special mention to Tim who did a sterling job in securing a great site to camp, complete with enough room for gazebo (style or what?) and bonfire …. And more importantly it was @ the top of a hill – nice one mate thanks! Anyways a little vodka, some beers and a trip to lost vagueness were Thursday highlights … little did I expect what was to come next when I snuggled up in the old sleeping bag, full of expectation for the Friday music.

Anyways I awoke very earlier Friday morning, thinking I was dreaming … the noise was so bad it was like being in a war zone. Now rain is something of a tradition in the fields of Pilton … but this was something else, never have I seen rain like this outside of the fields of South East Asia, it was mental!. I went back to sleep, confident the rain would stop, Oh how wrong I would be. You know one of the key laws of camping is that whenever you have a need for the bathroom in the middle of the night, the law of averages state that it will be a) miles away, b) raining and c) cold. None of which is really that much of a big deal, however braving the long drops in the middle of a lightning storm is an experience all of its own … Thankfully its one I survived with nothing more than a good soaking, I’m led to believe however some poor chap got struck by lightning whilst in mid flow – all I can say is ouch!

Well that rain, it kept a coming, much to some peoples misfortune … the news pictures of tents floating away we not an exaggeration I can assure you. Key Glastonbury spirit, which means more cider and an opportunity for the ‘prepared’ to show off – I mean who thinks to bring a canoe with you to a festival? …. A glastonbury goer that’s who. It’s with no exaggeration that next year my kit will contain a tent, a sleeping bag, a wetsuit and a life jacket …. Be prepared is what I say. 1pm rain stops, electricity regained queue music – after all that’s why we’d gathered there. I tell you, what’s a little rain, mud and synchronised swimming between friends?. Bands / acts that rocked Friday included The Thrills, The undertones, The Zutons, Steve Earle and The others. However, seminal moment of the day goes to the Doves who were awesome, ‘Black and White Town’ was the real set highlight. That said … stars of Friday were The Killers, they simply ‘rocked’. Having seen then last year in the John Peel tent (as its now called) I was expecting big things and I along with thousands of other people were not disappointed – Mr Brightside brought the crowd to its knees as people simple forgot about the mud.

Saturday saw the sun come out, Oh and poor me over do it a little with the cider….. not a new phenomenon for anyone that’s ever been to a festival with me. The good news is that a) I didn’t role over the edge until after the last band b) I managed a few hours in lost vagueness first, c) I saw the whole of Coldplay and d) I didn’t find myself dancing like a loon to the stereo of the local ice cream van, convinced it was the sound of some superstar DJ, when in fact it was nothing more ‘hip’ than really loud Chaz and Dave. Anyways Saturday highlights included a band called Lunaloop that someone randomly suggested I see whilst in Oz (they really are from Bondi). Kaiser Chiefs, The Levellers (yes I saw them), Ash, Timo Mass and Keane all rocked. The Subways deserve a special shout… That said the out and out stays of the show were Coldplay – just amazing… one downside however is Chris Martins constant need to whiter on about politics – I’m capable of making my mind up about such things on my own thanks!

Sunday …. Here comes the sun – blistering hot, so hot in fact I started to winge about getting burnt; now there’s gratitude eh? James Blunt was very good, not usually something I would listen to but am now a convert – although this might have something to do with the fact that one track of his was all of the show all weekend. Jools Holland was also good, as was Hard Fi, Garbage, Mylo and the Freestylers. The LCD Soundsystem were a great surprise, despite the fact that it meant I missed Bright Eyes….. The night was ended in true sing along style as I joined Tom and Abbi to catch The Beautiful South in the acoustic tent……. Fantastic, the crowd couldn’t get enough.

Other highlights of the weekend – Stokley Parks incredible chips – honestly amazing hand made chips. The worlds longest queue for wellies, I really felt for some.. the traditional ‘Other Stage’ mud wrestling/ mud bathing, cider and the mini ‘Glastonbury experience’. All in all a great time was had, I mean what’s a little rain eh?

And yes I will be back in 2007 …. Mental note to self – flippers @ Glasto may not be as ridiculous as you might think!.

trip so far have been.....

2005-06-20T00:47:00.000Z

As its time to head into the homeward bound leg of the journey ... Japan becons. I thought it would be useful to reflect on what I've been up2 - this is more for my ageing memory than any use to any of you.... so here goes...

I've been climbing, walking (lots in fact - some Ozi bloke told me I was nuts I walked so much). Been on a road trip - saw 2,500km of the Pacific highway, swam in the sea and drank some beers. I've seen 14 footie games, 5 of which have been live, and include a classic state of origin clash @ Telstra Stadium. I've eaten more egg plant that you could shake a stick @, oh and did I mention I'd had a beer!. Have witnessed countless Ozi bands, some good .... some very bad (bad hair days!). Chatted shit with numerous people, about well frankly nothing! Watched the Ozi's get beaten at cricket - theres a bitter pill :)

I've visited places with outstanding vista, including but not limited to Sydney (Bridge and Opera house of course) Bondi, Byron Bay... Manley @ Morton Bay and Coogee.... all of which make Ozi one of the most scenic places to visit on the planet.

Verdic, very busy few weeks - but I'm coming back, just as soon as the credit card will allow... its just as good the second time around ... gotta go, train to catch to Newcastle - the beach is calling.... btw did I mention I'd had a beer?

So thats about it, Japan in a few days followed by Glasto .... you know I really need a holiday!

so who knew

2005-06-17T06:19:00.000Z

so who knew, road trip completed we'd be staying on a train ... yes thats right, stayin on a train in the heart of Sydney - now I ask you, does it getting any stranger than that?. The road trip was good, 2500km of coastline goodness. I like the pacific highway, it was fun .... the coastline of Oz is something special!!!! The sounds of coldplays new cd helped things to.. big fan of this I am.

last nights drinking had a bizzareness about it not seen as yet on this trip. Drunk Ozi's were convinced my brother was some famous footie player ... always honest he'd not let us play on it, so the fun was limited to light hearted banter. The whole thing was topped with an offer for him to turn out in the second row for some Sydney side this weekend..... he declined, which was a shame it would have been funny me thinks :)

Tonight we'll mostly be tripping out to Boteny Bay to watch the Sharks clash with the Roosters. Yes, Mozza is playing so am expecting some fireworks.... the Sharks are in a slump @ the mo, so expecting something special from them.

Newcastle calls tomorrow, followed by the lions game - fingers crossed for a win!. So thats it for now, off chill with a beer in the sun of Toyoto Park .... all the best to ya mate :)

a word on Ozzi grub

2005-06-15T22:50:00.000Z

Being a vegi its sometimes a bit of a pain traveling the world ... a liquid diet of beer and not much more usually results. France for example have a real problem with the concepts of vegi's... however not so the Australians. In fact they embrace the idea.

The upshot is that Ozzi food is a not only a hotpot of mixed styles and flavours, reflective of the mix of races that make up the place .... but more importantly its GREAT... so surfice to say I'm eating well right now.

The road trip down from Bribane was good, couple of days in Byron Bay - personal favourite of mine... now sunning it back @ Bondi!. Went to state of Origin game last night. Brutal is the only way to describe what these guys do..

Anyways sun is shining - off to enjoy. :)

Made it to Queensland

2005-06-10T07:26:00.000Z

Well, after a rough night on Wednesday (I'm never drinking after a lions game springs to mind) we jumped aboard a quantas flight north. So Queensland is now were its at. Its nice here in 'Brisi', bit more relaxed than Sydney ... so am a fan. Despite the fact there's a beach in the city, We've been out to the 'real' beach today - Manley to be exact. Lots of very nice boats in the Harbour!.

Being Friday, it means footie night... so an NRL game and a few beers. On the travels again tomorrow, so not to many for me. (that and the fact I over did it the other night). I think surfers paradise is on the cards tomorrow - heading back down toward Byron bay and NSW.

Nothing else really to report, weather is ok, beer is cold and Monkey's been a little wasted... same old, same old really :)

Catch you all soon - maybe some pics to follow next time if can get an internet connection that is fast enough for upload.

Safe and Sound in Oz

2005-06-06T09:46:00.000Z

Well, after a Very, Very jumpy and bouncy flight I made it to Tokyo. JAL were good to fly with, not too short handed with the ale ... so a good drink was had by all. This was a god send considering the way the plane was being thrown around by the weather. You know I never knew you could fly through a thunder storm - especially one with lightning...!!

Anyways, after a short stop in Tokyo, I boarded the plane to OZ (I might add Tokyo airport must rank as one of the most boring places on earth). Again the flight was rough, but was used to it by this stage, so slept like a baby (although I suspect this was due more to the skinfull I'd had in Tokyo, topped off with low quality white wine on the plane)(blue nun like). So after a little more than 30 hours of traveling I made it to Sydney, safe and sound if a tad shaken by the flights. First port of call was the bar that I ended my last trip to Oz in 5 years ago. The reason I started here @ 9am in the morning, no not that I'm an alcoholic (some may argue here) its the great view it has of Harbour Bridge, and the Opera house. It your gonna visit Sydney its gotta be the way to start ... Oh and it does a mean breakfast to.

After breakfreast, hit the hostel - met my new roomies ... one chap was going to Cronulla for the day .. so I tagged along. A beer by the beach, what better way to get over jet lag?. Cronulla is fantastic, I think if I ever got my arse in gear and moved here, this is were I'd live. Had a few beers to ponder this point and watch the sun set :)

Evening entertainment came in the form a trip to Scruffy Murphy's (another previous haunt). Jet lag was hitting home now, but egged on by my new room mate I had a good drink. (truth be told I was wasted) ... so slept like a road traffic victim in a coma last night, good news is no jet lag today. Woke this morning to cracking sunny day, so wondered round Darwin Harbour and the city, truth be told was just killing time till my brother gets here tomorrow.

Well that's it to press, nothing too outstanding to report ... Yet. Trying to stay out of trouble, however we''ll see what mother brothers plans are tomorrow, but I think a flight to Alice might be on the cards very soon. Anyways, gotta go beers getting warm.

Japan here I come

2005-06-03T14:28:00.000Z

So here we are again, sat in Bedfont killing time till my flight. This time tomorrow monkey will be up 2 his eyes in bright lights and Japanese culture..... Can't wait. I'm glad to say not being a girl I've restricted myself to a sole rucksack, basically can't be arsed to carry anymore - dare say that I suspect there will be lots of not so restrictive people at the airport. Oh, how I like to watch people struggle with too much luggage :)

Anyways, I hit Sydney late on Sunday, and my brother hits town a day or so later ... I think a drink or two will be on the cards (and not blue nun) ... That's about all for now, don't want to get to excited now do I!!!.

Watch this space - monkey has rucksack and will travel :)

T minus 2 and counting

2005-06-01T17:01:00.000Z

Well it T minus 2 days and counting before I ship out to Japan, can't wait. A busy few weeks in store for me, Australia follows Japan in due course ... all rounded off by Glasto. Considering my trip will be spent in the company of my older brother it will be either a) very sedate and reserved or more likely b) messy beyond comprehension. I guess we'll see soon enough.

On a different note, after watching Leeds terrible performance at Saints on Friday, I watched Johnny Vagas's new show ... 18 stone idiot or something. Fantastic is the verdict, is the funniest thing have seen in an age. I mean what kind of show host asks a guest if they've ever shoved a finger up there arse :)

Thanks also to john and debbie, the annual eurovision part happened on Saturday. As is the way with these things the upshot was a) I lost the ability to speak, b) got home via the miracle that is the beer scooter, c) redecorated my bathroom claret, and d) spent Sunday looking/feeling sorry for myself. However, those points aside I think all had a good time ... so thanking you !!

So for now ... never mind the lions, monkeys tour of Japan and Oz starts here. First game is a warm up fixture in heathrow followed by an away game in Tokyo, against the karaoke kings :)

The week thus far

2005-05-27T14:03:00.000Z

As another week draws to a close, I thought I'd highlight some of what I've been up to. Last weekend is easy to summerise, alcohol to help cellerbrate Suzanne's birthday (many happy returns Suzanne) and star wars. I still can't decide if I liked star wars or not..... maybe this means I need to see it again?

Monday went climbing as normal, Tuesday trotted off to see the Super Fury Animals with John and Gav over in Coventry. Gig was very good, topped off with an energy fueled rendition of 'Man don't give a fuck' - all in an enjoyable evening. However, I didn't think much to the support act Brave Captain, the lead singer seemed more intent on showing us his shiny new laptop ... nice as it was, not really of interest to me. Anyways no matter, the night was topped of with a beer and very rough vegi burger from some hole in the wall in the town centre.

The last couple of days have been spent in London village. In the company's infinite wisdom, commuting daily is a better use of time and money than a hotel ... so who I am I to argue. The exception to this is that fact that I spent 6 hours stuck in traffic on the m40 yesterday!!!!. Anyways both occasions afforded me the opportunity to scrounge tea from an old friend who lives in Bicester ... girls always sacome to travel woes :)

anyways .... better do some work before the bank holiday catches up with me ..

PB today :)

2005-05-23T16:44:00.000Z

Well not blogged for a while, so I thought I start with an update on how the training is going. This is especially relevant given that all my hard work is going to be undone, when I jump on the plane to Japan next week ... But no matter I'll face the music, after all the beers on my return.

In short training is going well ... Through the use and guidance of you are what eat my weight has stabalised @ around 14 and half stone. This is great news as it has been up and down like a yo yo for years now .... On the fitness front, I achieved a personal best for today's time trial, smashing my previous PB by a massive 4 minutes... Combine this with my 10km time leveling out at 47 minutes and things look good.

So pat on the back for me, off to climbing now to continue the good work. The six pack however is still in development :)

Excercise and healthy living

2005-04-28T17:36:00.000Z

My friend Nicole sent this onto me the other day, given my current excercise drive I just have to share it :)

Good health questions & answers

Dr. LaCoste Health questions and answers

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is
this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it,
don't piss them away on exercise. Everything wears out
eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer;
that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving
it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat?
Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is
nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables
to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good
source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop
can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of
vegetable slop.

Q: Is beer or wine bad for me?
A: Look, it goes to the earlier point about fruits and
vegetables. As we all know, scientists divide everything in the
world into three categories: animal, mineral, and vegetable. We
all know that beer and wine are not animal, and they are not on
the periodic table of elements, so that only leaves one thing,
right? My advice: Have a burger and a beer and enjoy your liquid
vegetables.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is
one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one,
etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular
exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain
- Good.

Q: If I stop smoking, will I live longer?
A: Nope. Smoking is a sign of individual expression and peace of
mind. If you stop, you'll probably stress yourself to death in
record time.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable
oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more
vegetables be bad for you?

Q: What's the secret to healthy eating?
A: Thicker gravy.

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around
the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger.
You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had.

Who to vote fore

2005-04-14T16:24:00.000Z

I've just been reading John's blog, within which he suggested trying a little test to see if your in fact going to vote the right way this next election. Now having voted labour the last twice, like many others I'm fed up with being hammered by the tax man, let alone some there other policies. Not wanting to bore anyone, the long and the short is that this time I thought I'd vote conservative. However, the tool seems to think I'm more liberal .... not sure on that one.

Who should I vote for?

Your expected outcome:

Conservative

Your actual outcome:

Labour -7
Conservative -27
	Liberal Democrat 28
UK Independence Party -15
	Green 1

You should vote: Liberal Democrat

The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership.

Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

Travel Plans - the update

2005-04-06T19:08:00.000Z

Today is a good day (except for the searing pain in my back - not sure were that's come from!) Why is it a good day?, well I've finalised my travel plans ... That's why. Today its all come together ... like an A team plan .... So the summer schedule is as follows

June - Australia via Japan (Tokyo to be precise) short lay over on the way out, couple of days with free hotel on the way back. Genius this, because Japan Airlines have some bizarre schedule for flights I get a free hotel in Tokyo, not one to look a gift horse and all that. Now I'd never really fancied Japan before (either on its own, or a preclude to Oz) but as this special was going it was too good a thing to turn down. Have to be honest though my original plan was via Shanghai, but there was no availability on the plane home .... Of course I have Glasto when I come back, good news I not working much in June..

September, Africa beckons. Kenya followed by Tanzania to trot up two little hills ... Of course a trip to Zanzibar whilst I'm then is a must - rude not to... Not working much of Sept. either :)

Now all I have to do is work out how I am going to pay for my little adventures, I guess I may end up moonlighting @ Tesco ... after all every little helps :)

Glasto/weekend fun and games

2005-04-04T14:44:00.000Z

It never fails to surprise me just how popular Glastonbury is, although perhaps it shouldn't. I mean, in less than 3 hours all 112,000 tickets were sold - which is amazing really. However, the good news from my perspective is that through the combined efforts of John and Tom (thanks very much to both) I'm again the proud owner of a ticket, so I'll be in that field largeing it up again this year..... The fact that we got tickets is perhaps even more remarkable, given that Tom was partying like a rock star in Mirage till the wee hours of Sunday morning .... good effort sir!

Anyways, the news of tickets mean I can also finalise my travel plans for Oz. The cheapest flight at the moment is via China ... so thats were I'm going. You never know I might find communism!.

Other highlights this weekend included the fourth coat of paint on my hallwall, so its nearly finished now. Leeds also won, beating Warrington in scrappy game. Also spent Sunday afternoon in the pub with a friend of mine, which always a good way to end the weekend.

How does one do it?

2005-04-02T11:20:00.000Z

Counter to the title of the post I'm not looking for advice on sex matters ... Instead I want to know how to post links on my blog homepage to other people / things that interest me. Given that I work in IT, I perhaps should know this already, but that's networking for you ... who needs to know about this html lark??? ..... Anyways my guess is I update the page source code, but how - that's the mystery... maybe I should stick to firewalls?

Anyone want to help?

ps ... am in work avoidance mode, I should be painting the hall right now, instead I'm waiting for the live Ozi rugby game on sky ... far more fun :)

Recent occurrences

2005-04-01T16:32:00.000Z

I've just been reading through my recent posts, and to the untrained eye it would appear that

a) I am a raving alcoholic, with no will power
b) I seem to be on a beer fueled one man self destruct mission!

I can of course tell you that neither of these is true, and that in fact I don't drink that much. It would just appear that lots of birthdays have all come at once. So plans for the weekend you might ask - off to the pub to get wasted? ..... well no!. At this stage I've no plans for alcohol, although this may change, instead I'm going to dedicate my time to finishing decorating my flat. Oh and Leeds are on grandstand tomorrow .... so I'll be watching that to :)

On another note, I notice today that my friends John and Debbie have declared an interest in a trip to German - or Berlin to be precise. An excellent idea if you ask me, a great city to have a look around, and to party in. I may of course be a little bias, have been born in Germany!

Easter weekend

2005-03-29T17:22:00.000Z

well easter weekend, what does that mean ... in short a few days out of the office. It started positively enough, Leeds hammered Bradford - always a good start to a bank holiday. I also managed to squeeze in some decorating... So my hall and bathroom are now white, as opposed to blue and terracota respectively. So that was good.

That takes us to Saturday, were things started to get a little strange. I popped up to Leeds to say happy easter to the folks, and help Phil celerbrate his birthday (happy birthday Phil). All good intentions of going easy on the ale went out the window very quickly. It speaks volumes when even the departure of the birthday boy off home (a bit the worse for wear) did nothing to dampen spirits. So minus 1 Headingly called, which despite being a little quiet, was on the whole very good. A good drink was had by all. Sunday, well I've no idea what happened ... a few cheeky lunch time drinks turned in a session and a half, with yours truly in all kinds of bother. Its probably of little surprise that I ended the night early .. not really sure what was going on.. or were I was :(

The long on the short of it is that Sunday was such a heavy session that Monday was a right off ... I guess that's what bank holidays are for?. As a result I did very little yesterday accept join my friend for a very sedate drink or two. Given my stated fitness drive, and a desire not to kill myself with alcohol, I suspect abstinence from the daemon drink is the key for a while! .... so here's to drying out, and finishing the decorating :)

The time has come to set some goals

2005-03-23T21:26:00.000Z

With my holiday plans now pretty much finalised, its dawned on me that I need to be setting myself some milestones. Realistically I need to ensure that my fitness is at the appropriate level, not only be able to meet the challenge of what I've planned this year, but also to do it with a smile on my face... Also its about time I made some use of that sport science degree of mine.

So here's the plan... and the goals. The timeline is simple, I start indoor climbing again in two weeks, this should aid technique and flexibiity. Looking forward, I've a little over 10 weeks until I go to Oz, and a little over 5 months until I hit Africa. Oz is more a recreation trip, but I anticipate spending sometime in the Blue Mountains, so with a bit of luck I should get a warm up climb or two in. But whichever way I dress it up, Mt Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro are the main events. Both aren't very technical, so although I'm doing some indoor rope work this is more to get me in the mood, and the concentration is definitely on energy levels, flexibility and stamina...

So were am I currently, well my energy levels have been a little low recently. However, I think this is work related or simply an indication that I've done to much to soon. But just to be sure I've changed my diet to include more Vitamin B, fruit, beans, Soya and brown rice. If diets the problem I should see results in a week or so, even if its not the change in diet is a good thing. Cardio wise I'm in pretty good shape as I've been running on a regular basis for around 10 weeks. So since, the runnring's being going well, its time to reintroduce cross training and weights to the plan. This should further reinforce the cardio work already in the 'bank' and help to continue to build further. Add to this some miles on the bike, the indoor rope work on the wall, the fit ball and you have the basis of good program....

So the goals - for the next ten weeks ... well achievable is the key so they are (as much to remind me as for your interest).

resting heart rate -> 60bpm (its currently 64)
anaerobic rep rate -> 15 (currently 10)
aerobic continuous threshold -> 90 mins (currently 55 mins)
average aerobic heart rate -> 173 (currently 180)
No wife beater -> 0 (substituted with Guinness)

so there we have it, the aim for the next 10 weeks .... no stella, balance out my diet and increase general fitness. We'll see were we get to in time, maybe even get a six pack again :) ...

Alton Towers and birthday beers

2005-03-21T10:52:00.000Z

Busy weekend this last one, went upto Stoke Friday, to catch up with some friends visiting from Ireland. An all you can eat Chinese, a few pint of Guinness in Fat Cats and boat load of Cold in Walkabout set the seen very well for the remainder of the weekend. The Guinness might I add was a belated St Paddy's day homage.

Anyways, Friday was a late night as you'd expect, so Saturday morning was a little tentative ... Especially as we were bound for Alton Towers. Now, I've not been to Alton Towers for years, must be over 10 I think, in fact I may have even been still @ school that last time, it was that long ago. I was however quite excited (if a little hung over) @ the prospect of Air, nemesis and Oblivion having seem them advertised loads on TV. As a warm up, and to ease things in gently we hit the teacups and runaway mine train. Stomach sufficiently settle, nemesis and air called. Now I really like nemesis, fast and just plain mad, air on the other hand was a little disappointing, I thought it was tame?. Anyways both were negotiate very quickly as not too many people in either line. We then tried to do Rita and Corkscrew, however both were closed. Instead we headed for Hex .... Which I think is pants!..... if your scared by this you should probably be collecting a pension. However the highlight of the day has to be oblivion, this is just plain silly. I mean who in there right mind voluntarily goes on a ride which involves +4G 200ft drop, well me - twice!. It was good, after sh**tin myself the first time, I went straight back on again. Its just plain insane, I love it!. Upshot is a mass adrenalin rush that's enough to be addictive.

Alton Towers was followed by quick beer to watch Ireland get stuffed (not bothered about either team personally, but friends seemed a bit upset) ... in a nice country pub in Staffs. Quick drive home, to join all the gang celerbrating Tom's birthday. Happy Birthday Tom - beer and curry was the order of the day. I drank enough to feel lazy yesterday, but not enough to declare an out right hangover. Good time was had by all I think, although trying to give a 14 stone man the bumps after 14 pints has to be declared as a recipe for disaster!.

Yesterday did nowt, only venturing out to retrieve my car. This is possibly the best thing about currently being single, there's no obligation to go to Ikea, Homebase or any form of garden centre on a Sunday... Anyways I did watch more of the BBC's 'Fighting the War' documentary series, which gives a better insight into the Gulf war. Very interesting, recommend sparing the time to view if you can.....

its the weekend and another birthday

2005-03-18T13:44:00.000Z

Yeah its the weekend all over again ... seems like a very long week. Anyways, plans for weekend as follows, belatedly celerbrate Paddies day tonight with some Irish friends in Stoke (I had two cans of the black stuff last night, just to stay in the spirit of things). Tomorrow, big day!. Firstly Altern Towers during the day ... and out to help Tom commiserate his old age in the evening. So happy birthday Tom... :)

Anyways, I'm sure @ this stage Sunday will be a right off, despite my desire to paint the flat. Its obvious already I'm going to suffer some form of bad head ... already I can hear the sofa calling!.

paddies day

2005-03-17T16:09:00.000Z

happy St Patricks day to all .... not that I really care as I'm a Scotsman, however it is an excuse to drink that odd pint or two of the black staff!. Well I don't want to be the odd one out now do I...

curse of wife beater

2005-03-11T18:24:00.000Z

last night was supposed to be a quick drink for someone's leaving, followed by a quick drink to assist in a birthday celerbration .... However it turned out to be so much more. Having now turned 30, I have to face facts that drinking on a school night doesn't agree with me as much as it used to, so a sensible approach should be adopted to all such occasions. Did I heed my own warnings last night - no!. The evening started quite sensible, a few pints to wish farewell to Karen who's defecting to the opposition, grand I planned to go home early for some tea and meet the birthday lot a little later. Unfortunately that dammed wife beater got hold of me, as I ended up in extended conversations with people I'd not spoken to for a while. All good to this point, however I'd not been monitoring my alcohol consumption ... and it was starting to tell!.

By the time I caught up with John, Debbie, JV, Tracy, Gary etc to share a beer for Richard's birthday (thanks for the pint John) I was several sheets to the wind. At this stage spirits were high, and all was ok in the land of monkey. However, for some bizarre reason spirits took a turn for the worst as I joined John and Debbie for a night cap in the Jug. Why this happened escapes me (no fault of the company I might add) I suspect its something to do with the quantity of stella consumed. In the cold light of day I must recognise the evilness of this substance, and vow to limit my future intake. To John and Debbie who had to listen to my incoherent attempts to right the wrongs of the world - please accept my apologies, I hope I didn't offend to much!. The penance I hear you ask?, well that would be the terrible hangover suffered today. I'm laying low now in utter disgrace :(

anyways ... all that remains is to wish Richard happy birthday and Karen all the best with the new job!.

ps I'm off to rid my home of the evil that is stella, and pass all remaining examples to the homeless drunk who hangs out in the park. I do this before I end up sad and lonely with no friends.

Tunes arrived today

2005-03-08T19:33:00.000Z

Today was one of those days you look forward to - knowing full well something's gonna appear in the mail. After 3 months of trying I finally managed to replace my copy of 'FC Kahuna - Machine Says Yes' ... along with a vinyl version of the sublime 'Hayling'. Both of which turned up on time as promised, being replacements for articles misplaced after an extended loan to someone.

The downside in both cases is that they're the Skint version, so in the CD case the running order is slightly different, in respect of the vinyl ... I could only get the chicken lips remix's ... neither is too much of a hardship - although I am a big fan of the original mix of 'Hayling'. For those not familiar with the work of the young Kahuna's ... then more information can be found @ Skint. Alternatively the 'Hayling' Video can be viewed via radio 1 here...

There is often a heavy comparison made between FC Kahuna and Air ... I'm personally not sure on that front ... the jury is still out.

Horror of war

2005-03-05T13:54:00.000Z

Unable to sleep last night, I found myself watching an obscure BBC channel in the early hours of this morning. You know the type, they sit between national geographic and hard core porn, with viewing figures only marginally worse than channel 5. Anyways I'm glad I flicked far enough up the channels to BBC documentary.

I found myself watching a program which followed the story of cameramen and journalists in Iraq during the war. They essentially concentrated on two groups, those 'embedded' with 40 commando, who were amongst the first into Iraq and those described as unilateral - ie independent. The program brought a little bit of mixed emotion, fascination in the first instance especially with the crews exploits in capturing footage of 40 commando at work. However, this was replaced by nothing if a little horror at the true extent of what 'shock and awe' really meant.

If nothing it brought home the perhaps often understated true nature of war, its a dirty, seedy business. A fact highlighted most graphically, when the convoy within which the BBC's unilateral crew was traveling came under attack by allied forces. This friendly fire incident was captured in very graphic detail.

The program overall served to act as a poignant example of the true price of freedom, perhaps even emphasizing our own macabre desire to watch this cost in real time?

holiday plans

2005-02-26T22:52:00.000Z

Careful thoughts have been running though my mind this week as to the destination of choice / choices for this years excursions out into the world. I had pretty much decided a trip back to Nepal with a short hop into Tibet in and around the high plains ... perhaps capped with a route home via northern India..... However, it looks like in political terms things have taken another turn for the worst in Nepal. It looks as if the long establish Maoist insurgence has gained some momentum again. Now the political climate in Nepal is something that's been a little tenuous for a long time, and to be honest when I was there a few years back the climate wasn't much better, I even met some Maoist gorilla's high on a trail. That said, the people of Nepal are fantastic, a warm, generous and proud people. Thus, things like this shouldn't really preclude travels like myself visiting. The good news is that despite the increased warnings associated with travel to the region, the FCO haven't raised or change the overall status or advice for the area, so the message is one of caution!.

The reality however is that events will dissuade some, and in the end the people who'll suffer are the very people that the Maoist are fighting for. Its one of life's no win situations. The good news is that the climbing season is not until September, October time, so plenty of time for the situation to stabilize. Personally I'll review the situation later in the year, since I'm optimistic things will be ok. In the meantime, I'm planning to climbing a couple of smaller scale hills in Africa, one called Mount Kenya and one called Mount Kilimanjaro - you may have heard of them?

Veggie tastic

2005-02-25T18:47:00.000Z

Apparently the vegetarian society is inviting people to nominate their favorite veggie-friendly local as part of the vegetarian society awards.... feel free to add your two pennies worth, assuming of course your a veggie!

To be honest Leam is a bit crap on the veggie front with most places offering only the usual suspects of veggie burger etc .... the exception being the local high class chinese's.. So all considered my choice goes with Fat Cats in Leicester!

O and just to add some variety, if your ever in Chicago, then Chicago Diner (N Halsted) has more quality veggie food than you can shake a stick @.

ps monkey likes his food :)

Everything stops for the president

2005-02-24T20:08:00.000Z

In times of old everything stopped for the king, queen, or even the emperor of whatever country one would reside in, but not anymore. Now everything and I mean everything stops for the president of the United States. It was a source of never ending amusement being in Brussels this week, as the whole city pretty much shut down due the presence of there esteemed guest ... Incredible it was. I was with a client when the cavalcade drove past on the way to the airport, it latest no less than 15 minutes. Now who on earth needs that many people in tow?. The Belgium press were reporting that the President had brought no less than 800 staff and body guards with him .... to do what exactly?, I think maybe he was considering a military coo or perhaps he's simply determined to control the world price of chocolate? .... Whatever his motives, bless him like most yanks he knows how to travel light!

I noticed airforce 1 on the pan @ Brussels airport as we taxied out to take off, impressive and understated it was, all adorned with United States of America on the side ... very subtle!. I do also like the way that they brought the little sister plane along as well (which probably holds another 300+ yanks - I think it was a 7x7) .... however, I couldn't help but wonder if the little plane was for the bodyguards or the wife?...

travels continue

2005-02-21T20:06:00.000Z

After a relaxing weekend, during which my friend from Ireland came to visit, I'm now in not so sunny Belgium. Rosie turned up bearing gifts, a belated birthday pressie which was nice - I'm now the proud owner of an Irish drum :).

Anyways weekend went the usual way, few drinks, a trip to Mirage on Thursday, followed by the Leeds game Friday and more ale Saturday and Sunday. All in good weekend, nice and relaxing all be it to much take away food (a pizza, a curry, a Chinese and some chips to be exact) I'm now on detox part two.

Well Brussels for the next few days with work, the US president is in town so traveling is a bit difficult at the moment ... but no matter a few stellas will more than make up for it.

Stateside Part deux

2005-02-14T20:06:00.000Z

Well after weeks of battling communicable diseases (I'm not quite right still), over indulgences due in part to my birthday and graduation its about time I finally finished the last half of the tales of states side. I left the story in a somewhat drunken state - In a bar were happy hour meant not discounted, not even cheap, but bloody free beer!. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth - it was in with both feet.... happy as a butchers dog I was (in part as the free ale wasn't that weak old American shite!)... After what can only be described as an abuse of the hosts hospitality, it was off to a student bar called the Blue Iguana. Despite the name sounding like it should be a homage to the village people it was actually quite good, if memory serves me well - glad to say it was more Dawson's creek than poodle creek, with live band and all!

Friday was a top night, for those fans of Jazz at least. The legendary Green Mill was the destination in old Chicago. Great place, great music and great company!. However, all the girls did struggle with the no talking rule... which was funny in itself. Image a class of junior school kids dieing to talk when told not to by teacher ... it was kinda like that, only funnier. Anyways the snow was coming down hard, so we decided to leave, step up Chicago's drunkest taxi driver. This guy was so drunk, he had me in tears not because he was funny, but by what he was doing .... everybody in the world was f**king wrong... he was indeed gods gift to taxi driving. All hail pissed taxi driver, the genius of world politics and humorous satire - what a superstar! (Fantastic, he had a mullet and I'm sure a tractor @ home - O how I love steriotypes, maybe he was married to his sister?)

Suffice to say the snow came down so much the airport was closed ... Great I love snow!. Anyways, only one thing for it - snowman time. So off I trot with the girls to build a snowman. Now, liking a drink as I do, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought about putting schnapps in hot chocolate - but the girls did... Top brownie points for that one girls!. Snow angels, and snowman followed - not since I was in my early teens have I rolled around in the snow trying to make a snow man - O how I missed it!. There are apparently pictures of this escapade, which will follow in due course ... The day was completed with adult behaviour in the form of dinner and a trip to the bar ... all in a good end to the trip.

Sunday being the last day was my only experience of Sunday fun day - and the famous bloody mary .... still not sure on them, an acquired taste me thinks. My thoughts are I'll try one again next time I'm hacking up a lung and see if does anything for me!. The ride to the airport was a dull affair - as these things are when your home would bound, and if I'm honest I was in a mischievous mood!. The result for those that know me well is predictable, that I spent the entire journey winding my hostess up .... to the point whereby she wasn't talking to me by the time we hit the airport. In monkeys world this is amusement personified, but I'm sure the little Yank won't agree - so I guess I should grovel for forgiveness, else I'll not be invited back :)...

So thats the trip in a nutshell - Thanks again to all those that made the trip special, it was a pleasure to meet each and everyone of you ... if your ever in my neck of the woods, come look me up and I'll do my best to repay your warm welcome...... hope to see you again soon!. Last, but by no means least, thanks to the little Yank for taking time out to show me around and KW for putting a roof over my head....

mad weekend

2005-02-08T17:27:00.000Z

After another mad weekend, drinking far to much, I've the joys of London this week... or Heathrow at least... To say I am tired at the mo is a bit of an understatement.... Lying low for a few weeks is maybe a good plan. I think my liver needs a break.

World Club Championship

2005-02-02T22:52:00.001Z

This weekend see's an important return home for me ... Firstly to celerbrate my birthday all over again - this time with my big brother and the lads from my school days!. But it also see's Super League Champions Leeds take on the best that Oz can offer in the world club championship. I can't wait it, should be a great game. The good news for Leeds is that we are at full strength - with young Danny McGuire passing a fitness test. It will also be interesting to see how Gareth Ellis slots in @ lock, in arguably his most high pressure game, and really the first opportunity to show what he's capable of since his move from local rival Wakefield Wildcats... Canterbury also at full strength - so the scene is indeed set.

The game also signifies the start of the new Super League season, which starts in ernest next weekend...... Bring on the best game of earth... O and a beer or two :)

Big Weekend

2005-01-31T16:50:00.000Z

Well lots of beer was consumed this weekend, for two reasons... Firstly, I graduated university for the second time and I also finally reached the big 30.... both of which provided good cause for celebration.

Friday saw me attend the Leicester University Post Grad Confirmation Ceremony - held at DeMontford Hall. Here along with lost of other post grads, I donned my best DKNY suit, and adorned myself in full academic robes. Joined by friends, peers and parents I settled down to the pomp and ceremony of receiving my Master's degree in Criminology. The event was fun, I think I clean up quite well, for someone who dislikes wearing a suite!. Importantly, both my parents were kind enough to take the day of work to attend with me, I think they were both proud (mum & dad)!. The ceremony was followed by a trip to the faculty I graduated from, then a trip to the bar - followed by dinner..... all in all I drank too much, but its a once in a lifetime thing and a final opportunity to say hi to people.

Saturday was a struggle, I was very hungover to begin with - so the first half of my 30th was spent on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. But after a trip to the shops, the gym and a look @ Tom and Abbi's new puppy, I sprung into some sort of life. Joined by some friends (thanks to those that made it out) it was off to consume more alcohol in some of Leamingtons renowned drinking establishments. Several pints of Guinness, 9 bottles of wine at home, and a take away curry later and the celebrations were complete. To be honest I feel no older than I did before and the 4.30am finish proves I can still party hard!...

That said, Sunday was a nightmare, to much red wine and Guinness meant I spent the day on the sofa again ... Pestering people for sympathy. The sign of a good birthday is the need for lots of TLC the following day.... I did nothing on Sunday, nothing at all. Some would say this was a waste of a day, but hey I'm old now :)

Thanks again to all those who came out, or passed on birthday greetings. I'm not sure if life begins @ 30, but one things for sure - its not ended yet.... time to party on somemore, there's life in the old dog yet! Next week Leeds beckons.... its yet to be seen what state that will leave me and my liver in...

Hackin up a lunge - trip to the states part 1

2005-01-25T19:58:00.000Z

Well, after a little more than 10 days I made it back from the states safe and sound - and with no cap in ma ass!. It was indeed a trip of many highlights, despite contracting some dodgy disease from skipper, the little yank along the way. Now, this is perhaps the first of many controversies of the tales to be told, I put hacking up a lung down to flu .... others however would conclude too much ale is to blame!. Whichever the accurate cause, the trip started in familiar style, a few cheeky beers on the plane, followed by a few more in Chicago. Things soon developed a clear pattern as the weather closed in, a seemingly endless array of dumb questioning (yes we have electricity in the UK), complemented by suggestions that I should come back in the summer when there's something to do!.

In a city like Chicago there is always something to do, and thus a great deal of fun was had by all - except for Sunday fun day, which turned out to be no fun at all (for me @ least). Perhaps the error of my ways here was the lack of bloody marries, although I have to be honest when I say that every bar in Chicago appears to have an Irish theme, and perhaps the volume of Guinness consumed more explains the ruined state.

Whatever the cause of the Sunday distress, the fun continued with the girls cooking up dinner. Given that Yanks speak English (apparently) at times however, the girls could have been speaking Russian for all I knew, as the conversation often proved as untenable ... I believe several comparisons with the muppets were made at various stages :)

So off to Indiana I went, the home of the dumbest city in the U.S... The aptly nicknamed Fort Fun. A trip around the dunes of Chesterton was the goal for the day, again great fun was had by all. The locals once again were fantastic to me, as barbi (and Amo) showed me some of the famed sites of town .... Whilst warning sternly of the dangers of a trip to a well know local industrial town (and birthplace of MJ). A few beers, followed by happy hour - a great invention were free beers flow- followed of course by carnage......

Well that takes us to a little over mid week, so more fun to report later. However, in the meantime, thanks to little Skipper for taking the time to show me around ... much appreciated!. Thanks also to Barbi for being kind enough to offer me a roof (and an airbed) for the duration of my trip .... and for also keeping me occupied with chores. Thanks also to the rest of the gang - you know who you are, for making me feel so welcome :)

Ps - part 2 to follow ..... assuming the hate mail ain't to bad :)

Its Birthday time

2005-01-12T21:28:00.000Z

Its that time of year when loads of people have a birthday - myself included .... So its Happy Birthday to Gav for last weekend, Helen, Sian, Joanne for the week between xmas and new year, Debbie for yesterday, and finally Gary and Nicole for next week ... best birthday wishes to all of you ....

special wishes to those now part of the 30 club, I soon be joining you!

ps I'm off to the states now to feel sorry for myself!

The states here I come

2005-01-11T22:16:00.000Z

The fact of my impending 30th led me to conclude I need a holiday .... So holiday is what I'm having. Treating my goodself to a well deserved trip to the states I am!. Staying with my little yank friend, getting very drunk and generally acting well below my age is the plan .... so we'll see what happens. My friend keeps telling me to be careful, else I'll end with a' cap in ma ass'. This doesn't concern me too much, since she also thinks her friend .... a girl no less can drink me under the table!. Delusional I think is the word here, as clearly there is no a chance of this ever happening. However, the challenge has been set, so no mercy will be forthcoming and I won't be taking any prisoners!!!.

The only downside as I can see things @ the mo, is the weather forecast indicates its a gonna be a tad cold.... minus 15 in fact. Now that is bloody freezing, I defy anyone to be able to have sex outside in that kind of weather!.....

Road to democracy is a violent one

2005-01-10T18:09:00.000Z

Its seems as the worlds attention, (and rightly so) has been focused on the tragic events in Asia things in Iraq have again gone into freefall. Seemingly, that long road to democracy is destined to be one of violence and contradiction. The impending elections look to be a catalyst for the situation to get worse. The BBC add some interesting commentary, suggesting the insurgency now numbers over 200,000, further postulating that the U. S. Government is plainly ignoring the severity of the situation. Clearly, the U.K government's view is that the situation is serious enough to commit more troops, so who's view is accurate?.

The clear question is who's winning the battle for 'hearts and minds'?. Ultimately, I guess this is gonna be the side that can and does make the difference for the ordinary people. Not being to close to the situation its hard to postulate. However, from an outsiders perspective until the rebuild process start's to make a difference to the 'real people', democracy is always going to be a fraught process. This would lead me to ask, is it too early for democracy?. Indeed, is democracy truly the panacea for the middle east that the U.S. seems to think it is?. I'm guessing some in Iraq would say it isn't.

bargain CD's

2005-01-06T13:04:00.000Z

Having treated myself to an IPod Mini recently (very impressed with it I am to!) I've been revisiting my vast music collection. The upshot being that I've found the odd one or two things missing... mainly through loss or loan. So no matter I thought, its about time I replaced some of it with easily accessible cheap CD's anyways.

As I say old albums on CD are on the whole cheap, which is good. But the great thing is you buy them and have a good listen again to something you've probably not blown the dust off for years. A good example is Inxs's X - picked up in Fopp in Aberdeen for a royal £5. I quite simply had forgot how good this was, obvious if you consider it includes both my favorite Inxs tracks - stairs and by my side... excellent listening..

The purchase of the IPod looks like it will burgeon the music industry after all, in back catalogue if nothing else!

Its all over - including the shouting!

2005-01-05T20:22:00.000Z

Well Christmas and new years are over with for another year. To be honest it was good to chill and relax with the family. Usual xmas presents, I believe that I now controls the worlds supply of socks .... so be nice to me or the price goes up :). I did however get a nifty little Garmin GPS unit as well. I've still to work out the finer detail, however its pretty cool from what I've seen to press.

Xmas of course means a boxing day trip to watch the mighty Super League Champions - Leeds rhinos. This year was no exception - however at 20 nil up at half time the contest was over, so little or no choice but to go to the pub. It got messy, as it usually does on boxing day!.

After a few days laid low with flew and general poor health it was up north for New Years. Peterhead was the destination, to enjoy the Scottish hospitality of my mums family, and to have a drink with my brother before he returns to Iraq. Let just say lots of ale was consumed, so much so even the dog got in on the act!. Anyways a good time was had by all, although I did regret the 5am finish the next day. The pain here was eased somewhat by the sheer cold. And its probably of little surprise that we benefited from snow whilst 'up north'. Luckily, nice as the snow was, it didn't lie, so we had time to have a Toby around, and to our surprise we located a Leeds north of the border ... just the trick to make a chap feel at home!...

Surfice to say I had a great time, doubtless drank to much but hey its new years. I did however spend the entire time trying not to admit that I was bloody freezing. I guess this is more out of vanity, but Bangalore was most certainly warmer. But alas, the site of the Forth Bridge signaled the time was nearing to go home for another year. Rest assured however Scotland hasn't seen the last of me!

ps I did fit in a little culture whilst up north ... we had a little look at Dunnottar Castle. One of the most historic places in Scotland!

Crazy world this natural one!

2004-12-29T13:58:00.000Z

Just when you think that the world can't get much crazier, it does!. Its currently less than two weeks since I was sat in Columbo airport enjoying the considerable hospitality of the Sri Lankan folks whilst on my way home from India. I can honestly say the last thing that crossed my mind was the possibility of such a devastating natural disaster.

Having traveled extensively in south east Asia, within Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka in particular my thoughts go out to all those that have been touched by this natural disaster. Lets hope that the new year brings some relief from the effects of the devastation, and that organisations like Oxfam can reach those in need as soon as possible.

Its Christmas

2004-12-24T13:51:00.000Z

Its Christmas :).... Hope you all have a great christmas, and I hope that santa is very kind to you!......

spend time with the family, chill and drink loads :)

Today's a sad day

2004-12-21T20:10:00.000Z

Today's a very sad day for the family, yet I can't help but also feel its one filled with great relief. For those that read my updates regularly, you'll know my older brother has been in Iraq for over a year now. Knowing full well the dangers he faces, you almost come to terms with the fact that he's in harms way. Today altered the reality of that. The base were he's been operating from for the last few months came under attack today and great deal of casualties resulted. (reported by the BBC)

This truly does bring home the reality that he really is in harms way. For our family its with relief that I write this, as my brother arrived back in the UK safe and sound yesterday. But from having just spoken to him, a large number of his friends and colleagues were not so fortunate. My thoughts go out to them, there family's and there friends.

A sad day.......

Duplication

2004-12-20T23:34:00.000Z

Well just realised that my last post from India has finally shown up ... hey so you get the Mysore story twice.... Tales around markets, horse racing and ambassador cars to follow!

Ps to all those @ the works black tie event this weekend, you know who you are, hope you had a good time! I know I did, or @ least I think I did ... maybe even the hangover makes me just think I did :)

The Mysore tale

2004-12-20T22:39:00.000Z

Well so there I was, 7.30 am on a Saturday morning straight from a night club, trying to negotiate buying a ticket to Mysore. This was an interesting experience when your pissed I can tell you, but for the princely sum of 24 rupee I was thinking how bad can the train be.... Well I'd not long to wait to find out!

The station was bad, and there were some unsavoury looking characters around too. But most interesting was that clearly the Indian railways don't give much credence to health and safety, however .... I have to say I was actually pleasantly surprised with the first train I got on. I really didn't see what all the fuss around Indian trains was all about. This train was a sleeper, overnight from somewhere I couldn't pronounce ... but quite a please 3 hour journey on the Mysore express, during which I passed the time with some local nuns ... on a school outing, as well as some chaps hell bent on falling off the train!.

So some 3 hours later I hit Mysore, still pissed I might add!. I negotiate the obligatory rickshaw and set out to explore. The Raj's palace was quiet regal!. However, if it did nothing else it served to reinforce the perception I've gained that you can do pretty much anything you want in India, provided of course that money changes hands. The is illustrated by the very fact that when it was suggested to me that I shouldn't have a camera in my bag on entry to the palace's inner area's, the exchange of a small amount of rupee quickly alleviated this situation, thus therefore meaning I obtained some picture inside!

Anyways enough to wheeling and dealing, a few hours later and and bit partied out it was time to head back to Bangalore. Having just missed a train I've some time to kill, however I am relieved to hear that the next train is the Bangalore express!. This is were the fun stops, I've know idea what language express was translated from but it wasn't English, this train was nor express, nor fun. The wait was approx. an hour and half, during which time what seemed to be 15,000 people congregated on the platform. Now its no exaggeration to ask exactly where all these people thought they were going as they weren't getting on this train .... or so I thought!. I was of course wrong they, along with there mothers, fathers, cousins and pets were going to Bangalore ... along with ever towns folk and villager along the way. I mean it got to the point were I though physically no more people could get on this train .... but they did and they just kept coming... for four and half hours to be precise!.

If the complete volume of people wasn't bad enough and the comedy fact that express meant the slow train... the monkey running a mock in the carriage just took the p**s .. Combine this with the fact that by this stage I had lost all personal space, and was in desperate need of the bathroom, hence the pleasure had gone all out of the trip!. Reaching Banglore was a relief for a number of reasons ... firstly the ability to regain some movement in my anatomy... but mostly the prospect of a bathroom. Now I haven't considered soiling my underwear since being around the age of 1, however on this day I did give it very careful thought. The state of the train station toilet did nothing really to dissuade this idea .... However I must give respect to man asleep in the loo ... fair play to you, I don't know how you did or were your senses are!. Needless to say no soiling on this occasion.

After a very brief brush with the loo it was of back to the hotel ... safe and sound to enjoy some hard earned cocktails. However, some very valuable lessons learned today, mainly to not follow up on idea's conceived under the influence of vast quantities of alcohol, no matter how much of a virtual cost saving they promise. Secondly, praise British Rail it's not really that bad!

All in a all a good day and good learning experience! More retrospect from my trip to follow!

The rest of the story

2004-12-10T13:28:00.000Z

OK so here's the rest of the Mysore story ... brace yourself!. So there I am, 8am on a Saturday morning, on a train platform waiting on a train for Mysore. I'd parted with a princely sum of 24 rupees and was still pi**ed, having not been to bed. I braved the toilet and wished I hadn't ... the chances of getting something nasty were very high indeed. But hey it was fun.....

So onto the train I goes ... a sleeper train in fact. To be honest the train out to Mysore was quiet comfortable really, so I couldn't see what all the fuss was about Indian trains. I even met a couple of nuns taking a school field trip. They were intrigued with the camera, so I took a group photo and promised to pass it onto there convent school. Safety is clearly not a big issue on the train system here, never on a British Rail train have I seen two character hanging out of the door! But hey they seemed happy enough.

So hit Mysore 3 hours later, a little tired by this time as I'd been up all night. So it was off to the Raj's palace. Very impressive place it was to, kind of like an old stately home. I especially liked the penguin litter bins - now were in India is famous for penguins?. Anyways got stopped on the way into the palace for having a camera in my bag, the exchange of rupees with security reaffirmed my belief that money can buy you anything in India!. And this includes pictures of places you shouldn't take pictures of!

It was then back in the rickshaw and toby round the town, nice and quaint but also very hot. Time was not on my side by this point so back to Bangalore, via the train of course. Now if the journey out can be described as pleasant, the journey back can't!. 5 million people wanted to get onto that train, so the old rugby skills came in handy ... after a push, a pull and loss of temper I got on. Happy to be on, I wasn't to vexed about a seat ... big mistake, huge!. Considering this was meant to be an express train, I struggle to find out how they define express, since this train was nothing of the sort. It stopped everywhere on the way to Bangalore, and I mean everywhere. Each time it stopped, another thousand people crammed on - I mean this got beyond a joke. The real p**s take was when a monkey decided to join us for a short period in the carriage causing mayhem. Bring back British Rail, this is singularly the longest, most crowded, most unpleasant train trip of my life.... but I got home in the end...

End result of the day, notes to self don't go with bright idea's had when drunk, and second never listen to cost saving iniatives suggested by rickshaw drivers..... However, all in all a great experience! Bring on the bus.. :)

Got it ... call me Master!

2004-12-06T19:35:00.000Z

Today I got it...... :) I got my MSc..... it cost me, in more ways then I can possibly tell, or you can imagine, but I got it!.....

Another long week in bunglers

2004-12-03T13:39:00.000Z

Well as another long week in Bangalore draws to a close, its time for a bit of reflection. This week has had some mad moments, which surparse even my typically off the cuff approach. Last weekend started in the usual manner, dinner followed by a few beers in the bar. Then off to the obligatory nightclub (spin).... I new it was going wrong when the second nightclub (clubX) loomed large of the horizon of the rickshaw. That aside, a few drinks and a good time later, I was heading home @ 6am.... This is were the wheels fell off!

The chap driving the rickshaw was ranting on about how nice Mysore was, a common theme for taxi/rickshaw drivers in this area. Drunk and unimpressed I indicated that I was unwilling to part with the amount of money required to go there for the day. At this your man just laughed and said a train ticket was a mere 24 rupees each way. My ears purked up ... You know were this is going. Surfice to say 30mins later, still pissed I was negotiating my train fare to Mysore. A princely sum I can tell you. ....

For the moment we'll leave the story there, but what I will say is that public safety is not a big concern on India railways! ..... And that this little adventure is a classic in stupidity even by my standards!

life in Bangalore

2004-11-25T06:48:00.000Z

Well after a top weekend sunning it in Goa, it was back to work this week with a bang!. The craziness of the airplane, having 3 attempts to land at Goa airport are nothing to the crazy driver who took me to work yesterday. 'traffic' he said, 'no problem' he said as he speeds off down a dirt track on a short cut known only to himself. Me thinks he regretted those words, as his shinny car came off second best to a bus minutes later!. Thankfully no one hurt, accept his pride - but was definitely safer to walk yesterday....

Today the city is on partial strike, something to do with the film industry in Bangalore ... The upshot is that normal chaos was multiplied by a factor of ten. Its total madness out there. I'm not sure if a driving license is required in India, but I sometime doubt it... and might like to suggest it might be a safer way forward.

Plans for the weekend, none to press ... but I think Mysore may well be on the cards, watch this space.

Ps.... Happy thanks giving to the yanks I know!

Weekend in Goa

2004-11-22T14:32:00.000Z

Went to Goa this weekend .... Was fantastic, can't tell you how good it was. There are no complaints from me with a sunset like this!. More information to follow... but two things stood out!

Firstly how nice the place is, and secondly how mad it was landing @ the airport there. The pilot had to make no less that 3 attempts to land ..... not a place to go if your scared of flying!. The only other downside is I misplaced the mobile .. can't say it as was stolen, I think I just lost it on the beach! Hay hoo small price to pay :)

India oddity

2004-11-18T08:08:00.000Z

India is indeed beginning to interest me. Yesterday I had a meeting with the local service management people. Now service management are renowned for being prim and proper, if not a little over zealous. I would even venture so far as to say some live in a little ivory tower. So it came as some surprise, that to find the local community's hidden location was a little adventure all of its own. To visit I had to cross a building site, in the dark dodging 30 foot craters dug for foundations, dubious health and safety, let alone scale a barbwire fence and knock three times on iron gate .... all to say hi to these people. My little Indiana adventure makes me think were all equal after all.... since in the final analysis all I have to deal with is rodents and miggies!.

Anyways mixed emotions for the rest of the week - Goa bound I am to enjoy the sea and sunshine. It took all of 2 seconds for me to agree to part with $200 for a flight, given the nightmare week I've had here. Anyways I'll be staying at this modest establishment for the duration of my trip :) .... Pictures will of course follow!.

But also this weekend is a note of sadness, my friends ships back to the states... So from the Yank its bye bye Bangalore or 'cluster fuck' to its friends. Have a safe trip and happy thanks giving...

post diwali weekend

2004-11-16T15:16:00.000Z

Well, after the purchase of a something that resembled a traditional indian outfit - Diwali was indeed alot of fun. Lots of fireworks, bright lights and smiling faces on show. The only downside was the onset of so many fire crackers made the city sound like a war zone. My own cellerbrations went the familiar way, I donned the clobber and went for a drink!. It just so happened that, that drink was with people who were flying home the following weekend, so yes you guessed it - it got messy!. Two night clubs and a bucket load of ale is testimony to that....

However it gets worse. India is a country were if you have cash you can do what you like (within reason I guess). So under the influence, the high speed rickshaw racing began around the late night streets of Bangalore!. Not satisfied with this, a few rupees changed hangs, and guess what yours was indeed driving - O what fun I can tell you!. Picture the scene 'monkey in a rickshaw'

Anyways, satifisfied with the excitement of the nightlife and rickshaw racing I decided culture was the way forward for Saturday. I dragged my friend from bed, and demanded we hit the sights. The Tipu Summers palace was first on the list - was disappointed with this, as I'd been led to expect more.... But the temple next door was a cracker! . A short rickshaw ride later this was followed by the Bull Temple. Now I really liked this place, thought it had lots of character, I mean were else in the world would you find a 30 foot bull in the middle of a temple?

A funny thing happened at the bull temple, as some local chap decided to shove his baby @ me and demand a photo of me holding her.... No idea what that was about, but seemed only polite to oblige. From the temple it was off to the market. Now my friend with me is a yank... Now yanks are not renewed for there comprehension of the English language in the way that we might understand it. However, that aside imagine my surprise to hear a description of the hustle, bustle and chaos of Indian market life as a 'cluster fuck'. That is indeed a new one on me .... 'go figure!'

All in all much enjoyable weekend, making full use of 'crazy rickshaws' O and of course the obligatory ale!!!!

Happy Diwali

2004-11-11T07:52:00.000Z

Happy Diwali, the festival of light starts today. I'm quite excited about joining in the festivities. Although, it has to be said that Bangalore resembles more of a war zone this morning, due in part to the sheer volume of fire crackers going off all over the place. Not that I've ever been caught in a fire fight, but its what I image the constant sound of small arms fire would be like...

Anyways today is a nice sunny day, the chaps I'm training are on holiday and I'm off sight seeing after work. An early finish is well deserved give the amount of hours I put in recently. Plus its about time I took advantage of that cocktail lounge.

Watch this space for some photo's of local land marks, O and me in traditional costume! Monkey out (and ducking for cover!)

The adventure continues

2004-11-09T17:15:00.000Z

Well, I've been here nearly a week and I'm into the pace of life. I was VERY crook yesterday, not sure with what, other than to say it wasn't pretty .... nor was any enjoyment had to boot.

The weekend was a bit mad, after traveling 3 days to get here (combination of delayed and missed flights) I find that half the company was here already. The Ops lot in particular seen to want to party hard ... So guess what I joined them. Not really a renowned party destination Bangalore, there's still be plenty to do... Although not yesterday. Besides which not sure how impressed I'll be when people start to ship home @ the weekend.

Despite the delays, the trip out was a tail of two halfs. Outbound from Heathrow was good if a tad alien. Having been used to backpacking my way round the world, business class is somewhat odd to say the least. That said, the champagne went down well, as did the very nice chardonnay. In contrast the short hop from Sri Lanka to India was crap ... Might be cos I missed my plane, but defiantly nowt to write home about. Free alcohol aside, easily the highlight of the trip was getting a chance to read in quiet for the first time in years... I'm reading Dan Browns Davinci Code ... well into it. Is brill to have time to sit and read... not done that in years (yes I can read for all those who are wondering)

Anyway no real sight seeing to report, however here some's pic's on my hotel room. I'll post some more after Diwali tomorrow ... got me a nice top to wear :)

Today

2004-11-08T05:16:00.000Z

Today can be described in very simply terms ... Extremely hung over. In fact I'm @ the point were I might vernture to say never drinking again.

Offski

2004-10-29T13:20:00.000Z

Its now 3 days and counting ... India is indeed calling. Emotions are a little mixed @ the moment, excited but also a little trepidation. But hey should be good either way. A change is really what monkey needs right now.

Its also change on the accommodation front, I'm now staying the Oberoi which, if is half as nice as it looks will be something special. Its quite simply somewhere you'd like to go on honeymoon .... but best of all is that free cocktail deal. I'm really not sure however if this good or bad, having been so used to traveling on a budget and having previously stayed in some of the world worst flea pits. But watch this space, will shall see...

So, all that's left to say is that the visa is got, flights are booked, and hotel is sorted. The Hindi is quite simply crap, so I guess that I'm as ready as I'll ever be ... Bon voyage!

Busy weekend

2004-10-26T20:07:00.000Z

Well, after a failed cost saving iniative on Friday, and no great plans for the rest of the weekend - things really hoted up. My quiet weekend was rapidly shelved as I ended up in Leicester on Saturday helping to celebrate a friends birthday (happy birthday Greg!). A good night was had by all I feel, although I can't help but think that my failure to go clubbing with some young, attractive and rather nubile students was an opportunity missed... but no matter, there always next time!

Sunday was a funny day, having decided that the opportunity to go home and say hi to the family was too good to miss (since I was already 1/4 of the way there) Leeds was indeed calling. I popped in to see the folks and then promptly went to the pub. Several gallons of Stella later, and Monkey was a bit the worst for ware... same old, same old I hear you say - well not so!. For once I was lucid and still capable of speach (albeit stellarised) ... The funny and bizarre thing is, now less than a week away from foreign climbs and nice women have started to take an interest in me again .. Odd place this world in which we live!.

Yesterday was a day of recovering, the adventures in the Stella zone saw to that. Dinner with the folks @ the Mill Race (which was nice) and few beers with my new friend was about all I could cope with... all in a great way to spend Monday!

Radio Silence

2004-10-23T15:13:00.000Z

After what seems to be an entirnaty of radio silence my big brother finally emailed today. All is apparently well in Iraq.... despite the obvious dangers of being in a war zone. But hey he's alive and well, all be in a little bit of harms way....

Cost Saving

2004-10-23T11:33:00.000Z

Concious that I'll need every penny I've got, and the simply fact that no one was going out last night - I decided to stay in on a friday. This has been a rare choice recently, but being sick as a parat last week probably signalled it was needed. Anyways on paper ... this is great cost saving iniative. O how wrong can you be?.

I woke the morning to find that 3 bottles of wine and the power of the tinternet had induced me to spend a small fortune. My email indicate I am soon to the proud owner of a silver IPod mini , if this wasn't bad enough I then proceeded to spend no less the £200 @ Hard to Find on backdated vinyl. So much for a cheap night attempting to learn Hindi .... Total spend £500... skint now!. Going home to Leeds, getting twated for 3 days would have been a far cheaper option..

Anyways to late now, going shopping now to cheer self up!. Power to Visa!

Mighty Mighty Leeds

2004-10-17T21:43:00.000Z

Well its taken all day, of mostly sleeping on the sofa - but my hangover has subsided. To say I was pissed yesterday, is to understate tremendously. What occasion prompted such behavour I hear you ask, well two fold ... Firstly my friend Johns birthday, but also if that was not reason enough, it was also the day of the super league grand final.

The show piece event of the sport was made all the more spectacular by the fact that Leeds had made it through. Having finished the weekly rounds top of the pile, and also having lost to Bradford two weeks ago, the stage was set for a rip rawing final. Boy did it not disappoint.... with Leeds producing the display of the season to claim victory. What a team effort .... I'm afraid to say however the sheer volume of ale consumed left me a little partied out... but hey one of the most memorable days of my life.. today I'm happy to say 'I'm Rhinos till I die' ...

Destination the 'Garden City'

2004-10-13T21:06:00.000Z

Well today my fate was decided, Bangalore is the way forward (In Sunny India). As a result I spent the morning being poked and prodded by a nurse ... long and short of which ending with lots of extra inoculations. Needles are the one thing in the world I hate - so not too nice an experience. On a plus note I can now get bitten by all kinds of creatures, without fear of foaming @ the mouth. I'll save that trade mark look for occasions when too much Tiger is involved!.

It seems Bangalore is nicknamed the 'Garden City of India' so am beginning to expect great things. That of course combined with the fact that Diwali falls not long after I arrive. The chaps out there keep telling me this is a party to behold ... fingers crossed eh!

Grand Final day is also looming large on the horizon. Leeds are indeed looking like the team to beat ... So good luck to the lads for Saturday. I now wish I'd got that ticket two weeks ago ..

Man of Steel

2004-10-12T22:20:00.000Z

Somewhat surprised I am today to see Andy Farrell named man of Steel .

To be honest I would have liked to have seen it go to one of the younger players in SuperLeague, be it Shaun Briscoe or Danny McGuire ... but hey as was voted for by the player themselves I guess they know's best....

Happy Birthday greetings today must also go to John H ... well into the 3rd decade now I am led to believe...

Back to normality

2004-10-11T19:45:00.000Z

After a rather hectic, and drunken weekend its back to the normality of life in Leamington. Leeds as good as it is for nights out can get a little to intense. I tell you the two day hangover is testimony to that. On the plus side the rhinos won again, I caught up with some friends and the world is a positive place.

Further update on the migration south, three weeks and counting. Hopefully I can stay off the beers long enough to start to pack this week.... But not holding my breath, especially with a friends birthday up and coming.

Head Hurts

2004-10-08T08:28:00.000Z

After opting not to enjoy the sunny heights of a night in Leamington, I decided a quiet night in Leeds was a far better option. Being my home town, its easy to get carried away in the spirit of catching up with chums .... and that's exactly what happened....

Several pints of wife beater, combined with some mysterious German lager that ma dad had in the fridge, equate to a brass band playing loudly in my head. Never again I hear you say, not on your life, bigger bolder and messier tonight...

monkey out .... For the count!

Moving offshore

2004-10-06T18:26:00.000Z

Today was the day that monkey got his marching orders for abroad ... India bound I am!. Thus, to keep things ticking over, and people remotely informed of my where abouts, I've decided this is a good way forward....

Therefore watch this space ... Something of interest in future posts, me hopes ... Monkey out!