Planet Kambing

Icy day

2012-02-05T13:34:00.000Z

Some of our leetle friends in the garden had a complete covering of ice this morning...

Awww.... looks so sad & cold :(

The froglet fell off its usual perch and was nearly buried in ice and snow

Interesting ice crystal formations on the heather in the rockery

Cavebaby earns her keep

Ice on the front grille

Icicles on the wheel rim

Drake

2012-02-03T13:46:00.001Z

The yellow sun is near

The sky is saffron clear

At this her cry of need

I give the earth my seed

But give me heat and fire

A dragon in the gyre

I hold my earth so pale

I wait for her exhale

She gives birth to me

Now I can fly free

And I have leapt

Where air has stepped

I close my eyes

In smoke and ice

O give me breath

Or give me death

Let me fly just so

Over my earth below

Let me be free

It’s all I want to be

You've been Y-fronted!

2012-02-01T20:56:00.000Z

Apparently some footballer dude is now advertising skimpy underwear for H&M (£7.99). On the way out to a client's site this afternoon I passed by a couple of the posters on some GY-NORMOUS billboards on the way out of Manchester.

Nearly crashed the car....... what horrible tattoos!

Oh, and the way over the Pennines, the high moors of the West Riding were still covered with a sprinkling of snow and some of the rural roads were terribly icy.

At least I had fleece on in the car and wasn't just wearing skimpy Y-fronts....... let's not go there, shall we?
:D

Looking forward to sunnier days

2012-01-26T11:58:00.000Z

It's been raining quite hard earlier today, and I'm parked at home with a terrible cold since Monday. Everything aches and I can't stop sneezing still. Oh well. I comfort myself with the thought that it won't last too long (I hope).

In the meantime, at least the sun has deigned to put in a brief appearance for the time being. I thot I'd put up a photo of the sunflowers from last year. Found a couple of packs of seeds earlier, though we can't really plant them till March or April.

Atishoo!

web cam me

2012-01-21T12:53:00.000Z

Bit windy out there today. I tell myself the wind is singing. Her song is so loud that it has drowned out all sound signals and now I can't hear what anyone else is singing. There could be two reasons that I could postulate for this:

1) I have ear wax, or

2) The wind has brought down some phone lines in our area which is why I can't get a dial tone (even tho' the interweb still seems to be connected & working, or

3) Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna eat some worms etc etc

What do you think?

In the meantime, since I was messing about with my web cam photos, I thot I'd post up a montage of recent shots that we had been messing about with.

Thass right. We're good at messing :D

Witness the evidence provided below lol

Anyway, if you are celebrating CNY, do think about us, and if you are playing cards, drinking cognac, eating lots and letting off firecrackers, REMEMBER, dear children & other oddities, don't overdo it.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

From the diary of Beth the Dragon

2012-01-15T14:20:00.002Z

Continuing on the theme of the Dragon Year, I found a piece of homework that Cavebaby had done some time ago, which seemed to fit in really well with the forthcoming Lunar New Year:

As I sat down ready to eat the delicious smelling princess, I could see that she was terribly afraid. The aroma was enchanting – well, to me it was – the taste might not be as appetising to a human, but as I am a dragon, she looked delicious. Although this princess was extremely pretty, I couldn ’t help myself, she was just so scrumptious looking. Her long golden hair was flying everywhere as she tried to get free for I had tied her soft hands to the side of the cave.

The princess was wearing long skirts in different shades of blue and a gorgeous, pale pink frock. The l ittle white frills on the sleeves of her frock were patterned beautifully and she had a delicate tiara among other clips and bobbles on her head. I know I have mentioned the scent of this princess already, however I would like to exaggerate on it a bit. Her delectable fragrance smelt like a newly - cooked chicken ready to be eaten and I could barely take my eyes off her for even a second.

- From Cavebaby's homework done in Nov 2009 -

Happy Lunar New Year!

2012-01-15T14:05:00.000Z

Well, folks, another year has gone by, and here we are feelin' all maudlin again cos I can't get to spend CNY with folks that actually understand the true meaning of the Lunar New Year. But never mind that. I think we will have a small family celebration on NY Eve as New Year's Day is a working day over here. No holiday for me.

I hope you are are feeling shiny and well prepared with armloads of kuih kapit, peanut cookies, melting moments, ti-kueh, lou sang and other assorted goodies to share with your loved ones. Here's hoping the spring cleaning is all done and ready, and the CNY decorations are all up and making your homes look festive and welcoming. And for those of the right age and marital status, I hope you get loadsa loadsa loadsa angpow!

Apparently it's the year of the Dragon, so if your age this year is a complete multiple of 12, this means you. Dragon years are supposed to be auspicious years, but don't be too fiery and hot-headed or undertake too many risky ventures.

Above all, I hope you get to have a great time with your nearest and dearest, and that you don't get woken up at odd times in the early morning by kids playing loud fireworks!!!!

A very welcome to the Happy New Year of the Dragon, and roll on 2012!

The UK "debates" assisted dying

2012-01-05T14:40:00.001Z

A so-called "independent" commission on assisted dying (i.e. funded and driven by rich, powerful & influential people with a clear agenda) has published a report to try and force the UK government to change the law and allow people to help others to commit suicide without fear of being prosecuted for committing murder.

Link here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16410118

Normally I like Terry Pratchett, but if someone wants to kill himself or herself, there is nothing to stop them from sticking their head into the gas oven in their kitchen, or standing in front of a train, or lying under a bus, taking a sailing holiday off the coast of Somalia, or volunteering as a test subject to see if humans can bounce safely after falling from the top of a very tall building. Also I believe illicit drugs that rot one's brain, de-functionalise one's internal organs and stop one's heart are relatively easy and cheaply procured from most night club areas in most UK cities and towns.

The safeguards recommended in the "independent" report include the assistance only being available to those who are "terminally ill" (i.e. have less than a year to live), who are still able to make an informed judgment (i.e. not mentally incapacitated by, say, Alzheimers or locked-in syndrome) and have sign-off from 2 doctors.

Yeah. Right.

I defy any UK doctor to put their medical degree/s, licence to practice and fat salaries on the line to say who will live for one year, more than one year or less than one year.

Why wait until one is too old, too weak, too frail, too sick? By then they would not be able to take their own lives without help from others. What an utterly selfish thing to do! Imagine that, putting such a terrible burden on loved ones and others to do the dirty deed for them.

Why wait? There is no law against suicide in the UK right now. If life is REALLY REALLY so unworthwhile, go on, do it! Do it now! Don't wait until you are no longer able to do so yourself and then force your nearest and dearest to kill you.

But there are UK laws in force today against taking someone else's life. THESE LAWS ARE THERE FOR A GOOD REASON.

Can you imagine the pressure that would be exerted on those who are too old, too weak, too frail, too sick by those who are unwilling to care for them or to pay for their care? These poor and vulnerable folks would be forced into a moral duty to die for the convenience of others. If these laws protecting the right to life are taken away, I shudder to think how many people would begin plotting the deaths of their elderly or sick relatives especially if they stand to inherit money as a result of those deaths.

So, for all those who want the right to die, you already have it. If you can't bear living, you know what to do. You've even got a wide choice of lots of ways to end yourself if you really really want to.

But YOU gotta be brave enough to do it YOURSELF. Don't be a coward and place the hideous responsibility of your own self-chosen death at someone else's door.

No resolutions. Just old photos.

2011-12-29T19:04:00.000Z

I thought I wouldn't make any New Year resolutions, but I did dig through some of my old photos. Some of these are from when we were ever so young (and skinny hahaha). Do you recognise yourselves, peeps?

I don't think this babe looks very much like her Ma

Synchronised leg crossing...

Y'know, I can't even remember this trip and where we went to.

Bath? Bristol? London? Can't remember :(

Still laughing before we got scared to death at the showing of "Carrie" in the Semesti School hall (I think)

All dressed up. No idea what the occasion was...

One of my last nights at Semesti, with almost all the gang

ALSO Nite, December 1986

All-girl MYF choir performing at Ching Mooi's birthday

Chief cook & bottle washer

2011-12-25T19:33:00.000Z

Cooking over a hot slaver.... or is it slaving over a hot cooker???

Haiiiieeeee! Chop!

Three bird roast (turkey, chicken & duck)

Christmas dinner BG (before gravy)

Capt Caveman has been a good boy and can now eat the Christmas dinner that he made with his own fair hands lol

Errr... it's the look that counts???

2011-12-23T10:36:00.000Z

The most important thing when wrapping presents is, of course, the.......

....way you look!!!

Cavebaby's Seasonal Word Game

2011-12-18T16:40:00.000Z

See how many you can work out! Answers on the back of a fag packet to the usual address :D

Ho Ho Ho!

Scenes from Goatville in winter

2011-12-16T20:30:00.000Z

Some naughty kambing child who was supposed to help decorate the Christmas tree decided to play on her laptop instead...

Snowing in Goatville today! I was pleasantly surprised to get home and find that the snow had stuck on the ground here cos it was all melted away in Manchester city centre

Hot chocolate and French coffee at Manchester Christmas Market

Kambingz rule OK!

December is here!

2011-12-02T12:51:00.000Z

I blinked and December is already here! Since I've been quite busy and rushed off my feet with sorting out other people's problems, I haven't had a chance to download my pics of this year's Manchester Christmas markets. So here are some pics from last year to tide you over until I manage to sort myself out (i.e. find my USB wire...)

December is usually a very busy time for us. There is always lots to do as clients have a psychological thing about getting stuff sorted before Christmas/ before the end of the calender year. Cavebaby has a violin concert as well as Christmas carol busking at the Lymm Dickensian Festival shortly. I somehow manage to get roped in every year for music/ lights/ action of some sort either for the Christingle service or the Nativity play. This year it's both! no peace for the wicked! And Capt Caveman has the enviable job of looking after us, which is of course, the best job of all. He knows it is, because that's what Cavebaby and I have told him LOL.

This year end, let's take the time to appreciate our families and not fight over shopping/ presents, or who to invite for Christmas dinner, or indeed, whether spending £250 per head on just one weekend is actually justified :D

If you are drinking, please do so responsibly. If you are eating lots, please eat lots in moderation and enjoy yourself. If you are sending Christmas cards, please think about saving the cost of the cards and stamps and donating the money to a charitable organisation instead. And if you are thinking of giving, may I respectfully recommend Operation Christmas Child, a very worthy venture indeed.

Happy Christmas in advance to all of you! And if you are expecting a card from me, don't! but you and your loved ones will be in my thoughts and my prayers. Ho Ho Ho!

Love they engineers, don't we?

2011-11-24T12:45:00.000Z

...and I can only say this as coming from a family with a civil engineer, a building surveyor, a structural engineer and an architect in it!

Pos tak laju betul. Mail is not very royal at all.

2011-11-23T13:23:00.000Z

Long but fruitful day in London yesterday. Got picked up at Piccadilly Station in Manchester by Capt Caveman and Cavebaby, who told me some astounding news.

A postcard we'd sent to our friends, who live across the street, while we were in Malaysia in August was finally delivered. Yesterday morning.

From your own experience, can you beat that?

Halloween update

2011-11-01T19:39:00.000Z

Cavebaby, Phoebe and I are now busily eating the leftover treats - hahaha!
I originally tried to sneak in some toothbrushes but Cavebaby said she would disown me...
We had a steady stream of trick-and-treaters from about 5pm, but it got kind of cold, dark and wet later.
No takers after 7.30pm.
I thot of making pumpkin soup with the jack-o-lantern afterwards, but Capt Caveman discouraged me.
He said the pumpkin was full of wax and candle soot.
Privately, I think it's because he doesn't like pumpkins.
Or soup.
Or pumpkin soup.
Never mind, October is over.
Can I start Christmas shopping yet?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:24:00.000Z

Mirror Image

2011-09-13T13:25:00.002+01:00

Just a little further on from what she cannot save

Reaching back into that captivating darkness

Just beyond the moontide where she finds that crimson wave

Grasping, clasping tight with ruthless sharpness

Just a little way to go and therein lies the rub

The call unheeded, she can because she must

Just a little gasp in space and in the nub

Under dove white wings, unrelenting blood and lust

The cry unheard and swallowed in the throat

Clutching and releasing, breathing in her secret name

A song, a flying bird, a fleeting note

Entwined and together, alone and yet the same

Until the break of dawn she still holds fast

The one, the two, knotted, united at the last

The moonlight glows, the twilight shows

Unconscious, captivated – it is all she knows.

*Inspired by Marc Chagall's Song of Songs III

The Thing 4

2011-09-02T13:17:00.000+01:00

Last panels!

The End! Cliffhanger or whut, eh?

The Thing 3

2011-09-02T13:13:00.000+01:00

Cont'd:

Final instalment to come!

The Thing 2

2011-09-02T13:06:00.000+01:00

Cont'd:

The Thing 1

2011-09-02T13:02:00.001+01:00

Just for a change... I managed to find digital scans of this comic called "Who goes there?" that had preyed on my mind for decades since I saw the film "The Thing" when I was in secondary school. Must've been 16 or 17 yrs old & Messrs Patrick, Naidu and Nagappan were looking for things for us to do after all our year-end exams were over.

Anyhow, here are the first instalments. Don't have nightmares!!!

More soon!

Very long time no see!

2011-08-30T20:57:00.001+01:00

With OJ, Emily and Irene @ USJ!

With Nancy @ Dataran Sunway!

With Jenny, KY, KS + his little girl & Jason + his missus at Marina Straits Quay, Penang!

With Ivy, Wai Nyin & Ati at 1U!

With Alice, JB & kids in Kg Cina!

With Isobel in Kg Koh!

Folks, I was so so very happy to have been able to see you in Malaysia. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to meet up. Next time Capt Caveman will belanja!

And don't forget to come visit me!

You've been Egor-ed!

2011-07-20T20:02:00.001+01:00

Cavebaby in the school play...... as Egor

Knock Knock. Who's there?

What you want? Go. Away.

Master needs brain. Egor fetch for Master.

Egor! You fool! This isn't the right brain!

I don't suppose Dr Frankenstein and Egor deserve a medal for creating a malfunctioning Monster???

Nothin' to do on a rainy summer's afternoon

2011-07-17T18:12:00.001+01:00

Not kool. Just wet.

Bored persons and their socks

Some of the socks were odd too. LOL

Tengu II

2011-07-10T18:11:00.002+01:00

We are cast aside, away

To await a better day.

Who will like our face or name

When we are clearly not the same

As those who came before

And who now guard the door?

Who will have pity

In hamlet, town or city?

Shall we stay to guard our goods

In village and in woods

Or shall we leave the fold

And departing, remove our gold?

Can we stay,

Or must we go?

Will we be sent away

And in the end
Have nought to show?

Now who will clean my house?

Belated Father's Day & assorted pics

2011-07-02T17:04:00.004+01:00

Cavebaby and Pops before Young Music Makers concert

Cavebaby's new wheels

Hot pink is kewl

Happy Father's Day ties made by Cavebaby

Recipients required to wear 'em and photographic evidence required LOL

All pooped, are we?

pi or tau?

2011-06-28T12:36:00.005+01:00

Apparently it is Tau Day today.... completely oblivious to nincompoops like yours truly, there is a large movement and momentum of dissatisfaction with the performance of pi. Apprently this is because "tau makes more sense and makes solving mathematical problems easier". Let's see:

pi = circumference / diameter

tau = circumference / (2x radius)

hence:

tau = 2 x pi

So it's Tau Day today because tau is twice pi, i.e. approximately 6.28, so twenty eighth June it is! (I'm sure there's some logic in that somewhere...)

In a full circle, there are 2 x pi, but only 1 x tau. This is clear and powerful when working in radians and not degrees. According to the supporters of tau, circles are the set of all points to a fixed distance from the centre, and this is clearly defined by the radius, not the diameter. Tau apparently makes more sense when one is calculating in radians and not in degrees. Some of the more vehement proponents of tau accuse poor old pi of being a vestige of "old-fashioned thinking" and some also feel that they have been lied to all their lives where mathematical working with pi is concerned. People apparently only still use degrees to measure angles because using pi makes working in radians really unwieldy. (I thot it was because that's how the protractors are marked in the school compass sets that you can buy anywhere, but hey, what do I know???)

At this point my poor old brain decided to overheat and I had to return to working on some leachate treatment problems to give myself a bit of a rest. It's been a long time since I did O level Maths. And when I read about physics these days it generally refers to quack medicines :D

Never mind, it's always the thought that counts. So wherever you are, Happy Tau Day!

Farewell after 18 years

2011-06-18T20:41:00.004+01:00

Goodbye, purple raincoat, you have been a faithful and well-used item of apparel for the past 18 years, but even Goretex can't last forever. Thank you Capt Caveman for getting it for me in the first place. xxxxx

that time of life :(

2011-06-17T11:38:00.002+01:00

A few weeks ago after the Sunday service I was talking to a good friend when her face suddenly crumpled and she burst into tears. She got in such a state that she had to leave the premises.

I wondered whether it was something I'd said? I didn't see her all that week so never even had the chance to ask. Plus what with all the late working I have been doing, and the round-the-clock working that she does, it was a bit hard to get in touch properly. I don't really like talking about sensitive things over the phone with friends - it's hard enough to judge, especially when I can't see the expressions on their faces.

A week later she seemed fine and it was as though none of that had ever happened.

Last week she was cheerful enough though she seemed a bit .... ehem.... warm and flushed. When I remarked on it (yes, we are good enough friends that I can make that kind of remark to her :D) she just laughed and said it was perfectly normal to experience that at that time of life, and that I would know what it's like when it's my turn....... eeek! Run away now, middle-aged husbands! 'Tis the dreaded "M" word!

Anyhow, I am glad she is feeling more her cheerful self now.

Have a good weekend, and don't forget to be extra nice to your wives and mums. Happy Father's Day for Sunday!

Chocolates, chocolates!

2011-06-05T17:43:00.003+01:00

Help! it's the 2nd week of June and I still have 3 boxes of chocs and a box of sweets from Christmas to eat up...

I counted up the times that people seem to give me lots of chocolates and it looks a bit like this:

February - Valentine's Day
March/ April - Mother's Day and Easter and wedding anniversary
Summer - birthday
December - Christmas

Anyhow Cavebaby and Capt Caveman are helping me so that I don't get fat on my own!

something unexpected....

2011-05-27T21:54:00.002+01:00

Cavebaby and her friends won a prize at a school event on Wednesday evening.... a ride around in a limousine!

Posing...

Happy half term holidays!

vroom & crunch

2011-05-20T12:40:00.005+01:00

Had a bit of a scare driving into work today. Some crazy motorcyclist zoomed right up behind a car on my right while everyone was crawling along the dual carriageway trying to get into the city centre. This was right at the point where the road peeled off left to get to the motorway, go straight for the city centre and turn right to go to one of the city 'burbs.

Traffic was nearly at a standstill when the biker decided to cut past me into the space in front of my car. Unfortunately at the same time the car in front of the biker decided to pull into the same space. The car bashed the biker on his right, while the motorbike ripped off the car's left wing mirror. The biker wobbled quite a bit but luckily he didn't fall over. If I had been driving faster or been half-asleep at the wheel I might have run him over or knocked him down.

As it was the motorist drove off left to the motorway without stopping and the biker carried on slowly towards the city centre for a short while, then zoomed off blithely without a second thought. Obviously unhurt, thank goodness.

Not five minutes later another biker zoomed past shaking his fist at some of the cars in front as we were all still crawling along with no space between the cars for him to squeeze past.

Sorry mate, the width of the road is fixed, nobody can make their car narrower so you can pass them quicker, and please don't expect motorists to be able to see you and be able to react in time if you have been hovering behind them in their blind spot and then suddenly accelerate to draw up beside them or cut in front of them.

In the immortal words of Calvin & Hobbes: Be roadsafe or be roadkill.

Goatville in May

2011-05-15T10:34:00.002+01:00

Variegated tulips

Yellow poppies

We have pears!!! (i hope)

Cherries on the sakura tree - never had any of these before. Mostly the birds get them before they ripen fully

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Easter

2011-04-22T19:42:00.003+01:00

The Son of God, alive, has ripped the veil

Now angels sing glory glory hail

The Son of Man has risen and will reign

Triumphant over death and pain.

On this happy holy Easter day

The stone is truly rolled away

From the cross to life,

bringing love from strife

All freely given,

And what a gift of heaven.

I am ready, Lord, I’m ready now

From heart to voice, from toe to brow

To sing your greatest story -

Thine be the kingdom and the glory.

Call me, Lord, and raise me from my tomb

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Good Friday

2011-04-21T12:15:00.006+01:00

A path to death
A tortured breath
A thorny crown
The Son of Man hath fallen down
The nails they bite
Still He does not fight
Now lifted to the skies
In agony He cries
Now droops His head
His blood is shed
The Father turns his eyes away
Redemption from my sins - He pays
And so He dies
And in a cold tomb lies

Now only wait for life
And joy and end of strife
What can I give but tears
Surrender all my doubt and fears?
What can I give to start
But only all my willing heart?
And wait, and wait and pray
For blessed holy Easter day

it's madness!

2011-04-13T18:10:00.004+01:00

HEAD

Crooked smoke, bended neck

Madness is a wreck

Sometimes cries

Without eyes

Safely heard, safely said

In my head

Softly planted under land

In my hand

Hardly felt over skin

On my chin

I know it’s true

I know it’s you

The rest is lies

The rest is only lies

o soldier soldier

2011-04-06T13:27:00.007+01:00

This photo of a Silly-pore national service trainee caused me much scandalised hilarity. Maybe he was too bust texting or playing on his iphone to carry his own backpack, or just too plain lazy so he conveniently forced the poor maid to carry it for him.

Caption competition, anybody? I'll start with:

She knew that physical training for the Singaporean military service had changed, but she hadn't realised by how much.

Here are some other amusing "maid platoon" pics from Singapore Stomp:

One blogger respondee put it best: Let's invade now since we know they are defended by a bunch of pansies!

My response would be: You wanna invade a nation of pansies??????

Have a good day :p

Shoop shoop shoop

2011-04-02T11:39:00.007+01:00

Since I'm still on the topic of Chinese takeaway, I might as well put up my version of one of my favourites - Peking hot & sour soup. This is a homemade fast food that contains as many food groups as you like, basically to use up whatever leftovers you may have in the pantry/ fridge.

Chop up all available ingredients. If using meat cut into small slivers in readiness. Otherwise be a vegetarian. Makes me no never mind for this dish.

Heat a medium sized pan with a spot of vegetable oil at medium heat. If using fresh shallots/ garlic/ ginger, do those first when the pan starts to get hot. It's hot enough when the onions sizzle when you first put them in. Now put in any raw meat you plan to use and push it around the pan. When part browned, add the non-leafy vegetables like baby sweetcorn/ carrots/ mushrooms. If not using raw meat just start with the vegetables.

When the vegetables have started to soften add 1 tbs of soy sauce and 2 tbs of oyster sauce. If dark soy/ kicap mains is used, the soup will look much browner. If preferred, replace soy/ oyster sauce with a chicken or vegetable stock tablet. When the whole lot is braising nicely, add crushed chillies (fresh or dried) - as much as you like according to taste, and add the soft & leaf vegetables like pak choy and mustard (Chinese leaf). Push the whole lot around in the pan so everything gets cooked evenly.

Add 1 litre of boiling water, and adjust seasoning if needed. Boil fiercely for 2 minutes if using raw meat to ensure it is all cooked though. At the end of this stage I add up to 4 tbs of malt vinegar or white wine vinegar and 1 tsp of sesame oil, and any chopped up ready cooked meats that I want to use up :D. Cover and turn heat down. Add egg or cornflour paste to thicken if preferred. Simmer for a short while till the soup is just fragrant & ready.

Remove from heat & serve up. Makan!

The taking of photos of the food is optional :D

Preparing ingredients: 5-10 mins

Cooking: 10-15 mins

Eating:20 mins

Blogging: takes much much longer than that......

All major credit cards & diamond tiaras accepted

2011-03-30T13:15:00.007+01:00

9.55pm. The phone rings.

Self: Who's ringing me so late? Hope it's not a family emergency or anything like that. (answers phone) Hullo?

Snooty-voiced woman: Oh hellow, tell me, do you deliver meals?

Self: Whuh? Um... now why would I want to deliver meals? (Silence followed by sound of crickets...)

Snooty-voiced woman: Errrr.... sorry, I must have the wrong number. (hangs up)

Self: Dammit! should have said, Of course I deliver. I accept cash, all major credit cards, nearly new consumer electronics goods and expensive jewellery. :D

And all this is is because our phone number has one digit different from that of a popular fish & chip shop/ Chinese takeaway nearby. Dear hungry folks, when you want to order your hot dinner, please ring LYMM FISH&CHIPS, not Goatville. (basically, u can't afford me hahahahaha!) And please do not be shocked at the range of rude words I know (in several languages) if you shout down the phone and demand numper fitty sicks flied lies and numper wang huntlett and tlee swee saw chikking with cgod and one porsen chips with sore finger.

Japan earthquake

2011-03-12T13:04:00.003Z

Following hard on the heels of the floods/hurricane in Queensland, quakes in New Zealand and Yunnan, yet another natural disaster has struck, this time on Honshu Island, Japan. Hundreds of thousands have lost their homes and livelihoods, and the Japanese govt has estimated that around 1000 people have been killed. The Fukushima nuclear plant experienced some explosion/ steam or pressure relief - hope it has stabilised and that the reactor containment does not breach. Japanese engineers (bless their cotton socks) are working round the clock to make the facility safe.

The pictures emerging in the last few days have been truly harrowing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709791

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12721552

It is truly a sad time for the world. So whatever it is in our own lives that makes us feel down, just think of all these other unfortunates and count our blessings. As ever, we should all pray for the the well being of survivors and mourn the loss of life.

And if you donate money to relief efforts, please make sure you donate through the proper channels e.g. through the bank and not through some phishing web site or email originating from Nigeria or something like that.

Have a good weekend, all.

Your love story in six words

2011-03-08T12:49:00.004Z

Some examples found on interweb:

Still crazy after all these years.
Love hurts. Choose beer or chocolate.
No love, no marriage, no alimony.
There is nothing sex can't fix!
Love so crazy - then just crazy.
Warning: I blog all my breakups.
Marry me. No. Happy ever after.
Saw him. Hired him. Married him.
Every day is my Valentine's Day!
Still married, still figuring it out.
My dogs give me better kisses.
Felt like we'd met somewhere before.
In the morning she makes pancakes.
There's nothing wrong with being single.
There is nothing chocolate can't cure!
Love. Marriage. Job. Mortgage. Kids. Pension.
Fell in love - then fell out.
Note to self - no more headcases.

and this is my personal favourite:

When in doubt, give her diamonds.

Anyone else want to try this? :D

Sex eddication for 21st century kids

2011-03-07T12:18:00.003Z

Cavebaby, Capt Caveman and I were driving along last weekend and we got to talking about condors and condoms (I blame Aunty SiaMooi lol). Funnily enough Cavebaby wasn't too interested in what condoms are, but she asked quite a few questions about condors: What are they? What do they look like? Where do they live? What do they eat?

We asked if there was anything she needed to know about condoms, and she said, nahhhh..... but could we tell her what a dildo is?

Capt Caveman: (mightily embarrassed) errrr..... ummmm.....
Me: (blithely) oh, that's a fake willy.
Cavebaby: huh, why do people want a fake willy for?
Capt Caveman: (even more mightily embarrassed) errrr..... ummmm.....
Me: (pretend to be even more blithe) well, some people don't have husband/ boyfriend so they use a dildo to have sex by themselves.
Cavebaby: EWWWWWWWWW..... so gross etc etc etc

at least she can learn such things from me and not from wandering around on the interweb horrr
:D

Quake aftermath

2011-02-28T12:31:00.003Z

No, this post isn't about some MMPRPG development platform. It's about the recent earthquake in Christchurch, NZ.

Some of my former colleagues moved from the UK to NZ, actually to our Christchurch office, a couple of years ago so naturally I felt a bit concerned. Fortunately we had good news almost immediately after the second and far more serious quake event, in that there were no casualties or fatalities amongst our colleagues, although some of them are staying with family/friends as their own homes were so badly damaged. Our Christchurch office was also very badly damaged and is so unsafe as to need a structural assessment. Nobody is being allowed in, in the meantime, even to collect personal items or project information while a temporary office is being set up. Nevertheless these brave colleagues have carried on working and are already actively helping the city council with dealing with the aftermath.

Some of the pictures from the quake are here - some are quite harrowing not in terms of property or infrastructure damage, but of the human emotional toll on an entire city and nation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12550521

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12558350

Let's all remember all those who perished, give thanks for those that survived, admire those who joined in the rescue effort (many digging through the rubble with their bare hands to search for and help survivors) and look forward with all those involved in reconstruction. May God bless the efforts of those in Christchurch and New Zealand as they rebuild their lives.

Stir crazy

2011-02-23T12:06:00.002Z

Cats rule, dogs merely drool.
I like my cave time (when I have finished work but am not mentally ready to cope with Capt Caveman or Cavebaby).
Never ask me how many hours a week I work.
Never ask me what my salary is.
I actually have great respect for my three bosses.
Love. My. Car. Even though she is slightly crumpled where I tried (unsuccessfully) to run over a trolley park.
Currently reading three books, two of which are not very good and one is actually a re-read.
A neighbour told me I was antisocial... after inviting herself into my house to inspect some building works we got done last year.
I hate housework. Never do any if I can help it.
Have been told before that I have a weird sense of humour.

.......still bored. Thank goodness it's lunchtime.

New uses for old tyres...

2011-02-22T12:24:00.006Z

Aunty Rima & I first met in 1987 in Exeter University. Since then she has been chased by a bunch of used tyres, visited the North Pole, made a music video and run a marathon dressed in a skimpy policewoman outfit (don't arsk....).

At least I get to say i get to lead a quiet life in my leetle cave :D

Surprise Attack! (Part 2)

2011-02-20T14:56:00.003Z

When the kids placed

the broken arrow

in his hand

the old soldier would

sometimes smile.

We put all the slaughter down to

dog eat dog

and every man for himself.

But that was years ago

and we do not feel the same today.

We had to make enemies of them,

otherwise

we would not be able to kill them all.

They were just like us,

terrified, unprepared and

afraid to die.

But that was long ago

and we are not the same today.

He would run his calloused hand

along the tattered feathers.

Sometimes the old man cried

when he thought

no one was looking.

Surprise Attack!

2011-02-18T21:01:00.004Z

With such noise, my noxious foe

besets my reeling senses so,

Ack! I bleed!

Abandoning my creed

of valour as red death

comes closely on my breath,

or perhaps she’s flaunting

loss of pride, of life, with heartless taunting.

Melodrama? I never knew her.

We who fight grow merely fewer.

So cruelly the artist seals

my fate in comic book ideals.

Transmogrify!

2011-02-15T21:02:00.003Z

Tengu - Painting by Hokusai

To glare, to croak, to float, to jeer:

Entrapped, alone in darkened fear.

Just when his handcuffs ruptured free –

Before, beyond the land and sky and sea.

To soar, to fight, to stare, to growl:

Lay cursed, ensnared in heaven’s howl.

Just as he thought to make his mark -

The sky dog’s bite is worse than his bark.

Waterfall

2011-02-14T21:18:00.004Z

Speak a little louder.

I cannot hear you above the roil of the

falling water.

I am shrivelled as the dwarf pine

clinging to its precarious throne

above the cataract.

If I leap now

will I fall or fly?

Your face is wet but

I cannot tell

if it is with

tears

or merely spray.

Yup, I've tired of poor Chagall, and moved on to Hokusai. A special welcome to my cousin Karen from Adelaide. And yes, your MA is not a tiger but a pussykitty (just like my DAD) LOL.

Hope you had a luverly Valentine's Day. Some gals get given chocolates or diamonds. Or posh holidays to the Bahamas. Or diamonds. Did I mention diamonds?

Other romantic hubbies give ............. beer

:rolleyes: at least he knows I like Crabbies but not every day tee hee hee

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

2011-01-29T19:58:00.014Z

Just finished reading Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. For those that don't know, Amy Chua is a highly regarded writer and a professor of law at Yale. She is Hokkien and her parents were originally from the Philippines. Her husband, Jed Rubenfeld, is equally accomplished (professor and novelist), and her father, Leon Chua is an extremely famous electrical engineer/ computer scientist. You can Google all three of them - yes, they are that famous.

Battle Hymn is a tragicomic memoir of Prof Chua's efforts at bringing up her two kids, Sophia and Louisa (Lulu), to excel at everything, i.e. the story of how a Chinese mother is supposed to be better at raising kids than Western ones. The books has raised an absolute storm in the US and elsewhere, with large numbers American parents being stung by some of the observations in the book. There have been many condemnations, and also several weirdos making death threats against Prof Chua. Also a large number have come out in support of some of the things that she says.

I would not myself adopt some of Prof Chua's very extreme methods of training her daughters on the violin and piano, and the way she was borderline cruel to them at times (in my humble opinion) when she did not accept that they did their best. There is also a bizarre part where she challenges her husband that he does not have sufficiently significant ambitions for their dog.......... Despite all the painful-to-read bits, what shines through the book is how much love there is in this family, and how the children's gifts have been nurtured by their mother so that they are more than talented, they have transcended most of their 15 and 18-yr old peers in their extant accomplishments. Yet Prof Chua was clear that her approach did not entirely work for her younger daughter, culminating in a glass-smashing screaming match in, of all places, Red Square when the family were holidaying in Moscow.

Hopefully I will not end up like some of the other commentators and reviewers who felt a need to pass judgement on the merits of the book as a parenting guide or a critique of Chinese vs American methods of upbringing. I merely read it for what it was presented as - a memoir of part of this woman's life, trying to juggle a rather demanding career with motherhood, with a savour that came across almost as trying to do the best she could and damn the consequences. There are two sad parts dealing with the death of her mother-in-law and near the ending, her younger sister's battle with cancer. Throw in the fact that she is what Capt Caveman would call a tiny little Chinese woman, looks very fierce, unaccepting of and at many times seemingly battling against the culture and practices of modern day suburban USA....... Not only was the fish out of water at times, but the fish got out its parang and chopped down all the obstacles in its way. Prof Chua came across simultaneously as monstrously ambitious for her children while loving them to bits.

When I read the book, I laughed till I cried. And for that, Amy Chua, I thank you.

But the last word I will leave to Sophia, who wrote an open letter, published in the NY Post, to her mother following the storm after the publication of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.

When I read the letter, I laughed till it hurt. And on behalf of all daughters of tiny little fierce Chinese women everywhere, Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, I thank you.

Guilty Pleasures No.1

2011-01-14T19:35:00.006Z

I thought I'd better restart blogging or I'll lose interest altogether...... so here starts a series on some of my Guilty Pleasures. I'm sure/ hoping they are shared by others too!

I'll start with Shakespeare on film.

The first candidate is Much Ado About Nothing - with a stellar cast including Denzel Washington (Don Pedro), Keanu Reeves (Don John), Kenneth Branagh (Benedick), Emma Thompson (Beatrice), Robert Sean Leonard (as Claudio, Dead Poets Society long forgotten) and a very young Kate Beckinsale (Hero) in her first movie appearance. Also making noteworthy appearances in this movie were Michael Keaton (he was once the Batman, you know), Imelda Staunton (long long before Oscar nominations for Vera Drake) and pre-Queen the Musical Ben Elton.

This was quite watchable, although Denzel was woefully under-utilised and Keanu could have been replaced with a cardboard cut-out & probably no one would have noticed. Emma & Ken had very good turns. Made me appreciate the rapier wit of Shakespeare the playwright.

The next candidate is the beautifully produced A Midsummer Nights Dream - again with a stellar cast consisting of pre-Oscar nomination David Strathairn (Theseus), the incandescent Sophie Marceau (Hippolyta), the both extremely beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett (Titania and Oberon respectively), the completely underrated Stanley Tucci (Puck), a completely hammed up Kevin Kline (Bottom), and the collectively hilarious turn of Calista Flockhart (wot she did after Ally McBeal), Christian Bale (y'know, before Batman and John Connor), Dominic West and the tiny but explosive Anna Friel as Helen, Demetrius, Lysander and Hermia.

Bombed at the box office despite the extremely lush set, the gorgeous Tuscan setting (mistake, I thought, who would put Athens in Italy, eh?) and scrumptious costumes (no, dahling, I don't think the Athenians wore Edwardian dress). Nonetheless, this film made me laugh despite its many failings. Straithairn/ Marceau/ Bale were wasted on the film as their talents had no real showcase opportunity. Kevin was awful, but then the role of Bottom was meant for complete and utter over-acting. Michelle/ Rupert/ Anna/ Calista were delicious, though.

Yup. You guessed it. Not for me the intense & high brow Laurence Olivier/ Richard Burton stuff. I like the comedies much better. Tee hee hee!

Until the next Guilty Pleasure hits you between the ribs like a sweet wife's cooking in the longsuffering husband's tum-tum, have a good weekend and say hi to your household pets and other siblings, kids, parents and house plants for me! Don't forget to wipe your nose and blow your feet :D

Weather Forecast

2010-12-15T12:22:00.003Z

It has not been very nice weather in UK and elsewhere in Europe recently. You may have seen pictures particularly from Scotland where traffic ground to a halt even on major motorways and cars had to be abandoned. In some places the post and other deliveries are still not getting through after weeks and weeks of freezing weather.

Over here, we have had a very cold spell over most of November and early December with temperatures regularly below 0 degC for many days on the trot. Since last week the temperatures have risen to positively tropical levels of around 5 degC hahahaha. However, a second cold snap looks likely to descend from around tonight, as you can see from the forecast for Manchester that I have just downloaded............
So I guess it is time to keep the warm clothes out. Who knows? It may even get to be a White Christmas for us!

Knight moves

2010-11-30T13:25:00.005Z

騎士遺留

分裂芒果
野兔跑掉
不能歸來

他編寫詩
不回戰鬥
劍被弄鈍
靈魂自由

The knight left behind

splits a mango

hare runs away

and cannot return

he writes poetry

unable to return to battle

his sword is blunted

but his soul is free

Ain't it amazing what nonsense one can write using a machine translator?
:D

Some recent lite reading

2010-11-17T12:46:00.009Z

Aunty Sia Mooi remarked to me recently via FB message that I had not blogged for a while. SM - u r right. It's rather easy for me to be lazy and lose track of what we've been up to except for when I have holiday snaps to remind myself :D

Anyhow, I am glad to confirm that not all of my time is spent at work, despite what Capt Caveman may think! Recently I began re-reading some of Terry Pratchett's later Discworld novels, and i'm reminded what a great writer he has actually become.

In the past, the Discworld series seemed merely a load of comical novels, but after Lords and Ladies (don't let the lurid cover put you off), he actually got really good at wry obeservation of human nature and alliteration between life and fairy stories. Making two old women and a shy/henpecked bride-to-be the heroes against a world invasion? Superbly hysterical on its outlook on history, marital life and the glamour of elves.

Granny Weatherwax? Oh, yes, please!!! And Nanny Ogg? Mum's the word! Magrat Garlick? Yur, life will never be what you expect when your mother misspelt your name....... Headology galore!

But I must say the best of the Discworld novels so far is Nightwatch. A policeman accidentally falls through a rip in the fabric of reality and finds that he has gone back in time. He needs to masquerade as his old mentor to teach his younger self to survive, but if he does so, everything will change and he cannot return to his own future - this means no wife, no son, no family, no legacy to uphold. What can he do to sort it out? Pure genius. (ps - the cover is a really clever play on a famous Rembrandt painting called ...... you guessed it - The Night Watch)

I have to say, Sam Vimes is one of the greatest policemen ever written, who strives to do right even when that's not what the letter of the law says, and even when he feels like a class traitor after his promotion to the 2nd most powerful man in his city.
These are only two of the Pratchett novels I'd been re-reading lately - there are 38 so far and still counting. I'm hoping the next novel, Snuff, will appear in early 2011, especially since it features Vimes going off on holiday with his wife/kid. He's a policeman - he's bound to find a crime/ trouble even when he's on leave....

Another series that I had not come across before concerns the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes partnership written by Laurie R King. I picked up the Beekeeper's Apprentice in a local bookstore as it was on sale cheap cheap only. Very pleasantly surprised as King manages a respectful homage to Conan Doyle, Holmes and Watson, while introducing the brilliant young Russell, who is more than a match for Holmes in wit and intelligence.

This book was a bit meandering in places, but is particularly enjoyable since it explains the background and develops the reasoning for Russell's actions, behaviour and outlook for the rest of the series. I have since ordered the entire series, but a couple of them are slow in arriving, so i have taken to reading them out of the order in which they were written. So far I've finished 1, 3 (A letter of Mary) and 5 (O Jerusalem). No. 2, 4 and 6 are still in delivery from the US as these books are out of print in the UK, drat and double drat.

Anyhow I'll leave you with the cover of the Beekeeper's Apprentice. And no, the girl on the cover does not match Russell's description - tall, bespectacled and with long blonde hair done up in two plaits.

Have a good week, and love your neighbour if you must, but don't get caught!

(More) Guilty pleasures

2010-11-15T20:41:00.006Z

I had a nice surprise when I got in from work today. Someone had given Capt Caveman a somewhat dog-eared but complete limited edition set of the entire Xena Warrior Princess teevee series.

Remember her? :D It's ok to pretend you don't! LOL

Anyhow this makes a nice addition to our collection of teevee series on DVD to while away the long dark winter evenings :D

KambingCam

2010-10-22T20:13:00.004+01:00

Well, the luddites finally discovered the webcam function on the laptop!

Half term at last!

2010-10-22T14:18:00.002+01:00

Thank goodness I have just over a week off. I feel quite wearied and that's just from watching Cavebaby and her friends playing outside! At the moment there are 2 of them outside setting up their own circuits course with all kinds of stuff that they have found in the garden shed such as a mini-trampoline, some old balls and abandoned exercise equipment which the bro-in-law kindly "donated" to us when he moved house about 15 yrs ago....... Ah well, I can't complain (too much) that the kids are getting up to no good. At least they have some imagination, innit right, SM & Dan?

At least the cold weather seems to have worn off for the time being and it's shaping up to be a lovely sunny Friday afternoon, albeit with a sharp edge to the breeze. And all this after I have put my thinner jackets away and dug out my thick/ warm coats in preparation for the winter. This morning Cavebaby and I wore our winter coats when we went for a brief visit to the supermarket. OMG! we got so hot while we were there!

Ah well, I suppose the weather still seems reasonable, so let's make the most of it!

Sun room

2010-10-09T17:39:00.003+01:00

Some pics from inside the sun room:

Cavebaby on the chaise longue

Mama on the chaise longue

Cavebaby at the laptop station

Yellow vs red

(but at the end of the day they are just more plants for me to kill......muahahahahahaha!)

Yikes! el cheapo!

2010-09-28T18:20:00.004+01:00

After the summer hols, Cavebaby went back to school, and the headmistress had got engaged! When she had been congratulated by all and sundry, she told everyone what actually happened - at the start of the summer holidays he got down on one knee and and proposed........ using an el cheapo plasticky ring from a cheap accessories shop!!!!

And she still said yes!!!!

Actually it was because he knew she's a drama queen and would want to pick her own ring, so they did that during the holidays. And I am glad to say it has lots and lots of diamonds :D (76 diamonds, Cavebaby assures me)

After the Biffany's tale, I thought I would share this one to balance things out LOL. I did notice one common thread with the Biffany's tale - the girls are all drama queens! Is it just those two laydeeeeez, or is it a common affliction for the gentler gender? Psssttt..... ask your husbands and fathers!

Photos photos...

2010-09-25T15:47:00.004+01:00

Here are some photos around the house taken with the new toy (Pentax Optio I10) which I hope has gotten rid of all the random pointillism in our other recent pics.

Late sunflower making a last stand before the full onset of autumn

Pears on the tree - these won a couple of prizes for Cavebaby at the Village Show!

But they're all gone now...

Cherry tomatoes in the newly finished sun room... but the tomato plant has wilted by now

Some orchids that Cavebaby got for me for my birthday, but I've pretty much killed them all with my complete and utter lack of green fingers, thumbs and indeed, elbows

Have a good weekend, all!

Yikes! much too expensive!

2010-09-23T21:14:00.006+01:00

A few weeks ago one of my team members asked me on a Thursday morning whether she could leave earlier on Friday. It was her birthday and her boyfriend had arranged a special long weekend to a European capital city. As she is quite hardworking and normally does wayyyyy more hours than she needs to, it was quite easy for me to say yes.

When she came back, she was engaged! And she had a funny story to tell us too.... after he got down on one knee to to propose, she accepted (of course :rolleyes: lol). And then she asked where the RING was, and guess what? He knew her so well, she is a self-confessed drama queen and he guessed that she would want to pick her own :D

So she suggested they repair to the local branch of a rather well known and exclusive boutique jeweller .... well, let's just call it Bibbany's (u know the one I mean). They got really good service from a very attentive shop manager and looked at a number of rings with really large diamonds set into them. They picked one that she liked and then asked the price. After converting to sterling they realised it was more than £13,000. So they gave it back and ran away quick. A couple of weeks later they got an engagement ring from a shop in Manchester for considerably less than £13,000.......

As I always say, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it :D

but no harm trying, eh? lol

BTW Cavebaby's school webpage has some of their photos from the adventure camp, and they looked like they had a whale of a time. She's back tomorrow! Can't wait!

MIA one week

2010-09-20T13:17:00.003+01:00

Well, Cavebaby is off school all this week. No, it's not bcos she is sick, or bcos we are going on unauthorised holiday or even bcos she has run away from home/ school/ pushy parents/ all of the above lol.

She has gone with her class, headteacher and a couple of teachers to PGL. This is a week long residential adventure camp which is offered to Yr 6 kids in our local primary school. She has been to PGL before in the summer last year, with a whole big bunch of friends.

So, good thing or bad thing?

The kiamsiap aunty in me complained - I have to pay for this. Isn't it supposed to be part of school? And also, why are the kids playing? They are supposed to be studying. When they are away from home, the (pushy) parents can't control what they are eating/ drinking, the amount of fizzy drinks/ sweets that they consume, make sure they eat enough fruit & veg ... etc etc etc.

Trips like these and time away from home help kids to be more self reliant. They have to sort out their own packing, washing, timetable keeping, pocket money rationing and watch out for each other. On the other hand it's a long time away from home for some. Remember, some of them are a rather young 10 yrs old, some a rather more mature in their outlook even though most are not even 11 yrs old yet.

Trips like these and time away from home also help parents to get used to the idea that kids have their own individuality. We have to acknowledge that each child is their own person and that they will gradually grow away from home. Maybe as kids get older (and more expensive) the (pushy) parents will find it a relief to be able to push them out the door safe in the knowledge that they can fend for themselves.

Cavebaby gave me a kiss and hug this morning before I left the house. She said, "Aww, I'll miss you." I will certainly miss her. After all she is a very big part of my life. She had asked Capt Caveman to wait with her until the bus to PGL left school. What a sweetheart. But when Capt Caveman dropped her off, she was happy to stay with her friends so he left her without seeing her onto the bus.

Actually if she misses us I will be disappointed. I hope she has a great time, and I hope she enjoys her early independence. When she comes home at the end of the week, maybe I'll take extra time to spoil her rotten then :D

Village Show

2010-09-13T13:01:00.002+01:00

Our local Village Show was held last Saturday. Cavebaby had made a few things for that, plus she had some pears from the tree in our front garden to enter as well. Since she had not spent very much time or expended much effort, we did not have very high expectations at all.

So imagine my surprise when she turned out 1st/3rd for pears, 1st/2nd for painting in her age group, a 3rd place for a T-shirt she had tie-dyed/ decorated with a Tatty Tedddy picture. She also got a couple of other minor awards for other stuff she had made, but in my usual manner I have not yet taken any photos so I can't put them up....... >.<

Every year after the village show she says she wants to enter every single category that she can...... and every year she leaves it the half hour before the entries close........

Let's see how she gets on next time!

Struggling...but only a bit

2010-09-09T21:13:00.004+01:00

whew... where can i even start?

Work's been awful, long hours of drudge and misery. Morale very low in the office. Three resignations in the last couple of months and all of them are buggering off to Oz. C'mon, tell me now, what's the attraction? Other than Oz being the country with the highest number of species of venomous snake and spiders in the whole world????? I mean, really....... Oz vs dear ole Blighty. Where would you rather live? OK, ok, rhetorical question only lol

To top it all off, in the past 6 weeks or so I have been suffering with the classic symptoms of gastric ulcer. And no, I did look it up so I can confirm it's not caused by stress or overwork. It's pretty much brought on by a bacterial infection in the stomach or gut by a small ugly ferocious germ called helicobacter pylori, with symptoms that can recur and last a long time. Fortunately it's under control with a proton pump inhibitor medication. I feel lots better now. Touch wood....

Teeth? still awful. One major filling and two new crowns to go. Treatment course won't finish till early 2011. Kiss my hard-earned £££ goodbye.

Still waiting for Ikea to take away the wrongly ordered furniture and sort out my refund..... Hello people at IKEA????? Still waiting..... your customer relations getting more and more laupok every day that u don't act. Whassamatter? Waiting for me to get the Consumer Association onto you?

On a much nicer note, the new conservatory is very nice, warm and comfortable. I can sit & read while watching Cavebaby bouncing on the trampoline. Or sit & watch the rain fall on it :D

If all goes well, the "wedding" of the company I work for with another company will be rubber-stamped tomorrow. Hope I get lots of new kids to replace all those who are running away to some former penal colony.....

kwa kwa kwa.......

2010-08-04T20:12:00.004+01:00

Since Capt Caveman had been snoring all night for most of the last few weeks, I'd got very little sleep.I'm absolutely shattered even now.

It was tennis day for Cavebaby at the holiday club, and it was raining this morning. Since it's (kinda) on my way in to work, it's my job to drop her off in the morning. I duly packed her into the car with her raincoat and racket with my own jacket and raincoat. I had to run back in the house to get my travel mug of tea, which Capt Caveman had made for me as he was feeling guilty.

After dropping Cavebaby off, I made my way into Manchester. After parking, lo & behold, I found that I had my coats, but had left my case, containing laptop & the previous night's homework, behind. Also in the case was my cellphone, my key card to let me into the office, together with my purse containing my pocket money and all my credit/ bank cards........ That meant I couldn't even pay the car park charge - d'oh! And I was supposed to go to a meeting later that morning (80 mile drive away) - double d'oh!

I ran all the way to the office - fortunately our receptionist was in and she lent me some money for the car parking cost. I drove home and rang the colleagues I was supposed to meet, and fortunately managed to wangle it so I did not have to go.

So, another day of WAH (working at home), which is good cos I don't get so many interruptions and no traffic jams on the way home.

Here are some photos Cavebaby took at London Zoo to keep you amused in the meantime:

Tortoise thingies

Some kind of mini-Godzilla thingy

Axolotl thingy

Naturally of course lah, it is all Capt Caveman's fault because of his snoring and for distracting me with the travel mug of tea tra la la la la.....

Anyhow, wherever you are, good morning, good afternoon and good night!

here 'n' there

2010-07-30T21:20:00.005+01:00

Well, folks, it has been an extremely wet week, and all our camping plans will have to be postponed to a drier weekend later this summer. In the meantime, as we hadn't booked to go anywhere in particular, we tried to find places indoors where we could do stuff out of the rain.

Here we are with the nekkid mermaids at Barton Square

Cavebaby testing her Lego racer at the Lego Discovery Centre

Awww.... she's still got her wrist brace on

Papa can't seem to get the racer right to Cavebaby's satisfaction

With the Lego HP cutouts

What tiny buildings! Well, compared to us....

With model of Blackpool Tower - this was at the end of the light show

Some kinda plasticky model city.....

More plastic city views

This was at Cheshire Oaks near Ellesmere Port. There seemed to be some kind of art display of rhinos that had been decorated by kids from different schools and learning groups

'Nother rhino

Why are we waiting??? Where's me lunch???

Errrr.... pretend to have a nice time :D

Rare drop of sunshine, but that was at the start of the week. It's been raining ever since :(

Hope u like, and be good!

More misadventures with Cavebaby

2010-07-09T13:14:00.003+01:00

The sweetheart was out playing footie with some of the neighbour's kids on Tuesday afternoon and the ball got kicked against her hand. Unfortunately that has resulted in a small fracture of her wrist - the same one that was last broken just before Christmas 2008. Just two things - it was an acccident/ unintentional and we don't blame the other kids, and why on earth didn't the magic psychic octopus predict this? ;) (In case you you haven't heard, there have been threats made in Germany that Paul the 8-legged one should be cooked in lemon juice & olive oil or made into paella tee hee hee)

We weren't sure at first how bad it was - it is extremely hard to tell, if your child has experienced the same before, you'll know what I mean. By Wednesday lunchtime her left wrist was looking rather different from what a normal wrist should look like. So it was down to the A&E for her with Capt Caveman. Now she has a temporary cast on, and a return to the fracture clinic next week.

What this means in reality in Cavebaby's world:
1) she doesn't have to practice violin this summer :D
2) she can't do any strenuous sports :(
3) she will miss school tennis with the school/ village tennis club & at the holiday club when the school holidays start :( :(
4) she has to have a bath every evening with her cast hanging out of the bath tub (very amusing)
5) and she gets to be very manja and be waited on hand foot & finger by the parents - wonder how long that will last....

have a good weekend, everyone! tra la la

Doing what's right and what's good and other grey areas

2010-06-24T13:29:00.005+01:00

I thought I'd start a discussion here instead of monopolising Aunty Amelia's blog. :)

Just thinking about what's right and what's wrong - this is fairly straightforward. After all we have the 10 Commandments and the law of the land to be our compasses. Mostly the laws are reasonably clear and black&white.

However, what about when what is right is not always good?

Example 1: A chief executive of a healthcare trust was bound by the available budget given to her by her Board of Directors, and unfortunately the money was not enough to do a good job. The poor standards of care and cleanliness led to many deaths. She resigned just before a report came out condemning the standards of her hospitals. This enabled her to get quite substantial severance pay (nearly £200k) to which she is entitled under the terms of her contract. However, the National Health Service, trying to do what was good (not what was right) decided to withhold some of her severance payment, and they ended up fighting it out in the Court of Appeal. The Board of Driectors accepted responsibility and resigned en masse after the report came out as the chief executive could really only do what they allowed her to do, i.e. only indirectly her fault. Now some of the relatives of the dead patients are up in arms because to them, it appears that what is right under contract law does not appear to be good from a the point of view of human morality. What say you?

Example 2: The earth is overrun by evil aliens. They will completely destroy the world which they believe to be beyond redemption unless YOU kill your only son/ only daughter in place of everyone else. The demand from the evil aliens is not negotiable e.g. pick someone else or offer yourself instead of your child. What should you do? What is good is to protect your child. What is right is to protect everyone else.

Discuss and debate :)

few more bits from London

2010-06-20T21:47:00.003+01:00

At the Science Museum

With Buzz Lightyear at Hamley's

All pooped afterwards

I like this one of Cavebaby & Capt Caveman outside the British Museum

Knockity knock

How do we look in our disguises?

South African garden outside British Museum - this kinda reminded us of Ice Age...

Wotta loada flying bull...... 'nuff said ;)

Teatime

At the Egyptology exhibit

Flying visit to London

2010-06-15T20:49:00.004+01:00

Just a few pics from last week:

Something Egyptian at the British Museum

South African garden display outside the British Museum

London Zoo, Regent's Park

Kura-pura at London Zoo

Mrreeoowwww!

slightly new broom and other tales

2010-06-14T13:32:00.004+01:00

Got a bit fed up of the old blog template so decided to try a new look... hope it's a bit more pleasing to the eye.

Was at the dentist (again) today as i seem to have holes in my teeth all the way down to New Zealand :(. Some of my old fillings are still the "amalgam" type that date from the 1980s *shudder*

This then reminded of a dentist in Kg Koh that I used to go to when I was a teenager - nope, happy to confirm it wasn't LiLian Diong's father in law.

This guy and his partner (one fat guy & one skinny guy) had a rather old-fashioned surgery along the Main Road, and I had been there a couple of times for a filling in a rather troublesome tooth (so, no change to the long, sad & painful tale of my teeth). You know how it is - you get a temporary filling/ dressing, and the dentist (the skinny guy) says, "Come back next week." So I duly came back next week, but the skinny guy wasn't there anymore, and the fat guy had no idea what was happening except that he had to deal with all these patients and drill holes where he wasn't expecting to......

A couple of weeks later, my dad told me that the skinny guy had been having an affair with some married woman in TK Liew Road, and after her husband found out, they skipped town together.

As for me? Well, the fat guy couldn't/ wouldn't speak English or Hokkien, and couldn't understand what I was trying to say about my teeth, and also I couldn't understand what he was trying to tell me about my teeth. So I went on to Dr AK Wong who had a surgery near Hwa Seong's grocery shop to enjoy some more painful and expensive dental work.

But mostly, I am just thankful that I don't have to have dentures yet!

More engineer jokes

2010-06-08T12:38:00.004+01:00

I just couldn't resist, awright? lol

A mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer and a civil engineer were arguing over what type of engineer god was. The ME pointed to the body's intricate skeletal/muscular system and proudly stated that god must have been an ME. The EE said that was OK but he felt that the brain and nervous system were of such incredible design and complexity that god had to be an EE. The ME and the EE both looked at the Civil engineer who was smiling at their discussion. "I suppose you think god was a civil engineer" they said. "Of course" replied the CE. "Who else would run a sewer system through a major recreational area"?

PIPE SPECIFICATIONS

All pipe is to be made of a long hole, surrounded by metal centred around the hole.
All pipe is to be hollow throughout its entire length.
All pipe is to be made of the very best quality, preferably either tubular or pipular.
All acid proof pipe is to be made of acid proof material.
The outside diameter of all pipe must exceed the internal diameter otherwise the hole will be on the outside of the pipe.
All pipe is to be supplied with nothing in the hole, so that water, steam and stuff can be put in at a later date.
All pipe is to be supplied without rust, as this can be more readily put on at the job site.
All pipe is to be cleaned free from any covering such as mud, tar, barnacles or any other form of manure before putting up, otherwise it will make lumps under the paint.
All pipe over 500 feet in length must have the words "long pipe" clearly painted on each end so that the fitter will know it is a long pipe.
Pipe over 2 miles in length must also have the above words painted in the middle so that the above fitter will not have to walk the full length of the pipe to determine if it is a long pipe.
All pipe over six inches in diameter is to have the words "large pipe" painted on it. This is so that the above fitter will not use it for small pipe.
All pipe fittings are to be made of the same stuff as the pipe.
All pipe ends are to be open at one end.
No fittings are to be put on pipe, unless specified. If you do, straight pipe becomes crooked.

A man flying in a hot air balloon realised he was lost. He reduced height and spotted a man on the ground, descended further to shouting range.
“Excuse me," he called, "Can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am."
The man answered: "You are in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above the ground, between 40 and 42 degrees north, and about one degree west.
"You must be an engineer," responded the balloonist.
"I am, how did you know?" answered the man.
"Everything you have told me is technically correct, but I am still as lost as before,” said the balloonist.
"You must be a manager," responded the man.
"Yes, but how did you know?” asked the balloonist.
"Well," said the man, "you have no idea where you are, or where you are going. You made a promise that you cannot keep, and you expect me to solve the problem. In fact you are in the same position as when I met you, but now somehow it is all my fault!"

A passerby noticed a couple of city workers working along the city sidewalks. The man was quite impressed with their hard work, but he couldn't understand what they were doing. Finally, he approached the workers and asked, "I appreciate how hard you're both working, but what the heck are you doing? It seems that one of you digs a hole, and then the other guy immediately fills it back up again. One of the city workers explained, "The third guy who puts the posts for the signs is off sick today."

Two engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"
The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."
The first engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit.

A pastor, a doctor and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with these guys? We must have been waiting for 15 minutes!"
The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such ineptitude."
The pastor said, "Hey, here comes the greens-keeper. Let's have a word with him. Hi George. Say, what's with that group ahead of us?! They're rather slow, aren't they?"
The greens-keeper replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind firefighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."
The group was silent for a moment.
The pastor said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."
The doctor said, "Good idea. And I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist buddy and see if there's anything he can do for them."
The engineer paused, then said, "Why can't these guys play at night?"

An engineer was crossing a road one day when a frog called up to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess".
He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week."
The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you and do ANYTHING you want." Again the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.
Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, that I'll stay with you for a week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?"
The engineer said, "Look I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool.

And finally:

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
Normal people .... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.

Have a great day!

Birthday suit

2010-06-06T11:52:00.003+01:00

What tomfoolery we bring

What fripperies we are

As though to play, or sing

Or claw to scar

What mumming japes

Expressions burn

Make playful shapes

With ears that turn

Is that my drink

or spectacles of blue?

Our stomachs sink

Without a clue

(Shudder to think)

Don’t we look sweet

Or patently ridiculous

With animals on hands

And furry feet?

Last time round!

What mummeries we play

With pose and sound

For happy birthday

What hijinks make

I feliz cumpleaños!

Cut the cake, cut the cake, cut the cake.

Tragedy in Cumbria

2010-06-03T12:09:00.002+01:00

The entire UK has been gripped since yesterday morning of news that a man shot and killed 11 people then committed suicide in West Cumbria.

More here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10222188.stm

Frightening indeed, particularly since my colleague was working at Sellafield when it went into lockdown yesterday morning, and my team is involved in projects at two sites where the shootings happened.

Police are still trying to work out who/ why/ where. In the meantime some of the wounded are still in hospital. We should all pray for them as well as for the families of those who lost their lives in those brief but violent and tragic hours.

Do not do today if you can procrastinate till manana

2010-05-30T11:06:00.004+01:00

I've been rather inundated with work recently... u know how it is when everyone else's problems become your problems and only you can save the world etc etc etc :rolleyes:

(note to self: what a con, summore nobody offered me a pay rise or a promotion bah humbug)

Anyhow, that hasn't left much time for blogging, only snatches here and there kaypoh-ing/ busybodying on other people's pages in my leetle bloggyspiar, FB pages and the old school forum. I even took some pics of the garden cos the late spring has done wonders for the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees.... but the photos are still stuck on my phonecam. Hmmm, story of my life - Do not do today if you can procrastinate till manana....

The only ray of light at the end of the tunnel (and it's not just that the tunnel's on fire) is that we are having a bit of extension work done on our house. Of course the cheapest way is to have a conservatory built, and because ours has been so cost efficient, it will be the size of a greenhouse and will only have room for a broom. On the plus side, the company doing the work has been very eager, so the surveyor turned up when he said he would, gave us the prices and information like he said he would, the workmen turned up bright and early (7.45am every morning, much to the annoyance of my neighbours - sorry folks, u just can't keep a good work gang down!) and the base and walls are ready! Just waiting for the glass panel/window/ door units to arrive for installation. In theory, this should all be wrapped up and completed by mid June. Can't wait.

It did make me think, though, that I do adhere to quite a strict work code in my professional life, and it is a matter of honour that I do a good job, on time and to the price I've promised to the client. However, in my normal life, everything seems to be very manana and bordering on being completely disorganised. In some cases home life is completely disorganised e.g. tomorrow is a Bank Holiday and we are going out somewhere, but we don't know where we are going and haven't planned anything yet ...... yikes! Don't panic, breathe, breathe, there are lots of places locally I suppose we haven't been to yet.

Ah well, I can always save that up to report on for another day. Maybe tomorrow. Manana.

lolz

In the picture

2010-05-17T13:37:00.002+01:00

Mamma, is a mermaid
a human or an animal?
she wanted to know
but her mother’s mind
was light years away,
a thousand dreams
further off than
she could have imagined.

Mamma, there are no
mermaids in paradise.
She closed her eyes.
The melody was racing
at a million miles an hour,
raining in her soul like
music from a
hundred orchestral violins.

Mamma, do mermaids go to
heaven when they die?
She wondered why
her mamma was so vague,
as though her eyes
watched stars in other
skies, instead of
the picture she had made.

Sweetheart, there are no
mermaids in this picture.
There will be, Mamma,
when we swim away
together.
The ocean is only a
dreamy sigh away,
and we can share our
sandwiches with the
langoustines.
Oh, how I love my mermaid’s smile.

(written by AuntyKambing and Cavebaby, based on Marc Chagall's La Baou de Saint-Jeannet)

Olivia Archbold - Britain's Got Talent 2010 - Auditions Week 3

2010-05-15T19:52:00.000+01:00

Cavebaby used to go to school with this kid. Doesn't she have a wonderful voice? She was so nervous but performed so well. Even the evil Simon Cowell liked her!

Well, no guesses where Cavebaby's vote is going then!

More curses! har har har

2010-05-14T13:26:00.003+01:00

Poor Cavebaby is still serving her "sentence", but yesterday at school, she told me that the little witch who tattled on her swore a lot, so Cavebaby and a whole bunch of her friends went to see the headteacher to tell her. I think they just didn't want to be the only villains ..... I don't know how the headteacher puts up with it all - must be very wearisome to have to look after part of the social lives of the kids as well as having to teach them at the same time.

Anyhow, at assembly yesterday the headteacher told the whole school off because loads of the kids have been using swearwords especially during recess time, and she particularly singled out that little witch! Cavebaby was triumphant when she told me that.

Aisay, kids these days.... they can't stay babies forever!

Curses!

2010-05-13T12:59:00.004+01:00

busy busy busy.... but thot i'd get a quick word in :)

came home from work yesterday evening to find Cavebaby down in the dumps and rather mortified. Capt Caveman directed me to a letter from the headteacher - unfortunately she had words with our little monkey in the school office bcos she had been overheard saying f*cking at the lunch table. So poor Cavebaby is now grounded for one week without pocket money or treats.

Hmm.... what to say about it?
1. Almost all 10 yr old kids i know use rather colourful language, some of them from a really young age.
2. Cavebeby got reported bcos one of her so-called friends (who swears a lot too) tattled on her.
3. I can't say much about my own standard of swearing except I can curse in more languages than Cavebaby.... :p
4. I can't really say much about my own standard of behaviour when I was that age - i think Mrs Cheah (asst headteacher when I was in ACS Primary) got ever so fed up of my being sent to see her i.e. every week at one stage >.<

.....and yeah, it ain't something to be proud of!

Hmm... what to do about it? Capt Caveman has already decided on Cavebaby's punishment. The main thing for me is that Cavebaby knows she is being punished, she fully understands why, she feels herself deeply ashamed and knows she is in disgrace, and the punishment makes her feel really bad (e.g. she's not allowed out to play with the other kids and she can't watch the Disney channel.... adoi!). So the last thing I need is to scold and make her feel even worse.

So for my part, Cavebaby helped me to write an apology letter to her headteacher. Not for one moment do I imagine that Cavebaby will never use swearwords again. So to turn this into something more positive, as Cavebaby is grounded, she will have to spend more time entertaining me :). Also I think I will make her do a list of words to use instead of f*cking - adjectives and adverbs that are cleverer and more imaginative than common curses.

Maybe i'll even learn a few new words myself!

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:34:00.002+01:00

I know it's a bit late as Mother's Day in the UK was in March, but here are some pics of my sweetheart and the pressies she got for me.... :D

6 impossible things

2010-04-19T21:50:00.005+01:00

In languid pose does fluid prose

Flow free with glee

Though sleep still creeps

On heavy eyes where Morpheus lies

Away from all that snatch and call

The sward is green and very clean

Its surface smooth, reflects the truth

The planar shell where idiom fell

Drifts off afar below the bar

To finally unlock the Jabberwock

Delusions drain in sunshine and in rain,

And paint the cloud or draw aloud

It seems through dreams

That entity was made - the vorpal blade

And all to catch the Frumious Bandersnatch

The lawn is decked with straight edge, checked,

Laid out in brooks her world still looks

Like chessboard pawns ‘til knowledge dawns

That beasts deny the keening cry

The pain describing poor mome raths outgribing

A shilling egg, a skipping leg

She wears a frown and heavy crown

‘Tis time to climb

The final length while she has strength

To treacle ink and button drink

She only wants to sleep, to float in deep

To lie upon sweet grass and dreams amass

To float a boat

And sail away on every Saturday

Escape the guards, the house of cards -

Six to remember to forget

And it isn't even breakfast yet.

(with many apologies to Marc Chagall and Lewis Carroll)

Scottish makan

2010-04-17T17:14:00.004+01:00

Some extra bits and pieces from Fort William that i found - think of these as our effort to keep up with Aunty Amelia's food blogging :p

Fried egg & chips at the ski lodge, Aonach Mor (Cavebaby's lunch)

Chicken chasseur with rice, ditto (Capt Caveman's lunch)

Scampi and chips, ditto (my lunch)

Yes, they have Fanta in Scotland too lol

Salmon fishcakes at the Crannog Seafood Restaurant by Loch Linnhe

Seabass and sauteed potatoes, ditto

Breaded haddock and sauteed potatoes, ditto

Ice cream by the Caledonian Canal
Lunch at the Nevis Inn, at the foot of Ben Nevis

And last but not least, spot the uninvited guest (a robin) at the ski lodge restaurant, Aonach Mor:
Have a loverly weekend everyone!

Brightside award

2010-04-10T21:22:00.005+01:00

Whoopee doo! Thanks to Annie @ Ambrielcraft, I have been awarded a Brightside Award! (see how i twinkle...... lol).

This is a meme - First, name ten things that make me happy, and then 5 pieces of trivia, then pass it along to 5 more bloggers. Okie-fedokie, folkses?

10 things that make me happy:

1) Hearing Cavebaby laugh

2) Cuddles with Capt Caveman esp when he's not snoring :D

3) Not having to go to work in the rain

4) Taking the price tags off the stuff I've bought in the sales and seeing what a huge discount I got tee hee hee

5) First cup of tea in the evening when I've had a chance to put my feet up

6) The feel of clean and crisp bedclothes when they've just been changed

7) Watching the platters being licked clean after a dinner that I've made

8) When kids say please and thank you without having to be prompted

9) Singing with the Sunday School kids

and my very favouritest favourite:

10) Cuddles with Cavebaby when I haven't had to ask her

And my 5 pieces of trivia:

a) The concept of twin highrise towers joined by a skybridge for the Petronas Towers was originally developed by Italian architect Aldo Rossi for a design competition.

b) Most cats have five claws on each front paw but only four on each rear paw.

c) The most comprehensive narrative of the life and times of Genghiz Khan can be found in "The Secret History of the Mongols", which is unsurprisingly the most important work of literature for the Mongolian people. The corresponding book for Iranians is the Shahnameh, which contains the historical legends of the Persian kings.

d) That thing at the tip of your shoelaces is called an aglet or aiglet.

e) The dinosaur once known as the brontosaurus was a mistake as the fossils of two different creatures were originally mixed up by incompetent palaeontologists and not discovered for decades. Once corrected, the name was changed to apatosaurus.

OK - consider yourselves tagged: Amelia (Princess Rainbow is most welcome to assist tee hee hee), Sila (Allie baby is most welcome to assist tee hee hee), Lilian Lau (in whichever one of your webpages u wish!), Lilian Diong (but I will understand if you are busy) and Eng Ing (welcome, my dear to Planet Tag!)

More socks today...

2010-04-07T21:44:00.002+01:00

Who likes Eeyor?
Who likes Tigger?

Who is covered in spots?

Special bonus: whose are the cow slippers?

Extra special bonus: is that a platypus I see before me???

Lochs and glens in the springtime

2010-04-04T14:07:00.015+01:00

Random pics from last week which we spent in Scotland

Loch Ness in the snow & sleet

Wonder if that boat had been attacked & sunk by Nessie, or just by the recession? :)

A view of the Caledonian Canal near Bavanie

Scotch pancakes in Fort William

Ben Nevis (highest mountain in the UK)

Near the West Highland Way, Fort William

Nevis Range Ski Resort, at the cable car station, Aonach Mor

Ditto - the snow was thigh deep. Shoulda brought a toboggan, or even a tea tray....

At Colquhoun's for brunch, the Lodge on the Loch, Loch Lomond

Neptune's Staircase, on the Caledonian Canal

Inverlochy Castle

Boat cruise, Loch Linnhe

Couplet

2010-03-20T16:55:00.005Z

i. Sunrise

All too soon it will be time

to emerge from

our languorous couch,

to stretch away from

the musky shelter of

your warmth.

I don’t want to be

alone in the cold of

of dawn.

My breath, a misty wreath,

curls about and settles on

my shoulder like

a scarf.

It brings no heat, only

the memory of

your body

shackled

to mine.

That too,

is fading as

light encroaches.

Rise.

I open my eyes and

it is morning.

ii. Sunset

Time passes too

slowly.

The sharp brightness of day

rushes

towards you,

away from me.

The hot dusk

shades and blurs the lines of

the world, pushes aside

the thronging industrious

as they hurry home.

The horizon bisects

the forlorn sun,

the evening incised

by the nightjar’s trill.

Does your body quicken as

mine does, with

a shameful heat,

in expectation of the night?

The last of the sun

has opened my

eyes as the street lights

twinkle into life.

Return.

I open my arms and

Embrace the night.

The Piano (Jane Campion, 1993)

2010-03-16T21:52:00.010Z

I haven’t had much free time lately, but did manage a real indulgence (well, for me, at any rate) – I watched the Jane Campion film “The Piano” again last weekend. It is most a delicious film for character realisation, narrative, symbolism, beaautiful scenery and a seriously yummy musical score by Michael Nyman.

“The Piano” tells of a Scottish woman who is sold into marriage to a settler in New Zealand in the 1850s. Ada McGrath is a self-imposed mute and communicates in sign language with her little daughter, Flora, or through handwritten notes. Ada is very strongwilled, obstinate and emotionally distant to everyone else, only coming to life and fully expressing herself when she plays the piano. I get the feeling that as a woman living in that time, she has little power or control over anything except choosing not to speak and playing the piano.
The story opens with Ada, Flora, the piano and all their earthly belongings, being transported and landed on a beach in New Zealand. Ada develops an instant dislike for her husband, Alasdair Stewart, when firstly, he is late to meet them, is alternatively awkward and patronising, and worst of all, has not brought enough workers to carry the piano back with them. Ada punishes Stewart by being cold to him while being affectionate and happy with Flora, and I believe actually enjoys having power and control over him by refusing marital relations.
Ada and Flora persuade Stewart’s neighbour, George Baines, take them back to the beach so they can play the piano. Seeing what the piano means to Ada, and how she is changed from frigidity to glowing happiness, Baines proposes that he trade some land to Stewart for the piano, and Ada to give him lessons. Soon it becomes obvious that Baines has fallen in love with Ada and is using the piano lessons to spend time with her in his horrible little shack.

Morality aside, “The Piano” is beautifully filmed, and an interesting balance is drawn between the repressed, sexually frustrated and violent-tempered Stewart and the uncouth, illiterate but passionate Baines. I think it is because Stewart has fallen in love with an idea of Ada, while Baines, unfettered by any preconceived notions or qualms, sees Ada for what she is – beautiful, passionate and interesting, but only when she wants to be. Also absorbing is the strong similarity between Ada and the headstrong Flora, particularly where they quarrel after Flora is clearly too young to understand that her mother is leaving her out of the piano lessons while she uses intimacy to bargain her piano back from Baines.

The spectacularly unsuccessful Stewart soon finds his wife sleeping with Baines, while he himself still repulses Ada. His stiff manners shatter and he cuts off Ada’s finger – taking away her ability to play the piano – and gives the finger to Flora to take to Baines, saying that he will cut off all her fingers one by one if he tries to see Ada. Eventually, Stewart comes to realise that Ada will never love him, and it is better for her to leave with Baines with whom she is in love, so that Stewart can finally awake from his dream/ nightmare and go back to the way he was before he married Ada.
As Ada, Flora and Baines leave, she realises that she is free of her piano, and gets Baines to throw it overboard, only to be dragged under the sea when her foot is tangled in the ropes. Although Ada frees herself and is saved from drowning to start a new life (with new metal finger and re-learning how to speak) with Baines and Flora, she sometimes imagines herself floating above the piano on the seabed. The film ends with this image, and Ada quoting from Thomas Hood’s poem, “Silence”:

THERE IS A SILENCE WHERE HATH BEEN NO SOUND
THERE IS A SILENCE WHERE NO SOUND MAY BE
IN THE COLD GRAVE, UNDER THE DEEP DEEP SEA.

Probably a film I will never tire of watching, with Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin winning the best actress/ supporting actress Oscars for their portrayal of Ada and Flora respectively. So good that the Oscar winning original screenplay is worth seeking out and reading. But that's just me (Capt Caveman thot it wasn't so good!).

Whew!

2010-03-13T10:11:00.005Z

After an extremely bitty and busy week, thank goodness it's Saturday and I can put my feet up and contemplate my socks :p

Tomorrow it will be Mother's Day for the UK. The origin of the day was in the Edwardian times, I think, when large numbers of teenaged girls were sent away from home into service i.e to become maids, floor scrubbers (and quite often, abuse victims) for rich people. This meant they worked 24/7 with no time off, often for several years, until they got married and could leave with their husbands. Since many of the girls were quite young still, you can imagine how hard it was for them to be away from their families. So in a "pretend" gesture of magnanimity, the rich folks decided to allow the girls one day a year to go home to see their mothers. This would be some time before Easter, following an old Christian tradition, and was known as Mothering Sunday. So this would normally be some time between the 2nd Sunday in March to around the third Sunday in April, depending on when Easter occurs each year.

Now of course, it has been hijacked by card companies and chocolatiers and makers of tacky gifts. (Wonder how many of these I'll score tomorrow from my little cheeky Cavebaby lol)

Incidentally, re the note about abuse victims above - Capt Caveman's late mother told me that her grandmother had been sent to be a maid in a posh house ages ago. The young son of the rich family cornered her and coerced her, but when she got pregnant, she was sent home in disgrace. As for the boy? Got away scot free, of course. So much for the magnanimity of rich folks.

Our socks today pt 2

2010-03-02T21:01:00.003Z

Here u go, Aunty SM! Guess which pair of socks belong to which kambing :D

Tan with blue pussycats

High School Musical wotsits
Custard with violet, rose and aqua trim (super duper!)

Safe Haven

2010-02-27T18:03:00.003Z

Don't touch me,
as i still have these
wilful others
to tend to. They are drenched.
Rain lies, heavy,
across leaden clouds,
sodden roofs.
Don't make me crawl through puddles.
Awash, the mermaids
swim up these falling
droplets,
reversing terminal velocity,
seeking heaven.
Shelter me, that
my harbour may open wide
her belly for
the refuge of the undeserving.

(Based on Chagall's painting "Rain", and is a prayer made by a grumpy and angry person.)

My socks today

2010-02-25T21:07:00.001Z

Cavebaby: white knee length (school) socks

Capt Caveman: Black, with Tigger

AuntyKambing: Aubergine socks with design of small blue and white flowers

:D

Cavebaby likes ....

2010-02-23T20:13:00.002Z

Cavebaby at the Manchester Art Gallery

1) going to the Tate Gallery and Barbara Hepworth Museum, St Ives, Cornwall
2) doing her Maths workbook
3) squirting water using empty shower gel tubes
4) cuddling her little babies from Bunnyville
5) sketching, drawing and painting pictures

What about you? :)

Fit & run!

2010-02-20T21:27:00.002Z

We got Wii Fit about a year ago for Capt Caveman's birthday, but I have hardly used it in earnest (my excuse is I prefer Mario Power Tennis). Capt Caveman and Cavebaby have done the exercises a few times but not very often. After dropping a few hints at Capt Caveman since the end of last year, finally it was Cavebaby who set up the "plank" for me this evening. She was so eager to help, including acting as my balancer while I'm doing some of the poses! (Capt Caveman was busy playing with his new mobile phone...)

That first session was quite fun, and I've discovered I'm quite strong and flexible (despite my circumference) but my balance is terrible and I'm still carrying a bit of a cold. You wouldn't believe how many times the yoga tree fell over....

Let's see how far I get!

la dormeuse aux fleurs

2010-02-13T15:28:00.006Z

not so long ago
she knitted a dream into the clasp
of mr goat

away from the clamouring clucking world
blanketed by torpor
she dreams of him still
with her arms around his cashmere body
and her face, unashamed,
turned to meet his embrace

under unending skies
she wore the scarlet sun
warm, red, surrounding
cradled by a halvéd fig of sleep

her dream flowers
hot and urgent
in the secret pocket of her mind
and the hidden purse
that blesses her loins

mr goat blooms above, beside
away from her
and knits her into his
slumbering thoughts

the goat of bliss

2010-02-04T18:44:00.007Z

the sun is red, the trees are blue
man and wife entwine and kiss
the helianth sky is tinged with green
the artist thinks of only you
the man sincere, his wife demure
their promise lasts and will be true
again we see the goat of bliss
bestir, arise, her footing sure
the goat of bliss do not dismiss
her cloven hoofmarks they are pure
they fill with dreams that you can glean
of word and verse that doth endure
the poet sleeps, with visions full
and then awakes and sure as this
the town is white, the fields are dull
but she is gone - the goat of bliss
the crimson sun, the cobalt trees
surround the landscape, touch the sky
the orange sky with clouds of green
the poet dreams on, but is it I?

(with many many many more apologies to Mr Marc Chagall)

New browser, new year, new everything... not!

2010-02-03T23:08:00.002Z

After a recent spate of really bad press for the crappy old IE6, this ole luddite has finally moved on to Mozilla's Firefox. Let's see how easily I get used to it and how it works compared with the previous.

Also as it is nearly Chinese New Year, here is a little something from Cavebaby:

Gong Xi Fa Cai! May you have a prosperous and happy 2010!

The goats of war (or "what's in a name?")

2010-01-13T13:09:00.009Z

branded cold upon flame
yesterday, today, forevermore the same
my name is not god's name

hammered deep and tall
pride before a fall
though mankind is small

writ large across the burning skies
we bring a sacrifice
of other martyrs' lies

together, alone, in need
can only, asunder, bleed
through divergent race and creed

now afire, beloved country
bone-hard thy visage be
hast thou forsaken me?

(with many many many more apologies to Mr Chagall)

Sardines

2010-01-09T21:12:00.006Z

No, this is not a piscine post about a certain Mediterranean island. The ongoing wintry weather has wrought havoc with public transport over here, and if like me, you have the dubious pleasure of sharing your daily journey from home to workplace and back with thousands of other unfortunates at extremely close quarters, you'll have some inkling. Trains have been largely disrupted to an extent that they are three or four hours late or just cancelled. The tram has soldiered on valiantly although it has been fraught with delays and all kinds of ice-wrought technical problems.

From my nearest station, which happens to be the terminus of the line, there's normally a tram every 6 minutes to Mcr city centre. Well lately, they have been every hour or so, or cancelled. I've spent a few freezing mornings with about 300 other grumpy people on the platform waiting for our ride. This is because the ten or so trams worth of passengers have had to crowd onto 2 or 3 trams, you know, almost Japanese train style, just with less groping and more much much more grumping. There are lots of other stops between the terminus and Manchester. If the tram is already full up at the terminus, no one else can get on at the other stops in between.

You do the maths....

If the overhead power lines are iced up, the emergency brakes apply themselves without warning as soon as the connection is broken, which can be every couple of minutes. So if the tram is full of vertical sardines, and it suddenly jolts to a stop, one gets to be inadvertently very friendly with thy neighbours.....

My trip back from Mcr is even worse, bcos my stop is not the terminus, so very often I can't actually physically get into the tram cos it's already full of other sardines....

My only gripe is that a lot of other passengers shout and swear at the ticket attendants because the trams are so full up and it's freezing and we all want to get on to get home but the trams are full up. For goodness' sake. It's not the ticket attendant's job to lay on more trams or magic other passengers away.

The alternatives? Take the bus? Hahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhaahh!!!
Drive in and pay £5 to £25/day for parking? Ride on the cancelled train? Cycle in? Work from home? Get another job somewhere else? My favourite is - move to another country!!!! Skis, anyone?