Wednesday, August 30, 2006
New name
I guess I need to think of a new name for this blog - we no longer reside in Malaysia, and in fact have no real residence at the moment. From the start of October it will be Hong Kong for me, and from November for Sonia. Until then we are vagrants.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
And that's it! However...
And that's the end of the time in Malaysia (almost). It's Saturday and we've just finished handing back the apartment keys to the landlord. Having spent the morning sweeping and mopping to make sure the place was clean when we handed over, the landlord's agent tried to deduct some money from our deposit to cover cleaning. Of course that was a red-rag to Sonia, who promptly reminded the agent that the place was filthy when we took over. We had to pay for a cleaner to come in a sort it out before we moved in! There was no way that Sonia was going to pay for them to "clean" the apartment! Needless to say the landlord did not argue - maybe he did recall the email that Sonia sent him explaining the problem when we moved in. However, they did ask for RM 30 (about NZD 12) to cover replacements for the four lightbulbs that had blown. I guess they went away feeling like they'd got something out of us.
As of last night we are officially on holiday. Today is haircut (both of us) and nails (Sonia only!) day. We fly to Singapore tomorrow afternoon, staying over for one night. Then leaving at 10:00am to Vancouver. Last night was spent out with work colleagues to say goodbye - a good time was had by all. I will start up a separate diary for the actual trip - try and put photos into the entries to record where we went and what we did (just in case anyone is interested). Earlier today I was reading the BBC news site and looked at the articles about air travel and packing bags. Looks like small bags (briefcase size) are now ok, which means we'll be able to take the day pack with the notebook onto the plane. Better than trusting things to the vagaries of baggage handlers of dubious honesty. Remember the Auckland Airport scam?
By Monday we will be in Vancouver. Worked out the other day that it's been more than 12 years since we actually looked around Vancouver, so I imagine it will have changed somewhat. We will see.
As of last night we are officially on holiday. Today is haircut (both of us) and nails (Sonia only!) day. We fly to Singapore tomorrow afternoon, staying over for one night. Then leaving at 10:00am to Vancouver. Last night was spent out with work colleagues to say goodbye - a good time was had by all. I will start up a separate diary for the actual trip - try and put photos into the entries to record where we went and what we did (just in case anyone is interested). Earlier today I was reading the BBC news site and looked at the articles about air travel and packing bags. Looks like small bags (briefcase size) are now ok, which means we'll be able to take the day pack with the notebook onto the plane. Better than trusting things to the vagaries of baggage handlers of dubious honesty. Remember the Auckland Airport scam?
By Monday we will be in Vancouver. Worked out the other day that it's been more than 12 years since we actually looked around Vancouver, so I imagine it will have changed somewhat. We will see.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Its the final countdown
A blast from the past.
Today is Sunday. Next Sunday at this time we'll be getting ready to go to the airport to catch a flight to Singapore - this is the first step of the journey.
A night in Singapore starts the trip, and we then settle into a airplane seat for a mammoth sixteen hour flight from Singapore to Vancouver. The flight stops in Seoul for about an hour after the first six and a half hours of flying. Another ten hours flying gets us to Vancouver, where we're booked into the YWCA in the middle of town.
It will be good to have another look at Vancouver, as it has been more than 12 years since we were last there. I guess the place will have changed. Sonia's brother is now living in Vancouver (avoiding getting a job from what I hear), so we'll catch up with him and the various cousins or distant relatives who have migrated to the northern hemisphere. After a week in Vancouver to have a look around we fly to Edmonton on the Friday.
This week will be focussed on packing (both bags for the trip and the house to be moved), handing over work stuff, and saying goodbye to people. It is likely that I'll see some of them again, but it might not be for a while... Also need to get tax and immigration closed off so we don't get into trouble. So much to do, so little time, and we're still sitting in the coffee shop.
Today is Sunday. Next Sunday at this time we'll be getting ready to go to the airport to catch a flight to Singapore - this is the first step of the journey.
A night in Singapore starts the trip, and we then settle into a airplane seat for a mammoth sixteen hour flight from Singapore to Vancouver. The flight stops in Seoul for about an hour after the first six and a half hours of flying. Another ten hours flying gets us to Vancouver, where we're booked into the YWCA in the middle of town.
It will be good to have another look at Vancouver, as it has been more than 12 years since we were last there. I guess the place will have changed. Sonia's brother is now living in Vancouver (avoiding getting a job from what I hear), so we'll catch up with him and the various cousins or distant relatives who have migrated to the northern hemisphere. After a week in Vancouver to have a look around we fly to Edmonton on the Friday.
This week will be focussed on packing (both bags for the trip and the house to be moved), handing over work stuff, and saying goodbye to people. It is likely that I'll see some of them again, but it might not be for a while... Also need to get tax and immigration closed off so we don't get into trouble. So much to do, so little time, and we're still sitting in the coffee shop.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
2 more weeks to go...
The old song "two more weeks to go, two more weeks to Christmas" is running through our minds. 10 working days.
This afternoon was taken up with some sorting through the stuff that we've accumulated and throwing things out. Amazing what was still stuck at the back of the cupboards. Of course it's important to sort stuff into piles and throw things out that are not worth shipping between countries.
The news of the terrorism plot raised questions over how easy our flights to Canada (and on to UK) will be. If we cannot take a book or laptop onto the 16 hour flight to Vancouver, I think we'll end up going mad on the way. I hope we'll be ok on the trip to Vancouver and will not need to check so much in. But the flight from Toronto to Heathrow will be a challenge.
We now need to get organised with places to stay (Vancouver and Toronto are booked). We realised that we arrive into Milan at the start of Fashion Week, so we are expecting that it's going to be busy and difficult to find places to stay. The trip has also changed slightly, and from Milan we're flying back through Paris, stopping for a couple of nights before we fly back to KL. Milan-Singapore flights were full, so we had to find an alternative route back to Asia.
This afternoon was taken up with some sorting through the stuff that we've accumulated and throwing things out. Amazing what was still stuck at the back of the cupboards. Of course it's important to sort stuff into piles and throw things out that are not worth shipping between countries.
The news of the terrorism plot raised questions over how easy our flights to Canada (and on to UK) will be. If we cannot take a book or laptop onto the 16 hour flight to Vancouver, I think we'll end up going mad on the way. I hope we'll be ok on the trip to Vancouver and will not need to check so much in. But the flight from Toronto to Heathrow will be a challenge.
We now need to get organised with places to stay (Vancouver and Toronto are booked). We realised that we arrive into Milan at the start of Fashion Week, so we are expecting that it's going to be busy and difficult to find places to stay. The trip has also changed slightly, and from Milan we're flying back through Paris, stopping for a couple of nights before we fly back to KL. Milan-Singapore flights were full, so we had to find an alternative route back to Asia.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Mid-week
Two more working days until the weekend! Saturday morning catching a plane to Phuket for the weekend. Being our wedding anniversary we need to do something, so a weekend (with Monday off) in a hotel on an island away from the office will be nice. As if we need an excuse?
Just watched the re-run of Rockstar Supernova. Being in Malaysia, when I get to see it we are long past it actually being run live. Interesting performances - as last week as well. Some of these people are really strange... Truly amazing what they will do. It will be interesting to see who ends up as the singer for the band. The band itself appears a little unusual, although really, a manufactured rock band? It's one thing to script out a boy-band or a girl-band (Spice Girls anyone?), but for a rock band - a bit too forced for my liking. Well, anything that makes money I guess.
Just watched the re-run of Rockstar Supernova. Being in Malaysia, when I get to see it we are long past it actually being run live. Interesting performances - as last week as well. Some of these people are really strange... Truly amazing what they will do. It will be interesting to see who ends up as the singer for the band. The band itself appears a little unusual, although really, a manufactured rock band? It's one thing to script out a boy-band or a girl-band (Spice Girls anyone?), but for a rock band - a bit too forced for my liking. Well, anything that makes money I guess.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
What is it about the weekends?
Sitting in Starbucks - again. Waiting while Sonia has her nails done. Mucking around browsing the Internet. Bored.
Two entries to the blog in one day. Must be very bored. Not sure what to write about this time - as you can see.
This Starbucks is in Borders (bookshop) at the Curve (shopping centre). Ikea is next door (almost) and it's the Ikea sale. Needless to say, most of KL has decided that Sunday afternoon would be a good time to visit Ikea and wander slowly, painfully (as KL-ites do) around the store. Definitely a reason not to take advantage of Ikea's sale.
The travelblogs are usually quite interesting (quality is variable). A good chance to see what other people thought of the places they've visited. Most of them seem to be people who are on backpacking tours - or at least extended trips. There have been some good pictures of Perhentian Islands in Malaysia - and the place is as nice as it looks in the photos. For anyone who has been, it's comparable (maybe better) than the outlying Fiji islands.
I guess that's it for now.
Two entries to the blog in one day. Must be very bored. Not sure what to write about this time - as you can see.
This Starbucks is in Borders (bookshop) at the Curve (shopping centre). Ikea is next door (almost) and it's the Ikea sale. Needless to say, most of KL has decided that Sunday afternoon would be a good time to visit Ikea and wander slowly, painfully (as KL-ites do) around the store. Definitely a reason not to take advantage of Ikea's sale.
The travelblogs are usually quite interesting (quality is variable). A good chance to see what other people thought of the places they've visited. Most of them seem to be people who are on backpacking tours - or at least extended trips. There have been some good pictures of Perhentian Islands in Malaysia - and the place is as nice as it looks in the photos. For anyone who has been, it's comparable (maybe better) than the outlying Fiji islands.
I guess that's it for now.
Rant
The NZ Herald has a story showing online at the moment - regarding a likely class-action suit against SkyCity Casinos. Apparently New Zealanders are continuing to go the way of Americans - too stupid to take responsibility for their own actions. Why can we not ask for help if we have a problem? Why is it someone else's fault that we lose money through gambling? Why does it follow that suddenly we should profit from it? I guess it means they really are sick. They are gambling that SkyCity will settle out-of-court? Why can't they get off their back-sides and show a bit of Kiwi spirit instead?
Now that that's off my chest, I'd like to point out that there are four weeks left in KL. It will be good to move on. Incidentally, the papers here are reporting a pepper-spray attack on Dr Mahathir. Except that if you actually read the story, the spray was not even directed at him. What's wrong with getting your facts right first?
Now that that's off my chest, I'd like to point out that there are four weeks left in KL. It will be good to move on. Incidentally, the papers here are reporting a pepper-spray attack on Dr Mahathir. Except that if you actually read the story, the spray was not even directed at him. What's wrong with getting your facts right first?
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Just another Wednesday
Except that this Wednesday is the first day of my last month in the current job. The final countdown has begun. There is still lots to do before I head off, so it's not a month of coasting by any means. Sonia is up in Thailand again, so there is time to focus and get stuff done. Of course there is also the work of planning the trip and closing out things here in KL.
The construction across the road is still going on - it started before we moved in about 12 months ago, and is no-where near finishing. The biggest gripe (of the entire condo block) is the noise that goes late into the night. The crews seem to leave all of the noisy work until 7pm - and often are still going at 12 at night. Amazing that they still have a 24 hour construction license. The condo block had signs up about registering a formal complaint with the local authorities and were collecting signatures. Still it's unlikely that it will make any difference - there is no benefit to them to listen to the residents. Sigh....
Off to Phuket for the weekend soon - a nice break from the city. Should be a good chance to relax and chill out. At that point there will only be two weeks more of work, so that's even better!
Received a semi-legible letter from Dad the other day with news of NZ. It's got to the point that Sonia is better at deciphering the handwriting than I am! The fountain pen provided previously as a present is obviously still in use :-).
Phone call from Canada at 5:45 AM this morning. News of new bike purchase and other activities. Jealousy sets in - a Honda ST1100. Very nice.
The construction across the road is still going on - it started before we moved in about 12 months ago, and is no-where near finishing. The biggest gripe (of the entire condo block) is the noise that goes late into the night. The crews seem to leave all of the noisy work until 7pm - and often are still going at 12 at night. Amazing that they still have a 24 hour construction license. The condo block had signs up about registering a formal complaint with the local authorities and were collecting signatures. Still it's unlikely that it will make any difference - there is no benefit to them to listen to the residents. Sigh....
Off to Phuket for the weekend soon - a nice break from the city. Should be a good chance to relax and chill out. At that point there will only be two weeks more of work, so that's even better!
Received a semi-legible letter from Dad the other day with news of NZ. It's got to the point that Sonia is better at deciphering the handwriting than I am! The fountain pen provided previously as a present is obviously still in use :-).
Phone call from Canada at 5:45 AM this morning. News of new bike purchase and other activities. Jealousy sets in - a Honda ST1100. Very nice.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Another Sunday
Church is a bit of a drag right now - the last pastor left to go back to the US, and each week we "experience" a different speaker. The quality is very variable, but generally lower than we've been used to. The numbers are also low as most expats are back in the home countries for summer holidays (northen hemisphere).
We're now about 5 weeks away from finishing up in KL! Thinking about what needs to be done to close down - bank accounts, phones, power, rent, etc. And we need to get the movers organised to do the quotations - but before that we need to decide what needs to be thrown away! No point in moving junk from place to place.
We found an easy way to plan out the trip around the world - Star Alliance has a nice little program that you download to your PC. It's got all of the routes and airlines in it. We've ended up planning to go:
KL - Singapore - Seoul - Vancouver
Vancouver - Edmonton
Edmonton - Toronto
Toronto - London
Manchester - Prague
Prague - Milan
Milan - Singapore - Kuala Lumpur
And then back to New Zealand.
It should be a good trip and it will be great not to have to keep thinking about work. It always seems to take a few days to slow down when on holiday - how many times do you find yourself thinking about work and then telling yourself "Stop it, you're on holiday".
Found crumpets in the supermarket the other day. This was the first time in three years that the KL supermarket had them! Bagels are easier to find, but they are almost always NOT real bagels. Instead they tend to be bread rolls that are shaped like bagels. Or if they are real bagels, they're frozen. Once they are defrosted it is inevitably a disappointment. Still, I don't remember finding such nice curries and chinese food in New Zealand, so I guess you need to always recognise both the positives and the negatives. Tonight's dinner becomes soup and crumpets with the air-conditioning going to make it feel like a sunday-night dinner in winter! And now it's ready to eat.
We're now about 5 weeks away from finishing up in KL! Thinking about what needs to be done to close down - bank accounts, phones, power, rent, etc. And we need to get the movers organised to do the quotations - but before that we need to decide what needs to be thrown away! No point in moving junk from place to place.
We found an easy way to plan out the trip around the world - Star Alliance has a nice little program that you download to your PC. It's got all of the routes and airlines in it. We've ended up planning to go:
KL - Singapore - Seoul - Vancouver
Vancouver - Edmonton
Edmonton - Toronto
Toronto - London
Manchester - Prague
Prague - Milan
Milan - Singapore - Kuala Lumpur
And then back to New Zealand.
It should be a good trip and it will be great not to have to keep thinking about work. It always seems to take a few days to slow down when on holiday - how many times do you find yourself thinking about work and then telling yourself "Stop it, you're on holiday".
Found crumpets in the supermarket the other day. This was the first time in three years that the KL supermarket had them! Bagels are easier to find, but they are almost always NOT real bagels. Instead they tend to be bread rolls that are shaped like bagels. Or if they are real bagels, they're frozen. Once they are defrosted it is inevitably a disappointment. Still, I don't remember finding such nice curries and chinese food in New Zealand, so I guess you need to always recognise both the positives and the negatives. Tonight's dinner becomes soup and crumpets with the air-conditioning going to make it feel like a sunday-night dinner in winter! And now it's ready to eat.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Airports and Football
Sitting in Singapore's Changi airport, waiting for a flight back home to KL. The TVs in the gate lounge are playing Germany versus Sweden, and Germany has just scored.
Football seems to be everywhere - you can run but you cannot hide... Not following it sometimes appears to be a crime of almost capital proportions. But it seems like such a pointless boring game. The most interesting part is trying (unsuccessfully) to understand the words the crowd "sing" (maybe "bellow" is more appropriate) while the ball is kicked backwards and forwards. Often more backwards rather than forwards. At least with rugby the ball is generally going in the correct direction?
Watching out the window of the lounge, seeing the planes small and large taking off as the light fades. Some guy sitting a couple of seats along is yelling into his cellphone in a mixture of English and some European language.
Singapore airport is redeveloping it's gate lounges - probably in preparation for the future arrival of their new Airbus planes. New larger gates, more of the bridges out to the airplanes, and so on. Right now the lounge smells of paint and new carpet. Not entirely unpleasant since it means the place is cleaner than usual.
Friends were staying with us last week - good to catch up after 6 months. Their kids are growing fast, reminding us that it's over a year since we saw the nephews and nieces who live in Auckland. I guess they are much larger as well.
Enough rambling. Time to get back to my game of Sudoku. But wait - Germany scores again (yawn). Till next time...
Football seems to be everywhere - you can run but you cannot hide... Not following it sometimes appears to be a crime of almost capital proportions. But it seems like such a pointless boring game. The most interesting part is trying (unsuccessfully) to understand the words the crowd "sing" (maybe "bellow" is more appropriate) while the ball is kicked backwards and forwards. Often more backwards rather than forwards. At least with rugby the ball is generally going in the correct direction?
Watching out the window of the lounge, seeing the planes small and large taking off as the light fades. Some guy sitting a couple of seats along is yelling into his cellphone in a mixture of English and some European language.
Singapore airport is redeveloping it's gate lounges - probably in preparation for the future arrival of their new Airbus planes. New larger gates, more of the bridges out to the airplanes, and so on. Right now the lounge smells of paint and new carpet. Not entirely unpleasant since it means the place is cleaner than usual.
Friends were staying with us last week - good to catch up after 6 months. Their kids are growing fast, reminding us that it's over a year since we saw the nephews and nieces who live in Auckland. I guess they are much larger as well.
Enough rambling. Time to get back to my game of Sudoku. But wait - Germany scores again (yawn). Till next time...
Sunday, June 04, 2006
The King's birthday
By interesting coincidence (interesting to some, anyway) yesterday was the King's birthday - a public holiday in KL (for those of you who don't understand, Saturday is normally a working day in Malaysia). This weekend also celebrates the Queen's birthday in New Zealand. Anyway, trivia to start this entry...
Sitting in La Bodega in Bangsar Shopping Centre, having just finished Eggs Benedict. I have to say it wasn't as good as it has been - the Hollandaise sauce was a bit thin this time.
Next to where we are sitting is a big display by Jaguar - the new Jaguar XK is quite nice. Particularly the convertible model. There is a good looking burgundy coloured example, with tan leather seats and roof. Then you look at the price. The normal model is RM 900,000, and the convertible price is even higher. Sigh.
The papers here can be very tedious. Today's edition of the Star is full of two things - football (soccer) and the King's birthday. And many small articles where one or other politician said something that the reporters found interesting. It's funny that the world news is more than two thirds of the way through the paper each time.
Time to go...
Sitting in La Bodega in Bangsar Shopping Centre, having just finished Eggs Benedict. I have to say it wasn't as good as it has been - the Hollandaise sauce was a bit thin this time.
Next to where we are sitting is a big display by Jaguar - the new Jaguar XK is quite nice. Particularly the convertible model. There is a good looking burgundy coloured example, with tan leather seats and roof. Then you look at the price. The normal model is RM 900,000, and the convertible price is even higher. Sigh.
The papers here can be very tedious. Today's edition of the Star is full of two things - football (soccer) and the King's birthday. And many small articles where one or other politician said something that the reporters found interesting. It's funny that the world news is more than two thirds of the way through the paper each time.
Time to go...
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Another Sunday
Another Sunday afternoon - text chatting with family in NZ, catching up on news of the extended family spread around the world.A couple of weeks ago we spent a couple of days at Japamala - a small hotel on Tioman island. The setting was great (see the photo), but the hotel felt a little like a 3-star trying to be a 5-star. Certainly charged 5-star prices. I think I would prefer The Andaman on Langkawi instead. It's that much more mature, albeit bigger and therefore more people around.
Spent some time this afternoon buying a backpack for the trip. Trying to find something that fits comfortably... If you are carrying 60 litres of "stuff" around, I guess it needs to fit properly. Although how much walking we're going to do is uncertain....
Now faced with the boring side of things - expense claims for work, next year's budget (due on Monday), laundry, or washing yesterday's dishes. Which reminds me of a nice bottle of wine we had last night - Wither Hills Pinot Noir. Not a bad drop if you can find it. Another bottle I have sitting waiting to be consumed is Kumeu River Pinot Noir. It's always nice to know the area, and it's true in this case. Driving past the winery, it does look like the picture.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
The Challenges of Programming
An interesting article on slashdot about whether kids still learn to program computers.
I remember starting with an Acorn Electron that mum and dad bought. Spent lots of time typing in programs, including "Frogger" which covered multiple pages of code printed in a magazine. Of course at that time I had no idea what I was typing. The commands were primarily in assembly language, but it was still fun seeing (and playing) the end result.
The article on slashdot asks whether kids still learn to program. One response makes a valid comment about the high barriers to entry. These days if you want to achieve something useful on the web you need to download lots of software (say Apache, PHP, mySQL, Java SDK, an editor like Eclipse) and then figure out the architecture and how to make it work. For sure there are tutorials available, but it can be a long road to travel before you complete the old "Hello World" starter example.
I remember starting with an Acorn Electron that mum and dad bought. Spent lots of time typing in programs, including "Frogger" which covered multiple pages of code printed in a magazine. Of course at that time I had no idea what I was typing. The commands were primarily in assembly language, but it was still fun seeing (and playing) the end result.
The article on slashdot asks whether kids still learn to program. One response makes a valid comment about the high barriers to entry. These days if you want to achieve something useful on the web you need to download lots of software (say Apache, PHP, mySQL, Java SDK, an editor like Eclipse) and then figure out the architecture and how to make it work. For sure there are tutorials available, but it can be a long road to travel before you complete the old "Hello World" starter example.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Long Weekend
Ahhhhhhhhh......
The start of a long weekend. It's actually one of three weeks that will be four-day-weeks - in a row! This Monday coming is a national holiday in Malaysia. Friday of the following week is also a holiday, plus we're taking the following Monday off.
On the four-day weekend we're heading to Tioman island to a place called Japamala. It looks good on paper, we'll have to see what it's like in reality. It should be a good time - driving from KL.
Another missive from Dad today - spend 15 minutes struggling to decipher his infamous handwriting. Good to see what's happening back in NZ.
Friends from NZ (living in India) are coming to visit in June. It will be good to see them, but we've got to work out how to fit the kids into the bedrooms in the best way. They should enjoy the pool, and there are a few things to do that are close. I expect the best part will be the food choices available in KL when compared to Ooty in India. Of course it will be much more focussed on Chinese, and generally much spicier. We'll see what happens.
The start of a long weekend. It's actually one of three weeks that will be four-day-weeks - in a row! This Monday coming is a national holiday in Malaysia. Friday of the following week is also a holiday, plus we're taking the following Monday off.
On the four-day weekend we're heading to Tioman island to a place called Japamala. It looks good on paper, we'll have to see what it's like in reality. It should be a good time - driving from KL.
Another missive from Dad today - spend 15 minutes struggling to decipher his infamous handwriting. Good to see what's happening back in NZ.
Friends from NZ (living in India) are coming to visit in June. It will be good to see them, but we've got to work out how to fit the kids into the bedrooms in the best way. They should enjoy the pool, and there are a few things to do that are close. I expect the best part will be the food choices available in KL when compared to Ooty in India. Of course it will be much more focussed on Chinese, and generally much spicier. We'll see what happens.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Sunday
Another week gone. Time moves so quickly sometimes - it's not long since the start of April, and suddenly the end of the month is within sight.
Sitting in the Coffee Bean (again), looking at stuff on the notebook, generally passing the time. Not a bad way to start the day.
We're planning the trip around the world (in somewhat less than 80 days). Today's task was to find the cheapest way for 5 adults and 1 kid (4 yr-old) to get from Toronto to Niagra for the day. Turns out it's as you would expect - rent a car. VIA rail is more expensive (approx C$ 28 per adult) and the bus can be even more so.
The other interesting task is working out what clothes to pack for a two-month trip. Coming from KL (day-to-day temperature is 32 degrees centigrade) and visiting Europe (UK and Scandinavia), then Canada and finally Los Angeles. The cooler temperatures are going to present some challenges. And all to be packed in one bag each. Interestingly there are lots of websites that offer advice on packing for trips around europe. One site purports to show how to travel with one carry-on sized bag. Good if you can swing it, I guess.
Sitting in the Coffee Bean (again), looking at stuff on the notebook, generally passing the time. Not a bad way to start the day.
We're planning the trip around the world (in somewhat less than 80 days). Today's task was to find the cheapest way for 5 adults and 1 kid (4 yr-old) to get from Toronto to Niagra for the day. Turns out it's as you would expect - rent a car. VIA rail is more expensive (approx C$ 28 per adult) and the bus can be even more so.
The other interesting task is working out what clothes to pack for a two-month trip. Coming from KL (day-to-day temperature is 32 degrees centigrade) and visiting Europe (UK and Scandinavia), then Canada and finally Los Angeles. The cooler temperatures are going to present some challenges. And all to be packed in one bag each. Interestingly there are lots of websites that offer advice on packing for trips around europe. One site purports to show how to travel with one carry-on sized bag. Good if you can swing it, I guess.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Travels and other stuff
The last three weeks have been filled with trips - a trip to Bangkok to meet Wendy (friend of the family living in India), a trip to Penang, and in the week just gone, a trip to Hong Kong. It's been good to be home this weekend.
Bangkok was fun - found a great seafood place, (excellent lobster, and a spicy chilli fish dish). Got a couple of suits made at a place recommended by some people from work. Sam at Gulati's did a great job of minimising my round stomach. The shirts look good as well...
Penang was a bit of a whitewash. A day off turned into a day of working from a hotel room. Still, a good meal at an Italian cafe, and a good Thai place the following night salvaged some of the weekend.
Hong Kong was all about work- two days of work surrounded by a good day-and-a-half of travel. However, HK is a great city and very much alive. Cuisine-Cuisine is an excellent restaurant in the IFC Mall.
KL Conference Centre is hosting an PC Fair, and part of today was spent fighting through the crush of the crowds to see what is happening. Ended up buying a laptop (Sony Vaio), and then of course we needed to buy a wireless router to connect up to the broadband connection. It's amazing how the money just keeps going into the same black hole... The laptop will be great for keeping in touch on the trip around Europe and North America.
Now watching the DVD of "Mrs Henderson Presents". It's a great movie, in the same style as "The Calendar Girls". Well worth watching.
Bangkok was fun - found a great seafood place, (excellent lobster, and a spicy chilli fish dish). Got a couple of suits made at a place recommended by some people from work. Sam at Gulati's did a great job of minimising my round stomach. The shirts look good as well...
Penang was a bit of a whitewash. A day off turned into a day of working from a hotel room. Still, a good meal at an Italian cafe, and a good Thai place the following night salvaged some of the weekend.
Hong Kong was all about work- two days of work surrounded by a good day-and-a-half of travel. However, HK is a great city and very much alive. Cuisine-Cuisine is an excellent restaurant in the IFC Mall.
KL Conference Centre is hosting an PC Fair, and part of today was spent fighting through the crush of the crowds to see what is happening. Ended up buying a laptop (Sony Vaio), and then of course we needed to buy a wireless router to connect up to the broadband connection. It's amazing how the money just keeps going into the same black hole... The laptop will be great for keeping in touch on the trip around Europe and North America.
Now watching the DVD of "Mrs Henderson Presents". It's a great movie, in the same style as "The Calendar Girls". Well worth watching.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The Long Way Around & UK Scenery
I have been sorting photos from the past years and came across this one. It was taken north of Manchester on the way back home from Edinburgh, Scotland. Believe it or not, we'd stopped at one of the motorway services for a rest and looked out through the window. A wonderful lake, and with the snow making things look even better. I remember it was amazingly quiet - the snow seems to dramatically dampen the sound of the traffic. Wish we were there again...
I received a DVD for Christmas (thanks mum and dad) called "The Long Way Around" and have just finished watching all of it (two DVDs). Ewan Macgregor and Charlie Boorman riding BMW 1150 bikes from London to New York heading east. A really good series to watch - worth looking for. Originally shown on TV (in UK, I guess) as a seven-part series.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Another day at the office. Letter from Evan & Kirsten when we got home after fighting the KL traffic at rush hour. Funny how it doesn't matter how much effort it invested in the KL roading network, the jams just keep getting bigger and bigger...
Looking for holiday destinations for the coming year - somewhere warm, a little quiet, and not too expensive. There are lots of places advertising around Phuket (etc.), but they all seem to be very expensive, or look like there will be a million German/French tourists lying around the pool (after they get up at 6:00am to use their towels to reserve a sun lounger until they're ready to use it around lunch time). Still, when you find a place that works out, the search is worth it.
Back to the letter - Evan's 40th birthday this year. Will mean another trip to Canada - late summer this time, which will bea nice time to visit. Looking forward to that.
Looking for holiday destinations for the coming year - somewhere warm, a little quiet, and not too expensive. There are lots of places advertising around Phuket (etc.), but they all seem to be very expensive, or look like there will be a million German/French tourists lying around the pool (after they get up at 6:00am to use their towels to reserve a sun lounger until they're ready to use it around lunch time). Still, when you find a place that works out, the search is worth it.
Back to the letter - Evan's 40th birthday this year. Will mean another trip to Canada - late summer this time, which will bea nice time to visit. Looking forward to that.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
First day back
Today was the first day back at work after the long break. Most of my teams are still away on holiday for the rest of this week, so it was a pretty slow day. Still, got a chance to complete a lot of tasks that had been outstanding for a while.
We're going through BS15000 certification (you may know it as ITIL) at the moment, so today's tasks included writing the Service Management Plan, Service Improvement Plan, and Account Management Plans.
Tomorrow promises to be another day in a similar vein, although it is Friday so leading up to the weekend is good. Nothing like a two-day week to ease back into things.
We're going through BS15000 certification (you may know it as ITIL) at the moment, so today's tasks included writing the Service Management Plan, Service Improvement Plan, and Account Management Plans.
Tomorrow promises to be another day in a similar vein, although it is Friday so leading up to the weekend is good. Nothing like a two-day week to ease back into things.
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