This morning's excitement

We found out overnight that the British Airways strike is likely to go ahead. The ever-so-kind cabin crew have decided that Christmas/New Year is a good time to strike. Not very smart on their part, for a range of fairly obvious reasons.

The problem for us is that we had booked to fly on the night of 22nd (next Tuesday). That is the day that the strike starts. While you can take a guess that cabin crew in HK are still likely to fly back on 22nd (otherwise they would be stranded in HK for the duration - hang on, maybe they want to be?), we decided that it was probably not worth the risk. So this morning I ended up on the phone trying to get the flights changed. We are now flying out on Friday night - an extra four nights in London.

Our return flights are booked on 1st January, and the strike is supposed to be finishing on 2nd. At this stage we've left those flights as they are, and will probably take the risk. Talking to a few poms, this is a fairly common tactic employed by the unions and it is likely that the strike will be resolved before then. And if not, BA will have to make alternative arrangements.

Watch this space...

Big burgers

Just watching the Travel Channel - an episode of some show that is talking about Thurman's burgers. A burger with a 3/4 lb burger pattie, ham, salad, cheese, onions, etc. And you can apparently do a multi-Thurman burger...

They also have a "Thurmanator", which is now being shown. 2 Thurman burger patties, cheddar, mushroom, onion, ham, bacon, eggs, etc. Yumm!

They are leading up to the Dagwood challenge - a huge burger accompanied by 1 lb of fries. The challenge is to finish it within 30 minutes.

Closer and closer

Well it looks like Japan is going to happen after all. "Negotiations" have progressed significantly, and contracts are being sent backwards and forwards. All going well, come sometime in January we would relocate to Tokyo.

Then comes the challenge of finding an apartment - if you're interested in Tokyo apartments, take a look here. The company will take care of contracting the apartment, so the key is to find the right place at the right price. And the right place. I will work in a place call Kinshicho, which you can find on Google Maps here. This is likely to mean a commute on the train of about 30 minutes in each direction. So the ipod will get a good workout each day. The key is finding the right train lines (anything that goes direct to Kinshicho) and then working backwards from the train line. Ideally we will end up with a few minutes walk to a train station on an easy line, which will make things simpler. Otherwise I will have to see if I can't push for a parking space at some point...

One good point will be the accessibility of Japanese rice. Rather than searching for the limited range that is available in HK, we'll be able to walk into the supermarket in Tokyo and pick up rice at a reasonable price.

In other news...

We have finished the final bookings for the holiday in the UK. It is now 13 days until we fly to the UK. We have a night in London before going to a country house close to Marlow (on the Thames) for Christmas eve night, Christmas day/night, and then back to London on boxing day. We will stay one more night in London before heading up to Manchester. The night in London is for the purpose of checking on the sales... After 3 nights in Manchester, it's back to London for 2 nights. Then back to Hong Kong on 1st. We've booked a rental car (poxy little Ford Focus) so we'll have the option of driving around when/where we want.

Well, nothing more to say right now. Good night.

News

Well I guess I really should be putting something new on the blog. Not exactly sure what, s nothing much has happened since we got back from the NZ trip. Sonia has spent the week in Bangkok (arriving back tonight), while I have been working on a consulting project here in Hong Kong. Weather-wise it is getting colder in HK - temperatures are forecast at around 21 degrees most days. Right now it feels a littler cooler than that - sitting outside and starting to shiver. It is also getting darker earlier. Last night I looked outside at 6pm and realised the sun had completely set. So I guess that confirms the behaviour of the local girls (wearing scarves, boots, big puffy jackets) - winter must be here. Anyone living in NZ would probably be going the other way - throw off the jackets and switch to t-shirts and shorts...

Well, cannot think of anything else to say, and besides I need to be getting to the gym now. Till later.

Cool effects

This clearly took these guys a while to put together. The video is on the long side (around 6 minutes) but worth a look all the way through.

This guy is really good

I particularly like the Morgan Freeman impression - reminds me of the movie "The Shawshank Redemption".

Wipeout

I don't know if you've seen it, but I'm sitting on the couch watching Wipeout Australia. The sight of a wide variety of Aussies wiping out on a stupid-looking obstacle course? I can't stop giggling - although maybe it should be "chuckling" rather than giggling. If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend watching it at least once. The American version is also very funny...

Overdue Update

Well I guess it is fair to say that an update is overdue. I write this sitting on a plane, waiting for it to leave Bangkok for Hong Kong. Sonia is somewhere in Australia (Melbourne?), probably heading for bed. She is working there for a couple of days before going down to Auckland. I have the next few days in Hong Kong before leaving on Friday night to meet in NZ.

I have been working here - getting a couple of proposals put together. If any of them come off, I should have between 6 and 12 months work through my own company. It is interesting and exciting at the same time. But also rings some bells from when I worked with Tacit in NZ. I recall the boss talking about projects and bids - and some of the ridiculous behaviour of the prospective clients.

Oh great - a stinking Chinese guy has taken the seat next to me. And by stinking, I really do mean stinking. In drastic need of a shower... At least the flight is only 2.5 hours long!

Google's suggestion feature

Some interesting suggestions when typing into the Google search box...

Idiot BMW driver...

What were they thinking?

Quotation

Old Chinese proverb:

Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it.

Charlie Bit My Finger Again

If you haven't already seen this, it is pretty fun (and a little cute as well).

Tokyo Revisited

It was a great weekend in Tokyo, weather notwithstanding.

I got there on Thursday night, about 10:30 (remember me moaning about the long bus trip from the airport into town?), and on Friday went to meet a couple of business contacts. Then in the afternoon went out to get a motorbike jacket (found a nice one on sale with about 40% off the regular price). Then collected the motorbike.

Saturday, we took off about 6:30 in the morning to meet another friend who was taking us on the ride. We rode up into the hills after shooting down the motorway for about 30 minutes in heavy traffic. We stopped a few times to rest our bottoms (bike seats are not always very comfortable) and to admire the views. We had lunch at a vineyard - Manns vineyard in Katsunuma. Then back towards Tokyo and onto the motorway.

Dinner Saturday night was out in Tokyo midtown - a nice American-style restaurant. Then Sunday went to church with the friends. Monday, I met a couple of ex-colleagues before going back to Kappabashi to buy a couple of knives. These are very nice - one of the knives has (I think) 30+ layers of steel using to make it. That makes for very nice patterns on the blade, and (from what I've heard), extremely sharp knives. Not something to put into the dishwasher, I think.

Now back in HK and need to get focused on moving some consulting opportunities forwards.

Bangkok update

A quick update... We are back in Bangkok now, having flown from Bangalore overnight last night. A horrible way to travel, getting on board the plane and taking off at 30 minutes past midnight. We arrived into Bangkok about 6am, got quickly through immigration, and into a car to the hotel. At that time of the morning traffic is not an issue, and we were at the hotel within 30 minutes. We slept until midday, and then Sonia went to work. I met up with a few business contacts, and then we had dinner at the hotel's Japanese restaurant. Sushi and soba noodles with tempura.

We had a great time in Ooty with Chris, Karyn, and Ian and Wendy. And the sproglets of course. Chris, Ian, Ralph (a friend of theirs) and I went for a bike ride on the Saturday morning - I hired a 150cc bike. We went down the hill (46 hairpin bends on one section) and then back up, around, and back to Ooty. Good fun, although quite different from riding elsewhere because you rarely get going any faster than about 50kph.

Chris' birthday party was on the Saturday night - dessert and coffee at Ian and Wendy's place. We sat around a bonfire, while Wendy and Ralph (see above) sang a song to the tune of The Beatles' "A little help from our friends" describing some of the "Phases" of Chris' first 40 years. Then Chris made a speech (unaccustomed as he is to public speaking).

We had Sunday lunch at King's Cliff (nice Indian food), and then Sunday dinner at a Dosa restaurant. A family-sized dosa, which was somewhere over 1 metre long... Very nice. Ian and Wendy also arranged an Indian feast at their place on the Friday night - mutton biriyani, mutton curry, dahl makani, tandoori chicken, raita, and bread. And Ian had a chilli chutney which none of the rest of us could eat (basically minced green chillis).

I'm on the way back to Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon, then up to Tokyo on Thursday night. In between I have a business meeting (which will hopefully generate more paying business) to attend in Hong Kong. And I need to do some washing so that I have clothes to wear in Japan. We are going riding again, and this time I have hired a Suzuki GSXR 750 (official Suzuki site). Should be a lot of fun, riding out on Saturday and returning to Tokyo on Sunday morning.

A remake of the Inspector Gadget song?

And Inspector Gadget beat-boxed on a flute:

Hong Kong update

Well yet again it has been a while between updates. There is still not much to tell...

The weekend after next I am off to Japan to go motorbike riding again. We will probably try the 299 road again, which is the windy one from the trip before last. I go up on Thursday (22nd) afternoon, and return on the following Tuesday. A lot of time for just a weekend riding? True, but it was necessary in order to take advantage of the cheap flights available from Cathay Pacific. The Friday and Monday flights were all taken! So instead I'll swan around Tokyo for a couple of days, visit Kappabashi to buy some flash knives, and see who I can catch up with. Actually I'll also try and arrange a few meetings to see if I can generate some consulting work. Which brings me to...

I've been doing some consulting work for an American life insurance company (not AIG). Quite well paid, so I hope it continues for longer. If I can make it work, it will help pay the bills and make it possible for to work on expanding with other companies. Generally things seem to be picking up in business, a common theme when talking to other people in HK.

It's also starting to cool a little bit. Temperatures are peaking at 31 degrees most days (instead of 33 upwards), so here's hoping autumn comes quickly!

Back in Hong Kong

Well, I am back in HK. Got in late last night after a 10 hour flight from Auckland. Managed to watch 5 1/2 movies on the plane: Duplicity (amusing, and Clive Owen good as ever), Fast & Furious (typical Vin Diesel caper), Push (interesting seeing some of HK in a big movie), Angels & Demons (surprisingly faithful to the book), and half of Alien vs Predator (a walk down memory lane).

We are now the proud owners of a very small piece of land in Auckland - in between Orakei and Mission Bay. Next comes the task of building a house while located a 10 hour flight away...

Simon's Cat

Very funny...



For more adventures, look here.

Chocolatey goodness

Or maybe it should be "chocolatey badness" when you think about what's in it...

(The spoon in the picture is a teaspoon)

Cooking concoctions

It's been a while (at least a few weeks because that's how long it has been since we changed houses) since I last cooked something. So tonight I decided it was time to try something new-ish.

Being a small, serviced, apartment, there is not a lot in the way of cooking stuff. (All our own "stuff" is in a storage unit) So I looked at what is in the cupboard and tried to figure out what to make. We have sugar, chocolate, flour, baking powder (or is it soda? or are those the same thing?), biscuits, more sugar (icing, this time), cream, and a few other bits and pieces.

So that it suggested to me something like another cheesecake. Except that we have no bowls, or things to beat eggs with. So that was out. Sonia has just pointed out that not having an oven is probably a bigger issue than not having a bowl or whisk...

Anyway, biscuits, chocolate, cream, butter, and sugar. Oh, and marshmallows. That suggested some form of uncooked ganache pie. So that is what I made - in a Glad (as in gladwrap brand) disposable container. Biscuits (smashed in a plastic bag), with butter melted in the saucepan and some sugar. No idea of the quantities as we have nothing to measure with. Lined the container with the biscuit mixture, and stuck it into the freezer for a while.

In the meantime, I melted some chocolate chips, added some cream, and stirred it well. Then I cut up marshmallows into half-size pieces. Taking the container out of the freezer, I put a layer of chocolate stuff, then marshmallows, more chocolate, more marshmallows, and then the rest of the chocolate. Then back into the freezer for a while, and then into the fridge.

Sonia reckons that I will have to eat it in extreeeemly thin slices (or wedges) since it will be sooo rich. But I suspect that she has underestimated my capacity for sweet desserts! We shall see.

In case anyone has not heard through the ever-efficient grapevine, I have a meeting in HK on Thursday next week and so will not be arriving until Friday lunchtime (instead of Wednesday).