bleach craze staining high st victims

Entering my flat after a long day is usually a positive experience. I can shut the door and leave London outside to continue stressing the masses who are still roaming its streets and occupying offices throughout the city.
Yesterday, however, I was greeted by my flat-mate, Liesel, who immediately questioned a stain down my back. On observation in our lounge mirror, I noted severe bleach stains on the back of my NEW French-design, tailored, olive-green, GAP jacket. Totally unaware of the latest bleach-filled spray gun craze amusing delinquent neighbourhood youths (I would mention what the last one was but I don’t want that sort of filth on my blog!), confusion ensued as I tried to figure out where I would have encountered enough bleach to cause such a mess. Word on the street (or in this case, among ladies chatting on the bus overheard by the aforementioned flattie) is that youngsters are filling water pistols with bleach and spraying unsuspecting pedestrians. Totally un-amused, a 5 minute ‘I-hate-London-and-its-bleach-spraying-bastards’ freak out followed as I vented frustration borne of a hard days work and London showing no signs of mercy. This, shortly after my encounter with 3 teeny-bopper brats in the park one Friday after work who tried to happy-slap me (one person hits a passer-by while another films it on their mobile), was enough to make me want to pack my bags and jet off to some exotic destination. Preferably someplace overrun with pensioners who are content with minimal entertainment and aren’t searching for their next thrill at an innocent stranger’s expense.
Instead, I soothed my soul by cooking a no-fuss dinner, sharing it with my man and spending the rest of the evening unwinding in his company. He reckons my jacket looks funky with its new pink-on-green splash design and I should just wear it anyway. Either way, it didn’t matter anymore. Tomorrow I would walk the streets with my head held high, minus my lovely jacket (and probably a bit cold), but right then I was happy to forget what was on the other side of the door and simply indulge the moment.

zilch motivation (even to think of a good title)

I am totally disinterested in the task at hand today. Since 9am this morning I have consumed copious amounts of chocolate in order to distract myself from the boredom of adjusting delivery notes in SAP. I’m uncertain if credit for my lack of concentration is owed to fine-tuned procrastination or too many distractions in the form of round-robin emails among my friends planning out-of-work activities to ensure all the monotony is worthwhile. Either way, a combination of both does not promote efficiency in the workplace and by Friday afternoon I’ve dismissed the idea of focus and instead I’ve been sitting here for the last hour daydreaming of my bed and wondering when I am going to find time to sleep this weekend.
I haven’t said much about the weather lately. Either I’ve become acclimatized (I no longer care) or it hasn’t been too bad. I’m opting for the latter to prove I still have some of that positive holiday spirit lingering about.
If only everyone else had the same laidback approach as me but, sadly, colleagues continue to demand answers to questions I really cannot be enthusiastic about answering.
Gripe, gripe, gripe and it only took 4 days. Ah, it’s good to be alive. That isn’t sarcastic. Honestly. My viewpoint may imply a sardonic attitude at times, but I’m well aware of how totally blessed I am. So many reasons to be happy…

panic over

Nevermind.
Thanks to my limited web-design skills I managed to rectify the situation.
I thought I had lost all my precious thoughts recorded over the last year! Time to do a back-up I think.

the cost of greed

Oh no!! I've ruined my blog!
I saw this thing while editing a post that said if I let Google advertise on my blog then I will get paid for it, but now I've changed my mind and I can't get rid of it and my blog is all screwed up.
I feel so suckered.
Hopefully I'll sort it out soon and everything will be back to normal. Stupid devious marketing ploys...

dispelling 'little bean nipple' theory

Having long since shied away from milk and dairy products (not chocolate, never chocolate) owing to its many disadvantages, I have become rather accustomed to the nutty taste of soy-milk. I’m aware that it is not to everyone’s taste, but girls seem more open to the idea than the guys who tend to shudder at the thought of consuming anything liquid that come from a bean. I was highly amused this weekend by Rory’s suggestion that soy milk comes from little ‘bean nipples’ which got me to thinking that I had no idea how it is actually made. One should probably do this sort of research before one starts to include exotic foodstuffs in one’s diet, but seriously, who has time to be that thorough. Better late than never, I discovered that it’s a relatively simple process of soaking and grinding soy-beans and can even be done at home. If nothing else, it’s a lot less complicated than keeping a cow in your backyard!

renewed hope

If only life were one long holiday. I’d be permanently as well adjusted as I felt over my 10 day break. But alas, life in the rat-race can only be delayed for so long and then it’s, once again, time to face the reality of life.
Although I wouldn’t proclaim immense joy at being back at my desk, I still feel rested enough not to let the incessant ringing of my phone or email harassers taint my pleasant demeanour.
My 3 day trip to Dublin with Gaux was great fun and as usual we had a good laugh. I can’t say Dublin is the most fascinating city I’ve ever visited but it has a relaxed vibe that suited us fine. Proudly, we didn’t succumb to the pressure of visiting the Guinness brewery and instead opted for a half pint in the ever-popular Temple Bar, complete with screaming football fans enthralled by Arsenal vs. Man U (I’ve been here over a year and I’m no closer to appreciating football anymore than being eaten alive by a pack of wild dogs). I hadn’t seen Wayne in over 3 years and it was as great to reminisce as it was to catch-up, as both our lives have been so full over the last few years.
A couple of resentful days back in London and then 6 of us piled into a car that would comfortably accommodate 5 pax and their luggage for a 4 day trip. When it came to deciding who would occupy the 30X30cm back-seat I cursed not having consumed more Jungle Oats as a youngster and settled into my dog-box for the 5 hour journey to Devon. Bron’s navigating was spot-on and she stayed focused even when she could have been swayed by signs indicating Inner Hope or Outer Hope (it was very amusing at the time). Our holiday was just the escape I needed and to say I was ecstatic when I discovered no mobile signal whatsoever does not do justice to how happy I really was. As the days passed by in a blur of sleep (or attempted sleep on my part), walks along the picturesque coast, ball and board games and camaraderie, I could feel the heavy weight of London life slowly lift off my shoulders. By the time we were due to leave, I had rediscovered the girl beneath the pressures and expectation of life and I realised how much I miss having her around. It seems Hope Cove stirred something inside of me that I had forgotten; that there is more to life than how much you can cram into one day.
But now I’m back home in this city that I love to hate and although I’d rather be holidaying, there are some things that make it all worth it. I’m blessed with a number and I reckon that’s enough hope to get me through.

gone fishing

Okay, not really. But I am going on holiday to Ireland this weekend and Devon (the English Riviera) the next, so try not to miss me too much.
And please stop sending me this picture. Happy Easter!

just google it

My work colleagues have expressed concern as to the number of times I have said ‘Just Google it’ in the last week. It is true; I have caught myself saying it ever more habitually these days. I fear, for many years, I may have lived a life of misinformed ignorance, relying mostly on word of mouth.

Some things I have Googled this week:
Omri Katz - what ever happened to him after his starring role in Hocus Pocus?
How to repeat copy-paste into the free text of a sales order in SAP - search provided no satisfactory results, as originally expected
Various European languages - I work in a multi-cultural environment surrounded by foreigners who throw unfamiliar comments at leisure
London cinemas - is it too much to ask to show films at the reasonable hour of 19:30?
UK TV-guide – shock, horror, nothing worth watching

I can remember the days when I would scan the myriads of encyclopedias in my grandfather's study while trying to source information for, yet another, tedious school project. Do kids even know what an encyclopedia is these days?
I’m almost sure there’s nothing that Google can’t answer. Perhaps not always the answer you’re looking for, but such is life.

bright start to the week

I know I talk about the weather a lot. I know I said I wouldn’t. I change my mind a lot.
Today the sun is shining brilliantly between rolling patches of clouds. You can just about taste summer in the air. I’m so happy on the inside I feel like I could burst and scatter thousands of jelly-tot insides. I wish I could find the words that do justice to a London summers day. No matter where you were in the world you would pack your bags and find the quickest way here so as to experience it, even just once.
I had another great weekend spent chilling at home, eating sushi in Leicester Square, playing ‘Guess the Artist’ in Waxy O’Connor’s and enjoying a couple of inspirational church services. Nice people change your perspective on the world. Amazing people change your life. I’m blessed with people close to me who define the latter.
I walked to work this morning listening to my new Hillsong United album, truly appreciating where I’m at. I’ve found it vital to note times like this to remind me that it’s all going to be okay when things get a bit rough.
Please don’t let it rain. Not today.