New Year's resolutions - Part 2

And here's what I want to work on in 2014:

1) Eat more healthily - it feels as if I haven't been properly cooking for ages.... and there have been a few too many take aways recently. This will also be combined with preparing more lunches for work which will a) save me money and b) will help with eating more healthily!

2) Get a sewing machine and use it!

3) Read more. I've made a start in 2013 but I think I can still do 'better'.

4) Be tidier. Especially at home. By the sound of it, this might have to translate to my work desk, too, as it looks as I will loose 20 cm... How on earth this will work, I really don't know. My desk is too small as it is!

5) Use the many lipglosses/lipsticks/ I have, bin those that I don't use and stop buying new ones!

6) Continue to travel.

7) Get a second tattoo. Not really a resolution. But it's nice to have something on the list that I will definitely be able to tick off! :-)

8) Ignore the assholes that occasionally pass through my life and not let them ruin my day.

9) Donate blood regularly. Once upon a time, when I was still in Germany, I used to do this. No idea why I stopped. (this might eventually clash with no 7)

MEAT

Watching Man v. food and am craving MEAT now! But only have salmon in the fridge...

Online shopping is the way to go

I very foolishly ventured out to Westfield Shopping Centre today. Of course, everyone else is also still on (school) holiday and is hitting the sales. It was crazy busy and I am surprised I lasted as long as I did... I still haven't bought a watch though as I can't decide what I want. And I am also convinced that the one I quite like will eventually go on sale in January, too. Practicing patience! :-)

All tops are from Bershka and really comfy

Need to cut off the label...

And yes, there is a theme: detailed back

I've been meaning to try on these boots for a while. The hidden wedge heel means that they make me a tiny bit taller while still being able to walk in them. Today they were on sale for just £35. Unfortunately, they didn't have them in a size 6, so I went with these in a size 5.5. They seem all right, and I hope they'll still be comfortable when worn out.

New Year's resolutions - Part 1

Here's what I set myself as targets for 2013 - and how well I managed:

• do more sports - primarily by making use of the gym that is literally a 3 minute walk from my flat and hopefully finding a pilates course which will hopefully help with my back
• not surprisingly this didn't work at all... I always had (short) phases, when I did go to the gym, but it just doesn't last 

• spend less time on the internet
• this certainly improved from about May onwards. I still occasionally spend hours in front of the laptop but I am out and about much more, too, so I think that's ok
  
• stop watching crap on telly
• see above - again significant improvement from May and certainly something I'd like to keep up. Still watching Made in Chelsea though...
  
• cook more often and try new recipes - I often feel too lazy but will try to make an effort, even when only cooking for myself; this will possibly also help with bringing my own lunches to work which is likely to save me a lot of money and will also help with eating more sensibly
• yep, this one didn't work at all which is why it goes back on the list for 2014. Thanks to my job, I do get invited to dinners loads though, which I think is an excellent and reasonable excuse for not cooking at home
  
• keep up my monthly 'treats' of massages and beauty treatments
• YES - I did manage this one and with loads of Amazon and Time Out vouchers, it didn't break the bank either
  
• go to the theatre, exhibitions etc. more often 
• YES - I've gone out much more and feel that I am making the most of living in a city like London
  
• make changes to my professional life - I'm still unclear on what I want to do and there are a number of different options I am considering. But things will have to change - at least I don't want to be in the same position this time next year!
• Nope. Still in the same job BUT I feel that my attitude has changed over the last six months or so. My job doesn't completely define my life anymore.
  
• be more patient and get less easily annoyed - especially with myself...
• big fail... But at least I've made a start on this recently. Fingers crossed, it will continue to get easier.
  
• keep the flat tidier (I don't have much hope for this one) 
• hahaha - I know myself too well! But again, given that I've tidied the place before the end of the year, it's not entirely a fail :-)

My precious

Now that I created a few empty shelves and a couple of square cm in my kitchen (thanks to tidying), I decided to reward myself with a coffee machine! I had been meaning to get one for ages, but there simply wasn't any space on my kitchen counter.

Now, I don't usually have more than one coffee a day and since moving to the UK, I've been primarily drinking instant coffee. And while it tastes all right in the office, it tastes pretty shit at home (no idea why...). I have a coffee plunger, too but that didn't really work for me either. I also have coffee filters and one of these Italian coffee/espresso makers but just the thought of assembling and THEN cleaning it, is rather off-putting (yes, I am THAT lazy!).

So, I decided to get myself an easy to use coffee machine in the sales. But when I started looking, I got rather confused. I couldn't work out what the differences where, what to look for and which brand to go with. I then asked around and one of my friends had actually recently done some research for a family present and in the end had opted for a Tassimo by Bosch machine, which was also recommended by another friend. So that was that. 

Here's the new pretty addition to my kitchen:

Just £59.99 at argos; and my first great tasting Cappuccino

Poster girl

We have a photographer at our main events who takes pictures we use on our website and for other marketing purposes. As a member organisation, the photos are generally of our members. At an event last September, we were 'trialling' a new photographer and she does take really nice photos (so does our 'old' photographer, who wasn't available at the time). And she took a picture of me in conversation with one of our members. Well, I say conversation - it shows me grinning like a slightly mad person and him smiling - and looking at somebody else. I can't remember who I was talking to, as it looks as if it's not him even though he is standing right next to me...

Anyway, a few weeks ago, our Communications Manager showed me the draft for a little publication she was producing - which included the above photo. Personally I wouldn't have picked a photo of a staff member but as people don't tend to read our marketing material (sorry, is that a bit harsh?), I wasn't particularly concerned about it.

At our Annual General Meeting a couple of weeks ago, our CEO always gives a presentation about the past year. All senior managers (that sounds more grand than it is - we are such a small organization!) had been requested to attend. And - to my utter astonishment - he used the same photo in his presentation. Apparently to demonstrate how we achieve the best results when staff and members work closely together. Not sure how the photo is an example of just that - as we were simply having a chat (or not) at a social event. Nonetheless, it did make me feel a little like being the poster girl for our society. ;-)

A much cooler picture is this one though:

team bonding in the photo booth

The day has finally come

Just got a text from my landlord, asking me to call him...

I know that I've been really lucky that he hasn't increase the rent in the four years I've lived here, so I was fully aware that the day had to come eventually. I also very stupidly transferred him £100 less in rent for the last six months - oops... No idea how that happened. And I wonder whether this reminded him that he hadn't put up the rent. Anyhow, apparently all bills have increased, so they will have to increase the rent. I'm sure it will be reasonable, but painful for me nevertheless.

I've had a quick look at other places, as this might also be a good opportunity to move somewhere more central. But just thinking about packing and moving, puts me off that idea quickly. We shall see.

Samples, hotel toiletries and the miscellaneous drawer

I am very pleased to say that I am nearly done with tidying my flat. It's amazing how much more space I have, by binning all sorts of crap. I even tackled my miscellaneous drawer - which is basically where everything goes that I don't otherwise have a place for. I also went through the pile of bank letters and filed them all. And yes, I am rather proud of myself.

Amongst others, I discovered a whole bag of sample and hotel toiletries - looks as if I won't have to buy shampoo, conditioner or shower gel for a while! The question remains how long until I am back to being my messy self....

It's also save to say that I will never again have to buy a T-shirt. No idea how I managed to collect so many...

Le Mercury

It's a little strange to wander around Angel while on leave. And man, am I envious of E's flat on Upper Street - so central, such a cool area and just a short walk (!) from the office!

With the vast number of restaurants around, there are still so many places left to discover. On Friday, we went to Le Mercury a French restaurant with very reasonable prices and a quirky interior. And cocktails for just £5.45! The raspberry mojito was very nice but above all it was lovely to have a post-Christmas catch up with T and E.

As I was starving, I forgot to take pictures of the starters we had..., but here's the rest:

I had the very yummy and massive steak with fries; and for dessert we shared poached pear and sticky toffee pudding

More Salisbury

as lovely as it looks -
the swan wasn't happy to see me and his snarling was a little threatening...

Wagamama Boxing Day Lunch

Chilli squid and vegetable gyoza for starters

Teriyaki salmon soba

Mahi mahi curry

Chicken and prawn pad thai

Winter's sun

Not sure whether it was the sunshine or whether the people of Salisbury had done their boxing day shopping first thing in the morning, but when we got into town just before noon, it wasn't very busy at all. To be honest, I still find it a bit unusual that Christmas is so closely associated with boxing day sales but that might just be because shops in Germany are closed on 26th!

It was the perfect weather for a stroll around the town. Always nice to get away from London and all its city-ness and enjoy the more small town delights.

the cathedral of Salisbury against the blue winter sky

Bonding over ManU - my Xmas miracle

It's fair to say that T (my sis' boyfriend) and I didn't exactly hit it off when we first met. And since they lived in Germany and me in the UK, I didn't get to see them/him very often. Now that they are back in the UK (and living in a beautiful, spacious house), I am hoping to see more of them.

Spending Christmas with them was a great opportunity to get to know him better, too, and I am very pleased that we got on rather well. I'd like to think that my Xmas present for him - The Class of '92 DVD - was also received very well. Those who know me and have followed my blog, will know that I really do not like Manchester United. T on the other hand is originally from near Manchester (which makes it slightly more acceptable for him to be a ManU supporter...), used to be a season ticket holder and is a big fan. So, when the DVD came out just before Christmas, I had his present sorted. And to be honest - while I'm not keen on ManU, I do love David Beckham! :-)

Merry Christmas!

I know - a little bit late but nevermind! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

I decided quite a while ago that  I wasn't going to go back to Germany for Christmas this year but until a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't decided what else to do either. Many thanks to S, T and J for inviting me to spend Xmas with them/their respective families - it really touched me.

In the end, I opted to finally visit my sister in her new place in Salisbury. The storm on Monday night had caused a lot of chaos, which meant that most trains were cancelled. I spent the morning updating the nationalrails website about every 5 minutes. And things were getting worse rather than better. They over-optimistically had assumed that services would be back to normal around lunch time. But instead, more and more trains got cancelled...

Eventually, I decided to just head to Waterloo to try to get on a train that would at least get me closer to Salisbury. S kindly offered to pick me up somewhere south of London and drive me over. But, that wasn't necessary in the end, as I arrived just in time to get onto one of the very few trains that went to Basingstoke from where my sister and T picked me up. I was equally lucky on my way back to London: despite another heavy storm last night, we managed to get onto a train, got a seat and arrived with only minor delays.

I had a lovely and very relaxing time. And it was great to be looked after and basically not having to lift a finger! I could definitely get used to that! And their house is really nice and very homely. Their kitchen alone is about the size of my whole flat... And with lots of storage space, it's so tidy, too! It seems that both my sister and brother have grown out of their teenager messiness, while I seem to have gotten worse with age... So, one of my resolutions for the new year is to keep my flat tidier. I have already started clearing out my kitchen cupboards. Getting rid of all the expired stuff (2009???!), has already created more space :-)

Dans le noir

J'adore cette chanson.
Et tu me manques toujours, Amandine. x

The European market

You might remember how I pleased I was when I found the Speculoos spread in a Belgian supermarket. Well, today, I spotted the spread in Sainsburys... Where I also found one of my favourite cream cheeses (from Germany) in the Polish food section:

StrEUsel

Watching Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood getting stuck in some Xmas baking on telly and it seriously hurts my ears on how they pronounce the German word Streusel. Do you not do any research, guys????!
It is NOT pronounced 'strüsel'!

over and out

Last day in the office this year! I'm glad I went in to wrap up last week's meeting and I will hopefully stay away from the blackberry for the next week. Especially, as it's only a short break for me. While I have loads of leave days left to take, I decided to return on 2 January already. Partly because there are some relatively urgent things to deal with but also as I am not keen on hanging around my flat for days on end. I'd rather plan some long weekends away and hopefully a beach holiday at some point next year.

Birchbox December

Number 4 - Non-aerosol hairspray

Nail Rock - Nail Glitter (green is not my preferred colour - I might pass this one on)

Twistband - a green hair tie

Delarom - Acquaconfort Mask

Alima Pure - Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow

Beekind - Body Lotion

Not on the High Street

I have the feeling that this year, I will primarily be buying presents for myself. Cause that's how I roll...

I recently placed my first order on Not on the High Street and the other day, I got these lovely rings delivered from Lisa Angel. I hadn't realized that Lisa has her own online shop and I don't know whether prizes have gone down since I ordered, but the rings are cheaper when ordered directly from her shop. Rather disappointing... Anyway, they look nice:

Can you believe it: my nail polish after 4 days of running a meeting - still looking great!
The rose gold ring's engraving says: Everything happens for a reason.

feeling the love

I know, I know - I complain a lot about work. And especially about the fact that our main annual event is always the week before Christmas. Thinking about it, I would probably feel the same way no matter what time of year the meeting would be. It is slightly annoying that other people are winding down and get to enjoy Christmas markets, parties and the like while work levels go up for us, but at least it's over before Christmas.

And also, it's actually a nice way to end the year. I remember, five years ago, when I attended my first annual meeting (I wasn't running it at the time), and I very enviously observed how my colleagues who had been at the company for years, were having friendly chats with the regular delegates and long-standing members. Now, five years on, I think it's safe to say that it takes a little time to build these relationships but I was very much feeling the love this year. And it made me very happy.

I also had a little chat with my colleague who I didn't properly speak to until nearly a year after starting my job. He was really surprised when I pointed that out and also how I felt that others were 'suspicious' of me as I had been brought in by the then CEO. And at least from his point of view, that was all in my head and he even remembered how he and another colleague had agreed at the time that I was a good(-looking) addition to the office. So, as much as my colleagues can drive me CRAZY at times, I do love them all!

I should remind myself of this next time I get annoyed with the less pleasant people I have to interact with and remember that the majority are really quite nice.

all the lillies of my magical bouquet have blossomed

Customer relations

During the summer, I needed an urgent appointment at my hairdressers. Unfortunately Joel wasn't available, so I decided to go with one of his colleagues instead. And I wanted something a bit different, so opted to get some coloured highlights, too. Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out. I'm generally really happy to go with the hairdresser's advice. The one point I insisted on was that I wanted the red to be really striking and visible. So, when everything was done - after hours of sitting in the chair - and the red was pretty INvisible, I was very disappointed. And for once, I actually made that point.  And just because she thought that 'subtle' looked much nicer didn't really make it any better...

She agreed for me to come back for a complimentary 'fix it' appointment. Which meant another couple of hours in the chair and a result that still wasn't great and more hick ups along the way (e.g. why bother asking me whether I like the colour she used in the first place? I say yes, and AFTER she put the colour on, she informs me that she picked  something different. WTF?!). And all that at a hefty price, too. And they then overcharged me, too, as they didn't deduct the deposit I had paid.

Needless to say that I decided to find myself another hairdresser.

Well, the other day, I received an email from their customer relations manager. She noted that I hadn't been to the salon for a while and they were keen to get customer feedback and to see me return. I briefly explained that I hadn't been happy with my last appointment at all. Which really was a pity, as Joel had always been great. I got a prompt reply, with the offer of a free cut and colour with Joel!

Too bad that I've only just been to the hairdresser - but my next appointment is sorted!

Retro Feasts

On Friday, I enjoyed a Christmas dinner with the lovely Lisbon ladies at Retro Feasts. And while I was still soooo tired from my event, it was great to see them all together and to catch up.

Retro Feasts is a pop-up restaurant that has taken over the ground floor restaurant at the Embassy nightclub for six months, just a short walk from Piccadilly Circus. The three course menu includes a cocktail and is reasonably priced at just £30+ service charge.

L

I had the chicken liver pate with a gorgeous fruity chutney, the fish pie and the boozy trifle (dessert on the left on the bottom middle photo). To be honest, I think I was too busy chatting away, and my appetite still hasn't gone back to normal, so I didn't actually eat very much of the food...

Event highlights

In no particular order:

• more delegates than in previous years
• all (but one) speakers showed up and loaded their slides on time!
• exhibitors already confirming their bookings for next year
• being offered a (job) reference from one of our business partners and getting amazing feedback for the pitch we did earlier this year
• all volunteers showed up and did a great job
• more delegates took part in the Treasure Hunt, which I introduced last year
• a picture in the photo booth with my colleague and my two all time favourite members and we got them to wear funny wigs, too!
• another of my all time favourite members telling me that I sound Australian
• lots of nice comments on the Santa hat I wore on Thursday - and prior to that: convincing my boss to agree to mini-dress up Thursday for staff
• getting a bottle of mulled wine from the venue
• getting pistachios from an Iranian delegate (yes, a bit random)
• being asked to have my photo taken with one of our delegates
• catching up with many lovely members
• being congratulated on organizing another successful meeting and the bigger area I booked at the venue
• post-event drinks with colleagues and delegates
• hugs with my team and praise from my boss
• the most beautiful flowers I've ever been offered

Flowery

The conference dinner is one of the highlights of the week. For the third year, we returned to Church House. The Assembly Hall was all dressed up, with the obligatory Christmas trees on stage and Christmas Crackers on all tables. Of course there were last minutes issues to deal with and I literally got changed into another dress and put on another pair of shoes in just one minute... But then it was all over to Richard's lovely catering team. And I think I saw him smile and even laugh for the first time, too - a truly special night! :-)

Last year, I got a special mention during the welcome as well as after dinner speech. And this year, I got a big thank you as well as the most beautiful and massive bouquet of flowers EVER. And I was very grateful that I managed not to fall over when walking on stage. This maybe doesn't sound like much, but the fact that D went out personally to buy the flowers and then got my colleagues to hide them from me (I honestly did not see this coming), really means a lot to me.

I've been working closely with D for two years now. During dinner, he confessed that at the start, he wasn't exactly looking forward to working with me, as he thought I was always very/too serious and standoffish. I hadn't been looking forward to working with him either (for different reasons) - and while it was hard work at times, I did really enjoy it. I suppose it helps that we usually share the same views. And the fact that I was able to tell him just that is testament to how well we got on in the end. Having low expectations may have been the key to the successful collaboration :-)

the photo honestly doesn't capture just how big and beautiful this bouquet is!!!
quite a task to get it home on the tube, too

My carefully selected gobos for the ceiling in the Assembly Hall

Resting place

Due to very early starts and late evenings, I always stay in a hotel near the venue for the duration of the meeting. This is the third time, I'm running the meeting and we keep moving back and forth between the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge and the Doubletree Hilton Westminster (previously the Mint). Every year, the respective other hotel offered me a better deal. So ironically, despite inflation, every year we pay a bit less for the hotel rooms. Whoever is responsible for sales, doesn't seem to know what they are doing...

When we stayed at the hotel in 2011, we spotted Nick Pickard in the hotel bar (he plays Tony in Hollyoaks) and this year, my colleague recognized Heike Makatsch at check-in. I was taking a picture of one of our members who was sporting J's red wooly hat for a laugh and managed to accidentally capture her in the background.

confirming once again that the reason I never spot
celebrities in London is, that I simply don't recognize them...

Hotel lobby decorations

Very comfortable bed - much nicer than Central House ;-)

the very white bathroom - sadly without a bathtub

Dinner at the hotel
Fishcake (starter) and fries for me and the seafood linguine for my colleague. Both yummy!

Not a great start...

After the last weeks had been rather busy both with work and social activities, I indulged in an entirely lazy weekend - getting ready for our big event. And while I felt rather calm and relaxed throughout the weekend, Monday morning, on my way to the venue, I had a bit of  a panic moment: Why one earth would anyone entrust me with running a meeting for 900 delegates?! Not sure what got into me... and fortunately the moment passed as soon as we got stuck in.

First though, I got kicked on the tube. This silly woman, who was busy with her phone and stumbled onto me and kicked my ankle really hard with her massive heels. It hurt A LOT and left me with a nice bruise, too. Arriving at the venue, I was then greeted with the fact that the goods lift that our contractors were meant to use was out of order. Fortunately, there were other lifts available, and it didn't cause too much of an issue.

Later that day it turned out that the main exhibition hall gets very dark once the sun has gone down. As I had never seen the rooms in the evening, I of course wasn't aware of that. The venue seriously needs to look into addressing this! They brought out some uplighters which helped a little, but that's surely not a permanent solution! And I have to say, I was rather annoyed that only after I mentioned it to somebody higher up, more lighters were brought out. One person told me that one client had complained about this before, another one told me, this had never been an issue and the third person said, that this has caused a lot of complaints in the past. Maybe you guys want to agree on one version of your story!

All my five volunteers showed up (early) and enthusiastically started working. And they proved to be a great help throughout the event and so sweet! They even asked for a picture with me - made me feel like a celebrity!

The rest of the day seems to be a bit of a blur. No idea what I actually did all day long - but the hours just flew by and at 7pm, we were able to leave the centre with aching feet. Not a good sign given the meeting hadn't even started!

Blessed

I know I've been a bit of a grumpy cow this week and I feel a little bad about it (I blame my hormones!). Especially as - looking back on it - there have been so many lovely moments. You will get to hear all about them in due course. But first, I will be catching up on much needed sleep!

knackered

Back is aching, feet are aching, bruises on my legs. Four long days and the event is all over. And my head feels pretty empty.

Not even 22:00, but I'm off to bed...

GIRLS

Watched series 1 of GIRLS this weekend - and I love it! I love all of the characters and their stories.
Feeling a little bit as if I am too old to like it but maybe that just means I'm mentally still in my twenties???

The answer is still no

Some people can be rather unreasonable. Common sense anyone? And using threats - really? I can picture that person throwing a hissy fit at any given opportunity. And I'm sure it gets them what they want some of the time. Too bad for them, that I can be just as stubborn. Keep trying if you like, my answer will remain the same.

And who knows, one day soon, I won't give a sh*t about these people either. Would be quite cool.

Another musical recommendation from Fee

Hardly ever do I not like Fee's Mittwochsmusik. Last week she introduced me/her readers to Family of the Year:

The world outside

I blog about my life. It was always meant as some sort of diary and I've been wondering whether I should try to include 'external', historical, political events, too. Might be interesting when reading it back in the future. If I ever read it back...

I've also been thinking about introducing a recurring themed blog post. I enjoy other blogs where they have a certain theme that repeats on a certain day each week. So, why not combine the two? Not sure yet how (if) I will implement this.

Nelson Mandela's death on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95 has been dominating the news. He had been in hospital for a long time and according to some rumours he had been kept alive only because his family's disagreements. His death was announced the night of the premiere in London of the film 'Mandela, long walk to freedom'. His life story is incredible. Released from prison only in 1990 after nearly 28 years (!) to be elected as president of South Africa just 4 years later in 1994. The fact that apartheid lasted until the 90s is shocking really.

His memorial service held at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg last week led to a number of unexpected headlines: there was the selfie that Barack Obama took with the Danish Prime Minister, with David Cameron squeezing into the photo and Michelle Obama's (supposedly) disapprovingly looking on, a stadium that was only filled two thirds, as organizers had been concerned about over-crowding and also due to heavy rain and of course the sign language interpreter who was found out having used bogus sign language - which he blamed on having a schizophrenic episode. Turned out that there had been complaints about his signing ability previously.

Bricks and airballoons

The second hypnotherapy session was about finding past situations that night have contributed to the issues at hand. I found that pretty tricky - not least as I felt, I had influenced the situations that came up were heavily influenced by what I had told her about just before the hypnosis started. I suppose I had imagined this to feel like an 'Eureka' moment - and it just didn't. She reassured me though and said that for a lot of people it is not a light bulb moment.

The third session focused on the future. I liked the image of filling the basket of a hot air balloon with all the negative things I want to get rid off. And watching it drift away.

I'm not sure yet if and/or how the sessions have made a difference. I do feel calmer with regard to work. But whether or not that is related and also whether that will last, I don't know. I nevertheless had some very angry work related moments last week. Which also reminds me: one of the things she used as a positive message was that (generally) all people try their best. And that's something I really don't agree with. In my experience, people very often do not try their best. And I include myself in 'people'.

I also received two of her recordings (that I haven't yet listened to). I have also rediscovered my Deep Sleep hypnosis CD, and I usually fall asleep within the first 10-15 minutes of listening. It's really quite fascinating: at the start, I often feel quite awake, my thoughts are all over the place and I struggle to focus on the recording. But then I never get to the end of the CD.

85

On Friday we had 85 (!) boxes shipped to the venue for our biggest annual event. And I am so grateful for my colleague dealing with the packing and the courier. I am not particularly looking forward to unpacking them... And I am even less excited about stuffing 900 delegate bags especially as delegate bag inserts have been a popular marketing option for the supporter of our meeting this year. Which will make the whole process even more time-consuming. I have all available fingers crossed that 'my' five student volunteers will indeed show up to help!

Smoky times

I had my first shisha probably 10 years ago or so. And ever since, I've been meaning to buy a shisha pipe. And still haven't - f*ck, I AM really slow...

Anyhow, to relax at the end of another busy week, I met a friend for a much needed catch up, Arabian food - and shisha smoking. Contrary to my wishful thinking, a quick google search revealed that smoking shisha isn't less dangerous than smoking cigarettes... It's still a nice thing to do, I think. And will be even nicer during summer: sitting in a street cafe, watching the world go by.

That bread was MASSIVE! And I was basically full after the starter... - Queen of Sheba near Paddington

Enjoying the grape/mint mixture

Budding Masterchef class

Leith's  - the catering company at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre hosted a Masterchef class last week. Chef Danny and Pastry Chef Sweet Pea (what a cool name!) tried to teach us some tricks. The class was announced as Christmas themed - but other than the mulled wine, there wasn't much Christmas in there, I thought.

We made summer rolls, sushi cubes and tuna carpaccio. I actually learned how to make summer rolls at the School of Wok, and it was a good reminder just how easy they are to prepare! I really need to buy some rice paper! Otherwise, I tried my best to stay away from Danny's sharp knives. He's just recently cut off his fingertip and I wasn't keen on experiencing the same... Together with Sweet Pea, we prepared the most delicious Blackforest Swiss Roll! we got recipe cards and an apron to take home.

After standing in the kitchen for more than two hours, my back was really hurting and I was very happy to sit down with drinks and bowl food. And yes, I am not made to be a chef! That's for sure...

Overall, I think the idea is a nice one. I'm just not sure that the networking element worked all that well. And without wanting to be too harsh, I think that was partly because the chef really liked to talk. So he was dominating the class and at the same time, it didn't feel as if we really got stuck in. I think the long list of things we were preparing didn't help either.

Seriously delicious and calorific....

Duck with egg and rosti; mushrooms with toast; scallops with cauliflower mash

A different dessert

Last Sunday, I went for Dim Sum at Yi-Ban with a couple of friends. When we arrived, I was told that they don't take reservations for lunch - why do they have an online reservation system then??? Anyway, we luckily got a table even though it was busy as usual. Dim Sum was lovely. For dessert, A. went for the most adventurous (dessert) item from the menu and tried this:

Spring Onion Deep Fried Doughnut Cheung Fun

3

Today I had my third hypnotherapy session. Monday's second session is still sinking in and a more detailed blog entry will be written eventually. For now, I'll just leave this quote:

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

food

Watching Heston Blumenthal on TV and really fancy fish'n chips now - especially tripple cooked chips!

Wrecking ball

Miley Cyrus and her twerking ways are in the news all the time these days. I have to admit that I quite like her song. Funnier though is Steve Kardynal's Chatroulette version:

 

And from there, I came across this video:

Beigel Bake

If you are into bagels, you have got to try the bagels at Beigel Bake in Shoreditch. This bakery is open 24/7 and is so popular that there are usually queues forming. And once you've tried their bagels, you will know why! And will never EVER buy one at the supermarket again. I had one of their hot salt beef ones, and it was so delicious. Beware of the mustard, which is quite hot. 

And also try their pastries. This massive doughnut is a steal at just 30p! The apple strudel was just 60p and both were sooooo good, too! Next time, I will have to try the cheesecake, I think.

Old Spitalfields Market

One of the other many undiscovered places in London for me ... I know: shame on me! I finally went to check out Old Spitalfields Market. I have to say I'm not much of a market-person. Which is probably one of the reasons, I had never been before...

It's a great place though and while busy, it's not as crazy as say Oxford Street. The market is really big and there is a bit of repetition with a number of stalls selling the same things, but if you bring some time, I am sure you can find some really great stuff! And not to forget about all the food stalls and restaurants!

I got these tinned candles at InSpitalfields - and they both smell amazing and Christmassy.

My five a day for the week

A large 'cleanser' smoothie from Krüger at Canary Wharf. I should still be eating more fruit and veg really.

And now open your eyes

I had my first hypnotherapy session. It's something I've been interested in for years. At one point, I was hoping to get some help with my fear of flying which I managed to overcome in a different way. I don't actually know what made me google hypnotherapists last weekend, but I did and contacted one and arranged a complimentary consultation. I got a good 'vibe' from her so decided to try it.

I don't have a clear objective for this. There are a number of things I discussed with her, primarily around stress management. I was quite worried that it wouldn't work on me and apparently ~70% of people she sees have the same worry. At the start of the session she asked questions and I talked a lot. About what I was hoping to achieve, about how stress affects me and about my upbringing. She took notes but never commented on anything. Given the limited amount of time (we talked for about 45 minutes before the hypnosis started), we didn't go into much detail.

The hypnosis started with a 'typical' relaxation bit, which I had heard in a number of meditations before. Throughout the experience I felt fully awake and could hear her speak to me very clearly. I could also hear the clock ticking. I felt quite disappointed. Everything she said where positive enforcement messages based on what I had told her. It seemed all a bit obvious. I did feel very relaxed though and my body twitched a few times - the way it does when you are about to fall asleep. That apparently is a sign for deep relaxation. Never did I feel close to falling asleep though, which I thought was interesting as I have fallen asleep a number of times during meditations and other relaxation exercises.

After she asked me to open my eyes, we talked about how I had felt. While I didn't know how long this had gone on for, I was very surprised that it had been 40 minutes! It hadn't felt that long. When walking home, I felt really relaxed and at peace and the experience seemed quite removed. Even though I felt wide awake during the hypnosis, I couldn't/can't actually recall all the things she said to me at the time. So, in a way, it felt more like hypnosis afterwards than it did during.

I have another two sessions booked next week. Will keep you posted. I'm not sure whether or not it has already had an impact. I do feel though, that I don't react with my usual anger in certain situations (e.g. on the tube). I'm not sure whether this might be because the fact that I went to see a hypnotherapist has just made me more aware of the issues I am trying to tackle and I therefore think more before I react. In any case, if this continues, I will have achieved my objective! And I am still very much intrigued about how this works. She mentioned that three sessions are often sufficient - when you compare that to people seeing a therapist for years, it seems the more efficient approach (for certain issues only, of course).

Hickey tattoo

As part of our office Christmas Pirates theme, we got stick on tattoos. And I have to say I quite liked mine - maybe something to consider for my next real one!

Christmas Pirates - arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It's part of the meetings team's responsibilities to organize the staff Christmas party. Since I joined nearly six years ago, we've always gone out for lunch in a restaurant. So, I thought, we should do something a bit different this year. My colleague researched a number of options and the boat trip won the vote (fair and square, even though rumours say otherwise...). More excitingly though, I managed to convince everyone that it would be a fancy dress affair with the theme being Christmas Pirates.

I probably mentioned before that I am not keen on fancy dress, so it was really just the principle of getting everyone involved in this slightly ridiculous idea. And my plan came together incredibly well!

The boat's name was 'Harmony' - so there were harmony inspired quotes all over the boat.

Starter and dessert were really nice! Main was ok, but turkey is just not my thing...

Keeping with the theme: the Ship & Shovell pub for afternoon drinks. And yes, that's a carpet turned into a curtain!

More craziness in the Premier League

Newcastle beat Manchester United 1:0 - at Old Trafford.
Stoke beat Chelsea 3:2 at home.
Liverpool is climbs to second in the league after beating West Ham 4:1. Points equal with Chelsea but with a better goal difference.
Manchester City draws against Southampton.
If Arsenal beats Everton tomorrow, they'll be at the top of the table, leading with 7 points.

And in the Bundesliga, Bayern bloody Munich is leading with 7 points, while Eintracht Frankfurt is just outside relegation zone...

Capital of Culture 2017

The announcement that Hull was named Capital of Culture 2017 came as a surprise to a lot of people - myself included. The city once (probably more than once actually) voted worst place to live in the UK is determined to show the world (or the Brits at least), that its reputation is far worse than it deserves.

I studied and lived in the city for three years. It's a very good question, too, on how I ended up in that place. Anyhow, I might share that story another time. By the third year, I was very much ready to leave!

Having said that, I had a lot of great times, too and it definitely was not a bad place for students. With two universities (at the time), it had a huge student population, rent was cheap and there were a lot of bars/pubs/clubs. If I am still in the UK in 2017, I might take a trip down memory lane to see whether being made Capital of Culture really does come with substantial investments in the city.

I have to say that when I went back for a visit in 2008 - 5 years after I graduated and left - the city had changed quite a bit. With new shopping centres, new shops, bars and restaurants everywhere.

My university's library - which is now part of the University of Hull

beloved Planet Coffee - the only cafe when I first arrived and where I spent many hours

poster is from 2008 and the Hull Truck Theatre already existed when I lived there
and was one of the few cultural venues