Silent night(s)

... and days. I will be taking a little break from blogging for the next few weeks.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and great start to the New Year! 2014 has been amazing and exciting and eventful and certainly one of my happiest years so far. I'll be starting the new year with a lot of optimism and while I don't know what it will bring, I do know that there will be change(s).

All the best to everyone and please check back in around the middle of January! :-)


PS: I went to Westfield Stratford this morning - and it was less busy than on a normal weekend. The last couple of weeks, the shops had been open until 23:00. And today they were announcing that they are closing at midnight. Really??? I know people leave it to the last minute, but do shops really have to be open until midnight? I feel sorry for the sales assistants!

Early Christmas dinner

These days I fully rely on google to solve my problems. Or at least to find the information I need. Turned out to be a bit tricky to find a restaurant in London that offers goose. I can't actually remember how I managed to find this place in the end: The Baltic - it's a Polish restaurant, right outside Southwark station (just a 15 min DLR/tube ride from my place, too). And the goose leg was not only massive but also really yummy!

Plus half a crepe with sweet cheese, nuts and raisins.
And the pink-ish sky over Canning Town

Mad Monday

MSH Wellbeing are running this incredibly cheap promotion at the moment: a one hour massage for just £17.50! Craziness! But good craziness, of course. So, I had booked myself in for Monday as a post-event treat and for a final end of year catch up with Renato. Who wasn't there though. I don't really mind who massages me, but there is of course always the risk that somebody else just isn't quite as good. But I needn't have worried: Brian was amazing. I nearly nodded off a couple of times. And the hour seemed to go on forever. Absolutely brilliant!

And as a thank you for being such a loyal customer, I got a £25 voucher for my upcoming birthday! :-)

Let me explain

Delegates have started completing our post event survey. I've learned my lesson, and don't check the critical parts (yet - I will of course read those in due course!). They tend to annoy me. I always feel like explaining why (most of) their suggestions can simply not be implemented for practical reasons. And no, you don't have to be an event manager to see that...

But I shall focus on all the nice and positive things people have also commented on.
And I've finally switched off my work phone today!

sleep deprived

Seems that the last few weeks have had more of an impact than I thought. So far - touch wood - I at least haven't come down with my usual post-event cold, but I am just so tired. I tend to wake up early though, and then have a massive low in the afternoon.

Maybe it's just another sign of getting older and that I cannot cope with less than 7-8 hours of sleep anymore...

Sunday lunch

I have my life back. Leisurely lunch and overdue catch up with J in Greenwich:

At the Rivington Grill

Fire & Stone

Even though I eat out a lot, I'm crap when it comes to deciding where to eat. For one, there are so many areas in London that I still don't know very well and secondly, I am always torn between (risking) trying a new place and returning to a place I've already been to.

Anyhow, on Saturday after going to see Urinetown, we were wandering around Covent Garden and eventually decided to have pizza at Fire & Stone. And it's great pizza! I considered picking the Melbourne pizza, but settled for the Marrakesh (I need meat on my pizza) one instead: spiced minced lamb, slow roasted red peppers, red onions, mozzarella, tzatziki, raisins, olives & fresh mint.

mine on the left, and A's pizza Madrid on the right:
chorizo, prawns, red peppers, potatoes, garlic, mozzarella, garlic mayonnaise & chopped parsley

Urinetown

Tickets at the front of Apollo Theatre for just £18 via Time Out. The musical is only on until 3 January - so book your tickets quick! It's not your usual musical in terms of the storyline, but certainly great fun. I especially loved the bloody special effects (don't judge!) and Phill Jupitus as Hope's Dad.

the bracelet

Other than watches, I am not a big fan of jewellery for/on men. I had noticed that I. was always wearing a silver bracelet. Personally, I think he is generally really nicely dressed but the bracelet stood out as a bit ... strange really.

Anyway, last week I finally dared to ask what the story behind that bracelet was. To be honest, I expected him to say that he simply likes it. I'm glad I did ask, as the story is really quite sweet: 10 or more years ago, he went to work in the US for a year. His wife wasn't able to join him but came to visit a few times. On one of those visits, he gave her a Navajo bracelet as a present. In exchange, she decided to give him the bracelet she was wearing. Which he's been wearing ever since and has never taken off (as opposed to his wedding ring, which he's taken off on occasions such as playing cricket). He kept emphasizing that this had not actually been an overly romantic gesture as apparently, that's not how their relationship works. Admittedly, I still think it's a little weird to wear a bracelet made for women - but the sentiment behind it is very cute, don't you think?

I also learned that I. has a hand for picking up great designer clothes at bargain prices from charity shops, that the Navajo bracelet fell apart quickly and that nobody had ever asked him about his bracelet!

views and food and pressies

Views from inside the Houses of Parliament courtyard and from inside the conference venue

asparagus and artichoke starter, chicken and tarte tatin - I picked the menu not knowing that I would have to attend this meeting... otherwise I would have never picked chicken!!! Working dinner also turned out to be a bit of  a boring affair, ending on a slightly depressing note - as controversial as it gets in this country, I guess

And finally pressie time: a bottle of white from one of our suppliers, pistachios (again) from our Iranian delegate, a cool donkey from one of the exhibitors and a super sweet thank you card; and I forgot to take a picture of the impressive Christmas cake I got sent to the office

berries and chilis

I have a stack of lipsticks and lip gloss in my drawer which I basically never use. I somehow feel that lipstick looks very unnatural on me.

The Clinique chubby stick in super strawberry is an exception though. It works like lip balm for me and has a very discreet colour that I can wear every day. So, I thought, I'd be a bit more daring and try something more intense. How very fitting then that Clinique also does chubby sticks intense.

The nice lady at the counter (I actually think it might have been the same one who sold me the super strawberry one about a year or so ago) recommended three tones for me. And once on my lips I (surprisingly) liked them all (it's rather weird to have somebody else put lipstick on you...). I bought the broadest berry and chunkiest chili in the end. They actually look quite similar... The chili one is more reddish and the berry one more brownish, I'd say.

and another pointless photo...

it keeps getting better

It's the fourth time that I ran our annual event - and every year, the feedback has been: this has been an even better event! Which is of course great feedback to get.

Everyone especially loved the dinner, which I had moved to a different venue. The place and food was amazing and the atmosphere really informal - helped along by the fun Christmas crackers and their content.

Once the meeting had started, I felt really calm, very much in contrast to the last couple of weeks... And of course there were incidences happening throughout the meeting, but nothing that wasn't manageable.

The abstract review process was probably the one thing I had worried most about. And while a bit tricky to manage, I was very pleased that all the reviewers showed up. And for some strange reason most of them LIKE reviewing... I don't have to understand everything...

After a busy last day for 2014 in the office today, I was determined to switch off from work completely but I don't seem to be able to stay away from my work iphone. Too used to be on the job all of the time... Well, I am sure I'll get used to having a life again soon!

most stressful jobs

According to an American survey, Event Managers have the 5th most stressful job - just behind
1) Soldier
2) Military General
3) Fireman
4) Airline pilot.
And ahead of
6) PR executive
7) Senior corporate executive
8) Newspaper reporter
9) Police officer
10) Taxi driver

Often adding to the stress are clients' expectations (in our case, I guess our clients are the members), so many factors outside your control (weather, suppliers, people in general...) and the fact that you don't get a second attempt. It's happening there and then.

While certainly stressful, I am still surprised by the job ranking so highly on that list. What about doctors?

one more

All done. Well, there's all the post-event stuff, of course. But the event is out of the way. And after one more day in the office I'll be on leave.

Feedback so far has been very positive and I'm very pleased with all the congratulatory comments from speakers, delegates and exhibitors and thank you's I've personally had. It's been a busy four days, my feet are killing me and I am super tired - the usual.

useless

What am I doing wrong? All my understitchings never make any difference to the neck facings of the dresses I sew.

I nearly finished another two dresses when my machine stopped working. It somehow doesn't pull the bobbin thread. Very annoying. Fingers crossed, it will magically work again when I switch it on again next - as otherwise I have no idea how to fix it...

No matter how small I make the picture - looks like I need to lose some weight around my tummy...
Same pattern as this dress with a great stretchy fabric - a dream to sew with! Again no need for a zip, which made it super quick to do.

Prep all done

After a month of business and especially after the last two weeks of long hours and weekend work, it's all done now. And the rest will hopefully fall into place at the event. It's kind of weird not to have anything to do now. With the event so close, I'm not yet able to relax though. But the end is in sight.
And where the hell has this past year gone?!?

Is it true? Kind? And necessary?

I was reading a blog post the other day and while I can't remember what exactly it was about in detail (I rarely do... not sure my brain is fully switched on when I read. Or listen for that matter...) I do remember this: before we speak, we should ask ourselves whether what we are about to say is true, kind and necessary.

To be honest, a lot of what I say doesn't tick all these three boxes. That's a little sad, right? I've been thinking about my way to communicate quite a bit recently. I used to feel strongly about 'letting it all out', about not building up the anger inside. And while it can sometimes be helpful to talk about stuff, more often than not just having an angry rant isn't helpful at all but prevents me from letting go. I also wonder how much this is a sub-conscious exercise of seeking validation: e.g. surely I have every right to be pissed off?! 

Which leads me to another question: what is happening to my internal 'barometer'? I seem to be torn between being very opinionated and internal on the one hand, and on the other hand extremely insecure and clueless about 'objectively' assessing a situation (and myself). 

As always, many questions in my head, and not so many answers. Certainly no definite answers. Baby steps: if I can try to pause before I speak. And check especially for kindness and necessity (I'm not much of a liar). And then - more often than not - not speak after all...

I'm the best. I really am.

A few weeks ago, Time Out card holders were offered a free print from Firebox (worth £28). That in itself is of course brilliant. What's really cool - in addition to their products - is their communication. Their confirmation email made me smile:

"...Thanks very much for your order. You really are rather nice.
This "exciting" email is to confirm a few things you probably already know.
1. Your online shopping skills are truly exceptional.
2. Firebox has strong feelings for you.
3. See 1 & 2..."

And when they sent a survey about my shopping experience, I of course completed it and received this:
"...Many thanks for your recent survey, how very kind of you, you're the best, no really, you are.
Seriously.
We wouldn't lie...."

boooooring

It's work, work and work at the moment. How boring!!!
And tiring. Great panacea for my insomnia though.
One more week and it's all over and I can resume my normal life.

ying and yang

My phone stopped working today. Just switched itself off and wouldn't switch on again. At least a good excuse to leave the office on time (no worries  - I made up for it by doing more work from home. It's sheer endless at the moment :-( ). As always there was a queue at the o2 shop. And of course - just when it was my turn - they announced that their system was down and there wasn't much they could do and it would probably take an hour or so for the system to reboot.

Fortunately, the guy still had a look at my phone. And more importantly got it to work again. Apparently there is something wrong with the battery. I'm due for a new phone soon anyway but as I doubt that it will happen before my holiday, I took his advice and ordered another battery on ebay. So, hopefully my Samsung will last a little longer as it will of course suck big time, if it actually dies when I'm away. I'm making a mental note to pack my old non-smartphone handset just in case.

more excitingly:
I picked up my travel money today!

Morgenstund

Why it's sometimes worth getting up early:

Plans

There is a plan A. And a plan B and a plan C. Thanks to my lovely friends.
I think there is a chance that I won't go bonkers after all.
Not just yet anyway.

Usagi Yojimbo

I highly recommend the Time Out Card! In just three months, I've more than made up for the £24.50  I paid for it.

Last week, I went to see Usagi Yojimbo at the Southwark Playhouse (still on until 4 January, in case you are interested). As always you will have to check the website to find out more - sorry! But I will say that it's a small, quirky theatre, and a great play. I loved the Scottish bunny accent, the costumes, the stage set, the story. 

London really is an amazing city to live in with so much on offer!

the Geordies

Newcastle 2: Chelsea 1
First defeat of the season.
Let's hope no more will follow!

The perfect weekend

Fam trip to the Lifehouse Spa and hotel in Essex. Meditation, wellness talk, a heavenly massage and free time in the spa: steam room, sauna, salt inhalation room, whirlpool and pool (needless to say, that I did not visit the gym...).

Who would have thought that relaxing makes you so tired?! We were in bed before 23:00... Great night sleep in the comfy bed, too. Plus finally catching up with A after a busy month for both us.

Way too much food! (and the Xmas pudding wasn't even mine)

And then on to Frinton for a long walk along the seafront:

Exactly what I needed. Life is good after all. :-)

Merry Christmas to me

I bought the ring at The Spinning Strawberry - and just did a quick google search: the owner opened the store about two years ago and is still a teenager. Pretty impressive!

And the earrings (just £8!) I bought at Great Danes - a shop also in Frinton specialized on anything Danish/Scandinavian.

Finally the weekend

The work week ended with our staff Christmas lunch at the Chiswell Street Dining Rooms. With a short visit from C who brought baby Marnie. She is such a well-behaved and adorable baby and was patiently enduring being passed around. It was so cute just how much J was in love with the baby; a slightly weird moment, when he was sniffing her head...

salmon & prawn roulade, duck and chestnut and sickly sweet treacle tart

Service was a bit disappointing though. Wine was served before the aperitifs were served, which didn't come out until most people had already finished their starters. They also brought the wrong wine, which wasn't noticed until the bill arrived... Personally, I wouldn't have paid the higher price for something we didn't order, especially, as we so obviously didn't taste the wine as we clearly relied on them bringing what we had ordered. But I guess some battles aren't worth fighting. Food was just ok but also not overwhelmingly great. Quite a pity, as I had passed by the restaurant a number of times, and had been meaning to try it for a while.

Grumpy o'clock

I'm not a morning person. About once a month we have a conference call with our colleagues in Australia, which means that it's always scheduled at 7am. I don't usually even get up at that time, let alone be ready for a conversation. It was still pitch black outside this week at that time. That's just not right, is it?

This week I noticed that whatever I was saying, I think I sounded slightly pissed off. I just couldn't help it...

What was I thinking?

I should really stop applying for tickets just cause they are free... I blame this on my slight obsession with celebrities.

On Sunday, I went to the recording of the last episode of Miranda. Not entirely sure why they record this BBC show at the itv studios. Anyhow, the queue was relatively short and I thought it would be an experience. And it turned out to be really boring. With all the cameras in the way, you could hardly see what was going on - so you had to watch it on the screens.So you might as well just watch it on telly! Plus I don't find her very funny. She didn't even bother communicating (much) with the audience which I thought was rather disappointing. And the comedian who was doing the warm up in between takes also wasn't funny. He seemed primarily desperate for meeting women and kept going on about being single. And also kept trying to embarrass a couple in the audience. I avoided looking at him cause I really did not want to engage.

In the end we took our chance and followed another couple out of the studio.
At least the night ended with a nice (late) dinner:

At Las Iguanas at the Southbank

Southbank Christmas market

Christmas Tree cafe, Aussie BBQ in late November and a Polish sausage

prep

Finally got a pair of spare glasses and prescription sunglasses