First Snow!

First snow of the season. Already the trains are beginning to get delayed...

Behind you!

http://www.oldvictheatre.com/whatson.php?id=26

You might be mistaken in thinking that you are looking at a very ugly woman, when in fact it is Gandalf - in drag!

Yes that's right - in the great tradition of English pantomime, Sir Ian McKellen is playing a female lead in the Old Vic's Christmas panto of Aladdin.

Thankfully, given the seriousness and quality of the Vic's usual productions, they didn't spray water and throw out sweets - being in the front row we might have found ourselves swamped. We did however get a nice view up Sir Ian's dress a time or two!

This being our first ever Christmas panto, we went for the posh version to begin with. Honestly how can anyone pass up the chance to see Gandalf/Magneto prancing (literally) around stage in a hideously garish house coat.

As with all pantos, children were present and the jokes and gags suited to both them and to the adults in the audience. There were the famous moments of (very loud) audience participation like 'Behind you!' and 'Oh no it isn't', along with enthusiastic booing and hissing for the ubiquitous villain. There were scenes and Acts that had no place in the original tale of Aladdin - but we are told that that is what panto is all about.

So next year we think we'll go and see a local panto and see what it is really all about, preferably not in the front row, given what we've heard about the water!

p.s. Emily - the mold is truly broken now - our second production without any cast from The Bill in it! I can only hope, that the Old Vic, not being a West End theatre, doesn't count.

Steve gets a job.

Two days of unemployment and I started with Symbian, another mobile phone company. Though they sell software for mobile phones rather than the mobiles themselves.

You may have heard of them (us!) if you have an expensive phone. They sell the operating system that runs the fancy graphics and programs. Mostly on top end phones, though - apparently we cost a lot.

Symbian is based in the Waterloo area, so that means I can meet Bridie for lunch, drinks after work or even see a show. Like 'A Christmas Carol' mentioned in the previous post. It also means I could skate home, maybe...

www.symbian.com

Marley was dead to begin with

http://www.christmascaroluk.com/

Imagine yourself in a small intimate theatre, there is only one man on stage and a few scant props - you are enthralled for two and half hours by the most singular, impressive theatrical performance you have ever seen.

That was us last night watching Patrick Stewart perform 'A Christmas Carol' in a one-man show in London. He played all forty characters in the book and it was amazing how you recognised and empathised with each and every one.

It is truely amazing to believe that one man can take you through nearly the whole range of human emotions, joy, sadness, horror and so on; but Patrick did and did it so well that he was met with a standing ovation, the likes of which we have never seen in our three years of theatre going in London. Just about every person in the theatre leapt to their feet for the first curtain call and stayed that way for four more.

And it didn't stop there..... on our way to catch the tube home, we noticed a small crowd standing outstide the Stage Door and we thought, "what the heck". So we decided to huddle with the others in the hope of glimpsing the great man in person. We waited around fifteen minutes, in which we were treated with seeing Ken Stott (Mr Dursely from the Harry Potter movies and a great English character actor) and Zoe Wanamaker (a grand dame of English theatre and Professor Hooch in Harry Potter) leaving to make way for the one we were all waiting for.

...and out he came, not as tall as I expected, a baseball cap on his head and a marker pen at the ready. He graciously signed autographs for his excited fans. I whipped out my programme and managed to get his autograph and speak with him briefly - oooooooooh - who's in heaven!


Note for Emily - it was our first London theatre production where nobody in the cast had previously appeared in The Bill! For everyone else - Emily had a theory that you couldn't stage a theatrical production in London without at least one actor having appeared in The Bill. Admittedly, up to this point she's been right - but now the magic has been broken.

Last day at Samsung

The end of an era. Yesterday was my last day at Samsung. About 60 of us were being made redundant.

A melancholy day, worthy of ye olde Shakespeare. Friends I won't be seeing as often, establish routines that need to change, and the never ending procession of emails that have halted abruptly. I shall also miss the excellent Korean food in the canteen.

It's true there was some drinking afterwards. Though to be fair it was a Christmas party too. But most people were taking the news well. Quite a few have jobs to go to (a disturbing number will be paid a fortune to live in the south of France, bastards), and the rest are quietly optimistic.

Now I am unemployed. At least until Monday, where hopefully the phoenix will be reborn.

Sharp enough to cut through time

We bought knives on the weekend.

And no, not just any old knife. We bought knives that work like light sabres - they just seem to glide through flesh. Without all that annoying 'The Force' stuff.

Now I don't want to go out and praise the knife. It's just a tool. But there is definitely good and evil lurking within.

There is a sharp and pointy side, and a warm, contoured and round side. The blade says "wash me at your own peril, for I will slice your hands in the sink." While the handle side retorts "all is well my lord, stay with me and we shall be safe."

Okay, maybe the knife is talking to me. But I know which side I'd rather be on...

I cooked dinner last night. And we ended up with too many potatos in the dish because I was enjoying cutting them. Like cutting through butter. Ironically, cutting through butter is no easier.

Now I know how the Samurai felt. Hacking, slashing and swishing, all on the whim of their Shogun.

Any, this is a bit of rant. But isn't that what blogs are for; ranting, not contributing?

Update - redundant salmonella

Well the Salmonella police haven't come around. Instead some nice lady rang up Bridie and asked about everything. Clearly she was too scared to come around herself. Probably scrubbing her phone with alcohol still. But the pandemic crisis seems to have been averted.

Lucky Bridie didn't tell her about the birds we are keeping under the sink. They're not looking very chirpy...

The big news is that my job is 'at risk of being made redundant.' That's right, Steve could be out on the street with nothing to do. Time to buy a Hoodie, and speak using a lot of 'f' words. In Australia I would have to change my name to Stevo.

I had a short dream about lounging around at home in the manner to which I am accustomed. Playing video games, watching daytime TV, and cashing cheques for the government. But a quick check of the finances indicated that this was a non-starter. Apparently I am high maintenance - who would have thought?

And eBay won't let me sell my liver and kidneys online.

Bridie, of course, is fine. She had a small pay rise, but not enough to pay for a layabout husband. She also refuses to part with her kidneys.

Salmon-whata?

It turns out that I had Salmonella. That's right - food poisoning. It wasn't due to overeating. Hard to believe, I know. But the Posted Poo tested positive for a little bug named after an American scientist named Salmon.

According to CDC:
Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection

So the Burj lawyers can relax.

But this isn't over yet. Apparently Salmonella is a reportable disease. So I'm waiting for the guys in space suits to turn up and put our house into a giant plastic bag. Like the sad part of ET.

Anyway, I'll keep you informed of my progress. Depends if they let me blog from within the bubble.

Burn it all!

The English do irony really well. Terrorists wanted to blow up the houses of parliament 400 years ago. And we're out celebrating it.

Still, they didn't pull it off - so I guess that is something.

The last week around here has been military general's heaven. Stuff blowing up all over the place. The masses have access to flying explosive things and by-gum they're gonna use them.

Fireworks are on sale in some food stores, and all of the dodgy stores. Names such as The Phantom, Banshee, and my personal favourite Monkeys with Exploding Coconuts. Oooo... That's gotta hurt.

There is even one called 'Bunker Buster' which was used by the forces in the Gulf.

But I blog because the park near us (called South Park) has a community group dedicated to it: Friends of South Park. And every year they have a bonfire and fireworks show. And this year we got all local and wandered down.

And it is really sweet - hotdogs and chocolate crackles for the kids, mulled wine for the adults, and stuff burning and other stuff exploding with bright lights in the air. And with every explosion the kids howled louder.

A real community thing. Probably not what the original terrorists were planning originally, but they would approve now.

Chicken Pyjamas

One of the myths about living in London is you can get anything. Japanese food: Around the corner. Fireworks: Going off outside house right now. Dirty, stinking, covered in mud, and deaf beyond all medical help: any festival.

But it has become a sad truth that Chicken Parmigiana is unavailable in this country.

Sure you can get something that has a similar name. Sometimes it even looks like it. Suprisingly Emirates even had a crack at it for their inflight meal. Good lord that was the worst I have ever eaten - like a chicken pancake in red slop.

So nothing matches those listed on
http://www.superparma.com/

Melbourne has a fine tradition of Chicken Parma. And Bridie and I went out with Dooze, Kyoko and Jamie to the number 1 place, the Palmerston Hotel.

And this is a photo of Jamie eating it. Mmmmm.....

I love Chicken Parmigiana.

Now it is not true that our visit to Oz was just culinary. We also ate Dim Sims. Not that I love Dimmys any less than Chicken PJs. No. That cat flavoured snack is safe in my list of favourite foods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_Sims

Dinner with Chuck

See that food in front of us?

Bridie is having Wagyu steak - the steak reserved for Japanese Emperors. Get 1 cow, feed it beer and grain, let it watch TV all day and not only do you get contented milk, you get a special tasty beef.

I'm having lobster. It's good. It died for my meal and I don't have to mess around with the fiddly bits. I'm happy.

So why, a few hours later, am I talking on the Porcelain Phone to a guy named Chuck?

We're having lunch in the Burj Al Arab: The Seven Star hotel. Which just goes to show you can call yourself whatever you damn well want (maybe except Doctor - as Dr Pepper found out). Apparently this place is soooo posh that there are people there to help you wipe your bum. Though they were conveniently nowhere to be seen when I took mine to the toilet.

Umm... There was a guy there with hand cream now that I think about it... though best not to dwell on it.

After lunch we wander off for a bit of a shop and a walk. Easy to do in Dubai. But we have a boat booked for later and I need a bit of a nap first to digest.

But the digestion never happens.

Too soon and we are onto the boat, and out on Dubai Creek. The boat is a traditional type called a dhow, and the creek is actually a really wide river. But this is a dinner cruise, and this little black duck is not feeling well.

I even tried a bit of supermodel technique and went for a quiet chuck in the boat's toilet. The stomach was willing, but the throat didn't deliver. No doubt the staff wondered what all the noise was.

I drank fizzy water all night in the hope that a good burp would distract the throat - so that the stomach could get a good delivery in. Nada - my stomach was very happy to churn with every rocking motion - but no results.

Only when we got back to the hotel did I coax the unsettled beast out. Bridie stayed in the bedroom, constantly turning up the TV whenever she heard too much.

As far as meals go this is probably the most expensive I have ever eaten. Certainly it is the most expensive that I have had to taste twice. With the possible exception of airline food. At least on a plane you get to go somewhere.

The legal representatives from the Burj would like me to point out that I probably didn't get it from them. After all Bridie and I shared everything. The only time she felt sick was listening to me complain. If anything it was probably just a bug that I picked up, and carefully incubated on the way back here. Or maybe I just ate too much.

Follow-up:
I went to the doctor yesterday. She wanted a sample. I obliged with this mornings ablution. I had to return it to the doctor's surgery. But they weren't open. So I put it through their mail slot.

I posted poo for the first time today.

Dubai - Dune Bashing

One of the best things we did in Dubai was a bit of Dune Bashing.

We bundle into a four wheel drive, drive half an hour out of Dubai and into the desert. There we zoomed up and down the dunes, sliding all over the place.

After a while we stopped at a steep dune to try a bit of sand-boarding - a bit like snow boarding. But the sand is heavy and slow, so there is less speed and less control. Like snowboarding through thick custard. And turning? Maybe if I could clip my feet in.

Afterwards was coffee and dinner at a small desert outpost. Really good food, and heaps of it.

Thoroughly recommended!

We're back

After a whirlwind tour, we are home again.

I have decided I hate flying. The airports, the people, the tiny seats. Free peanuts are probably the best things about flying, and that isn't saying much. Especially since they are eaten well before I finish my drink.

"Would you like the chicken or the fish?"

"No... just more peanuts"

We flew Emirates because we had heard good things. And because of the stopover in Dubai. But it really didn't ring my bell. When you're down the back in Cattle Class, it is hard to shine.

Our first plane had hard seats. Hard seats? I'm gonna be parking my butt cheeks on this for the next 8 hours - why do I need to feel like I'm sitting on a park bench?

And why was our crew mostly Korean?

Though somehow we managed to avoid paying over weight luggage... again. Especially since we left with 3 cases, but came home with 4. Total weight was approx 60 kgs, not including carry on luggage.

Anyway... more reports as we go along

I still call Australia home

October brings new travel.

Friday, 14 Oct: Get on plane
Sunday, 16 Oct: Land at stupid-o-clock in Melbourne.
Wednesday, 26 Oct: Fly back out again.

A whole 10 days in the homeland.

So... are you free?

Bridie joins London's fashionistas

London Fashion Week - wow!

http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/

My company had some spare tickets for a corporate event at London Fashion Week this week and lucky 'ol me got an invite. Held at the National History Museum, my first reaction was..."a bunch of skeletons surrounded by a bunch of skeletons!". Unfortunately the event was held in a marquee on the grounds of the Museum - but I wasn't wrong about the other bunch of skeletons.

Yow! To see those young, emaciated, underfed stick insects trying to sell high fashion - it's enough to put me off diets!

When you see these shows in magazines and on TV, the models don't tend to wear bras (unless it's a lingerie show) and there is often 'bits' sticking out - the models usually seem pretty poised and cool about it. However, there was one model at the show I saw that wasn't so 'cool' about exposing her breasts - she kept readjusting her outfit all the way up and down the catwalk - and I wasn't the only one noticing!

The catwalk show we saw was actually really cool - I'm not a huge fan of some of the concept fashion that gets paraded in these types of shows (I've only ever seen photos before), but the designer's work we saw was really great. Lots of natural fabrics and muted tones. We saw Bora Aksu's show - he's Turkish born, but studied fashion in London - and you could see his cultural influences in his work. Here's a link to his site:

http://www.boraaksu.com/

The show we saw was for Spring/Summer 2006 and the last I checked that wasn't on his site, but you can see his other collections.

The whole 'corporate' thing was pretty grand - Moet champagne, lunch by one of London's premiere restaurants (Le Caprice) and a goody bag filled with product (guzzini espresso maker, coffee, hair and body care, magazines - woo hoo).

This weekend is 'London Fashion Weekend' - where a lot of the designers and top retailers sell their samples to the public at drastically reduced prices. The goody bag provided free tickets - so I'm off tomorrow with a friend and Steve's desperately trying to hide my credit card!

Ashes to ashes......

Well, they did it - England regained the Ashes after 18 years!

....and isn't it making life for us Aussies in the UK hell.

To be absolutely fair, England played the better game and deserved to win, sorry, I mean draw, oh yeah, they did win. Maybe the selectors back home will start to include some fresh new talent in the test squads now that our tired old team is starting to lose its edge.

Bridie's work was kind of enough to provide a live video feed to all computers so that staff could watch the final test, it also meant that everyone in her vicinity felt the need to continually comment on the game whenever they saw her.

We like to look on the bright side though - we both get to keep our jobs - ;)

Honestly, we don't know what's worse actually - England wins; England loses - either way we get grief.

Hopefully now our colleagues will concentrate on the football (aka soccer) and leave us alone - well ..... until the World Cup, that is.

Can't get the song out of our heads

Despite all the madness of the last couple of weeks, it seems you can't keep us down after all. No sooner had we started on those indentations in the couch, and we were already off and heading for the last evening performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

http://www.chittythemusical.co.uk

Now in all fairness, this show has been running for a while and we weren't all that particularly interested in seeing it in the past; and then they announced the final shows and we decided we had to at least see the flying car that everyone talks about.

So we trundled off to see Jason Donovan (in the lead), Alvin Stardust (as the Child Catcher) and of course, the star of the show - the car.

And it was good. Good enough that we bought the soundtrack (with the original cast including Richard O'Brien as the Child Catcher) - the downside is that Bridie keeps bursting out in the 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' song.

Bridie also went off to see Val Kilmer lead in a new production of 'The Postman always rings twice' which also finished last weekend.

Lenin moved

In the outer reaches of Budapest is a small park dedicated to the unwanted Soviet statues: The Statue Park

http://www.szoborpark.hu/en/en_index.php

And this sounded really cool. The fall of Communism is old news, but the statues stand proud.

Prepare to be underwhelmed.

We followed the brochures to a dilapidated train station on the outer reaches of woop-woop. We were now outside tourist territory, Toto. And the bus that is supposed to run every 15 minutes would be in ... 90 minutes time.

So we grabbed a taxi. And in our best Hungarian (lots of pointing and waving of brochure) we organised our way there. 3000 Forints later we had driven through most of the back streets of Buda. We really expected him to just pull over and kick us out.

Amazingly we made it, and pulled up out the front of a grand entrance that expects thousands of visitors. But it only gets a handful. The picture of Lenin, above, is from the entrance.

Inside we did a quick loop of the whole park in less than 20 minutes - including taking photos. An extra 10 minutes at the shop and we were wondering how to get the hell out of there.

Could we catch another bus back? Sure - but we would need to change buses twice. What the?

Into a waiting taxi, and the waving and negotiations began again. Except 3000 Forints this time got us chauffeur driven back into the city and dropped out the front of the Citadella. Clearly this guy hadn't done his dodginess homework.

http://www.citadella.hu/

Budapest - the last hurdle

The madness is over.

Our three weeks of back-to-back holidays have come to a triumphant "ahhhh." We plan to spend the next six weeks on the couch; maybe even leaving proper Bridie and Steve-sized indentations in the fabric.

Budapest was lovely. And we could gush about the castle and the bridges and so-forth. But we won't. Instead we'll post some random stories about our trip on this blog - keep an eye out!

Dreamscape

Bridie took me to Dreamscape in Southwark today, right near Tower Bridge.

It is a giant inflatable art installation. Like a bouncy castle, but you're inside it. And they play ambient music while the bright colours barrage your vision.

I was just laughing for the first 5 minutes. After that I calmed down a bit, and just wandered around with a manic grin.

Edinburgh Castle

So I'm testing the ability to send photos to the blog.

To see all the photos, check out our photo site

The second gap

Phew.

Back from Edinburgh, and the Fringe Festival.

We flew up to Edinburgh late Friday and caught up with our friend Linda that night. She's producing a show called Shaken N' Stirred. A funky Jazz cabaret show, with random guests from other parts of the festival. So every night is different.

Other shows we saw:
Darkside: A one man show by Tim Minchin, who apparently won some awards back in Melbourne. Intelligent humour, songs and cheap gags. Fantastic
Shut up Comedy from Japan: Two crazy Japanese guys who start with high speed visual gags, and move onto a recreation of Rocky. Great, but somehow the two sections didn't quite mix.
Best of Edinburgh: A grab bag of stuff.

Did we get to see everything? No. But there are thousands of shows on, so we didn't really expect it.

Next stop, Budapest

The first gap

Back from Paris. Next stop, Edinburgh.

Paris was great.

From a skating point of view it is just heaven. The roads are so smooth, the people are so accepting, and they have the largest street skate in the world. I could skate around Paris for hours and still find it relaxing.

Bridie, on the other hand, also found Paris heaven. Except she was out shopping for handbags and walking along the Seine river.

But we also got to spend quality time together; out for dinner, sitting on the beach, walking along the river.

Paris rollerblading

We're off to Paris tomorrow for a spot of rollerblading. I'm packing my blades and Bridie is packing her credit card. Apparently the sales are on in Paris and Bridie needs a new handbag.

I, on the other hand, will be on the Pari Roller.
http://www.pari-roller.com/

They have about 15,000 people every friday night, skating the streets of Paris. There are even police skating along with the pack. With guns. How could you possibly shoot someone whilst on skates? They also have ambulances at the back for the inevitable casualties.

We watched the first two episodes of that 'Lost' program last night. Not sure if we are hooked yet, more intrigued. I guess we'll see next week. Though there is a temptation to just go on the internet and see how it turns out.

Ah, the Internet. Is there anything it can't do?