Yes! It's July 1st, which means that from today onwards there is no smoking allowed in all enclosed public spaces i.e. pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes, bars, shops, warehouses, taxis...anywhere where people work.
No smoking in company cars or vans either! And you have to display a "no smoking" sign in your car if it is a company car because it is deemed office property.
Hooray! I just hate coming home from a night out with my clothes reeking of cigarette smoke. The worst thing is, you don't notice when you get home because you've been surrounded by it all night and you might be a bit drunk. Then the next morning, you try to put on your coat and it just stinks. Even your underwear stinks of smoke. Isn't that gross?
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Friday Off Work
It is Mr K-E's birthday tomorrow so we had a day off work today. We slept in, and so missed all the big news about the defused bomb on Haymarket.
My Mum rang while we were just getting up and having showers etc, so we heard about it from her. Well, you can't let this stuff affect your life really. So we didn't change our plans and went into town as we had planned.
Before we left, we had breakfast at home. I've only discovered how yummy grapefruit is very recently.
Mr K-E made us ham and cheese croissants.
In town we had lunch at Wagamama, before hitting the shops. Yes, the sales are on, woohoo! Todays star buys were :
A cute little coat from Zara. This was actually full price but I thought it was sooo cute. The big lapels! The buttons!
Yep. More shoes. From Zara (me) and Shellys (Mr K-E)
My Mum rang while we were just getting up and having showers etc, so we heard about it from her. Well, you can't let this stuff affect your life really. So we didn't change our plans and went into town as we had planned.
Before we left, we had breakfast at home. I've only discovered how yummy grapefruit is very recently.
Mr K-E made us ham and cheese croissants.
In town we had lunch at Wagamama, before hitting the shops. Yes, the sales are on, woohoo! Todays star buys were :
A cute little coat from Zara. This was actually full price but I thought it was sooo cute. The big lapels! The buttons!
Yep. More shoes. From Zara (me) and Shellys (Mr K-E)
Don't buy this.
When I was ordering our latest Sainsbury shop online, I happened to see John West's Dressed Lobster and thought it would be nice to try it.
When it arrived, boy, was I disappointed.
Firstly, it was tiny.
That's a teaspoon next to it for scale. And when I opened it, Mr K-E said it looked like catfood. It did not taste good. Bleurgh!
Me: That was rubbish. Lobster! Hah! More like ground up lobster shells and some vegetable oil...
Mr K-E: Well how much did it cost?
Me: Dunno. About a pound?
Mr K-E: Hahahahahahaha! What did you expect? Lobster for a pound? Hahahahaha....etc
When it arrived, boy, was I disappointed.
Firstly, it was tiny.
That's a teaspoon next to it for scale. And when I opened it, Mr K-E said it looked like catfood. It did not taste good. Bleurgh!
Me: That was rubbish. Lobster! Hah! More like ground up lobster shells and some vegetable oil...
Mr K-E: Well how much did it cost?
Me: Dunno. About a pound?
Mr K-E: Hahahahahahaha! What did you expect? Lobster for a pound? Hahahahaha....etc
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Work
I really enjoy my work, but I've feeling a bit pessimistic about it lately because of my new boss - lets call him Mr B. My old Boss, Mr A, was promoted and I don't really get on very well with his replacement.
To cut a long story short, part of the problem is that Mr B is one of those guys who is always in the pub and his idea of a good bloke is "a total pisshead". My theory is that he can't get his head around me because
(Mr K-E says I should explain - a pisshead is British slang for someone who gets drunk all the time)
He and I are like chalk and cheese in our working styles. I can't understand how he got into his position and I'm sure he doesn't understand me either. Oh well, maybe our working relationship will be like one of those marriages where the couple just grunt at each other. (Not like my lovely marriage, of course)
I went to see my old Boss today and he asked me to stick it out for a few more months. And then if I still found it intolerable, he would arrange for me to be transferred. As he pointed out, I don't really work "with" Mr B, the way the teams are set up we actually work "in parallel".
Yeah, but at the end of the day he's still my line manager, right?
OK. I'll give it another few months. Lets see what happens.
To cut a long story short, part of the problem is that Mr B is one of those guys who is always in the pub and his idea of a good bloke is "a total pisshead". My theory is that he can't get his head around me because
- I'm foreign but I don't have a funny accent and can write in proper English
- I'm a woman but not interested in flirting with him (or anyone else in the office)
- In a male-dominated industry, I am actually quite competent at my job
- Don't want to go to the pub 3 days a week after work to listen to his awful anecdotes. If I had wanted to spend all my life in the pub listening to men's cheesy lines, I would have become a barmaid!
(Mr K-E says I should explain - a pisshead is British slang for someone who gets drunk all the time)
He and I are like chalk and cheese in our working styles. I can't understand how he got into his position and I'm sure he doesn't understand me either. Oh well, maybe our working relationship will be like one of those marriages where the couple just grunt at each other. (Not like my lovely marriage, of course)
I went to see my old Boss today and he asked me to stick it out for a few more months. And then if I still found it intolerable, he would arrange for me to be transferred. As he pointed out, I don't really work "with" Mr B, the way the teams are set up we actually work "in parallel".
Yeah, but at the end of the day he's still my line manager, right?
OK. I'll give it another few months. Lets see what happens.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Gasp!
I was flicking through my copy of Eve yesterday when I suddenly realised that the name at the top of the page was very, very familiar. Holy Cow! Rachael Malai Ali! And to prove it, her photo was there too...
She was talking about her nervous breakdown to promote her book The Cow Jumps over the Moon. I didn't realise she was a script writer and journalist? I thought she was mainly involved in running her mother's nursery school. I'm not trying to be bitchy here, by the way.
Her publishers call it "our new bestseller" - good marketing ploy :)
I haven't read it so I don't know if it is any good, but even so I'm very impressed. Jealous too; but mainly impressed. Well, she should be proud!
But also, nervous breakdowns/depression/stress are uncomfortable subjects in Brunei. So maybe other people who are going through the same thing will realise they are not alone.
Plus, I hope she has a good poke at all the people who were mean to her when she was ill. In a witty way, of course. Buy it here.
(PS I have just realised that people who aren't from Brunei will be thinking WTF? Rachael Malai Ali is a fellow Bruneian from a prominent family in Brunei. Her sisters Jenny and Paula are local celebrities. It's sooooo strange to read about a Bruneian who isn't the Sultan, or part of his family, or selling a story about them)
She was talking about her nervous breakdown to promote her book The Cow Jumps over the Moon. I didn't realise she was a script writer and journalist? I thought she was mainly involved in running her mother's nursery school. I'm not trying to be bitchy here, by the way.
Her publishers call it "our new bestseller" - good marketing ploy :)
I haven't read it so I don't know if it is any good, but even so I'm very impressed. Jealous too; but mainly impressed. Well, she should be proud!
- she has written a book
- it's been published (let's face it, this is the tricky bit. Anyone can churn out pages of crap. Just like us bloggers hahaha)
- her publishers obviously they are on to a good thing and promoting her in magazines like Eve
But also, nervous breakdowns/depression/stress are uncomfortable subjects in Brunei. So maybe other people who are going through the same thing will realise they are not alone.
Plus, I hope she has a good poke at all the people who were mean to her when she was ill. In a witty way, of course. Buy it here.
(PS I have just realised that people who aren't from Brunei will be thinking WTF? Rachael Malai Ali is a fellow Bruneian from a prominent family in Brunei. Her sisters Jenny and Paula are local celebrities. It's sooooo strange to read about a Bruneian who isn't the Sultan, or part of his family, or selling a story about them)
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Cake
I've been baking again today. How can heat applied to a combination of flour, sugar, eggs and butter produce something so delicious?
Mr K-E is watching 28 Days Later on TV. We've watched it before but I still have to hide behind the laptop. I'm the biggest scaredy-cat in the world.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Shiny shoes
Mr K-E wanted to look at belts in Covent Garden so we met after work for some Friday evening shopping. I saw these honeys in Firetrap. Even though I have bought some new shoes recently that I haven't even worn, I couldn't resist.
Mr K-E bought some shirts from Firetrap, so it wasn't just me.
After that we wandered over to Urban Outfitters. I haven't been in there for ages, and it's full of lovely clothes. There was a really cool dress from Vivenne Westwood's diffusion line, but at £220 I didn't even dare to try it on. What if it looks really good on me? What then? I hate crying in public!
...the funky heel...the upturned toes...that shiny patent leather which makes it slightly edgy...
I even like the detail in (silver) lining.
Mr K-E bought some shirts from Firetrap, so it wasn't just me.
After that we wandered over to Urban Outfitters. I haven't been in there for ages, and it's full of lovely clothes. There was a really cool dress from Vivenne Westwood's diffusion line, but at £220 I didn't even dare to try it on. What if it looks really good on me? What then? I hate crying in public!
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