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      10 Sep 2007

      The end of the boycott

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      Surprisingly, knowing you don't have to get up for work in the morning can be quite a motivating reason for getting up. So I woke bright and early today, excited at the prospect of having a few extra hours before midday.

      As it turned out my day was pretty uneventful. A bit of clothes washing, unpacking and repacking of the dishwasher, a cup of char here and there and the odd email. A movie, then another movie, and a trip to the supermarket...

      Now this is where I hang my head in shame. You see, I've been boycotting this supermarket across the road for about a month now, but out of sheer laziness (or actually I'd like to take the flip side and say it was convenience) I felt compelled to give it another chance.

      See it all started the day Laura and I did our massive cook-up. Most of our ingredients had been bought at the lovely Borough Market earlier that morning, but we were missing a few key things for our afternoon, namely beer. A wander down to our 'friendly' neighborhood store seemed like the quickest fix, even though not the most pleasant. Having been there several times, I was prepared to face the grumpy check-out chicks, their monosyllabic answers and inability to look people in the eye, but overall this felt like a small price to pay given the circumstance.

      Here's how it played out ***in cinematic slow motion and black & white***- as we entered, I got sidetracked by some Kettle Salt & Balsamic Vinegar crisps, while Laura made a beeline for the beer, a nice 4 pack of Corona's, all neatly tucked away in their very own cardboard carry container, complete with in-built handle.

      Still perusing the junk food isle, I suddenly heard a big CRASH!

      'That couldn't be Laura', I dismissed the thought immediately. 'I'll just keep on looking for snacks. Pretzel's perhaps? Maybe some cornchips'.

      Then, out of the silence rang the American twwang.

      'Yes, err I was the one who dropped the beer, I'll pay for it'

      On rounding the corner I found a very red faced Laura, standing over a shopkeeper sweeping up the broken glass.

      'Man, what happened?'

      'It just fell, the handle just ripped'

      'Noohhooooooooooooooooooooooooo!'

      Ok well the 'Noohoooooooooo!' part didn't happen, but as it turned out, Corona's cool little cardboard carry container wasn't so cool afterall. What was even less cool however, was the shopkeeper's reaction. Ok, so we offered to pay for it, but really that was just a courtesy offer, an invite for the shopkeeper to say, 'oh no don't worry about it'. But no, they made us pay for it, treating us like teenagers running amok in the store. Grrrr I was mad. It wasn't the 6 quid we had to fork out, it was the sheer principle of it, and it wasn't right!

      And it was for that reason, I boycotted the store for a month. Now having relived that story I'm extremely angry with myself for going back there, but Laura, if you're out there reading this, I promise I'll make it up to you.

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      10 Sep 2007

      Bush sings U2

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      Brilliant.

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      8 Sep 2007

      Goodbye

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      I write this in a post tequila haze, but what the hell. So ends my time at Millward Brown UK. Am I leaving with a gold Rolex and a big pension? Well no, but I do have a bunch of L'Oreal products, some amazing memories and more importantly some amazing friends. It's been a fantastic 3 1/2 years and I will miss it dearly, much more than I'll ever let on in person.

      Those who have ever lived long-term in a country other than their own will understand the importance of a stable work environment. Antipodean friends come and go, Visas expire and an overwhelming longing for home prompts early departures. Therefore work, and the people at work, remain your one constant, a refuge of sorts.

      It may sound melodramatic, but ultimately it's people's reactions and interactions with you who make you who you are. So to be in an environment of constant change is difficult. How do you establish yourself, who you are and what you stand for? Well, in a few weeks, it will be time to do it all over again. I'm excited about this prospect, to define or perhaps redefine myself, but am pretty anxious at the same time. However, in the end, I know it will be fine...it's more the waiting in between which gets your mind racing.

      So, thanks MB'ers for having me and for making my stint in London an absolute awesome experience. I know I'll always look back on these years with great fondness.

      Farewell pics at All Bar One:

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      6 Sep 2007

      King of the hill

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      I'd like to take this opportunity to review a little restaurant called Ah King. Being just a stones throw away from work I've spent many a night there over the past few months and have grown quite fond of it.

      It offers a selection of Asian cuisine, ranging from Thai curry to Chinese Chow Mein to a variety of Dim Sum, together with a small selection of weird and wacky desserts (which includes one called Toy Punky - ice cream in a plastic toy - see below).

      Overall I'd rate the food above average but I guess the real draw of it comes from its location, AND the fact it does bottled Asahi beer for £1 before 7pm! Personally, I think their marketing guru has it all worked out, as we often go there with the best intentions - ie a quick drink after work - but usually end up staying for dinner and longer.

      The staff are extremely friendly which adds to the mood/atmosphere of the place and the decor is... intriguing. Actually, I'm constantly entertained by it but I guess it has to be seen to be believed. Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I think it's of poor quality, it's just that it feels completely and utterly mismatched. It's as if 4 different people have designed it, all in their own separate way and without thinking about the bigger picture. From small wooden carved elephants in the toilet, to auspicious Feng Shui cats, to little Christmas bon bon lights, to a plasma TV playing music videos in the background. Strange...

      A couple of photos from a recent dinner there.

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      Ross and the Toy Punky, or is that the Toy Punky and Ross

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      We all love the Toy Punky

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      go the Toy Punky

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      Hmmm Toy Punky tastes good too
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      2 Sep 2007

      The trials and tribulations of Mr Butter

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      This is a follow-up post to my earlier rancid butter post.

      We had guests staying with us last week, a couple of my flatmate's friends from Australia. Unfortunately for them though, I didn't get around to throwing out my rancid butter, as the plan was to take it back to the shop I bought it from.

      So, as you can imagine, I was quite amused when I woke bright and early one morning to find the following sitting on the kitchen bench...

      Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Exhibit A:- 'The scene of the accident"

      And, Exhibit B: "Used knife showing traces of rancid butter"

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      Members of the jury, if our hospitality was deemed second rate, I blame it entirely on the butter. While I acknowledge it was I who discovered that the butter had 'turned to the dark side', I take no responsibility for leaving it out of the fridge for a further 2 days post that initial discovery, as the intention was always to take it back to the shop it was originally purchased, and never for any unsuspecting guests to experience the horror which is eating rancid butter.

      Therefore, I plead my case, not guilty.

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      2 Sep 2007

      Sick Puppies - My World

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      From the Aussie band Sick Puppies. This is one of my fave tunes at the moment. It's from their debut album 'Dressed Up As Life'.

      I also love All the Same, Too Many Words, What are you looking for.

      Check it out!

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      29 Aug 2007

      Random sh** of the day

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      In an effort to spice up this blog, my flatmate suggested I create a column called 'random sh** of the day'. While I think this would be an excellent idea, I fear that creating such a thing may actually completely overwhelm and overrun this blog given the weirdness that is London. Take today for example...

      I put up an ad on the Gumtree (www.gumtree.com), a website which provides free classifieds, to see if anyone wants to buy my mobile phone.

      Here's what I wrote:

      Nokia e65 - excellent condition

      £180

      I recently upgraded to the Nokia e65, but have decided that I'm more a Sony Ericsson girl, so am going back to using my old phone.

      The Nokia e65's is the chocolate brown one. It's in great condition, only about 4 weeks old, and comes fully boxed with manual, charger, and Nokia handsfree. I also bought a 2gig memory card for it which I'll include.

      Phone specs can be found here:

      http://europe.nokia.com/A4344228

      If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch, but no time-wasters please!

      And this is the first response I get:

      Hi mate
      i am interested in your phone.
      would you consider a...

      Brand new in box Ben sherman shoes Brown size uk 6
      can send pictures

      and ...

      MEDIUM stone island jumper zip up, wooly holes, authentic, no tags hence sale, bought it before the summer, worn it few times.
      has stone island tags near the zip etc, and the badges.

      and...

      sata & ide harddrive adapter brand new
      http://www.bonafidereviews.com/article.php?id=185
      RRP £35

      thanks

      In true Rove style, all I can say is 'WHAT THE?'! I'm looking to sell my phone for cash, not to inherit some random pair of oversized shoes, a worn winter jumper and a computer hard drive adapter - that's right it's a hard drive adapter, not even a hard drive. What's the world coming to?

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      28 Aug 2007

      From Andy... thanks mate...

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      ...even if I do have big fat man hands and hairy arms

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      27 Aug 2007

      Independent supermarkets, please get your act together

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      I experienced something new today - rancid butter.

      Desperately craving toast this morning, I wandered down to our local corner shop to get some of that reliable Clover goodness. For all you readers outside the UK, Clover is a brand of butter here which I find, well used to find, extremely tasty. It's high in salt, high in saturated fat and high in everything else which is bad for you.

      So, on entering the small shop I did a quick eye scan of the freezer section and then homed in on the distinctive bright yellow packaging. There was a handful of 3 'Clovers' left on the shelf. I was like 'yessss' and almost punched the air. But my excitement was short lived. Although they did have about 2 weeks left before their expiry date, the fine layer of dust gathered on their lids indicated they'd been sitting on the only moderately cool open freezer shelf for months, if not years. I weighed my options, but thoughts about buttery toast won over and I decided to go for it.

      Then came the disappointment. I didn't notice it straight away, but there was a strange taste, it just took a while to errr...develop. At first I tried to pin it on the multigrain bread I was eating; perhaps I'd lucked out and bitten into a bad seed or something, but nope it was the rancid butter! Shameful really, but I can't say I was surprised.

      Now I know butter isn't something you usually grab 'on the run', or on your way to a mate's party...'oh yeah can you just pick me up a tub on the way', but really, it's no excuse. Yes, turnover of butter in a small shop is low, but you've got to stocktake accordingly and cut your losses if products start to expire. So... this is a call to all independent supermarkets out there - please get your act together!

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      27 Aug 2007

      Nottinghill vs nothing

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      It's strange to wake up on a Monday and not have to go to work. But obviously I'm not complaining. It's a bank holiday here, but there's really no reason for it other than that it's Summer; well, that's if you can call it Summer, with the amount of rain we've been having.

      It's Nottinghill Carnival weekend, and although the sun has decided to play it nice, I've decided to hole it up at home and have a whole day of doing nothing. I'm just really not in the mood for dealing with unpleasant crowds today. Being pushed and shoved by sweaty narcissistic coke heads and queuing up for hours to use plastic toilet stalls covered in piss, is not my idea of fun.

      But don't get me wrong, the Carnival can be very cool, if you can get past the crowds to see the real essence of it - the parade. This is a fabulous array of Caribbean culture, music and dance, not to mention a variety of floats (very much akin to Moomba in Melbourne, Australia) and should definitely be experienced at least once. I did go to check it out last year, but really wish I was around to see it in its early days, back in the 60s. Bring back the peace, love, unity and respect man (PLUR)...

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  • ngthatsme

    Sometimes geek, sometimes chic. I'm a third culture kid - born in Malaysia, grew up in Australia, worked in London and am now in NYC. I love traveling to places strange and unknown and having unforgettable random adventures.

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