12 April 2006
Why can't people spell 'definitely'? What is wrong with them? It's not even pronounced '-ately'. What could be easier? It's a no-brainer.... aargh!
On a nicer note, I had a ham and cheese toastie for breakfast this morning. Mmmmmm! It could have done with a spot of Lea & Perrins or, perhaps, tabasco sauce but, otherwise, was just fine dandy.
Have been watching Firefly on DVD (the series from which the film 'Serenity' sprang forth). I quite like it but am sometimes a bit confused about what's going on. It doesn't help that BB put in Disc 2 by accident and we thought we were at the beginning of the series, when we were actually halfway through.
Tango was super fun on Monday and numbers have multiplied greatly. The chap at the bar wouldn't serve food upstairs though and I wasn't prepared to trog downstairs to get my fix of lightly battered whitebait. So I glared at him periodically throughout the class. I hate it when people just make up stuff, when they don't know the answer and can't be bothered to find out. I guess I was just being too nice by asking if I could order food upstairs, when I knew full well that they did. My bad. I should just be imperious and offhand. Plenty of other people seem to be.
On a nicer note, I had a ham and cheese toastie for breakfast this morning. Mmmmmm! It could have done with a spot of Lea & Perrins or, perhaps, tabasco sauce but, otherwise, was just fine dandy.
Have been watching Firefly on DVD (the series from which the film 'Serenity' sprang forth). I quite like it but am sometimes a bit confused about what's going on. It doesn't help that BB put in Disc 2 by accident and we thought we were at the beginning of the series, when we were actually halfway through.
Tango was super fun on Monday and numbers have multiplied greatly. The chap at the bar wouldn't serve food upstairs though and I wasn't prepared to trog downstairs to get my fix of lightly battered whitebait. So I glared at him periodically throughout the class. I hate it when people just make up stuff, when they don't know the answer and can't be bothered to find out. I guess I was just being too nice by asking if I could order food upstairs, when I knew full well that they did. My bad. I should just be imperious and offhand. Plenty of other people seem to be.
Labels: dance, food, language, television
27 March 2006
I have just been given a series of books as a belated Christmas pressie from my friend A. They are set in a Japanesque alternative world and they are called Stories of the Otori by Lian Hearn. Quite enjoying them - I'm on to the 2nd book - but not sure if they're for children or adults. Perhaps young adults.
Went to Ganapati, a South Indian restaurant, in Peckham last night for dinner. They do thosai! And paratha, which is almost like roti canai! We enjoyed it very much. We started with poppadums and various chutneys/dips and street snacks (some kind of corn fritter and a potato dumpling thing) with more dips (including coconut chutney).
Main courses were Meen Moollee (a mild Keralan seabream curry), Kerala Kozhi (chicken cooked with roasted coconut and coriander masala) and Erissery (green bananas cooked in peppercorn, cumin and coconut masala. It was very good and I've just discovered they do a cheaper weekday, lunchtime menu too. I suspect I shall be going back fairly frequently.
Just got back from Tango class at the White Hart on Kennington Lane. My tango teacher has started a new class there on Monday evenings, followed by a milonga. It was great fun and I hope lots of people turn up - it was a bit quiet tonight.
Went to Ganapati, a South Indian restaurant, in Peckham last night for dinner. They do thosai! And paratha, which is almost like roti canai! We enjoyed it very much. We started with poppadums and various chutneys/dips and street snacks (some kind of corn fritter and a potato dumpling thing) with more dips (including coconut chutney).
Main courses were Meen Moollee (a mild Keralan seabream curry), Kerala Kozhi (chicken cooked with roasted coconut and coriander masala) and Erissery (green bananas cooked in peppercorn, cumin and coconut masala. It was very good and I've just discovered they do a cheaper weekday, lunchtime menu too. I suspect I shall be going back fairly frequently.
Just got back from Tango class at the White Hart on Kennington Lane. My tango teacher has started a new class there on Monday evenings, followed by a milonga. It was great fun and I hope lots of people turn up - it was a bit quiet tonight.
Labels: books, dance, food, restaurants
19 March 2006
Went to dance class yesterday against my better judgement, did some food shopping and then was so tired when I got home that I couldn't cook. BB ended up doing Chicken Kiev, rice and salad for dinner instead. However, I licked the routine at the cost of my ever worsening cold. Pride cometh before a fall, and I didn't want to know that I couldn't do that dance routine. Sad, I know.
Anyway, today I made the lunch that was supposed to be yesterday's dinner. Steamed minced pork with Chinese mushrooms and salt egg, ham choi tau foo tong (my favourite), fried choi sum and rice with pieces of lap cheong thrown in. I've never cooked a salt egg before and was surprised to find that the yolk is rock solid before you cook it. I think it all came out well but I couldn't taste very much. BB said it was good and had second helpings which must be a good sign.
Poor BB is off to Dublin today for his mega huge presentation on his new scheme. He's up against Norman Foster for the tender of his project which must be daunting. He showed the scheme to me last night and it looks very impressive. It's a very prestigious site in Central London and looks very Canary Wharf mixed with Prada Tokyo. I think it looks cool.
Unfortunately, BB has to lug a 35 kilo model with him on the plane and the limit for a single piece of luggage, even with the excess, is 32 kg. I hope I don't get a sad phone call saying he's on his way back from the airport because they wouldn't let him onto the plane. These are the trials of not being the big boss and having to do all the carrying and lifting. Apparently, none of the courier companies would take it because it's fragile and the model makers said it had to be accompanied. I can't believe it's impossible to courier this kind of thing. It must all boil down to saving costs at the expense of BB's aggravation.
Anyway, today I made the lunch that was supposed to be yesterday's dinner. Steamed minced pork with Chinese mushrooms and salt egg, ham choi tau foo tong (my favourite), fried choi sum and rice with pieces of lap cheong thrown in. I've never cooked a salt egg before and was surprised to find that the yolk is rock solid before you cook it. I think it all came out well but I couldn't taste very much. BB said it was good and had second helpings which must be a good sign.
Poor BB is off to Dublin today for his mega huge presentation on his new scheme. He's up against Norman Foster for the tender of his project which must be daunting. He showed the scheme to me last night and it looks very impressive. It's a very prestigious site in Central London and looks very Canary Wharf mixed with Prada Tokyo. I think it looks cool.
Unfortunately, BB has to lug a 35 kilo model with him on the plane and the limit for a single piece of luggage, even with the excess, is 32 kg. I hope I don't get a sad phone call saying he's on his way back from the airport because they wouldn't let him onto the plane. These are the trials of not being the big boss and having to do all the carrying and lifting. Apparently, none of the courier companies would take it because it's fragile and the model makers said it had to be accompanied. I can't believe it's impossible to courier this kind of thing. It must all boil down to saving costs at the expense of BB's aggravation.
16 March 2006
I have an audition for a corporate play/show coming up. The company is a consultancy that's doing work for my company. Maybe I can get the consultants we're working with to put in a good word. It sounds quite fun - a French director is involved and for the audition they require impro skills, physical/dancing skills, strong singing, comedy skills and lots of experience. Not much then. The best bit is that it will be performed in Helsinki and, possibly, Singapore and New York. I love being paid to travel and act.
Ate 3 Tunnocks caramel wafers today. Just a few months ago, I had no idea what one was, but now I do, I don't know how I managed without before.
Don't know what was wrong with me in dance class today but I just couldn't get the routine. I knew the steps, but they just wouldn't come out in time for the music. Very strange. Maybe it's the onset of Alzheimer's. Not that I'm alarmist or anything.
We've found out the specific strain of BB's recent affliction. It's suspected Henoch Schoenlein purpura but biopsy results don't come for a week. There are truly horrible pictures of pustules caused by said purpura on the John Hopkins site about vasculitis. Fortunately, BB's was nothing as bad as that or he'd have had to sleep in a plastic bag to stop weeping on the sheets.
Ate 3 Tunnocks caramel wafers today. Just a few months ago, I had no idea what one was, but now I do, I don't know how I managed without before.
Don't know what was wrong with me in dance class today but I just couldn't get the routine. I knew the steps, but they just wouldn't come out in time for the music. Very strange. Maybe it's the onset of Alzheimer's. Not that I'm alarmist or anything.
We've found out the specific strain of BB's recent affliction. It's suspected Henoch Schoenlein purpura but biopsy results don't come for a week. There are truly horrible pictures of pustules caused by said purpura on the John Hopkins site about vasculitis. Fortunately, BB's was nothing as bad as that or he'd have had to sleep in a plastic bag to stop weeping on the sheets.
26 February 2006
There seems to be some sort of a Sondheim revival going on. Sunday in the Park with George is transferring to a proper theatre, Assassins is opening in Sheffield and Pacific Overtures at the Leicester Haymarket. Guess we'll be seeing a lot of the middle of England.
The Curse of the Were Rabbit was very funny. There were a lot more filmic references than there were in the other Wallace and Gromit movies. Gromit is very sweet but I don't know why he hangs around with Wallace.
My dance teacher at the gym is away on holiday and we all miss him. The replacement is some kind of a semi-jazz, semi-contemporary teacher but is trying to do street funk and his choreography is a tad naff. It's a good technique class though so shan't complain. Apparently, the teacher is in some programme called Pay Off Your Mortgage in Two Years and teaching is one of his making money schemes. Can't imagine it would do much to pay off his mortgage - not with what our gym pays. Anyway, the BBC may be coming to film next week's class. Not sure that that's a good thing.
Yesterday was blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and a side of bacon for brunch and leftover pad thai, chilli and salt pork choplettes and stir fried broccoli for dinner. And lots of grapes throughout.
London was heaving with tourists yesterday. I hate people. At the cash dispenser some blumming French tourists queuing behind me kept bumping into me and talking loudly. Do they not know that cash dispenser ettiquette demands that they stand a good distance away from the person at the till? Also, it's freezing, snowing and windy in London at the moment. Winter is our only respite from hordes of meandering, stupid, loitering about at all major pedestrian crossroads/through ways, pavement hogging tourists - so what are they all doing here in these Arctic conditions? Sheesh. Obviously London is not expensive enough, the public transport is not crappy enough, the service is not grudging and non-existent enough and the hotels are not rundown, grubby and overpriced enough.
The Curse of the Were Rabbit was very funny. There were a lot more filmic references than there were in the other Wallace and Gromit movies. Gromit is very sweet but I don't know why he hangs around with Wallace.
My dance teacher at the gym is away on holiday and we all miss him. The replacement is some kind of a semi-jazz, semi-contemporary teacher but is trying to do street funk and his choreography is a tad naff. It's a good technique class though so shan't complain. Apparently, the teacher is in some programme called Pay Off Your Mortgage in Two Years and teaching is one of his making money schemes. Can't imagine it would do much to pay off his mortgage - not with what our gym pays. Anyway, the BBC may be coming to film next week's class. Not sure that that's a good thing.
Yesterday was blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and a side of bacon for brunch and leftover pad thai, chilli and salt pork choplettes and stir fried broccoli for dinner. And lots of grapes throughout.
London was heaving with tourists yesterday. I hate people. At the cash dispenser some blumming French tourists queuing behind me kept bumping into me and talking loudly. Do they not know that cash dispenser ettiquette demands that they stand a good distance away from the person at the till? Also, it's freezing, snowing and windy in London at the moment. Winter is our only respite from hordes of meandering, stupid, loitering about at all major pedestrian crossroads/through ways, pavement hogging tourists - so what are they all doing here in these Arctic conditions? Sheesh. Obviously London is not expensive enough, the public transport is not crappy enough, the service is not grudging and non-existent enough and the hotels are not rundown, grubby and overpriced enough.
Labels: dance, films, food, gym, London, theatre
22 December 2005
Went to my first milonga last night. It's quite weird this whole underground tango culture in seedy community halls. But really good to watch all these people who look like they would step on your toes and bump into you at a moment's notice, all gliding around the floor doing fancy footwork and completely unchoreographed and hardly any collisions at all.
We were just happy we made it round the dance floor once without bumping into too many people, all in time to the music. Hurrah! Twas pretty daunting as everybody seemed to be way more experienced than us, but fun, once we got going. Our tango instructor was very proud of us. It's all pretty much still a mystery to me though.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it. I might even go again.
We were just happy we made it round the dance floor once without bumping into too many people, all in time to the music. Hurrah! Twas pretty daunting as everybody seemed to be way more experienced than us, but fun, once we got going. Our tango instructor was very proud of us. It's all pretty much still a mystery to me though.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it. I might even go again.
Labels: dance
