deleted

When the going gets tough

the tough prepare baked goods.

I baked over the weekend, possibly because it was the most relaxing activity when the weather is crap. Which, unsurprisingly, since I live in Britain, wasn't the greatest.

I made carrot muffins (which in all honesty, were a bit cake like in texture) and the kick-ass peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. For good measure, I made some parmesan biscuits as well.


Taste testers required for above products, to apply, please drop by to collect! I don't actually eat very many of them.

Also had a great girly night in with two gorgeous chicks where we chatted about anything and everything (especially men!!) over a substantial quantity of the loveliest vodka ever invented on this Earth.

Now, the problem is I have a meeting with my supervisor tomorrow about my thesis, the phrase 'lots of changes' were invoked.

Thank God I'll be bribing with cookies and cake.....

Deadline for submission 13 July.

Exhaustion

Hello, this is alice's brain, I'm called Brian

I'm tired tired. Very very tired. I feels like i've been bitch slapped to hell and back.

But it will soon all be over.

13 July is when the thesis goes in, should be fun.

Wish me luck and any prayers are always welcome.





I should also wish to add, there's a whole chapter that's currently unwritten but you know me, work best under fire.

A minor vent

Now, some people will have remembered the exceptional customer service of the Thistle City Barbican where I stayed previously, about 2 months ago.

After a month of emails and complaints, first receiving some silly compensatory plans such as an executive suite and complimentary breakfast, I was finally assured that I would be receiving a refund within 4 weeks.

4 weeks whistle by.

No cheque.

Sent another email only to find out they had accidentally missed out my payment.
Completely unacceptable behaviour by a company that purports itself to be a 4-star hotel.

At some point, I will receive a refund. At some point, I may even hate them less for their ineptness.

A weekend in Holland

Went to visit John where he's back for another course and it was great fun. Very nice to have a break of some description. Airport security is now worse than ever before, I didn't want to check in so I had to pack my toiletries in a clear plastic bag and they had to be less than 100ml.

Got to Schippol and then took a train to Rijswijk, a suburb off the Hague. Friday I went to Delft, and spent a nice day wandering around there.

Started off at the Vermeer Center, learning all about the great Dutch painter, whom I was introduced to by Sarah!


Then walked along to the Old Church, beautiful inside




Then walked around the Pisenhof where it was very very weird. They had old Masters in great grand frames in the same room with a lot of contemporary art. Took me a while to realise there was a theme to each room. There was a room where there was war pictures and there were other modern art installations with a war theme. It amused me for a while, took about 5 or 6 galleries before I stopped laughing at it. Well curated though.



An unusual bench outside the museum

Then walked along to Royal Delft, went along their little tour and learn all about how they make quality high class ceramics. They had "The Night Watch" on tiles, which is remarkably impressive seeing how hard it is to make it!



Then fell in love with what I call my Fish plate, it's gorgeous. Bought it so I am now owner of Royal Delftware. YAY!


Saturday morning, went to Amsterdam with John and visited the Rjiksmuseum, saw the work of the great Dutch masters, it was great!


Then instead of another museum, we decided to go and do the Heineken experience, which was fun and involved drinking beer. I can cope with drinking of beer.





It wasn't me that was being silly!!!

Then we walked around for a bit before dinner

Then went back to the Hague

Sunday was a random chilled out day, which I enjoyed immensely.


We decided we wanted to look for the International War Crimes tribunal, it's just located in a small quiet building and found out there are public galleries for the trials, very exciting.

World Peace Flame next to the European Court of Justice (or something similar to it, if anyone does know, can they please tell me?)



How can anyone not love this place?



Now back to reality of thesis!

Something different

I am ecstatically happy.

It's not my thesis.

Summer has arrived, of a description, the weather has turned from miserable from the past few weeks and it's a beautiful day.

And of course, there's one other reason.
But I can't say anything yet.

This is why Youtube exists!

This song


and


this song


You know you want to own them!

Thanks to Tim for one of them, he heard them on the Chris Evans show.

What's the point of having a routine?

I've been discovering what having a routine is all about. It's not something that I tend to do, what is quite amusing and rather disturbing at the same time is that I'm quite enjoying having some sort of set rules in my life. I blame the old age (what else could it be, all young people are mad and impressionable really)

One thing that I've recently started doing is play a strategic war board game called Axis and Allies with the boys once a week, every Tuesday evening. Quite useful when I've spent a week alone in my room with just virtual company. Who knew that the company of other humans would be so useful?

Back to the board game, we each get to play a country and use strategy to work out who wins the war. I started with utmost scepticism but I'm gradually getting more involved and actually getting quite good at it. The only problem is that I keep telling everyone what my next moves are and the boys just counter-attack me to the death. It takes a lot longer to play as one round of the game takes about an hour and it's rather amusing to watch the boys discuss possible tactics, strategies and what could happen. I normally go for the gung-ho approach with an all out mother of all battles in the hopes that a good dice roll will annilihate the other army.

I may be getting carried away with this. The problem with me is that once I get going on something I get quite involved for a while and then after a while I move on, the intensity of which I do something doesn't last very long. Maybe that's why I don't like my thesis anymore.

Thus the coffee kicks in early this morning, and I shall be attempting to analyse another 500 images of GFP larvae. Don't ask. Just accept.

New Shoes

I want another pair of shoes. I've no need for them. They are completely frivolous and probably quite pointless.

However, they are exceptionally gorgeous.

Decision making help please!

It's been a while!

Wow, 2 whole weeks and I haven't posted on my blog. I was doing such a good job since the new year as well.

Nevertheless, let's not dwell on past things, well, actually, we will because it's just all about stuff that I've been doing while I've not been posting on my blog. Ah-HAH!

Went to see Barenaked Ladies a few weeks ago now. Went with Mary to London and the hotel was absolutely awful. I'm now trying to get a refund but it's not looking likely. It's such a pain at how crappy customer service is possible in this country. We were staying in a 4-star hotel or a supposed 4-star hotel but when we got in, I had an attractive picture to greet me on my pillow and on both days we stayed there, we didn't have any hot water to have any showers at all. Not that I mind not having showers for 2 days in a row. But I would quite like not to smell when walking around smoky smoggy London. It's not called The Big Smoke for nuffink.

Yum......4-star hotel with class service. I DON'T want any suggestions or ideas on what it could be.

Barenaked Ladies ROCK. Still the best live gigs ever.

Then spent the next day with Jean Marie at the Tate, then we went to his place to cook, to be joined by Chad. Basically, 4 crazy people in 1 room, 1 camera and lots of good food and wine.
(I blame Chadster for the pictures)

If this is how the night is going to start, we're gonna be in for a long one...

It just gets worse before dinner, who needs enemies when I post pictures of myself like this?

What the boys do in the privacy of the kitchen...AHEM

Chad loves fresh fish fillets...

Dinner! Yum yum....Giant haddock fillets, new potatoes with curly kale. Trust the Frenchman to throw up the masterpiece

Thanks for the hospitality JM!! Can't wait till Ale is back again.

Then the next day, as Mary left back to Reading early, I went to meet Katey and Sarah for brunch while Chad decided he was going to join the girly group for the day.
The winners at the breakfast club!! They polished off their brunches in good time, unlike...
The utter look of defeat from the losers with food still on their plates. (Even more ashamedly, Chad had eaten some of my breakfast as well, I had given up long before my plate looked that clean)

The beautiful weather over the weekend reminded me of when John was here and I lazily didn't post any photos!

So here's one, he'll be back to Europe some time in May so it's time for me to head over Holland.

This long post and following random pictures brought to you by my new best friend, insomnia. I think I can't sleep as I've upset someone. If you're reading and you are upset, I'm sorry. If you're not, then there's not much else I can do about it.

Everyone else can leave comments on facebook or somewhere more appropriate that I can delete!

A moment's silence

Can we all observe a moment's silence? My computer at work died. It's having a brain transplant as I type this, I can't bear to watch it.

It's scary how much of my life is stored electronically, like my whole PhD, and all my music.

Anyways, this weekend, me and Mary are going away to London. We've splashed out on a hotel, and tonight we're going to see only what I consider the best band in the world, Barenaked Ladies with Sebby.

Tomorrow, we're going to catch up with Jean Marie and Chad at the Tate, chill out and then probably gonna cook up a storm at JM's place.

Sunday will be a nice easy lazy day, having brunch with Katey and Sarah, then back to Oxford!

If only real life was as appealing as going away for the weekend.

I am also absolutely in love with Mika at the moment, I've had his album on back to back playback on my iPod for a few days now.

I bought his album with The Fray and Fall Out Boy's new ones but I think everyone needs a bit of camp, kitsch, cheesy music in their lives!

And before I shoot off for the weekend, thanks to Tim who linked me to this that kept me amused for a few hours. (I am a simple child really, it's the small things that keep me happy!)

Have a good weekend y'all!

xXx <---ooo, that reminded me of Vin Diesel, yum

News Amusement

Tee hee hee


This cheered me up on a foggy Tuesday morning.

That and the fact that I was awake at 7:30am *no, I'm not ill, I just woke up*

The maligned child

First of all, had an absolute blast of a time last weekend with John, was absolutely exhausted when he left but it was great to catch up and gossip about the people we know. I don't often do blasts from the pasts type catch up so it's a bit weird when 10 years after you've left school, you realise you're still interested in what some of them do. Pictures to follow soon, I am too tired to do much!

The week has been a bit hectic, the hobby of making money is fruitful and I feel like a big roller, but I'm running out of time in a day to do everything I want to do, it's very frustrating.

What I am writing about is that I feel a bit ignored at the moment by my supervisor. He's the loveliest man and is very kind but he's just a bit odd when it comes to priorities. I've been waiting for a single fecking letter for my funding body for almost 3 weeks now explaining that I don't have to pay anymore fees and that I am in the process of completing my thesis. He hasn't even had the decency to spend about 1/2 hour to compose the letter. I am sorely tempted to type it up and hand it over to him to just put his Ben Franklin on it. Then again, it's just helping him to abscond his responsibility and maybe emasculate his role as the top dog?

Although I'm happy to do the latter, I'm less inclined to do the former. It's his responsibility since that's what was decided when I would be joining him as his student.

And on a related note, I handed something for him to read a few months ago and had to ask for it back from him yesterday. It's bad enough that I'm still doing more experiments and have received flies that will take a month to decontaminate before I can even do any work on them, I feel like an aside in his priorities of life.

Even if the enthusiasm that greeted me 4 years ago now is lost, an appreciable effort should be made (at the very least) to ensure that it's finished so that he doesn't tarnish his untested record of supervising students. To be fair, if anyone does ask me about him, I would recommend they stay away as he has a habit of choosing his favorites and leaving the rest to flounder, you do not want to feel as if your supervisor has a waning interest in your work when you've given up 4 years of your life on it and it feels like it's going nowhere.

I've even started considering shelf-stacking as it would potentially be more motivating and self-fulfilling at the moment.

superfluous simplicity

I've had a little too much time to think lately, I must make myself busy otherwise I spend too much time thinking.

Recently I've met a few random people off the Internet, which got me to thinking that I could now indulge myself doing what I love doing whenever I find time. People-watching. It's an odd habit, I like sitting in a shop, watching people go by and entertain myself to what they could be doing or what they should be doing or even where they are going. If a couple or a family cross my viewing line, I play mind games with myself as to their state of their relationships and what they will be doing for the rest of the day together. But I digress, let me move back to the original point of trying to watch people on the great invention of mankind called the world-wide web.

The emergence of such a wondrous technology has enabled people to communicate with anyone they choose, to have more opportunities open to them that would have never presented before and to interact in the way they please. It allows people to present themselves to the world as how they imagined in the mind. The great web of anonymity is a comforting cloak to have, much like how a child holds on to their favorite toy.

Human interactions have always been interesting. The mind games that are played in the act of courtship for human relationships have eluded me, although I am now currently on a steep learning curve. It is much simpler to have your innate biological nature present itself. The courtship rituals of birds and other animals follow a set pattern and is governed by genetics. The rules are set and it's hard to change them. If only human relationships (of any description) were that easy!

The ability to communicate with people on an instant, daily basis perhaps is the downfall of us. Things seem less exciting, the lack of pause between something happening and being shared decreases the impact and value of it. I don't understand how people insist that the constant barrage of the Internet is any good, thus superfluous simplicity. But perhaps I am just over-thinking something simple as usual.

On another note, I find myself defined by people of my surroundings, yet I find that people insist I have a strong personality. I find it odd, although perhaps I am the chameleon, merging into the character of what people prefer. That is oddly disturbing and strangely satisfying at the same time.

It's 3am and I'm still awake. My cleaner will not be impressed when I am not awake before she gets here again.

Word of the day

I learnt a new word today

inequity

It's nice how it rolls of your tongue.

Must do more useful things in life.

That's why it's called...

retail therapy. You lucky, lucky people. I don't post for ages and now you get 2 posts in the same day. Apologies for the self-indulgent mood, I think the endorphins from spending money are kicking in.

I went out and bought a bicycle. I am mobile again. This is excellent news because I love cycling home at night, half pissed. It is a rather eye-opening experience. Walking home drunk in high heels just doesn't have the same appeal.

Then I stopped at my flower man van and bought a monster bunch of pink lilies. They WILL fit into my cubicle they call a room, after I have a spate of tidying of course.














And now I have lots of pleasant food for the evening. Decisions, decisions. Roast poussin with wild rice and courgettes? Or poached eggs with purple sprouting brocoli and brown rice?

Suggestions for getting high on the simple things in life on a postcard please

A rant, a rant and a rant

I think evolution left my housemates behind in the selection process. That, or they forgot to get some neurons fired during their development.

It never used to bug me but it's now starting fricking piss me off. First up, I have the most monstrous sized mug in the world, it holds one pint of tea or coffee and one of the bints in the house decided to keep it in her room for a week. I had to leave an arsey note on their doors and then it reappeared. Which is fine, but you know what pissed me off? Didn't even fucking apologise. That's what pissed me off. You use my stuff for a week, I am pissed off and you can't fucking apologise? What rock did you crawl from?

And then someone decided that a plastic hand blender would be suitable for blending turmeric.
So now I have daisy yellow hand blender which has scrape marks as the idiot frantically tried to clean it. Yet again, left in the drawer without a word. Honestly!

Last night takes the biscuit though, really really does. Fat American bint decides to have a dinner party, takes bloody ages, I walk into the kitchen, and she doesn't offer any food even though I've got no space to cook, I normally would just ask my housemate, if they showed up, to eat (I always make too much food anyways). Then she broke my salad sauce server. Whicb pisses me off a lot as it's a present from A&A (who are now expecting a baby! yay!) and I make the most kick ass salad dressings which I will want lots off now that spring is here and I don't have to eat crappy stodgy food so I don't feel cold.
And this morning, I go back into the kitchen, and she's 'washed-up'. Note how carefully I used the word, as there were still food, yes, flecks of food on my dishes and FAT from the roast in my roasting tin. YUM. I almost threw up, I had to wash it all up again.

Now, you would think with everyone having some brains, since we're all at the big O (and it's not an orgasm, think of one of the top universities in the world), a brain is rather necessary.

As Gav said the other day though, it's not as if they aren't intelligent, we're all bright (well, I should hope I am, must be a reason they let me in) but that some people are so obtuse to other people around them. This lack of consideration for other pisses me off, I have never lived with people who have taken the mickey like them.

Rant over.

On a more pleasant note, one of the A is arriving on Tuesday for a few days and JH from home will be here next weekend so will be in London and then rushing around Oxford. No idea why he thought a weekend was long enough. :-)

Busy busy time, no time to do my lucrative hobby of gambling.
Although I am getting slightly disillusioned by it this weekend. At which point does your rate of return is not worth the effort? I am still trying to decide that.

I need a new career. All suggestions welcome.

*I think we can scratch writing and science if you've been reading my blog ;-)*

Of life!

Busy busy busy bee

Last weekend, went to see Tim Minchin, who I think is one of the most hilarious comedians in the world, he writes funny songs, go and listen to the songs on his website! He has this really funny back-combed hair situation and massive eyes that seem to stare at you intensely. He also works the stage barefoot. The show was great, worth the money I paid for it but he needs to work more on the improvisation stuff that would make him stand out. His show was good, (shame I forgot my camera) but reasonably scripted and it was obvious!! Unfortunate about that but I guess that's all that matters.

Went with Mary and before hand, we decided to stuff ourselves silly with food at one of the nicest places I'd eaten all year, we tried out London St Brasserie in Reading (and before anyone makes any sarky comments, Reading isn't all that bad!! It's not good but it's not a complete shite hole). I had the crab salad (wow, I've never seen that much seafood in a restaurant in England, mentalist) and the sea bass fillet with yummy stuff (I can't be arsed to type it all out). Mary had duck spring rolls and a luscious looking chicken and we both topped ourselves with the best English invention in the world, sticky toffee pudding. Having drunk a bottle of wine and talked far too much crap about the state of our lives, we had a quick coffee and had to leg it to the show. *I say legging it, I was more of the waddling variety due to the amount of food*

Then came back and while away Sunday. (And Monday, come to think of it!!)
Met up with Katey today for lunch at Zizzi's. Was very pleasant, very nice to meet up with her to have lunches once a week. I shall miss that terribly when she finishes teaching in Oxford next week. How will I cope.

Received a minor piece of bad news, the paper for my thesis was rejected (AGAIN!) and now I'm back in the lab working on more experiments. Don't get me wrong, I love science and I love research but I would just like the damned thing to be over and done with you know?

And now, I have to prepare for my little kiddies on Thursday, teaching them all about developmental biology, YAY! Should be good. Must remember to email them to hand in their work, if not on time, then something for me to look at. Oxford has a weird system....

Weekend with Becky in Bristol, be prepared for us to descend into town for happy hour!! She has promised to weld my handbag to me this time so no more untoward incidents will be happening there!!!!

Shit, I have a life again, how did that happen before I finished writing my thesis? EEP.... bad bad bad ...

Can people remind me to bring a camera so that I take pictures of my life?

Happy Chinese New Year!

As usual, lots of people, lots of food! Was amazing.

Let it snow, let it snow

Oxford is very beautiful when it snows