What were your best, worst and funniest moments of 2007?

Best:
Leaving India and my 3 weeks of vacation with good family and quality friends. I just felt like a huge weight had lifted off my shoulders and I finally returned to being myself, a positive person that I like.

Worst:
Freaking out over when I thought my FabIndia carpet was "ruined". It was my favourite thing that I bought in India and just made me happy every time I saw it. I just got so angry inside and it didn't help that I was stressed with my move to London. Then when I tried to get a replacement in FabIndia, I got so frustrated that I burst out crying in the store. (I hate it when that happens - it's so embarrassing!) Looking at it now, it really looks fine and isn't ruined at all, but it somehow doesn't make me as happy as it did before.

Funniest:
This is always a hard one for me, but I would say:
Getting to know Thomas in Spanish class and our outings afterwards. He totally cracks me up! Watching Avenue Q with Lara was pretty darn hilarious too!

Quiz Night Champions!

I just got back from the office bi-annual Quiz Night. It was held in the Red Room, a super-cheap pub in the basement of the office (how sweet is that!). Quiz Nights are a British pub tradition - I think we should have these in Canada. After being behind the table next to us for the whole night, we surged through in the last round to claim first prize! My team has won the last 3 times in a row so I was just happy not to have broken their winning streak. It was lots of fun and I even managed to contribute a few answers (like spelling supercalifragilisticexpialidocious). My team has asked me to join them again next time. It's so nice to be accepted! :)

Sorry, no pictures. I think my camera's broken. :(

Country Walk #2: Hassock - Lewes

I went on my second country walk, this time to near Brighton about an hour away from London. Although the leaves don't turn to such a large variety of brilliant colours as they do in Canada (I'm told that this is because England doesn't have such a quick frost), it's still beautiful to be walking in the crisp autumn air.



We passed a man who was standing at the edge of a field/forested hunting area. His job was to try and herd the partridges back into the area if they came his way. There were man scattered all around the border and we could hear the gunshots in the distance. It was a little scary to hear them if you ask me, but I guess hunting is a long English tradition.



We visited this old English church that had old paintings on the inside walls, but unfortunately I didn't take a picture. Here's the front of the church though. It's quite common to have a small graveyard on the grounds of the church.



And a small Remembrance Day display...

First CTC bike ride

I went on my first CTC (a cycling club) bike ride today. It was a newcomer ride, so it was at a very relaxed pace, without much traffic and quite flat. We had a beautiful day for it - sunny all day which is rare. It was so great to be outside in the sunshine, riding along the Thames. We ended up cycling 20 miles which, because we were going so slowly, was pretty easy to do. But when I got home, I pretty much passed out on my couch! I guess it had taken more out of me than I thought. Or maybe it's a blood sugar thing? We had eaten lunch just 2 hours before I got home though. I guess I'm just not used to endurance activities. Anyway, it was great to get some exercise and I'll definitely be going on some more CTC rides.


I was at the meeting point waiting for others to arrive for the ride and look who came trotting by - the guards for Buckingham Palace. It must have been time for the Changing of the Guard. It's so crazy the stuff that is "normal" when living in London.



Here's the Thames. We cycled on the South bank all the way to Kew Gardens which is in the west of London. The view was nice and relaxing with lots of people out walking, jogging and cycling.


We even passed a rowing competition! (It's so British!)

The English Countryside

Last Sunday, a couple of colleagues and I went on an all-day walk in the country. We followed one of the walks in the Country Walks book published by Time Out, which I fully intend to purchase so for anyone visiting me, I highly suggest we go on one of these walks so you can experience the amazing beauty of the English countryside.

We caught an early train from Victoria Station that took 45 minutes to take us to Borough Green. It drizzled rain almost all day, but I still had a great time. I'm SO glad we did this. It was just what I needed - fresh air, nature, and some good exercise. And I kind of like the rain anyway.

In England, they have ancestral paths that cut through people's property, and the people who own the property aren't allowed to prevent this. Our walk went along some of these ancestral paths. Some properties were very welcoming - we used their handy wood step to climb over their short fence and then it was just open field. And others were less welcoming, with fences on either side of the narrow path.

We walked through apple orchards with ripe apples falling off the trees, through wide open fields with flocks of sheep calmly grazing, past horses wearing rain-aprons, and down streets with storybook houses and beautiful English style "wild" gardens.




And past this mansion owned by a super-rich Arab, the book says.


I think he owns this "modest" garden too. It's crazy how rich some of the people in England are, but at the same time, it's great to be able to see this beauty and walk through it. You haven't really seen England if you haven't been to the idyllic English countryside, I say.


We walked around all day, only stopping for some lunch (and to try and dry off a little) before taking a train back from Seven Oaks. What an amazing day!

Flying Nuns

On Friday the office held a Talent Night to raise funds for charity and somehow I got coerced into performing, and I'm really glad I did! I sang a duet called Sisters, from an old film called White Christmas. It's supposed to be about two siblings, but we decided to camp it up as two nuns (hey it is almost Halloween after all). A colleague made us those ridiculously huge nun hats (are they called wimpoles?) that just made everyone crack up. The audience really seemed to enjoy it (the bar in the back of the room helped).

28th Birthday

Last night, my mom took me out to this fancy French restaurant called Mirabelle, just a 5 minute walk from my place. Dinner was delicious! I got to try Duck à l'orange and soufflé for the first time. I think I'm getting seriously addicted to fine dining, which isn't a very sustainable habit in expensive London unfortunately. Fine dining is wonderful because:

• It's mostly food you can't make yourself.


• You can order appetiser, entrée and dessert and just feel pleasantly full, instead of how it is in Canada. I end up taking half my main course home in a doggy bag and not having room for anything else!


• The subtle flavours of the food are greatly enhanced by a glass of wine.


• And it's delicious!

In my pyjamas this morning, I said goodbye to my mom as she left to fly to Australia for 5 weeks on business. Then I prepared for my birthday, determined not to sleep it away.

Since I haven't made many new friends in London yet, I decided to spend the day on my own, doing things just for me. I took a nice walk to Leicester Square to inquire how to get last-minute tickets to Macbeth this evening.

Then I walked back, stopping at the Virgin Megastores to plan how to use the 50 pound (if anyone knows how to insert the UK pound symbol, let me know) gift certificate my dad sent me online.

After having some sushi at this little restaurant in an alley that I always walk by, I arrived back in my neighbourhood for my one-hour massage appointment, which my back sorely needed (pun intended) at this cute little Japanese massage place by my flat. It was great! I've tried different massage styles and swedish is far superior to the rest if you actually have knots in your back.

Then I grabbed a self-help book Lara gave me for my bday and went across to Green Park to sit under a tree amongst the Autumn leaves. (It's funny, the leaves are shaped similarly to maple leaves here, but they all turn the same yellow-brown colour.) I worked through a bit of the book, journalling as I got to the activities. It was great breathing in the cool fresh air and sitting in the park, even on a cloudy day.

When it got too cold, I eventually made my way back to the theatre district and lined up outside of the sold-out theatre to see if I could get any "return" tickets. Even though I was an hour and a half early, the line was still substantial, so it looked bleak. But I stood my ground, listening to a BBC improv comedy show about the news on my iPod (I love those improv shows! They have a few on TV as well.)

I was lucky enough to get a ticket, and in the second row too! (Full price though, but that's what I wanted. Hey, what's the point of seeing Patrick Stewart in Macbeth if you're all the way in the back, right?) It was off a scalper, but I verified the authenticity of the ticket with the usher first and the price was the face value of the ticket, so I went for it.

As I sat down in the theatre wondering how on earth the scalper was making any money from this deal, the lady next to me asked me how I got the ticket. It turns out that she had an extra ticket because her friend was sick. She was planning on just keeping the ticket, when the scalper came along to ask if she had a spare. He bought it off her for 30 pounds (and I paid 50!). She had no idea that there was a "returns" line (sorry, queue) outside nor that you could just return the ticket at the box office (maybe with some nominal fee). So even though scalping isn't that ethical, it seems like everyone won in this case except maybe the box office (if the charge a return fee). Hm... I think next time though I'll try to refrain from buying a scalped ticket... And I didn't jump the "returns" queue either because I was the next in line who was willing to pay for the expensive seat.

The show was great and Patrick Stewart lived up to his reputation. The play was done with 40s(?) era costumes/settings which made an interesting effect. The whole thing makes me want to buy the book and study it. No, seriously. I waited outside the stage door and managed to get some not-so-great photos of him signing autographs. But I didn't bug him for one because it seems inconsiderate to bug someone for something like that when they just want to go home after a gruelling performance. And what would I do with an autograph anyway?

I turned 28 today - yay! Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone. It's always nice to know people are thinking of you even when you're far away. :)

I walked home and am now writing this inaugural post to my London blog. I should go to bed soon because I'm going for a walk in the country tomorrow with some colleagues! I'm really looking forward to it, even if the forecast is rain...

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Don't worry, this is nothing too serious. Just thought I'd write a little account, in case anyone's interested in the topic.

~~
A couple of months ago, I notice that my wrists are aching almost everyday. Sometimes my palm or my forearm is sore, sometimes it's a slight numb sensation or my hands feel weaker than normal. My mind automatically thinks of carpal tunnel (CTS), or Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

But I must be too young for that. I haven't been using computers for that long..., have I?. I do the math - been addicted to email since I was 17. That's 10 years. And I type pretty fast.

I ask my staff doctor about it and he refers me to websites on the topic. Although I've already set up my workstation ergonomically, I read through that part of it anyway and make a few minor adjustments. I learn some new stretches and do them whenever I remember. I try to take more breaks too, but I get so caught up in work...



Hm... this funky mouse looks interesting.
And I'll download the trial version of this software, too.




I've heard of this keyboard alternative to QWERTY, but I thought you had to buy a whole new keyboard. Silly me! Of course you can just change the settings on your Windows!

The more I look at the Perific mouse, the more I want it. So many cool ways to use it!

I try the RSIGuard software trial version on my home computer. This autoclick feature is great! I personalise the settings more and more to take advantage of all the subtle features. Hotkeys I can program to automatically type commonly-used text, a breaktimer with stretching videos, ...

Since I don't want to slow down my typing speed at work, I decide to learn the Dvorak keyboard at home first. Hey, this is easier than I thought it would be! And I'm somehow managing to retain both keyboard layouts, although it always takes me a few seconds Monday mornings to reaqcuaint myself.

After the trial period is up, I purchase the software. Money well spent. I want it on my office computer now, and I gotta get me that mouse. I'd better get myself officially diagnosed so that my employers can pay for them.

At my first appointment, the orthorpaedician explains what causes CTS. The nerves going into my hand all run through a tunnel in my wrists. When I type or click my mouse, they rub against each other and the tunnel, and get inflamed and irritated causing pain, numbness, and weakness.

He sends me for a nerve conduction test, which involves one electrode being stuck to my upper forearm and one to the fleshy part of my palm under my thumb. The technician sends a small current through and I see my thumb jerk. He runs more currents through at small increments of voltage. As the voltage in the bursts of current increases, the current feels more uncomfortable. It's an odd feeling to have someone else making your muscles move. Then the technician warns me that he's going to do a rapid series of ten bursts. I brace myself. Not really that painful, but I'm definitely glad that's over! The results show that my nerves conduct absolutely normally. Alright! No permanent damage! Yet anyway.

Okay now what? There's another test that will diagnose early CTS. The doctor explains that he can inject some cortisone, an anti-inflammatory into my wrist. If itmakes the pain go away, then we know it's Carpal Tunnel. Yikes!! Sounds painful!

He says he'll research what else can be done and recommends I get a wrist brace. Already tried that. It didn't help with the CTS and it made it impossible to use a pen to sign my name to my numerous refusal letters each day.

(Gotta go to bed. To be continued with a description of the needle. Would it be as bad as I feared?...)

I'm movin' to London, baby!!

On Thursday, I finally got my PCF (Posting Confirmation Form) which means that my posting to London has received its final approval from the Higher Ups! Woohoo!!! Now I can buy my plane ticket, get my new dip passport, etc etc.

On a slightly unrelated note, on Thursday night I sprained my ankle pretty badly coming down the stairs in my house. I somehow thought the second last step was the last, stepped down and heard a loud snap as I fell. It hurt SO bad and all I could think about as I fought against the pain was, "Oh no! What if this somehow screws up my posting to London!!" which isn't the most logical concern to have at that moment but I guess that's what intense pain does to ya.

It just shows how unbelievably lucky I feel to have gotten this posting that I'm subconsciously afraid that it's too good to be true. I guess I won't fully believe it until I've landed in London in August. For now, I'll just enjoy the anticipation. :D

P.S. I thought for sure the ankle had to be broken but a later x-ray revealed otherwise, to my great relief. By the way, here's a great website that I am referring to in my recovery. It gives a useful plan on how to rehabilitate an ankle sprain.

Kerala Trip: Last stop, Trivandrum

We were having such a good time in Varkala that we decided to go to Trivandrum just for our last night before I caught an early flight back to Delhi. We took a quick train there that was super-cheap. We only had to buy tickets for it 30 minutes in advance. It was much more convenient than the bus option which only has a couple of direct buses in the morning, or you have to change buses.



We stayed in a cheap hotel that I definitely do NOT recommend. Avoid Hotel Ganesh, even though it was recommended by my version of the Lonely Planet (although hopefully not in the newer version). It was a complete hole. Because we were there on a festival day (i.e. a holiday), then the rooms weren't cleaned because the cleaning staff was off. But even if they had been cleaned, it would have been a total hole. Even the hotel manager knew it because he told me to pick the price I wanted to pay for the room! I said 200Rs and we settled on 250Rs with tax, but it was too much to pay. I asked for clean sheets and instead of making the bed with them, he just lay them on top of the bed and pillow (i.e. he didn't even give a clean pillowcase). The room stank of smoke, the toilet was gross, and the walls were filthy. Yuck! I didn't sleep very well that night because I was afraid of getting bed bugs.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about Trivandrum. I was happy to get up early the next morning and catch my autorickshaw to the airport to get the heck out of there.