It's fizzy, it's ginger, it's phenomenal!

Ginger genius! And we wonder why Irn-Bru out sells coca-cola et al.

Guess who's back! *big grin*

Lesson learned

Unfortunately, and, as always, the hard way. In March this year I had a business trip to Taiwan. It was a heavy week, so on the last night in Taipei I went out for a relaxing meal with some of my clients. Said relaxing meal turned into the heaviest night of the week. I have one word - kampai!

The next day, yours truly had to travel from Taipei to the south of the island. Believe me when I say that I should have been in bed the whole day. Hangovers and Taiwanese public transport don't mix - please see pic below of toilet in Taipei train station.Not the most accomodating if you have to be sick.

The brown/grey section is cement btw.

Luckily I managed to find a disabled toilet to call on dear uncle Hughie. The plan after this part of the journey, was to travel by car to a seaside resort to chillax. Or so I was hoping. We finally arrive, 5 hours later, I officially have no stomach lining, only to be greeted by a ride on this

Someone was out to get me that day. If the hangover didn't kill me, the banana boat would.

Phone home, I doubt it!

Just bought a new phone.

Instruction manual 1 - Dutch. Instruction manual 2 - French.

This will be interesting...

Clepto cleaner

Now, I could be losing it a bit here, but I'm sure I left a lasagne in the fridge yesterday before I went to work. When I came home last night I noticed it wasn't there. To be fair, there is still one in the freezer so I could've made a mistake.

Call me suspicious, but this led me to check the contents of the bin. What did I find? An orange peel, a wrapper from previously moaned about fruit and nut chocolate - my last one! And a empty pot of yoghurt. What do these things have in common? They all belong to me.

I need to check the contents of the cleaning contract because I don't recall saying help yourself to my food when I'm not here!

Cleaner uperer

I was relieved to see that the cleaning lady had been today and she's done a fanstatic job and... nothing has been broken this time. She was meant to come last week but didn't. This was frustrating because I'd gone to the effort of writing a very long note in Dutch for no one to read it.

Today she's had a cup of water but left the cup unwashed by the sink. Contradiction or what?

Not that I begrudge her this. I just think that if she's gone to all the effort of tidying the apartment, that she could do the honours of washing her cup instead of me having to wash it! Kind of defeats the whole purpose of having help!

Desperate times call for desperate measures

You know that times are hard when your last resort for satiating the sweetie fix involves chocolate with fruit and nut. It's just not the same. Sarah did buy me emergency chocolate but I've eaten it already :(

I'm also down to my last 4 frozen meals that Sarah 'prepared earlier.' I'm wondering who I can visit to pad out the last few dinners before she arrives on Sunday.

Oh how I look forward to Sunday!

Haud yer wheesht!*

I went home on Friday for Dad's bday. The above sign greeted me as I arrived at the airport. Only Scotland could have such a slogan and, I think, get away with it. In the words of my native tongue, 'ah hink it's gallus!' But perhaps this is only appealing to Scots abroad because it's caused quite a bit of an uproar back haeme. Some would argue that it's 'pure dead embarrassing' and lacks class. But let's face it, the majority of Prestwick flights are Ryanair and I don't think 'class' is on the top of their passengers' agenda.

I for one will try to avoid Cryanair in the future. Every time I take one of these flights I feel like I'm on a school trip or club 18-30. What is it with mob rule and this demographic each time the plane hits a wee bit of turbulence? I think you'll find the reason Ryanair is so strict with their luggage policy is because their flights are always crammed with baw bags!

End rant.

*Scottish for - 'please be quiet.'

Belgian Belters

As much as I mock the songs on Belgian radio, it is by no means a reflection of my love for the local transmission. I stand proud when I say - Ik hou van Belg radio. I love the random mix of tunes, *cough,* continentals definitely have a different taste in music from the Brits - the tunes are all encompassing. I love the fact that the Proclaimers get air play here! I love that every time I get into my car, it's like travelling back in time (quite literally with the state of some of the roads around here, but that's another story).

What never ceases to surprise me though is the fact that Belgian djs will, very candidly, swear on the radio. And it's broadcast. There's no Mary Whitehouse over here folks. It shocked me at first but my British sensibility is getting use to it. I'm thankful actually, because it means that I get to hear the unedited version of that very catchy song by Ms Allen - 'Fuck you very much.' There's no way this would get airplay back on Old Blighty.

AWOL

I've just eaten a partially cooked meal. My body knows that Sarah isn't here lol.

Of course she's taken good care of me by preparing meals, recording TED seminars on cds, ordering me books, and leaving me lots of little notes scattered around the apartment.

But that doesn't take away from the fact that when Sarah's travelling, so too does our razor and my tweezers!

Sweetheart - is this what you want to come back to?

The result of not fully understanding directions in Dutch...

On my Tod

Sarah left for Boston on Friday. She'll be there for the next 2 weeks to study at MIT. Top blag! To help me to *cope* with her not being here for the next couple of weeks, my girrel very kindly and lovingly prepared no less than 10 home cooked meals, of which 7 are in the freezer. Included with each dish is an ingredient list and full cooking instructions lol. Unlike me, she doesn't appreciate toast as a good meal.

And, I just received 2 books from Amazon that she'd ordered so that my brain didn't dry out whilst she was away. I am vay lucky *big grin*

Talking of drying out though, the *only* thing she's asked me to do it to water the plants. I just hope they're still alive when she returns ;)

Belgian Belters

On the way home tonight in the car, I got to boogy to this...

The 80's are alive and well in Belgium. Oh the irony.

I'm off now to hunt out my leggings and huge can of hair spray ;)