Adventures in London: New Year's Resolutions

I closed the year by running 2,010 seconds and looking forward to each second that I will run in 2011. 2010 has certainly been an interesting year. It has challenged me and tested me in ways that I did not think possible. I am pleased that 2010 has come to a conclusion and excited for everything that 2011 has in store.

2010's was about not wondering where the road leads, why some loves grow and other don't. It was about letting things go and accepting that 'Only Time' will provide the answers. The year has probably left me with more questions than answers, but it has also given me hope for a new beginning. In 2011 "I Stand" for the power to change, I live for the perfect day, I believe there is a better place.

Below is the what I have learned from 2010:

Like many of us, I have my hopes for 2011, below are just a few that I have in mind:

1. Cook 53 new dishes in the next 351 days
2. Read 9 new books
3. Run a marathon is less than 251 minutes
4. Visit 11 new citites
5. Move closer to N1
6. Log in at least 751 km by the close of the year
7. Learn a language in 11 weeks
8. Sell 3 photographs
9. Work no more than 13 hours a day
10. Drinks only once within a 7 day cycle starting Saturday
11. Save 15% of my paycheck a month

Adventures in London: Issue 127

It was definitely NOT the week that I had expected or planned for and definitely went against the set agenda for my NYC holiday visit. That said, it was just the week that I needed. Since returning from my Asia trip, I have not had much 'Tini' time, so these extra days allowed me to spend some quality time alone. There were a bunch of flat and personal errands that I wanted to focus on so that is just what I did.

I realise that my time at work at changed. I found myself in the office on Tuesday hanging out. It has been a while since I wanted to just be there. I went to the office to meet a co-worker for lunch and Christmas shopping. It was a quick tour around SoHo looking for a Christmas jumper and some scotch. There was no reason for me to buy either, but I just could not resist. In the evening I met up with a few girlfriends for Chinese at our favourite place. Correction, it was at their sister restaurant which was just as amasing. I am bummed that I am not home with family and friends, but am blessed to have some of that here.

No one should spend this amount of time in the office when on holiday. Unlike yesterday I was only there to pick up a friend for lunch and some quick shopping. Oxford street in general is a mess, but add in the Christmas season and it is absolute madness. We spent a whole 18 minutes in John Lewis and that was enough to make the both of us go mad. I had wanted to continue shopping, but the crowds turned me off. I did however make a lovely trip to the Virgin Heathrow Warehouse to collect my bag. It has been 4 days since the snow storm and people are still stranded. I am lucky that I live here and have a visa that allows me to stay. There are a number of people stuck outside the airport with expiring visa. Yes I said outside...they cannot even let travellers into the airport cause it is at capacity. What a mess this storm has caused.

On Friday morning during my routine morning schedule as I checked my twitter feed, I read the following: We're flying a charter flight on TODAY from LHR to JFK at 14:15 This is available to book now for ALL passengers 8:54 AM Dec 24th, 2010 via web

I immediately called them and 80 minutes later I miraculously had a seat on the chartered flight. May have been early, but I could not resist phoning my Mom to say that I was going to be home for Christmas :-) After getting off the phone with the agent I went to into warp speed, I had to shower, clean, and make a few last minute adjustments to my luggage. I rang my friend to inform her that I would not be able to make it for Christmas Eve dinner (which I was really looking forward to) and rang the car service for their next available car. Within 50 minutes I was out the door and off to the airport.

I made it to the airport and after some confusion at the counter I checked-in for my flight. I had just enough time to do some quick shopping and enjoyed a glass of champagne and caviar while I waited for my ghost flight's gate to be announced. A dear friend of mine messaged me before my flight to say that it was going to be a festive flight and it certainly was. Most people were is a great mood that they were going to be home for Christmas day. Of course you had the moaners who could and would find anything to complain about. I met a bunch of great light hearted people on the flight. We all shard our 'war stories' and bonded. I shared a taxi into NYC with 3 Aussies living in London and it was wonderful entering NYC and seeing it from a tourist's eyes. It made me really pumped to be in NYC for Christmas.

It has been 3 years since the full family got together for Christmas. It is not our holiday, but it still feels nice to be together. We have no true ties to the day, except that like most Americans we celebrate the hallmark holiday that it is and trade presents.

I had the pleasure of waking up at 0530 and later was joined by Kadin at 0650 to watch the sunrise. He will tell you now the skies goes; pink, orange, yellow and then blue. When it is blue, then you are allowed to wake the house up :-) Jetlag is unpleasant, but I look at it as a blessing as it allows me some alone time with Kadin. He is at an age now where I can chat with him and we can actually talk.

In London I may be a cook, but in NYC when I am amongst family I avoid the kitchen. My only contribution to Christmas dinner is to open the can of cranberry sauce, set the table and EAT! Bhai with Mom as the sous chef cooked a full Christmas dinner for all of us. Bhai's dinner included his infamous 'heart attack' corn, fluffy and buttery mashed potatoes and cheesy spinach salad. Not quite the 16 course dinners with corn bake, brussel sprouts and green bean casserole that I have become accustom to living in London, but this is just the meal that reminds me of being with my family. OH! How could I forget. The meal also included a homemade apple pie baked by...who else...Bhai! He bakes, he cooks...what can't he do?!

On Boxing day we did what most Americans and Brits were doing, we hit the stores for returns and exchanges. It was a beautiful sunny morning when we entered the store, but after several hours of shopping and brunch we left to store to be greeted by snowfall. Yup! My second snow storm in a matter of a week. Unlike the 3" in London, NYC was expecting an actual storm of 18". Despite knowing this fact, we all thought an afternoon at Chelsea Piers ice skating was in order. It was Kadin's first time on ice skates and I must say he was rather impressive. I doubt that I would be able to stand and walk 'support free' now let alone when I was 3. He was not as keen when he got onto the ice, but enjoyed his first ice skating experience. Getting home however was a trip and a half. Within the couple of hours that we spent at Chelsea Piers it had already snowed a good 4" making finding a cab a nightmare.

Despite it taking us over an hour to cross town due to the sliding cars on the unploughed roads, we all thought that dinner at Cask Bar & Kitchen (aka my new favourite place to go to in NYC - sorry Wharf) was in order. I am pleased that Cask was on the agenda for the day as it meant a lovely evening of Kadin entertainment, flights of beers, a three-cheese board, blue cheese and Sierra Nevada brown ale Mussels (sounds odd, but absolutely delicious and the true definition of scrumptious), french onion soup, and truffle oil Mac N' Cheese. It was the perfect family evening. Wish the mulled wine was actually mulled wined and not steamed red wine with an orange slice -- YUCK! When in Rome, don't try to eat like a Grecian.

I am extremely pleased that I was able to spend Christmas day with the family. It was certainly a Christmas miracle and treat from Virgin Airlines.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break with your family, friends and SOs.

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 126

This week WAS supposed to be my last week in London, but more about that later. I could not resist buying a charlie brown Christmas tree. It was just too cute and I had to have one! The lovely thing about this tree is that I can keep it after twelfth night (just need to take the decorations off). I cannot explain it, but by just having this wee little tree and I am excited for Christmas. I am rather looking forward to being back in NYC for Christmas break. It will be my first visit back to the city since moving. Will be great to be back in a city with Christmas lights as far as the eye can see. There is no missing the festive spirit in NYC - - they make it blatantly clear that 'It's the most wonderful time of the year'.

This week was about wrapping up the year (in a number of ways). It has been an interesting year to say the least and I am rather looking forward to the new year. Was talking with someone at work and they described this year as 'not easy for you.' They were spot on. It has not been an easy year, but I made it through it - we all have.

There are a number of lessons that I have learned through the course of the year and one in particular is the importance of a home cooked meal. I have taken myself off the training schedule, so to unwind and de-stress I cook. It is always about food with me isn't.

Speaking of food, on Wednesday I met a friend at Dishoom, a new London Bombay cafe for some street food. Normally I am quick to criticise the food; too sweet, they used milk rather than cream, not enough spice, no saffron, no cardamon... not this time. We order a collection of bits; sheekh kebabs, pau bhaji, and khali daal. Everything was spot on. I am glad that Mathews introduced me to this place. Mathews is starting up her own food manufacturing company so exploring new restaurants and recipes is right up her alley (and mine). See why we bonded! Fingers crossed, she may use a photo of mine for her website. Figured rather than purchasing stock photos, I could help out. This is me being really pretentious in thinking that they are 'professional' worthy. Whatever the outcome, it has got me thinking of putting together a portfolio of subjects. Maybe someone will want to buy one...who is to know. If I don't try I will never find out.

For the past two Mindshare Christmas parties that I have been here for it has always been worldwide only. This year, they decided to do a joint UK-Worldwide Christmas party. I was on the fence about attending the Disco themed fancy dress party. Not really my style if you ask me. I would not have minded if it was just WW, but was not in the mood to mingle with UK (I am a snob for saying that). I brought a dress in and at lunch time went shopping for the rest of the outfit. The boys convinced me to go - - and why not. It was our Christmas party after all. I am happy that I went. It turned out to be a great night of dancing and hanging out with friends.

And now for the joys of Saturday. What a chaotic mess!! Just like any other day that I was meant to travel, I woke up at 0700 to clean and do some last minute laundry (which also implies that I was packing). Around 1000 the white flurries started to fall. It picked up through the course of the next couple of hours and then it started;

The BBC ticker read "Heathrow closed until 1700", "BAA urges passengers to avoid going to airport unless confirmed flight"; that said Virgin Airlines still had flights leaving on time and suggested that you went to the airport. So who do trust? Who do you listen to? Against my better judgement, I listened to Virgin and went to the airport. After all, what could a few inches do? Oh how I would eat my words.

Showing up to a closed airport is unwise. I had a fantastic notion that it would just mean waiting it out in the terminal shopping and eating. Yeah no! When they say the airport is closed they mean that you cannot enter the airport at all (not even to check in your bag). Bummer I know.

I waited downstairs for roughly 15 minutes before I got bored of standing up in a sea of people rolls bags over your feet, pushing you left and right. Upon here that the next update from Virgin would be at 1700 (approx 2.5 hours of the current time), I headed up to the pub to wait it out; what were my other options. I was lucky that a table freed up so I joined 2 other gentlemen (it turned out they had just met as well sharing a taxi to the airport when the tube stopped its service 2 stops from the airport). The three of us spent the next couple of hours chatting, eating and knocking back a few of pints. If you are going to be stuck in an airport - - do it in style.

Irony was that we were all heading to NYC. James and I were on the same flight and Michael was heading to JFK. After 3 hours chatting about British/American cultural differences, sci fi books, measuring digital activity, iPad apps, Virgin Airlines provided an updated; a number of flights were immediately cancelled, but ours was taking off. Even had our own special line for check-in. Cheery and optimistic James and I checked in our bags and headed towards security only to discover that the airport was not actually open. Having given up our seats at the pub we were forced to sit on the airport floor waiting for the security to open. After two hours of waiting, BAA announced:

RT @VirginAtlantic: Heathrow closed until 06:00H tomorrow cancelled all our flights departing on 18th Decemberhttp://tinyurl.com/vsfb188:31 PM Dec 18th via TweetDeck

There was no way to collect your luggage, you just had to leave. The following day was just as much fun trying to rebook my ticket. What was helpful were the following motivational messages:

RT @VirginAtlantic: Aircraft are out of position & it may be 24-48 hours before schedules are back to normal10:38 PM Dec 18th via TweetDeck

Heathrow closed until least 20:00H Sunday 19th December flights will be severely disrupted please check flighthttp://tinyurl.com/vsstatus9:12 AM Dec 19th via web

Much of the day was spent trying to reach Virgin Airlines, what did not help was that you could not get through. Thankfully they posted the following which made me feel oh so much better:

Due to very high call volumes we are exp longer waiting times & our holding capacity is full. We ask passengers call this afternoon/tomorrow9:45 AM Dec 19th via web

It was not just the airports, roads, trains tube were all brought down to their knees with this 'storm'. The line at St Pancreas was miles long, Heathrow was at capacity and tubes were on severe delays. It was not a pretty site. Not living in the UK it is easy to just say get on another plane. The thing is, how can you. When you watched the news and saw the hundreds of families stranded at the airport, sleeping on the floor with foil blankets how could you argue that you were a priority? I just couldn't make that case. Yes I was gutted that I would not be home for the holidays, but the people stranded away from home took priority. Luckily I was able to get through and after 2 hours on hold was able to rebook my flight to NYC. I may be flying on Christmas night, but at least I am going home. Won't be the two week break that I intended, but 1 week in NYC will suffice. As for my luggage:

Sorry to those without their luggage, bags were loaded onto aircraft and we're now waiting for clear paths & de-icing before we can unload.December 19, 2010 12:24:16 PM BST via web

They may have not been answering the phone, but at least they replied to tweets: @teaknee Hi There, we're working on delivering the rest of the bags tonight and tomorrow, we'll keep you updated.December 19, 2010 9:23:01 PM BST via web in reply to teaknee

Hope you all are not having to go through any of this travel nightmare and make it home to your families for the holidays.

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 125

Initially planned for 30-Nov, but postponed due
to the weather conditions, on Monday we finally put up our team decorations. Other teams kicked off the holiday glee in the office this year, but we made certain to 'bring it' with our oh so classy decorations. Our intentions were for them to go up on 30 Nov. We all had plans to stay late to decorate the office, but with the snowy weather it was not worth the risk of people getting If you are wondering, yes that is an inflatable Father Christmas. And yes he goes up and down the chimney :-) The office is such a happy place with all the decorations!!! Some may say they are tacky, but I find them pretty!!! Wouldn't you agree?

On Wednesday, K-Cook and I went for dinner. It had been ages since we had a catch up. We used to go for smoothies or lattes in the afternoon, but work schedules have gotten in the way. We sit 2 banks of desks away from each other and yet hardly have the time to chat. It took months of planning & coordinating diaries, but we were finally able to fix a date. Probably comes to no shock, but we decided to go to Champagne Charlies for a drink. As there were no room to stand, drinks turned into dinner. I must say, they are fast becoming my favourite go-to bar; great food, pewter mugs and brilliant atmosphere. It is a run of the mill pub with saw dust on the floor yet the food is top notch (it is not the IVY, but when it comes to pubs they are top notch). It was nice to catch up with K-Cook. We have been both going through stuff, so it was therapeutic to share our situations with one another. Life is too short to try to battle everything on your own (I realise the irony of that statement).

I was rather looking forward to Thursday night. It was supposed to be my night in the flat with no plans. Just a chance to unwind and catch up on flat stuff. As much as I enjoy having a booked social calendar, I love my alone time even more. I have not had a lot of 'Tini time" since I got back from Asia. Just my luck, at 5:30 I got an invite to see Legally Blonde: the musical with TinSing. How could I pass that offer up? I adore going to the theatre. I was absolutely knackered when I got to the theatre, but minutes into the show I was wide awake and clapping! Legally Blonde: the musical much like the movie is a lighthearted upheat happy way to spend 2 hours. The English cast did a brilliant job with the American accents. I was convinced that a number of the cast-members were actually American - - nope. All English. It is funny. The English can do American accents, but the vice versa does not hold. It is rare that American actors can maintain the English accents in movies, shows, etc. Anyway, I Legally Blonde is entertaining and I am glad that I saw it. I would not say it was the best musical nor would I desire to see it again, but glad that I saw it. I really want to see War Horses and Billy Elliot.

Friday, was our much anticipated and looked forward to Business Planning & Friends Christmas lunch at the Savoy Tup. You can expect the afternoon to be filled with laughter, friends (or co-workers), music, dancing, drinks and pizza. What I was not expecting is a training session in a potential second career. Who said wishes cannot come true. I have always wanted to know what it would be like to work behind the bar and Friday night I learned (even learned how to use the till machine). After pouring two beers, my bar-tending days are over. Could have been fun if I was 23/24, but not at this age. Don't have the patience for it. I was debating on not going to the luncheon, but pleased that I did as it was a MERRY afternoon.

The next morning was not as merry, in fact all I wanted to do was sleep for just a wee bit longer. Instead I woke up at 0900 gearing to go and made my way to Westfiends to meet a friend for shopping. Why the idea of going to Westfields on a Saturday before Christmas seemed like a good idea is beyond me. The queues were insane. I wanted to shop and there was plenty that I would have purchased, but I did not have the patience to queue up. The test of a friendship is the ability to shop together. The people that you truly connect with you can shop with; there is no pressure, you can relax and it is enjoyable. When it is not, well you find another level of friendship for them.

I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would ever be in the position to teach someone how to cook. Growing up my culinary skills were limited to cinnamon toast and soup. Moving to NYC and especially with my move to London - I love been in the kitchen. An ideal evening for me is one in which I can cook. There is nothing like a home-cooked meal.

Word of advise: anyone with the desire of seeing The Tourist, save your money. It is a colossal waste of funds and time. If you are looking for an opportunity to eat a large tub of popcorn and take a nap, then enjoy.

On a side note, whilst I appreciate the emails notifying me of the 'riots' and 'protests' situation in Central London, I am well aware of them. We have been dealing with them for the past month. This week was extreme though. The march path went via the Strand, so I got to see the masses from my window. I sympathise with the tuition increases, but they crossed the line on Thursday. Granted, I was not actually there on the streets, but attacking police horses does not make for a good PR campaign. Thankfully Parliament voted, so no more marches (until the next cause).

With that, I wish you a happy morning, afternoon, evening!!

Miss you

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 124

I used to be a fan of snow...love the smell of the air just before the first snow fall. I used to think that fresh snow was the most happy and pretty winter site you could have. 'I used to' is the operative phrase there. Snow in this country is a simply nightmare. Less than 2 cm can cause complete havoc and mayhem in this country. Tuesday we witnessed our first snowfall. The office advised employees to go home early as trains were stopping service. For me, I stayed in the office as I had tickets to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in Leicester Square. Between the student marches and protest over the increase in student fee and the snowy weather, Central London was a ghost-town at 8:00pm. A bit freaky and scary how quickly people run out of the city with the sign of flurries.

When every sought refuge from the 'storm', Naomi and I went to the movies to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. This is the first HP film where I did not read the book before going. I wanted a sense of mystery. Also wanted to see if the movies would be as interesting and engaging if you did not know what was going to happen. I am keen now to read the book. The movie was entertaining, a bit of repetitive; chase chase chase, sappy sappy sappy, chase chase chase. I am looking forward to seeing part II. It is odd to watch a movie that ends mid-way - - wonder if other directors and studios are going to try this format for movies. Will they attempt that with Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn? Let's wait and see. Does anyone know when that movie is coming out. I definitely cannot wait to see that one!!

Now that it is December (and officially time to put up Christmas decorations), it means that the countdown to the end of the year begins. I have 3 work weeks left this year before I go home. Scary how fast December snuck up on us. As we are now in the season of festivities and wrapping up the year, the social calendar has become rather active. On Wednesday, attendance at the office was bleak due to the snowy weather. Trains were either not running or experiencing hours and hours of delayed service. Helpful on one hand as it meant that distractions were kept to a minimum. That meant that it allowed us to leave 'on-time' and squeeze in a few pewters of lager at my new favourite afterwork bar Champagne Charlies.

Its been a good 2 months since Pat and I had our 'last date'. We definitely are a 'married couple' now...spending time with each other is becoming increasingly difficult because of our work and travel schedules. We skipped the month of November as I travelled the first half and he travelled the second half. Thankful, we were able to align our schedules for a low-key dinner at Wagamamas on Thursday. I always enjoy my evenings with Pat. In just a matter of a few months we had years of catching up to do; career moves, bithdays, travel recaps, life directions, and some light hearted laughter. I am glad that we had the opportunity to catch up. Given the season it is hard to find time in one another diaries, but just go to show you always make time for those who mean something to you.

Despite having loads of work to do and last minute changes to a brief, I made some effort and kept my plans to see meet a friend at Noble pub in North London. It is cute neighbourhood pub with an open fireplace, a killer wine menu and delicous food. I thought I would be adventurous and ordered the duck liver and sausage starter and a goat cheese and beet root corstini as my main. I was definitely stressed when I left the office, but once I saw the fireplace and had a bite to eat my worries went away and I was ready to enjoy the weekend up in North London. May be a matter of 15 miles, but given the snowy weather I packed an overnight kit in case I got stuck with no way to return to south London. You learn rather quickly, carry an umbrella in the spring to summer time, and when it snows carry an overnight kit if travelling more than 5 miles from home. Easy rules of thumbs I say.

My friend has a dog (which was heaven on my allergies) so during the daytime we went for walks in the park. I believe we walked around Finsbury Park (cannot really tell as the whole area seems to be different parks and gardens). It was a pretty walk through the woods and seeing the foliage It was a semi-relaxing weekend. Being away from home forced me unwind a little. I have come a long way since July, but I have to work at it. Relaxing and letting go do not come easily to me. I spent the day on Sunday working from my friends place on some stuff. Did not make for being the best house guest, but I needed to focus on getting some stuff done. It is hard sometimes for people who are not in our industry to understand the world that we work in. It is wrong to work on weekends, I agree. But some times it just needs to be done. Important thing is to keep those occurrences to a minimum.

OMG!!! I almost forget the best part of this week. Actually I should have mentioned it last week. Glee is coming to the UK!!! Yes you know what that means!! I was meant to buy tickets when they first went on sale, but apparently 26 Nov was a Friday and not a Monday as I initially thought. That said, I was able to solidify 4 tickets to the concert. Not proud of the seats, but at least I will be there to enjoy!! Shame this song won't be performed (it is my latest obsession song).

Miss you all and love you dearly

xx

T