Adventures in London: Issue 195

I can get used o this tradition that is being set. For the second year now, am traveling on my birthday for an exotic holiday. Last year I was in a wheel chair headed to Morocco...this year we are off to Malaysia/Singapore (thankfully this time I was not in a wheelchair)!! I started the day at work, followed by a quick mini post-pitch celebration at the pub and then it was HOLIDAY TIME!!! Keeping up with the travel traditions (and birthday ones) the race to the airport was on as there was rose champagne and fois gras waiting for us! Didn't have as much time as we wanted, but we did manage to relax, leave our work stresses behind and enjoy 2 glasses of bubbly and some food :)

The first stop on our Asian Vacation was Kuala Lumpur. We stayed there for 3 nights, then travelled to Langkawi for 5 nights and the last stop was Singapore for 3 nights. Keeping up with our tradition of always meeting in a new city (seems to be a theme for this post), Aashin and Stuty met Mands and I in KL. It was absolutely amazing to see the two of them and catch up....here are some highlights from the trip:

Thursday, 26 April: We took the train to the Batu Caves and spent the day exploring. We discovered that monkeys are super cute until they jump on your back. Lesson learnt...don't carry sweets in your back pack... they will try to help themselves! After that we made our way to the Buttery Gardens (an open air garden with various butterfly species) and then back to the hotel to meet up with Aashin & Stuty for dinner (No I am not going to mention the rat story)

Friday, 27 April: We spent the day playing tourist in KL seeing Chinatown, Kasturi Walk, and the Central Market. The highlight of the trip however was going to Suria KLCC (shopping centre under the Petornas Towers) for a visit to Big Apple Donuts. Oh how I have missed these! After donuts we treated ourselves with a foot massage (I am converted...foot massages are lush). In the evening with went to the KL tower for dinner. After an annoying encounter and unwillingness to help, we left and went to the Pavillion KL Mall for Dim Sum followed by a beer tower at Weissbrau. How can you resist 2500 ml of dunkel... you just cannot :-)

  

  

  

Saturday, 28 April: Sadly all good things come to end and sadly the same happened with our lovely visit! Timely end as the day we left KL had protest and rallies with over 25K people against the election, etc. Whilst Aashin and Stuty made their way back to Penang, Mands and I left for Langkawi to start our 5 days luxury rain forest resort. We were greeted by an open lobby with drumming, lotus and ginger tea and a lovely reception. The resort is lovely...it is all open and remotely located in the rain forest. We were warned about wild monkeys, but we did not expect to the see them literally everywhere in the hotel bar helping themselves to the nuts and left over food on dishes. WICKED!!

   

Sunday, 29 April: There is so much to do in Langkawi. We spent a good portion of Saturday's happy hour sorting through the events and creating an agenda. Today's activity... a 4 hour wild life photography tour starting at 0720. Sadly at 0710 just as we were meeting our guide we were all greeted by DOWN POUR! After an hour of straight downfall, we started seeing breaks in the clouds so we decided to risk it. I am so pleased that we did as the experience of touring the islands and mountains stopping for wildlife was so cool. There is no way to describe the sounds, scents and colours of the Langkawi wildlife. Wish we could have gotten closer to some of the animals, but after seeing the teeth on the silver tail monkey, I was just fine :)

        

Hope you all are well! Miss you truly and dearly. 

Love you

xxx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 194

 How is it that when you take holiday the week before you leave is ALWAYS insane?! This is my last week before my two week holiday in Malaysia/ Singapore. There is never a good time for a holiday that is for sure, but this   one is really at the worst timing. I wish I could have changed it, but to be honest I am glad to be getting away.  This week has seen way too many late nights. Not normal late nights, but the "this is ridiculous" late nights. Leaving work purely cause the eyes cannot stay open anymore. This is not right?!

I understand that we are not in a 9-5 industry, but these hours, this caving to the clients every whim is just REDUNKCULOUS! Over the years I have learnt to draw boundaries on things, but the simple truth is I care too much. Not about my job or career, but just about producing good work. If its going to have my name attached or involved, then I want it to be the best representation of myself. May not be the motto of everyone these days, but that is my life motto. As my grandfather taught me -- if you are going to do something, do it right and with passion or not at all :-)


This week hasn't been all work. On Thursday night, Geoff and Caroline from Kennedy's Law firm invited us out for a night at Ronnie Scotts to see Georgie Fame. Ronnie Scotts is THE Jazz Club of London. It was rather wicked walking in and soaking up the great music, food and atmosphere. It was a really GREAT evening. Going out with Geoff and Caroline is guaranteed to be a top evening and most definitely one that will be over indulgent with all the guilty pleasures of the world (or venue).

Kicking back with Old Fashions and wine was just what the week needed :-) Friday came and went. Never have I seen so many tears shed in an office space and within a week let alone, but FINALLY 5 o'clock came and we were quick to call it a week. THANK THE STARS as this weekend marked the London Marathon/ GB Women's Marathon trials. Last year I missed watching the London Marathon live on the streets due to my ankle. For the last 14 years I have cheered (in person) the marathon of whatever city I am living in.

I have seen some great moments and got to see some of the greatest run past me; Radcliffe, Kastor, Samuelson, N'dereba, Keitany.. the list goes on. On Sunday I added many more names and faces to my list including Liz Yelling. It is a bummer that she did not make the GB Women's Marathon team. Shame that one bad day can have such a massive impact on other events. She looked great running by....strong and dignified!

Any week that ends with the London Marathon is a good week. It may have been filled with several late nights, but does it matter?! I am going on holiday in two days AND I reached my weight goal :-)

Miss you all

xxx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 193

This week the reality kicked in. In a couple of weeks, we are off to Asia and I am nowhere close to being ready nor achieving my goal. I cannot remember the last time I went to the gym three times, but this week I did... had some amazing sessions too. On Monday I did a 3.4km run followed by 1K hill, finished with 10min of speed drills of 1 min on/off. I felt great after that session and thankfully wasn't sore the next day so I was make it back to the gym. I was so very pleased I did as I managed to run a 5K in sub-30 minutes (27min12sec to be exact). I "cooled down" with a 10 min hill session at L20 and an intense ab session. That did me in, so couldn't fathom going back to the gym until Sunday. Even on Sunday I wasn't a 100% able to run.. (think Monday & Tuesday were a little too much for me), so I ended up rowing and doing the elliptical. Need to learn where the exercise line is so I don't keep crossing it and sabotage my own recovery.

On Friday I was pleasantly surprised with a LUSH..I repeat LUSH birthday dinner at Pont de la Tour! It was such a sweet treat! Since I would be traveling on my birthday, Mands decided to celebrate my birthday early with a lovely lovely meal with a beautiful view of Tower Bridge. I wasn't in the birthday spirit yet, but that night I definitely wore my Queen T birthday crown. I really was the birthday queen -- had scallops for a starter, lobster for a main, and had them bring me a special Old Fashion at the table. After the meal we went to the bar when the bartender showed us in detail how to make the PERFECT Old Fashion. Can't say I completely followed, but I learnt how complex this drink is and why it take 8 minutes :-P

 After such a lush evening on Friday there was only one way to burn off all the calories - - SHOPPING! We had been invited to Brenda's Gate Crashing event the morning of the wedding so the hunt for a pastel dress was on! We spent 7 hours on Saturday hunting for the right dress (ended up buying a new dress for the wedding and some much needed shorts too). It was a long day, but a fun day. My days of being a mall rat are over, but it is fun every now and then. I have never known shopping to be this stressful - - internet shopping is definitely the way forward (just need to learn my UK size)!!! I am pumped now for the holiday! Cannot wait to wear my pretty dresses :-)

Hope you all are well and looking forward to the warm weather :)

xxx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 192

It's almost time for the Easter weekend which means 4 day weekend!!! All weekends should be a minimum of 3 days, especially with the hours we've been working how else are you supposed to get anything done or even attempt to have a balanced life. Despite the long hours, I was pleased to leave work early on Thursday to kick off the long weekend. We had a bit of a spontaneous change in plans...leaving early on Thursday so we could meet with Sam & Lou in Brecon at this super cute inn. It was nice to see the two ladies and spend some time with them outside of London. I like moments like these...and I look forward to the next get-a-way together. Wherever that may be, I am certain it will be good beer, food and especially friends!

The next morning after a lush breakfast, it was off to go hiking. We bought a map and a book this time, but that did not help us. We still couldn't find where we were meant to go. We drove and drove, double backing on ourselves, but we couldn't understand the author's directions (or lack there of). Instead we found a random mountain and opted to just hike that instead. It was a brutal start going vertically upwards for 30 minutes, but then it was a very pretty hike. 

We decided not to attempt anything daring. Keep it simple after our last adventures in the mountain tops. We hiked for 2 hours and then turned around tracing back our steps. I am really starting to enjoy hiking. Wishing now that I did more of it in the Adirondack Mts with Coach Peters! My ankle is still getting used to the vertical climbing, but I am hoping that my ankle treats this as a strengthening exercise and not throw a tamper tantrum. At the moment, it seems to be throwing a tantrum, but I will let it be. The rest of the weekend will be focused on chilling out :) Plenty of rest to be had.

To celebrate the Easter weekend it was off to Pencoed, WALES to visit the Tommey's. On Saturday after running some errands it was off to the beach! Its one of the great traditions of coming to Wales; watching Tye run around like she is a puppy. It is not like going to Sunset Beach or anything, but it is wicked. We went to a new beach, exploring Porthcawl and the esplanade around it. Wales is filled with such quaint villages. I really like the laid back nature of the country. 

In the evening after a lush dinner we played cards. Normally cards for my family is Rumi...Abhai Rumi, but I was pleased to learn a new card game; New Market (or is it marketplace, I kept mixing it up). It is a bit of a gambling game (though we did not gamble) with three chances to win. You can win a pile by either 1) having the Queens of Diamonds, 2) being the first to finish or 3) having the king of the suit of the card turned over. It was great family fun and definitely a game I plan on playing again.

I didn't think the Easter bunny was going to find me all the way in Wales, but I was delighted to see that it did!!! I am also pleased that the Easter bunny got the memo that I am not a fan of chocolate (that said, LOVED the Cadbury Crispy Eggs) and got me chocolates and a cuddly toy instead.

It was a really nice Easter morning. Was good to see how its traditionally celebrated. I still need to learn how to boil and egg and properly cook an English Roast.

I should have learned my lesson after my first  experience fishing and not to friend my meal, but I I did it again. I played around with my egg and cried when it was later thrown into the pot of boiling water. I could hear the screams from the eggs.... okay I am kidding people. May have cried when I went fishing for the first time and had to eat what I caught after naming my fish, but I did not this time. I am just playing with you!!!

Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend!!!

Miss you all dearly

xxx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 191

Has anyone seen The Guard? It stars Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. I don't know how to really describe it except to say that it is one of the darks, un-PC movies ever. If you liked In Bruges, you will like this movie as well. Check out the trailer for it! To give you a flavor of what you can expect, here is a quote from one of the scenes, "[Sergean Gerry Boyle] I'm Irish, sure, racism is a part of me culture". To be fair, we have yet to finish the movie. I had to turn it off as I was exhausted from the day. Cannot wait to finish it though. I rarely say this, but the movie is truly LMAO funny. The accents are strong, but you will get used to them. I need to finish watching it cause I am rather intrigued to see where this movie is going. Very twisted!

Work has been rather active and eventful (to say the least) the past few weeks. With the pitch delivery just around the corner, the focus in the team has been about delivery "best in class" projects and ensuring that we are all investing our 120% to ensure that we are putting best foot forward. The grand thing is that although we are working like crazy, we do take some time to release a bit so we all don't crazy. That said, looking at this photo, you all probably think we are crazy.....suppose you are not too far off base. I think you need to be a bit crazy to do what we do on a daily basis. No room for the normal in our team or industry :)

 Finally Saturday came and with it a very entertaining Saturday. To kick things off, in the morning, we all headed to the Olympic Park. A few months ago, a bunch of us signed up for the Olympic Park Run. It was a chance to be one of the first in the park and more importantly to be apart of history as the "first" to cross the finish line in the Olympic Stadium. Sadly I did not get in, but thankfully our friends did so we were able to cheer them on. The one thing that made me nervous is with only 5,000 + 2 guest each the security to get in and out of the grounds were insane. Going to need to allocate plenty of time come August.

Being on the grounds was wicked. There are no words to describe the overwhelming feeling with you enter the park and see the grounds.  Definitely gets to in the Olympic spirit. The weather was less than ideal, but that did not take away from the lot of us soaking up the entertainment, scenery and later cheering the runners as they finished their 5 mile run around the Olympic grounds. I wish I could have felt what they felt when they ran into the stadium. Must have been amazing. Seeing all the runners made me want to get back into shape. I know I need to be patient with my progress (as it typically takes two years to fully recover from any ankle surgery), but I also know that I could be doing more.

I should be embarrassed by my activities on Saturday night, but to be honest I am really not. After we cheered Lou & Olli on their finish and celebrated with a glass of bubbly at Searcy's in Westfield Stratford, it was off to the O2 for X-Factor concert! I am normally not a reality TV show concert person, but I really like the performers this year.  The tickets that we had were out of this world. I am starting to get spoiled by having "reach out and touch them" seats. It is like a whole different concert when you are up that close. I was a bit sad when I thought we weren't going to see Little Mix, but they came on and were brilliant. It was such an amazing night... so very lucky to be taken out for such a special night :)

After a top Saturday, Sunday was spent chilling out. It was a nice change from the chilly Saturday. The sun was out and London was beautiful. London is truly a different city when the sun is out. To celebrate the day, we biked up to Clissold Park and chilled out in the lawn. I was spent from the day before, so I took a mini nap in the sunshine. It was blissful :-) Cannot wait for the summer to come. This time I have two feet so definitely plan on enjoy it biking, running, hiking...and well yes I will nap in the sun too...and why....cause I can :)

Hope you all are well and enjoying the weather wherever you are

Miss you all dearly and truly

xxx

T