KAPLOW!

Ok so following up from yesterday's post, I did indeed both film my house and purchase a new phone.

The new phone could be viewed as a downgrade in terms of features, as it doesn't have quite as many gadgets as my old phone; but I decided that I didn't need any of those extra features - all I need is something to make calls, send/receive texts and look stylish.  Therefore I decided to go for the Sony Ericsson T303.  It doesn't have lots of features, but it's small, cool looking and was very cheap (I paid under £30 for a new one).  Also as my previous phone was also Sony Ericsson, it meant that the learning curve was barely even there - as learning how to use a new phone is a nuisance.

Secondly, the video - I made a quick video of the house yesterday before popping into town, so here it is.  Enjoy :)

Just A Quickie

After reading Ra-to-the-Mizzle's most excellent update I figured the least I could do was give a quick heads up as to what I am doing with myself these days - or rather, I am predictably rising to the challenge after Rami's little dig at my lack of blogging.  Will keep this brief as I have got to go do stuff today and I have yet to do anything more impressive than get out of bed - though that was quite a feat in itself given how I felt this morning.  I'm going to do this in bitesize chunks of varied relevance and in no particular order - enjoy :)

• As previously mentioned, I am living in Sheffield.  This is proving to be most excellent.  The job is going well thus far - the work is within my abilities and the people are nice.  It's the kind of office environment that I enjoy.
• With few exceptions (like last night) I am being mega healthy these days.  I most just eat salads, fish and a little pasta; I even take little tubs of salad to work.  I'm also getting stuck back into my regular exercise regime.  Need to get to a comfortable level somewhere between where I am now and Christian Bale in The Machinist - that's just disturbingly skinny. 
• On the whole health note, I made a 'DaMe' (だめ) list this month.  DaMe is Japanese for 'Don't do it/Stop it'.  Basically it's something I came up with in Japan - think about things that you've been over-indulging in or just want to give up, write them down in a list and write the date of when you started on the top (is easiest to go inline with calendar months I find) then keep the list with you at all times.  If you fail an item, you must cross it off the list.  It's simple I know, but I find that I won't stick to something unless I write it down - once it's on paper, it's law.  I recommend it to anyone who wants to be a bit healthier - though be warned that you will get a weird response from everyone, as most people regard it as ridiculous.  Anyway, on my list for March are:
  
  
  
  • Beer
  • Chips
  • Cheese
  • Crisps
  • Chocolate

• I am going to buy a new phone after I write this post.  I've tried looking online and chosing, but I can't decide.  So I am just going to go into town, as I need to explore Sheffield anyway, and pick one at random.  Hopefully I'll get something half decent for around the £70-80 mark.  I don't want a new phone, but my old one is struggling with life even more than I am, so I think it's only fair to give it a rest.
• Next weekend I am going to London - hopefully to celebrate Ramaldo's new job and failing that, just to celebrate in general, as he is rapidly about to join me and other fine minds upon the old man bench.
• I am rapidly growing tired of drinking - every time I go out I find drinking more and more of a chore.  I think next month I will take beer off my DaMe list, as I really like drinking ale just for enjoyment.  Then I will put either a 2 or 3 drinks per day limit onto next month's DaMe list.  A whole month without drunkeness - should be interesting.
• When I get back from town I will make a quick video of my house and my room and get it uploaded for you - so stay tuned.

Right, that's all I've got time for I think.  Gonna go bust a move, grab a shower and find me a phone - maybe a laundry basket too.  I shall leave you with a most excellent song that I heard on Radio 6, which we listen to everyday at work - it's awesome.  I've become a big fan of George Lamb, but the real delights for me are Danny Wallace, who occassionally sits in for George Lamb and has long been recommended to be by a certain someone (you know who you are) and also Adam & Joe, who I have been a fan of for a long time.

Anyway, enjoy:  Jack Penate - Tonight's Today

Fat of the Land

Alright.

Since Andy has been terrible at updating his blog and I really want to unload I thought I would give it a go. As I had a little trouble with my last attempt at this with people googling me, I've tried not to use my normal name so if I've messed up and my name comes up let me know.

Well, just got back from a job interview in Qatar Airways in Doha. I was expecting it to be an in and out discussion since I'd been suggested for the job by my current manager who would be my new manager in my new job. After a very long flight and sitting around for hours waiting to talk to my interview people it went remarkably well... I made up loads of stuff about how I knew about airlines and they bought it all. I MAY have overdone it a bit as before I knew it I was sat in the VPs office with him asking me whether I'd like a job negotiating all their codeshares. After about 5 minutes of a few very basic questions the jig was up. He was either delighted with the answers I gave or disgusted his HR department for paying for the hotel and lunch I had slept in and devoured respectively . I wont have confirmation of which way it went and will have to wait until I get an e-mail from them some point this week. I'll be sure to update as soon as I get something.

On a slight side track I met the other guy going for the original job who was thoroughly nice. He used to work for Delta Airlines and had recently taken voluntary redundancy. He got 6 months pay in one lump sum and FREE FIRST CLASS travel anywhere in the world for 2 years! Where would you even start with that offer on the table? Answers on a postcard please.

What Up Wit Chu?

[Ed.  This post was written about 2 weeks ago and I had just saved it on Blogger rather than actually posting it.]

Yes yes yes - I've been rubbish with posting (again).  This was innevitable.  Let's all calm down and realise what's important in our lives - Arnold Schwarzenegger.  I am currently sitting in Ian's lounge, with him and Chris, watching my 2nd Arnie film of the last few days.  Saturday saw me watching Total Recall - one of the greatest cinematic feats of the 20th Century.  We are now watching The Sixth Day on Channel Something and drinking ale - times are good.

Time for updaterising the nation I suppose.  I'll do this briefly as I am trying to watch the film.  Firstly I quit my previous job and took up a new one in Sheffield at Ian's place of work.  A bit sudden and random I know.  Basically Ian called me on Friday (13th) and offered me the job making 'Internets'.  On the following Monday (16th) I called him back, accepted the position and then informed my then boss that I had to change jobs.  I decided to change as the job at Ian's company seemed more interesting and I fancied the idea of living in Sheffield for a bit.  I'm currently halfway through a 2 day trial and, assuming tomorrow goes fine, will be working with them for atleast a couple of months.  I made some phone calls today, so tomorrow Ian and I will go check out some apartments and try to find me some temporary accomodation.

Other things of note involve... hmm - I can't think right now.  The whole quitting job and moving to Sheffield is the big news.  I've come up with a backup plan too - assuming this job ends after 2-3 months, I plan to move to Australia and make my way in the world.  Still, we'll see how it goes.

No doubt Ian will later read this and be disgusted with the fact that I have blogger all over his couch - but I'm sure I'm not the first and will undoubtedly not be the last.  Anyway, I'm gonna get back to Arnie-loving.  I'll give you an update tomorrow or sometime later this week with how apartment hunting goes.  Adios amigos.

I O U

I have noticed that I am massively behind on my blogging. This is shocking behaviour on my part... well, 'shocking' is the wrong word as it's entirely predictable, but rest assured that I intend to rectify this in the near future.

I'm not going to give a full update now as I am ridiculously tired, due in no small part to sneaking back into my house this morning at 6am like some delinquent teenager and then going to work and having my brain melt slowly over the course of the day. Anyway, this will all be explained in full/briefly/not at all in the near future. For now I'll just give a very brief overview as to the topics that need to be covered:

• Quitting my job
• Moving to Sheffield
• Back-up plans
• General capers
• Plans for the near future

Stay tuned :)

The Not-So-Lost Boys

Bonsoir. A couple of glasses of red wine and the urge to blog came over me. Well 'urge' is the wrong word - more of a half-hearted compulsion. But anyway, might as well get stuck in now that I've started.

I guess we could start with what I've been up to, but I don't feel like it. Needless to say that I've been going out, poisoning my body, meeting new people - some memorable and some not - and generally keeping myself entertained. I thought today I'd share some of the big thoughts that have entered my brain during the last several hours of consciousness.

1. How on earth is it so cold in my office, that even with hiking boots and 3 pairs of socks (2 pairs of which are thermal socks) that my toes still feel so numb as that they might fall off my feet at any moment. I question my body's circulation.
2. Empire of the Sun are awesome.
3. If the opportunity avails itself I intend to return to Japan. I've let the thought simmer away on the back-burners of my mind for a while and now I think it's the right thing to do. Well, maybe not the right thing - but certainly a thing. My plans were finalised after consulting the Magic Eight Ball.
4. I am actually astounded by the number of colds I have endured during this winter in England. It seems I left my immune system in Japan.
5. I need to make a video - it has been ages. This bothers me. I need some inspiration/motivation/inovation/perspiration/respiration...? I need to pull my thumb out.
6. I wonder if the Japanese government will remember that I owe them £700 of taxes. I tell a lie - at current exchange rates it's more like £1000. I guess it'll be interesting to find out. I wonder if the phone company will be after me as well.

Anyway - there are some things on/in/around my mind. As for happenings - last weekend I reminded myself that intoxication combined with my dodgy eyesight and strobe lights result in me having the visual accuity of a bat in dark glasses who has been staring directly into the sun for a month. I was a mess - but it was fun. This weekend I intend to attack London. It should prove interesting.

I'm going to leave you with this unashamedly weird and fun video from Empire of the Sun. This song is fantastic and puts a smile on my face - hopefully you'll like it too.

I Never Drink... Wine.

Yo yo yo. I know what you're thinking - "Where the bloody hell have you been!?", "Who even is this guy!?", "Why am I reading this!?", "Where is my coffee!?" and "How does this guy know what I'm thinking!?". Well, the answers to all those questions and more will be revealed - maybe not in this post and maybe not by me, but no doubt at some point through the natural passing of time.

Anyway - let's get up to speed. I seem to have left off last Thursday (Jan 29th) with a hefty hangover and an intriguing story about a young man's quest for good jeans. The events that transpired since then are as follows...

Friday (Jan 30th): Well, it was a Friday - that puts all my actions into perspective. People can do no wrong on a Friday; unless it's your boss giving you a massive amount of work just before you leave, a lingering customer in your store who entered 5 minutes before closing time or you're a rather prudish young man by the name of Jason and your at an American summer camp full of raunchy teens. Come to think of it though, I was pretty well behaved on Friday.

I hung out with my student friends and, after successfully avoiding drinking anything too horrible during the drinking games at their house, hit the town. Town was entertaining. Most of us failed to enter the club as the queue was slow and long, so we sacked it off and went into a nearby Lloyds, which can't quite decide if it's a pub/bar/club. Times were good, I met nice people and managed to replace Sambuca shots with Tequila.

All in all, a resounding success. I got home at about 4am-ish, made myself a sandwich with salad (after walking past the kebab shop - well pleased with that) and then fell asleep. Woke up 6 hours later on...

Saturday (Jan 31st - unsurprisingly): Fortunately my hangover was mild and easily fixable. This came as quite a surprise given how my hangovers usually turn out these days. I was due to get myself up to Leeds for my friend's birthday do; so my lack of hangover was paramount to the day's success. I had everything in hand, right up until the point where I realised that I had confused my friends address with a place just outside of Nottingham and had to re-plan my entire route. Upon checking the train times I realised that if I was to get to this party on time I had only 40 minutes to get up, get ready and get to my train. This is pretty typical for my level of planning as those of you who know me well will know. Somehow I always seem to leave myself no time to do anything. Needless to say I readied myself at lightning pace and raced over to my train, just making it in time.

I met my friends in Leeds, who I hadn't seen since summer in Japan (when I met them actually) and they introduced me to their friends and there was much rejoicing. We went to the trendiest curry house in the world. It was great - it looked like the sort of curry restaurant you'd expect the Jetsons to frequent. However, I do think that having a curry house furnished solely in a white minimalist style is very optimistic. They clearly place more faith in my eating abilities than I.

Afterwards we went to a club called Fab Cafe - one of a chain of clubs that some of you may be aware of. It was really fun and there was, again, much rejoicing. However this time there was no escaping the dreaded Sambuca shots.

Events rolled into one another - like drunk people on a dance floor - and before you could say "Oh God no, it's Sunday"; it was...

Sunday (Feb 1st - you see the pattern emerging): This day greeted me under the guise of a lovely normal Sunday, free of burden or responsibility. After a morning of reading Empire and dilly-dallying, it suddenly dawned on me that I only had one possible train to catch home [Ed. "Good old UK Sunday train service"] and I had very little time to get from my friend's house to the station.

I very rapidly and briefly made my goodbyes before shooting off to the bus stop, only to find that I had missed the bus by 3 minutes and the next one would be along 10 minutes after my train departed. I began to contemplate how once again I'd failed at one of life's simple tasks and the possible consequences of this, when just at that moment a white miracle taxi appeared over the horizon (well - from round the bend). I hailed said cab and bid him take me to the train station as fast as his little wheels [Ed. "Perfectly normal sized wheels"] would take me. As we pulled up I handed over a wad of cash and told him to keep the change. I then ran like a late-person-with-long-legs to my train and jumped on just as the doors were closing for an amazing photo finish. I was incredibly pleased that, assuming this was the right train, I'd managed to get away with being utterly useless and not really suffering much for it.

I finally got home, where the weekend's collective 8 hours sleep and vast quantity of toxins caught up with me. I had a roast dinner, then died in my room. So ends another great weekend.

Well, that covers last weekend (just in time for this one). I will cover what I got up to during the week in-between in another post - maybe tomorrow. Right now I have to get back to bed and finish watching Dracula, as I fell asleep watching it earlier. It's a tough one to watch when tired - hence why I've never managed to get through it before.

I shall leave you with a classic tune that's always worthy of a listen...

DJ Shadow - Blood on the motorway