How was the flight?
Lox
Mon Mar 31 18:52:52 2008

 Have just landed back in London. Just have to get out of the airport and get across London in what will probably end up being the rush hour. With a load of luggage.
John
Mon Mar 31 16:10:46 2008

 John - are you back yet?
John's Mum
Mon Mar 31 12:27:12 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Mon Mar 31 08:22:18 2008

 Kev: Yes! I did it yesterday night! :D
Lox
Sun Mar 30 12:48:41 2008

 Afternoon all, did you all remember to change your clocks ?
Kev
Sun Mar 30 12:35:44 2008

 Lights out tonight. Should keep the Fire services busy!
Kev
Sat Mar 29 12:23:08 2008

 Sunny, down here. Sunny, sunny, sunny!
Sheri who lives in ze most beautiful country of ze world
Fri Mar 28 18:22:32 2008

 Here too!
John
Fri Mar 28 14:21:50 2008

 Morning all, it's raining again :(
Mad Mumsie
Fri Mar 28 08:43:46 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Fri Mar 28 08:20:39 2008

 John: I find modern economics a total rip off... :(
Lox
Fri Mar 28 08:04:48 2008

 i-cee: I suppose that was a special business rate or something? Big companies often have deals with big hotel chains - I recall my previous company were able to get pretty low rates at the Hilton etc. I always find the variation in hotel prices quite annoying (a bit like the variation in air fares) - that on any one day you can pick 2 people getting exactly the same service, but one having paid five times as much as the other. I guess that's just one of those things though.
John
Thu Mar 27 23:58:46 2008

 As for terminal 5, I think that is only used by BA at present, and we're flying with Virgin (who use terminal 3, which has recently become slightly less awful than it used to be).
John
Thu Mar 27 23:56:06 2008

 Hmmm, well it turned out there were actually pretty much no available rooms in any hotel anywhere in Tokyo that night, so maybe I will be imposing on friends after all!
John
Thu Mar 27 23:54:36 2008

 John - I hope to goodness you are not flying back into Terminal Five at Heathrow. If you are, don't expect to see your luggage for another day, and don't expect to get out quickly.
John's Mum
Thu Mar 27 22:19:35 2008

 I've stayed at the Tokyo Hilton when I've been to Japan for business reasons, I was informed once while i was there that you can get a room for £120 a night, not sure how accurate that is though, and it was 4 years ago.
i-cee
Thu Mar 27 15:56:55 2008

 Ah but you pay for the swimming pool on top of the building, John! Classy to have a swim at 300 m above the ground!
Sheri
Thu Mar 27 14:43:03 2008

 John: Now you know why you had that £1,000 windfall! :)
Mad Mumsie
Thu Mar 27 14:08:31 2008

 On an unrelated note I've been looking for a hotel to stay at on Saturday night (we could always fall back on staying with friends, but it feels like a bit of an imposition). Out of interest I had a look at the room rate for the Park Hyatt (as featured in Lost in Translation) and it was a rather staggering 90000+ Yen (over 450 quid) for a night. This was particularly surprising as contrary to popular belief Tokyo is actually a pretty cheap place to stay - every hotel we've stayed at so far has been around the £50 a night mark, which wouldn't get you anything in London. I guess people may well have got that notion about accommodation in Tokyo being very expensive based almost entirely on those handful of famous international hotels - the Hyatts, Hiltons etc.
John
Thu Mar 27 11:57:47 2008

 Oh I see Lox.... Well anyway this evening we settled for an Italian place in the strange backwater of Tokyo we're staying in tonight (Kamata).
John
Thu Mar 27 11:49:53 2008

 John: Yes AL DENTE is a chain restaurant but the two cooks that I knew moved to other shops... You can still find it in Shinjuku I believe...
Lox
Thu Mar 27 10:55:25 2008

 Morning all! Lox - if you happen to be reading - did you say Al Dente was no longer in the same place in Shinjuku? A quick search on the web suggests it is actually a small chain - presumably if the Shinjuku one has gone/moved then some of the others still exist?
John
Thu Mar 27 09:54:18 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Thu Mar 27 08:23:38 2008

 Two bags please
Kev
Wed Mar 26 19:09:33 2008

 ... or was it the popular front ..? Otters' noses, anyone?
Jimmy
Wed Mar 26 17:38:42 2008

 Simon: I think you are confused its definately the Cornish People's Front.
Kev
Wed Mar 26 17:30:19 2008

 Good day to you all, citizens of the World.
Sheri
Wed Mar 26 15:09:00 2008

 Sorry - morning all.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Mar 26 11:21:16 2008

 Hi Tom: Just done you an email and it has been returned as undeliverable. Can you send me an email with your current address. Thanks.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Mar 26 11:20:48 2008

 Kev: Surely the People's Front of Cornwall?
Simon
Wed Mar 26 09:01:04 2008

 Morning!
tom
Wed Mar 26 08:36:01 2008

 Morning All.
Kev
Wed Mar 26 08:35:33 2008

 Jimmy, surely you mean the Liberation front of Cornwall ?
Kev
Tue Mar 25 19:24:34 2008

 I have to say, the best Cornish pasty I've had was in Devon. I know, I know- the Cornwall Liberation Front would hang me for it, but nevertheless: go to Salcombe!
Jimmy
Tue Mar 25 17:53:43 2008

 Lox, That would be great. Need a bit of warning. A friend of mine flew in from Canada for a week on the day we left for Cyprus for a week - so the more notice the better. Dinner at Lang Towers is of course mandatory!
Mad Mumsie
Tue Mar 25 16:31:27 2008

 MM: AAaaa yu are right, it is PASTIE and not PASTRY!! :D As for the aliveness of the product I completely agree! :D I need to come to the UK sooner or later, I'll make sure I let you know when I come, we must hook up a way or another!!
Lox
Tue Mar 25 14:25:38 2008

 Lox - Cornish Pastie. Unfortunately it would probably be alive by the time one was sent to you, so it looks like a visit to England then! Can't you buy one on the web.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Mar 25 13:34:33 2008

 I really would quite love a CORNISH PASTRY to eat, shame that in order to have one I'd have to travel 2 hours on a plane.... :(
Lox
Tue Mar 25 11:15:39 2008

 MM: Well actually is getting better, the ER doc said that in his opinion is just a very strong blow to the knee but no ligaments or cartilage seems damaged. It's too early to say, I still feel pain walking, on Thursday I will have it checked up by a professional so let's hope that he can shed some light on the nature of this injury... How are things in the UK?
Lox
Tue Mar 25 11:13:50 2008

 Morning Lox. How's the knee.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Mar 25 10:33:59 2008

 How are you today? It seems that these Easter holidays have dried out la Maison a little... Rob and Tim have disappeared, Nigel is nowhere to be see together with Sheri, John is away... WHERE IS THE WORLD GOING TO END!??
Lox
Tue Mar 25 10:15:30 2008

 Woke up this morning and its only Snowing. YAY.
Kev
Mon Mar 24 11:10:07 2008

 Back in Tokyo now, staying at the Meridien on Odaiba. Have a lovely view of some large shipping cranes.
John
Mon Mar 24 08:28:23 2008

 Nice pics indeed. Chie's father should do some acting. He's got an interesting face.
Sheri
Mon Mar 24 07:25:07 2008

 How many memories... Looking at John's pictures made me rather melancholic! Nice pictures!
Lox
Sun Mar 23 23:02:04 2008

 Read all that - next instalment please!
John's Mum
Sun Mar 23 19:41:35 2008

 Right, we're going to be leaving Hiroshima today and heading back to Tokyo, with a stop-off en route around Kyoto. Have updated my blog / pictures pages for the first few days of the trip, hopefully more pictures etc to follow!
John
Sun Mar 23 01:27:59 2008

 JM: Thanks for the sympathy :) Actually I have just come back from the hospital (after 3,5 hours), our health service it's ok, and my company did not fire me because of the injury, it was a scheduled thing so that they can hire me again on a 6 months trial period... It's still not legal, but not as bad. the medic gave me some pills, said that if the pain and the swell doesn't go away in 5 days there is a good chance that the cartilage has been damaged... Let's see, I thought it was going to be much worse so let's wait and see...
Lox
Fri Mar 21 20:20:13 2008

 Yes, poor you, Lox. About time you came to work in the UK. They can't sack you when you are off sick and we do have the NHS, which has the best Emergency service in the world. Plus the best football clubs and hence also a fair number of Sports Injuries Clinics.
John's Mum
Fri Mar 21 17:03:59 2008

 John: The job itself would be decent, but basically they told me that since they could not assess my "commercial skills" they could not confirm the contract and put me on a trial again. The fact that the company DID NOT give me chance to prove myself seems quite secondary to them, I have only to accept the deal of course because I have to pay bills and unemployment is not an issue right now, especially because I didn't look for another job. I am now working in a different way, trying to take the space that I need by brute force and not by nice politics as I have done so far. We'll see what happens there. As for the knee I have no words to describe the luck I have, especially because I was feeling really well and the injuty is totally unrelated to the previous one, but still it seems that it is quite serious... :(
Lox
Fri Mar 21 12:30:31 2008

 Poor old Lox! I'm not sure I fully understand the work situation, but that does sound like a very frustrating mess - although I got the impressions you weren't entirely in love with that job so maybe in a way it's not such a bad thing if you can't renew your contract? (other than of course how to pay bills etc)... as for the knee I'm really sorry to hear that - it is starting to sound like a curse and I'm not sure what to suggest - I guess just try to take it easy!
John
Fri Mar 21 03:38:18 2008

 This is not a joke, I just broke my right knee again... This time it seems some cartilage problems. Don't need to say that I have NOT signed the new contract yet and that on the other side I have just been fired. Now I ask myself what more can happen... Actually I dread the thought of it... :(
Lox
Thu Mar 20 21:22:15 2008

 John- well, I don't mean to get all political while on holiday, but: your whole thing about "One person only gains because somebody else loses" ... I'm really not sure that's the case. People can make money when it rises, and they can also make money by betting that it will fall. As far as I can make out, the money is pretty-much generated from nowhere. This means that the losers are you and I ... because all these people are simply causing inflation for the rest of us. Of course I could be wrong. It might be something to do with the cocktails ...
Jimmy
Thu Mar 20 20:05:18 2008

 Interesting day... Tomorrow I will be fired and will be re-hired on the 1st of April... nuff said.... :(
Lox
Thu Mar 20 18:17:55 2008

 Yes john why feel guilty, just think how much you lost in purchasing power with the 'pound in your pocket' in Japan. Looks like you've beat the system :)

morning all.
Kev
Thu Mar 20 08:28:36 2008

 John: a very valid point from Cyberdad - whilst your money that you earned, has been in the bank, they have been using it, and paying you for that use. (sort of). Anyway it's not your fault that the exchange rate changed. Problem solved. No need to feel guilty anymore. Oh yes, Good Morning everyone.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Mar 20 08:18:41 2008

 MM: By all means! Ladies first!
Sheri
Wed Mar 19 19:30:04 2008

 I am completely devastated at reading John's post.... I think that we need to relive him of his burden accepting the extra money. I mean, I really think he should share it with us and be happy with it! :D
Lox
Wed Mar 19 17:59:03 2008

 John was brung up on the principle "Them as don't work, don't eat". Even the cat had to catch her share of mice. You will be pleased to know he is spending his extra money on Japanese knitting magazines for his old mum. Otherwise, John is eating very well now.
John's Mum
Wed Mar 19 17:17:40 2008

 John, but surely all the people who had money in that bank would have a similar windfall - its a bit like buying American dollars now when the are 2 to the £, and then spending them when the rate falls. But isn't that what the money market is all about. Don't worry about it. Buy Chie a nice present and blow the rest on whiskey - what better way to spread the largesse around!
Mad Mumsie
Wed Mar 19 16:46:48 2008

 Sheri - get in the queue. ;)
Mad Mumsie
Wed Mar 19 16:43:17 2008

 twisted
Sheri
Wed Mar 19 16:10:00 2008

 John: you have a twirsted mind, haven't you?! Give me that money, if it brings you relief...!
Sheri
Wed Mar 19 16:09:35 2008

 ...I don't feel quite so bad about selling stock options from the company that I work for, because I would only make money when they go up, and in theory I would have played a part in that rise. In fact, the day the project I work on was officially announced there was a huge rise in the stock price... although that's a bit academic with the current numbers which are underwater from the point of view of when I started at the company.
John
Wed Mar 19 15:44:53 2008

 MM: I know it sounds daft, but do you know what I mean...? Having grown up in a very socialist environment, I've always felt uncomfortable about getting money that I haven't worked for. In the grand scheme of things, doesn't the fact that I didn't exchange that money when the rate wasn't so good (for me) mean that someone else somewhere has lost out? It's just like the stock market - money doesn't actually get generated from nowhere, one person only makes money because somebody else loses it.
John
Wed Mar 19 15:42:06 2008

 John, if you feel unworthy you could always share it out.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Mar 19 15:32:45 2008

 I am on holiday in Antigua! Yay! It is very hot and sunny, and what's more, it's all-inclusive. Am trying to get my money's worth in cocktails. Must ... try ... harder ... (hic)
Jimmy
Wed Mar 19 15:31:17 2008

 Exchange rates are an odd thing aren't they? I had some money left over in my Japanese bank account when I left Japan, and the exchange rate was a bit crappy at the time so I thought I probably ought to wait a bit before transferring it back to the UK. I didn't exactly have a fortune in that account, but it's now worth a thousand pounds more than it was at the lowest point last year. So in the space of a year or so I have made (saved?) a thousand pounds through nothing other than being patient. I don't really feel like I deserve that money.
John
Wed Mar 19 15:17:33 2008

 Pardon my ignorance, but... "Aussie dude" ? Who's that guy ?
Sheri
Wed Mar 19 10:04:22 2008

 Mum: we left Tokyo yesterday and came to Hiroshima. Yuka's graduation is Tuesday 25th - we'll be back in Tokyo again for that.
John
Wed Mar 19 01:58:43 2008

 Lox: sounds like you need a holiday mate!
John
Wed Mar 19 01:57:47 2008

 Well, hello everyone. Back from sunny Cyprus. John, sorry to be a bit late in wishing you Happy Birthday - hope you've had a good one.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Mar 18 10:39:09 2008

 Throbbing headache. Long, shit day. And I didn't even go out carousing for St. Patrick's Day. Glad to see some others are suffering as well.
Travis
Tue Mar 18 03:02:14 2008

 What a classic day... Terrible work news, where basically the company I work for is trying to fuck me up in coercing me into signing a deal that I do not want, then of course I had to argue about it at home, it's crazy... I want out, I should probably do like that Aussie dude who's selling "his life" (yeah you read it correctly)...
Lox
Mon Mar 17 22:23:18 2008

 Still in Tokyo, then, John? When's Yuka's graduation?
John's Mum
Mon Mar 17 11:07:17 2008

 Evening all.
John
Mon Mar 17 09:47:46 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Mon Mar 17 08:19:31 2008

 Morning all!
Yes Lox, it's been on the BBC for the last couple of days... As you say... And very surprising too... :(
Nigel
Sun Mar 16 11:15:52 2008

 Guys do you see what are they doing in Tibet these days? It's Tienanmen II and nobody talk about it, at least here in Italy where freedom of press is non existsant (yes you read correctly).... :(
Lox
Sat Mar 15 23:53:12 2008

 Aye. Have a good one Sir!
tom
Sat Mar 15 23:01:21 2008

 Yes, may I add "Many Happy Returns of the Day" too, John!! :)
Nigel
Sat Mar 15 22:09:16 2008

 Happy birthday John!
dsp
Sat Mar 15 21:44:32 2008

 John: Good to see that you like it! This time of the year is quite perfect as a matter of fact, enjoy the holiday!! :D And please say hello to Japan from me... I really long to go back there sometime soon...
Lox
Sat Mar 15 16:53:29 2008

 Lox: I am absolutely loving being back in Japan. Surprisingly it is actually about 5 years since the last time I came to Japan purely for a holiday - since then it has always been for more serious reasons like finding work or whatever. This time I also know the country better than I ever did previously, plus have quite a few friends to meet up with again. It's also a great time of year to be here - the weather is like a pleasant English summer's day. So far I'm having a fantastic time!
John
Sat Mar 15 15:33:20 2008

 Sheri: you may well be right (regarding that I don't really deserve it - I'm so full of guilt you'd think I was a catholic). I'm 31 this year. I like the fact that when I took off from London I was still 30, but when I landed in Tokyo I was 31. Actually, probably that isn't quite true, given that I was born in the early evening UK time, that means the moment I got to 31.000 occurred when I was in Japan, but, err, anyway....
John
Sat Mar 15 15:25:36 2008

 Thanks Mum! I particularly appreciate your unique contribution towards me being able to enjoy my birthday each year. :)
John
Sat Mar 15 15:22:24 2008

 How old, btw?
Sheri
Sat Mar 15 15:19:34 2008

 Not sure you deserve it, John, but.... let me join the others in wishing you a happy birthday.
Sheri
Sat Mar 15 15:19:13 2008

 John: Happy Birthday!! I have spent several birthdays in Japan (I was tehre for work...) it's quite ok I guess...
Lox
Sat Mar 15 10:40:22 2008

 I was trying to write this at 5:45pm (Tokyo time) to say exactly on the dot -Happy Birthday John! All 9lbs 6oz of you.
John's Mum
Sat Mar 15 10:17:27 2008

 John: How's Japan? I was sure that you were going to have internet access, I mean I had it when I was sleeping at that crappy weekly mansion that my previous employer used to book for me...
Lox
Sat Mar 15 07:20:50 2008

 Well I suppose that's not bad - from the door of our flat to the door of hotel took 18 hours.
John
Sat Mar 15 04:18:34 2008

 Have just arrived at our hotel in Tokyo - apparently we do have internet access after all!
John
Sat Mar 15 04:17:44 2008

 Happy Birthday, John!
Russ
Sat Mar 15 03:25:23 2008

 Just about to get on the plane - next post from Tokyo! Although probably no internet access until Monday...
John
Fri Mar 14 12:32:19 2008

 Holiday!!!!!!!!!!
Jimmy
Fri Mar 14 11:49:22 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Fri Mar 14 08:23:59 2008

 Sheri: As for the showing off, KFC is hardly a show off... I mean if I said that I wanted to have "my shirts laundered like they do at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo" (quote), then I would be showing off... Instead I was eating the worst burgher of my life in Incheon before boarding the flight... :(
Lox
Thu Mar 13 23:28:28 2008

 I-cee: Completely agree... I listened to a live webcast at 4 AM in Seoul, and I can tell you tht I have lost a good 3 years of my life... Having said that, Free (the goalkeeper) is to blame for the fist goal, but generally speaking I think that you'd won 5 - nil nobody would have had anything to say...
Lox
Thu Mar 13 23:26:45 2008

 I feel you should see videos of/listen to, the ancient album: "The Completion Backward Principal" by The Tubes, if you like your irony in a "Peter Principle" form!
Nigel
Thu Mar 13 09:51:39 2008

 How's the stock market, btw?
Sheri
Thu Mar 13 09:46:25 2008

 Lox è un importantissimo uomo d'affare. A business man through and through!
Sheri
Thu Mar 13 09:44:22 2008

 Kev: I mean, about the business lounge and all that...! ;-)
Sheri
Thu Mar 13 09:41:43 2008

 what actually saved you was your goalkeeper who made a string of incredible saves throughout the match, and then made another brilliant stop for the final penalty in the shoot-out. oh well, c'est la vie, and good luck to you for the rest of the tournament:)
i-cee
Thu Mar 13 08:50:01 2008

 well done lox. i have to say you get very very lucky last night. we should have won 3 or 4-0 in normal time. it was very strange, it was as if the roles had been completely reversed from last week. fiorentina looked terrible and everton were magnificent.
i-cee
Thu Mar 13 08:49:43 2008

 Sheri, I would hardly call hanging out in KFC 'showing off' :) unless he particularily likes the taste of their fries of course !
Kev
Thu Mar 13 08:32:34 2008

 Morning. Lox: stop showing off, would you?!
Sheri
Thu Mar 13 08:30:28 2008

 Morning All.
Kev
Thu Mar 13 08:19:10 2008

 I know that I should eat something, or at least try to ... It's the only way to avoid the terrible airplane food that is really quite shite... But the problem is that I am not hungry, and moreover there aren't decent restaurants (it seems) apart from KFC... And I wouldn't go too far into calling that decent...
Lox
Thu Mar 13 04:05:32 2008

 Ok now in the business lounge as usual waiting to board the plane...
Lox
Thu Mar 13 03:33:09 2008

 Wow John, so now it's official... right?
Lox
Wed Mar 12 23:52:32 2008

 I particularly liked the sixth paragraph down.
John
Wed Mar 12 23:28:01 2008

 Oh, by the way: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/07/google.internet
John
Wed Mar 12 23:26:46 2008

 John: If 10 years ago when we met someone had told us that our destiny was never to be in Asia at the same time (well most of the times let's say) what would you had said? It's our destiny, until either one of us actually comes to England or to Italy on holiday!!
Lox
Wed Mar 12 23:24:21 2008

 As always Lox - just as you're leaving the Far East I'll be heading over there (albeit two different countries - Japan and Korea)...
John
Wed Mar 12 22:49:51 2008

 I woke up at 4 AM (I am still in Korea) to listen to the live radio though the internet!!! And today I have to fly back to Europe...
Lox
Wed Mar 12 22:31:26 2008

 QUARTER FINALS!!!!!!! FIORENTINA IS THROUGH!!!! :D (though we didn't deserve to pass at all because Everton played a better game, but that's football...)
Lox
Wed Mar 12 22:30:34 2008

 I'll be celebrating my birthday on Saturday at my favourite bar in Tokyo! :)
John
Wed Mar 12 22:08:05 2008

 Oh crap I forgot it was your birthday Tom - happy birthday! How does it feel to be a whole year into your thirties?
John
Wed Mar 12 22:07:23 2008

 In Guernsey. For work. On my birthday. Yay...
tom
Wed Mar 12 21:12:53 2008

 Finally I am going back to Italy tomorrow!! :D It has been a long trip but I fear that my arrival in Italy will be much harder when I get back to the company... There are noly 2 weeks left before they tell me if the contract is renewed or not...
Lox
Wed Mar 12 15:01:09 2008

 Bloody hell - I think this may be the first time I've checked the board since Sunday. Have been crazily busy this week trying to get stuff finished off before I go to Japan, tomorrow is my last day in the office. Why is taking a holiday always so stressful?
John
Wed Mar 12 13:22:20 2008

 Ah, got it.
Sheri
Wed Mar 12 10:12:14 2008

 Sheri: Kev put it in a nut-shell :)
Nigel
Wed Mar 12 09:55:20 2008

 "whooooossssshhhhhhhhh" = ?
Sheri
Wed Mar 12 08:53:31 2008

 Morning. A bit windy here :)
Kev
Wed Mar 12 08:44:55 2008

 Morn...... whooooossssshhhhhhhhh.......!
Nigel
Wed Mar 12 08:44:07 2008

 Tut-tut! Naughty! One must not lie.
Sheri
Tue Mar 11 13:18:13 2008

 Well, I think I looked a bit stunned at being asked, actually, Sheri. Then I politely said I had no credit-card registered with my PayPal account... I was then instructed as to how I could add one... I then just said "Sorry I can't help" as though I hadn't actually heard the instructions...
Nigel
Tue Mar 11 13:01:43 2008

 Nigel: just how did you say "no"?
Sheri
Tue Mar 11 12:45:20 2008

 Lox: no pics! Just send them over...! ;-)
Sheri
Tue Mar 11 12:44:31 2008

 Sheri: As soon as I find my old collection I will send them... they are very small and made of gold (i think)...
Lox
Tue Mar 11 12:38:35 2008

 Funnily enough someone at work (who I don't really know) has just this moment asked me to pay for something using my PayPal account... I mean... Yeah, right, no problem... Pfftt! Though of course I would help-out my chums at the Maison, I refuse to buy a toaster for some lady I've never met, let alone actually know...
Nigel
Tue Mar 11 12:33:37 2008

 LOX: Oh stop fussing about ! And yes, send me your pics! (the coin I was refering to was struck in French Indochina, today's Vietnam).
Sheri
Tue Mar 11 07:51:57 2008

 OH GAYNESS!
Lox
Tue Mar 11 03:05:38 2008

 I should write an ODE to business lounges, but I will simply quote Dire Stratis this time, "here I'm again in this mean old town...", still if they didn't exist for us travellers it would be much worse than what it is...
Lox
Tue Mar 11 03:04:15 2008

 Ok then, the last leg! Going to Seoul for a coupleof days then finally back to Italy... Once someone defined me as a jet-set manager travelling all over the place, I keep reminding myself that when I was younger (and still now) I quite hated the idea of travelling on my own... Bah!
Lox
Tue Mar 11 01:29:32 2008

 Sheri: I was about to say that I could help as I have a PP account but... What coin is this one that you are about to buy? I have some strange coins I need to dig them out maybe they are worth something, I could send you the pictures...
Lox
Mon Mar 10 22:18:47 2008

 TRAVIS: Have you got a paypal account? If yes, could you do me a big, fat favour regarding a very, very small amount of money ($4.34) which I cannot send from France. I bought a coin from a kind U.S. dealer, but he's got troubles with his paypal account when it comes to international payments. The payment has to be done from an American paypal account. Of course I would pay you back immediately.
Sheri
Mon Mar 10 17:04:17 2008

 Rainy but also humid here in Taipei... :(
Lox
Mon Mar 10 13:31:26 2008

 Morning! Have you all been blown away? Not too bad hereabouts. Even had some sun, though it's grey and damp now.
Nigel
Mon Mar 10 11:19:02 2008

 I actually spent my Sunday travelling from Hong Kong to Taipei... :( then in the evening visited a nice "young" night market, made a change compared to the last visits in Taipei!!
Lox
Mon Mar 10 01:29:51 2008

 We're losing an hour today, which is never good. It's a surprisingly pleasant day though, which is very nice.
Travis
Sun Mar 9 19:44:42 2008

 ... I should add I'm currently hidden away from the turmoil, surfing on the iPod... :)
Nigel
Sun Mar 9 17:23:54 2008

 Hi John. So-so here. Havoc seems a good word for it! How about you?
Nigel
Sun Mar 9 17:17:34 2008

 So how is everybody's Sunday going?
John
Sun Mar 9 16:54:02 2008

 Spring Break has begun. No classes next week for me. Time off? Unfortunately not. I have a ton of work to do.
Travis
Sun Mar 9 02:55:52 2008

 Safe journey, Lox :)
Nigel
Sun Mar 9 00:13:53 2008

 Actually it was a dreadful Saturday for me, I didn't sleep at all and the whole day that I had planned in every little detail kind of felt apart because of the shitty condition in which I was... :( Now posting from the Fragrant Harbour airport going to a place that DOESN'T want to be part of the biggest country in the world...
Lox
Sun Mar 9 00:00:43 2008

 Well, it's a bit quiet around here today!! All I can hear is my own voice!! Still, not to worry. As you can tell I'm in my element - playing with gadgets...! :)
Nigel
Sat Mar 8 21:56:59 2008

 Hi all! Quiet day... So then, browsing the Maison on an iPod Touch...! :)
Nigel
Sat Mar 8 19:02:21 2008

 OK, my sympathies again!! Well, you could always browse an iTunes store and listen to all those 30-second samples... (as *I* have just been doing...!!)
Nigel
Fri Mar 7 22:13:26 2008

 Nigel: Mmmmmm le me see... Chinese Drama, Chinese Drama, CNN, Bloomberg, Chinese Drama, BBC, BBC Sports, Japanese Drama... shall I continue? :(
Lox
Fri Mar 7 21:50:32 2008

 Hi Lox! How about Internet TV? Might be something, from somewhere, worth watching...?
Nigel
Fri Mar 7 20:40:21 2008

 DO I HATE JETLAG? The answer is: BLOODY YES!!! No sleep tonight and I have now decided to stop staying in bed, of course it's 4,30 am too late for anything and too early for anything... It's no-man's land time-wise...
Lox
Fri Mar 7 20:32:28 2008

 John: Tallahassee, Florida
Travis
Fri Mar 7 20:01:29 2008

 I-cee: Well I haven't seen the match as I am in Hong Kong and I had a very important meeting today. Looking at the comments made on the press and several sites we outplayed Everton, but i think that they are going to do a LOT better in the return match. It's not finished until the fat lady sings, and you are fourth in Premiership, that must mean something... As for AC Milan we are stronger but instead of winning the cup I'd rather get in one of the four places to play the Champions League next year...
Lox
Fri Mar 7 15:25:59 2008

 ....those damn Norwegians got their flag in their first again I'm afraid.
John
Fri Mar 7 14:14:28 2008

 Travis: Jupiter?
John
Fri Mar 7 14:13:39 2008

 Tornado warnings this morning and heavy rains in a place that, I believe, has never been part of the British Empire.
Travis
Fri Mar 7 13:26:16 2008

 well done lox, we were not at the races, you were a different class to us, i cant see us doing anything in the second leg either. if we dont go through, i hope you go on to win it, as you are clearly a very good side, better than ac milan.
i-cee
Fri Mar 7 11:29:37 2008

 Morning all!
Sunny but windy here.... But enough about me, the weather's ok... :)
Nigel
Fri Mar 7 08:42:38 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Fri Mar 7 08:21:56 2008

 Morning Lox, and everyone.
Mad Mumsie
Fri Mar 7 08:21:16 2008

 COME ON!!! Will someone wake up!??!? I's already 6 AM, you lazy people!!
Lox
Fri Mar 7 05:10:03 2008

 FIORENTINA won 2-0 agains EVERTON!!! :D Second leg still to play of course so nothing is set, but it was a good match apparently!
Lox
Fri Mar 7 04:38:29 2008

 Spot on JM! :D
Lox
Fri Mar 7 03:53:08 2008

 Lox did tell us all on Sunday where he was going - think "Fragrant Harbour".
John's Mum
Thu Mar 6 17:23:58 2008

 I hope it's Hong Kong. It sounds like an interesting place ... I'd love to go.
Jimmy
Thu Mar 6 16:04:21 2008

 India?
Jimmy
Thu Mar 6 16:03:25 2008

 America?
Jimmy
Thu Mar 6 16:03:10 2008

 Lox: Calais?
John
Thu Mar 6 15:49:16 2008

 Kev: I thought that the first comment would have set me right to Scotland, but apparently HULL was more important... Nope Scotland it is not!
Lox
Thu Mar 6 13:44:50 2008

 Lox, are you in Scotland then ? ;)
Kev
Thu Mar 6 13:05:12 2008

 :) ... they are a strange breed... An "Outpost" even. Look at their telephones....
Nigel
Thu Mar 6 12:29:08 2008

 Nigel: MEGA LOL !! :D But I thought hat Hull was still in England...
Lox
Thu Mar 6 11:10:04 2008

 What are you doing in Hull, Lox
Nigel
Thu Mar 6 11:06:28 2008

 Evening from a place that was once part of the British empire!
Lox
Thu Mar 6 10:21:10 2008

 Morning. 2 more days to go. Whoopee
Mad Mumsie
Thu Mar 6 09:51:57 2008

 Morning! :)
Nigel
Thu Mar 6 08:46:45 2008

 I'm listening to the Ouch! podcast now. Agonising! :)
Jimmy
Thu Mar 6 08:45:06 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Thu Mar 6 08:13:00 2008

 Oh, my. Have you heard the Ouch! Podcast with Mat Fraser and Liz Carr? This is far too touchy a subject in the US for the program to be successful, I think, but it was hilarious.
Travis
Thu Mar 6 03:11:01 2008

 Lox: Lol I still have the Red, Blue, Turquoise and Black boxes too. Haven't looked at them for a while. Might try and dig them out :)
Kev
Wed Mar 5 22:36:36 2008

 Tom: I still do! :D the hard box Basic, Expert, Companion are still in my possession, they are knackered and generally destroyed but I will not part from them! :D
Lox
Wed Mar 5 21:58:29 2008

 Did you ever own the D&D basic set? I did.
tom
Wed Mar 5 21:07:04 2008

 A corrot is, of course, the super-size version of a carrot (ahem!)
Jimmy
Wed Mar 5 16:45:30 2008

 While waiting for a long build-process to complete, we discussed a colleague's snow problems (he lives in Canada). After a few calculations, we decided that if you got all the snow in his town, it would make a snow-man 220 metres tall. This would require a 28 metre corrot for the nose. It's been that kind of a day.
Jimmy
Wed Mar 5 16:44:53 2008

 Travis: Well I cannot say I never read anything about HIM, I just played (and I am also a proud owner) of the first game that he made D&D. That much I owe to him, but to me that's quite a lot because thanks to RPGs I met a lot of extraordinary people that otherwise I wouldn't have met...
Lox
Wed Mar 5 16:42:05 2008

 Some good suggestions. I think that my taste in humor more likely resembles those suggested here than does my taste in music. I'll give some a look. Lox: Doesn't Chainmail count as an RPG? I suppose it depends upon how you define it. I heard this news yesterday. Sad stuff, but from all accounts I've heard Gygax was a bit of a prick. Not that he deserved to die. I'm just saying....
Travis
Wed Mar 5 16:37:17 2008

 Nigel: He's the inventor of the very first Role Playing Game (Dungeons and Dragons)... Read my blog entry to understand better, but whomever played seriously like me will know the guy. :P
Lox
Wed Mar 5 14:04:53 2008

 Simon: It's like a millstone around the neck, isn't it?! My latest "enquiry" was from a female colleague... I listened carefully until the crux came - could she run MS Picture-It on here Windows Vista machine, at home...? Annoyingly I knew the answer was actually "No" but I just hated being lead along...

Lox: Should I have heard of this guy?
Nigel
Wed Mar 5 13:56:36 2008

 Guys/Gals: It's a TRAGEDY

Gary Gygax passed away yesterday night.

I feel as if I lost a close friend, thinking about it makes me realize how much I owe to this man...
Lox
Wed Mar 5 13:52:51 2008

 I listen to a couple of music podcasts: Dave's Lounge and Anji Bee's Chillcast, but obviously music is a highly personal choice. A very funny podcast is Top of the Pods, with Rob and Jon in Peterborough, who do top ten lists sent in by listeners and comment on the lists. I met up with them for a few pints when I was last in the UK. All their past podcasts are available at topofthepodsDOTcom
Bryan
Wed Mar 5 12:45:07 2008

 Nigel: Sadly in my last job I spent a good year as a "Product Champion" - a title which the company delighted in communicating to customers far and wide. Thus ensued a solid year of teasing from customers, many of whom seemed to think I should get a superhero outfit to go with my title.
Simon
Wed Mar 5 12:41:08 2008

 I lost interest in podcasts a while back... but I did always used to really like the ones with Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish in. I think they did two - one was a podcast version of their XFM radio show, another was something about new music, made for Coca-Cola of all people.
John
Wed Mar 5 10:36:52 2008

 Podcasts: BBC ones are sometimes good, there's a good Radio 4 friday night comedy one.
Simon
Wed Mar 5 10:09:52 2008

 Morning All
Kev
Wed Mar 5 08:39:54 2008

 Any podcast recommendations? Anything interesting out there? And free?
Travis
Wed Mar 5 02:46:33 2008

 Nigel, All you have to do is push a button with the finger of the hand you write with, and claim you've strained it!
Mad Mumsie
Tue Mar 4 11:54:21 2008

 Hmmm, good point Kev. I'll try to be more "helpful" next time... ;)
Nigel
Tue Mar 4 11:25:34 2008

 Nigel, I think you missed out on the chance of a "work-related-injury-due-to-not-being-qualified-as-a-photocopier-engineer" and subsequently the afternoon off work with a bad back.
Kev
Tue Mar 4 09:55:35 2008

 Ok I am in Bangkok!
Lox
Tue Mar 4 09:31:27 2008

 Morning all!
Well an email went out telling everyone I was a "Champion" (see yesterday's post) and I've already been given "stick". "Can you mend this photocopier, Nigel?" - "Er...No, sorry." "Tuh! Call your self an IT Champion? More like Champion The Wonder Horse!" (Old reference to a long-gone TV series). Hey-ho. The lonliness of command...
;)
Nigel
Tue Mar 4 08:59:59 2008

 Morning All.
Kev
Tue Mar 4 08:23:10 2008

 JM Don't you just love spending their inheritance!
Mad Mumsie
Tue Mar 4 08:18:57 2008

 MM - and I will be in Paris.
John's Mum
Mon Mar 3 17:32:15 2008

 (... I should add, there was no actual contest for which I was able to claim the crown of "Champion". It's probably more accurate to say, no one else turned up! :) ... )
Nigel
Mon Mar 3 13:37:39 2008

 Afternoon all!
John: As log as you are not in a draft! We are expected to (wait for it) "hot-desk", which basically means there is nowhere to call home.
In my role as "IT Champion" (I kid you all, not! Surprisingly, I am!) I had a meeting with the office manager at 8:45. No coffee or breakfast laid-on... Pretty much a let-down as far as management usually goes, if you ask me :(
Nigel
Mon Mar 3 13:30:45 2008

 John, I really liked your "I was happier upstairs" tee-shirts.
I think you should leave bags, shoes ( with shoe laces tied together to make a sort of primiitive but effective bola ) by the side of your new corridor desk. Once there have been a few industrial accidents you can propose a solution that involves you getting a nice window seat again :)
Kev
Mon Mar 3 13:30:31 2008

 Well, I've been moved to a new desk today. Regrettably I thought I should try and be grown up about it this time, and not kick up a fuss. I didn't get any protest T-shirts printed or anything. As a result I now seem to have a desk in what is effectively a corridor, and I suspect my productivity will nose dive. Still, on the plus side my bonus for last year was decided at the end of last week, so in the short term at least there should be no severe consequences of not getting much done. Maybe this is my cue to stop working so hard and start being "wacky" and having fun, as appears to be the external perception of the place where I work.
John
Mon Mar 3 10:52:00 2008

 Morning all. This time next week I shall be in Cyprus.
Mad Mumsie
Mon Mar 3 08:49:57 2008

 Morning All.
Kev
Mon Mar 3 08:22:09 2008

 John: This time Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tipei and Seoul... In 10 days... Unfortunately we are going to "exchange" as I am back in Europe on the 13.. :P
Lox
Sun Mar 2 17:10:34 2008

 Well, I never go very far these days, so take care chaps!! However, as I write, I am in my Garage setting up a PC so that I can sell it!! As you can see (though not actually "hear"!!) it is peroming perfectly and rather quietly, if I do say so myself!!! :D
Nigel
Sun Mar 2 11:47:14 2008

 Which bit of Asia this time Lox? Me and Chie will be in Japan in two weeks time (from the 15th to the 31st).
John
Sun Mar 2 11:14:31 2008

 John: I am about to leave again for Asia, work situation SEEMS (touch wood) to be getting slightly better, but I still have to fight for every little thing... What have you been up to?
Nigel: THANKS!! :D
Lox
Sun Mar 2 10:16:47 2008

 Lox: I too have been absent a lot recently so I didn't notice. :P
John
Sun Mar 2 09:44:43 2008

 Yes! :)
Nigel
Sat Mar 1 16:33:51 2008

 Good morning.... .Gosh I have been absent from the board all right!!! Did you miss me ?
Lox
Sat Mar 1 10:35:56 2008