Friday, December 10, 2010
Back to Oz
Flying back tomorrow morning and will be landing Friday night Melbourne time. Luggage over weight but have taken things out for later. Hopefully we'll miss the hail stones when we get back!
Monday, November 29, 2010
A day of pain
After 10K run yesterday, this morning went to the dentist to clean my teeth. In the afternoon went for a foot and shoulder massage. So much pain /cry
Sunday, November 28, 2010
UNICEF 10K Run @ Disneyland HK
Got up at 5 this morning and managed to get to Disneyland by 6am. It was still dark by then and I actually made it there in time for the start of the half marathon. Since I had nothing to do I went to the starting line to look at the competitors. My race started at 7 so I spent some time stretching and lined up for the starting line. The race was alright, jogged pretty much all the way but there were parts of the race where the course was a bit too narrow for the amount of people there. I finished in around 55 minutes which isn't too bad, I can probably go harder but couldn't be bothered. The highlight was when I got to high 5 Mickey Mouse at the start of the race. When I was going home I realised that I didn't really see much of Disneyland but the Disneyland MTR connection is pretty cool. The handle is in the shape of Mickey's head and they have curved couches rather than the regular seats.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Top 10 things I will NOT miss about the UK
Again, not in any particular order:
- The tube - better than Melbourne, but it's still crap. Line closure every weekend, strikes, random failures, delays...
- Fat people on the tube - the score shall remain at 2-0
- Getting to the Emirates and then back home - there has to be a better system... took me 2 hours to get to the game once and over an hour to get home. When I went to Camp Nou, a much bigger stadium (thus more people) and taking the metro took me 20 minutes door to door covering similar distances
- British people and Europeans, seriously you are not as good as you think you are, get over it!
- American tourists - rude and stupid, there are nice people and smart people but a lot of them are not. I still can't get over the white sauce bolognese questions in Italy
- Chinese groceries - the fact that I can't get everything I need at the same place
- The weather - dark and cold in the winter months. The fact that when it snows, sure it looks pretty but nothing works when it snows
- Black nose coming home everyday
- Crap food - apart from Dinings of course
- British TV - lots of channels but also a lot of crap
Top 10 things I will miss about the UK
Not in any particular order...
- Arsenal FC and games at the Emirates - although recent performances have been very disappointing, losing to WBA, Newcastle, Spurs, and Braga... Seriously... Spurs? After leading 2-0 at half time... heartbreaking
- Weekend trips - back in Melbourne, where can I go for the weekend... Daiso?
- Dinings - I look back at those food photos and damn... truffle soy mmm...
- The tube because I know Melbourne public transport is even worse
- Hyde Park for running - it was so convenient
- Online shopping - Amazon is pretty awesome, back in Oz you are restricted to buying certain items on Amazon like books and CDs and other small items
- Paying by card at restaurants - as in splitting the bill with 10 cards if you and your friends feel like it
- Cheap and fast internet - Australia is still pretty expensive
- Going out - I heard people back home are boring! In London I guess people would come out and hang if they are free because everyone is in the same situation
- Football - no need to watch during stupid hours because I was in the right timezone!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Because I am lazy
Have not blogged for ages and since my last packing post I have traveled to Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan. At the moment, I'm in Hong Kong again before going back to Melbourne on December 10th. As of 11 hours ago, my boxes are in the China sea according to Marine Traffic dot com. Hopefully it will make it to Australia OK and it's not scheduled to arrive until after I get back.
So far the past 1 and a bit months have been good, basically eat, sleep, wake up, do nothing and that is about it. Have only gained around 2kg so far which isn't bad. Although this Sunday I am suppose to run 10km at Disneyland in HK. Hopefully there isn't a lot of hills in the area but I think I should be fine.
I'll try to post more later and make it more interesting for my readers :p
So far the past 1 and a bit months have been good, basically eat, sleep, wake up, do nothing and that is about it. Have only gained around 2kg so far which isn't bad. Although this Sunday I am suppose to run 10km at Disneyland in HK. Hopefully there isn't a lot of hills in the area but I think I should be fine.
I'll try to post more later and make it more interesting for my readers :p
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Packing Plan
Sunday Evening - File paper work
Monday Evening - Throw away all the crap I don't need
Friday - Clothes
Saturday - Random remaining items
Sunday - Random remaining items
Hopefully everything will be done by next Sunday.
Monday Evening - Throw away all the crap I don't need
Friday - Clothes
Saturday - Random remaining items
Sunday - Random remaining items
Hopefully everything will be done by next Sunday.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The hills are alive...
In Salzburg, the town of Mozart because the locals here do not know what The Sound of Music is about. Came for the weekend via Munich and I was a bit worried initially because the connections were pretty tight. Luckily for me I managed to clear customs and made it to the S-Bahn in time for my connection to Salzburg at Munich Ost. I was pretty tired after a 4am start and wasn't impressed to find the train packed so I had to stand for some part of the journey. All was forgotten though when I got to my destination as glorious sunny weather was there to welcome me. When I checked into the hotel I asked them about certain tours but unfortunately the afternoon tours were all booked out. It wasn't a bad thing I guess and I decided to have a longer lunch before heading up to the fortress to get a view of the city.
Lunch was at the oldest restaurant in Salzburg and the food was pretty good. Wasn't impressed with the initial service though as the waiter at the front basically ignored me while I was standing in front of him. I was given a small table by the window and the guy who served me was a lot better, so I gave him a tip at the end.
Walking past the funicular entrance I decided I couldn't be bothered lining up so I decided to walk up the hill... damn it was steep and tiring... It was a nice day so the view was pretty good, but the tour inside the fortress itself wasn't that great. Wouldn't recommend unless there is nothing else better you want to do. I took the funicular back to town and had an ice-cream while watching people play with the giant chess board.
I rested a bit back at the hotel before going out for dinner. This place was listed as no 2 on Trip Advisor. I had a schnitzel and I was quite full after that. I walked around a bit after dinner before calling it a night as I was pretty buggered by then.
Woke up the next day by the church bells and after breakfast I went to the meeting point for my Sound of Music bicycle tour. I had a bit of time on my hand so I walked around the Mirabell Gardens before all the tourists start packing the place. I waited for a while and the guide didn't come until 5-10 minutes before the tour start, but no matter because she was pretty hot. Maclaria was probably like some of the girls' experience with Mike the hottie but in no doubt hotter because she is female. The tour itself was great and highly recommended if you don't want to be on a bus singing along to the Sound of Music and want to get some exercise on a nice day while enjoying the scenery of Salzburg. It takes you to all the places you expect to see from the movie. You don't have to be fit either as there was an American family with 3 girls all less than 10 year old doing the tour. Their dad however being American was being an American asking me 'can...you...speak...English?' after telling him I'm from Australia... He then said 'Oh...Australia...so...you...must...speak...English...then...' all in slow motion.
I was pretty tired by then and after lunch I sat in the gardens for a bit before collecting my bag and headed back to Munich. As I was buying my ticket some guy offered to sell me his Bayern ticket so I got it for a slight discount. The only issue was it was a group ticket and when the guard checked my ticket and asked me whether I was by myself I was like I don't speak German and I have no idea what you are talking about. A fellow passenger then offered to translate but it didn't really matter since it was a valid ticket.
Right now I'm sitting in the BA lounge waiting for my flight, probably try to get a bit more food before the flight so hopefully photos will be up sometime later in the week.
Lunch was at the oldest restaurant in Salzburg and the food was pretty good. Wasn't impressed with the initial service though as the waiter at the front basically ignored me while I was standing in front of him. I was given a small table by the window and the guy who served me was a lot better, so I gave him a tip at the end.
Walking past the funicular entrance I decided I couldn't be bothered lining up so I decided to walk up the hill... damn it was steep and tiring... It was a nice day so the view was pretty good, but the tour inside the fortress itself wasn't that great. Wouldn't recommend unless there is nothing else better you want to do. I took the funicular back to town and had an ice-cream while watching people play with the giant chess board.
I rested a bit back at the hotel before going out for dinner. This place was listed as no 2 on Trip Advisor. I had a schnitzel and I was quite full after that. I walked around a bit after dinner before calling it a night as I was pretty buggered by then.
Woke up the next day by the church bells and after breakfast I went to the meeting point for my Sound of Music bicycle tour. I had a bit of time on my hand so I walked around the Mirabell Gardens before all the tourists start packing the place. I waited for a while and the guide didn't come until 5-10 minutes before the tour start, but no matter because she was pretty hot. Maclaria was probably like some of the girls' experience with Mike the hottie but in no doubt hotter because she is female. The tour itself was great and highly recommended if you don't want to be on a bus singing along to the Sound of Music and want to get some exercise on a nice day while enjoying the scenery of Salzburg. It takes you to all the places you expect to see from the movie. You don't have to be fit either as there was an American family with 3 girls all less than 10 year old doing the tour. Their dad however being American was being an American asking me 'can...you...speak...English?' after telling him I'm from Australia... He then said 'Oh...Australia...so...you...must...speak...English...then...' all in slow motion.
I was pretty tired by then and after lunch I sat in the gardens for a bit before collecting my bag and headed back to Munich. As I was buying my ticket some guy offered to sell me his Bayern ticket so I got it for a slight discount. The only issue was it was a group ticket and when the guard checked my ticket and asked me whether I was by myself I was like I don't speak German and I have no idea what you are talking about. A fellow passenger then offered to translate but it didn't really matter since it was a valid ticket.
Right now I'm sitting in the BA lounge waiting for my flight, probably try to get a bit more food before the flight so hopefully photos will be up sometime later in the week.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Google instant search goodness
It's pretty awesome with stuff coming up as you type without hitting enter. Good to see it is still recognising DD as we type it.
Oh yes you are correct, I'm now a Mac, but still a PC at heart. I was looking for my print screen button but had to look up Google to find out how to do it.
Oh yes you are correct, I'm now a Mac, but still a PC at heart. I was looking for my print screen button but had to look up Google to find out how to do it.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Really should update...
but I have no inspirations at the moment. Most exciting thing lately is I have resigned officially, have not felt better!
Will be going to Salzburg over the weekend. Looking at doing the Sound of Music tour and if weather is to hold up I wouldn't mind visiting Eagle's Nest as well since I won't have enough time to do the salt mines.
Next week will probably be going to my final Arsenal game at the Emirates for the foreseeable future so hopefully it will be a good Champion's League win for the Gunners!
Will be going to Salzburg over the weekend. Looking at doing the Sound of Music tour and if weather is to hold up I wouldn't mind visiting Eagle's Nest as well since I won't have enough time to do the salt mines.
Next week will probably be going to my final Arsenal game at the Emirates for the foreseeable future so hopefully it will be a good Champion's League win for the Gunners!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Fatman 2 KH 0
Not sure whether this was the same fat man but I think it could be. I offered my seat to a woman 2 stops before but was declined because she was only on for 1 stop. At Earl's Court, the guy next to me suddenly ran off and that was the beginning... the seat next to me became free and at that moment the fat man pounced. His eye must have lit up and everyone else backed off. He got closer and when he was 1 metre away he pulled off a 180 and that was when I first noticed him. His butt crack was clearly visible by then and it was too late for me to escape. When he got to the seat he let gravity do the trick. I felt like I was in a jumping castle and someone landed next to me. I was pushed against the glass panel and was trapped there for the next 3 stops. Fat man 2, KH 0.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Pied a Terre
Celebrated NJ_LA's birthday at this 2 michelin stars establishment. We went for the tasting menu and the food was quite good and consistent. However, while it was good I didn't walk out with a wow factor (like I did after the yellowtail tartar with truffle soy at Dinings). The service was good and the wine was also very nice. Couldn't really understand the French waiter's accent at times but they had the tasting menu on the table so I knew what I was eating. The most disappointing part was probably when we got seated in the corner table so we didn't get to sit face to face. Is it worth 2 michelin stars? Not too sure. It deserves at least 1 though.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
My Old Place
This is not about my home. Had dinner tonight at a Szechuan restaurant near Liverpool St Station. I called up this afternoon for a booking for 4 but was told not to worry and just come... bullshit. The place was really packed by 7:30pm and we were lucky enough to get one of the last tables before the entire place got filled up. Once we sat down, one of the waitress came up and asked whether we made a booking. I was thinking wtf?
We were busy chatting away and didn't order our food until after some of the other tables which may or may not be a mistake because the service was SO DAMN SLOW! I think by the time we ordered it was 8pm which was fine but our 4 dishes (1 a cold starter) came 1 at a time and we eventually got the last dish after 9pm! By that time it wasn't very busy so I really don't get how come it was that slow. We did suspect that the 2 guys sitting outside the restaurant were the chefs and they take breaks after cooking each dish or something. Overall the food was fine, not as hot as I expected it to be but given the slow service and if you are really hungry on the night you shouldn't go there.
We were busy chatting away and didn't order our food until after some of the other tables which may or may not be a mistake because the service was SO DAMN SLOW! I think by the time we ordered it was 8pm which was fine but our 4 dishes (1 a cold starter) came 1 at a time and we eventually got the last dish after 9pm! By that time it wasn't very busy so I really don't get how come it was that slow. We did suspect that the 2 guys sitting outside the restaurant were the chefs and they take breaks after cooking each dish or something. Overall the food was fine, not as hot as I expected it to be but given the slow service and if you are really hungry on the night you shouldn't go there.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Group E to H Review
Group E - I guess Holland was always going to make it. The surprise package though was Japan and if Mr Wenger is Japan's Prime Minister he should be building a statue for the Japanese coach in the middle of Tokyo since no one actually gave them a chance! Keisuke Honda is such a star!
Group F - Paraguay finished top and Italy didn't make it! The surprise was how well the Kiwis did although they were slightly arrogant in their press conference after the Italy game.
Group G - Spot on here but not hard to guess really. The Brazil vs Portugal game turned out to be so damn boring!
Group H - I am a genius... although I didn't expect Switzerland to do so well.
Group F - Paraguay finished top and Italy didn't make it! The surprise was how well the Kiwis did although they were slightly arrogant in their press conference after the Italy game.
Group G - Spot on here but not hard to guess really. The Brazil vs Portugal game turned out to be so damn boring!
Group H - I am a genius... although I didn't expect Switzerland to do so well.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Group A to D Review
Well lets see how right or wrong I was...
Group A - Uruguay and Mexico qualified while France did not even get a point. I have been surprised at how well Uruguay has been playing and they could be one of the teams I will be watching at the QF.
Group B - Spot on with this group. Argentina qualified top easily and South Korea looked like they were sleeping against Nigeria. Hopefully they can beat Uruguay and I get to watch them in the QF!
Group C - Ah England, so lucky to qualify. I actually tipped USA in my other prediction comp and so I am quite happy that they actually qualified. However I didn't expect them to top the group though. The USA could well be one of the teams I am watching!
Group D - Germany as expected but Ghana was one that I didn't pick. Imagine if they have Michael Essien as well in the team. Australia though had a slight chance in the last 15 minutes but it wasn't to be. The lost against Germany was too much to recover from. At least it wasn't 7-0.
Group A - Uruguay and Mexico qualified while France did not even get a point. I have been surprised at how well Uruguay has been playing and they could be one of the teams I will be watching at the QF.
Group B - Spot on with this group. Argentina qualified top easily and South Korea looked like they were sleeping against Nigeria. Hopefully they can beat Uruguay and I get to watch them in the QF!
Group C - Ah England, so lucky to qualify. I actually tipped USA in my other prediction comp and so I am quite happy that they actually qualified. However I didn't expect them to top the group though. The USA could well be one of the teams I am watching!
Group D - Germany as expected but Ghana was one that I didn't pick. Imagine if they have Michael Essien as well in the team. Australia though had a slight chance in the last 15 minutes but it wasn't to be. The lost against Germany was too much to recover from. At least it wasn't 7-0.
Friday, June 11, 2010
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group H
Spain
My tip for the tournament. Simply has too much class and if they fail to win it would be entirely their fault.
Player to watch: Cesc Fabregas
Switzerland
Quite efficient team so don't expect high scoring games with these guys. Don't know a lot about their players though.
Player to watch: Blaise N'Kufo
Honduras
I was surprised by how good they were the last time I watched them play but I think this time everybody will be prepared for them. Don't see them getting through.
Player to watch: David Sauzo
Chile
Don't really know much about this team nowadays but they did finish second behind Brazil in South America qualifiers. They will probably take second spot in the group but apart from Spain the fight for second spot will be very tight.
Player to watch: Humberto Suazo
Final Standing
Spain
Chile
Honduras
Switzerland
My tip for the tournament. Simply has too much class and if they fail to win it would be entirely their fault.
Player to watch: Cesc Fabregas
Switzerland
Quite efficient team so don't expect high scoring games with these guys. Don't know a lot about their players though.
Player to watch: Blaise N'Kufo
Honduras
I was surprised by how good they were the last time I watched them play but I think this time everybody will be prepared for them. Don't see them getting through.
Player to watch: David Sauzo
Chile
Don't really know much about this team nowadays but they did finish second behind Brazil in South America qualifiers. They will probably take second spot in the group but apart from Spain the fight for second spot will be very tight.
Player to watch: Humberto Suazo
Final Standing
Spain
Chile
Honduras
Switzerland
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group G
Brazil
Always everybody's favourite. Simply have too many stars in the country to fill one team. WIll easily top the group and even go all the way to the final.
Player to watch: Julio Cesar
North Korea
Unknown like everything North Korean. Could surprise since no one knows anything about them.
Player to watch: Kim Jong Il? Derka derka
Ivory Coast
Chelsea duo of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou and the Toure brothers could help guide the Ivory Coast to the next stage. However, with Drogba injured Brazil and Portugal could be too strong for the Africans.
Player to watch: Didier Drogba
Portugal
I got these guys for my work sweep stake. Hopefully they can win me £100 but I doubt it. They have good players but I don't see them winning especially since they had a much better team in the past but still didn't achieve anything.
Player to watch: Cristiano Ronaldo
Final Standing
Brazil
Portugal
Ivory Coast
North Korea
Always everybody's favourite. Simply have too many stars in the country to fill one team. WIll easily top the group and even go all the way to the final.
Player to watch: Julio Cesar
North Korea
Unknown like everything North Korean. Could surprise since no one knows anything about them.
Player to watch: Kim Jong Il? Derka derka
Ivory Coast
Chelsea duo of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou and the Toure brothers could help guide the Ivory Coast to the next stage. However, with Drogba injured Brazil and Portugal could be too strong for the Africans.
Player to watch: Didier Drogba
Portugal
I got these guys for my work sweep stake. Hopefully they can win me £100 but I doubt it. They have good players but I don't see them winning especially since they had a much better team in the past but still didn't achieve anything.
Player to watch: Cristiano Ronaldo
Final Standing
Brazil
Portugal
Ivory Coast
North Korea
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group F
Italy
Italians are boring to watch but they are a consistent performer. Would love to see them not get through the group stage but I don't fancy the other teams stopping them.
Player to watch: Gianluigi Buffon
Paraguay
Don't know much about this team to be honest.
Player to watch: Roque Santa Cruz (the only player I know)
New Zealand
Don't waste my time.
Player to watch: Who?
Slovakia
Have some decent players and along with Paraguay hopefully they will knock the Italians out.
Player to watch: Marek Hamsik
Final Standing
Slovakia
Paraguay
Italy
New Zealand
Italians are boring to watch but they are a consistent performer. Would love to see them not get through the group stage but I don't fancy the other teams stopping them.
Player to watch: Gianluigi Buffon
Paraguay
Don't know much about this team to be honest.
Player to watch: Roque Santa Cruz (the only player I know)
New Zealand
Don't waste my time.
Player to watch: Who?
Slovakia
Have some decent players and along with Paraguay hopefully they will knock the Italians out.
Player to watch: Marek Hamsik
Final Standing
Slovakia
Paraguay
Italy
New Zealand
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group E
Better finish this before the tournament starts.
Netherlands
I always fancy the Netherlands. Maybe it's their total football philosophy. I think they will go far this tournament and could have a chance of evening winning it. RVP being injured all season could go in their favour since he will be fresh and hungry to have a go.
Player to watch: Robin Van Persie
Denmark
Denmark can sometimes be a surprise package. They always do well enough but not quite good enough to go all the way. Nicklas Bentner probably thinks he is the best striker in the world but he really needs a reality check.
Player to watch: Nicklas Bentner (unfortunately)
Japan
While I love Japanese food I really don't see them getting through the group stage. Their coach is pretty useless and they don't really have the stars to lift them through.
Player to watch: Keisuke Honda
Cameroon
Have a core group of quality players lead by Samuel Etoo. If they perform consistantly they could go beyond the group stage.
Player to watch: Samuel Etoo
Final Standing
Netherands
Denmark
Cameroon
Japan
Netherlands
I always fancy the Netherlands. Maybe it's their total football philosophy. I think they will go far this tournament and could have a chance of evening winning it. RVP being injured all season could go in their favour since he will be fresh and hungry to have a go.
Player to watch: Robin Van Persie
Denmark
Denmark can sometimes be a surprise package. They always do well enough but not quite good enough to go all the way. Nicklas Bentner probably thinks he is the best striker in the world but he really needs a reality check.
Player to watch: Nicklas Bentner (unfortunately)
Japan
While I love Japanese food I really don't see them getting through the group stage. Their coach is pretty useless and they don't really have the stars to lift them through.
Player to watch: Keisuke Honda
Cameroon
Have a core group of quality players lead by Samuel Etoo. If they perform consistantly they could go beyond the group stage.
Player to watch: Samuel Etoo
Final Standing
Netherands
Denmark
Cameroon
Japan
Monday, June 7, 2010
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group D
The last of the group I am specially interested in because I will be watching the Quarter Final coming out of Groups A - D.
Germany
With out their captain Michael Ballack, the Germans are still a very strong team. With the talent they have they should easily top the group here.
Player to watch: Bastian Schweinsteiger
Australia
Another team that looks the same as the last World Cup. I'm not sure how far they can go... Serbia and Germany are probably too strong for the Socceroos.
Player to watch: Tim Cahill
Serbia
With big name players in the starting 11 they will be a tough nut to crack. I think they will finish second.
Player to watch: Milan Jovanovic
Ghana
Without Michael Essien I think it will be tough for Ghana to get through. They will probably fight out the bottom spot with Australia.
Player to watch: Don't know
Final Standing
Germany
Serbia
Australia
Ghana
Germany
With out their captain Michael Ballack, the Germans are still a very strong team. With the talent they have they should easily top the group here.
Player to watch: Bastian Schweinsteiger
Australia
Another team that looks the same as the last World Cup. I'm not sure how far they can go... Serbia and Germany are probably too strong for the Socceroos.
Player to watch: Tim Cahill
Serbia
With big name players in the starting 11 they will be a tough nut to crack. I think they will finish second.
Player to watch: Milan Jovanovic
Ghana
Without Michael Essien I think it will be tough for Ghana to get through. They will probably fight out the bottom spot with Australia.
Player to watch: Don't know
Final Standing
Germany
Serbia
Australia
Ghana
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group C
England
The England team looks the same as the previous World Cup. Can they realistically think David James can help them keep the ball out of the net? Why is Heskey in the team? Lots of question only Mr Capello has the answer for.
Player to watch: Wayne Rooney
USA
Soccer has developed a lot in this country and in recent times have produced some decent players. Will be tough to fight for second spot with Slovenia but who knows, they can surprise us.
Player to watch: Clint Dempsey
Algeria
Can't really comment because I know nothing about this team. I am thinking bottom of the group
Player to watch: No comment
Slovenia
Another one I can't comment on but beating Russia to qualify can't be too bad. They will have to fight it out with the US in order to qualify.
Player to watch: No comment
Final Standing
England
Slovenia
USA
Algeria
The England team looks the same as the previous World Cup. Can they realistically think David James can help them keep the ball out of the net? Why is Heskey in the team? Lots of question only Mr Capello has the answer for.
Player to watch: Wayne Rooney
USA
Soccer has developed a lot in this country and in recent times have produced some decent players. Will be tough to fight for second spot with Slovenia but who knows, they can surprise us.
Player to watch: Clint Dempsey
Algeria
Can't really comment because I know nothing about this team. I am thinking bottom of the group
Player to watch: No comment
Slovenia
Another one I can't comment on but beating Russia to qualify can't be too bad. They will have to fight it out with the US in order to qualify.
Player to watch: No comment
Final Standing
England
Slovenia
USA
Algeria
Sunday, June 6, 2010
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group B
This group I believe is relatively straight forward.
Argentina
Too much talent and class but their downfall could be their coach, Mr Maradona himself. Easily top of the group, no need for further explanation.
Player to watch: Who else? Messi of course!
Nigeria
I don't have much hope for the Super Eagles. If they are lucky they might finish 3rd but it all depends on their match with Greece.
Player to watch: Obafemi Martins
South Korea
I think despite having to group with Argentina, South Korea can finish the group in second place. They are a good team and they could have too much pace and stamina (thanks to ginseng chicken) for the aging forces of Nigeria and Greece.
Player to watch: Lee Chung Yong
Greece
Is it me or are some of these players from Euro 2004? I don't think they can quality beyond group stage.
Player to watch: Theofanis Gekas
Final Standing
Argentina
South Korea
Nigeria
Greece
Argentina
Too much talent and class but their downfall could be their coach, Mr Maradona himself. Easily top of the group, no need for further explanation.
Player to watch: Who else? Messi of course!
Nigeria
I don't have much hope for the Super Eagles. If they are lucky they might finish 3rd but it all depends on their match with Greece.
Player to watch: Obafemi Martins
South Korea
I think despite having to group with Argentina, South Korea can finish the group in second place. They are a good team and they could have too much pace and stamina (thanks to ginseng chicken) for the aging forces of Nigeria and Greece.
Player to watch: Lee Chung Yong
Greece
Is it me or are some of these players from Euro 2004? I don't think they can quality beyond group stage.
Player to watch: Theofanis Gekas
Final Standing
Argentina
South Korea
Nigeria
Greece
World Cup South Africa 2010 - Group A
Group A consist of host South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France. This is a pretty tough group for everyone.
South Africa
South Africa as the host should get plenty of support from the crowd and traditionally host countries tend to do quite well. To be honest apart from the ones in the Premier League I don't really know their players. They are a decent team and with the crowd behind them they could finish second in the group and get through to the next stage.
Player to watch: Steven Pienaar
Mexico
Saw them play again England and to be honest not quite convinced with their display. Since then though they have most recently beat Italy in a warm up match and the team is a lot more up beat about their chances. Their goal keeper though is a bit short so that could be their weakness but they have world class players on the field. If they can all stay fit they could take out the group (but I say second is more realistic).
Player to watch: Javier Hernandez
Uruguay
Another team I don't really know much about... but they are South American and they are usually a decent team. Unfortunately I cannot see them getting beyond the group stage and if lucky they may finish 3rd.
Player to watch: Luis Suarez
France
Ah France... Has to be a favourite to take the group right? They were lucky to qualify and having lost to China in the most recent game a lot of people might be writing them off. I however think they are going to come through with the goods and while it will be tough they could finish top with wins against South Africa and one of Mexico or Uruguay.
Player to watch: Yoann Gourcuff
Final Standing
France
Mexico
South Africa
Uruguay
South Africa
South Africa as the host should get plenty of support from the crowd and traditionally host countries tend to do quite well. To be honest apart from the ones in the Premier League I don't really know their players. They are a decent team and with the crowd behind them they could finish second in the group and get through to the next stage.
Player to watch: Steven Pienaar
Mexico
Saw them play again England and to be honest not quite convinced with their display. Since then though they have most recently beat Italy in a warm up match and the team is a lot more up beat about their chances. Their goal keeper though is a bit short so that could be their weakness but they have world class players on the field. If they can all stay fit they could take out the group (but I say second is more realistic).
Player to watch: Javier Hernandez
Uruguay
Another team I don't really know much about... but they are South American and they are usually a decent team. Unfortunately I cannot see them getting beyond the group stage and if lucky they may finish 3rd.
Player to watch: Luis Suarez
France
Ah France... Has to be a favourite to take the group right? They were lucky to qualify and having lost to China in the most recent game a lot of people might be writing them off. I however think they are going to come through with the goods and while it will be tough they could finish top with wins against South Africa and one of Mexico or Uruguay.
Player to watch: Yoann Gourcuff
Final Standing
France
Mexico
South Africa
Uruguay
Hay Fever 2 - KH 0
Yesterday at Hampton Court Palace and today after running... my eyes... It burns! It burns us!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
South Africa check list
Need to do:
- Organise transfer from airport to accommodation (emailed a few)
- Organise day tours (emailed a couple of places)
- Binoculars
- Lens hire (looking at 100-400mm)
- Torch
- Malaria tablets
- Spare camera battery
- Bigger camera bag, perhaps a backpack, need more research
- Pick up tickets in Johannesburg on arrival
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Who can replace Cesc?
Arsenal fans have known this all along, but did we expect it to be this soon? Normally I would say he is only 1 player and no one is irreplaceable, I mean, look at what happened when Vieira and Henry left? Sure, when Vieira left we knew we had Cesc in the wings and we never really replaced Henry until RVP decided to score some goals at the start of the season but having watched the 2009-2010 season I think the reason why we finished 3rd was because of Cesc. The way he came off the bench with an injury to score 2 goals against Villa (then got injured again in the same game) just shows how important he is to the Gunners. I don't blame him for leaving though since he wants to go back to his home town and wants to win trophies. So as an Arsenal fan we should wish him good luck, and move on.
So who can replace him? Certainly no one in the current side. The closest really at the moment is Nasri but he is not as consistent and doesn't score enough goals and his passing lack the vision of Cesc. Ramsey is one for the future and if he can regain his form and in 2 season's time he should be an awesome player. Anyone else I wouldn't even consider. I mean, is Denilson really Brazilian? Diaby is a different kind of player and whenever we are losing he seems to lack the fight to bring us back. I have not seen Rosicky play 90 minutes this year. Perhaps in the future Jack Wilshere can make an impact but he is more of a wide player.
We need to therefore look elsewhere. A few names that has been mentioned on the internet are Yoann Gourcuff, Eden Hazard, Marek Hamsik, and the list goes on really. Hazard is probably still too young as a straight replacement so Hamsik and certainly Gourcuff would be a good target. Gourcuff would be a great buy considering Chamakh is considered to be signed and the two have successfully taken Bordeaux to the Champions League quarters.
Who knows really what Mr Wenger will do. If he can bring in Buffon would Cesc consider staying? But 5 years without a trophy is 5 years too long and we needed to win something last year. So now that the debts are mostly behind us from the property development and new stadium and the team is finally maturing (no more building a team for the future excuse) we really need to make 2010-2011 a successful one for Arsenal FC!
So who can replace him? Certainly no one in the current side. The closest really at the moment is Nasri but he is not as consistent and doesn't score enough goals and his passing lack the vision of Cesc. Ramsey is one for the future and if he can regain his form and in 2 season's time he should be an awesome player. Anyone else I wouldn't even consider. I mean, is Denilson really Brazilian? Diaby is a different kind of player and whenever we are losing he seems to lack the fight to bring us back. I have not seen Rosicky play 90 minutes this year. Perhaps in the future Jack Wilshere can make an impact but he is more of a wide player.
We need to therefore look elsewhere. A few names that has been mentioned on the internet are Yoann Gourcuff, Eden Hazard, Marek Hamsik, and the list goes on really. Hazard is probably still too young as a straight replacement so Hamsik and certainly Gourcuff would be a good target. Gourcuff would be a great buy considering Chamakh is considered to be signed and the two have successfully taken Bordeaux to the Champions League quarters.
Who knows really what Mr Wenger will do. If he can bring in Buffon would Cesc consider staying? But 5 years without a trophy is 5 years too long and we needed to win something last year. So now that the debts are mostly behind us from the property development and new stadium and the team is finally maturing (no more building a team for the future excuse) we really need to make 2010-2011 a successful one for Arsenal FC!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Iceland destroying the world?
Not content with just going bankrupt Iceland is now covering Europe with volcanic ash! Bloody hell!
In the meantime, I want Singapore Airlines to tell me what I need to do next with my flight approaching... how do I rebook and stuff or will you do that automatically when flights resume? Please explain!
In the meantime, I want Singapore Airlines to tell me what I need to do next with my flight approaching... how do I rebook and stuff or will you do that automatically when flights resume? Please explain!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Fatman 1 KH 0
On a glorious night as we laugh hard at Chelski losing to Inter Milan I also lost out 1-0 to Mr Fatman on the District line. On my way home from work I got on at Wimbledon and all is well until a few stations down the line this massive dude came on my carriage. I looked up and he had this smirk on his face looking at the empty seat next to me. I braced myself as he reversed into position and on impact I was pushed to the side and smacked into the glass panel next to me. There was no escape as I couldn't even move my arm and with each stop his weight would shift to my side crushing me more and more. He eventually got off at Notting Hill Gate and as soon as he got up I felt so free and suddenly I could breathe again.
Chelski crashing out of the Champion's League may not be so bad for them, at least now they can concentrate on the Premier League. Hopefully the Gooners will keep winning to at least put more pressure on the 2 teams ahead of them!
Chelski crashing out of the Champion's League may not be so bad for them, at least now they can concentrate on the Premier League. Hopefully the Gooners will keep winning to at least put more pressure on the 2 teams ahead of them!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Bulgaria
Even though I am a bit behind with my posting (Switzerland/Italy trip, games at the Emirates) I thought I would share with you my skiing trip to Bulgaria. I didn't know what to expect from the start with everyone telling us how crap the resort is and all but it can't be that bad right if people are still going there? I'll let you decide.
Day 1:
3:15am wake up for the 4am cab ride to Gatwick. Apart from the lack of sleep, it wasn't too bad. The flight over was quite smooth as well and the landing was so much better than some of the ones I have experienced recently. The car ride to Bansko allowed us to see the city a little bit in Sophia and it has a China feel to it being ex-communist and all. It could have been the weather but everything seems dull and gray. We managed to check into the hotel and it looked quite nice outside, but as we inspected closely, the build quality is not so good and you can feel the wall wobbling when you touch it. I guess if an apartment costs 22,000 euro to buy you shouldn't expect too much. We went to sort out our gear and bought our lift pass, ate some food, then called it a day.
Day 2:
Got up early to get up to the mountains, the breakfast in the hotel wasn't too bad. The line for the gondola up the mountain wasn't too long, I think we waited for around 30 minutes but the ride up actually took another 30 minutes. It felt quite warm when we got there and the snow is well... at least you can ski on it. Went to practice a bit on a baby slope in preparation for our lesson. As the day went by, the lines for the ski lifts and T-Bars got longer and longer. The slopes had more and more people, we were told by another couple in the group that it took them 1.5hrs to get up to the mountain in the morning waiting for the gondola when they lined up at 9am. Went back to the hotel and hit the sauna and steam room, according to the posters the hotel charges 3 euro for 30 minutes in the sauna. As a guest at the hotel, it should be free. Didn't pay.
For dinner we went to a local restaurant. We soon realised that every restaurant sells the same food. Which is not a problem because food is actually quite good, cheap, and lots of meat. The problem is it makes the whole town smells like BBQ with smoke everywhere. We tried to look for a place for New Year's eve but everything was so expensive for local standard. We went back to the hotel and crashed.
Day 3:
Our ski lesson was at 9am so we had to get up early again. Instant noodles was magnificent. NJ_La decided to sleep in a bit and ended up having to wait 1.5hrs at the gondola. Skiing condition was so so since it didn't snow and it was warm again so on the way back, we decided to take the gondola down rather than the long ski road down to the bottom of the mountain. The ski road is actually quite a good idea, it is an easy run down the mountain but the problem is the lack of snow towards the end and since it was pretty flat, it was a tough work out for the arms to push yourself to the finish line. While waiting for the gondola, we noticed that there was a family next to us, no matter, it fits 8 and including us there were only 7 and 2 were little kids. As the door open, I went to the back door to put my skis in, I then tried to get on the gondola but the mum who first pushed in front of us just before the gondola came decided to stick her hands out and blocked my way to the gondola so her family can get on first. In any other sport that move would have been a foul and I protested and thought WTF but the operators didn't care and just shook his head and told me to get on. It wasn't his fault and he probably couldn't do much about it either. We did however told them how rude they were knowing that they would understand a bit of English. Went back for a sauna session, didn't pay.
Since it was New Year's eve, we headed out looking for a place but most places were charging ridiculous prices or were full. We stumbled upon a bar and when we asked them how much it was only £20 per person so we thought why not. We couldn't really understand the waitress so we sat down anyway, looking at the other tables it looked quite decent. Our communication was flawed in many ways because in Bulgaria, they shake the head sideways for a yes, and they nod when it's a no. The entire time we asked her whether there were more food than the salad she was shaking her head and mentioned something about meat and rice. She then tried to ask us what we want to drink but soon gave up and proceeded to the fridge and took a whole bunch of soft drinks to the table. She then put 3 bottles in front of everyone and pointed at the drinks and then pointed to the person and said 'You!'. The drinks were included and we also got 100ml of a Bulgarian brandy. I just looked it up and it's called Rakia, the explanation says high concentration of alcohol and it is rather accurate. Some of the guys decided to order some other drinks and it was so damn cheap. A 100ml of Bombay Sapphire costs £1.25, you can't actually get less, it comes automatically at 100ml. It was a happy night for all and it also involved me getting roped into a local line dance thing at the restaurant. After a while, more food came out and she was right, it was rice with 3 types of meat. We also got dessert which was some form of fortune baklava. I took a bite and there was a piece of plastic inside. I opened it up and it had Bulgarian writing on it. No fricken idea what it said but a woman from the next table came by and explained in broken English. To this day I have no idea what it meant and I only caught the bit saying you will buy stuff with old coins. The night was complete with local fireworks display and a cheap bottle of champagne that came with our deal.
Day 4:
We slept in after a late one and since the walls were so thin we could hear the next room talking really loud at 5am in the morning. More instant noodles goodness and we were off to the snow again. The ride up wasn't bad at all since most people were probably sleeping or resting. Had a good run before meeting our instructor again and had quite a good lesson. He told us we should try the tripe soup but all the restaurants we went to didn't have soup for dinner, "only day time". For dinner we went to a place recommended by a Greek couple we met in the sauna. The instruction was to head to the old town square, past the monument, and it's a restaurant with a big barrel with vegies on top. Damn that was accurate and as we got close, there were vegies on top of a barrel. We did come by a couple of nights before but it was packed and we found out why. The food was awesome! BBQ meat again but it was at a high standard, it was cheap as well and they had this home made wine that costs like £3 for a litre and it was fantastic.
Day 5:
Last day of skiing and got up early for it. There were more gondola action! This family wanted to have the gondola to themselves and when this woman put her skis on and stepped into the gondola, this guy pulled her out and pushed her away! She had to take her skis off and wait for he next one. What is wrong with these people! By 11am we have had about 6 runs and the lines were absolutely crazy by then! We decided to take a break at one of the restaurant sitting outside so we could monitor the queue. Our friends who waited for us for 20 minutes already directed our attention to the little kid behind us. apparently he had been waiting for his parents since they got there and he even fell off the chair. Our friend picked him up and tried to wipe his tears away but since he was probably told not to talk to strangers (plus he doesn't speak English) he pushed our friend away. He then proceeded to walk around and started crying really loud looking for his parents. Eventually his mum came back and for her to line up for the lift, go up and ski down the kid was probably sitting by himself for a good hour at least. Asian parents leaves kids in cars to go to the casino, Europeans leave them to go skiing. We decided to have a long lunch and I didn't actually make it back up to the mountains.
The last dinner in Bulgaria we went back to the same restaurant with the barrel and vegies on top. Our "waiter" for the night was probably not a waiter. We ordered our food and wine and he came back with 4 glasses for 6 people, we told him and he said no problem. When the salads came, we asked for some plates, first he rolled his eyes, then came back with 5 plates. He quickly did a count and said 'you want 6 right?' and damn straight we do and he went away rolling his eyes again. Even though he had a massive mullet he did grow on us and some of us even took a photo with him. The food again was great and had a bit of wine to drink again.
Day 6:
The last day we had an early ride back to Sophia airport. It was absolutely bucketing down with snow all the way (almost like right now as I look outside the window in London). We thought that our plane would be delayed since it's Easyjet and all but it actually came on time and we were on the plane in no time. Then the bad news hit, there was a problem and because there was a massive head wind they had to load more fuel on the plane and given the huge amount of ski gear the plane was too heavy to take off. They wanted 5 passengers to volunteer and surprise surprise, no one did. After 15 minutes and a £100 lure 2 people decided to take the later 9pm flight (we were on a 1:50pm). with no more volunteers, they said their next option is to pull luggage off the plane. Normally it would be fine but they also said that there is no way for them to tell who's luggage got taken off (even though the checked in bags are all marked with name and barcode) and the only way to find out is at the other end when your luggage don't come out! Luckily, they recalculated and said if 1 more person get off then all the luggage can come along as well. Eventually, a Bulgarian guy decided to get off and everyone clapped.
Finally got back to London and we were only 50 minutes late. Our car ride home though was crap because the driver went over to Fulham and a Chelsea game just finished. I think in the end it took us almost 2hrs to get back home from Gatwick.
So there it was, an interesting time in Bulgaria. Other highlights include:
- a kid during a ski lesson got cleaned up by a snow boarder and when confronted the boarder didn't care and said it's not his fault
- a kid fell of a chair lift while getting on, the operator didn't stop the lift but just kept watching, eventually he stopped the lift when the next lot of people were about to get off
- people pushing in and the absolute chaos at the ski lifts queues
- our hotel running out of hot water and said it would take 40 minutes to fix the problem, then they turned the water off for a while
- we asked for towels but it never came because they couldn't find the maid
So to summarise, the local people and food was great, but the skiing, resort, and people on the slopes were not.I don't think I will go back for the snow and wouldn't recommend it. Don't get me wrong, I had a good time and when I made it onto the slopes, it was fantastic.
Day 1:
3:15am wake up for the 4am cab ride to Gatwick. Apart from the lack of sleep, it wasn't too bad. The flight over was quite smooth as well and the landing was so much better than some of the ones I have experienced recently. The car ride to Bansko allowed us to see the city a little bit in Sophia and it has a China feel to it being ex-communist and all. It could have been the weather but everything seems dull and gray. We managed to check into the hotel and it looked quite nice outside, but as we inspected closely, the build quality is not so good and you can feel the wall wobbling when you touch it. I guess if an apartment costs 22,000 euro to buy you shouldn't expect too much. We went to sort out our gear and bought our lift pass, ate some food, then called it a day.
Day 2:
Got up early to get up to the mountains, the breakfast in the hotel wasn't too bad. The line for the gondola up the mountain wasn't too long, I think we waited for around 30 minutes but the ride up actually took another 30 minutes. It felt quite warm when we got there and the snow is well... at least you can ski on it. Went to practice a bit on a baby slope in preparation for our lesson. As the day went by, the lines for the ski lifts and T-Bars got longer and longer. The slopes had more and more people, we were told by another couple in the group that it took them 1.5hrs to get up to the mountain in the morning waiting for the gondola when they lined up at 9am. Went back to the hotel and hit the sauna and steam room, according to the posters the hotel charges 3 euro for 30 minutes in the sauna. As a guest at the hotel, it should be free. Didn't pay.
For dinner we went to a local restaurant. We soon realised that every restaurant sells the same food. Which is not a problem because food is actually quite good, cheap, and lots of meat. The problem is it makes the whole town smells like BBQ with smoke everywhere. We tried to look for a place for New Year's eve but everything was so expensive for local standard. We went back to the hotel and crashed.
Day 3:
Our ski lesson was at 9am so we had to get up early again. Instant noodles was magnificent. NJ_La decided to sleep in a bit and ended up having to wait 1.5hrs at the gondola. Skiing condition was so so since it didn't snow and it was warm again so on the way back, we decided to take the gondola down rather than the long ski road down to the bottom of the mountain. The ski road is actually quite a good idea, it is an easy run down the mountain but the problem is the lack of snow towards the end and since it was pretty flat, it was a tough work out for the arms to push yourself to the finish line. While waiting for the gondola, we noticed that there was a family next to us, no matter, it fits 8 and including us there were only 7 and 2 were little kids. As the door open, I went to the back door to put my skis in, I then tried to get on the gondola but the mum who first pushed in front of us just before the gondola came decided to stick her hands out and blocked my way to the gondola so her family can get on first. In any other sport that move would have been a foul and I protested and thought WTF but the operators didn't care and just shook his head and told me to get on. It wasn't his fault and he probably couldn't do much about it either. We did however told them how rude they were knowing that they would understand a bit of English. Went back for a sauna session, didn't pay.
Since it was New Year's eve, we headed out looking for a place but most places were charging ridiculous prices or were full. We stumbled upon a bar and when we asked them how much it was only £20 per person so we thought why not. We couldn't really understand the waitress so we sat down anyway, looking at the other tables it looked quite decent. Our communication was flawed in many ways because in Bulgaria, they shake the head sideways for a yes, and they nod when it's a no. The entire time we asked her whether there were more food than the salad she was shaking her head and mentioned something about meat and rice. She then tried to ask us what we want to drink but soon gave up and proceeded to the fridge and took a whole bunch of soft drinks to the table. She then put 3 bottles in front of everyone and pointed at the drinks and then pointed to the person and said 'You!'. The drinks were included and we also got 100ml of a Bulgarian brandy. I just looked it up and it's called Rakia, the explanation says high concentration of alcohol and it is rather accurate. Some of the guys decided to order some other drinks and it was so damn cheap. A 100ml of Bombay Sapphire costs £1.25, you can't actually get less, it comes automatically at 100ml. It was a happy night for all and it also involved me getting roped into a local line dance thing at the restaurant. After a while, more food came out and she was right, it was rice with 3 types of meat. We also got dessert which was some form of fortune baklava. I took a bite and there was a piece of plastic inside. I opened it up and it had Bulgarian writing on it. No fricken idea what it said but a woman from the next table came by and explained in broken English. To this day I have no idea what it meant and I only caught the bit saying you will buy stuff with old coins. The night was complete with local fireworks display and a cheap bottle of champagne that came with our deal.
Day 4:
We slept in after a late one and since the walls were so thin we could hear the next room talking really loud at 5am in the morning. More instant noodles goodness and we were off to the snow again. The ride up wasn't bad at all since most people were probably sleeping or resting. Had a good run before meeting our instructor again and had quite a good lesson. He told us we should try the tripe soup but all the restaurants we went to didn't have soup for dinner, "only day time". For dinner we went to a place recommended by a Greek couple we met in the sauna. The instruction was to head to the old town square, past the monument, and it's a restaurant with a big barrel with vegies on top. Damn that was accurate and as we got close, there were vegies on top of a barrel. We did come by a couple of nights before but it was packed and we found out why. The food was awesome! BBQ meat again but it was at a high standard, it was cheap as well and they had this home made wine that costs like £3 for a litre and it was fantastic.
Day 5:
Last day of skiing and got up early for it. There were more gondola action! This family wanted to have the gondola to themselves and when this woman put her skis on and stepped into the gondola, this guy pulled her out and pushed her away! She had to take her skis off and wait for he next one. What is wrong with these people! By 11am we have had about 6 runs and the lines were absolutely crazy by then! We decided to take a break at one of the restaurant sitting outside so we could monitor the queue. Our friends who waited for us for 20 minutes already directed our attention to the little kid behind us. apparently he had been waiting for his parents since they got there and he even fell off the chair. Our friend picked him up and tried to wipe his tears away but since he was probably told not to talk to strangers (plus he doesn't speak English) he pushed our friend away. He then proceeded to walk around and started crying really loud looking for his parents. Eventually his mum came back and for her to line up for the lift, go up and ski down the kid was probably sitting by himself for a good hour at least. Asian parents leaves kids in cars to go to the casino, Europeans leave them to go skiing. We decided to have a long lunch and I didn't actually make it back up to the mountains.
The last dinner in Bulgaria we went back to the same restaurant with the barrel and vegies on top. Our "waiter" for the night was probably not a waiter. We ordered our food and wine and he came back with 4 glasses for 6 people, we told him and he said no problem. When the salads came, we asked for some plates, first he rolled his eyes, then came back with 5 plates. He quickly did a count and said 'you want 6 right?' and damn straight we do and he went away rolling his eyes again. Even though he had a massive mullet he did grow on us and some of us even took a photo with him. The food again was great and had a bit of wine to drink again.
Day 6:
The last day we had an early ride back to Sophia airport. It was absolutely bucketing down with snow all the way (almost like right now as I look outside the window in London). We thought that our plane would be delayed since it's Easyjet and all but it actually came on time and we were on the plane in no time. Then the bad news hit, there was a problem and because there was a massive head wind they had to load more fuel on the plane and given the huge amount of ski gear the plane was too heavy to take off. They wanted 5 passengers to volunteer and surprise surprise, no one did. After 15 minutes and a £100 lure 2 people decided to take the later 9pm flight (we were on a 1:50pm). with no more volunteers, they said their next option is to pull luggage off the plane. Normally it would be fine but they also said that there is no way for them to tell who's luggage got taken off (even though the checked in bags are all marked with name and barcode) and the only way to find out is at the other end when your luggage don't come out! Luckily, they recalculated and said if 1 more person get off then all the luggage can come along as well. Eventually, a Bulgarian guy decided to get off and everyone clapped.
Finally got back to London and we were only 50 minutes late. Our car ride home though was crap because the driver went over to Fulham and a Chelsea game just finished. I think in the end it took us almost 2hrs to get back home from Gatwick.
So there it was, an interesting time in Bulgaria. Other highlights include:
- a kid during a ski lesson got cleaned up by a snow boarder and when confronted the boarder didn't care and said it's not his fault
- a kid fell of a chair lift while getting on, the operator didn't stop the lift but just kept watching, eventually he stopped the lift when the next lot of people were about to get off
- people pushing in and the absolute chaos at the ski lifts queues
- our hotel running out of hot water and said it would take 40 minutes to fix the problem, then they turned the water off for a while
- we asked for towels but it never came because they couldn't find the maid
So to summarise, the local people and food was great, but the skiing, resort, and people on the slopes were not.I don't think I will go back for the snow and wouldn't recommend it. Don't get me wrong, I had a good time and when I made it onto the slopes, it was fantastic.
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