Hmm, tonight's seem to feel like Halloween.. hey it is Halloween!!! All I hear during work was bangs and booms. By the time I go to out, it was dark, misty and air ranked of fireworks. But where was the moon?!? Standing in the brisk late evening off-peak hour at the DART to get train home, I see a magnificent array of firework displays all around the city. The dark sky lit up with each explosive force. When I got on the DART, the fireworks were a bit too close for my liking, I felt like a moving target. On the bus was no better, as we went past the Coombe and the Badlands, the fireworks were so loud, you would think they were let off beside you. Now, the night is drawing to a close (ok, it's only 10'ish), everyone has wandered to burn, burn, burn stuff at their bonfire. Halloween, the busiest night for firemen and ambulances...
I went into a meeting room for a teleconference and it was bright out, 2 hrs later (yeah, 2 hrs!) I came blinkingly out of the meeting room only to meet the dark brooding skys of... den den deeeeen.... WINTER!!! AAAGH! Heh, and I did not have my daily intake of caffeeine yet!
Another blog page from Engines Of Creation Crew - Oisin. Here's the link - http://people.enginesofcreation.ie/oisin/
Perfect Autumn weather yesterday (Bank Holiday Monday) for a walk at Marley Park. Enclosed from civialisation, surrounded by streams, footbridges and plenty of trees. People taking their fluffy dogs for walks, children running around, a couple bongo'ing beside a pond.
Getting there was an adventure though, the Dublin marathon was on, so the routes were all cut off, we were heading north, but got herded around the city blindly southbound, and that is how we ended in Marley Park. Had a pleasant walk, amusing myself by taking pictures here and there! Then some cake and coffee before we started off to our next destination, Killiney Beach. What a journey that was, I am not reknown for being a good backseat passenger, but I manage to get there in one piece. Strolled along the beach for a bit, and then headed to Dalkey for a pint and a toastie. Got home at quick pace, in 20 minutes, considering that it took us around 30 mins to get out of the city! Yeah, yesterday turned out really well.
Have you ever tried one, or seen one. They look really appetising but when you see the colour of the meat inside, it's left to your imagination (think of the colours pink and grey, meat isn't suppose to be that colour, is it?) How did this come about, you may ask? Well, from the canteen menu up on our local site. Bad memories of tasting one, stung by it again the second time I ordered it. "Don't judge a book by its cover", that saying couldn't be more right! Today's menu included this "cornish pasties" and also comes with chips, to entice people I presume. I wonder who is sadistic enough to get one, apart from the newbies or visitors that never had them before. Cornish pasties... pleurgh!
So the hobbies sections is not section to impress HR then! :)
Read more - Boring Hobbies bore employers I especially like about the point made that 2/3 put down fitness, but only 10% are members of helath club (a moot point in a sense).
Got up at 1 today, hang-on... an hour back... hey, I only got up at 12 today!
But something to warm you up from Beeb's "Amazing Tales from Planet Tabloid", check it out - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2362119.stm
Neil may want this, but could be sold out by now.... Found it in the following article -
http://www.gamenews.com.hk/article.php?sid=335
"Oops, I did it again!" to "Oops, I 'blogged' it again! Blog-tastic.....yes I am a blog-aholic! It's getting blog-adicously out-of-control!
Watched the film "Pi" tonight. Pretty good, loved the soundtrack. Just listened to it from the Orbital album, "In Sides". Never, I say never try and attempt to go shopping on a Saturday evening. It's like a trolley-oplis in Tescos! Stuck in trolley-jams, double-parking, shouting.. you name it. Earlier, myself and my friend had an epic journey of getting a table for 2 to have lunch at the food hall around 2pm. People were leaving, but the tables were still occupied. Took us 15 mins to find a table, thank goodness my spud was still hot.
Was re-sketching my comic strips. I have scanned the prelimenary pre-company strip tonight (http://kaykays.com/coffeemonkeys/archives/000041.html#000041 ). Apart from all that, I made some mean lasagne, even have leftovers for tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will be nice, so I can go out for a nice walk tomorrow. My BF's dad offered to take us out to Powerscourt. Either tomorrow or Monday...yay for bank holidays!
I knew it, I just knew that this would happen. The Monkey Island's bumper pack which contains MI1, MI2, and MI3 are not available anymore. I went into Game on Grafton St, then popped around to the next street to Game on Dawson St., and could not find it. Asked the assistants there, they told me to go the Game on Grafton St, laughed and said "Good luck!". It's like gold dust... another futile effort.
I am surprised my BF has not wrote a whole paper on this yet? (Yeah, he is quite a fonts expert now.. well he is an expert in everything at this stage!)
The Reg has wrote a How-To on it http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27788.html
Yes, that time of month again (not the girlie kind ;) ).. it's pay-day! Probably my last. At least I cleared most of my credit card (sigh). Just back from a dinner, had so much stuff to blog about, but I have forgotten all the stuff I wanted to blog... Just bopping to Zero 7's album, "Another Late Night". Chill out, yes I need to chill out. But tomorrow's a Saturday, hey-hey... shopping!!! Just getting art materials for re-doing some strips I have prepared for Coffee Monkeys. I am going to scan them in after a proper re-sketch. I feel just the opposite to the weather at the moment, I'm really up for it!
Hmm, my next pay-check.... I was looking up the salary checker in UK (bad idea),
and checking out some jobs, and converting the salary offered (in Sterling) to Euro... another really bad idea!!! We earn far too little. And I went to the UK and Ireland Yahoo site for its salary checker for the IT sector, there was no Ireland in the listbox. Every other overseas, European countires, UK etc... but not Ireland. Grr, how infuriating! We are being duped in Ireland. (What's different!)
Wow, I never realised that blogging can be so addictive. I ignore the t.v., dinner, and even playing console games! I have been rather silly the past 2 nights... ok, sad really, I have song titles in my head and I substitute them so they have the word "blog" in it! Like : "I feel like 'blogging' tonight, like 'blogging' tonight!" was the worst one (It's the 'Chicken tonight' ad, folks in UK would know about this one). And that crap club song "Addicted to bass", it now becomes, "Addicted to 'blog'"!!! Oh, and one more...Enya's song "Sail Away" become " 'Blog' Away"! Caffeine induced madness I say..bwuahaahaahaa!
So jealous of a friend of mine who is off visiting the Far East/Austrailia. Just got a mail that she is in Bangkok, recovering from being on a tuk-tuk..heh... Another friend of mine is in Iran! Why am I still in Ireland, why (again)?
Just to let you all know that my old webpage is still there. It has all the old piccies of days gone by... :) For future reference, I also have it linked on the sidebar. Here is the URL - http://www.hyper.150m.com
The chop is nigh for some of us at my workplace. Hmm...
... well whatever pleases the analysts!
Anyway, just speaking to my step-grandad and the same thing is happening in HK government. (He still works there by the way, and he is 60 years my senior!), He's only worry, is that the government heads may cut the pensions. But the other same thing is that taxes will be hiked (grumble). What can I say, job-hunting I'm a doing (I probably speak for 99% of people at this stage). Boy, this will be my second time through this, but the shock factor (most of it) has definately been knocked out of my system from last time. Heh, as I said, job-hunting is the rage now. Soon....soon... I will have a new life (I hope)....
While I was stuck in traffic on a bus going home this evening... why don't we have a Chinese comic store. A small comic store which sell or/and rents out Asian graphic novels (you know the dragon ball, megaman, ranma 1/2 etc...) Each book can be tagged if it was borrowed, and can use Engines of Creations software (it's so adaptable). Customers don't have to pay alot for loaning a book. But pay the full price for a new novel. It will not just be novels, but Asian comics as well. Hmm, just an idea I am pondering, as ther are so many Chinese people here now, and they are mostly all young people.
So if I see a comic book store opening here in Dublin after my article, I know someone has taken the idea from me, although I may or may not have the intentions of opening one! :)
And it is my first one as well. Drawing on paper sure is easier that scanning and then tracing over and tidying up with a wacom tablet. (Need to get a bigger one :) ) Anyway, as this is my 1st comic, I hope I can improve on my drawings. I may get lazy and just put up the tidied up scanned picture (I think it looks better on paper).
Here it is - http://kaykays.com/coffeemonkeys(You can find it on the side bar below Links as well)
I am beginning to wonder. A friend of mine went over to visit his two Italian friends, and it was an adventure for him (from what I heard anyway)... His first hand experience of being on a 2-wheeler with a "driver on the offensive"! My BF mentions he was not surprised as it was not safe for pedestrians who are not even walking, but sitting at the cafe.
Ok, so the club music sucks (but that is European ravey/techno stuff for ya), and they don't go to their nearest kebab shop after clubbing but to the neared pastery shop! And markets that have mechandise that would shame shops on Grafton street, they were that good (that is what I heard). From what I heard, I really want to go to Rome and see what it is really like! :)
It is freezing and miserable as anything out there. Yes, when it comes to cold rainy weather, Ireland lives up to its name! We were so happy for our "Indian summer" in September, but I know that something was up... my flatmate knew as well, the clouds were being recharged for winter. And come October, sure enough we are not "Singing in the Rain"! Boy that song is so twisted now, I have the original "Singing in the Rain" movie version in my head plus the "Clockwork Orange" version! Wierd, huh?
Hmph, a friend just returned from sunny Rome (poor guy, returning to this!), and another friend is off to Tabago for a wedding. Envy is not the word for it now. But it will be my turn in December when I am heading over to HK, baby! Anywhere but here...
Thank goodness for disprin sometimes. I had a headache this morning (more so from the fact my eyes were knackered!), so I took some disprin this morning, and hey presto, the nasty pain went away. Talking to a work collegue, she said that during her college years, she took so many of them, that even if she had no head-aches, she still takes them in the morning! Well, I am not that bad, but still, they help. Now my buzz in my head is either from the latte I had this morning, or the really strong expresso my BF made in the afternoon on the cool Gaggia machine at work, or both!
Went to see "Lilo and Stitch" on Sunday morning... I thought it was good. But never in my life have I seen SO MANY CHILDREN in one room...eep!!! And my young brother only had to go to the loo once (which is a record, considering getting up every 5 minutes is usually the case). When the movie ended, trawling through all the popcorn and cartons was a major feat in itself!
"Chasing Amy" was on Sunday night, saw it before and I thought it was excellant! So since my bro got himself a copy of 'Jay and Silent Bob strikes back', I decided to borrow it and watch it up in Dublin last night. Boy was that good as well, only recognised some of the references to 2 of their films : "Dogma" and "Chasing Amy". Now I have to see "Mall Rats" and "Clerks". Good stuff. Well, end of rant now...
Yawn, should try and go to bed early. Just about woken up around lunchtime today! The guys were up all night playing DiabloII, so I surfed the web while all the calls of pain, slashing and grabbing of gold pieces can be heard in the background. Dazed when I got up, dazed out the door, dazed on the bus and to the DART station. By that time, I was relishing the fact that the DART won't arrive for another 15 mins, so my BF can go get Lattes...mmm! Heh, well that was my morning today!!!
What am I doing writing about popcorn? I LOVE POPCORN. The real reason, well, a mate popped over and was microwaving popcorn (twice), so my taste-buds are a tingling. UGC's (ex-Virgin) popcorn is the best. Savoy's are too salty and so are the popcorn in the Omni-plex in Limerick. Just to let ya know... yummy!
I have to say, reality shows today are getting dire and dire. The latest one on Sky one is "Fight School". I saw the repeat on Saturday. It was bad, it was soooo bad! The cheesiest (is that a word?) factor is high, yes, stinky like your day old parmesan! My dad was insulted, he says that they can't even punch properly. It must be infuriating for him to watch (I doubt he would sit through it all anyway, as he even sees flaws with martial arts shows on Eurosport) The first guy to be eliminated was crying (not blaming him for being defeated by a girl who was way shorter than him). I find the contestants are getting something not everyone would have, a good meal and thorough work-out. Dad says that martial artists from all around the world actually apply to the Shoalin Temple training school for period of a few years, and they don't have the luxury of all the food these contestants have. They also had to do chores like chopping wood (improving grip and strength), getting pails of water (strength and balance) and cross-training running on rough terrain (stamina), and then the usual martial arts training. The contestants do not have to do any of this (not with what I have seen anyway). Sound tougher, eh? Anyway, the so-called "See Foo" (master) looks out of place and uncomfortable and very fake, plus who has two tight pvc clothed oriental girls opening the doors and standing alongside the "See Foo"! And when they have a match to eliminate someone, they are fully padded! But as with all reality shows, I am going to see how this goes and see who are the losers who finishes this show.
I knew it when I got up this morning! It was colder than usual, I expected the worse when I stepped out the door, and boy was it colder than what I expected... Let's face it, it's the dreaded W-word, WINTER. Brrr, gonna need my wooly hat now.
Met up with my friend for an afternoon bevvie at Nancy Hand's down in Limerick...
During much story-relating etc, he told me this funny story that took place outside the backyard, where extra seat and tables were. Some members of a rugby club whom had played a match earlier that day, decided to pop down to NH for a pint or two. A bloke (not sure if he was from the club or not) stripped naked and went prancing around at the top of the stairs. Of course a bouncer grabbed him from behind and gave him a good dig and another bouncer came along and dragged him outside the front, and gave him a good kicking. Then the rugby club got involved and start beating up the bouncers. The bouncers from across the road at Smyth's ran to give the battered bouncers some help and they too got the living daylights kicked out of them. The gardai came, of course, and they too were beaten up. Heh, that must have been a sight to see.
Have you had one of those days just when things are so hunky-dory and other days which goes in the category of the other extreme, complete and utter annoyance. Well, today is the latter, but I won't comment on the issue as it is a small work issue which is driving me up the wall for some unknown, obscene reason. Maybe I am tired. Maybe it was from last night when I was so happy (3 hours after I ate 2 fruit pastille sweets) that I was constantly giggling non-stop for few minutes (I'm sure my BF thinks otherwise, I mean more than a few minutes ;-) ) Anyway, I am waiting for contentment to hit me when I start drinking my nice large latte to go from Bon Expresso. Ahh, bliss!
Ahh! Muji is heading our way in November. How cool is that! My best friend brought me to it when I was in London years ago. They really have nice stuff. Check out their site(s) :
- http://www.muji.com
- http://www.muji.co.uk
And their Japenese site:
- http://www.muji.net
I have to admit, the Thump's Hybrid radio broadcast (http://www.thumpradio.com/) I am listening to while I am typing this blog is very cool indeed! It's a whole set and it's around 2 hours long. I have been listening to it nearly everyday that I have my laptop and my monitor headphones (Sennheiser rules when it comes to quality headphones, well worth it - http://www.sennheiser.com/)
Huh, I cannot believe that Hollywood has remade "Ring". They call it "The Ring". I mentioned this in the forum, but Hollywood should just butt out! They re-made a perfectly good atmospheric and extremely creepy film into a heavily overdone with special effects and crap American actors/actresses. Remote outrage does not even cut it. What about another classic ruined by Hollywood : "Nikita" Need I say more.
Mick showed me http://www.wired.com. It was all css, and Mozilla showed it up perfectly (as usual), then he showed the same page to me in Netscape 4.x (yes some people are still using this hideuos browser), and it does not look pretty.