Bath

Boot Camp III

AAAAAAAAAAAAH, my legs are still sore. I've never felt my quad muscles hurt so bad!!!

Well as you can tell the third session of Boot Camp was trying. I think about 30% of the time was spent doing or holding squats. And of course the other time was spent doing push ups or running.

I seriously doubt whether I would make it as a solider! I tell you what after the running I'm finished and then I've got a dude up on my back and am doing squats, and I thought I could only do squats at 30kgs, well I now know I can do them at about 60kgs!

Now is the time that you think I'm totally ridiculous and stupid:
At about half way through the session it started to rain, neither fast nor slow (I think that's called medium pace) but the drops were huge!!! And I thought yip this is what I signed up for, it was great, really great. It was about 10 mins later that the sun came out while it was still raining, I wanted to say it was a monkey's wedding, but the Aussies and Brits would've just looked at me, so I smiled inside and thought sheepishly: this is what it's about, doing army exercises in the Queens park (Green Park) in the rain in London.

AWESOME. Life is what you make of it after all. If you don't have the map to guide you, better make sure you pick the right roads.

Interesting Bit of Today

I saw a bird actually eating a worm. It's the first time in my life that I've ever seen that!
Ja, Ja whateva - I've never actually seen a bird eating a worm in real life (not that I can remember), it's one of those things you read in books or see pictures of.

Look ok - I'm sure I'm not the only one!!!

Interesting Bit of Today

Have you ever wondered why English pubs in the city have shelves and bigger than normal ledges on the outside?

Well it's because the pub can at times become too small inside especially on Thursday and Friday after-work-noons so people standing outside and use the 'ledges' as somewhere to place their drinks. I think more and more ppl are going to be doing that after 1 July as then the new law banning smoking in pubs and , restaurants WOOHOO for people who don't smoke...

Interesting Bit of Today

Two well dressed gentlemen, suits, fags and ties - wearing running shoes...

London is fascinating - I'm sure it's the only place a well dresses woman, good looking, hair done, make-ups on can carry a backpack as a bag....

Boot Camp

I've been going to gym for 2 weeks now and wasn't really looking forward to going on Monday but I'm paying for it and well amongst other things i need the exercise. Well it's not like I'm fat or anything...

After having a decent day at work I was happy to go, you don't really enjoy going when you've got a headache. As I go into gym the receptionist asked if I was doing Boot Camp, an army style training session. A first I thought it was the session where you do a whole lot of weight training under instruction of a trainer, basically highly motivated gym training. Then I heard it was outside and it was really wet from raining. Oh well, I signed up...

I brought a shirt from reception to keep me just a tiny bit warm, armed with my towel, water bottle and gloves on hands I went to wait in the reception area. Ready for my mistake, it became evident that more pl had been caught in this trap. And I was really impressed to see that there were as many females as males. All rearing to go and ready to be mudded up we had 5 minutes to chicken out.

No-one chickened out and soon we were all following Capitan Carnage and Sergent Slaughter up the stairs and out into the wet. There were 15 people lead by guys in khaki green being shouted at while jogging to Victoria.
It was really fun to be part of something as a group and be participating all together. Everybody was smiling at us and getting out of our way, it must've been a right sight. All this in the wealthiest borough in the country. My ankle washurting, my calves were burning but my mind was smiling.
After fetching the ppl who were joining us from the Victoria gym we ran past Buck Palace (the Queen was home) and all the tourists started cheering us on - so this is what it feels like to run a marathon I thought. NICE.

Once in Green Park we ran around abit while Major Pain set up his Chelsea flags (I support Arsenal) in a square, we then ran around the square 4 times. This was the following schedule for the next hour:
Push-ups,
Running,
Star jumps,
Running,
Squats,
Running,
Lunges,
Streching,
Running,
Frog jumps and sprinting,
Running,
Resistant exercises,
Running,
Sit ups,
Plank exercises,
Sprinting and lastly more stretching.

Yip I was buggered, I was seeing white spots and was light headed, but my body felt alive and terrific. It was excellent and during the exercises we had different partners. It was all very good, different from the norm and really motivating.

Will I do it again? Would anyone like to donate £25 for the nest 4 sessions?

Interesting Bit of Today

Waiting for the bus after catching the tube home, the bus was due in 3 mins.
After standing for around 1 min or so this auntie pulls up with her shopping bags. She goes to look at the time schedule display and I've got to imagine that it is saying 2/1 min(s) by this time.

So what does she do? Stands right in front of me and lights up. I thought how damn rude, if you are short at least light up next to someone short so that the smoke doesn't go straight up into the tall person's nose. Then she walks away, what the hell?! You could've just light up there!

But it was sweet sweet karma next: the best starts to pull up. This auntie then starts to puffle on her ciggie like an aeroplane was about to hit her. Every single breath was a puff on the smoke, I've got no idea how she didn't pass out. SO in 20secs her ciggie was down to half. This is where karma comes in - she wasted half a ciggie when she threw the rest of her tobacco plus butt of course on the floor, hee hee hee, SWEET SWEET karma!!!

Canary Wharf

Well being so hot lately and with another stunning weekend on it's way, I decided there are no way I was going to let my stressful problems with having to move get me down. And I most certainly wasn't going to waste my time off with looking for/at rooms to stay. It's enough that I have to dedicate a day to cleaning and shopping.

Dressed in my baggies and armed with my HUGE camera backpack and tripod off to The Millennium Dome (now called the O2). Wait wait wait you're saying I thought you were going to Canary Wharf. Well actually first I was wanting to go to the East India Docks to photograph The Dome from across the river. I took a good 1 hour tube ride, from Boston Manor to change to the Jubilee at Green Park. I jumped off at Greenwich thinking it would just be a short walk across a bridge, ha ha ha. So I thought, well, there was no bridge, just an under river tunnel in which ppl could not walk. So after reading all of the bus stops I chose one and hoped to hell that my map book would help me in deciding to get off at the right stop. Well it did and I jumped off after the under river tunnel. Now I was under the impression that I would have a 10 min walk. After walking the wrong way I followed the signs to the nearest DLR (docklands light rail) station. I then waited for the train to simply go to the next stop, this pissed me off coz I could actually have walked for the time I waited for the train (that's Train Luck for you which is very similar to Bus Luck, see previous post).

I finally got to The East India Docks station and boy was the sun nice! Earphones plugged in music playing I walked along the Victoria Quay. The Victoria Quay is where the ships set off to settle in America and alot of the original fixtures are still there and protected as well as restored and maintained by the city. It was really lovely to see history being preserved, coming from a country where the history is torn down, disrespected and down right thrown away.

Another thing about this part of town is that it's off of the conventional tourist path. This makes it really quite. I had my own space and for a good half an hour while shooting photos. After finishing my 500ml bottle of water and tummy grumbling it was time for food. Luckily there was a Budgets (similar to an Engen Quick Shop) on the corner next to the DLR station. I brought myself a rack of ribs, 1L Pineapple juice and a packet of sweets. Walking back to the quay I realised that I hadn't taken any serviettes, with ribs, I mean really how stupid.
Never the less the ribs were tastes and juice was quenching.

After studying my newly brought pocket guide of London I decided that before I went to Canary Wharf I would go to the South for the Isle of Dog to Island Gardens. I got off at Island Gardens Station and walked in what I thought was the right direction. The maps are a bit hard to read coz some roads are for cars and others are just for ppl and not all of the maps are clearly marked. As I was walking around I noticed that this was actually a council area. Meaning the houses are not as well looked after and a few even looked like prefab. Not wanting to 'discover' all the area had to offer I marched back to the station and hopped onto Canary Wharf.

Canary Wharf is like the New York City of London I tell you. Tall glass buildings, stunning shops and clean streets. I was in architecture photographer's heaven. There was a little garden with ponds called the Jubilee Gardens. It was small but when you walk through there it, it creates this at home feeling - I thought that it could only be fantastic when you need a little breathing space from your busy office.
An underground shopping mall stretched from the Canary Wharf DLR station to the Underground station to the West India Millwali Docks - it's actually really big and has quite a few exclusive shops. After exploring the immediate area I spotted some seagulls under the DLR rain bridge over the docks.
I was standing on the ledge (behind the banisters) photographing the seagulls flying around and dipping into the water to eat bread that someone had thrown into the water when my memory card ran out. So I turned to get off and there was this little girl playing with my giraffe key ring. She was so cute and started asking me what I'm doing and what was the giraffe then her dad came along to rescue me. Back to the seagulls I was. I was really enjoying shotting them and then my second memory card ran out!!! ARGH! That meant it was home time, but I was enjoying the sun so much and the buildings hadn't completely shaded over. So I went to simply sit on the wall just outside of the tube station. Ah it was so nice to be having all of this sun.

The best thing of the whole outing was that I completely forgot about my stresses at that time.
The relief was really nice.

Convent Garden

After my first attempt to spend a day at Convent Garden failed due to having to move, I decided to go back and make my way to the London Transport Museum, which was gonna be one of the few places I was actually going to have to pay to enter.
Ha Ha Ha - what happens? I get there and it closed!!! And until November none the less. DAMN.
So what would be my next stop? Somewhere free, seeing as I didn't have my guide book with prices in to tell me that I wasn't going to spend an arm and a leg, plus I had to know where it was, all I needed was to wonder into a dodgy neighbourhood!

Ah, yes, the Science Museum. But before I hopped on the tube I decided to wonder around Covent Garden a bit, it was windy and cold but none the less I much see a little bit.
As you walk out of the tube/up to the tube there are lots of street performers. There are ppl that have, black or silver or gold or multicolour clothes on that stand as still as statues.
One guy sits with his guitar that acts as a robot, when you put money into his tray it's as if you are switching him on and he plays a song.
Unfortunetly he is over shadowed by a guy two ticks down that uses a devise in his mouth to sound like a cartoon. He plays this character that is like a pissed of mime with a voice. He stands on his podostil and makes fun of ppl as they walk past, it's hard to describe but he's damn funny. So everyone gathers around him and waits for someone to walk past and be picked on, it's all in good fun.
Another performer is dressed up like a fellon and gets someone from the audience to wrap him in chains from which he escapes, but bad and pretty entertaining.

The Royal Opera House is just a block from Covent Garden Tube station, I never went inside, I can only imagine that is it absolutely stunning inside there. Buskers stand up and down the roads surrounding the opera house and hold signs pointing in the house's direction to entice ppl to pop in, have a look and hopefully buy a ticket or two or three for a show.

I did however go into the little Disney shop that was just outside the Arcade/Plaza (picture above) and holy hell was it hot in there! I think they had the heating on so hot that they were soley responsible for melting the polar caps. I know it was cold outside but it was so hot in there is was just ridiculous! I actually heard quite a few shoppers commenting on the heat and said they were leaving, and honestly I would've stayed and browsed some more and more than lightly brought something that I so didn't need but it was crazy hot in there, so left.

Okay, enough time wasted off to the tube station it was. Now to get to South Kensington.
Once there it's Museum City, you don't even have to walk up top, in between the traffic and deal with the elements. And the Science Museum was at the end of the underground path. It's probably a good 1km walk. It was all good as long as the museum wasn't boring.
As I was walking the crowds and masses started to tapper off. Pretty soon it was only myself and one guy heading to the Science Museum exit, oh my, is this such a boring museum that no one wants to go there?

Turn right the sign said so I did, next thing through the exit doors I saw a set of wheels for a commercial airliner, well well well maybe this was going to be interesting after all I thought...

The Shame Of It All

So y'll are wondering why rather where I've been for the past 3 weeks.
Um... Well at least I hope you have.

I've changed addresses again, WHY?!?! Well it's a freeking long story... So let me tell it:
When I first moved into the house, with 5 ppl and landlord staying in a flat in the back (not actually using the house), I asked the Spanish guy to not leave fish sitting in the plug hole of the kitchen sink, he had also done it with vegetables. And this was not received well. It was seen as a personal attack, so I apologised if he felt at all victimised and we both agreed that what he was doing was wrong. Problem sorted, so I thought.
About 6 weeks or longer ago, the other SA guy and I come home to find that someone has thrown up in the bathroom and not bothered to clean the rim, you know that part ladies when in the middle of the night you go to the loo and sit down and nearly fall into the toilet coz the gent before you hasn't put the seat down. Yip that part had sick all over it.
Not wanting to offend anyone AGAIN the two of us decided that a letter to be left on the toilet door would be the best thing. The letter was left and no one cleaned it up, so the SA guy cleaned up the toilet after not being able to look at the sick while he was wizzing, me I could put the lid down
Then 5 weeks or so ago I noticed at an increasing rate items of mine were being used in from the kitchen and fridge, so again not wanting to single anyone out. I left a note on my kitchen cupboard door.
It came to light 2 weeks ago that someone had apparently taken offence, how did I find out?

Keep reading:

On Wed the 12th of April the landlord (Martin) had his girlfriend come up and tell all of us to leave our rooms open as someone was coming to look at the house. I asked why and who. So she replies, that's none of your business. I promptly answered well actually it is, as it is my belongings in the room. Now coming from SA I know that someone can come and service your house and then tell their "friends" what it contains and they then break in and viola your items are gone, and that's what I didn't need. Without explaining all this to her, I continue on the point. She slots in some where that I pay Martin rent and it is his house to do with what he will. I resisted the urge to say well - why the hell isn't he talking to me then. Eventually after some reasoning with a woman who's English is limited I got it out of her that it was someone from the council. I said ok, that's fine then and it won't be a problem to leave my room open. She then had the cheek to ask me to tell the other room mates. I thought hell no and told her that they are in she can just knock on their doors as she did mine.

I then went to make myself some tea and as I did I heard the Greek guy talking to her about the safety of his belongings as well. While I was washing up from supper the girlfriend went ou the back door to Martin's flat. About 10 mins later she comes back in and says that it would be best if I move. I then said well if that's the the topic of conversation then I would like to hear it from Martin. She says "I will not do talking to Martin, he doesn't come home from work to fight with people". I'm now thinking well is that what you came here for? To fight? I could feel myself getting really angry at her for her attitude and at Martin for being a coward and not wanting to deal with his issues. I eventually get it out of her that someone wants to move out because of me, so I ask who is it and she wouldn't say, but did keep on saying he. So it can only be 2 people.
Apparently the issue was the letters that I left, it doesn't matter that I wrote them in a non accusing manner and the most polite English that can e put on paper because no one has English as their home language and probably didn't understand a word of it. And what they did understand they surely misinterpreted it. She also says that this person is feeling uncomfortable with that fact that the lounge door gets closed, as this feels that they are unwelcome. So now I'm thinking that this person is as much a coward as Martin. Hell we all live together and you can't just talk to the people you're living with?!
She then starts on about the SA guy and I thought why are you talking to me about him, surely their is no need for that. For the most part I was thinking: you are so full of shit!

Result: We agreed that I would talk to the housemates and see if the 'issue' is an issue at all that can or can't be resolved and we would take it further from there.

After 3 days of stress and emotional anguish ad not eating. I'd spoken to everyone and all of them deny anything to do with anything. Well at least that is sorted out and I'm safe in the knowledge that I haven't done anything wrong and we can all live normally again. Ha Ha Ha, what a joke!

Bus Luck

What is bus luck?

1. When you decide to wait for the bus and it's 10 mins late (you're walk hoe was 10 mins).
2. When you decide to walk coz the bus is always late and it drive past you 2 mins later.
3. You're on the bus and have no seat.
4. You're on the bus, have a seat and a smelly person next to you.
5. You're at a bus stop, it's raining and there's no shelter at this bus stop.
6. You're on the bus, cutting time close and there is traffic (or in my case, with frozen food and the bus ahead of us hits someone, causing the road to be closed for 4 hours).

Bus luck is when the bus NEVER does what you want it to do.

First Distance Healing Reiki Session

So I've been very very stressed and have a had bad karma apon me. I know why I'm stressed and it because of the bad karma and what it's doing in my life and to it. The events there of are to follow in another blog once I've sorted everything out.

For now the Reiki - My mom has just qualified as a Reiki Healer and wanted to connect with me and seeing as I'm going thru such a bad time this was the prefect time for her to heal.

What is Reiki Healing? (fromWikipedia)

Reiki (霊気 or レイキ, Reiki^? IPA: [ˌreɪki]) is a form of spiritual practice, often compared to faith healing,^[1][2][3] proposed for the treatment of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual diseases.^[4][5][6] Mikao Usui developed Reiki in early 20th century Japan, where he said he received the ability of 'healing without energy depletion' after three weeks of fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama.^[7] Practitioners use a technique similar to the laying on of hands as well as gestures in the air, which they say will channel ki energy from a disembodied spirit or spirits. They say the energy then flows through their palms to bring about healing. A 2002 study indicated that there were over one million U.S. adults who had experienced Reiki treatments.^[8]

The majority of the scientific community considers Reiki to be pseudoscience.^[9] Some studies have shown that the effect of Reiki is similar to that of a placebo.^[10]

I was advised to play calming, soft music, no lyrics and lie on my back comfortably.
At the given time 9.15 I started my music and lay down placing a pair of shorts over my eyes to cut out all light without actually being in darkness.

21.18 - Feeling heart beating in throat not chest and pressure on my brow above me eyes, as if someone is pressing with their thumbs against my head
21.23 - My nose felt like it had been punched and was swollen - numb top gums
21.24 - pressure back on my eyes - gums still numb, I was feeling actually aware of my tongue and heart was beating in chest again now
21.27 - pressure back on nose not eyes anymore, jaw stiff, heart beating in throat, chest and coxix (don't know how to spell that)
21.32 - left shoulder twitched
21.36 - I felt like a hand was squeezing my breast bone in order to get ot my heart
21.39 - the muscles in my lower back started to pull
21.40 - I saw a cyan light in my left eye, like a line with a star attached on the right end
21.44 - I was finding it heavy and hard to breath, started getting itchy then my body started to twitch (legs, ankles, neck, arms) I saw a black, dark cloth over me, it then started rising then came back down and inveloped me in darkness, pure darkness - I actually got scared and started to cry, and head was moving side to side. the darkness then turned to material as i focused inside and the material was drawn away by a central point over my head, I was fighting it coming back down and white light started to come up under it, but when I opened my eyes it was still hanging over me like it wanted to come down and 'take me again'
21.50 - i then lay back down to calm myself and my eyes were burning

Result:
I got up when my breathing was normal again. while i was lying down i heard things in the music that I've never heard before (and I've listen to this kin cd over 10 times)
As i was writing i felt cold and weak but my eyes some how felt happier, just my eyes
When i went to make my hot choc, lights seemed brighter and my vision clearer
My soul def feels lifted, but I still feel like there is a darkness larking about

All in all I feel like I can carry on living - when all of the shit that is currently going on started, I actually considered a quick fix of suicide with a note for the police to investigate apon - but then I thought, I'm brave and not stupid and wouldn't wanna do something like that and life goes on and it only makes us stronger as we learn.

Plus karma is a killer....