Life is like a piano

It's raining, I got in touched with my missionary partner after 14 years, and it's my 3rd wedding anniversary!

2011-07-07T18:14:00.001+01:00

Whew! So much excitement. I can't believe I've been married for three years! You just never know when life brings you nice surprises and it's even better when you don't expect it at all.

Sometimes the internet can be a blessing or a curse. Lately, it's been such a blessing for me. Out of the blue, I got in touched with my missionary partner, Won Young, through a surprise incidence on Facebook. When I called her, we were both surprised and we couldn't believe our ears. When I hang up the phone, my heart was beating fast.

This past few days I had been trying to mentally retrace my steps. What if I didn't marry and move here in England. I've been feeling a bit lost. After experiencing a depressing winter, I suddenly realized that hot and sunny Thailand, my home for 6 years and 7mos before moving in the UK, was actually paradisical.

Life is full of discontent. And it is this discontent that blinds my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me. I always think that I want something better and that I'd be happier if I got this and that and so on and so forth. Perhaps I need to change my paradigm. I have to learn to make the best out of what I have got in my hands. Then perhaps I will start to enjoy life in the real sense.

Happy for being married

Yes, I remember how sad and lonely I was in Thailand. And I don't want to go back to being lonely again. I have to make this decision. It's only me who can get me out of my misery. So what are the things that I should be thankful for? Ah, let me count them one by one....

Celebrating Philippine Independence Day

2011-06-12T17:27:00.000+01:00

Sitting on my bed, laptop on my lap, I'm celebrating Philippine Independence Day! How? By uploading my photo donning a Filipiniana on Facebook. That's the best way I can do it. Few days ago, I called my good friend, Fely, to ask if there was going to be a Pinoy celebration here in Norwich but alas there is none. It's a lovely day outside, I wonder why the Filipinos in Norwich didn't organize one. I'm sure there is a big number of Filipinos in this city but there seems to have no organized group except for Pinoy in Norwich Aksyon Samahan (PINAS) and I think they are mostly nurses, of which I don't belong.

Anyway, as part of my celebration, I'm going to fry daing from the Philippines, of course, and make pinakbet to make my day complete. If I had my Filipiniana I would also put it on but I left it at home. Nevertheless, these are just outward manifestation of my passionate patriotism. My country needs more than these.

In my Facebook status on this day last year I posted this message: kung iluluha ko lahat ng hinagpis ko para sa aking mahal na Inang Bayan baka sya ay malunod :'(
Parang awa nyo na mga halimaw na pulitiko palayain nyo na sya

It is sad to note that although the Philippines has acquired her independence from the colonizers (Spaniards and Americans) and the destroyers (Japanese) more evil spirits has taken over, namely, the politicians and their appointees in different government sectors. It hurts even more! I remember an article I read a long time ago where a former president was quoted saying, "I'd rather see the Philippines run like hell by the Filipinos than it run like heaven by the Americans!" Well, he got exactly what he wished for, didn't he?

I could ramble on forever but I'd rather save you from a boring read. :D

Credits:

Quote from Answers.com

Image from: http://www.pinoy-ofw.com

Interview blunder

2011-06-07T19:14:00.001+01:00

Finally, after months of trying to work at home, I went out for a job-hunting yesterday. There was a job fair at the Forum and I thought it best to turn up well-dressed. I prepared and ironed my smart attire but in the end decided to put on a casual shirt with a smart jacket on top. I thought it was going to be a warm sunny day but it was forecast to be raining. The smart attire I had prepared didn't look warm enough, hence, the change. Anyway, I also took with me some updated resumés and photos as I was also planning to disseminate my profile to employment agencies around the city.

Everytime I go for an interview I always seem to forget to prepare my answers. I'm such a lousy communicator in person and it's one of my weakest points. Knowing and using more than one language at any time, I get the disadvantage of not mastering any of them. I love to write, this is my passion. But even in writing, I sometimes have to mentally rehearse the sentence before scribbling it down. Similarly, when I go for interviews, cognition gets in the way and I'd get panicky and unable to focus.

I had never been to any job fair so I didn't know what to expect. When I got there, there was a long table on one side with people filling in their application form. I sat on on one of the chairs opposite a staff to fill in mine before handing it to the staff for checking just in case I missed some parts. There was an initial interrogation then she directed me to sit next to the other applicants and wait for my name to be called. Feeling a bit surprised that there was an interview on site, I felt fidgety. A young-looking guy, probably in his late teens was dressed up like a lawyer and I blamed myself for not dressing up like I had planned but I tried really hard to look confident. Throughout the Q&A portion, I struggled many times to form my thoughts in words. The last question was, "We've seen many people today. How will I remember you?" I grappled for words to best describe my answer and after some explanation with gesticulation I finally came to an awkward end. I shook hand with my interviewer and left.

As I walked away, I was mulled over the answers I provided especially for the last question and was thinking of alternative answers I could have given like, "Can I leave a photo? Pause. Crap! Why didn't I remember it?" I wanted to run back and say, "Hey, I was supposed to leave my photo!" :D

Anyway, I may not be chosen for any of the jobs they were offering but at least I got my butt out there and tried.

Photo credit: http://www.tutorials.com/tutorial_images/09/0957/09571bg.gif

Ethereal Beauty >> Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-25T08:51:00.001+01:00

Iceland volcaNO eruption, again! Thanks, God I'd been back

2011-05-25T05:45:00.000+01:00

When I tuned in to BBC1 yesterday morning the first thing I heard was that another Iceland volcano eruption has suspended flights for fear of ash cloud. Throughout the whole day, the station gave updates on flight disruptions and related news. Me thought, Boy was I ever grateful! I had already been affected last year and even if I'm no longer in the work force now, I wouldn't have wanted to get stuck again.

On my birthday last year, I, together with my husband and my sister-in-law, flew to Sicily to see the Artichoke Festival in their city. That same day, Eyjafjallajokull, an Icelandic volcano, erupted and scattered ash clouds in Europe causing flight disruptions later that day. Luckily we had landed a few hours before news of inbound and outbound UK flight suspensions broke out.

I may not have been seriously affected when I got stuck last year as I was staying in my sister-in-law's house and there was no need for additional accommodation cost. But many were stuck in their hotels and at the airports all over the world and, definitely, I wouldn't want more people to go through the same hardships those people had.

Image Credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13516646

Another loophole in the UK state welfare

2011-05-23T23:47:00.001+01:00

Upon arrival at London Stansted on Saturday, the supposedly "doom's day", my husband picked up a free daily that I didn't get to read until this morning. I had to unpack our luggage and do other house chores after coming back from a 9-day holiday in Sicily, Italy.

Anyway, what caught my most interest was about the Romanian gypsies who register themselves as self-employed by selling Big Issue magazines and are therefore given National Insurance numbers which, then, entitle them to claim benefits and build mansions back in their home country. The article, entitled, "Benefits Boulevard: Gypsies' gaudy mansions built in Romania... with YOUR money", by Sue Reid, tells how these people perform their modus operandi in a rather subtle kind of deception. There seems to have nothing illegal with what they are doing but this is absolutely a kick in the teeth.

I have worked in a winery, a playground, a hospital ward, and an office earning a meagre pittance. All on a temporary basis which means if I was on a sick leave I wouldn't get paid. And this story of fraudulent people abusing the benefit system is highly intolerable for me.

Is the UK government incompetent and inefficient in dealing with this issue? This is not the first time someone has abused the system. But they never seem to learn.

Source:
Image from http://loveyourmoney.co.uk/
Article from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389282/Benefits-boulevard-Built-Romania--YOUR-money.html

After holidaying, what's awaiting?

2011-05-22T23:33:00.005+01:00

Tasty Greetings from Sicily

Learn how to make Sicilian Foods

I just got back to the UK after a 9-day holiday in sunny Sicily. While there, I didn't have ample time to go online and so my blogs had to be un-updated all this time. But nevertheless, I enjoyed every bit of the sun and the fantastic Sicilian foods like arancini, cavagna, home-made pickled artichokes and olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and many more.

Back in Sicily, I almost didn't want to come back to the UK--at least to enjoy a bit more of the warm sun kisses on my skin--but somehow it's nice to be back home. :)

Well, good times are over! Back to reality. I've got four luggage to unpack, four rooms to clear, re-organize and clean, laundry to fold and on top of that I've got at least two blogs to update, hundreds of emails to read and thousand more junk mails to delete. But I can't be bothered. I am too exhausted. I'm going to bed and do them all tomorrow.

This post is also linked to

Can you live without money?

2011-05-10T05:59:00.002+01:00

Seriously? Here in the UK? You gotta be kidding me!

But here's a man, Mark Boyle, who's been living freeconomic lifestyle for a couple of years now. There's a yahoo group which used to be called freecycle but is now changed to freegle where people give away their unwanted stuff and it's where he got a caravan for a house for and he parks it in a farm for free in exchange of his labour. I for one have gotten loads of free stuff from the site, from TV to bed, tables and chairs, plants, and even a piano if I wanted to but I don't have a space in my house. Furthermore, He gets around on his bike and he plants his or barter for food. He goes on a holiday and sleep in other people's couches for free accommodation. The internet is a fantastic place to find free stuff.

Seriously, living a life like that is a remarkable feat, I must say, especially if you live in the UK. This is home for Mark Boyle and so there is no need to pay for visa for example. But I believe that what he is trying to prove is that money is not a necessity for existence. I have heard time and again people say that "the best things in life are free". I concur to this. People work for money chasing their dreams or even a mere want. But in real essence they only provide transient satisfaction. When you can't sleep at night, your gadgets can't help--that sort of thing. I could ramble on and on but I think it's better to let your sound judgement on the matter come to play.

Here's book on amazon where you can read the whole story.

Aubergine with Chilli and Garlic

2011-05-09T13:11:00.000+01:00

Ever since I came to the UK and married an Italian stallion, I have been learning to make pasta dishes.

Today's recipe is Aubergine with Chilli and Garlic from the book Pasta, Every Way for Every Day by Eric Treuille and Anna Del Conte. It's a great book with easy to make recipes like this one. It tastes fantastic and my husband loved it. He's Sicilian so if he liked what I made I'm very flattered. You can buy this book from Amazon and even if it's a used book, it doesn't matter. The content hasn't changed a bit. :D

Oh by the way, this is my entry for . If you want to participate, check out Drowsey Monkey.

Norwich Canaries back to Premier League

2011-05-08T22:03:00.002+01:00

It's been quite a festive season for the Canaries for two years in a row. On the 2nd of May this year they made a comeback to the Premier League after winning 1-0 against Portsmouth. After being relegated from Championship League in 2009 which they dubbed as shameful, they actually sprang up even higher and came up as champions for League 1. Back to Championship League for 2010-2011, their recent winning against Portsmouth is another cause for an even bigger celebration than last year.

I still recall vividly how Castle Meadow and St. Stephen St were packed when they paraded last year as the champions for League 1. Back then, a colleague told me that he wasn't at all excited about it because they were actually losers the year before. So it wasn't even necessary to celebrate. But looking back now, I think it was all worth it.

Anyway, what does being in the Premier League entail? So much more excitement and economic boost for Norwich City not to mention the team will get at least "£90m even if they last only one season in the elite league"*. Hurray for the Canaries! Way to go!

*David Cuffley, 2011. Canaries have to back my Premier plans -- Lambert. Norwich Evening News, 7 May p.47a.

Egg Salad

2011-04-25T14:11:00.001+01:00

Very common Filipino breakfast. Boiled egg and short beans, fresh tomatoes, onion spring and fennel, a dash of iodized salt and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.

This is my entry for Mellow Yellow Monday. For more entries, visit Drowsey Monkey.

UK Census 2011

2011-04-14T21:34:00.000+01:00

I just had a knock at the door. There was a woman with the census form in her hand and asking us details about the household.

In the beginning of March this year we received a census form which I disregarded and eventually my husband binned it. I didn't even bother to check what it was about because I was in my phlegmatic mode.

I actually read about it in the news that those who failed to turn in the census will get a knock at the door or a fine of up to £1000. Wasn't really sure how serious they could be but to avoid any of these happening, I requested for the forms a week before the deadline on first of April and filled it in online.

But why did I still get a knock? The individual form I filled in didn't include some details of the house like how many rooms, etc. etc. Why on earth did have to know that? The census was about the population and not about rooms.

Anyway, there's an upcoming election on the 6th of May and they want as much people to participate. Or I think they just wanted to know just exactly how many immigrants are there in the UK.

Ryanair name change for £10 only plus call and fax charges

2011-04-13T14:50:00.002+01:00

I have just successfully had Ryanair change my name for an admin fee of £10 plus call and fax charges of approximately £6.

This is what happened. My husband booked a flight with Ryanair and used my married name. However, my passport is still in my maiden name and this was going to be problematic when I check in because it clearly states in their policy that the ID/Passport name should match the name on the ticket.

I read some forums and rants about this issue and it appeared like I was going to buy another ticket when I check-in or they won't let me fly. Their website FAQ states that a name change costs £100. So it's better to buy a new one because it sometimes costs less than that. Or I could change my passport which would cost roughly £200 including train tickets. I don't know why they didn't explain it clearly in their FAQs that there is another way to change name by calling them. Here's how I did it.

I called their customer service number which is 0871 246 0000 and costs 10p/minute as they say but actually 22p when I checked my phone bill, and I was told to send a fax of my passport and marriage certificate to this fax number: 00 35318 121 649. After sending the fax I had to wait up to 7 days and called them again. Then they changed the name with an admin fee of £10. As easy as that.

Interestingly, this information is not available on the internet so I decided to write about it and hopefully it will help other people who may encounter the same problem.

UPDATE: From the comments below, it appears that if you have just misspelled one letter in your name, Ryanair will amend it for free upon calling the number stated above. But if it's a matter of changing from married name to maiden name or vice versa, I'm afraid the case above stands true. (Additional info added 26 May 2011)

Ground Orchid - MYM

2011-04-11T09:34:00.002+01:00

I just called it ground orchid but I think it's lily. Please, feel free to correct me.

For more MYM visit Drowsy Monkey.

Yellow Cala -- Mellow Yellow Monday

2011-03-21T01:09:00.002Z

Here's a yellow Cala Lily I edited with paint.net

For more MYM Photos, visit Drowsey Monkey's Blog

Announcing my new website, Eezyblogging.com

2011-02-05T17:26:00.001Z

I finally got my own domain, www.eezyblogging.com, where I will try to give help and tips about blogging. The site will target mainly the newbie bloggers.

However, this site, Life in the UK, will still be here. It won't move to the new domain.

The SAD Phenomenon

2011-02-02T14:57:00.000Z

Seasonal Affective Disorder, a disease that affects hundreds of thousands of Britons. I have never fathomed the depth of this disease until I almost got one. I was on the brink of depression.

It started very slowly and picked up as winter got worse. I badly wanted the sun on my skin but because of my work hours I couldn't. In the morning when I got to work it was dark and when I got home it's dark again. When the sun comes out during the day I was stuck at my work. How depressing that was!

Getting up in the morning was a struggle and feeling the beat of cold wind was teeth-gritting. I freakin' hated it until now!

I was stressed by basically everything. I worried too much and was very touchy. I cried day and night and was always uttering, "I wanna go home!" As if that was not enough I developed middle insomnia. My body was clearly telling me to give up but my head was saying, "I can do this. I'll be fine". As a result of this tension, my body started to manifest symptoms of anxiety. For the third time in just two weeks, I visited a GP and asked for help.

Am I getting crazy?

What the doctor told me raised an alarm. He advised me to go for a counselling session. That was my turning point. I knew I had to do something about it. I decided not to go back to work (for the meantime). Meanwhile I planned for an alternate route. I had to to change job. Anyway, to make the long story short, when I got back to work, my contract was terminated. I have crossed over the allowed sick-leave for a temporary worker. At least I'm not guilty that I quit my job for lack of enthusiasm. I'm not guilty being fired because of delinquency. I was not fit to work.

Stress-free life

For the meantime I am focusing on my alternate route. No stress, no worries. I don't get to hear the stupid alarm in the morning. I work when I want, play piano when I'm bored, feel the sunshine on my skin when it's out. Money? Who cares. I'm stress-free and that's what matters most.

Fifth of November and the Bonfire Night

2010-11-05T12:28:00.000Z

Today is the 5th of November and it's Guy Fawkes day.

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November

The gunpowder treason and plot,

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Happy Bonfire night, UK!

Iceland volcano could be erupting again,oh please?

2010-11-01T20:54:00.003Z

Not again! We're going to Sicily this weekend and this news is spoiling my holiday already. The last time we flew to Sicily (on my birthday) the volcano erupted on the same day. Luckily, we had arrived at our destination before the ash cloud disrupted flights to and from UK. I'm not superstitious but I don't even want to think that my imminent trip to Sicily is going to be concurrent with an Icelandic volcano eruption again.

I really don't like what I saw in the news today. It is only speculation for now but it is enough to make me feel gutted already.

I'm praying that God will not allow the eruption to happen.

Of Shoes and Fashion

2010-10-10T02:11:00.001+01:00

The other day I was flipping on facebook when my attention was caught by a shoe ad display. I clicked the link to the site and instantaneously fell in love with the shoes. Well, they're Italian shoes so it's very difficult not to covet for them.

This one's really got my attention, admiration, ambition and all. I'm so enamoured with it. Which woman wouldn't? It costs around £40 but I could save all my snack money for it. (Another vanity of vanities!) Unfortunately they're too high for me! The heels' are gonna kill me! I'm not someone who sacrifices comfort for fashion. I'd rather be scruffy but comfy rather than fabulous but dolorous.

Hang on a minute, perhaps I could send a copy of the photo to Marikina shoemakers, hmmm!

Cooking is getting bad

2010-09-26T21:41:00.001+01:00

I made pizza today and for the third time in a row my baking has failed. I haven't been baking lately. Well, I made cassava cake for my hubby's birthday and it turned out good but my bread making is going down the drain. Hmmm, I'm not amused and husband is not impressed either. He even told me off that I'm getting worse instead of getting better.

I didn't know baking skill would wane if not utilised for some time like any other skill. (But of course, Scribbler, what do you expect?) Okay, okay, I made a mistake. Can I not make a mistake? (Yes, of course you can. It's your prerogative, duh! But three times in a row? Where's your brain gone?) Sorry! I just am too preoccupied with other stuff and I was not putting my heart into baking. (Excuses, excuses.) Please, give me another chance. I promise I'll try to make it up next time

Actually, I used to be getting good in cooking and baking. I even started a blog about my recipes here. In fact my sister-in-law was so impressed at my baking when I made some pan de sal a few months back. But alas, the skill is deteriorating. Anyway, click on the pizza to see some of my simple recipes.

Animal cruelty

2010-09-26T21:10:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I saw a news about a sicko who bought a gold fish in a pet shop and gulped it in front of stunned staff and with his friend video-recording it. They then posted the video on facebook apparently feeling so proud of what they had just done.

Here in the UK behaviours like this don't go unpunished. Britons love animals--I mean pets--so much that anyone caught showing cruelty to them gets imprisoned or fined.

You can watch the video here if you're not faint-hearted.

2010-09-05T21:14:00.001+01:00

I felt like I wasted the whole day shopping around, well, window-shopping, that is. After having the last morsel of pinakbet, I headed to the city centre to spend the remaining balance on my gift card before it expires and hoping to salvage some of the last items on clearance sale. Ha! ha! I have always loved SALES!

My first stop was at my favorite Clearout shop. Well, it's just the name of the shop but in fairness they sell reasonably cheap women clothes with good quality. On top of that, it's one of the few shops where I find my size. At the window, an elegant top caught my attention and I gasped at the thought of the image it would reflect when I put it on. So when I got inside and spotted it, I picked one without even thinking about it. I thought, "for ten quid" it really is a good bargain. But as if to tease my temperance, beside it is a black & white top which is as elegant as the one I just got and I love black and white clothes. Nevertheless, I picked it too and thought that maybe it wouldn't look good on me when I try it on. Well, it proved me wrong so I ended up buying both and I could almost hear my card crying in pain when I swiped it at the counter.

Next stop was The Mall where I was going to spend my gift card to buy belt. I have always been looking for a nice belt to go with my jeans but they're always too big for me. I just can't seem to find the right size and design for my petite frame. After more than an hour looking around, my feet are starting to get sore and I exited with empty hand.

Then I went to Primark. I haven't been there for a while and thought they might have what I needed. Disappointingly, their collection for the season is not to my taste. I don't mean to sound snobbish. In fact their summer collection was quite good and I bought quite a few items. Anyway, I was there to buy a belt with an attractive round buckle. Again, they didn't have it. I walked and looked around and now my feet are already very sore so I started to head back home.

My sore feet were dragging me. I called my hubby to pick me up but he was in the allotment with his bike. I walked like a slug inching my way home. Then I pondered on what I just did. I thought shopping would make me feel good. But in the end the pain from my sore feet was greater than the happiness I felt after buying those two "elegant" tops. Now, I feel more regretful.

Vanity of vanities! All is vanity! (Ecc 1:2)

Tabo

2010-08-30T17:09:00.001+01:00

Siguro nagtataka kayo bakit "tabo" ang pamagat ng post na ito. Well, nong bagong dating ako dito sa bansang Inglatera ang una kong problema ay nong pumunta ako sa banyo. Di kasi katulad sa Thailand na lahat ng banyo merong pusitsit dito toilet paper lang talaga. Eh syempre Pinoy, di talaga pwedeng di maghugas ng pwet ano?

Mas lumala ang problema nong dumating ang bisita ko. Hay naku, kamot talaga ako ng ulo. So ang ginawa ko nagtanong ako sa asawa ko, boyfriend ko pa sya noon, kung meron syang empty water bottle. Tinanong nya ako kung para saan daw. Eh dahil galing na sya sa Thailand at nakita nya ang pusitsit so sinabi ko ang kalagayan ko at naintindihan naman nya kaya binigyan nya ako ng malinis na bote.

O ayan, kahit ngayon sa trabaho nagdadala ako ng botelyang walang laman para pang hinaw pag ako'y pumupunta don sa palikuran. Ahahah!!!

Revenge of the Cat | News of the Week

2010-08-26T20:18:00.004+01:00

Earlier this week a woman who put a cat in a wheelie made headlines and caused facebook campaign among Brits who are very passionate about animals (except chicken and pork, LOL!) Today, I found this new video "revenge of the cat" showing the funny side of the story.

Now about the tax

2010-08-24T20:22:00.003+01:00

Last year I was better off because I haven't been paying the tax and the only deduction I got was the National Insurance and it wasn't so much. But this year, came April, my net pay got lower and it hurts. April and May were two very busy months at work and I got loads of overtime. I was kinda excited because I was getting ten hours more per week and but when I got my first payslip for the current tax year my eyes popped out of their socket when I saw how much tax was deducted. Almost all of my overtime pay went to the bloodsucking taxman. I felt betrayed, abused, and exploited. My shoulders dropped and I fell silent as I sat there in utter disbelief!

Suddenly I felt the weight of whole world resting on my shoulders as I recalled how I laboured in vain for few extra hours each day. I tried to work harder to buy myself nice stuff and save extra pennies for travel and extra treats. But they grabbed it from my grip in front of my very eyes.

No wonder not many people at work want to do overtime. In fact there are only a couple of us who would stay longer to finish the job before they accumulate and form a mountain.

Well, I guess this is how UK is supporting her politicians and council workers.

Bad weather and First Bus equals people stranded on bus stops

2010-08-23T20:22:00.001+01:00

When I arrived in the city at 5.40pm the rain was pouring heavily. At the bus stop I spotted a guy in purple shirt with weird black and blond hair who uses No.9 so I reckoned the bus hasn't come. I checked the time in the monitor. It was 5:44 and No. 9 would be coming at 5:48. Knowing there's another trip at around 6:08 pm I went Chapelfield to check out the cameras. Before it turned 6 o'clock I headed back to the bus stop. To my surprise the guy was was still there and I was kinda glad I didn't wait for the 5.48 bus or I would have been stood up like him.

Hoping No.9 would come in a few minutes I stood there with the rest of the stranded crowd. The rain was pouring more gratuitously. My feet were getting sore but I couldn't sit because the shed wasn't covered enough and everybody was standing by the shops, away from the torrential rain. But as always, when the weather is bad, First buses don't turn up. They've got this "bad reputation" of leaving passengers in the rain, in the snow. It's so annoying. The bus schedule had been overdue. All of us were hopelessly anticipating for no.9 and our necks were extending beyond but no No. 9 in sight. Finally at around 6:14 we saw the no 9 but to our dismay it said "SORRY NOT IN SERVICE"!!! How insolent! Five minutes later it came and the driver kindly told us that no.9 is finished but he would take us to Vulcan Road--the terminal. Inside, a baby in a pram was soaking wet. His mother and sister were also wet. Poor thing, they must have been standing in an open bus stop while it was raining cats and dogs.

I really don't understand why First Bus drivers do this to the public. Every six months they raise the fare but their service customer service is loathsome! They need to be boycotted. The public must do something to give them a lesson. However, I must also voice out my appreciation to a few drivers who give good customer service.

see related news article here

Midsummer days

2010-07-31T23:49:00.001+01:00

The plums in the front garden are turning red and purple. Soon we'll pick them up and make a jam. At dawn I don't hear the birds singing their aubade anymore. The days are mostly rainy but it's more like a tropical rain and I love it. One good thing, the plants are flourishing. The potatoes are almost ready for harvest and the blackberries are getting bigger.

On the way to work the fields of barley and wheat have turned gold as if they have absorbed enough sunlight. The foliage are turning dark green.

School is out and children are in the park. I love summer!

England doesn't seem to be a safe place to live after all

2010-07-25T21:57:00.000+01:00

Man detained after bride-to-be has throat cut

Moat raped and beat me says ex-girlfriend

These are just the latest on the news. Well, the Moat story isn't new anymore but his has sparked mixed reactions from the public. One group abhorred him, the other hailed him as a hero apparently for keeping the police on their toes. But what about family of his victims?

Anyway, like I said these are just a few of the crimes that are apparently getting rampant across the UK. Most of them don't really get the biggest headlines but still the number is significant. England, as I feel, isn't a safe place to live after all.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband found his car vandalized one morning. A couple of times I passed by a couple having a row and I was too scared to even notice it. I was scared that one of them would jump on my back and use me as weapon to get what he wanted. That's why I don't walk too much anymore.

Sometime ago, Mylene Klass was apprehended by police for showing a kitchen knife to a trespasser. Instead of protecting her, the police told her off. Of course she was gutted. At about the same time a man who chased and beat a burglar who threatened the wife and children was imprisoned for assaulting the criminal. The defender became the criminal. The justice system in this country has truly gone shambolic.

Many times when I read a daily I almost always see a news about a elderly who get beaten and sometimes killed by a yob after robbing them. Too sad. UK crime rate seems to be escalating every now and then.

June in retrospect

2010-07-13T21:59:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I last posted in my blog. I've been really busy at work doing overtime almost everyday and I love it for obvious reason.

It's mid-July again and last month has been really crazy. At work we processed loads of letters a day sometimes twice the normal amount. Thankfully it's summer so even if I stayed longer at work I still got home a couple of hours before sunset. Then add to that the craziness over the world cup.

For the love of football

This football season opened my eyes to another facet of the English culture. At work the bosses were so kind and generous just like how we, (Pinoys) are during Christmas. No pressure even if we didn't hit the target. What's important is to get home early enough to watch the English team against the Germans as it could be their last game. Well, it happens only once in every four years so it's so much bigger than Christmas. Twice we dressed down at work and were actually allowed/encouraged to wear football shirt--but no shorts--in support of the English team.

Cars were flying St George's flag, which is the English flag for those who didn't know and you better not fly yours if it's not English especially in the car as it might get vandalized. Houses were hanging them too from their window. Shops were selling everything football or English football i.e. mugs, teddies, shoes, boots, you name it, all with St George's theme. Even No 10 Downing Street was flying St George's flag instead of the usual Union Jack.

Then I realized how football means so much to the English more than anywhere else in the world probably. It's just sad that being the inventor of the game, they have won the World Cup only once in 1966. When they drew with the US during the group stage they described it as "unbelievable" considering US is not big on football. But when they lost against their "arch-rival" Germany they described it as "the most devastating."

So much from this World Cup taught me about the English people. This is probably the time when Britain is divided as countries--England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

Of course, not to forget the longest day of the year which fell almost always on the 21st of June. I wanted to take a photo of the sunset but didn't get a good view from my window in the loft and it got cloudy at around 9 pm.

This is all I can remember for now..I meant to deliver more tidbits but the only thing that lingered in my hippocampus is the b****y football.

The lowly rhubarb

2010-07-04T20:10:00.004+01:00

I didn't know how good rhubarb was. I've been here in the UK for two years and it's only today have I learned how good rhubarb actually is. It's savory, it's sweet, it's sour. It tastes like a sweetened mango. Yumm! Its sour taste reminds me of those sweets my mother used to make when I was a kid. You know like when a mango is too sour, she would cook it with sugar and how I loved to spoon it for desert.

When I first came I saw them in my husband's allotment but didn't give it any attention because it didn't look attractive at all. I see them in the shops. I see them in the recipe book. I heard people talked about them but still I wasn't intrigued at all. Then last week, a colleague told me that if there's one thing he would miss from the UK when he goes to live abroad is the sweetened rhubarb. As he described it my mouth watered and the next few days when I went to my allotment I plucked some stalk to try it.

Surprisingly, there are so many ways to cook rhubarb. And since I got three plants in my allotment now I would be exploring other recipes in the following days.

In the eyes of a child

2010-06-25T20:27:00.000+01:00

Charmaine: Judy, you're so small...
Judy: (Cuts in) Dropped her jaw and pulled a deep sigh..: I hate you, Charmaine, bo ho, bo ho! :'(
Mom: Charmaine, I told you you shouldn't tell people they are small. That's offensive. Look at her, she's crying.
Charmaine: Come on Judy, let me give you a hug...(Comes to Judy and hug hug) I was going to say, I wish I
could give you my height.
Judy: (Dropped her jaw again and :-O) I love you, Charmaine. I wish I had your height.
Charmaine: I wish I would shrink.

Charmaine is 10 years old and stands 5.4

It's the longest Sunday and it's Father's day

2010-06-20T12:31:00.001+01:00

Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there..

and

happy Birthday to Wizan!!!

This is my first vlog and before I did it I had a pretty much idea what to say. But once in front of the cam I started to stammer and forgot all I wanted to say. I think this is the disadvantage of vlogging. I am not a spontaneous talker. I've got to think first what I've got to say.

By the way, to make up for what I missed in the vlog, I'm watching Italy vs New Zealand and listening to instrumental music online and also chatting with Miss Nice A. My word, can't I just focus on one task at a time?

Okay, now I get it

2010-06-16T04:47:00.000+01:00

This is a continuation of my previous post.

I talked to my colleague about the £300 solicitors fee and he explained to me that the fee was for transferring the house ownership from sole to joint. So I thought, okay, that's not just a BS then as I had previously thought. Anyway, I still think that it's too much.

£300 to get my name on the mortgage

2010-06-13T21:01:00.000+01:00

Last week, a solicitor came by to talk my husband into the supposedly "best mortgage". One good thing about the credit crunch is that the mortgage interest rate went down. That means we are going to pay less this year. However, since my husband bought the house some 5 years ago or 3 years before we even met, the mortgage was in his sole name. Now the solicitor suggested that it would be better to put down my name in a joint account so we could get higher value/loan as they will have to combine our earnings. But it would cost us a whooping £300! To be honest that would be my two-week pay! Are they serious?

I think there are more solicitors than doctors in this country. Why do they charge so much for things that are so simple?

Surprisingly, this is not just my bigoted opinion. When I googled for an image for "solicitor" to add to this post they suggested phrases and one of them was "solicitors from hell! Ha! Ha!
Take a look at this.

Happy Independence Day, Philippines!

2010-06-12T00:01:00.000+01:00

112 years ago today, the Philippine flag was first unfurled at the house of Emilio Aguinaldo at the Proclamation of Philippine Independence from Spain. Long story but finally, the Filipinos gained their freedom at last after being colonized by the Spaniards. Many things have transpired since then. The Spanish subject, used to be taught in school, was abolished in the 80s. The Philippines was second to Japan in economy. Lots of foreign students from neighboring countries came to afford the high quality education. It was once an envy to many Asian nations.

But look where the Philippines is now. Where have all its glories gone? Sucked and drained by monster politicians.

Oh, Philippines, my Philippines! There is never a moment in my life where I didn't long to see you back in your glorious days. The days when your children didn't have to go to other countries to earn a living because they had enough of what they needed at home. Oh, if I could only turn back the time.

UK introduces language test for immigrant spouses - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

2010-06-11T19:39:00.000+01:00

UK introduces language test for immigrant spouses - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Here's an excerpt from the article...

All migrants from outside the European Union will have to demonstrate "a basic command of English that allows them to cope with everyday life before they are granted a visa," said the Home Office. To read more click the link above.

Tab Napping – the new kind of phishing

2010-06-10T20:29:00.000+01:00

Tab Napping – the new kind of phishing

This is really scary. Cyber criminals are getting more sophisticated and they are always up to date to catch up with browsers' development. I'm afraid I could be one of those easily targeted because I always open multiple tabs at a time. When it comes to multitasking online I'm one of the worse offenders.

Thanks to Aza Raskin, mozilla security expert, who advises us what to do to be safe online.

Fruits for a healthy breakfast

2010-06-08T22:05:00.001+01:00

Yes, you heard me right. For two weeks now I have been eating fruits only first thing in the morning and my favorites are oranges. Now is the season of oranges so it's the best time to feast on them.

I used to be a heavy breakfast eater. I have always been informed that rice in the morning is the best breakfast and I used to dwell on that thinking/belief until recently.

You see I've got a very sensitive stomach. Talk about hyper-acidity, heartburn, dyspepsia, constipation, flatulence, bloating... you name it, I got it. I loved orange but I couldn't enjoy a whole fruit without suffering from either heart-burn or acid reflux. It was very unpleasant. Thanks to my brother's email, now I can eat as much orange as I want and not feel acidic--I have to eat them on an empty stomach and that is when breaking my fast in the morning.

My sister-in-law used to brainstorm me about eating fruits for breakfast but I always argued that rice is the best because it keeps me going till lunch time. Talk about paradigm shift. Many people would not welcome the idea with just a flick of a finger.

An evening out with Vivaldi

2010-06-06T17:36:00.001+01:00

No, not tonight. It was last month. I just forgot to blog it and I was too busy.

I thought people would be dressing up nicely or formally like I see in the movie. I put on a black dress and topped it with a black coat. But when I got there, some people were wearing jeans and summer tops. I felt like overdressed and uneasy. But there were some who came in formal evening dress as well, so in the end I felt comfortable.

Anyway, it was my first time to be watching the full concert of Vivaldi's Four Seasons performed by the Academy of Ancient Music (pictured above). Prior to that I have only heard the first song which is the "Primavera". I came rather early so I sat there by myself for about 10 minutes which felt like ages. I was going to come with sis-in-law but she stayed in Sicily when we went there in April. Husband wanted to rest because he was getting up early but was kind enough to give me a lift. When I bought the ticket I thought I was going to sit at the back of the backseat of the hall and me thought it was okay because the hall was not so big anyway. But when I asked the ushers where I could sit they pointed me the side of the hall behind the big pillars (gasped!). It's okay, I thought. I would still hear the concert even if I don't see the whole orchestra. So I picked a seat by the aisle just in case I wanted to go early.

Finally, the orchestra entered and I heaved a big sigh of relief. I could only see three of them because because of the enormous pillar in front of me. When they played Primavera it sets the mood of the night all right. It was a bit chilly outside Andrews Hall where the concert was but Vivaldi's ingenious composition warms the atmosphere. I couldn't help move my head to their music. Through the songs I could imagine the beauty of spring as the leaves start to bud and flowers begin to bloom. I imagined happy children playing in the park on a sunshiny day, hopping and running around. I also imagined the raindrops spluttering on the roof. And then the mood was moving to autumn. The wind was getting strong and dried leaves are falling. Then it's winter! It's snowing. Sometimes heavy sometimes light.

It was such a fantastic concert. Vivaldi is such a genius transliterating the sounds of the seasons into music.

I almost fell for Amazon credit card

2010-06-05T20:39:00.001+01:00

0% on all Amazon.co.uk purchases for the first 9 months
0% on balance transfers made now for the first 12 months (3% fee applies)
£15 credited to your card when you spend £25 within the first 60 days

These are the baits that will whet your appetite when you make a purchase on Amazon. I saw it first time when I was buying my cellphone case. It was very enticing because it makes you believe that you're actually going to get the item for free because of the £15 credit you will get--IF your application gets approved, that is. However, fate had it that I didn't get one.

Today, I just purchased a songbook worth £5.85 and again they tried to lure me--and they almost did! Who wouldn't want a free stuff after all? Anyway, I went to the application page and did stages 1 and 2 which are personal and bank details respectively. Then before I hit the final button, my synapse functioned just in time to alert me to check for reviews of the product first.

So I googled "Amazon credit card review" and noticed one result shows 1 star (from reviewcentre.com) and another 4 stars (from dooyoo.com). I opened them in two different tabs. I happened to read the one star review first. At the time of posting the last review was posted 5 May 2010. I was petrified! 15 I was like "Phew! I almost fell for that!" Then I read the 4 star reviews. There was only one review made this year so far and the rest were dated 2008-9. So having been hampered by the lone star reviews, I went back to application page and clicked that little x in the top right-hand corner.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

2010-05-31T19:52:00.000+01:00

Must I be thinking about Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair?" Yes and no. Yes, because that's where I got the title of this post from. No, because I'm not really going to talk about the song or the fair.

Earlier today when I was making sauce for the spaghetti I told my husband I needed thyme. Just the thought of its aroma is enough to make me crave for food. Simultaneously, I thought of the line "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme from the song and I said to myself, "these herbs used to be distant and strange in my cooking." I even thought they were girls' names when I first heard them in the song. But now they consist the recipe in almost everything I cook where I usually only used onions, garlic, black pepper, and ginger. The last two are rarely used now. But parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme...they are all in my garden where I can pick a sprig or two anytime I want them.

It's finally here!!

2010-05-24T21:39:00.002+01:00

I mean, summer! Although British Summer officially began last month when we turned the clock one hour ahead on Easter day. Oh well, I haven't done talking about the weather, am I?. Here in the UK you can't possibly skip the weather topic every single day of the year.

Last week while waiting for the bus we were shivering when the cold wind blew and my colleague asked, "When is it gonna get better?" You see? If they--the English--are longing for warm weather, how much more do you think I am? Last week's temperature was between 7 and 14 C and it even went down to 1C at one point.

After the long harsh winter, everyone is just longing for the sunshiny day. Luckily, last weekend we were treated with temperatures rising up to 24 and carried on until today, it's just fantastic! My colleagues ask me if I am happy now. I can't complain anymore although at night it feels so hot I want to sleep naked.

One disadvantage though, my plants need more watering.

We had a barbecue today

2010-05-16T21:22:00.003+01:00

It's not yet the best Sunday of the year but we already got a barbecue.Three Italian Stallions, an English, a Scottish, and a Filipina (women, that is). We got sunny spells and chilly breeze alternately and in between we were donning on and off sunglasses and coat. We just got to have a barbecue day today. We can't wait for the weather to get better and it's the middle of May, for Pete's sake!

Last week was chilly and on Tuesday when I went to work at 7 am it was 1°C. After braving one of the worst winters in the UK I am terribly DESPERATE for summer. So learning about the rising temperature, my little society met up for a chat over barbecue. It was awesome! We hope to do it again next Sunday.

While we were brooding about the weather I realized barbecue is not a biggie in the Philippines. Everyday is basically a barbecue day. Here in the UK barbecueing is like celebrating for the sunshiny day. And then we talked about the latest winner of Euro million who is from the UK which until today no one has come to claim it yet and it's a whooping €84M! We all were like "If I'd won that much blah blah blah..." and I quipped "bye bye England!" And to tell you frankly it's not only us immigrants who hate the English weather. Even English themselves. Ever since I came here 2 years ago there hardly is a day where weather is not talked about.

If the world changes course

2010-05-03T21:03:00.002+01:00

Now what in the world am I talking about? I took a shower at around 8 pm and the sun was still in the horizon. In the shower room it felt fabulously warm. And I thought to myself, "I wish it's always like this". But of course it's not gonna happen because the world is revolving unless it stops or changes its course. But then I paused a bit. Hang on! If it's always spring or summer in the UK, if the world would tip on another side so that equatorial line would be in a vertical position then... Oh no! Maybe Philippines and other hot countries would have snow. And then many would die because the houses are not equipped for the weather. Oh no! I don't even want to think about it.

UK Election vs RP Election

2010-04-25T09:55:00.000+01:00

Mga kandidato isang taon nang nangangampanya although official campaigns started only this year.
Dito sa UK, when Brown called for election end of March saka pa lang sila naglagay ng mga campaign ads.
Sa Pinas, may first time na automated poll pero this year lang sila nagprepare.. tsk! tsk! You can tell how inefficient the government system is.

Actually, I have never participated in the Philippine election. Pero the fact na nagpapadala ako ng remittance at home means I am contributing to our country. Hindi ko man sinadya na hindi bumoto pero wala talaga akong tiwala sa mga Pinoy politicians. They are all only after their own selfish interest. Mga sakim!

Sige nga, sinong politician ang may tunay na hinanakit sa pobreng masa? Sino ba ang naglalagay ng pondo sa national treasury? Ang pobreng masa dahil sa letcheng VAT na yan. Presyo ng prime commodities taon-taon tumataas. Hay naku! Bangon, Pilipinas!

Cancelled flights to and from UK: Counting blessings

2010-04-23T13:49:00.001+01:00

This is how UK airports looked like in the past few days when European air traffic agency ordered airports to shut down. Meanwhile, across the globe hundreds of thousands of stranded Britons littered the airports. I don't know if I could consider myself lucky. Maybe I would. First, I was lucky that volcanic disruption happened the day after I arrived in Sicily. But my return flight was cancelled and since I only took five days off I am worried about the extended week because I won't get paid.

Still I am lucky--or I would like to think so--because I got more time off from work. I got more time to eat Sicilian food. I got more time to enjoy Sicilian weather and so on and so forth. I'm lucky that my return flight was cancelled a few days before and not on that day I was going to the airport.

But still I can't fully rejoice as I think of the other Britons who were stranded at the airports. Such an isolated volcanic eruption but the effect was "global" in the sense that all flights to and from UK were cancelled. Oh, well, I better enjoy the rest of my extended holiday.

Living in the UK, tax here and there, tax everywhere

2010-04-05T16:27:00.001+01:00

Part 1: Income Tax and National Insurance

This blog has been put off for ages and I seemed to have forgotten about it if today wasn't the end of tax year 09-10. Having said that, it's regretful to say I'm starting to pay income tax next week. Well, I have been paying tax already and it's called council tax and also national insurance (NI). I think NI is where they get money to give to those who are on benefit. This is an awesome idea but it's been abused by so many. People who receive benefits get more money than us who actually work except for people who get paid more than the minimum wage of course. Like I said, one side is good and the other is crap. Some women or even girls as young as 16 or maybe younger can get impregnated to claim benefit--free housing and allowance with bills all paid for. Yes, here in the UK they pay single mothers who are jobless. It's supposed to be for unfortunate single mothers but now it's becoming a legitimate excuse to not work. And who wouldn't take advantage of it? You work 7-8 hours a day and get paid minimum wage. You go to Jobcentre Plus and declare yourself incapable of finding job and you'll get benefit which ironically is more than average Joe receives from his wage.

But this is not to vilify my respected British people. People who are described above make just a fraction of the whole UK population. Still many British find it worthwhile to earn a living rather than just wait for the money in the post.

As you can see in the graph above, that's where the government receive tax from and of course most of it comes from the consumers. Income tax for example, if you're earning £7-37,000 a month you get taxed 20% above your taxable income. Taxable income depends individually. If a person is receiving allowance on top of his/her salary say for example fuel allowance that amount is added to his taxable income. My tax code for example is 647L and that means I get £6470 tax-free income. So anything beyond that is taxable by 20% and that's the minimum. Above 37T is 40% and the maximum is a whooping 60%.

What irks me most is the huge payouts and bonuses of the big bosses. I think it's so insensitive! Although considered as a first class country, England has got lots of citizens living in poverty. An add on a bus says that 1 out of 3 pupils is poor. How can the government afford to lavish on their spendings if they didn't have a heart of stone?

Going back to people who get housing benefit and other benefits it is, however, mind-boggling that there are a few people I see sleeping on streets. If it is their choice, I don't know. But if the government care enough, why leave them out in the cold while other fraudulent criminals get as much as 10 houses all from benefits? How can these people outsmart the gov't?

When I said fraudulent criminals these are people who claim a number of housing benefits using bogus identities. Some of them use dead people's names. A documentary on tv was shown about a year ago how people do this and yet get away with it.

Next topic is the Council Tax. Abangan....

British Summer Time Officially Begins Today

2010-03-28T20:40:00.003+01:00

It means we move one hour forward. Hmm not nice as I get up at dawn while the birds are singing their aubade. Well, that's the only drawback about it but in the bigger picture it's actually so much better especially after one of those worst UK winters in history.

Last week I started spotting yellow daffodils trumpeting the coming of spring, hence the change of the header background. Unfortunately, they are not my own photos and I intend to acknowledge the websites where I took them from. They are, from left to write, freefoto.com, flowerduet.com, and bridgetbossartvanotterloo.com

You've been awarded

2010-03-14T17:35:00.001Z

Thank you Ms Nice A for the sunshine award. It surely brought sunshine to my day.

And now I gloriously pass the award to .... drums roll, please?

Sarah of My Memories and Crystals
Regina of Daily Living
Chubskulit of Obstacles and Glories
Quiltworks of World Thru the Eyes of a Fiber Artist
Spidermama of Spidermama's Photoblog

Here are the rules for nominating this award:
* Put the logo on your blog or within your post
* Pass the award onto 12 bloggers
* Link the nominees within your post
* Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
* Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Oops! I talked too soon

2010-03-09T20:18:00.000Z

You might be wondering what in the world I am talking about. Well, in my previous post I mentioned that I had temporarily put my big snow coat away and for a few days used the less thicker coat. But in the beginning of this week, the mercury was below zero in the morning and once more I was wearing layers of coat. So I took snow coat out of the wardrobe again to keep me warm in the morning.

Last Sunday, I made cassava cake to take to my friends who invited my family for dinner. I kept half for our consumption. But before I could fork out a small slice, my husband and his sister had finished everything. I was a bit disappointed but on the other hand I was pleased that they liked my baking so much.

NHS and the dodgy services by GPs part 1

2010-03-06T18:10:00.002Z

Okay, imagine me typing on my laptop with Brainbug Nightmare playing in the background. It's making my hubby go ballistic after eating home-made pizza by Brie. For a time being it distracted me from what I'm going to blog about, the dodgy NHS GPs. For the sake of my readers who don't have idea what it is, it means National Health Service (NHS) and General Practice (GP).

Here in the UK, hospitalization is free for everyone who is registered with the NHS. From the outside it looks good but once you get to see a GP you will be surprised to be sent home worse than when you came. Well, I'm a bit exaggerating. The first time I went to see a GP on a Sunday, I had to wait for nearly two hours! I think that's ridiculous! Actually you can only see a GP on Sunday for emergency. Ironically, most patients have to wait 2-3 hours even the pregnant ones. It's so disappointing, really. To make matters worse, GPs are sometimes synonymous to quack doctors. Why? When the doctor finally came to see me and I showed him my swelling and itchy fingers he said that it "could" be an allergy that I picked up from the gym and prescribed anti-itch cream. Nothing happened. The next day, Monday, I went to see my GP up the road. Without so much explanation, she told me that it was a "chilblain and it's very common in this country". The last phrase made me question the ability of the first GP I saw the day before. If chilblain is common how could he not diagnose it? This is just one of the many health check-ups episode I will be talking about.

When I arrived here in the UK two years ago, my weight dramatically dropped from 43 kg to 38. With my pint size, that's a huge amount to lose. I needed every single gram of it. For two months my monthly visitor didn't come. I was scared as it had never happened before. I was getting paranoid of the thought of contracting cancer. Unfortunately, I couldn't see a GP because I wasn't registered yet. So when my monthly visitor came back I was relieved. But last year it happened again, this time for 3 months. Now that's really scary because I did pregnancy test three times and the result was always negative. If you're a woman and you miss your visitor it is really scary. So I went to see a GP and told me there's nothing wrong with me and then suggested that I get a blood test. Two weeks later, the result came clear. It was relieving on one side but still I wasn't satisfied with the kind of medical treatment I received. I really think they needed to check my ovary or uterus to find out what's wrong inside.

This is UK. Hospitalization may be free but we are not really getting the best medical treatment. Hospitals and equipments could be modern and all that but the doctors are dodgy.

To be continued...

The days are getting longer again, Yehey!!

2010-03-05T18:19:00.002Z

Wow, I can't believe it's March 5 already. Seems like only yesterday was 2009. It seems like only yesterday when the snowy days seem to drag the time at a dead-slow pace. Now the days are getting longer, the sun rises at 7 am and goes down later at around 5 pm. And so people's spirits are going up again and of course the buses come on time now--well almost--they're such a fair-weather friend, LOL!

Like what my colleague says, "Summer HAS to come." Matter of factly. Winter can't have its grip on us forever. No matter what, summer will prevail again to give us some moment of felicity. It's part of life cycle, I mean life. One good thing is I have temporarily done away with my big snow coat. There's no guarantee that snowy days are over. It's only March. When I arrived almost 2 years ago, it was March 21, the first day of Spring and it was snowing. In fact it snowed for the next couple of weeks. So maybe we'll get more chill but I'm crossing my fingers against it.

The month of February got me hooked with Melason in Love. At work I always looked forward to going home and watch Melason on pinoychannel.tv as soon as I switched on my laptop. It's so frivolous especially Melai she's so genuine even if the situation or set-up is so contrived. But today, I got a little disappointed with Jason and maybe I won't be as excited with it again. But in fairness, it kept me away from the shops, Ha! Ha!

Missing the Philippines also makes watch Pinoy bands on youtube and Aegis really got into me especially their song, "Sinta". On Valentines week I found myself belting out this song from morning till night. (grins)

Another thing that's transpired last month is I got my cartoon version but I don't have a name for it yet. I don't wanna call it with my real name but something that's similar but sounds cartoon-ish. So I need a help on this one.

For a while, some feeling of unknown fear gripped me when news broke out about Chile's 8.8 shake and the impending tsunami that was going to smash Philippine shore on the east. I thought to myself, "My poor countrymen, El Niño, corruption, tidal wave... So I sighed a huge sigh of relief when the succeeding news reported that the wave wasn't that big as it had to travel a long way and therefore grew remarkably small when it reached Philippine sea.

Now, it's really dark in my room, I mean outside the window and I hear the spluttering rain. It's time to make some dinner. See you again next episode.

New pile of snow

2010-02-14T01:27:00.004Z

It's midnight and I'm still up. I went to bed at around 5 pm and forced myself to doze off a bit and when I got up at ten pm I had a blinding headache. I had to shake it off so I dusted the house and brushed the carpet with cold water to get rid of some mud that have built up.

It's mid-February and I am not done moaning and whining about the snow. In fact we got another one this week and more on the way. Last Wednesday I waited at the bus stop for 45 minutes and even with my snow coat I could feel the chill in my bones and I regret doing overtime at work. I should have finished at half past three pm but there was so much work so I decided to stay a bit longer which was a wrong decision. Luckily I wasn't alone at the bus stop. There was another woman who came just a couple of minutes after me and the bus was supposed to come at around that time but it didn't turn up. There should be another one in 20 minutes but it too didn't turn up. My toes were getting numb and my fingertips felt like exploding -- it was almost unbearable.

When the snow started at lunch time I told my colleagues who were sharing the table with me that I have decided to change my attitude towards it. I have to love it or hate it. And since we might get more in the next couple of month I thought it best to love it--at least I would get excited when it comes again.

Last Wednesday's snow wasn't the dendrite snow but tiny balls like styrofoam and it looked as if a child played with an old ice chest breaking it into and pieces threw them up in the air. This is the type of snow that causes avalanche and it is icy unlike dendrites. It was fun to watch but when my toes and fingertips started to hurt I just shook my head--in disdain. Still there was no sign of the bus.

While the cars, vans, and lorries were taking turn going around the round-about a fire-truck emerged sounding its siren until it came to its exit road. Bored and anxious over my not-turning-up bus I tried to ignore this fire-truck that's coming on my side of the road and fixed my eyes around the corner where the bus is supposed to come anxiously anticipating that the next vehicle coming out is my bus. Bloody fire-truck it sounded its siren right in front of my face and startled the hell out of me. Embarrassed, I looked at the other woman behind me and we both raised our eyebrows and pursed our lips suppressing a smile. Then we talked to each other. She asked me when the bus was supposed to come and I said around ten past, thirty past and fifty past each hour which means 2 buses hadn't turn up. Well, First buses have a bad reputation of not turning up when you need them most. All the while there were already 2 buses from the other side of the road but not on ours. Another raising of the eyebrows and pursing of lips.

After several minutes longer it started to snow again and the wind was blowing from the west. I was starting to panic as the night was getting darker. Finally at six o'clock in my phone clock a bus came. Whew!

A big thank you to Halifax for £50 gift

2010-02-14T00:06:00.000Z

I switched to Halifax to take advantage of the £5 reward each month but I was surprised they credited my account with £50 just for switching to them. Isn't that great?

Britain, unequipped for freezing winters

2010-01-31T15:12:00.003Z

Yes, here in the UK whenever it snows it's like life comes to a halt. If you want to find out why click on the image to watch Dr Nick Middleton's documentary report on Britain's Big Freeze. The video will be available until Feb24. After that I will write about the video. So watch it before it disappears online.

MOT Testers are a rip-off

2010-01-23T21:05:00.001Z

When the mechanic told my husband the car needed a fix here and there to pass the MOT test I had a bad feeling about it because of the extra money we had to pay. But I didn't know so much about it so I kept quiet. I thought MOT tests are carried out by government agencies. But a few weeks ago a colleague told of her experience. She went to this MOT garage and the mechanic handed her a long list of apparently "faults" in her car that needed fixing and it was gonna cost her around £2000. Her car is not new and probably cost about that much when she bought it so paying that much for a service is ridiculously insane! It's like buying a new car--I mean another car, a used one. But she didn't let the mechanic fool her and took her car to another garage who gave her the MOT certificate without fixing a thing. So she just paid the testing fee. And that was when my opinion was kinda validated.

I don't understand why these loopholes in the UK government system.

Norwich Castle at night | Mellow Yellow Monday

2010-01-17T20:22:00.002Z

On our rare night out, we always pass by Norwich Castle and I thought I'd photograph it for my MYM.

"One of the City's most famous landmarks, Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. Used as a prison from the 14th century, the Castle became a museum in 1894." Click here to read more...

Rays of hope

2010-01-16T20:47:00.002Z

These past few days have been really nice as the the mercury has gone up a bit. Sure the snow was a sight to see but for someone like me who gets up at break of dawn and goes to work by bus which means waiting at open-aired bus stops, it's definitely not something exciting.

Checking the weather forecast is something I have learned to do on a daily basis. So whenever I see the golden sun in the picture it already brings a smile to my face.

These past few weeks of snow gave me abnormal mood swings. Twice I came to the point of checking for a flight online and several times I cried over the freezing cold. There were days the wind was so keen it got through me I could even feel the chill in my bones. In my face I felt as if gazillions of microscopic needles pricking non-stop it was unbearable. If it continued for another week I think I'd end up in the hospital.

So I'm really glad it has given me a breathing space when the snow has stopped but I really hope that's it for this year. I don't want any more snow in the next few months. I can't wait for spring and finally summer to come.

A Graffiti for My Ruby Tuesday

2010-01-11T19:56:00.003Z

Sponge Bob at the mall

2010-01-11T00:01:00.002Z

We were in Castle Mall looking at bargains and we met Sponge Bob.

UK's coldest winter in 30 years

2010-01-07T21:02:00.002Z

When I woke up this morning I felt so warm and the thought of feeling cold outside on my way to work was too dreadful I sat on the bed and cried. I didn't want to get out of bed and and go to work. With a heavy sigh, I checked the window in the loft and there was just a frost so I gathered myself--after about 30 minutes of whimpering--and got dressed. I had no idea what was happening outside but today hubby offered to give me a lift to the bus station.

When I opened the window I was met with about four inches of snow at the doorstep.

It's been snowing since mid December and they say this cold snap is the longest since 1981 and also the coldest in 30 years. Forecasters are even saying that there is no end in sight yet. When I first came to UK about 2 years ago it was always raining and the following year which was last year we had a looong summer. So I thought winter wasn't going to be this bad.

The bus was running less than 10 mph and when I got off my mood shifted. I enjoyed walking on the soft snow and couldn't hide my excitement. I guess I just needed to capture that moment because I won't have many of them during these time of the year. My two colleagues were sharing my laughter as I chomped, "It's fun, it's fun!" while walking amidst the snowfall.

Well, the excitement was too short. Because when I was walking home I felt the cold in my bones and that's what I was dreading this morning. My ears felt numb as if they were going to fall off. I gritted my teeth as I endure the harsh whips of the cold wind.

Oh please, let me go back to Philippines or Thailand.

related articles/news:
Snow brings mayhem to Britain...
UK faces coldest winter in 30 years...

Sweet Delights | Ruby Tuesday

2010-01-05T00:01:00.003Z

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2010/01/ruby-tuesday.html

During the holiday season, sweets do abound and these were a few of what I feasted on. Which do you like best?

Click the badge for more Ruby Tuesday photos.

A Lemon a Day | Mellow Yellow Monday

2010-01-04T01:24:00.001Z

A lemon a day keeps the doctor away.
But if the doctor is cute, keep the lemon away.

I had a tiny piece of chocolate last Friday and the next day my tonsils were inflamed. The doctor isn't cute so I chose to have lemon juice once a day. Thanks to these mellow yellow lemons, my tonsilitis has disappeared. So I thought I'd honor them by posting them here on MYM.

This is my first MYM entry for 2010. For non MYM members, if you got eyes for yellow, join us here or simply visit other MYM entries by clicking the button below.

2009 in Review

2009-12-31T20:18:00.001Z

Before the 2009 bids farewell, here's a review of how my year went.

January, I got jobless right after the first week. I learned about affiliate marketing and purchased my own domain name. But it's rather embarrassing so I better not tell you what it is.

February, six months after submitting my application for residence card, it hasn't arrived and so I am still jobless.

March, visited Edinburgh and fell in love with this enchanting city.

April, revisited our friends in Suffolk who advised me to write the Home Office as eight months of holding my passport is quite unexplainable and illegal. So I did write to the HO stating that my passport was expiring in November so they needed to expedite the approval of my application.

May, two weeks later, my passport arrived with the residence documentation of course. I felt ecstatic. After 9 months of not having my passport I felt like I won the euro million lottery. By the fourth week, I got a job again.

June, working with Harford Manor school and meeting wonderful kids. End of month over the Alps toward Sicily. I met my brothers-in-law and father-in-law.

July, first wedding anniversary and we were not together. (sad) I was looking after my dear sister-in-law who had an operation after falling from a cherry tree.

August, visited other Sicilian cities such as Noto and Ragusa Ibla, these are two magnificent ancient cities like Edinburgh and so they are also enchanting. Also the prickly pears and almonds are ready. End of month, back to England. Ah! the cool, refreshing breeze after the scorching heat of Sicilian summer.

September, started working full-time. Thanks God, Yey!!

October, ummm can't remember pretty well...oh, yea, I started this blog LOL!

November, renewed my passport.

December, got a machine-readable passport. Spent Christmas alone. But nevertheless, am thankful to God for all His wonderful blessings.

We live to work

2009-12-30T21:02:00.002Z

Yes, that's what life is here in the UK. We live to work.

When my alarm went off this morning I didn't feel like getting up and stayed longer. Then I jerked when I saw it was 5.35 am. I rushed to the shower and while blowdrying my hair, put the bread in the oven and heated the left-over food--monggo and rice.

As I was waiting for the bus with my bus-stop mate, I couldn't help but express my what was in my mind--frustration over the crappy First Bus service and the crappy weather. Unfortunately, most people here in the UK live to work. That's what life is. People from all over the world come here to work. We're like the busy bees working our ass off to make honey.

Some people choose to just receive government benefits but the money bag is bucked by the workforce like me.

inaantok na ako..i'll continue this tomorrow.

Red roses from my back garden | Ruby Tuesday

2009-12-28T19:56:00.001Z

I can't wait for spring to come again and see the red roses bloom in my back garden. More Ruby shots if you tap photo below.

Healty Snack | Yummy Mellow Yellow Monday

2009-12-28T18:53:00.002Z

This is my version of haystack sans beans and instead of lettuce, I used cucumber. It's absolutely one of my best favorites.

More MYM photos are posted here or click the button below.

5 years ago today | remembering tsunami 2004

2009-12-26T20:08:00.004Z

These photos were taken on 25 and 26 December 2004 in Phuket. I can never forget that event. We were caroling along Patong beach on Christmas eve and Saturday afternoon we went back to watch the sunset. The beach was full of festive people. The sea looked so pacified and inviting. Sunday morning we wanted again to go back there to go swimming but our tour guide took us in a remote island on the western side of Phuket. There was grumbling and murmuring but thanks our tour guide couldn't understand us. Most of us were Filipinos and an Indian. You can read my detailed blog here Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Five years ago today, I and my colleagues had a close encounter with death. But thanks to the Mighty Hand that led us to a safe place on the western side of Phuket.

This Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T23:50:00.005Z

Buongiorno!

I checked my pocket for the umpteenth time to make sure I got the key before closing the door behind me. If I locked myself out there's no way I could get in the house and I'd probably die in the cold. There's nowhere to go to--at least I thought. I paused until the reality has finally sunk in that I got the key. I'm home alone!

My day started by walking for a little more than a kilometer to a bus stop where there are more buses. I needed to do it because I had to get to work half an hour earlier and finish earlier as it's Xmas eve. Normally, I catch a bus just up the road. But for three days in a row this week, the buses came really late causing me to miss the next bus to get to work. So instead of standing there in the cold for about half an hour I decided to just walk. With my newly purchased quilted coat, I felt really warm and didn't mind the cold. But after the rain, the hardened snow has become really slippery so I couldn't walk as fast as I wanted to. To add insult to the injury, three buses came passing me by. Unfortunately I was halfway in between the bus stops.

As I was crossing the road to my stop a bus was passing by and I tried to stop it to wait for me but the driver's heart was as cold as the hardened snow. I couldn't stop but to say, "Evil, you're an evil!" as if he could hear me. While waiting for the next bus I felt a pang of hunger. I had a big bowl of pasta for breakfast but I don't know why I felt hungry again after about an hour. A couple of minutes later a bus was approaching again and it looked familiar. So I muttered to myself, "Don't tell me it's 26" -- it's the bus I usually catch up the road. And it is! How interesting, isn't it? I walked that far traversing a slippery icy road on a cold Dec 24 morning to catch the bus that I could have otherwise caught up the road. As soon as I seated, I told myself, "This is life!! with a sigh!

Anyway, at least I got to work just in time. My nose felt numb because of the cold. I wish I had even a minute to sip a hot chocolate and warm up my bloody red nose.

Normal day at work

When I entered the office I expected everybody or at least most in my team to be donning a Xmas hat but only half of them did and I hesitated for awhile to wear mine. Meanwhile, I started my main routine for the day--writing letters. I was rather quick today. I thought I was going to work whole day until 3 pm but by noon there was no more work. I was happy to go home early even if it would mean less pay. But amazingly, they're gonna pay us whole day today.

Be kind to animals

I wanted to do some window shopping but I thought about kikiriki (our hen) and decided to check on her and bring her more food. I checked the bus schedule and gladly there was one coming in a few minutes--if I'm lucky, which I am, thankfully. The road to the allotment was icy as expected and twice or thrice I almost fell on my butt so I had to walk down the pedestal where the cars' tires have been and so it was clean. But it was dangerous as some people do love to speed even in this situation.

The gate was still locked at half past two pm and I thought that nobody wanted to visit their garden today. Unbelievably, Kikiriki has almost finished her food. I gave her a large box filled with grains on Sunday and I couldn't believe she's eaten all that. I gave her more pellets but I think she doesn't like it very much. But she has to eat if she doesn't want to starve. I also brought her warm water.

On the way home I took another route and asked the kind driver to drop me at the park. It's much closer to walk but I think I made a regrettable choice. The park was more icy than the road. What do you expect? No cars passing by and so the ice stayed on the ground. I had to walk really slow.

Christmas dinner

I didn't feel making any food at all. I had banana, Fuji apple and crisps.

I ended this day talking to my husband and chatting to my nephew.

Merry Christmas to all!

Ruby Tuesday

2009-12-22T01:44:00.002Z

I think this is my first Ruby Tuesday entry from this blog. I took this photo on my way to work. I thought I had to photograph them after the rain and before the snow comes.

Again, I need to ask if anyone knows what this plant is called.

Sorry, I have never seen this plant until I came to the UK that's why I don't know.

For more ruby photos, tap the shoes and join us.

Summer blooms | Mellow Yellow Monday

2009-12-21T01:44:00.004Z

Took this photo last year's summer. Can someone tell me the names of these flowers please? Thanks.

By the way, for more mellow yellow photos click the button below.

Christmas sales: They just want to make you spend

2009-12-19T21:07:00.000Z

On Thursday I came home early because there was not many things to do. I was sad because I would get less money but also I was happy I had time to go around shops. However, because I knew what I wanted to buy and what I needed so I was kinda focused and was not buying on impulse. First I went to look for a nice party dress that's not gonna cost me an arm and a leg and I did find one for £10 which is really a good bargain.

Next I needed a pair of warm tights made of wool. So I went to H&M where almost everything is on SALE! I could have easily acted on impulse and swipe my credit card but then I realized comes January I would be driven up the wall at my unwise spendings. I really hate spending my money before I earn it except for extreme emergencies. Luckily I found what I needed--a pair of leg warmers made of wool. They are really warm and feel so soft on the skin.

Then I thought I also needed this and that--because they are on sale. So I picked flannel hat but again decided I really don't need it and so back it went to the shelf.

After paying for my item, I went to look for other stuff on sale but ended up not buying anything else anymore.

This time of the year you just can't ignore the magnetic effect of the word "Sale" written in bright red or white against a red background. And many people spend so much thinking that they got a good bargain. Sometimes or many times people buy things they don't even need or want just because they are incredibly cheap. Then they come home and realized they didn't even want it. Unfortunately some items on sale have a "no return" policy while some can only be returned within 7 days as opposed to 28 days on regular priced items.

At the end of the day I realized those shops just want people to spend their money by offering sales. They know people would be giving away gifts and they would suggest this and that which most of the time are actually just a waste of money because they are not useful stuff.

Well, folks this is just my two cents.

Good news for BA passengers, strike is lifted

2009-12-17T19:24:00.001Z

There are two groups of people affected by this event -- the passengers and the British Airways cabin crew. One is rejoicing, the other is mourning.

On the bus I found a newspaper left by a passenger and I couldn't resist not to pick it up. There was an article about a woman who was getting married early next year. She's working in the US and this is the first time she's coming home to spend Xmas with family before her wedding. But the news of the BA crews going on a 12-day strike devastated her and her family. Well, now she can rejoice as the court sided with the BA and banned the strike in favor of the passengers. Read more >>>

Yellow lily in Sicily | Mellow Yellow Monday

2009-12-14T01:33:00.004Z

Took this photo of a yellow water lily in an arboretum in Palermo, Sicily which is rather unexpected because I never saw it in Thailand where water lilies abound. For more Mellow Yellow photos click the button below.

My most favorite bone tickler | X Factor funny auditions

2009-12-12T19:49:00.000Z

Have you had enough yet?

Here's another one.

20% off everything at Barrats

2009-12-09T18:38:00.002Z

Barrats shoes is extending their 20% off everything when you buy online until December 13 so take your order now before it closes on you. Discount code is AMAZINGB. The shipping is quick. I ordered on Saturday night and Monday they had my boots delivered. Also their customer support is superb. I'd definitely love to shop at Barrats again.

They also have 25% off party shoes and bags which also ends on December 13. Discount code is PARTYB. Available only online. This is not available on pickups even if you ordered online. The postage cost is only £3.95 anyway so you still win.

Make sure you enter the code at the top of the page before you enter your payment details.

Tip from me: If you have Barrats shop in your city pop in there and try the shoes that you want then order it online to avail of the discount. Hope this helps.

Going down the hill again

2009-12-09T18:13:00.000Z

Wednesday Comments

Grabe we're going down the hill again. How time flies especially when you're procrastinating. This week is not so much busy. I guess people are already on holiday. I wonder why they were not giving me 3-day holiday after Christmas. I have to get back to work on the 31st! Anyway, with work is so much better than without work and I love my job.

Enjoy the rest of the week

yours truly
scribbler

Yellow Lisianthus | Mellow Yellow Monday

2009-12-07T01:24:00.001Z

Took this photo from my brother-in-law's green house in Italy.

For more mellow yellow photos click the button.

The queen warns paparazzi

2009-12-06T12:04:00.001Z

Blaming the paparazzi for the death of Diana or whoever is, the queen warns them of any legal action if any photos of the royal family member gets published. Aware of public interest, members of the royal family insist they have right to privacy even on ordinary daily activities.

What's cooking?

2009-12-05T22:20:00.002Z

I mean literally. What am cooking? I was making a dough for pizza (I was standing on the chair in this photo). When I came to the UK I only had tiny little interest but a very old time experience in cooking and baking. I said old because I had been cooking since I was a little girl. My mother used to make rice cakes and I was always assisting her although most of my jobs were to check the fire and add more coals or firewood and sometimes preparing ingredients. The only things I could cook was rice, fried fish, boiled eggs, steamed vegetable, roasted saba (a type of cooking banana) and/or sweet potato and the likes.

Coming to a completely different cultural environment, I had no choice but to brush up on my cooking skill and utilize it and enhance it. Before long I have learned to make simple Italian foods. Not only that I also got better and learned to bake cakes and so for a time I have indulged myself in making my favourite chocolate cake.

But my greatest culinary reward was when I learned to make loaf bread. It was for me one of my greatest achievement in the field of cooking. I learned it by watching a video on-line. Here's a photo of my first ever loaf bread.

Can't believe it's Friday tomorrow

2009-12-03T18:47:00.001Z

When I filled my timesheet today I couldn't believe the week's almost gone again. It seems like yesterday was only Monday. Well, this week hasn't been so good weather-wise as the temperature dropped to about 5 and in the morning it's really freezing. I hate it when I'm waiting at the bus stop and also the 7-10 minute brisk walk from from the bus stop to where I work. Earlier this week when I got off the bus it was windy and drizzling and using an umbrella is not a wise thing to do as it might carry me away.

But I'm thankful for my newly purchased snow shoes because they are really warm and comfortable. Lined with fleece and very light, my new waterproof shoes are heaven-sent because I don't get freezing toes anymore.

I have been wanting to buy a really nice warm coat so I don't have to wear up to four layers of jumpers. Even with 4 layers I still feel the cold permeating through my thin layer of muscle up to my bones. I want a coat with fur lining but the ones I saw don't have fur lining in the sleeves where I feel the cold most.

Ruby Tuesday #2

2009-12-01T17:00:00.004Z

For my Ruby Tuesday entry this week, I am sharing this photo of my first wedding anniversary from my dear hubby. He was in the UK I was in Sicily and he ordered his brother to buy giant anthuria for the bouquet as it's my favorite plant. The girl is my hubby's niece by the way.

If you missed my first Ruby Tuesday entry click here. It's about Bobby the faithful dog. I'm sure you will love the story behind it.

For more Ruby Tuesday photos click on the badge below.

Strange Sunflowers | Mellow Yellow Monday

2009-11-30T06:12:00.003Z

My 2nd entry to MYM are photos of strange looking sunflowers from my garden last summer

For more MYM Photos click the badge

Ode to the kind First Bus Driver

2009-11-29T13:09:00.003Z

Twas a nice Friday morning

The weather outside was beaconing

of a rare sunny day in winter

Time was short and even though

There was a cake

For a friend I needed to wrap

Grabbed I my rucksack

And bid my hubby to post the cake for me

Off I rushed outside the door

The bus would be there at the bus stop soon

And up the hill with might I ran

Halfway through the bus stop I spotted

The bus had come and soon will leave

Gathered all the strength I have

Doubled the speed of my tiny feet.

Slowly the bus started to roll off

The kind bus driver his attention I caught

Faintly I uttered for him to stop and wait

He surely was a kind old man

His kindness be blessed all the days of his life

For he pressed the brake to wait for me.

My heart a-pounding fast it was really deafening

In my chest I felt an agonizing pain

But my heart was filled

With thanksgiving a genuine

For the kind old man who's behind the wheel.

May his joys be multiplied
and all his kind deeds be blessed.

First Bus drivers, some are good some are bad

2009-11-26T21:25:00.004Z

The author of this post is just so happy that she can take the bus to work with the minimum fare--£16/week or £56/month. There are a handful of bus services in her city but this one's the only one that takes her closest to her workplace--the First Bus. Interestingly, the minimum fare is not the same all over the land. A one day unlimited pass costs between £2 - £6.60 depending on how the area I guess.

Anyway, the point that the author wants to make is this. These buses are oftentimes late. Sometimes 5 minutes and on worse occasions up to 50 minutes or more. This is really annoying especially when the weather is inclement and you're at the bus stop without a shade which is likely most of them.

Some drivers are nice and considerate. Once, the author was running late and she was running uphill to the bus stop when the bus came. Good thing the driver spotted her and waited for her to cross the road. But others are nasty and inconsiderate because once they have closed the door and you were late for even just a fraction of a second they won't pick you up. They seldom get to the bus stop right on time and when they do they don't show mercy. Whereas passengers always lose time waiting for them to arrive because they got stuck in the traffic jam etc, etc.

Many times, the author wishes she had more options. But she thinks that the reason why this bus company is not really keen on improving their public service is because there's no competition so passengers don't have a choice really.

Autumn Leaves | Mellow Yellow Monday

2009-11-22T23:59:00.001Z

I took this picture from last autumn and I hope it passes the criteria. This was my first autumn ever when I got here in the UK and I was so thrilled to witness the changing of the colours of the leaves. They bring about cheerfulness, gaiety, and fun.

Note: I have just joined this group called Mellow Yellow Monday (MYM) where members post photos of nature or anything yellow. For more MYM posts and photos click here.

Asian shops abound here

2009-11-18T19:51:00.005Z

This is a post I have mislaid for a long time because I am always busy as a bumble bee. Anyway, I'd like to go back in time when I first arrived in the UK. My husband took me out for a walk and we passed by a couple of Asian shops but I didn't dare go in because I thought they only sold spicy Indian foods. A couple of weeks later, I found Asian Foodmart which previously was called Filipino shop. There I found mostly Filipino and Thai foods so I was very happy--well I still am. On top of that the owners/managers are Filipinos.
Here's a screen shot of their website which has more Chinese than any south-east Asian touch.

This is just one of the many Asian shops here in Norwich. I think there are about ten of them scattered across the city centre. So even if I'm thousands of miles away from home I can still eat my favorite tom yum, Silver Swan soy sauce or Datu Puti soy sauce with kalamansi, kare-kare*, sinigang*, pinakbet*. They also sell tilapia, bangus (milkfish), kamoteng-kahoy (cassava), ampalaya (bitter gourd), papaya, and all those stuff. They even have banana leaves for baking but oh well, I don't get to buy everything I want like tondan (sweet small bananas with very delicate skin, hence, not suitable for export), malunggay, fresh buko (young coconut) but at least whenever I fancy a real Filipino food I can just go to any of those shops.

*these are typical Filipino dish

Hope you enjoyed this post. Please leave a trail so I'll know you've been here. Thank you.

Response from National Express

2009-11-16T20:27:00.000Z

Here's a response from National Express which I thought earlier would fall on deaf ears. I'm rather surprised that they took time to reply to my complaint. I won't say anything anymore but I'm going to invite you to have a look.
Happy reading!
Opps sorry, I can't make it any bigger than this but if you click on the image it will take you to the file which is more legible.

Now, have your say, please.

Why online shopping is better--and why it's not

2009-11-15T20:50:00.003Z

For months I had been scouting for nice pair of black boots but not until lately did the shops display more style. I went to try them at Shoe Zone, Mr. Shoes, Clarke, Marks & Spencer and other shoe shops but nothing really fir my finicky feet and my fussiness. Well, when you go shopping for shoes and clothes you better make sure you are comfortable wearing them, won't you? For me the number one criterion is comfort and number two is design, and then the price.

To make things short, I saw these cool, super comfortable boots from Barrats. Earlier this week I got an email from them with a discount voucher if I purchase online. But I don't want to buy shoes or boots unless I have not tried them on. So I went to the shop to try the ones I liked but they didn't feel very comfortable. So even if they were cheaper I didn't go for them. Good thing there's a similar design but £10 more expensive. But what is a tenner when comfort is at play? I am so relieved I didn't buy online otherwise returning them would cost a little bit of a hassle.

So I bought them from the shop thinking that the cost of postage would equal to 20% of the price but when I calculated I would still gain £5. So I took them back to the shop and decided to buy them online.

You see, here in the UK online shopping is becoming more and more popular and most of the time you get a better deal. Same thing as when you book for flight online.

Royal Mail chief is paid £1m a year?

2009-11-14T18:32:00.013Z

According to news, this public servant earns five times more than Gordon Brown, the prime minister. How can that be? Why do they allow such thing here in the UK? How could he sleep at night when the postal workers' pension has a deficit of £10b?

Here's an excerpt from dailymail.co.uk

In the financial year 2008/09, Mr Crozier was paid £633,000 in salary, £139,000 in bonuses, £17,000 in further benefits and £206,000 as a cash supplement in place of a pension payment.
He has banked £2.4million in performance bonuses and £ 3.6million in pay since taking over as chief executive in 2003.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224583/Royal-Mail-chief-Adam-Crozier-picks-1m-pay-package.html#ixzz0WrOYIC4j

I used to think graft and corruption only exists in poverty-stricken countries. But as it appeared they are everywhere. Oh yes, I must have been so blind and idiot not to realize that from the very beginning. I think I just don't read too much about other countries' affairs. I only react when my toe has actually been stepped on.
I remember my friend in Bangkok saying that a corrupt politician in the UK wouldn't probably do much harm as it does in Thailand as in the case of Thaksin when he allegedly sold a government share to a Singaporean company and earned around 74b baht.

In the Philippines, politics is considered as the dirtiest of them all and people are sick and tired of them. But even in this rich UK, garapal din sila pagdating sa pera (there are plunderers all the same).

But on the positive note, there are no more postal strikes as both parties have come to an agreement. So I'm happy for the posties and I'm happy because things are back to normal at work--no more half-day works.

Today in UK history

2009-11-11T07:00:00.003Z

Today is Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. Every year, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, UK observes a 2 minute silence to commemorate with respect those who were killed in the World War I. It is not only observed in UK but also in other parts of the world.

Armistice was signed by the Allies of the WW1 and Germany on November 11 in 1918.

So today, at the eleventh hour everybody just stops doing what they are doing for 2 minutes paying respect to our war heroes who sacrificed their life for us to attain this freedom and peace we are enjoying.

Car boot sale-UK version of ukay-ukay

2009-11-10T20:32:00.004Z

As you see in the photo, car boot sale is like ukay-ukay and it's called such because people put their stuff in their car boot but actually they lay them on a table or on a mat on the floor.

In a car boot sale you will find almost anything you need--jewelry, gardening, collections, DIY tools, furniture, kid's toys, music stuff and many more--at a very, very low price especially unwanted stuffs that people want to get rid of. They are even cheaper than in the charity shops. You can buy many things under a pound.

Car boot sale is done on Saturdays and Sundays during spring and summer.

Photo courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk

The Beautiful Hyacinthus

2009-11-08T13:06:00.007Z

Who is not in love with the lovely hyacinths? This is one of my delights here in the UK. I love them so much and when I saw them in the shop I couldn't help but express my admiration. The following day my husband bought me a plant with 3 bulbs in a pot.

When I was in Thailand I bought my mother a bulb for 40Baht believing it was a hyacinth because the seller had photos of them in different colors. I wanted to buy 2 buy it was too much for one bulb. But when mom planted it and the leaves started to come out it looked like the normal two-lovers. We had been tricked!

On another occasion I saw them again in China town and they were so much cheaper--20baht per bulb. I had not learned from my mistake, I bought 3 bulbs this time and sent them to my mother in the Philippines. A couple of months later, mom told me they were two-lovers again! So that's it. I never bought them again.

Surprisingly, hyacinths originally came from Arabia as opposed to what I had always believed that they were European flowers. Which means they should grow pretty well in Asia if weather is the issue.

So last week when I sent a box to my mom in the Philippines I put in six hyacinth bulbs of different colors, blue, dark and light pink, peach, purple and light purple.

Complacency cost me £70, Whew!

2009-11-07T14:34:00.009Z

esterday hubby and I had a very crazy day. Arriving in London at 3.41 pm we had less than 20 minutes to get out of the tube and then to the Phil embassy and then back again to the subway to get an ID. In 30 minutes I managed to finish but with the help of my irritated husband because I didn't prepare anything and he had to get out again to get some money for the application fee. Although I was not the last one to arrive at the embassy but since I had to fill up the application form and do everything in there I was pushed last. I finally was done a little after 5 pm and it was Friday! Good thing the people at the Phil embassy in London are so much nicer than the ones in Bangkok. Whoever here has been there I'm sure you have met that "taray" lady who works there.

I'm always like this and I just never learn. Earlier in the morning I was online and chatted with my friends in Bangkok. At ten o'clock I shut down my laptop to make some arrozcaldo (sticky rice porridge) believing all the while that we'll make it to the bus station by 11.30. When we got there we realized that our departure was 10.30. we're late an hour and so I had to buy another ticket which cost £50 whereas our online ticket we booked earlier costs only £24 return. Life! I mean how stupid can one get--that's me. And that £50 only took us to Stanstead airport. We had to get another bus to go to centre of London and that was another £19.

To add insult to the injury, on our way home the bus was late an hour and all they can do is "apologize". When passengers are late, they buy another ticket. When the bus is late, sorry is all we get. I told my husband, "I don't want to use this bus again!" But what choice do I have?

This is the not first time it came late and they don't come 10 or 15 minutes late but ONE friggin hour! And there is no provision made for the poor passengers.

Before posting this blog I went to national express site and wrote a complain about this malpractice on their side. I really think that they should refund the passengers when their bus is an hour late because they are wasting our time. Though I'm pretty sure the complain will fall on deaf ears but at least I voiced out my concern and blogged it out too. It's obviously an abuse to the general public.

National Insurance number

2009-11-06T18:29:00.005Z

hen I started applying for a job one of the first questions was "Do you have a national insurance number (NI)?" I was like "What the h*** is that?" Obviously I didn't have any. NI is like an id but it's a number and not an identity proof that is assigned to someone living and/or working in the UK foreigner or local. For some people NI enables them to claim benefits when they are laid off from work.

The first time I applied for one I was denied because allegedly I didn't show any proof of employment. Of course I couldn't because I didn't have a job yet. And I found it really ridiculous that they require me to give them proof or payslips when I hadn't started working yet. And it seemed to me that before they employ you you must first have an NI number. I was like sandwiched between two mountains. Luckily, my first agency accepted me without it and they just asked me to apply for one later on.

Now once you start working in the UK you pay for national insurance on top of the taxes. But I noticed that I only am getting deductions for National insurance and not for taxes. Maybe because I haven't really worked for one whole year but I'm afraid that when they start deducting taxes from my pay I would be getting only half of what I am netting now.

Volunteering and Job Hopping

2009-11-01T07:00:00.008Z

The Volunteer

oncerned of being idle and unproductive while my application was in progress, I volunteered to a charity shop (Break Charity) that is just around the corner. I was happy with the job I got involved in and my community expanded a little bit. This volunteer job was going to be a great help with my reference when I finally started submitting applications for a job. Many people who are temporarily out of work find it very useful to volunteer in a charity shop.

Not long after, I received a letter from the Home Office certifying the application and at the same time informing me that I could already seek employment while the application was in progress. The next day I started sending out resumes left and right. A couple of days later I got invited for an interview. The job was data entry clerk for UK Business Mail. The first question was about my passport. When I told the them I hold a Philippine passport I was turned down. The reason--they didn't have a licence to employ non-European.

Pending Job Post

I was unfazed. I sent out more application letters and continued working in the charity shop. It was the start of the school year and many schools were looking for assistant teachers and Mid-Day Supervisors (MSA). Unfortunately, I was told that in order to teach in the UK I must have a qualification from the UK and at least a year's experience. Obviously, I knew nothing--until now--of the British curriculum. But for MSA I didn't even need to be educated because it's just supervising pupils during lunch and playtime. I got two interviews for MSA post--the first turned me down, the second accepted me--the Harford Manor School. Then here comes again the passport issue. Since I didn't have it, I couldn't start work. But they told me that once I receive my passport I get employed.

First job

Finally after about a month and a half I got a call again for an interview. It was rather short and sweet. They just asked me to fill up a form and the next day I started working--in a winery.

My first task was sticking stickers on a box of wine. Sounds pretty simple even a bum could do it. But it was sooo boring I felt like robot with a very limited function--stick the label, wait,... stick, wait....stick, wait....... although it didn't require cognition at all my mind was busy recollecting my past. I imagined my life as a teacher and now a freakin factory worker and even my youngest student could do my job. I felt like sobbing. Why on earth am I, an educated teacher, doing this no-brainer job while those farangs in Thailand some of them didn't even have a college education but they are teaching!? I don't mean to belittle them, please don't get me wrong. I mean they are not really qualified teachers but since they speak English as their native language, they can teach in schools and universities. Somehow they are being looked up to. On the other hand, I cannot teach here because my qualification from a Philippine college is not good enough. I think it's not fair.

Moonlighting

Anyway, that time my husband worked on a night shift because he was studying every Tuesday so I also took the night shift--which paid more. Also that way both me and hubby would be at home same time and went to work same time. Since I was working night shift, I also took another job as a caterer in a hospital ward at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNHU). Here I was working from 4-8 pm. Then my husband would pick me up and take me to the winery. In the morning he would come to pick me up again. Since we finish same time and he works near the city, I work 10 miles away, I had to wait 30--sometimes 60 minutes--for him to arrive. But that's okay. I seem to have lots of patience for this sort of thing.

In other words I was moonlighting which was good as I was earning an average of £70 a day sometimes £100 it was good but very draining. Sometimes I would go home and feel like a zombie. All because I wanted to catch up on all those times I was not earning. At work I ate too much so I wouldn't feel sleepy. Interestingly I didn't get fat. I was doing well with my 2 jobs until the NNHU asked for my passport--I only showed them a copy and the letter from the HO but they let me start working anyway. When I told them that I had not received my passport yet they asked me to stop working. They are very strict huh.. I wonder why some people here could work with only a tourist visa. Technically I had an endorsement letter from the HO they didn't want to recognize it. Technically, I had to stop temporarily and as soon as I get my passport back I could resume working with them again. So I stopped at the hospital but still continued at the winery which was a good thing.

Back to being jobless

Good thing I was still working in the factory so I had money for Christmas. After the New Year my agency that put me through to the winery told me that I was on my way to becoming permanent there in the factory. I was so elated. On my way home, however, I was asking myself if I really wanted to work in the winery and I prayed to God that if it was not His will He would do something to stop them hiring me permanently. But first they had to see my passport and when I couldn't provide it they also stopped calling to work which I took as a sign from God.

So back to being jobless again. I was getting desperate although I kept on clinging to a hope that I would eventually get something better. I went to Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB) and showed them the letter from HO and they said it's very clear I could work but really it depends on the company/employer. On the other hand I couldn't insist they accept my letter. It's still their up to their decision.

Finally, I gave up struggling. I told myself that worrying won't make the situation any better.

£5 an hour

Then I went to post an ad at gumtree an online classifieds for about anything. And a week later, I got asked to do some child-minding. I would pick up a girl from school and stay with her and the brother until one of the parents came home from work. Sometimes I stayed one hour sometimes up to 4 hours but most of the time around 2 hours for £5 an hour--even less than the minimum wage of £5.73 but at least I wasn't idle and receiving something. At least it's so much easier than working my ass off at the factory. I was as though getting paid doing nothing. But still it's not too much. It's a bit too far from home and taking the bus was impractical. Sometimes my husband gave me a lift sometimes the parents picked me up and sent me back home. A couple of times I walked when the weather was nice and it took me 45 minutes. It wasn't easy, my feet were sore when I got home.

The good news...

I mentioned in my previous post that I wrote the UKBA for my passport and visa application. Two weeks later, my passport arrived with the Residence Documentation. Again, I didn't waste any minute. I was so excited I called the hospital right away to tell them I got my passport back. But they told me it had been such a long time my position had been filled. Now I have to start all over again. That was okay--I thought. But things didn't turn out well and I had to give up chasing that catering job.

The next place I went was, you guess, the Harford Manor School. Unlike at the hospital, here they kept their word. As soon as they saw my passport and the visa I started working 1.5 hours a day M-F 12-13:30 pm. It was a good timing because I could still go child-minding which usually starts at 3pm.

UK Immigration: Residence Card Application

2009-10-31T19:00:00.004Z

Philippine passport
Originally uploaded by tony_081983

Immigration is such a very complicated process especially for Philippine passport holders. There seems to have wall that we have to climb over in order to get admitted in another country whether as tourists, job seeker or immigrant. Whereas for Europeans, Americans and other developed countries they can just go in and out without a fuss.

After my wedding I had to extend my visa. Naturally, I asked other Filipinos who got married to a British for advice aside from looking for information from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) website. So I gathered that I had to apply for a definite leave to remain which is valid for 2 years and costs around £400? I have yet to verify this. However when I was skimming through the application form it said that "if you are a family member of an eea national this form is not for you." I got confused and there was no follow-up link pointing to the right form. Again, I had to ask some reputable people and agencies like the Citizen's Advice Bureau but they are also daft on immigration issues. They can only advice on financial and employment matters. My visa expiration was getting closer and I was getting frantic. I tried to call UKBA support but it was just ringing and the number was not free to call. I was getting more and more frantic. Gladly after a week of poring over online leaflets I found a landline number, called it and took me about an hour to be finally put through. When I heard the voice from the other end of the line I quickly asked what type of visa application I needed and he said EEA2 otherwise known as the "Residence Card Application by Non EEA National..." and the best thing about it was that it's free compared to the other visa application I earlier was going to fill up. A couple of days later, my application was sent to the Home Office (HO) or immigration as we know it in the Philippines.

Two weeks later I received a letter of certificate of application from the HO stating that I could already "seek employment" while my application was on process. I was ecstatic. Work at last after more than half a year.

Well, I thought I was lucky that I didn't have to pay for the application but six months later and there was no sign of my passport I began to worry. I couldn't get a proper job, couldn't leave the country, couldn't open a bank account, I felt so helpless. I tried to ring the HO but they couldn't address my question. Seven months had passed and I was getting desperate. By the eighth month I decided to write them and told them that my passport was expiring in a few months so I pleaded that they resolve my case as soon as they could. Two weeks later I got a packet containing all my documents and my husband's and my passport with the Residence Card Documentation. Whew! I could jump up and down for joy. I couldn't contain my happiness.

This experience made me mull over it. It is actually against the law for them to keep my passport longer than six months. And it was so inconvenient on my part. I asked the wind and the moon why the hell it's so unfair. Europeans, Australians, Americans and the rest of them go through immigration as if they were invisible. This is actually never-ending issue for Filipinos who are married to Europeans, Americans, Australians having to go through the loophole when moving to another country. I even came to the point of cursing the Philippine passport. If I had UK or European passport things would have been so much easier especially with immigration matters. I don't regret being a Filipino, I just hate having a Filipino passport. I can't wait to have it changed.

UK Entry Visa

2009-10-31T01:11:00.000Z

Okay, I should have talked about this at the beginning but I didn't think it was originally going to be part of this blog because I meant only to write about "Life in the UK". Then I realized it's actually an integral part of it because without a visa, I couldn't come here.

Applying for UK visa, one needs to go to Visa Facilitating Services (VFS) where enquiries, applications and submissions take place. Applicants don't get to go to the British embassy unless they need to answer some queries.

When I was in Bangkok the VFS staff told me that the application was free for me because my proposed husband is an EEA national. However, this wasn't clear to me because the website says "Family member of an EEA National -- Free of charge" and we were not married yet so technically, I wasn't a family member yet. Interestingly, there was a visa agency next to the VFS in Bangkok so I went in and enquired of their service. The visa agent confirmed that it was actually free. But if I would want to use their service I would have to pay them to the tune of 40,000 Baht. I said in my head, "No thank you. I already got the answer to my question and that's all I want."

In VFS Manila a supposedly highly trained staff advised me to fill up a visit visa-marriage which cost £65. But after reviewing my application, the embassy called me about 3 weeks later and told me to change my visa application to fiance and pay an additional Php42,000+. I didn't have to wait long. Soon I had my marriage visa, multiple entry and valid for six months, during which I wasn't allowed to work and no recourse to public fund.

2nd week of postal strike

2009-10-30T14:30:00.000Z

Like last Friday, I came home early again today. I could have stayed all day to go to work in another room but I wanted to grab this opportunity to be home early because I wanted to do some shopping before the sun sets today at around 4:30 pm.

The city centre was full of busy shoppers today probably they are preparing for the Halloween.

As I was filling a box to send to the Philippines I wonder what nice things I should buy and I thought hyacinth, daffodils and other spring bulbs would be good. So I bought some and hopefully they stay good in the box all the way half-way across the globe.

At the bus stop in St. Stephen Street in Norwich, there was a very drunken old chap who occasionally raised his right hand as if to mean "Hail, Hitler" ooopss....sorry no blunder intended here, I'm just trying to make the scene as clear to you in words. Anyway, this old chap when he was not raising his hand would point to the babies in the trolley. I wonder how my bottles of beer he had had.