With most of my classes and lectures now finished, I am settling in to study patterns. I have two more mock exams this coming week (the marks don't count), and then 5 weeks of study until my exams. I have four exams to do in the first week of June, and I have to finish off my dissertation, which is due in the first week of May.
The plan is to spend 1 week on each of my three 'core' subjects, micro, macro and econometrics (statistics), and 2 weeks on my elective, industrial organisation. 8 hours a day, and I should be able to pass.
So, life is exciting. It will be great once it's all over. There will be major celebrating :)
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Monday, April 25, 2005
Big week ahead
Natalie and I both have a big week ahead of.
Upcoming are Natalie's mock exams, which will provide a good guide as to where she is at in terms of her knowledge for the final exams in June.
I have my final week at Sunrise, which includes a three day trade show. It will be a good way to finish off my time at Sunrise. The week will also see me sort out a few things job-wise for my next placement, perhaps even get something confirmed. There are some good opportunities out there but balancing career opportunities with travel and other requirements is very tough at this point.
Upcoming are Natalie's mock exams, which will provide a good guide as to where she is at in terms of her knowledge for the final exams in June.
I have my final week at Sunrise, which includes a three day trade show. It will be a good way to finish off my time at Sunrise. The week will also see me sort out a few things job-wise for my next placement, perhaps even get something confirmed. There are some good opportunities out there but balancing career opportunities with travel and other requirements is very tough at this point.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Fuzzy Brush
During our visit to Brighton in February I picked up the objects below from a vending machine. For one quid you get two Fuzzy Brushes. What are they? They are "all in one disposable" tooth brushes.
The instructions are as follows:
Place the soft brush in your mouth abd chew. Leaves your whole mouth feeling clean and fresh!
But note: Do not swallow!
Do they work? We haven't been game to find out.
The instructions are as follows:
Place the soft brush in your mouth abd chew. Leaves your whole mouth feeling clean and fresh!
But note: Do not swallow!
Do they work? We haven't been game to find out.
Life goes on
It has been a few days since I last wrote. In that time I have been recovering from an inflammation of the inner ear. This is not fun as it brings on nausea, dizzying and head spins. Thank goodness Natalie has been able to nurse me back to health and that my visits to the doctor have not been in vain.
Yes, the NHS has finally provided me with a doctor who seems to 'get' what's going on and is really trying to help me. Maybe it is that an election has been called and the government wants everyone to be happy and healthy so that they can vote for them or maybe I have found a rare diamond in the health care system. Anyway, another day and I should be back to work.
I have less than two weeks left at Sunrise before I move on to other, as yet unnamed (or chosen) challenges. I will miss Sunrise, they are a good bunch of people.
In other news:
Yes, the NHS has finally provided me with a doctor who seems to 'get' what's going on and is really trying to help me. Maybe it is that an election has been called and the government wants everyone to be happy and healthy so that they can vote for them or maybe I have found a rare diamond in the health care system. Anyway, another day and I should be back to work.
I have less than two weeks left at Sunrise before I move on to other, as yet unnamed (or chosen) challenges. I will miss Sunrise, they are a good bunch of people.
In other news:
- Natalie has been working on her dissertation for university. She has completed a draft of it and seems to be fairly happy with it.
- Natalie and I are going to a Twenty20 cricket charity match at The Oval in June. It will feature an Asian 11 versus a Rest of the World team. Should be a bit of fun.
- Natalie has accepted a job offer so we will be staying in London for a couple more years, hopefully. But we have to come home to get our visas changed. This will probably happen in July-August for about three weeks.
- I have to congratulate my good friend Stu for picking up the Captain's Award at the recent cricket presentation night for the St Johns Sutherland Cricket Club. Well done Stu! All that 'sledging' your own team mates really paid off! :)
Monday, April 11, 2005
Trip to the Cotswolds
On Saturday, 9th of April we headed off with a bus full of other Goodenough College residents to explore the lovely Cotswolds region in England. Its primary claim to fame is the ancient 'honey' coloured limestone villages, set within a beautiful green countryside.
Our first stop was Burford, a little medieval-looking town with some narrow alleyways and a pretty church. The main street is lined with stone houses, as you can see below.
Next we visited Bourton-on-the-water. This is the most popular village in the Cotswolds for tourists, and it's not hard to see why. Often referred to as the "Venice of the Cotswolds", this town boasts several small bridges over the River Windrush, and is charmingly pretty. We discovered a small pottery place off the main part of town, and bought a lovely coffee set (mugs, sugar bowl and creamer) from a local potter.
For lunch we stopped off at Stow-on-the Wold, a larger town with a market square and lots of antiques shops. It is the highest of the Cotswold towns, and affords a lovely view of the surrounding countryside. We had lunch at the "Oldest Pub in England", named "The Eagle and Child", apparently in existence since 947AD. History has it that the town originated from a prehistoric fortified settlement on the hilltop.
Our final stop for the day was Broadway, another small town with again a different feel and character to the previous three towns. It was dotted with some very nice art galleries, ranging from modern, local talent to oil-paintings of Ye Olde England.
The day itself was very sunny, though it was quite cold - around 7 or 8 degrees. It was great to get out and see a bit more of England.
Our first stop was Burford, a little medieval-looking town with some narrow alleyways and a pretty church. The main street is lined with stone houses, as you can see below.
Next we visited Bourton-on-the-water. This is the most popular village in the Cotswolds for tourists, and it's not hard to see why. Often referred to as the "Venice of the Cotswolds", this town boasts several small bridges over the River Windrush, and is charmingly pretty. We discovered a small pottery place off the main part of town, and bought a lovely coffee set (mugs, sugar bowl and creamer) from a local potter.
For lunch we stopped off at Stow-on-the Wold, a larger town with a market square and lots of antiques shops. It is the highest of the Cotswold towns, and affords a lovely view of the surrounding countryside. We had lunch at the "Oldest Pub in England", named "The Eagle and Child", apparently in existence since 947AD. History has it that the town originated from a prehistoric fortified settlement on the hilltop.
Our final stop for the day was Broadway, another small town with again a different feel and character to the previous three towns. It was dotted with some very nice art galleries, ranging from modern, local talent to oil-paintings of Ye Olde England.
The day itself was very sunny, though it was quite cold - around 7 or 8 degrees. It was great to get out and see a bit more of England.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Saving Star Trek One Dollar at a Time
After 40 years of gracing TV screens around the world, the future of Star Trek is in doubt.
At present there is only one series running - Star Trek: Enterprise. This is a prequel to the original series featuring Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Scotty.
Apparently after four seasons of Enterprise, Paramount Pictures, the maker of the series has decided to pull the plug when production wraps in May. And there are no plans to develop future shows.
So, Trek United, an online group of fans has started a campaign to save Star Trek. Their maths are simple: raise US$30 million and that would pay for another season of Enterprise and show Paramount its support. So far they have raised US$3 million. Trek United is also asking people to get involved who have contacts who may be able to help.
Will the power of the internet win out? I guess we will see.
At present there is only one series running - Star Trek: Enterprise. This is a prequel to the original series featuring Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Scotty.
Apparently after four seasons of Enterprise, Paramount Pictures, the maker of the series has decided to pull the plug when production wraps in May. And there are no plans to develop future shows.
So, Trek United, an online group of fans has started a campaign to save Star Trek. Their maths are simple: raise US$30 million and that would pay for another season of Enterprise and show Paramount its support. So far they have raised US$3 million. Trek United is also asking people to get involved who have contacts who may be able to help.
Will the power of the internet win out? I guess we will see.
Trip to the Cotswolds
This Saturday Natalie and I are heading for the Cotswolds on a bus trip with other members of Goodenough College.
We are apparently going to stop off at up to four towns in the area.
Our hope is that the weather will improve somewhat over the coming 24 hours so we can make a nice day of it.
What are the Cotswolds? Find out via the official Cotswolds site.
We are apparently going to stop off at up to four towns in the area.
Our hope is that the weather will improve somewhat over the coming 24 hours so we can make a nice day of it.
What are the Cotswolds? Find out via the official Cotswolds site.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Friends come to London
Natalie and I are excited by the pending arrival of Mat and Jen, and their young son, Nicholas.
Mat's work has asked him to relocate for a couple of month's, which is great news as both Natalie and I miss seeing these good friends. We hope to spend plenty of hours catching up with them once they get settled in.
And while on the subject of friends coming to London, we have more friends coming in June and July, so there is no chance of us feeling too homesick for the next few months.
Mat's work has asked him to relocate for a couple of month's, which is great news as both Natalie and I miss seeing these good friends. We hope to spend plenty of hours catching up with them once they get settled in.
And while on the subject of friends coming to London, we have more friends coming in June and July, so there is no chance of us feeling too homesick for the next few months.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Our Trip to Paris over the Easter Weekend
Along with thousands of other European tourists, we hit the lovely city of Paris for the Easter long weekend. Instead of flying, we chose to take the Eurostar, a train that travels through the channel, to get to Paris. The journey lasted two and a half hours, and it was pleasant to see the scenery along the way.
Arriving at Gare du Nord (north train station) on Friday morning, we stopped off for a quick coffee and hot chocolate before heading to our friends Jonathan and Cecile's place near the Eiffel Tower. Jonathan and Cecile were going away to the Loire valley with their two kids on the Friday evening, so they were generous enough to let us stay in their flat over the weekend :) It was great to catch up with them (if only briefly) and we hope to catch up again soon (in London or in Paris).
Friday afternoon we headed off for a walk to the Eiffel Tower, then up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, and back again. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I just had to stop off for a crepe with chestnut cream (yummo!).
A description of some of our adventures in Paris follows. We had a great time in the very pretty city of Paris, but Peter might have to learn some French before we go back again!
Arriving at Gare du Nord (north train station) on Friday morning, we stopped off for a quick coffee and hot chocolate before heading to our friends Jonathan and Cecile's place near the Eiffel Tower. Jonathan and Cecile were going away to the Loire valley with their two kids on the Friday evening, so they were generous enough to let us stay in their flat over the weekend :) It was great to catch up with them (if only briefly) and we hope to catch up again soon (in London or in Paris).
Friday afternoon we headed off for a walk to the Eiffel Tower, then up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, and back again. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I just had to stop off for a crepe with chestnut cream (yummo!).
A description of some of our adventures in Paris follows. We had a great time in the very pretty city of Paris, but Peter might have to learn some French before we go back again!
The Musee Rodin
One of the highlights of the Paris trip was our visit to Rodin's museum. As Paris is a very popular spot for tourists over the Easter long weekend, we saw a lot of tourists on our trip, and lots of queues (queues at the Eiffel Tower were over 3 hours long, even for the stairs!). Since the Rodin museum is a little smaller, it wasn't packed with tourists, so it was very enjoyable.
Many of the works of Rodin, widely regarded as the greatest 19th-century French sculptor, are on display in an outdoor garden in Paris, including The Thinker. There are also quite a few displayed indoors at the museum, such as The Kiss. We both enjoyed marvelling at the marble, clay and bronze sculptures, while also learning a bit about the life of Rodin.
Many of the works of Rodin, widely regarded as the greatest 19th-century French sculptor, are on display in an outdoor garden in Paris, including The Thinker. There are also quite a few displayed indoors at the museum, such as The Kiss. We both enjoyed marvelling at the marble, clay and bronze sculptures, while also learning a bit about the life of Rodin.
Sightseeing around Paris
As Peter noted in a previous post, Paris is a very compact, walkable city. And boy, did we do some walking! We spent a considerable part of our four days in Paris walking around the city, visiting some famous monuments and enjoying the (for the most part) nice weather.
Below I've posted a few photos of some of the more famous Paris icons: City hall, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge, and Notre Dame.
Below I've posted a few photos of some of the more famous Paris icons: City hall, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge, and Notre Dame.
Stopping off at the Pompidou
On our last day in Paris, we went to the Pompidou museum of modern art. Its fame lies primarily in the building's design: it is a building turned inside out, with escalators, lifts, air and water ducts, and its very structure on the outside, leaving plenty of room on the interior to display those works of modern art.
We also saw the Place Igor Stravinsky (for all you Sabrina fans, you'll know this spot!), and had lunch beside it at a lovely brasserie. The food was delish, and the wine (a Bordeaux) even better. I must say, though, my favourite part was the creme brulee for dessert!
Speaking of good food, we spoiled ourselves one night by going out to a really nice traditional restaurant for dinner. Peter ordered a beef dish, which was cooked to perfection, while I enjoyed a meal of duck. Dessert consisted of a brownie (very un-French!) and a platter of cheese for me. It was great to go out for a really nice dinner and pay half of what we would in London :)
We also saw the Place Igor Stravinsky (for all you Sabrina fans, you'll know this spot!), and had lunch beside it at a lovely brasserie. The food was delish, and the wine (a Bordeaux) even better. I must say, though, my favourite part was the creme brulee for dessert!
Speaking of good food, we spoiled ourselves one night by going out to a really nice traditional restaurant for dinner. Peter ordered a beef dish, which was cooked to perfection, while I enjoyed a meal of duck. Dessert consisted of a brownie (very un-French!) and a platter of cheese for me. It was great to go out for a really nice dinner and pay half of what we would in London :)
Saving the best till last: A French Patisserie
To finish off my description of our Paris trip, I've saved the best till last. We stopped off at a delightful little Parisian patisserie just a little ways from the Eiffel Tower one morning. Peter thoroughly enjoyed his espresso (he had two!), while I enjoyed a hot chocolate and "Tarte aux fraises" (strawberry tart).
We went out to a different cafe each morning, and Peter relished the excellent quality of coffee on offer in Paris. Definitely a lot better than the weak lattes he gets in London!
It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and nice to spend some time out together in a different city.
We went out to a different cafe each morning, and Peter relished the excellent quality of coffee on offer in Paris. Definitely a lot better than the weak lattes he gets in London!
It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and nice to spend some time out together in a different city.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Tracking your movements
Here's a little article I came across today. I think this might be going a little too far.
I suspect it might be an April fools joke played by the IT News website it was published on.
Tracking chips to be put in your food
by Will Sturgeon
silicon.com
April 01, 2005
UK food manufacturers are to launch a scheme to put miniscule radio frequency ID tags in edible produce.
The chips, when eaten, are so small as to pose no health hazard to shoppers but should enable supermarkets to track food through the supply chain.
More interesting perhaps is what happens after the food is eaten. Read more
I suspect it might be an April fools joke played by the IT News website it was published on.
Tracking chips to be put in your food
by Will Sturgeon
silicon.com
April 01, 2005
UK food manufacturers are to launch a scheme to put miniscule radio frequency ID tags in edible produce.
The chips, when eaten, are so small as to pose no health hazard to shoppers but should enable supermarkets to track food through the supply chain.
More interesting perhaps is what happens after the food is eaten. Read more
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