Here are some interesting tidbits:
- When asked how she pulled her elbow, Chloe said, "I was trying to put my arm around the back of my head to touch my belly button"
- Tonight Chloe and Michael were cracking up for a very very long time because they were trying to feed daddy Fish Poo.
- Costco, Krispy Kreme, and Walmart (Asda) made it into Cardiff!
- At Costco, they sell Haggis!
- We found out there is an IKEA in Brunei. How they can support an IKEA beats me.
- There are no garbage cans at the train stations in London "for security reasons". I was holding a banana peel and wandering around the whole station, and finally a worker told me to toss the peel on the floor. Hope no one tripped over it?
- London recycling program sucks. They don't recycle plastic bags, tetrapaks, margarine tubs, shampoo bottles... list goes on. Shameful! Cardiff, on the other hand, is impressive. They split out the biodegradable waste, recyclables, and much less garbage is put out.
- In UK, if trains are late, they cancel them to avoid paying a fine. That's why a bunch we were missing a bunch of trains today.
- Welsh word for carrot is "moron".
- We bought Faggots at the Farmer's Market just for the name. They turned out to be quite tasty and are basically big meatballs made from ground lamb meat.
- Using a keyboard with a UK layout is annoying. There are subtle but significant differences.
2011-06-03
2011-06-01
10 Years and Counting
On June 2, 2011, Siew and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage. I'm back with another bad poem to mark the occasion and in record time (54 minutes - hence the quality). I'll be here all week - try the veal.
10 Years and Counting
It was exactly two years ago
Since I did something like this.
Wrote a poem and posted it
Called "8 Years of Bliss".
To celebrate our time together
To put a little spotlight.
About Siew the princess
And Victor the knight.
A little embarrassed after the post
She told me never to do it again.
So I said "Sure thing babe."
But I never specified when... ;)
Since then much has happened
Almost immediately came good fortune.
First Chloe learned to speak English
And we found out we were having a son!
Nine months blasted by
38, 39, finally 40 weeks had past.
Since Chloe was born in only 75 minutes
We were expecting the second to be just as fast.
On the night of the birth though
After reaching top gear to reach the Foothills.
Instead of the lightning fast and short delivery
They said it'd be a while so sit still.
"Here's an IV so go for a walk.
Please come back in 4 hours" they said.
Since Siew didn't want to wait that long
They had dinner at the Red Water Grill instead.
After we sat down and looked at the menu
The waitress asked us "May I take your order?"
I said, "I'll have the steak, she'll have the fish.
Oh, BTW my wife is in labour."
As you can imagine the service was fast
To send us on our way.
We headed back and Isaac popped out
Which concluded an eventful day.
I'll admit at first that we had our doubts
About Chloe and the jealousy factor.
But the first time she saw him, she hugged him and said
"I always love my baby brother."
Now a proud father of two
In a growing family of four.
With life being perfect
There's nothing I could ask for more.
Except... a trip, yes a trip
To maybe live abroad and all that bit.
We've joked about going many a times
And finally said "Let's just go and do it."
In life you only get a few chances
To have the stars align perfectly.
In these cases we firmly believe
That everyone should seize the opportunity.
Immediately we began scheming
To go far far away from here.
Something we've always wanted to do
But before we always had fear.
We were chicken to quit our jobs
Or take a sabbatical like some do
Wouldn't it be cool to roam the Earth
Like that Cain dude in Kung Fu?
But where to go? A good question!
We could discuss enough to fill a whole thesis.
Thinking of food, romance, then food again
We simultaneously blurted out "Paris".
We're on our trip now traveling through
England, France, and a stop in Cardiff.
Between Isaac, Chloe, and especially Siew
There's nobody I'd rather be with.
Siew is the best Mother and Wife,
Is selfless, compassionate, and giving.
Siew - Here's to 16 years together and a 2001 wedding
That makes it 10 years of marriage and counting.
10 Years and Counting
It was exactly two years ago
Since I did something like this.
Wrote a poem and posted it
Called "8 Years of Bliss".
To celebrate our time together
To put a little spotlight.
About Siew the princess
And Victor the knight.
A little embarrassed after the post
She told me never to do it again.
So I said "Sure thing babe."
But I never specified when... ;)
Since then much has happened
Almost immediately came good fortune.
First Chloe learned to speak English
And we found out we were having a son!
Nine months blasted by
38, 39, finally 40 weeks had past.
Since Chloe was born in only 75 minutes
We were expecting the second to be just as fast.
On the night of the birth though
After reaching top gear to reach the Foothills.
Instead of the lightning fast and short delivery
They said it'd be a while so sit still.
"Here's an IV so go for a walk.
Please come back in 4 hours" they said.
Since Siew didn't want to wait that long
They had dinner at the Red Water Grill instead.
After we sat down and looked at the menu
The waitress asked us "May I take your order?"
I said, "I'll have the steak, she'll have the fish.
Oh, BTW my wife is in labour."
As you can imagine the service was fast
To send us on our way.
We headed back and Isaac popped out
Which concluded an eventful day.
I'll admit at first that we had our doubts
About Chloe and the jealousy factor.
But the first time she saw him, she hugged him and said
"I always love my baby brother."
Now a proud father of two
In a growing family of four.
With life being perfect
There's nothing I could ask for more.
Except... a trip, yes a trip
To maybe live abroad and all that bit.
We've joked about going many a times
And finally said "Let's just go and do it."
In life you only get a few chances
To have the stars align perfectly.
In these cases we firmly believe
That everyone should seize the opportunity.
Immediately we began scheming
To go far far away from here.
Something we've always wanted to do
But before we always had fear.
We were chicken to quit our jobs
Or take a sabbatical like some do
Wouldn't it be cool to roam the Earth
Like that Cain dude in Kung Fu?
But where to go? A good question!
We could discuss enough to fill a whole thesis.
Thinking of food, romance, then food again
We simultaneously blurted out "Paris".
We're on our trip now traveling through
England, France, and a stop in Cardiff.
Between Isaac, Chloe, and especially Siew
There's nobody I'd rather be with.
Siew is the best Mother and Wife,
Is selfless, compassionate, and giving.
Siew - Here's to 16 years together and a 2001 wedding
That makes it 10 years of marriage and counting.
2011-05-31
Living like the Locals: Wales Emergency Room
We woke up this morning to a blood curdling SCREEEEEAAAAAAMMMMM!!!! Chloe pulled her elbow again, from sleeping on her arm funny. The intense sword fighting and re-enactment of Pirates of the Caribbean with her older cousin Michael last night probably didn't help.
Incidents like these is the reason why we picked UK and France for our travels -- for their health care system. Though we wanted to live like the locals, visiting the hospital definitely wasn't on our list.
The Children's hospital was very modest. It was decorated with some children's work and donated toys scattered throughout the room. Service was fast and pleasant, and we were discharged without being requested of insurance info, or filling any other paper work. I think we got a freebie service?
Time to reach hospital: 25 minutes x2
Time to check in: 3 minutes (we have a long home address)
Time to wait for diagnosis: 10 minutes
Time for diagnosis: 5 minutes (had to explain Tylenol is the American equivalent of Carpol)
Time to fix elbow: 2 seconds
Time to wait for closure: 15 minutes
Total time: about 90 minutes
Injury aside, it was a rather pleasant local experience.
Incidents like these is the reason why we picked UK and France for our travels -- for their health care system. Though we wanted to live like the locals, visiting the hospital definitely wasn't on our list.
The Children's hospital was very modest. It was decorated with some children's work and donated toys scattered throughout the room. Service was fast and pleasant, and we were discharged without being requested of insurance info, or filling any other paper work. I think we got a freebie service?
Time to reach hospital: 25 minutes x2
Time to check in: 3 minutes (we have a long home address)
Time to wait for diagnosis: 10 minutes
Time for diagnosis: 5 minutes (had to explain Tylenol is the American equivalent of Carpol)
Time to fix elbow: 2 seconds
Time to wait for closure: 15 minutes
Total time: about 90 minutes
Injury aside, it was a rather pleasant local experience.
2011-05-30
Review on the Run: Cardiff Castle (3.5 of 5)
Our first full day in Cardiff (Day 13) called for the Cardiff Farmer's Market for some good eats and fresh produce, in addition to Cardiff Castle - the star attraction of Cardiff. Here is a link to our itinerary. One note about the Farmer's Market here is that there seems to noticeabley be a price difference when compared to Canada. More specifically, there doesn't seem to be a huge mark-up at a Farmer's Market here. Some items are cheaper, others are more expensive. In Canada, you tend to pay a 40% premium on market items when compared to supermarkets.
Cardiff Castle (3.5 of 5)
The original fort was built by the Romans in 55 AD which is now the site of the Norman Keep which was built in 1091 that stands at the center of the expanded grounds. This was basically it in terms of Cardiff Castle until 1868 when the addition of the Victoria House took place and several additions to the grounds that make up the large grounds that also include castle walls. In terms of the site - it is a perfect picture type castle that I was sort of expecting more at the Tower of London. It's a but unfortunate for our timing though as we missed one of the premier events at Cardiff Castle. It is a Jousting event that will take place on June 19 that features a real jousting tournament, trebuchet firings, and sword fights. This reminds me of the Tournament of Kings show that we saw in Las Vegas' Excalibur Hotel back in 1999 - except it takes place in a real castle! If you do happen to come to Cardiff, this castle is a must and lived up to all my expectations.
Cardiff Castle (3.5 of 5)
The original fort was built by the Romans in 55 AD which is now the site of the Norman Keep which was built in 1091 that stands at the center of the expanded grounds. This was basically it in terms of Cardiff Castle until 1868 when the addition of the Victoria House took place and several additions to the grounds that make up the large grounds that also include castle walls. In terms of the site - it is a perfect picture type castle that I was sort of expecting more at the Tower of London. It's a but unfortunate for our timing though as we missed one of the premier events at Cardiff Castle. It is a Jousting event that will take place on June 19 that features a real jousting tournament, trebuchet firings, and sword fights. This reminds me of the Tournament of Kings show that we saw in Las Vegas' Excalibur Hotel back in 1999 - except it takes place in a real castle! If you do happen to come to Cardiff, this castle is a must and lived up to all my expectations.
2011-05-29
Paddington Bear At Paddington Station
I don't think I've ever met anyone that hasn't seen the image of Paddington Bear at least once in their lifetime. But do you know the story? This all came about when I mentioned to the relatives in Cardiff about our adventure on the train taking off from Paddington Train Station in London to Cardiff Central. At the train station, they have a store "Paddington Bear at Paddington Station" along with a bronze statue of the bear. Siew's cousins told me the neat story which I never knew until last night - over some Pimm's No.3, Spiced Vodka, homemade Eggnog etc... so if I explain the story wrong you know why. In any event, the story goes that at Paddington train station a long time ago, the actual Paddington Bear was found and it was lost by a child from Peru while on a visit to London. So they named the bear after the train station. Kind of a neat story - with a sudden twist. I've done some browsing on the internet, and this story apparently is the made up one taken from the first Paddington Bear storyline that has now become generally believed across the board. I guess the true story is that the original author, Michael Bond, wrote the story of Paddington Bear when he saw a lone stuffed teddy bear on a shelf (which he bought) at Paddington Station in London. Either way a great little story that will make me want to sign out the original when I get back home.
BTW - the ride to Cardiff and my experience with the European train system was all good. Super cheap ($50 CDN for First Class tickets to Cardiff) and quite a lot of fun, although the trains are showing their age a bit. It's still tough to beat Japan. How the Japanese stay on time to the very minute 99% of the time (as claimed by Japan Rail and witnessed by us when we were there) is one great mystery and their Shinkansen is still the best I've been on.
BTW - the ride to Cardiff and my experience with the European train system was all good. Super cheap ($50 CDN for First Class tickets to Cardiff) and quite a lot of fun, although the trains are showing their age a bit. It's still tough to beat Japan. How the Japanese stay on time to the very minute 99% of the time (as claimed by Japan Rail and witnessed by us when we were there) is one great mystery and their Shinkansen is still the best I've been on.
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