Man United 8 vs Arsenal 2 ? Yeah, right !

Arsenal maybe aren't too bad going forward, but defensively they're crap. But this is not the forum to discuss players, Arsene's philosophy or tactics so .........

The ultimate insult that Sir Alex Ferguson has refused to deliver :

He hasn't offered to loan any players to Arsenal yet.

Poppy

Zee Avi stands out as a testament to the wonders of YouTube. A few songs uploaded, some of which were self penned, and suddenly she had a recording contract with Brushfire records and was touring across the USA.

When I first heard "Bitter Heart", Zee's first single, I was sufficiently intrigued to purchase her album. The album revealed a strong selection of songs, with some standing out more than others. One of those stand out songs was "Poppy" - as upbeat as the song sounds, I would suggest closing your eyes and listening to the lyrics carefully. You'd be surprised.

Zee released her 2nd album, "Ghostbird" this week. I haven't heard it yet, but I'm hoping that it lives up to the standards she's already set.

a Stylized Sun

The dawn of a new day .....

Bringing with it the promise of starting afresh. The energy of a good night's sleep. The slight pang of regret from leaving a warm bed. The shock of water splashing on a groggy face. Morning dew on the grass.

And the smell of a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Festive Season Goodies

Which is when the hypermarkets roll out the discounts and best bargains to entice you to shop with them rather than at one of their many competitors - but would you be enticed by this particular offer ?

Sound Familiar ?

"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion:
the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases,
while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage
of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force."

- Ayn Rand

the Last Train .....

I was asked a question during lunch yesterday, "what will you miss most when you leave ?"

There are many things I could have listed - badminton sessions, shared meals, hiking trips, departmental games in various guises, karaoke sessions, road trips, Toastmaster meetings, training sessions, climbing a mountain - twice. Somewhere in there, we even got some work done. There are many more things which I could have put on that list.

But I did not.

What I will miss most are the People.

They are not perfect. They have many weaknesses. In many areas.

Not everything is hunky-dory. They don't always get on well together.

But, to me, the good outweighs the bad.

So .... what I will miss most are the People.

My own little Corner of the World ....

I've been spending some time here for the past few months. It's sort of a lay by while waiting for the work day to start. You can hear the tweets of birds and the buzz of insects, and the occasional car or pedestrian passing by. It's peaceful and I imagine that I'm back in a forest, just gazing at the sunlight patterns on the leaves of trees. Not too difficult a task given that so many of the elements are already in place.

It's Peaceful, but it's almost Time to move on. And yes, I will miss this place.

Cat nap

Looking back, I wonder if I will remember how easy it was for Catriona to fall asleep.

When she was just a baby, she'd keep going until her her battery went flat. There were a few occasions when we found her sleeping on the floor as she had kept crawling even though it was obvious that she was very sleepy. It was like - crawl ... crawl ...... crawl ....... plop, sleep. Kinda amusing, actually.

As she grew older, she'd pop off to bed if she felt really sleepy. But that didn't stop her from falling asleep in many a convenient place. I was rather bemused that a girl who moved so much when sleeping on her bed, could keep her balance when sleeping in rather more precarious situations. I haven't seen her fall off yet.

Maybe she's got a more regimented routine, maybe it's school - but I can't remember the last time I saw her fall asleep on a chair.

Is there Life on Mars ?

My first introduction to David Bowie's music came via the "Let's Dance" single and subsequent album. I liked that album quite a lot. A further exploration of Bowie's back catalogue revealed a musical chameleon whose style seemed in a mode of constant change. And so much of his music has stood the test of time ........

Over the past week, Bowie's been on the play list. There are quite a number of songs I could feature, but I'll limit myself to just this one :

As videos productions go, this wasn't any big deal. But the song, I like.

the Meal before the Last Train ....

Going through the archives, I came across this photo :

It was in full colour then, but I thought that the architecture would show up better in B&W - and so it proved.

We were on our way to boarding a train to Stansted Airport and had a little time for a meal, which we had at Costa. It was close to the end of that particular little trip but even at the end, Dream and I were still checking out the sights.

I'm close to the end of a particular trip of mine now - one where the journey was in Life as opposed to 'On the Road'. And even this close to the End, I'm still checking out the sights. In many ways, I will miss it. And yes, I will miss the people.

But needs be, and sometimes moving on may prove the better option in the long run.

Lambchops

It's incredible how some things stick in your mind.

This is a clip featuring George Burns and Gracie Allen from 1929 (Thank God for YouTube!) entitled 'Lambchops'. I first read an excerpt of this skit in a Reader's Digest article over 20 years ago. It wasn't a very long excerpt - just that little bit when Gracie Allen states that she likes lamb chops (6:50-7:05) and I've remembered that joke ever since.

Read it just that one time; remembered it ever since - 20+ years and counting.

Incredible !

U2 have to Find what You're Looking for

The past week has been filled with U2 songs, with quite a few of them being from their 1988 "Rattle and Hum" album; alternate versions of some of their biggest hits.

While U2 have many captivating songs, my particular favourite is "I still haven't found what I'm looking for".

I remember one occasion when the results of a general election had been announced (I think it was 1995 or 1999) and Lim Kit Siang had once again failed to lead the DAP to victory in Penang. The Fly Guy spun this song over the air waves and dedicated the song to Lim Kit Siang (LKS) who 'still hasn't found what he's looking for' i.e. winning the state of Penang. It was either crowing or poignant, depending on where you stood on the political divide.

Of course, things are much changed now, with LKS's son Lim Guan Eng being the Chief Minister of Penang and the DAP leading the PR coalition in governing Penang.

In any case, the Rattle and Hum version of this song is quite different from the original version in that it features a full church choir.

Floria Putrajaya 2011, la quatrieme partie

The final part of the Floria Putrajaya 2011 series. Out of the entire batch of photos, these are the ones I like the most.

at the bridge

I offered, and took a photo of the 2 girls with their camera.

the bridge

no tripod, so no night shot.

inspired by Ken Rockwell - photographing colour

Putrajaya seems a lot more accessible

now that I know it's some 20 minutes away

inspired by Jay Maisel