My life: work, fun and then some...

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Should I care?

A friend of mine sent me this link today. Nasty, I know. And frankly - I wish I hadn't opened it. Thing is, that I really cannot do anything about that, except saying "no" to fur coats, jackets and other accessories. Why should I torture myself with watching this stuff then? Why other people do? I know, it sounds cynical, but I simply choose not to think about this particular problem.

And on a side note - shouldn't we care more about people starving and dying of AIDS in Africa, innocent civilians being killed in various wars (btw, wouldn't it be wiser to contribute all "sinews of war" to fighting AIDS and hunger?). Oh, right - we all know these pictures, media feed us with these images every day and we are used to that already, whilst killing poor puppies is not something that we see on a daily basis and therefore - it's shocking. Now, somebody tell me what's right and what's not.

Basically, it's extremely annoying. Don't be hypocrites, stop sending these ugly links and if you really care - just go ahead and do something...

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Summer in the city...

Quite unbelievable, but we still have summer here in London. It's incredibly nice, warm and sunny. And I am gonna enjoy it... till it lasts as that might not be long ;-)

Not much happening otherwise, got myself hooked up on the WC 2006, watched both seasons of "Lost", my awful nightmares are gone (well, sort of) and I am enjoying life as it is...

Monday, June 19, 2006

Stupid pills have eventually kicked in...

Yeah, unfortunately. I was sure, that if everything had gone well so far, no weird thoughts, no hallucinations etc, it should be really easy now. Boy, was I wrong. I started having nightmares last week, but I didn't really care - people have nightmares every now and then, it's not a big deal.

Last night though, my sick dreams simply scared me out of my wits. It began with 2 unpleasant and big guys breaking into my flat, trying to rape and murder me, ended with me escaping through my window, almost naked. I couldn't sleep after that, so I am a complete wreck today. Oh, and just to give you the reason for which I freaked out - my next-door neighbour was robbed 3 weeks ago...

Anyway, if this crap does not stop, I am seriously considering giving up taking these pills. There is a minor risk that I might get sick (and malaria is not a pleasant disease), but I don't care. 2 more weeks with nightmares is something I don't think I can cope with... Not to mention, that I'll have to start another anti-malaria therapy in early August.

The only good news today - Ghana High Commission in London gave me their "OK" earlier this morning, so I have a visa and can visit this supposedly very exciting country. Can't wait...

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Boruc, you're my hero...

I don't like football. In fact - I hate it. But I did watch the game tonight. I had to - POL vs. GER is a must. What can I say? Out of 11 team-members, Boruc's performance was the best. And he is the goal-keeper... Pathetic, I know...

Sad, but true... I am seriously considering suing Mr. Pawel-Bloody-Janas, our coach. Even my American work-mates are making fun of me. I mean - hello?
Anyway, to quote my friend: "Daga, you still have chances... in... 2010". I am not even sure if he was right...

I guess I'll have to start cheering on England. I do have a Ben Sherman "England" t-shirt, it might actually come in handy...

Monday, June 12, 2006

Boiling up...

It's 10:30pm and it's 85F / 29C outside. I am about to die, though I am sure I would find enough power to kill for an AC, if this were what I would have to do to get one...

Utterly confused, feels like Spain, I can't believe it's London... Oh, and BTW - I got hooked up on "Lost" yesterday. 99p per show on cable on-demand, 25 in Series 1, another 20 or so in Series 2... but what the heck, it's seems to be worth it!

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Tour de Asia (well, a small part of Asia)

So, Asia, all right. Well, it was a great trip. Three different countries, all really exciting. I reckon it’s best if I just put some photos here instead of long and probably boring stories. I have decided to publish them chronologically rather, than by country as I think it just makes more sense. So, here we go…



Little India in Singapore. Temperature: 33C / 92F, humidity: 96%.


A local eatery. Little India, Singapore. All bars, shops, restaurants etc in Singapore, even the worst ones have AC. The effect: a cold less than 24 hours after I arrived.


Indian food in that eatery. Tasty, spicy and very colourful ;-)


China Town in Singapore. Rather small and disappointing after the one in San Francisco, but...


Hard to believe, but after a 15 hour flight, a long party and very little sleep, I just couldn't drink my beer. Well, perhaps the weather (hot, hot and really humid) had something to do with that as well... Oh, and of course - if drinking beer in SE Asia, then it MUST be Tiger ;-)

After 2 rather long and exhausting nights and 1 very hot day in Singapore, we flew to Cambodia. What a surprise – it’s even hotter and more humid!


That is me and my taxi driver. A 25 minute ride from the airport to our hotel - $1.


My cab from a different angle.


Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia. I don't remember the names of all temples we visited, so if you want to find out a little more about Angkor Wat, I would strongly suggest using google ;-)


A monk sleeping next to a Buddha figure, Angkor Wat, Cambodia.


Angkor Wat and me, right there, on the stairs.


Angkor Wat. Pretty amazing, eh?


Blah, blah, me and Angkor Wat just behind. I am not really happy here, it's very hot, we don't have local currency or dollar change to buy a bottle of water...


A family leaving for camping holiday? I don't think so...


I just wanted to have a photo with Buddha.. And yes, I am ALL sweating here...


We had a personal driver for two days. And a vehicle, called "tuk-tuk".


Local supermarket.


Not exactly a villa. Suburbs of Siem Reap (the pic is not sharp, but we couldn't stop there, so I had to take it from our "tuk-tuk")


And here is another one...


On the boat. These two kids were our "drivers".


Floating village. I found it quite surprising, that all floating houses had TV antennas. In the country, where many people live without electricity...


Floating shop.


Floating village...


I just had to take a pic of this guy. I know, it looks more like Vietnam, than Cambodia, but...


Kids were a real nitemare in Cambodia. Always trying to sell you some useless crap, always begging for a dollar and never letting it go. I know they're all poor, but it became really annoying after a while...


Floating village. That's right, this is a satelite-dish right in the middle... Any questions?


Another surprise. Petrol is sold from Johnnie Walker bottles.


Afternoon traffic-peak in Siem Reap. On a side note - they have no rules when it comes to driving at all. Enough if I just say, that I couldn't figure out whether they officially drive on the right or on the left side, till I read it in the guide...


And back in the hotel a.k.a. bamboo hut. It was actually nice and even equipped with the AC!


Gekons, our silent room-mates.


And we're back in the Angkor Wat complex. Here - we're just passing a group of kids on the way to school.


Another temple. That one was actually very impressive.


I didn't even know I had a picture here!


On the top of another temple, rain forest behind...


Here is where they shot parts of Tomb Raider / Lara Croft. I didn't see the movie, but these trees were MASSIVE!


Another one...


And another one.


And...I am really tired already...


One last temple in Angkor Wat...


...and it's time to take a break at the hotel-pool! Of course, with a can of Tiger ;-)


Oops, I forgot. We went to Angkor again, to see the sunset. Didn't quite look too interesting, unfortunately...


But we spotted a few monks!


Last dinner in Cambodia. Extremely cheap and very, very moreish...


And here is another local speciality ;-)

Next morning we came back to Singapore. Here is another bunch of pictures from this very Miami-like city.


Singapore...


Another skyscrapers.


Singapore skyline.


Singapore harbour - used to be the biggest port in the world.
After one day in Singapore with our friends (yes, I played bridge after a 2-year-break!!!) we flew to Thailand for four days. Now, I have to admit, that I did work on some picture above (added contrast, warmed the photos here and there), but colours in Thailand are so amazing, that I won’t change / adjust these photos. I know, I have no idea about photography, but it’s my humble, totally unprofessional opinion and I will just stick with it ;-) Enjoy!


Our beach in Krabi, Thailand.


Me and the beach in Krabi, Thailand ;-)


9:30am, Krabi, Thailand. Yes, quite enjoying my pina-colada. Reel in!


On the way to Railey Beach.


Railey Beach itself.


Ao Nang beach (where we lived).


I don't know who this person is.


Lots of sunscreen. Didn't quite help, as I found out later...


Um, fish?


Oh, btw, I didn't mention that - these are photos from our speed-boat trip ;-) One of the little bays we visited.


Maya Bay. And me. This is where they filmed "The Beach".


This is where we stopped for lunch...


...and this is what we did after lunch...


I couldn't make up my mind, so I ordered all three. (Actually, it was a happy hour - buy 2, get 1 free).


Ao Nang Beach again. Just about to board on the boat, which took us to Poda Island.


Poda Island. There was absolutely nobody on this beach!


Poda Island...


Lunch ;-)


Next day - on a long-tail boat to James Bond Island, sea-caves and elephant riding. Quite a mix!


James Bond Island (anyone know which James Bond was filmed in Thailand??)


James Bond Island...


Sea-caves, on a kayak.


Sea-caves...


And that's me in the sea-caves.


Elephant riding. Nothing spectacular, but one has to try it anyway.


Strangers on the elephant.


Baby-elephant. 1,300kg...


Same baby-elephant.


Weird plant at the hotel-pool...

So, this is it. 11 amazing days. I definitely want to come back there, there are more places to see – Malaysia, Phuket and Bangkok in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines… Some day, I am sure…

BTW – the weather in London is quite incredible. I was expecting rain when I was flying back home, but we’ve had 80F and more here recently! I went on a boat-trip from Westminster to Greenwich this Saturday and it was really, really nice. No pictures, though, sorry ;-)