Notes to Myself

Jerk

Do you ever experience a strange jerk in your body as you go to sleep? Even while you sleep? Occasionally I get this and I get awoken almost like a jolt of electricity has surged through my body.

The funny thing is that this happened to me on the Tube as I was going home! I've caught a bit of a cold and just crashed out a few minutes after getting onto the train and sitting down. The next thing I know I've had a mini-spasm of sorts and my right leg jumped slightly and nudged the person next to me. Though I was half asleep I was still embarrassed and opted to keep my eyes closed. A few moments later I was back to a more peaceful slumber.

HDR Images

This is my first ever HDR image! HDR or HDRI is an abbreviation for High dynamic range image. You may have seen this effect used in advertising because of it's high visual impact.

Gloucester Cathedral, shot last Sunday.

The image is made up of three bracketed exposures enabling me to capture a range of light areas and dark areas not normally possible in one single exposure.

As it's my first attempt at HDR and I have only experimented briefly, I'm sure this isn't the best possible outcome but the potential is obvious. Amazing!

JLPT now £60!

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test in the UK has gone up in price this year by another £5, just like last year. Now it will cost you £60, whichever level you take!

I was thinking of retaking the test but now I'm not so sure.

Cinnabon

Has anybody spotted the new Cinnabon shop at Piccadilly Circus? Mmm, cinnamon rolls! They look good but they had better be - they cost £3.50!

From behind the shop at one of Piccadilly Station's exits you can see into the kitchen. Nice touch.

System Failure

My body was knackered after an intense session of tennis and I was looking forward to getting home to have a bath.

I'd already been travelling for some time on the Underground and eventually reached Green Park where I planned to change lines again, this time to the Piccadilly Line. When I got the the platform everybody was getting off the train instead of on it. Oh-uh.

A member of staff was closing the doors and saying something about a 'System failure'. So no west-bound Piccadilly Line service. Fine, I'll take the Victoria line to embankment and get the District Line. Nope, that wasn't running either. How about backtracking and then getting the Hammersmith & City Line? No good. Circle Line. No good. What a joke.

Practically half the Tube wasn't running! This was all due to 'communications equipment failure.'

Hundreds of people poured out of Green Park and so the bus situation looked to be a painful experience. I walked to Oxford Street to get a different bus. Why did I walk?! My legs were already dead and I was lugging around my tennis bag. It seemed like a good idea at the time but Regent's Street felt about three times as long as normal!

London Shibuya

Have you heard of the plans to give London's Oxford Circus a diagonal style crossing?

Nice, just like a mini version of Tokyo's Shibuya! This will be a smaller version, mind you. How can it cost £4 million?

Wood Lane

For some time now I've watched the development of the new shopping centre buildings near Shepherd's bush from the safety of the Hammersmith and City Line.

A new station, 'Wood Lane' station, pictured here is also in development, too. So far it has a barren yet modern look to it and trains already slow down when passing through the station.

According to TFL, when the station opens Shepherd's Bush station will be renamed to Shepherd's Bush Market station in order to avoid confusion with Shepherd's Bush station on the Central Line.

BA Compensation

Finally, after my travel insurance company settled I was able to continue my compensation claim with British Airways for the havoc at Terminal 5 in April, when my luggage got lost for a week whilst I was on holiday in Japan.

In all of my communications with BA regarding the issue, replies have been prompt if not always entirely satisfactory. I wonder just how much extra money BA has put into customer service and compensation claims following the Terminal 5 crisis. Obviously, BA would have to wave goodbye to the business of thousands upon thousands of disgruntled passengers if they don't cope well with the situation, so investing heavily now makes sense.

Since the settlement, my insurance company has failed to respond to both an e-mail and written letter asking for my receipts back. Just in case of such an event I'd scanned all of them before submitting them which turned out to be a very good move. Although BA failed to say whether they'd accept copies of the receipts I sent them anyway.

The same week I received a reply asking for a listing of everything I was claiming compensation for. This was ridiculous as they had all the receipts and they were annotated in English. What's more, they should have had access to the original online compensation form I filled in which listed and totalled all expenses.

After writing another letter listing all of my incurred expenses earlier this week, I got a reply this morning. The effort has proved worthwhile as BA claim that a cheque for about £250 will be sent shortly and they also included a £100 voucher which can be redeemed when booking a BA flight. Result.

It surprised me that the amount for the cheque exactly equalled the conversion that I'd written in my letter at the current exchange rate. BA had ignored the research into the exchange rates at the time of my holiday that I'd included.

I included the extra information as the exchange rate was worse in April and the actual money I spent was greater still because when you exchange money you can never get the 'real' exchange rate. So, I actually spent about £30 more than they are offering (ignoring the BA voucher). Would I be greedy to push for this? Clearly I shouldn't have included the current exchange rate, only the exchange rate quoted by the bureau de change that I used in late May. You live and learn.

Colombian

While paying at the counter of a shop the woman serving me asked where I was from. When I told her she smiled and said, 'Wow, quite a mix.' I can't say that I really think about it. Anyway, I asked her why she asked and she said that I looked like her cousin. Apparently her cousin, and presumably she too, is from Colombia!

Memory Lane

Nothing much had changed and it could just have easily been ten years ago as I cycled towards my old school. On auto-pilot I followed the same route and it struck me just how short a journey it was even though it didn’t feel that way when I was a student. That’s probably because everything is relative and my daily commute to work takes four times as long.

Instead of stopping at school, I turned off the main road and headed towards the river. Large playing fields and a children’s playground far in the distance reminded me of when I was even younger than a secondary school student. It was my family’s go-to place for kicking around a football, flying kites and taking a dip in the paddling pool on hot summer days.

This time, however, I was headed somewhere new. From the quiet road I could see a number of friends who had already arrived and were playing tennis on grass courts located next to a cricket field. The last time I played on grass court tennis was at a club in Acton when I was about 10 years old. It was so long ago that this time felt like a totally new experience. The ball didn’t bounce much, slices skidded viscously and irregular bounces weren’t uncommon – this wasn’t lawn tennis at Wimbledon, you understand.

After tennis we had a picnic and chilled out – if you can do such a thing on a very hot and muggy day whilst sitting outside next to a cricket field.

The day was actually a farewell party for a couple who are relocating out of the country. I hope the enjoyed it and that it will be a good memory for them long after they’ve moved.

David Lloyd

Through the Times website I signed up for a free day pass for the David Lloyd centre in Chigwell. I've often heard about the great facilities, particularly with regards to tennis and I have to say David Lloyd really lives up to its reputation. There were about 10 indoor carpet courts and 6 outdoor synthetic courts. Now that's what I call good facilities.

I was given a tour by a very friendly and presentable lady. First she took me to the gym which was massive - it had so many more different types of machine to my usual gym. I didn't like the look of the never ending stair machine but the vibrating Power Plate machine was very intriguing.

We passed several other large studios, group workout sessions and a couple of small swimming pools, one indoors and one outdoors, but the main attraction was definitely the tennis courts. 

I can't afford to become a member but when asked if I might join I couldn't exactly say 'No, I'm just here because it's free.' So, after saying I was a potential member I was left to my own devices. I booked an outdoor tennis court for a couple of hours and had a decent practice.

Besides the tennis facilities they have cafeteria sells Costa coffee. What more could you ask for?

Northerners

Well, not Northerners perhaps but here I'm referring to the people who use the Northern Line in London. I normally don't use the line but on Thursday I was travelling to Golder's Green and it was an odd experience.

When I changed to a different branch at Camden Town there was a young woman trotting along in high heels and fishnet tights which were torn all over the place. The strange bit was that she didn't have a skirt on. The even stranger bit was that she wasn't wearing any underwear, either! Well, who knows, she could have been wearing a G-string but either way her buttocks were pretty open to the elements.

Then, on the train there was a woman showing off her huge cleavage with a low cut top and her mobile phone wedged in the middle! When she got up to get off the train she just left it there.

Is the Northern Line always so entertaining?

Sod's Law

What's the worst thing that could happen when you're hungry and bit irritable? I was convinced I'd discovered it yesterday on a train ride to the West End.

As the train approached central London it filled up quite quickly and a Chinese lady sat down next to me. A couple of minutes later and I thought, 'What's that smell? It smells like chips.' It was chips and it was the lady next to me eating them right in my face!

My mood seemed to get worse as I tried in vain not to smell those delicious fries. Next she started chomping on some kind of chicken wrap and finally started slurping at her drink.

At Piccadilly Circus station I was relieved that the journey was over but the lady next to me also motioned to stand up as she put her drink into that horrible brown paper bag. I thought I'd let her walk past me before standing up - what a mistake.

She stood up and as she did so let her drink spill all over my leg and my bag. She pretended not to notice and jumped off the train as I stood there in shock with my hands in front of me as if to say, 'What the f&£$'. No words came to me but I that was probably a good thing.

Transform

 

I used to love Transform-a-Snack when when I was a kid and they are still just 20p! I bought this pack simply because the packaging has changed.

Foreign Accent

Do you ever watch TV and think, 'What is that accent?' The other day, for a split second I couldn't place the accent of the person being interviewed on TV. Then I realised that she was from London! With TV celebrities and hosts I recognise, I think nothing of it, but when there's someone new on TV I seem to be expecting them to have some kind of American accent. I think I've been watching too many American dramas.

Wimbledon Day 5

Finally, I had the privilege of seeing Federer playing a match for real yesterday on Wimbledon's Centre Court in his third round match against Marc Gicquel of France.

Though Federer did pull out a few breathtaking shots, for the large part he played well within himself and still won with ease. So it was a bit of a let-down but what do you expect from the defending champion?

Testuya

Tetsuya is a Japanese word meaning to 'stay up all night' or in Monday's case, just 'all night'. Well, that was part of the title to the mail my friend sent me about camping out over night at Wimbledon. My friend is going back to live in Japan and wanted to go to Wimbledon one last time.

I'd never really been tempted to camp out at Wimbledon before until now. It's pretty hard-core and I value sleeping in my own bed far more than on hard ground on the pavement or in a cold field!  It struck me as one of those 'you should try it once' ideas and really wanted a great Centre Court seat.

So at about 7:30 on Monday night I found myself walking onto a field. Normally the queue of tents line up along the road on the pavement but this year it starts back in the field where I queued up at the crack of dawn last year.

A steward came along and guided us to where to pitch our tent and gave us our queuing tickets - I was number 335 in the queue. With 500 tickets for Centre Court reserved for sale on the day that meant I was guaranteed a ticket!

The atmosphere was friendly and lively with people drinking, eating and generally having a good time. Some young Irish girls in the tent opposite us got quite excited with their little radio and were dancing their hearts out until the early hours of the morning.

I woke up at around four in the morning to go to the toilet and was treated to the most incredible sunrise. I'll have to upload a picture when I get some time. At 6 we were all woken up and everybody started putting their dew covered tents away - a queue of people just arriving soon formed behind the tents.

The queue started moving forwards and we moved along, again different to last year as the queue is now directed through the golf course next to Wimbledon. Stewards came along and on presenting our queuing cards we were given our prized Centre Court wrist-bands. We used our bands later to buy our tickets, just five rows away from the court!

The day at Wimbledon itself was fantastic - featuring Nadal and following that Murray's first round match. This will all have to wait for another blog post, next time.

Bending Light

What's the picture above? Answers on a post card.

V&A Design

The V&A is full of all sorts of artistic inspiration, particularly the shop! As I browsed I  took a few photos.

To the left you can see some products made by Q-pot. Quite a strange collection but apparently this is all the rage in Japan. A nice fake bit of food on your necklace perhaps? The Q-pot website shows that you can style jewellery on all sorts of everyday objects.

Not far away I came across these felt butterfly rings made by Nahoko Koyama & Alex Garnett, otherwise known as by their design studio, Mixko. I've met Alex and Koya before as they are friends of an aquaintance. Keep up the imaginative and inspiring designs!

Out in the garden there was a whacky installation pictured to the left. I'm not sure what the idea was but draw your own conclusions...

Some tourists ignored the cool and windy weather and splashed about happily in the shallow water. Were they inspired by the green gateways?

After leaving the museum there was something else which caught my eye. Near to South Kensington station there was a shop which had been gutted out and was being filled with huge Lego structures. You can't help but like Lego no matter what your age is. I must go back when it's all finished to see what it's like.

Just to spoil myself I stopped off for a coffee nearby at the indulgent Le Pain Quotidien. If you visit may I recommend the delicious strawberry tart.

Behind my table there were four Japanese girls and judging by their plastic bags had also just come from the V&A. They must have been university students who study design going by their by their style of dress. Each had a digital SLR camera hung carelessly over the backs of their chairs! Now that is just asking for trouble.

Despite having no plans to visit the V&A it turned out to be a great little trip. There are advantages to night shifts... apart from having to work at night.

Fare Dodging

Last night I was at Statford Station and was about to go through the barriers to the Jubilee Line platform when I sensed movement directly behind me. This was odd as there are numorous barriers and there were so few people around. I kind of had a feeling what might happen next so after placing my Oyster card on the reader I deliberately walked through the barriers at a slow pace. Suddenly I was being pushed forwards as the guy behind me shoved me through the barriers so that he could get through.

'Er, excuse me.' I said, to which he threw his hands up in the air in a manner which said, 'Does it look as though I care?' and he continued to talk on his mobile phone. What an idiot. If people dodge fares on trains then that's their look out but not if they use me to do it.

On Tour

Turning Pro

Perhaps I forgot to mention but I've now turned pro as a tennis player and I'm out on the tour. A couple of weeks ago I was at the French Open, yesterday I was at one of the best warm up events for Wimbledon, The Artois Championships at Queen's Club in London and in a couple of weeks' time I'll also be at Wimbledon itself. It's just a shame I won't be playing...

Queen's Club

Actually, I hadn't planned on going to Queen's Club this year, especially after seeing the Centre Court ticket prices on the website starting at around £60, but as it happens I'm on night shifts this week so I decided to go along after all.

I bought a ground ticket at £14 but then waited in queue for any Centre Court returns. Sure enough, after half an hour I shelled out another £65 for a pretty good Centre Court ticket but couldn't get a refund on the ground ticket. That's a ridiculous sum of nearly £80!

Centre Court

The reason I really wanted a Centre Court ticket was the lineup for the day was superb: featuring Andy Roddick, followed by Nadal, then Djokovic, then Nalbandian and finally Andy Murray in a doubles match!

When I got through the gates I was excited when I saw Nishikori Kei's name pop up on a score-board. In case you don't know Nishikori is Japan's newest rising star of tennis. At just 18 year's old he is already an accomplished player as you could easily tell today when he gave Nadal a run for his money (during many of the longer points he actually come off on top during earlier parts of the match). Anyway, I took a few snaps of Nishikori (see above) before rushing off to centre court.

Roddick's blisteringly fast serve was good to witness in real life. I had to laugh when he said in an interview today that his serve 'still didn't have much on it.' He's recovering from a shoulder injury but I'd say a 135 mph serve isn't lacking all that much in terms of speed. His opponent, Genepri, played really well in the first set and took the tie-break. Once Roddick secured an early break in the second set though, Genepri went off the boil totally and it was over surprisingly quickly.

Next up was Nadal, World number 2. Seeing him play made up for not being able to see his first round of the French Open the other week due to rain. Needless to say, he didn't dissapoint. At first his seasoned opponent, Bjorkman, seemed to have the upper hand with deft net play but Nadal soon found his rythym and started hitting passing shots with all of his usual power and spin. He makes difficult shots look sublimly easy, it's like you are watching a computer game with hyper-realistic graphics. It was soon over, 6-2 6-2.

I've never been a massive fan of the World number 3, Novak Djokovic, but after watching him play yesterday I've totally changed my mind. He is just so solid from all areas of the court. He's also got character which is pretty rare at the top of the game these days. He quickly took the first set off his opponent and was comfortably leading in the second set. His concentration slipped as he served for the match and the set went to a tie-break. I had to admire his nerve as despite being set-point down at numerous points he eventually won the tie-break and with it the match... with a drop shot!

By this time I had been sitting on Centre Court for a while and needed a walk so I didn't even bother watching Nalbandian or Murray's game - sorry guys, maybe next time!

Final Impression

I wondered around the facility and took in the scenery. Most of the outside courts weren't actually being used but there was play on courts 2 and 9. I headed over to court 9 for a look.

Even though to me I was watching two unknown players out on a lonely looking Court 9 - I think they may have been juniors if juniors even play at Queen's - the match in some ways had the biggest impact on me. Being so up-close to the action I could see just how fast these guys were hitting the ball and just how much spin they were generating. I could only watch and marvel as the tennis balls flew around with a certain 'heaviness' that made them look like large golf balls. Staggering!

See you guys at Wimbledon - where my short stay 'on the tour' ends for this year.

London Bomb

I never thought I'd see a reason like this for severe delays on the Tube: "Severe delays are occurring following an earlier making safe of a WW2 bomb at Bromley-by-Bow." Imagine finding a World War II bomb.

 

 

Although the safe defusal of the bomb and train services returning to normal were scheduled for late this morning it was no surprise to find that the Tube was still in a bad state after work. I couldn't get onto the platform at three different stations. What a waste of time walking around. In the end I just killed time reading some magazines at a shop before finally managing to get on a train.

Not Pregnant

It's a dilemma I'm sure we've all been faced with: a fairly large lady gets onto the bus or train you are on and looks like she could be pregnant. But is she really pregnant? Should you give up your seat or might you be risking an embarrassing situation should the lady just be plain fat?

Ok, so maybe it should be obvious by the shape of the bulge but it's not always easy to tell. Then of course by the time you've debated with yourself about whether the person is indeed pregnant or not, even if you've decided she probably is, you've waited so long that you freeze up. Maybe it's just me.

Match Debut

A friend had been trying to persuade me to join his tennis club for some time but I often went as his guest and wasn't sure if it was worth joining as it's in East London. When he told me last week that he'd like me to join him for a team match and that I was eligible for the 'long-distance' discounted membership rate that settled it!

So today I turned up with my membership form and cheque in hand and went straight to an away game. It was quite exciting and I was interested to see what 'competitive' league tennis is actually like. I played in a few tournaments in Japan, but not in any club tournaments. This was the first time I've played competitively in England since I was about 10 years old!

The heat was a real killer today. I covered myself in Sun cream so I didn't get burnt but the Sun still beat me into submission with its heat and brightness. Even though I drank about 3-4 litres of water I had a really bad headache.

As I'd suspected (and you may remember me talking about this a while back), people with great shots don't necessarily win. I couldn't believe we drew one set all with a couple of guys who couldn't even hit a flat/topspin backhand between them. It was all funny slices which floated back - but with very few misses.

I ended up drawing a couple of matches and losing the last one. Strangely though, the last match was the most exciting as our opponents played a similar attacking style to us.

I learnt a lot from the experience and look forward to doing better next time around.

Back Home

Yesterday I arrived home safely, though at times I wondered if I'd ever arrive. This time the problems started before boarding the BA's 747.

A technical problem was announced. Just as on the journey to Japan there were announcements every half an hour promising we'd be boarding soon. They said there was a technical issue and that they had to find a spare part, replace the old one and perform tests.

Delays are hard enough to swallow but when you see the next BA flight take off before you when it was supposed to take off 3 after, you really get frustrated. That's two times in a row the earlier plane was the worse option.

A few hours later and the plane which was scheduled to use our departure gate arrived. In a stroke of genius, BA moved their plane out to another area of the airport. We had to walk to another gate, wait another half an hour and then get on buses to take us to the plane.

On arrival at Heathrow the pilot praised his staff and as if to seek thanks said that they were under no obligation to have been on our flight and had they not swapped with the crew from another flight our service may have been cancelled. I can't believe he even mentioned it.

That was one of the worst holidays in terms of pure bad luck. Here's hoping the next one will be better.

Mario Kart Wii

It so happened that soon after my arrival in Japan Mario Kart Wii was released last Thursday. I was surprised to find that it was released just one day later in the UK - and from what I can see it doesn't seem to be sold out. The US IGN website says there are still 10 days to go until the game is released - what's going on there, then?

The game here is readily available but the steering wheel, or 'handle' as the Japanese call it, is sold out. I wonder how good the game will be with these controls. Also, I can't help but wonder if it's going to be too similar to previous games.

I've watched the intro video a hundred times in Yodobashi but it's hard to tell how good a game is without actually having a go for yourself. Have any of you bought it yet? Any impressions concerning the controls or the games in general?

Octopus Golf

On Saturday the poor weather that had plagued my trip to Japan lifted to reveal blue skies and warm sunshine, perfect for golf. My friends keep taunting me about how I've brought the English weather with me, but in that case this was the second time I'd also brought perfect golf weather!

We drove passed Tokyo Disneyland on the way to Tako Golf Course in Chiba, very close to Narita International Airport. Tako can mean octopus in Japanese and although the real meaning in this case was different I guess most of the people who first go there have the same little chuckle about the name.

Golf in Japan is totally different from my experiences in England, so far at least. Everything is about perfect service and it really is a smooth not to mention quick blaze across the perfectly refined course.

We got in our 'electro-magnetic' golf buggy, pressed the start engine button and off we went. The buggy follows a preset course on a little path so all you have to do is hit start and stop. Compared to the other day this round of golf was physically no effort at all!

My only complaint is that you can finish 9 holes in less than 2 hours and you have little choice as there are other people behind you. I wanted to take my time and enjoy the sounds of the birds crying and frogs croaking.

After the first nine holes you have a lunch break whereas in England you play straight through. Very luxurious.

Even though I knew the cost beforehand it still shocked me when I handed over 20,000 yen - 100 pounds for a round of golf and a sandwich!!! I can't get over it.

At Last

My luggage finally arrived today - a whole week late and with half of my holiday already finished. What a joke.

I feel sorry for another lady who was in the same predicament who said that she was going to leave Japan last Friday... I wonder if she`ll ever see her bag again.

I`ve got so much blogging to catch up on, but where to start?

BA Blunders

When I heard that a full service was going to resume at Heathrow's Terminal 5 yesterday, the day of my flight to Japan, I had a feeling things wouldn't run smoothly.

Arriving at the new terminal by car it certainly didn't look like anything special. When you get inside, though, it's much more impressive. It's most unlike most people's image of Heathrow in that it's clean and well presented.

Checking in was painless and boarding went smoothly as well. It was only once everyone was on the plane that we were told that something wasn't right - all of the luggage onboard had to be 'security checked' one by one which would take around 45 minutes. We were kept content by a drink and customs declaration forms for our arrival in Japan. After 45 minutes we were then told that it would take another half an hour. Not surprisingly, that time elapsed and that plane still hadn't budged.

Two and a half hours after our scheduled departure we were allowed to take off. The flight was the usual long and gruelling test. The most interesting point of the flight for me was that the man sitting next to the window near me didn't get up to go to the loo the entire time. That's 12 hours and believe me, he was drinking quite a lot! I'm sure he must have been about to explode but just didn't want to ask if he could get passed.

At Narita a list of 40 passengers was pinned to a board near the conveyer belts for British Airways flight BA005. It said that each of the listed passenger's bags was not on the plane. Guess who's name was on it?

I queued up and was told that my suitcase had been forwarded on to the next British Airways flight, which was due to arrive within an hour (because it hadn't been delayed before take off it effectively caught up with us). Some of the other people weren't so lucky as they were simply told that their suitcases would be forwarded to their hotels when they arrived in Japan - just not today.

One British guy said to his Japanese wife, 'It's at times like this that it makes you proud to be British.' His wife simply answered 'Kawaisou.' which means something like 'I feel sorry for you.'

The next flight arrived and the conveyer built piled up with bags but my suitcase didn't appear. So it turned out I was in the same position as the people who'd left without their bags but was delayed by an extra hour! In all, I reckon I was delayed by a total of five hours and ended up leaving Narita without my suitcase.

All my clothes and toiletries are in my case, not to mention tennis gear including my racket.

Terminal 5

Have you heard of the madness happening at Heathrow's brand new Terminal 5? They had better sort out the problems soon - I'm supposed to be flying with BA from Terminal 5 in a week's time. Why didn't I choose another airline? Oh yes, because there were possible strikes on the cards at the time... Grumble, grumble.

Hot Water

The Easter weekend has brought strange weather to London. Yesterday we had hail in the morning but I decided to go to tennis anyway. The sky was blue by the time I arrived but after an hour we were playing tennis in the falling snow!

Needless to say, it's been a cold couple of days, just when you don't need your boiler to break down... My house was without hot water for two and a half days. Say goodbye to hot baths and warm radiators.

On Friday I filled a small bucket with boiling water from the kettle and washed myself with a cloth whilst sitting in the bath. People must have done this in times gone by, only without the electric kettle, I thought.

My mum grew up in the country in Ireland and I still can't believe it when she tells me that they had no running water! How we take things for granted.

Toblerone

Take a look at the size of this Toblerone! 100 years? Is that really true? What a great chocolate. In case you are wondering, I included the tennis ball for a sense of scale.

Play.com Live!

Here are a few photos from the Play.com Live games exhibition that was held at Wembley over the weekend. It was the first time I'd visited Wembley Stadium so it was good just to go to see it! A freezing wind and drizzle didn't make for ideal conditions so it was straight inside to see what games were on show.

On arrival there weren't that many people but the place soon filled up. It was held over three main floors, though the third was pretty hard to find and contained the 'over 18 area'.

It was a shame that most of the games there are already available in the shops. A few previews were on display, though. A Sega tennis game was playable on both the 360 and the Wii. Though the controls on the Wii might end up making for a better game the 360's high resolution graphics made the Wii version pale in comparison. Other than the tennis game, there was very little on show for the Wii - predictable but disappointing. The show was dominated by the XBox 360 and Playstation 3.

There was also a playable version of the Soul Calibre 4 and the new Gran Turismo game. Apparently Ron from Harry Potter was lurking near one of the games machines being pestered by children.

Capcom's showing was sorely lacking: just a video being played back on a large TV. The video itself however was stunning, showcasing the upcoming Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5. It was the first time I'd seen SFIV in motion and to some extent I wasn't that impressed. While it looked great I wasn't convinced by the interaction of the characters. Resident Evil looked absolutely incredible and the footage has apparently yet to be released online.

Upstairs next to a sci-fi shop a 'race queen' posed on a Ducatti motorbike. Around the corner was the 'over 18s' area. It turned out to be a little more than a load of already on release shooters, mostly for the 360. There was actually one red ring of death (XBox 360 in meltdown)!

A massive queue had formed for some kind of Farscape 2 exhibition but we didn't bother waiting.

I came away from the event thinking one thing - I need to get a high-res TV and then something to plug into it...

London Sakura

It's not just Japan which has cherry blossoms. I guess this must be a different variety from those in Japan but here's a road lined with cherry trees which have just started to blossom near my house in London.

I am looking forward to the 'real' cherry blossom experience in Japan though.

Fibre Optic?

Have any of those of you in London/UK noticed Virgin's new fibre optic broadband service? Have fibre optic broadband connections finally become a reality? I would be about time, but all is not what it seems.

Thinkbroadband has an article on the subject entitled ASA rules on Virgin 'fibre optic' broadband claims

Apparently the service isn't fibre optic all the way to your computer which is a little misleading when you read the adverts. A 100% fibre optic service is called fibre to the home (FTTH).

In any case, I should be changing my current ISP as its 8Mbps connection provides quite poor performance during peak hours. I've just been too lazy to get around to it. Also, I do worry that if the transfer didn't go smoothly it would disrupt my night shifts and any possible over time.

Many of my friends all moved to Be a while back - I wonder if they still recommend it?

Nosey Parker

At the coffee shop I stood up and surveyed all the tables. Where was my language exchange partner? Had he arrived late but sat down elsewhere?

Momentarily I was distracted by the man at the table next to me. He shut his laptop in haste as if to say, 'Don't be reading anything on my screen!' and he left his table. Was he being paranoid? Evidentally so as he didn't leave. He moved to another table right the corner of the coffee shop!

Personally, I understand how he feels but maybe he shouldn't have his laptop out if he is looking at confidential information. I wasn't even looking but because he moved I can't help but wonder what he was doing.

Working Hard

When I came across this article I was quite surprised. Do managers in London really work that much overtime? I wonder how many people were involved in this survey and in which sectors they work.

Then I thought of my 'poor' Japanese friends who work at least two hours overtime for no extra pay every day. I'm sure they think that English people are slackers. In terms of giving good service to customers I can see why Japanese people sometimes think that English people lack professionalism.

What I'd like to know is the productivity of the average Japanese worker. Surely it cannot be possible to work close to maximum efficiency for 12-14 hours a day. Is being at work more important than doing work?

Mishi Mishi

The last couple of times I've called home on the phone my dad has answered, 'Hello, mishi mishi.' He has taken quite an interest in Japan lately and must be getting a little eccentric in his old age. I don't have the heart to tell him that he should be saying, 'Moshi moshi...' which is how Japanese people answer the phone.

Where on earth did he learn that, anyway? Should I correct him or continue to pretend that I haven't noticed? I'm hoping he isn't answering the phone like that all the time!

Freaky Trains

Owing to severe delays on the District Line this morning I found myself on the train at a much later time than normal.

I was standing up and quickly became aware of strange noises me. The guy sitting behind me was making odd sounds, at times was breathing heavily and at others muttering to himself, most of the time wearing a twisted looking smile, half hidden under his untidy moustache. His oddness was enhanced when he pulled out an old style tape Walkman!

Just before he got off he stood up and reached forward and was groping for something near a lady's pair of legs. For a moment I thought he was going to get a good slap in the face but he stood up holding a newspaper which was on the floor. Weird.

Watch out for this guy on the District Line - this wasn't the first time I've seen (heard) him. He gets off at Embankment but I can't help but think he is going to an imaginary job. Could he really be employed?

Lost Property

I jumped off the train and patted my right pocket. I was expecting to feel my Sony mp3 player next to my phone but it wasn't there. My heart sunk. It had taken me just two weeks to loose my latest gadget.

The train pulled off and all I could do was try to peer through the window at where I'd been sitting. A man seemed to turn around and see me - had he noticed what I'd left behind? I searching my bag pointlessly until I gave in to the truth: it was gone.

At that point a friend called me. After speaking for five minutes I made my way down to the ticket office. The member of staff on duty started making numerous phone calls once I'd explained my plight. It turned out that he was actually calling each and every station along the line and needless to say I was surprised by such an efficient and helpful service.

Shockingly, he paused while on the phone and leant forward, 'What does it look like?' It's been handed in? I couldn't believe it. No, hold on, contain your relief until you actually get it back! I described my mp3 player in an eloquent sentence, 'Small, thin, black, Sony.' To which he replied, 'It's been handed in at Chiswick Park Station.' Maximum relief! (Too much Crysis?)

When I eventually arrived at Chiswick Park the guy behind the window at the ticket office started playing games with me. Even after I'd explained what the mp3 player looked like he smiled and asked, 'Name some of the music on it.' I started blabbering on about Japanese music but eventually he said, 'It begins with 'e'?' 'Oh... Evanescence.' Ah, the greatest gym music on the planet, perhaps bar Rocky.

I'm eternally grateful to the kind soul who handed my mp3 player in. You could have kept it for yourself or even sold it, but you've made me believe there are still kind people in this world. Thank you!

Sony NWZ-A818

Though I've been content with my Sony Ericsson W850i Walkman phone as my mp3 player for some time I've fallen in love with another device, the Sony NWZ-A818 Media Player. Look how small and slender this piece of kit is!

Last year my heart wavered slightly and I considered buying the ever-popular iPod or iTouch but there was one thing which bothered me about them - the fact that you can't control them easily without taking them out of your pocket. Call me fussy, but being able to skip tracks and control the volume through my pocket is one of my main requirements for an mp3 player.

Things were great back in the days of MD players which had those neat remote controls which you plug your earphones into, but for some reason that's gone out of fashion.

Though you can check out the specifications of the Sony NWZ-A818 on the Sony website some of the key features are:

-Transfer media via Windows Media Player or drag & drop
-2.0" QVGA (320x240) screen
-30 fps video playback + JPEG viewer
-8GB capactity
-Plays MP3, AAC, WMP and WMA
-Plays MPEG4 & AVC (H.264) Baseline video
-Battery life of approx. 33hrs music!

The player can play your music from folders on the device - unlike the w850i and I suspect iPods, too. This is great as you have the best of both worlds. If you've got your mp3 tags sorted then you'll have access to your music by artist, genre, year etc., while if you don't you can still simply drag and drop your music onto the player and play it with no problems without all the tracks being listed solely under 'Untitled'.

In short this is a fantastic media player!

Japan Results

I was reading a message board earlier today and found out that the JLPT results have been released in Japan. That's about a day or so earlier than last year.

I guess this means that those of us in the UK will have to wait until the end of the month until we find out our results just like last year. Fingers crossed the system will be faster this year - I don't want to wait any longer!

Mario Galaxy

I bought Super Mario Galaxy on a friend's recommendation and so far it hasn't disappointed.

The controls feel natural after a few minutes of play. You've got all the usual Mario moves plus an additional spin attack activated by a brief shake of the controller. The ability to point at the screen adds to the game, too.

On top of the controls, it's the quirky 'hyper 3D' graphic worlds and and great Nintendo presentation that really impacts your experience. Jumping around on tiny planets and flying between them constantly changes the flow of game, even if you are chasing stars within the same galaxy.

The only downside I can find in the game so far is that it's easy. Mind you, I've only just started playing so perhaps the difficulty gradually increases. Also, I think that Mario Sunshine suffered from being too fiddly and time consuming. Maybe gamers these days really do require quick satisfaction or do I just have a decreasing attention span?!

Though the game is only just unfolding I can still already say one thing of Mario Galaxy - creative genius!

ShopTo

A special note must go to www.ShopTo.net who held up to their promise of 'Shop late - play tomorrow'. I ordered at 5:20pm and Mario Galaxy arrived the next morning - with free registered delivery!

Aussie Accent

I had a surprising conversation with a travel agent of which a small snippet is as follows:

'Will you be travelling with an Austalian passport?'
'...No. Do I sound Australian?' I replied, surprised.
'Yes, a little.'

What? How can I possibly sound Australian? Either my accent or changing or that travel agent has hearing issues.

Marathon Money

As I swivelled on my chair I was puzzled trying to work out who the guy standing beside my desk was. I'd seen him around but had never met or spoken to him before. He seemed to catch my puzzled look and held out a sheet of paper, announcing his intention to run the marathon.

The penny dropped - so he was after sponsorship. Talk about being put on the spot. Half the time I'm sure people sign away their money just out of courtesy. After all, it's hard to just say 'no' without feeling like a stingy uncharitable miser.

While I felt obliged to sign I have to say that I felt a bit irritated that somebody who didn't even know me was asking me for money. Isn't that a bit cheeky? Or is it normal to go around the whole office and ask for money from people you don't even know? Was I just being stingy?

I asked him to come back as I was just leaving for the gym. Hmm, what to say if he returns? 'No.'

Note to myself: If I ever get a place to run the marathon for charity I must remember not to put people I don't even know on the spot like that.

Head Hunter

'Darren, there's a call for you,' called my colleague. 'Strange, on my old number?' I thought, as I picked up the phone.

'Hi, is that Darren Cheng?'

This is where alarm bells started ringing. A while back the exact same thing happened - it wasn't somebody from work.

'Who's speaking?' I asked.
'Is that Darren.'
'Who's speaking.' I stubbornly repeated.

The guy on the other end of the line told me his name and company. He went on to explain that he was a head hunter and that he'd been told I was good at my job and wanted to talk to me.

I told him that I wasn't interested but he was predictably persistent and wouldn't give up. He asked for my number and e-mail but I said that if I'd never sent a CV to his company in the past that I wasn't willing to give out such information.

'How did you get this number?' I enquired.
'By a referral.'
'And you can't tell me who this person is?
'No, like I say, it's a referral.'

Other people would have just said, 'Sorry, I'm not interested. Thank you.' and hung up the phone, but I make a point of not doing that kind of thing. But this guy didn't know how to take a hint. I kept talking even if my patience was wearing very thin.

'Even if you are not interested now, you might be in a few months,' he protested.
'No, I don't think so.'
'So you want to work at your current company forever?'

For the last time I started to tell him I wasn't interested but mid-way through my sentence he hung up! He hung up on me! The cheek.

How do these people get your number? Doesn't it freak you out?

Paper Power

When you get on the train do you ever choose not to sit on a seat because there are newspapers sprawled over it? Many people do this when there are a couple of Metro newspapers on seats, particularly when they are open and untidy looking. People get on the train and you can see them scanning the carriage for a free seat but it's almost like the 'messy newspaper seat' isn't there at all.

Do you think it's some kind of human behaviour designed to avoid dirt? I've noticed myself doing the same sometimes. Something just tells me not to sit down.

So what can we learn? To avoid some big smelly man sitting down next to you, for a number of stops at least, just put your newspaper on the seat next to you in a messy looking fashion.

Murray Bashing

The time difference between the UK and Australia meant that by the time I started work this morning Andy Murray had already lost in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Of course, this prompted my colleagues to launch into their usual tirade of comments against Murray and indeed poor old Henman. I do my best to defend the British players but I think this just encourages my colleagues to bash them even more.

Murray may have lost in the first round of a Grand Slam but he's still only 20 and is already ranked 9th in the World. Credit where credit is due!

Skipping Home

Leaving work on Friday I felt happy and was looking forward to the weekend. Evidentally I wasn't the only happy person around. The guy walking in front of me suddenly started skipping! He did this a few times before breaking into jog toward the station. It reminded me of my primary school days.

Frosty Sunrise

A frosty winter morning brought a beautifully warm feeling sunrise to London. These photos were taken this morning at about 8:16, just before teeing off on hole 1 (or 10 in our case) at Stockey Park Golf Club, London.

The ground was frostry and our spikes picked up ice like we were walking in a massive freezer. As the sun rose the frost and ice began to melt and by the time we reached the last hole the course was a beautiful green.

Today was the first outing with my new clubs and on the whole it went really well, with a couple of miraculous long puts, in other words flukes, good irons and an improving feel for the driver/woods. My putting in general is awful, though.

My score was approximately 106, though I forgot to mark my score for one hole and another hole was reduced to a par 3 due to green improvements. In any case, it was a marked improvement over scoring 125 last time on the same course.

I think I'll make it my goal to be consistently scoring around 110 before the year is out. Hopefully I'll be able to play golf at least once every six weeks. Practice, practice, practice!