Who would have thought...

And I thought today would be just like any ole Monday. Some idiot parked in my spot....making me even later for work than usual. I agonized over what would be THE most appropriate way of dealing with the situation. Blocking the car with my own car ( and risking the wrath of the owner ), removing some air from the tyres ( that would make it less economical ...using more petrol and hurting it where it would) or merely parking somewhere else. But where?

I did a bit of thinking( and a bit of cursing under my breath ) and decided to get a "higher authority" involved. Thankfully the car disappeared by the time I got back to it. Arrived midway through some discussion which ended earlier than expected.

And then off to check my mail. And THAT's where I was very plesasntly surprised. I wanted to whoop and hop about when i read it.

If only I knew what was in store for me. The author of Petite Anglaise has left a comment on my blog. BLESS Her!!

Finally...

There is no Petite Anglaise at MPH. The lady sitting behind the information counter checked for me. She also looked bored and inefficient.( But I'm sure she just LOOKED inefficient...but is in fact efficient.) So now, the direct opposite of emotions is stirred. I am now , more than ever, determined to get my hands on this book.

Wanted:
One book named Petite Anglaise
Author: Catherine Sanderson
Publisher:Michael joseph
Price:?
Due to be out in March 2008 ( UK )
Other commonwealth countries: May 2008

Malaysia is a commonwealth country isn't it? ( a very jessica simpson - bimbo question ) But I need to know so I'm asking it.

Headlines on yahoo this morning..

NO MORE PERFECT TEN FOR GYMNASTS!

Nadia Comaneci thrilled with world with the first ever perfect TEN in 1976 in Montreal. If the new rules had been applied back then ....she would have been famous for getting the first perfect 17...or is it 15. Doesn't sound as nice as a perfet ten...but I'm sure there must have been much discussion before this change. The electronic boards weren't equipt to flash a ten...so nadia got a 1:00 instead.

What do these two gymnast have in common...along with Mary Lou Retton? They're all trained by Bela Karoli.

La Petite Anglaise

Blogs are mushrooming in the bloggo-sphere...so how do you choose which to read? You know, a good example of how you get information when you least expect is this experience: reading a dog-eared magazine and finding out...about petite Anglaise. What is appealing is that this lady is living the dream of almost every blogger ( including self). Who wouldn't want to be offered a book deal?? Speared out of obscurity right into the limelight following an interview on the telegraph.

This 35 year old English woman, a graduate in French and German from Bath university, living in France finds herself terminated from her job when the boss finds out the existence of her blog.

There's an attempt at being protecting names, ex-husband is known as Mr Frog and daughter as "tadpole". Nor does she use her own name...but the by uploading her photograph and describing her daily life with snippets of work-life ( you can't avoid talking about work surely ) ...this qualifies her to have her post terminated. Gross Misconduct?

The bookcover looks very chic-lit...but it promises to be entertaining and with such an interesting start to the book, wouldn't you want a copy yourself?

Co DO

I was going to talk about bibimbap but there's no picture available. Didn't bring camera yesterday night. So this is...in its place a bowl of vietnamese dry vermicelli noodle. I'm not sure whether it's a typical vietnamese meal. Wikipedia failed to answer this query. Have you noticed vietnamese food is not oily? And that you don't suffer so much from the horrible sluggish after meal lethargy ??I vote they sell these at local canteens. We'll have more productive people nation-wide then

Father's day 2008

It's THAT time of the year again. Since I found Cellicakes I have been partial to that shop. Banana cake with spots on them. But instead of a picture of the cake, this time, I decided it would be more fitting to upload a smiling dad instead.

Picture taken after the first bite. Must have been tasty. The man rarely smiles.

Happy Father's day 2008.

Ho Chin Minh , Vietnam

The reason for being in Saigon.

Spoilt for choice. Coffee galore

Good reproductions for a fraction of the price back home

Notre Dame Cathedral

The general post office

The locals at work....or is it resting?

Damai Puri

Red Sky shepherd's delight. Within minutes the blue sky turned a warm red. Picture taken at the balcony at Damai Puri resort Kuching. Overlooking south china sea. ( the quotation was 100% accurate). The following day was MIGHTY hot.

A change in restaurant

I'm pissed the cockroach incident has happened. Not so much because we didn't get a free meal after ( which as gnightgirl rightly pointed out ) we SHOUD have, but because I can no longer bring myself to eat there. I settled for Thai food last night. Because of a bout of sniffles, I couldn't appreciate the tom yam soup. But I suspect even if I had my full sense of smell, the meal would still have been a mediocre one. Boo Hoo!!

Is this a fair deal?

What would you have done....if a friendly visitor Mr Cockroach paid you a visit during your dinner?? I shan't exaggerate so may I correct myself and say a weeny cockroach but still a COCKROACH nonetheless dropped from the ceiling ( I think ) or popped out of the plate ( which would have meant it was there throughout the first part of the meal..PUKE PUKE ). I pushed the chair back...and leaned away. The waiter came..and ( stoopidly I thought ) took the plate away after which time he just stood there looking. Thankfully a more senior person ( much more sensible ) decided to diffuse this potentially embarrasing situation. He swiftly directed us to a new table...apologies with just the right tone of voice and gave us new meals.

Of course the meal was spoilt. For me at least. Having to wait an additional 15 minutes while my burger was being cooked kind of took the edge of the hunger pangs. At the end of the meal, we got a 10% discount for not making a fuss. Is that the politically correct thing to do??

Reading material update...

Initially ( to be more specific I'm referring in particular to about 7 to 8 days ago ) I'd been feeling like I was in a rut. ( reading-wise). I'd just finished Melissa Hill's " last to know", which for those of you out there looking for a fast paced chic-lit type of book...this is IT, when I realised I didn't know what I would like to read next. There was a definite anticlimax.

Then slowly ( it's always when you're not trying too hard ), the momentum picked up and like magic I found (in my pile of second hand books ) JUST the book to cheer me up.

I've tried googling John Verney. This is what I do when I like a book. The sudden , urgent need to know more about the author. Where have you been all my life? You know, that kind of feeling.

Here's a list of books he's written..

1) friday's Tunnel

2)Going to the wars

3)Fine day for a picnic

4)Verney Abroad

5)February's Road

6)Look at the houses.

BTW, the book I'm reading has exactly the same cover as the picture I found on the net. Published by Puffin Books in 1969. I wasn't even born then. Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to enjoy the book.

Aaaah to be appreciated

My year 3 students ( who are now in year 4 ) send 7 tokens of their appreciation...for teaching them. Thank you very much.