Compare and contrast...

Here is the perky advert London used to secure their olympic bid- its a spot the celebrity tour around London (including the former mayor of London). All jolly and happy.

This is the official olympic anthem (Survival), by Muse. Somewhat less jolly, all about winning and surviving and pushing yourself. I guess more appropiate to the athletes competing. I'm a bit of a Muse fan, so I like it. I like the hints of Queen and ELO that are in it too.

Will it inspire Team GB? who knows.

10 days to go....

cough! cough! splutter......

Yeah, not been around much recently; I was stuck down with a chest infection. Not had that before- don't want it again. I'm not sure what was worse, the hacking painful cough or the side-effects from the antibiotics or the double whammy migraine, chest infection combo (yeah, that was really lovely day off work).
Happily on the mend now, I'm getting all the health issues out the way in one go- all the tests I'd been putting off -done, getting a mole removed this Thursday too. Hopefully that should see me through another 4/5 years of not going to a doctors.
The crappy weather continues here, although the rain has let up, its still only around 12C (hard to believe that its supposed to be the middle of summer). We had some spectacular rain a couple of weeks back- never seen the sky so dark before; truly apocalyptic weather. There were numerous lightening strikes and the rain, oh the rain! an entire months worth of rain in 2 hours (on top of already saturated ground) just around the start of rush hour. My usual route home by bike was impassible, the rain had flooded the underpass completely. The alternate route home was still knee deep in water. Some houses went on fire due to lightening strikes, we just lost all internet. The rain hasn't really let up since the beginning of June really. Strange that almost as soon as half of England declared a drought, it started raining and now there has been so much rain all the hose-pipe bands have been lifted across the country.
Ah well, were would be without some useless weather to moan about- not in the UK thats for sure. Still, I hope it cheers up for the holiday I've got coming up. Oyomesan- pack your wellies and jumpers!

I got to see it!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Zip wiring from the Tyne Bridge with Bear Grylls

I can't remember, but she looks happy despite the rain! 

Oooooh..... feeling very olympicy now

light my fire

The torch has landed and is currently making its way around the UK. It will be coming past where I work on June 17th just as work finishes, I was really looking forward to seeing the torch. I'm not going to the games, so this would be the closest I could get and lets face it, its not often an olympic torch visits where you are.
Unfortunately, it seems like I'm not going to be there on that day- I'm being sent to Cambridge for a week of work. I shall have to make do with this video instead... complete with slightly cheesy epic music.

Its been so busy in work recently, I feel like I'm barely keeping on top of things. I had the added joy of some charming bug (tonsilitis, cough, feeling like crap) 2 weeks back too on top of computer woes and grumpy colleagues- just to really add to the pile...
Still at least tomorrow we're going to have a wee jubilee street party- inside, in the lab coffee room so we can try bring some joy before the extra long bank holiday weekend.
 I for one am really looking forward to having 4 days away from work, especially as I have been in and out of work at the weekends too much recently.

Something is coming....

There is no escape. Everyday a new olympic themed advert appears on the screens here.

This one I saw at the cinema and thought it was a pretty cool one (even if its for The Sun newspaper). Apparently the torch will be going by my place of work, which is kinda cool!

Springy,spring, summer

Spring is springing here- like old billie-o.

February is best left to a distant memory- it was crap in a word. Experiments failed left right and center along with equipment. It was a slog frankly and really didn't feel like interacting with anyone at all. The only good thing was joining a choir. Its just for a short time (until April), but its been really great to switch off from work and sing in a group. Its been years since I've been in one, but I'm loving it.

So far March has been an improvement, although work isn't letting up. I survived a 2 day workshop on bioinformatics- a charming combination of computers, computer language, statistics and things on chips and big scary machines with a sprinkling of statistics. My brain hurt after that. Then the whole department went into safety overdrive with the arrival of a health and safety executive visit. There were emails and spot visits and a rash of new signs and instructions. We were under strict instructions to be suited and booted in our labcoats and gloves today.....and nothing, zip, nada. Apparently they got to one place and that was it.

Now, I'm currently trying to wind things down for easter, which seems to be rapidly approaching, if the cells will let me!

Having one of those days....

Weeks....

You know....when the gods of science decree that your 14 day experiment will suddenly fail and become infected on the last day; the same one you've been trying to get to work for more than two months. When your incubators you grow cells in grow mold and suddenly stop working in cacophy of alarms and failing gas supplies.
When your careful plan of work for the day is turning into a day of being wearing masks and rubber gloves with a tub of disinfectant. And the website you really need in order to arrange going to a conference is down for 3 days and counting....

These are the days when you escape and eat cake.

A big slab of the most chocolately, gooey, moist cake....with an extra topping of chocolate sauce.

The march of time...

This time last year I was spending my last few days in Japan...It feels weird, like it was yesterday and years ago at the same time. This last year has been pretty full on...starting a new job, moving, LOTS of new things to learn in lots of places. From September to December last year it was super busy. I had reports to suddenly write and prepare, courses to do (who'd have thought that financial management could have been so fun!) and I went off to 2 weddings and met up with friends I haven't seen for years. So Christmas was a really nice break away from all of that, though I still managed to meet up with a former flatmate and another uni friend during that time.

This year is filling up too... new projects and aspects to the project will start to happen, papers to write and maybe a conference or so. I'm looking forward to Oyomesan sailing in for a visit in the summer.

so 2012 bring it on!

Happy Christmas and a Merry New year!

Found a quiet moment to sneak away from the parents open house christmas bash to say merry christmas and Happy New Year. Finally caught up on sleep- and my energy levels from all the chocolate has built up enough to power up the laptop.

Its been great being cut off from the world for a few days, just to catch my breath from jaunting around the country.

Nice pressies and relaxing with the family, taking the dog for long walks was just a perfect antidote to financial management courses and meetings and report writing.

Hope to write a little more shortly.

In the meantime, Hope everyone is having a nice festive break.

See you in 2012 (if we're all still here!)

back again

Yes, I am here...The last few months have been hectic work wise and it left me without much energy for much else. I hopefully fill in some details of the last few months- the travels were fun and exhausting at the same time. I'm enjoying having November off the travels.

Views of the previous months...

Back in the saddle again....

After a fairly quiet August, I'm off again with a month of travels. I'm glad I had a few weeks of peace and quiet, cause its going to get pretty hectic.

First though is a proper holiday with a wedding at the end. After the rubbish summer here in the UK, I'm finally off to get some proper sunshine and warmth in Italy. My first ever time and my first holiday with just my sister and I. Hopefully all the sights of Rome will keep us from killing each other too much. After Rome we're heading off to the Chianti region for my friends wedding, where I'll be singing...I'm still learning one piece, but it should all be fine now I've got it on the ol' ipod.

Once I'm back from Italy it all gets a bit hectic- with a couple of days to wash and pack for a working trip around the UK- all part of my project, and I've a few days back to change over and re-pack before heading off to Cheltenham for the wonderful Part 2 of the management course, where I'll be once again in "dragons den" mets "the apprentice" mode. Its formal business attire presentations (video'ed for ultimate torture apparently) and then a leadership course, which we have to bring "clothes that we don't mind getting wet or muddy" too. Which in the middle of October probably should be warm too, I'm guessing. Fun, fun, fun!

So Ciao for now

I leave you with one of the songs I'm singing for my friends wedding-I'd like to hope I can sound like Hayley here, though we'll only have a harp for the orchestra.

The 39 steps to a thoroughly British experience

Well we survived the 5 day mad dash tour of the UK- even managed to squeeze in some

wonderful English riots along the way. I won't say much about that except that I have seen some of the worst and best in this country, I've been ashamed, infuriated, saddened and uplifted all at the same time.

Anyway we/they managed to

1. Have close encounters of the cow variety- in the city courtesy of the Town moor in Newcastle

2. Listen to choirs practicing Parry and Elgar in Durham Cathedral

3. Eat vast quantities of fish and chips- in fact it was fish and chips 3 days in a row- score 1 for British food, or was the other food that bad??

4. Walk through Heather and wild mountain thyme

5. Eat haggis (and like it!)

6. See Salmon jumping up the Shin falls

7. Take a red London bus and sit up front, upstairs

8. Be accosted by a Dumbledore clone on the Royal mile

9. Hear bagpipes on the breeze ( the best way in my opinion) and up close and personal

10. Kilts, kilts, kilts

11. Be delayed on a train due to disruptive passengers being removed,

signalling difficulties and waiting for other trains

12. Been searched through airport security with grumpy, unhelpful staff

13. Sticky toffee pudding

14. Drunk Irn bru (I think I may have 2 coverts to the cult of Irn Bru)

15. Been munched by the terror of the west coast of Scotland...the midge

16. Whiskey tasting at 11.30am

17. Met a real Highland cow

18. See some of the (in)famous nightlife of Newcastle

19. See some of the craziness of the Edinburgh festival including synchronised leg waving, victorian magicians and a full on street musical Sound of music/austin powers cross

20. Watch the sunset behind Edinburgh castle

21. Squished on a tube, with luggage

22. Pose outside Center court in Wimbledon

23. Cross the swinging bridge of Doom over a gorge and waterfall- witnessed by a million

tourist (that one joyous terror was all mine)

24. Enjoy a pint in a proper pub

25. Insulted by Neds on Princes street

26. Sitting on a london bus, watching a Hindu festival pass by

27. Experiencing a rowdy 40th birthday party in a restaurant including joining in singing 'happy birthday'

28. Superdry stores- which have nothing to do with Japan, but have random Japanese labels on the clothes, its the reverse of Engrish

29. Pub Lunch

30. The endless wait for luggage at Heathrow

31. Sheep, everywhere

32. Toasted bacon sandwiches and mugs of tea- first class on the train

33. Wrapped up in blankets eating BBQ outside

34. Oyster cards- I'm a lucky holder of a special commerative Royal wedding one...lucky me!

35. Splurging in a Cath Kidston store- we were in there for hours

36. Takeaway Ramen - Tokyo style in Newcastle

37. toast and jam for breakfast- no random salads or hot dog sausages

38. black cabs with british flag designs...the olympic fervor is stepping up a pace here

39. Collapsing in a big heap at the end of this and needing to sleep for a week

And a few snaps from the madness...

Tour guide duty....British style

Well...hello blog, been a while again hasn't it. Not really my fault- work and life got in the way.

I came back off my management course full of confidence and ideas- which I got into practice at a meeting down in head office of the company who's part funding my project.

It was my first time there so I was a little nervous about what to expect. You know how you get these ideas of how places and people should be? that was me- I had visions of suits and suits with shiny white coats, glass windows, uber security, golf carts (like all the movies show) and well.... I got security, which was not unexpected, a few suits and mostly jeans and casual and lots of jogging people and an atmosphere like most university campuses.

Anyway the meeting went fine- it was a little weird at first not really knowing what everyone else knew, but apparently everyone seemed happy so I guess- yay for me!

From there I went off down to Wiltshire for a camping/christening weekend with my friends from uni. It was a lovely break, even if the weather was pretty terrible- heavy rain, then heavy rain and gusty winds. I think if it hadn't of stopped for a few hours each day it would

have been a pretty miserable trip.

With all this travelling on trains I wish the companies would give out train miles or loyality cards- I'd been in first class all the time with all the travelling I've done recently.

I had last weekend off to recover and this weekend by brother and family are up. Next week however, I'm on tour guide duty.

Two of my Japanese friends will be arriving for a mad dash around the UK for 5 days (as you do). We went on a 2 day bus tour of Rishiri and Rebun islands together 2 years ago- that was a strange Japanese experience.

Everyone one else (who were significantly older too) got up at ridiculously early hours in the morning and stomped around the ryokans we stayed in and then we had to practically run around all the stops we had on the tour to keep up with the rest of the group as they zoomed around the various sights of the islands. This time we're travelling by trains, planes and automobiles as opposed to trains, buses and ferries. It should be good fun, we're heading up north to my parents house for a couple of nights-a cultural exchange. Hopefully my Mum will not fully implode with stress before they arrive (and that my Dad and sister remain sane in the face of my mother in full on Visitor mode).

Can I eat my own words?

Well here I am in my luxury hotel- just checking in with my email and life before another 3 course dinner. Dare I say it- I'm actually really enjoying myself on this course- I have learnt even more bizarre terms and acronyms- SWOT and PESTLE and all sorts of goodies like that and you know what- its all starting to make sense. Maybe there is a manager lurking under this scientist.

I've got another 2 days left here in my little luxury manager course bubble before the realities of the project might taint this happy feeling, but I think I may even be able to take charge a bit more and be more assertive.

It is a lovely break away from lab life- get up in the morning from my giant soft bed and black out- curtained room and amble along for a buffet breakfast, then an hour and half of work before tea and biscuit break. After another hour and a half it's lunchtime- another buffet with hot and cold food and desserts of chocolate cake. Then another session before afternoon tea and brownie or tea and scones. A bit of a break before dinner to take in some pool and sauna in the hotel before the next feast arrives and then we've been heading off the pub. I could get used to this life- though my stomach and liver may not.

Learning the language of *%@#**

Oh hell, I know I've not been very good at blogging. Its been hard to find the energy and something to write about too. Truth be told I've not been very good at getting anything going recently. I think I've been caught up in getting used to my new job and learning the ropes of all this new job entails, as well as catching up on friends, family and carrot cake.

Part of this is learning the business side of research and the language that apparently goes with it. And boy has it been frustrating at times.

The research side I love and really enjoy, already I've learnt some new things and I think I've nearly got the whole working with other people down pat (I'm almost surprised how easy that's been), but my funding is part university, part company and part government and this means I have to attend courses and fill out many forms along. Things like personal development plans, forcefield analysis, executive reports- things that take me far from my comfort zone. I'm happy in my world of PCR, western blots, shRNA, siRNA and transfections etc. (I'd explain, but that would take hours- so try the font of all knowledge known as wikipedia for an overview of those terms should you wish to know more;or bore yourself to death)

Now I have to take on a whole new world of language, and I've found it kinda frustrating because so much of it seems like rubbish. So much of it seems like stupid terms which hide what are in fact simple things; executive summary? Actually just a summary of work:forcefield analysis- nothing to do with Star trek, is just a list of people or things that influence the progress of a project. I think its this whole perverting simple ideas by wrapping it in crap terminology that has me bugged.

Unfortunately, I've got to embrace this language to complete this project; I'm off to a course in a couple of weeks which will will involve all of this so I'd best start embracing this sooner rather than later. The only consolation is that this course will be in a luxury country house hotel with pool and spa.

Wordless, but not soundless Wednesday

Wanderlust weekends

Phew...I'm having day 2 of resting up and its so good. I feel like I haven't really stopped for the last couple of months, moving flats, getting to grips with work and then I've been out and about visiting friends and family. I popped to Edinburgh at the beginning of April to meet up with my friends, who were across from Sweden on a conference and a fresh arrival out from Sapporo to here to wait for their work permit to head to Sweden. O was in Tokyo getting his visa for the UK on the day of the March 11th earthquake so it was good to see him.The weather was a lovely early spring day

From there I decided to pay a surprise Mothers day visit on my family- another 4 hours north of Edinburgh. It paid off, she had no idea and was grumping at the lack of card before I arrived unexpectedly; of course later she says she knew I was coming...

It was a lovely trip up and down, through some of my favourite scenery. Parts of Hokkaido always reminded me of parts of Scotland (maybe thats why it was easy to live there...). The following weekend, it was party time at the racecourse in Newcastle, where I managed to bag a prize from the prize draw, not the tickets to New York, but still very much appreciated.

A couple of weekends at home and then I was off travelling for Easter- down to London to meet up with some more friends for a trip to see the fantastic Legally Blonde musical and chill out in pre-wedding, heat wave tourist infested London.

Well, after all that its been nice to be a tad lazy, although when I say lazy, I have spend most of my weekends popping into the lab with various experiments to do and paperwork to try and catch up on. I think its all the work thats been keeping me really, really busy recently. and I still feel like I've got loads to catch up on and get to grips with...still, but more on that later (if I have time).

Golden weekend

Yes, I'm still around. I'm enjoying the super extended weekend, thanks to a certain wedding (what! you mean you haven't heard about it? or seen the highlights repeated or the special edition newspapers/magazines/mugs or chocolates? have you been in a coma?).

I should be able to catch up on all of my recent travels, this being the first weekend in well over a month that I'm not somewhere else or having people over.

Wordless Friday

Thank goodness its Friday...Chill out in front of the TV

100th post from the new pad

Well apparently I've written 100 posts, or maybe thats written but not posted 100. Anyway Woo hoo! go me.

I've been a bit quiet on the old internet recently, due to moving out of the temporary uni accommodation into my new spacious flat of loveliness. This place didn't have internet...something I really find I really do need. My new place also has a flatmate , but she has no computer and no need for internet access...something which I and the guys in work find almost an alien concept. She's not old and is working at a perfectly modern job, but has no need for internet access.

Anyway, as of last Tuesday there is now glorious broadband installed in my lovely Edwardian Era flat, it took the poor old engineer 4 hours to get it in as the phone line seemed to have been installed in the Edwardian Era as well. I am glad to be able to freely check my emails of an evening or surf you tube, catch up on blogs and friends far away and finally free to watch UK TV and start re-discovering who's in and what crap there is to watch too.

I think about 10 days ago though I was very glad of my non-existent internet, the panic inducing, over reacting, constantly updating news from Japan was really getting to me. It was terrible listening to the news in the UK, according to them the WHOLE of Japan was at imminent risk of meltdown, foreigners fleeing and deserted Tokyo streets and stores, which I couldn't help feel really took away from those genuinely suffering in there smashed and swamped towns and was also really creating a panic here for those who have friends or relatives out in Japan. Watching the NHK news and reading the blogs of you lot out there painted a somewhat less over-reacting scene that the news painted over here- thankfully I might add. Added to this I was playing at Japan expert around the lunch and coffee tables in work as everyone asked about where I was and what was happening. The news I did get to watch left me disturbed and I had quite a few disturbing dreams. It was a relief to get to last Friday when the whole Libyan thing overtook the earthquake and tsunami news here. Not really sure what's happening in Libya and why we're there, but apparently no-one is minding at the moment (well maybe a certain Colonel and his cohort is...).

Aside from that life goes on here, work is pretty good- the boss seems happy with our progress anyway. I've already been learning new techniques, even been to a few talks too. I've even been to a Wedding reception; one of the post docs in the department got married out in a lovely country hall up near Morpeth and we all got an invite to the evening reception. It was a lovely night out, I even managed to get some dancing in (good ol' wedding disco music- 60's music for the parents and uncles, pop for the youngsters and some random stuff for the groom and his friends).

I'm looking forward to having a quiet weekend to really unpack and sort out the place properly, though not this weekend- I'm off to Edinburgh to meet up with S and her fiance O (fresh from Sapporo) for the day before a surprise Mother's day trip up home. Nor the next weekend, when I'm off to a ball up a the racecourse. Hopefully soon though. And shortly I will post some piccys- they're taken, they just need uploading, but as its now 1am and I have a western blot to run tomorrow I'd probably should get some sleep.

Night night for now