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.