It's now 06:09 in the morning, and I'm catching up on yesterday's blog. Had lunch at a Cambodian restaurant during the day with the department, and had chicken curry and a little bit of catfish.
Went to the Great Mall after work with Prasad and Manjula. Suprised that "the biggest mall in bla bla bla whatever" was only on one floor - just a big bungalow really. Wandered round never-ending clothes shops with them, and bought some replacement sunglasses for £1.50 for the ones I've lost on this trip. Had lamb curry. It couldn't be chicken curry again - I like to have a balanced diet.
Just had my final night in the hotel. I couldn't check in online last night as the system was down for maintenance, but I've finally managed to do it now - though I still haven't fathomed out how to print the boarding pass, because the Print Boarding Pass button doesn't work.
See you all soon!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Review time
Didn't do very well with my lift-sharing today. Prasad was not out of bed when I went to pick him and his manager up at 8.30am - he said would take a taxi later, so I just took his manager to work. And I didn't see/hear from them on the way back this evening (I wasn't online at the usual going home time, but they know where I am) so I assume they caught a taxi!
My colleagues seemed generally happy with my weekend's work, but have come up with a variety of changes. I have to do a detailed video and a summary video - and I thought I was doing the summary video, but it seems they think it has enough detail to be the detailed video. So overall I think that makes less work than I anticipated, which is good.
Last full day in the office tomorrow... hooray - nearly time to go home! (Though I might miss the weather, which has been warm and sunny and mostly not too hot, every day).
My colleagues seemed generally happy with my weekend's work, but have come up with a variety of changes. I have to do a detailed video and a summary video - and I thought I was doing the summary video, but it seems they think it has enough detail to be the detailed video. So overall I think that makes less work than I anticipated, which is good.
Last full day in the office tomorrow... hooray - nearly time to go home! (Though I might miss the weather, which has been warm and sunny and mostly not too hot, every day).
Sunday, August 3, 2008
A morning off
Well, I didn't notice the disco whilst dropping off to sleep last night. The morning started early with a call from Sarah at 4:15am to wish me a good morning, thinking it was 8:15. It then started again when the hotel alarm clock had been set (not by me) for 5:30am. It started for real when my own alarm went off at 6am. Trying to get up early and go to bed early so I'm not so far out of the UK timezone for when I return.
I took the morning off today, and decided to see what the churches in the area were like. I went to the Family Community Church (FCC) - which was very big. The "pastor" mentioned it was half a mile if you walked all the way round. The church had about 40 seats across and 17 seats from front to back, and there were two huge TVs at the front, with a video operator down each side, as well as a stage which was lit in many different colors. The place was about two thirds full for their 9am service, and there was another service at 11am. The style reminded me of CBC Church in Chelmsford - not least because the sermon was on giving! The service was in two halves - loud worship music first, and a talk in the second half. (You might be able to listen to it here though it didn't work for me). It was a lot more happy-clappy than CBC - but not as much as I had been expecting. I'd go again but would look for an alternative first!
This afternoon, I went into work (where they have microwave ovens for dinner) and finished off the first half of the video I've been creating. I think it's not too bad - but I will see what the rest of them think about it tomorrow!
I took the morning off today, and decided to see what the churches in the area were like. I went to the Family Community Church (FCC) - which was very big. The "pastor" mentioned it was half a mile if you walked all the way round. The church had about 40 seats across and 17 seats from front to back, and there were two huge TVs at the front, with a video operator down each side, as well as a stage which was lit in many different colors. The place was about two thirds full for their 9am service, and there was another service at 11am. The style reminded me of CBC Church in Chelmsford - not least because the sermon was on giving! The service was in two halves - loud worship music first, and a talk in the second half. (You might be able to listen to it here though it didn't work for me). It was a lot more happy-clappy than CBC - but not as much as I had been expecting. I'd go again but would look for an alternative first!
This afternoon, I went into work (where they have microwave ovens for dinner) and finished off the first half of the video I've been creating. I think it's not too bad - but I will see what the rest of them think about it tomorrow!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Out for a drive
There is a wedding going on in the hotel tonight - and as my room is directly above the disco, the floor and all the furniture is currently vibrating about once a second.
Had a fairly productive day today. The room I've been working in all week has been very cold, as the air conditioning is over-excitable. But today, the air conditioning was off, so it was very hot instead. So I spent the morning in the room, early afternoon outside on the bench under an umbrella until my battery went flat (well, the laptop's battery) and then I found that the air conditioning was on in the reception area, so I worked in there for the rest of the afternoon. The canteen was shut at lunch, but I was Lucky-ly prepared with food.
When I left work, I went for a short drive. The landscape of the area is quite interesting - there are quite a few hills around - but there are either quite steep hills, or no hills. It's how I'd imagine the landscape to be if I was very small and driving around a baking tray full of funny shaped meringues. I was a bit surprised to find fairly small roads (though still easily wide enough for two cars) and lots of steep hair-pin bends. (Click here and "drive" along the road using the arrow keys on your keyboard - only the last bit of the hill has been mapped, most of the bends were further up). I stopped by a lake in Metcalf Park on the way back briefly and went for a short walk in the sun.
Well, that's it for now, I think I'll go to sleep on all 4 pillows to absorb the vibrations.
Had a fairly productive day today. The room I've been working in all week has been very cold, as the air conditioning is over-excitable. But today, the air conditioning was off, so it was very hot instead. So I spent the morning in the room, early afternoon outside on the bench under an umbrella until my battery went flat (well, the laptop's battery) and then I found that the air conditioning was on in the reception area, so I worked in there for the rest of the afternoon. The canteen was shut at lunch, but I was Lucky-ly prepared with food.
When I left work, I went for a short drive. The landscape of the area is quite interesting - there are quite a few hills around - but there are either quite steep hills, or no hills. It's how I'd imagine the landscape to be if I was very small and driving around a baking tray full of funny shaped meringues. I was a bit surprised to find fairly small roads (though still easily wide enough for two cars) and lots of steep hair-pin bends. (Click here and "drive" along the road using the arrow keys on your keyboard - only the last bit of the hill has been mapped, most of the bends were further up). I stopped by a lake in Metcalf Park on the way back briefly and went for a short walk in the sun.
Well, that's it for now, I think I'll go to sleep on all 4 pillows to absorb the vibrations.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Pillow Fright anyone?
I returned to my hotel room, after a day in which I finished collecting the raw materials for the video that I will start putting together tomorrow, I saw that a card had been placed on my bed. It said "Welcome", which was nice - if just a few days late. I also noticed that instead of the usual 5 pillows, they had just left 4, which I think should be enough for even the hardest-headed sleeper. But if I had felt deprived, I could take comfort from my Welcome card:
It read "I've taken special care to prepare your room..." etc. "We now offer a Pillow Menu (tm) program (see reverse side) designed just for you." For me? I see now why it took a few days to produce this card. "If one of these other pillow types will help you enjoy a more restful sleep, just call Guest Services. We'll be happy to bring your choice right up." On the back, there is a choice of Firm Synthetic pillow for people who sleep on their side; Medium Down pillow for back or stomach sleepers; Firm Down for sleepers desiring support and luxury; and U-Shaped Neck pillow for those with a u-shaped neck.
Come to think about it, after a long day at the laptop, I do have a u-shaped neck. I do sleep on my side, and on my stomach, and support and luxury is good too. Ah, perhaps that's why they've given me 4 pillows? I must remember to wake up and switch pillow whenever I turnover, so that "I can enjoy a more restful sleep".
It read "I've taken special care to prepare your room..." etc. "We now offer a Pillow Menu (tm) program (see reverse side) designed just for you." For me? I see now why it took a few days to produce this card. "If one of these other pillow types will help you enjoy a more restful sleep, just call Guest Services. We'll be happy to bring your choice right up." On the back, there is a choice of Firm Synthetic pillow for people who sleep on their side; Medium Down pillow for back or stomach sleepers; Firm Down for sleepers desiring support and luxury; and U-Shaped Neck pillow for those with a u-shaped neck.
Come to think about it, after a long day at the laptop, I do have a u-shaped neck. I do sleep on my side, and on my stomach, and support and luxury is good too. Ah, perhaps that's why they've given me 4 pillows? I must remember to wake up and switch pillow whenever I turnover, so that "I can enjoy a more restful sleep".
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Happy Go Lucky
After work this evening I took one of my colleagues, Prasad, back to his hotel and discovered the local supermarket called Lucky, which I visited in the hope of finding potential food supplies for the weekend when the work canteen is not open. The supermarket did indeed contain food, and lots of it. I also scouted out some takeaways - if the worst comes to the worst, there is a Macdonalds just round the corner. So if I go there instead of the supermarket, I will definitely be unLucky.
I went back to the hotel, to do a bit more work, and instead put the television on. I have noticed that every other advert appears to be for one medicine or other, and all end with warnings of various length, in a voice going as fast as Sarah eating chocolate. One warning tonight seemed to go on forever "Do not use if you have diabetes, high blood level, heart disease, high sugar levels, or if you are feeling faint, claustrophobic, have sneezed, coughed or are feeling in any other way ill.... Please insult your doctor before use".
So I've just gone back to Lucky, bought some asprin, and called my doctor a fish. As all good newspapers do - if you're lacking in proper news, make some of it up. Night night.
I went back to the hotel, to do a bit more work, and instead put the television on. I have noticed that every other advert appears to be for one medicine or other, and all end with warnings of various length, in a voice going as fast as Sarah eating chocolate. One warning tonight seemed to go on forever "Do not use if you have diabetes, high blood level, heart disease, high sugar levels, or if you are feeling faint, claustrophobic, have sneezed, coughed or are feeling in any other way ill.... Please insult your doctor before use".
So I've just gone back to Lucky, bought some asprin, and called my doctor a fish. As all good newspapers do - if you're lacking in proper news, make some of it up. Night night.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunny Gym
Last time I came to this area, it was January, and there was plenty of rain. This time, you can notice the absence of rain for a while, by the fact that the sky is always blue, the hills are covered in yellow grass, and by the fact that everywhere else the grass is green and about 2 inches deep. This is courtesy of sprinklers - everywhere. Tons of sprinklers, and tons of water being sprinkled - over the too-thick-to-walk-through-so-why-bother grass, over "sidewalks" and "parking lots" and down drains.
When I got back to the hotel tonight I fancied a quick walk, so I went downstairs and first had a quick walk round the hotel ground floor- and noticed there was a gym. I had a go at the hill walking machine, and I climbed "40 floors" in 5 minutes, using 31 calories -before deciding that getting hot in a small room with no daylight did not compete with going for a real walk and seeing something for real. So I left the gym - and went for a walk from the hotel, passed lots of business units, with lots of nice grass, and lots of sprinklers.
When I got back to the hotel tonight I fancied a quick walk, so I went downstairs and first had a quick walk round the hotel ground floor- and noticed there was a gym. I had a go at the hill walking machine, and I climbed "40 floors" in 5 minutes, using 31 calories -before deciding that getting hot in a small room with no daylight did not compete with going for a real walk and seeing something for real. So I left the gym - and went for a walk from the hotel, passed lots of business units, with lots of nice grass, and lots of sprinklers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)