My Blue Heaven

I need one of these for Coltrane!

Heehee. My chubby kitty could do with one of these. Hm.. maybe a project for my dad…? 😉

Swimmingly cold

I went swimming again last night coz I haven’t been in over a week and my tense shoulders really needed the release. The weather hasn’t been very warm over the past few weeks (15 – 20ish degs with a fair bit of rain too) and it was probably around 17/18 degs when I went swimming last night – so I was prepared for it to be a bit chilly, but it wouldn’t be too bad. So I thought.

So I arrived, and I noticed there were only about 10 people in the pool. Then I went in… and I realised why there were only 10 people there. It. Was. Frikkin. FREEZING!!! I burst into some speedy freestyle completing a lap in record time in the effort to warm my body up. When I finished the lap, it was still freezing and my muscles had gone numb from the cold. It was so cold, I found it a little difficult to breathe. But I endured. And I warmed up slightly by about the 4th lap. The water still felt cold though. And it was cold throughout the 11 laps (1km) I stubbornly managed to complete. Proud I am.

After my swim, I took an extremely nice hot shower (thank God they have hot showers!) I literally felt my body slowly thaw out, with that tingly feeling, like in winter when your hands have been out in the cold too long and you warm them under a hot tap.

So I guess my swimming days are almost over. 🙁 They close to the public from Oct onwards, and from Sept are open to only members in the evenings (after 5pm). Damn that gives me 9 days left of swimming after work. *sigh* This makes me wish I was back in Oz. I’m gonna miss swimming.

Voglio parlare Italiano con lei

(Translation: I want to speak Italian with you). Yep, I’m learning Italian! Slowly! Tis not an easy task going from absolutely zero knowledge of italian to a functional & useful conversational level in just a few weeks! I’ve been using the acclaimed Michel Thomas course, listening to it on my ipod at every spare moment. I must look strange muttering to myself on trains, buses etc. He’s supposed to have a very unique method of teaching languages based on understanding rather than memorisation, which enables you to learn a new language very quickly, with no homework necessary! I just hope all the reviews are true, coz this trip is coming up soon and I’m only at the end of cd 1 (there are 6 cds)! But its been fun so far.. I’m enjoying the experience of learning a new language, especially with the goal of actually using it in Italy.

Mi dispiace ma non posso parlare italiano molto buono adesso.

More YouTube

Yay! I found my absolute favourite Kelly Clarkson performance ever. Actually this is my absolutely favourite American Idol performance too. 🙂 I just wished she sang more stuff like this now.. or even more soulful stuff, and less pop/rock.

More gizmo!

Youtube fans may have noticed the latest video featured on the home page is a copy of that gizmo flushes video I linked to last month. Anyway, I only just noticed they have another gizmo video too. Check it out.. soooo hilarous. Heehee.. poor naughty kitty. I want a kitty like gizmo!

Dizzy

Had the day off sick on Monday. I woke up in the morning after a pretty restful weekend (only went out on saturday to watch 2 movies – Cars and Miami Vice) and a decent nights sleep. But then I sat up in bed, and I just suddenly felt dizzy, room spinning, vertigo sorta dizzy. Had to lie back down again. I tried getting up and having a shower, thinking I’d feel better afterwards, but I still felt dizzy. When I walked, I had this definite lean to the right.. kept walking into the wall! :/ Going to work was looking unlikely, so I booked an appointment to see the doctor. Turns out she reckons I have some sort of inner ear virus. I can’t remember the name.. either Labyrinthitis or Vestibular Neuronitis? Anyway, she said it was a virus and so no meds would help. She just prescribed some Procholorperazine to help with the dizzyness and nausea, if I needed it.

So I’m back at work today, was feeling ok this morning, but I’m starting to feel slightly dizzy again. I do wonder why this occurs. I’ve had it on occasion over the last 3 – 5 years I think. Whenever I get very tired to the point of exhaustion, I’ll get this onset of vertigo.. though I’ve never thrown up from it. I wonder what the cause really is. The doctors diagnosis seemed a bit.. not very well researched. She only took my blood pressure and asked a few questions. No other tests or much interest in background history etc. Anyways. I guess thats what you get with the NHS – a free health system giving quantity over quality. England’s healthcare kinda sucks.

Snip snip

In other news, got myself a £10 hair cut (trim is probably more accurate) on the weekend! Cheap cheap! It was at the Rush hair academy, where they train junior or even senior hair stylists, and they need models to practice on. Rush is now what Toni & Guy was a few years ago. Anyway, the hair cut was free, and the £10 was just for the blowdry. Bargain! And an awesome blowdry she did – she wanted to show off the soft layers so she gave my hair a bit more volume and movement with piecey, flicky ends. I loved it so much I did a mini photo shoot when I got home, with kwai’s SLR. Hehe. Check it.

Heheh. I hardly ever get a blowdry these days coz it’s too expensive. In fact its been 5 months since my last hair cut! I know, there’s hardly any difference – I only trimmed my fringe a bit and maybe an inch or two off the dry ends. I’m trying to grow the layers out a bit coz they were cut too short last time.

And finally.. here are some pics of me and kwai’s cooking endeavours recently. Been really getting into cooking at my place coz am trying to save money blah blah. Anyway, I reckon it’s fun to cook, and the food is usually nicer, not to mention half the price. 🙂

Current listening :: “First Love” – Utada Hikaru