Bonfire of the Dictators

Kim jong-il is added to the role call of dicators who have gone in 2011.  The attendance at the evil dictators club meetings is going to be significantly reduced without Kim, Gadaffi, and Mubarak.  It is too much to hope that Mugabe will soon be missing meetings too?

This week's hotel room - Radisson Edwardian, London

Stayed here before, and it continues to be fine.  If I wasn't full of cold it would be finer.

Jet lag and culture shock

The view from my hotel room just now.  The Fireworks were so close I could feel the percussive shock on the window pane.  I don't know what they are for.
 
KL is a strange mixture.  There are women in Niqab, as you might expect in a muslim country.  However the ethnic Chinese have a different dress sense - have just been on an escalator fact to posterior of a young lady wearing 4 inch heels and a pair of what I believe are called Daisy Dukes - denim shorts that just about cover the bottom.  The view was not unedifying - just a culture shock to someone acclimatised to the middle east.

One more thing

Lovely though it is, this hotel room is as dark as most.  I know they want us out in the restaurants and bars spending money, but is it too much to ask that we have sufficient illumination for when we want to work in our rooms?

This week's hotel room - Ritz Carlton, Kuala Lumpur

It's as nice as you might think.  And of course, cheaper than the Radisson previously posted because it is not in London.  At least according to one of my delegates - I'm not paying for this one either.  Outside it is rainly fairly constantly.  That is why KL is so lush.  My only complaints are about the food - it is lovely but rather slow to arrive, and not my sort of dishes.  But again, it's paid for by the client so I cannot complain.  I have no idea why there are 3 sets of pillows.   Are they suggesting something?

Another suitcase, another hall - Radisson Edwardian, London

Another hotel room.  This is the Radisson Edwardian which is jolly nice.  I have stayed here before.  Lovely as it is the best thing is that it is just across the road from the British Museum.  Apparently it is not as expensive as you might think - luckily I dont have to know.  The building visible through the window is the Radisson Kennilworth which is across the road.  I guess there was not the room to expand on one of the sites, and so they bought one across the road.  Also jolly nice.

this week's hotel room - Gloria Hotel, Media City, Dubai

Pretty nice really.  Somewhat surprised to be here, but it is ok.  All the rooms appear to be suites, and are probably residences.  Which may account for why for the first time I have a washing machine in my hotel room.  Or to be more precise rooms.  Apparently it is a dry hotel, but I have not noticed.  The view from the 24th floor is of the 20 lanes of Sheikh Zayed Road.  However from the 41st floor you get an amazing view of The Palm, and the Atlantis hotel.  The Burg Al Arab is just around the corner of the view, as are the remains of The World - a bunch of sandbanks designed to look like an exploded map of the world.  Now abandoned I believe.

Reaper dodging

The breadcrumbs little helper appears to have dodged the bullet.

I am old father time..

Next year I am 50.  This year the BBC is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the first BBC television broadcast.  I have been alived for 2/3 of the history of television.

Gosh that is old.  Here I am.  Hurtling into the future, one day at a time, and I don't realise what a time traveller I am.

Facebook just reminded me that it is 24 years since I finished my doctorate.  The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is just 27.

As Sandy Denny sang, who knows where the time goes.

Reaper

I thought it was the wolf in the garden, but it feels like it might be the grim reaper.  Sonia and Jonathan gone in 2 weeks, and waiting for M's results.  Mogh a few weeks ago.  L & M having irregular heartbeats.

Feels like Death is using my facebook friends list as a To Do list.

I am become death the destroyer of worlds.

Season of doom

It is peeing down, autumn is here, money isnt and it is hard to keep a positive thought in your head.  Into this mix we are thrown the bombshell that the breadcrumb's little helper, M, has a tumour the size of a grapefruit.  We are all still in the denial and keeping on going phases.  But it is a gutter for a very important person in all of our lives.  More tests and then surgery.  Let us hope it is still in time.

Woof

here comes the black dog.

And I miss my white cat.

Here comes the rain again

After a late burst of summer the rain and cold are back with a vengence.  My shoulder is aching, its chucking it down, and we are out of money.  I can feel the winter depression gathering strength before it launches at me.

Going to  the gym has helped me be physically in better shape for this winter (the shoulder is nothing to do with that), and I should have plenty of work in the next 2 1/2 months - but the black dog is back sniffing at the picket fence again.

Still, I'm not down yet.  And I'm still alive, in the game, and have got grounds for optimism about the next 3 months.

It’s Ed

Personally I went for David.  I hope we don’t regret this.

Meanwhile, with the other reds – roll on next season (yes, already).

and that's the season

So, we lost to Chelsea, and that's the season over. I could hardly watch, but realistically we were not up to the job.

Summer's gone

It feels like autumn already. Apparently the coldest summer for nearly 20 years.

Still the breadcrumbs are off to tennis camp.

a week or so ago I couldn't face the thought of football - England were still beating India at Cricket. Now it feels right. The reggae CDs are coming out of the car until next April - they just don't sound right.

The black dog is still prowling the garden, but I'm trying to keep it at bay.

The cat is dying and that is not a good thing for the family, or the poor brave warrior himself.

Times are hard. It is the strain that kills

Still, at least Liverpool's season has extended past August. Which is not always the case. And for once Arsenal and Spurs are the teams suffering. Which means there is a chance we can make the Champion's league again. The two Manc teams look too strong for us to have a chance of the title. But you never know.

Outside it's Blade Runner

For what seems no good reason I find myself in Kuala Lumpur. It is night and raining. And indeed, it appears to be Blade Runner. Ok, there are no flyers and I have not actually seen Deckard hunting replicants, but apart from that this is it exactly. Constant rain,

Enjoy Every Sandwich

Warren Zevon's advice to us all.  Our small group is one fewer this week.  A reminder that the worst things in life come some idle Tuesday.  Even when things are going well, bad things can come out of nowhere.  And no matter how bad things are at the moment for many of us, if your worries are only financial then things could be worse.

Film reviews

Been watching movies recently.

Some good ones - 4 Lions, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, All that Jazz.

All that Jazz is a classic. They dont make them like that anymore. Hadnt seen it in a couple of decades, but it is still great. Off the wall, and for me the best film about showbusiness outside of the Producers.

Scott Pilgrim did not dissappoint. My GLW hated it and turned off. For me, steeped in comics, it was brilliant. Extremely funny, visually inventive, and generally wizzbang. I can see why it bombed though. It veered between comic book and realism far too much for anyone but geeks. Can't wait to see it again.

4 Lions is a work of genius. Anyone with an interest in islamic terrorism should see this film. As the director Chris Morris said, it does for Al Queda what Dad's Army did for the Home Guard. Should win an Oscar. Funny, empathic, surreal, satirical, grounded, sad. Everything you need.

One that was disappointing was Inception. Very Pretty but no emotional content, and the twist is only a twist if you dont watch a lot of SF.

And this early in the season Liverpool vs Spurs is going to be pretty important. If Spurs lose it will be easier for us to finish above them.

Summer's gone

2 days back at school, and it feels like autumn. And what is with the need for Astronauts costumes?

The link about covers my views on the US Republican party - see here