I Ching

We stopped at this used book shop, and saw a few books on I Ching.

There are so many ancient texts and epic poems I have been meaning to read but never motivated enough to read it on my own.

Additionally, I could easily get it from the library.

Just wish Coursera would have a course on it, so the lecturer would read and explain it to me.  Let me search around, there are probably plenty of these lectures.

Chocolate and Banana Pancakes

We made some pancakes on Sunday for breakfast, but I forgot the Maple syrup.  Then Sarah suggested a chocolate sauce, which was a great idea, especially Sarah has got loads of chocolate for Christmas.

I was going to melt some chocolate in some milk, but it failed miserably, so I just added it to the coffee and made 'mocca'.

Then I just melted chocolate direct without any cream or milk.  As a result, Sarah has a really thick chocolate sauce, aka molten chocolate.  And since banana goes well with pancakes, Sarah ended up with a very nice chocolate and banana pancake.

I am happily satisfy with my buttery pancakes.

Taylors of Harrogate Christmas Blend

Taylors is very nice and I have converted many drinkers to this 'local' brand.  Apparently Christmas blend is not available nationwide, so I bought a packet and share with others.

The packet goes surprisingly quick when there are a few of us drinking.

The Christmas blend is a rich roast, and very nice.  However, I would not taste the hint of chocolate as it has promised.

Gifts That You Could Tell from Miles Away

While waiting for the ceremonial-waiting-around-to-open presents, I was pointing at gifts that I could tell by its size and shape without touching it.

"That is a box of Celebrations."
"This is a box of Ferrero Rocher."

Whereas the square/rectangular boxes are harder to guess.  That is probably why everything is in gift boxes this time of the year.

Failed Yorkshire Puddings

It is a myth that homemade Yorkshire puddings is always better than shop bought Yorkshire puddings.  This is often illustrated in holiday seasons when people attempts their Yorkshire puddings.

Gotta love Dilbert

Mead

I was watching Tudor Farms on BBC, and they mentioned about mead.  Then I remember honey is meant to be antiseptic, how does it ferment?  Then they said it was from the germy fruits.

Shorty Shortbread

I have made Paul's shortbread 3 times, and I am still trying to improve my technique.  I have made the following mental notes:
- Always weight, don't estimate with a cup
- Don't use mixer, other than creaming butter with sugar
- Combine the dough by hand, mix well, and work dough slightly

The batch at Verity's was a bit hard.  The latest batch is very crumbly, any force would make it crumble.  I rather like it crumbly, but this is excessively crumbly.

Lets hope the next batch would be better.

Craps

While I was in the casino, I observed the game of craps.  I was trying to work out the odds, but because each combination has a different odds, and so does the bets available on the table, I could not work out the strategy to this game.

I am sure the casino has worked out the odds, another guarantee loss, but certain odds are unexplained.  Why does 2 pays double, and 12 pays triple, even though they both have a 1/36 odds.

Investments with ∞ Returns

We went back to the casino, and even though it said Grosvenor, it was a Gala and still had not fully integrated.  So most of us had to sign up again, even though we had registered with Grosvenor last year.

Signing up came with a free bet voucher, and that was the seed to my 'investment'.

The voucher was for a '50% win' bet, so I put it on roulette and I won.  With some chips in hand, I moved onto blackjack and ended at GBP22.  I cashed out at 22 quid.  It was not the biggest win, but at the end of the day, I had not put in any money, the only investment was a bit of time.  It was not bad.

I understand the game very well, and there are a good number of people think gambling is a valid investment.  As a mathematician, I know the game too well.  To be fair, gambling has a fixed odds, to guarantee loss; on the other hand other investments has no fixed odds, many other variables, and nothing is guaranteed either.

Paul had won a fair bit of money, but since he put down some initial investment, his returns was a fixed number.  'Speculate to accumulate', Steve said.

I was quite pleased with my winnings, but lets put them in my savings account.

Local Pubs

After the Christmas dinner, we went to Around the World in 80 Beers, and it was very 'local'.  Rather, Shaun used the C word to describe the clientele.

We could have gone to Slug and Lettuce or Browns, but we ended up at Wetherspoons.  The clientele is also local, but slightly bit older.  'You get what you pay for', I said.

It was too late for pub crawls, so we just went straight back to the casino.

Manchester United Football Match

Shaun has a spare ticket to a Manchester United (v. West Ham) match.  We had tried to give the ticket, but noone is available.

I have given it a thought, it would be 'a box ticked' if I watch a game, but a second thought of sitting outside in the winter for 3 hours really is not my kind of fun, especially I don't really care about football.  I will give it a miss.

Wetheby is Leeds

On my way back from the White Rose Centre, I asked for a day ticket.

"Can I have a First Day?'"
"Which one?"
"The one that goes to Wetherby."
"There isn't one will take you to Wetherby."
"The X98"
"???"
"The one that is about GBP 3.8."
"I have one that is GBP 3.9, that one takes you around Leeds."
"Wetherby is Leeds."
"I don't think it will take you to Wetherby."
"It does, I ride on it all the time."

Why was it so difficult!?

Fear Proven: Sleep Talking

My dad used to talk in his sleep.  I always fear I would sleep talk.  Now the fear is proven, shit!

Super Scrimper Body Scrub

Channel 4's Super Scrimper has a few good ideas, I have reservation to this body scrub.

Cinnamon, cacao, sugar, it is a good body scrub, can also double up as hot drinks mix...

Don't Give Alkie Alcohol

This time of the year, we give away a lot of alcohol.  I have loads of alcohol to give away, it is an easy present to many people, but it really is a bad present to those with alcoholic tendencies.  Why is a right decision so hard!

M Signature Honey Roasted Nuts

I don't really have a sweet tooth, but honey roasted nuts really is my little guilty pleasure.

It is Christmas time, nuts is everywhere.  After muttering under my breathe, "peanuts is not really nuts."  I spotted this M Signature Golden Caramelised Nut Medley, thinking it probably contains loads of peanuts, then I read on, no peanuts!  It is also reasonably priced (at multibuy), I could not help myself but got a couple packets.

This tastes much better than the last honey cashew we got, which Sarah was not sold to the idea of honey roasted nuts.  Maybe this can change her mind.

Savory Palmier Gone Wrong

I usually do not agree with Nigel's recipes, and this is one of the many reasons why.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sausage_danish_51145

Gardening Shows in Winter?

I saw clicking around BBC, and there are some gardening show.  I thought they would be a rerun, but they are new.  How strange to have gardening show in winter?  Or was there purposefully shown in winter to cheer viewers up from the grey winter?

Public Sector Failings

Humans are naturally competitive.  Our reward system in the brain needs stimuli, and we strive to be competitive.  In an environment that discourages competition, what you see is greed.

Both the global financial crisis and public sector failings are caused by greed.

A cage full of mice with limited food sources, what you see is competitiveness, survival of the fittest.  The unfortunate weaklings lose out.

The same cage of mice with sufficient food sources, you will still some some mice eat all the food, while other starve, what you see is also competitiveness, aka greed, survival of the fittest. The food provider loses out.

Christmas Party

So I arranged us for Christmas Party at Novotel, but Novotel dropped the ball. and we are going just for the Christmas dinner.

Peter recommended Around the World in 80 Beers, and we are also booked in.

Then now we start to tell stories about previous night outs, some are seriously slanderous.  All good banters.

Guppy's House Blnd Extra Dark Chocolate 70%

Guppy's has redeemed themselves with this chocolate bar.

This is very smooth, aromatic, very rich - coating tongue well, melts well.
It is overall better than Lindt, although more expensive than Lindt.  If I come across it, I will consider it again.

Christmas Tree Lighting

The Christmas tree at work is a bit sad this year, but we got brand new LED Christmas lights.  I was a bit skeptical about the mini lights on a massive tree, but it looks very nice lit.

Italian Chestnuts

It was a busy weekend, I was not going to buy any grocery from the market, until I saw some Italian chestnuts.  I could not resist and bought some.

The chestnuts were not as sweet as I remembered, but there were still loads of worms.  I counted up, over 10% of them contained worms...

Someone Hit the Panic Button

Someone hit the panic button at work 3pm on Friday afternoon.  So 1 hour of chaos before I ran away.

Engineers went Banking

Looking at my Vanderbilt colleagues, a number of them went into law, and recently, a number of them went into banking.  Engineering is fun, but banking pays more.

Men and women's brains are 'wired differently'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25198063

There isn't much frontal lobe activities in male brains either, one might know what it infers!  ;-)

Obtuse

ob·tuse

adjective \äb-ˈtüs, əb-, -ˈtyüs\

: stupid or unintelligent : not able to think clearly or to understand what is obvious or simple

mathematics : not ending in a sharp point : measuring between 90 degrees and 180 degrees

ob·tus·erob·tus·est

Full Definition of OBTUSE

1

a :  not pointed or acute :  blunt

b (1) of an angle :  exceeding 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees (2) :  having an obtuse angle <an obtuse triangle> — see triangle illustration

c of a leaf :  rounded at the free end

2

a :  lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect :  insensitive, stupid

b :  difficult to comprehend :  not clear or precise in thought or expression

— ob·tuse·ly adverb

— ob·tuse·ness noun

-----------------

How obtuse would one not know what obtuse is and not look up in a dictionary? 

Very is Not a Mathematics Term

Why would one use English to teach Mathematics and numbers would have suffice?  'Very' is not suitable in a Mathematics lesson.

Inquisition is not the way to Make Conservation

Conversation is a mutual act.  If conversation is not flowing, introducing questions could potentially stimulate the conservation.  But excessive questioning turns a conversation into an inquisition and kills the conversation.

Story of Chinese Leaf

When my sister and I was about 11 or 12, we were sent to the supermarket to get some Chinese leaf.

My sister just pick up the first one from the box.  I look through the box and got a nicer one.  When we got home, my vegetable was a bit rotten inside, while my sister's looked sad outside was okay inside.  My mom then said I was vain to choose the nicer looking one.

My sister is this happy go lucky, let life takes you kind of person.
I spent my time in search of better life, and sometimes worse off then my sister.
And my mom is simply insensitive and shallow.

Distilled 200 Times?

Russian Standard claims them to have distilled 200 times, but why is it still harsh ans shitty?

Small World

I bumped into this biker on my way to Germany, and on the way back.  I have just bumped into him again in Harrogate.  Small world!

Why oh why Adlington

Why does Adlington have to degrade herself by going to a stupid show?

Christmas Adverisements

As it falls within 1 month to Christmas, Christmas adverisements kick up a gear.  Everywhere you look!

Manchester Christmas Market Anglicised

Manchester Christmas Market has got Anglicised over the years.  Maybe it is a good thing that Christmas market has evolved and localised?

Rice-filled Weekend

When I am going my fried-eggs-and-rice week, I eat rice nearly everyday.

This weekend, I managed to have rice everyday, Friday Chinese dinner, Saturday Persian dinner and Sunday Chinese lunch.  I do like rice.

Teacup Kitchen

Ninny took us to Teacup Kitchen tea and cake.  Long story short, it is very nice!

Alternative to Luncheon Meat

A lot of parents feed their kids luncheon meat or ham.  But the posh ones pick up continental meat selection, as if the kids can tell the difference and appreciate the flavour.  It is a different world!

Guppy's Dark Madagascar Sambirano 64%

I bought this 'low' cacao on Guppy's recommendation.

It is very sweet, it could be because it was low cacao, but I am not the most impressed.

It being a single estate, I should be able to taste the cacao, but it is simply laced with sugar.  I hope their next bar is better.

Pay in the Ponzi and Give Up

The more I learn about investment and pension, the less I want to actively invest.  I learnt about taking risks into account, and how the risks are not worth the hassle, spread betting.  Just make me think, I should just pay in the Ponzi scheme, let the professionals to do the job, and stop thinking too much.

Perhaps my inaction in the past years were not really a bad action.

Laptops for Emailing

Angela asked if I could recommend a laptop, or a place for a laptop.  Initially I recommended a Dell Windows 7 Laptop, but after I asked a few more questions, I recommended SAMSUNG Series 5 Touchscreen Convertible Laptop.

As it turns out, Mark is not very techie, and does not have a preference to Windows 7 or Windows 8.  Then there isn't a need for jumping hoops to get a Windows 7 machine.

Then Windows 8 does not make any sense without a touch screen!  That explains the touch screens.

And if the computer it not really used for entertainment, photo management, etc, there isn't a need for big drives.  Tablets is sufficient.

Of course typing on a keyboard is much better than typing on the screen, but at the end of the day, if it is convertible, one could email on a go.

Lastly, if one was to get a tablet with the same hard drive, it would be much more expensive.

I shall say, this is not a bad recommendation!

Dragons Suspended

BBC was playing How to Train Your Dragon Mini series, then it stopped.  Not happy!

Trans West-Yorks Bussing

After my Trans-Pennine Bussing experience, I have the opportunity to do something similar but less crazy.

I came back to Wetherby from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton.  After 3 legs of buses and 2.5 hours later, I made it back to Wetherby.  If it was not for the the Sunday schedule, I could be home in 2 hours.  All for the price of a Metro Day Rover, bargain.

Bitchin' Kitchen Again

I am glad to see Bitchin' Kitchen is still on air.  I like Nadia being different from everyone else.  Her cooking is mostly agreeable, but sometimes a bit twisted;  I will pass on candied bacon chocolate chip cookies!

Filing is a Good Exercise

I was again tasked to achieve and file away documents.  I was going a lot of lifting and sorting, broke a sweat, that counts as my exercise for today!

Hammy has Nothing to Do with Ham

I thought hammy is an actual word, describing ham.  But apparently it is an actual word that has nothing to do with ham!

Cashew Overload

So cashew is meant to be quite healthy, but seriously, the amount I have eaten in the last few days was probably unhealthy.

I bought two big bags of cashew from the Tesco Divali sale, and they are both gone.  I thought it was a good idea to bring some nuts to my desk, but I polished them off in no time.

I suppose the Divali sale is over, and I am spare from further cashew overload in near future.

Birthdays and Karen is moving to Singapore

Happy Birthday Karen!
Happy Birthday Carol!
Happy Birthday Li!

And glad to know Karen is finally moving to Singapore, after 4 years going on and on about it.

Annuity Explained

I only came across the word annuity since I looked at the pension scheme in the UK.  It was a strange word, it is a new financial products I am not familiar with and I found it daunting.

I wouldn't have to worry about annuity until I am 60, but I have this opportunity to learn about this product, so I listen in.

Annuity is now less intimidating.

Topiary

to·pi·ary

adjective \ˈtō-pē-ˌer-ē\

:  of, relating to, or being the practice or art of training, cutting, and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes; also :  characterized by such work 

 

I am not well groomed anywhere.  Let alone topiary.

Carte D'Or Latte Macchiato

I picked up a Waitrose weekend, and found Carte D'or on offer.  I am not usually tempted by ice-cream tubs, but I saw a new flavour!  I quite like coffee flavoured ice-cream, and we bought it.

It is very nice indeed.

Amazing Shortbread Recipe

Paul turns out to be a little baker.  He has brought in cakes, and today he brought in shortbread.

It is very hard to get shortbread perfect, and his was very good indeed.  Very good consistency and reduced sugar. 

I used to use the recipe of 1/3 of sugar, butter and flour, vanilla optional.  They are too soft to bake into fingers.  So I asked Paul for the recipe.  He said his recipe is simple, tho has 4 ingredient instead of 3.

250g flour
250g butter
125g caster sugar
125g corn flour

I must try it.

Can you really save £300 a year with a wood burning stove?

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/really-save-300-wood-burning-070041200.html

This news commentary caught my eyes.  In short, you can always save money using alternatively methods, but you save roughly the amount you contribute in labour.

£300 is hardly enough to hire a servant to bring in the woods, light your fire, sweep the chimney and take out the ash.

Pele Shoes

Sport Direct is one of my favourite shops.  I often walk in and walk out with something I didn't plan to buy.

This time, I walked in wanting shoes, and I came out with two pairs of nice Pele shoes.  Strangely how size 6.5 and 7 are nearly identical.  Stylish!

I was tempted to get a London 2012 cap for 2 quid, but I thought I had enough hats, I reluctantly passed.

Fireworks is Better Bigger

Fireworks is meant to be spectacular.  Sparklers and other toy fireworks are all fun and games, but when it comes to a firework shows, it should be spectacular.  If it isn't, don't bother.

That's why fireworks is better when it is state or city funded.  When there is resources to put on a spectacular show.

Hailish Manchester

It was nice and sunny on the east side of the Pennines, but as soon as I travel west bound, it turned bad.

Forecast said hail.  The first wave of hail was more like sleet, they were tiny.  Just when I thought it stopped, we rode down to Manchester, only to meet with more proper hail.  Unlucky for Verity, she had not got motorcycle padded trousers.  I worried about the side of hailstones and denting little Rome.

Hail is officially worse than rain.

Exploring Manchester Chinatown

I was wandering Manchester in search of food, and I stopped at a Chinese (Hong Kong) dessert place.  The black rice soup is okay, a bit too much sago, but it was a good portion.  The bubble tea was a pass...

Mini Sausage Buns

I was shopping in Leeds yesterday, and when I got to the market, the Maxim has sold out all the roasts!  I was starving!

I just wandered back to my bike, and there was not many choices.

So I stopped at the Chinese restaurants and wanting to get a bowl of noodles or something.  Then I just went into Ho's to see what breads they have left, and instantly edible.

There were cakes and other things.  But I needed something savoury.  I saw the mini sausage buns, and I had them.  I started eating them before the cashier took my money.

They are not really sausages, they are franks.  The buns were okay, I always wish there would be more franks!

Smoggy Bonfire

I was driving back to Wetherby, and it was strangely smoggy.  I then saw a fire!  Then I remember it was bonfire night weekend.  Duh.

Lauenstein 85% cocoa - pure luxury plain chocolate

This is one of the more expensive chocolate I got from Germany.  And of course, the higher the expectation, the more disappointed I got.

The bars are actually thins.  I opened it up, it was not very aromatic, reminds me of Valrhona.  Then they were thins, reminds me more of Valrhona.  It does not melt well on the tongue, and the flavour is not very distinctive.

I am glad I didn't get more than one bar.

Lonely Planet says Yorkshire 'one of top global places'

Yorkshire is a lovely place.  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24713858

Sochi 2014: Putin declares gay athletes welcome

Russia has been very anti-gay, and Mr Putin now comes out the reassure visitors and athletes.  Strange.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24708739

Why is broadband more expensive in the US?

Why is broadband more expensive in the US?  Alternatively, why I use dialed up in 2001?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24528383

I remember when I was a senior in 2001, I moved off-campus.  Once I looked at the cost of broadband, $50/month, I opted to use Vanderbilt dial up instead.  Yes, it was slow, yes, it cuts out every hour, but it was free.

Who Needs Gyms

Who needs gym when you have to do loads of lifting at work!

Just Upgrade It!

Mark asked if he should upgrade an aged computer onto Win 7.  It was a 2-in-1 upgrade.  So I told him how Win 7 may not have the drivers for the mother board, etc etc.  Just put more RAM and HHD on the computer, and restore to factory setting!

Dominant Ear

I have been putting music into my dominant ear at work, I could hardly hear anything else!  I suppose I could hear it, but I could not process the content.  I have got to change my habit, putting music into the other ear, to enhance my multi-tasking ability.

Stress Induced Blindness

I was looking for these drawings at work, and I looked everywhere, asked everyone.  Then only to realise, it was in the first folder I looked, that I have looked over 3 times.

Correct Duvet Gives Good Night Sleep

Warm duvet in a cool night, sounds perfect.  But a hot duvet in a cold night, not so.  I must overcome my laziness and move onto the right duvet.

Ten to Twelve

Matt said he needed to take Luke to dentist, "Ten to Twelve".  Of course, if I take into account his travel time, it surely adds up to 3 hours of working time, I am not dawned with such discretionary power.

We later discussed his plan again, he planned to leave about 11am, and back by 1pm.  "Oh, I thought you meant 10am to 12pm!"  "Oh no, I meant 11:50."

Google: Crushing Dreams since 1998

Dogbert can be quite mean.

High Vis Vest

I have started wearing the high visibility vest on my motorcycle.  And from time to time, the velcro comes undone, and the vest would start flapping in the wind. 
Having wind through the clothes is one of the joy of motorcycling, but not when it affect visibility.  It affected my rear-view visibility, especially in the dark, when I need it most.  So then the vest flapped, I thought the cars behind were flashing at me.
I must remember to fasten my clothing up properly!

Sarotti No. 1 Santo Domingo 85%

We finally get around to trying the other Saritti bar.  The bar is very aromatic.  When we taste it, it is very hard, and bitter.  I was reviewing what I thought on the other bar, Sarotti No. 1 Ecuador 72%, that reminds me on how cheap they were.  For a chocolate bar that is cheaper than the Lindt 85%, and to be fair, from what I could remember, I was not a big fan of Lindt 85% either, so I would say this bar meets its expectations.

Junk Food

It has been a while since I had KFC.  I did not have a corn on cob this time, but I had some Original Recipe. 

I had my favourite French Fries Float!!

Just a reminder, never give Sarah sugary drinks.

Naked Nuts

I like my nuts either roasted plain or sugar coated, and nothing in between.

Here Comes the Rains and the Winds

It is this time of the year, here comes the rains and the winds.  Poor Little Rome!

Ninja Turtle

Ninja Turtle is still on TV, unbelievable!

Special Loving

Special loving sounds like something you tell a kid where babies come from.

Charity Shop Shopping

Superdry teeshirt for 2 quid!  Can't go wrong with that!

Gym!

It has been a while since I last been in a Gym, and it was a good feeling.  I need to be more motivated!

Can't Trust a Greedy Man

It is very hard to trust a greedy man.  Greedy and selfish man are keen on money and shy on serving.

Lets the Autumn Tantrum begins

It is this time of the year.  Lets the Autumn tantrum begins.

UHT with Expiry Date

I thought UHT implied lasting forever.  It is counter intuitive, there is expiry date on UHT milk!

Beef Shin Stew

I got some beef shin from Leeds Market and made stew using the same Hairy Biker Oxtail Stew recipe.  It turns out very nice.  I am looking forward to make more British and Chinese beef stew, with the combination of shin and brisket.

Cat Midwifery

The kittens came when I was at Verity's alone.  Alexis was meowing and sorting out her nest, but I didn't think twice.  When I went back upstairs, the kittens had arrived.  I did a quick head count, popped up to the attic to find a box, put all the cats in, and rang Verity at work, "There are kittens."  

Verity could not ditch work early, so I was given instruction to check for contraction and keep the room warm.

There was a dead kitten, and it was full to term.  The kitten seemed to have a deformed foot, and died of injuries.  Perhaps Alexis killed him at birth to spare him from further misery.  We would never know if he was born alive.

Four healthy kittens, two boys and two girls, what more do you want?

Savory and Sweet Snacks

Tesco is doing a Happy Diwali sale, I got a massive bag of cashew.
Then a trip to Leeds Market, I got a massive bag of strawberry spaghetti.  I am all sorted for the next weeks!

Google Forms

GBMCC has been using Google forms.  I was tasked to organise this year's Christmas party, and it is the opportunity to experiment Google forms.  Everyone thought I was a wizard, and Mark is wanting to tryout Google forms with his club.

FX GBP USD HKD

Rumour has it, USD should be dropping because of the budget crisis.  And since HKD x USD is fixed, everything x HKD should be rising.  Much to my surprise GBP has dropped slightly instead.  What does the future holds for GBP and USD?

Binge

Binge is a common method to de-stress.  I felt like binging, let hope my self-restrain is stronger than the urge to binge.

Internet Withdrawal

Someone didn't pay the internet bill, and we are left without internet for the rest of the week.  Let's watch more TV and read some books.

I Need A Drink

I walked into the house and said I needed a drink.  Ruth turned around as I was opening a bottle of cider.  Ruth said, you meant you need an actual drink.

It doesn't happen very often, lets hope it won't happen very often.

Scrabble App

The Scrabble App has just been upgraded.  Now it has an option to play with computer.

Many people complained about the need of network before one can play Scrabble on the Scrabble App.  As it turns out, the App only needs network, but not necessarily internet.  Without internet, I am playing without the interruption of advertisement.  One lovely flaw of the App!

House Clean - Scales

Lime and grimes are some of the biggest problems in the house.  A lot of people thin vinegar is the solution.  It is a solution, but not the solution.

I know to clean grout with toothpaste, but toothpaste is alkaline after all, effective on whitening, especially those containing baking soda, but not effective on scales.

There is no easy way to deal with scales.  Regular application of descaler / acid, would be your best bet.

House Cleaning

House cleaning is painful but essential.  I helped Sarah for a bit of Autumn cleaning.  Sarah has an assortment of cleaning products.  These days, if you buy decent cleaning products and apply liberally, it should ease the cleaning process, and we did, and they worked.  Chemicals, the ways forward.

Heilemann 85% Cacao

One of the fancier chocolates I got from Dusseldorf.  The chocolate tastes very similar to my favourite Michel Cluizel 85%, very smooth besides much fruitier, less aromatic.  At the same time, much cheaper than Michel Cluizel.  I shall try more Heilemann!

Whiny Saleperson

Apparently, other than sweet talking, pretending interested and keen to help, there is another type of saleperson, the whiny type of saleperson.
The saleperson, who whines about how they are disappointed that we were not buying from them.  The saleperson, who would say we made a wrong choice because we were not understanding how brilliant they were.

Surprised by Cream Horn

I was expecting cream and horn in a cream horn, then I was surprised by the jam at the bottom.  Ill!

Ryeburn of Helmsley

We spent a day in York, and there were loads of ice-cream parlours.  A number of stands sell Yorkshire real dairy ice-cream.  After much deliberation, we settled with Ryeburn of Helmsley at Chocolate Museum.

I settled with Vanilla and Cappuccino, and Sarah had Rum and Raisins.  The vanilla looked better than those of Sant' Angelo's.  Rum and raisins could do with more raisins.  All ice-cream has a lovely dairy ice-cream base, and the flavours are more like a hint.

I suppose the hint lets the dairy ice-cream to stand out and shine.  Lovely ice-cream, but if I knew they 'all taste the same', I would have just got one scoop.

Sant Angelo Ice-cream Parlour

I have eaten at Sant Angelo twice before, but I had not been to the ice-cream Parlour.  Sarah is so proud of Madison's, so I was determined to show off the ice-cream parlours of the greater Yorkshire.

Wetherby is not a big town, and summer peak season is gone, some ice-cream looks untouched for weeks and sad.  We were impressed by their range of flavours, kiwi, pistachio, mango.  After some deliberation, we settled with a chocolate and hazelnut sundae.  The ice-cream is lovely.  The hazelnut ice-cream is nutty and delicate.  Chocolate ice-cream is chocolaty.  The coffee ice-cream was exceedingly strong, filtered coffee flavour, I was wide awake after I had it.

There isn't much in Wetherby, but I am quite impressed with Sant Angelo's ice-cream's quality, and their presentation.  We will definitely go again.

The Students are back!

Since I moved away from the city, I have lost track of their craze.  The students are back and went into town Sunday was one of the worst ideas I have in recent days!

Eddy Current

Sarah asked if I could explain how speedometer works, and I could not answer.  We googled it and we learnt something new everyday.  In short, a spring loaded needle counter acts to the current generated by the spin driven by the engine.

Bra Price-Fixing Probe Launched By Watchdog

Please protect us from the bra cartel!!

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/bra-price-fixing-probe-launched-071534290.html

Painting

If my dad could see my painting, he would be rolling in his urn.

Hearing Aid, How Much?

My sister has informed me hearing aid is AUD8000.  What?  Am I hearing it right?  Surely that is mistaken!

Chicken and Gammon Soup

Every so often, I make a chicken soup/stock.  It is nice.  I came by chicken bones and a gammon shank this time, and the soup is heavenly!

Banking Day

Banking used to be straight forward.  Everything has a paper trail, and black and white.  These days everything is electronic, I often put off banking until it was essential, and sometimes make small mistakes in transactions, literally.

Instead of banking irregularly, 5-10 times a month, scattered across randomly, I plan to set an evening aside to do all my banking!

First Day of the Winter Riding Season

We usually go on about the first day of riding season in Spring, when we are full of jitters.  It is the first day of riding season in autumn/winter that tests the nerves.

It was dark, cold and wet.  I need to start wearing my winter gears.  And I really need to get myself a decent helmet!

Dunkin' Return

Dunkin' Donuts is coming back to the UK.  I am not a donut fan, but their coffee is quite nice.

Slick Tyres Transformation

My tatty bike instantly looks faster with the slick tyres.  I am yet to be convinced they are actually faster.

Silence in the Office

Everyone is either on leave or on sick.  I was left in the office alone.  One nice quiet day.

Humping Dog

Ruth is dog sitting for a friend.  So the dog joined the zoo.  It was strange to see a female dog humping a stuffed doll.  It was to show superiority, but it was simply strange.

Heck 97%

When we were in Tesco, we found this sausage on sale.  I am quite a typical consumer, I am willing to try new products with some encouragement.

The sausage is quite nice.  It is meant to be meaty, but it is not as meaty as Debbie and Andrews.

Lucozade is now Japanese

Suntory, the Japanese drinks giant, is to buy the Lucozade and Ribena drink brands from GlaxoSmithKline in a £1.35bn deal.
The deal will dramatically boost the UK presence of Suntory, best known for the Orangina brand and its range of Japanese whisky, and enable it to compete with rivals including Coca-Cola and Britvic.

Ignorant

She shall not be named is so ignorant, she doesn't even know what ignorant means.

Laptop Wifi Card

Sofy has been trying to fix Hanna's computer and rang me many times for advice.  The most recent issue was when Hanna's wifi is acting up.  I suggest her to check the network/wifi card or change her wifi card.  Wifi card usually easily accessible from the bottom of the laptop from a hatch.

Horses

I finally meet Magic.  He is a very big horse.  And is it indeed a lot of work maintaining a horse.  This big animal can easily injure you.

 Whereas this pony is tiny and much more manageable.

Horrible Chicken Sausages

I have got these M&S chicken sausages and it turned out to be horrible.

I grew up with chicken franks and I love them.  I thought chicken sausages would be just as nice, but as they were imitating pork sausages, they were horrible.

Just acknowledge they are different meats and use to their strength and flavour.  Never would I buy chicken sausages again!

Almonds

I thought I like nuts, but when I was small, I almost always had flavoured nuts.  Honey roasted (more like sugar roasted) almonds are awesome. 

I have also used flaked almonds all the time, I never experienced any problems.

So I bought a bag of almond and toasted them plain.  I have done home toasted cashew all the time, and I didn't see almond to be any different.  I ate handful after handful, and I thought about the possibility of cyanide poisoning.  As I start eating them, I can start tasting the 'marzipan'.  I must never buy and eat whole almond again!

Classic FM

I listen to Classic FM when I am driving.  Now I listen to Classic FM from time to time in the office!  I still don't know much about Classics yet.

Confusing Wheel Sizes

When I am dealing with 26" wheels, I never question about the actual size.  I thought I would treat myself to some commuter tyres, but when I am trying to fit them, they do not fit!  How can it be so complicated!

Migration

Yahoo! Blog is shutting down, so I have migrated here.