to yet another home (and there’s another one or two up our sleeves!). this is the advantage of having a web developer for a hubby! yeah, yeah.. so what if i have lots of site im authoring? lots of advantage, i would say (*insert $ sign here*)! seriously, i am learning a lot of html and css coding (if that’s the proper term to use). i can proudly say, that all tweakings on this site were done by me! though tantan told me where to find the codes and what programming tools to use still, it’s mostly me! i know i’ve said time for me is a luxury but i will definitely find the time!

so what is this blog for? i don’t have a clue! well, prolly just like all my other sites, it’s about anything and everything under the sun. who knows, it might take on a personality of its own. or i might just keep this as my personal one..

keep on visiting to find out!

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rain rain go away… has summer flown so quickly that i did not notice it coming and going?! was time that quick?! it has been rainy and a bit chilly the past few weeks that we couldn’t really enjoy our weekends. we’re stuck at home doing geeky stuff! we’ve had our share of sun but that did not last long! this is how it is now where we are (pathetic!):

last thursday, 21st of june, england celebrated the summer solstice at the english heritage maintained site, stonehenge. people really flock to this site to witness the early sunrise every year, which was at 4:58am this year (and that’s british summer time +1:00!), and marks the start of the longest day of the year.

and as far as i know, the summer solstice marks the official start of summer…. what summer?

i know i said i won’t be posting the same entries here as my other blogs. but im just happy with my early birthday gift from tantan that im posting it here as well. not to worry, i won’t be posting the exact entry. im just posting the link

it’s tennis season once again here in england and everyone’s flocking to wimbledon to catch their favorite tennis stars play on grass. i have been here almost 4 years now and i have only been there twice but was lucky to get in only once! the queue is miles and miles long! you would need to camp out overnight if you wanna make sure you get in the next day. otherwise, your 10am appearance will not assure you of getting in. at all. and that’s just the main gate. there’s another queue for the main courts and if it’s the championship, you should have been in their raffle to even get a slot (unless your vip)! that’s how popular it is here. but i heard they are trying out a new system where you can buy tickets online for the next day to save you from that mile-long queue.

my friend’s parents came over last year and her dad is a tennis fanatic. they were really fortunate to have seen major players, watch them practice/play. the closest we got to tennis bigshots was our sighting of mr. williams! yes, the father of venus and serena *lol*. we also saw leyton hewitt but the only reason we got in was because it was raining hard and most people have gone home! i was hoping we’ll be able to go this year and be lucky like them. but i don’t think it will happen. it’s been raining like crazy for weeks and it’s been halting the games at wimbledon. it might just be a wasted journey. i think they put some kind of roof over the center court but it has been removed this year. there are plans to have sliding roof in 2009, though (that would be cool!). i think to fully appreciate wimbledon, people will need to experience the full extent of the temperamental british weather!

because of torrential rains, the northern part of england is submerged in water. and they don’t get this every year. and it’s supposed to be summer! the rest of europe is basking in the sun, while lots of people in the northern counties of england are staying in temporary shelters and are going back to damaged homes.

here are some pictures of their sad sad plight:

taken from bbc’s in pictures.

for the latest update, click here

we are still fortunate, living in the south, we don’t get the same bashing as them. we don’t even get snow during winter! but im not complaining. should not complain. will not complain.

tony blair stepped down as prime minister yesterday, and gordon brown succeeded him (finally, after YEARS of waiting and probably evily-plotting tony’s demise, so to speak).

tony blair served for a decade and he has really brought on radical changes under his administration. i know he’s been criticised loads but i still feel he did what he thought was best for the country (and the world). im sure he just acted on what he thought was approriate at that time and nobody can really predict the future, how things will go. it’s always a two-way street and just-hope-it-will-go-the-right-way kind of thing. but at least, he faced the consequences of his actions, he owned up to the mistakes he made.

i honestly did not want him to go. i am not into politics and i don’t know what their plans-for-the-greater-good are, so i shouldn’t be treading on unknown territories. but i don’t know why i feel sad about seeing tony blair leave no. 10. i haven’t even been here in england that long to know him that well. but probably, i just did not want gordon brown to be prime minister (let’s just say, lesser of 2 evils). i don’t like his conniving-looking face; he smiles but they don’t look genuine, like he’s up to no good. he looks like he’s 2 faced. well, that’s just me. i might be wrong (hey, don’t sue me, mr. gordon brown.. just practicing my freedom of speech!).

i just hope he’ll be able to prove his worth, that it’s not just all gibberish and empty promises. after all, he’s been working at it for years (who wouldn’t want to have the top job in british politics?!). you can now smile and not smirk. i bet you’re still smiling even in your sleep! or you can’t sleep at all, like that child excitedly waiting for their trip to disneyland? i hope you realise that it’s hard work, not just brownie points in your cv. it’s a big responsibility. and if we were to become british citizens (under your rule), i hope we get our money’s worth. that being said, pls. don’t increase the fees for pr and citizenship applications anymore. otherwise, you’ll never win me over and better-looking tony blair will forever be my pm! hmpf!

look at gb’s face (there’s something about it i just don’t trust..) tb’s not so flattering pic (still better looking of the 2, though!)

my heart goes out to tim henman. just when everybody thought he’s found his groove back, he loses his edge. not for lack of trying; he actually played like he’s never played before - better than he’s played for years! unfortunately, he’s just bowed out of this year’s wimbledon games. and there goes britain’s only hope of winning it. (andy murray is injured, i think)

as tantan said, he’s past his prime and there are lots of better player than him. i asked why he never won a wimbledon title when he had the advantage of playing on his own turf. unfortunately, during his prime, tennis saw some of the greatest players of all time - pete sampras and andre agassi.

i think instead of having home grown advantage, it put a lot of pressure on tim to win and that did not go down well. his mind was probably going like ‘i gotta win, gotta win..’ but instead of winning, he lost game after game after game. i even thought he’s already retired especially after andy murray showed some promise last year.

it was probably not meant to be. ever. he is still the freshest looking player tennis has ever produced *lol*. that’s just me.

scientists in edinburgh have successfully turned peanut butter into diamonds using extremely high pressure, even higher than what is found in the earth’s core. hmmnn, interesting…

read more of the story here

as they say, lots of things with carbon in it can be converted to diamonds. they just need to perfect the techniques of creating high pressure of up to five million atmospheres. imagine if they will be successful, we’ll all be rich (they will be rich)! we’ll just buy lots of peanuts and then have them converted to diamonds just as easily as you would have your clothes altered. that would be fun! we don’t need to write paid posts anymore *lol*

so what do you think? me, i think i’ll start hoarding peanut butters now, before they start jacking up the price! do you think best before dates matter?

not those peanuts!

free exhibition runs from 2-5 july, 2007

tagged by jen.

1. Food you hate - i can’t really think of any particular food i hate but i seldom eat left overs. if ever we have some, tantan would have to eat it. my favorite line: yoko, it’s “luma na”.

2. Fruits that you hate - im really having a hard time answering this tag (esp. the food ques. seems like i eat mostly everything!), i asked tantan just in case he remembers something i don’t. this is his reply: lumang prutas! *lol*

3. Veggies that you hate - upo, this im sure! i used to not eat broccoli but i do now.

4. Celebrities or people that you hate - dami! do i have to name specific people? *lol* wag na, i might get into trouble =D. basta people so full of themselves that they think everything’s about them. ako lang me karapatan to act that way! =D. people who can’t seem to decide for themselves like they weren’t given free will at all!

5. Event/Incident/Situation that you hate - only in pinas sort of thing: red tape in government agencies; people who are asking for money (or kotong) when they have already been paid to do their jobs! why can’t they just do their jobs without making others feel like they are giving them a huge favor when they’re not - it’s already part of their work desccription?! long queues just to get into buildings lalo na sa malls with guards pretending to check bags by putting their sticks in the bag without even looking and while chatting to their fellow checkers! ano sila me xray vision! hay, dami pa kaya lang umiinit na ulo ko! =D

6. TV Shows or Movies that you hate - deal or no deal, uk version sobrang dull! war of the worlds (tom cruise) sobrang ???!!!!

7. Type of Music that you hate - heavy metal

8. Household chore that you hate - vacuuming, cooking *lol*

9. Things you hate about the world - terrorists. why can’t we all live in peace?!

10. Things that you hate about yourself - i want to do several things at the same time, which i know is not possible. i also tend to be a people pleaser, i’ve got to learn to be assertive. some physical aspects that stopped growing when i was a teenager! *lol*

tomorrow, england is going to be smoke-free. not totally though (non-smokers wish!), only in enclosed public places and workplaces. that means, they need to go out to huff and puff their nicotine fix. well, that would really ensure a healthier environment - NOT!

there are lots of smokers in this country. there are even lots of ciggie breaks during office hours and they even wonder why they’ve been unproductive (and that is on top of their coffee breaks!). i think this new law came about to protect the staff in local establishments like pubs, restaurants, bars… from 2nd hand smoke. those against this new law said that those staff knew what they were getting themselves into. if they did not want to inhale those toxins, they shouldn’t have applied in the first place. or non-smokers should not be hired (nah, otherwise owners will be charged with discrimination!). they’ve got some point. but people will really need to stop smoking, or at least reduce their current intake. they could just be so selfish and insensitive at times, like they are the only person existing there!

i am not a smoker but i am not totally against it. i can take it if people just smoke socially, over a glass of wine or pint of beer (one or 2 sticks perhaps) or when having a really bad day or when alone. what i can’t take are those people, still with drips on their arms AND oxygen plastered to their noses, at the hospital foyer! i see them everyday! and i wish i could just strangle them and shove their cigarette butts right down their throats! imagine, these people are confined in the hospital with some respiratory problems, free of charge, their bills being paid from tax payers’ money (ergo, mine!) and they still have the nerve to light up a ciggie outside and expose us to 2nd hand smoke! some are even in wheel chairs and would you believe, even on hospital beds, wheeled out by their relatives! you ask me, how they can go out? they can, health care is free here so they can roam around and do whatever they want. anyways, im starting to rant here and slowly going off-topic.

my point is, bad habits are hard to break. and the more you reprimand them, the more they are inclined to carry on. never say DON’T, remember? like kids, we like doing what we were told NOT to do. afterall, our first parents were perfect examples of rule breakers - remember, adam and eve? i think the best way to deal with their addiction is to let them pay for their medical expenses (at least here in england). if it’s respiratory 2ndary to smoking, they have to shoulder ALL expenses. that’s only fair since they’ve brought it onto themselves. they were given free will and they alone should be responsible for the consequences.

they may be banned from certain places but you can’t really stop them if they don’t want to. there’s always their cars, at home with their kids, friends’ house (with their kids), in their gardens (right next to where their neighbour’s kids are playing)… the society will never be free of them. they have to instill tougher penalties. imagine, they will only be fined just 50£ if caught and will be reduced to 30£ if paid within 15 days - wtf?! a discounted price???!!!