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Cutebeagle中等美女 May 16 A night at Royal Opera House, London When was my last time at Royal Opera House? 4 years ago? I watched ballet Eugene Onegin. It was a beautiful summer night, and I could still remember how wonderful the show was. After all, classical ballet has been always my favourite choice of performing art. I dreamed of becoming a ballerina since I was a little girl. The dream could never come true. However, the fondness for ballet will always in my heart no matter where I am. The only problem is the staggering price I have to pay for such a show. I could have seen more shows there if I could afford. I made a comeback last night. I watched L'Elisir d'Amore. While waiting for the show to begin, I realised how much I loved to be in this part of the world. Where else could I find a place where I saw so many people smartly dressed? They looked so dignified and sophisticated. I must say some men are incredibly handsome. Such as that Frenchman sitting next to JJ. We sat on the front row of the orchestra seats, close enough to see every expression, even a little drama between two trumpeters. There was so much going on under the stage during the show! L'Elisir d'Amore is so delightful. Not a moment did I feel that I was getting bored or feeling rather hard to digest. Some operas are quite daunting. I found it hard to sit through the whole show. Once the highlights passed, my mind started wandering. That young Japanese sorprano (Giannetta) is certainly talented. I could see her singing Madame Butterfly in few years time on the very same stage, or Metropolitan, Scala, Arena di Verona. On the train back home, had an inspiring conversation with two fellow passengers, one of them was an elderly lady, obviously she went to the same show, the other was a young girl who joined the discussion. This is London, where you meet artists and ardent art lovers from all age groups and over the world. May 07 L'Elisir d'Amore I really couldn't believe my luck when I saw the introductory offer on the orchestra stall seats for L'Elisir d'Amore by Donizetti at Royal Opera house. Only £58!!!(normally cost £145-£180). I signed up the mailing list for receiving emails about latest and future performances at Royal Opera House.Why? Because I don't want to miss the opportunity to see Plácido Domingo's Simon Boccanegra by Verdi. The show is going to be in June 2010. It's already advertised on their website! I did not expect to receive such an offer by the time I filled out all the details. Now...just imagine, I am going to sit on the front row watching this beautiful opera on 15th May, I can't wait! Seeing a show at Royal Opera House is such a wonderful experience. Not to mention the very fine quality of the cast and the orechstra, I will also get the chance to wear my dresses. I hope the weather could be reasonably warm so I might wear that tailor made Qi Pao. The trouble is walking to the station in that dress will probably stop the traffic. Hmmm, maybe not. Or I could get it changed when I arrive. Then, Voila! I look incredibly stunning! (Or nearly as stunning as the leading actress in that film - In the Mood for Love:-)  Every Chinese woman should have at least one Qi Pao to show off their figure, why let English muffin tops dominate every corner of streets in London?! Una furtiva lagrima (A furtive tear), this song in Act II is so beautiful and romantic that it touches my heart every time I hear it.
April 27 科琳(2) 只要把一张商务舱换成两张经济舱，一张酒店大床睡一人两人，价格一样，这样科琳可以免费陪单肯出差，公司方面也不损失什么，又省得秘书半夜三更接老板电话，真可谓是两全其美! 科小姐呆在酒店房间等单啃回来一起去外面用晚餐，可左等右等，这厮开起马拉松会议，科小姐肠鸣四起，只好打开小冰箱觅食。哈，有花生，有巧克力，还有可乐。饥不择食的科小姐可乐坏了!
单啃倒还有良心，打个电话报告会议进程，说大概还要一个小时左右。 “没问题，我等你。” 科小姐很贤淑的作答。 这不，再来一听可乐，冰箱虽小五脏具全，还有几样可以充饥的零食。科小姐一点也不着急，吃完喝完，还倒头打了个盹。 次日在前台结帐，前台小姐很有礼貌的问： “请问是否有消费冰箱里面的物品？” 单啃晃了晃脑袋，眼睛瞅着科琳。 “欧，我有。” 科小姐漫不经心的说。 “请告诉我您消费了那些物品？” “稍等，我写了个单子。。。” 科琳从口袋里面掏出一个纸条。 单啃有些愕然。 “2包花生仁，2听可乐，2小瓶酒。。。。。。” 单子有些长，单啃脸色越来难看。 合计78美元! 单啃现在是青筋暴露，“你，你说我回去跟秘书怎么交代？？？!!!” “你看他急得，都快气绝身亡的样子，大庭广众之下，当着前台小姐的面，我怎么他了嘛!” 估计科琳到现在还觉得特冤!
我们这边则全部笑倒。
April 25 科琳(1)科琳是个说话嗓门超大的美国人，可她又偏偏不喜欢美国，加州出生，在日本长大，继母是个日本人，除了能熟练使用筷子，好吃日本大米，她的举手投足怎么也看不出日本良家妇女的谦恭和优雅。 昨天晚上跟她约好在唐人街醉琼楼吃饭，跟她同行的是她在不来梅的德国邻居兼密友E，老太英文不够流利，我也只好硬着头皮用我那破德文跟她瞎砍，E69年来过伦敦公干 – “伦敦人还是这么多啊!” 老太感叹。 废话，莱斯特广场，一年365天人声鼎沸。经济不景气，人流也压根没减的势头。 点了香酥鸭，京酱牛仔骨，烧茄子，带子炒腰果。 说起德国的中餐馆，科琳说柏林的老友记很棒，其他都不行，瓦塞，她居然去过老友记! E说吃来吃去，德国的中餐都一个味道。我暗笑：老冒，等一会儿让您老长长见识! 菜上的很及时，大家吃的不亦乐呼，老太说这辈子也没吃过这么好吃的中餐。 科琳兴致很高，开始说笑话。估计全餐馆的食客全部洗耳恭听，没办法，科小姐的嗓门真的很大，而且还加上她极度夸张的肢体语言。 话说她数年前的前男友单啃，性格火爆，火气那个大。。。。。。 “咦，你跟他相处几年？” “四年半吧。” “他那脾气，你小姐居然能处那么长？” “当然刚开始不知道哇! 这都是慢慢暴露出来的嘛。。。我们在一起开心的时候也蛮多的。。。” 科琳好像还蛮怀念那段恋情。 单啃也是美国人，半句德语不会，事事依赖他的德国秘书。他老兄一出差，不管时差，经常半夜三更的给秘书打求助电话，时间长了，秘书受不了，就想出一绝招：让科小姐跟他一块出差! 科小姐会说德文，那么她老板就可以没日没夜的烦科小姐。 (后续)
April 22 Photos on FotocommunityI'm not a professional photographer, but I love sharing my interest with you:-) If you want to see the original size, please click: http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/mypics/1142878 April 18 British woman was fined for making love really loud http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5171...A woman has been given an Anti-social Behaviour Order for engaging in noisy lovemaking sessions with her husband. Caroline Cartwright was found guilty of breaching a noise abatement notice served on her after 25 complaints to police about her sessions with husband Steve. One partially deaf neighbour claimed she had not enjoyed a decent night's sleep for two years because of the Cartwrights' activities while another said she was forced to move out because of the noise. After a series of complaints, the local council's environmental health department placed recording equipment in the flat next door to the couple's house in Hall Road, Concord, Washington, Tyne and Wear, to build a case against them. In the subsequent 23 recordings that were made – through a soundproofed wall – and played to Sunderland magistrates, the sound of slapping and screaming was clearly audible. Neighbour Rachel O'Connor made the recordings by pressing a button on the machine every time she heard noise next door. She said: "I heard sounds of a sexual nature, they were really loud, and there was a lot of moaning and groaning and screaming as if in pain. "It wasn't just the woman, it came from both parties." Ms O'Connor told the court that when she first moved into Hall Road, in November 2007, the noise started at midnight and lasted until 3am. Now, she said, the noise started at about 6.30am and lasted until 9am. Anne Dimmock, who runs a domestic care agency, Choice Care, from the flat below, said she had been forced to conduct business meetings in the kitchen to avoid embarrassing clients. Her business partner Melanie Smith used to live in the flat with her newborn baby but told the court she moved out because she "just couldn't take it any more". She said: "I started hearing a disturbing noise about February to March 2006. "I contacted next door to say I could hear very loud noises and I had a little boy and it was waking him up. "She said she would move the bed from the wall and keep it down, but it got really bad about March time which is when I left." Mrs Cartwright, 47, was found guilty of breaching a noise abatement notice served on her after a total of25 complaints to police. She denied the latest five charges, telling the court: "I am not making the noise on purpose. I have no desire to hurt anybody or damage any property." However, she was convicted after magistrates listened to the recordings, and fined £200 with £300 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. My comments: Geee....the magistrates must have listened to the tape over and over again in order to make sure they are making love noises, not anything else...... April 02 Feeling blue If you feel blue, what should you do? Laughter is the best cure. Click the links below so you could have a good laugh, instant relief guaranteed! Ideal Man..hm..are there any (left)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRapCTGIlJA&feature=related G-String competition in the office. That could be the best place to work! March 28 MatchmakerJJ said he was recently contacted by a match maker on a networking site. He had a look at their website. “They specialise in millionaires.” JJ said. “What do you mean?” I was a bit puzzled. “Well, they claim they specialise in matching very rich women with successful men…….” “Hang on, can you define what means by successful?” I was even more confused. “They are
successful because they manage to hook up with very rich women!” "So.......what did you say to the matchmaker?" "I'm poor and married." I post the link here just in case one day some of you become either very rich or very successful. http://www.seventy-thirty.com/
面试这家牛逼公司果然门槛高，他们公司的拳头产品是电影，动漫，蜘蛛人，还有那个票房巨差的绿巨人，IRONMAN，这个中文怎么翻译呢，钢人？反正我对他们的电影兴趣不大，蜘蛛人也只看了两集。 面试时间是早上9点，晕! 我早上6点半起床，精神状态不佳，脑袋里面一堆浆糊。 被引进总裁的办公室，他坐在办公桌后面，欠了欠身，跟我握了握手，让我坐在他对面的一组黑皮沙发上，沙发很矮，而且很软，一坐下去就感觉整个人陷在泥坑里面的感觉，我没说完一段话，就感觉有点气喘，当然也有紧张的因素。我只好起身调整位置，跟他说了实话，他笑了笑说这沙发不是很好。 谈了10分钟，他说还有几个人要看，然后起身跟我道别，这下我看清楚了，他好矮，我1米六，当时穿的是高跟鞋(很高的那种) ，他看上去感觉跟我的个子差不多。 没戏了，我暗想。 我当时脑海里飘过一个十分熟悉的场面，电影大独裁者，希特勒召见意大利墨索里尼，把椅子锯短，这样小个子才显得有气势。 果然到了中午，我收到他助理的电邮，说很抱歉，今天所有见得候选人都不太复合总裁的要求。 我没太失望。想了想那组沙发，又有了哈哈大笑的欲望。 后话：这份工作的工作时间是早上8点半到晚上6点，要经常跟他们美国纽约，洛杉矶，拉斯维加斯办公室联络，还有他们在亚洲的办公室，工作外的时间(他们规定的工作时间本来就比这里一般的公司要长)
还要加班？! 我不知道这年头在欧洲除了做销售，谁还会这么卖力？
March 25 天上掉下的林妹妹
又是艳阳天，最近伦敦的天气好的让人不可思议! 在网上看到某猎头公司登一广告，左看右看，觉得自己的资历应该蛮符合要求，简历投过去，第二天猎头在我手机上留了口信，等我打过去，结果没说上5分钟，对方支吾说要开会，开了空头支票说什么下午给我回电，结果拖到次日，未果，我只好主动电话骚扰，居然被告知这个工作暂时停止招聘。前后不过48小时! 莫名其妙! 到现在也搞不懂我到底哪里说错了？ 老天有眼，当天下午就在网上看到另一广告，惊人的相似，广告中居然披露雇主!我当时看了广告，居然不知道人家名气大，J利马说出一连串此公司的拳头产品，让我无地自容。就我这资历，人家会理睬我么？ 过了个周末，昨天收到电邮要求今天面试，我有点傻了眼，真的？ 收集了好多页公司的资料，全副武装的出门了。出门之前思想斗争了一番，不知什么行头比较合适，我知道那个行业的人基本上都穿的很随便，HUI成天一身牛仔妹，打死我也穿不成那样，我就不知道什么叫‘随便’ 。 进了公司的门，出来接待我的妹妹，包括后来面试我的小姐，都穿的很随便，搞的我全身难受，不过小姐居然来个自我检讨说她老板老是要她穿的正式一点，她都没做到，表扬我的行头很雅致，这点符合老板选人的要求。 前后说了大概30分钟，没问所谓技术性的问题，就把跟老板面试的时间定了出来，还给了我一些提示(比如她老板的性格，工作风格) 。 出门，站在对面晒太阳的一大哥，冲我吹口哨，我有点自嘲的笑了笑，真是天上掉下的林妹妹，很稀罕，是不是？ 某人不是曾经跟我来个好意相劝：我说你呀别去跟英国人争。。。。。。 就算得不到这份工作，我也起码打败了一堆英国人，他们连那家公司的门在那里都不知道。。。。。。。想到这里，我又笑了。
March 22 Il Divo Giulio Andreotti:
The most difficult dictatorship to hate is your own.
 http://us.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1946747673/ I am not interested in politics in general. I thought any director who wants to make a film out of a politician is heading for failure. Maybe I was wrong. Yesterday I saw the Italian film Il Divo. I would say Il Divo is a success to certain extent, at least artistically. Spielberg could have turned it into a commercially very successful film with a cast like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, another God Father like film. I guess Italians in Italy would not like to see his film, or at least I wouldn't. And I am not even an Italian, I don't even know much about Italian politics either. It is a film not judged by average audience, but by film makers, by the audience who are aware of that part of Italian political life - Giulio Andreotti's, 5 times (or 7 times? ) Prime Minster in Italy. But I sat there unknowing to nearly all the murder cases in this film and I still enjoyed this film. I was enchanted by the brilliant acting of Toni Servillo. This film's strength rests on the capability of portraying the personality of Andreotti. The cinematography is absolutely fascinating. The sequence of the scenes is slick and editing is seamless. However, the captions in both languages were annoying. Otherwise I could have enjoyed much more. I can't really say I like the choice of some American pop music. What for? Did they really enhance the film? Italian politics has its own protocols, anything foreign such as the African music played at the party scene in Il Divo looked rather surreal and out of place. March 15 Fear of Flying I am not afraid of flying in general..but I have a few things that I really fear: 1. Sitting next or behind passengers with young kids or babies. Some kids are very naughty...they just hit or kick whatever near them. You can't hit or kick back because you are supposed to be tolerant as an adult. But..ouch..sometimes it's VERY painful. Baby crying is no music to me. But what can I do? You just have to let them cry and get their anger out of their system. I guess no babies like long distance flight. I often wonder why some parents ever take the trouble of bringing babies on a long haul flight on an exotic holiday. When you have a new born baby, just stay at home and make some trips to the local park with your baby in the pram. Babies love it, and you get some fresh air too. I feel sorry for the bawling babies that their parents do not respect their human rights. They are forced to go on the uncomfortable long trip just because they can't speak out their opinions yet! 2. Sitting next to a jumbo sized passenger so all you could do is to lock your arms in an already small economy seat. Flying short hauls is not big deal. But if your flight takes more than 10 hours, your arm could fall asleep before your brain does. 3. Sitting next to a person who has BO. I am very sensitive to bad smells. So that would definitely be hell...... One more thing to add...recently read something about Ryanair..someone proposed to charge passengers for using the loo on the plane! That would be nightmare for me as I have to use the loo at least once during the journey. And I have to pay £1 each time??? That is a rip-off! The list goes on...... March 07 In March...Things to do:
1. Gerhard Richter's Portraits at National Portrait Gallery
One of the most important living artists of 20th and 21st century...those
blur portraits were created before Photoshop came to the market!
2. Film: Il Divo, Curzon Cinema in Mayfair
Impressed by The Consequences of Love, this is yet another not to be missed
masterpiece of the talented director Paolo Sorrentino and actor Toni Servillo.
3. Book: House of Mirth
Edith Wharton did not know where the baby came from until a few weeks after
she married. Poorly equiped with sex knowledge in her adolescent years and being
married with a polite 'nice' husband, Edith injected all her zest into writing.
One way or another. How many people still do this today? I could be the
one, given me the desperate circumstances.
Lily Bart was beautiful in an artifical way...but who else not? Natural
beauty is rare and you don't pay a staggering price for a crude diamond.
Lily Bart was calculating...I guess she must in that society she lived in.
This book is more than a satire and I must read the last line. March 03 River Dance看了RIVER DANCE的告别演出，更加坚信我大概永远都不会喜欢这样的艺术形式。 T怂恿看RIVER DANCE，我没有拒绝，她跟美国人C一块从德国过来，C和她的大胸脯我怎么都想亲眼见识一下，说我色，其实我只是好奇而已。 一见面，C扒拉扒拉大嗓门，真是不改老美本色，至于那对著名的大胸，我看了觉得倒胃口 - 两峰之间皱纹频起，估计过度暴晒的结果吧。照片上是看不出皱纹滴，反正她所有照片都PS过，怎么看都不像本人。 看演出的时候，她就坐我边上，从头到尾就像个多动症的小孩，表情和姿体语言一样丰富。 看演出之前，她问T看了多少遍，T说这是第四次。 “每次难道都不一样吗？” 我暗笑，C的天真倒是蛮可爱的。 还好，这场演出插入美国黑人踢踏舞，西班牙Flamenco, 还有俄罗斯格萨克民族舞，看得我脚底发痒，全身热血沸腾。舞蹈要是少了手部的动作，怎么看都觉得单调无比。RIVER DANCE把重心几乎全放在两条腿上，手部动作有限，就那几个动作，要我看一个钟头我大概会烦死掉。
认识C很荣幸。胸大就无脑吗？我看C的智商很高，不是所有的女同志都可做航管的，人家还用业余时间组织飞行员来个私人飞机竞飞，清一色全是男同志。
February 11 How to solve a problem like my Italian neighbours My sleep has been seriously disturbed
since end of last year. The main reason - the domestic row between this
young Italian couple next door has escalated into a heated war every
single night. Feeling frustrated...So I put a status message on Xing : World would be a better place..if love-sex-less Italians next door got a quickie divorce. Having read this cry-out-loud message, a few contacts replied: "Let me solve this problem for you. I am flying to London in no time. The hot Italian babe needs a good fxxk. But send me her photo first..." A German said. To be precise, he is a Bavarian hunk feeling permanently horny (so he claimed). Maybe it is the time for him to adjust his over active libido...er..by sending him a snap shot of that chubby 'babe'. Bet he would lose his appetite. "It is too bad you live in the UK not the states. Here, handguns are legal and inexpensive. If the fight next door wouldn't escalate to the level of small arms fire, you could go over there, pop one in their ass. Just don't forget to use a silencer..." An American suggested. Well, I nearly got myself one when I was in Moscow years ago. I gave up the idea in the end. What if I was too slow to shoot and that gave the Georgian gang the opportunity to snatch my gun and fired me instead! "is this because they fight, or because they have an extra-ordinary sex-life?" A guy who got 1/3 Italian blood asked. It is only natural that Italians or even a 1/3 Italian likes to associate himself with ueber hot sex life. This is one of the most over-rated International self-promotions! (I still wonder where we get this impression that they are crazy about sex?!) February 04 Mama Mia.... I woke up this morning..looked at my watch..it was 2:38am. She was screaming. Damn it, I forgot my ear plugs before bed time. Had to spend at least five minutes looking for them. One day/night one of them is going to kill the other. My dark thought would be: The quiet Sicilian finally had enough, he killed his wife. After all, Sicilians got killing instinct. Mafia, God Father (one of the greatest film ever..in Hollywood) She should be silent. I mean she is the one who does all the screaming and swearing. Well, all in Italian. F-word is universal, the only word in English. Ever since they moved in next door, or even before they moved in, noises never stopped. The father in law spent two years renovating the whole house. Never heard them make love! Maybe this is the reason their relationship is falling apart?! Tonight, I shan't forget my ear plugs and hopefully they still stay where they are. Mama Mia, I need sleep!!! January 21 Back to basics At around 3pm this afternoon, heating is on again, hot water is running again, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!!! I cannot believe that I have not caught a cold since the old boiler stopped working on the New Year's Eve. God have mercy on me, THANK YOU, my Lord! A German friend told me recently his flat run out of hot water just for one day, he claimed that he had to use the shower in the office and he couldn't stand it for one single day! No wonder had he no sympathy for me when I emailed him my in-house dilemma. His one day 'dilemma' must have taken place only just recently. Would he ever since really feel sorry for what I had to put up with every single day in the past three weeks??? We are so used to all the conveniences modern life could offer: turn the tap on, turn left - hot water, turn right - cold water, heated house in the cold winter.......We almost forget what would be like without all those conveniences. Until we are hit by one of those 'inconvenient situations', we have no idea that life could be so hard and water could so be so cold that numbs your fingers. I was thinking of Jayne Eyre at the grim Lowood school. Am I too sentimental? The lazy electrician asked me to move all the stuff underneath the staircases, saying he got some work to do there. With his manly hands and arms, he got no problem removing all the stuff. But no, no, 'I don't have time...it is not my job to clear that area...' Excuse moi? What happened to gentleman's gallantry I used to read so much in English classical novels? I almost forgot that this is a century that men and women have equal status...Do I sound like a grumpy old woman who is going on and on about the good old days?! HG teased me: Maybe he just wanted to see you bend over when you are moving things around?! I was not amused by his racy joke. Because I knew next day, my back pain would start playing up again. January 01 Last day of 2008 - A series unfortunate events When bad luck strikes you, what can you do? Here is an account of what happened yesterday - last day of 2008 1. Arrived at work, soon discovered heating out of order in the office! Around 10am, Dana sent an email to everybody announcing that engineer is on his way...I bet by the time he arrived, we would have gone back home. We only work half day today. 2. After drinking at least 3 mugs of milky Earl Grey to keep myself warm, I ran to the loo at least 3 times..my bladder doesn't like cold air in the office  .
I think I should move to a hot place where I can sweat instead of
constant pee...well, sweat can make you look sexy..pee makes you feel
like an elderly lady..3. Parbin started offering chocolate to everyone..they didn't look nice, didn't taste nice either. Parbs claimed alcoholic chocolate could make me warm..She wore a pair of gloves (to keep her warm, obviously she hadn't consumed any choco) when serving the chocolate..looked like a murderess in one of Agatha Christie's crime novels! One of us might get poisoned before warming up. Yuck! got unpleasant taste now on my tongue! 4. JD asked me whether I bought a pair of leather hosen in Bavaria. I said to him: hm..I am trying to imagine how you look like in leather hosen...must look very dashing! Everybody laughed..I suppose the stiff public school boys don't go well with that farmer outfit. Hmm...leather..now remember at Munich central railway station, I saw this tall German guy wearing a pair of boring glasses on the train and a long black leather coat. When the train arrived, he stood near the door giving me a stern look, I stared back..I am not afraid of you, I thought...although he did look like one of the Nazis in black uniform. Suddenly, he did something dramatic. He tried to open the door which is facing the track! Did he lose his mind?! Alarm was triggered, then he sneaked his way out of the door facing the platform. It happened all so quick, I was stunned! 5. Finally, 12:30! We could leave!!! I rushed to the small Tesco nearby, damned, no peanut butter! How could I eat bagels tomorrow morning without peanut butter?! Bought 4 bagels, wow, £1.44, more expensive than Sainsbury, how could down market Tesco charge more? Don't get it. At London Bridge M&S food shop, still no sign of peanut butter . Hopped onto the train..freezing cold..6. Arrived home, damned, freezing cold...and no hot water from the tap! After a check, old boiler got a leak, don't think worth repairing...but engineers could only come on Friday earliest...luckily shower is powered by electricity, can't imagine how I survive without showers for 2 days;-(...I crawled into my bed, turned the eclectic blanket on..cold feet finally started getting warmer. 7. Heard downstairs J was messing around...I put ear plugs on, fell asleep, woke up, found no light in my room! Oh, no, now no electricity?! Called J to investigate. He put the switch back on. He told me he found a dead mouse in the storage space...didn't want to hear the gruesome details how that mouse died there..turned my computer on..no internet???!!! Must be caused by temporary power off in my study. Turned on and off the router several times, restarted my laptop..internet was finally back on! 8. I had to use icy cold water to wash vegetable and my hands...normally a great fun working in the kitchen. Not now. Still a cook had to work..and I am the only cook in house. 9. After dinner, decided to watch Henry James' Europeans. Production by Merchant Ivory can't go wrong. They often produce high quality period dramas. I love them! Wait a minute, something was wrong with DVD player. Saying wrong disc on the screen? How could that be? I bought it brand new in the shop! Tried another DVD player, this time sound went wrong...So ended up watching TV..Frasier, not bad. After 2 episodes, I said goodnight to J..don't wanna touch anything...enough things went wrong today... 10. Woke up by 12:00 firework outside...received 1 text from Emma, the other from Hui..At least, that gave me a bit comfort, fell asleep again... December 26 A day in Munich 1. Woke up seeing sunshine outside...so I decided that we should visit Lenbach Haus for Kandinsky exhibition. 2. Damn cold outside;-( felt my bottom was freezing...Mozart Cafe nearby still shut;-( therefore decided to have breakfast at Hauptbahnhof again. 3. Sitting in an Italian cafe, there was a handsome Dalmatian, had an impulse of going over giving him a stroke..but the owner looked a bit mean, plus Dalmatian himself looked scared with his tail between legs. Better leave the poor chap alone... 4. Getting to the ground at Koenigsplatz, freezing cold, now felt my whole body like an ice stick...sun still shining but without temperature. My 2nd visit to Lenbach Haus..I love this place! 5. As the result of 4, I refused to deposit my coat at cloakroom, asked for an audio guide from a pretty girl with Russian accent. Her tone was icy cold like her face...what's wrong with these Russian babes! I guess it costs money to smile...working in the museum probably not well paid. Maybe find smile on a Russian escort's face? (Of course, one has to pay up front...otherwise no smile) 6. As a result of 5, this mean looking fat German lady at the museum told me off like I was a child: You either wear your coat, or you deposit your coat at the cloakroom. Never been told off like this in a museum or gallery...it was really cold outside, so I had to wear my coat to keep me warm for the first 10 minute during the exhibition..after 3 rooms, I got warmer..so took off my coat and carried it on my arm..what was wrong with that??? 7. There was a group of middle aged people..talked loudly in German in the room, where was that fat mean lady??? I bet if I talked loudly in English or Chinese, she would rash to me like a fire fighter and asked me to shut up immediately...but no, no sign of fat lady...so they carried on talking, I got more upset because I couldn't even listen to my audio guide. 8. A German earnest looking lady took 3 steps forward to be very close to the painting that interest her greatly, then 3 steps backward to look at the same masterpiece , almost stood on my toe;-( I observed that she did this to several paintings totally ignored the exhibition was so busy today... 9. An American lady tried to take photos but was told off. I could see that she was still looking for another photo opportunity...basically, you can't have rules for some Americans...they are often loud too...the good thing is..thank god, today is so cold...otherwise...they got their uniform out - shorts even in winter! 10. Had lunch at a restaurant serving Bavarian food..a waitress got enormous boobs but she covered them up wearing an extra TShirt underneath Bavarian traditional costume which is made to expose large sized cleavage. Then I remember the other morning at Mozart Cafe, saw this slim girl with not so big boobs but wearing a push-up effect vest...so that she could present her boobs to Maximal. Her Tshirt was really low cut..she even undone 3 buttons as if low cut was not low enough...as a woman, I could hardly move my eyes away from her breasts..let alone men! John felt sorry that I had to swap seats with him so he lost the best view. I didn't know he was enjoying the view. My seat was too low;-(... In general, I am not anti-American, anti-Bavarian or anti-Russian. It is just one of those things...when some people really get your nerve in must unflattering manner..you just could not think anything positive under those unpleasant circumstances. October 17 Meeting Dr. G (1) Before I met G, a German friend warned me: watch out, Austrians are strange people. So what, Germans can be very strange too! I thought. Germans don't feel well received in Switzerland. I guess mainly because the fact they speak standard German. This is almost like, when Chinese from the rest of the country travel to Beijing, the capital of China, they have to face Beijing snobs who do not pay much respect to regional accents. I guess Germans are seen as snobs by Swiss who speak Swiss German, a language sounds so different from standard German that I thought it was a different European language when I first arrived in Switzerland. Austrians do not seem have problems getting on with Swiss, maybe because they don't speak standard German either, so under no circumstances would they look down on Swiss German accent? G is from Innsbruck, now works and lives in Zurich feeling content. But another friend of mine, Miss R, originally comes from Bavaria, who lives in Zurich too, she can't wait to leave Zurich. She likes London. I simply like the chaos. She said. Yes, trains hardly ever run late, fresh air from the mountains, over-well-organised, clean, almost too clean that Martin once told me he felt sick of it. He left Switzerland for good. Now he lives in Thailand without feeling much homesick. First time, I met G at Liverpool Station, seemed like meeting an old friend. We spent half time talking about work, the other half me complaining about my boss. He was in one of his bad moods that day. As usual, he diverted to me. That Japanese restaurant was a ripoff. A set menu costs £25!!! So I told G that I would treat him a nice Chinese meal next time. October 11 Today at Royal Academy of Arts, London I always like Miro and Giacometti's works. Saw Giacometti's Dog again
this time...Isn't it part of Zurich Kunst Haus's permanent
collection. Was in Zurich in August 2007. Unfortunately the new catalog
wasn't published. I really wanted to get hold on a copy. The collection
of the Kunst Haus in Zurich is impressive. I am not familiar with
Alexander Calder's work...but then I
suddenly realised that I did see something outside of Kunst Haus  http://bp3.blogger.com/_msQ6NQx9xgU/RkMeDML-dLI/AAAAAAAAA2o/... When I first saw it, I got no idea who the artist is. Having seen some of his works today, I quite like his mobile works now, they are very creative and ingenious. Imagine if you had a loft with high ceiling, then you could attach his mobile work to the ceiling and let it hang in the air...it will move constantly in different paces plus the shadows cast to the wall or floor or the furniture... June 20 Linda's NewletterNews updates:
May 09 Latest newsRecent news:
1. Michael
Finally passed the state exams for his (super long term) medical studies in Munich. Next challenge: finding an assistant doctor job in a hospital in Germany...which means long work hours, low paid, little social life...so what! He loves his profession! (thumbs up!)
I am trying to help him remotely.
2. Camera
My new baby was delivered today...by Amazon
 I so fed up with compact digicams. Finally I took the plunge......J's colleague Glyn already warned J that he is going to carry the baby all the time. Not really!, given the fact that J always drops things, he is VERY clumsy, I wouldn't let him come anywhere near my baby.......and one of the main features of Canon D450 is its light weight, compared with other models.
Must try out before departure for Bali...
3. Bali
Been there 9 years ago. A rather short trip only for 5 days, but changed 3 different hotels within 4 nights. Very bad package from an agency in Taipei.
1. First night spent in a 3 star hotel instead of 4 star stated in the contract.
2. Moved into another hotel, discovered a super sise lizard!!! I freaked out. Was told lizard wouldn't attack me...I hate reptiles!
3. Had bad tummy after eating at a local restaurant recommended by local tour guide Eddy.
4. Eddy took us to various shops, very annoying!
But nothing could change my views about this beautiful island. I am making a comeback after 9 years!
February 10 About Thai women I metIt might not be politically right about what I am going to say...the
other day, I touched this topic with a friend in Germany...here is my
view. About Thai women. Before my first visit to Thailand, I had no idea about them. When I arrived in Pattaya, the first thing I noticed was those tiny women hand in hand with white men, and most of those men were as old as their grandpa's age. Yes, most European do not age well, I discovered this later. And most of these men were unattractive, as far as I concerned. I am not against the elderly, in fact, I respect them. But what I could not deny from a young female's point of view - they are fat with beer bellies. Therefore physically unattractive to me. Dad explained: those men are retired in Europe. They are the permanent residents in Pattaya. Those women are their wifes or girlfriends. I also noticed most of these tiny Thai women got darker skin and hardly speak English...maybe just a few words. Darker skin made them look exotic. In Europe, people had to 'do' something to get such skin. They either lie in the tanning machine, or spray themselves with fake tan, or go to a sunny country and lie on the beach to get themselves 'grilled' under the scorching sun. Hardly speak English? God, I could not imagine how I could live with a man withouth verbal communication. Of course, you might use sign language or body language to point, to touch, to kiss, to hug, to make love....but words are so important that make your relationship with the other person more complex and more sophisticated. Plus you can have so much fun with words. But of course, it depends the level of the relationship. If an aged man listened to his wife for 20 or 30 years nagging him all the time, now he might choose to remain silence? If he needs to talk, he can always find other Germans or Swiss to talk. In Pattaya, there is a German community...a Swiss community, An English society...even Russian gangs! Now that this white European man needs at home is just a young woman who can clean the rooms, well, Thai women grew up with such skills, why waste their talent? He also needs a cook, a local guide in case he needs to settle some issues with local authorities, could be any 3rd parties. Finally, he also needs sex, maybe not as frequent as a 20 year's old lad. When he is exhausted, that young companion could even give him a massage. Aldo's friend Luciano once told me and Martin that his woman gave him massage every afternoon. All part of service, you see. Every time when I saw those women on the street, I always wondered what they thought: Happy? Maybe. Because they don't need to work in the rice field. They could also send some money back home. They might even have Thai husbands gambling and drinking away the money.... Enjoyed the sex? Not sure....if you do it for money, then having sex is just part of your work. How could you have pleasure with those big bellies? Once I was at an office owned by a German guy. He provided all kinds of services. And one of them was translation. He speaks fluent Thai. That afternoon, he was translating a letter for a Thai woman. Content was like: I miss you very much...when are you coming back to me...I can't live without you.... She probably sent the same letter to different men in different countries. If she was lucky, given that these boyfriends did not come to Pattaya in the same time...in that case, her living was guaranteed. Some of them even been invited to visit their boyfriends in Switzerland or Germany. Once in Zurich, I was there on business. I went to the Bahnhofstrasse to browse the shops before heading home. There, on the benches, I saw some Thai women. You couldn't mistaken them as they all spoke Thai to each other. I can even tell if they speak English. They all got horrible accent. Certainly well educated Thai would not have strong accents. But they are different kind. They smoke, they hooted with laughters, they wore what they called 'sexy' outfit with ridiculous shoes, they carried fake LV.....quite an 'attraction' in the day light on that famous street. I noticed that Swiss people looked at them with disdain. Luckily, nobody ever asked whether I am a Thai. Most of the time, they thought I was a Japanese because of my fair skin. I would feel terrible if I was mistaken as a Thai. But who was to blame? It was those Swiss men who brought them into Switzerland in the first place. Another time, I had dinner with a couple in Zurich. The man was a Swiss, got very decent job with IT department at a bank. He is an SAP developer in Winterthur. He found his girlfriend at a local shop when he visited Thailand. He claimed that he fell in love. He invited the girl to Switzerland for holiday. They were like being glued together. She was literally glued to his body. Wow...so much in love...But then I saw her pick up the food and feed him with her spoon...and the way she spoke to him...Her ueber sweet tone was somehow irritating me a great deal. God, I had goosebump....... I watched the 'show' the whole evening, I felt sick, not because of the food. For the rest of the evening, I sat there with my fake smile. I even started feeling that I was not feminine enough. On another occasion, I was having dinner with 2 couples, one of them, the wife is Chinese, husband was a retired lawyer (I will tell you something about this couple in another email), and the other couple, wife is Thai, husband is Martin's colleague at Novartis, he was actually the department head. Oh, dear, oh, dear. I so disliked that Ms Posh. She obviously wanted to present herself as an upper class. But her show was also a bit too much and exaggerating...She seemed very keen to demonstrate that she came from a nice family or with a 'posh' background. To Chinese, we have no sense of class, so she just looked silly. But never mind, as long her husband is happy. Of course, I know at least two Thai women, very decent ladies. Unfortunately one married with an awful Swiss man who took advantage of her wealth. And she had to pretend that she knew nothing about her husband numerous affairs with other Thai women. September 23 Alec GuinnessJust finished watching Smiley People yesterday. I picked up the title without realising this was actually the sequel of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré What surprised JJ was how well I could still follow the plot...for 1. I have never read any John's novels. 2. I have not yet watched Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy...... And how much I love Alec's performance...his charisma. I told JJ I would like Alec to be my lover, a lover with outstanding quality......JJ chuckled. He is not a jealous man and I believe he loves Alex too. I was told that Alec was a gay .......well, not quite sure whether this was true. In any case, it is not important to me as my love for Alec is probably more spiritual than anything else, just like my huge crash on my literature teacher when I was 15....... And he looked so dignified with that stern expression on his face without giving away his thousand thoughts...... He played an aged spy just as credible as a scheming sinister killer. Was he a charming man in real life? I don't want to know. It is good enough to be in love with him on screen.
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