Only in the UK

three years

2009-12-02T13:53:00.005Z

There are a few words in the English language that naturally elicits smirks. Words like "prunes" and "egg salad" can bring schoolchildren into endless fits of giggles. Unbeknowst to me, our home city is one of these words with its own built in laugh track. Whenever I mention where I live, people would try to smother their laughter in, what I would imagine, disbelief that someone would actually live in Derby.

Recently, we celebrated our three years of living in the UK but, more specifically, three years of living in Derby. As a tribute to our city, here are some of my favourite photos throughout the years.

new orleans

2009-11-26T09:38:00.003Z

I submitted my thesis over a month ago now.

I didn't really think much of it at that time. All my tears and sweat transposed into a neatly bound document and, with a blink of an eye, it was gone. There wasn't much time for celebrations as, in matter of days, I hopped on a jet plane for an extensive tour of North America. The tour consisted of a much delayed trip back home. But before that, I attended a conference in New Orleans.

It was quite the journey to get to New Orleans. I left my house before the crack of dawn to catch the train to the airport and boarded three planes to arrive to my final destination in the wee hours of the morning the following day.

My presentation was very well received. Luckily, it was on the first day of the conference, allowing me time to explore the city.

More photos can be found here.

submitted!

2009-11-23T19:45:00.004Z

It has been a while but my absence here has resulted in me submitting my PhD thesis! The 306-page document, representing the past 3 years of my life, is now out of my control and in the hands of my examiners.

The last thing that remains is a viva voce, which is set for January.

i must admit

2009-09-30T12:16:00.003+01:00

With a blink of an eye, September is just about over.

After living in the UK for nearly 3 years, I’ve started to realize that summer just doesn’t happen in this part of the world. No matter how hopeful I am at the start of every June -- pulling out my summer clothes and sandals out of hibernation -- I’ve come to accept that this country just doesn’t do summer.

I have, however, discovered that this country does do autumn. And, I must admit, it does it very well.

Now, I’ve been told that eastern Canada is known for its large surface area of beautifully coloured leaves this time of year. But I haven’t been there during the autumn months, so my frame of reference may be a little blurred. Nevertheless, the transition between 'summer' and winter is visually stunning here and will be more so as the weeks progress.

My favourite season has always been spring, with the pastel-coloured cherry blossoms and the feeling of freshness. But after living in the UK for some time now, there’s something comforting about being outside in the crisp air, bundled in a scarf, with the changing coloured leaves.

the lake district

2009-08-17T15:54:00.009+01:00

Come on in, pull up a chair, and take those muddy wellies off. I need to tell you about our week away to the Lake District.

We spent most of our time in Wasdale, home to Wast Water, which was voted Britain's favourite view.

Luckily, the weather was relatively nice, which is considered to be quite miraculous in this part of the world. It rained heavily the first day we got to the campsite and since we backpack camp -- or wilderness camp, as what they call in England -- we were confined to our small tent before deciding to head to the pub for dinner. (There are pubs everywhere in England, no matter now small the village is!)

Luckily, the weather allowed us to explore some of the area, including walking up to Scafell Pike, the highest peak in all of England.

The latter part of our trip was spent in a little village, Braithwaite. We explored Keswick town, walked along the Derwent Water

visited Castlerigg stone circles

and saw a dramatic waterfall.

It was a well deserved break after submitting the first thesis draft but supervisor comments are starting to reappear so my time off is slowly disappearing.

done for now

2009-07-31T10:28:00.004+01:00

Writing has always been something that scared the bejesus of me. For me, I felt that writing over-emphasized my weaknesses (i.e., the inability to conjugate verbs properly, the improper use of semicolons, colons, and dashes, etc.). Even pressing 'publish' for these blog entries elicited an abnormal amount of fear; mostly because I feared losing my devoted, or lack thereof, readership.

However, for the past 8 weeks or so, I have immersed myself in the oh-so-wonderful world of writing; writing my thesis, that is. It was long-winded, convoluted process but, in a way, it was therapeutic because I had to an opportunity to express all the triumphs, and entangle the pitfalls, of my research in 200-plus pages.

Now, I have a some time to catch my breath as my thesis is in the hands of my supervisors to suggest, comment, and critique.

And, as a result, you may see me more often here.

may days

2009-05-31T12:11:00.000+01:00

With today being the last day of May, this month has got to be the shortest thus far of 2009.

Much to my delight, everything became more springlike:

I made a trip to Orlando to present results from my PhD. I bought a new bottle of sunscreen and packed all my summer clothes but only saw the sun once.

After the heavy rains of Florida, I was treated to sun! in England upon my return, which perfectly timed to my birthday.

******************

I am taking a summer break from Only in the UK so I can devote time to my thesis. I can, however, be found here from time to time.

Have a nice summer!

it'll have to do

2009-05-14T21:06:00.002+01:00

It's already mid-May and I haven't posted at all this month.

For now, this picture will have to do as I'm in the process of organizing for a trans-Atlantic flight to attend a conference. I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends and seeing Mr. Sunshine once again.

españa

2009-04-29T20:29:00.013+01:00

Over the course of a couple of weeks, drafts of thesis chapters, journal articles, abstracts, and presentation slides were furiously written. Fortunately, these frantic activities left my mind free from PhD concerns -- well, for a short period of time -- as we boarded a plane to Spain last Saturday.

We arrived into Girona late and, as a result, we caught our first glimpse of the city in the morning. For this trip, Girona served as a hub for our main destinations: Barcelona and Roses.

We caught a train to Barcelona and spent most of our time exploring the city on foot:

We visited the market, of course:

We walked along the water:

And, we saw the torch that was used to officially start the 1992 Olympic Summer Games:

We took another train to a pretty little resort town, Roses, on the Costa Brava coast.

We spent one day hiking from Roses to Cadaqués along the beautiful rugged coastline. We stopped for breaks on the sandy beaches along the way. However, it was a long trek (7 hours) in the blazing sun and both of us were unwell due to a bout of food poisoning.

returning on a jet plane

2009-04-28T20:10:00.001+01:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but we've been away.

(old) york

2009-04-13T19:57:00.000+01:00

It's been a tiring few weeks for me. I spend most of my days in front of the computer monitor endlessly running regression models, writing thesis chapters, and revising a list of very extensive comments for a scientific article. If I do take a break, it's to exercise at the gym, to run in the neighbourhood, to go grocery shopping, or to bake. And, in the current state of frazzleness I am in, my reliable baking resulted in this recently:

(these are supposed to be muffins, by the way)

As this past weekend was a four-day weekend, I proclaimed to take one day off and to go somewhere new.

York has long been on our list of places to see in the UK; however, we're not too sure why it has taken us over 2 years to cross it off our to-do list considering it's only 1.5 hours away by train.

So on Saturday we boarded a train for the north. We spent most of the day meandering York's narrow cobblestoned streets:

We walked on the walls that surrounded the city and along the River Ouse:

The city is probably most famed for its cathedral, the York Minister. We went inside and climbed nearly 300 steps in the tower to get views of the city.

april's fool

2009-04-01T20:18:00.004+01:00

It was an absolutely beautiful day here in Derby today. So beautiful, in fact, that I was able to hang out two loads of laundry to dry on our clothesline.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take advantage on the glorious weather -- but I really should know better because sun in the UK is highly unlikely at the best of times. Instead, I was stuck at the computer running regressions and writing up the results section of the chapter of my final study. Yes, it is as exciting as it sounds ;)

unspoken pact

2009-03-29T09:06:00.007+01:00

Without secret passwords or intricate handshakes, there's a pact amongst PhD students: one shall not ask about the other person's PhD unless the other brings it up first. This avoids a lot of unneccessary angst and stress and, most importantly, uncontrollable tears. This pact is strictly unspoken and habitual, and allows many PhD students to do what needs to get done.

Needless to say, the absence of activity on the blog is a result of the above pact. This marathon of a PhD is undergoing the start of its final push towards the finish line (note to self: no need to insert applause here yet) and I need to reserve my lexicon to finish off my thesis of eight chapters.

Until that dreaded thesis is submitted, I am enjoying the lovely weather that has bestowed upon us. That, and the fact that today's the start of Daylight Savings, spring has arrived.

journal club, or also known as baking club

2009-03-19T15:26:00.002Z

Fortnightly, my husband holds a journal club for his students, where they talk about new findings pertinent to their research topics. Fortunately for me, I get to play an indirect role in this educational process: by baking something homemade for their round table discussion.

I usually make something easy to transport and bite-sized, like muffins, cupcakes, or cookies. At the end of each session, I get reports that they were all very grateful for my contribution which, not surprisingly, delights me to no end. I mean, who doesn't like an appreciative audience?

So being the competitive person that I am, I've been trying to out do myself by making something better than the previous time just so I can receive the accolades. However, I didn't know that I would reach my climax so soon. Over a month ago, I provided a new creation of mine: a granola cookie, filled with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, oatmeal, and other things you might find in a breakfast cereal. I believe there was a scrummage for the last cookie in the tupperware container and my husband exclaimed that it was "a very tasty cookie, and it even didn't have chocolate in it".

Since that cookie, the boys have been silent for the past couple of journal clubs, which I'm sure is partially has been due to me baking healthier things. But for tomorrow's journal club, I have something up my sleeve: the king of all cookies -- gigantic chocolate chip cookies!

spring is in the air

2009-03-12T15:58:00.001Z

The days are starting to get longer and I'm starting to sense spring in the air.

After being here for over 2 years now, I'm starting to maintain a steady state, balancing school- and home-life and with a sprinkling of knitting club and running group during the week. However, after spending two weekends away in London and in Oxford I'm beginning to feel bogged down once again by the amount of work I need to do. I'm sure that getting back 8 pages of reviewers' comments for a paper I submitted to a scientific journal did not help this feeling of urgency.

With the official start of spring about a week away, I'm looking forward to much needed spring cleaning of my to-do list.

the weekend away

2009-03-06T16:19:00.001Z

When my husband boarded the St. Pancras-bound train at Leicester, I asked, "What do you want to do when we get into London?"

We looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Go to Paul's".

And go there we did (I'm almost a bit embarrassed at the number of visits we made in one weekend). Not sure why we like this particular patisserie, as there are a number of bakeries to choose from. Perhaps, it's because it shares the name as our good friend back home (Hi Paul, if you're reading!)

Without a doubt, as soon as I step out of the dark and dingy Tube station, I declare my infatuation with the city and my desire to live there (even inspite of my near-viewing of a rat tail in a mound of garbage bags on the street). I spent the weekend daydreaming about living in a pretty terrace house in the Kensington area.

Since it was the birthday boy's weekend, what to do was up to him. We spent one morning at the Imperial War Museum which, surprisingly, was quite interesting.

We queued for coffee at Monmouth in Covent Garden -- well worth the wait.

We went for dinner in Chinatown before watching London's longest running play.

But mostly we walked and walked.

We even went to Greenwich one day.

The purpose of the trip was not to visit the Prime Meridian but rather, thanks to Facebook, to meet up with a girl we went to high school with. Although we hadn't seen each other in over 15 years, it was really nice to catch up with her and her family.

hiatus

2009-03-02T15:06:00.005Z

Umm, hello? You may not remember me but I am a Canadian that has relocated to Derby, England. You may better know me as the writer of this blog.

For those of you dedicated followers, you may have noticed a lack of posts of late. Unfortunately, it's not due to clandestine travels to the continent or local exploration of our surrounding areas or anything excitingly similar but rather the exact opposite -- tending to the beckoning calls from my PhD, for which I am very thankful for.

For a while there, I was quite bored. Not bored because I was tired of meeting deadlines and writing and all the other fun things but, if truth be told, bored because I had nothing to do. But now all 200 interviews have been conducted so my primary focus these days has been analyzing the data.

There's nothing to be wrong with busy. In fact, it makes you really appreciate weekends and the breaks you give yourself that much more. I find that when you're on holidays, or bored, the weekdays and weeknights seem to blur into one another. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that when one's sipping pina coladas under big umbrella but when you're working-from-home for a good chunk of the week, it can drive one quite batty.

However, in the midst of all my recent number crunching, our planned weekend to London to celebrate my husband's birthday slowly snuck up on us; not surprisingly, as being born on the 29th of February has a habit of doing so.

More photos to follow...

wishing for spring

2009-02-10T20:50:00.003Z

Even though the groundhog says otherwise, I'm ready for spring to arrive. Until warmer weather brings colourful blooms, we'll have to cut flowers at home.

More photos here.

snow day number 2

2009-02-05T12:33:00.003Z

(s)nowhere

2009-02-03T00:26:00.000Z

Yesterday, the UK received the largest amount of snow in nearly two decades.

Even from my Western Canadian perspective, the amount of snow fallen wasn't a lot but, nevertheless, the snow made everything beautiful and peaceful and almost perfect.

However, I should have taken my painful spill on the icy road coming out of the gym after an early morning workout as a sign but I chalked it up to me being the usual klutz that I am. The snow seemed to make everyone happy: snapping photos, flinging snowballs, and I wanted to get out there to make fresh tracks in the snow. But it wasn't until I got to the train station, the havoc the snow created was evident.

The time table flashed 'Delayed' or 'Cancelled' for most journeys. I contemplated whether to make the trip up north even after receiving a text from a friend advising me to stay at home. But, you see, I really wanted to collect the last of my data to start my analysis. Almost after an hour of arriving to the train station, I boarded the train. I spent a total of 60 minutes in the office before turning around to ensure that I would catch a train and not be stranded in Sheffield for the evening.

Although today seems quite pleasant and clear, I'll be going nowhere, at least by train, until all the snow melts away.

it's hard to believe that...

2009-02-01T16:05:00.005Z

- we've resided in the UK for over 2 years now
- I'm in my final year of my PhD program and that I've written 5 draft chapters of my thesis
- today's the 1st of February
- it's snowing right now
- we've watched two Academy nominated movies in one weekend
- I'm nearly finished my vest (just need to block it).

walking in the peak district

2009-01-27T08:24:00.000Z

When we were getting ready to move to the UK, my British acquaintances, who were living in Vancouver, told me matter-of-factly, "Oh, you'll love the Peak District". Since moving here, we've been on several walks in the Peak. However, each time has left me feeling lukewarm about the whole experience of walking in the Peak District -- mostly because of the misuse of the word 'peak'; linguistically, it should be called Hill District -- and very muddy at the end of each walk.

This past weekend, I decided to give my reservation about walking in the Peak District another go; after all, it has been over a year since our last walk.

We spent most of our walk, sharing the trail with the local livestock and trying to stay on dry and solid land. Even though I was very careful to avoid sloppy mud puddles, within the first 30-minutes, my trouser bottoms -- up to the knee -- were muddy. Whenever we go walking, I always think about Elizabeth Bennet and how she trekked across muddy fields to tend to her ill sister. The only difference is that I prefer to be mud-free.

Don't get me wrong, I really love walking/hiking especially when there's a distination to get to. Maybe we should aim for the northern part of the Peak District next time but I think the geography of the Lake District is more to my liking.

knitting club

2009-01-22T14:25:00.001Z

I'm not sure when I started to knit. But what I do remember is that my Aunt, an avid knitter herself when I was younger, taught me the basics. She gave me a pair of knitting needles and a small ball of yarn, and showed me how to cast-on and knit and purl. The rest was up to me.

My skills evolved, like any budding knitter's would, from simple scarves and fingerless mitts to a child's sweater. Now here in the UK, my knitting, although still considered to be quite remedial, has flourished. I tote around a small project on my knapsack so I can knit on the train to and from Sheffield. Knitting needles and yarn are always in my hand as I sit on the couch in front of the tv, especially during the winter months. The ladies running the yarn store in town even know me by face. And, most recently, I came across a leaflet advertising Derby's knitting club.

A bunch of ladies meet once a week at Starbucks. (Yes, Derby has a Starbucks! In fact, the city has multiple stores of the Seattle-franchise). We knit or crochet, and chat while having a caffeinated beverage. It's neat to see the flurry of needle action and the array of colours being worked on. I'm starting my first major knitting project -- let's see if it'll be wearable.

pantomime

2009-01-19T14:29:00.002Z

Pantomime. It’s definitely not a word I heard of before moving to the UK.

It’s a stage production -- usually set to the stories of children’s favourite fairy tales -- held during the holidays. Although, we had no idea what goes on at a pantomime, we always felt they were mostly targeted to children.

Although Derby hosted its Snow White pantomime over Christmas, this past weekend, we went to our first English pantomime in Ecclesfield, just north of Sheffield. The theatre was intimate with about 100 seats and the number of cast in the production of Cinderella was just over a tenth of those seated in the audience. The main reason for making the trek was the lady who has been helping me with my data collection had a part in the show.

After sitting through our first pantomime, we noticed a few things. The casting roles are switched: the male roles are played by females and vice versa. For example, Cinderella’s two evil stepsisters were two men dressed in Halloween wigs and in distastefully coloured dresses. They encouraged audience participation. Boos and hisses for the villains and, near the end, we all got up from our seats to do a little dance. The show was totally personalized, as there were a couple of remarks by one stepsister directed specifically at us (“people making the trip from Derby” and “general manager of the Derby football time”).

All in all, it was great fun and we’ll definitely catch another pantomime during the next holiday season.

a few signs

2009-01-15T07:23:00.002Z

A few signs that we will be in the UK for a wee bit longer than most of you (including me!) were intending:

-- signing up at the local gym with a 12-month contract
-- exchanging my BC driver's license (with my pretty picture) for a UK one (with a horrible picture of me)
-- considering post-doctoral posts in England

i'm learning

2009-01-09T11:21:00.000Z

I heart black and white shots. When done properly, I think the image portrayed in the photo can be stipped down to its purest form. All nooks and crannies, and blemishes are there for the world to see.

It's too bad that the photos taken from my new -- yet old* -- manual camera never turn out the way I want them to. The excitement of dropping a roll of film off for developing and seeing how the photos turned out is immediately ceased when photo after photo is a blur; disappointing, I know.

On the plus side, I'm still having fun learning but, unfortunately, film and processing is so darn pricey! It's making me contemplate getting a digital; however, only slightly.

*The camera is over 30 years old!

dreamin'

2009-01-07T19:56:00.002Z

Don't you sometimes wish that you could go back to holiday mode, where time and deadlines doesn't seem to matter?

happy 2009!

2009-01-01T12:26:00.001Z

For some reason, I prefer the 1st of January -- especially after a good night's sleep -- to the glitz and glam and all the hub-bub associated with the eve of the New Year. I like the hope and the willingness the start of the New Year always brings. It's not like 2008 was a bad year -- it was anything but that! -- but there's something about starting fresh on an unmarked calendar.

I'm excited to how 2009 unfolds. Besides the usual culprit of exercising more (I just joined the local gym after suffering the joys of going to the council-run leisure centre), this is the year I submit my PhD thesis (fingers crossed). I'm striving for the slightly unachievable because it is rare for students in my department to finish in the proposed 3 years. It'll be a tough and challenging year.

Happy New Year, my friends! Here's to a healthy and prosperous 2009, filled with lots of adventures and -- hopefully! -- more blog posts from yours truly.

oh, madeira

2008-12-28T08:35:00.004Z

It's not like I knew where you were before we came and visited you over Christmas. I'm sure that I had glanced over you many times on a map of the world because your presence in the Atlantic Ocean is so discreet. Although I didn't know of your existence beforehand, it was very easy to fall head-over-heels because of your stunning beauty.

We spent most of our days in your capital city, Funchal, walking along the waterfront and enjoying the views of the rugged coastlines and the sloped hillside lined with terracotta-coloured roofs.

Oh, Madeira, you were a gracious hostess. You made us feel relaxed as we explored narrow streets, went to the market, and visited the botanical garden. Also, your local, sweet wine did not disappoint our tastebuds.

Your myriad of streets and tunnels permitted us to see the rest of the island.

We stopped in at little villages on the coast.

We hiked to the highest peak on the island.

We hiked along the levadas to reach a waterfall.

And, on a windy day we walked along the eastern point of the island.

We didn't know how you did it but the weather was nearly perfect during our visit. But, near the end of our trip, we observed a spectacular thunder and lightning show early in the morning and watched the waves crash along the shore. Even the squalls that we were caught in didn't dampen the mood we were in.

I know it was Christmas and all, but thank you, Madeira, for adorning your absolute finest for us.

oh, december

2008-12-14T08:34:00.001Z

The nasty cold I'd developed is completely over. It lingered for a while and I unknowingly passed on the cold that everyone-seems-to-be-catching-this-season to my husband. We spent a couple of weekends, between us, swathed in fleecy blankets with a cup of hot lemon/honey water in hand and the remote control in the other. Needless to say, December has caught us off guard and, much to my surprise, it's already the middle of the month. December has a way of doing that -- it's so sneaky like that.

The City Centre of the cities I must often visit are dressed head-to-toe with twinkle lights and tinsel decorations. However, for some reason, this household is not smittened by the Christmas spirit. Don't get me wrong: cards were addressed and sent, mitts and socks were knitted, and even cookies were made. But, for some reason, at least for me, when there isn't the flurry of parties, visits with friends and families, and last minute shopping, it doesn't feel like Christmas.

We'll be spending Christmas in the vicinity of our home this year. And by vicinity, I mean an airplane will be involved. Of course, photos will follow when we come back. Until then, I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Christmas and may you be spending it with those you love, because I know that I'll be.

an update

2008-11-25T09:03:00.000Z

I'm sick again.

Actually, it's the third time this month. The first two times must have been warm ups for this thing I'm currently nursing. For the last two days, I have worn an unsightly, though comfortable, combination of pajamas, sweat pants, and sweaters. And, although I cover myself with layers of blankets and wool socks, I never can maintain normal body temperature. I lazed on the couch all afternoon yesterday watching DVDs but when the four episodes of Gilmore Girls on the disc finished, I lacked the energy to switch the disc. This left with me with the only options of watching daytime British tv or taking nap; I chose the latter.

I made an appointment with the doctors yesterday at 10:15. Though it was only a 10-minute walk to the office, I felt like I accomplished the impossible by actually getting dressed, running a brush through my hair, and leaving the house. But when I got there, the receptionist informed me that my appointment was actually set for 10:50 (those numbers sound quite alike, especially if you throw in a Derbyshire accent and plugged ears). Sadly, I turned around to go back home only to have to walk there again 30 minutes later.

I think I'm on the mend now but messages of well-wishes are welcome.

*************

A bit off topic...

I'm learning how to use a manual SLR camera. Take a look at some of my shots from my first three rolls of film, if you're interested.

oh wait, there's more

2008-11-21T15:20:00.000Z

While we enjoyed seeing the Parisian sights and eating the Parisian delights, our trip fortuitously timed with the Trophée Eric Bompard Cachemire, one of the Grand Prix figure skating events.

You may know how much of a figure skating addict I am so we snatched tickets to watch the short programs of the mens, ladies, and pairs event. Surprisingly inexpensive at 11 Euros per person and for the whole evening. I'm sure that this was due it being held on a weekday; the tickets significantly rose for attendance to the weekend's long program competitions and finales.

It was my very first attendance at a international skating event. We sat a few rows behind the judges and nearly rubbed elbows with famous people in the stands. We watched two of Canada's 2010 hopefuls gained the lead after the short program and, although we didn't watch the long programs, retained their lead. Although I'm sure it isn't likely, but I like to think their success was due to our attendance.

paris sights

2008-11-20T21:46:00.005Z

We had been to Paris before. In the summer of 1999, after completing our undergraduate degrees, we lugged a backpack around Europe for 6 weeks. It was our first time travelling for an extensive period of time -- and together, as well -- and we did what any novice travellers would do: jammed pack the holiday with must-do and must-see things.

This time around, we wanted to see Paris as it is. We wanted to walk and eat, and walk some more. We wanted to sit in cafés and on park benches and watch the world pass us by. We didn't want to rush. We didn't want to follow a schedule.

Our first view of Paris after getting off the train from the airport was Notre Dame:

We meandered with the Seine:

We caught a glimpse of the Louvre:

We saw the gold dome of Les Invalides:

We traipsed around hilly Montmartre:

We visited the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre:

We went into the Musée de l'Orangerie, home to Monet's Nympheas paintings. This was the only museum we went into.

Of course, not seeing the Tour d'Eiffel when in Paris would be wrong. So we made sure that we saw it at least three times during our trip.

Even though, I had achy feet and sore hips, we opted to walk up several hundred stairs to the second landing of the Tour d'Eiffel to get panoramic views of the city:

We walked by the spectacular Opera House in the evening:

We walked along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, poking in shops, on the way to the Arc de Triomphe:

And, finally, catching a view of the Tour d'Eiffel again:

boulangeries, patisseries, etc.

2008-11-19T07:04:00.003Z

When people are asked to conjure up images of Paris, their attention is immediately focused on the Tour d’Eiffel, Champs d’Elysees, and handholding, beret clad couples along the Seine. For me, when I think of Paris, I think of boulangeries and patisseries. So it's only fitting that the summary of our 4-day trip to the French capital starts with food.

I’m not sure where my love of food stems from. I think my interest in baking started in junior high during home economics. I would repeat all recipes I learned in class at home. My interest in baking flourished into a passion when I moved into my first apartment when I started collecting kitchen gadgets and cookbooks. I'm sure my partner's love of all things sweet aided to the craze. Now, here in the UK, I have a cupboard devoted to my baking supplies, which includes 5 (!) different types of sugars.

While in Paris, our preferred mode of transportation was our two feet. This enabled us to explore all the little nooks and crannies. At times, we got a bit lost navigating the narrow streets but since we never had a final destination to get to, how lost can you truly really be? And, with a boulangerie on every street block, a safe -- and glorious smelling -- refuge can always be found. We satisfied our puffed pastry and butter quota by sampling a range of Parisian pastries, including pain aux raisins and chausson aux pommes. I may be the only person in the world who doesn't go head-over-heels for pain au chocolat.

Speaking of chocolate, we made our way to the shop of French chocolatier, Patrick Roger. After browsing his wide selection of chocolate, I felt so chic when I was walking on Boulevard Saint-Germain carrying my purchases in a slim turquoise bag.

We also made visits to two outdoor Parisian markets and brought fruit to go along with our lunch on most days. I only wished that I had a kitchen to work on while I was there so I could have bought more! Everything looked so colourful.

Armed with recommendations, a place that I had to visit was Pierre Hermé. Renowned for his macarons, this patisserie did not disappoint. We went there on Saturday evening and were surprised that we had to wait in line just to enter the store.

We picked out 4 multi-coloured macarons -- chocolate and caramel, salted caramel, milk chocolate and passion fruit, and rose -- to share on a nearby park bench. Each macaron, in turn, was more delicate and more delicious than the previous one. The flavours -- subtle and intense all at the same time -- were true to its description.

We enjoyed them so much that we queued outside the store the next day for another 4! If you're interested, we had coffee, green tea, white truffle and hazelnuts, and wasabi and grapefruit. The last flavour combination may sound odd but -- trust me -- amazing! Definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

don't hate us because we live in europe...

2008-11-18T08:01:00.002Z

Extended weekend spent in Paris.

More photos to follow...

10 pounds a head!

2008-11-09T16:36:00.002Z

You may know how much I like sushi.

While it's not hard to satisfy a craving for sushi as mom-and-pop restaurants well situated throughout Vancouver, but here in the UK -- unless you're willing to pay an arm and a leg, and possibly other limbs for a piece of raw fish -- you'll have to settle for mediocre maki or learn how to roll your own.

This weekend, however, we came across this place that offers all-you-can-eat sushi. And, while it may not be considered world-class eating, at £10 pounds per person it is definitely worth a repeat visit.

under the weather

2008-11-02T13:26:00.002Z

It's hard to believe that today, the 2nd of November, is our 2nd anniversary of living in the UK.

We have an uneventful weekend planned. Mostly because I'm fighting off a cold that's starting to take over my body. With the end of the year rapidly approaching, it's not surprising the cold season has hit the household but, thankfully, it is after the departure of our house guest.

I'm lazing on the couch with a blanket wrapped over me and working on a pair of knitted socks (for myself!). The only thing that I'm accomplishing today -- other than finishing the toe of my sock -- is a batch of granola. The thesis will have to wait until tomorrow.

Also, there probably will be a lack of photos posted here for a while because our camera is out of commission -- may it rest in peace.

happy halloween!

2008-10-31T16:19:00.001Z

busy, busy

2008-10-22T10:42:00.003+01:00

Like the City Centre of Derby with all its tinsel and decorations hung, I, too, am getting ready for the holiday season with stacks of handmade Christmas cards, mitts, and socks.

Look out for them in a mailbox near you...

fall in full swing

2008-10-17T15:51:00.002+01:00

Sights seen from a run around the neighbourhood on a beautiful, crisp morning:

frequently asked questions

2008-10-15T08:37:00.000+01:00

Q1) Why don't you post on the blog as often as before?

When we first arrived in the UK, I constantly wrote on the blog to document new things we had encountered -- different sayings we had heard, castles we had visited, new foods we had tried. As most of my family and friends were so far away, I had personified the blog as someone I could communicate with; the conversations were one-sided most often. However, now with our 2-year anniversary of living in the UK rapidly approaching, the 'new thing' experience is dwindling. Needless to say, life here is commonplace; no negative connotations associated with that.

Q2) How's your PhD going?

I can honestly say this is one of the questions most post-graduate students hate. Well, maybe, the top spot goes to "When will you be done your PhD?". I know when the question is asked, it is a genuine question but when you're in the smack in the middle of it all, you just don't want to hear it. I'm busy, which is a good thing. I'm writing thesis chapters and scientific articles. I'm analyzing data, which means data collection is underway.

Q3) Aside from your PhD, what else have you been doing?

Even though we completed our first half marathon about a month ago, we still go for runs; however, not at the crazy distances during our training regimen. When I'm not glued in front of the computer, my alter-ego dominates by excessive baking and knitting. We're busy getting ready for our visitor, who'll be arriving next week, and plotting out our next trips to the continent.

Have I missed any other questions?

leftovers for the week

2008-10-12T19:45:00.004+01:00

Menu for today's dinner:

- thai curry squash soup
- bread stuffing rolled in turkey breast with mushroom sauce
- spinach salad
- mashed potatoes
- homemade pumpkin pie

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

welcome, fall

2008-10-05T19:09:00.003+01:00

With October silently appearing out of nowhere, autumn is in full swing. My wool coat is adorned. My handmade knitted fingerless mitts are permanently affixed on my hands. I have started knitted projects. The sun is deceivingly out but there's an evil chill alongside. The days are noticeably shorter. We're resisting the urge to turn on the heat but we know it's a losing battle.

However, with every drawbacks there are bright moments during this season. The changing leaf colours and the crunchy leaves beneath my feet. My favourite fall produce are readily available on the supermarket shelves. Here's to apple-based desserts, soups composed of gourds, and Thanksgiving dinner next week.

Happy October, everyone.

warwickshire

2008-09-23T08:28:00.000+01:00

It's surprising how much time training for a half marathon takes. When I wasn't injured, I devoted four of the seven days to running, with a long run always planned for Sunday. So after completion of our first half marathon, it was the first run-free weekend we had in a long while.

On a pretty Indian summer Saturday, we set forth for Warwickshire. First stop: Warwick -- a pretty little town lined with Tudor homes.

The biggest attraction in Warwick was the castle and the queues of people lined up to pay the £18 admission fee was out of this world.

We stopped for lunch along the River Avon.

We meandered with the river to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare.

It was apparent, at least for us, that old habits take awhile to break. We went for a mild run on Sunday.

efficiency

2008-09-21T12:32:00.000+01:00

I love getting things done and ticking things off my to-do list. I like to think that 'efficiency' is my middle name.

However, The Royal Mail takes the word, efficient, to a whole new level.

Take, for instance:

1) I seem to know a massive number of babies born in 2008. So, suffice it to say, I send a lot of gifts via the post to celebrate my dear friends' new arrivals. I buy the require postage and drop it at the post office on Monday and receive a thank you phone call from Vancouver on Thursday.

2) When I was in Aberdeen, I wanted to send a postcard back home. I dropped a nautical pictured card in the postbox, hoping that it would make it to Derby before the 2-and-a-half day conference was over. I was in awe when I received a text the next morning, saying the postcard had arrived.

3) This Saturday, the postman dropped a parcel -- did I ever mention that I like getting packages in the mail? -- at 7:20 in the morning!!! I grumbled a loud as I tossed some presentable clothes on me as I ran down the stairs as the doorbell rang for the 7th time.

Efficient, wouldn't you say?

who knew?

2008-09-13T16:24:00.004+01:00

This year, despite spending the months traditionally known as summer, spring seemed to meld into autumn. My officemates, however, kindly have advised me that this is how the British summer works. If you want to wear summer clothes, you just do so -- irregardless of what the weather is outside. I know that this is my second summer here but this philosophy has yet to click.

But, due to the ho-hum 'summer', I thought it was finally time that I move our sandals from the front hall closet to make way for my collection of boots.

That was two days ago.

Today, the sun is shining -- a beautiful Indian summer day.

Lesson learnt for next year: boots remain in the closet year round.

To-do tomorrow: after the half-marathon, bring the winter wool coats out of hibernation to encourage the nice weather to stay for a bit longer.

habit

2008-09-09T08:21:00.008+01:00

Each time we go to London, we're creatures of habit: breakfast at Paul, visit one of the city’s many markets and museums, and walk though the streets of Notting Hill. And, at least for me, I love to pretend that I’m living in one of the world’s most expensive city.

Although this past weekend was devoted to hanging out with a friend, who was visiting London for the first time, it was no different. It was croissants aux amandes et lattes pour nous while fantasizing about living in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

We meandered through the crowds at Camden and Portobello Markets.

We stopped off at my favourite museum but, due to the number of rodents burrowed under a exhibit, the museum has now been demoted down a few rankings on my personal scale.

We did, however, do some new things. We ran in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with many other runners on Saturday morning -- our half marathon is coming up very soon! -- and we walked through pretty Holland Park. And, on our final night, we watched the West End production of the Sound of Music.

september first

2008-09-01T20:41:00.001+01:00

The seasons must have some sort of internal clocking system. Because, today on the first of September, Mother Nature must have waved her little wand because autumn suddenly appeared out of no where.

Within 5 minutes of leaving the house this morning, I was taken a back by the crispness in the air and the number of yellow leaves scattered along the sidewalk. I only briefly contemplated to retrace my steps to retrieve a jacket but, instead, ended up walking home in the rain jacketless and thinking, why was so naive to think that summer in Britain is bound to eventually happen?

aberdeen

2008-08-31T16:32:00.007+01:00

It's hard to forget, with the country's intricate -- albeit very expensive -- rail system, that air travel is also a viable option for within country travel. When the opportunity was presented to attend a conference in Aberdeen, it was significantly cheaper, and faster, to fly to northern Scotland but the only drawbacks were catching the 6:45 am flight out of Birmingham and sitting on the small airplane, which enabled me to feel every bump in the air.

Because I was in Aberdeen for only 72 hours, I didn't get a chance to see much of the city but here are some photos nonetheless.

The conference was held at King's College, which is one of the oldest universities in the UK.

Views of the North Sea:

olympics

2008-08-15T12:40:00.000+01:00

Every two years, I seem to drop everything and become glued to the coverage of the Olympics.

Because I'm in not in my home country for this particular Game, I'm getting used to the televised focus on the British athletes. And without the abundant number of channels to surf, it's surprising that my attention can be easily swayed by the less-than-thrilling sports (i.e. dressage of the equestrian events).

The determination of the athletes to compete and complete events is absolutely amazing. Of course, it's not to the same calibre, I liken it to the completion of my first half marathon next month. I recently suffered an ankle sprain but -- me being me -- is having a hard time letting the injury properly heal.

what? i have a blog!

2008-07-24T07:44:00.000+01:00

Hello, dear friends. It has been a while.

I seem to have forgotten how (and what) to write on a blog, so in short:

* Strawberries at the nearby pick-your-own farm: picked and dealt with nearly 20 lbs of fruit
* Race for Life in Regent's Park in London: ran, with over 11,000 other women, to support cancer research and prepare for our first half marathon this fall
* Aberdeen: my first abstract accepted as a PhD student and will head to northern Scotland next month
* Friend's visit: looking forward to having a second friend visit the UK this year
* PhD project: my final (and massive!) phase of my data collection is about to start
* Summer in England: still waiting

s.o.s.

2008-07-13T19:15:00.002+01:00

We went an saw Mamma Mia in the cinemas yesterday and it was so much fun -- I totally recommend it.

Wouldn't life be great if it was like a musical? I mean wouldn't it would be terrific if we could break out into a song and dance every so often and, especially to ABBA tunes.

our chance at summer

2008-07-12T19:20:00.000+01:00

After living in the UK for over 18 months, I'm starting think that the term, British summer, is an oxymoron. I know it's only July but my summer clothes are still tucked away and probably will remain so. And, only last week, I slipped and fell flat on my behind, in the style of The Three Stooges, when heavy rain shower turned Devonshire Street into a sheet of ice.

We now know that our only chance of much needed Vitamin D is to board a plane to continental Europe to get a dose of sunshine.

A snapshot of our recent trip to Venice and the Dolomites:

update

2008-07-06T22:32:00.002+01:00

Sorry, I've been away. Trip report to follow...

friday the 13th

2008-06-13T10:51:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the lack of updates of late. The brevity of recent entries are attributed to a whole host of issues: absence of weekend trips and overwhelming amount of work that needs to be done. But -- truth be told -- I'm suffering from a bout of homesickness; and, that's 'homesickness' in bolded CAPS.

While I'm trying to remedy this by surpressing the feeling by keeping busy with my mounds of paperwork, organizing my next massive phase of oh-so-fun data collection, and getting ready for an upcoming house guest, nothing seems to be working very effectively.

Any suggestions will be appreciated to shake myself out of this funk.

a haiku

2008-06-08T15:52:00.002+01:00

A warm whoosh on face
Bare legs and bare feet on grass
Can it be - summer?

a weekend off

2008-05-28T20:15:00.000+01:00

I always knew that we were academically focused. But living in the UK has taken the term, academically focused, to a whole new level, at least for this household. Many evenings and weekends are spent away from each other at our own work stations. My eyesight might not appreciate the number of hours spent in front of the computer but the amount written for my thesis is, in my humble opinion, inspiring.

This weekend, however, we ventured to London for my doubly sweet sixteen.

In addition, to lunch at Boxwood Cafe and the Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre, we strolled through another one of London's many markets. Camden Market likens to walking along the Mount Pleasant on Main Street and through a large-scale Fan Tan Alley: totally fun to poke around, and sample baked goods and, my current favourite, falafels.

While we did spent two days in the capital, it was the most rushed we've ever been. We caught one of the last trains back, arriving back to ho-hum Derby a minute after midnight for the start of my birthday. And since then, I've been trying to catch up on my sleep; after all, I'm in my advancing years.

a multiple of 16

2008-05-26T14:03:00.003+01:00

The rigidity and prime-ness of last year is now gone. And today, a new number -- full of hope, promise, and divisibility -- emerges.

In short, bank holiday weekend included:
- Camden Market
- walks along the Thames and Oxford Street with friends
- free stress tests in front of Selfridges
- lunch at Boxwood
- the 2007's best show in London

update of sorts

2008-05-21T19:40:00.003+01:00

My husband: Why don't you blog anymore? I miss reading it.
Me: Why do you bother reading it? You know what I'm doing.

*** *** ***
If anyone is out there: sorry for the lack of posts lately. Too many working weekends = Not too much fun.

Oh, the joys of the academic lifestyles we lead.

our neighbourhood

2008-05-16T07:45:00.000+01:00

Derby, with over 1,000 ghost sightings per year, is known as the paranormal capital of the UK. Many of the pubs in the City Centre offer weekly ghost walks in their cellars and through the dungeons of former gaol. Because of the walk's ghastly price, we haven't taken part.

Thankfully, we don't hear any rattling of chains or eery moans from our attic but our no-through road, lined with brick houses on either side, has its own pair of eyes and ears, in the form of a lady that lives across the street from us. This elderly lady -- there's nothing transparent about her appearance -- knows absolutely every on-goings on the road: from what people do for a living, to how much the house three doors down from us is renting for, to which couple had the most recent row. She even knows who is heard crying -- ranging from quiet whimpering to full-fledge wailing -- in the early mornings walking in high heels to the newsagent at the corner.

Because her neighbourly knowledge, the front curtains need to be carefully drawn from now on.

may day weekend

2008-05-06T07:12:00.007+01:00

british-isms revised

2008-04-29T17:24:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I've devoted an entire post to British English words. We've been here for nearly 18 months now and, most of the time, we understand what someone is saying to us. We do, however, get the occasional new phrases.

For example:

1) Last week, when I was having difficulties replacing -- okay, if truth needs to be told, stealing -- my non-moving computer mouse to a new optical one in my office. Okay, it wasn't really stealing because the good mouse was with a non-occupied computer and that silly mouse I was working with was hindering my productivity. Before the swap-over, I was the noisiest mouse-user in the room trying to get my cursor to go where it was supposed to go. The change-over should have been easier than it actually was, and my officemate, sensing my troubles, asked, "Are you having any joy with that?". I nearly burst out laughing, cause I would ask someone, "Are you having any luck with that?".

2) Another time, when I brought some home-made treats to share, someone commented, "this is really scrummy". I was offended for a split season until I remembered its definition. Although it rhymes was crummy, scrummy is short for scrumptious.

3) Now chuffed should be easy to grasp when used properly in a sentence. But when a fellow grad student comes in after a supervision meeting looking drained and says, "I am chuffed". It's hard to decipher if he means he is happy or unhappy with the outcome of the meeting. It's happy, by the way.

Now test your British English knowledge here and here.

spring?

2008-04-27T18:46:00.000+01:00

I promise that this post will not be about the English's favourite past-time: complaining about the weather.

But, despite daffodils being in bloom, Mother Nature is taking her sweet ole time with spring this year. Seriously -- same time, last year -- people, in summerwear, were playing frisbees and picnicking in our nearby greenspace. This year -- for heaven's sake -- Sheffield saw snow last week. Yes, snow! in! April! At first, I, being stupidly ignorant, thought someone painstakingly sprayed white paint all over the train tracks but when the 'white spray paint' carried over into the City Centre and up the hill to the campus, I knew it was the real deal.

I've been hoping for spring for a while now. I retired all my winter coats from the front hall closet and have been wearing a spring jacket since mid-March. I just wanted to encourage Spring by giving it an oh-so-gentle nudge but, instead, I think putting my wool and down coats into seasonal hibernation caused me to tempt weather fate, if there is such a thing. The weather this weekend is finally heading in the right direction: sunny, but not too; warm and humid, with temperatures in the mid-teens; a couple of sporadic showers thrown into the mix.

This weekend started off right with tons of home made sushi and eaten with chopsticks lovingly brought back from Japan. They are prettily decorated with ladies in kimonos but the topless geisha girl chopsticks -- I'm sure unbeknownst to my Aunt -- goes to my husband every time. We rolled enough sushi to last three meals.

We spent some time devoted to our gravel backyard: weeding and replacing the plants in our containers. We also took the train down to Leicester, with a visit to the market (!) planned and, as an added bonus, a visit to Primark. It's absolute mayhem inside Primark. I think the main reason for that is that everything is crazy cheap, and it's cheap by Canadian standards. The store is crowded and cluttered, and shopping there likens to shopping on Boxing Day. Did I mention that everything's cheap? I'm definitely looking forward to when the one in Derby opens and that's where you'll probably find me on work-from-home days.

Although we had decent weather this weekend, one thing for sure is that my strappy sandals and flip flops stay in storage for a bit longer. It's a good thing that they are, cause I just heard the roar of thunder...

pardon my french

2008-04-20T14:39:00.000+01:00

For me, living in the UK, has sparked an interest in etymology, or word origins. Even though I've mentioned previously, the number of new English words that we've encountered so far still amazes me.

Surprisingly, there is quite a French influence as well, despite what you may think. English pancakes, a la crepes, are served at tea time or as a pudding. Courgettes and aubergines are found at the supermarkets. And the topic of the discussion last night was gateaux. Now a gateau is a layered cake atop with butter icing, akin to a Black Forest gateau but not a birthday or a wedding cake. Go figure.

4th movement: food, the finale

2008-04-13T12:36:00.002+01:00

Let me start off by declaring that the food in Vienna is -- hands down -- absolutely amazing.

Before arriving in Austria, we knew about the traditional fare: sausages and beer. During our time there, we had a couple of dinners in an old wine cellar; one dinner was devoted to sharing a wiener schnitzel, nearly the size of the dinner plate.

What we didn't know about the food in Vienna, we learnt from our many (!) visits to Naschmarkt, which, thankfully, the hotel we were staying at was very close to. And on Saturday, a large flea market takes place, where vendors sell everything from dishes, war memorabilia, and lederhosen.

I enjoy eating and walking a lot. Not sure if I think that I'm burning calories while I eat or that I can sample a lot of little things all at one go. We sampled Turkish foods and more pastries than anyone would care to imagine. The diversity of the food available is astounding and gives Vancouver a quite a competition.

Another thing that we enjoyed about Vienna was the kaffee culture: coffee houses are to Vienna as pubs are to, say, any city in England. I, personally, would rather sit with a cup of coffee and watch the world past me by than sit in a pub on a beer-stained upholstered chair. The selection of caffeinated beverages was out of this world.

Before I leave the topic of this trip for the final time, the last thing I'll mention is the cakes. More specifically, the king of all chocolate cakes: Sachertorte. Now doesn't that word (Sa-chey-tort) sound absolutely glorious, like a spool of satin ribbon tumbling from the sky. When the waitress brought out one for us to share, my heart nearly skipped a beat at the sight of the beauty: a nearly flourless chocolate cake and cloaked in a discreet layer of apricot jam and an outer layer of shiny, ganache-like chocolate icing. Exactly what sinful dreams are made of.

Now whomever said, "let them eat cake", was right. We ordered a second slice right then and there, and many more slices thereafter.

Auf Wiederschauen, Vienna.

3rd movement: viennese music

2008-04-11T09:00:00.000+01:00

Many things may come to your mind when you think of Austria; perhaps, Sigmund Freud, the Sound of Music, the Blue Danube, Viennese waltz, or the actor-turned-governor. For me personally, I think of all the great musical composers.

You'd have to be blind to not notice that Vienna is the birthplace of classical music: salesmen dressed in faux velvet cloaks selling concert tickets, restaurants and cafes named after Mozart, and, similar to the Hollywood walk-of-fame, stars on the pavement with the names of composers.

We walked through the former apartments of Strauss and Haydn. We strolled through many parks and saw sculptures commemorating the composers.

During our visit, we made a stop at the Central Cemetry, where I paid my respects to Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and many others.

We even listened to a string quartet one evening in the very same concert hall that Mozart performed many, many years ago.

To be continued...

2nd movement: viennese culture

2008-04-09T20:32:00.004+01:00

It's not hard to love Vienna -- or Wien, in German. It's constantly ranked amongst the top cities for the highest quality of living. The city is spotlessly clean. The transit system is first-rate and drivers actually yield -- gasp! -- to pedestrians when trying to cross the street.

And everywhere you turn in the Austrian capital, there's always something pretty to see.

The culture in Vienna is extraordinary: museums, art galleries, and palaces galore. We only scratched the surface of the possible places to visit due to a combined effect of "there's not enough time", exhaustion, and tired feet. We toured around the History of Military Museum, complete with an exhibit on the Austrian navy, much to the delight to my travelling companion. Even I thought seeing the automobile involved in the events that led to WWI was pretty neat.

We visited Schloss Schonbrunn, the former palace of the Imperial family. Each room was immaculately decorated and the garden was expansive.

Another palace, the Belvedere, was visited. The Upper Belvedere houses the largest collection of Klimt paintings.

On our last morning in Vienna, we went on the oldest ferris wheel in the world, which, if you're interested, was my first time on a big wheel.

To be continued...

1st movement: bratislava

2008-04-08T13:39:00.003+01:00

With our newly renewed, and hence unstamped, passports, we headed for The Continent last week. Although our primary destination was Vienna, we snatched some cheap tickets to Bratislava, an hour away from the Austrian capital by train, instead.

We didn't spend long in the Slovakian capital; probably 15-waking-hours, at most. We walked through the Old Town and up to the castle, which was closed to visitors during the off-season.

We strolled along the Danube River but the increased frequency of raindrops encouraged us to seek refuge at the restaurant at the top of the city's viewing tower. We had a coffee and enjoyed the views of the incoming squalls and the fast-moving Danube.

To be continued...

cross all t's

2008-03-28T07:53:00.006Z

With the data collection for the first study completed, which I proudly announced not so long ago, I've transcribed each of the 40-minute interviews verbatim. The task of writing down everyone's dialogue word-for-word is not easy, let me tell you. People -- me included -- just don't speak in complete sentences; run-on sentences and fragments are very common. And transcribing is infinitely harder when people are not speaking the same type of English as you. The most annoying habit I've encountered is that they seem to use prepositions differently, or even drop them entirely. So you don't know if that green squiggle under the sentence in Word is an error made on your part or just the interviewee's way of speaking, without re-playing that section of the recording.

Now with the interviews transcribed I'm listening to the recordings once again to ensure that I've crossed all t's and dotted all i's. Or more accurately, making sure that I have all the um's, ah's, you know's in place -- and that's only my dialogue. Hearing yourself speak definitely makes you more mindful of how you talk. Now I am constantly making sure that I don't add a lot of other fluff in my speech.

You wouldn't believe how many new slangs and lingoes I have encountered. My favourite is mardy -- who would have expected it to mean moody? My goal of citing this book in my thesis seems quite likely now.

welcome spring

2008-03-21T14:03:00.002Z

Last weekend in Regent Park:

This weekend: snow forecasted.

Happy Easter, everyone.

like vancouver but not

2008-03-19T08:04:00.007Z

There's something comforting about being in London. It likens, in my mind, to Vancouver. It's lively and walkable but somewhat intense, which is totally unlike Vancouver. It's pretty to walk along the Thames with a coffee in hand and watch the street performers do their acts underneath the London Eye while keeping an eye or two on runners weaving in and out amongst the hoards of tourists.

While in London, it's best to soak everything up: the culture, the food, the sights, the sounds. And this weekend we did -- soak up the raindrops that is. See, what did I tell you, London is like Vancouver. However, except for the wind -- that's all England.

The main purpose of our trip was to see the temporary Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the British Museum. As we were too late to reserve tickets beforehand, we, along with many other people, queued outside the museum -- in the rain -- for the hundreds of extra tickets they open up each day. Not my idea of spending a Sunday morning but we got a pair of tickets nonetheless.

The terracotta warriors were really neat to see in person and the building that houses the British Museum was absolutely beautiful.

Intermittent between the grey rain clouds, we found some dry spells. We spent some time in my favourite Borough Market and newly discovered Leadenhall Market.

Rainy days don't usually deter me but when you unknowingly wear sneakers with holes in both shoes you just want to find somewhere warm to sit and dry your feet. But rest assured, Friends, we walked along the famed Oxford Street and replaced my shoes.

this weekend

2008-03-17T17:58:00.006Z

looking down

2008-03-14T10:45:00.002Z

magic number!

2008-03-12T20:04:00.003Z

Pull up a chair, Friends, it's been awhile since we've caught up. I know that my posts have been less frequent, especially if you compare it the rate I'd been posting beforehand.

Not too long ago, I promised you a post updating the progress of my research. My main reason for not it discussing with you sooner is that I didn't to write about the struggles of recruiting prospective participants in the City Centre nor about the joys of people saying that they will show up to a scheduled appointment and not show up. But, today, I reached the magic number of 12. Twelve is the desired number of interviews that needed to be conducted for the first phase of my thesis. Thank goodness for touchy-feeling qualitative research and their small sample sizes.

Even though I was able to get 12 interviews done in about a month's time, it wasn't easy let me tell you. Many tears were shed at home in the evening due to the recruitment struggles and the no-shows I faced. But I fought and scraped my way through, and even after I got picked up in the City Centre one afternoon.

Any additional interviews I conduct now will be bonuses but the focus these days will be on transcribing these interviews verbatim. Let me tell you, even though hearing my recorded voice makes me cringe ever-so-slightly, it's not as bad as hearing me sound painfully British. I use words like autumn (instead of fall), trousers (instead of pants), trainers (instead of running shoes), straight away (instead of right away), and biscuits (instead of cookies). Worse yet, at times I hear myself drawing out the first syllable of words, reminiscent of the famed Yorkshire accent (think Full Monty).

Even though I've lived in this country for 16 months now and interacted with many people, I am still amazed how much I still don't fully understand what everyone's saying, which makes transcribing the interviews that much more difficult.

working from home

2008-03-10T16:01:00.000Z

If I had to make a pros and cons list for working from home, I can assure you that the pros column will out number the cons. I mean besides the obvious points of not having to spend money on train fares nor having to spend 3 hours a day commuting, working in my sweats and not having to lug my computer to school and back are definite pluses. However, the lack of human interaction during the day is a definite drawback.

The access to the kitchen cabinets and fridge are also on the pros side. An array of beverages are always available unlike at school. (I normally don't like storing extra food in the communal kitchen because the potential for things missing-in-action is very high.) My drink preference is for Horlicks, a malted milk drink, or blackcurrant squash, both of which I drank a lot of during my childhood years. I had no inkling that they were British but all I knew was that none of my school friends had them in their homes. Even my husband, from a very British household, hadn't even sampled them before our move here on that cold day in November over a year ago.

There's nothing more British, I think, than staying warm in my jumper with my malted milk drink whilst working on the computer and avoiding train travel on the day reported to be stormiest day ever.

connections

2008-03-08T08:38:00.001Z

Ever since we've relocated, I've been on the quest for some nice people to hang out with. It's a bit hard for us to develop a social network in our city, as we both commute to our respective universities and establish our connections there.

There are these nice girls in Derby, who we've been having each other for dinner every so often. When we go over to their place, I always offer to bring dessert -- or pudding, which is more commonly known as here, even if it isn't doesn't contain any tapioca or have the consistency that people without teeth can consume with ease. I think my baking reputation has become quite established on Radbourne Street, as the last time we were there, somewhere in between the hellos and the handover of the coconut chocolate cake, one of them exclaimed "I've been thinking of your pudding all day!". Whenever we visit them, I have a mental list of British quirks I need to ask them. A constant discussion is the interchangeable use of tea to refer to both a hot beverage -- always with milk and tons of sugar -- and an evening meal. Most recently, I had to ask them about people on the train reading a newspaper that has a picture of a less-than-scantily-clad woman on page 3 (I'll let you google that if you want).

I've also met this nice Canadian girl at school. It's great to find someone who shares my love for coffee. And not only that, we went to the same alma mater and lived in the same neighbourhood. We share a passion for knitting and can often be found at the local coffee shop sizing up each other's projects and comparing the size of our double-pointed needles.

This weekend, we're hosting a British friend from Vancouver now living in England again. Not only do we share a Vancouver connection but we also share the same birth day. I'm definitely looking forward to shopping in Nottingham and catching up over glasses of wine and chocolate cake.

looking up

2008-03-05T07:31:00.000Z

weekend up north

2008-03-02T20:18:00.002Z

Because leap year (not suprisingly) occurs only every 4 years, we took this as an opportunity to get away and celebrate a leap day birthday. I, too, welcomed the break, as data collection for my study is not going too well (a post in the future, I promise!) and also, to recover from our most recent shake up.

We made our way slowly to the north east of England. We skirted along the southern end of the North Yorkshire Moors and stopped in Hemsley, a historic market town along the way.

We eventually made it to Scarborough, a seaside resort, with the intent to visit the castle. But due to heavy winds, the castle, atop an exposed cliff, was closed to visitors. We had fun walking around the town, nonetheless.

Before reaching our destination for the night, we briefly visited the cute Robin Hood's Bay, a small fishing town.

We made it to Whitby in the late afternoon. And even though it was our second visit to this town, it was equally pretty in the winter, despite the winds we constantly walked into. We sampled Britain's best fish and chips, as claimed by our guidebook and the hostess at the guest house, and even ate cracked black pepper ice cream.

We re-traced our steps the next day and made a stop at Rievalux Abbey.

Despite the winds and predicted forecast, the weekend weather was definitely in our favour.

every 4 years...

2008-02-29T15:49:00.002Z

Guess who's a multiple of 4 today!

long week

2008-02-22T07:31:00.000Z

Friends, it has been -- and will be, cause Friday isn't over yet -- a long week. Long, in the sense, that I will go up to Sheffield everyday this week. The first time since I've started my PhD.

It's not like I don't like making the journey but the trip is awfully expensive, as I've metioned many times before, and long, 46.1 miles one way. I would have preferred staying home a couple of days considering it was awfully cold at the start of the week. On Tuesday, Derby recorded its lowest temperature ever at -8 degrees and was blanketed under a thick fog for nearly two days. All the daffodils and crocuses, early in bloom, shrivelled up and limped over in retaliation from the cold. I, covered in down and wool, commented on how cold it was and people gave me a strange look and immediately asked, "aren't you from Canada?".

But for the sake of collecting data for my thesis, I fought the harsh elements, as well as for a seat on the train. This week being half-term for the schoolkids made the train journey unbearable with hoards of people on the platform eyeing a limited number of seats and, not to mention, a greater frequency of delayed trains.

Until my first study is done, there will be less frequent work-from-home-days. I guess that means that the clothes hamper is over-flowing -- but there's evenings and weekends to do laundry, no running around the park -- but walking 6.4 miles to and from the train station and back again should suffice, and baking sweets and eating spoonfuls of Nutella -- but my waistline thanks me.

But there's something about busy work weeks: you definitely appreciate the upcoming weekend. And I'm definitely looking forward to a relaxing weekend consisting mostly of this:

chrome hill

2008-02-17T12:29:00.003Z

After a belated Valentine's dinner at one of the many local pubs near our house -- and shamefully nearly falling asleep at the table due to the amount of food eaten and the heat from a closeby barbeque -- we had to work off the effects of our 4(!)-course meal.

Hiking -- or more accurately known as walking due to the lack of elevation involved -- is an adventure times two. Firstly, you get to see a different type of scenery, however, mostly fields and rolling hills and not snow-capped mountains, which I am so fond of, and, secondly, it is requires such effort to decipher the instructions on how to get from points A to B in our Day Walks in the Peak District book.

Take, for example:

From the square, walk past the Horsehoe Inn then take Gauledge Lane. Follow this to the farm, then cross the squeeze stile on the left opposite the farmhouse. Bear left to another stile then keep straight on. Ignoring a stile/fingerpost down to the left, keep a straight course to reach a half-hidden stile/fingerpost in the wall on the right, and a road. (p. 118).

Most of the times, I have to read the instructions aloud, one sentence at a time, and several times at that to make sure we don't end up on the wrong farmer's field and, subsequently, being barked at by a dog making sure we don't get too close to his terroritory.

We ventured to Chrome Hill, a narrow limestone ridge, in the Peak District. Never before had we ever had to share the walking route with so many different types of animals: from sheep to donkeys, and from a gobbling turkey, which my husband had to walk between me and it as I was afraid to be pecked at, to a cage of colourful budgies.

Even though the directions for walking in the Peak District may sound a bit confusing, to say the least, you never can get too lost as there are many quaint little villages dotted throughout the area.

It was a beautiful day with blue skies all around but it was cold nonetheless and my toque -- or, more commonly called in England, a woolly hat -- and gloves remained on for the duration of the 5-hour walk.

from my heart

2008-02-14T13:54:00.003Z

Happy Valentine's Day, all!

the year of the...

2008-02-10T18:17:00.000Z

Rat.

(I cringed a bit as my fingers tapped the keyboard to form the word.)

I'm not sure where my phobia of rodents stems from. I spectulate it could be a result of (unwanted) exposures when I was a wee tot. I don't remember too much about the incidents -- suppressed memories are wonderful things -- but, I am sure, that my cousin is willing to share the scary details if you ask.

I'm sure that my fear is more about the thought of these creatures rather than the actual sight of them. In grade 9, I had to read about Farley Mowat's adventures and I couldn't bear the thought of having to read the passages pertaining to his diet of choice (e.g. mice). So, in preparation for chapter quizzes, I made my sister read over the chapter and give me a brief synposis. Needless to say, I didn't do to well on that part of my English curriculum.

Another time -- not too long ago -- I was walking around the Lost Lagoon and I had asked my friend, who I was with, as to what this large-ish, dark-coloured, pointy-faced animal was sitting on the rock, no more than two feet away from us. We both sprinted in the opposite direction immediately after she informed me. To this date, we haven't been back there together.

As the rat is the animal for this lunar year, I, along with my husband, went in the other direction. Birmingham, to be exact, for some Chinese New Year festivities.

Although the celebrations were set for the next day, we weren't disappointed. We walked around the Chinese Quarter decorated with red paper lanterns and made sure we had our fill of dim sum and steamed baked goods.

The day was absolutely beautiful and took advantage of the early spring weather by walking along the city's network of canals.

reality check

2008-02-06T17:49:00.000Z

When one pursues her PhD, it's hard not to look at things a bit out of focus.

It's difficult, at least for me, to not come running out onto the race track with blinders on; especially when there's something that needs to be completed. I can't really help it. That's the type of person I am. I do before I think and, subsequently, learn from my mistakes first-handed.

I know, I know, a PhD is not something you want to madly finish. I am learning, as my husband would say, that "doing a PhD is a process and not a race". I'm learning to take the time to stop and smell the roses. Or more accurately, shoulder-checking to gauge the progress of my nearest competer.

Sometimes it's hard not to fully engross yourself in all things PhD-related with scientific journals scattered on all floors of the house and chapter drafts littered on the kitchen table and duelly serving as placemats. You, unknowingly, place yourself in a plastic bubble with the goal in sight but not tenable -- at least, not yet -- like a hamster moving endlessly on a running wheel.

So, friends, please forgive me for ignoring your email messages and your adorable baby pictures. Just know that it's not intentional but rather that my perception of reality is a bit hazy these days.

snow

2008-02-03T17:36:00.000Z

It's funny how we came from one city that does not function well at the thought of snow to another city that has a similar mindset.

In addition to the snow forecasted for Friday, heavy winds and rains swept the area the day before; not surprisingly, causing disruption to the rail system. I, only having unsuccessfully managed to keep myself somewhat dry with broken umbrella enroute to the station, was damp to say the least. Along with everyone else, I grumbled when the display board continuously read 'canceled'. To matters just a bit worse, by the time I finally got to my desired destination, I forgot my umbrella on the train. Needless to say, working from home on the day with the prospect of snow was the way to go.

In attempt to find some snow on the weekend, we headed north to Chatsworth. We weren't the only ones disappointed with the less-than-predicted 20 cm of snow in the Peak District as we saw parents pulling children in plastic sleds on lightly snow-dusted grassy slopes. We were just pleased that we hadn't actually pulled out our snowshoes from storage for a walk in the countryside.

an ode

2008-01-28T19:40:00.000Z

British railway system, how do I love thee?

Oh, let me count the ways:

You provide a means of transportation for me,
as I have yet to navigate behind the steering wheel,
the streets of England and its many traffic roundabouts.

You take me to school and back home again,
and the occasional trip to the big city on the weekend,
despite being late or cancelled due to construction or forces of Mother Nature.

You give a comfy seat for me to sit on,
unless the train is full with office workers and Uni kids alike,
and I have to stand in the aisle.

And when I thought I figured out how the cost of your fares worked,
you raise the price once again,
for the second time since we've relocated.

Oh, how do I love thee?

*** *** *** *** ***

Also, cast your (daily) vote in the world's first global Monopoly!

bronte county

2008-01-27T20:29:00.000Z

In my final year of high school, I had to read Jane Eyre. To my surprise, the novel was a page-turner, such that I would get up extra early in the morning to read a couple of chapters before leaving for school. So this weekend -- amidst the mundane activities of shopping for groceries, going for a morning run, and purchasing a coffee bodum, to replace the one I had shattered into a thousand of little pieces -- we ventured into West Yorkshire for a drive and a walk through Haworth, also known as Bronte county.

Haworth is a pretty English town that you often read about, with its uneven cobbled-stone streets, cute bookshops and bakeries, a steam train, and picturesque rolling hills in the distance. And even, most shops along the high street took advantage of the town's claim to fame and included Bronte somewhere in its name.

It's been awhile since I've navigated the streets of England from the passenger seat. Despite, getting a bit dizzy from reading the fine-print network of roads in our map book, I had forgotten how fun it is to hunt for new (and funny) town names. When we got to our destination, we came across this street:

And even funnier, is that we found another street of similar name but with 'hole' in the middle of the two words.

Enroute home we stopped in and walked around Coningsburgh Castle.

assimilation

2008-01-20T19:40:00.000Z

Adapting to new enviroments may not be one of my personality strengths -- have you not read this blog? So, as a result of my 1-month hiatus from the UK, I fully engrossed myself today, English-style.

We drove around the county of Derbyshire, amidst the traffic roundabouts and flooded farmlands. We stopped in Matlock, a little town we've visited many times before. We walked on the main road, along the river, that connects Matlock and its neighbouring town of Matlock Bath. We were in awe of the rising water level.

We stopped in at one of the many fish and chip restaurants to get lunch to share in Matlock Bath, which, in the summer, is filled with massive clusters of motorcyclists (this time, we saw a lady walking a ferret on a leash!). We then picked at our paper tray of artery-clogging goodness while walking. We stopped for spot of tea before coming home, and then made something out of my new Nigella cookbook.

And that, my friends, is my impression of a totally English Sunday.

back to reality

2008-01-18T15:27:00.000Z

I think that there will be statistically significant agreement, amongst those who know me well, that I am an epitome of order and organization. I, myself, like to think I defy all theories of entropy.

Take, for instance, after a long train ride, which superceded a 9-hour red-eye flight, I emptied my suitcases as soon as I stepped into the house and even started a load of laundry. This was an incredible feat as I accomplished the above before making a much-needed bathroom stop -- did I mention that it was a 3-hour train journey? And even the number of bags I had to unpack doubled in number as my visit was over Boxing week and included a requisite stop to Costco. I surpassed the weight quota on one of my bags (I blame the extra kilos of dried fruits and nuts) but the desk attendant waived my suitcase through without extra charge, which, I'm sure, was due to my freshly-layered bob and bright smile.

I have adjusted to GMT in a snap. This, I believe, could be partially due to me maintaining an equilibrium between the two time zones. Sometimes I would get up early in the morning to write an email to my husband at work and he, being very annoyed, would write back with, "why on earth are you up at 3:30 am?". I wavered a bit when I woke up for a couple of hours in the early morning the first night and efficiently passed the time on the internet. When I finally went back to sleep, I was annoyed at myself for waking up at 9 but I managed to put in a full day's work, revising a thesis chapter, which will be converted into manuscript format soon, and going for a run. Since the start of the New Year, Central England, challenging Vancouver's rainy status, has seen enough rain equivalent to 4 months' worth. Concerns of flooding were understandable as I noticed during my run that the height of the river has increased and the flow was rapid and pools of rainwater collected in the playing fields.

Despite all the excitement I had while I was away, I am getting back into my same-old, familiar routine. After being re-acquainted with my stamps and inks, I took comfort amongst the wide selection of cream as I maneuvered through the aisles of the grocery store. I took even greater comfort at the availability of alcohol in the back portion of the store as I, surprisingly, was mildly miffed when preparing dinner one evening for friends in Vancouver and had to buy groceries at one place and then go to another place to buy a bottle of wine.

home sweet home.

2008-01-18T09:29:00.000Z

Hello Friends,

It has been a while since I've blogged and thus, I'm a bit rusty; so here goes...

*** *** *** *** ***

It's hard to fathom -- at least, for me -- but I left one home and 15 hours later, I arrived at another home. Home, as I wrote about weeks ago, elicits many concepts and luckily for me, I have many homes.

I experienced a wealth of feelings while I was away; it was almost, in my mind, a lifetime of emotions. How often can you say, amongst other events, that you welcomed a birth; commemorated a death; celebrated your birthday 5 months early with a cake made out of sand at a playground; got sick in a parking lot; and received notification of your first scientific publication all in a span of nearly 4 weeks?

Despite the whirlwind of activities I experienced, it's good to be back -- back at home, especially when greeted by your husband with a bouquet of flowers at the train station.

*** *** *** *** ***

It's surprising to realize how 'British' I've become since my relocation 14 months ago. I've snuck in 'straight away's' in many conversations with friends; surpressed an unexpected craving for Walker's salt and vinegar baked crisps; did not feel out-of-placed when having drinks one evening with 5 British expats -- who I refer to as 'me' but in reverse -- now living in Vancouver.

home

2008-01-03T09:52:00.000Z

Webster's defines home as a place of origin; a familiar or usual setting; and one's place of residence. The word's multiple meanings was definitely evident during the holidays.

Take, for instance.

On one of my many flights, I chatted with my seat neighbour, a young pilot studying his flight manual and who, by the way, could have played my doublemint gum twin, as we wore nearly identical robin's egg-coloured V-necked sweaters. He was interested in things to do in Vancouver and I, not surprisingly, happily suggested some of my favourite activites and sights. Then he asked me where my home was.

Such a simple question but it took me a good 30 seconds of serious pondering with the old saying "home is where the heart is" ringing in the back of my mind. While the majority of my family reside at the end of my flight's destination, a significant member of my family is making the trans-Atlantic journey before me. Although I told the young pilot that Victoria was my home, I figured it was much easier than giving him a long winded, yet one-sided, historical debate about Derby and Victoria.

When we landed into Vancouver -- nearly 30 minutes late, I must add -- the familiar sight of the lights on Grouse Mountain through a rain-streaked window produced a spring in my step as I raced through the airport before the gate closed on my connecting flight. It was then, when I sat on plane for the puddle jump, I have three homes; however, the turbulent ride to the provincial capital should have been a sign for what was expected to come.

Wishing you all the best for 2008 and hoping that you rang in the New Year where your heart is.

axioms of christmas

2007-12-16T09:51:00.000Z

It's hard to get my head around Christmas and the fact that it is only 9 days away, especially when my current little world involves grasping the different concepts of utility, revising a manuscript for publication, and researching material for yet another thesis chapter.

In attempt to maximize my holiday utility, I share my axioms of Christmas:

1) Decorate the house with tinsel and lights to get yourself in the holiday mood. In case that doesn't work, put Christmas tunes in the disk changer and select the random mode. I assure you, as an added bonus, that you'll be singing carols to your partner as soon as you get up in the morning.

2) Organize a Christmas potluck lunch, or -- as it is more commonly known here -- a bring-your-own-food-to-share-with-others-lunch-buffet, in your office. Don't take a list of what everyone intends to bring so you'll end up having lunch consisting of cakes, mincemeat pies, and gingerbread cookies and end up being wired from a sugar rush the entire afternoon.

3) Run in the nearby park wearing everything fleecy (jacket, toque, and mitts) when the day's high is predicted to be 2 degrees or take a pilates class at the leisure centre to work off the effects of the desserts-for-lunch lunch. Please note, when the instructor says "if this class is your first time taking pilates, don't do this advanced move", listen to him so you can avoid looking like a fool when you lose balance and fall to the ground in a loud thump.

4) Make homemade gifts to counteract the efforts of the commercialism of Christmas and to avoid waiting in long queues. The living room is littered with strands of coloured yarns and the finished projects are tucked away to one corner. This afternoon will be devoted to making shortbread cookies to take to school while my partner works on his income tax forms.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

getting into the spirit

2007-12-09T09:19:00.000Z

For some reason this year, Christmas is not making an audible peep, at least for this household. I'm not sure why this is so, as the city centre is twinkling with lights; the town is boasting about its first ever outdoor ice rink; cards are written and enroute to their proposed destinations; projects are painstakingly, yet lovingly, being knitted; and home made goodies in a pretty snow-covered village tin were received in the post (thanks S&J). All that said, it seems like this household is in some sort of Christmas funk: we haven't even put up our little tree the size of my forearm.

To get us into the seasonal spirit, we went to the Lincoln Christmas Market yesterday. It was bigger than we anticipated and we had to use the car park and bus shuttle service, which, by the way, was nearly half the amount I brought in my wallet (grrrr!). We explored the 300 plus stalls laid out along the streets of historic Lincoln while sharing a bag of roasted chestnuts and huddling underneath one umbrella. The organizers of the event imposed a one-way pedestrian walking route for certain parts of the Market and when we noticed a missed aisle of stalls, we, like spawning salmons, had to fight our way through the hoards of people and, more importantly, avoid being poked by umbrellas.

The forecast predicted for Saturday wasn't at all promising but that didn't dampen us, at least not emotionally. But when the tour of the street market lead us to a pub, we immediately abandoned our wet rat look and took refuge in the warmth and dryness of the public house to allow our fingers to regain feeling after having sampled jams and chutneys in the gourmet food section of the Market.

working from home

2007-12-04T15:14:00.000Z

After travelling to and from Sheffield for four days last week, I'm spending most of the week working from home. While I may be easily distracted by one of my three current knitting projects, the urgency of getting our Christmas cards posted, and the need to go for a morning run, a work-at-home day definitely results in more continuous work time. Don't get me wrong, I love the gang in my office but I need to factor in a 25-minute walk to the train station, 40-minute train ride, and a 20-minute walk on the other side times two. And also, I don't -- uh, my husband doesn't -- have to make a sandwich for lunch the night before.

Instead of running today, I opted to go an aerobics class at the nearby leisure centre. I tend not to go because I find that the times don't really fit my schedule and the classes are of lower quality than what I'm used to. Since it looked like it was going to rain, exercising indoors was the way to go.

The one thing about the classes at the leisure centre is I never know who the instructors are for the specified class. I nearly winced at the sight of the lady who wandered in a couple minutes after the class was due to start. She was dressed entirely in black with a matching beret -- a la Parisian cafe attire. She pulled in a chair from the hallway and sat there for the entire class, while giving cues for what we had to do next. Even that was poorly done, as she spent the first half of the class complaining and only making half-arsed hand gestures of what we had to do next.

I contemplated about complaining at the front desk but for £1.75 it didn't seem worth it! And besides, it gives me a story to tell...

a few things

2007-11-29T17:25:00.000Z

#1: I wore my handmade purple socks to school the other day and they stayed intact! The next test is to see how they fair after a (hand) washing.

#2: I had a visit, albeit very brief, from a friend today. To be more exact, a Canadian friend invited to give a presentation at my research unit!

[Gosh, I wish I was Dean: a free trip to Sheffield -- well, maybe, Aberdeen instead -- and so close to finishing a PhD.]

#3: Upon his arrival, I handed a bag of homemade cookies. "It's my blog's birthday. These are for you and Amanda to share".

Happy Birthday, Only in the UK!

a trip to the market

2007-11-25T13:11:00.000Z

There's only a few things that I gets me really excited. One, for example, is when my partner inserts the following clause, "when we move back home", at the start of any sentence. Another example is going to the market in Leicester.

The weather forecast called for sleet yesterday, which reduced any chance for us to explore the countryside on foot without being covered head-to-toe in goretex. And all we know how much fun getting completely sodden is. As our fridge was getting quite bare, we decided it was high time we visited the market.

I'm sure you all know how much I like Leicester market, as I've written about it several times before. It's loud, brash, and in-your-face. A complete opposite of me, which is probably why I like it so; we all know how opposites attract.

The atmosphere is always fast-paced and even flirtacious, with vendors constantly calling you "love". With autumn in full gear in the market, apples, gourds, and -- gasp! -- brussel sprouts made it into our bags.

Now, with all 10 bags of produce stashed ever-so-tightly in our small fridge, it's an opportunity to make autumn comfort foods like carrot and fennel soup and apple crisp. It's too bad that you aren't here to join us for lunch today but a place setting is always available if you decide to stop by in the future :)

weekend update

2007-11-19T07:14:00.000Z

Spending nearly 8+ hours a day in front of a computer screen is making me not want to type blog posts.

So, in point form:

- greeting a slightly jet-lagged and gift-bearing husband at the train station
- not having to eat meals that can be eaten cold or re-heated in microwave since Thursday
- finishing a draft of my first thesis chapter (!!)
- watching videos with my live-in Scrabble partner and taste-taster
- falling asleep while watching videos with my live-in Scrabble partner and taste-taster
- sharing a coffee and a Snickers muffin at the mall
- Christmas shopping at the East Midlands Designer Outlet
- making headways on my one-year-behind scrapbook
- knitting half a sock
- avoiding a Sunday morning run because of the rain and cold winds
- watching the first snowfall of the season

the to-do list

2007-11-13T07:25:00.000Z

1) Complete a draft of my first empirical results chapter and conduct any remaining statistical analyses
2) Write a draft of my literature review chapter
3) Develop an interview schedule, which I hope to pilot in January
4) Knit socks
5) Finish the last of my Christmas cards

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

This is my to-do list, which, I thought, knowing myself, wasn't too unreasonable for me to complete while my husband is half way across the world visiting friends and networking. However, my rate of completing items during these 7-days-and-counting was mostly aimed at the fun things on the list (e.g. #4 and #5) and hanging out with a new friend. And now, in my pajamas, I'm scrambling to have a go at #1 first thing this morning (in addition to writing this entry, of course).

[Aside: We received our first Christmas card in the mail this past weekend; -- This! Past! Weekend! -- prompting me to strike #5 off the list.]

You know the old saying, "while the husband is away, the wife will play." I have realized that I hate turning on the stove top and cooking. Instead, my steady diet of Swedish crackers topped with anything imaginable, including peanut butter, my favourite, has sufficed. Also, during these past 7 days, a highly positive correlation of me with a phone next to my ear was observed. Lots of fun catching up but now leaving me only 2 days to get #1 striked off the list.

sometimes you need a sign

2007-11-12T06:38:00.001Z

Some of my favourite signage in the UK:

getting around

2007-11-10T22:25:00.000Z

Sometimes when I feel homesick, I listen to a Vancouver radio station. There's nothing like listening to the traffic report and hearing that there's congestion in the Massey Tunnel or that the Port Mann is backed up from 176 westbound. The sense of familiarity is quite comforting and even though I've lived in Derby for a year now, it's very sad that I only really know a few streets by name.

It's really not my fault as many of the street names change by block. For example, the main street of the city centre can be known as Iron Gate, Corn Market, and St. Peters' Street, depending on which stretch of the cobble-stone pavement you're standing on. For me, and for most of the locals here, it is easier to pinpoint a location by the closest pub.

Most recently, due to the opening of the new mall, the traffic pattern has changed to accommodate the shoppers, which makes driving on Derby's incomplete ring -- or psychedelic (almost) figure eight patterned -- road that much more difficult. So getting from point A to point B in the city centre, including getting home from the train station, tends to be easier by foot rather than behind the steering wheel. Or in my case, sitting in the passenger seat beside someone behind the steering wheel.

Because the road system here is a convoluted network of alpha-numeric identified streets (e.g. M1, A52, B3035), driving in the UK is a 2-person job: one behind the wheel and one behind the road map, while both having to decipher the cluttered roundabout signs.

P.S. We have seen much more complex signs but sometimes the camera is not with us.