Busy with wireless internet connection?!

What a good weather today!! It was so sunny & warm that I felt like going travelling! :p

Did good weather help me recover from yesterday's setback? Hmm, I think I did forget it for a while - today busy trying the wireless connection at my laptop/netbook through a '3' dongle and an additional 'antenna' lent by friend friend. In the morning got busy doing gym and then a bit food shopping. In the evening, had my favourite dinner and food shopping at Morrisons.

Almost had scare about my health again today (Have I got that anxiety about health?! :p) when I started feeling itchy with some parts of my body after dinner. Hopefully it's just me being too senstive...

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Cappucinno from another angle..  

A little setback ruins my mood

Ever experienced a situation where you were like falling from a high ground suddenly?

Things seemed to be going ‘ok’ this week – though lots of little things to be done, except for broadband. Last night I was informed by o2 via email that they can’t sign me up for their broadband and home phone because of my credit rating. What? My credit rating has a problem!?

I went back to the o2 shop to find that o2 sales guy who helped me do the application the other day, and hoped he could do something. But all he said was useless – he couldn’t give me a refund for the router because the 14 days after purchase had passed. He could give me £15 credit into my o2 sim card. Or I could try to get my flatmate to apply for broadband. But flatmate said she had had a problem with her credit rating before, when she was trying to get a mobile phone contract a few years ago. She was the one who tried to comfort me and ask me to calm down!

Of course I believe there’s always a way to get round a problem. But I still can’t help feeling down and anti-social (not want to face/come to terms with the reality?!) when things don’t go my way or there’s a setback. Looks like I have a lot to do in terms of improving my EQ. Life’s like that – there’re always things/people that keep us from getting what we want. I have to make sure my tantrum won’t affect others…

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Lunch: noodles with chicken from last night's soup 

Dinner: stir fry vegetables with chicken pieces and egg

Same places with good memories but new people, new buildings now

The little household lady’s schedule today:

1)      Going to gym and did 25 minutes; was a bit too tired to do a lot, plus expecting some more ‘exercise’ when walking to and from the Chinese embassy later on

2)      Went to Chinese embassy in Rusholme to get my old HK passport back; happy to have it back and take it home

3)      Took a no.147 bus and got off at St. Mary Hospital, which has now been fully refurbished with all the new buildings…

4)      Also got reminded of those old schooldays when I was still doing my phd – those Indian shops in Rusholme where I used to dine out with my phd classmates, especially my Taiwanese and Syrian classmates; and also those student halls, one of which I used to live in when I was doing my Master

5)      Visited the Main Library of the University of Manchester which I have access to via my alumni card which will expire next June. The library has been refurbished and things have been more computerized. I tried the self-service for borrowing!

6)      Got texts from o2 who said our broandband & phone line would be ready on 10^th Aug! Then in the evening when I checked my o2 text, it said they can’t sign me up because of my credit rating!! >_< Oh how come it’s so troublesome? Does that imply I won’t be able to get o2 broadband at the end?!

7)      Made Chinese soup with chicken & ‘fish maw’ (花膠)

8)      Used BT fon to check email and look for some information; the access was still not stable though..

9) Had dinner at McDonalds; the apple pie was too sweet…

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Lunch: yummy salmon!

Ingredients for today's soup 

Dinner at McDonalds

a book borrowed from the Man U library...

a day with a sense of achievement

The little household lady’s schedule today:

1)      Going to gym and did 40 minutes; found she had gained 1kg recently, weighed 54kg now >_<

2)      Doing food shopping at Chinatown & Aldi; also went to Tesco – hadn’t been to Tesco for a while since Morrisons became her favourite recently

3)      Sorted out some stuff at HSBC by calling their customer services; found changing her address took just a second when she got it done by telephone banking, instead of having to wait 3 working days by submitting a form…

4)      Made yummy lunch: had half a steamed salmon in ‘teriyaki sauce’, which was made of sugar, soya sauce & hon mirin (like a kind of seasoning wine)

5)      Gave a call to the Chinese embassy; the lady didn’t wait for me to finish what I was going to say, and just asked me to go there to collect my old passport..

6)      Checked email, looked for some information (had a quick look at some jobs) with internet access at my netbook baby, using its own battery again in the afternoon

7)      Finally got the o2 broadband/phone line thing sorted out! I was told to wait 6 to 11 days for broadband & phone line to get ready…

8)      Had economical dinner at Subway; the steak & cheese baguette was quite ok

9)      Learnt a bit about DIY work on a shaky shoe shelf

Headache is still with me. >_<

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Lunch: steamed salmon in home-made 'teriyaki sauce' :)

Dinner: Subway - Steak & Cheese + meatball with doritos (cheese)

The steak & cheese was nice! 

Oh poor 'big mouth boy' got terrified by an HK SDU! :p

Being a good household person needs time

Still busy with little things. I now understand why working people can be ‘unhealthy’ and too busy to deal with those trivial things in life: keeping ‘healthy’/fit can take some time, e.g. going to gym in the morning will take me at least 1.5 hour including shower time and travel time, doing shopping for nice food at different shops/supermarkets for a reasonable price can take some time as well (and you can’t do shopping just once a week, if you want to have ‘fresh’ food), making nice home-made food does need time as well, plus having 7 to 8 hours sleep per day! Also those trivial things like sorting out the bills and applying for something can take time too! No wonder a (good) housewife can be busy as well.

Like today, I went to the gym in the morning (after spending some time on breakfast, tidying up, washing faces, etc) and then met my ‘friend’ for lunch – oh my favourite ‘fish & chips’ shop was closed for two weeks due to building work outside its shop and so we had to go for English breakfast at a café. Then we looked for light bulbs for the kitchen in my flat – to find a good energy saving bulb at a bargain price is not easy. Later I got a ‘mission’ – to find Thomas Tank Engine presentation pack! I went to three post offices at the city centre and could only manage to get Thomas Tank Engine stamp book! But at least now I got to know where those post offices are!

When I got back home after a long walk, it was already 3 p.m.! I turned on my netbook baby on its own battery (well, to save electricity! :p) and checked email and facebook messages, and had a little chat with ex-colleagues. Just doing that cost me some time, plus the time when the internet access was not stable.

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Do I have hay fever/nose problem that leads to my headache/dizziness? I still don’t know. I’m trying to ‘observe’ my body’s behaviour and responses. Like today, after waking up, I already had a bit of headache/didn’t feel myself. That feeling lasted till I finished gym and had a shower. It seems I felt better when I took a shower – my ‘friend’ said the steam from the shower can help, if I have hay fever. I also have problems concentrating and have poor memory. And my skin seems to get red/rash easily... 

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GBK dinner: my favourite chunky chips!

Health scare again?!

Even though I don't really have any particular thing to do these days (no study, no job..), time seems to pass quickly. Like today, after I had had my breakfast and did a bit of reading internet news, I went out for the volunteer meeting at Manchester Art Gallery (plus sending back the o2 router). Then I went back home for lunch, did a bit of internet surfing, cleaned the kitchen & shower room, had a nap, then dinner again, shower.. that's how I spent a day! :S

As mentioned before in my blog, I seemed to have a kind of dizziness/headache over the past week. And this morning I felt a bit strange with my heart and just a moment ago I had a bit of sudden, short sharp pain around my chest. :S Hopefully I'm not scaring myself again! :( Hopefully it may be just hay fever or nose problem that leads to dizziness/headache...

Have mixed feelings about volunteering at Manchester Art Gallery, which will start from next week - looking forward to having some 'meaningful' to do this summer, but a bit of worried if I can handle it..

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Lunch: pasta in soup with roast chicken!

Dinner: noodles with roast chicken

I think I'm getting a bit tired of roast chicken again :p

3 meals with roast chicken within 2 days... 

A day in my own world

It’s been a month since I kind of stopped taking iron tablets regularly. I do have a bit of worry, especially when I feel dizzy, can’t concentrate, have poor memory and have a kind of restless legs occasionally during my sleep, which are symptoms I had when I had a low iron level. :S Hopefully it’s just I’m being over-worried. :p

It was all about sleeping today. I woke up a bit later than usual this morning after staying up a bit late last night. Then I had a nap in the afternoon. Only managed to do laundry at home. Then watched a Japanese film called ‘L – Change the World’. A bit anti-social, but feeling relaxed whilst at home. Occasionally used my mobile phone to check some news on bbc and facebook.

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Lunch: had 1/4 of half roast chicken bought from Morrisons yesterday

Hmm, I think I still have roast chicken phobia :p

Dinner: egg fried rice with luncheon meat :)

Life as usual without broadband

Do I make better use of my time when I have no broadband at home? Hmm, well, same as usual, I went to gym in the morning. Then was a bit ‘hea’ in the afternoon – lucky to have a little access to the internet through ‘btfon’, and did a bit of tidying up. Had a good relaxing evening – going to my recent favourite, Morrisons, for dinner & food shopping. Perhaps because the weather was quite good today, most of the bargains at the bakery & hot food sections were gone, and the staff there seemed to finish their work earlier! It seems I like Saturdays to come because I can have my favourite dinner (cheese & bacon omelette + fish & chips!) and do my weekly food shopping at Morrisons…

My new flatmate seemed to be quite quiet. I didn’t hear much noise from her room in the evening and that made me tend to go to bed early as well (plus no internet)…

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Lunch: very nice luncheon meat again! :)

With vegetables for a balanced meal

Dinner at Morrisons

oh my favourite cheese & bacon omelette! Yummy!

Life without broadband

Got a strange dream last night. I dreamt I was at the Learning Centre of the organization I previously worked for. The Learning Centre was actually a toilet! :S I was afraid to be seen by the senior management and a few of my ex-colleagues found that I was at the Learning Centre! Hmm, does the dream reflect my anxiety about something/some people?

Felt like staying at home today, having gone out over the past few days. But as the broadband with my old flatmate's name in her account was to be terminated today, I had to go to the o2 shop to sort out the new broadband account for our flat. I went to and from the o2 shop of Arndale Centre twice at the end as I had to go back home to get an unlocked phone for a new o2 sim card (in order to get discounts on our broadband package as o2 customers). While everything seemed to be going well, my dream of having broadband for our new account was smashed by a problem with the postcode with which my debit card had registered. I was told to get my debit card to be registered with a 'valid' postcode in order to go through the credit check for the direct debit. That'll take at least 3 working days, which means there'll be at least 4 to 5 days we won't have broadband at home. :(

My friend gave me his btfon account access but the access was unstable and basically I still didn't have much access to the internet. Maybe I should make better use of my time without access to the internet and go to back early...

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Lunch:

The luncheon meat was really delicious; perfect when eating the fried luncheon meat with boiled rice! :) It's a simple dish but as my 'Mrs' friend said, simple food like McDonalds' cheeseburger is tasty among others!

Dinner: yesterday's soup leftovers with noodles 

Life with little use of electricity

A bit 'hea' today. Did gym in the morning, re-read the anthology for my last job (gonna revise it, though not sure if I'll get paid for it), did a bit of reading on Buddhism (!), did a bit of my portfolio (trying to list the training I've done before), made soup (with carrots, corns & potatoes).

Feeling a bit dizzy today. :S And I seemed to have forgotten things easily. Hmm, hopefully it's not because my iron level has become low again?! But doing exercises do seem to help me feel a bit more energetic.

These few days I tried to save electricity by using laptop or netbook baby on its own battery. While it might help save me a bit of money on electricity, it also helps me make better use of my time as well - by doing other things instead of sticking to my computer doing nothing all day long...

This week seems a bit 'quiet' for me. Other friends are 'quiet' as well.

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Lunch: yesterday's leftover - peppers with belly pork!

Dinner: Uncle McDonalds - very economical

it cost only £4.29 in total!

Beautiful artwork! :p

early gym helps good time management!?

It seems going to gym as early as possible helps me make better use of my time: 1) doing exercise helps wake me up and make me more energetic; 2) I can have more time to do other things after gym, rather than spending time aimlessly in the morning when I go to gym late. Like today, after going to gym, I went back home to do my online job application! To be honest, I don't like online job application because it takes more time to fill in each section and I'm worried about the browser clash! I really need to spend time thinking about what I achieved/done in the past so that I can revise my CV.

My eldest brother talked to me on msn again today. Since he hadn't talked to me for a long while, his messages frightened me, making me wondering if anything big has happened! :p Actually he just asked me if I had any plan to go back to HK. But I think he did have something in his mind, though he didn't say much this time.

New flatmate seemed to be so nice - she cleaned the kitchen and tidied it up this afternoon! Oh! She's even more organized than me! I had a quick chat on msn with old flatmate today and interestingly we seemed to be polite with each other - is it like a Chinese saying, '相見好, 同住難'?

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Lunch: pork belly with peppers :)

'Economical dinner' at Subway: £5 deal plus meatball

Subway melt: tasted ok! 

Meatballs with cheese flavour nachos are perfect!! :)

What a day of bumping into people

How interesting it was that I bumped into quite a few of people that I hadn't seen for a long while.

First I got a busy morning. Went to gym at 9 a.m. Having sweated my body and done a shower to refresh myself, I rushed back home to drop my gym stuff and get my clothes changed. Then I went to the Chinese Consul of General in Longsight to submit my application form for renewing my Hong Kong passport. It's been a long long time since I last went there. Fortunately I still had a vague idea of how to go there. 10 years ago I went there to apply for my first HKSAR passport (it was BNO before then). A new office for passports section has been built there. There were a number of people in the queue when I got there. The procedure was more troublesome than I had expected. The lady at the counter asked me to fill in an application for Hong Kong Permanent ID card! :S I told her I got my HK ID card already but she said the Hong Kong Government requested them to ask the applicants to fill in that form if they had the latest HK ID card. :S Then I was told to submit a photocopy of my HK ID card. There wasn't much time left then before the office was closed. So I did the photocopying there for 50p/copy!! The lady cut down one of my three photos :S Hopefully my application will be ok and I can get my new HK passport soon..

Since I spent £1 for two photocopies for the application, I decided to spend more than half an hour walking back to the city centre instead of paying another £1 for bus fare.

What a coincidence that I met three people whom I hadn't seen a long time. First I met a Chinese couple at the Chinese Consul whom I used to help when I was still working at the Chinese organization. Their new born baby was 8 months old already. Last time when I saw him, he was less than one month old!! He grew up so fast - he's another baby/child whom I saw growing so fast. The other day I was telling a friend of mine that children nowadays grow up much faster than our generation. The couple's son was so cute and he kept smiling. :)  When I was walking back to the city centre, I met a volunteer whom I used to work with. He's going back to China tonight for holiday! Oh! How lucky I was to meet him before he was flying back. Later when I went out in the early evening, I met my old flatmate's flatmate and her friend who I also knew. I hadn't seen them for more than a year!

One of my ex-colleagues has got a job! Good for her! :) It seems people around me all have jobs to do, while I still got nothing (though I have to admit that I haven't worked hard enough to look for a job!)...

Anyway, I cheered up myself by having my favourite GBK dinner tonight. It was as good as always!

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Lunch: noodles with pork & spring green

Dinner: GBK - Elderflower

Dinner: GBK - Cheese Bacon

I love the burger with melted cheese!

Hello, I'm alien GBK no.1! :P

Hello, I'm GBK Alien no.2!

Be a household lady

The rainy weather didn't motivate me to go out but stay home today. Still trying to deal with some household stuff - submitted the meter readings for water and electricity and changed the names on the bills. Changed the light bulb in the big shower room (as the last one suddenly got burnt when I tried to turn on the light for shower!). Did laundry. Made lunch & dinner. Surfed the internet for vouchers, acca course timetable, Nap in the afternoon... that's how one day can be spent! :S

The change of flatmate has forced me to be more 'independent' - I have to deal with all the bills and stuff.

New flatmate seems to be settling in and busy unpacking in her room. I still haven't seen the trace of her stuff in the kitchen (though some food in the fridge already! :p), lounge & corridor.

Got informed by the Manchester Art Gallery about next Monday's meeting. So at least I can do some voluntary work this summer!

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Lunch: egg fried rice with sausage roll & fried vegetables with chicken!

Dinner: steamed chicken with mushroom & (western) spring green

The first time I ate spring green - quite yummy!

Old flatmate gone, new flatmate in

Finally the old flatmate's moved out and new flatmate's moved in.

Even though there's something I don't like about or disagree with my ex-flatmate, I still felt sad when she moved out. When I looked at her empty room and our empty kitchen and corridor, I suddenly missed her! We've been flatmates for 3 years and she was my first flatmate in private accommodation in the UK since I left my last student hall. Generally speaking, she's an 'ok' flatmate; she did try to make contributions to the flat and we did get along well. It's just that before she moved out, we had some disagreements and lacked communication, which made me upset.

I did some cleaning in the lounge and kitchen area after flatmate had gone. Felt like I was moving into a new flat as I tried to make everything clean when a lot of areas in the flat were empty, including the fridge, which I hadn't cleaned fully in the past (when it was full of stuff).

I was a bit surprised that my new flatmate also had quite a lot of stuff! She even had an LCD TV for her own use in her room! (32") Wah Wah Wah! I briefed to her about the flat and had a chat with her about things like GP and the surrounding area. What a coincidence that she's been seeing the same Chinese doctor as I did before! At least we share the common view that the GP here were not good (not helpful!) and they said the same thing to patients! :p While I can speak the same first language with her, I have fewer chance to practise my Mandarin...

Didn't do much in the rest of the day. Feeling lazy...

Will my life be different with a new flatmate?

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Old flatmate's room was so empty... 

A reminder to someone... 

There were only my shoes before new flatmate moved in

All those notes, folders and stuff were gone

The area around wash basin was empty too

The plates and knifes/forks at the front of this photo were old flatmate's. 

She didn't take them with her... 

So much space now in the corridor! :p 

Lunch: rice with chicken in tomato sauce

Dinner: lazy one - noodles with leftovers from the daytime