Merry Christmas!

It's just gone midnight so it is now Christmas Day in the UK. So right now many children around the world are either too excited to sleep or too tired from excitement to stay away awake - but either way they wait in anticipation of a day when they hope all their dreams, conjured up over the past weeks and months, will come true in a wonderfully magical day.

But there was a first Christmas Day. And on the eve of that day it could not be said that the world was waiting with any degree of excitement. But what they were about to receive was worth more than all the Christmas gifts exchanged since that day.

In some ways the first and the current Christmas day stand in stark contrast with each other. But on the other hand it could be said we have a lot in common with the world back then. Like the Bethlemhem townsfolk over 2000 years ago so many of us will go to sleep this Christmas Eve with no thought of Jesus. The magnitude of the fulfillment of the Old Testament promise in Christ, God Incarnate will not enter our heads.

As we heard in Church at the Carol Service the Wise Men did not come the simply bring presents to Jesus - and they certainly didn't do so just because God wanted to start a new holiday season, or come up with something to boost the local economy during those hard winter months! The Wise Men and the Shepherds came to worship Jesus - funny how we tend to gloss over that bit and focus on the gifts!

How long will it be until we truely celebrate Christmas? See you at church in the morning?

More Geek Stuff

As most of you already know and as alluded to in the previous post, I'm a geek. This is probably why I found myself reading an article from www.pcworld.com and finding it both informative and entertaining.

Anyway, I know a few of you are a bit like that too. So you might want to read the article about 'The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007'.

My favourite line so far from it is:

"In 2007, the words "Internet security" joined the ever-growing list of self-canceling phrases, alongside "business intelligence," "Congressional ethics," and "Microsoft Works.""

Christmas @ the Castle

I'm still catching up with my blogging so you've probably already read all about this on Dermo's site.

Christmas @ the Castle took place from 7th to 9th December 2007. We spent the weekend at Castlewellan Castle enjoying some good craic and listening to Don Carson teach from the book of Jeremiah.

I must say that in learning from Jeremiah and in other recent conversations with people involved in organisations such as New Tribes Mission I have rediscovered the Old Testament. Its not just that it is full of cool stories but because it teaches so much about our God, his grace and his faithfulness to his promises. In the OT you learn quickly how serious sin is and why it took Jesus, the Son of God to die and rise again to atone (an old word, I know) for it.

Dermo (or David as he is now slowly becoming known) and myself had the honour of becoming the new @ the castle geeks. We sat with our laptops displaying Keynote slides (like PowerPoint but better - made by Apple, naturally), showing video, sorting the sound out and all those techy things that we enjoy so much.

The next '@ the Castle' is in June 2008. Check out www.atthecastle.org.uk for more details.

Manila

Let me start with an apology or two or three. One for not posting for while. The second to Laura for taking ages to moderate her comments. And three, to all of you for posting a picture of my legs. That said, they aren't that bad!

This was taken on the Friday afternoon after we had finally finished our week of training. It was great to relax by the pool for a bit and do a spot of reading (thanks to Dermo of the book!).

The work we had to do there was interesting. I enjoyed the various sessions (even Campaign Management - that is for Katya) and had great craic getting to know people from various parts of the world.

It was an eventful week. There had been a typhoon on the island before we arrived. Then on Tuesday I felt the earth move - literally. Apparently there was a 6.0 earthquake a few hundred miles north of where we were. The building rocked and we decided to evacuate. We were the only ones. As we left the building it was clear that it was business as usual for everyone else. Unused to such tremors we had obviously worried more than we needed to.

Later in the week several gents who were on trial for an attempted military coup back in 2003 managed to escape and hold up a few people in the Peninsular Hotel. Basically they wanted to try again but the army weren't having any of it and barged through the lobby doors in a tank thus ending the protests rather quickly. At this point I should probably mention I was not staying at the Peninsular Hotel - we were in the Edsa Shangri-La.

The hotel was definitely in festive mood judging by the music and the huge tree in the lobby.


Just when we thought all the excitement was over it transpired that seven of us were hit with food poisoning. On the last night I was encouraged to try an oyster - something I had never tried before and based on what I experienced over the subsequent days something I should never ever try again.

I'll just say that the flight from Hong Kong to London was unpleasant for me. Actually it probably wasn't much fun for those queued outside the loo when I finally resurfaced!

Things didn't begin to clear up until Tuesday - that was when I returned to work to discover the wide spread effects of the contaminated oysters.

Sorry I don't have many pictures. I may have a few on my other phone so I may publish more in due course. None of them are of my illness - so you can relax.

iWait, iPhone, iBlog

I'm sitting at Heathrow blogging on my iPhone while listening to the Zutons. They may be pretty quick to grab a gun rather than say, a wrench, but those Americans certainly know how to make some of the coolest stuff. Hope I don't offend any nation with that statement! But I guess if I am, an airport is the place to do it!

Only in America

A guy in America has injured both his legs while trying to undo some stubborn wheel nuts on his car - by blasting them with his 12-gauge shot gun at close range. Kind of indirectly shooting himself in the foot I suppose. And there is no mention of the wheel coming loose as a result. Full story on BBC News.

Where else in the world would there be anyone stupid enough to try that?!

iPhondling

I had my first encounter with an iPhone yesterday. The touch screen is brilliant both in the way it operates and in the way it looks. It is vibrant, bright, intuitive and boy does it look gooooood.

A couple of things are putting me off buying it. One is that it costs £269 and the other is that I have a feeling they'll bring out a 3G version next year.

Somethings worth considering and so far I haven't heard anyone asking:

1. What happens when they bring a new one out? Do we all have to buy it and transfer our contracts?
2. If we do that, will the our old handsets be of any use to anyone?
3. Will O2 continue to be the sole provider or will future generations of iPhones be open to all or maybe even exclusive to another operator?

But I think that even with the above taken into consideration I would have bought one - if I had the money to do so!

Wheely Good Day

Today was my little sister's birthday. But for several reasons too dull to mention we did most of our celebrating yesterday. We went out of lunch and did a spot of shopping. Sarah seemed to like the idea of nipping into shops, picking up stuff she liked but leaving the bill to her big brothers!
But the main event in my opinion was the Belfast Wheel. For those of you who don't know, Belfast City council have erected a big wheel at City Hall. For £6 you can go to the top of the world! Well, not quite the top of the world but if you are a bit squeamish about heights it feels like that. The ride was good craic and the view was great!We ended up sharing a pod (no idea what the technical term is but they looks like pods) with some Eastern Europeans. The girl who appeared to be with her mother made a call from the top of the wheel during which she stated that all was ok - this was the point that we thought it would be funny to scream. So we did, and it was.

Manila

Manila is a word used to describe those cardboard folders we all know and love but it is also a city in the Philippines. And that is where I have to go later this month!

I knew that my new job would entail some traveling but within a week of starting they are taking me half way round the world! While the journey will be tiring the trip should be a good experience.

What wasn't such a nice experience was my trip to the doctor today. I had to get two injections - vaccinations against Hepatitis A, Typhoid and a Tetanus booster. Actually I think that one injection contained a 3 in 1 vaccine so there is probably something I'm forgetting.

Anyway, my arms are sore and I now feel a tad groggy. I'm guessing that is some way I have a little bit of about four different diseases today so I suppose that was to be expected!

A Smashing Pumpkin

I'm starting to feel part of the furniture in our London office. When I arrived on Tuesday I was asked to help my new team to design and carve a pumpkin for the 5th floor's Halloween competition. But somewhat lacking in time and inspiration this was the best we could come up with.

It's pretty obvious that it is a likeness of Bono (isn't it?) but what you cannot see is my mobile phone hidden in the 'hair' that is playing a version of 'One Love' which we adapted to 'One Bridge' - the name of the new sales initiative and also the theme of the competition.

We were under pressure - being the team driving the 'One Bridge' project - and we didn't exactly come through with something good enough to win. Although a cheer-o-meter style vote was cast my rather over exuberant efforts were not rewarded.

Toilet Humour

I was in B&Q today. My vacuum cleaner hose split on me so I had to call in for some essential maintenance supplies - namely Gaffer Tape.

But two things happened on the way out. So small and insignificant in many ways but two things that indicate some personality traits quite possibly a few flaws!

One. I bought a battery stick on light thing. I could argue that I really needed it for my rather dimly lit cupboard - so I don't damage my vacuum cleaner in the dark again - but I fear that the main reason I bought it is because I'm a sucker for gadgets and I think I'm turning into my Dad. Just FYI - during a power cut you'd be forgiven for thinking my parents house is the place to be. Full of torches and lights and stuff. No batteries though!

Two. I saw a box that contained a toilet. No surprise there, I'm in B&Q and they sell all sorts of bathroom stuff. But the box was emblazoned with the words:

Toilet
To Go

For those of you who know me will understand why that got into my head and made me laugh. I laughed out loud at the till. The guy looked at me like I was crazy. Come on, you gotta see the humour in that. Its like saying 'TV - To Watch' or 'Chair - To Sit'. Explaining why I laughed didn't help to change that and I rather suspect that telling you all now isn't exactly making me look smart.

Remember Me! I'm a star!

For decades various stars of the silver screen have been adding their mark outside Grauman's Chinese Theater (pardon the US spelling) in Hollywood. It is seen to be a great honour to be invited to place ones handprints, footprints and autograph in a slab of cement so that countless others can remember you in the years to come.

In a similar vain, others show their desire to be remembered by adding their distinctive marks in other places. This one, already mentioned in Dermo's blog was left by someone (and I'll not name any names) who clearly shows belief in their own stardom. And given where it was left - in our church, under the top lid in the old piano, in dust - it has the potential to be preserved for generations.

Belief is Free!

I downloaded a John Mayer song from iTunes recently because it was free. Even though it was free iTunes still sent me an invoice. I have included an excerpt from it below because I found it interesting and a little thought provoking.

Can belief really be free?

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

Apple have announced that OS X 10.5 Leopard will be on sale from Oct 26! I really want to get this as it looks sweet. But its £85 that I could do without spending. That said, when you consider that most versions of Windows Vista cost twice that and more, the new Apple OS is unbelievable value for money. And I dare say anyone upgrading to Leopard will not be disappointed. Compare that to the countless new Windows Vista users who are crying 'what?!' rather than the advertised 'wow!'.

Tempted to preorder now...mmmmmm

You can do so at the Apple Store.

Warning - fat person thinking

Just thinking - not my fault by the way because I'm an individual. If individuals cannot be blamed for being fat then what happens if a few fat people gather together- can you blame them as as a group? Do they have to be eating junk food while they are charged?

Bottom line, in my case, a big bottom line, is that that I am to blame for my own condition. Just in the same way that I am to blame for every stupid and wrong thing I do.

We seem to be a society focused on our 'rights' and not at all focused out our responsibilities or in disciplining our children or ourselves to live up to them!

Its not my fault!

Apparently I get to blame someone else for being fat. Isn't society great. Seems like the only person's behaviour I'm not responsible for is my own!

I'm off to to get a Kit Kat and its YOUR fault Mr Brown and everyone else around me including YOU reading this! But don't worry, its not your fault that its your fault. You could blame that on someone else - maybe even me. In that case, I'm sorry. But what am I apologising for?! I can't possibly take any kind of responsibility for this or anything for that matter!!

Check out the article on the BBC News site.

By the way, there would be a picture of some junk food, or Augustus Gloop or something in this blog but the picture thingy isn't working on Blogger today. Not my fault and probably not Blogger either. Its probably the government or YOU again!

Wispa

The Wispa is back! I spotted this beauty in Centra near where I work. About 20mins later it was a gonner - snaffled up as a perfect companion to my post-lunch coffee.

Apparently Cadbury responded to some online petitions and brought the popular bar back. But it is only out for a limited period so if you want one, go get one soon! Maybe if we eat enough on them they will make it a permanent relaunch!

Note, just realised Dave has already blogged about this and his photos are better.

The Rufus on fire!

I was at a Rufus Wainright concert on Tuesday night at the Waterfront Hall. I had been meaning to get and listen to his latest album so I could fully appreciate the live show. But I didn't manage to do that. As it turns out, it didn't really matter as it was a great show without knowing the songs!

I was particularly impressed when the band unplugged and Rufus sang without a microphone in tribute to John McCormack - a famous Irish Tenor who lived in the late 19th/early 20th century.

The Empress

While in London last week I, along with a few colleagues decided to try out an Indian Restaurant that had come highly recommended.

In short, it was fantastic. From the moment we walked in the door a gentleman whose name badge indicated he was to be known as Kod made us feel welcome. He and his other colleagues, Mash (that's what his badge said) being one of them, continued to wait on us.

I'm a little unfamiliar with the cast array of options in an Indian menu - so Kod just asked me what sort of thing I tended to like and he rustled something up. It was beautiful!

So I can also recommended it. I will certainly be back with my newly acquired 10% discount card! Also, you may be interested to know that they offer an Indian Shepherds pie - something that has gained the interest of some major super market chains.

Check out www.theempress.co.uk.

Firefox for Mac

I'm switching. Up until recently I used Safari for most of my browsing on my mac. Now though I use Firefox.

It was a pretty easy decision to make in the end. It just works better. There are a few features in Googlemail (Gmail) and even in Blogger that work with Firefox but simply do not appear in the Safari version.

Slightly disappointing as a usually hold Apple in such high regard.

So, if you want to unlock a few more bits and bobs on the web using your mac may I suggest that you...

Malteser Moment

Last night I was at the Kerr's house. It was Sarah's birthday so it was another excuse for us all to get together and be stupid.

When the Maltesers came round it was only a matter of time before someone tried this.



Well done to Sam who demonstrated that they are indeed the lighter way to enjoy chocolate.

I should also mention that the soundtrack comes courtesy of a few others who were trying out the Singstars game on the PS3. Doing a great job making a bad song sound worse. I would apologise to Nickleback but really think they should do so first!

Giants TV

Matt and Jo have been doing a great job the launch of the Coors Belfast Giants YouTube service. Here is one of the first videos.


This brings back good memories for me of when Matt, Dave and myself shot fun stuff at the Odyssey just for the heck of it! And then there was that Devil's costume!

Aaaanyway, think the YouTube idea is a great one. Keep it up guys.

www.belfastgiants.com

That after work drink

I went for a drink after work today. Just a coffee.

But even in doing that I began to appreciate why lots of people do this. It was a great way to relax after a head hurting day in the office. It also served to postpone the drive home thus missing the rush and making the eventual treck much more tolerable.

It also served another purpose today. I hadn't had a coffee for two days! That is quite some time for me to go without. I'm normally a one cup....well, more one largish mug....a day kind of a person but going without even that began to take its toll on my head. I do get withdrawal headaches and feel pretty crabby. So I thought I'd do the world a favour and get my hit.

I think I viewed my after work trip to Starbucks a little like the picture suggests!

Blog anzeigen (in einem neuen Fenster)

Any ideas why Blogger is speaking to me in German? This is what appears when I post!

Snow Patrol at Ward Park 2 - Run

The new version of iMovie allows me to export straight to YouTube! Pretty cool but still takes a fair bit of time to get a result when to add up the encoding time and then the YouTube processing time.

But as promised here is the first instalment of the Snow Patrol at Ward Park. I give you 'Run' minus the first wee bit:

The Bad House

I've been in Liverpool for the past couple of weeks. During the first week I stayed at the Radisson - which is the norm for trips to our office there. I like it because it is modern, comfortable and right across the road from work!


But for the second week a full Radisson meant that my company had to put me into the Malmaison. Knowing that the name translated roughly as Bad House I was a little concerned as to what to expect. But I loved it. Daring to be different is their mantra and they do that in a kind of cheeky way. Its kind of like a cocky wee so and so that you can't help but like.

The room was great with a kind of semi wet room style shower. The rest of the hotel was full of little nooks and crannies. It all felt just a little bit naughty which if I'm honest just added to its charm!

Snow Patrol at Ward Park

At the moment I'm sat in the Radisson hotel, Liverpool, hungrily awaiting my dinner! We're going out for some Chinese food in a bit - I'll tell you more about that when I get back.

First let me update you on last weekend.

On Saturday I was at Ward Park, Bangor in the open air listing some great live music. When I arrived 'We are Scientists' were playing. They were pretty good but were topped by Ash who followed. Ash in turn were blown out of the park by the all conquering Snow Patrol who were absolutely fantastic.

As the light faded the light show added to the atmosphere. Great tune after great tune came from the stage. We were all oohs and aahs when fireworks went off in time with 'Light up, Light up' at the climax of run at the end of the set.

I'll try and YouTube-ify some video I took with my phone and post it soon. Although not the best quality you get a good feeling of the atmosphere. The crowd around me can be heard shouting all manner of things ranging from 'Healey! Healey!' to 'We're not Brazil we're Northern Ireland' to the big choruses in the songs. The funniest bit though was when Gary lightbody highlighted the Northern Irish tendency to sing the lead guitar bits - which we promply obliged with as he launched into the next song!

Hope they do it again next year. I'll not take my umbrella then as I had my old P&O Nedlloyd one conficated as it was deemed dangerous!

Slingshot Update

Jacob's Digital annoyed me this week. After ordering my Lowpro Slingshot from them expecting to pay the advertised rate they contacted me to say they couldn't send it to Ireland for the normal £4.50 rate. Instead it would cost £18.50!

So naturally I told them that I was not happy to pay that siting that I could buy the bag cheaper elsewhere - and by elsewhere I meant Amazon directly. But after sending the message I logged to Amazon to order it from them and discovered that their price had gone up! More than a little irritated, I then added a second reply to Jacob's Digital (via Amazon's Marketplace) voicing further displeasure at the whole thing. They ended up just refunding my for the bag.

But the good ending to this story is that on the way home from London I called into the Dixons store in Stansted airport. There I found the same bag at under £30 and didn't need to pay delivery as I did that bit myself!

It seems like a pretty good bag and has been doing its job well so far - although it hasn't been rigorously tested yet!

The Fairer Essex

I've been travelling with work again. Last week I was in London. Normally that would mean staying in the city but as my trip required me to train staff at an office other than main one I based myself in Essex at the Prince Regent Hotel (pictured below).


It was a pleasant stay with the staff and other guests proving very friendly. My only gripe would be aimed at the TV in my bedroom. Although impressed at the obvious upgrade over my previous stay some years ago the new 32inch LCD HD began to really irritate me. Basically, the volume control was knackered and continually turned itself up without any kind of input from me. Even removing the batteries from the remote control didn't help - the problem must have been in the TV itself.

Anyway, that was a minor irritation. I mean, its not like I missed much. Being in London I didn't even get to watch the Northern Ireland match - I had to put up with watching England getting beaten by Germany which was only small compensation.

The area I stayed in is pretty affluent. One taxi driver told me we were close to Alan Sugar's house. It was easy to believe given that we then turned to drive through Chigwell - home to a few footballers, snooker professionals and generally wealthy people. Huge houses, most tastlessly designed it has to be said with multiple cars, big gates and the odd security camera to protect these modern day castles.

Aside from the hotel and surrounding area, my trip went well. The training seemed to be well received and I survived the week in spite of feeling incredibly tired.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Dermo, Mark and I headed to the cinema on Friday night to catch the third instalment of the Bourne series.

With a lot to live up to after the first two outings, 'The Bourne Ultimatum' did not disappoint. Some good action sequences, especially the one on one fight scenes and car chase.

Just be careful with how close to the screen you sit. The camera does not stand still. This does give it a more of a gritty reality but made me slightly queazy during some of the quieter parts! Probably best viewed from a little further back than we were.

Also, you gotta love that Moby track at the end. You can get Extreme Ways by Moby from iTunes.


Moby - 18 - Extreme Ways

Always wanted a Slingshot

No camcorder is complete without a bag to safely transport it!

This one seemed pretty cool so I ordered it from Jacobs Digital through Amazon! This way I benefit from a cheaper price than buying from Jacobs directly but benefit from a faster delivery than Amazon promise!

Its a Lowepro Slingshot and if you check out the photos on Amazon you will see how handy it is. I know it is made more for SLRs etc but at the end of the day its a padded back with movable compartments - right?

We'll see how it performs when it gets here.

My New Camcorder

Finally, after many years of wanting one I got a camcorder.

Firstly, I was really impressed with the service I got. I got it from UK Digital Cameras but ordered it through Amazon. I placed the order on Sunday afternoon, the camera was dispatched on Monday and it arrived at around lunchtime today!

Second, the price was excellent. Constrained somewhat by a self imposed budget I was keen to get as much bang from my buck as possible. The Canon MVX450 I got was as much as £305 on Pixmania but I got it for £235 delivered!

Thirdly, its a dandy we camera for the money. It uses MiniDV (none supplied) but I discovered I can also record to the SD Card (not supplied either) - with cards available up to 4GB! I can plug a powered condenser style mic into it too which helps eliminate the tape hum you get when the in-built microphone is used - something unavoidable in my price range.

There are lots of other features that I'll not bore you with. But I will, for Dermo's interest, point out where it differs from the MVX460. It doesn't have the wide angle feature and it doesn't allow analogue-digital conversion. The digital conversion is something I would have missed a few years ago but given it has been so long since I even saw a VHS I'm not too bothered. Mind you I would still like to get my Pirate of Penzance performance in the digital can at some stage!

Martha Wainwright

Last night I had the pleasure of listening to Martha Wainwright sing and play guitar at a concert in Lisburn. It was just her voice and her guitar but those two together were enough to captivate and entertain.

I arrived not knowing any of her songs but left wanting to learn them! Except of course for the swear words which were, admittedly, a little to frequent for my liking.


Sadly I didn't get a photo of the performance as Eventsec were out in force ensuring none were taken. But I did get a couple of the signing session Martha did after the show. She's the one behind the table - somewhere! My brother is in the bottom right in blue.

Amazing Grace - music from the film

No its not the Chris Tomlin one, which I also like.

I thought this was a fantastic version of the well known tune. Traditional sound with the bagpipes but also very moving. I love how it builds with the drums then finally with the brass section.



This is not present on the soundtrack album - disappointing, especially given its centricity to the story and title!

Some of you may prefer a Tomy Emmanuel take on things.

Just felt like a change

Just felt like I wanted a brighter looking blog. What do you think? Its just one of the standard templates but I like it.

Also I removed the Adsense bit because it wouldn't let me colour it properly and lets face it, it probably wasn't used very much!

Amazing Grace

I watched the movie tonight and to be honest was moved to tears.

William Wilberforce worked for decades before his calls for the abolition of the slave trade were finally heeded. Those who lived in slavery waited during that time, hoping and praying for deliverance.

Their freedom was finally granted 1807. How did that feel for Wilberforce after many years of pain staking efforts? How did it feel for those enslaved to be finally set free?

Then I thought of this:

"So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." Galatians 5:3-7

I was reminded that as hard as Wilberforce worked for the freedom of the slaves in the plantations, there is One who worked so much harder and paid so much more to free me from my sin.

In the movie Oloudaqh Equiano said that when sold into slavery he was branded by the person who purchased him. This he said was to show that he was now owned by a man and not by God.

But the Bible says:

"because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:4-10

The fact is, our sin condems us. But God in his mercy offers us freedom from sin that was purchased when Jesus died.

I'm that undeserving wretch that was saved by God's amazing grace!

The New Apple iMac

You're drooling over your computer aren't you. Your now very old, very crappy, very ugly looking computer.

Visit Apple UK for more.

Time for a cold shower.

Life in the Fast Lane

As you will already be aware, I have been travelling through JLA quite a bit recently. Everytime I head home I have to pass by this sign which I have to admit really annoys me.

They say I can avoid queuing if I pay £2.

To allow them to offer this facility the airport have paid out quite a bit of money to segregate us into paying and non-paying customers. Then there are the machines - a bit like parking ticket machines. The question I have is, would this not be better spent just getting the security right so everyone can get through in a reasonable time rather than making it super quick for a few?

From what I can see the fruit of this 'brainchild' is that the 'ordinary' line is getting worse so the overall service to the majority of customers has declined.

Is this a sign of things to come? Will Easyjet and Ryanair start up a fast lane at check-in, for a small fee of course? We already have speedy boarding!

Bar & Grill - Liverpool

I couldn't remember the name of this restaurant the other day - probably because it was so simple! The Bar & Grill was the first we visited during the course in Liverpool and turned out to be a very good experience for the group.


As soon as you walk through the door of the Liverpool Bar & Grill you will be impressed. I found myself looking up, down and around for the first 10 minutes or so.

That said, having read reviews on the Restaurant Guide I'm wondering if we got special treatment because we were 'corporate' customers and therefore automatically friends of the manager!

Although the menu was limited the food was great. Friends around me ordered different dishes and they all looked fabulous. Those that I got to taste were very nice indeed.

We were there on a Monday night so it was maybe quieter than other nights therefore the tables being close together didn't really bother us. It may have annoyed other smaller and quieter groups!

Some Restaurants

I ate out a lot when in Liverpool. Here is a run down on a few of the places that we tried.

Il Forno
It claims to be an authentic Italian restaurant and I guess it is - given that I couldn't read the menu. Even though I didn't get the pizza I thought I had ordered (I got it wrong - not them!) it was delicious. The staff were friendly and even put up with questions from people like me who don't understand the wine tasting process or what fork to use etc. (I can sense Dermo cringe reading this!). Also, a few helped us stage a fake happy birthday incident that embarressed the life out of one of our Danish contingent!

Christakis Taverna
This Cypriot run Greek restaurant feels like the real thing. Sitting with the group at the long table it took me back to good times spent under my grandmothers vine eating with the family. It was just like eating in Cyprus! I can recommend this to anyone - unless of course you are only into poncy, overly fancy food.

HA HA
Food and service so bad you'd think they were having a laugh. Do not go to this restaurant. Spend your hard earned cash somewhere else on something you have a better chance of enjoying.

Pizza Express
Sometimes it is good to walk into an establishment that you just know. You know what to expect from Pizza express and you get what you expect - decent food at decent prices.

The Olive Press
I found out what Gnocchi was when I ate here. I found out later it is part of the Heathcotes chain but it didn't feel like a franchise. Very reasonably priced, good food, top notch service.

Liverpool

Laura is right, I've been neglecting my blog! I could use the excuse that I have been away in Liverpool for a while but given that I had my computer with me there and the fact that I have actually been home for a week it doesn't really stack up.


Anyway, I had fun in Liverpool. It was a tiring two weeks where I was trained to be a trainer as part of a new sales process overhaul that we are going through in work. It was challenging not least because I had to stand up in front of some very experienced people and try to convince them that change is a good thing.

After several days of this mental strain we decided to take in some live music. We heard some Irish music which unfortunately did not include the Mountains of Mourne, then a fantastic guitarist/singer doing lots of covers (including battle of the banjos on one guitar!) and then just a hint of a hint of what it must have been like to experience the Beatles live at the Cavern. We caught a tribute band which you can see below - they were pretty good!


Although many parts of the country were swimming in flood water we enjoyed a few good days in Liverpool. We even had some beautiful sunsets. This was the view from my room in the Radisson on one such evening - I'm just sorry I forgot to turn my lamp off!


I think I'd like to go back to the city as a tourist and take in more of the sights. Maybe I'll go catch a concert, see a few museums or catch a top class premiership match. Or I could go to Anfield.

Transformers - less than meets the eye

Citroen set the bar quite high for this movie!

The special effects were great. The story, not so great. But I did get a strange combined sense of awe and fear as we shared in the young lads first encounter with Bumblebee in stand up robot form. And I do still secretly want a car like that! Quite a stupid statement to put on a blog on the world wide web. Think its time for bed.

Still haven't see The Simpsons but its next on the list.

Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea

I wish I had taken more photos today.

My brother and I, after a hearty lunch at Blue Glass (pricey but delicious), decided to head to Newcastle, Co Down to meet up with Mum, Dad and little sister who had travelled down a little earlier in the day.

I think I found a new appreciation of the placed today. In spite of driving through some torrential rain on the way (you can see it in the distance in the photo below), the wee seaside town seemed to escape most of it and remained sunny. It gave us a chance to see the wonderful Mourne Mountains in all their splendour! I think we will go back soon to the mountains themselves for a good walk.


The new promenade is fantastic. Such an improvement over when I was there last. And when it comes to food ou can even find a few nice bistro style pubs and decent coffee shops. Newcastle has gone an got itself a new suit and wears it so well! Carrickfergus Borough Council take note!!

I also learned today that it was a William Percy French (1854-1920) who wrote 'The Mountains of Mourne' song. Some of the words are etched into a steel memorial to the man so I got a chance to read what it was all about. So for those of you who only know the last line of each verse - here is the rest of the song!

Oh, Mary, this London's a wonderful sight
With people here working by day and by night
They don't sow potatoes, nor barley nor wheat
But there' gangs of them digging for gold in the streets
At least when I asked them that's what I was told
So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold
But for all that I found there I might as well be
Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.

I believe that when writin' a wish you expressed
As to how the fine ladies in London were dressed
Well, if you believe me, when asked to a ball
Faith, they don't wear no top to their dresses at all.
Oh, I've seen them myself and you could not in trath
Say if they were bound for a ball or a bath
Don't be startin' them fashions now, Mary Macree,
Where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.

I've seen England's king from the top of a bus
And I've never known him, but he means to know us.
And tho' by the Saxon we once were oppressed,
Still I cheered, God forgive me, I cheered with the rest.
And now that he's visited Erin's green shore
We'll be much better friends than we've been heretofore
When we've got all we want, we're as quiet as can be
Where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.

You remember young Peter O'Loughlin, of course
Well, now he is here at the head of the force
I met him today, I was crossing the Strand
And he stopped the whole street with a wave of his hand
And there we stood talkin' of days that are gone
While the whole population of London looked on
But for all these great powers he's wishful like me
To be back where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea.

There's beautiful girls here, oh, never you mind
With beautiful shapes nature never designed
And lovely complexions all roses and cream
But O'Loughlin remarked with regard to the same
That if at those roses you venture to sip
The colours might all come away on your lip
So I'll wait for the wild rose that's waitin' for me
Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.

Audi A5

I have long been and Audi fan. Recently they had an advert running for the new A5 (pictured below). As you can tell from the image below it is a beautiful looking car.



To promote the launch of this car, Audi produced a lovely advert with some fantastic music. Do you remember the one with the ribbons/stripes gently forming a hint of the outline of the sleek design? Well, as is the case with a number of adverts I was attracted to the elegant music. I searched for it at the time but the best I could do then was to find it was called Prelude 2, it was composed by Dustin O'Halloran and that it was hoped it was to be released at some stage.

Even though my iTunes alerts let me down I was please to find (rather late!) that the track was released on 4th June. Both the original and advert versions of the track are available from iTunes. I have added the link below.

Dustin O'Halloran, Prelude 2


Enjoy!

Red Mist

As I was uploading my previous post I noticed that my photos, taken with my Nokia N73, had a bit of a red mist on the right hand side. Could this just be a dirty lens or is this a problem with the phone/chip?

And it's colours they were fine

The Causeway Coastline that is. I spent most of the 12th July with Dermo and Debbie. We travelled to Portstewart with the aim of doing a spot of fishing. But we didn't do much until we got to Portballintrae, and the fish didn't really do much at all. They must take the 'July Fornight' off too. Everyone we spoke to had similar luck but for me the day was not wasted. It was great to just be out in the open, breath the sea air and feast my eyes on some of our quite spectacular countryside and coast.

Sharp Suits & the Federer Express

An alternative title to this post may have been 'Suit you Sir' but I opted for the above as it tied my two trains of thought together.

I wore my suit to work today. This is something I should probably do more often but my unwillingness to splash out on several new suits means that the one I have has to be worn on stategic occasions. Today was one such occasion.

As I was to meet with one of our larger clients I thought I would put a bit of effort in and wear my newest shirt and tie combo along with my trousers and jacket. Incidentally, the meeting went well!

My suit remained on until I got home tonight. That wasn't before I had to do a spot of grocery shopping in Tesco. When paying for the goods the girl serving me looked at me, then presumably taking note of the suit sat up straight, put on an extra wide smile and seemed to make a point of enthusiastically greeting me at the till. She also followed the till procedure to the letter. Referring to me as 'Sir' she helped pack my food and ensured I had my Clubcard before gushing a good bye before I left. I almost looked back half expecting a scene like the end of the Beverly Hill Billies were they stand at the doorway and wave continuously while the credits roll.

So did she treat me differently because I had suit? Did she think that I was a mystery shopper or a senior Tesco employee? Before any Tesco executives grow concerned I should say that the service in Tesco is usually of a very high standard (sometimes it is awful too though!) but this time I got a definite sense that she looked at me, did a quick calculation and then decided to be particularly thorough with her till routine.

Maybe it is the image of the thing. Does the wearing of a suit automatically attract different people and/or cause others to behave differently towards you?

Which leads me to Roger Federer. Although I liked Raphael Nadal and thought he played a blinder in yesterdays Wimbledon final I was glad to see Federer win. I was pleased he equalled Borg's record and to do so in such a thrilling encounter with his closest rival.

But what was the deal with that white suit?

I mean, he stepped into Centre Court looking like a cross between a James Bond movie and a Martini advert - not like a serious sportsman. I guess it could have been a tactic to cause the young Nadal to teeter. The poor guy probably spent most of the first set stifling a snigger! But that couldn't be the reason because he then put it on at the end of the match - over he five set scented body. It as a case of sublime tennis to rediculous dress sense.

Anyway, who am I to criticise the five time Wimbledon Champion. Someone who plays like that gets to wear what he likes I suppose.

Me, I'm just stuck with the same old suit and can only hope that someone thinks I have done something good enough to warrent the wearing of it!

Dance Tonight

Everybody gonna dance tonight!

My brother bought a mandolin. It is an Osark 2250 and if you sat with it for 10 mins you could learn to play a Paul McCartney song! Its that one from the iPod advert from his new album. All you need to know is G, C, D and Fmaj7 (I think), put them in the right order and you are set.

But, and this is the slight frustration, Sir Paul detunes his mandolin by a tone so when he plays the G formation it is actually an F and so on. It means you can't sing and play along to the track while learning it.

So far I can strum it ok but my brother was getting down to REM's Losing My Religion earlier. It sounded cool!