thank goodness

it's friday. some piccie of my niece and nephew from last weekend's auntie duties...

all good things....

life's not that great at the moment, maybe I should try some of those self-help books.  I did buy a tape on motivation once but I still haven't taken it out of the wrapper 4 years later so I think it's not really my thing.  I guess I just need to pull my socks up and get on with life.  Or listen to my own HR advice that I dole out on a daily basis - ie "shit happens, get over it". 

This is my kind of HR office decoration

puzzle

2 x cats +2 x cat baskets + 1 x MX5 = lots of scratches and 2 x pissed off cats! 
oops, didn't think about that one.

Whoever said americans are wierd eh....???

over the hill

It was my cousin Mike's 40th birthday BBQ last night.  He takes great pleasure in embarassing me and once gave me an inflatable man for Christmas so I felt it was payback time.  With help from a few friends (thanks Karen!) I gave him a splendid array of gifts for the modern older man... including...

• Bag of Werthers originals
• Various leaflets on haemerroids, chillblains and avoiding broken hips 
• Bottle of Grecian 2000
• Various Viagra emblazoned goodies
• Bunion plasters
• Caravanning magazine

 
I think he appreciated it but I think I may need to have my 40th celebrations in secret!

since my last post I have...

• eaten too much
• seen Shrek 2 (v good, love the movie references, esp Titanic and Mission Impossible)
• eaten too much
• had friends from USA over
• got completely and hopelessly Lost in Translation
• suffered banoffee pie torture
• laughed my socks off at the array of goodies with my mate in Ann Summers
• eaten too much
• Bought lots of clothes that are a size smaller than I used to wear
• eaten and drank too much
• Been to a nightclub 2 nights in a row and realised I'm too old to do that any more
• Cried for no apparent reason
• Laughed for many reasons
• eaten a curry - yum (never thought I'd say that)
• fallen out with my cats for bringing in a live bird, getting bored and leaving it to crap all over my living room
• made up with my cats coz I love them
• saw the bit in The Italian Job where spiderman appears (yes rob I accept it does happen, I will stop taking the piss now)
• had a good chat with Fraser on the phone and told him we miss him
• ... oh and eaten WAY too much
  

culture vulture

This Weekend was spent on a cultural whirlwind. I went to a Sangeet night for my friend Sharon who got married this weekend. The Sangeet, in the Punjabi religion, according to my research, is where “Friends and close family members are invited and traditional wedding songs are sung. Both the sides exchange gifts and sweets.” This, in my book, was as big as a normal wedding reception, and it was just one of the many celebrations and rituals this week! Apparently it is not unusual for the celebreations to last a month (!), this one was just over a week long. There were other things going on over the weekend, but I attended the main reception on Sunday afternoon. The ceremony was on Sunday morning, starting at 9am, which meant Sharon had to get up at 4am to get dressed and prepared! She had already had her hands tatto’d with Henna in a really intricate design. It made it difficult to hold her drink on the Friday night!

The Sunday reception was the biggest thing I have ever experienced, with over 650 guests! (I don’t know that many people). It was very odd as I didn’t really know what the proceedings were like, and as I had nothing to compare it too. The apparent chaos could have just been individual to this wedding but I have a distinct feeling it’s fairly normal. In a UK wedding we have drinks, food, speeches and then disco – where no-one dances until the last 3 songs! At this wedding the reception started at 1.30. We had some starters, then the disco started, then 2 hours late the bride and groom turn up, do some dancing and ritual cake ceremony stuff, then there is more food whilst all the time the dance floor is jam packed with grannies/kids and young’uns alike getting on down. It was mayhem, but great fun. The outfits were amazing, really beautiful and the colours fantastic. Everyone seemed to be having a great time – and my favourite bit was a chocolate fountain, wow – sheer heaven. You put strawberries and marshmallows on a kebab stick and held it under the fountain….. wow! Just like a mini version of Charlie and the chocolate factory… oom pa loom pa dobety doo….