Little Yap Yap gives an update on Southern living

So it’s been ages since I last wrote on my blog. Not sure what I’ve done since I last wrote. Hmmm, let me think. Well I worked for the police for 4 months. That was, um, interesting. The people were really nice, but my job was dull, dull, dull. So I decided to get another job. I now work for Avaya, a telecommunications company based here in Guildford. I’m a Business Analyst. What does one of those do? I’m not entirely sure to be honest. I must admit I do very little. I tend to surf the net and take long tea breaks a lot. Maybe I put together one or two reports. I also take extremely long lunch breaks. I work with a strange mix of people too. Some people I really dislike, which for me to say is quite harsh. I spend a lot of my time trying to avoid my work colleagues. I honestly can’t be arsed with them.

It’s been over a year since I moved to Guildford. It’s been a very interesting few months. Definitely lots of ups and downs. I’ve met all kinds of people. Not all good, but not all bad. I’m slowly adjusting to the Southern lifestyle. I find myself saying some words in a ‘posh’ accent. I hate when others pick up on it. I get all embarrassed.

The future : I’m going home for Christmas in a few weeks time. I can’t wait! I really need some good home cooking. It just dawned on me that I frequent my local Chinese take away way too much. I went last night and they all knew me by name, “hi Jenny”! I mean it’s not all bad - I’m always guaranteed free prawn crackers with my meal!!!

The beginning of February will see me off to Dubai and South Korea with my mate Rayhan. I have a mate who teaches in SK so we’re going to hang around with him for a week. I’m real looking forward to that.

Little Yap Yap visits Manchester again

Friday, January 19, 2007
Catch the train to Manchester. Not very exciting.

Get to the train station and get met by Net. Lovely Simon has booked us a hotel room at the Ibis across from Paradise Factory so we can enjoy a proper girlie weekend.

Throw our stuff down and get ready to go out. Meeting my mates Ian, Olly and Naj later on. Go to Odder, which used to be Zumbar. Not too busy cos the students not back from hols yet - thank f*ck! Start drinking. Ian meets us, then Olly. Few more drinks.

Carry on to Blue in the Northern Qtr. More drinks. Naj meets us. Just chat.

Naj drives us to the village where we go to Baa baas for shots. Night kind of getting hazy at this point......Naj leaves. More drinks??? Not sure now. Kind of blurry. Pizza, kebabs? All a mess now.

Back to hotel, more wine. Need sleep. Kick fellas out and promtly pass out.

Saturday, January 20,2007

Wake up. Headache. Net and I lay in bed watching Saturday kitchen. Super hungry. We want noodles! Get ready and go to China town. DISASTER!!!OH NO!!! Nothing's open yet!! What are we going to do?? We're starving!! Go to Starbucks for our coffe fix until the place opens. Coffee is actually very filling. Full now, but still want noodles.

China town open, noodle craving fulfilled.

Next, Dress shopping time!! Net shows me her 2 potential dresses for the wedding next week. We pick a dress for her. She looks lovely in it. I feel left out and decide to buy a fancy frock too. We both now have fancy frocks.

7 hours later we finish our shopping marathon and are utterly exhausted. Nap and then get ready to go out again. Decide to go for Spanish Tapas with Helen and her fella Hugh. Traipse around town to 3 different tapas places, all of which are booked out. What to do!! Where else can you go without a booking?? Rusholme of course. Taxi to Rusholme for yummy curry heaven!

After walk back to the hotel and go to bed. Rock n' Roll!!!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Rise and Shine. One last girlie thing to do before I catch my train. Make over!! We have booked a makeover at MAC. Both get properly made up. A little OTT for the time of day. Spend lots of money on make-up and then walk through town to train station. Both very self concious since we look so over done. No time to take it off cos me got a train to catch. Say our goodbyes and I spend the next 5 hours trying my best not to smear my over plastered face.

Little Yap Yap gives an update

Okay, here’s an update:

Notice has been handed in. The flight has been booked. June 22nd it is. I start my new job June 24th working for an EFL teaching centre for the summer. They are putting me up in Brunel University Halls of residence. I get to look after pain in the back-side international students who probably don’t give a crap about learning English and are only coming because their rich parents want someone else to look after their kids for the summer. Provided I work with other like minded teachers and staff I should be okay. Oh and it helps if they like to drink a pint or two! (the teachers, not students)

Right now I seem to be living on a day to day basis. I have no idea what lays ahead of me. Things always seem to crop up, things that I totally did not plan. After teaching, I haven’t got a clue what I’ll be doing. Maybe join a recruitment agency and find a temporary job. Why temporary? Well I just decided to go to New Zealand with my mate Netty. That was really unplanned and unexpected. She asked, I said yes. Pretty simple. So now I’ve planned this crazy trip in September for a month with a few days stopover in the Cook Islands!

After that, I don’t know. Maybe look for a real job???? I guess I'll have to see what's around the corner.

See ya’ll soon!

Little Yap Yap's trip to Quebec

April 14 - 22

Post written by Rik

Back in the sh!tty london traffic. Holiday was awesome though, went to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, the Lorentian mountain range north of Montreal (great area for low altitude but deep snow skiing but I was too late for that), Ottawa, Jen's Uncle's country farm house and back to Toronto.

Highlights were smoked meat sandwiches and bagels in Montreal, driving 2000k's in Jens car (it's actually a different model to the Daeo Matiz, a good cheap car called a Pontiac Wave), going to a drive in movie theatre (fog rolled in and the projector couldn't project so we missed the movie), smoking shisha pipes, Quebec City was really spectacular- oldest city in North America, bit of a romantic city but loads of war history and cool sights e.g a cannon ball wedged inside a tree, "beaver tails" in Ottawa (a flat doughnut) and the weather was great. We had dinner in the oldest standing original building in North America (only about 400 years old though). The history of French/English occupation is interesting. Basically France founded Quebec City, then we came over, kicked their asses and stayed for a century before kicking Americas ass (with the frenchies behind us) back south during the Independence wars. Then we got bored living with all the french and buggered off back to Europe. No wonder the French hate us so much! Rik

Mr Alex the Sea Captain

I just like these pictures!!

Little Yap Yap goes to Las Vegas....with her dad!!!!

Mum and my sister have gone to Hong Kong so dad and I decided to go on a last minute package to Las Vegas for a long weekend....

Thursday January 26, 2005

Wake up at 3:30am after only a couple hours sleep. Am very tired and annoyed my dad has woken me up so early. Leave the house by 4:30am to get to Buffalo airport in the States. Flight leaves at 8:20am so have well over 3 hours, nearly 4 to do the, what should be 1 hr drive. Cross the border and what happens? We get lost!! Dad ends driving around some pit of an area and decides to ask

someone for directions. He gets out of the car and the lady wants 5 bucks for directions. We work out that she's a prostitute. Actually there seem to be a lot of people out on the dark cold streets at 5/6am. We are in a hooker zone! Can't believe he even got out of the car!! Dad quickly gets back in the car and decides to find out how to get to the airport himself.

With 1 hour to spare we finally get to the airport. Catch the flight.
7.5 hours later we arrive into Las Vegas where as soon as you get into the airport lounge there are slot machinese everywhere. Welcome to Vegas! It's a pleasant 15 degrees. Check into the hotel and hit the bar!!! First round of drinks $12.00!!! - for 2 beers!!! Can buy a whole case for that amount!!! Decide to hit the all you can eat buffet - no wonder Yanks are fat meffs!! Actually don't see that many fat Yanks - well no more than the UK. After we go our separate ways. I hit the penny machines and end up winning $6.44. Decide to call it a day and go to bed....at 8pm!!

Friday January 27, 2006

Usual tourist traps....The desert and Hoover Dam.
Wake up at 4:30am. Decide to get an early start. Go down to the casino and still find people gambling and drinking. See a little old Chinese lady working 3 slot machines at once. Yikes!!Find some typical diner and get an "American" breakfast. Definitly not as good as an English fry up, but the Americans sure know how to make kick ass pancakes!

We drive out to the desert. It's cool at first, but then quickly gets boring. There's nothing out there. We then decide to drive into the mountains. We find one called snow mountain.

As we get higher into the mountains the scenery dramatically changes and yes, there actually is white stuff up on the mountain. It's not snow, but frost. It's an Oasis in the desert. Very beautiful.

We come back down and decide to go to the Hoover Dam. I am very impressed with the dam. It's an amazing sight.

Loose my money and get drunk

Get back to Vegas and we go our separate ways. I hit the slot machines again. Quickly loose my money. Unlike most US states and definitly Canada, drinking in the streets is allowed in Vegas. Buy myself a strawberry daquiry and hit the streets. Now I'm not sure if you've been to the States but they are known for their 'light' drinks. Not Vegas!! No watered down drinks here! Drunk after one daquiry! Check out a few free shows (cos I'm too cheap to buy tickets) before going to the hotel to drink some more!

Am surprised at how much sex is promoted in this city. A family destination my ass! Naked lady pictures litter the streets! (Naj would be impressed!!!)

Saturday January 28, 2006

Chinese New Year

Well if the White folk in town didn't know it was Chinese New Year then they sure did by this day! The Chinese have rolled into town!! and they roll in in the thousands!! Dad and I watch the $1000 dollar minimum tables, which have been hijacked by the Chinese. Where on Earth do they get that much money? Find the casino and hotel staff seem to be much more friendlier to us Chinese today.

We decide to go for a drive out of town and end up at some Mexican market. It looks just like Leeds city market, but instead of Yorkshire people and chavs, it's full of Mexican's and cowboys all speaking Spanish. End up buying dried chillies, which I am assured are the hottest in the WORLD!!!

Quite an eyeopener to see the difference between the wealthy people who are gambling on Vegas strip vs the poor people. See some proper, run down trailer parks.

Flight home at 11:30pm.

Sunday January 28, 2006

Arrive into Buffalo.

What is the first thing we do? Go to Tim Hortons for a coffee and doughnut. Ah it's good to be home!!

Little Yap Yap's trip to Manchester

November 26 - December 5, 2005

Few days off work so decided to go back toManchester. Here is what I got up to:

• November 26 - depart Canada
• November 27 - arrived into Manchester. Picked up by Naj at the airport. Into town to shop. End up in Primark and buy an entire wardrobe (okay not quite, but a lot). Go to Staleybridge and stay at Net and Nick's. Go for a curry. Yummy.
• November 28 - Snow!! Really cold. Go for dim sum with Tan. Go shopping at Primark... again. Meet Mark at the English class. Home.
• November 29 - Net passes her MSc. We go to Leeds. Visit my friend Jenny then visit my friend Tim. Celebrate Net's pass. Get very very pissed. Net goes home. I don't make it. Stay at Tim's in a drunken state.
• November 30 - Very hung over. Drag ass back to Manchester. Feeling very ill. See my aunt. Feeling incredibly sick with flu like symptoms. After walk around for some Manchester 'fresh' air before going back to Staleybridge.

Girls night. Helen, Sarah, Net and I get into our jim jams and watch 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' whilst eating tonnes of junk food. Girls decide to celebrate Net passing her MSc with wine and cheap champagne. Feel sick again. Decide against alcohol and stick to water.

• December 1 - Out for lunch with Net to On the 8th Day on Oxford Road. Very yummy. After end up in vintage clothes shop to buy clothes for 70's house warming party. Buy a really wack shirt for 7 quid (which I still think was a rip off) for Rik. Go for coffee. Net leaves me and I go to Manchester Museum. Particularly like the frogs display and Egyptian room.

Walk in the pouring rain cos too cheap to buy umbrella. Meet Olly for few beers. Olly drinking 2 beers to my one. He seems very drunk. Decide to go home cos I'm very tired.

• December 2 - Have hair appoinment at 1045. Wake up late. Miss the train. Have to wait. Am half hour late. Worried they will not be able to do it and I have to stick with my current straggly hair do. Manage to fit me in anyway. YEAH!! Get hair done with Net.

After go for some food at Tampopo. Very yummy. Decide to go try fancy frocks on with our new hair do. Take pictures of us in fancy frocks with our stripy socks. Very funny. Both try on size 10 dresses from Warehouse. Cannot zip them up. Decide they aren't actually size 10 and are size 6, hence the reason why we cannot get into them.

After meet up with my old BC work colleagues. Decide to drink lots. Naj comes out to meet us. Get her to drive us to Chorlton. Have a few beers. Rik joins us. We decide we are too hungry to drink anymore. Get Naj to drive us to Fallowfield for an Abduls kebab. Very yummy. Too full and drunk to drink anymore. Back to Staleybridge with Rik. Spend rest of night with dicky stomach. Think it has something to do with the the 'yummy' kebab.

• December 3 - Go for day trip to Pennines with Rik. Pass the Devils Arse (always makes us laugh). Back to Staleybridge. 70's house warming party. House all decorated. Get all glammed up. Lots of food, cheesy music, alcohol!!

Sarah gets really drunk. Ends up passing out on some bloke Net is trying to set her up with. Don't know if she made a very good impression. Everyone drunk. Very fun.

• November 4 - Wake up and recover. Net and Nick treat me to pub dinner at their local. Very nice.
• November 5 - Time to go home. Make my way to airport with far too many bags. Feel like a bag lady. Eventually get to the airport. Very hot and bothered.

Get on plane and end up sitting next to some lady who's made it her mission to get drunk on the plane's cheap plonk. Keeps telling me about breaking up with her boyfriend and how she is fine with it. By the 10th time of telling me she over him, I feel she is not really over him. Continues to talk all the way home on the 8 hour flight. Feels so much longer. See her progressivly get more and more drunk, more and more loud, more and more annoying. Begins to swear. People staring at us. I'm getting embarrased. Get off the plane, quickly lose her on way to customs. Phew!

The end.

Little Yap Yap lives in Waterdown

What can I say about Waterdown? It's a small town in Southern Ontario. It's not very big. We have three pizza places, Dairy Queen, Tim Hortons, all the usual burger joints (MacDonald's, Wendy's) and a Chinese restaurant. Considering it is such a small place, we seem to have a lot of fast food joints.

We also have Waterdown Motel. Think American affair central. I don't know if people actually conduct affairs at this Motel, but I can image it. What else is the point of this Motel? It's just looks plain dodgy to me.

Besides that there is very little to be said about the place.