Forgotten year

We will be ushering in a new year in less than two days from now. My girlfriend asked me earlier what has been the best moments from the start of this year to today. I didn't have much time to reflect so as to give a satisfying answer. We have had a lot of trips together this year and that was my answer to her, adding that I was happier to have traveled to many places together.

There are ups and downs and even the pits in every relationship, I have not been spared of the latter either. However, the roller-coaster rides in our relationship have only brought us together ever more closer and this was also something I would consider as one of the best moments in this year.

Then I had a further thought, that working at Bagel Nash and having met people and made friends from there are perhaps truly the best moments. I hope for long lasting friendships.

For some unknown or rather bizarre reasons I still think I am 26 years old. Years went by quickly, in fact, too quickly that I didn't realize I am actually a year older than I thought! Jeepers!

Christmas Eve trip

We are all going to Prague today and will be back on Dec 27th.

A great leap

It has been a difficult 6 months since HF commenced work in Manchester as she's been commuting back and forth to Leeds. It was quite okay initially but as time passes her job became something more of a frustration and upsetting. The successful work permit application was expensive and was funded personally. However, she's been on the lookout for new opportunities yet at the same time risking yet another hefty payment to the Home Office for another application if she accepts another job offer. Being happy at the job is more important and is the only thing that will keep a person doing what s/he is doing efficiently.

A company offered her a position and we were all happy to hear. However, there were a couple of documents not forwarded to HF that were required for another permit application. She was in her pits. But news came in later saying that they (the new company) will foot all relevant bills and will take all matters pertaining to her successful employment at the company in hand. That made not only her day, but all of us including my mother who has just been in town. It is indeed a cause for celebration, and if at all, would be HF's best Christmas gift!

I am deeply moved because I know she did all these for me. If I were not her reason, she would have given up on the job. Indebted...

Special guest

My mother's in town. Just arrived Leeds at about 14:30 by train from Manchester Airport and she'll be staying with us for about a month of so.

AlexChiu.com Eternal life??

I don't quite remember how I ran into this Asian (hereforth as 'azn') guy's website claiming to know the secrets to eternal life using conventional methods -- magnets! You should really take a look at his site at http://www.alexchiu.com/, a website that even Google blocks because of what Alex is claiming.

Considering the fact that he "...is afraid of death" (quoted), his method or way to eternal life is quite bizarre because it looks like it is his quest to stop human from reproducing. Of course, if you think on extreme sides, when everyone else dies and you're the only living one (maybe along with others who have used his methods), wouldn't that feeling of being in eternity naturally falls in place?

Reproduction and/or sexual reproduction is the very basic instinct of all organic creatures and living things. It is natural. And to stop that process is blatantly an act of defying mother nature, thus unnatural.

On the other hand, maybe he is a genius!? A way to making him rich? I mean, how long can one person put up with magnets on one's both fingers and feet? Definitely not for the rest of one's remaining life! So, eternal life here on earth? Gimme a break!

Day 1: Milan & Verona

Milan
At the Central FS station waiting for our subway train to our next attraction in Milan.

Milan
Piazza del Duomo or otherwise known as Milan's cathedral. It is Italy's largest gothic style cathedral. Unfortunately, it was chilly and foggy that day.

Milan
HF, in front of the piazza's grand arcade entrance with lots of cafeterias, designer's outlets, and more designer's outlets.

Milan
Pigeons everywhere and there's an indian man who'd be willing to take a picture of you with the birds for a small fee. He feeds them. The pigeons calls him Mommy!

Milan
Inside the arcade. Here, posing with a mosaic floor tile of the official seal of Rome. S.P.Q.R means Senatus PopulusQue Romanus, which means The Senate and The People of Rome. I have no idea why the seal illustrates humans being fed from the cow's udder.

Milan
Onwards to Milan's last standing castle, Castello Sforzesco, which is a very popular historical building that was built in the second half of 14th century during the time of Galeazzo II Visconti. I can't even begin to pronounce its name at first sight. The castle was named after Francesco Sforza.

Milan
At the castle of Sforza (Google Earth it, 45°28'11.94"N, 9°10'46.50"E). There's a deep stretch of trench, about 5-8m high, around the entire castle that I believe that one would need a let-down bridge to access into the castle. It's like we're living in the legends of knights and dragons!

Milan
Up and against the walls of the Sforza castle. When HF and 'the wall' are one, something special happens.

Milan
My own macho mug shot just outside of the castle. There's a nice huge fountain on the causeway to the entrance but it annoyed us so that is why there's no picture with the fountain here.

Milan
Ice cream! They all say that the best ice cream on earth is in Italy. We've been on the look-out for ice cream parlor since we landed and this La Voglio Ice Cream shop was where we had our first Italian ice cream!
It wasn't that bad. However, HF said that she still preferred Ben & Jerry's simply because, I think, we did not know what we're eating. The flavors were all in Italian!

Milan
Making our way back to the train station for Verona when we discovered we still have time to probably queue up to see the Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper. We did go and were at the residence of The Last Supper, which is in a church, but we have no ticket reservation(s) and tickets were sold out.
We had to book tickets 14 days in advance in order to get a glimpse of the world famous painting. We didn't know; but consoled ourselves that we've seen it in The Da Vinci Code (Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou)

Verona
The Walls of Verona! On the scribe: "There is no world without Verona walls. But purgatory, torture, hell itself. Hence banished is banish from the world, and the world's exile is death...", an excerpt of Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet Act 3, Scene 3.

Verona
The performer bends down when we deposited a coin for him as if saying to HF, "Would you please let me give you a kiss?" And he looks straight back at me each time and bends down again for 3 times. Hilarious!

Verona
Arrived at the home of Juliet -- Casa di Giulietta. I initially doubted and was expecting to arrive at a great mansion with golden gates but to my surprise I arrived to a shabby tunnel, which leads to the famous balcony scene in Romeo & Juliet. Ah! I was enlightned!

Verona
The walls of the tunnel was scribbled with graffities of those who have been here declaring their love and heart to the person s/he loves.
You can see it everywhere from the most bottom of the wall to the ceiling! There was nothing to climb on, though!

Verona
"Danniee, I want to write one up there!", she told me as she pointed to the ceiling! "Can you write on for me there?" I was like... "Umm, uhh..... omg! Great! *Speechless!*"

Verona
A true believer of romance. Tears began to trinkle down her cheeks when she saw millions of people left a note on the wall of the tunnel expressing their eternal love for each other.

Verona
It was said that whosoever touch (but I grabbed) the right side of Juliet's breast will have a blessing in the person's romance. I hope I have grabbed an eternal blessing in my romantic relationship, 'cos I need more than a touch of blessing!

Verona
On Juliet's balcony. HF was here before, it was my turn to go up there. I pretended to be Juliet when a group of Japanese tourists arrived at the bottom and started giggling and laughing. It was a short-lived romantic moment turned into embarrassment.

Verona
Inside the home of Juliet, posing nearby her balcony.

Verona
Juliet still lives in the hearts of many, and there's only one way to get to her -- email her! I wonder if Juliet has get to reading the email I sent to her yet.

Verona
We always send postcards back to ourselves as a little souvenir packed with memories.

FORP December 2006 Newsletter

With reference to the following entry -- http://braindumpster.blogspot.com/2006/11/welcoming-surprise.html -- I am happy to announce that the intended newsletter was published electronically, and soon to be on FORP website, with the two photos I shot on the night of Bond Fire on Roundhay Park, Leeds. My friends, HF, and I were present that night.

The electronic document of the newsletter can be found here OR at the FORP's website and if I may bring your attention to page #5 you will see the purpose of this message. My comments after reading the one page dedicated to me was that of an overstatement of fact but... I like it.

Wish me luck & best!