Sunday, June 21, 2009

I have joined the cycling revolution

Now that I am much closer to work, I figured it was time I joined London's growing cycling craze.

For one, I feel like my weight gain has reached obese proportions and that is just not on. Two, I truly hate the commuting traffic in public transport, i can feel my blood pressure raised each morning when I have to deal with the masses. Three, in the long run it is cheaper - the money I am saving on commuting will pay for the bike in 9 months.

Granted I do have the attention span of a gnat and the coordination of a spastic on speed, and I am dealing with London rush hour traffic; but really how bad can it be!?

Anthony having increased my life insurance coverage doesn't bother me. Thousands of people cycle around London each day and only a few die a month. Statistically speaking I should be fine.

Though the fates do seem to have a special fondness for fucking with me. Anywho, if you never hear from me again, it probably means that though I survived bomb blasts in Pakistan, i was squashed by a bendy bus in London.

I end up buying the bike in North London, they were great, really helpful (Chamberlaines in Kentish Town - check them out), but i had the issue of getting my bike to South London. That meant that though I have not ridden a bike in 20 years, my first ride would be 8.5 miles from the shop home. And did I mentioned that I had no clue where I was going?

In the end I made it home in about an hour, not sure where that falls on the scale between fat-ass loser and Olympic athlete; but I was just grateful to get home in one piece. Granted I was scared shitless the whole time and today my ass and legs are sore...and not in a good way.

Let's see how it goes tomorrow. I better loose some weight by the end of summer for all this trauma to be worth it!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

On eating out


Don't you love it when restaurants make an effort in the presentation. Granted cute rice bears doesn't make you want to hack into them, but still that didn't stop Anthony.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

So I got a new job right

I'm one of those international development guys and have always worked for small NGOs or local grassroots organisations. But now I am working for one of the big ones, the really big ones.

I am excited yet scared and overwhelmed.

As cliched as it may sound, it is way easier to be a big fish in a small pond. Plus it is faster to get things done when you don't have as big a structure.

Yet you can't argue with the resources and reached the a big organisation brings. Even if it comes with layers of management and bureaucracy.

Still, I am thrilled for this opportunity, let's just hope I don't fuck it up.