Celebrity Orchids

Who knew that there was a range of celebrity Orchids at the Singapore Botanic Gardens? I for one didn't but was pleasantly surprised that Ricky Martin has been honored in a way he truly deserves. Much like his career, I couldn't actually find the orchid, so i presumed it died in the late 90s.

And here is the Jackie Chan Orchid. Again, not sure where the orchid is because the ones in the background were sign posted as something else.

Here is the Queen's orchid. Again, couldn't actually see the Orchid, probably shriveled and old on the ground somewhere.

And the blossoming Princess Diana Orchid. Ironic really as the only living celebrity orchid is named after a woman who died 10 years ago. Perhaps they used her ashes to fertilize it and when the others die the orchids might start to grow.

Ive decided to blog again.

I think it kind of makes me more interesting and I've been having requests for entries.

So hopefully there will be a return to the wonderful insights into my mind. More to come.

Something to blog about...

I have not had much to blog about lately, but i do now... i reckon this is pretty significant...

7 months and 4 score ago...

I had a farewell party in sydney. I have uploaded heaps of photos to facebook - the greatest invention since the sabot. The link to one of the albums is here...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19632&l=13698&id=518640450

Check it out. There is another (more debaucherous) album, but you gotta sign in and become a member to see it. So friends do that, facebook is awesome, parents dont do that.

Im back to facebook now....
Angus

Toobes on the Tube

Andrew came bearing Toobie-toobie-toobies and we got some sent from tim. Thanks guys, i very much enjoyed their tangy goodness that had been lacking in the Australian crisps (thats what they call chips here) market for so many years.

So how best to enjoy them? On the tube. Toobes on the tube - enough said.

Andrew & Scott

So my bros came for a whirlwind 12 hour visit a few weeks back. I took the day of work and had them venture from heathrow (on the picadilly line toward cockfosters) to clapham. They dropped off a few necessities that i had requested from Australia - more of that later - and they complained about how cold it was, despite me trying to convince them otherwise by being in 'weather denial' and insisting i wear a tshirt.

After showing them my flat and other highlights of my area - our red reclining chair, the goon factory, the alley where 'fatz' was shot - we headed toward the common for a lovely pub lunch.



Then, in an attempt to at least do some small touristy thing we climbed the very creatively named 'monument'. Which is a monument dedicated to the great fire of london. 311 steps later, we saw a delightful vista of london. I can most definetly recommend this little climb, i can now see why they call it the "poor man's london eye". (For those who dont know, the london eye is a giant ferris wheel on the banks of the thames opposite big ben & westminster).




You will notice in these photos my new red manigan. That's a cardigan for a man, you see - MANigan. That's from my dear sister Kate. Thanks, its perfect for london's spring/summer weather. The warmth of a jumper, the protection of a jacket but with a convenience unparalleled in the knitwear department.

Following our walk (we got certificates to prove that we had done it too) - andrew is going to get mum to laminate it in the library. We walked along the river a bit and discussed that it wasn't actually that dirty, rivers are always brown. I convinced them of this point only to be confronted two days later by a newspaper headline "HEADLESS CORPSE FOUND IN THAMES." Anyway, we then headed up to camden for some afternoon drinking in the sun by the canal.




I introduced the boys to a new drink - Magners'. A bit like Strongbow, but less girly. Scott was quite taken with it and the decision was made to import the drink and exclusively sell them at the yacht club - they are the perfect afternoon on the lawn drink.



Camden is full of emos and goths. Here is one contemplating the world's peril and is apparently feeling emotional about how polar bears are loosing their igloo homes due to global warming.

After another meal i popped the boys onto the tube back to heathrow (heading away from cockfosters) and they flew back to australia. So yes, it was short and sweet, thanks for coming boys.

Penny's Wedding

Firstly, might I mention that this post would be much better if i actually posted on time. I held off posting this at the time because i have the fear that it would be too much for people all to read at once, along with the 283 other posts i have recently done.

ANYWAY... everyone else is blogging about Penny's wedding and I was disapointed enough that i missed out so, as a tribute to the moments I missed, I am going to show you what we were doing at a similar time on the other side of the world and attempt to make very loose parallels between our weekend and the wedding of the century.

While you guys watched this:

We watched this:
Cambridge vs Oxford on the Thames...





While you posed for a group shot:




We posed for a group shot:
That is me, lisa (new flatmate from tasmania), Chris and our other new flatmate Jerry, he is a bit older than us, but young at heart.

While you prepared for a big night ahead:

We made the journey north of the river to camden, to a club called Koko:

While you guys began the trashbagery by stashing drinks:

We began the solid consumption of alcohol at this mega-venue:

While you guys danced to 'Your the Voice':

We heard the joys of Armand Van Helden's only UK performance (he's of My, My, My and 'hear my name' fame):

While Penny may have felt like a sneaky spew:

Just prior to this photo, I may have as well...

We were the last three standing (Chris Miller, Jess and Me). But perhaps not in as good form as Sarah...

And then there is the next day recovery on the common...

And I just love this photo of erica.

Yeah, congrats penny... it looks like it was an amazing day/night, everyone looked fantastic and I wish I had been there - nothing we would have done would have compared.

Summer Sunshine

In their smash hit "Summer Sunshine" the corrs sang about the joy of a nice day. I could never understand where they would get their inspiration from, considering they are from round these parts and there is hardly ever any sun. BUT ALAS!! There is!! And we are getting more of it by the day... it is weather that would make Mike Bailey proud.

It means more drinking outside:

(Notice the lenses have transitioned).

It even makes the goon factory across the road look like a nice place to be:

These are the canals around north london where i work. Although it could never get hot enough to make you want to swim in the water, its nice for a stroll down at lunch time:

Yeah, even dead people enjoy the sun.

And lots of lying about on the common as a substitute to the beach:

With drinks:

And jam rolls:

Maxi, 'Manda, Mathison

So a few people have come to say hello over the past six months, here are the latest three over the past few weeks of my non-blogging...

Amanda (lived with in towers) was here over the long weekend. We went for a coffee and she presented me with her typed itinerary for the sights of london. An up-to-the-hour log of london landmarks, complete with tube stops and entry fees detailed on the side. Such organisation not seen since my mother's vietnam scrapbook.

Possibly the one meeting that spun me out the most was with Maxi. For all those who don't know, Maxi was my Aunt's Armour in Hong Kong that used to look after us three kids when we would go and stay. Maxi has since moved to London with another family, but stays in touch with my Aunt and is always prompt with the christmas card to Bondi.

So one day I got a phone call from Pammie asking me if I would go to lunch with Maxi, only Maxi was too nervous to ring me for the fear she might interupt my busy work schedule of sitting at my desk on MSN. I made the call and was confronted with no less than a very loud fillipino woman shouting down the phone at me. I managed to get "Ohh Mr Angus... Late Lunch, Early Dinnerh... Shepards Bush... Late Lunch, Early Dinnerh." This provided much amusement when asked what my plans for the weekend were, to which i responded... "going on a date with a mid-40s fillipino woman". I was in a rather precious state from the evening before when the saturday lunch came around, but met Maxi (who I swear was much taller when I was younger) and her friend for a buffet lunch. Surrounded by lots of other hungover australians and the dirtiest of british chavs, i answered questions on my life, london and the family. Highlights mainly came from the friend with quotes like....

"I'm not racist, but the black kids are the ones that cause crime" and...
"Your brother not have one girlfriend, but i bet he lots of casual girlfriend, many at once".

But Maxi was very sweet and invited me to stay with her in the family's mansion when they are away??? "Dim Sum in Soho (Chinatown) next time". There is a next time?

Oh and James Mathison came to work with us for a week. Provided much amusement for the few people in the office that had any idea who James Mathison was.

SAL T-S

Sal is a girl i grew up with and has been living in Paris and London for the past 3 years. She headed home last friday so I got to hang out with her and her partner greg for a bit. She even cooked me a Salmon Steak, which was absolutely to die for.


I went to her farewell party in Putney the other weekend and I had an awesome time. That is me, Karlie (Sal's friend, and now mine, who is living in london) and a south african girl whose name I forget, but has taken a liking to the colour red. The night was most definetly highlighted by the worlds most amazing Kebab in Fulham and the way Sal seemed to just walk into the bar and the free drinks just flowed (when i say free I mean, i didnt pay). Particularly my new favorite... the Ginger Mohito.


Except if you drink too many this happens...


I'm still curious as to how this turned up on my camera too... its sal, greg and I know I got a bit crazy that night but I'm pretty sure that is not me in the middle.