Happy Birthday to ya!

Sorry guys but I am absolutely useless with remembering birthdays. If you don't tell me when its coming up then there's no chance of me coming through. I even struggle with my own Mom an Dad's! I used to pop all the dates in me mobile phone, but as I upgrade every 9 months it would mean I would not be using the same phone and wouldn't have the information any more come the following year.
'What about using a diary?', I hear you cry.
Well as they found out in my old job, I've never used a diary so have never trained myself to look in a little book for numbers, names, address, places, dates or important events. So I would then need reminding to look in the diary, therefore, I would now need a diary to prompt me to use my diary. And for that I would need a diary......

Last Saturday we went out a meal to celebrate Jason's and Martin's birthday's. It was originally to be a dinner at the dog tracks with a spot of gambling afterward but unfortunately the restaurant needed booking months in advance and Jason could not get us a table. Michelle found the Clockhouse restaurant in Epping, and a good choice it was too. It was some cracking grub, yumtastic. It was also the first time I'd seen Martin in nigh on 6 months as he has been adjusting to being a new father.

Happy Birthday Martin.
Happy Birthday Jason.

Ooh, and a quick Happy Birthday to Sam, friend and new colleague . Love ya! xxx

The long, long road

This is my 250th post! Wowzers! Yay me!

I start my new job tomorrow and I am a little apprehensive. I did the journey run for the first time on Friday morning and took a lil look around my new 'patch'. Despite it being a little bit more 'inner city' than where I've been used to working, there is definitely an insular village feel to the area. In fact I been told by someone who lives around there that it is now known as Hackney Village.

This past month I've not been able to go out as my cash flow is lower than I've ever known it. I've not one penny in my bank (I lie really - I actually have 17 pennies!), my credit card is totally maxed out, so no leaning on it as I have been in recent months. I've actually squeaked through so far this month by spending my Christmas and birthday money, but even that's all gone now! I'm gonna have to go bowl in hand to somebody....

Also in both good and bad news, giving up my job has meant giving up my car which is good because I wouldn't even be able to put petrol in the bugger right now, also having no car helps to keep me 'hermit-fied' and conserve money over the next 6 months whilst I build a pipeline in my new job which will hopefully translate into an improved pay packet come June. The downside of having no car means I'm now 'hermit-fied'!! (with no money to boot!). The internet and my PS3 are likely to become my new best friends.

the space my car used to go in

I recently bought 2 Hedkandi albums seeing as I've now gotta do all my raving indoors; Hedkandi - The Mix:2008 (I've got Axwell's, I Found You, on constant repeat (choonage!)) then when I need the chill-out room and some mellow vibes I slap on Hedkandi - Kandi Lounge.

choonage

Last night I was out for my and fellow colleague Neil's leaving drink. He arranged it all so I can't really claim it to be mine, its just that any leaving drink I would of arranged, would of been on the same night and featured the same people. We went for dinner in the fish restaurant 'Ark' in South Woodford. I had a tasty bit of salmon. We finished of the night in Switch bar, formerly Jets. I'd never been either before but Switch is defiantly worth going to again. I lost my wallet last night and had to walk home (no money) but luckily I had left in someone car and I have it back now. I was worried for a bit there and couldn't sleep soundly.

Birthday, Birthday

As has become standard in the last few years I combined my birthday celebration efforts with my, slightly better looking baby sister, as her birthday falls 2 days before mine. I know I probably said this on my blog last year but its always worth saying; my birthday is part of what is a modern day Holy Trinity. In the Bible you have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but now you have Christmas Day (Jesus' birthday (allegedly)), New Years Day (the year's birthday)and capping it all off, my birthday (naturally the most important of the 3!)

Some months ago Sarah had told me that she didn't want to do anything special for her birthday, a quiet drink with a few friend would suit her: and at the time I wanted to go to School Disco which has moved from Hammersmith to Kentish Town (I will still wanna go too!), but after Paris and Christmas wiped out my finances I had to scale my ideas back. At which point Sarah wanted now to make something of her birthday and set about organizing a night out.

In fact Sarah got fed up with the planning, as every planners nightmare kicked in, trying to please everyone, and eventually dumped than plans on my lap the day we were going out! I table an idea which became our night out. Start off in the George in Wanstead then onto O'Neils in Leytonstone. That move also drew Greg (Pimp Daddy Blanc) out for the night whom I hadn't seen in ages and ages.

2k7 to 2k8 (aka NYE)

Now that all is said and done I can come clean on how much I spend on my New Years Eve ticket; £111.50 (including p+p and booking fee!). I did miss out on the £40 tickets by virtue of wanting as much money left available for the Paris trip. Who knew the NYE tickets would sell out so fast! Nevertheless, it was worth the money; Hedkandi, in the Indigo down at the O2 Arena. It was a bit of a no-brainer when Melissa came up with the suggestion early November. The Hedkandi Ibiza weekender we went on earlier in the year was my single most enjoyable moment and any way to relive those 2 1/2 days would get my vote.




Sadly Dani missed out on the tickets too but either, she didn't have pockets as deep as mine, or, she wasn't as dumb as me (delete as necessary), and Gemma wanted to spend the night just with her boyfriend. The rest of the bunch made it though and for this adventure Cat came along too.




Dumb ole me, left my camera at home that night. I thought it a wise move seeing as I intended to get good and drunk and didn't fancy minding a £250 camera, plus I'd just taken delivery of my new phone; Sony Erricson K850i, a 5 megapixel camera phone. I thought that would do a good enough job for the occasion. Boy was I wrong. The bloody thing is rubbish in night situations and New Years Eve celebrations happen at night. D'oh!




The night started off in the Val, then moved onto the Dome. The Indigo was not what I was expecting, a basic theatre hall design, not the open hall I was expecting, with tiered upper level and seatless stalls area, which was the dancefloor for the night. Our first mission upon getting there was getting a drink. The mission of the night! Each visit to the bar cost at least 30 minutes. I was actually 1am before I'd got my first drink! The tunes were banging though! Only one tune sucked and that was that Faithless rubbish!



Light shows, indoor fireworks, dancers; Hedkandi is all about the performance of the night and I sorely missed my camera to capture the experience. Oh well there is always next year!

New Faces; same good times.

It's a little known fact, but today is my BIRTHDAY. Yep. tha Squishmiester is a year younger! Yay me, but more on that later.

First. I need to continue my mission to catch up......


Saturday 22 December.

Bless Charlene. She tried so hard to arrange a night out with over one month's notice but it still didn't happen. Her plan was for everyone to travel to Bas-Vegas (Basildon Festival Leisure Park), for eats and a night of merriment in Jumpin Jaks. In hindsight it think that plan failed because the 'eats' was to be on the fly rather than a restaurant meal. In the end I think only Charlene and Kirsty ended up there.

The alternative night was no easier to arrange with some going for an early dinner in Romford and others going to the face lifted Faces nightclub; that team being me, Catherine, Melissa, Dani and Jon. It was may first visit to Faces in months and the first since the reopening. I have to say I do not know what they spent the 4 million pounds on exactly, but that ain't stopped the play being popular. It definitely thinks of itself as a West End club.

I drove as I needed all my spare cash for the Xmas presents I was getting the next day, and went to get Catherine. She was not ready, needing have a few drinks before leaving. We met the others in the Val(entine), and it was the first time I had seen Dani since Ibiza. It was good to see her, and her outfit was way cool too!





It was a good night. Although I don't think we found a 'spot' and flitted between both rooms. The girls spotted the celebs that night; James Alexandrou (Eastenders' Martin Fowler) and Jade Goodey.




Ther rest of the photos are Facebooked here

The 'Hairspray' and 'The Ivy'

Exactly 2 weeks ago my office had its Christmas do. As we had won a bit of extra money for our performance this year, we decided to do something a little bit extra. We agreed on a restaurant, and choose The Ivy, and then wanted to back it up with a show. Alan, Sharon and Melissa had all seen the recent movie Hairspray and really wanted to see the stage show; I didn't need much persuading.

All 4 of us were working that day so some careful juggling had to take place so that all the company cars were at home come 6pm. A quick change into our snazzy threads then the tube to the theatre for a 7.30 start. I absolutely loved the show. It is set in the 60s, and I was totally thrilled with the era, the music and the outfits; by the curtain fall I was buzzing and saying to myself that this had been the best piece of entertainment I had ever seen!



From the theatre we had an 11pm dinner at the Ivy. I guess due to the high celebrity count I was told I was not allowed to take photographs. With that and the 'no camera' policy of the theatre I was left with a nigh on redundant camera! Grr.



Once I got home I ordered the DVD of Hairspray.

Work Xmas do (well my old office)

Well, the holiday season kicked into gear for me on Friday night when I went to the office Christmas meal, but it was my old office in Barkingside. Their invite went out, as usual, to not only the current roster of staff, but also also old staff members now in other offices. That meant that 80% of Ilford's office was there to.

We went to a Greek restaurant in Gants Hill, Appollina. I had been there before but under its previous guises of Meze Meze and Mythos. The host office had prepared for the night by leaving the following day's diary empty so that the night could be enjoyed to its fullest. I drove so 1/2 a glass of wine was my limit.

There was a DJ/singer who entertained us whilst we ate then later on came some entertainment in the form of dancers; a guy who danced while balancing a stack of glasses on his head, then a belly dancer (who might I add was absolutely gorgeous) who dragged a number of guys up to dance with her in turn, but I was her first!

By the end of the night it all went the disco route, with everyone on our table dancing (we were also by far the loudest group). The night all wrapped up about 1am.










These photos and more on Facebook here