Barbie has a productive day

I have quite an odd job.  I do love it, but it can be a little strange sometimes. Other than the fun travel, I'm often stuck in an office looking after my staff, but even in the office I get to do some odd shit sometimes.  One of my priorities for today was this:

I made a postbox! 

Yup, I made a postbox...and I don't work with small children.  We have a staff away day tomorrow so it is part of a bigger plan.  I'm just proud of my postbox!  The ducks are just photo-bombing, they're not coming to the day.

If you're wondering what the boxes are, I've edited out the contact details so I don't get spammed at work ;)

Barbies Forest Addiction

I play quite a lot of computer games - it is generally what I am doing when I'm not at work.  I'm also quite fussy about which games I play.

I'm not very good at first person shooter (FPS) type games (although I do find them fun as well as infuriating) I like co-op versions most but I usually end up shooting my team mates more than any enemies!  Single player FPS are fun too but I have no sense of direction when I'm playing so I find it really frustrating when I get lost or swamped by enemies and continually die at the same point.

I usually prefer strategy or simulation games.  Probably because I can't get lost!   There's been a game lately however that goes against the norm (kinda).  Its called The Forest and is a survival game where you find yourself stranded on an island following a plane crash.  Unlike most survival games there is a big storyline as well as the challenge of simply surviving.  It's quite difficult as the island is not uninhabited... there are 'dudes' everywhere who beat you up at any opportunity.  They are much easier to deal with in a group!

This game has me a little bit hooked...especially as there is a peaceful mode in the single player where you are truly alone (no bad dudes to kill).  That is probably as freaky as having enemies around, its atmospheric and lonely...but somehow still a lot of fun!

Sometimes it bugs...the fire isn't meant to do that

You can hunt food...or sometimes it comes to you and jumps on the fire

You can build a new home

Inflatable fun

I'm a Barbie, (not a blow up doll) but I'm a big kid so when I got the chance to go on this last year I jumped at the chance - literally!

A 1k inflatable assault course! It was much harder going than I expected though, some of the obstacles were truly difficult (I admit I had to pass on one that was just too slippy)  I didn't fare too badly though in reality, a chap behind me seemed overly impressed with my ability to roll which made me feel a bit better when I managed to get to the end - breathless and knackered.

I'm definitely not ready for Ninja Warrior quite yet though!

Holiday watching

I'm on holiday.  Due to a poorly cat I can't go away at the moment so I'm spending a couple of weeks at home.  I've played a lot of computer games and watched dodgy daytime TV. 

I'm fussy about TV (although sometimes it might not seem that way!) I don't watch any soaps or stuff like that and I have a hatred for most reality TV.  I say most because there are a few shows that I enjoy - Masterchef and shows of that type of format can be quite entertaining.  Mostly because I like seeing disasters.

Like this one of obliterated sugar work just before judging...

Bake Off Professionals disaster

Because I don't want to watch This Morning or other daytime talk shows I'm often found browsing the documentary channels.  That basically means I have watched every episode of Ancient Aliens, every Stonehenge or Egyptology documentary and a decades worth of Time Team.  

Over the last couple of weeks I've spotted a 'new' show (new to me - there are several seasons!) called Forged in Fire.  It is that familiar Masterchef format but what amused me most was the sheer abundance of beards.  Honestly, have a look through, it seems to be part of the entry criteria (until you spot that there are a couple of ladies in some of the seasons so they must have loosened the rules for them)  I might watch some of it, I do like weapons and the stuff they make looks quite cool from the 5 minutes I've watched so far.  I will also be giving the contestants additional points for beard/facial hair and styling though....Lets see if the same ones win ;)

Barbie undergoes renovation

So a few years ago I moved.  I'm still in the same place but due to some unbelievable luck it really doesn't look like it.

It started badly, we received notice from our landlord to move out in 6 weeks...that's quite a challenge if you haven't planned but it is do-able, although the housing market in this area moves very fast.  We took it as a good thing as we had problems with our neighbours etc and started the frantic search for somewhere else to live.

A couple of weeks into looking - already after several viewings and lots of disappointment - the 'new owners' of the property had come over...the flat had been sold to a housing association.  They didn't hesitate to offer us the option to stay (or move to  another one of their properties).  I used to work with social housing so I understood that they would never allow us to move to another property of an equivalent size - we are just a couple living in a 3 bed flat after all - so we opted to stay where we were (thank you sitting-tenant rights!) and have the place refurbished around us. 

To give a little background, the building is an old tenement which had been listed a few years ago and was in desperate need of work.  The took it back to the very shell of the building.  Not a single room or part of the flat was left untouched....so. much. dust.  It was a great amount of upheaval and almost a year of workmen coming in every day for different things.  We lived in the bedroom for at least a week!

But is was worth it..


On top of getting an almost entirely new flat they also let us choose the colour of the paint in each room...not sure they expected the front room! (There's not a drop of magnolia in the whole place)

It was Christmas....I'm not allowed to keep the lights up all year :(

Thankfully now the work from the housing association is completed on the inside - we still have some new floors to put down ourselves but that's a work in progress.  The outside of the building is covered in scaffold whilst they fix the roof..Not idea quite how long that will last - one day I will be able to see out the (new) windows properly again!

(and I've been wondering why I haven't had time to post!?!)

Twisted Barbie: Karaoke Queen

I love singing.  It was my ambition to be fully professional when I was younger.  Unfortunately it didn't quite work out how my young brain had planned so the best I managed was a few support gigs and some local pubs - I still love to sing though. 

The only opportunity I get now is at Karaoke.  It's a marmite pastime, some love it some hate it, but thankfully I have a few local friends and a world full of fellow ninjas who also love it!  I occasionally drag along poor Mr B, who seems to enjoy the atmosphere but wouldn't get up to sing if I held him at gunpoint!  He claims to not be able to sing...I know differently, but to get any better he actually needs to do it more often!

Everywhere I go there seems to be karaoke arranged...

Ninjas in Berlin

Dentists in Hong Kong

Proof the Mr B does come along!

The home of Karaoke...

Proof that I do get up too!

One of the things that I enjoy about it most is the look of surprise on the face of people who don't know I sing.   I must have a terrible speaking voice as people do seem awfully shocked! The group in Hong Kong are even demanding my return simply so they can get me on the mic again...maybe I shouldn't give up on that dream after all...

2018. What happened?

Wow.  It's July in 2018 already.  Holy Cow! Where has the time gone? 

In short, I've been working. Mostly, and that doesn't really give me much to say (that I can say on the open web without getting my ass fired anyway!). 

Part of my work is a great deal of fun, I get to travel to cool and exciting places - we will get to that later - but it is also dreadfully boring on the day to day for anyone not involved so it spawns less posts (and takes up my time). 

So, since my trip to Japan, where have I been?  New Delhi, Chennai, Fuertaventura, Berlin(twice), London, Dublin, a second trip to Chennai, and Hong Kong...Phew! now I'm out of breath, that's some miles!

My family have given up on trying to work out where I am at any one time and a friend recently called and his first question was to ask if I was in Scotland...I have lived in Scotland for 13 years but he thought he should check first before driving the 500 or so miles to come see me.  

As you could guess I have tonnes of photos from all of these locations - except Berlin - Here's a whistle-stop tour...

The only two photos(publishable!) I have from two trips to Berlin...

Danish training buddies in Berlin

The Berlin Wall - it is there, honestly!

Chennai

Henna hand

Love my sari...how does it go on again?

Delhi

Big palace (it has a Name, I just can't remember!)

Fuertaventura

Dolphins from below

My new little friend

Hong Kong 

Glass bottomed cable car

Dancing lions

Hong Kong at night

See? that's a lot of travel...

I know I promise to start posting again at some point soon, maybe 2018 is the year for it huh?