I have discovered to my dismay that my “Nike+Ipod” app is not working well on my Ipod. 😦 Since I started exercising (OMG, you can’t imagine how long it took me to spell exercise!! I really need to brush up, man!) again, I have been monitoring my running with this app. So far so good. Once, my data was not updated on the Nikeplus site because it was missing. I didn’t know what happened but the next day it was back and updated.
So this time I thought it would be the same. How wrong was I!! It has updated only till the 7th of August but since then I have been back at the gym at least 5 times and not once was it recorded at all! Dang it! Even today’s run was noted on my Ipod but after the run I went to check and it wasn’t there! How frustrating!! *_*
Is this normal? Is it normal for the Nike app to do this? Anyone knows?
I have reset the Ipod to their factory settings and restored everything. Fingers crossed, it works.
All my hard work down the drain. Well, not exactly. The hard work should technically be showing on my body but I want to track my progress! 😦
Luckily I didn’t sign up for one of those Nike+ weekly or monthly challenges. I would have failed miserably and not even due to my own laziness! Technical fault and through no fault of my own.
I am not actually blue. It is Friday. I am on an island. Clear blue skies. Deep blue seas. All culminating into a very blue Friday!
Blue skies, blue sea, blue outfit….feeling the blues!!
This photo was taken a few months back but at the same island that I am in now. It was a little cooler then. Hence the jeans, stockings and scarf. The weekend is here!! Though it makes not much difference to me here in the store as we are open everyday. It just means, (hopefully) that there will be more people mingling and maybe a sale or to 2 for us. 🙂
In my last scatterbrain post, ( no worries, I plugged the huddle into a power source) I wrote about the hot tv news. (ok, it was lost so you didn’t actually read about it yet! :P) The news warned of the upcoming record high temperatures from the heat wave from Morocco. From that day, the 15th till the 23rd!! I wonder how much hotter will it be. It is, afterall, already 38 degrees! I think we will eventually reach melting point. LOL!!
My reasons to dislike summers is practically making their own case. Winning hands down! Everyone is complaining about the heat but do nothing about it. I mean, how is it possible to stay indoors when there is no wind (even with windows and doors all open), scorching sun and just a (or 2) puny stand fan to cool the ENTIRE house!! On top of that, please do not stay in front of that puny fan because direct wind while sweating is not good for you. It has to be metres away and not too strong. At 1 would be just perfect. @_@!!
No one really believes in air-conditioning nor ceiling fans. I have no idea why!? That is why this summer’s apartment we have here is by far THE BEST ever!! Immaculate apartment. It has everything we would ever need. It was complete with all the daily necessities. It is a little elevated with unblocked views, which also means very windy. Even without the wind, it is cool inside. The apartment complex has beautiful lush greenery which helps cool the place and all kept in order by a gardener everyday! AND…it has a ceiling fan in the master bedroom!! It is much welcomed after a loooooooooong day at the shop. Cool and comfortable sleep. No mozzies either!! A hop, skip away from the shop! Perfect combo for a great summer!!
For this I am thankful for how everything has turned out in our favour! We couldn’t find a reasonable place to rent at first so we waited. This was our reward for being calm and patient. 🙂 🙂
As they say, “Patience is a Virtue!!”
Thank you to the world!
Happy to have a good, clean, cool and comfortable place to rest every night!
Toodeloos from the blue, blue Porto Cervo, Sardinia!
Today is Ferragosto! An Italian mid-August holiday. I have linked in English what this holiday means but the Italian has more details. The gist of the day is explained in both languages.
arrgghhhhh……I wrote like a whole page for this entry and it all went to the dogs because I didn’t realise that my internet huddle was out of battery. Clicked publish and poof! it all went missing. I spent the last 3 hours on this post. Being constantly interrupted as I am in the shop. I don’t have anymore time to re-write this. I don’t want to. It is almost midnight and Ferragosto is coming to an end. It will be the 16th soon and the whole point of the post was about this day.
I will make a better effort for the next post and not be such a scatterbrain!! In my defence, I am in the shop and there are clients walking in and out all the time. 🙂
I am presently trying not to doze off. Been telling myself the last 2 days that I should blog. Between the shop and family (M’s family is here with us) and friends AND gym (yes, I got myself access to a gym here. 🙂 ) I hardly have time to pen any of my thoughts down. The shop is open from 10am – 1pm and 6pm – 1am. Understandably I crash every night almost immediately. Come home to help with lunch and the clean up then laundry. Then some time to myself. About an hour or so before I haul my ass off to the gym.
During these “myself” moments, I watch the Olympics. I watch it so much that my MIL wonders if there is anything else on tv and how long more is the Olympics going to last. She is getting tired of the same channel! hehehehe..
At the same time, I catch up on emails, Twitter, messages, Milo, etc…
What did you think of the Olympics? I wasn’t too impressed with the Opening Ceremony. Except for the dancing number it felt more like just a lot of big names and that was it. All the special effects and props were wonderfully done but if there wasn’t a commentator telling the story, I would have been absolutely lost and wondering what the h*ll was happening the whole time. I am sure many felt that it was really good. To me it was just so-so.
I love the Olympic Stadium torch though! I think it the best thing! I was wondering what the children were holding when each country was coming into the stadium. Also when each child was walking up the flag hill and presenting them to the spectators before fixing it on the torch. So much guessing. I probably won’t be able to watch the closing ceremony. I hope I will be able to catch the replay some other time. Or maybe some highlights of the night, tomorrow.
Now, to the games. Malaysia did really well!! We are not really known for our athletes except in Badminton. A sport I have to explain to everyone in Italy. No one knows what it is! They have never really seen the racquet not the shuttlecock either! So, not so easy for me to boast about our amazing Dato’ Lee Chong Wei’s silver medal which put us on the medal table!!! I search for the medal table and proudly showed M.
Me: “See! See!! We are on the medal table!! Silver!!” *huge dumb-ass grin plastered on face*
M: “uh-huh.”
Me: “See!! Look!! Look!” *finger pointing furiously at Malaysia*
M: *blank stare*
Me: “Yay!!! hehehehe” *oblivious to blank stare*
Then a few days later, we got a bronze!!! Whoot!!! I was watching Pandelela in the finals in the gym. Luckily I was alone in the gym, if not people would have thought me crazy. I clapped and cheered when they introduced her and after each of her dive. I must have been such a sight! LOL!!
I couldn’t finish watching here as I had to go to the shop so I was really surprised and absolutely beaming the next day when I read my Twitter and Facebook updates. Ahhhh….it was a good day. 😀
I did the whole exchange above again with M. hehehehe!!!
Throughout the Olympics, I was very surprised at the amount of athletes we had who were diving. I was also so surprised we had a female 10km marathon swimmer who came in 16 out of 24! Very good effort! I would have died 3km into it, I think. I am really glad too that no Malaysians were involved in the female badminton scandal. All in all, Malaysia, you did well!!
Where there were no Malaysians, I give you one guess who I cheered for?
Forza Italia!! 🙂
Now to wait for the next Olympics in 4 years time. Rio 2016!!
This photo is from the 1st day. We left Genoa last Thursday on an overnight ferry for Olbia in our WV van. MIL, Milo and I with M at the drivers seat in the van. My FIL on his scooter behind us and our mechanic with another van right behind him. It was the best start to the journey but we managed. We were delayed leaving Genoa by 1 and half hours but surprisingly we made up time and arrived as scheduled. Tirrenea the ferry company redeemed a few points in my eyes. It is usually the worst among the lot that services the Genoa-Olbia route.
After disembarking, we made our way slowly toward Porto Cervo. Taking in the lushes green hillsides and the bluest seas ever! Even my MIL was impressed. She wasn’t in the best of moods as she was feeling a little unwell in the ferry and the whole time leading up to this summer holiday, she was complaining about the heat in Genoa, thinking it would be just as bad here. She also said that she would rather go down south and so on. I reassured her that she would find the apartment we found here in Sardinia would be to her taste and she would enjoy the balcony immensely as she likes to sit out in the open and have a smoke. Even if the beach is not near. We are after all at a port. We prefer to have a place near to our shop since we are opened till 1 or 2 am. After a long evening we want to just walk home and crash.
True enough, that was the best part of the apartment for her! Apart from the fact that the apartment was spotless and lack nothing. It had everything! Being used to the southern version of rental units, she was pleasantly surprised. We lugged half a home with us. We even brought along an ironing board and and iron. That is how much faith we have in the rental units here. But the north and more commercialised areas have a better grasp of the market. They have thought of everything to make your stay comfortable so that you would keep coming back. I can’t say the same for the south though. Unless they are an international chain of hotels or managed by a foreigner. Like an absolute jewel of a hotel on Ortigia in Sicily run by an English woman. It had everything, great breakfast and free wifi and most importantly air-conditioning! Something sorely lacking elsewhere.
The heat here is just as bad but we have been having some very windy days that make for a very great working environment so far. It is so hot that I can’t bring myself to go for a run. Though I did about 3.5km yesterday when the wind has been so strong it didn’t feel like it was 42 degrees at all! 🙂 I was a little “chau ta” in the face though. The sun sneaks up on you when the wind is so strong. It is deceptive. But, at least I got a run in for this week. We found a gym nearby. We are still in negotiations for a better price for the usage of the gym. It is currently too high to for just 10 entries. At Euro 200!! We are at Porto Cervo, after all. Can you see all the yachts that are berthed at the port in picture? There has been more since Sunday.
This is our reason to be here on the island of Sardinia. To sell our vespas!
Got to go! The shop filling up with clients. Hopefully we sell ALL of our vespas! 🙂
So, I got to know a cyber friend as they now call it through Facebook and our mutual love of the new Sherlock series on BBC. Which by the way, is THE BOMB!! If you have not seen it, you should. Back to the topic, she started a weekly challenge on FB for her blog. The weeks before, there was a bow/ribbon top challenge. A white shirt/T-shirt challenge. Now there is a purple dress challenge. Then there were also sub-challenges like straw hat, sunglasses, etc.. I took part in all of them so far except for the ribbon/bow top cause I don’t have any and the purple dress cause it was just issued and I haven’t decided which dress I want to send in. 🙂
Last week a challenge for “what is in my bag” was issued and it got me all excited!! Why? I don’t know. It just sounded fun! Maybe i was also looking to see what rubbish I carry in my bag. People always tell me that my bag is heavy and ask whether I am carrying rocks or gold. I wish!! that they were gold, of course! But, alas, that was not to be. What I have in there is now going to be listed. but first a photo.
what is in my bag….all the above!
Ok, in my bag there is a whole host of things. Yes, I carry ALL of that and more. 😛 I used to even carry a water tumbler! They are……
1. Hermes inspired bag (made by local leather shop)
2. Tintamar “carry all” bag organiser (there is a disposable toothpick case at the side)
3. Tintamar “Refresh” make up pouch (there is a mini freezer pack to keep make up fresh too. How cool is that? I don’t use it though)
4. 2012 Diary
5. Moleskin notebook
6. nos. 8 pens (why I need so many I don’t know. I love to write my notes in colour!)
7. Nu Skin antiseptic
8. Johnson&Johnson’s Baby oil
9. Perfume atomiser (with my favourite scent which is becoming increasingly hard to find. Might be out of production. Oh no!)
10. Cuticle oil stick
11. Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream
12. Lip Balm
13. Nu Skin Anti-plaque breath spray (amazing when travelling. rub it over your teeth, feels like you just brushed your teeth!)
14. Revlon lip gloss
15. Maybelline lipstick
16. Tissue paper holder
17. emergency sanitary pads
18. plasters (in my line of work, there is always a use for this)
19. Hygienic wipes
20. Panadol & anti histamines
21. Rayban Sunglasses
22. Hair turtle combs and screwpins (to keep the hair in check)
23. Card holder
24. mirror (red pouch. the way I handle my bag, don’t want the glass to shatter all over)
25 Wallet
26. Ipod
27. HTC
28. Blackberry
29. nos.3 reusable eco-bags (for groceries or anything else. Used to carry more. gave them away where needed)
30. Keys for the office and home.
31. Camera Canon G10 (in use)
Ignorance is bliss! Until I actually type it out do I think that I have sooooooo many things but all packed away into 2 pouches, a wallet, sunglasses and phones. easy to change bags too.
You can read about IA’s own “what is in my bag” challenge blogpost here.
Then, I joined another challenge too. The “Red shoes” challenge. I LOVE ❤ ❤ shoes!! This challenge got me even more excited!! I have quite a collection of shoes. While I read this challenge, I was going through my shoe racks in my head, finally deciding on these 3. I am wearing them to death. 🙂
my red, red shoes…. ❤
Joining these challenges makes me happy! Now to go off and decide on that purple dress! Wonder, what she is going to come up with next. hmm……..
Blogging in Italian? Now that would be torturous fun!
I live in Italy. I read and speak and understand Italian. Notice that I didn’t say that I write Italian? Well, it is something I….am not confident about. I feel I make a lot of grammatical mistakes as I didn’t officially learn the language. I learnt it off the streets as they say. I didn’t know a single word before I met M. Really, not a single word. When I was flying, I didn’t fly to Rome either though my company flies to Rome. That was because I was trained for a different fleet and at that time another type of aircraft was flying to Rome which I wasn’t trained for.
Fast forward many years,, I am now living in Italy and have Italian friends. When I tell them I have a blog, they ask me whether it is in Italian. I always smile and say “purtroppo, no. Non scrivo in Italiano.” Which basically mean, no, I don’t write in Italian. Then I think, why don’t I try it someday. Maybe that day is today! I read other people’s blogs, especially those whose native language is not English as is technically neither mine, and they do so well! Though I can’t claim that English is not my first language. I am from Malaysia and technically our first language is Malay or Bahasa Malaysia as we call it. We learn 11 years of it in school. Everything is in Bahasa except English class or if you take other language classes on those classes. Math, History, Science..everything! If we fail Bahasa at our national exams, we fail the entire exam even if we score straight A’s for all the other subjects IN Bahasa. How ironic!
But as I say, I can’t claim that English is not my first language because we, my family, speaks English at home with a mixture of Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Hokkien…) and outside with all our family and friends. My mother was an English graduate and an English teacher and my dad studied in England. We all took English Literature in high school AND Uni as part of our syllabus. I have aunts who were English teachers. English is in our blood!! If I or any of my siblings failed English in any way, we were dead! So, I can’t actually claim English is Not my first language. 😛
In the end it is THE ONLY language I am proficient in. Well, maybe not. Bahasa too. So sad! I studied French for years, I still suck at it.
While others have tried and did so well, maybe I should take the plunge someday. Maybe that day is today!
okay…lets not be too ambitious. I shall start small….part of a post and see how we go from there. So here goes…
Ciao a tutti! Non credo che ho ‘readers’ Italiani ma visto che io vivo qui in Italia gia da molti anni e’ giusto che io scriva qualcosa in Italiano. 🙂 In futuro, mi impegnero’ a scrivere di piu in questa meravigliosa lingua.
(the above was written with great input from M, I suck at Italian… T_T)
I went on a warpath with Coffee and Coffee won! It was a 5-day long battle and I lost. Today. *_*
A splitting headache did not help matters. In the end, I caved and made an amazingly horrible coffee, if there is such a thing. Instant coffee with hot milk bought from a dispenser. My office has no pantry but we have dispenser machines. I don’t know how it went so wrong. Instant coffee with hot milk and sugar. That was all that was in it. How did it go so horribly wrong? uurgggghhhh!!
The sad part of the whole thing is…..I finished it! Every last excruciating drop of it!
I don’t even know why exactly did I decide to go cold turkey on Coffee. Why? Maybe I thought I should just cut down on my coffee intake. Not to be so dependent on coffee. Who knows? Before Uni, I didn’t like Coffee! Being the struggling active student that I was, *cough* I needed Coffee. Now, I hardly drink tea which was my preferred choice before Uni.
Maybe it was because I was having too much Coffee. A big mug of Malaysian style Coffee to start my mornings, which is strong Coffee, none of the Americano crap, which in Italy is a shot of espresso topped with hot water. Basically diluted Coffee, bleh! Thena shot of espresso after every meal everyday. Too much coffee! I still sleep, no problems there. So why?
I don’t know. Maybe it is because I am trying to lose weight and all, I figured cutting out coffee and other sugary stuff would help. I don’t take carbonated drinks at all except sparkling water and the odd beer. M doesn’t drink so no fun drinking alone. I cut it out so well, that the other day a sip of Coca-cola made me sick! Imagine that! Though I think when the cravings come, I can down a whole glass, I am sure! For now, I am safe.
I guess I will figure it out soon enough. For now, I shall forge on….Coffee! you have not seen the last of me!
Ps: Coffee, I might need you to come back some day….so don’t go too far away.
mouseytong 