101 in 1001 - The Second Ten

11. See March of the Penguins
12. Join a Tai Chi Class – 6/2
13. Find a dance class that I enjoy - 18/4
14. Do a reasonable sized jigsaw puzzle
15. Give my time to charity
16. Visit ten places from London’s Rough Guide
17. Do a Walking Tour in London (not included in the above)
18. Go the theatre at least ten times
19. Get another £4000 in my ISA (unless I move house)
20 Save £6000 altogether.

Yay! I have done two things in the list so far. I have been going to Tai Chi for almost three months, and Salsa for about six weeks, which I have started to enjoy. I wasn't sure in the beginning as I was just stepping back and forward, but now I am dancing properly (if not very well) and it is a much better way of keeping fir than going to the gym. March of the Penguins comes out on dvd in a few weeks and a friend will get it for me as a belated birthday present, so I hope to complete that one in a month or so. I have borrowed a jigsaw but not started it yet. I have saved 20% towards my ISA target. and about 20% towards my other savings target.
I have not yet given my time to charity, nor done a London Walk or visited anywhere from the Rough Guide.

Top 10 iTunes

1. Snow Patrol - Crazy in Love
2. Paul Weller - You Do Something To Me
3. Killer - Sugababes
4. The Three Degrees - Givin Up, Given' In
5. Lisa Scott Lee - Lately
6. Jody Watley - Looking for a new Love
7. Annie Lennox - Waiting in Vain
8. The Jam - Town Called Malice
9. Salt 'n' Pepa - Whatta Man
10. Shawn Mullins - Lullaby

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

I took my first visit to the cinema for the year, when I went to see Ice Age 2: the Meltdown, last week. Sid the sloth has started an ice water park but the ice is melting so Sid and his friends, and all the other mammals must try and get to safety. Manny the mammoth is concerned that he maybe the only mammoth left on earth and was initially pleased to meet new traveling companion and mammoth look-alike Ellie. Except Ellie claimed to be a possum and liked to sleep in trees with her much smaller, more possum like brothers. Meanwhile Diego the Sabre-tooth tiger has to overcome his fear of water. Sid also is revered as a king and some vultures perform show tunes. In between the adventures of our gang we see Scrat the squirrel still in search of his precious acorn and managing to destroy the planet as he goes.

Richard Doyle - Flood

This well-researched but poorly written novel is a fictional account of what would happen when freak weather causes tidal surges potentially able to breach the Thames barrier and flood London.

The book starts promisingly with dramatic events around Britain, leading up to the tidal surges in London, these events are well described and information given appears to be well researched. However, the book then veers off to become something of a trash Seventies-style disaster movie set in the present day, as Doyle introduces a dizzying cast of hundreds of characters, some of which we never see again, and thus ultimately never know what happens to them. Some of these characters crop up several times in the book, but some are there just for a few paragraphs but we are still told who they are, where they come from and what they do. At this point the book chops and changes and the disasters happen one thing after another getting increasingly ridiculous.

The book moves at a fast pace and this is the only thing that kept me reading, that and the fact that I might eventually find out if London survives. Towards the end I found myself laughing at the ridiculous events that were happening, however I don’t feel that this was what the author intended. Budding novelists could use this as a prime example of how NOT to write a novel as you don’t really care about any of the hundreds of characters. Doyle appears to know London, and his descriptions are accurate. He also seems to enjoy its destruction, and it is a shame that his writing style makes his readers cringe.

Kebab shop

Kebab shop
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

Interesting signage.

Valencia, Jan 2006

iTunes Top Ten - Madonna

These are the Top Ten Madonna tracks I have listened to on iTunes

1. Crazy For You
2. Rescue Me
3. Causing A Commotion
4. Beautiful Stranger
5. Material Girl
6. Keep it Together
7. Borderline
8. Like A Virgin
9. Erotica
10. Dear Jessie

Flightplan

I recently watched this airplane thriller on dvd. The premise is that Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) and her daughter are flying on a commercial jet (in a slightly futuristic plane) from Berlin to the USA with her late husband's body. Kyle dozes and wakes up to find her daughter missing, and the crew denying she was ever on board. The Air Marshall gets involved as the pilot feels Kyle is threatening the safety of the flight and then it all gets out of hand. Rather conveniently Kyle is part of the team that designed the plane. The events that follow are incredibly unlikely and expect the author to suspend their disbelief. In return we do get a fast paced movie, but it is not much of a thriller, in spite of attempts to stick a few red herrings in our path. At the end of the film I felt let down, and not least wondering why, if there is so much room on a plane, it is so cramped where the passengers sit!

You can't fault Foster's performance in this film, she is by far the best thing in it. Other key roles are taken by Sean Bean as the Captain and Peter Sarsgaard as the Air Marshall.

6/10

Try Something new Every Month - April

No 61 of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days

This month I travelled my National Express Coach for the first time. I got a 'Fun Fare' that took me from London to Manchester for £4 return. Bargain. I slept a bit, read my book and listened to my iPod and gazed out the window. It was fine, and at that price I would do it again, ahead of £57 on the train.

Jardins de Turnia

Jardins de Turnia sml
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

A former river, re-directed and turned into a series of gardens. Valencia, Jan 2006

Try Something new Every Month - March

No 61 of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days

This month I went to a Salsa class. In fact I have been to two and am learning the basic steps of Cuban Salsa and the Merengue. With a bit of luck this will also help towards No 13 of the challenge - Find a dance class I enjoy

101 in 1001 - The First Ten

1. Think of 101 things to do
2. Make at least one new recipe from a book or magazine every week for six weeks.
3. Do 200 stomach crunches in one go
4. Read 52 books in 52 weeks (2 down)
5. Read another 52 books in the 52 weeks after, succeed or fail.
6. Watch 52 films in 52 weeks (3 down)
7. Watch another 52 films in the 52 weeks after, succeed or fail.
8. Get a more professional blog going
9. Complete a photography project on London
10. Book a holiday to Central or South America

I have not finished any of these tasks 59 days into the 1001 day challenge, although I have read 3 books (about 6 less than I should) and watched 8 films (1 less).

Right now being able to afford that holiday is years away.

I have made two new recipes in the last week, I just need to do another 4.