Count My Blessings

It's been a while since I have written. Many things have happened since my last post.

I've gotten used to my job as a software engineer. I am privileged to work in an area that I very much enjoy. Not to mention that I get good manager and colleagues who are very supportive.

I've moved to another church earlier this year. The church helped me to grow, gave me a sense of family and accountability and also empowered me to serve.

I've got the chance to learn from past relationship, even when it was not meant to be. This has revealed my weaknesses and the extent of God's grace for me.

I've got to know some good friends, and even when some people inevitably come and go, their traces remain in my life.

For these I give thanks to God. And for many more to come.

Dover Castle

We had amazing sights to behold at Dover Castle. It is a major fortress just on an elevated hill just around the south east tip of England.

One notable thing about the area is that it has a more natural feel to it, unlike typical castle which is dominated by solid stone. It makes it a perfect place to blend the strength of medieval story with relaxing feel of a green pasture.

As in other parts of England, people flock to the park during good days. It is not uncommon to see people lying down on the grass to even sleep during the day.

Night at the Museum

In early summer, they closed down Oxford street for cars and put in a promotion from Night at the Museum 2. The T-Rex doesn't look so big here, it must have been the special effect and sound that makes it terrifying . . .

Winchester

Summer is pretty good in England, it's not overly hot as some parts of Europe but just the right temperature to go out with t-shirt and shorts.

As I have got more comfortable with my workplace, I thought it would be a good idea to explore the English countryside.

Our destination was Winchester. It was the old capital of England before London took over, so there are a good mix of medieval stuff and natural countryside feel.

The main cathedral stood majestic on a blue sky backdrop and green pastures. A clear river flows steadily across the town with ample pedestrian path on the side. The small shopping street provides convenience and relaxed atmosphere typical of a medieval town.

Making Sushi

One of the positive side that the outside food is expensive here is that we tend to save money for dinner by cooking. And it gives us a push to learn new things. It helps that my flatmates are food-loving as well.

The good thing about sushi is that you can put various toppings in. It's a good and tasty way to clear our fridge. And since the main ingredient is rice, it is cheap and filling. The videos on the internet helps us to know how to make sushi and also the composition of the ingredients.

Rolling sushi is not difficult, but rolling a good sushi is. We had many broken sushi which we ate as we made. As we roll, I tend to put a lot of rice on the seaweed resulting in big sushis. This may have something to do with my perception on what is enough. Should do with less next time.

In the end, we made way too much, there's an extra tray of sushi when everyone's finished.

Brighton

Towards the end of winter, our first day trip from London was to Brighton. It is a coastal city just south of London. The temperature was still pretty cold at that time despite the sunshine.

We brought our packed lunch and had a short picnic on the beach. The coast is consists of peebles and not fine sand, which in a way good because our clothes won't get so dirty. We spent some time in the brighton pier, which is a theme park on top of the sea. Towards the evening, the weather got really cold. A visit here during the summer would definitely be much better.

Snowy London

I don't really know if I was lucky or not. There was snow in London in February, which fortunately was beautiful to watch and does not happen often ( as in every 10 years or so).

The downside was that it happened right on my first day to work. I was not sure about the dress code and so I was wearing suit. The thin leather shoes rather felt cold on the feet.

To make things worse, the public transport did not work. I went for the tube and wait 40 mins for train only to be told that the tube station was closed due to the harsh weather. Outside, the bus was not operating at all. Even taxi was difficult to stop. After another 40 mins, when my sole almost froze, I managed to share a cab with another guy and arrived at the office an hour late.

The scenery outside my office was beautiful. It was good that we have glass walls that I could see across the square covered in snow.