Jun Xue

Saturday, 20 September 2008

Today, it feels like it's summer again. Warm, or perhaps, hot, weather and a clear blue sky. Such things are so rare in the UK. The sun is so glaring that I'm actually thinking of getting sunglasses.

So far, work is not too bad. Although I still spend quite a lot of time reading stuff which barely enter my mind, I'm starting to get more responsibilty gradually and that's pretty exciting. Well, at least for now, whilst the stressful period has yet to come.

I plan to roast lamb shoulder for tonight's dinner, because I want to finish off my mint sauce ere it goes bad, like my blackcurrant jam. I must slowly finish off my stock of food... there's really too much.

As for the art exhibition taking place in London this evening, I have decided not to attend it mainly due to laziness in my part, as well as the lack of late trains back to Reading. They really should improve the transportation system... a train at 3 am would be fantastic.

Oh, I recieved the mooncakes from Yee Huai! I have yet to open the parcel, but I shall, maybe tonight, and I will post pictures of it here. So, no pictures for now ^^

Henley

Sunday, 14 September 2008

Hello everyone!

It's good to be back here blogging whilst I can. Anyways, the picture below is of the piece of lamb i cooked, Gigot d'agneau de pre sale. LOL! Sounds very cool, but it's actually very simple to prepare. Anyways, it was not too bad, just that the smell of the lamb wasn't strong enough for me, and I added too much butter. It's still better than the veal in balsamic vinegar I cooked though.

Moving on, today, I had lunch at Jenny's place in Caversham (which is a pretty nice and apparently, a posh area). Her house is lovely! We had roasted beef and potatoes and some vege (yummy!), and a something "bomb" (hahah can't remember the name) for dessert. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied with the food that I forgot to take some photos before we dig in. They're all very friendly and I truly appreciate the hospitality =)

Anyways, they have a very cute Labrador named Dickens:

After that fantastic lunch, we headed off to Henley to have a walk along the river Thames. Here, you can find lots of posh houses by the river bank. I would love to take a cruise from Reading to Henley in a few weeks time, when the leaves are all turning red and gold. Anyone up for it?

Dickens is a bit nervous about crossing wooden bridges with gaps where you can see the water below it. He tends to blunder along cutely.



Dickens fetching his.. uhg... toy.. from the river. He's very fond of the water for some reasons.

Notice the little "ladder" at the side, it's for fishes and eels to swim up against the current.

Good weather for an outing

Swans ( i think) swimming in formation lol

I shall try to get more artistic photos next time, since all of the ones I took were basically point and shoot lol. Hopefully, there shall be more stuff next week to blog about. And oh, proper work's gonna begin tomorrow, and I am looking forward to it, with a bit of trepidation.

Changes

Monday, 8 September 2008

Somehow, I still can't believe I have started my working life. It's feels quite surreal, one moment I was so carefree, relaxing, and being able to arrange my time however I want and the other, I have to don a shirt and tie everyday and be at the office every morning.

Already in my first day I feel that there are loads of challenges to overcome in the future, and I have to work on my weaknesses really hard to get the best out of my life. Now I know why weaknesses are called... well.. weaknesses. Also, I am starting to comprehend how some of my friends here feel.

Well, we all have to do our best while we're still young and "bendable".

Sights of England

Thursday, 4 September 2008

Here, the last parts of my pictures. I compiled them from 3 day's journeys, in London, Chatsworth mansion, and York. I didn't put up quite a few of my parents' photos though, because they are quite shy (well.. I think so... since this blog is open to practicaly anyone with access to the internet). Nonetheless, enjoy ^^

The Tower Bridge

Balancing Act

Ask pigeon for direction

Victoria memorial

Gates

Flower or Fruit?

Lavender and the bee

Shades of colour

"I want a big bike too T__T"

Peaceful gardens

Chapel

WHAT!?

I'm heartbroken.. wuwuuwuww

The archway

Busy as a bee~~

A flower amidst a field

A straight maze

Sculpture and nature

Chatsworth Mansion

Slave-human doing the biddings of Master-Dog.

In motion

Ancient city

The shambles

The City of York

So there you have it. The last of my pictures. After this, I doubt you'll see any pictures for a long time. It's time for a new journey! A new beginning! An epoch in my life. Doubtless, I can't blog everything here, this is but a place to share bits of my life that are.. well.. open to public.

So, wish me luck! ^^