C'est La Vie

Thursday, April 12, 2007

The One With The Big Brother

In case you all do not know what the term 'Big Brother' means, it is actually referring to the government or the authority that is actually doing surveillance on the public. "Big Brother is watching you" is how they would usually use it.

Apparently, UK is one of the most watched places on earth and has 20% of World's CCTV in UK, which is around 1 CCTV for 14 people. There had been controversies on this issue for a long time. However, it seemed like those controversies are not stopping them from starting a new type of camera, a 'talking' CCTV. Yup, now the CCTV actually catches you doing crime and tells you not to do it.


This is not a prank television show like Punk'd. So if you ever need to dig your nose or scratch your balls and you thought no one was watching, think again. Imagine the CCTV going "Sir, please don't scratch your balls in public. Go wash your hands. Thank you."

For further readings,
click here.

Friday, April 06, 2007

The One When I'm Lovin' It

I'm sure everyone here knows what the icon 'Big M' stands for and I'm sure everyone here has been there at least once in their life. I don't know about you guys but I love Mc D more than any other fast-food restaurants. I know there are other fast-food restaurants that serve better burgers (Burger King) but there ain't no fast-food chain bigger and more popular than the 'Big M'.

I always thought these food chains serve the same menu all over the world until I went to Singapore a couple of years ago. They had this Double Fillet-O-Fish (which Malaysia didn't have until later). As a person who isn't so crazy about fish, it wasn't a big deal for me. I was like "Who cares if they have Double Fillet-O-Fish? I don't eat them anyways". I don't remember ordering a Fillet-O-Fish meal at Mc Donald's ever. However, if you have been to Mc D with me for a few times, you'll notice that I will order only the Double Cheeseburger meal.

I'm a meat lover, I must admit and the Big Mac is really too big for me so the Double Cheese is really ideal for me. It has pickles, cheese and more importantly, two beef patties. Then the Quarter Pounder came. I sticked to my Double Cheese until my friend, Addy, asked me to go for the Quarter Pounder because the meat is much juicier. Since then, my only meal sets were the Double Cheese and Quarter Pounder. I thought Mc Donald's had nothing more to offer me until I came to UK. May I present you, Bacon Cheeseburger!



When we first saw it, we all knew we had to try it. It wasn't that expensive as it only cost a pound. But it was just a small burger and wasn't as satisfying and filling. Something was till missing. This small burger can't replace my love for the Double Cheese or for the Quarter Pounder. Then came something else, something huge. I was in London when I first saw it. I knew this was it. I am sure the person who came up with the idea was a genius (and was probably fat). Double Quarter Pounder!


did you see the size of that baby?

As I was eating that burger, I was thinking how good it was and how Addy would have enjoyed it too. He was a Quarter Pounder lover. I hope they will offer this burger back in Malaysia soon. I doubt the Bacon Cheeseburger will be offered though.

By the way, they only have tomato ketchup in their fast-food restaurants. They do not have any chilli sauce. In fact, burger stalls and the stadium too. They don't have any chilli sauce. Either they don't like it or they just don't have it. I think they prefer mustard sauce. They have brown sauce, mustard sauce and tomato sauce but they just don't have any chilli sauce.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The One With All The Baths

The 'Bath' I'm referring to, is not an activity of cleaning or washing but is a city in the west direction of London. A friend told me that it was a beautiful place and it is near the infamous World Wonder, Stonehenge. Since we were all the way down to London, we thought we might as well take a visit to Bath. So we went.

Indeed, Bath is a beautiful place...















Paranoma view of The Circus

exactly how cheap?

an interesting street performer in Bath

Bath is well-known for its baths. They have all sorts of baths in Bath, from a old Roman bath to a modern Thermae Bath Spa. Maybe because they have natural hot springs around the city that is why baths are such a huge thing in Bath. As a person who doesn't indulge this kind of luxuries, I wasn't too keen about visiting the modern bath. However, when it came to the old Roman bath, it was something I couldn't resist. I had to see how it really looked like inside.











I was fortunate to have gone in during the tour hours. There was so much interesting information about the bath and its architecture. I mean you read about it, you even play games about it (Caesar 3). Roman architecture was ahead of its time. Truly, it was. The way the bath was built was fascinating.


Another reason people visit Bath is because it is near the World Wonder, Stonehenge. There are tours to Stonehenge from Bath each day. Stonehenge is about an hour's drive away. It is actually in a place near Salisbury.


The reason why Stonehenge is such a big deal is because until this day, nobody knew the real reason why it was there. There were theories that it was for rituals and religious purposes. There were even theories saying it is a place for astronomical observation. But I think the most intriguing thing about Stonehenge is how it was built.


Tuesday, April 03, 2007

The One With The Career Fair In London


It's the time of the year again. Students graduating, companies hiring and career fairs all over the place. It's been a week since I went down to London for this career fair. I took a lot of hassle to buy the train ticket and book hostel rooms and only to find it disappointing because the companies that turned up were all Malaysian-based companies. I was hoping I could find some permanent job in England later.


London Eye

Big Ben

A stupid incident happened when I was taking this Big Ben picture. I was walking past Big Ben in London the other day when a man approached me and ask me for the time. As you all know, the Big Ben of the House Of Parliament is actually a clock tower but it didn't hit me at that time. When a man asks you for the time, it's like a reflex and you'll somehow check your watch for the time. Only after that I realized that the clock tower was right there!