Shopping, shopping, shopping

© Joselito Briones

After having breakfast and doing laundry in a nearby laundromat, Wil (pictured here showing off his really really nice Armani Jacket) and I spent the whole day shopping for kitchen and bathroom for his apartment. We walked south across Hyde Park towards South Kensington High Street. We checked out several shops, including Habitat and Laura Ashley, where we ended up picking out a wallpaper. At the end of the street, we made an appointment with "Magnet", a kitchen store, for Wednesday. I'll be going by myself though, as Wil would've already left for India by then. We then went to Earl's Court and had lunch there, in a Filipino restaurant. We had grilled stuffed fish and kare kare.

After lunch we went to Oxford Street, to the John Lewis department store to look at their kitchen showroom.

© Joselito Briones

While walking along Oxford Street, a fitted-out car passed by, blowing bubbles, driven by an old man singing to a microphone with a loudspeaker. He was all bubbly and happy. He sang a tune I didn't recognize... "Raining in My Heart". It was very effective in that just about everyone who saw it instantly flashed a big smile on their faces when they realized it was the old man driving and singing the silly song. After sometime he changed the tune to something more easily recognizable... "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles. He was promoting a company offfering handyman services.

We dropped by Selfridges first to look for some kitchen stufff, but we ended up spending most of our time there checking out the men's clothing section.


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Scary Movie V (A Postscript to the Trilogy)

© Joselito Briones

Fear is fair game. Ask insurance companies, they know you're afraid of what might happen. They've made an art form of extracting money from you in exchange for their best selling product: peace of mind. Just hope and pray nothing wrong does happen. They've made an even higher art form of not giving money - or giving as little, in as much delay, and with as much difficulty as possible - to insurance claimers.

If there isn't enough fear to make good business out of, one can always elevate something mildly irritating into a fullblown menace. Ask pharmaceutical companies. If they can help it, they'd classify being tired after exerting some physical effort as some sort of disease that everyone should be afraid of. They of course, would have the cure, and you'll have to buy it if you want to be well. Why take a rest (Not a reliable cure!) when you can pop a pill in your mouth (It's formulated by a scientist wearing a white coat! It's dispensed by a pharmacist with a name tag! Also in a white coat!) to relieve yourself of fatigue? I wonder how much longer it will be before they successfully lobby the right people in Washington to classify menopause as a medical condition for which they can sell you the treatment.

Did you hear about the Bin Laden tapes that has recently surfaced basically telling everyone in the western world to be afraid? Who do you think is more scary, Bin Laden because he says he'll kill you for not symphathising with him, or the media manipulators who keep on feeding America with enough fear to repeatedly condone the US engagement in war?

On TV they're starting to remind us of what happened 20 years ago in Chernobyl. Yes it's something to be afraid of. It's not too long ago that it won't have anymore effect on you. Britain is considering a new nuclear power plant as a supplementary source of power for one of its cities. Iran says it's doing the same. Calling insurance companies! I wonder how much they'd be willing to pay to insure against an accident. I wonder if the residents would also consider taking one, or if they're just resigned to the idea that should a fallout occur, their whole families will just get wiped out, no use for an insurance. Pharmaceutical companies should start putting up more factories producing cure for enlarged thyroids. Imagine if more young kids get ill with it... they'll need the medicine for the rest of their lives! Big bucks!!!

The US government is telling us that we should be afraid of Iran's nuclear aspirations. Iranian leadership declared a couple of months back that they'd wipe out Israel off the map if they can help it. Then they declared they'll help themselves to a nuclear development program. Huh? In nuke speak Iguess that translates to "We've beeen doing this for a while now, but now it's gotten big that we can't deny it or keep it a secret anymore, so we decided to say to the world that we're considering it." Do you think it possible that they're also secretly afraid that they maybe the next oil-producing country that the US might be interested in giving its own brand of democracy to, and in effect decided to make a preemptive action?

And finally, as if all this isn't enough to keep one thinking that the best place to be now is inside "Lost's" subterranean shelter, I changed the channel to CNN and what do I see? The thing that scared the bejeesus out of me. Larry King shamelessly flirting with Jane Fonda! Okay ,fine, that wasn't scary, that was just creepy. When I heard that they were discussing about Jane Fonda's book, I realized it was a rerun from last year. They timed it for the release of the paperback version of the book. You'll have to admit though that her book being on the New York Times bestseller list WAS scary? Surely??? Fine, have it your way.


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The (not so) Constant Gardener

© Joselito Briones

I've never been able to grow herbs in a pot before, especially in the kitchen. The only exception is rosemary which seem to just grow anywhere as long as there's sun and water.

It's different this time. I have four different herbs on the window sill and they're all thriving. I bought these a couple of weeks back, and now they're all at least twice as big as when I bought them. I've used them several times, but each time it's very difficult deciding which branch to cut and consume as I don't want to offend my herbs. Good thing they look like they'll just keep on growing. Maybe it's the German soil?. German sun? who knows, I'm just glad they're not dying on me.

From left: rosemary, peppermint, basil, and thyme. Next challenge is coriander, which is notorious for being difficult to grow. Maybe some parsley too. It'll have to wait though, until after I've come back from London.


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