Purple

It was great to see you SB after four years. Four years since we graduated from Cardiff University, man!

And it was also great to see SB still have purple hair with which I could easily find her in town :)

SB is such a sweetheart that she drove from Bristol to see me, with her boyfriend and almost in-laws (they are planning to get married in a couple of years). Seeing her boyfriend in photos, I had thought he is a sturdy guy. But, I was wrong. He is a little bit punk-looking but gentle and slim. I told that to SB, and she said that he always strikes pose in front of the camera and that's why he looks sturdy. Ha-ha, that's funny.

Yeah, I’m Not Surprised

I have heard a lot the British railway systems never operate on time. Yes, it is true. My train from Cardiff to London Paddington was almost on time, but my train from London Liverpool to Norwich was delayed 20 minutes. My train was originally scheduled to leave at 18:00 sharp. Before 18:00, it was listed on the electric board at Liverpool Station, but it disappeared right after it past 18:00, which panicked me because I didn’t know when my train comes and leaves and which platform would be. Finally, 10 minutes or so later, there was an announcement of my train, which was terrible to hear. I managed to catch the number of the platform and rushed there. After consulting the electric board at the platform if I came to the right train, I got on the train. Then soon after, the train left the station. Geez, I didn’t hear a bell or something to give passengers a notice of departure. What if I needed time to figure out where my platform was?! The British railway systems ...

This is Convenient

I found a very convenient thing at Marks & Spencer in London Liverpool Station. What should I call ... glassed wine? Wine packed in a plastic glass. Open the lid and drink it. Very convenient.

After Two Years

AMT is pregnant! What a great piece of news! She is expecting a boy, oh, well, she will be busy! That was the first thing that I was surprised when I saw AMT at the Norwich station. It was a nice surprise. I wish I had known about it before I visited her, then I could have brought something for her.

So, AMT changed (of course, she is expecting a baby!). But other than pregnancy, she hasn’t changed. She still do funny talk, hee hee hee, now with her husband, regularly, or frequently, hee hee hee. What a nice couple. Mew!

Little Village

The town (village?) where AMT and ET live is nice. There's an everyone-knows-everyone kind of feeling.


The church close to their place is peaceful. See this cute gate! Hobbits might come through.

Cardiff Bay

Sigh, I'm old. I usually walked to Cardiff Bay four, five years ago, but not anymore. Lazy Duck took the bus to get to Cardiff Bay, utilizing a 3-pound day pass (yay!).

I expected Cardiff Bay furhter deveploed, but not much. I saw a couple of buildings under construction, and that's it. Mm ... recession.


I love the flag of Wales. The red dragon gives a lively feeling to the flag :)

From Edward Elgar to Adam Smith

Before ...


and after.

I didn't know, but the Bank of England apparently issued new 20-pound notes in 2007 and announced that old 20-pound notes wouldn't be in use anymore after June 2010. What?! It's July 2010 already! Kind of in panic (because I brought old 20-pound notes and keep more old 20-pound notes in Japan), I went to a branch of NatWest to exchange my old 20-pound notes for new ones. An unsympathetic clerk told me that I have to ask my bank to exchange. Geez, I don't have a bank account in the U.K. Well, actually, I keep it with NatWest, but I don't have my cash card or account information with me this time, ahhhhhh! In addition, the clerk coldly said that shops in town will not accept old 20-pound notes soon (they currently do now). What the hell should I do with these old notes?!

At a loss for what to do, I went to Cardiff Bay anyway while the weather was good. There, I found another branch of NatWest. To take a chance, I went into the branch. A-ha! I was lucky. A clerk there was such a nice girl that she exchanged all my old 20-pound notes for new ones (I still have old notes at home though)!

Then, I remember that different people say different things in the U.K. It is worth trying things a few times, and at the end, everything will be all right. That is the British way.

Incidentally, according to the website of the Bank of England, the Bank of England will exchange them indefinitely. Phew.