The waiting is longer than the flights...

Once again, I am excitable like a puppy who has just found he is going a walk before having steak and a nap.  The reason for that is it’s the time of year again when I begin my five day countdown before taking two flights over 4600 miles, travelling for around 24 hours to arrive home tired but hyper to be met by my parents at Glasgow Airport (home to an expensive Wetherspoons).  This is then inevitably followed by being pounced on by a surprised beagle and finished with a week of activities where I meet all my friends, eat a lot of food, drink a lot of beer and have an amazing time.  

Yes, in case you hadn’t guessed it, I’m flying back to Glasgow on Friday and I cannot wait!  It will be glorious.  However, there is one potential downside to this: my blog.  I’ll be honest and say that it’s unlikely that there will be a blog post this week or maybe even the week after as well (I’m sure they’ll live - Ed).  That said, I may try to type something during either my flight from Kathmandu to Dubai (my flight to Glasgow is reserved for films) or as I sit for nine hours waiting for my next flight.  That or I will curl up in a corner in the airport and sleep after several muffins and coffees…it is an overnight wait after all!  Regardless, there may be a break during my posting, so I apologise for that.

As for this week, I’ve once again been cursed with food poisoning which is somewhat of an inconvenience for me.  I’m desperately trying to get rid of it right now, so it doesn’t affect my flight back…which I am sure would be unpleasant for everyone involved.  This means lots of plain rice, plain toast and drinking ridiculous amounts of water.  It’s going to be fun week for eating! 

On a cheerier note, I was able to have three-way call with Matt and Michael on Saturday night.  Whilst I do get to chat to Michael a lot, I haven’t actually spoken to Matt since November, so it was really nice to chat to him and find out what he has been up to.  Even better to find out that he has been doing, for the most part, really well.  An evening spent reminiscing about the old days with your friends and the fact that there could be possibility of meeting up in Canada really helps you forget about a bad stomach and enjoy your Saturday night.  So thank you Brandi for arranging it.  I think it brightened up everyones weekend.  

Anyway, that’s pretty much it for this week, as my time has been mostly spent working, being ill and drinking lots of water.  Not very exciting to write about…so here is a list of things you can do whilst I am waiting for my next flight.

• Watch most of Lord of the Rings Trilogy

• Taking the shortest route, fly from Glasgow to Frankfurt 5.1 times 

• Count 32,400 Mississippi

• Wait in line for a Disney ride during summer

• Visit the duty free shop 324 times to stave off bored…and fail

• Watch all three seasons of The Inbetweeners

• Travel to Glasgow and back from New Cumnock 4.5 times

• Get a full night’s sleep

• Write 45 thank you notes

• Lose the will to live, have a coffee, regain it and then lose it again 4 times

• Prank phone call EVERYONE in your phonebook 

• Eat 38 muffins

• Get a full days wage

• Complete two Marathons (based on amateur averages)

I would not recommend many of these.  For me, it’s going to be a combination of: napping on uncomfortable seats; having several coffees and muffins; eating at one of the many food places in the airport (caviar bar next to a McDonalds?  Talk about choices); changing my money; and visiting all the duty free shops too many times.      

Pick of the Week 

Questing Achievement - This week I am recommending Michaels' new website based on Gamification.  For those who don't know, gamification is the application of game mechanics to everyday situations (Definition from his page).  To take a simple example, you buy 10 coffees and you get one free: this is gamification.  You're encouraged to work towards something, you eventually achieve it and then you're rewarded.  In Michael's case, he applies it to his teaching to help encourage his pupils to learn and succeed.  If you're interested in finding out more, check out his site for information or get in touch with him! 

Music of the Week

Well, I actually had to think about who I was going to choose this week, as I've been listening to the same band for ages now.  It then hit me...perhaps not my favourite band but certainly one of my favourite song: Deathstars - Death Dies Hard.  Yes, this is one of the most cliche titles possible and the lyrics are hardly pushing the boundaries but the song has never failed to motivate me.

Wow, it's been a while since I've had a post without having a picture in it.  MUST.  RESIST.  URGE.  Ok, I should be able to resist for a minute or so which is just enough time.  Hopefully, I will have a post for you next week but if not, I'll see you all in a couple of weeks!  Oh, and feel free to like the One-way Ticket facebook page!  It will be greatly appreciated. 

One-way Ticket Facebook

Oh, the bandwidth consumption

Before I get into my usual blog, I would like to wish all my Nepali friends, colleagues and readers a very happy new year!  As of today, it’s 2070 and I hope that it’s a great year for everybody!  I know that it’s been an exciting and eventful year for all and I hope that this one is just the same!

Now then, I’m in a good mood this week for various reasons.  So far, this is because of:

• A great breakfast with my friend Binay (in fact, the place we had breakfast had brilliant croissants and plain yoghurt).  Good food, good company and good conversation meant a great start to my weekend
  
• I finally found sake!  Yes, ever since Japan, I’ve been searching for a place that sells it and now I have.  Just down the road from me as well!  Hello Japanese cooking!
   
• My blog linked was advertised on MC Lars' facebook, which meant it was broadcast to 32,000 people!  This actually re-ignited my interest in interviewing again and I’ve now started contacting people for just that.
  
• My taekwondo instructor, Ashock took me to the Monkey Temple for my work-out, allowing for an amazing session surrounded by nature, temples and monkeys.
  
• A very successful dungeon and dragons session which showed that we are getting to grip with all the rules/
  
• The thought that in two weeks, I’ll be back home seeing my friends, family and eating lots of food and drinking lots of beer!
  

Altogether this makes me a happy bunny but it actually doesn’t leave a huge amount to talk about.  That is unless you want me to go into really fine detail about the yoghurt I had (there was honey) or about the dungeon and dragons session we had (we slew a dragon after accidently annoying it).  As such, I was a little bit stumped about what I could write about it and I actually had no idea what I was going to talk about when I started.  However, it struck me as I was being driven to the temple that I hadn’t done a list recently nor have I spoken about anything anime related in a while!  So, I give you:

 

My Top Five Anime Fights!

In anime, particularly Shonen style anime, there are a lot of action scenes shown and for a variety of reasons:  for loved ones; for justice or revenge; to prove themselves; or even just for fun.  There are just a huge amount of reasons for them all and they are usually entertaining to watch.  Based on this, I’ve made a list of the five best anime fights I’ve seen and put them here for them to enjoy.  Disclaimer: I do not condone violence in real life but anime is not real life, so lighten up a little.   

*SPOILERS* Also, it is worth noting that there are potential spoilers throughout this entire section.  If you are watching one of the series and are unsure if you’ve not seen it, do not watch the video or read the description.  You have been warned!  Other than that, sit back and enjoy some awesome fight scenes that might just brighten up your Sunday afternoon and evening!

1. Ichigo vs Byakuya (Bleach, season 3)

Ok, the background is that Ichigo, the protagonist of Bleach, has invaded the Soul Society (home of the Soul Reapers) to rescue his friend, Rukia.  However, Byakuya (her brother) is hell bent on doing his duty as a Captain and killing Ichigo and ensuring that Rukia is executed.  A brilliant fight that highlights Ichigo's potential and how far he is willing to go to help his friends as well as showing the devastating power of a full blown captain.  Below is a fragment of the fight (as it lasts a while) but, if it gets your interest, you can see the full fight here.

2. Rock Lee vs Gaara

At stage 3 of the students final test, the lovable loser and fan favourite Rock Lee is forced to fight the sadistic and psychotic Gaara in a duel (who eventually becomes a fan favourite as well).  Part of the reason Rock Lee is a fan favourite is because of his lack of ninja abilities.  In fact, the only thing he is good at is taijutsi (close combat) which he trained to perfection, eventually equalling those with access to all skills.  On the other hand, there is Gaara, a cold-blooded killer who carries a sand demon inside of him that protects him from most damage and gives him access to unbelievable power.  This particular fight represents Rock Lee's near victory and is the moment that Rock Lee became a favourite.  It also reveals the true power that Rock Lee actually has and highlights just how dangerous Gaara is.  Below is an AMV of the fight but you can see the full fight here.

3. Blackstar vs Mifune (Soul Eater)

Now then, this is actually the 2nd out of 3 fights between these two but it's my favourite as the 'bad guy' actually wins.  Now, I won't dicuss the details about Mifune but I really enjoyed this particular fight as Mifune is a mere human samurai with nothing but sheer skill against a Meister: basically an agent of death, armed with a human weapon: a human that can turn into an empowered weapon.  Below is the full fight.

4.  Kirito and the deaths of the Moonlight Black Cats (Sword Art Online)

Now then, this is the odd one out as it isn't the best action scene in Sword Art Online.  It is, however, one of the most emotional.  Sword Art Online is an anime in which 10,000 people are trapped in a virtual reality game and should you die in the game, you die in real life.  Kirito, hero and loner, eventually accepts an offer to join a guild: the Moonlight Black Cats, a low level and small guild that is more of a group of friends than a guild.  However, Kirito lies about his level (which is much higher) and bonds with them all, especially a girl named Sachi.  Due to him keeping his level secret, the group stumble into a trap which cause them all to be killed, even Sachi.  Again, not the best fight scene but it makes the list for the emotional depth within the fight and the full episode and the fact that this fuels part of the story.  Below is a small clip of them being overwhelmed as I couldn't find any clips of the full fight.

5.  Mugen Vs Sara (Samurai Champloo)

This is a little cliched but I'll be damned if it doesn't do things well.  Mugen is a power and skilled (if rough) swordsman and Sara is a blind assassin whom he is attracted to and their fight is one to the death.  This riverside fight in the rain is short but reveals some of the characters true nature as Sara ultimately refuses to kill Mugen, despite having a clear advantage.

Honourable Mention 1: Pain vs the Leaf Village (Naruto)

I didn't include this fight as it is actually several fights grouped into about ten episodes but this is still one of my favourite story arcs and easily my favourite large scale battle.  The clip below shows the antagonist Pain annihalating the main Naruto

   

Honourable Mention 2: Coyote Stark vs Kyoraku Shunsui (Bleach)

I'll be honest and say that Coyote Stark is one of my favourite antagonists and his final fight is a brilliant one at that.  It's a great moment where both contenders aren't that interested in fighting but do so out of respect for each other plus it's just a fun one to watch.  Again, this was actually part of a large battle so I didn't actually include it.

Pick of the Week

Sword Art Online - A fairly new anime series with 25 episodes currently out and it's one of the best Shonen animes out there (had to see that coming, didn't you?).  As mentioned earlier, the idea behind the story is that people are trapped in a virtual world where if you die, you die in real life.  It follows the story of Kirito and Asuna as they work to try and escape the fiendish game.  It's a well rounded story with well-written characters, great action scenes and a fairly original storyline that keeps you hooked until the end.  

Music of the Week

Not sure who to highlight today as I've not really had much music playing at all but, seeing as they have been featured in several videos I've posted, I'll go with Linkin Park - Lost in the Echoes.  Enjoy!

Right, time for me to wrap it up as I've actually been working on this since 9:30am and it is now 9:10pm but you'd never tell, eh?  See you next week people.

Fish fingers and custard?

I‘ll be honest, I fancy a trip.  However, not just any trip but a trip through space and time and I would love for you all to come with me.  You see, I’ve been watching a lot of Doctor Who recently and I thought it would be fun to travel through space and time.  Alas, since I don’t have a TARDIS, I’m just going to have to use my memory for this (bit disappointing, eh?).  You see, I’m going to talk about Christmas, as I actually haven’t done that yet.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to sit and talk about how I ate a lot of Christmas cake, drank copious amounts of wine/beer and saw my friends (which was awesome – ed).  No, I am going to discuss my short trip to Italy to visit my sister…this is meant to be a travel blog after all.  That’s the only reason. 

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Ok, fine!  You’ve caught me!  I actually have a secret agenda…you see, I plan to apply for a World of Nomad Writing scholarship where I will get paid to travel to Beijing for two weeks to write for the Lonely Planet guide and I want to practice a little.  I don’t know if I can write well enough to win the scholarship but I’m going to have to try.  So, I ask nay beg: if you have any advice, feedback or constructive criticism, please share it with me so I can stand a chance.

Now that my begging is done, let us start, so gather round children.  I’m going to tell you a story.  You see, as my sister was leaving almost immediately after Christmas to travel to New Zealand, she had suggested I take a few days to fly over to Italy (where she lives) and visit her, which I thought was a great idea.  I had been before, so it meant I could have a relaxed time wandering around Verona.  So, I packed my bag and caught the first plane to Verona that I could (Ok, I actually had pre-booked the flight but this sounds better – artistic licence ed).  Upon arrival, I collected my bag, got questioned by airport security (I guess I look dodgy) and then promptly got confused, lost and panicked.  

An auspicious start to say the least.  Well, what happened was that my sister had told me to give her a call when I landed and told me where to stand for pick up.  However, I couldn’t quite work out where she meant and my phone had died due to a dodgy battery.  Faced with being stranded at the airport, I did what any solo traveller would do: I panicked then improvised.  Collecting myself and after trying every possible phone booth I could see and any wifi that I could try and connect to, I suddenly had an idea.  As I carry an android tablet with me when travelling and my phone is android, perhaps I could charge my phone via android!  So, I started fiddling about with various wires (perhaps not my smartest move in an airport) and held my breath as I plugged my phone in…and thankfully, the phone screen lit up and I could eventually get in touch with my sister.   

After this rather stressful event, it was straight home for some homemade fajitas (delicious), some beer and a few episodes of Modern Family as I spent the night chatting and relaxing with my sister and her flatmate Andy.  All in all, it was a great first evening where I was able to catch my breath and just recharge my own battery (and my phone battery as well).

So, the next morning – long after my sister had gone to work – I emerged from my cocoon of a bed to a warm haven that protected me from the wintery outside that I would soon have to brave.  Following a breakfast of black pudding (it needed finishing), toast and coffee and an episode of Modern Family, I opened the curtains and was greeted by this view:

You see, although she works in Verona, she actually lives in a small village/town near Verona and the views are absolutely beautiful.  Situated on a hill, the village itself covers the entire side with one long road winding all the way from the top, down to Lake Garda itself, ending in a beautiful harbour that, as it was Christmas, also had a rustic and small Christmas Market.  Now, after a scenic walk down to the bus stop complete with some beautiful architecture, it was time for a bus journey to the main act: Verona itself.

As ashamed as I am to admit it, I got lost again after arriving in Verona.  Now, whilst I do take responsibility for this, I had been dozing on the bus as we arrived at a bus stop and suddenly everybody got off.  Naturally, like the sheep I appear to be, I got off assuming this was where I was supposed to be.  Amusingly enough, it turned out to be exactly where I needed to be but I ended up heading off in the wrong direction, hence getting lost.  Eventually, after being phoned by my sister, I was guided to where I was supposed to be: Piazza Bra and the Arena.  Whilst I had been here before, just being near this historical landmark took my breath away and allowed me to feel like I had travelled back in time…even if it had been decorated with a massive, white shooting star…and has a merry-go-round right next to it.

 

After a short period gazing at this monument to time and wandering through a few stalls in the area, I headed off to the place I really wanted to see:  the Christmas Market.  Set in another, smaller Piazza, this Christmas Market had all the usual stalls you would expect e.g. decorations and hats and some of the more unusual ones e.g. dried meat.  Embracing the Christmas spirit, I felt it was my duty to have a mulled wine or two and a bratwurst as I wandered round.  Naturally, I carried my duty out to the letter and enjoyed this warming combination whilst playing a game called 'what's that meat?'.  

After an afternoon of Christmas shopping, I was picked up by my sister (I didn’t get lost this time) and we drove back to her flat before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant that Andy and her frequent.  Here, I was able to experience duck carpaccio with balsamic vinegar and spaghetti with garlic, chilli and oil.  I can honestly say that this was one of the best meals I’ve had in years, with the spaghetti dish having been added to my cooking repertoires for its simplicity and deliciousness.  I even tried a pizza with shredded horse meat on it, which was new to me (although, in the wake of the horse meat scandal, may not have been the first time).  This was just a simple restaurant up the road from my sisters flat but with such high quality food: a real testament to good Italian food.

Next day, I decided not to travel to Verona.  Instead, I decided to enjoy the immediate surroundings and the fact that, despite being the middle of winter, it was a warm day made it all the more better.  First up was the German War Cemetery that Andy recommended.  Perhaps a slightly sombre way to start the day but it was interesting to walk through the area where over 20,000 German soldiers had been buried.  I didn’t take any pictures of the cemetery itself but here is a picture of the view from the top.

Again on recommendation, I took a leisurely stroll along the banks of the beautiful Lake Garda to the next village.  As it was a working day, there were only a few joggers and dog walkers along the path which meant I could really appreciate the calm and quiet of the lake.  There is just something serene about being able to sit in the grass and stare over the lake whilst being surrounded by forested mountains.  Arriving in the next village (can’t remember the name.  Pfft amateur – memory ed), it was revealed to be similar to where my sister lived but this one actually had a small ice rink next to the harbour which was filled with town people.  After wandering around the village, I sat down for lunch with parma ham before heading back to my sisters for some home cooked ribs, beer and modern family.

Finally, my last full day was spent back in Verona where I wandered through the streets again and once again succumbed to the temptation of mulled wine and bratwurst, this time with sauerkraut.  Sweet mother of Jupiter, why have I not tried this before?  It's a topping from Valhalla!  After a nice and quiet day looking at the various different markets (not just Christmas markets) and through the stores, I then decided to end the day by eating a donut about the size of my head covered in Nutella.  Then, it was time to head back to my sisters' for some pizza (how could I not?) as my sister packed and I helped tidy up.  Next day, it was just a lazy day before heading to Verona to for a quick lunch and to meet my sister before flying home.

 

Now, whilst it may not have been the most action packed holiday, it was a good opportunity for me to spend time with my sister; enjoy myself whilst relaxing; and enjoy the Christmas spirit in a different country.  If you’re looking for a beautiful city to wander round, with good food and culture, you could do a lot worse than Verona and its surround towns.  

Pick of the Week 

BBC Good Food - Well, as much as I love cooking, I need a good supply of recipes to keep me entertaind and BBC Good Food has supplied many a good meal to me.  In fact, Good Food books were one of the first recipe book set that I ever used and I still use them to this day.  The books themselves come in various categories e.g. one-pot dishes, curry, vegetarian but the website comes with every possible category you can think of.  Not only that but it suggests good sides, a place to buy the ingredients and you can add recipes to your virtual binder as well.


Music of the Week

If you're looking for a pick-me up song and you enjoy nostalgia with a twist, check this out:  Turisas - Rasputin.  Despite being a metal band, this is one of the funkiest songs I've heard and, in my opinion, surpasses the original.

That's it from me folks.  Perhaps not my best piece but it was from over 4 months ago, so I had to think hard.  Regardless, I'm going to work on my application for the writing scholarship this week, so wish me luck!