I like chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeesssssssseeeeeee

I like chiiiiinnnnneeeesee

Budapest

So...
We have been in Budapest for just about over one hour and guess what?
it's already an adventure... Despite.. I booked hotel and left nothing to adventure... i'm now sat in a different hotel room from the one I originally chose, in the grandest budapest hotel and the music and the atmosphere.. it's very like TATIANA all over again.

How did we get here?? I'll tell you when back in London

ah! and i can go to the nearest club just opening the balcony door.... can just pop in in socks!

Catherine Hall - you are an inspiration to the world

I love you

you make me laugh and you make me cry

this opened my heart and made me weep

This is really funny

PLAYBOY - Women of Wall Street

Le Duc, I expect your coverage of this. Yes I know it's not your favourite choice... but hey it's still your field.

I'm sure some of you will find this funny

I hate my job.. or better the people I work with

“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There is a support group for that. Its called EVERYBODY and they meet at the bar.”

Well.. all my friends love their jobs.. so if I go to the bar I just meet additional tossers.

How lovely....

New Year....

The resolutions... well let's say they are still work in progress. 

The preparation

The WIGS

The midnight fire jumping

Let's get this party started... Sicily at the decks... the other pictures are not for public view... 

The skiing --- swish swosh swish swosh 

The Grappa.....

The 4 o'clock reunion.... just before the fall...

Just because I decided to go swimming after a year

snowed for the first time in 15 years.. 

now 20 cm of snow.. and London was gridlocked.. also because Gordon Brown decided to sell the snowmachines to Yorkshire council as he needed money and London didn't need them !!! haha

another good decision.. 

Oh well... other reasons why I hate my job ( if I didn't have enough!) is that 

a) now we are only allowed to have 1 napkin each!! so we are now back at using the back of our hands.. and

b) the entire city was playing with the snow and I was sat in the office. 

I also had to run up and down for flipping British Gas people... because guess what... flipping boiler broke again... 

Yes I do hate the world today.. more than many other days. 

Watched a nice movie last night "killing me softly" but got told by the critics... that's shit and wasted my time.. still I liked it. 

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act..... yay eventually women get paid the same as men.. well.. or at least on paper... and just in the US. 

But well done OBAMA

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

The world of banking has changed....but one  thing will always remain the same the sentence

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

the theme is recurring and the answer to the question is always the same  

A PRICK- especially if the person in question is wearing round glasses, pinstripe suit and such a odd feature... a GOLD safety pin to hold his tie... 

the best story was obviously by same person... saying that.. the reason for the financial crisis is that banks have a back office and pay for it... clearly.... the 1m spent in useful people compensation, that's a crime, 1m to renovate an office.. totally normal... 

Nobody really important, will ever ask you that question, especially because if you are really important... they always make sure you have a name tag. 

Went to an interesting due... 

creme de la creme of banking -60 individuals- number of women 4- number of women which made it to the pub 1- guess who? well clearly only me. Number of women which were not in HR  3 - number of women which didn't work for the boss 2

What amazes me... you can be the biggest investor in the world.... and still didn't manage to learn to type with 5 fingers... 

oh well... knowledge is really something from the past... the only way of arriving to the top is and will always be one

WHO is your father, hence your surname and the university he bought your degree from, all the rest... is irrelevant. 

well need to go to work now... already late... 

Welcome to the Year of the OX

Kung Hei Fat Choi! (Happy New Year!)

Quite funny to appropriately find this picture...



A delightful evening, with paper packets, delicious food, money bags... and lots of red.



Such year as 2009 year of the earth Ox has a straight and unprejudiced nature though sometimes reveals hidden secrets without due thought, inadvertently hurt someone's feelings and offend others. It should turn out to be the prosperous year for those hard thinkers and active planners who believe in and relay on a teamwork, running own business or work independently.
Some of the favourites are Ox too... not me.. I'm a fire snake!

Barack Obama, Catherine Freeman, Heather Locklear, Jane Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Margaret Thatcher, Meg Ryan, Meryl Streep, Princess Diana, Vivien Leigh and George Clooney.

The red envelope ("Hong Bao"), also known as lucky money (cash or check) holder, is like the Chinese wand of hope, and it often carries boundless blessings. The lucky red envelope with money inside is given out to signify good fortune and good energy, especially when the money notes are crisp new notes with fresh new "chi" energy. The amount of cash inside the red envelope is usually an even number. More here

The last time the earth Ox was seen as the ruling influence was January 29, 1949 - February 15, 1950. The world suffered a recession in late 1948 and early 1949. The world economy recovered during the year of the ox due to rational decisions and careful planning. By 1951, the recession was over. Many will be searching for a quick solution to the current economic crisis, but the ox favors a well planned, consistent path that will take more time but lay a foundation for long lasting results. The strong earth influence of this year favors a strengthening of the housing market, but risk takers will not find this year favorable. Those who look for long term benefits, have a well thought out plan and are willing to work to see results will find great success.

Baby boomers who were born the last time the brown earth Ox ruled the zodiac celebrate their 60th birthday this year. Those who are influenced by the Ox will have experienced many years of good fortune if the planning, hard work and discipline of the sign were heeded. Those who failed to plan are given a new opportunity this year. If the lessons of the past are integrated, the future brings harmony and good fortune at home and in business.

Also went to see.. Monkey Journey to the West

Despite the place was freezing it was magnificent

Ok so Xmas!

Gina was here for Xmas ...

by the arrival at the airport she knew anybody that was on the flight, she had 4 phone numbers, somebody holding her coat, somebody watching her luggage.. And.... she smuggled 35 kg of sicilian delicatessen

38 meatythings skewers

25 sicilian sausages

1    kg of mince meat

2   falsi magro ( rolled up meat with egg ham and mince)

3   massive piece of meat for broth ( in case Filippo doesn't mould the tortellini!!)

10 salami

5  kgs of parmesan

chilli jam ( very nice) 

5 jars of pistacchio powder and pesto ( the new frenzy! she has one every year- this year, pistacchio pesto, pistacchio powder to bake potatoes  etc etc etc 

anyway she was in top form

Obviously Mamma Mia ( the musical) was shit and the movie was better, at least the wonderful Streep was dancing ( despite, surely wasn't her!) 

ice skating... no... she could have broke a leg... 

and the usual... more kids presents to buy more attempt to buy carpet, to buy piece of furniture for the kitchen and blablabla

Xmas was spent with the Obers, wine was flowing, cigars were lit and food was no stop. 

Mike was nicknamed the kitty fairy, Gina wore wings and various other outfits 

but Xmas will be remembered for the horrible necklace she brought over for me

the black Santa I received as a gift, the fake snow machine inside the church at the Xmas mass ( attended for her joy by everybody) 

but least and not last the super present... from the usual friend... it's impressive... she loved it so much, she bought it in Milan, brought it to Sicily, gave it to Gina, which took it to London

and here it is.... The useful.... tool for the ultimate traveller ( apparently) 

it even says eXtra Large on the side

and you all know how tall Molly is!

Merry Xmas happy new year welcome Obama etc etc

Elo, apologies for lack of posting, but life as well as financial times can be hard on you.
I still got a job, which is impressive considering the decimation which happened in the last few days and months... and I don't even want to get into how hypocritical, false and absurd it all is... apart from obviously unfair.
I think I can summarise it with the following event. Our ex-Ceo, fired yesterday after 3 months on the job ( heavenly paid 40m$).. Fine, he "saved" us from collapse.. but he also spent 1.2m $ to refurbish his office, 80k only on a persian carpet.... and people paid less than that for a year, got fired today, young smart people, the cheapest, the future, while the idiots useless old farts are all there.
End of work- start of the weekend.
I thought I'll join the rest of the world in blogging about Obama. This is my tribute:



M is here I gonna hop.. promise I'll continue soon
I'll just leave you with a snippet of what's to come

Gina ......fly.......ing

What do gay people have to do with Crunchy nuts???

I mean... yes I know.. I'm supposed to write about Gina, Elaine, Xmas and all that.. but it was a bad day... Mamma mia ( the musical ) didn't go down that well and ice skating in Somerset house is a stupid idea... so... I was reading the blogs... Despite... I'm not supposed to stay on the computer.. and blablabla... ( said computer now also has a missing key, due to attack of rage the other night... fuelled by Gina)
Gina also met M. she loved her... if only she knew.. anyway... she even said.. la Cina e' vicina! she even taught her how to put eyeshadow properly for her shape of eyes..
Done the Xmas mass too which included Mike with saddled shorts and cycling shoes, humming snow machine ( yes in the church) and all that..

Anyway.... reading the blogs I learnt that our dear Pope hates gay.. ( or abnormal people as Gina calls us... well you ... ) so I googled it.. to find.. this bizarre book and the comparison between gay and crunchy nuts...

Merry Xmas

Hideous pictures of usual hideous presents from Gina and her friend will follow... they even managed a black Santa candlestick holder ( but that's fashionable this year!)

Anyway on a different note... why do people want kids ( well.. and here many of you can answer that question.. so please do )

Can somebody explain to me life?

Dutch people have a spanish tall pirate as Santa Claus

I discovered today that Dutch people believe in Black Peter, which comes by steam boat to bring presents to dutch kids.
Magic mushrooms must have been popular far before we imagine!



Before elves and eight tiny reindeer, St. Nicholas had a much more menacing assistant. Named Black Peter, this companion was the physical opposite of St. Nicholas. Tall and gaunt with a dark beard and hair, Black Peter was associated with the punitive side of Christmas. Traditionally St. Nicholas would hand out presents to good children, while it fell to Black Peter to dole out coal (and sometimes knocks on the head) to children who misbehaved.

Black Peter, or Zwarte Piet in Dutch, began in Holland in the 15th century. His dark appearance is supposed to suggest a Spaniard, a reflection of Spain's occupation of the Netherlands at the time. Black Peter was also associated with pirates, a common threat to naughty Dutch children was that he would take them to a pirate's hide out and beat them. He was often represented holding a large stick for this purpose. The large bag that he held was rumored to be used for stuffing children in for the trip back to Spain. At the time "Black Peter" was a euphemism for the devil, and it was thought that St. Nicholas, being a representative of God, had beaten the devil and made him his servant. Thus it fell to Black Peter to hand out the punishments, while St. Nicholas dealt with the more pleasant sides of Christmas.

While the Dutch St. Nicholas has always been represented in much the same way, similar to the original saint in long robes with a staff, tall mitre hat, and white beard, Black Peter has been depicted in many different ways. Originally a stereotypical Spaniard in pirate garb, due to the political situation in Holland at the time, his later incarnations would also reflect popular politics. In the nineteenth century, at the height of imperialism, he was alternately portrayed as an Indian and an African in traditional dress. Rather than the devil that had been made a servant of St. Nicholas, Black Peter was now thought to be a slave who had become the willing servant of St. Nicholas. Many of the illustrations took on racist symbolism, often showing Black Peter in shackles and tattered garments. Peter's job was to remove the hay and carrots from the shoes that had been left by children underneath their chimneys, and to drop candy and gifts in their place. If the children had been bad, Peter wouldn't remove the hay and would leave a rod in place of a gift.

In parts of central Europe like Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, the character of Black Peter was a more like a monster, with horns, long hair, and a red tongue. He was known by a variety of names: Klaubauf, Krampus, Grampus, Bartel. St. Nicholas sent naughty children to him to be beaten.

Nowadays there is still not one universal image of Black Peter, but he has lost his large stick and is usually dressed in a Renaissance page style costume with short pants, stockings, and a cap with a large feather. He has not lost his connection to Africa; he is still always portrayed by a person in blackface, and often wears gold earrings.

The character gained popularity in the twentieth century and St. Nicholas's and Black Peter's annual arrival in Holland became more elaborate. During World War II, it was thought that the tradition would be suspended, until Canadian soldiers offered some of their tanks to use for the purpose. It didn't seem to make sense to have more than one St. Nicholas. So on one of the tanks rode St. Nicholas and one Black Peter, while multiple Black Peters rode on the other tanks. The tanks, with Canadian soldiers at the helm and Black Peter sitting on the back, traversed the countryside, handing out candy and gifts to children who waited by the roadside. The practice of more than one Black Peter stuck and has continued since then.

Today the negative associations have left Black Peter and he has become more of an elf-like figure, an assistant to an overloaded St. Nicholas who helps to hand out gifts every December 5th, St. Nicholas Day in Holland. The Dutch continue to stage elaborate arrivals of Santa Claus and Black Peter. In the weeks before the feast, Santa and Black Peter arrive by boat, supposedly from Spain, and are greeted by ever increasing crowds of excited children and adults.