Silent Sunday - 19/07/15

I went to Birmingham, it didn't rain.

This weekend I was studying in Birmingham again, as I tend to do when I have a Saturday/Sunday study session I stayed over in the city, this time at The Ramada at The Mailbox (check me out, staying at The Mailbox!), a review of the hotel can be found here.

I was quite disappointed with The Mailbox, it seems to be 100s of overpriced eateries, acres of car park, Harvey Nichols and an Armani store.  Admittedly, there are a lot of renovations going on at the moment, so maybe another visit is called for once they are complete.

I did pop into Harvey Nicks, I say pop, it was through one of the eatery areas, down four flights of stairs, across the car park, up in a tiny lift and through a fire door, but I got there.  I had intended to go to Benefit to have my eyebrows shaped, but the one person who could do it was on a day off, so I ended up with a fairly standard threading which cost £17!

I had a nice wander around the canals.

And it didn't rain!

Sunday Night Mash Up

Not a lot to report this week, back to work after a week off, and as always, when you go back to work after any sort of time off, you can't see you desk for work!

Yesterday I took my car back to the garage as it is leaking fuel from the engine, but not in the place that Puntos usually leak from, oh no, that would be far too easy, so I had to leave it with them.  They first lent me a Fiesta to use whilst they had my car.

It wasn't as nice to drive despite being a few years newer but for a couple of days it would be fine.  I got home to be told that it had no brake lights, so back I went.  I was then given a Proton, on the motorway it was fab, but urban handling let it down. (Hark at me, I blame too much Top Gear).  This was even newer, but I still preferred my Punto.

I've got the Proton till they sort out the problem on the Punto, so tomorrow I have to sort a temporary parking permit for work, I don't think it will be a problem.

Today I was back at Kaplan for my second tuition day of this sitting.  This is the topic (Financial Reporting) that I really struggled with at AAT so I am trying but it still sounds like gobbledygook.

Today has been the warmest day of the year so far, I think it reached almost 18 degrees here so it was obvious that I was going to be sat in an underground room all day, never mind.

Nothing planned for this week, so lets see what happens!

A sunny day in Birmingham!

I've just remembered!  I was interviewed this week for a magazine article on what it is like being single in 2014.  More about that to come soon.

Sunday Night Mash Up

This week I have been in Birmingham again on the second of my revision courses for ACCA.  It was a four day course this time and I felt so drained at the end.

Tomorrow I have a Question Based Day (QBD) in preparation of next Monday's exam.  I don't really rate the QBDs but they are included in my course fee so I go.  On a QBD you sit an exam, but you do it question by question to exam timing.

You do the first question, that is then whisked away for marking whilst you complete the second.  You then get the marked papers for the first question back and then do the third, and so on.

Now in an exam, you can do the questions in any order, in fact this is encouraged.  So you choose your strongest topics and work down to your weakest.  In a QBD if you can't answer a particular question, there is no coming back to it, you just sit there panicing!.

Because I have been in Birmingham, nothing much else has gone on.

Apart from last night was the much awaited and much hyped Day Of The Doctor.  And I was a bit disappointed.  It seemed such an opportunity lost.  And, spoilers sweetie, why was it that John Hurt's Doctor appeared to be regenerating?  Wouldn't he already have done that?  Surely it should have been Matt Smith who changed?

This week, apart from tomorrow, I am back at work so normal service resumes.  Tuesday is weigh in number 3 for the Pounds for Pounds charity weight loss, I am not expecting a weight loss this week, I will be happy with staying the same as last week!

Sunday Night Mash Up

This week has seen me in Birmingham on a revision course for one of my forthcoming ACCA exams and it was hard going.  I have another revision course this coming week and 2 weeks on Monday is my first exam of this sitting!  Oh, poo.

The Birmingham Christmas Market has opened this week too which makes getting to the train station fun.  You know that scene in every zombie movie ever where there are 100s of zombies stumbling along and one or two humans are trying to blend in? That's how I have felt.

I wasn't actually trying to blend in, but I physically could not move any faster than a shuffle and I was penned in on every side.  It was not fun.  I eventually managed to nip down a side street and away from the crowd.

Only five more evenings to get through, I will try not to kill anyone.

I have to say though, although the market is called the Frankfurt market, I did not hear one German accent, or see one German registered vehicle.

There was a Belgian Hot Chocolate van, noodle bars, falafal, stalls selling ostrich burgers, jerk chicken, none of which I believe are German.

The beer stalls were doing good business, I do think it is the novelty of being able to walk around with a pint in their hands that was attracting people, it certainly wasn't the price.

Majority of the craft stalls looked like they had all gone to the same warehouse to fill up.

I imagine that it would nice to walk around with friends, and stop now and then for a drink or something to eat, but when I am on my own and it is between me and home I have to say I am not impressed.

Silent Sunday - 17/11/13

Sunday Night Mash Up

This weekend saw the final ACCA weekend of this sitting, I now just have weekday revision.

This was the smallest group of the sitting (my previous classes have been 40+ people and we have been squashed into tiny rooms) and we were in the biggest room in the building.  Admittedly due to the layout a lot of the space was wasted, but it was still a big space.

I was on the 5th floor of the hotel this weekend, the theme was orange, I have now stayed on every floor except the 1st which I think is mostly conference rooms anyway.  I am not sure why thread is to be associated with Birmingham, I would link it more with the weavers of Coventry.

The beanbag chair in the corner was very uncomfortable.

I am going to be at a loose end at the weekends now and will have to find something to occupy them.  I may even have to do some housework!

Sunday Night Mash Up

Another weekend in Birmingham, another colour in the hotel.

This weekend was the last weekend of my ACCA tuition for this sitting.  This time I was on the 6th floor of the hotel and the colour is green!  You can't really tell from this photo, but the bed was massive.

And I had some great views over the city.

But boy, did it rain.  I had to go out to pick up an order from New Look which was about half a mile away from the hotel.  These were my jeans when I got back.  I actually struggled to take them off, they seemed to have stuck themselves to my calves.

I managed to dry my jeans out for today, but my trainers were still wet.

Today was the Birmingham Half Marathon which made getting from the hotel to college a bit of a challenge as most of the roads and crossings had been cordoned off, we even had to tell the security person that we were going to college before we were allowed past the barrier and down the alley way.  

This was the square in front of the library before the majority of the runners arrived

This was at lunchtime

Well done to everyone who took part.

I also discovered this week that someone who unfriended me a year ago on facebook is still looking at my profile.  How do I know?  Because they accidentally caught the 'add friend' button whilst they were doing so, they immediately cancelled the request but the notification was sent to my phone.  If someone is going to stalk me, they need to be a bit more subtle about it!

Silent Sunday - 20/10/13

Credit where credit is due.

A few weeks ago I was quick to write about how much a hotel had changed, for the worse, since its new owners took control of it.

Well I am pleased to report that on my last visit, things have been much improved.

There was no queue at reception, no-one having problems with their bookings.  I didn't even have to leave a deposit like I had previously, whether this was a change in policy or because I hadn't trashed the room on the previous visit I don't know.

I had a corner room on the 4th floor, it was wheelchair accessible and huge!  There was even a wet room in place of the usual shower room.

The theme of the 4th floor is obviously purple, purple carpet and walls, the 3rd floor was blue.

Breakfast was great too, with a new coffee machine that made excellent lattes.

I have two more weekends booked at the hotel, I am not dreading them anymore.

Silent Sunday - 29/09/13