LONDON, United Kingdom
July 24, 2007 (Tuesday)
I was shocked when I calculated that I spent £1031.13 (€1539 | $2127) in one year on cigarettes only! I smoked about 10 fags of Marlboro Lights or L&M a day and my calculation was based on their prices in London. Apart from the financial side, I have noticed what cigarettes were doing to my health. I have decided to quit smoking and treat myself next year at this time with spare £1031.13 I will save from not buying cigarettes.
Well, hopefully, giving up smoking will improve my health, skin, teeth and finances. I am saying 'No' to tobacco and giving up smirting too. Below are some of benefits of quitting smoking. Well, I have picked up few NHS brochures from a local pharmacist.
The Benefits of Stopping Smoking (Source: NHS)
20 minutes: Immediately after quitting smoking the body will begin to cleanse itself of the tobacco toxins. Blood pressure and pulse rate returns to normal. A circulation improves in hands and feet, making them warmer.
8 hours: Oxygen levels in the blood return to normal and the risk of a heart attack starts to fail.
1 day: Carbon monoxide is eliminated from around the body and the lungs start to clear out mucus and other debris.
2 days: Nicotine is no longer detectable in the body and the ability to taste and smell is improved.
3 days: Breathing becomes easier as the bronchial tubes relax and energy levels increase.
2-12 weeks: Circulation improves throughout the body, making walking easier.
3-9 months: Breathing problems such as coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing improve. Overall, lung function is increased by 5-10%.
5 years: Risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
10 years: Risk of a lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker. The risk of a heart attack falls to about the same level as someone who has never smoked.
15 years: The risk of getting many of the diseases caused by smoking will be reduced to little more than that of a life-long non-smoker.
I did not smoke a single cigarette today and had no cravings. I hope to continue this way.
'Yes' to a healthier life,
~ζ
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Simple Pleasures of Life
LONDON, United Kingdom
July 23, 2007 (Monday)
In the midst of our daily routines we tend to forget about simple pleasures that our lives have to offer. For example: ironing your clothes. Usually, I hate ironing but today I really enjoyed it. We all like to wear clean, ironed and nice clothes. I was ironing my shirts as if they were adding more beauty to my looks. It is very naïve thought but sometimes clothes do matter. As a person in the media and finance world, I should be thinking more about my appearance. Ironing clothes, in a way, reminded me biking at night alone in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was my bike, empty roads, my thoughts and me, and nothing else. This time it was my clothes, iron, my thoughts and me. I found it very pleasing despite it might sound so simple. I was doing it until the phone rang.
It was my former Scandinavian partner. We had a long conversation, as we always had in the past. It was a very constructive dialogue, which we both enjoyed. I am glad that Sam and I started talking and keeping in touch. No matter what happened in late spring, we still had a lot of wonderful times together. I am thankful to him for many joyful and unforgettable memories, and hope to continue being in each others' lives as close friends. He told that he does not like his blog name – Sam. If you remember, all names in my blogs are changed for privacy reasons. Now I have to think of a new blog name for Sam, maybe Stan, Stanley or Sylvester? Guys, which name do you think will suit tall, green/grey-eyed handsome and young-hearted Scandinavian man?
Talking on the phone with someone can be very pleasing and enjoyable. It felt good to speak with my former boyfriend and let some past grudges go. Other simple pleasures that I found today were Amy Winehouse's performance and the first Afro-Caribbean actor to play Othello in William Shakespeare's play.
Despite that Amy Winehouse is exhausted, drops the microphone and messes up, she is still a great singer. I have always enjoyed her songs and I did tonight as well. On the other note, it will be very unusual to see non-Caucasian play Othello. Eamonn Walker will be performing at the Shakespeare Globe until August 19, 2007.
Another simple pleasure is smoking a cigarette. However, I am quitting starting tomorrow. So, wish me good luck and my next entry will be about benefits of stopping smoking.
Simple pleasures to you all,
~ζ
July 23, 2007 (Monday)
In the midst of our daily routines we tend to forget about simple pleasures that our lives have to offer. For example: ironing your clothes. Usually, I hate ironing but today I really enjoyed it. We all like to wear clean, ironed and nice clothes. I was ironing my shirts as if they were adding more beauty to my looks. It is very naïve thought but sometimes clothes do matter. As a person in the media and finance world, I should be thinking more about my appearance. Ironing clothes, in a way, reminded me biking at night alone in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was my bike, empty roads, my thoughts and me, and nothing else. This time it was my clothes, iron, my thoughts and me. I found it very pleasing despite it might sound so simple. I was doing it until the phone rang.
It was my former Scandinavian partner. We had a long conversation, as we always had in the past. It was a very constructive dialogue, which we both enjoyed. I am glad that Sam and I started talking and keeping in touch. No matter what happened in late spring, we still had a lot of wonderful times together. I am thankful to him for many joyful and unforgettable memories, and hope to continue being in each others' lives as close friends. He told that he does not like his blog name – Sam. If you remember, all names in my blogs are changed for privacy reasons. Now I have to think of a new blog name for Sam, maybe Stan, Stanley or Sylvester? Guys, which name do you think will suit tall, green/grey-eyed handsome and young-hearted Scandinavian man?
Talking on the phone with someone can be very pleasing and enjoyable. It felt good to speak with my former boyfriend and let some past grudges go. Other simple pleasures that I found today were Amy Winehouse's performance and the first Afro-Caribbean actor to play Othello in William Shakespeare's play.
Despite that Amy Winehouse is exhausted, drops the microphone and messes up, she is still a great singer. I have always enjoyed her songs and I did tonight as well. On the other note, it will be very unusual to see non-Caucasian play Othello. Eamonn Walker will be performing at the Shakespeare Globe until August 19, 2007.
Another simple pleasure is smoking a cigarette. However, I am quitting starting tomorrow. So, wish me good luck and my next entry will be about benefits of stopping smoking.
Simple pleasures to you all,
~ζ
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Book Market: A New Cruising Area for Gays?
LONDON, United Kingdom
July 22, 2007 (Sunday)
This is a very special day in my life and more details can be found in my Russian blog at http://996312.blogspot.com.
I have heard of Barbara Streisand before but was not aware that she was very popular until I purchased her compact disk last year as a gift for my former partner in Scandinavia. A friend of mine is a security officer and told me that I should see her concert at the O2 Arena last Wednesday. I completely forgot about that until I saw it in local papers the next day. Today was her second concert in London but for some reasons I did not go. Of course, tickets were sold out long ago and cost from £100 – £500 (€150 – €747 | $207 – $1032)! There is one more concert of hers left but I do not think I will be there. I remembered that my former boyfriend liked her a lot. Anyway, I will keep my eyes open and see if there are any other events that I could go. The last big gig I went was George Michael's 25Live concert in Denmark. Maybe I will go to one of Amy Winehouse's performances.
Well, after a long weekend sleep, I headed towards South bank. As I sat on the pier in front of the Oxo Tower, a young, very hot, tall guy with green eyes took a seat vis-à-vis. He was Frederic, 23-year-old German and a City professional who recently moved from Bristol. I was looking at the Swiss Re Headquarters, Saint Paul's Cathedral and enjoying the City until Frederic's handsome face blocked my view. We started chit-chatting. I love doing a small talk with strangers, especially if they are cute. Frederic and I agreed to meet up for a beer and then his girlfriend showed up. What?! Luckily, she is leaving on Monday and Frederic and I already exchanged numbers. I really do not care if he is straight or not since I have slept with self-declared heterosexuals before. Well, straight by day and gay by night, who knows? I do not know but for some reasons I have been hanging out with too much Germans lately. So far, all Germans I know are good in and out of bed.
There I was in South bank under the Waterloo Bridge in the open-air book market looking for Yevgeni Yevtushenko's poetry collection, which I found. However, I also found out that the South bank book market is a trendy place to cruise. Personally, I have noticed it too but did not pay too much attention until it became too obvious. Lonely, smart and handsome single gay men spend hours under the bridge in search of a book, or, frankly saying, of a similar kind. I will certainly return there more equipped, look for a sophisticated book and maybe wear glasses to appear a bit geeky. Hopefully, I will not look too silly.
Later Takashi, my Japanese friend, and I met up. He taught how to properly use chopsticks and drink jasmine tea with no sugar. After a little bit of learning we hit some bars. I got tipsy but it did not prevent me from flirting in and smirting out. The rest is a boring and usual story.
"Whatsoever a man sows, that he shall also reap" from the Law of Consequence.
Happy consequences,
~ζ
July 22, 2007 (Sunday)
This is a very special day in my life and more details can be found in my Russian blog at http://996312.blogspot.com.
I have heard of Barbara Streisand before but was not aware that she was very popular until I purchased her compact disk last year as a gift for my former partner in Scandinavia. A friend of mine is a security officer and told me that I should see her concert at the O2 Arena last Wednesday. I completely forgot about that until I saw it in local papers the next day. Today was her second concert in London but for some reasons I did not go. Of course, tickets were sold out long ago and cost from £100 – £500 (€150 – €747 | $207 – $1032)! There is one more concert of hers left but I do not think I will be there. I remembered that my former boyfriend liked her a lot. Anyway, I will keep my eyes open and see if there are any other events that I could go. The last big gig I went was George Michael's 25Live concert in Denmark. Maybe I will go to one of Amy Winehouse's performances.
Well, after a long weekend sleep, I headed towards South bank. As I sat on the pier in front of the Oxo Tower, a young, very hot, tall guy with green eyes took a seat vis-à-vis. He was Frederic, 23-year-old German and a City professional who recently moved from Bristol. I was looking at the Swiss Re Headquarters, Saint Paul's Cathedral and enjoying the City until Frederic's handsome face blocked my view. We started chit-chatting. I love doing a small talk with strangers, especially if they are cute. Frederic and I agreed to meet up for a beer and then his girlfriend showed up. What?! Luckily, she is leaving on Monday and Frederic and I already exchanged numbers. I really do not care if he is straight or not since I have slept with self-declared heterosexuals before. Well, straight by day and gay by night, who knows? I do not know but for some reasons I have been hanging out with too much Germans lately. So far, all Germans I know are good in and out of bed.
There I was in South bank under the Waterloo Bridge in the open-air book market looking for Yevgeni Yevtushenko's poetry collection, which I found. However, I also found out that the South bank book market is a trendy place to cruise. Personally, I have noticed it too but did not pay too much attention until it became too obvious. Lonely, smart and handsome single gay men spend hours under the bridge in search of a book, or, frankly saying, of a similar kind. I will certainly return there more equipped, look for a sophisticated book and maybe wear glasses to appear a bit geeky. Hopefully, I will not look too silly.
Later Takashi, my Japanese friend, and I met up. He taught how to properly use chopsticks and drink jasmine tea with no sugar. After a little bit of learning we hit some bars. I got tipsy but it did not prevent me from flirting in and smirting out. The rest is a boring and usual story.
"Whatsoever a man sows, that he shall also reap" from the Law of Consequence.
Happy consequences,
~ζ
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Crazy Fans
LONDON, United Kingdom
July 21, 2007 (Saturday)
Sometimes I wonder what fans could do. Yesterday I saw long lines in front of bookstores waiting for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Potter fans as far as from the United States, Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden literally slept on streets to save their spots in the line. Unbelievable though. Personally, I have not read or watched any of the Potter books or movies; the same is true about the Lord of the Rings. I never had an interest in any of them. However, everywhere I see is someone reading the final Potter book. I wonder which hero will die. Few of my acquaintances are Potter fans and I truly hope that sleeping on streets to get the book was worth it.
Everyone knows Bart Simpson from the Simpsons. Now there is one more Bart, this time in Great Britain. Barmy Brain Simpson, a British fan of the series, formally changed his name into Bart Homer Simpson. Man, some people are fanatical about their heroes or fictional friends. For your information, the Simpsons Movie premiers in London next Thursday (July 26, 2007). I will make sure I watch the movie. Yes, I find the Simpson family entertaining and I know someone whose nickname is Lisa Simpson. I will not tell why but it is a bit funny. I wonder if she will watch the movie.
If you are an aviation fan like me, then do not miss Red Bull Air Race next weekend (July 28-29, 2007).
Oh, crazy fans...
~ζ
July 21, 2007 (Saturday)
Sometimes I wonder what fans could do. Yesterday I saw long lines in front of bookstores waiting for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Potter fans as far as from the United States, Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden literally slept on streets to save their spots in the line. Unbelievable though. Personally, I have not read or watched any of the Potter books or movies; the same is true about the Lord of the Rings. I never had an interest in any of them. However, everywhere I see is someone reading the final Potter book. I wonder which hero will die. Few of my acquaintances are Potter fans and I truly hope that sleeping on streets to get the book was worth it.
Everyone knows Bart Simpson from the Simpsons. Now there is one more Bart, this time in Great Britain. Barmy Brain Simpson, a British fan of the series, formally changed his name into Bart Homer Simpson. Man, some people are fanatical about their heroes or fictional friends. For your information, the Simpsons Movie premiers in London next Thursday (July 26, 2007). I will make sure I watch the movie. Yes, I find the Simpson family entertaining and I know someone whose nickname is Lisa Simpson. I will not tell why but it is a bit funny. I wonder if she will watch the movie.
If you are an aviation fan like me, then do not miss Red Bull Air Race next weekend (July 28-29, 2007).
Oh, crazy fans...
~ζ
Friday, July 20, 2007
Rupert Everett: "Find Me a Fella..."
LONDON, United Kingdom
July 20, 2007 (Friday)
I have always liked Rupert Everett, British gay actor, and was pleasantly surprised that he is single. Rupert voiced Prince Charming in the Shrek movies. He was taken to speed dating by Alan Carr and Justin Lee Collins and declared a week earlier, "I would really like a relationship. Could you start a campaign?" – said Rupert, a close friend of Madonna and Julia Roberts.
Rupert might be 'old and too Hollywood' as some describe him but he is a damn good catch. I will keep my eyes open and see if Rupert's and my paths cross at some point. Well, Mr. Everett, I hope you find your Prince Charming and good luck! I wonder if Rupert is top, bottom or versatile in bed? He is good on screen and I guess he is the same in sex.
Talking about dating, yesterday I read a little article in a local paper about dates from hell, or, specifically, phone mishaps. Similar story happened to someone I know. A friend of mine once asked me to call her during her date so she can appear as a busy businesswoman. Well, I did but instead of saying that it was her business partner she said by a mistake that it was Jacob Galstad, her businessman friend. She made up the name but it appears that Jacob Galstad exists and was her date's brother-in-law who was a real businessman. The rest was revealed fast and they agreed to have a new date with no mishaps and lies.
Honestly, I used to do that too when I was a student in Washington DC. Sometimes it worked but usually I ended up feeling like a fool in front of a good-looking and successful professional. Therefore, I simply turn off my cell phone when I am on a date. Yes, simple as that. No need to appear busy, popular or as someone I am not. People do not dislike me and my crazy fun drive anyway.
No mishaps,
~ζ
July 20, 2007 (Friday)
I have always liked Rupert Everett, British gay actor, and was pleasantly surprised that he is single. Rupert voiced Prince Charming in the Shrek movies. He was taken to speed dating by Alan Carr and Justin Lee Collins and declared a week earlier, "I would really like a relationship. Could you start a campaign?" – said Rupert, a close friend of Madonna and Julia Roberts.
Rupert might be 'old and too Hollywood' as some describe him but he is a damn good catch. I will keep my eyes open and see if Rupert's and my paths cross at some point. Well, Mr. Everett, I hope you find your Prince Charming and good luck! I wonder if Rupert is top, bottom or versatile in bed? He is good on screen and I guess he is the same in sex.
Talking about dating, yesterday I read a little article in a local paper about dates from hell, or, specifically, phone mishaps. Similar story happened to someone I know. A friend of mine once asked me to call her during her date so she can appear as a busy businesswoman. Well, I did but instead of saying that it was her business partner she said by a mistake that it was Jacob Galstad, her businessman friend. She made up the name but it appears that Jacob Galstad exists and was her date's brother-in-law who was a real businessman. The rest was revealed fast and they agreed to have a new date with no mishaps and lies.
Honestly, I used to do that too when I was a student in Washington DC. Sometimes it worked but usually I ended up feeling like a fool in front of a good-looking and successful professional. Therefore, I simply turn off my cell phone when I am on a date. Yes, simple as that. No need to appear busy, popular or as someone I am not. People do not dislike me and my crazy fun drive anyway.
No mishaps,
~ζ
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