Pictures from Manchester

Click above picture to view my Facebook gallery of pictures from Manchester trip :)

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Manchester visit

Mum's birthday was on Sunday (25th) and our family travelled down to Manchester and spent the weekend eating, walking, shopping, eating, shopping and more eating! Haha!

The weather wasn't bad overall. I recall two moments that it rained on us as we navigated our way around the busy city with Google Maps on paper and through my HTC Magic phone. The food was goood! We only had Chinese cuisines whilst down in Manchester. Mainly for mum to try out different Chinese food that we don't have here in Glasgow. Saturday evening the three of us had a four-persons set dinner which had soup, scallops and lobster for starters, then the mains were tofu dish, egg and clams dish, chicken dish and veg dish. For dessert we had sago and oranges. We were truly stuffed.com! =P The four star hotel room was very nice. The two double beds and double sofa bed provided us with a good night's sleep AND we had an extra one hour added on to our clocks which was a bonus! =) Before going down to Manchester I had decided and said to Cat that I was gonna let myself go during my time down in Manchester. By that I meant eating anything I want - no holds barred. After Saturday night's feast was well and truly out of my system, I looked forward to the buffet breakfast on Sunday morning. My goodness! What an eye-opener! Here's what I ended up gorging in my biggest breakfast ever!:

Had all the above to myself and after almost an hour and a half of stuffing my face I was well and truly about to burst!! Lol!

Visited the Manchester Chinatown which spanned over a few blocks rather than just the wee warehouse we have in Glasgow Cowcaddens area. Went into the supermarkets and wee shops that sold cd's/ dvds's and stationery etc. I didn't get anything Chinese for myself this time. Felt rather uncomfortable lugging so many bags around after we checked out of the hotel but I kept it to myself as it was mum's birthday weekend and that was the most important point. :) The train home was crap. Didn't get our reserved seats due to overcrowding. Was so glad to be home nice and relaxed on Sunday night!! :) Mum seemed to have really enjoyed herself this weekend and that was mega cool. She truly deserved a break from the norm. =) Had such a laugh on Sunday morning - check out my Facebook video if you're my Facebook friend =D

Business trip

And now it looks like no more travelling for a while. Actually, I have another train journey to take as I go down to Leicester in a few weeks time. This one is for business, not for pleasure. Haha! Today is Tuesday... which means in three weeks time I will be heading down to a wee town called Market Harborough for an AA conference where I meet all the other new driving instructor franchisees AND I get to pick up my brand new Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec tuition car! Whoo-hoo! My official start date with the AA will be Thursday 19th November, when I drive the car up to Glasgow. Journey is estimated to be around 328.6miles and will take 5hrs 32mins - according to AA Route Planner. This journey will give me the chance to familiarise myself with the powerful car and will definitely put my TomTom IQ Routes to the test. I look forward to seeing all the different motorway lane images appear each time I'm on the motorway, telling which lane to go on etc. It's so cool! =D

I have three weeks left till my start date and I will be using these three weeks to finish off reading four books.

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Almost done the yellow book, tips about general communication with friends, bosses, strangers, making impressions, how to win people over etc. This book I started reading since April 2008!! Haha! Never quite got to finish it as I don't read a lot, but almost there now and the previous few chapters have been very interesting indeed. I will need to refresh myself on the Highway Code as well, remind myself of the rules of the road as well as best practice tips for driving in UK roads. Will be useful when I'm answering pupils' questions about theory etc. Driving the Essential Skills is known as the "bible" for all of Britain's drivers and the benchmark which the DSA driving examiners work from. Having this book provides detailed information on all aspects of driving, from care of car to control of car, from how to perform a manoeuvre to what to do in an accident. Finally, the Instructor Techniques and Practices. This will be most useful when I'm in the passenger (instructor) seat, as I guide my pupils through their lessons and make their lessons as informative and as enjoyable as possible so we increase their learning capacity.

These few weeks are gonna be busy busy! =D

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AA start date

Just off the phone with the AA. Denise confirmed she received my franchise pack around midday. Great news! Whilst on the call with her I checked the Royal Mail tracking site which said my package was still getting delivered! Lol! Ah well, it got there anyway!

So, I paid my deposit and an admin fee and I am now booked in for the AA instructor conference on 18th and 19th of November. Because I will be travelling down from Glasgow, and the conference starts 10:30am on the 18th, there is no way I could make it down on the Wednesday morning to start in time. So they have arranged for me to stay another night at their assigned hotel, which is most likely to be the Horthorpe Hall where the conference takes place too.

The website for the place is http://www.hothorpe.co.uk/ and first sight it looks quite plush! =D

For Wednesday and Thursday I'll have all meals and lodging provided. For the extra Tuesday night, I'll only have lodging provided and will have to sort out my own meals! Gong jiy mein!! Haha!! Nah, most likely gonna have meal in hotel or something and claim that back through expenses. I'll need to sort out train travel as well and Denise mentioned a short taxi trip from Market Harborough station to the place. So exciting!

I wonder if it would be easy to travel to Leicester Cineworld from my place of stay? =P

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Tracking a promise

I posted my franchise pack to the AA Headquarters in Cardiff, during my lunch break yesterday.

It cost me £4.95 and guarantees delivery by 1pm today. I just checked the tracking code online and it said:

They have less than two hours to fulfil their promise!! =O

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They are here!!

In my blogpost from 6th October titled "Wait wait wait!" I complained how frustrated I was being delayed in progressing with starting up my driving tuition. Two weeks down the line and I can finally report that there has been some progress! So I ended that particular blogpost with these two lists:

Still awaiting:
- Alliance & Leicester account details
- Mattress
- ADI badge
- Present



My mattress arrived on Wednesday 14th Oct. My shoulder was sore that day, but I managed to slowly replace my former Silentnight Miracoil mattress with a Rest Assured mattress which weighed at least another 5kgs more than the former. The mattress has provided me with great sleep thus far! :)


My Approved Driving Instructor badge arrived the next day, on the 15th! With the badge here, all I had to do was wait for bank details before I sign up for my AA franchise.

Well... this morning my Alliance & Leicester bank details arrived too! Yes!! So tonight I finished filling in my AA franchise application with my bank details and I will send it away tomorrow Special Delivery for delivery on Thursday. Yep, here is me talking about the Royal Mail strikes again. By now I'm sure almost everyone in the UK will know about the proposed two day national walkout planned to Thursday and Friday this week. The Royal Mail website said it will still deliver Special Deliver mail on Thursday morning, but anything sent on Thursday or Friday will not be picked up or delivered. So tomorrow lunch time, I will be jostling with all other local east end residents in pushing my franchise application form through to be delivered. Let's hope I make it there and back within my one hour lunch break!! So... I have a planned start date with the AA - Thursday 19th November. Why so far away? I shall explain a little later.

The final thing I'm waiting for: Present. There is an expected date of arrival of 5th November. We hold on tight! =P

Things yet to be done:
- Confirm franchise with AA
- Choose accountant
- Hand in notice
- Join D.I.A.
- Register for Pass Plus
- Read up on Licensing laws (foreign/ provisional/ UK)
- Learn test areas and routes
- Inform HMRC of self-employment

As I said, I am sending away my franchise application tomorrow. I also met my accountant yesterday after work. The guy will do my sums for me at the end of the tax year and he will liaise with the HMRC on my behalf and tell them of my change to self-employment. All I have to do from now on is to start keeping all my receipts as I can get tax relief on my franchise fees, fuel, training aids, phone calls, association fees etc etc. Lots of things that I 'output' for my business. I was glad to meet with John who explained the tax deadlines to me and it sounded much easier in English, rather than technical talk on websites and publications.

Last Friday my manager Bob asked me if I would consider changing from full time to work part time in the office. Bob is leaving Hewitt at the middle of November and is now training a replacement. Suzanne is starting maternity leave in a few weeks. There will be a replacement needed too. And if I leave too, well, needless to say, it's not gonna make things any easier for our wee team really. Taking up this offer would benefit two parties: they will keep my experience for a while longer and I will keep some steady income whilst my business establishes. So this morning I submitted a letter to my manager stating I'd like to take up the offer of the part time role. And my proposed idea is to work five mornings a week, doing 8:30am-12:15pm. Finishing at that time will mean I can start my first driving lesson at 1pm. :) I think this will be a good start for me as I enter self-employment. I have a few people who are genuinely interested in taking lessons with me, and a few more whom I will need to clarify if and when they want to start. So when my client base builds up and I need to free up my mornings too, I will submit my one month notice to Hewitt and leave then.

I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go part time. That was not something offered to me at the start when I first informed my company of my plans. So, I believe God provides and he protects. His plans are to prosper me and not to harm me. :)

So now!! What's left to do?

Decide which association to join: Driving Instructors Association or The Motor Schools Association of Great Britain.

Register to teach Pass Plus.

Familiarise myself with training areas and test routes for Springburn, Anniesland and Shieldhall test centres.

And pick up some Provisional Licence (D1) application forms for potential students.

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Crossover

Thank you for crossing over from my old address to my 'new address'.

It can be a bit of a problem, but I hope this site can stay longer now.

:)

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Dinner treat

Prelude:

Marriott UK Payroll Survey we conducted in August

We received a significant 80 % response rate comparing to the 63 % response rate in March 2009.

In summary:

- 100% of HR Professionals are satisfied (Top 3 Box) with the Hewitt Oracle Payroll Support Centre
- 100% of HR Professionals are satisfied (Top 3 Box) with the Hewitt Customer Service Associates
- 99% of HR Professionals are satisfied (Top 3 Box) with Overall Payroll Services.

Our associates have also achieved 100% satisfaction score for:

- Deliver what they promise, when they promise
- Are courteous and polite
- Ask relevant questions




As a treat for our outstanding performance our team of seven has been offered a dinner treat at the Metropolitan Restaurant in Candleriggs, Merchant City in Glasgow. =D

As soon as we heard about this offer, one word immediately sprang into the heads of myself and my workmate, David: "Steaks!!". We guys love steak! Lots of meat puh-lease! Our manager, Bob, makes up the third guy in this team. I think he'll be up for steak as well. Lol! The last work's night out we had, back in January, where we were treated to dinner for good performance also, took place at The Grill at the Corner restaurant. I wanted to be different from everyone and chose the ostrich steak. To my disappointment the piece of avian meat, if I can even call it that, was tiny! Man, everyone else's rump steak or salmon looked waaay bigger than my wee lump of ostrich, sitting there on top of a bed of caramelised onions. The sweetness from the caramelised onions overtook any taste of the bird meat. My side order of mash potatoes and honey glazed carrots were "delayed" for almost ten minutes. I sat there waiting, looking around the restaurant awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact from the ten other diners I shared my table with. Occasionally I'd pick up and sip my fresh orange and lemonade...slowly. Then I'd decline any kind offers of "would you like some of my chips?", "would you like to try some of this?" whilst ignoring comments like, "oh! this tastes lovely!", "yes this is fantastic!". Those comments made me hungry! =O

This time round, I will make sure I go armed and ready to pick the right meal to fulfil my hunger meat! We've already been told what the menu's are gonna be like. There will be three set menu's to choose from. All three menus include steak: Minute steak, (the name reminds me of something small and tiny - no way am I going back to that!), Prime Scottish rib eye (now we're getting somewhere! but still looking for something better!) and last but not least, Prime cut of Scottish sirloin steak! Oooh la la!! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! =D **mouth watering already!** Yes, the last set menu is indeed the most expensive, at £31.95 for three courses. I've decided what to have for my main course, but what about starter? Not sure yet. Wanna see what else is on offer?

Maybe you can give me some recommendations!


Set Menu £31.95

Soup of the day served with crusty bread

Pan fried scallops, cauliflower puree, diced black pudding, smoked ham and a white wine and chive sauce

Ham Hough and tarragon terrine with a rhubarb and orange chutney, toasted brioche and mixed leaf salad

Wild mushroom and basil risotto with parmesan shavings

~ ~ ~

Chicken breast with savoy cabbage, celeriac and potato dauphinoise, green beans and mustard sauce

Potato and herb gnocchi with cherry vine tomatoes, baby spinach, cream, black olives and olive oil

Whole steamed trout stuffed with fennel & lemon served with new potatoes, green beans and caper, anchovy and garlic butter sauce

Prime cut of Scottish sirloin served with grilled tomato, field mushrooms, rocket salad and Maris piper chips

~ ~ ~

Selection of homemade sweets and dairy ice cream


So... one question you might have on your mind. When is this dinner gonna take place? In a fortnight's time! Roll on Friday the 23rd!! =D

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Wait wait wait!

As I sit here in the office, eating my char siu rice (my mum makes the best char siu btw!!) I think about the things that I have yet to do and what is holding me back. I am less than impressed with the recent Royal Mail strikes that have been going on locally and nationally. The employees have no idea what impact their actions and decisions have on ordinary people. In fact, being on strike: not collecting mail from post boxes, not sorting mail in delivery offices, and not delivery mail to houses and businesses, even for a day, can have consequences and cause chain effects to people's lives. It's very unfair. They do these things to show the "bosses" that they mean business. That they really want those pay rises or better working conditions. Fair enough, employees have a right to appeal for better conditions, but once the "bosses" give in and they come to some sort of agreement, business is never does "resumes as normal" because there will be a backlog, there will be people waiting for important deliveries of documents or ordinary mail. Bills of various sorts, for example, that might have a deadline for payment, will be stalled and might cause the debtor higher fines. Those who await/ expect delivery of important present for a special birthday would have to disappoint the 80 year old granny at her party, or worse still, it could be a sixteen year old girl's birthday. Fortunately I have not been affected in these described ways. However, I am STILL waiting for my ADI green badge!!

I sent the application away with my two passport photos and my cheque, on Monday 21st September, which was day two into the unofficial Royal Mail strikes in Glasgow. It was picke up on Wednesday 23rd September. There was no news or notification from the DSA and there was no movement in my account showing the cheque was cashed. Last Thursday, 1st of Oct, the three-figure amount was deducted from my account. So at least some action has been taken by DSA in processing my application. So now I await for the ADI badge to arrive any time now. However, there are STILL Royal Mail strikes happening around the UK. This time a lot of them being down England. The DSA is in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, but who knows if they are affected too? Sigh!! I don't want to wait so long for my badge, but because I want to get my AA tuition car asap. Already there are people asking me when I start. I can only tell them, "Soon, hopefully, in a few weeks." And I smile. But inside I am frustrated. Because once I know the date I collect my new Ford Focus, I will hand in my four weeks notice to my current employer. Hopefully I will have the car by week two of that notice, leaving me two weeks of possibly working evening and weekends before giving tuition full time. But for now I am STUCK!

Another thing I'm waiting for is letter of confirmation for my business account with the Alliance and Leicester. My telephone application on Monday 28th Sept went through fine and they sent me out a letter on the same day confirmation start of process of my application. However, I only received the letter last Friday (2nd of Oct!). On Sunday I got a call from A&L asking me to confirm my name again as I used my full name Kwok Wing Gordon So. I asked what stage the application was at, and the woman kindly told me it's almost complete. That was Sunday morning. Maybe they sent me the pack and it's stuck there not collected for delivery? Ok, maybe two days is too quick for me to expect my welcome pack and account details, but I feel so DELAYED right now!

Last Friday (2nd Oct), I ordered a mattress from Argos. Was told delivery would be within five business days and that they'd contact me soon to arrange delivery. I wanted to know asap so I could take a half-day off work to be home to receive it. However, Saturday (3rd) I received a call telling me there is a delay with the supplier (Rest Assured?) in getting the mattress, but once they get stock they will contact me again to arrange delivery. The latest they will contact me by would be 11th October. No way man!! =O Why is everything being delayed? This time, I can't pin the blame on Royal Mail. This time, it's just crap! If I wanted to kick up a fuss, I could have said their terms of sales said clearly delivery within five working days and taking me to (potentially) 11th October would surely exceed that! Sigh... but I'll wait. No choice but to wait. They have my money already. I'm at their mercy.

You see, I believe everything happens for a reason. God knows everything big and small thing that happens in our lives. I just wish I would know the reason for this wait. Is God teaching me patience? Does my patience have to be tuned up some more before I take behind the wheel and teach? Would this waiting game help prepare me in any way for the next steps into my career? Whilst I'm waiting to start as a driving instructor, am I of any use to anybody? Does anybody benefit from my presence? I know for sure a lot of people are interested in learning from me. No, please don't be mistaken, I am not getting big-headed here. What I'm saying is, there are expectations of me now. In fact, I would say there are great expectations of me. And I want to fulfil these expectations. I don't like letting people down. So why can't I proceed with my ideal job and make people happy at the same time? Huh?! =/

Still awaiting:
- Alliance & Leicester account details
- Mattress
- ADI badge
- Present

Things yet to be done:
- Confirm franchise with AA
- Choose accountant
- Hand in notice
- Join D.I.A.
- Register for Pass Plus
- Read up on Licensing laws (foreign/ provisional/ UK)
- Learn test areas and routes
- Inform HMRC of self-employment

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