So why am I writing in July about Resolutions? Well I am just looking through my previous years resolutions. Thirtieth / 2006 / 2007 There seems to be a familiar pattern.

I only do four each year, and all of them mention:

• No More Smoking!
• Get Fit & Stay Fit
• Manage my cash & life better
• Keep a life journal

So what do I want to do right now?

1. Give up smoking - I try and I fail. I think its been about six times I have given up now, and every time it lasts about three months. However, I have declared my flat to be a non smoking flat. (Once the new kitchen is all fitted, and the front room has been painted)
2. Get Fit & Stay Fit - Again, I find this difficult. Its all about routine. Its all about sticking to a plan. When my kitchen is fitted, me and Becky want to do a routine of ONLY shopping for the week on a Monday night. Stick to the meal plan, and stick to a shopping list. Its not just going out running, but having a change of lifestyle.
3. Manage my cash & life better - Something I can actually do! Do you want to know how to do this? Have two accounts - one for your bills and one for spending.
4. Keep a life Journal - I love technology, but what I want is a private online blog linked to my laptop. Has anyone got any recommendations for journalling software?

I don't want to add any more to this list.. four is more than enough.

Read all about it here on Novemberfive's fine blog.

Courtesy of Novemberfive, who has a new smart looking folding bike. Check it out here.

After spending three days in a B&B in Catania, me and Becks were fortunate to ask Angela (who managed the Catania City Centre B&B) to find us a nice B&B in Trapani. We had thought long and hard where we wanted to stay, and after dismissing Palermo, it was between Selinunte and Trapani. We discovered getting to Selinunte would prove difficult… So we stayed 200m away from Trapani Train Station at a B&B called Cortille di Venere It was well priced at only €48 per night, and was ideally situated in the old town of Trapani.

Trapani is a great base for the non-touristy east side of Sicily. There could be lots to do on this side of the island, but we didnt find it! We just spent three days chill-axing.. three days of slowly wandering round, having a few beers and lots more coffees, and smoking lots and lots of cigarettes.. I had finished the two books I had bought with me (Flashmans Lady, and Flashman and the Mountain of Light - Great Books!) and we were walking at snails pace round the town!! It was sooo quiet!

Anyway the next day we wanted to go to Selinunte, but my alarm was set for weekdays only and we didn’t get up till 11:30.  Instead we caught the hydrofoil across to Levanzo.. one of the beautiful Aegardian Islands. Only 450 people there, and its the epitome of peace and quiet.. When we got back to Trapani, we went out for a beer and some food. (but forgot to get some food..)

Sunday was my 33rd birthday, and I did find out the day before that everything was going to be closed, so with our hangover we went to the beach for the day.It rose to 35°C during the day, and we had to go and relax in the shade for the rest of the day.. I also discovered Brioche with icecream.. basically an icecream in a bun! tasty… That night we went out for a lovely meal at a new restaurant that had only just opened.

Our last day, and again we wanted to go to Selinunte..  and again we were thwarted. The bus only runs at 6:55 and 12:35 and takes three hours.. it was not meant to be. Instead we slowly wandered Trapani, drinking lots of espresso, and taking lots of pictures…

Tips ‘n’ tricks

1. Guidebooks.. dont forget them!If you do bring one, get a decent one - Lonely Planet or Rough Guide
2. Its possible to go on holiday with just one cabin bag (article to follow) — just plan it carefully!
3. Be prepared for days of nothing… just sit back and put your feet up with an espresso

Me and Becks finally managed to get away for our first ever holiday together and we chose Sicily.

We chose to fly with RyanAir from London Stanstead, and as our flight was leaving at 06:05 we had to get the train the night before. Arriving near midnight, we settled down to relax in one of the cafes. I was soon asleep! Anyway, we finally boarded and were soon arriving to a beautiful, if slightly windy day at Palermo Airport.

Once we had got the bus to the capital city, and boarded a €23 train, we soon found ourselves wandering through the city streets of Sicilys second city, Catania. We were looking for our B&B, and Angela had given us some great directions so it wasn’t long before we found Catania City Centre B&B. We were given a very comprehensive review of the city and local tourist sights, and promptly booked a trip to Mount Etan the following day.

Mount Etna can be quite stunning.. unfortunately we went on a day with a bit of drizzle! However, we still saw some underground lava created tunnels, and one of the crators at 2000m .. no running lava though. Apparently, its worth going during the night if that is what you are after. Once we got back to Catania, we wandered round and discovered the Castle and also some beautiful side streets. We went out to a lovely fish restaurant that night as well, where we were ‘treated’ to witnessing the Sicilian version of illegal parking.. simply burn the car !! (oh and Manchester United beat Chelsea in the Champions league - it was down to penaltys) The next day, with a small hangover, we decided to get the train over to Taormina.

Taormina is Sicilys tourist town. As many Sicilians wanted to tell us, “You won’t see the true Sicily in Taormina” .. maybe, buts it a wonderful place with an ancient Greek Theatre, and it has great views! Anyway, we arrived at the train station and decided to go walk along the beach to find the way up to Taormina, as its situated on a hill… it wasnt until we had walked about 4km that we realised we had gone the wrong way, and at this point we got the bus to the town!!

It seemed to be full of a lot more tourists than usual, and we put this down to a cruise liner we saw in the bay earlier. One of the main sights we wanted to see was the Greek Theatre. It was only €6 for entry, and it was worthwhile. The history and the views are stunning. We wandered round for an hour or so, and I took a lot of pictures - see my flickr page - but soon we decided we had to explore the rest of the town. We headed down the Corso, grabbed overpriced beers and pizza and espressos, and before you knew it we were absolutely knackered and headed to go and get our bus home, which was slightly more expensive than the train there.

On Friday we decided to move on, and after putting the world to rights with Angela at Breakfast, we walked on down to the Train Station only to miss our train! Instead we got the bus, which was much quicker and we soon arrived in Palermo to catch our onwards bus to Trapani..

Tips ‘n’ Tricks?

1. Take some money before you go, only about one in five Sicilian cash machines let me draw money from abroad.
2. Learn some basic italian.. not many Sicilians speak English. “Parle Inglese?” … no
3. Learn to love espresso… oh my god! its great… and keeps you energised!
4. Take a decent guidebook.. Lonely Planet and Rough Guides both have there updated 2008 versions coming out two weeks after we got back from our own holiday!

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Dołączcie do elitarnej grupy ludzi "którzy^widzieli^jak^je^jeż", oglądając ten filmik :D

Niedźwiedź pyta jeża - "Co jesz?"

Na co jeżyk- "Co niedźwiedź?"

:P

Niemniej jednak ruszam z blogiem - choć pewnie więcej będę wklejał, niż pisał.
Enjoy!

Last week, The Biggest Loser's Neil delivered a blow to his new black,team by gaining 17 pounds of water weight. This was a devious plot to keep his old blue team members safe by ensuring the elimination of one of his black team members. The fallout of his actions got Jez sent home.
The only thing worse than a cheater is an obvious cheater, and Neil's tactics don't go over well with his trainer and fellow contestants. And on this week's episode of the reality competition show, he finds out what people think of what he did.

I didn't feel particularly great on Monday, with a total lack of energy and complete loss of communication skills, but I feel a helluva lot better now!

So Resolutions?? Any planned? I do.. but then I do every year. Last years were similar to what I wanted for my life after thirty, and this years are extensions onto these as well.

So my thirtieth Birthday Resolutions were:

1. No More Smoking! - I have given up now since the day I got on my flights over here.. A couple of days I have really wanted a cigarette but I have kept up to it!!
2. Get Fit & Stay Fit - With a season ahead of me, I should lose this belly of mine, but I also need to get fit & stay fit.. sit ups.. press ups.. swimming..
3. Manage my cash - Those of you who know me well, know that I am terrible with my dollars.. from now on I will manage it so much better!
4. Keep a life journal - While I am away I am keeping a journal of my travels as well as this blog… I intend to keep this going..

And my 2006 Resolutions were ... exactly the same! So what am I going to do this year?

1. No More Smoking.. - I restarted smoking in November, as me and Zena were having troubles. But as its a New Year, and me and Zena have broken up now then I am stoppng again. My last cigarette was on the boat back, two puffs and I threw it away!
2. Get Fit & Stay Fit! - This is alwasy going to be a resolution for me. When friends call my JaidaFiveBellys its embarrassing. I am now living just three miles from work now, so there are no excuses not to run in. Plus I want to do this half-marathon in March in under two hours...
3. Manage my Cash & Life Better - So I have added extra to this. My cash is sooo much better managed now (thanks to Zena). Its simply a matter of having two accounts. One to get paid into, pay all the bills and it also pays into a spending account. So I am going to save more money, but the most important is to manage my life better. Looking at GTD (Getting Things Done) and its something I want to have in my life, so I aim on starting this month and putting my progress into this blog!
4. Keep a life Journal and Photo365 - I am going to keep my blog running, I really enjoy writing to it! More people than just Friends and Family read it now, and I want to put more interesting things in as well! It will never be about work, apart from a general sense! I am also going to start Photo365 (linked to my vox blog  and my flickr page) which will be a photograph taken every day, also I am going to take one of myself, to see what a year does to me!!

So a few new things.. Photo365 and Manage my Life Better should make 2007 a much better year!

So the house I am moving into is owned by Lee, a webdesigner. He bought the place some years ago, and uses the house as his office, hence the good rate I am paying for rent! I am going to be sharing the house with Alan, who works an early shift and is a snowboarder as well.

Another thing with the new house, is that Lee wants to put in some Home Automation. He has already got a gigabit network in, and is putting servers etc in place. It will be good to see how he gets his place all setup, as I really want to see how simple it is, as I really think Smarthouses are the future.. and I want to be a part of it!

Well, sometimes relationships just don't work out.  Me and Zee have called it a day. We still love each other, but we realise that we just don't connect like we used to. So we are going to call it a day before we are at each others throats. I'm going to miss her so much.. She will get access rights to Booley, so we will still see each other around!

As a result I have been busy with Gumtree, easyroomshare and others trying to find the right house share. Its not easy, but I do have a viewing close to where I want to be on Monday, reasonable rent too!

Also went out for a run today. My 19week training plan started today! (only 4weeks overdue) LOL

Anyway, this last week ABC Company (I will NEVER mention my company online, as I don't want to let anyone ever get me sacked if I mention a bad day!)  had our our annual Training / Kick off event in Tunisia. You know what? I loved it! It was bloody hard work, and I have never before spent 5/6 hours preparing for a ten minute presentation! But, the chance to meet those I assist and speak to regularly was amazing. It was also good to hear what the big bosses propose for us, as a strategy for the next few years.

Tunisian 5 Star hotels are not 5 Star, I would say about 3. The pool was lovely, if only I managed to get into it more than twice (one of those was a lunchtime, so I wouldn't fall asleep in the afternoon!), and the beach was only 200m away, with camels strolling about.. I ate salads all week, as the little meat I did eat gave me a dodgy tummy. And the room was alright, if only they woke me up when I requested an alarm call!

It wasn't all work though, and a couple of nights out were much appreciated. We had a night out in Sidi Bou Said on one night, and the final night was held in this gorgeous fifteenth century church, where a big gala dinner was in place for us all. Very enjoyable, even if I was on the rowdiest table in the place, the Scots sure know how to drink! :)

Anyway, I went on one run when I was there and it was bloody hard work. So when I got home, I thought I had better get that training plan put into my diary. My 19 week plan starts... yes, yesterday! I was meant to go out on a 30min run, but went to the pub for a roast and a few strawberry beers.. oh well, I will start tomorrow!

Promise..

Along with Mike and Emma, Sherman and Matt and Ben, was Gary; Mikes brother in Law. I had never met Gary before, but hes a top jazz musician, from Chicago! Even teaches little kids a little music. Top Bloke!

It was good to see everyone! I get on really well with the snowboard crew, and miss our holidays! I organised one of the Holidays one year, when Matt was Yellowsnow President. In fact, thinking about who was there, was a veritable Who's Who in Yellowsnow! Mike Rhodes - First President. Matt Walder - Second President. Me - Second Holiday Organiser. Mike Edwards - Third President. Sherman - Third Holiday Organiser. Ben Lloyd - Fourth President... wow! Oh and the girls of course!

I missed my train, and arrived about 15minutes late at Smollenskys, a gourmet burger bar in Richmond, SW London. After a few beers, we all headed to this great little bar where Emma's sister worked.. We all chucked in £20, and didn't worry about drinks all night.. SWEET! All in all a really good night, and at the end Me, Mike and Kate went back in a taxi to Fulham.

Early doors the next day, a bit of brekkie and we all met up again in Richmond for some Wagamamas at lunchtime. Everyone else was raving about it, but I thought it was a bit pricey, and a little standard! Made some ninja stars put of paper, and headed down the Thames to test them out on the ducks! Don't worry, when a paper Ninja Star hits a duck it doesn't even fly off... London Ducks are just too hard!

It was really good to see Kate and Mike again, and it will be a while before I see them again! I am going to keep up with all the boys though. Shermans off to do a snowboard season in Mount Snow, Vermont, USA. Matts living in Brighton, working for Snowboardclub.co.uk, and living with one of my brothers friends! Mike and Emma are living in London, working for Event Management/Marketing agencies, whilst little Ben is a Broadcast Engineer in Southampton! KEEP IN TOUCH!!

It was down the Tops. What a place.. I did actually go back there a few years ago, when I was younger it was pretty much a local for me. I didn't go down there for a few years, but when I came back to live at home for a year before I went traveling, we went down there. Nothing had changed, but I asked Steve and Lewy anyway.. They looked at me with surprise in there eyes and said, "What do you mean? they've changed the bloody curtains!"

Anyway the party seemed to be a success, Cowboys and Indians theme and everyone made the effort.. Well, everyone I knew! As happens with your friends, there were a few new faces but it was my old mates I went back to see.. Saw Dicky, who I haven't seen in a fair while, and Matt and Andrea and baby Holly. Shes three. First time I had seen here... I am just too slack!

It made me realise its good to have some great friends around. I have been lucky in my 31 years to have some great friends. Its important to understand that you need to spend time with them. Don't forget that.

My feeling is that Microsoft are starting to do a few things right for once.. I know that everyone loves to hate M$, but in my eyes they are doing great!! They have this amazing console out, that should kick Sonys a$$, and they have also developed one of the best phone software out for a long time..

Microsoft Smartphones.. I just got myself a new contract with Orange and have picked up a M3100. I'm going to link to CoolSmartPhone.com here, as they did a first class review on it recently (as did el Rego) ... "It's packed with features. You name it, it's got it. Push email, ultimate connectivity, video calling, camera, flash, Bluetooth 2.0, 400Mhz processor, slide-out keyboard and it runs on Windows Mobile 5.0 (Pocket PC), so you've got mountains of software available to download." one thing it was missing was MSN Messenger. If you want the WM5.0 version, then expect to pay £10.99.. but the WM2003 version works just fine...

Anyway, I am going to go a little more techy with my blog.. if you don't like it then let me know in the comments. Don't worry I won't be too boring, just a few notes on some toys and stuff!

One last thing ... my xbox360 gamertag jura55ik find me and try and beat me (you probably will...)

8-11th September on the Robin Hill Country Park, I can honestly say it was amazing! It was great to catch up with my uni friends, and make some new ones as well!! Lets make some noise for OJ & Pegs, Jimmy & Lanners, Chrissy & Daisy, Finchy, Paula & Kate!!

Didn't think the weekend was actually gonna happen at one point, when I was stuck for two hours in traffic on the M3, but I was soon in Southampton.. Met up with OJ & Pegs, and Frenchy in Bedford Place and once we got all my stuff in the car we headed to the Ferry.. and what a queue awaited us...

That was the only queue though, and before you can say, "she sells seashells on the seashore" we were in the Bestival carpark and getting our lovely yellow weekend passes. Zero Mobile phone signal though, with my new phone burning the battery up :(  and not knowing where everyone was, we hung near the entrance until we met Daisy, Paula and Katy who took us to the campsite, and we got set up. Lanners & Jimmy soon rocked up, looking worse for wear, and we headed into the festy for some friday night shenanigans! I soon lost everyone near midnight, and headed back to the tent for a kip, ready for a big all dayer on Saturday.

Bestival has a fancy dress theme every year on the Saturday, and this years theme was circus. That was until they realised that a lot of people get spooked by clowns, and it ended up being a free for all! We just wandered round all day, sampling the booze and music and food, until we all headed back for a little kip and then get ready for the fancy dress parade at 6. Great plan, apart from the fact that we all woke at 7.. Me, Jimmy, Lanners, OJ and Chrissy all decided to go as Ooompah Loompahs. We had already seen some that day (who looked terrible ..NOT) and our painters suits, green hats, orange paint and spraypaint on the overalls made us look the biz! We soon headed for Fat Tuesdays tent, where we proceeded to have an ace night, which didnt finish till 7am.

I woke feeling like hell, and was in a daze all day long. The only thing going for me was the weddings at the church, as well as Pimms. Queued for 1/2 hour for some bloody cash, and just generally felt terrible.. Headed out again that night, this time without any sleep, and I was just not coping. I think its something to do with being 31.. Anyway I headed back at 11:30, back to my bed!

The morning just saw 9 unhappy campers get up, and pull some tents down.. then out and on to the ferry. I was home and clothes in the wash by 3pm.. I had an amazing weekend, it was really good to see old Uni friends again, and I reckon that Bestival will be on the tour next year as well as Glastonbury! More photos HERE

So after i swallowed half the ocean, and spat it back out.. I finally managed to stand up. For about 10 seconds... then i fell in again!! It was real fun though!Gonna try it again (otherwise I will never hear the end of it from Lanners) .. it should be cheaper than Snowboarding (once I have a board and wetsuit) dont have to pay for a liftpass!! More photos at Flickr

Also here are this years Superbowl Adverts on Google Video

Also have created an account at 30boxes.com - its a brilliant online calander. Works really well. If you want to view friends/family schedules, without the world seeing then come and create an account and ask jezarnold to share..

Finally .. I am coming up to 100 comments on the blog!! Who is it going to be? lets have a little contest.. what shall we see as the prize?? postcard from Oz??

This heat doesn't help my terrible hangover. But by the time we got back to Manly, i was feeling 100% better.

Danni, our flatmate, decided that tonight we are gonna hold a sophisticated Christmas Eve party, with a load of her friends (and some of ours if they wanna come) coming round for drinks and food, all chilling in the front room, ready to see Christmas in..

So me, Zee, Danni and Fen are all putting a bit of work in, getting things ready, and by 8 o'clock its all set! Everyone has to bring a different bit of food and your own booze.. I get chatting to some of Dannis friends - from all over the world, Australia, UK, Brazil, Canada, USA & NZ.. quite a multi-cultural night in.

Get chatting to one guy, Jeff from Brazil. He is Sydney learning to speak English, and I find out he's a DJ. So I say, "Wow, one of my fave DJs is from Brazil, DJ Marky.. heard of him?" ... "Oh yes, he is one of my good friends.. He is coming to Sydney in February to play at Good Vibrations"

How weird is that? Anyway I speak to Danni later, and she says "Yeah we know him..." Definitely going to that! Saturday 18th February 2006

All in all ... a real good night, a bit different to my usual Christmas Eve in O'Neills in Worcester :)