2nd visit to West Midlands Safari Park

Warning: Image heavy post. The kids are now having their Easter break and last weekend we decided to take them to the West Midlands Safari Park. The park is about an hours drive from our house in Coventry and this was our second visit.

 The first time we visited the Safari Park was in 2008 when my wife's cousin (read my old post: Visit to West Midlands Safari Park). Our son had slept through the entire Safari during out last visit but he was fully awake and really excited his time - even feeding some of the animals (Yes! It's allowed) though the car window though he got really spooked after the Giraffes and refused to lower the window.
 

Cheetah

White Royal Bengal Tiger
 
Deer




Zebra

Ostrich


Elephants

This guy didn't want to eat . He simply wanted to interact

The Giraffes

Up-close, you suddenly realise how tall these animals are.

Eating off my hand

Besides the Safari, the place has other attractions including an amusement park.My daughter tries out rock climbing and learns that it's not as easy as it seems




The Sea Lion show

Penguins

Meerkat




Lemur

The snowman

The last snowfall last winter.

Warwick winter graduation 2012

It was a dream but we finally did it. Both my wife and I graduated together from the University of Warwick. We both studied for our PhD in Marketing (though in different areas) at the Warwick Business School. My wife started one year early and forced me to catch up with her and I actually completed one month earlier than her.

Moving house advice

One of our friends recently moved back to Malaysia after completing his studies. The small community of Malaysians here all came over and helped moved their stuff which they had spent packing literally over the past month onto the 40 footer container. Even with all the guys, it took almost all morning to get the stuff loaded on and finally we were done.

However, sometimes it is better to use the professionals. I once helped my sister-in-law move house when we realised that there was no way we could dismantle their sofa or bring it down their narrow winding stairs. In the end they called a local mover and it was amazing watching them take the sofa through the window through a system of pulleys down to the guys waiting below. The guy in charge told me that they had carried much heavier items including pianos similarly.

I guess it is best to call in the professionals if you can afford it. For example, another friend was moving house and these guys came in a big truck and had packed up and cleared the house in half a day. Later on my friends told me that none of the furnitures had even a scratch.

However the question is how to find and hire general help for moving. And you are of course concerned - Are they reliable? Are they accountable? I have heard so many horror stories about getting day movers that sometimes risking a slipped disk sounds like a better option.

Four naked Barbies

While cleaning up, my daughter came across her Barbie collection and she was telling me that she's doesn't like playing with dolls any more as "only kids play dolls".



Examining the dolls, I realised that they are all different. Three of them are made in China (all 1999 batch) while the first from left which we bought for her at a car boot sale was made in Indonesia. Update: At first I thought that it was a vintage Barbie from 1966 but later found out that they did not make Barbie in Indonesia in the 1960s.

At Greenwich park Christmas Eve 2012

We were at my sis-in-law's place in Greenwich this Christmas. On Christmas Eve, it was a chilly and cloudy but we were bored cooped up inside the house and decided to visit Greenwich Park.

Running after the squirrel


Leafless trees

At 0 Degrees Longitude - The Prime Meridian.

Auld Lang Syne

According to a recent Daily Mail article, most people do not know the lyrics of the most popular New Year's Eve song Auld Lang Syne.

Written by Scottish poet, Robert Burns, this song is sung by millions across the World.

Well here is the full song (with lyrics) sung by Dougie MacLean on the album Tribute.



Wishing all visitors to Ah Ok Lah a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2012.

UK Protests : What's the point?

Since the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservatives, there have been so many protests in the UK. Discussing them with some of my friends, we wondered whether there was any point in these protests since they didn't change anything and in several cases, actually resulted in violence, disorder and looting.

Among the major ones were:

2010 UK student protests - 10, 24 and 30 November and 9 December. Peaceful protest that turned violent.

Pension reform protests. Violence breaks out again.

2011 Student tuition fees protests – 9 November. Relatively peaceful this time as compared to last year.

And of course we can't forget the recent riots between 6 and 10 August 2011, which started off as a peaceful march on 6 August 2011 related to the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by the Metropolitan Police on 4 August 2011 and ended in widespread looting and the death of Five people.

The Occupy London protests are still going on: with tents set up one outside St Paul's Cathedral in Central London and the other in Finsbury Square just to the north.

And it looks like more protests and strikes are on the way - Public sector workers have also decided to go on strike on 30 November over the government’s public sector pension changes.

The question is whether any of these protests had any positive impact.

Whatever sympathy that people had for the students mostly dried up after seeing the images of violence on TV and in the newspapers. The student fees still went up. Mark Duggan is all but forgotten and most people were not even aware that people were protesting outside St Paul's Cathedral until the chancellor followed by the dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London resigned.

My friend tells me that these incidents show that democracy is well and alive in the UK but what's the point if these protests didn't actually achieve anything.

How the Netherlands became a cycling nation

As the following video shows, it did not happen overnight. The people demanded it, the conditions were right and the Government listened to the people.



And now they are providing their expertise to other countries.

How to Increase Cycling in the City

Everyone knows that cycling is an environmentally responsible way to get around town. While purchasing a decent bike is cheap, most people still opt out for the convenient transportation a car provides. If we were to conduct paid surveys and online polls, most people would say that they want more sustainable and affordable ways to commute.

Cycling may get excellent poll numbers and publicity, but people still refuse to actually do it on a consistent basis. In order to get more people into this healthy, sustainable, and fun activity, the community needs to create more incentives for its residents. Here are some solutions to help get people out of their cars and pedaling to their destinations more often:

Paid Advertising

When you look out on the road, there are tones of mobile advertisements: NASCAR drivers are sponsored by major corporations, major corporations are using mobile billboards, and regular people are getting their vehicles sponsored in order to save on gas money. Why shouldn't cyclists be able to do the same thing?

Lance Armstrong wore the USPS' logo on his uniform for several years because he was seen by millions. Smaller businesses with smaller budgets can place their brand image on local cyclists who commute to work every day on busy city streets.

Social Events

In many cities, there are people using Facebook to plan cycling pub crawl events. Groups of riders dart around town on their bikes and visit designated pubs for refreshment. While these types of events are gaining popularity, there is one that stands above the pack. The World Naked Bike Ride is a massive event taking place over many cities that encourages riders to “Bare as You Dare.” This clothing optional event helps raise awareness for sharing the road while promoting positive body-image issues.

Whacky Races

The New Belgium brewery located in Colorado sponsors a series of races across the country simply dubbed the Urban Assault Ride. In these city-wide races, teams of cyclists pair together to race through their respective streets, parks, and neighborhoods while stopping at checkpoints to complete obstacle courses. After the race is over, New Belgium offers a healthy sampling of all of their brews for the thirsty participants. This is a good way to juxtapose the physical fitness of cycling with the atmosphere of a backyard BBQ.

Mobile Reward Apps

In London, the RecycleBank company is starting a programme that allows smartphone users to download an app that rewards them for physical activity. This app lets people who walk or cycle around town gain points which they can then redeem at local merchants. This is an excellent way to get people to become more active and rely less on their cars. It is essentially bribing them to get more physical, but the ends justify the means.

There are several other ways that cities are trying to garner an interest in cycling. This will eventually lead to a more physically fit population, better air quality, less pollution, and less congested traffic during rush hour. All you have to do to participate - just strap on a helmet and start cycling.

The bike wheels next

In the process of restoring my Falcon bike, I have picked up several skills along the way. Among the few things I needed to replace on the bike were the tyres.

As I wrote in one of my recent posts, there is no such thing as a 100% puncture proof tyres but you can get some tyres which are high puncture resistance.

After reading a few reviews, I finally decided on the Schwalbe HS159 27x 1 1/4 tyres. I found a great deal on eBay for a complete set of 2 Schwalbe tyres (with amber walls) and Impac tubes for just £24.99.



Will be putting everything together this weekend. Look out for the post.

Brooks saddle made in India

My Falcon bike restoration project has been on hold for a while. I was thinking of repairing the saddle - replacing the foam and getting new covers but in the end I decided to get a new one. I have always wanted a Brooks saddle and I have had my eyes on the B17 Special for a while. However, £113 for a brand new one was a bit too much and I went onto eBay to find a deal. The appeal of Brooks saddles is amazing - even ancient tattered ones are going for as high as £40. Some actually cost as much as a new bike.

I bid on a few saddles and I set a limit of £25 and not surprisingly I lost every bid. One day I came across a buyer who was selling Brooks saddles which had been made in India. I was a bit sceptical at first but after doing a bit of research found out that indeed some companies in India used to make Brooks saddles.

So I made an offer of £10 which the seller promptly rejected. No harm in pushing your luck. So I pumped up the offer to £15 and I was delighted when the seller agreed.

A couple of days later I received the saddles nicely packed and was really surprised when I realised that they were in mint condition.







The quality is really good with thick leather and good quality steel. I can't find a similar saddle in Brooks current catalogue (on their website). Really happy that I am the proud owner of a Brooks saddles (even though they were made in India). It will be going on my Falcon bike.

New Coldplay album

Coldplay fans will be delighted to learn that the band is releasing their long-awaited fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, on the 24th October.

From their 2008 tour. Credit: Karl Axon from Liverpool, England I am really looking forward to how this new album fares as their last studio album, Viva La Vida, sold more than nine million copies worldwide. You can pre-order the album on Amazon now for £7.99.

Masked crime fighter arrested

Earlier this year, I blogged about a Seattle vigilante, who calls himself Phoenix Jones. His real name is Benjamin John Francis Fodor. How did I learn about his secret identity? Well, the "super hero" was arrested last Sunday under this name.

Well, today I read in the news that he has been arrested for breaking up a fight with pepper spray.



It sounds funny but you can't just go around simply spraying people with pepper spray even if they are fighting. Leave crime fighting to the police.

Earlier this year, he broke his nose and I am worried that he might get into serious trouble one day.

New job, Coventry and the auto industry

In case you are wondering what I am going on about. read on and you will understand.

Last week I joined Coventry University Business School as a lecturer in marketing and advertising. I got the job finally after 6 interviews and hundreds of rejections. We are really delighted that I got into Coventry University as it means that we do not have to relocate to another city in the UK. Furthermore, I have always wanted to remain in academia as a lecturer.

I also joined at the right time as Coventry University is growing massively with new buildings and facilities. Its ranking has gone up to 53rd overall in the Sunday Times University Guide 2012 - a huge jump of 30 places from the last time. I was really happy to learn that the University is now ranked higher than some of the other Universities that rejected me.

I have grown to love Coventry and am learning a lot about it's history. Car buffs will definitely be aware that Coventry was once the auto capital of the UK and my office is located at the William Morris building, named after the founder of the Morris car company. The building dates from 1916 and they used to have their engine manufacturing facilities here.

Going around the building, I was trying to find traces of the former building and suddenly I noticed that near my office are the remains of the old bannister on the stairs with fine detailed carvings. They are carvings of bulls. Not sure whether they mean anything.





Will try to find some more traces of the old building.

Cycle tyre puncture - prevention better than cure

As you might have guessed from my previous posts, I am really into cycling now. I even borrowed a couple of books on cycles/cycling from the local library (I know there are loads of information on the net but nothing beats a good book with illustrated pictures).

Anyway, one thing I am really worried about is getting my tyres punctured while riding to the University. I got myself a cycle tyre puncture repair kit. Through it has never happened but repairing a tyre by the side of the road is not something I am really keen on. I tried practising at home using the old bike I am restoring - getting the tube out, trying to find the hole and then patching it up. I have seen YouTube videos and they make it look so simple. Prying one side of the tire bead over the edge of the rim was the hardest.

Here is a popular clip on YouTube on how to repair a puncture:


Searching on the net, I came across a site which sells Amerityre tyres which they claim are 100% puncture proof but they are not cheap. On the other hand, Andreas at the London Cyclist Blog says that there is no such thing as 100% puncture proof tyres. However, there are a number of tyres which are said to have high puncture resistance.

While shopping at Halfords I noticed a green bottle - it was the Slime Tube Sealant. I didn't buy it because I was sceptical and wanted to read the reviews first. Apparently this product was really good with so many positive comments on various sites. I noticed that it was also available at the Go Outdoors store. I later took my bike along on my way back home from the university and bought a bottle. The in-store bike mechanic put the green liquid in both my tyres for free. I haven't had a puncture even once but I do feel much better now.

I now want to put the Slime in all my bikes and doing an online search realised that I could have got it much cheaper elsewhere, with the cheapest online at Amazon Here is a comparison of the prices:

Halfords: £8.99

Go Outdoors: £8.09

Wikinson: £4.97

Amazon:

Vintage Falcon bike restoration project 2

This follows on my previous post "Vintage Falcon bike restoration project".


The bike was from the Chris Thompson Cycles shop in Darlington, Durham. Found out that the shop was dissolved in 1997.




Shimano Derailleur gears (Japan)


Simplex gear shifter (France)


Presta vavle on the 27 x 1 1/4 Michelin World Tour tyre.

I took off the rusted panniers, the saddle and the rusted chain and cleaned up the bike a bit.


On the bottom of the Reynolds 531 tubing

Serial No: 2736

Other markings:
TS1
APJ77

Can someone tell me how old this bike is?


Sugino crankset (Japan)


Weinmann Brakes (Switzerland)