We woke Monday morning to the shock of finding ourselves locked out of GSTF, facing a Redirect on the site to another and having all our content stolen and placed on the rogue site. Not the perfect start to a Monday!

A little bit of investigating by friends in IT showed that our site had been swiped by our OWN partner, who you all may know well and he was the most active blogger on this site! OUCH! Moreover, he had emailed all our regular visitors redirecting them to his new site, now with POPULATED WITH GSTF’S PINCHED CONTENT.

And to double my woes, his new site led with a hate post AGAINST ME! Our partner is talented is well known for his prowess of Spin, so well imagine the grudge people held against yours truly here. DOUBLE OUCH!

So, here I was, Monday morning, fresh back from 2 weeks vacation, clearing a huge worklog, dealing with restoring my access to GSTF, and having to clear my name which Jim had conveniently rub deep into the rubbish bin! What a lovely day!

Working right through the day and most of the night, my most important task was to clear my name because Jim’s new site being public and open to everyone, the 1st thing they would see is all the slander posted against me. Facing constant attacks from an army of users ( many fakes) I replied to each accusation and slanderous comment, in a blog post commenting marathon that ran to 158 comments, lasting till 5am Tuesday morning!

Hey, no effort too large for ones name! Right!

Though our Partner in quaestion above has always been the driving force here at Flowers, and the rest of us worked behind the scenes, that does not take away from the 3 years of efforts we put in. We are shocked and saddened what he has done, going against the very spirit of flowers: letting go and smelling the flowers. We hold no ill will against him, instead we feel for his inability to let go and we truly hope that he will indeed be able to smell the beautiful and humble flowers that life offers on ones journey.

I’ll leave you with this insightful talk by Osho on Ambition

Click here to view the embedded video.

Emirates, you see, are bringing the fun back to flying. Strategically headquartered in Dubai and, therefore, a perfect gateway to Africa, India, Asia, Europe, and now North and South America, Emirates is definitely the way to fly.
When approaching the airport in Dubai, you may not detect that you are pulling up to an airport terminal. A Skycap wielding golden baggage carts, along with a team of people, opens your limousine door, which is included in your airfare if you are traveling in business or first class and personally escorts you to a special check-in counter.

There are no lines at security and no lines at immigration because of their special fast-track service, and this is just the beginning of how Emirates takes the experience of flying to a whole new realm. You then take an elevator to the Emirates lounge – a lounge that can only be described as luxurious; no bottles of water and little bags of snack crackers here……..

There are several buffets offering food from every corner of the globe, showers, the opportunity to get a quick 20- or 40-minute massage, relaxation rooms, a hotel, and a business center, all in an area about as big as most airport terminals. You will not dread having to arrive hours ahead of your flight, because you surely will want to enjoy these wonderful amenities.
The business center, despite its enormous size, is so popular that it may take you awhile to find a chair to sit on. I have been there twice – once at 5:00 am and another at 11:00 am – and both times it was a hub of activity. With a fast connection to the Internet seemingly impossible, don’t even bother. Just enjoy the food and get a massage.
With an hour still left before departure, I decided it was time to experience the new Dubai airport terminal shopping mall, which rivals most city shopping malls in size. If shopping is your thing or if you forgot to pick up a gift for Aunt Betty, you are sure to find what you are looking for here.

Before you know it, it was time to head off to gate 36 where one of the new flagship Emirates airplanes was waiting - the new Airbus A380. Even though there were 500 passengers on this flight, boarding was completed in no time at all. I was flying in business class, so I was directed to the upper deck of the A380 where the business- and first-class seats are located.
When I saw my suite, I had to check my seat assignment again to make sure this was indeed a business-class seat. It looked like a premium first-class seat. I stepped into my suite, which was divided from my neighbor by a movable wall. I took stock of my personal space on the aircraft – a personal mini-bar; a 17-inch, high-resolution screen; the new ICE entertainment system to enjoy hundreds of movies on demand and thousands of sound tracks including every top 10 hit ever played in the UK; and a second smaller screen on a side table so you can play games while you are watching a movie or simply if you feel like adjusting your seat to write an email or make a phone call.
The take off was smooth, and 3 outside cameras broadcasted different views from outside the plane to your 17-inch, high-resolution screen so you could watch your take off in a way not experienced before.
The flight attendants spoke 14 different languages so communicating with them was a breeze. I enjoyed the smoothie I ordered after take off and then the 5-course dinner was about to begin. And what a dinner it was. Was I in an airplane or at an upscale restaurant?

Hours later, I went to experience the business-class bathroom. Unlike the typical airplane bathroom, this one was spacious with bright lights and even had a window in it so you could take a look outside. Every amenity you could think of, like in a 5-star hotel, was there just waiting for you to use – a toothbrush, name-brand toiletries, and the ability to adjust the water temperature. Unfortunately I did not see the showers offered in the front of the first-class cabin otherwise I would have happily taken advantage of cleansing 35,000 miles up.
The back of the upper deck is a world unto itself. There is a complete bar with every snack, sweet, and drink you can imagine. The airline staff and passengers chatted or watched the big-screen HD TV. This area was all about fun and socializing. Unexpectedly, because it seemed so sudden, a flight attendant informed me that we were getting ready to land. But how can that be? It all seemed so quick. This flight was so enjoyable, I momentarily toyed with the idea of turning right around and flying back out again.

I enjoyed my Emirates in flight experience and I’m inviting all passengers to share thier best flying experience with me here in this post! Thanks and fasten your seatbelts!

Or back on the catwalk:

Anyone else notice the flower logo on the back walk or did the laughing presenter put you off!

Comments welcomed on when you last got back in the race having been knocked down….

87iyxs3kpr

Can you guess why? Make your guess here in comments….

It would appear that all over the UK and other parts of Northern Europe there is a strange phenomena occurring known as prolonged sunshine and hot weather. This leads to strange reactions in many people. Some who normally crave sunshine begin to moan about how hot it is. Many people develop red ‘bibs’ due to sunburn in the area around the neck of their shirt/T-shirt and many London taxi drivers swap their normal greeting of ‘where to guv?’ to ‘hot enough for you mate?’

The main result of this type of phenomena is that supermarkets suddenly sell out of any food suitable for grilling (sausages, chicken wings, burgers, etc) and small bread products for encasing the aforementioned grilled food. Yep, it’s BBQ season.

In many households the following scene is played out

Routine…

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.

(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman.

Here comes the important part:

(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine…

(6) The woman goes inside to organise the plates and cutlery.

(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat

Important again:

(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine…

(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

(11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ‘her night off ‘, and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women.

(13) Next day everyone is ill due to eating undercooked food.

Careful if you are a nudist though, it can be painful. Here’s a more typical BBQ scene for  Pattaya, Thailand, Its not easy getting into that suit I can tell you.

Anyone a fan of BBQ’s and have any good tips or recipes?

Right I’m off to the pool in a bit as everyday is a hot day in Thailand!

Nepalese authorities have come up with a novel way to try and fight rampant corruption at Nepal’s main international airport. According to a report by the BBC they are issuing their bribe-taking staff with pocket-less pants.

That should stop ‘em cold!

After all there couldn’t possibly be any other places that they could hide money could there?

So how corruptible do you think we are as a general race of humans?

Have you ever found money and just put it in your pocket without any attempt to find the owner? Umm I have. That’s a little bit corrupt.

Or have you ever been given too much change by a sleep-deprived grocery store clerk and not bothered to tell? Oh God I am blushing now! That’s slightly more corrupt.

Have you ever given better service to a customer based on well they tip? You bet I have. Oh dear, there’s no hope for me. I am totally corrupt.

I guess I’ll just go and sew up all my pockets!

Okay your turn? How corrupt are you? I want all the gory details.

]]> http://gosmelltheflowers.com/archives/10290/feed http://gosmelltheflowers.com/archives/10290 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gosmelltheflowers/QcNH/~3/sGcXqOUsk50/10285 http://gosmelltheflowers.com/archives/10285#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:44:37 +0000 Jim http://gosmelltheflowers.com/?p=10285 Ever read or advertised in the personal ads section of a newspaper of online?

How honest are they, I wonder:

Thansk to Paul in Doo-bye for sending them in.

Comments welcomed, sense of humour essential - others need not apply!

The term ‘Michael Jackson’s will’ won’t re-kindle terms relating to mental strength (wibble) but rather the legacy, estate and music rights he has left behind. ‘Where there is a will - there is family’ as the great estate debate goes on.

Do you have a will and does it include any strange requests for the day you come to be surrounded by flowers. Do let me know here in comments even if you didn’t know the deceased. Cheers….

I find I sleep better on a booze free body and as cask ale isn’t readily available here there is far less temptation.

I do miss THINGS THAT  ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN  DRUNK:
1. Innovative
2. Preliminary
3.  Proliferation
4. Cinnamon

THINGS THAT  ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN  DRUNK:
1. Specificity
2.  Anti-constitutionalistically
3. Passive-aggressive  disorder
4. Transubstantiate

THINGS THAT  ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY  WHEN DRUNK:
1. No thanks, I’m engaged.
2. Nope, no more booze for me!
3.  Sorry, but you’re not really my  type.
4.  No thanks, I’m not hungry.
5.  Good evening, officer. Isn’t it lovely out  tonight?
6. Oh, I couldn’t!  No one wants to  hear me sing karaoke.
7. I’m not interested in  fighting you.
8. Thank you, but I won’t make any  attempt to dance, I have no coordination.  I’d hate  to look like a fool!
9. Where is the nearest  bathroom?  I refuse to pee in this parking lot or  on the side of the road.
10. I must be going home  now, as I have to work in the  morning

The joy of booze - feel free to share your ‘fors and against’ of alcohol’ and difficult to say words in comments. Share them here as the garden needs watering and please comment moderately!

Flash back to  July 17th, 2007 1,500 plus CPDRC inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines practicing their thriller routine:

Some 25 million you tube hits later this video is doing the rounds on the back of recent news.

Did watching the video make you feel any differently about the fact that they’re all prisioners? Do tell, moonwalk optional….