Today was the film screening of 'Bloom in the Moonlight' directed by Shinichiro Sawai, a romantic Japanese love story (in subtitles) set in Japan and Germany about two young Japanese pianist....... A tad too long for my liking!
One business was heard snnooorrrring!

Tonight's outing at the Japanese Embassy - saw two films;
1) Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture, focusing on the local fishery industry which was restored by selling locally caught fish over the Internet 
2) this film features footage of various festivals concentrating on one specific festival in Rikuzentakata City
A festival that only took place months after the earthquake and tsunami because of the determination of the community

20:17....... On the Jubilee Line from Green Park to Stratford station
The carriage is slightly full as it heads towards Westminster station, Waterloo, Southwark.........

I'm sat between two young women, both  wearing jeans, one reading the free Evening Standard
I see gadgets of all sorts everywhere 
The gadgets are taking over the asylum me thinks!

"The next station is London Bridge, change for the Northern line and National services" booms a female voice on the tannoy 
Next stop is Bermondsey then Canada Water, change for London overground, canary Wharf, change fir the DLR North Greenwich, Canning Town, West Ham and our final destination, Stratford 
"Please mind the closing doors" a posh male voice injects his concerned instructions at every stop when the carriage doors start to close 
Another posh male voice thanks us for "travelling on the Jubilee line........ No f****** choice mate!
And he reminds us in the next breathe to "take your belonging with you"

17:25........ On the Central line, Liverpool Street underground station  going to Oxford Circus. Carriage was barely full until we stopped at  St Paul's when a flock of commuters embarked ......... Now the carriage is PACKED!
I'm sat next to a female shedder........ Shedder of her f****** hair!
She probably thought she was at the hairdressers ........ Three stops later and she's still PULLING OUT HER F****** HAIR!
There's more hair on the floor than in her HEAD!
Oxford Circus......... Yes!

Liverpool Street station is in sight, slowly but surely, the train screeches nearer to its end destination......

08:46...... The train arrives, stops in front of me and opens its hungry mouth, letting all the the Marylanders in....... And, Shuting firmly behind me, makes its way towards Stratford station
I am sat next to a woman listening to her music throug her earplugs and a woman sat opposite me has her head down reading via her kindle
The train is warily quiet!
The sun seeps in and warms me up

08:44....... I wait patiently for the Greater Anglia eight forty five train to arrive

08:40........."The train at platform one does not stop here, please stand well clear of the edge of platform one"
You don't need to tell THAT!
Mind you...... The train 'whizzes' past sooooo slowly, you'd be forgiven if you thought otherwise....... Speedy Gonzales? He'll no!

17:30.......Liverpool Street underground station, Central line to Oxford Circus, change for the Victoria Line to Green Park
Met DOS man outside the station and walked together to the Japanese Embassy
Why?
We were invited to Tohoku special film screening of Fukushima Hula Girls
A great film to commemorate the first Annuversary of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami
A very moving film that showed the spirit of a nation, in solidarity, with hope, faith and strength to look forward

I'm on the seventeen ten and all I can hear is a man shouting at his mobile
"He's coming is he?"
"He's coming is he?"
"oh! He's come has he?"
For f*** sake........ Too much information!
Ok! My mind is in the gutter....... I'm coming out of the zone and back being a lady

"We're sorry for the late running of the Greater Anglia train to Cambridge. This is due to animals on the line"
That's an original excuse, if there ever was one!
"Greater Anglia appoligises for the late running and the inconvenience caused"
Yeah right! I bet you f****** are!

08:50 Greater Anglia train to London Liverpool Street station........ From Maryland station
After weaving my way through the 'little' people I was not happy to be in a carriage of more 'little' people accompanied by a couple of their teachers!
Like a gaggle of birds, their voices penetrated throughout the carriage.......
Where's the remote controller when you need it?
"Shut the f*** up! You little horrors
You're f****** doing my head in
HEAD F***** is an understatement

Half way to London Heathrow airport the tannoy is heard
"Is there a doctor on the plane?"
'Man down'........ I guess
A few 'nosey' passengers in the front row are up, like Jumping Jacks' straining their necks to see what was happening
I refused to do the same, after all I'm not a doctor nor can I assist......... so why stare at someone in discomfort?
I didn't 'rubber necked' the incident but I later notice an elderly man with a 'gas and air' mask on.
Air staff were all over the place, going back and forth, calming, I must add.

Once landed, we kept waiting for a while until the ambulance crew arrived.

I overdosed on the TV entertainment 
J Edgar Hoover..... with Leonardo DiCaprio 
Dexter, series six (one to three)
An episode of 'Friends'
A film with Robert DeNiro, Clive Owen and another actor whose first name escaped me.....Streatham, I think that's his surname   

An announcement for "Passengers to queue for boarding
DOS man was nowhere to be seen, so I gather both laptops (in their bags), a bag full of duty free goods, my wide hat, a jacket, a coat and mustered my way, heavily laden, to join the already growing queue and waited.......... Moved along, and waited......... And waited for DOS man to appear
I am now in panic mode as the 'Departure' board flashes.......
'FINAL CALL"
" I'm sorry to bother you...... I'm flying with my husband and he hasn't returned yet. Can you call him on the tannoy please?"
"MR DOS MAN........ (as you can see....... All names have been changed to protect the innocents).......Please return to gate two where you wife is waiting for you to board flight CX253 to London Heathrow ( She forgot to also say......... "Along with the shears to cut your balls off!")

The morning after our return from Phonm Penh, DOS man booked two days of activities........
Tonight is dinner, dancing and cruise on the river and tomorrow, a day at Pattaya beach, swimming and sunbathing galore

Our return to Hong Kong was not as pleasant as the first time round
Pea souper comes to mind but alas it's not Mother Nature but 'Man made fog' due to polution
I was also stopped by immigration.........
Picture this......
Just gone through the 'Transfer' route and oblivious to what was ahead, a little man of Hong kong descent stopped me in mid step
"Passport! Passport!
By this time DOS man was three passengers ahead of me......... With my passport
I put one foot in front of the other and was just about to call him.........
"Passport! Passport! Retorted the little man, his left hand outstretched, preventing my passing
I pointed at DOS man and said.......
"My husband has my......... And before I could finish my sentence, a even tinier, little woman  of Hong kong descent jumped out of nowhere, at my right side
"Passport! Passport!" She mimicked a fellow countryman
I now have two little 'Munchkins' blocking my way
For s split second, I thought I was going to be the cause of 'World War 111'
" She's my wife........ I have her passport!"
DOS  man to my rescue only now they had both of us in their sight
"Passport! Passport!...... For you too!"
So there we were, both handing our passport for scrutiny!
Yes.........Scrutiny!
Out came this tiny microscope....... And not a wonder passed their lips nor ours as our passports were inspected..........with a fine tooth comb......... To be returned with no 'PLease' or 'Thank you'
"Thank you" said DOS man
I uttered no words....... No words were deserved
In my world........
The initial 'Passport! Passport!' would have been a 'Hung' 'Drawn' and 'Quartered' action

The following day we visited the 'Genocide Museum' to see photographs of every Cambodian victim, inhuman torture, the interrogation rooms, all documented by their killers...... monsters of this atrocity.......
An atrocity inflicted by Cambodians to their fellow Cambodians
The Tuoi Sleng Genocide Museum.

We visited  the 'Killing fields' in Phonm Penh did an audio tour of the Choeung Ek Genocide Centre
The field was numbered..... One to nineteen and each numbered stop had a story to tell
The horrific history of this genocide begun on April seventeen nineteen seventy fivr when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge marched into Phomn Penh
There are several mass graves spread around; four hundred and fifty victims here, one hundred and sixtysix victims without heads, over there, the Killing Tree, a glass box with victims' bones and teeth and another glass box with victims' clothing
So much to take in........ How can mankind be so cruel to each other?
on their own people

During our holiday, we've arranged to add another country
We're flying out to Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Savunbhumviu airport
Why?
We're visiting an English friend and his Cambodian wife and baby
A special trip to the 'Killing fields' is in the itinerary 

We arrived late in the evening and made our way to our hotel, the Indra Regent Hotel
The receptionist welcomed us, clasping her hands together like in a prayer and bowing slightly
We mimick the gesture 
"You have been upgraded to an executive suite" She said in broken English
"Smoking or nonsmoking?" 
"Nonsmoking pleased"
"Double bed or two singles?"
"Double please"
So far, so good

We are now eight hours ahead of the UK and at least twenty five degrees hotter!
The heat of Bangkok slapped me across the face as I made my exit to street level
This city is one of the most exciting and dynamic cities in Southeast Asia
It feels like I'm revisiting an old friend, this is my third visit to Bangkok but my fourth visit to Thailand