monsoon rains today

work wise, i got a challenge. im going to look into integration testing. thats a big vague area, but if i could learn even a portion of that, not only could i work on an ongoing project of one of our clients, but it would be something i could add on my skills list. im kind of eager to widen my repertoire, but abstract stuff is my weakness, so i think this will be challenging. today im reading about cURL.

Top Secret comedy club in London. monday's are £1. it was great fun, we enjoyed.

free range chicken in this London restaurant. i had a donut though.

Istanbul from air. the third bridge is visible at the bottom. i think it'll open soon to traffic.

something from Pasabahce. long story short, we got a gift card from friends and although the thought of buying even *more* things to pack and try move to the UK, they sell really nice things, catering to both "turkish" and "western" tastes so im willing to pay the postage for sending some small glassware by mail. got 2 white soup bowls, 2 champagne glasses and 2 water glasses (both "straight" in form), a small Istanbul themes candle holder and a glass jar which is heavy as f* and im sure u can buy them cheap anywhere in the world but i LOVE glass jars, i had to have it. too bad the photo sucks, the champagne glass especially is beautiful.

the best onboard entertainment UI ive seen so far. On our Turkish Airlines flight to London and back. very easy to use and even user friendly.

my lunch. makaroonilaatikko is one of my all time favorite foods. i also add zucchini, it's basically tasteless but still brings something healthy into the meal.

researching London internet providers, i learned they basically sell "broadband up to 17Mb" or fiber (various speeds but nothing like i had in Helsinki in 2009 via cable). other than "up to 17Mb" or fiber, you can choose unlimited or limited (to eg. 30GB). I applaud them for making it simple, but umm... it's a bit scary that it's easier to get fast internet in turkey. am i downgrading every time I move??

Ink Master has become such a social media 'game' its kinda sad. and the drama they push in form of getting the artists to fight is just too obviously scripted...  its getting a bit sad. which sucks cos i love watching a reality where they make great tattoos! the finale of Ink Master this week was just social media this and that, vote now, we are counting your votes now, vote for your favorite artist...   i get that it sells, and thats why all the shows are doing it but im just personally not a fan.

Miriam is staying a few nights at our place now that her work conference is over. we r taking it easy and drinking tea and eating healthy. except for the first night when we were out with her colleague and my friends in taksi - that was a party night. its been years since we spent this much time together, its kind of odd, but its always easy too. we are not as close as a decade ago maybe, but at the same time we share a long history.